Podcast appearances and mentions of charlie wormwood

Two different comics conversations on today's episode! First up, the creative team of the upcoming Image OGN "Afar": artist Kit Seaton and writer Leila del Duca. If one of those names sounds familiar, it's because del Duca is also the artist on "Shutter" with writer Joe Keatinge and is making her writing debut with this book. Seaton is the lower-profile of the two right now, but once fans get a look at "Afar", the SCAD professor will be a name one everyone's mind. Greg talked to the duo about their science-fiction story, the difficulties in maintaining the balance between strange and relate-able, influences, work processes, and just what to do when someone jimmies the lock on your bedroom door with a steak knife in the middle of the night. Following that is a chat with comics-multihyphenate Christina Blanch. Between her work as a retailer (Aw Yeah Muncie), writer ("The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood"), educator (Super MOOC), and panel moderator, Blanch has spent a life firmly and unapologetically rooted in pop culture. Like her interests, the conversation covers a lot of ground, including what it's like being a retailer in today's comics market, the differences between stocking an LCS and setting a syllabus, the connection between Dr. Indiana Jones and Dr. Christina Blanch, surviving 2016, and what we can already do to make 2017 better. Robots From Tomorrow is a weekly comics podcast recorded deep beneath the Earth's surface. You can subscribe to it via iTunes or through the RSS feed at RobotsFromTomorrow.com. You can also follow Mike and Greg on Twitter. This episode is brought to you by Third Eye Comics. Enjoy your funny books.  

On tonight's episode of AGP, we welcome back our friend Christina Blanch to the show.Christy Blanch is an educator, a comics scholar, a comic book store owner, and a comic book author. She began teaching college level Anthropology classes both in the university and in the correctional education system (aka prison). Taking her love of comic books into the classroom, she is currently finishing her doctorate and teaching subjects, such as gender, using comic books as the textbooks. She is teaching a massive open online course called Social Issues through Comics Books, a free course on canvas.net. She is co-owner of Aw Yeah Comics in Muncie, Indiana and co-writes the comic The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood on which highlights her experiences teaching in prison, and has moderated a panel with Princess Leia herself Carrie Fisher. So please join us tonight as we discuss more of Christy's works, and of course, because of her store, FCBD (Free Comic Book Day)

On today's episode of AGP we continue our celebration of Star Wars. Joining me tonight is probably one of the few people in this Galaxy that can give me a run for biggest Star Wars fan Christy Blanch! Christy Blanch is an educator, a comics scholar, a comic book store owner, and a comic book author. She began teaching college level Anthropology classes both in the university and in the correctional education system (aka prison). Taking her love of comic books into the classroom, she is currently finishing her doctorate and teaching subjects, such as gender, using comic books as the textbooks. She is teaching a massive open online course called Social Issues through Comics Books, a free course on canvas.net. She is co-owner of Aw Yeah Comics in Muncie, Indiana and co-writes the comic The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood on which highlights her experiences teaching in prison, and has moderated a panel with Princess Leia herself Carrie Fisher. So please join us tonight as we discuss our favorite Star Wars movies, games, memories, and so much more.

There is nothing easy about making comics, whether it's the art or the storytelling. Just flipping through the first few pages of your favorite story can be enough to intimidate even the hardiest of the artists out there. It really does take a fair amount of chutzpah to want to make comics. But fear not, for there are things out there that may not make it easy for you but can, if nothing else, make it easier. And that's why we at Making Comics were excited to have assembled this group of people ranging from artists to editors, if not both, for the live Gutter Talk panel at this year's Comic Con in San Diego, because we just had a feeling that they would be the ones to provide both inspiration and very useful knowledge. Moderated by the Gutter Talk podcast host Adam Greenfield, the panel consisted of Mark Waid, writer of Daredevil and most recently the Archie comics, Christy Blanch, an educator and also writer for The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood, Chris Miskiewicz, the writer for Thomas Alsop, Rachel Dukes, creator of Frankie Comics, and Calista Brill, a senior editor with First Second Books. See what we mean? This panel was destined to be amazing and it certainly lived up to the billing. Download or stream the show and you'll see what we're talking about. Please also be sure to head over to iTunes and give us a rating and review. What you gain from doing this is tenfold compared to what we get out of it, and this is why we are doing what we are doing. From the new site to the future plans we have in store for everyone, it all becomes more viable when we become more visible. Music: "RetroFuture Clean" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Cue the AC/DC music because I'm back! Hear about the new Star Wars spin off movie, "Rogue one," Firefly cast members in a new web series, Kevin Smith's possible new sequel, Netflix's Daredevil, and a cell phone that cost only $6,200! Comic Reviews this week are: Darth Vader #2. Deadpool's the art of war #4. Lost & Found:An Amy Devlin Mystery. Princess Leia #1. Descender #1. Return of the living Deadpool #2. Wolfmoon #4. Big Man Plans #1. The Con Job #1. Ant-man #2 Movie Prelude. Angela #4. Future's End #44. Savage Dragon: Baptism of Fire. Super Crooks #1-4. Turok the Dinosaur Hunter #12. Low #6 Bill & Ted's Most Triumphant return #1. The Walking Dead #138. The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood #5. Star Wars #3. Southern Cross #1. The Surface #1. Spawn Resurrection #1.

You're in for a ride as I discuss Keanu Reeves, Spaceballs the sequel, Spawn #250, and Brian Michael Bendis. Have you heard of Geocaching? Plus the comic reviews this week are: They're not like us #2, B**** Planet #2, Sleepy Hollow #4, Shield #2, The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood #4, The Valiant #2, Big Trouble in little China #7, Nameless #2, Saga #25, A town called Dragon #5, STAR WARS #2, Imperium #1, Escape from New York #3, Birthright #5, Nailbiter #10, Enormous #6, and of course the 60 page spectacular SPAWN #250! Available on ITunes and Stitcher. Contact at: TheRealComicBookGuy@hotmail.com

The Two Guys with PhDs are excited to begin a new monthly feature for The Comics Alternative, a show devoted specifically to webcomics. For this inaugural episode, and as they plan on doing for every episode of this new feature, Derek and Andy W. take a look at two current ongoing titles and one older and completed title. The ones they discuss today are Jason Shiga's Demon; Christina Blanch, Chris Carr, and Chee's The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood; and Emily Carroll's Margot's Room. First, however, the guys begin by defining “webcomics” and distinguishing them from other types of comics or works produced through other means. In doing so, they not only establish their mission statement for this new feature, but they also delineate the parameters of their discussions. They begin by differentiating between webcomics and digital comics, arguing that while the former is based on and consumed through a digital delivery system, not all digital comics are specific to the Web. Along with this they point out the differences between the Internet and the World Wide Web, a distinction that many may have forgotten, describing the Web as just one component of the larger ‘Net. There are many digital comics that are accessed through the Internet — such as those that are downloaded directly to apps intended specifically for portable devices — that may have nothing or little to do with the Web. Webcomics, the guys bluntly state, are those that can be read through Web browsers, imbedded in and largely composing webpages, and may or may not be accessible through other digital means. Another criteria of a webcomic, at least for Andy and Derek, is that the primary or original intention behind the comic's creation is Web-based, not print. This would rule out many of the digital-first comics put out by the Big Two and other publishers, and it would exclude the digital versions of comic books that are already or are soon to be in print. (And, of course, it excludes the scanning and exchanging of material via torrent sites.) They also consider the potential complications of animation and economics. How many non-static images should a webcomic have before it's not considered a “comic,” and what kind of payment system may (or may not) affect the defining of a webcomic? At the same time, the guys are aware that their definitions of a webcomic may be fluid — for example, how would you place the works available through Monkey Brain Comics, a digital-only publisher many of whose titles usually end up in (and perhaps ultimately are intended as) print? — and that their understanding of the form may change over time. But Derek and Andy are comfortable with that potential fluidity and feel that the discussion of what defines a webcomic is half of the fun. Then the plunge into a full-fledged discussion of three webcomics. Each is a different manifestation of a webcomic and delivers its narrative in specific ways. While some of the comics, such as Demon and The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood, have begun to find their way into print, they are nonetheless first and foremost a comic intended for the Web. There are some, such as Charlie Wormwood and others found on the Thrillbent website, that utilize additive images or visual layovers that appear as individual “pages” as you click through the comic, and others that rely solely on static, unchanging, and individual formatting. And while some webcomics, such as Jason Shiga's work, are formatted to look like physical comics pages, others, such as the work by Emily Carroll, are great examples of what Scott McCloud has described as the “infinite canvas.” All in all, this is a productive maiden voyage for the guys' new feature, and they look forward to discussing other examples of webcomics in the months to come.

Comic-Con 2014 was a blast! (If you were unable to attend, my sympathies. That's why we do these wrap-up posts.) Make sure to check out the audio link below. The local Making Comics crew—Patrick, Adam, Kevin, Devin, Evan—were there to rep the "revolution" and generally brag about our community and future plans. We're really excited by the enthusiasm readers have shown in response to our "Get A Grasp" MOOC and daily challenges, not to mention my own (hi!) #FAQDevin column and Adam's (in)famous Gutter Talk podcast. You guys have been awesome, and your creativity sustains us. We hosted a panel on Saturday called Uniting the Worldwide #makecomics Community. It was, without exaggeration, one of the best panels at the convention (at least amongst those discussing actual comics). The lineup was crazy: we had Rachel Beck representing our friends over at Storyforge, Mark Waid (of Daredevil fame) and Christina Blanch (writer of Damnation of Charlie Wormwood) from Thrillbent, Andy Schmidt from Comics Experience, Jim Zub (writes Skullkickers, Wayward), and Palle Schmidt (artist on Thomas Alsop) from Comics For Beginners. Patrick ran the panel while the rest of us listened intensely. After a brief rundown of Making Comics (dotCom) participation stats (number of MOOC students, worldwide readership breakdown), Patrick previewed some of the things we've been working on for the future. I'll let him determine what announcements are made public, but suffice it to say some neat stuff is coming. Then the discussion kicked off, and boy, was it glorious. The Web has enabled one of the biggest paradigm shifts [for] breaking into the industry. Webcomics let me see your work ethic. @MarkWaid Webcomics are no longer a vanity project for artists. They've become a legitimate option for breaking in. @JimZub Showing you already have an audience lends a kind of gravitas to your work for publishers. @Palle_Schmidt Much of the discussion concerned the changing landscape for comics in the last decade. Many on the panel have been working in/around comics for a while, and have observed this change firsthand. There used to only be one real way to "break in" to comics, as Andy points out: The question used to be "How do I write for Marvel or DC?" and now the majority of people want to know how to make their own stuff. - Andy Schmidt @ComicExperience The internet has democratized this process. Webcomics are a perfectly commercial form of comic that anyone can create and consume. People without access to a physical comic shop can still read comics online, which removes barriers and brings in more readers. Comic books are now available to everyone regardless of age or race or location. And that for me is the most exciting thing! @JimZub Many echoed this sentiment. Christy (@christyblanch) talked about the promising increase in the number of women who make comics, as well as the success she's had in reaching aspiring creators through her (juggernaut) SuperMOOC 2. Rachel discussed the ways in which creators of webcomics can bypass traditional gatekeepers—like publishers—and form mutually beneficial relationships with their audience: There is now a rise in patronage again, only now the niche market isn't the wealthy, it is the many. -Rachel Beck @Storyforgers Old paradigms of distribution no longer apply. People now trust friends and personal interactions more than blaring advertisements that we've learned to ignore. @JimZub  People are now interested in genuine people, genuine passion, genuine projects. -Andy Schmidt @ComicExperience  Everything that used to be the non-professional route is now just another option to use. @JimZub There was a lot of excitement and optimism on the panel, and why not? Access to comics is expanding. The tools for making comics are widely available, so anyone can make whatever type of story they like. The future is bright! I could continue,

We round out our Image launch books with Cyberforce like WHOA. At least we think it's the last one. We also talked about the books we read this past week. Join us so we can be friends forever. Setlist includes: (04:00) - Paperkeg Memory Lane™ (05:24) - Comic chatter: Loki: Agent of Asgard 1, Sheltered, and The Punisher 1 (21:24) - Lightning Round™: Turok 1,   Ms. Marvel 1, and Daredevil Dark Nights (23:05) - Cyberforce (40:00) - Letters: Jonesy's TV people, Damnation of Charlie Wormwood, Artists as pitchers, Dave Finn novella Hosts:  @dale_a | @slim | @JonesyLovesBeer. Special thanks to YOU for our iTunes reviews and/or ratings so far; they help spread the word about the show. Sponsored by:  The Comic Book Shop. The best place to grab your print or digital comics.