It's time to continue our monthly readthrough of Invincible! In this episode, we discuss issues 48-59, which are collected in volumes 10 and 11 of the trade paperback editions, or in volume 5 of the "Ultimate Collection" hardcover edition. You can also find the series digitally on Hoopla and Comixology. Join as we discuss the myriad developments in this year's batch of issues. We also take some time to engage in a mild philosophical debate about whether superheroes should kill, as that becomes a...
May 31, 2021•2 hr 16 min
We're always on the hunt for cheap comics to read and to complete sets or full runs of stuff we wanna read. Longbox diving, bargain searching, and sale hunting are part of the quest. We have our fair share of hardcovers, trade paperbacks, and digital comics, but sometimes the cheapest way to read something is by tracking down the issues individually via quarter bins, three-for-a-dollar bins, fifty-cent bins, or even dollar bins. As hardened veteran comic book connoisseurs, we use every method at...
May 24, 2021•2 hr 24 min
In honor and observance of AAPI Heritage Month, we're taking some time to discuss one of our favorite comics, American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (and colored by Lark Pien). This outstanding modern classic resonates deeply with both of us as Asian American readers, and we believe that it has a lot to say regardless of your cultural background or ethnicity. It's fifteen years old now and just as relevant now as it ever was. If you haven't read this acclaimed work, check it out as soon as you ...
May 17, 2021•2 hr 8 min
Girls' Last Tour is a six-volume manga series by Tsukumizu that we heartily recommend. In this episode, we discuss the entire run as well as the anime adaptation. A post-apocalyptic story about two young girls journeying through a bombed-out, empty wasteland while trying to scrounge for food and water, Girls' Last Tour is packed full of evocative moments that reach poetic heights, all in the service of showing that life is worth living no matter what the circumstances. Tune in to find out why we...
May 10, 2021•2 hr 23 min
We had a chance to watch the latest offering from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so join us as we perform an autopsy on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier! Our friend, ally, and recurring guest Alexander Sheynis joins us for (most of) this episode. We discuss our thoughts on various elements of the miniseries, from the comic book influences, the characters as they were depicted in the show, the social commentary and themes, and other bits of comic book nonsense. Hit us up and let us know your tho...
May 03, 2021•2 hr 47 min
In this month's installment of our Invincible readthrough, we discuss issues 36-47. These issues are in volumes 8 and 9 if you're reading the trade paperback collections. You can also find these issues digitally on Comixology or Hoopla. Invincible just keeps getting better and better, and the fourth year of the series definitely brings us a lot of fascinating developments in Mark Grayson's personal life, as well as in the larger overall plot with the Viltrumites.
Apr 26, 2021•1 hr 57 min
Have you ever felt a longing to be somewhere you can't seem to reach? That's kind of what Space Brothers volume 1 is about. Its narrative about a man who dreams of becoming an astronaut (just like his more successful younger brother) was something that resonated with both of us. Join us as we discuss the first volume of Chuya Koyama's long-running manga series!
Apr 19, 2021•1 hr 29 min
Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius are two giants of comics, and The Incal is one of their most famous and significant works together. In this episode, we read The Incal volume 1 for the first time and discuss this landmark comic. We need to read more European comics. If you've got any recommendations for us, hit us up!
Apr 12, 2021•1 hr 14 min
Box Office Poison by Alex Robinson is the classic indie graphic novel we discuss in this episode. It's one of the early works from an underrated but highly talented cartoonist, and it's a sprawling slice of life story featuring an ensemble cast. It's about finding your way in life, art versus commerce, doing what feels right, growing in maturity, and so much more. And if someone out there can help us understand why the title of the comic is "Box Office Poison," give us a shout and educate us!
Apr 05, 2021•2 hr 4 min
It's time for our monthly dive into Invincible! The animated series has finally begun streaming on Amazon Prime, but we've been doing our readthrough since January. This time around, we're talking about volumes 6 and 7, which comprise issues 25-35. You can find these issues at your local comic book shop or digitally on Comixology. It's a great time to read this series! After all, it's probably the best superhero comic book in the universe.
Mar 29, 2021•1 hr 49 min
We revisit one of the most memorable comics of our youth and talk about Spider-Man: Revenge of the Sinister Six by Erik Larsen. It's not the best Spidey story ever, not even close - it's debatable whether these issues are even "good" comics - but it was something key in our formative comics reading years. As adults, almost thirty years later, we can appreciate it as an artifact of the past while acknowledging its failures as a story, yet still find something to enjoy about it. What are some of t...
Mar 21, 2021•1 hr 27 min
Here's a bonus mid-week episode for all y'all. It's our preview of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which is slated to start on Disney+ on March 19th. In this episode, we discuss the various characters that are known to be in the show, the potential influences, and the possible plots. We also speculate on ideas and thematic concepts we suspect the show may address to some degree. No clickbaity garbage here! Promise.
Mar 18, 2021•1 hr 51 min
It turns out that the real House of M was always the House of Mouse. We've had a little time to digest the Disney+ series as a whole now, so now we've gotta do a deep dive into WandaVision. Join us as we examine the various facets of the show, from the comic book influences, the thematic content, the plot, the characters, and other extraneous nonsense (like whether the Hulk became a mass murderer when he used the Infinity Gauntlet in Endgame). What did you guys think of WandaVision?
Mar 14, 2021•2 hr 43 min
In this episode, we review and discuss two different indie comics that creators have sent us: Parallel, by Jason Douglas and Ferris, and Invasion from Planet Wrestletopia, by Ed Kuehnel, Matt Entin, Dan Schkade, and Kendall Goode. We love checking out comics from indie creators, and this was a long-overdue episode. Reading these comics expanded our horizons, and hopefully you'll be inspired to check out something new!
Mar 09, 2021•1 hr 31 min
We return for our monthly trek into Invincible, by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Bill Crabtree, and Rus Wooton! Hey, it's probably the best superhero comic book in the universe! In this episode, we dive into issues 14-24, which are collected in volumes 4 and 5 of the trade paperbacks. The issues are also in volume 2 of the ultimate collection hardcovers, and also in the first compendium. Of course, you can find these issues digitally on Comixology. Get caught up and read along with us every month...
Mar 02, 2021•2 hr 16 min
In this episode, we talk about all of the comics we've backed on Kickstarter since the pandemic began. From webcomic collectives to smaller niche publishers to completely independent creators doing their thing, there's a lot of great stuff out there. Join us as we explore the comics we've discovered through the magic of crowdfunding. We're always down to check out new comics, so if you have any comic book Kickstarter suggestions that we should consider backing, hit us up!
Feb 23, 2021•2 hr 36 min
What have you read lately? Our buddies Zach and Sheynis return to the show for a catch-up session where we talk about some of the comics we've read recently. The main comics highlighted are A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong, Ales Kot's Secret Avengers run, Jack Kirby's Fourth World comics (specifically The New Gods and Mister Miracle), and Plutona by Jeff Lemire and Emi Lenox. Those are the starting points and the conversation takes off from there! What have you been reading lately?
Feb 14, 2021•1 hr 42 min
Way back in episode 23, we dissected and discussed Akira, the seminal manga by Katsuhiro Otomo. Occasionally, we do enjoy talking about film or television adaptations of comics, and this week we decided to tackle the Akira anime film, which is rightfully hailed as a landmark classic. We talk about cyberpunk, various things we appreciated about the movie, and some of the differences between the manga and the anime. Join us as we bask in the glory of one of the most significant and artfully crafte...
Feb 08, 2021•2 hr 18 min
Join as as we begin our complete read-through of Invincible by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, Ryan Ottley, and Bill Crabtree! Once a month, we'll do an episode covering approximately a year's worth of issues of the series. Invincible went for 144 issues, so that'll probably take us to the end of the year if all goes according to schedule. In this episode, we cover issues 1-13. (These issues are contained in volumes 1, 2, and 3 if you're getting the trade paperbacks, or volume 1 of the deluxe hardc...
Feb 01, 2021•2 hr 29 min
In this second addendum to our recently-completed Marvel top 25 comics countdown, we talk about a bunch of Marvels that we love, but just couldn't include in the final list. Hey, just because we have a lot of favorites doesn't mean we can't be objective! The list is the list. We also take the time to discuss most of the prominent Marvel comics that most people would have expected to find on a top 25 list, and we talk about why some of those didn't make ours. (Lookin' at you, Claremont Uncanny X-...
Jan 24, 2021•3 hr 20 min
One of the long-running recurring features of our podcast has been our Marvel top 25 list. Recently, in episode 58, we finally completed our countdown. In this episode, we provide additional commentary and context on our list, and we also discuss the comics that just missed the cut based on our four criteria (craft, originality, impact, and withstanding the test of time). Our friend, ally, and semi-frequent guest-star Sheynis joins us as we provide an addendum to our Marvel top 25 list! Feel fre...
Jan 18, 2021•1 hr 59 min
What's up, In-Betweeners! With WandaVision coming out very soon, we thought it would be timely to examine and discuss The Vision by Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta, seeing as how it's one of the most obvious points of influence. There's a spoiler-free review, and then we'll warn you when we get to our spoiler-full analysis. After we discuss the book, we take some time to shoot the breeze about our educated speculations regarding WandaVision, and we also talk about some of the most absurd el...
Jan 10, 2021•3 hr 1 min
At long last, we have reached the conclusion of our long-gestating countdown of the top 25 Marvels of all time! Based on a completely objective rubric centered around four criteria (craft, originality, impact, and withstanding the test of time), our army of researchers, scientists, mathematicians, warlocks, druids, sentient computer intelligence, witches, alchemists, and arcanists have determined the indisputable greatest Marvel comic ever. Many lives have been sacrificed so that we could bring ...
Jan 03, 2021•2 hr 29 min
As 2020 comes to an end, many of us are looking forward to a fresh start in the new year. That gave us an excuse to discuss many of our favorite fresh starts in comics. Join us for a deep dive into this topic! What are your favorite fresh starts in comics? Feel free to comment, or email us at betweenthegutterspodcast@gmail.com! Follow us on Twitter @btweentheguttrs! Follow us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/BetweentheGutters/
Dec 28, 2020•2 hr 53 min
In this episode, our friends Krissy and Kenton join us to talk about one of the most influential and significant shojo manga of all time: Sailor Moon, by Naoko Takeuchi. We're taking a look specifically at volume one of the recent "Eternal Editions" published by Kodansha starting in 2018, but we also take some time to talk a little bit about the nineties anime that introduced us to the series. Feel free to comment, or email us at betweenthegutterspodcast@gmail.com! Follow us on Twitter @btweenth...
Dec 20, 2020•1 hr 26 min
Last week, we discussed Justice League of America: The Nail by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer. This time around, we discuss Another Nail, the direct sequel. We also take a little time to chat about our favorite What If? and Elseworlds comics! What are your favorites? Feel free to comment, or email us at betweenthegutterspodcast@gmail.com! Follow us on Twitter @btweentheguttrs! Follow us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/BetweentheGutters/
Dec 13, 2020•2 hr 10 min
In this episode, we discuss Justice League of America: The Nail by Alan Davis, Mark Farmer, Trish Mulvihill, and Patricia Prentice. This overlooked Elseworlds gem posits a DC Universe where Ma and Pa Kent didn't find baby Kal-El's rocket when it crash landed near Smallville. The rest of the the DCU continues on the way we'd expect it to, for the most part, but without Superman in the picture, the way their world views superheroes turns out much differently. Check out what we have to say about Th...
Dec 06, 2020•2 hr 20 min
Mister Wonderful by Daniel Clowes is an underrated piece of work that holds a special place in our hearts. Join us as we discuss this comic and talk about why it resonates with us. Feel free to comment, or email us at betweenthegutterspodcast@gmail.com! Follow us on Twitter @btweentheguttrs! Follow us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/BetweentheGutters/
Nov 29, 2020•1 hr 41 min
For our 52nd episode, we take a retrospective look back at the New 52, the major DC reboot that kicked off in September 2011. Did anything good ever come out of that? Feel free to comment, or email us at betweenthegutterspodcast@gmail.com! Follow us on Twitter @btweentheguttrs! Follow us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/BetweentheGutters/
Nov 22, 2020•2 hr 45 min
In this episode, we discuss the recently published hardcover collection of Joker: Killer Smile by Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, Jordie Bellaire, and Steve Wands. There's a spoiler-free portion, and a spoiler-filled discussion. We also digress into vaguely related tangents and maybe some occasional straight up nonsense. Feel free to comment, or email us at betweenthegutterspodcast@gmail.com! Follow us on Twitter @btweentheguttrs! Follow us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/BetweentheGutters/
Nov 15, 2020•2 hr 29 min
