Explore every episode of the podcast Pencil Us In
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pencil Us In 74 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 23 Jun 2024 | 01:12:25 | |
In which we discuss one of the biggest surprise success stories of the 20th century and beyond! We talk about the creators of the franchise, how it got to where it did, and where those creators are today. Join us for a story that doesn't actually end up with the creators getting horribly ripped off for once!
So, what sources did we use? Check em!
What comics did we cover for our topic? Take a look! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios): 1 - 11 THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us In 73 - Scott Pilgrim | 07 Apr 2024 | 01:03:00 | |
In which we discuss one of the more important indie comics of the 2000s! We talk about the writer/artist Bryan Lee O'Malley, we talk about the times the book came out in, and we even discuss the publisher a bit, Oni Press! Join us for some very important discourse! Or maybe just some rambling. Probably both!
So, what sources did we use? Check em! This
THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us In 64 - Until I Love Myself | 03 Jul 2023 | 00:36:06 | |
In which we discuss an interesting manga about gender, identity, and the roles inherent with them! Join us as we talk about creator Poppy Pesuyama's memoir about life so far! It's short, but pretty good! THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us In 63 - Happy Birthday Superman, pt 2 | 30 May 2023 | 01:01:17 | |
In which we discuss the origins and debut of the Man of Steel himself, Superman! Last time, we talked about how DC/National got to the verge of publishing Action Comics #1. Now we discuss how the creators of Superman (Siegel and Shuster) got there and how things went down afterwards! THERE WILL BE MORE ON THIS TOPIC!
So, what sources did we use? Check em! Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book (Basic Books) We also read some cool magazines with articles and stuff! Wanna know which ones? Alter Ego (TwoMorrows Publishing): 27, 56, 79, 88, 98 What comics did we cover for our topic? Take a look!
THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us In 62 - One Punch Man | 23 May 2023 | 00:41:55 | |
In which we discuss popular manga, One Punch Man, by a guy called One and another guy called Yusuke Murata! We talk about the comic's origins and how it got to where it is today! We explore a bit of background on the creators (such as they are), and we share whatever insight we may add (such as they are)!
So, what sources did we use? Check em! https://tokyo-reimei-note.com/2012/01/14/webcomic_2b/ https://archive.ph/20151117031927/http://sugoi-japan.jp/sugoi/03.html https://animechicago.com/articles/brief-history-one-punch-man/ https://medium.com/@social_28780/the-ridiculous-origins-of-one-punch-man-977d27538ea3 https://screenrant.com/one-punch-man-three-manga-comic-differences-explained/ https://kotaku.com/one-punch-man-is-about-the-plight-of-being-too-powerful-1840421788 https://www.cbr.com/one-punch-man-revealed-secret-saitama-power-monster/ https://culturedvultures.com/one-punch-man-beginners-guide/ https://comicbook.com/anime/amp/news/one-punch-man-how-saitama-was-made/ https://comicbook.com/anime/news/one-punch-man-season-3-creator-comment/
What comics did we cover for our topic? Take a look!
THANKS FOR LISTENING!< | |||
| Pencil Us In 61 - Happy 85th Birthday, Superman! pt 1 | 25 Apr 2023 | 00:40:50 | |
In which we set the stage for the first, the best, and a personal favorite super-hero, Superman! In order to properly place him within his context, we backtrack to the creation of the very first comic books. We weave in a few super-important figures in our tale and we leave it at a cliffhanger! Wanna know what happens next? Tune in next episode!
So, what sources did we use? Check em! We also read some cool magazines with articles and stuff! Wanna know which ones?
What comics did we cover for our topic? Take a look!
THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us Inventory 12 - We're Working On It! (We Promise) | 04 Apr 2023 | 00:21:09 | |
In which we stall for time and Phil gets real curmudgeonly about them newfangled characters! Anyway, we're working on stuff! You hear about some of the stuff in the episode! Go ahead and take a listen! | |||
| Pencil Us In 60 - Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) | 21 Mar 2023 | 00:54:43 | |
In which we tackle one of the big boys of recent popular comics, Demon Slayer! Su talks about the origins of the story, the background (such as it is) of the author, and even some history on the period of the piece! We're on the cutting edge this time (get it? Swords? Please get it)!
So, what sources did we use? Check em! https://mangainsider.com/demon-slayer-history-and-overview/ | |||
| Pencil Us Inventory 11 - We're Back (A Dinosaur's Story) | 07 Mar 2023 | 00:19:33 | |
There are probably a couple people (2 or 3 of you at least) wondering what happened. I'll tell you: Work. | |||
| Pencil Us In 59 - The Poe Clan | 01 Dec 2022 | 01:03:27 | |
In which we discuss a foundational shojo manga, the Poe Clan! We also discuss the life and times of its creator, Moto Hagio! Get ready! This episode will suck (blood or energy or whatever it is they were draining)! https://precur.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/guest-review-a-drunken-dream-and-other-stories/ THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us In 58 - Sensational She-Hulk | 07 Nov 2022 | 00:40:52 | |
In which we discuss the Sensational She-Hulk mostly under under the pen (and pencil!) of John Byrne! Wanna know how the whole breaking the 4th wall bit (years before Deadpool) came about? Find out here!
We read some cool magazines with articles and stuff! Wanna know which ones? Back Issue (TwoMorrows Publishing): 54, 78 What comics did we cover for our topic? Take a look!
THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us In 57 - Captain Harlock | 23 Oct 2022 | 00:47:08 | |
In which we discuss Japan's favorite space pirate, Captain Harlock! Join us as we voyage through the ether on a space battleship fighting to save the earth from space plant women and even humanity itself! We discuss the creator Leiji Matsumoto and a bunch of other stuff! Climb aboard! | |||
| Pencil Us in 72 - The Kirby Cometh Part 3: Thor | 12 Feb 2024 | 01:13:38 | |
In which we discuss the other great long Kirby comic of the 60s, Thor! We begin with a Journey into Mystery and find ourselves transported across time and space to the very departure of the King of Comics! A whole other king is in the book too, but he's a cosmic jerk! Anyway, join us!
So, what sources did we use? Check em!
We also read some cool magazines with articles and stuff! Wanna know which ones?
What comics did we cover for our topic? Take a look!
THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us In 56 - Sandman (and Books of Magic!) | 30 Sep 2022 | 00:40:08 | |
In which we discuss some work by Neil Gaiman! Sandman recently hit Netflix and we decided to get a little topical! A few weeks later, but better late than never, eh? We discuss how the book came together, we talk about themes, we talk about another book that Neil Gaiman did as well called Books of Magic! This isn't a super-deep dive, but it should be fun nonetheless!
So, what sources did we use? Check em!
We also read some cool magazines with articles and stuff! Wanna know which ones?
What comics did we cover for our topic? Take a look! THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us in 55 - Neal Adams Batman | 12 Sep 2022 | 01:06:52 | |
In which we discuss a recently deceased legendary artist! Neal changed the industry in several ways and we discuss a few here via reading his Batman work! Hear about how he helped change panel layouts! Hear how he expanded the color palette in comics! Marvel (tee hee) at a dude who just plain got his way! Credit is due to many! Here's some interviews I found online with Neal: THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us In 54 - Sailor Moon pt 1 | 22 Aug 2022 | 00:58:41 | |
In which we discuss the granddaddy (grandma?) of them all, Sailor Moon! Listen to our bio on Naoko Takeuchi and how she got to where she is! Understand that she's apparently capable of doing anything! | |||
| Pencil Us In 53 - Western Magical Girls | 11 Jul 2022 | 00:37:43 | |
Our exploration of the Magical Girl genre continues! We talk about girls that are magical in our own hemisphere! Wanna know if She-Ra counts? QUESTION ANSWERED!
So, what sources did we use? Check em! https://blog.funimation.com/2020/02/04/magical-girl-anime-guide-cute-grim-puella-madoka-asuka-cardcaptor-sakura/
THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us In 52 - Captain America: Winter Soldier | 04 Jul 2022 | 00:47:40 | |
That's right! We're celebrating the birthday of the ol USA with a reading of one of the best Captain America runs in existence! Join us as we talk about our incredulity over the resurrection of one of the sacred dead ones (RIP Gwen and Uncle Ben)! We'll talk about the context in which the idea was fostered and the continued resonance of the stories even today!
So, what sources did we use? Check em! https://comicbookhistorians.com/tom-brevoort-vp-of-marvel-interview-by-alex-grand-jim-thompson/ What comics did we cover for our topic? Take a look!
THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us In 51 - Magical Girls pt 2 | 29 Jun 2022 | 00:51:22 | |
In which we discuss more history of Magical Girls including the big one: Sailor Moon! Interested in a more in-depth look at Sailor Moon? You're in luck! Stick with us and you'll get at least one episode on it! WE PROMISE! https://blog.funimation.com/2020/02/04/magical-girl-anime-guide-cute-grim-puella-madoka-asuka-cardcaptor-sakura/ | |||
| Pencil Us In 50 - Magical Girls pt 1 | 20 Jun 2022 | 00:47:31 | |
In which we discuss a favorite genre from Japan, the magical girl! There's a big anniversary this year and it's the 30th for Sailor Moon! What better way to celebrate than to have an overview of the genre itself?? YOU TELL US! https://blog.funimation.com/2020/02/04/magical-girl-anime-guide-cute-grim-puella-madoka-asuka-cardcaptor-sakura/
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| Pencil Us In 49 - Golden Month: Human Torch and Sub-Mariner | 06 Jun 2022 | 00:49:05 | |
In which we discuss our two diametrically opposed protagonists, the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner! We talk about their creators, their packaging company Funnies Incorporated, and even a bit of other stuff! Join us as we discuss our hottest, wettest topic yet!
We read some cool magazines with articles and stuff! Wanna know which ones? Alter Ego (TwoMorrows Publishing): 3, 11, 22, 46, 49, 114, 165
What comics did we cover for our topic? Take a look!
THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us In 48 - Golden Month: Marvel (Mystery) Comics | 23 May 2022 | 00:44:44 | |
In which we discuss the origins and story behind Marvel Comics and its founder, Martin Goodman! Join us as we talk about some shady stuff! We also talk about some near disasters that somehow work out anyway!
We read some cool magazines with articles and stuff for reference! Wanna know which ones?
What comics did we cover for our topic? Take a look! | |||
| Pencil Us In 47 - Golden Month: Astro Boy | 16 May 2022 | 01:11:27 | |
In which we discuss one of the big boys of comics. That's right, that metal kid with the machine gun butt, Astro Boy! Listen in as we talk about his renowned creator, Osamu Tezuka! We discuss his upbringing, his experience with war, and finally how he broke out in a huge way in that war's aftermath!
So, what sources did we use? Check em! Also read was a particular manga-format biography of our subject's creator. It's:
What comics did we cover for our topic? Take a look! | |||
| Pencil Us In 71 - The Kirby Cometh: Fantastic Four pt 2 | 16 Nov 2023 | 01:01:39 | |
In which we discuss the very best of the Kirby/Lee collaboration on Fantastic Four! We'll follow our protagonists as they: Stave off world's end! Fight evil in Africa and Europe! Simp over characters with questionable hair! Join us for some of the best comics of the silver age and Marvel Comics in general!
We also read some cool magazines with articles and stuff! Wanna know which ones?
What comics did we cover for our topic? Take a look! Once again, I'll remind you that the entire Kirby/Lee run on Fantastic Four (including the Annuals) is REQUIRED READING. Just do it! THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us In 46 - Shang Chi | 29 Apr 2022 | 00:43:36 | |
Here's the final episode of Kung Fu Month with Shang Chi! We break down his origins and influences! We talk about some creators! We even discuss...uh...some not so great stuff!
So, what sources did we use? Check em! We here at Pencil Us In often lean heavily on the publications of TwoMorrows Publishing. This is no exception! Check out these books for what I read! | |||
| Pencil Us In 45 - Richard Dragon Kung Fu Fighter | 21 Apr 2022 | 00:41:24 | |
In which we discuss a pretty darn obscure character! The supporting cast (maybe minus poor Ben Jr) is more famous than the main character! It's a heck of a book, though! Join us as we journey way back in to the 70s (again!) to see everyone kung fu fighting! | |||
| Pencil Us In 44 - Ranma 1/2 | 07 Apr 2022 | 01:05:16 | |
It's the start of Kung Fu Month! To celebrate, we're bringing you the story of a boy who turns into a girl when he gets wet. It's Ranma 1/2! There's also like a Panda and and a cat and a pig and some other stuff. Get excited!
So, what sources did we use? Check em!
That's about all we had on this one. Sparse links, eh? DEAL WITH IT. | |||
| Pencil Us In 43 - Black Cat | 31 Mar 2022 | 00:38:45 | |
Hey, it's the end of Bad Girls Month and we're ending with the Black Cat! Ripoff of our somewhat more famous female feline felon?? Maybe not! Maybe somewhat? Anyway, listen and find out! Phil here: Hopefully you enjoyed Bad Girl month! I learned a few things. What about you? I didn't do extensive reading for this particular episode as I figured I would have enough from just one source plus some background I already knew. So learn from what I learned from! Also, just stay away from ladies with cat motifs. We read some cool magazines with articles and stuff! Wanna know which ones? | |||
| Pencil Us In 42 - Catwoman | 24 Mar 2022 | 00:43:29 | |
And Bad Girl month continues! Happy uh...bad girling? Anyway, we continue with a lady not quite as deadly as the last topic but she is somewhat less naked! I'm not sure why this is something I had to talk about! Let's talk about Catwoman! Specifically her turn-of-the-century run given to us by Darwyn Cooke and Ed Brubaker!
So, what sources did we use? Check em! https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/batman-the-history-of-catwoman/?amp We also read some cool magazines with articles and stuff! Wanna know which ones? | |||
| Episode 41 - Lady Snowblood | 11 Mar 2022 | 00:43:09 | |
In which we discuss everyone's favorite often-naked assassin, Lady Snowblood! We talk about the history of the creators and then maybe a little about the book itself! Interested?? FIND OUT BY LISTENING!! Phil here: Su did the research this week! That's uh...why she lead the episode? Anyway, it's always fun to learn about stuff from across the sea! So, what sources did we use? Check em! | |||
| Pencil Us Inventory 10 - Bad Girls Month | 03 Mar 2022 | 00:10:19 | |
In which we discuss the upcoming month... and some other things. | |||
| Pencil Us In 40 - Love Month: Strangers in Paradise | 24 Feb 2022 | 01:04:54 | |
In which we discuss a cult favorite! Join us as we discuss the life and times one Terry Moore and his most well-known creation: Strangers in Paradise!
So, what sources did we use? Check em! https://comicbook.com/comics/news/things-we-learned-about-terry-moores-strangers-in-paradise-reviv/ We also read some cool magazines with articles and stuff! Wanna know which ones? | |||
| Pencil Us Inventory 9: Love Month | 18 Feb 2022 | 00:11:36 | |
Welcome to yet another Inventory Episode of Pencil Us In! We do these once a month to give ourselves a little breathing space! Wanna know what we're currently up to? We talk about it here! Stick around for the concluding episode of Love Month next week when we discuss some Strangers to you and me! | |||
| Pencil Us In 39 - Love Month - Ralph and Sue Dibny | 10 Feb 2022 | 00:42:20 | |
It's still Love Month! Get the chocolate! Get in to a stable, loving, supportive relationship! That's right, the Elongated Man and the love of his life, Sue Dibny get the feature in this week's Love Month episode! Phil here: I guess I got this month off? I suck. Su is awesome. Be thankful that she's here! I know I am. Let's move along. So, what sources did we use? Check em! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDCDOP8XWxI We also read some cool magazines with articles and stuff! Wanna know which ones? Back Issue (TwoMorrows Publishing): #123 | |||
| Pencil Us In 70 - Something is Killing the Children | 31 Oct 2023 | 00:30:27 | |
In which...uh...something is killing the children! That something is monsters. Also people are monsters too or something? I don't know. Anyway, join us as we discuss a horror tale in the woods! Plus there's action!
So, what sources did we use? Check em! WE HAVE SOURCE I PROMISE. WE'LL HAVE THEM UP SOON. What comics did we cover for our topic? Take a look!
THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us In 38 - Love Month - Ore Monogatari!! (My Love Story!!) | 03 Feb 2022 | 00:40:34 | |
It's Love Month! We're gonna cover stuff about love! Well, mostly just couples or romances that we think are noteworthy. We begin the month with Ore Monogatari!! (My Love Story!!) I'm pretty sure all those exclamation points are totally necessary.
So, what sources did we use? Check em! So, what comics were we reading this week? Find out! | |||
| George Pérez Month - The Avengers 1998 | 27 Jan 2022 | 00:56:11 | |
In which we discuss, I think, the most important book(s) of George Pérez's lengthy career. You're not getting just one book, either! You're getting two! Which ones? Well, that's actually kinda obvious. We're talking about the 1998 Avengers relaunch. You know, that one that said "HEROES RETURN"? We're also talking about the logical followup in terms of epic scope: JLA/Avengers! Join our discussion!
So, what sources did we use? Check em!
We also read some cool magazines with articles and stuff! Wanna know which ones? | |||
| George Pérez Month - Wonder Woman | 20 Jan 2022 | 00:59:22 | |
In which we discuss our big topic of George Pérez! It's Wonder Woman! | |||
| George Pérez Month - New Teen Titans | 13 Jan 2022 | 00:52:50 | |
It's George Pérez Month! We're gonna talk about the biggest and longest-lasting hit of George's career, the New Teen Titans! | |||
| George Pérez Month: An Introduction | 07 Jan 2022 | 00:19:01 | |
In which we uh...introduce our topic for the month and talk about why we're doing it. We also get sidetracked like usual. | |||
| Pencil Us In - 2021 Year End Wrap-up! | 30 Dec 2021 | 00:14:17 | |
In which we uh..talk about 2021...or something. We look a little ahead to 2022 as well since...uh...well what else can we do? Wanna hear my opinion about MCU Hawkeye? Tune in! Wanna hear about other, unrelated things? Tune in! Wanna listen to something else? TUNE IN ANYWAY! | |||
| Pencil Us Inventory - Special Holiday Edition | 23 Dec 2021 | 00:27:23 | |
In which we discuss some holiday-oriented stories in comics! We also go off on a longer than expected rant on Superman. Also: When a Space Cat loves a useless man! Happy Holidays everyone! | |||
| Merch Month: Pokémon Adventures! | 16 Dec 2021 | 00:47:53 | |
Well, the episode was on time, but not the episode description! SHOCKING. Sorry about that! | |||
| Merch Month: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe | 09 Dec 2021 | 00:32:29 | |
In which we discuss one of the other enormous phenomenons of the 80s, the Masters of the Universe line from Mattel! We're specifically talking about the mini comics that came with each action figure. Are you old enough to remember these bad boys? I owned 'em, but I don't remember most of 'em! | |||
| Merch Month: G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero | 02 Dec 2021 | 00:52:29 | |
In which we talk about one of the biggest comics of the 80s, GI Joe! We landed on the idea for doing a merch month so this one immediately came to mind. We couldn't pass it up! And it's actually good! | |||
| Pencil Us In 69 - The Remarried Empress And Webtoons | 17 Oct 2023 | 01:02:23 | |
In which we discuss one of the largest platforms for comics in existence today. Plus we discuss one of the more popular comics to launch on the platform! Join us as we talk about the origins of the mighty Webtoons and then talk about the Remarried Empress!
So, what sources did we use? Check em! https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/a-brief-history-of-webtoons https://www.tcj.com/the-webtoon-a-new-form-for-graphic-narrative/ What comics did we cover for our topic? Take a look! The Remarried Empress (IZE PRESS): Vol 1 THANKS FOR LISTENING! | |||
| Pencil Us Inventory 8 | 25 Nov 2021 | 00:22:53 | |
That's right! We were late on last week's episode, but that don't mean that we don't got one more to feast upon this week of Thanksgiving! Today you give thanks for an extra episode. I DEMAND IT!! | |||
| Spider-Month: The Original Clone Saga | 22 Nov 2021 | 00:57:38 | |
NOTE: Sorry we're late! My job is in shipping and as you know, the holidays are approaching fast and all is madness. Hopefully this won't happen again, but I can't guarantee that! On to the episode! | |||
| Spider-Month: Return of Japan! | 11 Nov 2021 | 00:52:43 | |
In which we discuss more Spider-Man in Japan! Does that rhyme? I can't tell. Anyway, the focus here is something comic-related rather than actual...comic? That's right, we're talking about the Spider-Man show of the late 70s! Get on board! | |||
| Spider-Month: Spider-Man-ga | 04 Nov 2021 | 00:43:20 | |
In which we discuss a rather obscure piece of work from the early 70s! That's right, the 70s strike again! Get used to it! THERE WILL BE MORE!! | |||