Graphic Policy Radio

Marvel Disney's recent TV series is about a struggling actor and I have the perfect guest to discuss it with me: filmmaker, life-long Los Angelino, and Marvel comics fan Brandon Wilson. Wonder Man is delightful and we've got a lot say about the show's portrayals of LA, Simon Williams's existence as a Black Haitian-American actor, the prison industrial complex, queer readings and more. You don't need to know about Wonder Man to enjoy the show but Brandon gives us the download on Simon Wilson's comics history.  Plus: the parallels with Midnight Cowboy run deeper than you think! Spoilers marked at 20 min in. Follow Brandon on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/geniusbastard.bsky.social On RogerEbert.com https://www.rogerebert.com/contributors/brandon-david-wilson Read on Hammer to Nail https://www.hammertonail.com/author/brandonwilson/ Donate to https://haitianbridgealliance.org/ Donate to Black Alliance for Just Immigration https://baji.org/ I'm Levin on Bluesky — https://bsky.app/profile/levin.bsky.social

The Real fantasy of Peacemaker is getting your friends to agree to listen to your favorite bands---and them like them. Journalist Arturo Garcia joins me for season 2 of James Gunn's HBO series Peacemaker staring John Cena. The first 15 minutes of this episode are spoiler free. In this episode: How Peacemaker fits in to Cena's Body of Work More than you wanted to know about the band Nelson (and MTV) How this series fits into DC comics and the DCEU's future How well does Peacemaker handle it's heavy political parallels? Follow Arturo Garcia on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/aboynamedart.bsky.social Cancel Spotify https://spotifyunwrapped.net/ Social Media toolkit https://app.sosha.ai/toolkit/spotify-ice-trump-fascism-7980 Follow me on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/levin.bsky.social Don't miss our episode about season 1 with Jamelle Bouie, Spencer Ackerman and Cayden Mak. https://graphicpolicy.com/2022/03/11/peacemaker-with-jamelle-bouie-spencer-ackerman-cayden-mak/ 

The need for solidarity with Palestinians and Jewish Americans reconning with the historical myths we've been fed–– James Gunn's new Superman movie really went there and did it superbly. Who better to process it with than Rafael Shimoff and Shoshana Brown, the hosts of Beyond the  Pale, radio's home for NY's Jewish left! But first an update from Project Fulcrum, Get Free's Star Wars fan organizing campaign striking a blow against censorship.  Listen to Beyond the Pale on WBAI or online https://wbai.org/program.php?program=461  I co-wrote about Project Fulcrum and the Disney campaign for WagingNonViolence.org : Why fandom organizing is a powerful strategy for movement building Read Zach Rabiroff on DC pulling Red Hood. https://www.tcj.com/horror-it-girl-gretchen-felker-martin-on-dc-pulling-red-hood-after-charlie-kirk-comments-i-had-no-regrets/ Catch up Project Fulcrum Andor coverage here Part 1 https://bit.ly/AndorInOurWorld  Part 2 https://bit.ly/AndorFinale  Join Project Fulcrum https://www.getfreetogether.org/project-fulcrum    

Murderbot is a queer space opera with a sense of humor and a bone to pick with corporate power. You can stream it on Apple TV Join myself and Sarah Daniel Rasher, who co-hosts our Deep Space Nine podcast, for a look at the new TV series based on a series of novelas by Martha Wells. The first 13 minutes of our show are fully spoiler-free. Audiobook of All Systems Red on Everand: https://www.everand.com/audiobook/633755086/All-Systems-Red Realizing Sanctuary Moon is a soap opera Follow Elana on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/levin.bsky.social  Sarah Daniel Rasher on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/rasher.bsky.social 

Daredevil returns to tangle with Mayor Fisk, a villain with shocking parallels to Andrew Cuomo: the real life disgraced former Governor of NY who is now running to be Mayor of NYC! Our real election ends June 24 and New Yorkers need a better outcome than the election in the Disney+ TV Series.  I'm joined by Janos Martin, a former candidate for Manhattan District Attorney and an expert on criminal justice reform. We discuss how the show depicts the criminal justice system, the political culture of NYC and what lessons we can learn from Kingpin's appeal to voters that can help us dissuade voters from supporting Cuomo.  I even explain Ranked Choice Voting. Rank ANYONE but Cuomo!  Find my ballot guide jfrej.org/ballot  Find your polling place and election details: https://vote.nyc/  Subscribe to Janos' newsletter https://janosmarton.substack.com/ 

"No one can do this alone" Cassian Andor Season 2 That's why we've got Project Fulcrum, where Star Wars fans are uniting with movement organizers to connect the stories on screen with the real history and theory of antifascist movements.  In this episode we cover the second half of Andor season 2, with returning guests Anthony Vidal Torres from Project Fulcrum at Get Free, and Charles Lencher of Organizing 2.0.  Join Project Fulcrum: a Star Wars fan activism campaign fighting for freedom and equality in a country not so far away: https://www.getfreetogether.org/project-fulcrum Listen to Andor Season 2 part 1 https://bit.ly/andoractivismpod  Follow Elana  https://bsky.app/profile/levin.bsky.social  Follow Get Free https://www.instagram.com/getfree_mvmt FULL SPOILERS to follow. 

“The Empire cannot win. You’ll never feel right unless you are doing what you can to stop them.” Andor season 2. Bridging the gap between Star Wars’ Andor and the real life history and theory of antifascist movements, organizer Anthony Vidal Torres from the Get Free movement and critic Klaudia Amenábar join me to cover the first two arcs of Andor season 2.  Join Project Fulcrum: a Star Wars fan activism campaign fighting for freedom and equality in a country not so far away: https://www.getfreetogether.org/project-fulcrum Read issue 2 of Nemik’s Weekly Manifesto https://bit.ly/NemiksManifestoApril24 Take Action: Protect our freedom to protest and free Mahmoud Khalil: https://bit.ly/Free_Khalil Stop the New York mask ban: https://covidadvocacyny.org/stopmaskbanny Know Your Rights guide for immigrants & allies: https://unitedwedream.org/resources/know-your-rights/ Keep up with us: https://www.instagram.com/getfree_mvmt/  https://bsky.app/profile/getfree-mvmt.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/avtorres4.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/kaludiasays.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/levin.bsky.social    Listen to Andor Season 1 Podcasts Part 1 https://bit.ly/ComradeAndor Part 2 https://bit.ly/AndorInternationale

“Do you think this Eric Frankenstein is into crypto?” “This Frankenstein probably invented crypto” “Frank-coin?” National security journalist Nicholas Slayton joins me to talk about James Gunn's DC animated series for HBO, Creature Commandoes. We've got gothic horror, geopolitics and an impressive soundtrack. This episode opens with a spoiler-free conversation on whether the show is worth your time before diving in for a conversation about those who the law does not protect, disability metaphors and more. Nicholas Slayton is a Los Angeles-based journalist covering the "panic beat" --- inequality, war, climate change and protests. He's currently a Contributing Editor at Task & Purpose and has bylines in the New Republic, American Prospect and Motherboard. Follow Nicholas on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/nslayton.bsky.social Subscribe to his newsletter; Let's Do The Panic Again Follow ME on bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/levin.bsky.social  

A Team-Up with Referential Podcast's Dr. Khaliden Nas to talk through our feelings about the state of X-Men comics. The first half, taped in September covers the Fall of X and the end of the X-Men's 'First Krakoan Age'. In December we met again to talk about the state of the X-Office and relaunched slate of X-Men comics under the 'From The Ashes' banner.  Follow me on Bluesky - @Levin In This Episode: Fall of X (also hear my earlier coverage of here) * From the Ashes (Spoilers starts at 47:46) * Kieron Gillen & Lucas Werneck Immortal X-Men, X-Men: Forever & Rise of the Powers of X * Gerry Duggan and Russel Daughterman's Fall of the House of X, Hellfire Gala 3 Invincible Iron Man & Uncanny Avengers * Al Ewing & Luciano Vecchio Resurrection of Magneto & X-Men: Red * Si Spurrier’s X-Men Blue: Origins * Jonathan Hickman * Gail Simone & David Marquez Uncanny X-Men * Jed McKay & Ryan Stegman X-Men * Jackson Lanzing / Collin Kelly & Francesco Mortarino NYX * Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero Exceptional X-Men * Solos! * No, we will NOT call Ide "Temper" * Democracy in the 2nd Krakoan Age * The End of Hope [Summers] * Kate Pryde and the gates as bi metaphor revisited Reading Warden Ellis * Remembering Dr. Moira MacTaggart * Assimilation Or Unity Marvel not understanding why Hydra!Cap failed but Gerry Duggan makes the best of it * #XSpoilers and fandom meta One more time, Krakoans. For the children!  

Is Tony Stark a comrade? Spencer Ackerman, award winning national security journalist and author of the book "Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump”, brings his knowledge of geopolitics, corporate power, and deep Iron Man lore to writing the new Iron Man series.    This podcast is for folks new to the character as well as long time fans. We open with an overview of why I loved this series and a discussion of Spencer’s inspirations before delving into spoilers of the first three outstanding issues. We’ve got:  Busting anti-union thugs Boardroom Warfare Feats of engineering Survivor guilt    And some amazing pulls for bad guys that will please Iron fans and X-Men fans alike.    Follow Spencer on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/attackerman.bsky.social Spencer’s Newsletter: https://www.forever-wars.com/  Elana Levin https://bsky.app/profile/levin.bsky.social   

“I love that Star Trek continues to change and adapt. And that includes an animated comedy show,” John Arminio.  Film critic and lifelong Trekkie John Arminio joins me to say farewell to Lower Decks, the animated Star Trek series we've grown to love.   We open with a spoiler-free conversation about how this show won us over. You’ll have plenty of warning before we enter a full spoilers, in depth conversation about the series’ final season.  Listen to John speaking about Voyager on Mission Log, the Official Podcast of the Roddenberry Foundation.https://www.missionlogpodcast.com/1159-2/  Listen to his film podcast Popcorn Eschaton https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zebras-in-america/id1220264878  Read his comics reviews and metal memes at https://www.instagram.com/quasarsniffer/  Join me on Bluesky @ Levin https://bsky.app/profile/levin.bsky.social And stay tuned for an upcoming episode of Deep Space Dive where cohost Sarah Daniel Rasher and I will discuss the Lower Decks/Deep Space Nine crossover episode. 

"Batman spends more time fighting the cops than helping them" - Leslie Lee III "The most corrupt Gotham Police Department of any Batman media" -- Me...and I am here for that!  Animated Batman is some of the best Batman. Does this new series from legends like Paul Dini, Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka deliver? Leslie Lee III of the leftist culture podcast Sruggle Session returns to talk about Batman Caped Crusader's aesthetics, politics and reinventions.  Looking for ways to volunteer this election? There's https://keyboards.forkamala.fyi/  for keyboard warrior and I'm happy to connect folks to virtual phone banking or text banking opportunities --especialy ones supporting grassroots orgs, fighting voter suppression or working on local races. You an ping me https://bsky.app/profile/levin.bsky.social or even (for this purpose) https://x.com/Elana_Brooklyn  We all can do something to fight facism (even if you're reading this after the election). 

"less about, China versus America..what he really believes is the power of community".  Award winning co-creator of The Good Asian, sak Pichetshote returns to talk about his visonary new project for Image Comics: a series of five one-shot comic books titled The Horizon Experiment. Each has a unique creative team inventing an original protagonist from a marginalized background set in genres such as horror or espionage, or inspired by icons like Indiana Jones or John Constantine. Pichetshote's entry in the series, The Manchurian, is more than a James Bond who "just so happens to be Chinese"- he is a spy whose identity is core to the narrative. There's also Finders/Keepers from Vita Ayala and Skyler Partridge in which a Boricua archaeologist returns an artifact from a museum to the people from whom it was stolen. The Manchurian, with artists Terry and Rachel Dodson is out now as is The Sacred Damned and more on the way from creative teams that bridge comics, literature, film and television.  Here's my 2021 convo about The Good Asian with sak Pichetshote and Alexandre Tefenkgihttps://graphicpolicy.com/2021/05/18/the-good-asian-comic-with-creators-sak-pichetshote-and-alexandre-tefenkgi/

“The philosophy that leads to AI is the same philosophy as 19th Century imperialism and colonialism,” Kieron Gillen. Writer Kieron Gillen returns to reflect on the end of his time contributing to the X-Men's First Krakoan Age and the start of The Power Fantasy, his new series with Caspar Wijngaard for Image Comics.  Subscribe to Kieron's delightful newsletter (especially if you're into TTRPGs) https://buttondown.com/KieronGillen ICYMI Kieron and I spoke about the start of Immortal X-Men back in 2022  https://bit.ly/ImmortalX  We spoke about his previous comic with Casper, Peter Canon Thunderbolt in 2021 https://bit.ly/DieCanon  He's one of my favorite guests (and favorite writers) so you'll enjoy these!  Psst hang out with cool comics folks on BlueSky -- I'm @ Levin https://bsky.app/profile/levin.bsky.social  Kieron is @KieronGillen https://bsky.app/profile/kierongillen.bsky.social    

"Alex Ross' work is really like outstanding community theater” - Steve Darnall and Alex Ross join me to talk about the rerelease of their groundbreaking policital graphic novel, Uncle Sam as well as Alex's Fantastic Four: Full Circle.  "Timed for this year’s election, UNCLE SAM by Steve Darnall and Alex Ross makes its return after nearly a decade of being out of print. It's a vibrant, hallucinatory tour of modern America—the story of a star–spangled, ragged vagrant named Sam who is guided by the voices in his head and his own fractured memories. Absorbed by history–traveling visions of America’s dark past, Uncle Sam struggles to remember his true identity and piece together the scattered clues of his own experiences in this deep and thoughtful look at America’s checkered past." Alex Ross studied illustration at the American Academy of Art, then honed his craft as a storyboard artist before entering the comics field. His miniseries Marvels opened a wider acceptance for painted comics. In 1996 he produced the equally successful Kingdom Come for DC Comics. Ross is the writer/artist of the award winning Fantastic Four: Full Circle. Steve Darnall first worked with Alex Ross on the Human Torch story that served as the inspiration for the award-winning 1993 series Marvels. Steve served as a consultant on the movie Being the Ricardos and Ken Burns’s documentary Country Music. He is also the editor of Nostalgia Digest magazine, and the host of two weekly radio shows dedicated to the golden age of radio. Nostalgia Digest https://www.nostalgiadigest.com/

"I really want to protect my ability to keep making my gay little comics. That's the important thing to me."- Cartoonist Hazel Newlevant makes art that shows us how to protect our future and understand our past. Whether its their new anthology Becoming Who We Are: Real Stories About Growing Up Trans or their free zine, What's Up With Covid and How to Protect Yourself 2024 Edition (featuring advanced safety tips!) their work combines personal narative, diligent research, and charming art.  Visit https://newlevant.com/  Get a copy of the free zine https://newlevant.com/covidzine My video on how to get your mask to fit you better https://bit.ly/BendNoseWire Take action against mask bans and more -- https://covidadvocacyny.org/ 

"Mr. Sinister is obsessed with genetic purity and then this disaster bi bowling league shows up and stomps his ass," - Artist and Art Director Ethan Gould joins us to talk about the finale arc of Disney's X-Men '97 animated series. Episodes: Bright Eyes - Tolerance Is Extinction.  We go deep on Bastian and Operation Zero Tolerance in the animated series and comics. The original 1992 animated series was a huge influence on Ethan's work so we discuss it at greater length here than I have so far on the podcast. Don't miss my conversation with the Great Steven Attewell on the X-Men '97 premier:  https://bit.ly/X97  Sarah Daniel Rasher on the mid-season episodes https://bit.ly/xmen97actup  Check out Ethan's art and design for the Stillfleet TTRPG https://stillfleet.com/  where you will soon be able to check out The Sometimes Kingdom on Twitch etc.  Portfolio: https://cara.app/gouldiniart and https://www.instagram.com/spectralhouse/ Get your Magneto Made Some Valid Points T via X-Plain the X-men podcast's Teepublic.  

Covering the X-Men ’97 TV series, episodes 3-6: Fire Made Flesh, Motendo, Lifedeath and Remember It with my Deep Space Dive co-host, education research consultant and former Shakespeare professor Sarah Daniel Rasher. We’ve got: 90's politics explained The love rhombus is really a hexagonEvery day the Shi'ar are Thinking About The Roman Empire What makes a good InfernoSuggestions for the X-Men’s PR strategyNonbinary people having Morph feelingsReferences you might have missed Don’t miss my conversation with the late Steven Attewell about the series first two episodes: https://graphicpolicy.com/2024/04/03/x-men-97-premiere-getting-animated-with-steven-attewell-phd/

Space dads, space witches, and redemption arcs abound in the final season of Star Wars the Bad Batch and in the Tales of the Empire animated miniseries.  Holly Raymond Phd, the poetess, professor, and reader of All The Star Wars Ever has returned to share her insights on these animated Star Wars shows on Disney + We cover a lot of ground in this spoiler-filled episode: Animation stylesBiology is not destiny is also true about midi-chlorian countsBeing choosy about trans narrativesDepicting war in a family-friendly showAmbiguously ethnic Jedi cultural practicesProject Necromancer, Sniper Clone X2 and the rest of the show's conspiracies"the intrinsic lesbian desire to have Asajj Ventress in every show."  If you missed it, Holly and I covered Bad Batch Seasons 1 and 2 here: https://graphicpolicy.com/2023/04/27/star-wars-the-bad-batch-an-animated-dirty-dozen-of-space-dads/

This is an audio remastered version of an episode of The Venture Bros podcast originally recorded in 2016. One way we're memorializing my late friend and co-host Steven Attewell is by improving the audio quality of the earliest episodes of our podcast. Here's a favorite episode with new improved sound. * * * * * * Season 6 of the Venture Brothers: "Tanks for Nothing" and "It Happening One Night." Your hosts, Elana Levin and Steven Attewell, Phd. explore The Venture Bros show as a historian and an art history geek. We break-down the themes and references present from cinema, histotry and pop culture. While Steven is a Professor of US history. Elana has a BA in Studied Warhol A Lot (which came in handy for episode 6). Expect more then 15 minutes of famous references.  * * * *  Learn more about Steven Attewell: https://graphicpolicy.com/2024/04/11/steven-attewell-the-maester-of-fandom/ The Venture Bros Podcast archives https://graphicpolicy.com/the-venture-bros-podcast/  Steven's blog: https://racefortheironthrone.wordpress.com/ 

Award winning mystery writer Alex Segura is co-launching hardboiled 1930’s detective Dick Tracy’s latest incarnation. We discuss Chester Gould's iconic comic detective from Dick Tracy's roots in the funny pages, the character's surprising sci-fi twists to Segura's new comic book series. We even touch on Warren Beatty’s underrated 1990 movie adaptation that featured Steven Sondheim musical numbers and Madonna!  How is Dick Tracy like Riverdale? What are our dreams of a James Ellroy-verse? Whether you’re a Dick Tracy newbie, noir nerd or mostly know Segura from his popular runs on Poe Dameron, Spiderverse tales or his newest X-Men comics, don’t miss out!  The new Dick Tracy comic book series is co-written by Michael Morecci with art by Chantal Aimee Osman and Geraldo Borges, colors by Mark Englehart, lettering by Jim Campbell and published by Madcave Studios. Keep tabs on https://www.alexsegura.com/   

One of my greatest friends and frequent collaborator Steven Attewell has died. Here are some thoughts about his work and his history that I wanted to share with the fan community.  You can make donations in his honor to the Emergency Workplace Organizing Fund https://workerorganizing.org/  Maester Steven's Legendary Tumblr: Race for the Iron Throne https://racefortheironthrone.tumblr.com/  https://racefortheironthrone.wordpress.com/ A People's History of the Marvel Universe - https://graphicpolicy.com/category/history/peoples-history-of-the-marvel-universe/ You can read the obit I wrote here - https://graphicpolicy.com/2024/04/11/steven-attewell-the-maester-of-fandom/ The Venture Bros Podcast https://graphicpolicy.com/the-venture-bros-podcast/  His Game of Thrones Vblogs with Scott Erik Kaufman (which are also available as podcasts under Lawyers Guns and Money Podcast) 

“Do not make me let you down” - Magneto  From Henry Gyrich and the Great Replacement Theory to anti-mutant medical discrimination here's our conversation about the debut of the new X-Men '97 animated TV series.  Steven Attewell brings a historian’s perspective to X-Men ’97 — the exciting revival of the animated X-Men show of our youth. We do a deep dive into the show’s impressive politics and significant design choices. Learn about real world political parallels both past and VERY present, developments in evolutionary science, queer themes and crop tops. This episode opens with 9 minutes of spoiler free discussion till and then a spoiler-filled look at episodes 1 and 2. Read Steven's blog https://racefortheironthrone.tumblr.com/  and his A People's History of the Marvel Universe https://graphicpolicy.com/author/stevenattewell/  And our classic roundtable in which civil rights history experts prove that no, Professor X is not MLK Jr. MLK Jr was far more radical and visionary. https://bit.ly/MLKencore

Film Noir has been a cultural touchstone for nearly a century, and Deep Space Nine revels in it in season 2 episode 8. In "Necessary Evil" we flashback to Odo and Kira's very uncute meet-cute during the Occupation. Join us as we discuss Sarah Daniel Rasher’s favourite DS9 episode, unpacking all of its references and allusions while tackling some of its hard hitting substance. From Ferengi Casablanca and the mystery of Kira’s ponytail to Odo’s multitudes and the difference between a murder and a "casualty", this episode demands a rewatch whether you're new to noir or a buff like Sarah and I. Because after all: it’s the stuff that podcasts are made of….     

"Everything you're doing is a perfectly logical way to save your own life" Horror author and cultural critic Jude Ellison S. Doyle returns to the podcast to talk about his new comic book series, The Neighbors with art byLetizia Cadonici and Alessandro Santoro.  A queer family moves to a small town in this tale of folk horror published by Boom Studios. The comic is rich with Celtic mythology. It wrestles with heartbreaking realities we face today —especially for trans and disabled readers. Our conversation ranges from the what makes a horror story resonate to the power of reassessing your own writing, while not trying to twist yourself for bad faith readers. Subscribe to Jude's excellent newsletter https://jude-doyle.ghost.io/ Get The Neighbors! https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Neighbors-The/Jude-Ellison-S-Doyle/9781608861071  

Jadzia Dax is a woman in science, a member of a structurally gender fluid species, and a batleth swinging badass. She has one of the best coming out as trans scenes. She's lived many lives and she’s the emotional glue that holds the crew together. Dax is a beloved Star Trek Deep Space Nine character and she shares a name (and more) with a fanastic writer who joins as our guest: Jadzia Axelrod is the GLAAD award nominated comics writer of Galaxy: The Prettiest Star and Hawkgirl for DC Comics. She's the writer ofThe DC Book of Pride for DK, as well as The Battle of Blood and Ink for Tor. Obviously we needed to have Jadzia on to talk about Jadzia. You can listen to Jadzia talk about Galaxy and Hawkgirl on Graphic Policy Radio here: https://graphicpolicy.com/2023/02/21/creator-jadzia-axelrod-on-galaxy-the-prettiest-star-for-dc-comics Follow Jadzia here https://www.jaredaxelrod.com/ and as PlanetX on the socials https://twitter.com/planetx     

Who lives to tell the tale of our favorite queer pirate romance/comedy? OFMD returned for a second (and final?) season on HBO Max. Linda Codega, journalist (and sailor!)  joins me to discuss: What’s up with Blackbeard tourism IRL?Is Buttons a sea druid?Can we make Calypso’s Birthday the new queer Halloween?The pirate polycule? Why we really need season 3! Linda H. Codega is an award-winning entertainment journalist who has written about science fiction and fantasy media for over five years. They were previously a staff writer for io9 where they covered film, television, books, and analog games. Much of their work covers a mix of tabletop roleplaying games, pop culture, fandom, and queer intersections.  Subscribe to their newsletter: https://clickbaiter.substack.com/  Listen to my pirate history deep dive for season 1, including a spoiler-free intro to the series.  https://bit.ly/OFMDpod  Linda’s coverage of the season 2 finale https://gizmodo.com/our-flag-means-death-s2-finale-izzy-hands-death-fandom-1850978817 My article, Our Flag Means Death Takes Queering History to New Depths https://www.wired.com/story/our-flag-means-death-season-2-queering-history/  Fan activism https://ofmd-crew.com/ 

"Power doesn't shatter on impact with journalism," - Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist Spencer Ackerman. Ackerman returns to talk about the thrilling conclusion of his DC comics debut, Waller Vs. Wildstorm, the role of journalism in social movements, blogging antiwar protests, why Tim Drake is the best Robin, and share some of his favorite Wildstorm comics.  For a spoiler-free introduction to the Waller Vs. Wildstorm miniseries, listen to our conversation back in March https://bit.ly/WallerVs.  Waller Vs. Wildstorm is Spencer's DC Comics Black Label mini series with co-writer Evan Narcisse, artist Jesús Merino, and color artist Michael Atiyeh. It's jawdroppingly good, even if you don't know Wildstorm. It's full of politics, espionage and Deathstroke on a jetski. This is an extremely Graphic Policy Radio series... Keep up with Spencers Journalism at https://foreverwars.ghost.io/  Spencer Ackerman is a Pulitzer Prize and National Magazine Award winning national security reporter and a new columnist for The Nation. His book, REIGN OF TERROR: HOW THE 9/11 ERA DESTABILIZED AMERICA AND PRODUCED TRUMP, won an American Book Award and was rated a 2021 book of the year by the Washington Post, the New York Times and the PBS NewsHour.

Deep Space Nine inspired us as nonbinary people. On this episode the hosts (we're both nonbinary) delve into DS9 characters read through a nonbinary lens, especially Ezri Dax, Jadzia Dax, Odo and Pel, the Ferengi. Find out: Is it nonbinary to be a Bajoran hawk? Odo's “I can't get the ears right” is extremely trans.If you’re a shapeshifter why not make yourself a cooler shirt? The limits of language and when making things awkward is the point.What we saw in this show as teens figuring out our identities Vs. what we see in it now as adults reflecting back. Catch all our past episodes of Deep Space Dive podcast: https://graphicpolicy.com/deep-space-dive/

"like a medieval manuscript full of demon sex...' but also written by an anime Mel Brooks." - H.A's stunning graphic novel is all this and more. H.A joins me to talk about his debut graphic novel, The Chromatic Fantasy available from Silver Sprocket Press.  About the book: Jules is a trans man trapped in his life as a nun. The devil that the convent guards against offers him a deal to escape: an illicit tryst and lifelong possession. Jules takes the deal, and begins his new life as a criminal who’s impervious to harm. He soon meets Casper, another trans man and a poetic thief, and together they steal, lie, and cheat their way through bewildering adventures, and develop feelings for each other along the way. But as Jules and Casper’s relationship deepens, so does the devil’s jealous grasp… A gorgeously drawn graphic novel reminiscent of stained glass and illuminated manuscripts, telling a story of queer transmasc romance, daring adventure, and (literally) fighting your demons.  Keep up with HA https://retrospring.net/@dirtcup_art   https://www.instagram.com/dirtcup_art

A fading genre actor and an obsessed fan meet. It's not Misery at all, it's Parasocial, the latest graphic novel from the twisted minds of Erica Henderson and Alex de Campi! Parasocial is this creative team's newest collaboration since their critically acclaimed Dracula, Motherf--r! both published by Image Comics.  We talk about: What makes a horror story deeply scary Who is Luke Indiana and the power of pseudonymsThe economics of fandom and genre celebrity95% of fandom is a wonderful transformative force, it's the other 5%....The power and perils of fandom and social media"A color scheme for the lies they tell themselves and a color scheme for the lies they tell other people"DraculaMaking fan art of your artAnd the Medici family's sexy bible fan art Erica Henderson is a NY Times best selling and Eisner award winning artist and writer. You've read Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. Her latest is Danger and Other Unknown Risks. Buy her merch https://ericafails.threadless.com/  Alex de Campi is a writer of best selling horror/thrillers. Eisner-nominated for Bad Girls and Twisted Romance. She's a returning guest on my show-- listen to her talk about Dracula MF- https://bit.ly/alexdcVV

Krakoa will never not exist. Will never not be an aspiration and an option. — Spencer Ackerman And do I have some news for Sebastian Shaw about civil forfeiture. — Kaetun Khlynne A journalist and a physicist join me to talk about The Fall of X, the 2023 summer X-Men comics event about the fall of Krakoa, the mutant homeland. The first part of the episode is spoiler free. We are very clear when we go on to spoilers. We discuss series including: The Hellfire Gala, Immortal X-Men, X-Men, X-Men Red, Uncanny Avengers, Dark X-Men, Alpha Flight, Realm of X and Jean Grey: Flames of Fear. Spencer Ackerman is a Pulitzer Prize and National Magazine Award winning national security reporter and a new columnist for The Nation. His book, REIGN OF TERROR: HOW THE 9/11 ERA DESTABILIZED AMERICA AND PRODUCED TRUMP, won an American Book Award and was rated a 2021 book of the year by the Washington Post, the New York Times and the PBS NewsHour. Along with Evan Narcisse, he’s the co-writer of the new DC/Black Label miniseries WALLER VS WILDSTORM with artist Jesús Merino and color artist Michael Atiyeh. Spencer was on my show to talk about his comic: https://bit.ly/WallerVs  Fan & Physicist out of Austrlia, Kaetun Khlynne was on Cerebro Podcast to talk about Gateway and Manifold, two of the Indigenous Australian X-Men. Kaetun leads an eyeopening explanation Aboriginal culture and resistance to genocide in Australia and Rwanda. Listen https://spoti.fi/3RqvuAD  My Marauders focused episode 3 years ago https://bit.ly/MaraudersB

The Velvet Underground didn’t sell many records at first but everyone who bought one went out and started a band*-- and now YOU can read a graphic novel about the Velvets! I interview cartoonist Koren Shadmi about his new graphic novel, All Tomorrow's Parties: The Velvet Underground Story. His book is about the formation and dissolution of one of our favorite bands, and one of the most important rock bands of all time. Eisner-nominated Koren Shadmi joins me to talk about The Velvet Underground's importance, why we love them and his process in making this new work of music history in comics form. Koren Shadmi is an American-Israeli, Award-winning illustrator and cartoonist. He studied illustration at The School of Visual Arts in New York where he now teaches. His books have been published internationally and include The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television, and most recently Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Dracula. All Tomorrow's Parties is published by Humanoids https://www.humanoids.com/y_catalog/book/id/1359 *I am paraphrasing the great Brian Eno on this. https://www.korenshadmi.com/   

Pop culture and history experts Elana Levin and Historian Steven Attewell host a close watch of the Venture Bros series finale, Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart. We'll guide you through its numerous references and themes--  from NYC geography to 60's B movies to 80s New Wave music... so much 80s synthpop.... in this series finale!  This is the 20th anniversary of the Venture Bros show and our seventh year doing a Venture Bros podcast. Listen to past coverage here https://bit.ly/VbrosPod or on this playlist https://bit.ly/vbroscast  The striking entertainment unions gave us the all-clear to do this podcast. Here are some ways to support the Writers and Actors on strike that we shared on the show.  Donate: https://entertainmentcommunity.org/ DSA Snacklist for picketlines https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/the-snacklist-support-striking-workers  Show support at a picketline near you: https://www.wgacontract2023.org/  https://www.sagaftrastrike.org/ Reading bonsu: ROB BASE & DJ E-Z ROCK, “IT TAKES TWO” essay http://marchxness.com/fadness80s-championship/   

"many singular people who feel alone, but together are at least feeling alone together" - Felicia T. Perez, Narrative Strategist and Zoe Tunnell, the co-creator of the comic Blade Maidens and official explainer of trans metaphor Gwen Stacy  join me to discuss the latest animated Spider-Man movie, featuring Miles Morales, Spider-Man, Across the Spiderverse.  Covering: Diverse spidersonas, migrant roots, 'have you considered not being a cop?', and why Spider Punk doesn't listen to the Sex Pistols.  Plus: PAY YOUR DAMN ARTISTS. Check out Felicia T. Perez narrative strategy, arts and activism projects at https://www.feliciaperez.com/  Zoe Tunnell is a trans lesbian writer and co-creator of Blade Maidens a queer fantasy adventure comic that's online for free but is being published in print with Dark Horse. And she has other new comics projects! Read https://www.blademaidens.com and read the CNN interview with Zoe https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/11/entertainment/spider-verse-gwen-stacy-trans-cec/index.html  Support the Entertainment Strikes!  Support the Writers Strike! https://www.wgacontract2023.org/take-action/stand-with-writers SAG-AFTRA Strike updates https://www.sagaftrastrike.org/  Donate to support workers impacted by the strikes https://entertainmentcommunity.org/

#ComicsBrokeMe but organizing is the answer! The comics industry harms the artists, writers and editors who make the art we love. Building collective power is the strategy powerful enough to win. The Cartoonist Cooperative is a new vehicle for doing just that! I’m joined by one of this new organization’s founding members, Joan Zahra Dark, to talk about the organization’s goals and how readers can support it. We also talk about some cool very queer comics with gay robots and what not.  Learn more about the Cartoonist Cooperative  https://cartoonist.coop/ Read about Ian McGinty, may his memory be a blessing and a revolution. https://www.comicsbeat.com/artist-ian-mcginty-has-passed-away-at-age-38/ Keep up with Joan online here-- https://www.instagram.com/whoaitsjoan

#ComicsBrokeMe but organizing is the answer. The comics industry has always harmed the artists, writers and editors who make the art we love. Building collective power is the strategy powerful enough to win. The Cartoonist Cooperative is a new vehicle for doing just that! I’m joined by one of this new organization’s founding members Joan Zahra Dark to talk about the organization’s goals and how readers can support it. We also talk about some cool very queer comics with gay robots and what not.  You can learn more about the Cartoonist Cooperative Here https://cartoonist.coop/ You can read more about Ian McGinty, may his memory be a blessing and a revolution. https://www.comicsbeat.com/artist-ian-mcginty-has-passed-away-at-age-38/ Keep up with Joan online here-- https://www.instagram.com/whoaitsjoan

Possibly the most political comic on the stands, Justice Warriors is a brutal, hilarious and ornately drawn new satirical comic about policing, power and AI in the dystopian Bubble City. Join series co-creators Ben Clarkson and Matt Bors as we talk about their first trade paperback published by Ahoy Comics. Matt Bors is a cartoonist, writer, editor, and the founder of The Nib. He was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist for his political cartoons in 2012 and 2020  His cartoons were collected in the book We Should Improve Society Somewhat.  Ben Clarkson is an artist, animator, filmmaker and writer based in Montreal. His work has appeared on Adult Swim, Time.com and been featured in GQ. Justice Warriors is his first comic series.  I want to credit Justice Warriors colorist Felipe Sobriero for his work too. Petition on alogrithmic justice I mentioned https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/algorithmic_accountability 

Star Wars newest animated series is both fascinating and frustrating. Dig into the Bad Batch’s big questions with guest Dr. Holly Schaeffer-Raymond. The Bad Batch reflects on the rise of fascism, biology as destiny and social programing. This episode's first 20 minutes are spoiler-free to help you decide if you want to watch.  Then join us for: What the show has to say about about workers’ rights.Is Rhea Pearlman's Cid a Yoda? Why Omega is a good kid character.Can 3D animation be good, actually? Dr. Holly Schaeffer-Raymond is an adjunct professor of English who holds an MFA in Poetry and a PhD in English at Temple University, where she also teaches. She’s the author of two poetry collections, Mall is Lost and Heaven’s Wish to Destroy All Minds, and has been included in We Want It All: An Anthology of Radical Trans Poetics and The Bedfellows Little Black Book. Her writing about comics has appeared on Shelfdust, and her writing about poetry has appeared at The Poetry Project, The Volta, and elsewhere. Visit https://unwhitewashthebadbatch.carrd.co/ for perspective on white washing in the series and actions to take. Cartoon of "Sheev" is by Holly herself.

"How the carceral state seeks to manipulate and dispose of its rogues, its dregs, its captives and put them to deniable use by intelligence agencies... It would be malpractice of me, for what I cover, if I wasn't interested in that!" - Spencer Ackerman, co-writer of Waller vs Wildstorm for DC Comics and award winning national security journalist. Spencer Ackerman discusses his debut comic, a Year One look at the career of future Suicide Squad boss Amanda Waller. His miniseries, with co-writer Evan Narcisse, artist Jesús Merino and color artist Michael Atiyeh weaves together Wildstorm & DC Comics espionage lore through the lens of Cold War geopolitics--as only they can. First 43 minutes of this episode are spoiler free.  Be sure to subscribe to Spencer Ackerman's newsletter https://foreverwars.ghost.io/ where he shares thoughts about this series as well as reporting and essays that "chronicle, investigate and interrogate the continuities, departures and permutations of the War on Terror." That gorgeous cover in the preview is by Jorge Fornes.

What if the attack on the US Capitol succeeded? 1/6 is a 4 part comics series written by Alan Jenkins and Gan Golan and illustrated by Will Rosado. Prof. Jenkins and Golan joined me on the podcast to talk about their comic which combines comics journalism, speculative fiction and activism.  Drawing on real-life events, 1/6 travels the road that led from back-room meetings, white supremacist rallies, and the Four Seasons Landscaping parking lot to a violent attack on the Capitol that left several Americans dead and shook our nation to its core. It imagines a world in which the events of that day turned out very differently. Through a diverse cast of characters 1/6 builds towards a story of how we might organize and fight for democracy. Buy the comic AND check out their forthcoming action guide - http://onesixcomics.com/ 

“Being normal was never going to save me,” says Galaxy the trans space princess protagonist of GLAAD Award Nominated graphic novel Galaxy: The Pretiest Star. “That’s my 'with great power comes great responsibility' moment. That's [Galaxy's] superhero moment,” says co-creator, writer Jadzia Axelrod. Jadzia is the author of Galaxy: The Prettiest Star, a new YA graphic novel illustrated by Jess Taylor and published by DC Comics. Jadzia joins us to talk about creating this new trans (and not just metaphorically trans) superheroine, her creative process, some DC Comics queer history, why David Bowie works in a contemporary graphic novel and Hawkgirl's favorite football team. "Taylor Barzelay has the perfect life. Good looks, good grades, a starting position on the basketball team, a loving family, even an adorable corgi. Every day in Taylor’s life is perfect. And every day is torture. Taylor is actually the Galaxy Crowned, an alien princess from the planet Cyandii, and one of the few survivors of an intergalactic war. For six long, painful years, Taylor has accepted her duty to remain in hiding as a boy on Earth. That all changes when Taylor meets Metropolis girl Katherine “call me Kat” Silverberg, whose confidence is electrifying. Suddenly, Taylor no longer wants to hide, even if exposing her true identity could attract her greatest enemies. From the charming and brilliant mind behind the popular podcast The Voice of Free Planet X, Jadzia Axelrod, and with stunningly colorful artwork by Jess Taylor comes the story of a girl in hiding who must face her fears to see herself as others see her: the prettiest star."

Swift fan organizing gets the goods! Dungeons & Dragons planned to change how independent content creators could monetize their D&D-related work, but backlash caused the Hasbro-owned company to change the controversial plan. Hear what this Gargantuan news from the world of tabletop role playing games means for comics fans and fandom at large with the TTRPG reporter who broke the story, Linda Codega. Keep up with Codega's reporting here https://gizmodo.com/author/lcodega https://twitter.com/lincodega  http://lindahcodega.com/  Listen to the GP Radio guide to getting into TTRPGs - https://bit.ly/ttrpgGP 

Shelfdust.com asked 150 comic book critics to list our favourite event storylines, "You know the type – something big, dramatic, crossing over a dozen different comics across the course of a few months, with everybody being effected by whatever it is that happens at the end of the story. Whether it be a Crisis or War of some kind, or just the latest in an annual routine which sees Earth invaded by some kind of bigger and badder threat than any that Earth has seen for, well, at least six months or so."- Steve Morris, founder of Shelfdust. Critic Steve Morris joins us to talk about the results of the critics poll, what makes for a great event and what even counts as an event anyway! Read the lists of top 50 comics events: https://shelfdust.com/tag/top-fifty-comic-book-events/ Support Shelfdust -https://www.patreon.com/shelfdust My essay on OMAC for Shelfdust's notorious Infinite Crisis series https://shelfdust.com/2020/10/08/infinite-crisis-with-elana-levin-who-or-what-is-omac/

Rebel organizer Charles Lenchner and Jedi Master Klaudia Amenábar return to cover the second half of Andor season 1, showrunner Tony Gilroy's revolutionary Star Wars show-- which airs, somehow on Disney+.  In part 1 of my podcast's Andor coverage (listen to that episode first https://bit.ly/ComradeAndor) we joked about a Star Wars reimagining of "The Internationale". I loved the idea so much, that we made one. Original melody composed by Pierre De Geyter, Star Wars-ified lyrics by Katie Unger. Vocals by me while I was sick with COVID but didn't know it yet (hence the delayed release of this podcast and my less than polished singing).  Check out Klaudia's podcast: RuPalp's Podrace: A Queer Star Wars Podcast https://rupalps-podrace-a-queer-star-wars-podcast.simplecast.com/ and find more of her writing and Star Wars resources https://linktr.ee/kaludiasays Follow Charles Lenchner on twitter (for now - https://twitter.com/clenchner ) 

From the sound of Mayan spoken in a Marvel movie, to the beauty of wearing a mask to breathe, Ryan Coogler’s new Black Panther movie, Wakanda Forever has a lot to say. And so does my panel of experts: Moji Alawode-El, Feminist Buzzkills Podcast https://www.aafront.org/fbklive/ Marcus Pinn,  Zebras in America podcast / Pinnland Empire film blog http://www.pinnlandempire.com/ Felicia Perez, Head of Memes at TaskForce.US . https://www.feliciaperez.com/ PS there is an audio glitch when Elana is explaining Riri Williams. Elana is trying to say that in the comics the character Riri Williams was specifically designed to be a superhero.

Comrade Nemik isn't alone in developing a revolutionary analysis of the world of Star Wars. My expert guests bring a knowledge of the history of revolutions, the huge Star Wars mythos and real world activism to their analysis of the first 7 episodes of the series, Andor. "I do love when Star Wars is like, yes, I know they're Nazis, but did you know they're also the United States" -  Klaudia Amenábar, RuPalp’s Podrace "Both sides are attempting to use polarization to advance their goals." - Charles Lenchner, Organizing 2.0/former political prisoner.  "What is the Rebels' Ladder of Engagement?" - Elana Levin, host/ Organizing 2.0. The first approx 20 minutes of this episode are entirely spoiler-free.  For Klaudia's podcasts, writing and social media  https://linktr.ee/kaludiasays For an uncorrected transcript of this episode: https://share.descript.com/view/obP89Xhg4Wr For people imagining a Star Wars version of The Internationale, stay till the end.

From Bajor to the Bronx we're joined by State Senator Gustavo Rivera, a tried and true Trekkie. Serving in the New York Senate since 2010, Gustavo has beaten the odds, facing down real world Kai Winns, negotiating soil reclamator disputes and championing New York's Medicare for All bill. We talk about communities, real and fictional alike, pulling through the wreckage of colonialsm. Especially Puerto Rico and Bajor. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Rivera4TheBronx and https://twitter.com/NYSenatorRivera Donations still needed for the Puerto Rican-lead Hurricaine Fiona Community Response Fund https://secure.actblue.com/donate/fionaresponse Elana takes full responsibility for the really sloppy photoshop images. 

Blade Maidens is a fantasy adventure romance comic starring two disaster mercenaries trying to get by. Read it online for free at https://www.blademaidens.com/ The serie's creators joined me to talk about their fantastic debut series. Also, the X-men, a little. Valentine Smith is a writer, illustrator, and comic artist. They were shaped by a love of horror movies, music, and comicbooks. Their website has the wonderful X-Men fan comics the team made prior to making their own series. http://www.valentinemsmith.com/ Zoe Tunnell is a trans, lesbian writer who previously wrote criticism and essays for sites like WWAC and ComicsXF and has transitioned (for the second time in her life!) into writing comics proper with Blade Maidens. Follow her https://twitter.com/blankzilla  

DS9's Mirror Universe episodes: simultaniously campy and tragic, we love these episodes' windows into other possible Star Trek worlds. Join us as we recalibrate the transporter polarity for a journey through the looking glass. Deep Space Dive is a Star Trek Deep Space Nine podcast where we examine the serie's social and artistic themes and characters-- particularly with a queer lens. We don't do recaps, we do do spoilers. DS9 came out in the 90s, so watch then listen.  Catch up on our podcast within a podcast with this playlist of Deep Space Dive episodes https://graphicpolicy.com/deep-space-dive/. This is episode 9.  Got a question? Tweet at Elana - https://twitter.com/Elana_Brooklyn or email: deep space dive podcast gmail.com (no spaces).