Episode 43
Join Frances, Dennis, and Johnny as they examine The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius, by writer and artist Judd Winick. The series was published by both Image Comics and Oni Press from 1999-2002. The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius is about a kid with an intelligence beyond measurement, who in the three short stories turns his dad into a primate while opening a portal to another dimension, his buddy into a dinosaur, and stops a hostage situation while trying not to look like an idiot in front of the girl he has a crush on.
In this episode the gang discusses their fond memories of Real World: San Francisco; why you don’t put your fingers in someone else’s peanut butter; the unbelievable streak Frances has maintained for finding comics that epitomize the 1990s; Dexter vs. Jimmy Neutron vs. Barry Ween; Why Frankie sees a bit of Barry Ween in Johnny, if Judd wrote his wife, Dr. Pam Ling, into the third story in the book; the scene in Mission: Impossible (the movie) that was borrowed from the 1964 film Topkapi; and last but not least, the storytelling and art of The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius.
Please check out our reading lists for all seasons by clicking here. We would love to hear your suggestions for future episodes of Graphic Novel Explorers Club.
Featured music:
Songe d’Automne by Latche Swing
Tonight Will Be Fine (Leonard Cohen cover) by The Walkmen
