The Comic Cast: July 2013

On this months episode of the Comic Cast we’re delighted to welcome back Irish Times journalist Patrick Freyne to help us review Marble Season by Gilbert Hernandez, The League of Volunteers: Return of the King #1 by Neil Sharpson/Stephen Byrne/Rob Curley,  Jennifer Wilde #3 by Maura McHugh/Stephen Downey/Rob Curley, 1913 Larkin’s Labour War by Gerry Hunt and Building Stories by Chris Ware. We’ll also be talking to children’s books blogger Kim Harte about the best kids story apps, festival programmer of GAZE International LGBT Festival Dublin will be chatting about ‘Wonder Women: The Untold Story Of American Superheroines’ and we’ll be playing a phone message we received from Andrew Judge about the lack of love for 2000AD on the Comic Cast!

Download link: The Comic Cast July 2013

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2D, or not 2D

2D, or not 2D? That is the question. Or is the question ‘Would Shakespeare be happy with the Comic Cast using a line from Hamlet as a pun on the 2D Festival?’ Who knows? What we do know though, is that on this show we talk to the 2D Festival organiser and Verbal Arts Centre artist-in-residence David Campbell about this years 2D Northern Ireland Comics Festival which takes place this Fri, Sat and Sunday in Derry.  We review Secret Avengers #1 by Ed Brubaker and Mike Deodato, Avengers #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and John Romita Jr., The Chill by Jason Starr and Mick  Bertilorenzi and Low Moon by Jason. We also give our thoughts on the Free Irish Comic Day preview of Atomic Diners’ forthcoming comic Róisín Dubh by Rob Curley, Maura McHugh and Stephen Daly.  We also talk to Hilary Lawlor about the Point Village Comic Festival 2010 to be held at the newly opened Point Village Market on Sat 12th June.

Download Link: The Comic Cast 01/06/10

also available through itunes

*Due to technical difficulties out of our control, the audio of both the interviews on this podcast are sub-standard. We feel they are still listenable and recommend you turn up the sound while the interviews are on or listen to them using headphones for best listening quality. Apologies. Won’t happen again.

Bus stop: An interview with Paddy Lynch

This week the Comic Cast was delighted to converse with Dublin cartoonist, illustrator and graphic designer Paddy Lynch. Paddy’s comics include the recently released Last Bus issue 2, In the Aquarium, Stop Gap and You Can Never Return. Paddy, along with Katie Blackwood and Philip Barrett, is also one of the minds behind Edition Book Arts –  a group which fosters interaction in and around the book arts, comic and fanzine communities in Ireland. He has illustrated covers for Le Cool magazine and his posters for music gigs are always worth stealing from shops for your bedroom. Enjoy.

Download Link: The Comic Cast 18/05/10

Also available through iTUNES

COMIC CAST / RATED C

The Comic Cast has been rated ‘C’ for comics. This means this podcast may contain reviews of Brian K. Vaughan/Niko Henrichons’ Pride of Baghdad, J.C. Vaughn/Vincent Spencers’ Zombie Proof , Susumu Katsumatas’ Red Snow, Mark Millar/Steve McNivens’ Nemesis and Paul Hornschemeiers’ All and Sundry.  It is also likely to include a review of the film version of Mark Millars’ Kick-Ass and a discussion on it’s violent content, not to mention which other future comic to film adaptations to keep an eye on. The censor also notes that an interview with 28 Days Later artist Declan Shalvey before he departed for New York is featured. Listeners should be accompanied by a parent or  guardian during the comics news section as it features the latest on the Walking Dead TV series, the return of All-Star Batman and Robin and all the goings on in the Irish comics scene this month. It may also contain scenes of a sexual nature. Maybe.

Download Link: The Comic Cast 06/04/10

Sloth: An interview with Brian Coldrick

This week your friendly neighbourhood Comic Cast talks to Dublin based artist and illustrator Brian Coldrick. His first solo exhibition ‘Shrunken Head’, ran during February 2009 in the Monstertruck Gallery. His ‘Eye on Dublin’ feature appeared regularly in Totally Dublin and he’s worked on everything from editoral pieces to posters, from cd packaging to character design. Here he discusses his experience in art school, how to survive working as an illustrator, board games and of course that sloth. Enjoy.

Download Link: The Comic Cast 02/03/10

Transformers: An interview with Nick Roche

This week the Comic Cast was delighted to sit down and shoot the breeze with Transformers comic artist and writer Nick Roche. Here he talks about his highly anticipated five-comic series ‘Last Stand of the Wreckers’  with James Roberts,  his early days of doing ‘Transformers fan art for convention and fan publications, his work for IDW Publishing – ‘Transformers: Spotlight’ one shot series, ‘Transformers: Maximum Dinobots’, as well as covers for Beast Wars’ and the ‘Target 2006′ reprints as well as his work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ for Titan. 

Download Link: The Comic Cast 25/01/10

– Anyone buying Last Stand of the Wreckers at Forbidden Planet Dublin will be automatically entered into a draw to win a sketch of Springer, leader of The Wreckers. And signed copies of #1 will be available from Thursday onwards.-

Avalanche! An interview with Eoin Ryan

This week the Comic Cast met up with Eoin Ryan – the creator of the webcomic Space Avalanche. Here he discusses the painful art of rotoscoping for his shortfilms ‘Teddy’ and ‘Demon’, how his first short film ‘Uncle Bill’s Barrel’ was based on a story by Swamp Thing co-creator Berni Wrightson and the in’s and out’s of creating a weekly webcomic. Enjoy!

Download Show: The Comic Cast 09/12/09

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Drawing Dublin: an interview with Gerry Hunt

This week the Comic Cast sat down for a cup of tea with comics writer and artist Gerry Hunt. Gerry’s comics include In Dublin City, Streets of Dublin and the recently released Blood Upon the Rose – a retelling of the events of the 1916 Easter Rising published by The O’Brien Press. Here he talks about how he went from architecture to comics, working with BrenB (a frequent colourist of his comics), the importance of Irish made comics being set in Ireland and his next comic about the viking undead. Enjoy.

Download Show: The Comic Cast 09/10/09

Of course you realise, this means war . . .

The Comic Cast loves the smell of napalm in the morning. That and comics. Accordingly we’ve been court-marshalled to review a good deal of war comics this week, wheter they be battles on the field or battles of the heart, including Megan Kelso’s The Squirrel Mother , Todd McFarlane’s Spider-Man: Torment!, Jason Aaron & Cameron Stewart’s The Other Side,  Damon Lindelof’s Ultimate Hulk Vs Wolverine, Rick Veitch & Gary Erskine’s ARMY@LOVE and Mark Millar’s Fantastic Four: Worlds Greatest. We also blow the bugle on the homefront with Gerry Hunt’s EASTER 1916: Blood upon The Rose, Howard Chaykin & Stephen Thompsons Die Hard Year 1 and the 24 Hour Comics ’09 Anthology. Not to mention a spoiler-free review of Pixar’s UP. The horror . . . the horror . . .

Download Show: The Comic Cast 27/10/09

Comic Cast Live Panel: Getting started in small press & web comics

So you want to get started in making your own small press comic books and webcomics? In our first live panel show, we get the skinny from comic writer/artists Philip Barrett (Matter, Lint, Blackshapes, Gazebo), Hilary Lawlor (Superhilbo) and Paddy Brown (The Cattle Raid of Cooley) on everything from page layout, lettering, scanning and editing as well as getting your comics into the hands of punters and promoting them. With audience contributions from fellow Irish comics creators Declan Shalvey, Tommie Kelly, Gar Shanley & Maeve Clancy. The Comic Cast was recorded in front of a live studio audience as part of the Irish 24 Hour Comics Day.

Download Show: The Comic Cast 20/10/09