By the acclaimed writer of THE SANDMAN LIBRARY. Consider the orchid: exotic, intoxicating and rare. Consider Black Orchid: a demigoddess in search of her own identity. The flowerlike result of a scientific experiment, the Black Orchid must reconcile her human memories with her botanical origins.
Our hosts for this episode are Kit DeForge, Joe Preti, Brant Gillihan-Eddy, and Tobiah Panshin. On our next episode we will be reading Daredevil: Love and War.
We’re inviting everyone to listen in to our recording session live. Join us on May 18 at 8:15 PM (PDT), and add your comments to our discussion.
A special thank you to our Patreon sponsors for this month: Tony Queretaro, Chris Bianculli, Bryan May, Becca Levendowski, Addison Appleby, and Kerfy Gonzo.
This week on View from the Gutters our topic work is Enigma, by Peter Milligan and Duncan Fegredo. Originally released in 1993 as part of DC’s then-new Vertigo imprint, the series is as enigmatic as its title would imply.
It follows Michael Smith, an obsessively ordinary man living in Pacific City, California, whose life begins to radically change following the appearance of strange and twisted creatures who seem to emanate from a comic book Michael once owned as a child, including the masked hero The Enigma.
Michael becomes obsessed with the hero, and sets out on a journey to learn about The Enigma and his origins. Along the way he meets others who share his obsession, supervillains and monsters, and discovers that reality of his own existence is not as firm as he presumed it to be.
Our hosts for this episode are Tobiah Panshin, Brant Gillihan-Eddy, Kit DeForge, Kayleigh Fleeman. On our next episode we will be reading Bitch Planet, #1-7.
A special thank you to our Patreon sponsors for this month: Jeb Korzilius, “Mike”, Jeremy Ballard, Chris Bianculli, Tony Queretaro, Kerfy Gonzo, Shopping Mall Krampus, Addison Appleby, and Bryan May.
This week on View from the Gutters our topic work is Federal Bureau of Physics, written by Simon Oliver, with art by Robbi Rodriguez and Alberto Ponticelli, and colors by Rico Renzi. Released by Vertigo beginning in 2013, the series follows a field team of agents from the eponymous government agency as they undertake missions battling against the breakdown of the laws of nature themselves. Part and parcel with these missions are glimpses into the mysterious histories of the members of the team.
Bright and colorful, with Rodriguez’s trademark intense style, FBP—originally released for 1 issue as Collider—is a crazy science romp with a healthy serving of mystery on the side. It features engaging characters and occasionally over the top action.
In our recommendation section our hosts nominated Kaptara, Prince of Persia, East of West, The Multiversity, and My Friend Dahmer for discussion on our next episode, and our selected title is My Friend Dahmer. We will be reading that title for Episode 155.
For Episode 154 we will be reading Brant’s first redemption pick for 2016, Gladstone School for World Conquerors. For that episode please send us any questions or comments you have for our comment response section, either on previous topic works or just something related to comics.
Our hosts for this episode are Tobiah Panshin, Brant Gillihan-Eddy, Kit DeForge, and Cade Reynolds.
This week on View from the Gutters our topic work is Free Country: A Tale from the Children’s Crusade, written by Jamie Delano, Alisa Kwitney, Toby Litt, and Neil Gaiman with art by Peter Snejbjerg, Mike Barreiro, Chris Bachalo, and Peter Gross. Whew, what a mouthful!
According to wikipedia legend—O Best Beloved—this series was originally published as The Children’s Crusade in 1993 as two 1-shot issues written by Neil Gaiman, which were to bookend a story told through the Annual issues of five ongoing Vertigo series. However, due to reasons (which are several and varied) many of the annual issues only touched on the intended story tangentially, and due to its general incoherence it was never collected.
Free Country: A Tale from the Children’s Crusade, released in 2015, discards the annual issues with a brand new middle to Children’s Crusade #1 & 2, written by Toby Litt, along with additional pages that fill in other gaps within those issues.
The series follows the first case of The Dead Boy Detectives, Edwin and Charles (introduced in the pages of The Sandman), who are tasked with finding a missing child. Children have, in fact, been disappearing all over the world and in great numbers. They soon discover that the children are being taken to Free Country, a mysterious neverland free from the tyranny and abuse of adults.
But all is not well, even in Free Country, and Edwin and Charles must race against time to stop a nefarious plot that could alter the fate of the world (or something to that effect).
In our recommendation section our hosts nominated The Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born, Death Vigil, Bitch Planet, The Question: The Five Books of Blood, and Lobster Johnson: Get the Lobster for discussion on our next episode, and our selected title is The Question: The Five Books of Blood.
Our hosts for this episode are Andrew Chard, Tobiah Panshin, Kayleigh Fleeman, Kit Deforge, and Cade Reynolds.
Welcome to our new Halloween bonus series, Tales from the Gutter. For the month of October we will be focusing each week on a different genre of horror/spooky comic.
This week we take a look at comics featuring monsters and the things that hunt them. To kick off this discussion, we read Afterlife with Archie by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and art by Francesco Francavilla, October Faction by Steve Niles and Damien Worm, and iZombie by Chris Roberson with art by Mike Allred with colors by Laura Allred.
Our hosts for this episode are Kayleigh Fleeman, Kirbotron 2000, Kit DeForge and Cade Reynolds.
This week on View from the Gutters our topic work is Madame Xanadu, by Matt Wagner and Amy Reeder, with additional art by Joëlle Jones, Michael WM. Kaluta, and Marley Zarcone. Published in 2008, this series explores the origin of the titular Madame Xanadu. It follows her life and adventures from her origins in pre-historic Britain up through the mid-1970s, including numerous encounters with the mysterious Phantom Stranger.
In our recommendation section our hosts nominated Ladykiller, Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland, The Fuse, Vol. 2, Chew, and High Crimes for discussion on our next episode, and our selected title is High Crimes.
Our hosts for this episode are Andrew Chard, Tobiah Panshin, Kayleigh Fleeman, Brant Gillihan-Eddy, and Cade Reynolds.
This week on View from the Gutters our topic work is Trillium, by Jeff Lemire. Published in 2013, this 8-issue series is a time traveling inter-dimensional romance taking place simultaneously in 1921 and 3797 A.D. On one end it features Nika, a scientist in the distant future trying to prevent the extinction of the human race. On the other is William, a World War I veteran suffering from PTSD, who is on an exploratory mission in Peru.
The series is illustrated in a strange, rough style with experimental elements—most notably frequent use of upside-down panels and issues that begin at both the front and back and end in the middle.
In our recommendation section our hosts nominated Fun Home, Madame Xanadu, Chew, Daredevil: Dark Nights, The End League, and Baltimore for discussion on our next episode, and our selected title is Madame Xanadu.
Our hosts for this episode are Andrew Chard, Kit DeForge, Kayleigh Fleeman, Kirbotron 2000, Brant Gillihan-Eddy, and Cade Reynolds.
The Long Run takes place outside of our normal continuity of episodes, and features table discussion of an entire work or long selection of a series.
After recording our episode on The Sandman, we found that some of our hosts had more yet to say about this incredible work. So here we are again for a short addendum to our regular episode. If you have not listened to it already, please listen to episode 11 of The Long Run before this episode.
Our hosts on this episode are Tobiah Panshin, Kayleigh Fleeman, and Kit DeForge.
The Long Run takes place outside of our normal continuity of episodes, and features table discussion of an entire work or long selection of a series. In this episode of The Long Run we talk about The Sandman, created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg.
First published in 1989 and running through 1996, The Sandman was part of the British invasion of comics in the 80s, and was foundational to the creation of Vertigo as an imprint of DC along with titles such as John Constantine: Hellblazer and Alan Moore’s run on Swamp Thing. It was also a hugely important work in the evolution of mainstream American comics, and its influence is still felt strongly today in works like Loki: Agent of Asgard.
It begins with Dream of The Endless—also known as Morpheus, the King of Dreams—being imprisoned in a bottle for most of the 20th Century, followed by his eventual escape and return to power. In the 75 issues which follow Gaiman explores the lives of Morpheus and his siblings; the nature of dreams, stories, and myths; and the way in which those stories impact the lives of human beings.
It’s an extraordinarily contemplative work which will be rewarding to the close reader, and often appears on “best of…” lists of all types.
On the next episode of The Long Run we will be reading Akira, the manga written and illustrated by Katsuhiro Otomo.
Our hosts on this episode are Andrew Chard, Joe Preti, Tobiah Panshin, Kayleigh Fleeman, Kit DeForge, and Cade Reynolds.
This week on View from the Gutters our topic work is The Royals: Masters of War, by Rob Williams and Simon Coleby. Published by Vertigo, The Royals is an alternate history of World War II in a universe where those of royal lineage possess superpowers. It stars Prince Henry of England, who unknowningly breaks a pact between the world royalty to not become directly involved in the conflicts between their nations.
What follows is a very different world war, as Henry—along with his siblings—become immersed in a super-powered battle spanning the globe which threatens to tear their family and the world apart.
In our recommendation section, our hosts nominated Federal Bureau of Physics, Journey into Mystery: Featuring Sif, Alex + Ada, and Nailbiter for discussion on the next episode, and our selected title is Nailbiter, Vol. 1 & 2.
Our hosts for this episode are Andrew Chard, Tobiah Panshin, Kayleigh Fleeman, and Brant Gillihan-Eddy.
