It was released in English a little over a year ago, but we've finally gotten around to reading Shuna's Journey by Hayao Miyazaki, a gem that was originally published in 1983. It's not a long read, but it's absolutely gripping and worth your time and contemplation. If you're a fan of Miyazaki's films, then Shuna's Journey will certainly be of major interest. It's kinda decent timing, by our standards, to talk about Shuna's Journey because Miyazaki's been back in the public discourse. As you prob...
Jan 08, 2024•2 hr 10 min
Happy New Year! For our first episode of 2024, we decided to read and talk about a new series from 2023: W0rldtr33 by James Tynion IV, Fernando Blanco, Jordie Bellaire, Aditya Bidikar, and Dylan Todd (edited by Steve Foxe). This science fiction horror story is by one of the biggest writers in comics at this particular moment. We haven't really talked about any Tiny Onion books on our podcast before, so we figured we'd try to get with the times. In this episode, we discuss W0rldtr33 volume 1, whi...
Jan 01, 2024•2 hr 16 min
As 2023 comes to an end, we decided to read and discuss a comic that's also about an ending, of sorts. Namor the Sub-Mariner: Conquered Shores by Christopher Cantwell, Pasqual Ferry, Matt Hollingsworth, and Joe Caramagna is a "The End"-type of story for Namor, one of Albert's most beloved superhero characters. Conquered Shores takes place in a far future after the Earth has endured massive trauma, which results in Atlantis becoming the dominant superpower as the planet is engulfed by the seas an...
Dec 26, 2023•1 hr 58 min
Twelve months, twelve volumes. We have finally completed our coverage of Deadly Class by Rick Remender and Wes Craig! As we have been doing throughout 2023, in this episode we provide our usual issue-by-issue synopses and commentary of the last trade paperback collection of the series, which contains issues 53-56. We also discuss our overall thoughts and feelings about the series as a whole. This has been our #Remendyear and what more fitting way to finish it off than with a long conversation ab...
Dec 18, 2023•4 hr 5 min
This week, we're continuing our top 25 DC comics countdown. We have Sleeper, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, at number 23 on our list! Nowadays, Brubaker and Phillips are household names for their creator-owned crime comics. Let's go back in time and take a look at this early work from the pair! Sleeper is a super powered espionage neo-noir thriller that contains a whole lot of tension and suspense. A creeping sense of dread permeates the narrative. It's also got a lot of heavy emotional, psyc...
Dec 05, 2023•2 hr 59 min
We're getting very close to the end of our readthrough of Deadly Class by Rick Remender and Wes Craig. This month, we're covering volume 11, which is comprised of issues 49-52. Join us as we provide our issue-by-issue recaps and commentary! 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 Check our Linktree for a handy Spotify playlist containing all of our Deadly Cl...
Nov 27, 2023•2 hr 48 min
We return from our bye week with our autopsy on The Marvels, the latest MCU flick! We've all heard the noise around this one. It's been a polarizing movie, especially if you spend time in online spaces. There's also the box office stats, which led to even more chatter. We're not too interested in the movie's financial success (or lack thereof). We're here to talk about the movie itself. Join us as we dissect this movie in another one of our patented autopsies! Some timestamps for y'all: 0:00:00 ...
Nov 21, 2023•3 hr 23 min
We're continuing our countdown of the top 25 DC comics of all time! Coming in at number 24 on our list, we've got Sandman Mystery Theatre by Matt Wagner, Steven T. Seagle, and Guy Davis! This mature-readers crime noir series set in the late 1930s is a grounded and realistic reimagining of a classic Golden Age superhero. It's more than just a gritty remix of an old character, though. This is a series that has it all: intriguing plots, complex and well-developed characters who grow and change, one...
Nov 07, 2023•2 hr 31 min
This week, we're covering Deadly Class volume 10: Save Your Generation! This volume collects issues 45-48 of the series by Rick Remender and Wes Craig! As usual, we're providing recaps and commentary for each issue as we talk through the entire series, one volume per month. 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 ...
Oct 24, 2023•3 hr 10 min
At long last, we're here! When we began our podcast back in the halcyon days of 2017, we started with a series of episodes counting down the top 25 Marvel comics of all time. Eventually, we finished that list and made plans to do a top 25 DC comics list. In the past couple years, we've teased and tantalized with a few honorable mentions (and dishonorable mentions), but now it is time to begin the countdown proper in earnest! Long have we waited! This is not a dream, not a hoax, not an imaginary ...
Oct 17, 2023•3 hr 4 min
Continuing what seems to be an unintentional trend on our podcast, we're here to discuss yet another science fiction comic. This week, we're talking about Decorum, by Jonathan Hickman and Mike Huddleston! This is a story about the most well-mannered assassin in the known universe. Beyond that, we initially struggled to figure out what this comic was really about. However, throughout the course of our conversation in this episode, we eventually wrestled through the text and came to a general unde...
Oct 10, 2023•2 hr 18 min
Far Sector, written by acclaimed novelist N.K. Jemisin with art by the skillful Jamal Campbell, is undoubtedly one of the best Green Lantern tales in recent memory. It's a science fiction story about Sojourner "Jo" Mullein, a new Green Lantern, protecting the City Enduring, a massive city-planet of 20 billion people comprised of three distinct races. For the first time in 500 years, there's a murder, and it's up to Jo to solve the crime. If you enjoy intelligent science fiction in your cape comi...
Oct 02, 2023•2 hr 46 min
In this episode, we're discussing one of Panel Syndicate's most famous publications: Barrier, by Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martín, and Muntsa Vicente! Someone once said that science fiction is social fiction. Barrier is a science fiction story about an alien abduction, but it has a great deal to say about today's social climate. Though it originally came out a few years ago, it feels just as relevant as ever. Barrier's got something to say, and it's elevated by its craftsmanship and experimental ...
Sep 25, 2023•2 hr 26 min
We're back from our bye week with the next installment of our readthrough of Deadly Class! The ninth volume, entitled Bone Machine, comprises issues 40-44 of the series. As usual, we provide issue-by-issue commentary of the comic as we analyze, interpret, and discuss it. In our intro conversation, Albert shares about his recent vacation to New England and the east coast and talks about some of the comic book stores he managed to visit while he was out there. Our Deadly Class discussion begins at...
Sep 19, 2023•2 hr 48 min
Madi: Once Upon a Time in the Future is an intriguing experiment in producing a graphic novel. A science fiction story cowritten by film director Duncan Jones and comics veteran Alex de Campi, the comic's visuals were drawn and colored by around two dozen artists so that the book could come out sooner rather than later. Essentially a road trip story, the different artists drew various portions of the adventure so they could leave their visual stamp on the world of Madi. It's an intriguing experi...
Sep 06, 2023•2 hr 12 min
With the recent release of Shortcomings, the film directed by Randall Park and written by Adrian Tomine, we decided to do one of our comic book movie autopsies! In this episode, we'll be discussing both the film and the original comic by Tomine. Whether you've only read the comic or only watched the movie, tune in to this episode to hear our conversation! We'll warn you in the audio before any serious spoilers. Thanks again to Corey J. Beats for producing our theme music. Check out all of his mu...
Aug 28, 2023•3 hr 52 min
It's time to talk about volume 8 of Deadly Class, which we are reading on a monthly basis. Follow along with us as we provide our usual issue-by-issue breakdowns, analyses, and commentary!
Aug 22, 2023•2 hr 45 min
Happiness by Shuzo Oshimi is a rare foray into vampire fiction for us (notwithstanding all the Blade, Morbius, etc. comics we've consumed). Back in episode 113, we covered the the first seven volumes of Blood on the Tracks, the Oshimi series that's still currently ongoing. Reading that series garnered enough appreciation for Oshimi's work that we decided to go back and read one of this earlier, completed series. Happiness is a vampire story, yes, but it's also a dark, psychological thriller. Whi...
Aug 14, 2023•4 hr 28 min
The Disney+ series Secret Invasion recently completed its run, so we figured we'd do an autopsy. Before going into our dissection of the show, we first spend some time discussing 2008's Secret Invasion comic book event, specifically the eight-issue miniseries by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu. The show got its title and basic concept from that comic, so we figured we'd examine that event and talk about how the show approaches the premise of a Skrull invasion differently. What did you...
Aug 08, 2023•3 hr 7 min
Ta-Nehisi Coates' run on Captain America is a thematically and conceptually rich interpretation of one of Marvel's most important characters. His thirty-issue series is intellectually dense but doesn't skimp on the action and thrills, either. It's a story that demands your attention and warrants multiple readings as an examination of what makes Captain America meaningful. Join us as we try to scratch the surface of this one! Also, our intro discussion contains Albert's report on San Diego Comic-...
Aug 01, 2023•3 hr 25 min
In this month's installment of our yearlong Deadly Class comic book coverage, we discuss volume seven, which is titled Love Like Blood. This volume collects issues 32-35 of the series. Read along and listen as we provide issue-by-issue commentary and discussion! Thanks again to Corey J. Beats for producing our theme music. Check out all of his music on various platforms here: linktr.ee/Coreyjbeats If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free to hit us up o...
Jul 17, 2023•2 hr 31 min
This week we're covering Superman: Space Age by Mark Russell, Mike Allred, Laura Allred, and Dave Sharpe. It's a story that examines Superman and the persistence of hope in the most dire of circumstances. Thanks again to Corey J. Beats for producing our theme music. Check out all of his music on various platforms here: linktr.ee/Coreyjbeats 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: linkt...
Jul 11, 2023•2 hr 34 min
The New 52 era of DC Comics was a particularly bad time for comics, but it did give us one diamond: Wonder Woman, by Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang, Matthew Wilson, Jared K. Fletcher, and several other artists, including Tony Akins and Goran Sudžuka! This self-contained run is an evergreen Wonder Woman story. It's a series that not only provides a compelling plot and fascinating characters with depth, but also stands as a concise summation of what the concept of Wonder Woman is all about, and wha...
Jul 03, 2023•3 hr 24 min
Multiverses are all the rage right now. The latest big multiverse story is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. It's something we watched recently, so we figured we'd dissect it for the podcast. The first fifty minutes or so are spoiler-free, but we'll warn you in the audio when we go full spoilers. (Also, near the end of the episode, Albert will spoil The Flash a little bit.) Thanks again to Corey J. Beats for producing our theme music. Check out all of his music on various platforms here: link...
Jun 26, 2023•2 hr 59 min
In this month's installment of our Deadly Class readthrough, we cover volume 6: This Is Not the End, which collects issues 27-31. We get some answers to a couple of burning questions, some great character building, some social commentary, and plenty of fantastic art. Join us as we provide our issue-by-issue commentary! Throughout 2023, we're reading through Deadly Class by Rick Remender and Wes Craig. Each month this year, one of our episodes will be dedicated to coverage of one volume of the se...
Jun 19, 2023•3 hr 34 min
Paul Chadwick is one of the best writer-artists of our lifetime, and his most famous creation, Concrete, is an absolutely tremendous series. Critically hailed and extremely well-respected back in its heyday, today Concrete seems to be a bit forgotten compared to some of the more famous works from Chadwick's contemporaries. This is unfortunate. We're here to shine a light on a diamond that should never be forgotten. In this episode, we discuss Concrete and Paul Chadwick in general, and we specifi...
Jun 12, 2023•3 hr 28 min
This week, we're taking a look at a pair of Green Lantern graphic novels, Legacy and Alliance, by Minh Lê and Andie Tong! These comics are aimed at younger readers, but they're perfect for superhero fans of any age. Green Lantern: Legacy introduces us to young Tai Pham, the latest member of the Green Lantern Corps. Alliance expands upon Tai's world, introducing new threats and allies. Not only are these great superhero comics, but they're also sensitive and authentic portrayals of Asian American...
Jun 05, 2023•2 hr 31 min
We're back after a bye week with May's installment of our Deadly Class readthrough! This month, we're covering volume 5: Carousel, which comprises issues 22-26. After last month's shocking cliffhanger, we were pumped to find out what happens next, and we were not disappointed! If anything, Rick Remender and Wes Craig subverted some of our expectations to take us on an unexpected, yet logical, ride into a new school year at King's Dominion. Tune in for our usual issue-by-issue synopses and commen...
May 30, 2023•2 hr 33 min
We've been reading through Deadly Class in 2023, and we thought we'd supplement our Rick Remender coverage with a podcast about Seven to Eternity, which features art by Jerome Opeña! In this episode, we discuss the entirety of this seventeen-issue series. It's a compelling story that subverted our initial expectations based on the first issue, and it ended in the only place it could. Seven to Eternity is a lavishly illustrated space fantasy story about integrity and compromise. There's some fant...
May 15, 2023•2 hr 43 min
It's time to dissect Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3! Here's our autopsy of the latest MCU feature film. More than merely a movie review, our dissection begins with an overview of the GotG concept and a broad discussion regarding our general thoughts about the comic book source material. We then provide a spoiler-free review, and then we'll warn you in the audio when we go full spoilers. 0:00:00 - Intro Discussion 1:23:25 - Spoiler-free Review 1:43:30 - Spoiler-filled Dissection Thanks again to C...
May 09, 2023•4 hr 35 min
