Truth, Beauty, Comics

A Christmas for Shacktown by Carl Barks

It’s the holiday season in Duckburg and money is in short supply: Donald only has five dollars to scrape together for Christmas presents but nobody has it worse than the kids of Shacktown, the place where people in Duckburg live who are down on their luck. In a burst of Christmas Spirit, the ducks decide to throw a Christmas party for Shacktown with turkeys and a toy train. But to raise the money for the party, they’ll need twenty five dollars from Uncle Scrooge and it’ll take a miracle to get him to part with it. In this story Carl Barks channels Charles Dickens and creates “A Christmas for Shacktown”, one of the best comics in his bibliography.
 

Loss and Revenge: Bleach's "Memories in the Rain"

Ichigo is the quintessential steely tough-guy, never smiling, never crying. But he wasn’t always that way. In fact, before his mother was killed, he was altogether different. Today, on the anniversary of his mother’s death, old feelings and memories come back as he and his family visit her grave. But when a familiar ghost girl appears at the graveyard he’ll confront more than just memories from his past and be pushed to the limit to save his family from the same demon that took his mother.
We're discussing volume 3 from the 3-in-1 collection: Memories in the Rain.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Today, on a Very Special Episode of Truth, Beauty, Comics we switch up the format to Truth, Beauty, Holiday TV Specials and discuss the 1973 cartoon, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. (It's highly comics-adjacent so we thought we could get away with it.) It's our own Thanksgiving Special so curl up with a huge bowl of gravy and a generous helping of turkey and enjoy!

Tintin: King Ottokar's Sceptre

Tintin joins Professor Alembic on a trip to the kingdom of Syldavia to study their royal seals as a guest of King Ottokar. But a mysterious group has taken a sinister interest in their trip. Tintin races across the landscape of Eastern Europe, trying to stay one step ahead of foreign agents and conspirators, so he can save the throne of Syldavia from a foreign coup.
In a story that reflects the deteriorating politics of Europe before WWII, Herge will introduce a vivid recurring character that appears in future adventures: The Kingdom Of Syldavia.
You can find King Ottokar's Sceptre on Amazon.

Bleach: The Death and the Strawberry

Ichigo has always been able to see ghosts but after he meets Rukia, a member of the mysterious Soul Society, he is inducted into the order and becomes a Soul Reaper. Now he’s got to hunt evil spirits, called Hollows, protect his friends and family, and attend high school and keep his grades up. It’s Tite Kubo’s hit manga Bleach with over 130 million copies in circulation and we're talking about it today on the podcast.
We're discussing volumes 1 and 2 from the 3-in-1 collection: Death & Strawberry and Goodbye Parakeet, Good Night my Sista.

Tintin - The Black Island

Following the trail of a mysterious airplane, Tintin crosses the channel into the United Kingdom. Chased by the police and organized crime, Tintin has his hands full solving the mystery before he runs out of time. He’ll make his way up the length of the isle until finally reaching Scotland and the deadly Black Island. In a story that was drawn and redrawn three times by Herge over thirty years, is the third time the charm?
Felix and Levi discuss this classic early Tintin Adventure on today's podcast.

Prince Valiant and The Siege of Andelkrag

Valiant is no longer a boy, but he still is not a man. He’s had his first taste of love, which ended in heartbreak, and now he returns to Camelot with the hope of becoming a knight. When Saxons invade, how will Val react? And what will happen when the young man encounters a perfect kingdom with a death wish? Felix and Levi discuss it on the podcast today.
As in the previous episodes, we'll be starting with the last strips of Volume 1 of the Fantagraphics Collection which covers the years 1937-1938 of the strip and then mostly Volume 2, which covers the years 1938-1939.

Tintin and the Broken Ear

A South American idol is stolen from a local museum and Tintin is on the case. The idol itself isn’t valuable so why are so many people hunting for it? The trail leads Tintin to South America, through a revolution, into the deep jungle and finally back to Europe for the surprising conclusion. It’s Tintin and the Broken Ear, a macguffin-chasing, globe-spanning mystery that could have been written by Dashiell Hammett. Felix and Levi discuss this early adventure on today's episode.
We are reading from the Edgemont edition which can be found on Amazon.