 Chip Zdarsky writes, draws and is very funny on the internet. We talk to him. Here's my Master Seminar page for you to nose at. Here's Steve Walsh's PROCESS.  

DECOMPRESSED

DECOMPRESSED v2 004: CHIP ZDARSKY

 Brian Schirmer and Dani Colman are comic writers and teachers. We talk to them.

DECOMPRESSED v2 003: BRIAN SCHIRMER AND DANI COLMAN

 Jonathan Hickman writes, draws and designs. We talk to him.

DECOMPRESSED v2 002: JONATHAN HICKMAN

Don't call it a comeback. Al Ewing talks to Kieron about everything, but mainly Minecraft.

DECOMPRESSED V2 001

In this very special podcast, I’m joined by Eisner-award winner Becky Cloonan. Becky’s career dances between what we could term the mainstream and what we could term the alternative, never resting, never finding a home, but never once seeming uncomfortable. I’ve loved her since the Jennie Zero graphic novel with Brian Wood, and never done anything to make me feel otherwise about her work. Today, we’re talking about her self-published trilology of short comics – Wolves, The Mire and Demeter, which are being collected into an expanded hardback under the name By Chance Or Providence. However, I do warn you, This really is a very special podcast in a very real and not particularly complimentary way. The skype recording went amazingly haywire, randomly double-tracking Becky and losing me for ten minutes at a time, before returning to normal. I’ve actually done a massive editing job, re-interjecting questions and similar. It just about hangs together. Just about. You can get the shownotes over at my blog.

DECOMPRESSED 027: BECKY CLOONAN ON BY CHANCE OR PROVIDENCE

This time I'm joined by Antony Johnston. Antony previously appeared in Decompressed 15, talking about THE COLDEST CITY. But that was in front of an audience at Game City, so we were on our best behaviour. This time we're mumbling on Skype, as is a comic creators preferred form of communication. Except passive-aggression, obv. Anyway! Antony's career as a writer is divided between his work in Games and Comic. In comics, until recently his signature work was the post-apocalyptic series WASTELAND. That may be changing, as he's recently launched two new series via Image. The first, UMBRAL is an excellent Dark Fantasy book. The second, and the subject of today's discussion is, THE FUSE, his book with Justin Greenwood, Shari Chankamma and Ed Brisson.  The Fuse is available to buy in your local comic shop, as well as digitally through comixology and direct from Image.  The show notes and study aids can be found over here.

DECOMPRESSED 026: ANTONY JOHNSTON ON THE FUSE #1

At this year’s always excellent Thought Bubble, an odd opportunity presented itself. Our final issues of Young Avengers were what’s oft referred to as “Jam Issues.” In other words, multiple artists telling a single story. By an odd quirk of fate, all the artists and most of the colourists were going to the same con. In other words, we could totally do a panel together about the experience. And lo! There was a people’s revolutionary meeting gathering. There was one problem. The issues in question weren’t out yet, and we were incredibly sensitive over spoiling stuff. So as well as swearing everyone to secrecy, we were pretty obtuse in terms of what we did talk about. This makes this a quite hard one to follow without looking at the slides you’ll find below. You’ll see they were – er – often edited. If you have read the issue, it’ll probably be easier to flick through each artist’s section when they talk. If you don’t own it, it’s available digitally. There’s another problem. This is recorded by my microphone in the middle of the room, and the sound is crapper than usual. I’m really not joking. Show Notes Available Here.

DECOMPRESSED 025: THE YOUNG AVENGER AFTERPARTY PANEL

Recently, I was asked by the great GOSH comics whether I'd be interested in hosting an audience with Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips about their work together. As if I was going to turn that down, eh? And they let me record it to play to you lot. We cover everything from their earliest work together, to the hardest scenes in the latest issue, from working with colourists, who really is a tracer, taste, storytelling choices in the Image age versus the grids, adding or removing panels, teasing and more. Show notes here.

DECOMPRESSED 024: AN AUDIENCE WITH ED BRUBAKER AND SEAN PHILLIPS

Decompressed is a sporadic podcast about comics craft. Rather than our usual format, this is a recording from the Dublin Internation Comics Expo. All the paneling was excellent, but we got special permission to run this one, as we were all buzzing about it. Go follow DICE on twitter to get updates about when the rest go live (and follow them on facebook too). It’s the Comics Are For Everyone panel, which is basically us discussing diversity. Who is talking? Jordie Bellaire, Becky Cloonan, Paul Cornell,Emma Vieceli, yours truly and Declan Shavley. The topic is enormous. We race to include as much as we can, and fail badly. Ideas come rushing out. People put positions forward that by the chat after the panel they’ve changed their minds about. It’s fluid, but fluid like lava. As I was on this panel, I moved between from red hot anger to complete and utter love for everyone who’s ever lived. Listen!

DECOMPRESSED 023: DUBLIN INTERNATIONAL COMICS EXPO "COMICS ARE FOR EVERYONE" PANEL

Decompressed is a sporadic podcast about comics craft. This time we're talking to Alex De Campi about writing Grindhouse: Doors Open At Midnight #1 (aka Bee Vixens from Mars). What talk about subjects like 60s-70s cinema, exhaustion, page turns, sex, lettering, poetry, boobs as part of a character design, sex with cats, my existential crisis, awesomely tacky posters, misnumbering pages the Splash-and-reaction and more. Want to read the whole issue? It's available to buy on your local comic shop, or digitally. You'll find the show notes here.

DECOMPRESSED 022: ALEX DE CAMPI ON GRINDHOUSE: DOORS OPEN AT MIDNIGHT #1

Decompressed is a sporadic podcast about comics craft. This time we’re talking to Al Ewing about his writing on the recent Mighty Avengers #1. Our topics include the problems of writing in a crossover, the marvel method, lettering as dubbing, diversity, class, fair pay for a days’ job, the A-list vs the C-list and lots of ums as we try to avoid fucking up. Want to read teh whole thing? It’s available to buy on your local comic shop, or via Comixology here. You can find the study aids here.

DECOMPRESSED 021: AL EWING ON MIGHTY AVENGERS #1

Decompressed is a sporadic podcast about comics craft. This time I’m talking to Kris Anka, Ming Doyle and Jamie McKelvie to talk about the art of character design. It’s a visual medium, so this stuff is absolutely paramount. Ming’s designs are central to her wonderful MARA with Brian Wood, Kirs’ designs are all over X-Force and McKelvie has (damn him) has sent more cosplayers rushing to their sewing machines than any artist working today. We cover the whole topic, in terms of how they specifically approach the choice, their favourite designs, the question of plausibility, specific costume designers, Emma Frost’s clothes pyre, my inability to say “Segue”, the horrific idea of how I’d redesign Batman and on and on and on. Join us! It’s not rubbish. You can find the show-notes here. 

DECOMPRESSED 020: ANKA, DOYLE AND MCKELVIE ON COSTUME DESIGN

Decompressed returns, with a difference. This time we’re talking to Bettie Breitweiser and Matt Wilson, two of my favourite colourists about their work, primarily related to FATALE 14 and WONDER WOMAN 20. If there’s any one part of collaborative comics’ creative engine that is underdiscussed and misunderstood, it’s colouring. It’s always been important, and in the last decade, it’s only become more so. You'll find Show Notes here.

DECOMPRESSED 019: BETTIE BREITWEISER AND MATT WILSON ON COMICS COLOUR

This decompressed we talk to artist/writer Jason Latour about the process of starting his first ongoing run for Marvel, on WINTER SOLDIER 15. Is that a worryingly prosaic and sensible intro for Decompressed? Don't worry. It was recorded in a busy cafe in November, the day after a con, and features our minds wandering over such stuff as ads in Breaking Bad, UP-as-serial-killer, the Dukes of Hazard as founding influence, love of old white dudes AND we have a guest appearance from Ivan Brandon, snoozing. This isn't a podcast. This is a defining cultural moment for a generation. Actually, it's a podcast. You can find our study aids over here.

DECOMPRESSED 018: JASON LATOUR ON WINTER SOLDIER 15

This Decompressed is like turning up to a gunfight and discovering the dude's got two guns and you have to (er) dodge both bullets? I was originally going to do a sex metaphor, and thought better of it. Extrapolate for yourself. ANYWAY! Writer Sam Humphries has two comics this week, and I thought a compare and contrast could be interesting. UNCANNY X-FORCE #1 with Ron Garney is a relaunch as part of the Marvel NOW initiative. SACRIFICE #4 with Dalton Rose isn't just creator owned - but actually self-published, moving towards its conclusion. How do the two experiences work? There's got to be something to talk about there. And lo and behold, there was. You can buy both from your local comic shop, or online at digital comic shops (Here's X-Force's comixology page and here's Sam's page to point at all the places you can buy Sacrifice, online and off). And you can find all the show-notes over here.

DECOMPRESSED 017: SAM HUMPHRIES ON UNCANNY X-FORCE #1 AND SACRIFICE #4

Comics Craft Podcast, hosted by Kieron Gillen, interviewing creators about the details of their work.

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DECOMPRESSED

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