Strip Search with London + Chianca

Who wouldn't buy a book from these two smiling fellas?  This month on Strip Search: The Comic Strip Podcast, we feature two very special guests -- ourselves! Guest interviewer Chris Stevens of the Book Nation podcast talks to us about "Pet Peeves," the new book collecting 400 Pet Peeves comic strips from 2016-2108, now available on Amazon . Plus, a reminder about the 2019 Boston Kids Comics Fest , and a plug for the 10th issue of  Comic Strip Cartoonist magazine. For more episodes, visit Strip Search on omny.fm or subscribe on iTunes . ORDER HERE!

Pete and Dave (far left and far right) visited The Million Year Picnic in Harvard Square to talk to Jonathan Todd, Liza Halley and store owner Tony Davis about the upcoming Boston Kids Comics Fest. Here they're displaying work by the fest's three headliners. It's the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Daylight Saving Time or the start of spring, although both of those are pretty cool too. We're talking about the Boston Kids Comics Fest , which will be making its second annual appearance next month when it arrives at Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., on Saturday, April 27. As we did last year , we'll be recording an episode of Strip Search from the fest and chatting with planners, exhibitors and guests. But to find out more about what's in store, we headed to The Million Year Picnic comic book shop in Harvard Square to talk to fest organizers Jonathan Todd, Liza Halley and store owner Tony Davis. You can listen to their take on what'...

Pat Sandy called into Strip Search from his Ohio studio. Let's face it, you probably wouldn’t want to live next to the Deweys of “ Next Door Neighbors ,” the hilarious comic strip by Pat Sandy distributed by GoComics . But they’re sure fun to read about, and in this month's Strip Search podcast, Pat tells us how it took more than a few iterations to get the Deweys just right. But first, we discuss the brouhaha over the Boston Globe’s decision to trim its comics section , and the firestorm over a hidden political “message” in the panel “Non Sequitur.” Plus, news of “ Pet Peeves ,” the book! Listen, and see some of Pat's work, below -- and don't forget to visit our friends at Comics Arts Press to find out about issue No. 10 of Comic Strip Cartoonists magazine.

Charles Brubaker draws "Ask A Cat" from his studio in Martin, Tenn. Let's face it, there are a lot of questions you'd like to ask your cat if you thought for two seconds that he or she would deign to give you an answer. But while that might not work out in real life, luckily we have " Ask A Cat ," Charles Brubaker's weekly comic strip distributed by GoComics . Charles called in to Strip Search from his Tennessee studio to talk about that strip, his upcoming full color graphic novel "Fuzzy Princess" ( see the Kickstarter here ), and how, much like George Costanza , his approach to drawing his strips is the exact opposite of how most cartoonists approach it. Plus, we kick off the show with the latest news on " Pet Peeves ," the book, coming this spring, and offer our take on new "Peanuts" content coming to Apple's streaming service , one of 47 streaming services you'll soon have to subscribe to to keep up with...

James DeMarco, center, joined Dave London and Pete Chianca to talk comic strips, hockey, and comic strips about hockey. It's hockey season (it usually is around these parts), so what better time to sit down with James DeMarco, the Saugus, Mass. cartoonist whose weekly strip focuses on a little goalie with big hockey dreams? We caught up with James about the history of "Small Saves," which you can find at SmallSaves.com and in USA Hockey magazine . We also talked about the Bruins, the Blackhawks and the Whalers (remember them?) -- or at least James and Dave did, while Pete kept trying to interject about baseball. Plus, we kick off the show with some big news about Pet Peeves -- the book! Coming soon to an Amazon.com near you. Listen below, and check out some of James' work below that -- and don't forget to also check out the latest goings-on at Comic Strip Cartoonist magazine .

Marek Bennett's "The Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby" is the topic of conversation on this month's podcast. Pictured, L-R: Dave London, Pete Chianca, Freeman Colby and Marek Bennett. If you've been listening to Strip Search and thinking it's pretty good but could use more banjo, you're in luck! This month's guest -- cartoonist, illustrator, teacher and musician Marek Bennett -- brought his along. (If you can't bear to wait, the banjo starts at the 38-minute mark -- but we hope you don't skip what comes before, because it's a pretty good convo.) Bennett is the author of " The Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby ," a graphic novel using an actual Civil War soldier's diary as its source. We talked to Bennett about how he found the diary, how cartoons and cartooning can help young students learn, the benefits of drawing for your college paper, and much more. (Plus, you know, the banjo.) You can find more about Marek on h...

Keith Knight, left, who clearly had no idea what he was getting himself into, sat down to chat with Dave and Pete during a short break at the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo. Last month Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb were here to give us a preview of the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) -- and this past weekend, we got to see how their hard work paid off in person. Spoiler alert: Boy, did it ever. We hit the Expo Sunday afternoon, Oct. 21, and even after a day and a half University Hall at Lesley University was jam-packed, with lots of smiling comics fans perusing the wares of more than 200 cartoonists and illustrators and taking part in the workshops and panels. (At least part of the reason they were smiling was that they hadn't paid a penny to enter, thanks to a slew of generous sponsors .) In our short time there, we got to chat with a bunch of MICE planners and participants, including: Keith Knight , creator of the nationally syndicated com...