My First Comics: 'Amazing Spider-Man' #124

A great piece on Screencrush, counting down the top 15 Spider-Man segments from Electric Company got me all nostalgic thinking about how that show was my first exposure to Spider-Man as a character. Some of the episodes have burned themselves into my brain (particularly the one with the Yeti...and the measles one...and the Dracula one...and the Mets wall one...heck, all of them), which is crazy as I haven't seen them in roughly 35 years.

My first Spider-Man comic was a book and record set from the 70's, based on Amazing Spider-Man #124. It's a combination radio-play/read-along abridged version of the story where J. Jonah Jameson finds out his son is Man-Wolf. I remember thinking it was kind of creepy as a tyke (I was a pretty timid kid when it came to monster stuff), but not nearly as frightening as the Man-Bat record that I had from the same company (and which I'll get around to in a later post). Though I had Spider-Man Underoos and Mego toys (the doll and the smaller action figures and vehicles), for some reason, I didn't really get into Spider-Man comics in any real way until the late 1980's. Maybe this record was too intense for me?

You can listen to the whole thing above in the embedded video.

Podcasts: Exploring Captain America on ESN.fm's 'Not Just a Boy Scout'

You've seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Now what? Now you dive into Captain America comics, with Moises Chiullan, myself, and our guests Brad Graeber (CEO of Powerhouse Animation) and Amanda Shuckman (from All Things Fangirl) as your trusty guides. We talk about how we got into Captain America, our favorite Cap comics, and what the character means to each of us. And did I mention that current Captain America writer Rick Remender is also interviewed in this episode? This is a good'un, folks.

You can listen here or subscribe to the Giant Size channel via iTunes.

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'The Winter Soldier,' ECCC, and Pull Lists Dominate ESN.fm's Test Pattern

So, I use this space to pimp Giant Size, the comic book podcast I co-host with Moises Chiullan, but I've never linked to Test Pattern before now. Test Pattern is the pre and post show chatter that Moises and I have every time we record (as well as the full audio from creator interviews before they're edited for use in Giant Size). It's usually part of the ESN.fm live feed but we chop it off to create the Giant Size show and post the shorter tidbits later in a separate feed. Every now and then we'll actually plan a discussion for Test Pattern. In this case, Moises and I had both seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier a little early so he decided we should discuss it and post it on opening day (so that spoilers were a non-issue).

There are three new episodes of Test Pattern that all hit on the same day...

Episode 5: 'Creator-Owned Success' was cut from the post-show of Giant Size #4. In it, we talk about how to figure out whether one of our shows was good or not and the fact that we're almost completely ignorant of each others' comic pull lists.

Episode 6: 'The Sarah Connor Chronicles' (from Giant Size #5) is mostly me badgering Moises about who he should talk to at Emerald City Comic Con.

Episode 7: 'Throws His Mighty Shield' (also from Giant Size #5) is the one that's the most like a "real" episode of Giant Size (minus production values). In it we talk about The Winter Soldier, its place amongst the Marvel studios films, and our general opinions on Marvel movies as a whole.

Listen at the links above or subscribe to the Giant Size master feed to get all of the related content.

Podcasts: 'Internet Comics Database' on ESN.fm's Giant Size

Every year SXSW becomes slightly more comic-centric, which I guess makes sense as comics become more focused on the digital experience. In this episode of Giant Size, host Moises Chiullan and I talk about digital comic success stories and how the relationship between the internet and comics creators is changing how we buy comics. Between our regular chatter, we have interviews with Code Monkey Save World's Greg Pak, Jonathan Coulton, and Drew Westphal, as well as conversations with head honchos from Comixology (CEO David Steinberger, John D. Roberts, and Chip Mosher) and one-half of the team that's made Chew a cult success for Image, artist Rob Guillory.

I think the best part of this show (no disrespect to the guests) is when Moises and I start talking about Marvel AR and how digital bells and whistles in comics should really work. It's the part of the show that inspired this episode's title, and I'd like to know what other people think about where our heads are at concerning how to make digital comics an all-together different experience than print.

Thanks to our sponsors...

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And thank you for listening. You can listen here or subscribe to the Giant Size channel (which includes the full shows as well as "Test Pattern," our always-interesting post-show chatter).

ESNfm's Giant Size: 'Personal and Honest' With Zdarsky, Francavilla, and Leth

We're trying something a little different on this episode of Giant Size -- we've got small interviews with big creators and some discussion about each one's place in our hearts. First up is Chip Zdarsky (Sex Criminals) who talks about the superhero books that hooked him as a kid. Next, Francesco Francavilla (Afterlife With Archie, Guardians of the Galaxy) joins us live from Staple! Expo to talk about his love for old Disney comics. Writer/artist Kate Leth (Kate or Die, Adventure Time) closes out the show with a "Ladies Night" party at Austin's popular Austin Books & Comics. We enjoyed the conversation these creators inspired, and we hope you do too.

You can listen here or subscribe to the Giant Size feed through iTunes.

This episode of Giant Size is sponsored by...

• Transporter (Enter code ELECTRIC75 for a discount)
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Podcasts: 'Jokey-Jokey Bang-Bang' on ESN.fm's All-New Giant Size

What happens when host Moises Chiullan and myself come across a couple of guys who are interested in comics but don't consider themselves fans? This episode is what happens! Joining us on the show are David Sparks (macsparky.com) and Casey Liss (of Accidental Tech and more) to talk about how to stop worrying and love the comic art form. The conversation flows as we talk about digital versus print, early 90's Image, and the difference between good and bad "boobie comics."

In the second half of the show, storyteller Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise, Rachel Rising) talks to Moises about his current work.

You can listen to the episode here or subscribe via iTunes.