Comics Syllabus

Today's Friday Find is 'The Nameless City' by Faith Erin Hicks (First Second), with colors by Jordie Bellaire. @TwoPlai gushes about the leaps in visual storytelling, from Hicks' previous Eisner-nominated work to this epic and timeliness book. References images at twoplai.tumblr.com

Thursday's Throwback is 'Bone: The Great Cow Race Artist's Edition' by Jeff Smith, published by IDW. @TwoPlai's daily comics analysis podcast considers why in the world it might be worth it to get a not-cheap volume like an Artist Edition, with a little help of a couple passages from TwoMorrows' Modern Masters Jeff Smith by Eric Nolen-Weathington.

Wednesday's Wide World of Comics features a look at Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy Omnibus, with less detail about Astro Boy and more about @TwoPlai's experiences with manga resulting from a transnational upbringing. @TwoPlai also gets long-winded (but purposeful!) about his pull list on this New Comic Book Day.

Tuesday's Trade is 'Monstress v1' out Wednesday from Image by Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda, and Rus Wooton. @TwoPlai offers some thoughts on the six issue run collected in this trade, including why he loves a book with elements that are "not usually [his] thing." But Monstress is praiseworthy and learning to listen attentively to works that TwoPlai doesn't grab at first blush is part of the beauty of reading.

This Monday's Marvel is 'Invincible Iron Man' 11 by Bendis, Deodato, and Martin, out this week from Marvel. @TwoPlai's Daily Comics Analysis Podcast also discusses a big of a scholarly book by Ramzi Fawaz, 'The New Mutants,' as well as some of the controversy surrounding Riri Williams, the new Iron Man.

What is 'the Paul List?' Who is this TwoPlai character? What am I listening to? Why in the world should I listen to it? A re-introduction episode for folks wondering what this daily comics analysis podcast is all about and who it's coming from. I don't do a great sales job, but if you listen this far, and you're still interested, hats off to you. And I'd love to hear from you... an iTunes review, a tweet or message, a Soundcloud like. Thanks, and keep reading.

Saturday's Superfriend is Superman 2, written by Pete Tomasi. But @TwoPlai spends most of the time fumbling to find words to verbally describe the visually luscious art of Patrick Gleason with inker Mick Gray. The Paul List is a daily comics podcast of analysis, and today we try detailed comics art analysis. We might have failed miserably. Either way, thanks for listening, and keep reading.

In a revised Friday Find, @TwoPlai's words utterly fail to describe an indescribably powerful graphic novel, read in an indescribably difficult context. To talk about 'Nat Turner' by Kyle Baker, self-published but later collected and printed by Abrams (2008), I try to pass the proverbial microphone to others and listen, something we all must do in these harrowing times, even as we mourn loss of life and communities hurt, even as we affirm Black Lives Matter.

Thursday's Throwback is 'Green Arrow: A Celebration of 75 Years' from DC, from a variety of illustrious creators in Green Arrow's long legacy. @TwoPlai discusses that legacy as represented by this volume.

In this extrasode, @TwoPlai tries to make amends for an oversight in his New Comic Book Day Pull List... he failed to mention that one of his favorite Image comics, The Fuse 19, hit stands today. This addendum episode gives him a chance to explain why artist Justin Greenwood is one of his favorite current artists, using a comparison to one of his all-time favorites, Chester Gould, creator of Dick Tracy.

Wednesdays are for the Wide World of Comics. Besides @TwoPlai's lengthy list of new comics he's going to (eventually) read coming out this week, we get into Jessica Abel's 'Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio' from Broadway Books, and ruminate on the similarities between podcasts and comics as storytelling platforms. Keep reading...and listening...and reading!

Today's Tuesday Trade is Saga volume 6, written by Brian K Vaughan and art by Fiona Staples. Heard of it? Thoughts about family in comics and media from @Twoplai, whose Paul List is a daily comics analysis podcast. Keep reading!

Monday's Marvel is Ms. Marvel 8, and @TwoPlai's daily comics analysis delves into Civil War II's wrangling with questions of profiling, civil liberties, and the vantage point of the exile. Many props to writer G. Willow Wilson and artists Miyazawa, Alphona, and Herring (and company) for continuing to press the questions with Kamala.

Today's Sunday Scholarship is 'Bending Steel: Modernity and the American Superhero' by Aldo Regalado, published in 2015 by University Press of Mississippi. The Paul List is podcast of daily comics analysis, and on Sundays we discuss works from the wide ranging fields of Comics Studies-- which @TwoPlai briefly discusses in this episode.

The Paul List Daily Comics Analysis considers its Saturday Superfriend, 'DC Bombshells' written by Marguerite Bennett with various artists, including Marguerite Sauvage and cover artist Ant Luca. @TwoPlai thinks about digital comics, feminism and superheroes, and how much others educate him.

Friday's Find is 'Bird in a Cage' by Rebecca Roher from Conundrum Press. The Paul List is a daily comics podcast where @Twoplai offers analysis and commentary on a comic, today from the noisy driver's seat of a car (don't worry-- he's hands free!)

Thursday's Throwback is the Walt and Skeezix collection by Frank King, edited by Jeet Heer, Chris Oliveros, and Chris Ware, from Drawn + Quarterly, as well as the Sunday Press Books 'Sundays with Walt and Skeezix.' The Paul List is a daily podcast of comics analysis and discussion by @TwoPlai.

In today's extra-long, extra-low-energy, but extra-informative episode of the Paul List, we preface the Wednesday Wider World of Comics pick with a long explanation of what a Pull List is (where we get our name), by what means @TwoPlai acquires his comics, and what titles are on his pull list this Wednesday, which will become a weekly routine. Then, the Wednesday Wider World takes a look at direct-to-smartphones app Stela, and a new title by Ethan Young entitled Pilgrim Finch.

This week's Tuesday Trade is Semiautomagic by Alex De Campi and Jerry Ordway and published by Dark Horse Comics. The Paul List is a daily comics analysis podcast from @TwoPlai. Keep reading!

Today's Paul List daily analysis of comics covers our Monday Marvel comic: Power Man and Iron Fist issue 5, written by David Walker and drawn by Flaviano, with colors by Rauch and lettering by Cowles.