The Runs Podcast

 The Runs Podcast Season 2 Finale!  We're closing out strong, with another deep dive into Peter Bagge's Indy comics canonical series, Hate, with Whit Taylor (Fizzle, Dead Air, The Nib), who is one of my very favorite people to dish comics with.  We get into the nuts and bolts of this series, which really arrives at its fully-formed self in these issues.  Great character development, compelling stories, and unique and expertly crafted cartooning is present in each issue.  We also discuss some of the aspects of the series that are more difficult to talk about, as what was controversial in the 90's may be unacceptable for some audiences today.  Does it hold up?  Listen and find out! Thanks so much to everyone who listened to this season!  Drop me a line if you want me to do another one.  Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.  

 Nth Man: The Ultimate Ninja is a series that I never gave a chance as a kid, and it would have stayed that way if Zack Soto (The Secret Voice, Power Button. Study Group) hadn't chosen it for this episode.  This series is an early 90's deep cut, featuring World War 3, a Stevan Seagal-esque American Ninja, and some rather overt parallels to Akira. Was I pleasantly surprised, or is this another episode where I complain about the run the entire time?  Either way, Soto declares this to be Larry Hama's masterpiece, and this episode could be the start of an online campaign to finally have this series collected in a nicely bound book.  You heard it here first!   Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.    

 This episode isn't sponsored by Hot Topic, but it might as well be.  Brilliant cartoonist Julia Gfrörer (Laid Waste, Black is the Color) comes by to talk about a formative run for her, Jhonon Vasquez's tremendously popular goth comic, Squee.  If you don't like the episodes where I talk about how crappy I think the run is, you should probably skip this one.  Otherwise, put on your Jnco pants, crank up some Rasputina, and indulge in this gleefully sullen episode.  Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.  

 It was not my intention for this podcast to be so focused on 70's Kirby, but I can't say I mind it, either.  Jason Levian, owner of Floating World Comics, sits down with me to talk about the first few issues of each of the four series that form the Fourth World, an ahead-of-it-time epic by one of comics all-time great storytellers. It exists at the epicenter of genius and madness, and you'll love hearing Jason's take on it.  Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.  

 I met Ben Dewey (Autumnlands, Beasts of Burden, Namor, Vampirella, The Tragedy Series, etc. etc.) about 20 years ago when we worked together on a Roller Derby comic.  He's been one of those guys in comics that I'm always happy to chat with when I get a chance ever since.  He picked Dan Slott and Mike Allred's Silver Surfer run to discuss.  Mike Allred is one of the greats and Dan Slott... well, he's fine, too.  Find out why Ben picked this run, and hear him compare drawing comics to being a musician in more ways than one. Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.  

 Mark Ginocchio, co-host of the Amazing Spider-Talk Podcast, comes by this week to talk about... Spider-Man.  But not just any Spider-Man! This is one of the most divisive runs in Spider-Man History, as evidenced by Mark declaring that it's the run that made him a Spider-Man lifer and me dumping all over it.  In a very unintuitive-for-the-internet approach, things never get heated, we just each present our opposing point of views of praise and scorn for this love-it-or-hate it run.  I will, however, apologize in advance to all of Mark's regular listeners for being such a negative Nancy.   Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.  

 This week's guest is comics educator Ronell Whitaker, who chose Icon as the run to discuss.  Icon was the flagship title of the Milestone line, which may have been the only new comics universe worth following of all the many that launched in the early 90's.  Ronell is the first guest that I'd never spoken with before recording but I found him to be very interesting and easy to talk to.  I'm really glad he proposed that we read this series because it's definitely a hidden gem of the 90's and there are lots of interesting elements within it to get into.  Just as a tip of the iceberg, it may be the only superhero comic in which one of the main heroes is shown buying a home pregnancy test.  Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.  

 This week's guest recently won the DuPont Columbia University Award for audio and visual journalism for his podcast, Mother Country Radicals, and now he's here to talk with me about The Mutant Massacre.  Zayd Dohrn is an accomplishment playwright, film and tv writer, and a low key comic book nerd.  This episode marks the first time that a crossover event is discussed instead of a single title. Find out why The Mutant Massacre had such an impact on Zayd in his youth and hear my spiel about why crossover events ruined mainstream comics.  All this, plus an issue of Ann Nocenti's Daredevil!  Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.  

 Up-and-coming comics superstar Xena Lopez comes on the show this week to talk about a series I'd never heard of, Pink by Kyoko Okazaki.  We talk about manga, memoir, sex work and working at the library.   Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.  

 One of the greatest living cartoonists, Peter Bagge (Hate, Yeah!, Weirdo) comes on the show this week to talk about an early run by another one of the greatest living cartoonists, Dan Clowes.  This is one of those episodes where I couldn't really believe that I got to have this conversation.  Listen in to learn how one all-time-great cartoonist's work inspired another all-time-great cartoonist.  Plus, some stuff about what it's like to teach college students these days.  And a really exciting update about Hate comics!!! Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.  

 In this episode, comics hall-of-famer Diana Schutz comes by to talk about quintessential 70's Marvel series Howard the Duck.  Did you have to be there at the time?  Or do you at least have to be high to enjoy this run?  Either way, I'm sure you'll enjoy this trip down memory lane with one of comics most important editorial voices. Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.  

 In the premier episode of Season 2, Alex Robinson (Box Office Poison, Star Wars Minute) returns to continue our deep dive into John Byrne's legendary Fantastic Four run.  Does it hold up?  How is it if you've never read it before.  It's got Galactus in it... isn't that enough?  Listen and find out! Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.  

 Welcome to The Runs Season 2!  This first episode is just a brief introduction in which Ryan checks in with you, the beloved viewer, and sets up the next 12 weekly episodes.  Some great guests are on their way, along with some great runs, some decent runs, and some pretty crappy runs.  Here's hoping you'll listen in each week as they are discussed!Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! If you'd like to hear another season of The Runs, say so in a review!  And/or send me an email! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.  

 For this podcast's Season Finale, Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook, American Splendor, Cuba: My Revolution) and I discuss Jack Kirby's O.M.A.C. One Man Army Corps.  A highlight of this podcast for me has been being prompted to read a bunch of DC comics that Kirby made in the 70's, and this is no exception.  We discuss the finer points of the series, the ten-million-ideas-per-page approach it takes, the unusual choice of inkers, how abruptly the whole thing ends upon cancelation, and the very direct influence this series had on Dean's work.  All this plus Dean tells us how to draw the Thing.  Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! If you'd like to hear another season of The Runs, say so in a review!  And/or send me an email! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.  

 Superstar comics artist Joelle Jones (Batman, Catwoman, Lady Killer) comes by this week to talk about Junji Ito's celebrated horror Manga, Uzumaki.  Are spirals really scary, or just ridiculous?  Or are the ridiculous parts what makes this comic so scary?  Or would it all just be totally ridiculous if Junji Ito wasn't so good at drawing?  Find out as we examine lives lost to pottery, snake mating rituals and hairstyles. Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.  

 This week, famous comedian Amy Miller comes on to talk about Y: The Last Man, a series that answers a question that most women ask themselves every day: how great would it be if every man suddenly died?  The series also inadvertently asks: What would a world of only women look like if every woman looked exactly the same?  These and other important questions are addressed this episode!  Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.  

 Susan Kirtley (college professor and head of the Comics Studies Program at Portland State University) is really fun to talk to about comics because she's an accomplished academic and also a total comics nerd.  We discuss the all-time classic X-men run of The Dark Phoenix Saga, oscillating throughout between discourse about what greater meaning can be found within the story and pointing out which parts are super awesome.  Come for Wolverine carving fools up, stay for the dialogue about intersectional feminism.  Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode.   

 When I asked comics writer Mark Russell (Exit, Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles, Fantastic Four: Life Story, Superman: Space Age) to come on the show, he immediately said that he wanted to discuss Sandman: World's End because he thought that they were some of the best comics ever made. I always thought that those issues sucked but I really respected Mark's opinion, so I was pretty sure this was going to be a good discussion.  So, which is it?  Best comics ever made, or a real low point in the Sandman series?  Listen to find out. Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode. 

 This week, comics blogger and pop-culture expert Austin Gorton talks with me about a real hall-of-fame run, Chris Claremont and Paul Smith's issues of Uncanny X-Men.  Austin has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things X-Men and he's got some good jokes, too.  This is a real connoisseur's run, as it's often overshadowed by more "blockbuster" X-runs but it's quietly a high point for the entire franchise.  Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode. 

 One of the comics industries greatest little-known-facts is that multi-Pulitzer prize nominated political cartoonist Matt Bors is in fact a die-hard Spawn fan.  Revel in his un-ironic joy at one of the best worst comics of the early 90's.  Listen to two non-fictional, journalism focused cartoonists talk about how Spawn was pretty much the coolest shit ever when they were ten.  One of them still thinks so, the other... not so much.  Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode. 

 My first guest who isn't a comic book creator of some sort, actor/comedian/musician/all-around-performer Joshua Silverstein comes by to talk about the first dozen issues of Invincible.  This episode may or may not be a painful portrayal of how a person that takes comics way too seriously talks with a person who reads comics for entertainment.  Also, Joshua likes Invincible because it's about beating up your dad.  Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode. 

Brilliant comics writer and sometimes illustrator Terry Blas (You Say Latino, Lifetime Passes, Dead Weight, Reptil, Ariana Grande Vs. Sargeant Shade and the Clonebot Parade) joins me this week to talk about one of the weirder series launches in Marvel history.  In the 90's, writer Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo teamed up to create Generation X, the new New Mutants, which ran for four issues before being retooled as Generation Next for the Age of Apocalypse crossover. Does that even make any sense?  Come for the amazing artwork, stay to hear Terry call out the total misuse of Spanish in Skin's dialogue.  Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode. 

 Beloved Comics writer, artist and editor, Whit Taylor (Montana Diary, Comics for Choice, Fizzle, The Nib) talks with me this week about the first 5 issues of Peter Bagge's definitive 90's alt-comic series, Hate.  Can a series about crappy people persevere in this current cultural climate?  Find out how well it's aged, and how we'll we've aged as longtime fans of this series. Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode. 

 Erik Larsen (Savage Dragon, Amazing Spider-Man, Image Comics co-founder) is my guest this week as we talk about the first six issues of Jack Kirby's brilliant, weird and brilliantly weird post-Marvel series, Kamandi, The Last Boy On earth.  Getting to hear a living comics legend talk about the work of a no-longer-with-us comics legend is about as good as it gets on this show. Be sure to keep track of the number of times that Kamandi gets knocked out.  Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a link if you'd like the stream the episode. 

 Indie Comics superstar (Box Office Poison, Tricked, Our Expanding Universe) and Podcast celebrity (Star Wars Minute) Alex Robinson joins us to talk about the first 10 issues (232-241) of John Byrne's legendary run on Fantastic Four. Do they hold up?  And, more importantly, how relatable is Byrne's giant woman fetish?  Find out on this episode!  Click here to Stream the episode.  

 The Runs is a podcast in which host Ryan Alexander-Tanner discusses a run of a comic book series with a different brilliant guest each episode.  Guests are often comics creators but also include comedians, academics, bloggers or any other number of fascinating people.  What is a "run," you ask?  It's one of those comic book terms that invites endless pedantic debate when  a precise definition is attempted.  The interpretation may change some between episodes, but, fundamentally, a run is when a consistent creative team (or single creator) produces regular serialized installments of a comic book series.  For example, Chris Claremont and John Byrne produced Uncanny X-Men #108-143 together, so those issues are the Claremont/Byrne X-men run.  Guests on this show are invited to pick a run that they'd like to discuss.  Sometimes the run is decided through discussion between the guest and the host.  One major agreement is that no more than 12 issues will be discussed in an episode, so if a longer run is proposed, most often the beginning of that run is discussed and the guest is invited to come back for a follow-up episode that continues the run.Click here to listen to the introductory episode of The Runs.  This will be the only episode that doesn't feature a guest (it's just the host discussing the show, what inspired it, etc.).  The first official episode will be released next week, with new episodes releasing every week after that for at least 12 episodes.