Deconstructing Comics

22:16

Critiquing Comics #249: “Westron”

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/05/23

Westron is about a private investigator who investigates crimes with supernatural elements. When a girl is murdered, he feels driven to solve the crime by the memory of a childhood friend who was killed. Tim and Jason look into the case of this comic by Shawn McBee, Maciej Jankowski, Nicolas Nieto, and Matia De Vincenzo!Westron on Kickstarter

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1:19:21

#875 Swamp Thing in Spaaaaace

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/05/20

At last we complete our look at Alan Moore‘s Swamp Thing run, looking at Swampy’s battle with Gotham City, his seeming death, and his travels through space. Along the way, Tim and Kumar have totally different takes on a certain issue, and Tim finds a fact about it that scandalizes Kumar. Join us as we traverse The Saga of the Swamp Thing issues 51-64! What are those folks on Rann saying? Brought to you by: Checkered Past podcast Our supporters on Patreon

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53:28

#874 Jack Kirby’s Black Panther #5-6: The City of...

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/05/13

Typical of the Jack Kirby comics we’ve read from the 1970s, the 1977 Black Panther series is a wild ride. Issues 5 and 6 feature a city of samurai (apparently nowhere near Japan), a yeti (nowhere near the Himalayas), and a nuclear missile (which is far too close to Wakanda). Wait, did we say “Wakanda”?! At last the series is inching back to the familiar territory, literally and figuratively, of a Black Panther story! But first, Panther has to survive Abner Little‘s snafu in

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56:33

#873 Adam Tierney: Godzilla comes to Verona

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/05/06

Adam Tierney, writer of the recent hit one-shot Romeo and Juliet and Godzilla, is a video game writer who dabbles in comics as a hobby — and it’s looking like a very successful hobby! This week he talks to Tim about choosing who Godzilla would cross paths with in his Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre issue, his love of horror and forthcoming horror comic for kids, how he got into video games, and more.Brought to you by: TV Tangents podcast Our supporters on Patreon

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54:21

#872 Steranko’s “Nick Fury,” pt 2: The argument in...

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/04/29

Jim Steranko’s Nick Fury stories from the late 1960s are lauded for the artwork, especially in the stories after Fury got out of Strange Tales and into his own book. The stories are wacky and kind of haphazard. The layouts are sometimes very innovative, but the storytelling is not always clear. Are these stories worth reading today? Tim and Kumar complete their review of Steranko’s Nick Fury. Also, we hear from some listeners, and Tim explains the history and mystery of our podcast feed! Brought to

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50:08

#546 “The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye”

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/04/22

FLASHBACK! Why read a biography of a fictional comics artist? What if it’s also a history of Singapore — done in a style that apes more than a dozen seminal 20th century comics creators? Tim and Kumar take a look at the awe-inspiring (yet sometimes puzzling) Sonny Liew graphic novel The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye. (Originally published May 8, 2017.)Brought to you by: Full Manga Alchemists Our supporters on Patreon

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46:10

#871 Jack Kirby’s Black Panther #3-4: A Time Machine,...

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/04/15

Black Panther continues his wild ride, courtesy of Jack Kirby — but filling a role that could have been played by virtually any character. With Abner Little and Princess Zanda, we see him fight various treasure protectors, drive an incredibly stylish ancient vehicle, take on a samurai who’s been transplanted to Africa, and more. Tim and Emmet try to keep up with the craziness. Brought to you by: Doomspeak podcast Our supporters on Patreon

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52:29

Critiquing Comics #248: “The Blossoming City” pt 1...

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/04/11

Ian M is a Japan-based Canadian creator whose work we’ve discussed on this podcast before. His work is often about Japan, but not necessarily about himself. In The Blossoming City part one, he begins the story (presumably true?) about a community garden in Sapporo, in a story that he tells in a variety of cartooning styles. … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #248: “The Blossoming City” pt 1 and “Loon News: The Comic Strip!”

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1:15:10

#617 Swamp Thing meets the monsters

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/04/08

FLASHBACK! We continue our look at Alan Moore’s 1980s run on Swamp Thing— a run in which the title character met werewolves and vampires (as Moore and co. found a new way to use these old tropes), as well as new character John Constantine. Moore was aided by artists Stephen Bissette, John Totleben, and Alfredo … Continue reading #617 Swamp Thing meets the monsters

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1:07:16

#319 “The Maxx” (RIP Sam Kieth)

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/04/01

FLASHBACK! Even amidst the anything-goes craziness of the early Image years, Sam Kieth’s The Maxx was an outlier. While it included some superhero tropes, it wasn’t really a superhero book, nor was it like much of anything else on the market, then or now. While it definitely has its weaknesses, Kumar and Dana confirm this … Continue reading #319 “The Maxx” (RIP Sam Kieth)

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49:14

#870 Steranko’s “Nick Fury,” pt 1: Spy or superhero?

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/03/25

Somehow it’s taken us 20 years of podcasting to get to Jim Steranko’s fabled run on Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. But is the early stuff really so fabled? There’s lots of action and it’s exciting, but don’t dare think about it too much, because the seat-of-the-pants plotting is all over the map, and the anatomy … Continue reading #870 Steranko’s “Nick Fury,” pt 1: Spy or superhero?

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1:09:24

#325 Alan Moore’s “Swamp Thing”

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/03/18

FLASHBACK! Due perhaps to the passage of time, poorly handled reprinting by DC, or some other reason, Alan Moore’s writing stint on Swamp Thing in the 1980s does not seem to get mentioned much today. Which is a shame, because it ranks with Moore’s best work. And the art by Stephen Bissette and John Totleben … Continue reading #325 Alan Moore’s “Swamp Thing”

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54:49

#869 Jack Kirby’s Black Panther #1-2: A Ribbit-ing...

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/03/11

We begin our look at Jack Kirby‘s Black Panther series from the 1970s, introducing a new Kirby character who’s a bit too similar to one who first appeared in Captain America! Panther has somehow gotten mixed up in the search for the mate to King Solomon’s Frog, an oddball time travel device. The mate is … Continue reading #869 Jack Kirby’s Black Panther #1-2: A Ribbit-ing Time Travel Story

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41:17

#868 “The Pass”: Are you living the dream, or is the...

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/03/04

Sometimes, achieving your dream can be kind of a nightmare, even though it’s also rewarding. Claudia, in Katriona Chapman‘s latest graphic novel The Pass, has started her own restaurant and enjoys creating in the kitchen, but everything else that goes with it wears her down. The book gives us a peek at the ups and downs … Continue reading #868 “The Pass”: Are you living the dream, or is the dream killing you?

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54:38

#867 “Goodnight, Punpun”

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/02/25

Inio Asano’s Goodnight Punpun gives us what appear to be a family of ghostly birds living in a much more realistic-looking world. People within that world don’t see them that way, though. It’s a world where authority figures act like ADHD kids, where every parent seems to be abusive or alcoholic (or both), and all seem … Continue reading #867 “Goodnight, Punpun”

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40:09

#866 Fantastic Four 53: Black Panther meets Klaw

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/02/18

After “hunting” the Fantastic Four, the Black Panther reveals that he did it for practice, as he anticipated a battle against his father’s killer: Ulysses Klaw. Sure enough, Klaw shows up right on schedule, and the FF help Panther take him down. Tim and Emmet discuss Fantastic Four #53 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby! Brought … Continue reading #866 Fantastic Four 53: Black Panther meets Klaw

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1:37:43

#865 Harold Buchholz interview: Kids love comics!

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/02/11

At some point, the idea that some comics should be for adults took over to the extent that it became hard to find good comics for kids. Cartoonist Harold Buchholz was involved in starting an organization called Kids Love Comics that encourages making comics for kids and does events to hook the kids up with … Continue reading #865 Harold Buchholz interview: Kids love comics!

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48:18

#864 Black Panther Debuts

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/02/04

Sixty years ago, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby presided over the debut of the Black Panther in Fantastic Four #52. The story presents the expectations of the average American for stories about Africa (Jungles! Natives! Africa is a country, right?) and defies those expectations by showing a rich, technologically advanced African nation. This time, Tim … Continue reading #864 Black Panther Debuts

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48:15

#863 Jimmy Gownley interview

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/01/28

Jimmy Gownley is the award-winning creator of Amelia Rules, Tanner Rocks, The Dumbest Idea Ever, and more, as well as a co-host of the Unpacking Peanuts podcast. This time, he talks with Tim about why the earliest stuff sells the best (never mind how much his art has improved since then), ergonomics, putting comics on … Continue reading #863 Jimmy Gownley interview

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58:44

#627 Walt Simonson’s “Thor”

Deconstructing Comics ·

2026/01/21

FLASHBACK! One of the most acclaimed Marvel runs of the 1980s was by Walt Simonson on The Mighty Thor. He began writing and drawing it with #337, continued through to #367 (with a quick break in the middle), then gave up art duties but continued writing through #382. This run set aside Dr. Don Blake, … Continue reading #627 Walt Simonson’s “Thor”

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