The Miami Review of Comics

Episode 6 - Saul Steinberg: Milking the GOAT, with Austin English

Saul Steinberg? Sure, he's the GOAT. But does Steinberg really mean anything to us in 2025? Even those of us who love him may find it hard to articulate what exactly he was up to.
Today, the Miami Review of Comics is joined by cartoonist, publisher, distributor & polemicist(!) Austin English to help unpack Steinberg's legacy. 
Our jumping-off point is Austin's forthcoming essay on All in Line, a New York Review reprint of Steinberg's debut book of drawings. From there we get into Steinberg's evolution from a clever illustrator to a world class artist, putting his work in conversation with gag cartoonists like Peter Arno and Gahan Wilson and painters like Philip Guston and the Chicago Imagists. George Herriman, too, joins the party. 
Had a ton of fun talking to Austin and learned a lot. Will link to his essay once it appears on TCJ.com!
Thanks as always to the show's wonderful producer Jason Butler.
 
Links
Austin's Saul Steinberg essay at TCJ
Domino Books
Austin's website
Austin's instagram
All In Line by Saul Steinberg
The Labyrinth by Saul Steinberg
Poor Richard by Philip Guston
Miami Review of Comics instagram
Drew's instagram
Drew's (free) patreon
Jason Butler's website
Jason Butler's instagram

Episode 5 - Distro Inferno, with Neil Brideau

How do you get your comics to the people? Distros and shows!
Neil Brideau knows distros and shows.
A founding member of the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) and the Chicago Zine Fest, as well as the owner and operator of Radiator Comics (a distro and publisher), Neil has built his life around helping cartoonists find readers and find one another.
He is also our guest today! The episode was extra special because Neil and I got to talk face-to-face here in Miami.
Topics include Quimby's Bookstore, Dylan Williams, having and not having collaborators, the Small Business Administration's SCORE program, wishing to clone oneself, and more. Neil also shares some practical advice to cartoonists trying to navigate the world of distros, as well as to folks dreaming of starting a distro or show of their own.
Thanks to Jason Butler for producing our program!
Links
Radiator Comics website
Radiator Comics instagram
Neil's website
Quimby's Bookstore
Small Business Administration SCORE
Miami Review of Comics instagram
Drew's instagram
Drew's (free) patreon
Jason Butler's website
Jason Butler's instagram

Episode 4 - Literary Foreground, Comics Playground, with Tana Oshima

In the comics medium's ongoing quest for respectability, the 21st century has seen a proliferation of so-called literary comics: buttoned up, digestible, "realistic" -- comic strips cosplaying as New Yorker stories. 
 
Today's guest, Tana Oshima, explodes any ideas a reader might have about what a literary comic can or should look like. By day, Tana is an accomplished Japanese-to-Spanish literary translator, whose credits include books by Yu Miri, Hiroko Oyamada, Yuko Tsushima, and Nobel-prize winner Yasunari Kawabata. By night, she has produced (in English) a slew of playful, inventive comic books, a form that she considers her playground.
 
Join us as we discuss drawing vs. writing, the joys of bullshit literature, the mouths of Francis Bacon, our liberation from perfectionism, and much else. Hear me mangle some fairly simple Spanish phrases, and even read a few passages from Tana's work!
 
Links:
Tana's shop
Tana's instagram
Interviews with Francis Bacon
Today I Wrote Nothing by Daniil Kharms
Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan
Miami Review of Comics instagram
Drew's instagram
Drew's (free) patreon
Jason Butler's website
Jason Butler's instagram
 

Episode 3 - Frames Per Second and Panels Per Onion, with Jesse McManus

On the show's third episode, Jesse McManus joins the Miami Review of Comics to talk about his ongoing romance with The Two Kinds of Cartooning: yes, comics and animation. Join us as we explore Nicktoons and Robert Breer, onion cutting and Muybridging, impossible books, comic strip physics, working out one's own scam, and much more!
You can email the show at miamireviewofcomics@gmail.com
Thanks as always to our amazing producer Jason Butler!
 
Links:
Jesse's website
Jesse's instagram
Bouy Boy (Jesse's student film)
Nil's Pottery Lifechild (Jesse's student film)
A Man and His Dog Out for Air (Robert Breer film)
Miami Review of Comics instagram
Drew's instagram
Drew's (free) patreon
Jason Butler's website
Jason Butler's instagram
 

Episode 2 - Autobio Cartoonists in the Ignatz Thunderdome, with Josh Bayer and M.S. Harkness

For decades, autobio has remained one of the most beloved and debated genres within indie comics. In our second episode, we explore the form with two of its greatest contemporary practitioners, Josh Bayer and MS Harkness. Viewing their newest books side by side — Josh’s Unended and M.S.’s Time Under Tension — beautifully illuminates the variety and potential of autobio cartooning TODAY. (Both books are also nominated for Ignatz awards in this year’s graphic novel category!)
 
We talk about long-form vs. short form, getting your cookies and flowers, having a particularly stupid time in your life, shit-talkin', and more! Plus: the emptying of the inaugural mailbag. 
 
Special thanks to the amazing Jason Butler for producing this episode!
 
Links:
Josh Bayer
MS Harkness
Jason Butler
Drew on Instagram
Drew on Patreon

Episode 1 - Instagram Comics vs. The Big Red Button, with Alex Graham & Cedar Van Tassel

In recent years, Instagram has emerged as a crucial platform for indie cartoonists to find their voices and build audiences. At the same time, Instagram is horrible and we all hate it.
In this inaugural episode, we dive deep into the world of Instagram comics with two of the most engaging voices in the indie comics community: Alex Graham and Cedar Van Tassel. Alex's "Dog Biscuits" and Cedar's "Appleguy" are shining examples of how complex, intelligent, and highly entertaining stories can thrive within Instagram's rigid confines and sometimes-toxic ecosystem.
Join us as we explore:
The journey of bringing their work to Instagram!
What is great and horrible about using the platform!
Dreams toward a post-Instagram comics future!
And much more!
Special thanks to the amazing Jason Butler for producing this episode!
 
Links:
Alex Graham's website 
Alex Graham on Instagram
Cedar Van Tassel's "Appleguy" on Instagram
God's Sod House by Cedar Van Tassel
Jason Butler's Website
Jason Butler's Instagram
Drew Lerman on Instagram
Drew Lerman's Patreon