Robots From Tomorrow!

Robots From Tomorrow

A comix podcast coming to you from somewhere in the multiverse. Stay safe and enjoy your funny books.

  1. Aug 5 ·  Bonus

    Sierra Barnes on HANS VOGEL IS DEAD v1

    (Originally published on January 26, 2023) Sierra Barnes is a cartoonist whose work combines such varied influences as history, folk lore, mythology, fascism, anti-fascism, war, and foxes that might not actually be foxes. Her webcomic exploration of these topics, HANS VOGEL IS DEAD, was just announced as having its first volume of strips collected with updated content by the folks over at Dark Horse Comics. She uses her degrees in History and German Studies, as well as an MFA in Comics from California College of the Arts, to bring to every page Hans Vogel's death to life.  Greg sits down with Sierra to talk about the long road in getting Hans Vogel out of her head and on to the screen and page, the differences between mythology, folklore, and history, how she learned to stop worrying and love the art of lettering comics, what tales scarred her for life, her take on the age-old question "Walt Disney: Threat or Menace?", and much more! [This episode is number 787 in a series.] CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 02:56 - HANS VOGEL Pitch 07:31 - HELLBOY and Influences 08:59 - History vs Art Origins 16:41 - Folklore vs Mythology 24:41 - Germany Identity and Propaganda 31:29 - Valkyries and Wagner Revenge 32:39 - Research Into Storytelling 35:31 - Workflow and Deadlines 42:40 - Digital Meets Traditional 43:23 - Pencils vs Inks 47:28 - Lettering as Storytelling 56:11 - Why Comics Fit History 01:02:59 - Walt Disney: Threat or Menace?  01:08:53 - Roasting History Movies  01:18:01 - Outro

    Sierra Barnes on HANS VOGEL IS DEAD v1
  2. Jul 27

    Chris Schweizer on OUTLAW'S APPRENTICE

    One of the benefits of doing a show for as long as I've done this is not only meeting and talking to new folks, but checking back in with previous guests to see what they've been up to since we last talked. Today's episode is one of the catching up variety. My guest was last on the show back in April of 2022 for his miniseries, Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton, with collaborator, fellow cartoonist, and studio mate Kyle Starks. Do yourself a favor and check that out if you haven't done so already because it was, and still is, a hoot to listen to. He is a multiple Eisner, YALSA, and Stumptown Award-nominated cartoonist. He has also been, at one time or another, according to the internet, takes a deep breath, a hotel manager, movie theater projectionist, martial arts instructor, set builder, church music leader, process server, bartender, sixth grade social studies teacher, janitor, speakeasy proprietor, video store clerk, field hand, deckhand, kids TV puppeteer, muralist, kickboxer, pancake mix factory line worker, and, dramatic breath, a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design, teaching narrative theory, comics theory, and character environmental design. His published works include The Crogan Adventures graphic novel series from Oni Press, the nonfiction graphic novels The Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery, and Maker Comics' Fix a Car! with an exclamation point at the end, and other collaborations with the aforementioned Kyle Starks, including a shockingly good Mars Attacks miniseries. At the end of his last appearance on this show, he mentioned just starting on pencils for a comic he was intending to serialize called Outlaw's Apprentice. And it's that comic and the Kickstarter campaign for its first volume that brings Chris Schweitzer back on the show today. [This episode is number 840 in a series.]     CHAPTERS 00:00 – Intro   05:50 – Series Pitch and Setting 10:12 – Legacy and Creative Stakes 14:50 – Appalachia as Foundation 19:16 – Character Craft and Monologues 24:35 – Lessons from Crogan  34:06 – Tools Paper Sizes and Materials 37:27 – Serialization Feedback and Editing 47:24 – Art Style Shifts  56:12 – Why Swords Fascinate  01:03:02 – Ethics Of Violence  01:16:53 – Libraries And Access  01:23:20 – Outro

    Chris Schweizer on OUTLAW'S APPRENTICE
  3. Jul 9

    Hazel Newlevant on QUEER AND HOW WE GOT HERE: A (PERSONAL) HISTORY

    Hazel Newlevant is a Brooklyn-based cartoonist known for creating and editing comics about queer history, bisexuality, polyamory, and reproductive rights. Their cartoonist CV highlights start off with the Xeric Grant-funded mini comic Ci Vediamo in 2012 and the Prism Comics Grant-funded biography of Harlem Renaissance blues singer Gladis Bentley called If This Be Sin in 2013.They decided to branch out into anthology editing in 2016 with Chainmail Bikini, which collected experiences of female and nonbinary gamers in a male-dominated space. The success of that led them to keep a foot in both worlds moving forward. The anthology side racked up co-editing titles like 2017's Comics for Choice, 2019's Puerto Rico Strong, and 2024's Becoming Who We Are: Real Stories About Growing Up Trans. Back on the strictly cartoonist side, they put out the 2017 graphic novella Sugar Town and the 2019 graphic novel No Ivy League. This body of work over the first decade of their career, give or take, has earned them the Ignatz Award, the Eisner Award, and the GLAAD Media Award. But that is all prelude to their new book, released last month, which brings them here today. Queer and How We Got Here: A (Personal) History blends the creator's personal history with their growing understanding of the larger landscape of queer identity THAT history is unfolding in. By sharing both parts of that journey equally in such a clear and effective narrative, they have made a book that belongs in every library, bookstore, and home. [This episode is number 838 in a series.]   CHAPTERS 00:00 – Intro 04:36 – Queer History or Personal History - Which Came First? 07:03 – Choosing The Moments 11:44 – Who This Book Is For  20:02 – Identity Categories and History 25:51 – Color Palette Choices 29:05 – Workflow and Archival Process 33:05 – Outlining and Structuring the Puzzle  43:04 – Outro

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A comix podcast coming to you from somewhere in the multiverse. Stay safe and enjoy your funny books.