Superstar Artist Nick Dragotta joins Dave to discuss the breakout success of DC's Absolute Batman. Dragotta shares the project’s Frank Miller-meets-manga blend of influences, his "yes and" collaboration with Scott Snyder, and the bold visual decisions that shaped the book's identity. The two discuss the cartoonists setting the gold standard for visual storytelling , Alex Toth, Japanese comics culture, Kentaro Miura, and why now is the only point in his career Dragotta could have made this book.

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Cartoonist Jim Rugg joins Dave to discuss The Marvel Age of Comics: Weapon X, his deep-dive into Barry Windsor-Smith's seminal 1991 Wolverine story, originally serialized in Marvel Comics Presents.

Rugg talks about the project's origin, why he considers it one of Marvel's all-time greatest works, and how Windsor-Smith's pre-digital coloring techniques remain unmatched. The new book is a comic companion to the Bloomsbury music book series : 33 1/3
The two discuss where Weapon X fits alongside Dark Knight and Watchmen as bronze age touchstones, the story's hidden religious symbolism, Retro Causality, and why a naked killer with claws is scarier than a clothed one.

Join the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/davengersdirecteditionFind Jim Rugg here:

https://www.jimrugg.com/https://www.instagram.com/jimruggart/?hl=enhttps://powerpulpcomics.com/

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Artist Alex Pardee (The Used, Aesop Rock) joins Dave to discuss Dream Bleeder, his new gallery show at Harman Projects in New York City.

Pardee discusses his creative process, finding inspiration in anxiety and his Disneyland meets natural history museum approach to building immersive worlds.

The two discuss Sam Kieth’s mentorship, Curry Barker's Obsession, elevated horror movies, how YouTube is quietly making Hollywood obsolete, and Alex’s prophetic dream about Crystal Pepsi.

Thumbnail Photo by Birdman

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https://www.harmanprojects.com/exhibitions/101-alex-pardee-dream-bleeder/

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Derek Kirk Kim, Eisner and Harvey-winning comics creator, joins Dave from London to discuss Royals, his Koren-American new noir thriller. Derek shares the joy of writing a comic for another artist.

Kim shares how a decade directing and storyboarding in animation saved him during a dark period, and how losing both parents brought him back to comics with The Last Mermaid.

The two discuss cold-messaging artist Jacob Perez on Instagram, Edgar Wright's influence, the Beatles' White Album vs. Sgt. Pepper's, the future of The Last Mermaid, and why Korean rice cakes make great weapons.

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Writer Matt Fraction (Batman, Hawkeye) and Canadian Chip Zdarsky (Captain America, Daredevil) join Dave for the 100th episode.

The chums talk about Mad Magazine, Sex Criminals, Avengers Armageddon, and the business end of Marvel and DC comics. The two discuss shared influences, from Don Martin to Dan Clowes, Chip's cover recreation project, and why Batman has never experienced an orgasm.

Also, Amazon sex toys, bookcase coffins, the Woke Lolita Kickstarter, memes, and Bruce Wayne’s mustache.

Thank you to everyone who's been a part of the podcast as a guest or audience, here's to 100 more, See you for season 6!

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Mangaka Atsushi Kaneko (Bambi and Her Pink Gun, Deathco, Soil, Evol) joins Dave to discuss Search and Destroy, his modern tribute to Osamu Tezuka's Dororo, published by Fantagraphics.

Kaneko shares how Sex Pistols and Stanley Kubrick shaped his teenage years, discovering Daniel Clowes and Charles Burns via Iggy Pop during Japan's lowbrow art boom, and the records that still inspire his work—from The Cramps to Public Image Limited.

He explains his shift to digital art, why he's been asked "why are you so angry?" his entire life, and teases two English-language projects in the works.

Thank you to Aki Yanagi for translating!

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Guitarist and frontman Connor Valentin (Dissentience) joins Dave to chat about the band's new EP 'Kaiju' . They talk about giant monsters, comics, and the crossover between art and music.

Valentin shares how McFarlane toys and Marvel Legends action figures shaped his early creative interests, filling his vintage Marvel tryout book with work from Mark Bagley and Erik Larsen, and the inseparable art-music connection of Pushead, Raymond Pettibon, and Derek Riggs.

The two discuss Godzilla Minus One, the underrated Heisei era films, why the best monster movies aren't really about the monster, and hatch plans for an unlikely collaboration.

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Gary Groth, publisher and founder of Fantagraphics joins Dave to reflect on 50 years of championing comics, the world's greatest cartoonists, and following conviction.

He talks about launching The Comics Journal at 21, meeting Robert Crumb, Harvey Kurtzman, Daniel Clowes, Todd McFarlane, Charles Schulz, and the defining moment Love and Rockets arrived, unsolicited in his mailbox.

The two discuss the tragic passing of artist Ed Piskor, the new Takumigraphics manga imprint, Kago Shintaro, and why Fantagraphics is doubling down on politically urgent work.fantagraphics.com