Year-end picks for the best comics of 2020! Zack Quaintance (Comics Bookcase, the Beat) and I share our picks for top 5 comics of the year, best single issue, best surprise, and biggest disappointment. For full lists from Zack and myself: Zack’s picks on Comics Bookcase My picks on Comic Book Herald ——————————————————————————————————- Music for […] The post Best Comics of 2020 (w/ Zack Quaintance)! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Dec 15, 2020•49 min
The conclusion of the X-Men’s X of Swords crossover event teased the upcoming Reign Of X, as the Hickman era of X-Men comics moves out of the Dawn of X and into the Reign. It’s a wonderful teaser, full of references and possibility, hot on the heels of a satisfying conclusion to the Dawn of X […] The post Krakin’ Krakoa #126: 17 Reign of X Theories, Pt. 1 — What’s NeXt for Hickman’s X-Men? appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Dec 13, 2020•24 min
This week on Creannotators, I talked with comics writer Fred Van Lente about The Comic Book Story of Basketball, a history of the game and the global, societal, and political forces that have shaped it. We talk basketball, shaping non-fiction comics, and Fred’s various superhero comics like Taskmaster and MODOK’s 11. On Comic Book Herald’s ‘Creannotators’ I’ll be interviewing […] The post Creannotators #28: “Comic Book Story of Basketball” Interview With Writer Fred Van Lente! appeared first on ...
Dec 08, 2020•44 min
Did X of Swords live up to the hype? What predictions did we nail? Was there anything missing that we wished would have been included? Where do we go from here? How do you feel about the ending of X of Swords and what it means for X-Men comics moving forward! I talk all things […] The post Krakin’ Krakoa #125: X of Swords Post-Game (Live w/ Blerd Without Fear and The Cerebros) appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Dec 06, 2020•1 hr 40 min
This week on Creannotators, I talked with comics writer Tate Brombal about Barbalien: Red Planet, a five issue miniseries in the world of Black Hammer, centered around Black Hammer’s queer Martian hero Barbalien, both on Mars and on Earth during the 80’s AIDS Crisis. We talk about what it’s like working in the Black Hammer […] The post Creannotators #27: “Black Hammer – Barbalien: Red Planet” Interview With Writer Tate Brombal! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Dec 01, 2020•30 min
Despite three chapters in X-Men X of Swords as the all hands on deck event hurls towards a conclusion, the biggest X-Men news this week likely came in the pages of Fantastic Four, over the course of only a few panels featuring Franklin Richards and Professor X. Today I’ll answer: + Why would Marvel make […] The post Krakin’ Krakoa #121: Omega Level Retcon: Dan Slott’s Franklin Richards Isn’t a Mutant? appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Nov 29, 2020•22 min
This week on Creannotators, I talked with comics writer Karla Pacheco about her first arc on Marvel’s Spider-Woman, preparing for the King in Black event, and what’s up next for her and Jessica Drew! On Comic Book Herald’s ‘Creannotators’ I’ll be interviewing some of my favorite creators in comics about specific runs, graphic novels or series, looking for […] The post Creannotators #26: “Spider-Woman” Interview With Writer Karla Pacheco appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Nov 24, 2020•45 min
In 1988, Marvel Comics’ X-Men Universe combined to tell the Fall of the Mutants, a crossover event built around three major devastating separate events spanning the X-Men, X-Factor, and the New Mutants. Fall of the Mutants is the follow-up to Mutant Massacre, and part of the build to 1989’s Inferno, with some of the stranger […] The post Krakin’ Krakoa #117: Fall of the Mutants Event Legacy! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Nov 22, 2020•22 min
This week on Creannotators, I talked with novelist Carrie Harris about her work X-Men: Liberty and Justice For All, the first entry in Aconyte Books line of Marvel’s Xavier School prose stories! We talk about Carrie’s history with X-Men comics, the specific era of X-Men and characters Harris is working with (right down to the in-continuity […] The post Creannotators #25: “X-Men Liberty and Justice For All” Interview With Writer Carrie Harris appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Nov 17, 2020•31 min
In general, Marvel event handbooks are a quick recap, a visual Wikipedia, of story details that can help readers understand the players, reasons, and storylines applicable to the event comic. While this is true of the X-Men: X of Swords handbook, there’s so much we still don’t know, and so many fascinating mysteries in the […] The post Krakin’ Krakoa #110: 8 Major Secrets in the X of Swords Handbook! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Nov 15, 2020•24 min
This week on Creannotators, I talked with comics writer Mark Russell about Billionaire Island and Second Coming from Ahoy Comics, as well as his DC Comics career including Flintstones, and what comes next! On Comic Book Herald’s ‘Creannotators’ I’ll be interviewing some of my favorite creators in comics about specific runs, graphic novels or series, looking for their insights on […] The post Creannotators #24: “Billionaire Island” Interview With Writer Mark Russell appeared first on Comic Book H...
Nov 10, 2020•40 min
Who are the missing mutants in the Krakoa era of X-Men? In part 2 of this series, I explore 5 more major missing mutants from the Hickman era of X-Men, and count off some listener picks that could be considered for a part three. Spoilers for X-Men comics will follow! ——————————————————————————————————- Music for Best Comics […] The post Krakin’ Krakoa #107: Missing Mutant Mysteries of Hickman’s X-Men (Pt. 2)! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Oct 31, 2020•27 min
This week on Creannotators, I talked with comics creator Kazu Kibuishi about the incredibly successful all ages series Amulet, the impending 9th and final book, and some teases and revelations about what’s next! On Comic Book Herald’s ‘Creannotators’ I’ll be interviewing some of my favorite creators in comics about specific runs, graphic novels or series, […] The post Creannotators #23: “Amulet” With Creator Kazu Kibuishi appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Oct 27, 2020•53 min
Who are the missing mutants in the Krakoa era of X-Men? Spoilers for X-Men comics will follow! ——————————————————————————————————- Music for Best Comics Ever by Anthony Weis, or Bensound. Check out more music at anthonyweis.com or https://www.bensound.com. Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Android To learn how you can support Best Comics Ever and receive more exclusive […] The post Krakin’ Krakoa #104: Missing Mutant Mysteries of Hickman’s X-Men (Pt. 1)! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Oct 25, 2020•24 min
This week on Creannotators, I talked with novelist and comics writer Victor LaValle about his Boom Studios work on Destroyer, a modern sequel to Frankenstein! We talk about writing for comics vs. novels, upcoming comics work from LaValle, and the increasing social relevance of Destroyer among many other topics. On Comic Book Herald’s ‘Creannotators’ I’ll be interviewing […] The post Creannotators #22: Victor LaValle’s Destroyer Interview! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Oct 20, 2020•41 min
This weekend I was joined by musician & podcaster Open Mike Eagle to talk all things X-Men on a special episode of Krakin’ Krakoa #100! You can check out the full conversation via podcast, or via the Youtube recording here! Spoilers for X-Men comics will follow! Krakin’ Krakoa will continue with X of Swords coverage […] The post Krakin’ Krakoa #100 LIVE With Open Mike Eagle! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Oct 13, 2020•1 hr 6 min
This week on Creannotators, I talked with writer Johnnie Christmas about his work on Tartarus, a science fiction series full of supernatural mythology from Image Comics. We talk about coordinating massive worldbuilding, the balance between writing and illustrating comics, and future plans for Tartarus among other topics! On Comic Book Herald’s ‘Creannotators’ I’ll be interviewing some of my favorite […] The post Creannotators #21: “Tartarus” Interview With Writer Johnnie Christmas! appeared firs...
Oct 13, 2020•39 min
This week on Creannotators, I talked with writer Alex Sanchez about his work on You Brought Me the Ocean, a YA Aqualad graphic novel from DC Comics. We talk about the importance of representation in comics, what it’s like writing a DC graphic novel, and much more. On Comic Book Herald’s ‘Creannotators’ I’ll be interviewing some […] The post Creannotators #20: “You Brought Me the Ocean” Interview With Writer Alex Sanchez! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Oct 06, 2020•27 min
This week on Creannotators, I talked with cartoonist Derf Backderf about his work on Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio, an investigation and accounting of the events that took place on the campus of Kent State in 1970, leading to four college students shot and killed (and more wounded) by the US National Guard. We […] The post Creannotators #19: “Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio” Interview With Derf Backderf! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Sep 29, 2020•36 min
Swords! In my coverage of X of Swords Creation, I asked if you’d all be interested in a follow-up Krakin’ Krakoa ep on the history of the swords in this event, and the answer was a resounding YES. Swords! More Swords! Today I’ll answer: What are the 10 swords mutantkind will use in their battle […] The post Krakin’ Krakoa #94: Everything To Know About The X-Men’s Swords in X of Swords! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Sep 28, 2020•26 min
It begins! The 60+ page “Creation” kickoff to X-Men: X of Swords is here, marking the epic beginning to the 22 part X-Men event of 2020. The launch book is fantastic, effectively a Lord of the Rings for the Krakoa era of X-Men, with plenty to dig into. Today I’ll answer: How does Creation kick […] The post Krakin’ Krakoa #93: X-Men X Of Swords Pt. 1 – Creation Review! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Sep 23, 2020•25 min
This week on Creannotators, I talked with cartoonist Kyle Starks about his work on Old Head, one of my favorite graphic novels of 2020, a comedic masterpiece about a retired NBA player taking on Dracula and the monsters in his neighboring castle. Oh, also we talk NBA. Like, a lot. On Comic Book Herald’s ‘Creannotators’ I’ll […] The post Creannotators #18: “Old Head” Interview With Cartoonist Kyle Starks! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Sep 22, 2020•55 min
This weekend marked the first ever Comic Book Herald Youtube livestream, and it went pretty well! I got to talk X-Men with Verno of The Cerebros podcast, and Ernie of Blerd Without Fear, and we dove into our X-Men: X of Swords event theories before kickoff on 9/23/2020! If you’re excited for the X-Men event, […] The post Krakin’ Krakoa #91 Live! X-Men: X of Swords Prediction Party (with Blerd Without Fear & The Cerebros!) appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Sep 21, 2020•1 hr 7 min
This week on Creannotators, I talked with creator Dave Chisholm about his work on the excellent Chasin’ The Bird, a graphic novel about the life of jazz legend Charlie Parker. We talk jazz history, bringing Parker’s mythology to this moment in time, and the distinct visual challenge of conveying music in comics. On Comic Book […] The post Creannotators #17: “Chasin’ The Bird” Interview With Creator Dave Chisholm! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Sep 15, 2020•47 min
Following my review of 2020’s X-Factor #1, I saw a fair amount of commentary from listeners and readers wondering why there’s all this focus on character sexuality in the book, specifically with queer X-Men. Hot on the heels of Marauders #12 and Kate Pryde’s same-sex kiss, the question is of course resurfacing, making it a […] The post Krakin’ Krakoa #86: Why Does Sexuality in X-Men Comics Matter? appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Sep 13, 2020•21 min
This week on Creannotators, I talked with creator Sloane Leong about A Map To The Sun, the graphic novel’s incredible colors, studying the game of basketball, and her sci fi Image series Prism Stalker. On Comic Book Herald’s ‘Creannotators’ I’ll be interviewing some of my favorite creators in comics about specific runs, graphic novels or series, […] The post Creannotators #16: “A Map To The Sun” With Sloane Leong appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Sep 08, 2020•32 min
This week on Creannotators, I talked with artist Leila Del Duca about Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed, her creator-owned work like Shutter and Afar, and the process of working on a DC graphic novel compared to monthly ongoing comics. On Comic Book Herald’s ‘Creannotators’ I’ll be interviewing some of my favorite creators in comics about specific runs, graphic novels or […] The post Creannotators #15: “Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed” Interview With Artist Leila Del Duca! appeared first on Comic Book H...
Sep 01, 2020•29 min
I was caught by surprise recently when Krakin’ Krakoa listener Xavier D pointed out the children sitting around Krakoa campfires led by longtime X-Men villain Exodus look like kid versions of omega level mutants. The more I’ve thought about the observation, the more potential I find, and now I’m convinced Hickman’s X-Men is secretly telling […] The post Krakin’ Krakoa #80: The X-Men’s Secret School For Omega Level Mutants! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Aug 30, 2020•21 min
This week on Creannotators, I talked with artist Gisele Lagace about her work on the Image Comics series Exorsisters, her creator-owned webcomics careers, and the benefits of funding comics through Kickstarter. On Comic Book Herald’s ‘Creannotators’ I’ll be interviewing some of my favorite creators in comics about specific runs, graphic novels or series, looking for their […] The post Creannotators #14: “Exorsisters” Interview With Artist Gisele Lagace! appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Aug 25, 2020•38 min
I get a fair amount of Krakin’ Krakoa sleuths sending me theories and links about X-Men, which is a really fun way to see that people are engaging with the comics and with my own obsessing about them. In response to my X-Men FCBD 2020 video review, and theories about X of Swords and the […] The post Krakin’ Krakoa #77: X Of Swords (X of Storms) Theory: Who Is Ashake? appeared first on Comic Book Herald ....
Aug 23, 2020•14 min
