In the third issue of Superman: Birthright, we make our way to Smallville and spend some time with Ma and Pa Kent. It's a more introspective chapter centered around Clark's relationship with his parents, and there are some meaningful emotional beats. Join us as we continue our thorough readthrough of Birthright! Although we recorded this episode around two months ago, we only just got to posting it. Circumstances and life schedules have slowed down our pace, but it is not our intention to neglec...
Jun 09, 2025•1 hr 39 min
The second issue of Birthright continues the plot from the first issue and gives us some more insights into Clark's motivations. Waid, Yu, and the rest of the creative team add more meat to Superman's origin, but they do it in a way that's reasonable and makes sense with the existing lore. Join us as we continue our issue-by-issue readthrough and analysis of Superman: Birthright! If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free to hit us up on our socials, or ...
Apr 20, 2025•1 hr 29 min
We're deep into 2025 already, but we're still going to do a readthrough this year. Superman: Birthright, by Mark Waid, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, Dave McCaig, and Comicraft is one of the definitive Superman origin stories. There have been a bunch of Superman origins, but Birthright is one that seems to have stood the test of time. Can you believe it's already over twenty years old? It's been a while since we last revisited it, and now we're gonna revisit it in decompressed fashion, wit...
Mar 26, 2025•2 hr 56 min
Here's another indie comics hidden gem for y'all to check out! No Ivy League by Hazel Newlevant is a thoughtful and socially conscious memoir about a teen's growing awareness of racial and class disparity. It's a comic that will give you something to think about, a work that provides an avenue for some much-needed self-reflection in these times. No Ivy League is something we should all read if we're interested in growing in our empathy. If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or correctio...
Mar 08, 2025•1 hr 41 min
Okinawa by Susumu Higa is a must-read manga for anyone who appreciates comics or world history. Okinawa is a collection of short stories pertaining to the past, present, and even future of Higa's homeland. Every story in this collection is immaculately crafted. Some of them are about life on Okinawa during wartime, some are about the U.S. occupation, and yet others are about life on the archipelago. There's a wide variety of material here, but it's all absolutely worth your time and we hope you ...
Feb 19, 2025•1 hr 55 min
The final issue of Solo, by Brendan McCarthy, is memorable for its psychedelic visuals and offbeat storytelling. It's a fascinating issue that has been held in high regard by critics in the years since its release. Outside of comics, McCarthy is known for his work on Mad Max: Fury Road as a writer and designer, as well as cult animation such as Reboot. We spend a little time discussing what we know of his work, and then talk about each story in his Solo issue. Finally, we reflect back on the yea...
Jan 28, 2025•3 hr 3 min
One of the great masters of visual comedy, Sergio Aragonés, finally gets his spotlight issue in Solo! From Mad Magazine to Groo, he's long established himself as one of the finest cartoonists in the Western Hemisphere. Join us as we discuss our level of familiarity with his work, and then dive into each of the stories in this comic. For a handy Spotify playlist featuring all of our episodes on Solo, click here: tr.ee/LWngAKKWTt If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we'...
Jan 09, 2025•2 hr 39 min
It's been almost twenty years, and Damion Scott's issue of Solo still has some of the freshest art you're likely to see in a Big Two comic. His graffiti-inspired wildstyle artwork might be challenging to read, but take the time to look at it and it'll open up your imagination. He even dabbles in his older, more traditional style of drawing for fans of his Batgirl run. Solo #10 is another fantastic issue, so go out there and find a copy for yourself, read it, and then listen along as we go into o...
Nov 21, 2024•1 hr 56 min
Solo #9 is Scott Hampton's spotlight issue! He's an artist neither of us is very familiar with, so it was good to get more exposure to his work. Because we don't know his other comics well, this episode is mostly focused on talking about the stories within this specific issue of Solo. There's a Batman story in this comic, too - what more do you want? Check out Solo #9 and listen to our podcast! (Not necessarily in that order!) If you have any Scott Hampton recommendations for us, shoot 'em over!...
Oct 01, 2024•1 hr 52 min
We're back! It is time to continue our readthrough of DC Comics' Solo. This month, we're discussing the eighth issue, which features the incredible work of Teddy Kristiansen. Join us as we delve into his spotlight issue and discuss all five of his stories in the comic! For a handy Spotify playlist featuring all of our episodes on Solo, click here: tr.ee/LWngAKKWTt If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free to hit us up on our socials, or email us! We hav...
Aug 26, 2024•2 hr 7 min
Mike Allred is one of the most unique voices in creator-owned and mainstream comics! Perhaps best known for his Madman series, he has also left a big mark on some of DC's and Marvel's biggest characters and franchises, including Superman, Batman, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, and so much more! Join us as we cover his issue of Solo! Apologies for the late episode! We recorded this well before San Diego Comic Con, but due to the busyness of life and work, didn't get a chance to edi...
Aug 08, 2024•2 hr 5 min
In this episode, we're discussing an indie comic we both backed on Kickstarter back in 2020. The Dodo Knows by Helen Greetham is an anthology of stories centered around themes of loss and discovery. It's a lovely collection for readers of any age, and we warmly recommend it. If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free to hit us up on our socials, or email us! We have a Linktree here: linktr.ee/betweenthegutters Thanks again to Corey J. Beats for producing...
Jul 13, 2024•2 hr 1 min
We're digging way too deep into the forgotten 1993 Image lineup in this episode. Do you remember Union by Mark Texeira and Mike Heisler? If you do, this episode is for you. We take a look at the initial four-issue miniseries that took almost a year to come out! Let's party like it's 1993 again, or something like that. If DC hadn't bought up WildStorm, Union would have been the perfect mascot for the Image Comics union. If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Fe...
Jul 06, 2024•1 hr 53 min
Jordi Bernet is an artist neither one of us was particularly familiar with, but he received his own spotlight issue of Solo, which we'll be discussing in this episode! As usual, we'll be discussing each story in the comic. Don't worry, there's a Batman story in this one... For a handy Spotify playlist featuring all of our episodes on Solo, click here: tr.ee/LWngAKKWTt If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free to hit us up on our socials, or email us! We...
Jun 29, 2024•1 hr 43 min
For the second straight episode, we're taking a close look at another underrated Image miniseries! This time around, we're examining Ghost Cage by Nick Dragotta and Caleb Goellner! This three-issue science fiction comic has a ton of the things we love, including dope character designs, immersive worldbuilding, slick action, Mega Man-esque aesthetics, and substantial subtext. It's a book we really dig, and we really enjoyed discussing it. If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or correcti...
Jun 22, 2024•2 hr 15 min
Let's take a walk. Step by Bloody Step by Si Spurrier and Matias Bergara is truly a gem of a miniseries. It's an almost wordless fantasy story about a girl and her giant guardian traversing across their world. Featuring beautiful imagery and densely layered artwork that communicates the story of their journey, Step by Bloody Step is a work that not only demands your attention, but deserves it. Join us as we discuss and analyze it! If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we...
Jun 15, 2024•2 hr 31 min
After we went through the ordeal of revisiting X-Men #1-3 by Claremont and Lee a couple weeks ago, we decided to reward ourselves by talking about a great X-Men story: House of X/Powers of X. It's two stories that are one! As the Krakoan era winds down in 2024, it's also a nice time to revisit this smash hit. While you slept, the world changed... So stay awake and listen to our voices! If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free to hit us up on our social...
May 29, 2024•2 hr 20 min
In this month's installment of our readthrough of DC's Solo, we're finally covering the Darwyn Cooke issue! Everybody should know how great Cooke was. He contributed to a lot of the early DC Animated Universe, and he left a big impact on comics. While works like DC: The New Frontier and his Parker adaptations are probably his most famous, you should definitely keep an eye out for Solo #5 in the back issue bins. It is a treasure, and a veritable showcase of his talents. Join us in this episode as...
May 22, 2024•2 hr 10 min
X-Men #1 is the best-selling comic book of all time and a big part of our youths. With X-Men '97 in the zeitgeist, we figured we could go back and revisit X-Men #1-3 (1991) by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee, taking a critical look at one of the most beloved and influential runs in popular culture. In this episode, we take some time to talk about our individual experiences with Claremont and Jim Lee's works, reflect on the early nineties X-Men, and do an issue-by-issue commentary of the first three ...
May 15, 2024•3 hr 32 min
Happy Mother's Day to all who celebrate! In this episode, we're talking about Mothers, by Kusahara Umi! Mothers is a one-woman anthology published by Glacier Bay Books. It's got a dozen stories, and virtually all of them are hits. Seriously, find yourself a copy of this book if you don't already have one! We talk in-depth and discuss each story in this book, which is rich with meaning and ideas to unpack. The tales in this collection examine themes of motherhood, family, loss, and practically th...
May 08, 2024•2 hr 50 min
Lois Lane: Enemy of the People by Greg Rucka and Mike Perkins is, in the grand scheme of eternity, a relatively recent 12-issue maxiseries that we wanted to read and discuss. It's also a chance for us to talk about the impact of the creators' works. Also, because this is a Lois Lane-centric episode, we took the time to talk about the 1986 Lois Lane two-issue miniseries by Mindy Newell and Gray Morrow, "When It's Raining, God Is Crying." These are two different Lois stories from different eras, b...
May 01, 2024•2 hr 31 min
As we continue our readthrough of DC's Solo, we now come to Howard Chaykin's issue. He's a very distinctive artist known for his edginess, but we've certainly read our fair share of his latter-period Big Two work. Join us as we discuss our thoughts on his writing and art in general, and as we examine his spotlight issue! For a handy Spotify playlist featuring all of our episodes on Solo, click here: https://tr.ee/LWngAKKWTt If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're her...
Apr 24, 2024•2 hr 26 min
We're back! Just like Superman coming back from the dead, Between the Gutters has returned to life! This week, we're discussing Superman vs. Meshi volume 1 by Satoshi Miyagawa and Kai Kitago. It's a delightful slice of life food manga featuring Superman and his appreciation for fast Japanese cuisine! This is a different type of cape comic for those who are accustomed to Western superhero comics, but manga readers know that comics about food are about as plentiful as comics about cats. (Maybe?) J...
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr 47 min
In issue three of Solo, Paul Pope takes the spotlight. This issue contains the Eisner Award-winning short story "Teenage Sidekick!" There are some other gems as well. Join us as we discuss Paul Pope's work and the bits of his career that we're familiar with. For a handy Spotify playlist featuring all of our episodes on Solo, click here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Cp7xN6T5JKdsqA2VvbUE1?si=565b39d437214b89 If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free...
Mar 21, 2024•2 hr 28 min
This is a story. This is a story about us podcasting about one of the best DC comics ever, and one of the last great Vertigo ongoing series. This is a story about the next entry in our top 25 DC comics countdown! Coming in at #22 on our list... Sweet Tooth by Jeff Lemire, Jose Villarubia, and more! This science fiction post-apocalyptic coming of age story about the boy and the big man is one of the most evocative and touching comics DC has ever published. This is a story. We discussed Sweet Toot...
Mar 12, 2024•2 hr 58 min
The Seeds by Ann Nocenti and David Aja is an ecological, post-apocalyptic, science fiction, romantic, techno thriller. If that sounds like a lot, it's because Nocenti and Aja stuffed this four-issue story chock full of ideas and concepts. Perhaps The Seeds isn't a perfect comic book, but it's absolutely an intriguing one. It's a comic that demands your active attention. We tried to figure it out - no idea if we've understood it properly - but we had a good time with it. It's refreshing to read a...
Mar 05, 2024•2 hr 1 min
Richard Corben... The man, the myth, the legend. About twenty years ago, he did the second issue of DC's Solo. This anthology series showcased a special artist with every issue, giving them carte blanche to do whatever they wanted. In 2024, we're dedicating one of our episodes every month to talking about one issue of this series, and after tackling Tim Sale's issue last month, it's time to turn our attention to Corben. We're admittedly only directly familiar with a small portion of his later pe...
Feb 19, 2024•1 hr 59 min
Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane is an underrated and underappreciated gem of a series, and we're here to shine a spotlight on it. In this episode, we're covering all twenty issues of Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, plus the two preceding four-issue miniseries. All of these comics are written by Sean McKeever, mostly drawn by Takeshi Miyazawa, colored by Christina Strain, and lettered by Randy Gentile and Dave Sharpe. David Hahn drew the last few issues of the run, Norman Lee inked some of Miyazawa's issu...
Feb 12, 2024•2 hr 34 min
After an unplanned bye week, we're back with the first episode of our 2024 readthrough! In 2021, we read through Invincible. In 2022, we read through Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. Last year, we read through Deadly Class. This year, we're reading through DC Comics' Solo! Once a month, we're dedicating one of our episodes to an issue of Solo, which lasted twelve issues. First up, we're discussing issue one, which was Tim Sale's issue. Join us as we provide a general overview of Solo as a series ...
Jan 30, 2024•1 hr 38 min
We're back with a discussion about another recently published Image Comics book, Immortal Sergeant by Joe Kelly + Ken Niimura! It's the newest collaboration from the duo that brought us the legendary I Kill Giants. Immortal Sergeant is about the dysfunctional relationship between a grizzled, old-school, bigoted detective and his adult, socially liberal son. The two of them are forced to spend an inordinate amount of time together when the detective catches a break on the murder case that's haunt...
Jan 15, 2024•2 hr 46 min
