Issue #47: Jesse Butler

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Welcome, lovely listeners and Precious Patrons of Pulp Pamphlet Parlay, to Issue 47 of Comics Squee. Each podcast our panelists and their space monkey, Gleek, discuss the comic books, graphic novels, and general sequential art geekery that excites them.

Guest is fellow comics podcaster over at Cosmic Tales, Jesse Butler. He’s also a boardgames designer, and you should totally check out his Short Order Heroes over at Calico Games.

In this issue of Comics Squee we have: good looks as an STD ; ether punk flavored Dark Knight ; a vampire puppet; and a space racoon.

1. Chris: Batman: Death by Design by Chip Kidd (author) and Dave Taylor (artist) (starts at 00:02:39.000)

   This is a really cool, single-shot/stand-alone Batman story that’s different from every other Batman story out there. It’s very etherpunk and set in a 1920s type era – Joker in johdpurs, rayguns, etc.

   The art is unique, a charcoal-pencil look and feel. Taylor didn’t erase any lines, or ink over them, so the art has a soft grey-scale look that fits the era. The little touches of color were added digitally.

   The plot is fun. You have Batman early in his career, encountering an older superhero who has a Court of Owls look. And another plot for Bruce Wayne, about corruption and a contested plan to tear down the Gotham Central Station that his father built. So you get a nice Bruce Wayne/Batman duality going on.

2. John: The Beauty by Jeremy Haun (writer and artist) and Jason A Hurley (writer) and John Raunch (colorist) (starts at 00:07:16.917)

   The concept is, what if there was an STD that changed you into being physically perfect. There seems to be no negative side effects – HAHAHAHAAHHAHAH. No, you’re head blows up – Beauty’s side effect is spontaneous combustion. Beats syphilis.

   Story follows two detectives, one who’s suffering the Beauty virus at the start of the story. The CDC is keeping the Beauty side effects under wrap, but the main characters are pushing their noses in. And then there are corporations trying to capitalize.

   This isn’t safe for young readers due to full frontal nudity and body horror.

3. Jesse Butler: Rocket Racoon & Groot #5 by Scottie Young (writer, cover artist), Jerry Parker (artist) and Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colors) (starts at 00:13:02.167)

   The team-up between Scottie Young and Jerry Parker has produced some funny and entertaining Rocket and Groot stories. Each issue is like a cartoon.

   The particular issue Jesse squeed about is #5 and features Rocket and Groot telling stories at a camp out to a sort of alien kid scouts jamboree. The comic is mainly Groot telling a story about one of their adventures. So ALLLL the dialog is “I am Groot”.

4. April: Pinnochio: Vampire Slayer by Van Jensen (writer) and Dustin Higgins (artist) (starts at 00:24:38.667)

   When Pinocchio returns from his adventures (of the book, not the movie so much) Gepeto gets killed by vampires. So it’s up to him, the Blue Fairy, and the wood cutter to save the town.

   And, yes, he kills vampires by telling lies and snapping his nose off to use as a stake.

   It’s a good middle grade book for kids and adults who like ridiculous horror mashups. It was originally published by SLG, but the current version is printed by TopShelf and is all cleaned up (no half-tone excema anymore).

Question Time: What did you read last? (starts at 00:24:38.667)

Our ‘easy question’ turned out to be surprisingly hard to answer for the Squeesters.

• John:

  Some Eigth Seal. Last issue of Bitch Planet.

• Chris:

  All New Wolverine #4

• Jesse:

  Black Cannary and Starfire

• April:

  Pinnochio: Vampire Slayer or whatever she squeed about last.

• QTa) Tangent 1: Spider Gwen (starts at 00:29:09.917)
• QTb) Tangent 2: Chris loves Teen Titans Go (starts at 00:31:27.667)
• QTc) Tangent 3: The Love Boat (starts at 00:33:38.583)
• QTd) Tangent 4: Things don’t hold up decades later (starts at 00:34:38.000)

What We’re Looking Forward to Reading Next (starts at 00:36:02.667)

• April:

  Rereading Chester 5000 XYV by Jess Fink for comic book club

• John:

  Reading the first two volumes of Alias: Jessica Jones so he can watch the TV series based on the series.

• Jesse Butler:

  The new A-Force series

• Chriss:

  Comics she got for Christmas.

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