The Trades vs Jokes, round one? Also: what can comics be, what is 'world building', Br--- Gr----, Orcstain, The Weatherman #1, and the power of friendship.

In a very The Trades episode of The Trades, we talk about: doing murders, comics about murders (Beneath the Dead Oak Tree), More Brian K Vaughn Discourse (Pride of Baghdad), and Aaron didn't realize I've had his copy of Rosemary Vallero-O'Connell's comic about a person growing a plant in their guts for probably a couple years now. Friendship's like that.

We're in the same time zone for the first time in two years, and it has not helped any with how tired we both are all the time. Still, good to be back (on our bullshit.) This episode: Shit talking certain award-winning comic tomes, Aaron's in a dark pit of Asano's making, and lesbian zombie exploitation comix. Plus, the long-awaited conclusion to Titan, and therefor the saga of The Trades reporting on Titan.

This one's kind of a doozy. We start with the Clue comic from IDW, which Aaron says is only sometimes condescending, and then we talk about how to (in)appropriately use awful shit in popular culture. Namely, that Image Comics thing. TWs for discussions of: antisemitism, depictions of nazis, depictions of islamophobic violence, racism.

The supernatural episode! FST is trying to get cursed, Aaron's reading about ghosts and gods in Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service and Godshaper, there's some grousing about Wonder Woman. We are both probably cursed by our own status as perennial malcontents.

FST and Aaron grapple with the small town, the small press, and some big ideas in this The Trades. Plus, our free comic book day recap, and Aaron issues perhaps the most scathing review of his comics criticism career. cw: dead dog, mention of drug use in a comic

In an extremely characteristic episode, we weigh in on comics controversies, shout about The Internet, and come up with like four moneymaking schemes, including a partnership with HGTV. Plus, Aaron read Someone Please Have Sex With Me, which sounds good.

Aaron reads The Abaddon, which is not an Abba biocomic, but rather an approximate adaptation of No Exit. He feels like maybe the young man in question's energies could be better employed in not being a sex idiot, but likes the pictures. I make some controversial claims about Ray Bradbury. To close, we discuss Captain America, the iconographic history of nazi punching, and The Future That Liberals Want.

Love is in the air! Or, love was in the air, like, three weeks ago, when we recorded this. Or, we anticipated that love would be in the air approximately a week after when we recorded this, which was like three weeks ago. Anyway, we talk about romance comics, Aaron's worst ever choice of media (Monster Musume, the Seinfeld of comics about monster girls who want to fuck), I double down on my claims that the only good romance comics is childhood friends......... or more? and some other stuff i've forgotten by this point.

Back at it again at The Trades Headquarters. The end is nigh, but not of our podcast. Aaron's reading Joan Cornella, I'm reading a bunch of stuff from the Retrofit kickstarter, we both muse about the value of satire in the dark times ahead. Spoiler: I'm not sold on it, honestly.