I’ve decided to start using this blogging space.
Starting today, I’m going to post a new top-five list every Monday.
So, here goes nothing…

If I’m drawing, then there’s probably a podcast playing in the background. I find it helpful to occupy the vierbal and aural parts of my mind while I work on the visual part of the comic (on the other hand, I can only listen to music or ambient noises while writing). I’m pretty sure that I’m not alone in this. In fact, I recently learned that Scott McCloud’s wife would read to him while he was drawing Zot. So, with that in mind, here are my five favorite podcasts. There’s a pretty good chance that any comic on this site was drawn while listening to one of these.

1: SEQALAB

I’ve been listening to SEQALAB since before there was a SEQALAB. Just as I was reading through the archives of American Elf, the founding members of SEQALAB were subbing on Around Comics where they interviewed James Kochalka. From there, I followed them to their own show, and I’ve been listening weekly ever since.

The cast of SEQALAB is made up of students, faculty, and alumni of the Savannah College of Art and Design Sequential Art Program, and it often feels like all of the best things about the art and writing workshops that I took in college and grad school. The thing that I enjoy the most about SEQALAB is the mix of personalities and interests on there. Most of the comic podcasts that I’ve found tend to be focused on a single form of comics, and they usually dismiss the others. SEQALAB is the only comic podcast that enthusiastically covers everything. And, because everyone on the podcast is a cartoonist, there’s a big focus on discussing what works (or doesn’t) and why it works (or doesn’t). The podcasts tend to run a bit on the long side (1:30 seems to be the average) but that tends to be the perfect amount of time for drawing.

2: Webcomics Weekly

Along with SEQALAB, Webcomics Weekly has been both a great source of background entertainment, and a huge inspiration for my work. The discussions tend to be more focused on the business side of comics than the art side, but that’s a big part of why I find Webcomics Weekly so valuable. It’s essentially a chance to eavesdrop as four successful cartoonists talk shop. That may not sound exciting, but it’s ridiculously informative, and (given that they are all humorists) often hilarious.

3: This American Life

I’m not sure if there’s a lot to say about This American Life that hasn’t been said. It began as an antidote to the tone of public radio, and has now come to define it. But it’s still a fascinating show, especially for someone like me who if fascinated with everyday life and other people’s stories. This American Life is also how I discovered Sarah Vowell and David Sedaris, who have both been major influences for me.

4: Radio Lab

Radio Lab is science through stories. It’s like This American Life, but the focus is on science rather than everyday life (although it’s often about the point where those two intersect). I enjoy drawing to Radio Lab, but it’s even better to listen to while on a long walk. Also, the episode on memory has had a pretty big impact on my writing and cartooning.

5: The Sound of Young America

Like Fresh Air, each episode of The Sound of Young America tends to feature either an interview with someone who I find interesting, or an interesting interview with someone I’ve never heard of. Unlike Fresh Air, the guests on The Sound of Young America skew strongly toward the nerdy and comedic. It’s also notable for the informal tone, which leads to much more interesting conversations than most interview shows. It sometimes feels like The Sound of Young America is made of the tangents that get edited out of other interviews, which is a big part of why I like it.

I’ve had dinosaurs on my mind a lot lately. Here are my five favorite species:

1: Iguanadon

I don’t remember how Iguanadon became my dinosaur, but it has been as far back as I can remember. While it’s one of the most historically significant species, there isn’t anything particularly flashy or unusual about about Iguanadon. From what we know, they’re essentially the cows of the early Cretaceous period. But their thumb spikes do give them a permanent thumbs-up, and they were one of the inspirations for Godzilla, and I was obsessed with Iguanadons as a kid. I also went on and on about Iguanadon Cheese, which I’m sure will be the subject of a future comic.

2: Saltasaurus

It’s a saurapod.
With armor.
And a thumb spike.
And it could stand on its hind legs when necessary.
When the Planeteers combine their powers, they create Captain Planet. When dinosaurs combine their powers, they create Saltasaurus.

3: Ankylosaurus

To be honest, I like Ankylosaurus the same way some people like cars. I just think it has an incredibly nice design, and the armor and tail are bonus features. Bonus features that make it the dinosaur equivalent of a medieval knight armed with a mace.

4: Styracosaurus

I like all of the Ceratopsian dinosaurs, but Styracosaurus is the most striking. Growing up, I had a Triceratops and a Styracisaurus toy. At some point I decided that they were married, and the Styacisaurus was the wife. My dinosaur toys often lead more modern lives than those of other kids.

5: Deinonychus

Long before Jurassic Park came out, I loved Deinonychus. I loved it for all the reasons that people love Velociraptors today, which makes sense since when people think “raptor” they usually picture a Deinonychus instead. Still, I have to admit that “raptor” is an easier name to remember and say, and historical accuracy hasn’t really done any favors to the image of either Velociraptor or Deinonychus. I’m sure that feathers offered them many evolutionary advantages, but contemporary restorations look more cuddly than terrifying.

1: Jim’s Big Ego:The Ballad of Barry Allen

Honestly, this is my favorite representation of The Flash. Jim Infantino focuses on the loneliness of living in a different time frame than everyone else around you where of every moment for the rest of your life stretches out like a long afternoon. It’s the height of terrifying monotony.

Also, Jim Infantino is the nephew of Carmine Infantino, which gives him major comics credibility, and adds a more personal layer to this song.

2: Peter Mulvey: November
(to get an MP3 of this, follow the above link, scroll down to “Brother Rabbit Speaks / Rain” and download the sample song)

The comic connection only comes out in the full title, “November in Calvin and Hobbes.” That title instantly sets the colors for the song, and the lyrics perfectly reflects the tone of the Watterson’s late-fall sunday strips.

3:Barenaked Ladies: Same Thing
(The song begins about 3:15 into that clip)

I like this song because the second verse reminds me so much of growing up as a comic fan. Not just because the first comic that I bought on my own was an issue of The Fantastic Four, but I remember (like most geeky teenagers in the mid-90s) reading Wizard and thinking that I might one day live off of my comic collection.

Of course, the industry is still recovering from that kind of thinking.

4: Paul McCartney & Wings: Magneto and Titanium Man

This is not exactly one of the greatest songs of all time, but it is catchy (like everything, good or bad, that McCartney has written). I like it because of how obscure the choices of Magneto and Titanium man are. None of these characters had any non-comic exposure in the mid-70s, and using that group adds to the comic feel more than more archetypal villains like Lex Luther or The Joker would have.

5: The Tragically Hip: It’s a Good Life if You Don’t Weaken

I don’t know if this is actually connected to the comic of the same name by Seth, but the tone is so close to that of the comic that I’m going to include it. Plus, it’s just a beautiful song.

1: Black Monarch’s Castle

The best Lego castle money can buy. Up until this point, Lego castles were usually dull gray with a slight bit of red trim. After this, the castes were gimmicky and built into raised baseplates. This castle was near perfection. The black and gray combination gives it a striking, almost sinister look. While not quite to scale (looking at the figures, I think my apartment is the same relative size) it still manages to appear massive. Plus, the minifigures actually looked like a medieval army, dressed in scale mail instead of t-shirts with team logos on them.

2: Mega (Multi) Core Magnetizer

This has to be the sturdiest vehicle in Lego history. The wheels seem like overkill for something that is essentially a giant UPS truck, but they sure make it look impressive. I also like that it has a bridge in the front. Lego spaceships tend to be solitary affairs, but here you have a crew of three pilots who work together to drive, operate the crane, and whatever the third one did.

3: Deep Freeze Defender

What I loved about this ship was the fact that it could be reconfigured into a fleet. Those two cockpits in the front were each independent ships, and the satellite and garage sections could also separate, giving you one ship, two ships, three ships, or even four ships. Granted, the back two sections didn’t look as impressive on their own, but many important meetings were held in the back section after it was escorted to a secret asteroid.

4: Galactic Peace Keeper

Can you tell that I was a big fan of Lego Space? This was a fairly small and simple ship, but it was also a very fun set. It was just the right size to hold in your hand and swoosh around the room, the jail cell would often detach at inopportune, but dramatically appropriate, moments (often the result of sabotage), and there were laser guns that could be tucked away under the side panels. What more do you need in a futuristic police cruiser?

5: International Jetport

I had no idea how small this set was until I starting writing this. In my memory this was so much bigger. I think that there was more going on in this set than the photo does justice to, but I think it also says as much about me as the bricks themselves. Now it just makes me wonder if there were ever airports where you went through the security gates directly in to the open air, and could then lounge on the roof.