Podcast appearances and mentions of paul lai

This week, Paul Lai (of prog-rock lifers Upsilon Acrux) stops by to talk about the do's & don'ts of touring etiquette, being the only Asian-American in a sea of pretentious white dudes, and sharing the stage with Magma. Along the way he & Jesse discuss a time in Wisconsin when the two of them really didn't like each other, as well as what modern-day guitarists do not need to exist. It's a deep dive into the mind of a musician whose focus has never wavered, even during the most fuckable of gigs, and a must listen for those of you into polyrhythms. Featuring the music of Upsilon AcruxEdited by Jesse KrakowOriginal Music by Jesse Krakow

Laura visits with Duluth artist Gaelynn Lea, the violinist and composer who scored the original music for the current run of Macbeth on Broadway starring actor Daniel Craig. She also spends a day at Spring Farm Animal Sanctuary in Long Lake learning the stories of pigs, cows, and other creatures living out their days. Ramsey County librarian Paul Lai recommends this week's book, and Star Tribune food writers Sharyn Jackson and Joy Summers talk about their list of iconic Minnesota dishes and restaurants.

Laura dives into the magic of vintage guitars with Willie's American Guitars owner Nate Westgor, and visits with musician Erik Koskinen at his Real Phonic Studios in southern Minnesota. Ramsey County librarian Paul Lai has a great read that celebrates some pretty important women in U-S history, and what's old is new again with Mpls-St. Paul Magazine Senior Editor of Food and Dining Stephanie March.

This episode was originally broadcast on September 28, 2016. With Multiversity Comics heading into the home stretch of its 40 Days of Supergirl celebration, Greg decided it would be neat to have a little Supergirl discussion in conjunction with that. But with Mike unavailable, Greg turned to friend of the show Paul Lai (from the excellent podcast The Paul List) to come on and give the episode his specific brand of considered and researched opinion. The duo focus on the Maid of Steel's origins and the era in which she sprung from the Kryptonian rocket ship, but the conversation manages to touch on other parts of her career, from Crisis to DC Rebirth, and appearances in other media as well. All that and more awaits you in this week's episode! 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.  Stay safe and enjoy your funny books.

This episode was originally broadcast on October 26, 2017. One of the perks of being part of the Multiversity podcasting family is it puts you in touch with group of people who really know their comics. Case in point: today's chat with writer Ram V about his upcoming Image series "Paradiso" came via a recommendation and introduction from Pop Culture Hound's Chris Thompson, and follows in the footsteps of Ram's appearance on Paul Lai's Comics Syllabus show. Paul's customary deep dive with Ram into "Paradiso"'s debut leaves Greg a blank canvas to draw on for his own talk. Hear what he comes up with, as well as what your favorite city might sound like if you bumped into them on the street, and much more on today's episode! 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. Stay safe and enjoy your funny books.

Spoke with musician Paul Lai of Upsilon Acrux & (Z)erpents about all kinds of stuff: breaking up melodies, rhythmic tension, the importance of failure and how a conversation, without surprises, does not move any dialogue further ... no offense but we are all looking at you Pop Music... Never be comfortable and always challenge yourself and this world we live in. Helpful links below: http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=3233 https://futureproofsounds.bandcamp.com/album/black-mold-and-hot-springs-taipei https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Bolles_(musician) https://youtu.be/w-o8EKjXJPQ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jamiel-alkhaja/support

AN EPIC FOR OUR TIMES!  New Gods #1 brought the Fourth World into comics, and things would never be the same again. This week we take a look at Jack Kirby's masterful series, as Matt is joined by special guest Paul Lai!

Staff editor Eunice Ko delivers the fresh scoops on what books to read to defeat the boredom at home. Paul Lai (junior) and Faith Hollinrake (senior) discuss their current reads. Where do YOU want to go today? Find it in a book.

Time Codes: 00:30 - Introduction 02:49 - Introducing Krystal, and a Farewell to Paul 07:24 - 3x4 17:44 - The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo: The Monster Mall 32:40 -Sheets 42:54 - Wrap up 43:42 - Contact us On this episode of the Comics Alternative's Young Readers show, Gwen is joined by her new co-host, Dr. Krystal Howard, an assistant professor in the Liberal Studies and English departments at California State University, Northridge. Krystal has been reading, writing about, and teaching children's and YA comics for a number of years and has a particular interest in gender and comics studies. In 2017, Krystal's essay “Gothic Excess and the Body in Vera Brosgol's Anya's Ghost” appeared in Gwen's co-edited volume (with Michelle Ann Abate), Graphic Novels for Children and Young Adults, and she has another comics-related essay, “Comics Grammar in Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's Picture Book Collaborations” that is forthcoming in The Artistry of Neil Gaiman: Finding Light in the Shadows. Regular listeners to the Young Readers show will already know Krystal from her spot as a panelist last summer on a special roundtable that Gwen and Paul Lai hosted on the future of children's and YA comics. Before they begin discussing the books for this month's show, Gwen and Krystal mention the wonderful contributions of Paul Lai, who has recently graduated with his doctorate from the School of Education in Language, Literacy, and Culture at the University of California, Berkeley, and who has begun a new position as Director of UC Berkeley's prestigious BE3 program, which stands for Berkeley Educators for Equity and Excellence. Paul intends to return to the Comics Alternativefamily from time to time as a podcaster, and Gwen and Krystal wish him the very best in his new role. During the main portion of the show, Gwen and Krystal discuss three new releases: Ivan Brunetti's 3 x 4, published last month by TOON Books and geared towards early elementary readers, and two Halloween-oriented middle grade graphic novels: Drew Weing's The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo: The Monster Mall, which is the second in the Margo Maloo series from First Second books, and Brenna Thummler's debut, Sheets, put out by Lion Forge's Cubhouse imprint. Both Krystal and Gwen found Brunetti's 3 x 4 to be a great addition to the plethora of STEM-focused comics that have been published in the last five years, including First Second's Science Comics series and Mike Holmes and Gene Luen Yang's Secret Coders. Krystal praises Brunetti for his inclusion of a diverse and eclectic group of young people, and Gwen notes that for the detail-oriented child, every page offers up an opportunity to discover the many ways that the number 12 can be divided into sets! Next, the two PhDs consider Drew Weing's follow up to his highly successful first volume of the Margo Maloos series: The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo: The Monster Mall. Gwen appreciates Weing's decision to continue focusing on the costs of gentrification, while Krystal notes that the inclusion of teenage characters adds a new dimension to the series. Finally, Gwen and Krystal discuss the amazing debut by Brenna Thummler, Sheets (Lion Forge), which takes place in a lake resort town and focuses on the struggles of a young woman who has become the proprietor of her family's laundromat, all while trying to fit in at middle school. Her interactions with Wendell, the ghost of an eleven-year-old boy, end up making life a lot better for both of them. Krystal points out Thummler's attention to figural placement and atmospherics, and Gwen suggests that while some of the plot points might seem a little far-fetched, the novel holds together well and deals with class conflict in a manner that is also present in Weing's Margo Maloo series. In November, Gwen and Krystal will be back with another set of books to review, as well as 2018 best-of-list recommendations for our listener's winter holiday celebrations.  

Mattron (Matt Lune) and Lai-ray (Paul Lai) march on through the second issues of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World series,”Forever People” #2, “New Gods” #2, “Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen” #136, and “Mister Miracle” #2. Join Matt @MattLune and Paul @TwoPlai ‏as they dive deep into Kirby’s creative masterwork. Full show notes at our home at Multiversity: […]

This week Matt is joined by Paul Lai to continue the conversation started on last week’s Comics Syllabus, about their upcoming new podcast series, Mother Box: A Jack Kirby New Gods Podcast! Whether you’re a new fan or an avid fan, if you want to read the Fourth World Saga along with us, on this, the second part of our pilot episode, we’ll be discussing the issues where it all began, “Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen” #133-135.Find out more on the That's The Issue website.

Welcome to That's The Issue, the comic book podcast that gets to know you through the issues that you love!On this week's show, Wes is back! After both Wes and Matt being various levels of ill, they return to catch each other up on all the comics, TV shows and books that they've been enjoying lately, as well as the stuff they've not been enjoying (looking at you Inhumans and Doomsday Clock!) Then, in the second half of the show, Matt and Paul Lai continue their chat from last week's Comics Syllabus podcast! In part 2 of their chat, Matt and Paul discuss the state of the comics industry moving into 2018, as well as their own personal aspirations for their comics reading and writing for the coming year.

It's our 2017 Halloween special! Yes, the most spooktacular time of the year is upon us, and to celebrate, we're opening up the doors to That's The Issue Towers, and inviting all our friends to a massive Halloween bash! On the show this week: Wes and Matt invite Nikki Sherman on to talk about the best (and spookiest!) horror comics! along the way the gang are joined by writer Deniz Camp to talk about how horror works in comics, and friend of the show Paul Lai pops in to share his favorite Halloween comic books! Join us, and share your thoughts on your favorite horror and Halloween comics by tweeting the show (@thatstheissue) or emailing the show (thatstheissuepodcast@gmail.com)!Find out more on the That's The Issue website.

One of the perks of being part of the Multiversity podcasting family is it puts you in touch with group of people who really know their comics. Case in point: today's chat with writer Ram V about his upcoming Image series "Paradiso" came via a recommendation and introduction from Pop Culture Hound's Chris Thompson, and follows in the footsteps of Ram's appearance on Paul Lai's Comics Syllabus show. Paul's customary deep dive with Ram into "Paradiso"'s debut leaves Greg a blank canvas to draw on for his own talk. Hear what he comes up with, as well as what your favorite city might sound like if you bumped into them on the street, and much more on today's episode! 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.

"Comics Syllabus" host Paul Lai joins the show to talk the end of an iconic "Wonder Woman" run, why "Batman/Elmer Fudd" is sort of brilliant, and review the week's 'Rebirth' titles.

Mic Check and coming soon the Comics Syllabus by Paul Lai

The boys welcome Paul Lai to the show to discuss Dark Matter, plus a look at The Button Part 1 and more.

Time Codes: 00:00:27 - Introduction 00:03:08 - Introducing Paul Lai as new YR cohost 00:04:50 - A farewell message from Andy Wolverton 00:07:12 - Bats: Learning to Fly 00:31:39 - NewsPrints 01:00:37 - Wrap up 01:01:11 - Contact us Changes   The Comics Alternative extends a warm welcome to Paul Lai, who has taken over from Andy Wolverton as co-host with Gwen Tarbox on the Young Readers show. Everyone at The Comics Alternative family will miss Andy's wise and engaging reviews and perspectives on children's and young adult comics. In their first show together, Gwen and Paul discuss the newest volume in First Second Books' Science Comics series, Falynn Christine Koch's Bats: Learning to Fly, as well as Ru Xu's fiction (“diesel-punk,” as Paul terms it) graphic novel NewsPrints, published by the GRAPHIX imprint at Scholastic Books. Since its launch in 2016, the Science Comics series has included volumes on coral reefs, volcanoes, and dinosaurs. Geared towards upper elementary and middle school aged readers, Science Comics take advantage of the elements of visual storytelling to put forward scientific information. As the editors point out: “With the increasing ubiquity of visual information,” young readers need to “learn to process and respond to visual content, and comics are an incredibly effective medium for exploring visual literacy.” Regular listeners to the podcast may remember that Gwen and Andy reviewed Dinosaurs by M.K. Reed and Joe Flood in their March 2016 YR show, and many of the elements that they praised, including the accessibility of scientific information, as well as the use of humor, appear in Koch's volume, as well. Bats: Learning to Fly encourages young readers to understand the important role that bats play in the ecosystem, to overcome their fear of bats, and to learn how they can become involved in protecting and caring for bats. In addition to providing a great deal of information on various species of Bats, Koch creates a narrative in which a teenage girl, Sarah, volunteers at a bat rehabilitation center after her parents overreact to a bat and injure it. Lil' Brown, as the bat is known, is both a character in that narrative and a narrative presence in his own right, as he directly addresses the reader at various points regarding his own anatomy and role in the ecosystem. As part of their discussion, Paul and Gwen consider how young readers might respond to the way information is imparted in the comic, and they look forward to Koch's upcoming volume for the Science Comics series, Plagues: The Microscopic Battlefield, due out in August, 2017. Koch recently graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), and Gwen and Paul discuss how her precision drawings and humor-filled text combine to create a text that will delight readers, while encouraging them to appreciate how they can play a role in scientific study by volunteering to rehabilitate bats or building bat houses for their backyards. Next, Gwen and Paul discuss another debut comic from a SCAD graduate. NewsPrints is written and drawn by Ru Xu, a comics creator who was born in Beijing, immigrated to Indianapolis as a young child, and has had a lifelong love of comics from a variety of traditions, including manga, European comics, and even superhero comics. NewsPrints takes place in a fictional diesel-punk world where the land of Nautilene is torn by war and a newspaper called The Bugle is the only media outlet left that is still reporting the truth. The protagonist, Blue, is a rare kind of newsboy in a society that counts on its newsboys to shout out the headlines and sell papers…and that's because Blue is not a boy, but a girl, orphaned by the war and adopted by the family who owns the newspaper. Blue sets out to provide that one doesn't have to be a boy to be vital in the news business, and along the way, readers are introduced to a cast of characters such as Jack, the eccentric and secretive inventor; Crow, a strange kid who remains wrapped in a scarf and in mysteries of his own; and Goldie, Blue's loyal canary, who matches Blue's welcoming of people and spirit of flight. As part of their discussion, Paul and Gwen praise Xu's mastery of many genres of comics, including her ability to meld various traditional forms into an entirely unique story world. Thus, while the text shares much in common with recent fantasy releases, including Faith Erin Hicks' The Nameless City and Jorge Corona's Feathers, NewsPrints stands on its own, with a vast, inviting story space and a focus on issues of truth and representation that are ever more a part of our own political and social climate. Paul praised Xu's deft handling of interactions among characters, and Gwen expressed her admiration for Xu's use of color and shading to help set the mood and to ease transitions across the comic. Given the book's indeterminate ending, Paul and Gwen look forward to the series continuing into additional volumes, and they dwell on Xu's treatment of gender and ethnicity in thoughtful ways. Get your copies of the titles discussed on this episode:  

Goldie Vance The Paul List Future and a Pluto reading project by Paul Lai

With Multiversity Comics heading into the home stretch of its 40 Days of Supergirl celebration, Greg decided it would be neat to have a little Supergirl discussion in conjunction with that. But with Mike unavailable, Greg turned to friend of the show Paul Lai (from the excellent podcast The Paul List) to come on and give the episode his specific brand of considered and researched opinion. The duo focus on the Maid of Steel's origins and the era in which she sprung from the Kryptonian rocket ship, but the conversation manages to touch on other parts of her career, from Crisis to DC Rebirth, and appearances in other media as well. All that and more awaits you in this week's episode! 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.

Paul List 2016-07-23 Black Hammer 1 Lemire Ormston Dark Horse by Paul Lai

This week The Comics Alternative's blog editor, Paul Lai, joins Derek to discuss three recent titles. They begin with Bryan Doerries's The Odyssey of Sergeant Jack Brennan (Pantheon). Illustrated by a variety of artists -- Jess Ruliffson, Joëlle Jones, Justine Mara Andersen, Dylan Macon's, and Nick Bertozzi -- the book brings Homer's classic into contemporary contexts. On the eve of their return home from Afghanistan, Marine Corps sergeant Jack Brennan shares with his men the epic tale by applying it to their own lives as soldiers. Within this frame narrative, Doerries recounts Odysseus's various attempt to return home, each one illustrated by one of the book's diverse artists. Next, the Two Guys turn to a sobering narrative, Rebecca Roher's Bird in a Cage (Conundrum Press). This is an account of Roher's grandmother's dementia and resulting institutionalization, but even more so, it's the artist's memoir of her relationship with Grandma Wylie, as she is called, and the family that nurtured her. This is a moving narrative, intimately drawn, that underscores the power of community and memory when confronting adversity. After that, Paul and Derek wrap up with a more lighthearted comic, Kaeleigh Forsyth and Alabaster Pizzo's Hellbound Lifestyle (Retrofit Comics/Big Planet Comics). This is a humorous look at our contemporary obsession with smartphones and our need for self-validation through social media. The story takes place over a year's worth of smartphone usage, and many of the book's scenarios are laugh-out-loud funny. Some of the guys' favorites include "A Day in the Life of Hemingway's Wife(s)," "Workshopping My Stand Up Routine," and the "Sunnie Luvies Test." In this episode of the podcast, you can expect a wide range of emotional responses.

On this episode of the interview series -- the very first for cohost Paul Lai! -- the Two Guys with PhDs are pleased to have as their guest Mike Dawson. His latest book, Rules for Dating My Daughter: The Modern Father's Guide to Good Parenting, comes out on May 10th from Uncivilized Books, and our fearless cohosts talk with Mike about his project's journey from Tumblr, to Kickstarter, to finished book. One of the things they discuss early on is the fact that Rules for Dating My Daughter is not one of those gun-hugging "hurt my daughter, and I will hurt you" kind of books you'd expect from the cover image. In it, Mike lays bare his thoughts on the responsibilities of fatherhood (and not just for his daughter) and how those concerns relate to larger-world issues. The book is episodic in nature, comprising fifteen short strips focusing on such topics as gender roles, violence in America, religious observance, global warming, carnivorism, and cultural intolerance...and all filtered through parental concerns. Paul and Derek ask Mike about the genesis of this project and how it's significantly different from his previous books, Troop 142 and Angie Bongiolatti (both published by Secret Acres). At the same time, the tone of the new book isn't dissimilar from those works, and, in fact, one could argue that in Rules for Dating My Daughter, Mike is bringing together the themes of the earlier works -- both political and familial -- and combing them with the autobiographic approach established in his first book, Freddy and Me. And toward the end of the interview, the guys ask Mike about his work as a podcaster cohosting Ink Panthers with Alex Robinson and heading up TCJ Talkies. All in all, the guys have a great time talking with their guest about his art, his thoughts on the industry, and the current state of our culture...as only a dad could do.

It's time, once again, to take a look at the current month's Previews catalog. This time around, Derek is joined by Paul Lai, the editor of The Comics Alternative‘s blog. Although he's been working with the Two Guys since late last year, this is the first time that Paul has cohosted a podcast episode. And his first time out is a doozie! He and Derek take an extra-long, two-and-a-half-hour stroll through the March Previews solicits, highlighting upcoming releases from publishers such as Dark Horse Comics – Lobster Johnson: Metal Monsters of Midtown #1, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, Vol. 1, Mystery Girl, Vol. 1, and Wandering Island DC/Vertigo – Future Quest #1, Prez: The First Teenage President, and Flinch, Book Two IDW Publishing – Archangel #1, Weird Love: I Joined a Teen-Age Sex Cult, Cigarette Girl, and The Adventures of Dieter Lumpen Image Comics – Renato Jones: The One% #1, 3 Floyds: Alpha King #1, Plutona, and Pop Gun War: Gift Abstract Studios – Rachel Rising #42 AdHouse – Talk Dirty to Me Alternative Comics – Study Group Magazine #4, Titan #3, Video Tonfa, and Why Would You Do That? Avatar Press – Providence: Act 1 and Cinema Purgatorio #1 BOOM! Studios – Weavers #1 and The Black Dahlia Conundrum Press – 20 x 20: Twenty Years of Conundrum Press, Blackbird, and Paul Up North Dover Publications – Private Beach: The Complete Collection Drawn and Quarterly – Club Life in Moominvalley and Secretimes Fantagraphics Books – Real Deal Comix, Boys Club, Disquiet, and The Complete Peanuts: 1999-2000 First Second – Hippopotamister and Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride Koyama Press – Night Air Pantheon Books – Everything Is Teeth: A Graphic Memoir SelfMadeHero – Agatha: The Real Life of Agatha Christie and The Art Masters Series, Vol. 3: Munch Uncivilized Books – Jacob Bladders and the State of the Art and Rules for Dating My Daughter Along the way, the guys discuss recent comics news — such as DC's questionable “rebirth” and Image' new Previews catalog magazine, Image+ — and even go off on a couple of rants. Derek, in particular, rags on both Marvel corporate practices and mindless Donald Trump supporters, and with a couple of “amens” from Paul. And what the hell is Smosh…and why should the guys care? But it's the kind of jovial, curmudgeonly goodness that has come to mark The Comics Alternative brand. Accept no substitutes!

With Mike on assignment this week for some big Multiversity Comics happenings, Greg brings in not one, but TWO guests to help fill the void. ROBOTS and Multiversity Comics contributor Paul Lai is joined by his comic-reading younger brother Sonny as the three lads discuss one of the more interesting miniseries of 2015: "Oh, Killstrike". This BOOM! Studios book tells a tale steeped in comics history meta-text and gargantuan-sized vengeance, as the fanboy-and-new-father protagonist is teamed up with a living, breathing version of the main character from "The Worst Comic Book Ever Created": Killstrike! Written by Max Bemis and drawn by Logan Faerber, "Oh, Killstrike" is chock-a-block with the type of in-jokes, commentary, and story that we love to dissect here at ROBOTS...no matter who's behind the mic! So all that and tons more is just a single mouse click away! 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.  

With Mike on assignment, the lads are more than happy to have Multiversity Comics colleague and comics-wielding educator Paul Lai filling in on the mic in his stead. And like any good substitute, Paul brought his own lesson plans and discussion topic: getting into and staying in comics. But this isn't a 'breaking in' discussion; he and Greg talk about how they got into READING comics and managed to wind up where they are today, lo those many years later. Secret origins are revealed, knowledge is dropped, mutual admiration espoused, and a pretty free-wheeling discussion spins out of Paul's visit to the subterranean recording studio.  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.

by Paul Lai, from 2 Corinthians 12, 1 Kings 19.  "Christian Weakness in a World of Power"

by Paul Lai; from Acts 17:16-34; 20:16-38

by Paul Lai; reflection on Exodus, Psalms and Matthew.