The Tradewaiters

Today’s book is weighty. We read "Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir" by Tessa Hulls. This book follows the lives of Tessa’s grandmother, mother, and herself through some of the most difficult periods of Chinese history in the first half of the twentieth century, as well as the mental illness and generational trauma that has bound them together ever since. It’s not all doom and gloom as we also talk about visual metaphors and page composition, but come prepared. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on reading manga.

In today’s episode we discuss "Blurry" by Dash Shaw, a nesting onion of vignettes of the lives of people facing indecision. Follow along as we fight our way through the fog and find out how they’re all connected. Take a delicious detour with us as we pick apart the mechanics of how this comic is built, from its 4/4 beat of the page layouts to the sparse but grounded character designs. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be about "Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir" by Tessa Hulls.

The Minicomic Awards are back, and we’re here to celebrate them! For this episode, Jam, Jeff, and JD read as many of the winning comics as we could get our hands on, and some of the nominees as well. Here are the winners: Ratgirl by STC09 Scoot by Cam McCafferty The Pool by Leda Zawacki Diaphanoids by Anna Bow and Hagai Palevsky The Ballad of Black Cassandra Olivia Stephens Wisteria House by Daniela Vicoso and Alas by Sajan Rai Here are the nominated books that we also read: Be Safe by Christine LeSantos Queen Caterpillar by Virus Visal Omega Trillionaire by Nick Winn Scarlit Geyre by Jon Cairns Girl Stuff 1.11 by Yaster Goodman Agents Gorgeous by Gang Fight Music by Sleuth.

On today’s Gutter-Take, Jam, Jeff, and JD talk in-depth about our experiences seeking balance between making comics, having a day job, and getting a life. If you’re an artist here’s your chance to learn from our mistakes and match your priorities to your lifestyle. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on some of the comics from the Minicomics Awards 2025.

For this episode our panel read "Banned Book Club" by Kim Hyun Sook, Ko Hyung-Ju, and Ryan Estrada. This book follows Hyun Sook's adventures as a young revolutionary during South Korea's Fifth Republic dictatorship. Because irony is dead, this book has in turn faced book bans of its own. Join us as we talk about the freedom to read, the importance of being able to imagine a different world, that a police state will inevitably do police state things, and how much we love the bus. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be a minisode on comics / life / balance.

We’re going back to 1987 to read "Kraven’s Last Hunt" by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck, which collects issues from The Amazing Spider-Man, Web of Spider-Man, and Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man. This is a classic capes and tights story about how some men will fight a decade-long battle to best Spider-Man in hand-to-hand combat rather than go to therapy. Several content warnings apply to this journey through Peter Parker’s emo phase, but you don’t need to be steeped in nostalgia to appreciate the trip. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on "Banned Book Club" by Kim Hyun Sook, Ko Hyung-Ju, and Ryan Estrada.

It’s time for another Gutter-Take. Webcomics are harder to find than ever. Or is it the opposite? Where do you find your webcomics, and how do you get readers to find yours? Jeff, Jam, and JD have questions and also answers. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on "The Amazing Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt" by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck.

Our panellists are back with volumes 3 and 4 of "Our Dreams at Dusk" by Yuhki Kamatani. This time we get to talk about all the characters in depth, including matters of life, death, marriage, and friendship. We finish off the series knowing a lot more about the characters, but not everything! We also talk about the founding of Cloudscape, and the difference between understanding and acceptance. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on The Amazing Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck.

This week Jam, Jeff, and JD read the first two volumes of "Our Dreams at Dusk" by Yuhki Kamatani. As Jeff says in the episode, this is a deep dive into queer culture in Japan that celebrates the importance of community and third spaces. Join us as we visit the town of Onomichi, with its cats and old houses, its queer drop-in centre and its many photogenic bridges. This is a different kind of manga, and a unique story in comics. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on volumes 3 and 4 of this series.

We’re doing something different for this episode. In between our regular panels on great graphic novels lies the gutter (get it?). And in the gutter this week, Diamond Distributors, who once held a monopoly on delivering comic books to readers, just filed for bankruptcy. What does this mean for comics? What even is “distribution?” Jeff, Jam, and JD are here to let you know, in our first mini episode on topics behind the scenes in comics. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on "Our Dreams at Dusk" by Yuhki Kamatani.

We’re back to read volumes 2 and 3 of "O Human Star" by Blue Delliquanti. This time we get into the trans text and subtext of the series, how metaphor and text support each other, and break down the main characters to see what makes them tick. We’ve got an alternate political universe, a true AI singularity, disability representation, a long-expected Astroboy moment, and some unexpected difficulties with pho to get through. Let’s go! Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on "Our Dreams at Dusk" by Yuhki Kamatani.

This episode is on the first volume of "O Human Star" by Blue Delliquanti. Read the webcomic and then listen to our thoughts on planning a webcomic, the best uses of science fiction, and the unique advantage that a limited colour palette has for comics. Fair warning we spend like half of this episode griping with where the conversation on AI has gone since this book was finished, but I promise this book and this episode will make it worthwhile. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on volumes 2 and 3.

For this episode on "As the Crow Flies," by Mel Gillman, Jam, Jeff, and JD are joined by Ryan Estrada. We talk about one of Ryan’s favourite banned books. Is this a thoughtful story of alienation, doubt, microaggressions, and faith? Or is it, as one book banner summed it up, just “gender chaos?” We’ll talk about the power of traditional media (by which I mean pencil crayons), libraries, and how not to be uncomfortable in nature. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on "O Human Star" by Blue Delliquanti.

This week we return to "Thunderbolts Volume 1: Justice, Like Lightning," by Kurt Busiek, Mark Bagley, Sal Buscema, Peter David, Mike Deodato Jr., Steve Epting, and others. We look deeper into the main cast of the series, and propose a wish list of changes (thirty years too late). We’ll see henchmen doing hench things, learn about incels and doxxing before those terms existed, talk about mall gothery, and discuss the importance of metaphors for six year olds. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on "As the Crow Flies" by Mel Gillman

This is the first part of a two-parter on "Thunderbolts Volume 1: Justice, Like Lightning," by such people as Kurt Busiek, Mark Bagley, Sal Buscema, Peter David, Mike Deodato Jr., and Steve Epting. We brave the Marvel Universe in the mid 90s to ask important questions like, what happens when a gang of super-villains switches sides? Are nazis real? What happens when the biggest comics publisher goes bankrupt? And, what’s the deal with the “Marvel Method?” Buckle up, true believers! Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will continue the discussion on "Thunderbolts."

This week Jam, Jeff, and JD read "The Jellyfish" by Boum. This BD fresh out of Montreal publisher Pow Pow follows Odette, a character whose vision is being increasingly obscured by a swarm of jellyfish. It’s a story with a lot of depth and heart, and some great cartooning. We’ll talk about the book, and about the bridge Pow Pow seems to be working to build between the Francophone and Anglo comics scenes. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on "Thunderbolts Epic Collection: Justice, Like Lightning" by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley

For this week’s episode we read "My Aunt Is a Monster" by Reimena Yee, whose unique and thoughtful approach to cartooning gave us lots to talk about, from panel transitions to world-building to colouring. This is a unique book and a welcome addition to the YA graphic novel canon. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on "The Jellyfish" by Boum

Join Jam, Jeff, and JD for another episode of the TradeWaiters. This time we read "Roaming" by Canadian paragons of cartooning Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki. It’s a story of three young women visiting New York and discovering themselves, and in true Tamaki fashion, pushes the medium of comics to its limits. We’ll discuss our own adventures, the genre of comics that I GUESS we’re officially calling “mumble-core” now, and also the “Darryl Ayo method” of how the comics industry should work. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on "My Aunt Is a Monster" by Reimena Yee

For today’s episode we look at the winners of the Cartoonist Co-op 2024 Mini-Comic Awards: "Fancies" by Alex Cara, "Marrow A.K.A. Rodney’s Law" by Sloane Hong, "Crossed Signals" by Narrenstrich, "Bottom’s Up!" by Barbara Benas, and "The Bird Daughters" by Madeline McGrane. We’ll talk about the unique magic of minicomics, turning dreams into comics, and how to choose which bird hybrid assassins you want as your overlords. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on "Roaming" by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

The TradeWaiters are back and ready to join the Nancy Renaissance! We read the first print collection of "Nancy" by Olivia Jaimes, and weigh in on the new artist who has taken over an ancient but venerated comic strip. Spoiler: Olivia Jaimes is lit, and you’re wrong if you think otherwise. We discuss the fraught circumstances of rebooting legacy newspaper comics, and have a lot to say about what makes "Nancy" #relatable. Music by Sleuth