The TradeWaiters

This week we read "Space Boy" by Stephen McCranie. Discussion (and spoilers) for the episode will cover either volumes 1 and 2 of the tankobon-sized graphic novels, or up to episode 32 of the Webtoon. We’ll spend half of the episode talking about the Webtoon format, and then get into this soft scifi story about a girl from space (also there is a boy). We’ll talk about netgear, high school, and also learn that the antithesis of “manic pixie dream-girl” is in fact “moody emo dream-boy.” Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will cover volumes 1&2 of "Descending Stories" by Haruko Kumota.

This week we read "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist" by Adrian Tomine, diving deep into the most negative parts of one cartoonist’s psyche. We talk about the important place of “sad old man” comics in comics history, mumblecore, lonely book signings, and how cilantro salad is cringe (but only metaphorically). Also how important format is to the storytelling in this book. Music by Sleuth Our next episode will cover volumes 1&2 of "Space Boy" by Stephen McCranie.

Jam, Jeff, and JD return to Alberta for the rest of Kate Beaton's "Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands." We still have lots to talk about as Kate survives her own journey of being metaphorically trapped in a tailings pond. We'll talk about resource extraction, Canadian history, late capitalism, misogyny, and (be warned) sexual assault. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will cover "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist" by Adrian Tomine.

Today’s episode takes Jam, Jeff, and JD to northern Alberta with Kate Beaton’s "Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands." Kate is better known for her comics making jokes about history, but "Ducks" IS history. This first-hand account of the time Kate spent working in, and surviving, the oil industry will likely be a primary source for readers for years to come. This is not an easy story, so be ready for it to go to some dark places. Although we’ve saved the conversation about sexual assault for the follow-up episode. Music by Sleuth.

This week Jam, Jeff, and JD read and talk about "Mare Internum" by Der-Shing Helmer. This is a character-driven sci-fi webcomic turned graphic novel that goes to some dark places in the belly of Mars. We’ll talk about dying climates, extraterrestrials, and our panelists’ complete lack of pioneer spirit. Be aware that this book travels deep into depression and a bunch of other content warnings. #abillionyeardepressiveepisode #justMarsthings Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will cover "Ducks" by Kate Beaton.

This year our panelists returned to their first convention in a very long time, VanCAF 2022, and walked away with some books worth sharing. We discuss "Prince of Cats" by Ronald Wimberly, "Mmm Syrup" and "Prayer of the Ninth House" by Tajliya Jamal, "Swim Team" by Johnnie Christmas, "Science Ghost" by Christian Haruki Lett, "You Can’t Get There from Here" by Shannon Kao, "Where Have You Been?" by Ivana Filipovich, "Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong" by Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks, "The Year 50 Project" by Jason Turner, and "Our Little Secret" by Emily Carrington. We also get into the past and future of comics conventions and comics infrastructure, cosplay, -bounding, and Comics Prom. There’s a lot to talk about! Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on "Mare Internum" by Dershing Helmer

This week Jam, Jeff, and JD read "Yotsuba&!" by Kiyohiko Azuma, for a breath of fresh air and a story with the lowest stakes imaginable. We get into reliving childhood, the importance of a good translator, top tier comedic pacing, and ask who this comic is actually supposed to be for (Is it us? Is it made for us three?) We’re not going to ignore some of the gross ecchi, but we’ll also have a hard time not just laughing all the way through the episode. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on VanCAF 2022.

The TradeWaiters return with part two of "The Golden Age" by Roxanne Moreil and Cyril Pedrosa. Hannah Myers rejoins us after our long absence, and we check in on how Tilda is doing in her war to reclaim the throne of Antrevers. It turns out, she’s not doing great! Join us as we talk about what’s in the magic box, what’s in a revolution, and the importance of both good government and good panel composition. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on volumes one and two of "Yotsuba&!" by Kiyohiko Azuma.

This is part two of "Hawkeye" by Matt Fraction, David Aja, and Annie Wu, which is included in the trade paperbacks "Hawkeye: LA Woman" and "Hawkeye: Rio Bravo," or else the second half of "Hawkeye: The Saga of Barton and Bishop." It’s also by Matt Hollingsworth, Javier Pulido, Francesco Francavilla, and Chris Eliopoulis. We finally get a chance to go deeper into the story of the two Hawkeyes, as Kate moves to LA to hang out with Columbo and Clint goes from futzing around to finding out. We’ll also talk about strategies for writing tricky content and the complications of writing legacy characters. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on volume two of "Golden Age" by Roxanne Moreil and Cydril Pedrosa.

This episode covers "Hawkeye" by Matt Fraction and David Aja. It’s part one of two, and is equivalent to either the trade paperbacks "Hawkeye: My Life Is a Weapon" and "Hawkeye: Little Hits," or else the first half of "Hawkeye: The Saga of Barton and Bishop." It’s also by Matt Hollingsworth, Javier Pulido, Francesco Francavilla, Steve Lieber, Alan Davis, and Jesse Hamm. Confused yet? So are we. Honestly JD, Jeff, and Jam are going to spend the first half of this episode airing our grievances about the completely opaque way that Marvel collects its trades. But eventually we get to talk about this really interesting book, how it does a lot of interesting things with the superhero genre and with these characters in particular, and how even in the golden age of graphic novels, there are “mainstream” trades worth waiting for. Also, apologies to Francesco Francavilla and Javier Pulido, we had you completely mixed up for like… most of this episode. Music by Sleuth Our next episode will be on the second half of "Hawkeye: The Saga of Barton and Bishop," or the trades "Hawkeye: L.A. Woman" and "Hawkeye: Rio Bravo," by Matt Fraction and David Aja.