Diaspora Boy

American artist Eli Valley created his Diaspora Boy comics because of his anger with the corruption of American Jewish institutions and so-called Jewish “leaders” that he was constantly exposed to. His response was a savage comic strip with a visual style that mixed the 50s Mad’s Harvey Kurtzman and the 60s R. Crumb.

I broadcast a radio commentary about the collected strips that Valley published in book form, and I also read one of his 9-panel cartoons on the air.

Click the triangle or mp3 link above to hear the commentary, as broadcast today on Arts Express on WBAI and Pacifica affiliates across the nation.

“The Horror! The Horror!”

HOD

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Artist and comic illustrator Peter Kuper has come out with a new graphic novel adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s sinister novella, Heart of Darkness. I had the pleasure of talking with Peter about that adaptation, as well as  a chance to talk with him about his 25 years of writing and drawing the “Spy vs. Spy” cartoon for Mad Magazine. As a bonus, we also got to talk about his work as the co-founder of the classic underground comic book series, World War 3 Illustrated.

You can listen to the interview as broadcast today on Pacifica Affiliates across the nation by clicking on the triangle above.

Lucky or Unlucky?

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Reading Lynda Barry’s comics always made me fell less weird, or conversely, more proud of my strangeness. The cartoons starring Marlys and her older sister Maybonne didn’t always make me laugh out loud, but they were the kinds of comics that stayed with me for a long time.

More about Lynda Barry at https://www.drawnandquarterly.com/greatest-marlys