1.12.15: Understanding Satire & The Invisible Art Of Comics

Last week’s attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris prompted an outpouring of support from satirists and comedians around the world. On today’s show a candid conversation with the former editor of The Onion on how the fake news magazine considered and created satire.

Then, one of the world’s leading theorists on comics tells us how the brain interprets simple cartoons and symbols -- much differently than words.

And we’ll get a sneak peak of NPR’s new show Invisibilia, which explores unseen phenomena in science and human behavior.

Listen to the full show and click Read more for individual segments.

The Careful Craft of Satire

• Joe Randazzo, is a comedian, writer and the former editor of The Onion, and he penned an op-ed for MSNBC about the power and importance of free speech. "Freedom of Speech Cannot be Killed." He's got a new book coming out this April, Funny on Purpose.
• We've got more on the story at this link: Former Onion Editor on the Careful Craft of Satire

The Brave New Workshop

• The Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis has helped launch the careers of a number of writers, producers and humorists working in comedy today, including the notable team of Al Franken and Tom Davis, the first head writers for Saturday Night Live. Franken has since made the jump to politics but, as producer Noel Clark discovered, it’s not such a great leap from comedy to current events.
• You can listen to this story again at PRX.org.

The Invisible Art of Comics

• Scott McCloudis the author of Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. First published in 1993, it is one of the seminal volumes for comic book writers and a fascinating guide for anyone interested in the creative process.
• Scott has a new graphic novel being released on February 3rd and you can pre-order the book here: The Sculptor.

NPR's New Show Invisibilia

• Alix Spiegel and Lulu Miller are the co-creators and hosts of the new NPR show Invisibiliawhich launched this past Friday. They joined us to give us a sneak peek of the show.
• You can listen to Invisibilia on NHPR starting Sunday, January 18th at 9pm, in our “Best of Public Radio” time slot.