2012. Right. Let’s do this. On our first episode of the new year we review Moon Knight by Brian Bendis/Alex Maleev, Whispers by Joshua Luna, Ultimate Spider-Man issues 1-6 by Brian Bendis/Sara Piehelli and Wolverine and the X-Men by Jason Aaron/Chris Bachalo. We talk to Belfast artist Stephen Downey about his work on Slaughterman’s Creed and Jennifer Wilde and upcoming projects. To top it all off we wax lyrical on the Best Animated Feature nominees at this years Oscars, the possibility of a Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark documentary and so much more that couldn’t possibly fit into a short paragraph describing the show. Ahem. Enjoy!

Download Link: The Comic Cast 31/01/12

also available through iTunes

Show Links:

Stephen Downey

Offset 2012

Download Link: The Comic Cast Christmas Special 2011

also available on iTunes

Mega thanks to our favourite American gal Jordie Bellaire (interviewed on our previous episode) for the amazeballs illustration for this years Chrimbo show!

Show Links

Comics Reviewed

Hilda and the Midnight Giant by Luke Pearson

Klaus by Richard Short

Bad Island by Doug TenNapel

The Adventures of Hergé by Bocquet/Fromental/Stanilas

Holy Terror by Frank Miller

Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown!

Interviewees

Declan Shalvey’s Blog

BRENB’s site

Offset 2011

This week the Comic Cast chats with colourist, cartoonist & illustrator Jordie Bellaire! Jordie has coloured everything from The Fantastic Four to Hellraiser and is currently the colourist for  Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes from BOOM!. Most recently she coloured Roger Langridge’s tale ‘Old Nick and The Peddler’ in Jim Henson’s The Storyteller edited by Nate Cosby. Here she discusses the path that led her to become a colourist, where that roles fits in to the creation and direction of a comic book and the creator owned projects she’s currently working on. Enjoy!

Download Link: The Comic Cast 06/12/11

also available through iTunes

Show Links:

Jordie on Twitter

Jordie’s Tumblr

Jordie’s Blog

This week on the Comic Cast we talk to Seán Michael Wilson – a Scottish comic book writer living in Japan.  Seán edited the collection ‘AX: alternative manga’ which was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the ‘best ten comic books of 2010′, and nominated for a Harvey Award. His other work includes ‘The Story of Lee’ with art by Chie Kutsuwada, ‘Yakuza Moon: the manga edition with art by Michiru Morikawa and several Classical Comics volumes including Sweeney Todd with art by Declan Shalvey.  Enjoy.

Download Link: The Comic Cast 21/11/11

also available through iTunes

Show Links

Seán Michael Wilson’s Blog

Seán Michael Wilson on Amazon (all of his comics listed on one handy page!)

This week on the Comic Cast we dedicate an entire show to Hergé’s Tintin. Illustrator BRENB joins us as a guest reviewer of Steven Spielberg’s film The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, we visit the official Irish home of Tintin – International Books in Dublin, where proprietor Brendan Storey tells us how the boy reporter saved his business and we review The Art of the Adventures of Tintin by Chris Guise. What else can we say but “Billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles in a thundering typhoon!” Enjoy.

Download Link: The Comic Cast 03/11/11

also available through iTunes

Show Links:

International Books (official site for Brendan Storey’s book shop)

Storey Books (Brendan Storey’s Tintin site – it’ll be launched in a couple of weeks)

Tintin in Ireland Fanclub (Facebook page)

BRENB (illustrator)

The Art of The Adventures of Tintin by Chris Guise

Tintin in the New World: A Novel by Frederic Tuten

(PHOTO: Entertainment.ie)

We are genuinely surprised and thrilled to have won the Best Independent Podcaster award at the 2011 Irish Web Awards last night in the Mansion House. The Comic Cast began life back in 2008 and since then we’ve knocked out a show every two weeks (give or take a week – you know what we’re like!). We’ll continue reviewing comics and interviewing artists and just generally having a laugh. We hope you’ll continue to join us.

- Liam & Craig (Bad Boys for Life)

Listen to the moment Rick O’Shea announced the award here: The Comic Cast

Show Link: The Comic Cast 17/10/11

also available through iTunes

Show Links

Daybreak by Brian Ralph

Animal Man #2 by Jeff Lemire/Travel Foreman

Isle of 100,000 Graves by Jason/Fabien Vehlmann

The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists by Seth

Game of Thrones #1 by  Daniel Abraham/Tommy Patterson

The Big Break Dectectives Casebook by Alan Nolan

Finn & Fish#2 by Leeann Hamilton

The Wild Rover by Fabio Rosati (available in Forbidden Planet Dublin)

The Well Below and Other Stories by John Robbins/Sean MacRoibin

Batman: Year One (trailer)

This week we invite comics writer, graphic designer, artist and co-creator of the horror series Sancho Alan Nolan back on the show to talk about his new series of  comics with the O’Brien Press. Here he talks about creating The Big Break Detectives Casebook, a graphic novel for younger readers, and the Murder Can Be Fatal mysteries, what it’s like working with an editor and his favourite gems of spin-off merch!

Download Link: The Comic Cast 26/09/11

also available through itunes

Show Links

Alan Nolan (official site)

O’Brien Press

The Big Break Detectives

Murder Can Be Fatal

In part 2 of our mini-interview with Will Sliney, the Cork artist reveals that his next project, to be written and drawn by himself, will be about the Irish mythological hero Cú Chulainn!

Download Link: The Comic Cast – Will Slney part 2

also available through iTunes

Show Links:

Will Sliney’s Blog

The wait is over. DC have begun releasing their new 52. Is this the most exciting thing to happen in comics or has it been the ultimate let-down? Find out as we review EVERY SINGLE ONE of the 14 of the 52 released so far. From Animal Man #1 to Swamp Thing #1, we rate them all. As if that wasn’t enough we talk to illustrator Chris Judge about his first ever Fund it project – Alphabeast, and we also review Atomic Diner’s Roisin Dubh #1 & Jennifer Wilde #1, Death by Chocolate by Alan Nolan, Forming by Jesse Moynihan and Sally Go Round the Stars by Steve McCarthy. All that and so much more that we’re not even going to bother to write it all down here!

Download Link: The Comic Cast 13/09/11

also available through iTunes

BONUS: Click below to read our print interview with Declan Shalvey on doing art for Northlanders.

The planets had not alinged for us to be able to interview Declan Shalvey in time for this podcast so here’s an exclusive online chat we had with the man himself. (We’ll be talking to him on the next talkie podcast.)

Comic Cast: Declan! We’re very excited that you’re to do a three issue arc on Brian Wood’s Northlanders. Are you excited as us?

Declan Shalvey: I’m not sure; let’s compare nipple-hardness! I am very excited about it, truth be told. I’m delighted I get to work on one of my favourite books with one of my favourite writers, one of my favourite colourists and one of my favourite cover artists. I’ve always wanted to do something for Vertigo too. So yes, quite excited.
CC: Were you a fan of the series?

DS: Yes, very much so. I’d heard OF it for a long time, but a good few months ago I read the first trade and got completely hooked. The writing is absolutely brilliant, and there’s been so many fantastic artists on the series; it was a huge honour just to be asked. Being one of the last artists to work on the book before it wrapped up is even more of an honour.

CC: Have you started working on it yet?

DS: Actually, I’ve JUST finished the first issue. Back on Thunderbolts for Marvel until I wrap up the current issue, then I’ll get started on the second Northlanders issue.
CC: Northlanders is all about vikings. You’ve previously drawn zombies in 28 Days Later. Can we expect viking zombies anytime soon?

DS: No. Though I might get so tired that vikings end up in Thunderbolts.

CC: We know you’re a very busy man, how in Gods name are you able to work on so much?

DS: I….. DON’T….. KNOW! Well, I share art duties on Thunderbolts with Kev Walker, so I had a *little* bit of room in my schedule outside of T-Bolts. If it was more than a 3-issue arc, I don’t think I could have managed it. It’s still a hell of a lot of work but it was such a fantastic opportunity, I just had to accept, then find a way to make it work. You might have noticed I haven’t been posting elaborate sketches online in the past few weeks. Now you know why.

CC: As a Comic Cast exclusive, we would like to know what colour underwear you’re wearing?

DS: Today it’s black. Not boxers, not Y-fronts; something inbetween.

Show Links

DC: The New 52

Chris Judge’s Fund it page

Death by Chocolate by Alan Nolan

Roisin Dubh

Jennifer Wilde

Forming by Jesse Moynihan

Sally Go Round the Stars by Steve McCarthy

Arrietty trailer

Tove Jansson at the Tate

Blank Slate graphic novel for charity

*Declan Shalvey txt interview coming shortly*