Before getting a chance to sit down and talk with Dean Haspiel (American Splendor, The Quitter, Billy Dogma) at the Alternative Press Expo, I met him at the Isotope Comics Lounge on the eve of APE weekend for a pre-APE Isotope in-store bash. Currently, Haspiel is but one artist that is part of a larger collective of storytellers at ACT-I-VATE.

Recently, October saw the recent release of The ACT-I-VATE Primer by IDW Publishing, featuring new and original stories. While at the Isotope, I discovered Haspiel is as gracious and as nice as I could have imagined just sitting and talking with him as he signed and sketched a head shot of Harvey Pekar in my copy of The Quitter.

That night talking generally about the unique positivity that courses through the comic industry, Haspiel signs my Pekar sketch advising me to “never quit.” It’s good advice.

Needless to say, I was excited to sit down and talk with Haspiel again on Sunday as APE was coming to a close.

Joey Pangilinan: How did you come to start working with Harvey?

Dean Haspiel: Here’s a long answer to a simple question. I grew up reading superhero comics. My dream was to become a penciler and draw for Marvel. I didn’t know there were other comics that could be non-superhero or not published by DC and Marvel. I started to expand my horizons and got hungrier for the medium.

In the early ‘80s, I discovered American Splendor, at a place called Soho Zat in lower Manhattan, which had a lot of alternative and underground comics, and I discovered a whole bunch of different types of works.

So, there I am reading the Fantastic Four, and suddenly I come across semi-autobiographical comics and stuff like Yummy Fur by Chester Brown, and it just blew my mind. I started out being a fan, like most people are, of Harvey Pekar, or whoever else they admire.

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Coming on of the heels of Monday’s news that Showtime would be ordering a fourth season of their adult comedy Californication, it looks like another cable movie network is having the same success with their newest show Bored to Death.

The series has great potential, bringing together names like Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifiniakis, and Ted Danson into a noir-like situation comedy about a bored writer who decides to moonlight at a private detective Each week, Schwartzman finds himself in yet another predicament while dodging his pot-smoking boss (Danson) and confiding in his best friend, a scruffy comic book artist (Galifiniakis).

The show has gotten big numbers in ratings since it’s start 4 weeks ago. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the pilot received 4.1 million viewers, not including an extra 500,000 who watched online for free. Following this past week’s episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm in which the cast of Seinfeld made a reunion, the show (which followed) earned 1.1 million viewers, which was an increase from the previous week.

Though the series is only 4 episodes into an 8-episode season, things are already looking up for them. This is the third new series from HBO, following Hung and Eastbound and Down, all of which have been renewed for another season.

For previous installments of Dave’s Weekly Comic Book Recommendations, go here.

Slim pickings yet again this week. From DC Comics, we have the entire Blackest Night Tales from the Corps for $7.99, and the final issue of the exceptionally wonderful Wednesday Comics.

From Marvel we have the third issue of the exceptionally fun Immortal Weapons, and the first issue of Spider-Woman #1 comes out. If you haven’t been watching the “motion comic,” via the iTunes download, then get the series in this more traditional format. Its a lot better. Especially with the former Daredevil team Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev at the helm.

From last week, the softcover of Jonathan Ames and Dean Haspiel’s The Alcoholic came out from Vertigo. For those of you who caught the new HBO series Bored to Death and are interested in Jason Schwartzman’s character’s work in graphic novel form, you ought to pick that up.

And well, to be honest, there isn’t anything else that interests me this week so that’s about it. As always, we here at The Flickcast care about what you read, so leave us a comment and let us know what you liked/didn’t like from this week’s comics. For a more complete list of what comes out this week, check out the one at Midtown Comics.

We’ve been known to gush a bit about rising star Zach Galifianakis here at The Flickcast, and for good reasons. There is one new project that Zach is attached to in particular that seems to look better and better, the more we get to see of it.

Bored to Death is a brand new HBO comedy about a writer who decides to pick up a night job as a noir-style private detective. Starring Jason Schwartzman (very funny), Ted Danson (was funny once), Patton Oswalt (SUPER funny), and Galifianakis (superstar), the show looks to be HBO’s new breakout comedy hit.

Not many can recall a good noir spoof done in the past decade. The first two that come to mind, The Singing Detective and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, both star Robert Downy, Jr. Both films also pull off the “smoke and gun” look of the 1950’s crime drama, while still not taking themselves very seriously. Bored to Death seems to walk that same line, and walk it well.

Catch the full-length trailer after the jump. Bored to Death premieres on HBO Sunday, September 20th.

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This summer’s big tv shows are coming to a close, and while you’re freaking out over the ending of True Blood and considering the last, somber few minutes of Hung, a more pressing question emerges… what will you watch next?

Well, have no fear, because The Flickcast is here to help you with all the buzz-worthy shows that you’ll need to catch this month. Since September is normally the big season premier month, we’ve decided to remind you of some of the shows, both old and new, you just can’t live without.

Get ready to set those TiVo’s!

The Office — Premiers September 17th, 9/8c on NBC

Last season on The Office left Michael without Holly, Dwight without Angela and Jim and Pam with a little one on the way. Now starting its sixth season, audiences are definitely ready to be back at work at Dunder Mifflin. Expect The Office to be turned upside down as Jim and Pam prepare to say “I do”, Andy deals with his heterosexuality, and Dwight continues to watch out for bears.

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