Join married couple Brad and Lisa as they explore the various dynamics of comic book relationships throughout pop culture and publishing history.
Episodes
Saturday Jul 22, 2023
Saturday Jul 22, 2023
When we first started That Texas Blood by Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips, we enjoyed it as a nifty, nasty, clever Western Noir. Now, we're three trade paperbacks in and one issue into their spin-off series, The Great Enfield Gang Massacre, and we think we're reading an epic mythology saga exploring notions of lowercase evil and uppercase Evil. Friends, this is their Hellboy, whether they want to admit it or not.
The Enfield Gang Massacre #1 hits shelves courtesy of Image Comics on August 9th. If this is your first entry into their world, it works magnificently as a Western mystery exploring the sins of a "Print the Legend" history. If you've read every issue of That Texas Blood, it works on a whole other level.
Condon and Phillips' spin-off returns readers to Ambrose County 150 years ago, when outlaw Montgomery Enfield and his gang are accused of a grotesque murder. In issue one, the posse forms and comes gunning for these criminals. They'll find a fight on their hands. Maybe.
In this episode, we chat with Condon and Phillips about the types of evil they're examining in The Enfield Gang Massacre and That Texas Blood. We consider how their brains morph to meet the needs of this particular story and why it demands a different aesthetic than their previous collaborations. We also consider together just how far back they can explore regarding the Ambrose County land. Cave dwellers and dinosaurs? Yes, please.
You can continue this chat with the That Texas Blood creators by following Chris Condon on Twitter and Instagram and following Jacob Phillips on Twitter and Instagram.
This episode is part of our San Diego Comic-Con International celebration. Listen to our Day One episode with Paul Cornell HERE. Listen to our Day Two episode with Adrian Tomine HERE. Tomorrow, Julie Sakai and Stan Sakai will be on the podcast talking about Usagi Yojimbo and all things Dogu Publishing. A week later, we'll return with some in-person interviews, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Karl Stevens, Todd McFarlane, and more. You better get subscribed to Comic Book Couples Counseling.
Friday Jul 21, 2023
Friday Jul 21, 2023
Most people cringe a little when they look at their younger selves. Cartoonist Adrian Tomine certainly doesn't love revisiting his older work, but he was challenged to do so when adapting his own graphic novel, Shortcomings, for director Randall Park. We're ecstatic to have Tomine on the podcast today, discussing his recent revisitation of a work that gripped both of us when we cracked the page. The creator is generous with his time, process, and internal life.
Shortcomings is - what did TNT use to call them - a new classic. It focuses on Ben Tanaka, a viciously judgemental twenty-something whose long-time relationship has suddenly erupted into uncertainty. Hit up your Google machine and find a classic review; no doubt the critic tackling the comic will address the likability issue. We certainly bring it up with Adrian Tomine in our conversation, and his answer is so beautifully Comic Book Couples Counseling.
After this conversation, be sure to follow Adrian Tomine on his Instagram and through his Website. Purchase Shortcomings via Drawn & Quarterly or wherever fine comic books are sold. You can find your local shop HERE. The Shortcomings movie arrives in theaters on August 4th from Sony Pictures Classics.
This episode is part of our San Diego Comic-Con International celebration. Our chat with Adrian Tomine aligns with Day Two. Listen to our Day One episode with Paul Cornell HERE. Tomorrow, Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips will join us to discuss The Enfield Gang Massacre. On Sunday, Julie Sakai and Stan Sakai will be on the podcast talking about Usagi Yojimbo and all things Dogu Publishing. You better get subscribed to Comic Book Couples Counseling.
And, if you haven't already, now's the time to join our Patreon, where superstar cartoonist Daniel Warren Johnson just recorded an epic chat with us about his favorite single-issue comic, The 'Nam #9. It's all part of our new Patreon podcast series, where we ask cool comic book creators to choose their favorite floppy comic.
- CBCC Counseling Invincible's Mark & Eve
- Brad gust-stars on the Missing Frames podcast
- Adrian Tomine on Recommend If You Like
Thursday Jul 20, 2023
Thursday Jul 20, 2023
The San Diego Comic-Con International is back, and just like last year, we're determined to bring the celebrations to our Comic Book Couples Counseling podcast feed. Whether you're attending the show or not, we aim to bring the con experience to your ears. All week long.
Every day of the con, we're dropping one new, rad creator conversation episode. We're kicking things off strong today (Thursday), chatting with celebrated science fiction, television, and comics writer Paul Cornell. His new Ahoy Comics series, Con and On, is the perfect concept to launch our Comic-Con festivities as it celebrates and challenges everything we love about convention culture.
Paul Cornell's new book focuses on the Vista Al Mar Comics Festival over five years, spanning three decades. Each chapter in the series covers a different year, returning to various characters as they succeed and fail in the industry. You'll recognize some faces, cheer at their victories, and cringe at their losses.
Con and On pulls no punches, but it's not a heavyweight bloodbath either. Only someone who loves this world as much as Paul Cornell could write this book. While there is comedy and heart throughout, there is some anger, frustration, and a drive to advance beyond the tired, old ways.
You can follow Paul Cornell on Blue Sky, Instagram, and his Website. Also, check out his Hammer House podcast.
Make sure you're subscribed to the Comic Book Couples Counseling feed. Tomorrow, Adrian Tomine joins us to discuss his classic graphic novel Shortcomings and its upcoming adaptation directed by Randall Park. On Saturday, Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips return to the pod, breaking down their new That Texas Blood spin-off series, The Enfield Gang Massacre. Finally, on Sunday, Julie Sakai and Stan Sakai arrive on the pod and show all of us creative couples how to do collaboration right. These convos are the best panels around, and no standing in line is required.
And, if you haven't already, now's the time to join our Patreon, where superstar cartoonist Daniel Warren Johnson just recorded an epic chat with us about his favorite single-issue comic, The 'Nam #9. It's all part of our new Patreon podcast series, where we ask cool comic book creators to choose their favorite floppy comic.
- CBCC Counseling Invincible's Mark & Eve
- Decoder Ring Parmasean Cheese Episode
- Our Victoria Grace Elliot Interview
Monday Jul 17, 2023
Monday Jul 17, 2023
Thursday Jul 13, 2023
Thursday Jul 13, 2023
Nearly to the day, Tyler Crook returns to Comic Book Couples Counseling to discuss The Lonesome Hunters, this time digging into its follow-up series, The Wolf Child. As he proved during his last session, Crook is eager to crack open his story and root around inside. There is life here, and we need to know what makes it tick.
Centered in this conversation is a paraphrased Jack Kirby quote. In these notes, we'll present it in full as it was spoken during an interview on The Masters of Comic Book Art, introduced by the equally radical Harlan Ellison. You can watch the whole thing HERE.
"I'm a guy that lives with a lot of questions. I say, 'What's out there?' and I try to resolve that. And I never can. I don't think anybody can. Who's got the answers? I sure would like to hear the ultimate one. But I haven't yet. And so I live with a lot of questions. And I find that entertaining...If my life were to end tomorrow, it would be fulfilled in that manner. I would say, 'The Questions have been terrific.'"
Tyler Crook's comics, especially these first two Lonesome Hunters volumes, are all about scratching at those questions and bumping against unknowable answers. The Lonesome Hunters: The Wolf Child #1 is Tyler Crook on a plate. His script, his art, his letters, his everything.
The comic is an out-there horror/fantasy adventure with a powerfully compelling intergenerational friendship at its core. You can read it as straight escapist entertainment, but it invites you to press down a little deeper and consider your reflection within its pages. Yes, it's absolutely a Comic Book Couples Counseling book.
We're extremely thankful to Tyler Crook for joining us once again on the show and being so generous with his process and philosophy. Our conversation is about as in-depth as you can get without spoiling every little detail about the narrative. However, we'll probably need Crook back on the podcast so we can have one of our epic Ultimate breakdown conversations about The Lonesome Hunters.
The Lonesome Hunters: The Wolf Child #1 is now available from Dark Horse Comics, wherever fine comic books are sold (Click HERE to find the nearest one to you). You can continue your conversation with Tyler Crook via his Twitter, Instagram, and Website. Also, you can listen to his music through his Bandcamp page (although it's also available on Spotify, Apple Music, and the like).
If you haven't already, you can listen to our previous Lonesome Hunters conversation HERE.
Technically, this episode is Part Two of our two-week-long San Diego Comic-Con celebration. Click HERE to catch up on Part One: our chat with Shannon and Luke Lieberman, the Red Sonja licensors.
Other Relevant Links:
FINAL ROUND OF PLUGS (PHEW):
Don't forget to grab your tickets for our July 30th Alamo Drafthouse Winchester screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies.
Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.
Also, JOIN OUR PATREON before we re-launch Married to Singles, episode 1: Daniel Warren Johnson on The 'Nam #9.
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 Jul 09, 2023
Sunday Jul 09, 2023
Let the festivities begin! This year, Red Sonja celebrates her fiftieth anniversary, and as caretakers and licensors of the character, Shannon and Luke Lieberman are determined to transform 2023 into a massive birthday bash. A movie is on the horizon. Gail Simone has penned a new book, and a comics series is launching with a new number one written by Torunn Grønbekk and illustrated by Walter Geovani. It's set to release next week (7/19), which just so happens to coincide with the San Diego Comic-Con.
Red Sonja, Shannon, and Luke Lieberman will be in attendance in San Diego in a major way, hosting a fiftieth-anniversary panel on Friday at 11:30 AM in Room 5AB. Joining them will be Amy Chu, Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Dan Panosian, Mark Canton, and several other significant Red Sonja creators.
Do you know who else will be at Comic-Con next week? Comic Book Couples Counseling! In fact, this week's episode launches our San Diego Comic-Con podcast blowout! As you'll hear within, we have some major plans for this year's convention, and our feeds will be stacked for the next two weeks.
It all starts here with Shannon and Luke Lieberman discussing their unique relationship with Red Sonja, the responsibility they wield as legacy caretakers, and the special set of skills they both bring to this fascinatingly creative task. And, of course, we chat about the challenges and joys of working alongside your romantic partner.
Stay up to date on all things Red Sonja by following them on Twitter, Instagram, and their Website. Also, be sure to check out our previous conversation with Luke Lieberman discussing his graphic novel collaboration, Alliances: Orphans.
If you're attending San Diego Comic-Con, come find our Lisa Gullickson on the Comics Journalism: Looking at Panels Beyond the Page panel on Thursday at 4:30 PM in Room 24ABC. She'll be joined by Heidi MacDonald (The Beat), Jimmy Aquino (Comic News Insider), Brett Schenker (Graphic Policy), Avery Kaplan (The Beat), and Chris Arrant (Popverse).
Other Relevant Links:
- Lisa Guest-Stars on Spec Tales
- CBCC Guest-Stars on Comic Book Keepers
- CBCC Guest-Stars on The Amazing Spider-Talk (Patreon)
FINAL ROUND OF PLUGS (PHEW):
Don't forget to grab your tickets for our July 30th Alamo Drafthouse Winchester screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies.
Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.
Also, JOIN OUR PATREON before we re-launch Married to Singles, episode 1: Daniel Warren Johnson on The 'Nam #9.
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.
Tuesday Jul 04, 2023
Tuesday Jul 04, 2023
For two years, we've discussed The Sandman on our Patreon, one episode at a time, one issue at a time. Periodically, we've dropped certain conversations into the main Comic Book Couples Counseling podcast feed, but it's been a while. Since we're nearly reaching the end of Neil Gaiman's original 75-issue run, we felt compelled to pull a Patreon conversation to all our wonderful listeners' attention.
Our "Sleepwalking Through Sandman" Patreon series is an extremely vulnerable experience for us. Lisa read these comics in college, but her memory is foggy and mutated by time. For whatever reason, Brad never read The Sandman when it was initially on comic shop stands. Now, every week, we stumble through this iconic comic book series, desperately trying to absorb what Gaiman and his astonishing collaborators put down on the page.
Frequently, we interpret things way off base, but thankfully, our Patrons guide us along and clue us into what we're missing. The result is episodes unlike any other shows Comic Book Couples Counseling produces. We're pretty darn proud of them.
The Sandman #70 is the beginning of the end. Is it an epilogue, or is it the climax? Panel by panel, we debate the possibilities as we approach the original Sandman's final issues. A small select group gathers within the Dreaming to pay their last respects to Morpheus while a new (?) Dream works on rebuilding what was lost during the battle with the Furies.
For as little as $1 a month (or $12 a year), you can access all our Sandman episodes and hundreds of other bonus podcasts. After finishing our Sandman #70 conversation, you can jump right on into our Sandman #71 conversation, already posted in our Patreon feed HERE.
In this episode, we also announce a new Patreon podcast series. It's a show concept we don't see anywhere else online, and we think our listeners will be excited about it. Stay tuned for more information, and join up before San Diego Comic-Con if you want access to that particular comic book party.
Sandman #71 was published by DC Comics with a cover date of August 1995. It's written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Michael Zulli, colored by Daniel Vozzo, seps by Digital Chameleon, lettered by Todd Klein, edited by Karen Berger, associated by Shelly Roeberg, and features a cover by Dave McKean. Sandman created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg.
Relevant Podcast Links:
- Patreon Preview: Sandman #17
- Patreon Preview: Sandman #1
- Lisa's Spec Tales Secret Invasion Guest-Star
FINAL ROUND OF PLUGS (PHEW):
Don't forget to grab your tickets for our July 30th Alamo Drafthouse Winchester screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies.
Don't forget! 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 Jun 26, 2023
Monday Jun 26, 2023
Steel yourself. My Adventures with Superman is the Superman story you've been waiting for, friends. The new animated series (set to premiere on Adult Swim on July 6th and on Max the next day) is a joyful exploration, digging deep into what it means to be super. Not just from Clark Kent's perspective but also from Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane's points of view.
My Adventures with Superman is a vibrant, radical, and passionate outburst. The cartoon is a relationship saga, beginning just as these three wannabe reporters find each other and as Superman bubbles into a glorious idea. The show is also the best Superman adaptation we've seen since the 1978 movie. Those are big words, and we don't type them carelessly.
MY Adventures with Superman. Noodle on the title's first word. The creators are considering a lot more with this show than just killer anime-influenced animation, fight scenes, and reinterpretations of classic comic book concepts. They're going inward, encouraging self-reflection, and inspiring us to think a little differently about these characters we've loved for so long.
In this week's episode, we discuss DC Comics' long, magical history with animation. Our conversation begins with celebrating Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, which we just screened at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia. We then review My Adventures of Superman, carefully avoiding spoilers while contemplating its thematic connections to Bruce Wayne's unique superhero journey.
Ultimately, we chat with producers Brendan Clogher (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), Josie Campbell (New Champion of Shazam), and Jake Wyatt (Steven Universe) before conversing with the actors portraying Lois Lane (Alice Lee) and Jimmy Olsen (Ishmel Sahid). What responsibility do these creators carry as caretakers for such titanic characters? Why does the world need another take on Superman? We get into it.
Again, My Adventures with Superman arrives on Adult Swim on July 6th at midnight before hitting Max the next day. You can find Josie Campbell on Twitter and Instagram. You can find Jake Wyatt on Twitter and Instagram. You can find Brendan Clogher on Instagram. You can find Alice Lee on Instagram. You can find Ishem Sahid on Instagram.
Other Relevant Links:
- Richard Donner Discusses Superman: The Movie
- Our Review of the new Superman 4K collection
- Our Review of the new Fleischer Superman cartoons collection
- Joshua Williamson and Jamal Campbell on the new Superman comic
- Dan Jurgens on The Death of Superman
- Our celebration of Superman: The Movie w/Shawn Eastridge
- Our Mark & Eve Counseling Sessions
FINAL ROUND OF PLUGS (PHEW):
Don't forget to grab your tickets for our July 30th Alamo Drafthouse Winchester screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies.
Also, JOIN OUR PATREON before we wrap up our 75-episode series on Sandman's first 75 issues.
Don't forget! 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.
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
It's not up for debate. American Born Chinese, now streaming on Disney+, is 2023's best comic book adaptation. The streaming series miraculously transforms Gene Luen Yang's iconic graphic novel into something unique without betraying the book's characters or core emotions. You can experience both separately from each other or in conversation with each other; they're doing their own thing.
On this week's episode, Gene Luen Yang joins the show to discuss the adaptation process and how it somewhat represents how he would tackle the material today in sequential form. When he looks back at the cartoonist who produced the comics in 2006, does he recognize him? The answer may surprise you.
We chat about a few significant changes made to the narrative and why they were necessary. We discuss the impact stories have on our lives, and Yang details the specific tales that influenced his creative imagination. A few CBCC favorites delightfully appear.
The American Born Chinese adaptation consumed Gene Luen Yang's attention, distracting him from his many deadlines. He's cooking up a lot of comics at the moment, and he's eager to put new stories out into the universe. We run through a few and predict a couple of our own comic book desires.
You can watch American Born Chinese on Disney+ now and purchase the original graphic novel, published by First Second Books, from your local comic book shop.
Be sure to follow Gene Luen Yang on his website, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
Other Relevant Links:
- Our Stan Sakai Conversation
- Our Mark Waid Lazarus Planet Conversation
- Our Mark & Eve Counseling Sessions
FINAL ROUND OF PLUGS (PHEW):
Also, JOIN OUR PATREON before we wrap up our 75-episode series on Sandman's first 75 issues.
Don't forget! 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.
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
You rarely encounter an accurate depiction of social anxiety in art. At least an accurate depiction that reflects our experience. We found ourselves in Turtle Bread, the new graphic novel from former Great Britsh Bake-Off contestant Kim-Joy. The discovery was thrilling, emotional, and somewhat hard to believe. Here we are, wrapped up inside a gorgeous baking comic wondrously illustrated by Alti Firmansyah. It's a gift we're eager to hand to friends, family, and strangers. Look inside and see the weird doubt and negative self-talk we struggle against daily.
However, Turtle Bread also taught us that our social anxiety might not be the hindrance we sometimes label it as. Our anxiety may come with benefits. In fact, our anxiety may be a superpower unto itself.
This week, Kim-Joy joins the podcast to discuss her experience with social anxiety and how writing Turtle Bread in collaboration with Firmansyah allowed her to consider her inherent gifts. We discuss vulnerability, her time in the spotlight, and how anxiety makes every situation a nightmare, but in doing so, it minimizes the agony nightmares can have on you.
Turtle Bread is now available from ComiXology and will see print via Dark Horse Comics on October 4th. Be sure to stay up to date on all things Kim-Joy by following her on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and her website.
Other Relevant Links:
- Get Tickets for our Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Alamo Drafthouse Screening
- Get Tickets for our Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Alamo Drafthouse screening
- Read Lisa's Turtle Bread review
- Awesome Con "Writing Comics with Purpose" Panel
- Liz Reed & Jimmy Reed on CBCC
- Our Super Secret Across the Spider-Verse Episode
FINAL ROUND OF PLUGS (PHEW):
Also, JOIN OUR PATREON before we wrap up our 75-episode series on Sandman's first 75 issues.
Don't forget! 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.