Episode 288: Reviews of Five Recent #1 Issues

Time Codes: 00:00:50 - Introduction 00:03:32 - It's our 6th birthday! 00:09:03 - The Seeds#1 00:36:02 - Euthanauts#1 00:54:51 - The New World#1 01:09:38 - Unnatural#1 01:24:00 - Bone Parish#1 01:40:02 - Wrap up 01:41:15 - Contact us This is a special episode of The Comics Alternative, as it's the guys' sixth anniversary! The podcast began on August 1, 2012, and Paul and Derek discuss some of the things they've done over the past six years, the number of episodes they've published, the amount of interviews they've conducted, etc. It's a celebratory time, and the Two Guys hope that listeners will join in on the celebration and chime in with some of their favorite moments from The Comics Alternative's past. After a brief discussion of the podcast's anniversary, Paul and Derek then leap into the episode's core, a discussion of five recent #1 titles. They begin with Ann Nocenti and David Aja's The Seeds, the latest in Dark Horse Comics' Berger Books imprint. The guys are fascinated by this first issue, not only with Nocenti's multi-layered storytelling, but also with Aja's signature art and design. They then look at the first issue of Tini Howard and Nick Robles's Euthanauts, part of IDW Publishing's Black Crown imprint. While they're intrigued by the series' premise, they're not entirely sure if this is a successful #1 issue. There are confusing moments and, arguably, too many unanswered questions that dampen any desire to read on before the trade. After that, Paul and Derek discuss two recent #1 titles from Image Comics. First, they look at Aleš Kot and Tradd Moore's The New World, an intriguing futuristic narrative that juggles contemporary socio-political concerns along with a Romeo and Juliet-inspired storyline. They also review the first issue of Mirka Andolfo's Unnatural, an erotic -- but tasteful -- anthropomorphic tale that was originally published in Italian and now is available as a limited series. Finally, the guys wrap up with the first issue of Cullen Bunn and Jonas Scharf's Bone Parish (BOOM! Studios). This appears to be a horror title -- after all, that's primarily what Bunn is known for -- but as Paul and Derek point out, this first issue reads more as a crime mystery than it does horror. It's an interesting premise, one that the guys are curious to see unfold. So enjoy this week's episode, and celebrate The Comics Alternative's sixth anniversary!