Zoe's Blues
Issues # 1-3 (of four)
Story by Carla Rodriguez
Illustrations by Rosa Colon

Price: $3.00 per issue
Email: sodapopcomics@hotmail.com
Comicspace
Myspace



I first heard about this comic through the I Read Comics podcast. I'm always interested in indie superheroe comics, so I wrote to Rosa and Carla asking if I could buy copies of Zoe's Blues. In a few weeks, I had review copies of all three issues waiting for me in my mailbox. (Thank you Rosa and Carla!)

Each issue is printed in color on nice, semi-glossy paper and side-stapled. For the production quality alone this comics is worth $3.00, but the story and images support this worth. There is an interesting juxtaposition between the flowing, pencil drawn characters and the precise, thick lines of the settings. A pencil-shaded Zoe moves in a world of bright colors and patterned backgrounds. The first time I read Zoe's Blues, I was thinking, I don't know if you can do this and make the comic work. But by the third issue, I was digging it. This is sometimes the way I feel in my day to day life. The people I know are real and vibrant. But the mundane furniture of my life - the desks and tables - are replicable images. I've moved across the country with two suitcases, but the furniture I have in my new apartment could just as easily have been with me in Alabama. The images  in Zoe's Blues could have been done in completely one realm or the other, but I like the slight discord. It makes me ask the comic questions, and interact with the text.

The story is fun and engaging. Zoe has superpowers (ice!) that she has not quite mastered yet. She wants to go to college, but her parents want her to join their superhero team. Zoe struggles with writing a college application essay and crushes on the cute waiter at the cafe where she goes to take a break from her family. The first two issues set up the world and the minor elements of discord within the family, but in issue three the plot picks up the pace and the villain Speed Demon (who briefly made an entrance in issue two) takes control of Zoe's story.

Issues one and two have great character development. Flashbacks to Zoe's childhood are interwoven smoothly with the current family events. There are several lovely scenes of interaction between young Zoe and her parents. The most moving of these occur when Zoe's optimism is thwarted by her uncontrolled powers.

But issue three is my favorite so far. Speed Demon arranges a chat with Zoe, and in addition to being an incredibly cute Speed Demon he also precipitates the kind of witty dialogue that will make you smile as you read. It starts with Zoe and Speed Demon's first conversation together. Zoe asks, "What gave you the bright idea that I would help you?" and Speed Demon, looking flustered, answers "Well, because you look like a reasonable human being, and..." then in an inset close-up of Speed Demon's face "I know stuff." :).  Yes! Smile. :). These are the geeky heart-warmers that make the third issue of Zoe's Blues extra cool and make me wish for a plush version Speed Demon with whom I can have similarly shyly incoherent conversations.

Speed Demon divulges the story of Zoe's parents and then makes her an offer she will hopefully refuse. As Zoe listens to Speed Demon's story, her parents search for her. Zoe's younger brother, Tommy, sits on the floor beside his sister's bed and worries. The character depictions are very realistic in this issue, and the two art styles interact on a new level. When Zoe's parents fly out of the house to search for their missing daughter, their curvy, pencil outlines move away from the angular lines of the house in a brief but powerful image of movement and intent.

I have not read the fourth issue of Zoe's Blues yet, but if issues one through three indicate the progression to the fourth, then it is likely to be a great comic.

Zoe's Blues is definitely a comic to check out. Rodriguez and Colon have created an inspiring art style, a cast of believable characters, and a female protagonist with superhero powers and a hip outfit. I enjoyed reading the issues, and hope that Zoe will return someday for a graphic novel length adventure.

  

Dear listeners of the Phantom Power Comics Podcast:

Hello Phantom Friends! We apologize for ppcp's long hiatus. The Phantom Power team has moved across the country (and then some) to pursue higher (and colder) education in America's last frontier!

We've brought along all of the review copies we've received. Our suitcases are full of great comics and zines to talk about on the show. If you've recently mailed a review copy, it should still reach the team via Postal Service forwarding. If you need to contact us via snail mail, the new address is:

Phantom Power Comics Podcast
c/o Jenni Moody
895 University Ave, Apt 1
Fairbanks, AK 99709

We'll post a short audio update soon, with some proper episodes soon to follow! Already recorded interviews living in our old hard drive still need to make their way north before we'll be able to post them. If you have any suggestions or questions, please hit the forum or send us some email.

Thanks to everyone for supporting the show!

Check out the original post for the full details. This looks like a great opportunity to get into comics podcasting, so if you like to talk about comics send them an audition!

---

Four Color Heroines is currently looking for two other people to fill host positions. Four Color Heroines will be a four-person podcast (three regular hosts including myself and one guest) and primarily will focus is women in the sequential art medium, though other elements may at certain points be brought up.

Those interested will need a microphone, the program Skype and Pamela Pro or an equivalent VoIP phone recorder that can record in stereo. Pamela Pro can be downloaded on a 30-day trial basis, so for the audition period you will only need to download it once.

What I'll need in your host application:
- A brief paragraph talking about yourself, your experience, and anything else you feel might be relevant.
- A minimum three-minute recording of you talking about a topic of your choice.

Please PM (preferred) or e-mail hannahdame@girl-wonder.org with your application. Applications must be in by June 24, 2007.

Phantom Power Comics Podcast, Episode 9

• Manhunter continues! Audio from the 2007 New York Comic Con provided by David Arroyo of the Comic Makers Podcast. Thank you David!
• Bitch Magazine talks about feminism in comics
• the Final Taxi Podcast remembers Arnold Drake
• Buffy, Issue #1 Giveaway!!

• Linda Linda Linda
• The Man Who Doesn't Take Off His Clothes vol.1 & 2, by Narise Konohara & Yuki Shimizu
• Less Fun Comics No. 1, by Joe Annabi and Nick Sedillos
• Farmer's Daughter, vol. 1 and E-ROT: An Exploration of the Erotic, October 2006 Edited by Christine M. Baese (To order a copy of these zines, mail $1.00 for each zine to: Christine M. Baese, P.O. Box 624, Northville, MI, 48167.)
• Zine World: A Reader's Guide to the Underground Press #24

Man Who Doesn't v.1		Man Who Doesn't v.2		Less Fun Comics, No.1

Farmer's Daughter		E-ROT		Zine World

The Phantom Power Comics Podcast is supported by the 2006 Women Comics Podcasters Grant from the Lincoln Heights Literary Society.

Thanks to David Arroyo of the Comic Makers Podcast for the fantastic audio from the 2007 New York Comic Con DCU panel.

Thanks to Ginger Mayerson of the LHLS for providing review copies of Linda Linda Linda and The Man Who Doesn't Take Off His Clothes, vol. 1 & 2 .

Thanks to Joe Annabi for providing a review copy of Less Fun Comics, No.1.
Thanks to Christine M. Baese for providing review copies of Farmer's Daughter, vol. 1 and E-ROT: An Exploration of the erotic, vol. 1.

Thanks to Zine World for providing a review copy of Zine World: A Reader's Guide to the Underground Press, No.24.

Play Now

Subscribe to PPCP

Comments, questions, suggestions, or anything else?
Contact me: ppcpodcast@gmail.com

All music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. Artists whose music appeared in Episode 9 include:

• Broadcast Debut
• Rainer Maria
• Rilo Kiley
• Railer
• New Telepathic Friends
• Karmellas Game
• Starlight Mints

  

Independent comics legend Jim Mahfood talks about live art, music, and his new mini-comic Ask For Janice.

Jim Mahfood's Official Website

Jim Mahfood's Myspace Page

Order the Ask For Janice mini-comic

See Jim Mahfood in San Jose, California October 5-7 at SiliCon 2007.

Many thanks to Douggary Grant of SiliCon 2007 for being so cool.

Many thanks to Mike Cross for the wonderful recording support. Without him this interview would not have been possible.

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Discuss this episode in the forums:



All music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. Artists whose music appeared in Episode 8 include:

• Meshes
• The Blood Brothers

Phantom Power Comics Podcast, Episode 7

Mentionables:  

• CGS forum changes
• Convention Confessional
• the Kryptographik Podcast

Including reviews of:  

• Books With Pictures (alt) #1, by Sina Grace
• Comic vol.1, by Ha Sihyun
• Wonderland: Children of the Future Age vol.1, by Derek Watson and Kit Wallis
• Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine? by Mark Todd and Esther Pearl Watson
• Diamond in the Rough #7, by Caroline Tigeress

Books With Pictures		Comic v.1		Wonderland v.1

Whatcha Mean		Diamond in the Rough		Feb. Previews

The Phantom Power Comics Podcast is supported by the 2006 Women Comics Podcasters Grant from the Lincoln Heights Literary Society.

Thanks to Caroline Tigeress for providing a review copy of Diamond in the Rough.

Thanks to Jim Manchester for writing in with information about Convention Confessional.

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Subscribe to PPCP

Comments, questions, suggestions, or anything else?
Contact me: ppcpodcast@gmail.com

All music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. Artists whose music appeared in Episode 7 include:

• Broadcast Debut
• Adam McIntyre
• The Buffali
• The Comas
• Celebrity Pilots
• Starlight Mints

Phantom Power Comics Podcast, Episode 6

Mentionables:  

• Silicon 2007 announcements!

-- New Guests: Josh Hale Fialkov and Jonathan Fesmire
• Tara McPherson in Bust Magazine
• Heroes returns with Christopher Eccleston

Including reviews of:  

• To the Mouth of the Source: Comic Vignettes Based on the Lyrics of Miss Joanna Newsome by Mister Grant Reynolds
• Manhunter: Street Justice vol. 1, collects issues #1-5 by Marc Andreyko
• Manhunter: Trial by Fire vol. 2, collects issues #6-14 by Marc Andreyko
• 32 Stories: The Complete Optic Nerve Mini-Comics by Adrian Tomine
• Phoenix Lust: Rebirth by Mike Laico

To the Mouth of the Source		Manhunter v.1		Manhunter v.2

	32 Stories		Phoenix Lust

The Phantom Power Comics Podcast is supported by the 2006 Women Comics Podcasters Grant from the Lincoln Heights Literary Society.

Thanks to Mike Laico of Dark Phoenix Studios for providing a review copy of Phoenix Lust.

FREE MAGNETS!
Send me an email with your snail mail address if you'd like to receive free Phantom Power Comics Podcast magnets or fliers for you or your local comic store: ppcpodcast@gmail.com

Play Now

Subscribe to PPCP

Comments, questions, suggestions, or anything else?
Contact me: ppcpodcast@gmail.com

Comics or zines to review may be sent to:

Phantom Power Comics Podcast c/o Jenni Moody
P.O. Box 19454
Birmingham, AL 35219

All music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. Artists whose music appeared in Episode 6 include:

• Broadcast Debut
• Joanna Newsome
• All-Girl Summer Fun Band
• Audrey Come Lately
• AM/FM
• Starlight Mints

 

Read the announcement on the Silicon 2007 blog.

Keep up with all of the latest updates with the Silicon blog.

Read about last year's convention and keep an eye open for the new website at the official Silicon website .

Phantom Bunny models SiliCon buttons in the PPCP Silicon 2007 Flickr photo set.

Phantom Power Comics Podcast, Episode 5

Mentionables:

• Heroes
• Indie Spinner Rack
  -- Interview with Renee French

-- Interview with Greta of Greta's Book Reviews
• The Final Taxi Podcast
  -- Remembrances of David Cockrum and Martin Nodell
• Collected Comics Library celebrates Episode 100
• Women's Work: An online collective of female artists launches

Including reviews of:

• Passion vols. 1-3 by Shinobu Gotoh and Shoko Takaku
• The Surrogates by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele
• Mattie and Dodie by Eleanor Davis

Passion vol. 1-3

The Surrogates		Mattie and Dodie

The Phantom Power Comics Podcast is supported by the 2006 Women Comics Podcasters Grant from the Lincoln Heights Literary Society.

Thanks to Ginger Mayerson of the LHLS for providing review copies of Passion and The Surrogates.

FREE MAGNETS!
Send me an email with your snail mail address if you'd like to receive free Phantom Power Comics Podcast magnets or fliers for you or your local comic store: ppcpodcast@gmail.com

Play Now

Subscribe to PPCP

Comments, questions, suggestions, or anything else?
Contact me: ppcpodcast@gmail.com

Comics or zines to review may be sent to:

Phantom Power Comics Podcast c/o Jenni Moody
P.O. Box 19454
Birmingham, AL 35219

All music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. Artists whose music appeared in Episode 5 include:

• Broadcast Debut
• Causeway
• Bill deRome
• The Collectors
• Starlight Mints

This March 16-18, I will be at the Atlanta PodCamp. The PodCamp is an unconference, which is very similar to a conference but without set guidelines of who can conduct a seminar. Anyone who has something to say can hold a seminar; you don't have to have 100 episodes posted or have won an award. I think it will be a great opportunity to learn and to meet other podcasters.

If you don't live in the Southeast, you can find a PodCamp in your region.

Episode 5 coming soon!

Phantom Power Comics Podcast, Episode 4

Small Press Expo Madness!

SPX 2006

Phantom Bunny drives to Bethesda, Maryland (picture links to PPCP flickr)

Including reviews of:

• SPX: The Small Press Expo 2006
• See-Saw by Sara Edward-Corbett
• The Beast Mother by Eleanor Davis
• Attack of the Tadpole Fanclub by Colleen AF Venable
• Gilded Lilies by Jillian Tamaki
• Finder: Talisman by Carla Speed McNeil

Click on a thumbnail for a larger view:

See-Saw

The Beast Mother

Attack of the Tadpole Fanclub

  Guilded Lilies

Finder: Talisman

Donate money to Lea Hernandez via her paypal account: divalea@gmail.com

FREE MAGNETS!
Send me an email with your snail mail address if you'd like to receive a free Phantom Power Comics Podcast magnet:

Play Now

Subscribe to PPCP

Comments, questions, or suggestions?
Contact me: ppcpodcast@gmail.com

All music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. Artists whose music appeared in Episode 4 include:

• Broadcast Debut
• Bagheera
• A Pageants End
• Audrey Come Lately
• Starlight Mints

The Phantom Power Comics Podcast is now the proud recipient of the first ever Women Comics Podcasters Grant. This grant is supported by the Journal of the Lincoln Heights Literary Society.

Before I read the post on When Fangirls Attack about the WCP grant, I had never heard of podcasting. I am extremely grateful to the Journal of the LHLS and Ginger Mayerson for promoting the concept of a comics podcast. I really enjoy talking about comics, and will aspire to live up to the high standards set by the pioneer in this field, Lene Taylor of the I Read Comics podcast.

Thank you so much to everyone who has listened to the show!

Phantom Power Comics Podcast, Episode 3

The First Voltron Spectacular




Including reviews of:

• The Voltron Blue Lion (Set One) DVD Boxed Set
• Voltron, Defender of the Universe Comics, Series 1 by Dan Jolley

Voltron sans Pidge

Donate money to Lea Hernandez via her paypal account: divalea@gmail.com

FREE MAGNETS!
Send me an email with your snail mail address if you'd like to receive a free Phantom Power Comics Podcast magnet: ppcpodcast@gmail.com

Play Now

Subscribe to PPCP

Comments, questions, or suggestions?
Contact me: ppcpodcast@gmail.com

Phantom Power Comics Podcast, Episode 2

Including reviews of:

• DragonCon 2006
• Astonishing X-Men TPB vol. 1 and 2 - Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
• Battlestar Galactica #0, #1 - Greg Pak and Nigel Raynor
• Castle Waiting #1 - Linda Medley
• Wyrms #1 - Orson Scott Card, Jake Black, and Renato Arlem
• the Women of Marvel Poster Book

Donate money to Lea Hernandez via her paypal account: divalea@gmail.com
Check out Studiolo: the art of Linda Medley...
Apply to be a writer for Sequential Tart!

Play Now

Subscribe to PPCP

Comments, questions, or suggestions?
Contact me: ppcpodcast@gmail.com

All music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. Artists whose music appeared in Episode 2 include:

• Broadcast Debut
• Conconquidore Truidore
• Dan Sehane
• Darcy Fray
• Starlight Mints

The beginning of the Phantom Power Comics Podcast!

Including reviews of:

No. 5 by Taiyo Matsumoto

No Pink Ponies by Remy Mokhtar

Play Now

Subscribe to PPCP

Comments, questions, or suggestions?
Contact me: ppcpodcast@gmail.com