Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast

https://feed.podbean.com/cbccpodcast/feed.xml

Join married couple Brad and Lisa as they explore the various dynamics of comic book relationships throughout pop culture and publishing history.

Episodes

Sunday Dec 31, 2023

Best Comics of 2023 (Part Two)

Sunday Dec 31, 2023

We can't put 2023 to bed without releasing our very last episode of the year, The Stampies: The Best Comics of 2023 (Part Two). Continuing the celebration from last week's Part One, we push into several other major categories, highlighting the exceptional art birthed into the universe by this beautiful medium. Aiding our love-in our numerous friends from the comics journalism and podcasting community. Frankly, too many wonderful comics were released in 2023, so it's always a blessing to have friends champion so many other titles.

In this episode, we also unveil the first annual Jesse Tapia II "Champ Stamp" to a comics creator deserving of wider recognition and acclaim. This particular Stampie is offered in loving memory of our friend Jesse Tapia II, who sadly passed away in late 2023. Jesse was a magnificent and passionate comic book advocate, bringing joy and a comic recommendation to everyone he interacted with. We hope to live up to his tremendous enthusiasm for the art form.

As we welcome a new year, we must thank every one of our listeners. You enriched our lives in ways that are hard to put into words. Five years ago, we started this podcast in the hope that there were a few others like us out there, eager to approach comics from a place of love and self-introspection. Finding you validated that dream. Thank you. We love you. Let's keep on' keepin' on in 2024. Read more comics. Make more comics. Love more comics.

Part Two Category Timestamps:

Writer of the Year - 20:50
Artist of the Year - 32:08
Best International Release - 40:30
Best Ongoing Series - 52:15
Best Limited Series - 1:03:11
Best Original Graphic Novel - 1:11:53
The Jesse Tapia II Champ Stamp - 1:17:36
Best Horror Series - 1:26:17
Best Grindhouse Experience - 1:28:10

Celebrity Guest Stars:

David Brooke (@NoSocialize) from AIPT
Kat Calamia (@ComicUno) from Comic Uno
Christian Holub (@cmholub) from Entertainment Weekly
Troy-Jeffrey Allen (@TJAComics) from RexCo and PreviewsWorld
Jessika (@jessikawitha) and Mike (@vansau) from Ten Cent Takes
Dallas (@dallas_comics), Anne (@AnneComics), and Lexi (@lexilou_comics) from The Comics Collective

As always, Omnibus, the Digital Comic Store and Reader, sponsors our Referrals segment. This week, we highlight all the rad 2023 comics you can find in their shop. These titles are not to be missed. Remember, if you've got a screen, you've got a comic. Go get one. Or two. Or a dozen.

This year, our two-part Stampies episodes picked up an additional sponsor: Four Color Fantasies in Winchester, Virginia. Their epic post-Christmas sale will occur on January 6th, but if you're not within driving distance, you'll still want to track them down via their Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. Their annual Sketch Cover Charity benefitting the Literacy Volunteers Winchester Area will next occur in 2024, and it's your chance to win some Sean Phillips, Charlie Adlard, and other rad creators' original art.

Other Relevant Links:

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW)

Now Open - the CBCC Digital Shop!

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY

Join us at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia, on 1/21 at 4:00 PM for our Hulk (2003) screening, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies.

Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.

And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.

Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.

Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.

Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

Monday Dec 25, 2023

Best Comics of 2023 (Part One)

Monday Dec 25, 2023

It's here - The Stampies: Best Comics of 2023 (Part One)! For the last two months, we've scrambled to read all the comics we missed during the year and compiled a gargantuan list of favorites. As far as the comics medium was concerned, 2023 was an impressively massive year for quality books. And once again, squeezing the best comics into one CBCC episode proved impossible.

Of course, we couldn't read all the comics. So, if there is a personal favorite you see missing from our Stampies, please let us know. We're in this for discovery and want to read the comics you loved the most in 2023. Thankfully, we invited several colleagues to jump on the phone with this love-in and name their 2023 faves. You better get some scrap paper because you'll want to tally these books up on your own to-read list.

Below are the timestamps for our categories and links to our most generous guests. Please take a moment to browse their good work and support this beautiful comics community.

Part One Category Timestamps:

Best Comic Book Couples - 14:04
Best Superhero Series - 19:25
Best All-Ages Comic - 28:24
Best Memoir - 36:23
Best Digital Comic - 46:53
Best First Issue - 55:33
Best Single Issue - 1:04:10

Celebrity Guest Stars:

Sal (@SalSaysWhat) from Comic Pop
Vactor (@Vactor) from The Vactor-Verse
Aaron (@betteractions) and Chris (@chacker41) from The Oblivion Bar
Oliver Sava (@OliverSava) from Vulture, Polygon, etc.
Robyn Warren (@geekgirlstrong) from Geek Girl Strong
Aeric Azana (@thatdaringman) from Geeksplained
Chris and Lance (@CBKast) from The Comic Book Keepers
Badr Milligan (@TheShortBoxJax) from The Short Box: A Comic Talk Show

As always, Omnibus, the Digital Comic Store and Reader, sponsors our Referrals segment. This week, we selected two comic book titles on the site that satisfy this episode's themes. We won't spoil what they are here, but if you click the links below, you'll be immediately escorted to the books.

Sarah Myer on Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story

Friday Dec 22, 2023

A powerful imagination can be as burdensome as it is liberating. Born in South Korea and adopted at birth by a white couple, Sarah Myer struggled with identity in their rural and frequently antagonistic Maryland community. Cartoons, comics, and cosplay were their escape, but they could also cause Sarah to internalize their emotions.

Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story is Sarah Myer's attempt to document their childhood and teenage years, where Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sailor Moon offered them flight from bullies inside and outside their school. The comic is raw, beautiful, and incredibly vulnerable. Also, it's easily one of the best books published in 2023.

This week, we're joined by Sarah Myer to discuss Monstrous. We chat about their early connection with comics and cartoons, their triumphant ascent to professional Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles artist, and the challenges of putting your life out there for all to read. While Monstrous has a conclusion, Sarah Myer is still going, and they have more lessons to learn and stories to tell.

Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story is now available from First Second. Follow Sarah Myer on Instagram, Twitter, and their Website.

As always, Omnibus, the Digital Comic Store and Reader, sponsors our Referrals segment. This week, we selected two comic book titles on the site that satisfy this episode's themes. We won't spoil what they are here, but if you click the links below, you'll be immediately escorted to the books.

Other Relevant Links:

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW)

Now Open - the CBCC Digital Shop!

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY

Join us at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia, on 1/21 at 4:00 PM for our Hulk (2003) screening, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies.

Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.

And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.

Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.

Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.

Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

Sunday Dec 17, 2023

Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly on Duke and GI Joe (feat. a Robert Kirkman cameo)

Sunday Dec 17, 2023

This week, we got to get tough - Yo Joe! - with Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly, the creative team behind the new Energon Universe series, Duke. The Man of Action experienced something unexplainable in Daniel Warren Johnson's Transformers #2, which rewired his purpose. Now, the Real American Hero is slipping into a "Walking American Nightmare," and General Hawk is concerned. We should all be concerned.

Duke #1 lands in shops on December 27th from Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment. It's an exhilarating action-fueled outburst, showcasing two creative talents operating in top form. Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly trickly navigate the needs of the Hasbro license while challenging nostalgic notions and delivering a compelling, spikey narrative. This is not the beige-colored toy you remember from childhood.

Williamson and Reilly's Duke engages a transformative (pun totally intended) decision and there is no stepping back from it. We chat with the creators about their mission statement, how they reduced Duke to his raw essence, and how a childhood fascination with Cobra compelled them toward this comic's execution.

While the Transformers and Void Rivals universes are quickly filling up with recognizable characters, the GI Joe comics realm may take more time to shape into your favorite military-based collectible toy line. Also, you might be a little nervous when Tom Reilly states, "Maybe when Snake Eyes shows up, he'll get shot in the face too." Got to get tough indeed.

Oh, and you'll get a surprise cameo appearance from Robert Kirkman, too!

Follow Joshua Williamson on Twitter and Instagram. Follow Tom Reilly on Twitter, Instagram, and his Website. Stay up to date on all things Energon Universe via the Skybound Website.

Other Relevant Links:

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW)

Now Open - the CBCC Digital Shop!

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY

Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.

Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.

Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.

Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

Thursday Dec 07, 2023

Scott and Emma: New X-Men (5th Anniversary Spectacular)

Thursday Dec 07, 2023

Five years ago, we launched this podcast with Scott Summers and Jean Grey. Back then, our conversation concluded with a tumultuous debate surrounding Grant Morrison's New X-Men and the complicated three-way that seemingly shattered an iconic Marvel Comics romance. With so much life lived since those early podcasting days, we return to New X-Men issues 127 through 141, this time examining them through the lens of Scott Summers and Emma Frost. Are they the one true pairing? Is the question even fair?

Once again, we use The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman as our relationship guide, exploring Scott and Emma's Love Tank levels and considering how each could benefit from recognizing the other's Love Language. By shifting our relationship focus and surviving five strange years on this planet, our response to Morrison's New X-Men is totally different from how we previously reacted. Our hearts are open in new ways, but are we ready to declare ourselves #TeamScemma?

We celebrate and reflect on five years of Comic Book Couples Counseling. Thanks to all of you reading this post and listening to our episodes, we've managed to grow our show and ourselves tremendously. We owe you. We love you.

Also, we're joined this week by several artists and listeners who steadied themselves and braved our CBCC Hotline. These creators offer their good wishes, delivering some much-needed Words of Affirmation and absolutely filling our Love Tank. Please reach out to them online, say "Thank You," and buy their art.

New X-Men issues 127 - 132 and 134 - 141 were published by Marvel between June 2002 and May 2003. They were written by Grant Morrison, penciled by John Paul Leon, Igor Kordey, Phil Jimenez, Keron Grant, Frank Quitely, inked by Bill Sienkiewicz, Igor Kordey, Andy Lanning, Tim Townsend, and Avalon Studios, colored by Hi-Fi Design, Dave McCaig, and Chris Chuckry, and lettered by RS and Comicraft's Saida, Jimmy, Wes, and Albert!, and VC's Chris Eliopoulos.

Other Relevant Links:

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW)

Now Open - the CBCC Digital Shop!

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY

Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.

Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.

Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.

Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

Tuesday Nov 28, 2023

Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev on Masterpiece

Tuesday Nov 28, 2023

Peanut butter and chocolate. Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. Two great tastes that taste great together. Whether you first encountered their delicious collaboration through Daredevil, Moon Knight, Scarlet, or whatever, once experienced, you must gorge on the rest. And it's an event - an emergency feast - whenever they reunite.

Hitting shops on December 13th, Masterpiece from Dark Horse Comics is the next irresistible banquet from Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. In the solicits, you can see a few hallmarks you've come to expect from the two. However, we've read the first issue, and we assure you that this new crime series allows them to play in ways you haven't seen them do before. Bendis back at the drawing table? Yuuuup.

Emma is a smart cookie. Her inventions and webcomics have paid her way through the fanciest schools. The sixteen-year-old seems like she's got it all figured out. Until a shady billionaire darkens her doorway, telling tales about her supposedly world-famous master criminal parents. Now, Emma has to put a squad together, uncover her genetic origins, and navigate a rich jerkwad's vengeance scheme.

On this week's episode, we chat with Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev about their long-lasting friendship and how it has fed their creative partnership and vice versa. We discuss what makes a Bendis/Maleev joint, their secret and not-so-secret Todd McFarlane origins, and how both had to adjust their working habits to aid the other. And we dig deep into Masterpiece and how it was born from generational tension. Are JNCO jeans really back???

Keep up to date on all things Brian Michael Bendis by subscribing to his Substack. You can also track him down via Twitter, Instagram, and his Website.

Do the same for Alex Maleev by following his Website, Twitter, and Instagram.

Also, listen to Bendis' previous appearance on Comic Book Couples Counseling, discussing Phenomena Book One alongside André Lima Araújo.

Other Relevant Links:

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW)

Now Open - the CBCC Digital Shop!

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY

Join us at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia on 12/3 at 4:00 PM for our Flash Gordon screening, co-hosted by Psycho Cinema, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies, and benefitting The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.

Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.

Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.

Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.

Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

Wednesday Nov 22, 2023

Tom Taylor on Titans: Beast World

Wednesday Nov 22, 2023

We invite Tom Taylor onto the show this week to discuss all the tasty relationship dynamics he's been exploring with the Titans ongoing series and why it's taken decades for these twenty-something superheroes to nab their first major DC Comics event book, Titans: Beast World. For too long, the world has relied on Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, but their decrepit Boomer attitudes won't save the day this time. Everyone, please shut up and listen to Beast Boy.

The Titans may no longer be teenagers, but they still struggle with the generational divide. Amanda Waller carries no weapon deadlier than her rapid-fire eye rolls. And Bruce Wayne isn't much better with his brutal absolutes and dismissive hand gestures.

Is this generational battle essential to the Titans concept? Can they ever pull themselves out of the Justice League's shadow? These questions beat at the heart of our conversation with Tom Taylor, and it was a delight to explore what makes these unique DC characters so compelling. The Necrostar is a gnarly concept to tangle with, but its threat is secondary to how it affects the internal life of our beloved Titans.

Titans: Beast World #1 hits shops on November 28th. Issue five of the Titans ongoing just dropped this week. Stay abreast of all things Tom Taylor by following his Twitter and Instagram.

Other Relevant Links:

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW)

Now Open - the CBCC Digital Shop!

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY

Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.

Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.

Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.

Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

Monday Nov 13, 2023

Juni Ba on Mobilis: My Life with Captain Nemo

Monday Nov 13, 2023

Dedicated to Jesse Tapia II. "What are you picking up today?"

At some point, we all meet Captain Nemo. He's an icon: a literary legend, a Disney villain, and a comic book mainstay. As with Batman, Superman, or any other decades-old character, you probably have your favorite interpretation. Thanks to Juni Ba, there's a new version loose on the planet, and he may very well be our favorite one so far. That's a bold proclamation, but it's Ba, so hyperbole usually quickly transitions into stone-cold reality.

Mobilis: My Life with Captian Nemo, published by TKO Presents, is a coffee-table-sized masterpiece that slaps ya in the face with nearly every page turn. One day, a young girl named Arona awakens aboard the Nautilus. She's greeted by a chipper, morally-centered robot and told the planet she once knew is destroyed and to stay away from the captain. Also, they have cookies.

Juni Ba takes his lifelong passion for Nemo and Peter Pan and slathers it atop our environmental crisis with a heavy dose of anxiety, concern, and beauty. We've lost the world, but maybe the one that comes after is not so bad for those who inherit it. Change is change; removed from our perspective, it's not good or bad.

The cartoonist returns to Comic Book Couples Counseling to discuss his Nemo obsession, the panic that birthed Mobilis, and what it's like to drop this graphic novel chunk during the same month as his other glorious creation, The Unlikely Story of Felix and Macabber, co-created with Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and published by Dark Horse Comics. He also grills us on what the book says about humanity. The conversation is a dream come true for Lisa, certainly.

Keep up to date on all things Juni Ba by visiting his Instagram and Twitter. Both Mobilis: My Life with Nemo and The Unlikely Story of Felix and Macabber are now available wherever rad comic books are sold.

Also, CLICK HERE and listen to Juni Ba's previous CBCC guest appearance, talking about Djeliya.

Other Relevant Links:

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW)

Now Open - the CBCC Digital Shop!

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY!

Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.

Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.

Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.

Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

Sunday Nov 05, 2023

Jeff Smith on The Secret Origin of Bone

Sunday Nov 05, 2023

At five years old, Jeff Smith brought Fone Bone to life. Immediately enthralled by the characters of Walt Kelly, Charles M. Schulz, Walt Disney, and others, the kid desperately sought to contribute his own creation. While most abandon their childhood ideas, Smith carried Fone Bone into his teenage years, college life, and adulthood. Why?

The question rests at the core of this week's episode. We chat with Jeff Smith about his nearly lifelong relationship with Fone Bone and how it evolved from a cartooning challenge into an elaborate comic strip for his college paper and then radically expanded into the bestselling Bone saga. Even after concluding that twelve-year journey, Smith can't shake Fone Bone and his cousins.

Scholastic's Graphix recently published Bone: More Tall Tales, an anthology jammed with Smith's peers (Tom Sniegoski, Stan Sakai, Katie Cook, Matt Smith, and Scott Brown), all giving their spin on the Bone universe. Especially noteworthy, Jeff Smith and Cartoon Books have launched a new Kickstarter, gathering the early stories that would ultimately shape Bone - Thorn: The Complete Proto-Bone College Strips from 1982 to 1986 and Other Early Drawings.

Whatever glimpses we've previously seen of these Proto-Bone strips were brief and relatively limited. Having the chance to read them offers tremendous insight into our Bone obsession and into the artist that birthed it. Here is a Rosetta Stone of sorts.

Some cartoonists might shiver at the thought of their readers encountering such early attempts, but Jeff Smith embraces the opportunity. As some might be aware, he recently suffered a debilitating heart attack. He's in a reflective state, and Smith looks upon his early work with a new perspective and consideration. And he's more than happy to share it with us.

The new Thorn Kickstarter is an essential read for fans of Bone, and we believe this conversation with Jeff Smith is equally so. Join us as we travel back to the early days when a kid found himself in a cartoon and dragged that doodle through adolescence and into the various weird stages adulthood also offers.

As always, Omnibus, the Digital Comic Store and Reader, sponsors our Referrals segment. This week, we selected two comic book titles on the app that satisfy this episode's themes. We won't spoil what they are here, but if you click the links below, you'll be immediately escorted to the books.

Keep up to date on all things Jeff Smith by visiting his Website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Find the Thorn: The Complete Proto-Bone College Strips from 1982 to 1986 and Other Early Drawings on Kickstarter.

Listen to our previous Jeff Smith conversation, discussing Tuki: Fight for Fire and Tuki: Fight for Family.

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW)

Now Open - the CBCC Digital Shop!

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY!

Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.

Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.

Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.

Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

Monday Oct 30, 2023

Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters: The Ultimate Laura and Chris Samnee Interview

Monday Oct 30, 2023

We've wanted to have this conversation with Chris Samnee and Laura Samnee from the moment we read the first issue of Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters. Sure, we've had them on before talking about their beautiful comic celebrating sibling relationships, but we only had half the story. Now the comic is complete and contained in a gorgeously crafted new Deluxe Edition hardcover from Oni Press, and we can go full-spoilers, friends. Don't press play unless you're ready for a proper Comic Book Couples Counseling excavation.

What is your responsibility to your siblings? Is the bond between you as sacred as we're raised to believe? Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters presents a world as terrifying as it is often hopeful. Trapped atop it are sisters Rainbow and Jonna, diametrically opposed in most aspects but bound together through familial obligation. And love, maybe?

The comic represents a decade of Chris and Laura's life. We explore their earliest memories of Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters and how doodles in 2014 grew into their most personal work. It's a love letter to their children and a narrative that might never be topped, even if they have a few other ideas rattling around their imagination.

As always, Omnibus, the Digital Comic Store and Reader, sponsors our Referrals segment. This week, we selected two comic book titles that satisfy this episode's themes. We won't spoil what they are here, but if you jump to the Omnibus digital shop, you'll find them readily available there.

Stay up to date on all Samnee family projects via their socials. Follow Chris Samnee on his Website, Twitter, and Instagram. Follow Laura Samnee on her Instagram. Purchase the limited slipcase hardcover edition of Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters on the Oni Press website.