Episode 62: Comics with Mimi Pond and Carol Tyler

Welcome to another quarant-episode How Do You Like it So Far? crew!  What week is it anyway?  Where are we? We have no idea!  We hope you are all staying safe and inside your homes as much as you can.  We appreciate your patience as we bring you another remote episode. All hail technology since it’s been key in helping us figure out how to keep the podcast running.  We appreciate you sticking around and letting us keep you company!  

This week we celebrate the launch of Henry’s new book, Comics and Stuff, with another installment of our series on comics.  We have Mimi Pond, author and artist of 2014 New York Times bestseller Over Easy and The Customer is Always Wrong and Carol Tyler, author and artist of You’ll Never Know (which was compiled into Soldier’s Heart) and Fab Four ManiaBoth of these authors are discussed in Comics and Stuff. And the heart of the interview comes as they discuss here their relationship with the stuff they render in rich detail across their booksThese two inspirational artists discuss their origin stories as comics creators and their involvement with some of the men who created the underground comics movement in the 1960s. They discuss what it meant to them to tell women’s stories of work and family life through their comics and how they took inspiration from the scrapbooking tradition. They also discuss the impact of movies on comics (that’s right and not the other way around) and encourage comic artists to study movies for their visual storytelling. Near the end, Mimi asks Carol about her experiences as a young Beatle fan, experiences central to her newest book. And then they open up about contemporary comics artists they think we should be reading, offering lots of great recs for comics readers.  Make sure to stay tuned in for the wrap-up since Henry gives readers a preview of Comics and Stuff and what he says there about today’s guests.  Looking for comic recommendations? Check out our notes section below!

Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:

How Do You Like it So Far? episodes mentioned in this podcast:
Episode 53: Understanding Comics with Scott McCloud
Episode 57: Experiment with Comics with Dan Goldman and Clifford Johnson
See also Henry Jenkins conversation with Carol Tyler, 2013

Comics mentioned in this episode:
Weirdo
Wimmens’ Comix
Twisted Sisters
Lil’ Abner
Pogo
Justin Green
Spain [Rodriquez]
Peanuts
Richie Rich
Archie
Valley Girl’s Guide to Life (Mimi’s work)
Zap Comix

Comic Artists mentioned in this episode: 
Gary Groth
Robert Crumb
Trina Robbins
Aline Kominsky-Crumb
Diane Noomin
Bill GriffithZippy the Pinhead
Jules Feiffer
Virgil Partch
Roz Chast
Lynda Barry
Matt Groening
M.K. Brown
Art Spiegelman
Sam Gross
Wayne White
Peter Bagge
Trevor Alixopulos
Derf Backderf
Punk Rock and Trailer Parks
My Friend Dahmer
Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio
Ed PiskorHip Hop Family Tree
Air Pirates 
Bobby London
Dan O’Neill
Lauren Weinstein
Vanessa DavisMake Me a Woman
Emil FerrisMy Favorite Thing Is Monsters
Alison BechdelFun Home
Mary TalbottDotter of Her Father’s Eyes
Gabriel Ba and Fabio MoonDaytripper
Lucy Knisley — Relish

Post-Painterly Abstraction era

Abstract expressionism

Mark Rothko

Turner’s Burrito Party

Signet Version of EC — Mad

California College of Arts & Crafts

Underground comic scene is predominantly male

National LampoonShary Flenniken (Cartoon editor)

Mama’s Royal Cafe

Billy Wilder

The Mitford Sisters

Whatever Gets You Thru the Night – John Lennon

Ron HowardThe Beatles — Eight Days a Week (documentary)

Esther Pearl Watson

Laura Park

Nancy series
Mark Newgarden and Paul Karasik
Started as an essay about the original comic strip, became a book length study
Comic strip revived by Olivia James

Tom Spurgeon

Henry’s new book – Comics and Stuff (Available April 14, 2020)

Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry and Colin and also through email at [email protected]!

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