Graphic Policy Radio

"[Blackbeard] is presenting as a queer character, not just within our time, but within his own time" - Tea Fougner. "It's historical fiction about pirates if the executive producers were all tumbler users" - Cayden Mak. Pirate Tea and First Mate Cayden Mak have boarded the show to talk about Taika Waititi and David Jenkins' glorious new show on HBO, Our Flag Means Death. It's a queer pirate romcom with roots in history and a remarkable diverse cast.  The conversation is spoiler-free till about 13 minutes in. There's a special intro to this episode about a real life crisis that's happening-- and what you can do about it (one place to start - https://transequality.org  My guests: Tea Fougner (who is 30% pirate facts by volume) is the editorial director for Comics at King Features Syndicate and co-chair of Programming for Flame Con, the world's largest LGBTQ+ comic convention. Tea co-modded a 200-person pirate RPG for three years and has a 13-hour piratecore playlist on Spotify. Listen here  https://t.co/Abq5wIk

Embrace the Neo-Claremontism and "warped Mutant Catholicism" as writer Kieron Gillen returns to X-Men comics as the writer of Immortal X-Men with artists Lucas Werneck & David Curiel. He's revisiting Mr. Sinister and Hope Summers, two characters he's left an indellible mark on, who have new prominance in the Krakoan Era of X-Men. There's politics, backstabbing and of course music.  Here's his Immortal X-Men Playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1slXJJdxhqg2CxDKQHepog At about 1 hr and 5 minutes in Kieron offers some great advice to RPG players.  Here's our most recent episode together - https://bit.ly/DieCanon Check out Kieron's games https://kierongillen.itch.io/ His enlightening newsletter https://buttondown.email/KieronGillen/

Comics critic Harry Kassen guides a jounrney through the many phases of Moon Knight's Marvel comics series from 1975 through today -- just in time for his big Disney + TV debut. Moon Knight isn't just a source of absurdist memes -- he reflects changes in the comics medium. We'll look at some of the best runs of Moon Knight with an especially close look at comics art legend Bill Sienkiewicz who's style came into its own through the series.  So join us to learn about the alteregos, the angst and most of all the artists that make Moon Knight more than Marvel's color-shifted Batman.  Be sure to follow guest expert comics critic Harry Kassen at https://twitter.com/leekassen  Image notes: All full page comics images are Bill Sienkiewicz pencils. Inks on #2 - Bob McLeod #3 & 5 Klaus Janson #6 Frank Giancoia. "Has anyone dated Moon Knight" is from Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleeve. "I have an enemy" is words Jed MacKey, art Alessandro Cappuccio, Rachelle Rosenberg.

Anthony Award-winning writer Alex Segura talks about his new book Secret Identity, a rollicking literary mystery set in the world of comics. The book combines comics and prose for a vivid1975 NYC featuring new protagist, writer Carmen Valdez. We discuss our shared love of the noir genre and his time writing Archie meeting The Ramones and Blondie and other delights.  Check out the book https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250801753/secretidentity And follow Alex online: https://twitter.com/alex_segura

James Gunn's HBO series Peacemaker picks up where The Suicide Squad left off. It features D-List DC superheroes, 80s glam metal, beating up the KKK, maintaining The Security State and having a gender crisis. My guests: Jamelle Bouie is a columnist for the New York Times Opinion section. unCLEAR and Present Danger podcast. Spencer Ackerman is a journalist and author of REIGN OF TERROR: How The 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump, out now from Viking. And later this year will co-write a SUICIDE SQUAD miniseries for DC/Black Label Cayden Mak has spent the past decade organizing people for racial justice leveraging many aspects of technology and pop culture fmrly of 19 Million Rising (an Asian American Pacific Islander civic organizing group I love).  My essay about Peacemaker's use of glam metal + my educational playlist https://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/2022/02/theres-no-wrong-time-to-rock-a-peacemaker-inspired-playlist/ @Ali_Galactic's thread on Vigilante's trans subtext - https://twitter.com/Ali_

Down & Out on M'arzz and Atlantis to cover Young Justice Season 4, episodes 1-13 which aired on HBO. "A PowerPoint being given in pocket dimension" - Hub "That was the moment I added [Onyx] to my Mood Board." - Dr. Khaliden Nas Guests: Dr. Khaliden Nas is a writer & researcher with a PhD in Media and Culture Studies from the University of Sussex. His work explores the realities of queer subjectivity, self-conception, otherness and the intersections of culture and identity. https://www.alsopurple.com/ and https://twitter.com/alsopurp Nathaniel Hubbard, or Hub, is a podcaster and writer. He is the co-host and producer of Titan Up the Defense  a podcast where he and his brother cover Teen Titans and Defenders comics in chronological order (which is absolutely one of my comfort listens and fucking hilarious). and What the Duck?! A Podcast Most Fowl (But with a "W" Cause He's a Duck) That's the Full Name of the Show, and a writer for Garden Plots With Skeletor, where he also plays Mer-Man. Listen to Titan

"I wanted to defend the reputation of Silver Age X-Men."  - Steven Attewell, Phd. Our favoriate historian is back to talk about his essay series, The People's History of The Marvel Universe -- where he looks at how real world politics and history are refelcted in classic comics. Read it: https://graphicpolicy.com/category/history/peoples-history-of-the-marvel-universe/?order=asc Our conversation convers; Magneto's political development from Silver Age through Claremont Why Canada is extra evil in the 616 And of course, Captain America fighting tax evasion. We also get a preview of Steven's upcoming essay that will tackle the problematic retconning of The Falcon, Sam Wilson, from social worker to gangster. Steven Attewell writes about the intersection of history, politics and pop culture in The People's HIstory of the Marvel Universe for Graphic Policy.com In his day job he teaches public policy at City Unversity of New York's School for Labor and Urban Studies.  His blog - https://racefortheironthrone.wordpre

12 years of podcasting & I finally did an episode about Art Spiegelman's Maus. Guests Ethan Heitner is a cartoonist who lives in New York City. among other things. Most recently he helped edit the 51st issue of the radical political comix anthology World War 3 Illustrated, available now from AK Press and subtitled "The World We Are Fighting For." Leo Ferguson is the Director of Strategic Projects at Jews For Racial & Economic Justice. He is the founder of JFREJ's Jews of Color caucus, lead organizer for the Jews of Color National Convening, and a lead author of Understanding Antisemitism. He is a graduate of the Grace Paley Organizing Fellowship, The Bend The Arc Selah Fellowship, the JOIN Don’t Kvetch, Organize Masterclass, proudly Black & Jewish, a lifelong New Yorker, and a musician. Gregory Paul Silber  is a Brooklyn-based writer, editor, and critic specializing in comic books and pop culture. His work has appeared in outlets like PanelXPanel, Shelfdust, NeoText Review, The Daily Dot and The C

"Hola" from Wonder Woman's corner of comics where I interview Stephanie Williams, co-writer of Nubia and the Amazons. Yes, Wonder Woman had a Black twin sister at one point in DC comics canon and now she's the star of her own series. Updated from her 1973 origins "Nubia becomes queen of Themyscira, but the new title also brings challenges. With the unexpected arrival of new Amazons, our hero is forced to reckon with her past and forge a new path forward for her sisters. This unforgettable miniseries from writers Vita Ayala and Stephanie Williams, along with all-star artist Alitha Martinez (Future State) brings the fan-favorite character back to the DCU for good. After Nubia, the world of the Amazons will never be the same!" Stephanie Williams is a comic book historian and pop culture critic who has written for notable publications such as SYFYFANGRRLS, Marvel, The A.V. Club, Nerdist, Den of Geek, and Rotten Tomatoes. Stephanie is also a comic creator with three ongoing webcomics, Parenthood Activate!, But Wha

Hawk-guy John Arminio guests host our discussion of the iconic Hawkeye comics series created by Matt Fraction and David Aja AND the new Hawkeye TV series on Disney+. With Arminio are guests Scott Thorough and Kat Overland. They also get into how to create a comic that has a real sense of place, what New York smells like, Clint Barton's terrible personal life, and Kate Bishop's LA vacation with... Elliot Gould?! PLUS: John learns how to pronounce "David Aja" and everyone gives some great recommendations if Hawkeye has you hungry for more amazing comics!  Scott is a Brooklyn-born social worker currently based in Baltimore. He is a brilliant musician and podcaster and can be heard on the Zebras In America Podcast with co-host Marcus Pinn. Zebras In America can be found on Twitter @ZebrasPod, and Scott's music can be found at https://scottthorough.bandcamp.com/. Kat is the small press editor at the two-time Eisner-winning WWAC (Women Write About Comics), where she also writes criticism, reviews, and tweets; she a

Attention Bajoran Workers: This is Now a Gul Dukat Podcast. Gul Dukat is more than a scenery-chewing space lizard war criminal who looks like Mitt Romney - he’s Star Trek's most complex villian. Talking about Dukat means talking about colonialism, fragile masculinity, and the interplay between mental health and morality. And Deep Space Dive is a Star Trek Deep Space Nine podcast all about topics like those. So join Sarah Daniel Rasher and Elana Levin for a deep dive into the text and subtext where few Star Trek podcasts have gone before. Catch up on past episodes here - https://soundcloud.com/graphicpolicy/sets/deep-space-dive Distrubingly accurate Real Gul Dukat twitter account https://twitter.com/realGulDukat  The tumblr post we reference -- https://roadhouseendgame.tumblr.com/post/664651419419394048/i-was-talking-to-my-mom-about-cardassians-and-said 

“I hate to spoil a good evil overlord narrative but… “ - Brandon Wilson. Because our take on Marvel's The Eternals isn't a refernedum on diverisity in corporate movies (dear lord can you imagine if it freaking was?! ) Joiin us for a nuanced analysis of the movie.  Filmmaker Brandon David Wilson returns to talk about The Eternals from his perspective as a filmmaker, lecturer and lifelong Marvel comics fan (which an eye for criticism). Follow him at https://twitter.com/Geniusbastard Brandon Wilson is a filmmaker and lecturer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he attended UCLA where he took a B.A. in African-American Studies and an M.F.A. from the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. Brandon has directed two micro-budget features: 2005’s The Man Who Couldn’t… which is on YouTube and Sepulveda from 2016 which is streaming for free on Vimeo. Wilson has taught Film Analysis for Filmmakers and Introduction to Editing courses at UCLA. He also teaches at Columbia College Hollywood, Los Angeles Valley College, N

“I’m thrilled that the book got you laid” - Tina Horn author of SFSX (Safe Sex). Tina Horn returns to talk about her sci-fi sex rebel comic book series. Writer TINA HORN and artist G Romero-Johnson's SFSX (SAFE SEX) Terms of Service is a cyberpunk thriller graphic novel. "After their previous adventures in sex, love, and torture left them separated and traumatized, the Dirty Mind heroes must face the totalitarian Party’s latest “social program” ― one involving uncanny sexpots and a twisted men’s rights movement." Tina Horn is the host of Why Are People Into That?! podcast and writes and lectures on sexual subcultures and politics. CW: bi queers discussing biphobia, whorephobia, transphobia. Vague mentions of fictional characters' sexual interests. Listen to Tina's badass playlists featured in the series- https://open.spotify.com/user/icsf1csd2stfbfepckfsu6yip And listen to our first conversation here https://www.blogtalkradio.com/graphicpolicy/2020/07/29/comics-writer-tina-horn-on-sfsx-freedom-safety-in-the-s

Comic book retailers give advice on buying the right gift -- from games to toys to books-- for your friends and family while supoorting local comics businesses. Hear their tips on the things that are far better to buy at a LCBS than anywhere else. "A great gift is a gift that a person won’t by for themselves. No one would buy a 100-sided die for themselves but they wouldn’t mind owning one "-  Dimitrios, Anyone Comics in Crown Heights Brooklyn. "I like to get people to try new art. That's awesome:." — John Arminio, Comix Connection in Mechanicsburg, PA. Dimitrios is the owner of Anyone Comics in Crown Heights Brooklyn. https://twitter.com/AnyoneComics John Arminio is a Counter Monkey at Comix Connection in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. He is a passionate fan of comic books, film, and heavy metal, and you can hear him discuss such topics on recent episodes of The Pink Smoke and Movies From Hell. He posts about all these subjects as QuasarSniffer on Twitter and Instagram. https://twitter.com/quasarsniffer   Give

Doom Patrol Season 3 asks some big questions about the purpose art and the purpose of a time machine. Lux Alptraum is a writer and podcast host whose smart commentary has been featured in a wide variety of outlets including The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, and Hustler. She’s tackled the thorny topics of leaked celebrity sex tapes and public apologies as the host of the second second season New York Magazine’s Tabloid and Audible’s Say You’re Sorry, and helped shape the Peabody-nominated TV show http://Sex.Right.Now. as a development producer. Her debut book, Faking It: The Lies Women Tell About Sex — And the Truths They Reveal, examines our cultural obsession with feminine deceit. Christiaan Perez is Manager of Media Strategy at The Opportunity Agenda, a social justice communications Lab. Christiaan collaborate with researchers, advocates and creative strategists to help develop stories that advance intersectional solutions on voting rights, criminal justice reform, and much more. Christiaan entered the fand

“When [Jack Kirby] came back to Marvel he was making Kirby comics, he was not making Marvel comics. And we’re the richer for it” -Rand Hoppe, Jack Kirby Museum Jack Kirby’s 1977 comics series is a witty psychedelic saga about the Day of Judgement. Join Eternals experts for a look at Kirby's underrated series historical context. Plus hear which other Eternals series we enjoy (and which you can skip). Rand Hoppe had the idea for a non-profit devoted to Jack Kirby in 2004. Thanks to John Morrow from The Jack Kirby Collector and TwoMorrows Publishing and Jack’s daughter Lisa Kirby, the Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center was founded in 2005. https://kirbymuseum.org/ Karen Charm (they/them) is a cartoonist and life-long X-Men fan. They write a lot about Eternals for Comics XF, including putting together an Eternals Primer and providing issue recaps of the current series with Zoe Tunnell. @karen_xmenfan on Twitter Check out my interview with Kieron Gillen, currrent Eternals series writer here-- https://bit.ly/K

"Engaging with my demonic sea-monster tendencies has made me a lot healthier just as a dude" - Jude Doyle. I'm joined by award-winning journalist, opinon writer, comics fan--now horror comic author Jude Ellison S. Doyle to talk about his new series Maw.  A provocative five-issue horror series by Doyle (Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers: Monstrosity, Patriarchy, and the Fear of Female Power) and artist A.L. Kaplan (Full Spectrum Therapy) that explores the anger of women trapped by society’s expectations and the reclamation of power through collective rage. Published by BOOM! Studios. Jude Doyle is the author of two books of non-fiction: Trainwreck: The Women We Love to Hate, Mock, and Fear... and Why and Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers: Monstrosity, Patriarchy and the Fear of Female Power, which was named a Best Non-Fiction Book of 2019 by Kirkus Reviews and was shortlisted for Starburst Magazine’s Brave New Words award. Jude also founded the feminist blog Tiger Beatdown in 2008, led several successful social media aw

"We’re ALL ambassadors." -  Rafael Shimunov. Artist and organizer Rafael Shimunov’s family of Bukharian Jewish refugees from Uzbekistan learned English by watching Star Trek. Raf’s read on Worf as a fellow Jew of color is eye opening. We talk all things Worf, but especially about his depiction as a Jewish person of color, directly within Star Trek’s coding of his background and metaphorically as an individual who finds meaning in his multiple identities.  We answer listener questions on everything from Worf and Orthodox religious identity to his success with the ladies and his post Deep Space Nine future. And how Klingon has more in common with Jewish languages than you might think.  Follow Raf’s twitter: https://twitter.com/rafaelshimunov And for more Jewish Leftism check out the organization Elana and Raf are members of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice.

DC comics new Jewish teen girl superhero and activist is fighting to save a VERY Lower East Side Gotham neighborhood from gentrification. Of course I had to have the co-creator of this new character, Whistle, on my podcast-- New York Times Best Selling author E. Lockhart!  Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero, is a young adult graphic novel from DC written by New York Times best-selling author E. Lockhart (Genuine Fraud, We Were Liars) with art by Manuel Preitano (The Oracle Code). Featuring the debut and origin story of a brand new hero, Whistle takes a closer look at the daily life of Gotham teen Willow Zimmerman and her dog Lebowitz in the unexplored neighborhood of Down River. Follow E. Lockhart on twitter- https://twitter.com/elockhart  and her website http://www.emilylockhart.com/ 

If Corto Maltese is Cuba is Starro is the Embargo? Or is it Nicaragua and Project Starfish is the CIA drug smuggling? Join journalists / DC comics nerds Spencer Ackerman (Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump) and Arturo Garcia (TruthOrFiction) as we talk about James Gunn's new uber violent political satire movie based on some of my favorite comics. Buy Spencer's book Reign of Terror  and follow him at https://twitter.com/attackerman Keep up with Arturo's reporting and upcoming radio network via https://twitter.com/aboynamedart  and me at https://twitter.com/Elana_Brooklyn