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The Best Show on WFMU => Show Discussion => Topic started by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 06, 2009, 04:50:35 PM

Title: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 06, 2009, 04:50:35 PM
Hi all,

I'm very proud to present part 1 of my two-part interview with Tom for Marvel.com.  This was a real honor for me and Tom was the greatest.  I'll post a link for part 2 when it goes live.  Enjoy!

http://marvel.com/news/comicstories.9099.Famous_Fanboys~colon~_Tom_Scharpling_Pt~dot~_1

8/11/09 UPDATE -- here's part 2!

http://marvel.com/news/comicstories.9157.Famous_Fanboys~colon~_Tom_Scharpling_Pt~dot~_2

Best,
Dan
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: Martin on August 06, 2009, 04:52:24 PM
Password, please?
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: fonpr on August 06, 2009, 04:55:42 PM
Yeah, where's it at Danny?

This isn't some spammy trickery is it?
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: Christina on August 06, 2009, 04:57:03 PM
Yeah, where's it at Danny?

This isn't some spammy trickery is it?

Weird - I didn't need a password.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: Matt on August 06, 2009, 05:00:36 PM
The password is NOT:

scharpling
password
marvel
bestshow
wolverine

I'll keep trying!
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 06, 2009, 05:03:50 PM
It's asking you for a password?  Weird, I don't know anything about that...but if you go to Marvel.com (the home page), you should be able to access it from there.  But that link should work!
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: masterofsparks on August 06, 2009, 05:26:07 PM
I went to the front page and found a link to the interview that way, but it's still asking for a password.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: fonpr on August 06, 2009, 05:27:24 PM
This is a pain in the ass.   


Let's have a password.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: Steeley Chris on August 06, 2009, 05:45:29 PM
Totally worked for me. Maybe the internet knew that I bought a box (A BOX! Not just a few packs, but an unopened box) of X-Men trading cards (Jim Lee illustrated) when I was in third grade, without really knowing who the X-Men were (aside from seeing them in that one episode of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends when I was 4) and never looked back. I'm like two cards or so shy of owning the complete set.
You guys must read DC. The internet knows.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: betheboy on August 06, 2009, 05:49:47 PM
Great interview, looking forward to part 2. 
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 06, 2009, 06:34:19 PM
Thanks, betheboy! 

So I guess the link is working now.  Fredericks, can you confirm?
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: masterofsparks on August 06, 2009, 06:57:11 PM
Still not working for me. I tried clearing my cache and even switched browsers, but nothing other than a password request.

Curse you, internet.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: fonpr on August 06, 2009, 09:41:26 PM
Thanks, betheboy! 

So I guess the link is working now.  Fredericks, can you confirm?


Confirmed Dan-O.

Book'em

Thanks
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: Reeleyes on August 06, 2009, 10:35:59 PM
Awesome interview so far and I didn't need a password or anything.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: erechoveraker on August 06, 2009, 11:39:42 PM
Fun read.

Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: JonFromMaplewood on August 06, 2009, 11:53:46 PM
I do not read comic books. This made me want to read comic books.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 07, 2009, 12:03:08 AM
I do not read comic books. This made me want to read comic books.

That is awesome.  And thanks for the kind words, everyone!
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: Martin on August 07, 2009, 12:34:34 AM
I enjoyed reading it! One thing: it's "Jon", not "John".
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 07, 2009, 12:36:41 AM
I enjoyed reading it! One thing: it's "Jon", not "John".

Yeah I know -- it was changed by accident to "John" and should be fixed now.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: hugman on August 07, 2009, 02:11:04 AM
Is this the appropriate place to reiterate that my face is getting elbowed by Daredevil in issue 3 of this current run (I have no idea how comic books work)?
(http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h74/ejhuggins/DDNOIR003_9s.jpg)
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: Trembling Eagle on August 07, 2009, 02:34:15 AM
sweet!
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: icepants on August 07, 2009, 03:32:24 AM
Excellent!!
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: MikeInManhattan on August 09, 2009, 03:18:40 PM
Great interview, Dan!!! Keep 'em coming!
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 09, 2009, 07:04:29 PM
Thanks, C.  Part 2 coming soon!
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: Shaggy 2 Grote on August 09, 2009, 09:48:03 PM
Great piece!
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: Steve in North Hollywood on August 10, 2009, 04:09:03 AM
Totally killer piece!!!  I'm in the same boat with Tom about Marvel appealing to me right off the bat, whereas DC just wasn't my thing.  Even for all the time I spent watching Burton's Batman, it was Marvel books I was reading and collecting.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 11, 2009, 03:09:39 PM
Bumping this -- original post is updated with part 2!  Hope you enjoy it! 

Best,
Dan
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: hugman on August 11, 2009, 04:12:08 PM
That was great, Dan.  Especially part two.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: MikeInManhattan on August 11, 2009, 04:20:30 PM
Tom's superpower: can hang up passing people's cell phones... wait for it... with his mind...

Frank From Weehawken's superpower: to somehow take any food/drink and make it booze-infused... Also the ability to channel deceased hip-hop icons as spirit guides...
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: B_Buster on August 11, 2009, 04:34:52 PM
That Dark Avengers thing is giving me ideas.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: AndrewVDill on August 11, 2009, 04:38:28 PM
That Dark Avengers thing is giving me ideas.

Just retool SCUMMForce a little and you're all set.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: MattJohnson on August 11, 2009, 04:46:14 PM
That was a really delightful interview. Also, I had no idea the Marvel web site was producing so much content now; my only memory of it before this was going there when I was a child to check the dates for upcoming comics.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: erechoveraker on August 11, 2009, 06:46:38 PM
Tom and comics is something that just needs to happen.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom!
Post by: methanolcereal on August 11, 2009, 06:51:47 PM
Is this the appropriate place to reiterate that my face is getting elbowed by Daredevil in issue 3 of this current run (I have no idea how comic books work)?
(http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h74/ejhuggins/DDNOIR003_9s.jpg)

Did you know the artist? Who's work is that anyway? Alex Maleev?
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: hugman on August 11, 2009, 08:01:25 PM
It's Tom Cokker. He's a friend of some friends. He did a poster for this band I was in and while we were there I whined about wanting to be in a comic book and he appeased me.
My friend poses as Daredevil a lot and another friend is the punisher.  Not always with Tom, either.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: Patman on August 11, 2009, 10:15:34 PM
man these were great, thanks for the links
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 11, 2009, 10:48:50 PM
That Dark Avengers thing is giving me ideas.

Oh man, what have I done?

Otherwise, thanks to everyone for checking it out and for the kind words.  A little bit of the interview ended up on the cutting room floor...I'll see if I can post the unedited version here at some point.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: Big Plastic Head on August 11, 2009, 11:15:25 PM
THANK YOU for posting that, Dan. Really great.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: not that James on August 12, 2009, 08:57:36 AM
Tom and comics is something that just needs to happen.

I'm thinking something along the lines of "Reid Fleming"
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: MikeInManhattan on August 12, 2009, 12:41:12 PM
Tom and comics is something that just needs to happen.

I'm thinking something along the lines of "Reid Fleming"

I'm thinking Tom as Carl Seltz in Hard Boiled.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: amiright?? on August 12, 2009, 01:05:27 PM
It's Tom Cokker. He's a friend of some friends. He did a poster for this band I was in and while we were there I whined about wanting to be in a comic book and he appeased me.
My friend poses as Daredevil a lot and another friend is the punisher.  Not always with Tom, either.

I can't see it!  Is it one of those magic eye things?
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: orangewhip on August 12, 2009, 03:56:32 PM
Does anyone have a scan of the best show reference from uncanny x-men?
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: cas-vik on August 12, 2009, 04:40:44 PM
Does anyone have a scan of the best show reference from uncanny x-men?

That's what I was about to ask.  Even a description will do.  Anybody?
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: erechoveraker on August 12, 2009, 04:59:39 PM
Can't find the inked/colored version, but check out the shirt in the 2nd panel.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FhbiObtTc64/SdDuYEDynHI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/sd_oURxUL4U/s1600-h/UNCX507018_150rough3.jpg
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 12, 2009, 05:07:39 PM
here ya go:

http://www.mattfraction.com/+posts/xshow.jpg
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: James W on August 13, 2009, 06:24:27 AM
Great job, D & T. I hope Marvel figure this thing out when the time comes.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: ian on August 13, 2009, 08:49:38 AM
anybody reading x-men forever?
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 13, 2009, 01:03:26 PM
anybody reading x-men forever?

I read the first couple and really enjoyed them.  They're very Claremont -- very dialogue heavy.  But it felt like X-Men from the 80s/early 90s and I liked that a lot.

I covered this Wolverine event at MoCCA where Claremont talked about it a little bit (here's a link for anyone interested):

http://marvel.com/news/comicstories.7991.Wolverine_at_MoCCA
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: ian on August 13, 2009, 08:09:54 PM
i haven't read anything claremont has written since he dropped out of x-men in 1992 or whenever, until x-men forever. so for me i didn't miss a beat. fanboys and wizard seem to like to diss him now (or at least i get that sense in conversation with nerdier comic nerds) but i wouldn't because it will look foolish as forever plays out and shows itself to be one of the most interesting things marvel has done in years.

i like his style of writing most for x-men and all these attempts to make shit grittier or more modern (reboots stink) in his absence just bored me. i like big crazy x-men plots with twisty left turns and lots of thought bubbles, romance, and broad strokes. there's been a backlash against exposition in superhero comics that i think is a little unfair, as it can be very charming.

lately i've also been into old silver surfer, infinity gauntlet, claremont's uncanny run (#200ish-280), x-men forever, and jim lee punisher war journals from late 80s/early 90s



haha oh yeah, you guys have to see this

it's a ten issue series from 1990-91 called punisher armory, and it's completely fucking insane. it's just pictures of guns and the punisher describing them in detail or throwing out odd anecdotes:

click for bigger versions

(http://imgur.com/WaFAIl.jpg) (http://imgur.com/WaFAI.jpg)

(http://imgur.com/RBSxvl.jpg) (http://imgur.com/RBSxv.jpg)

(http://imgur.com/x1g0Il.jpg) (http://imgur.com/x1g0I.jpg)

(http://imgur.com/zfIyrl.jpg) (http://imgur.com/zfIyr.jpg)

(http://imgur.com/TP4iXl.jpg) (http://imgur.com/TP4iX.jpg)


is this not the creepiest thing in marvel history?

i mean, who was this aimed at? 13 year old kids?
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: erechoveraker on August 13, 2009, 09:47:48 PM
I LOVED that series. Eliot Brown was the editor on it I believe, and he nailed the tone of the Punisher in that thing so well I thought, given he was a creepy murdering superhero. I also had an unhealthy affection for firearms back then, yes around 14 or so years old, so mixing them with comics was right up my alley. I haven't flipped through one in probably a decade or more, but they were usefully informative and I recall quite a bit of stuff from them to this day, especially in regards to writing crime comics and the like.

Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: orangewhip on August 13, 2009, 11:23:18 PM
I ate that shit up as a kid to, and well...kinda still do.  Garth Ennis did some really fun Punisher stuff.
If anyone hasn't seen Punisher: War Zone, you should.  It is the funnest "bad guys getting shot in the face" movie ever.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: Reeleyes on August 14, 2009, 04:32:32 PM
I used to collect comic cards and remember getting the Punisher's Armory card.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: methanolcereal on August 14, 2009, 06:25:49 PM
I have this vague memory of my father returning home from a business trip of sorts and bringing me a Punisher action figure in like, 1991. I don't really remember if I liked the Punisher at the time (probably more into the X-Men, Spider-Man and maybe Batman, if the Bruce Timm-styled cartoon was on at the time) since I was about four, but I do remember the toy had this weird trigger on the back that would make a clicking sound. I too vaguely remember thinking the Punisher was cool at some point in my youth, but I don't think I actually read any of the books he was in.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: dnk on August 16, 2009, 06:13:14 PM
Great piece. I wonder what book Tom would write if he could pick any one. What book do you guys think he'd be the best fit on? I just started listening to TBS five months ago and have never watched MONK so I still don't an informed opinion on something like this.

On a side-note, I started listening because of Matt Fraction's constant hype.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: PatrickChew on August 19, 2009, 04:32:47 PM
haha oh yeah, you guys have to see this

it's a ten issue series from 1990-91 called punisher armory, and it's completely fucking insane. it's just pictures of guns and the punisher describing them in detail or throwing out odd anecdotes:

is this not the creepiest thing in marvel history?

i mean, who was this aimed at? 13 year old kids?

I totally remember buying these when I was a kid. It's like a glimpse into an insane death cult's compound.

And yes, I think they were squarely aimed at 13 yr old boys. Especially ones who tried to draw their own crazy weapons (anything is better with a grenade launcher attached to it).
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: kevin_ on August 19, 2009, 10:14:54 PM
I wonder what book Tom would write if he could pick any one.

Or what would you guys like to see Tom write? Just off the top of my head I'd wanna see something like Nextwave or Deadpool and Cable.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: dnk on August 20, 2009, 05:55:41 AM
I wonder what book Tom would write if he could pick any one.

Or what would you guys like to see Tom write? Just off the top of my head I'd wanna see something like Nextwave or Deadpool and Cable.

That's the next question I posed in the post you quoted, but those are interesting choices. Especially since he talks about the character a lot, I think Tom might be a good fit on an Iron Fist book. There's definitely room for humor as Fraction and Bru's run showed (Swierczynski's run had a few kind of funny bits too), but it'd also be a really interesting thing to see Tom take on. Kung fu billionaire. Such a perfect comic book character.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: buffcoat on August 20, 2009, 12:31:32 PM
Has Tom ever mentioned Negativland?
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 20, 2009, 01:13:33 PM
Just from the interview and Tom's enthusiasm for them, I'd have to say a DEFENDERS reboot would be awesome.  Otherwise, I think SPIDER-MAN or DEADPOOL -- something where Tom's voice can shine through -- would be great.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: Wes on August 20, 2009, 01:49:51 PM
Damage Control - the comic about the company that cleans up the mess when cities are routinely destroyed in the Marvel Universe - seems like it would be the perfect title for Tom.

That, or a Blade mini-series set in the 1970s, where the daywalker travels to England and has to protect the band Slade from a group of vampire soccer hooligan fans who are upset that Slade dropped their skinhead look.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: bruce (So swiss can chat) on August 20, 2009, 02:43:49 PM
That, or a Blade mini-series set in the 1970s, where the daywalker travels to England and has to protect the band Slade from a group of vampire soccer hooligan fans who are upset that Slade dropped their skinhead look.
Blade was around in the 70's in The Tomb Of Dracula* looking like the complete opposite of the movie version
(http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/10959/342911-48536-blade_super.jpg)


*Marvel was just bat shit insane in the 70's
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 20, 2009, 05:07:11 PM
That, or a Blade mini-series set in the 1970s, where the daywalker travels to England and has to protect the band Slade from a group of vampire soccer hooligan fans who are upset that Slade dropped their skinhead look.
Blade was around in the 70's in The Tomb Of Dracula* looking like the complete opposite of the movie version
(http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/10959/342911-48536-blade_super.jpg)


*Marvel was just bat shit insane in the 70's

I think I prefer that to the Wesley Snipes version!
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: MikeInManhattan on August 20, 2009, 05:20:00 PM
Personally, I prefer the ramblings of delusional, semi-racist old Golden Age "icons." Those old guys sure let their craziness loose in the panels.

http://robotsweatshop.blogspot.com/2009/03/robot-sweatshop-episode-18-barry.html

Barry Ludtnik, you're an American treasure. And like most treasure, you belong under 6 feet of dirt.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: kevin_ on August 22, 2009, 04:35:45 AM
Damage Control

Nice pick. Just sparked my memory of my parents buying me a 10-comic bundle from Costco when I was like 9, and Damage Control #1 was in there. Didn't ever get another one. I wonder if they got around to cleaning up that mess. Also included in the bundle--SuperPro.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: Shaggy 2 Grote on August 22, 2009, 09:27:16 AM
Damage Control would be great for Tom, as would a Power Man/Iron Fist revival.  Spider-Man is an obvious choice, but I think he'd do a great job with it.  I'd really like to see him do a Secret Wars II reboot, maybe starring the frustrated TV writer who turns into a golden-armored supervillain on a Pegasus and starts destroying fast food places.  Or maybe the Beyonder just strolling around Los Angeles, being an omnipotent idiot.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: Regular Joe on August 24, 2009, 06:38:55 AM
Man, this is pretty crazy, but believe it or not I actually DIDN'T read this interview before making that S.C.U.M.M. Force cover. I actually started drawing it the night of that very show, put it aside, and only finished it just before I shared it. It's very interesting! Good interview.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 24, 2009, 01:39:42 PM
Man, this is pretty crazy, but believe it or not I actually DIDN'T read this interview before making that S.C.U.M.M. Force cover. I actually started drawing it the night of that very show, put it aside, and only finished it just before I shared it. It's very interesting! Good interview.

Haha, that's awesome.  There are forces at work here bigger than either of us, Regular Joe! (I think that force is Mike.)
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: kittykittymeowmixhead on August 24, 2009, 04:12:08 PM
Awesome interview, even for a non-reader-of-comic-books.

I was intrigued by the pic of Matt Fraction's Best Show reference - I guess I perceived those superhero comic books as having pretty much all male characters and female characters simply as devices to drive their motivations. Which has led me to wonder, what are some good comics for, or that might appeal more to girls/women?
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: kevin_ on August 24, 2009, 09:19:46 PM
what are some good comics for, or that might appeal more to girls/women?

Alias! I think it's got a pretty strong female lead. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alias_%28comics%29. This and Exiles got me back into reading comics.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: methanolcereal on August 25, 2009, 01:08:12 AM
Awesome interview, even for a non-reader-of-comic-books.

I was intrigued by the pic of Matt Fraction's Best Show reference - I guess I perceived those superhero comic books as having pretty much all male characters and female characters simply as devices to drive their motivations. Which has led me to wonder, what are some good comics for, or that might appeal more to girls/women?

Any of Brian K. Vaughan's stuff.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: kevin_ on August 25, 2009, 01:59:15 AM

Any of Brian K. Vaughan's stuff.

YES. I forgot about this fool cause he's been half-AWOL for a while but I ride for this guy 100 percent. I bought 3 digests of the uber hip Runaways for my sister a few years back. Love Ex Machina, about the super powered mayor of NY. I'm less of a fanatic for Y the Last Man than some people I know but it's good too. You guys ever read BKV's version of the movie script? Not bad at all.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 25, 2009, 01:59:51 PM
Awesome interview, even for a non-reader-of-comic-books.

I was intrigued by the pic of Matt Fraction's Best Show reference - I guess I perceived those superhero comic books as having pretty much all male characters and female characters simply as devices to drive their motivations. Which has led me to wonder, what are some good comics for, or that might appeal more to girls/women?

Hey, thanks for checking out the interview! As for comics you might like, I think everyone else's recommendations have been spot on.  I'd add, if you want to go for the more serious lit type material, "Persepolis" and "Fun Home" are both excellent.  I'm not sure how open you are to the superhero stuff, but I think "Astonishing X-Men" (complete omnibus coming soon) by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday can be enjoyed by anyone, as can "All Star Superman," which I've read 3 times, and it continually blows me away.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: kittykittymeowmixhead on August 25, 2009, 04:48:57 PM
Thanks for all the suggestions! I will be checking out my local comic book store (there's on right in the train station in Astoria) for these.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: DanFromBrooklyn on August 25, 2009, 05:07:00 PM
KKM, I forgot -- you should definitely check out "We3" by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely.  Of all their amazing work, that ranks around the top for me.
Title: Re: Marvel.com interview with Tom! -- UPDATED with Part 2!
Post by: Shaggy 2 Grote on September 09, 2009, 11:23:29 AM
Good suggestions so far, and I would add Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez' Love and Rockets, all of which is collected.  And there are quite a few great female writers/cartoonists out there: Annie Nocenti, Gail Simone, Jessica Abel, Dame Darcy, Ariel Schrag.