In this special holiday episode, the panelists take a journey through the comics of Christmas past, present, and future. We recap our favorite reads of the year, talk about some great comics from the Shortbox Comics Fair, and pick some exciting new reads for the new year.

Happy holidays!

• (00:00) - A Comics Christmas Carol
• (01:37) - Comics of Christmas Past
• (15:41) - Comics of Christmas Present
• (16:45) - Exo
• (33:40) - Spaghetti Western
• (44:39) - Dead Horses
• (01:04:28) - Dream Loop
• (01:19:38) - Comics of Christmas Future
• (01:20:22) - Jillian’s Short Read
• (01:21:33) - Robin’s Short Read
• (01:22:05) - Scout’s Short Read
• (01:23:07) - Matt’s Short Read
• (01:24:33) - Jillian’s Long Read
• (01:27:05) - Robin’s Long Read
• (01:29:08) - Scout’s Long Read
• (01:33:21) - Matt’s Long Read
• (01:36:57) - Back Matter

SPOILERS FOR THE EPISODE
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Shortbox Comics Fair Reads:

• Exo by Jaye Fabel
• Spaghetti Western by Ian T Bisbal
• Dead Horses by Freya JN
• Dream Loop by Inkpangur

Short reads:

• Absolute Wonder Woman Vol 1 - Jillian
• Blade Maidens - Robin
• KOH-BOKU - Scout
• Batman: Wayne Family Adventures - Matt

Long reads:

• Berserk: The Golden Age Arc - Jillian
• Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou - Robin
• Fullmetal Alchemist - Scout
• Blue Period vol 1-6 - Matt

A comics podcast for everyone, proud to be a part of The Worst Garbage network.

Find us on Bluesky or Tumblr.

This week’s panelists can be found at:

Matt

Scout

Robin

Jillian

Editing by Matt Horton and AJ Fillari.
Cover art by Scout Wilkinson.
Intro/Outro music by Boqeh.

Today, our panelists venture into Veil by Kotteri. We discuss the "will they, won't they, are they already?" romance, unique storytelling, and most importantly, the fashion and design present in the first two volumes of this manga.

• (00:00) - “Veil” by Kotteri
• (00:37) - Front Matter
• (02:09) - What we thought
• (06:17) - Read digital if you can!
• (07:51) - Piano key dress
• (08:09) - A summary
• (09:03) - Manga in full color
• (12:38) - This unique structure
• (14:56) - Alexander as Auron
• (16:00) - Dior ribbon Emma
• (16:55) - Not really friends or lovers
• (21:55) - Just posting her OCs
• (24:38) - The phone booth
• (26:49) - Pictures of sounds
• (27:45) - A book about hands
• (32:23) - The dialogue
• (36:00) - The art of not explaining a damn thing
• (42:24) - Fashion corner
• (44:24) - L O O K
• (45:11) - Veil over her eyes
• (46:29) - Watches in her hair
• (47:14) - Just their legs
• (48:06) - Connecting covers
• (48:52) - Drawing touch
• (50:59) - We love Veil
• (52:15) - The depiction of blindness
• (55:55) - Further reading
• (01:03:27) - Back matter

A comics podcast for everyone, proud to be a part of The Worst Garbage network.

Find us on Bluesky or Tumblr.

This week’s panelists can be found at:

Matt

Scout

Robin

Jillian

Editing by Matt Horton and AJ Fillari.
Cover art by Scout Wilkinson.
Intro/Outro music by Boqeh.

Join our panelists today for their longest read yet! We dive into the magical world of Witch Hat Atelier to discuss the magic of creating, the pitfalls of power, and what it means to be a mentor. Take our hands and follow us down the winding path - there's more to magic than meets the eye.

• (00:00) - Witch Hat Atelier
• (01:26) - Impressions
• (05:42) - Front Matter
• (11:50) - The mangaka
• (14:02) - Diversity in this series
• (20:40) - The art
• (26:31) - The primary conflict
• (37:17) - Class consciousness
• (42:56) - Middle schooler syndrome
• (48:15) - The adults and their responsibilities
• (49:40) - Olruggio and Qifrey
• (57:43) - Sinister Qifrey
• (01:04:28) - Class divide & abuse
• (01:08:18) - CW: sexual abuse
• (01:15:26) - The responsibility we have to children
• (01:19:45) - Different approaches to magic
• (01:22:56) - Shirahama’s approach to the medium
• (01:29:43) - Drapery
• (01:31:23) - Portmanteaus
• (01:33:58) - The brush buddy
• (01:35:28) - The Knights Moralis
• (01:36:13) - Listener Questions
• (01:36:29) - “How are you finding the forbidden magic?” - Yuki
• (01:39:56) - “Witch Hat as a video game?” - mbrodz
• (01:43:56) - “Magic as a creative process” - Ghost of Josei
• (01:52:28) - “Which character benefits from Qifrey being on ice?” - full metal Steve
• (01:57:48) - Further Reading

You can find the first three chapters of Witch Hat Atelier on KManga for free!

And check out both trailers for the upcoming anime adaptation of Witch Hat Atelier here and here!

A comics podcast for everyone, proud to be a part of The Worst Garbage network.

Find us on Bluesky or Tumblr.

This week’s panelists can be found at:

Matt

Scout

Robin

Jillian

Editing by Matt Horton and AJ Fillari.
Cover art by Scout Wilkinson.
Intro/Outro music by Boqeh.