This week, in a very special early episode, the boys welcome cartoonist Kyle Starks to the show!  Kyle has made a name for himself with online comics like The Legend of Ricky Thunder, Adventure Wizard and Punch Captain; his latest comic is Sexcastle, a Kickstarter-funded comic with the brilliant elevator pitch, "Have you ever thought, 'Man, I wish there were more things like the movie Road House?'"  He did.  We definitely did, too, so it was a match made in podcast heaven.  The conversation ranges from the tight plotting and seeding of elements in the comic, to its theme of responsible parenting, to misogyny in comics and fandom, to the hustle of being an independent comic creator.  Plus, ridiculous 80s action movies and pro wrestling!  It was outrageous fun.

But more than that, we at C!TB are really passionate about Sexcastle.  It's a great comic with a good message from a creator we're proud to support.  This Kickstarter campaign will be your only chance to get it, and it's a steal.  At the $5 backer level, you get a digital copy of the 200 page graphic novel, as well as a bonus 22 page, full colour anthology mini-comic.  And because both comics are already done, you get it this week.  No waiting, no shipping, just great comics, immediately.

Back it.

Find Kyle online on:

Twitter: @starr226

Tumblr: Robot Mountain

Web: Kyle Starks dot com, where you can find Kyle's other webcomics and a link to his store where you can buy even more!

(Music in this episode is "GTS," by Adam Warrock.  Go to Adamwarrock.com to find more of his free music and links to buy his albums!)

This week, the boys rebound from a fairly relaxing long weekend (for James) and recuperative return from the presumed brink of death (Brandon) to do what they do best: insult each other with accusations about their sex lives, watch TV and talk about comics.  The TV show this week is the pilot episode of Fargo, the re-imagining of the Coen Brothers modern classic about murder and marriage in the midwest.  After making a cursory attempt at discussion about the differences between the two iterations and the use of Billy Bob Thornton as an almost omniscient force of nature and destruction, they get down to brass tacks; the real reason why they're watching:

Adorable Minnesota accents and lots of them!  Martin Freeman does one!  He's British, donchaknow!

After regaining their composure, James and Brandon talk about comics they loved (including Genesis, Ms. Marvel #3 and Batman #30), DC's impending nightmare that is their awful schedule for soliciting and ordering books for their upcoming September event month and the ethical dilemma of whether to see X-Men: Days of Future Past while the director, Bryan Singer, is facing accusations of sexual assault, if ever.  It's a sensitive subject, and we welcome your comments, questions and responses below, via Twitter or through private emails.

This week, Brandon is sick so James does even more talking than usual.  Lucky you!  It's not like he monopolizes the conversation normally anyway.  After they talk about their weekend, which included a comic shop event and the humour of Ingmar Bergman, they gush over the new sitcom Surviving Jack, which is a shockingly mature look at marriage and parenthood.  It's basically the opposite of Home Improvement, showcasing the comedic chops of Chris Meloni and Rachael Harris as rational, reasonable, funny adults.  Who knew?!

After this, they discuss the comics the loved in the last week, and two pressing issues in comics: Amazon buying ComiXology and Brett Booth's harassment of Janelle Asselin, as well as the outrageous frequency with which rape threats are directed at women by strangers, and the mindset that encourages it.  Warning: this one gets serious.

That said, James talks about identifying with MODOK, so it's not entirely serious.

This week, the boys sit down for the first time in weeks to actually catch up and talk about the things they've done, the things they've watched and the comics they've read.  While James was judging people (formally!), doing charity work and watching wrestling, because he is a sensitive renaissance man, Brandon was off discovering the fact that The Band existed.  That is not a joke: Brandon literally did not even know about one of the most famous Canadian bands of all time.  Commence your ridicule.

Besides this, the hosts discuss their rare difference of opinion about the How I Met Your Mother finale, their similar love of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and their cautious optimism about Mike Judge's new HBO series, Silicon Valley.  Afterward, the run through the comics they loved last week, including Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business, Dead Letters #1 and Pretty Deadly #5, and literally toast to the death of Archie Andrews.

It was a pretty busy night!

This week, the boys sit down with André Lima Araujo, the artist of Avengers AI and the upcoming Man Plus, a creator-owned project likely coming in 2015.  In addition to talking about his work and developing a unique look for Marvel's most singular Avengers book, James and Brandon also talk to André about football/soccer, True Detective (mild spoilers for like five seconds!), Hannibal and exploring manga.  James trolls him substantially less than he does on Twitter.

Find André online at:

Twitter: @erdna11

Web: André's literal instructions were to google his name, but when pressed, he said you can find him on DeviantArt (username: erdna1) or Blogspot (username: andrelimaaraujo), which we feel is much more helpful.