Transcending Comics

Remembering Rachel Pollack with Joe Corallo

On this week's episode, we're remembering one of the most important figures in the history of trans comics, Rachel Pollack. Rachel was the first openly trans writer working in mainstream comics, and the creator of Coagula from the Doom Patrol. She was also a major figure in the realms of Tarot and spiritualism, on top of being an award winning science fiction writer.

Joining us today to discuss Rachel's work is her friend and collaborator, Joe Corallo. Joe also contributed an original story to last month's DC Pride: A Celebration of Rachel Pollack, in which he brought DC's first trans superhero back into ongoing continuity.

We also want to dedicate this episode to Liara Kaylee Tsai, an incredible DJ who was kind enough to let us feature her music in the second episode of our show. She was a pillar of our local trans communities, and we miss her dearly. This week's opening song is her untitled sample from 15 Mar 21, and our outro is her song Tesselation Matrix. You can listen to more of her music on soundcloud at https://soundcloud.com/vutall

Transphoria: A Trans & Non Binary Comic Anthology (feat. Kat Calamia, Phil Falco, Daniel Falco, & Ben Kahn)

Today, we're chatting with the brilliant minds behind Transphoria, an incredible trans & non-binary comic book anthology from Lifeline Comics.

Tomi is joined by Lifeline Comics founders Kat Calamia and Phil Falco, plus writer and lead-editor Daniel Falco, as well as returning guest Ben Kahn! They're here to share insights on the successful Kickstarter campaign that hit its $26,000 goal in just 25 hours, and the 19 inspiring stories that make up this anthology.

Our discussion ranges from the origins of Transphoria to the unique challenges and joys of curating such a diverse collection, and what aspiring creators can do to create appealing story-pitches to submit to future comic anthologies.

Don't forget to check out the ongoing Kickstarter campaign for Transphoria and support these incredible creators before June 27th!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/comicuno/transphoria

Neon Gender: Evangelion from a Trans Perspective

This week on Transcending Comic's, we're joined by Tiktok's "Just Nausicaa" for a discussion about trans representation in on of our favoire anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion!

We'll be discussing how we came across this series, what it's meant to us over the years, and examining its characters and themes through a trans and queer lens. We discuss Shinji's journey and its resonance with the trans experience, the unique character dynamics, and the impact of the series on our lives. We also delve into the Rebuild films and their portrayal of trans themes, as well as the evolution of our own perspectives as we revisit this iconic anime post-transition.

This episode is a deep dive into how media can reflect and shape our understanding of identity, trauma, and self-discovery.

Ben Kahn (Captain Laserhawk, Renegade Rule, Elle Campbell Wins Their Weekend

Today we're joined by multi-talented creator, Ben Khan, as they share their creative processes, influences, and experiences throughout their comic career. From their work with Ubisoft tie-ins like "Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix: Crushing Love" and "Immortals Fenyx Rising," to indie comics like "Renegade Rule" and "Heavenly Blues,"  or even their new young adult novel "Elle Campbell Wins Their Weekend!" If you're not familiar with Ben from their incredible work in comics, you might recognize them from the Progressively Horrified podcast! 

Ben does an incredible job both playing with and subverting established tropes, and they have a knack for world building that we've rarely seen elsewhere!  We get into the creative origins behind these stories, and gush about the films that have inspired their work.

Celebrating Free Comic Book Day - Transformers, Monster High, Gatchaman, Asterix and More!

To celebrate Free Comic book Day 2024, we're doing a special cross-posted episode of Transcending Comics and Giant Sized Violence. Eri and Tomi go back and forth discussing their free comic picks, and have a quick discussion on a great graphic novel find, Princess Knight by Osamu Tezuka (to be covered in a future episode of Transcending Comics).

Eri's Picks:
Monster High
Mad Magazine: FCBD 2024 Special Edition
Unico: The Awakening

 

Tomi's Picks:
Gatchaman #0
UltraDuck
Energon Universe Special

Niki Smith and Ollie Hicks: Succulent: A Trans-Inclusive Sapphic Comics Anthology

This week we're joined by Niki Smith and Ollie Hicks, two incredible creators currently  collaboration on a trans-inclusive sapphic comics anthology 'Succulent', which is currently live on Kickstarter! 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/khaoskreator/succulent-trans-inclusive-sapphic-comics-anthology?ref=discovery

We learn about the origins of the upcoming project, and get into the inspirations of Niki and Ollie's previous works. You may recognize Niki from books like 'The Deep and Dark Blue,' 'Crossplay,' and 'Golden Hours." Ollie also has some incredible comics under their belt, like 'Grand Slam Romance,' 'Butch Bros,' and 'Henchman's Day Off.' 

The Invisibles Vol. 2 - The Invisible Community College Book Club

We're back this week to finally return to our Invisible Community College Book Club series, where Tomi and Eri are covering The Invisibles by Grant Morrison one volume at a time!

We'll be covering issues #13-25, as found in the second collected edition of the series. We also be discuss some of Grant Morrison's Substack essays that get into the writing process for the series, as well as their real-life experiences that inspired the events of these issues!

It's a trippy conversation on an even trippier book, that leads us through musings on our own experiences of gender exploration, as well as the magic of storytelling!

Lorry Jamison: On Party Animals and YA Horror

This week on Transcending Comics, we're joined by an up-and-coming writer of LGBTQ YA horror comics, Lorry Jamison!

We discuss their anthology series, Nightshade, which so far includes Party Animals and Blush. We also get into the many inspirations behind their comics, including our shared nostalgia for Goosebumps and Young Avengers, as well as real-world local haunts!