"This is not my beautiful house! This is not my beautiful wife!" Mark Grayson returns from his Rebooted life to find Atom Eve fully embracing that alien lifestyle and their daughter Tera well into childhood. He's missed so much but doesn't have time to cry about it. Thragg and his brood armada are on the march and thirsty for Grayson blood. We return to Invincible this week and our ongoing Mark and Eve counseling session. We are so close to the comic's climax and freaking out a little. Creators ...
Jun 06, 2023•2 hr 6 min•Ep. 184
Woe unto the city where the sidekick dies. In Minor Threats, Jordan Blum and Patton Oswalt plunge into the chaotic relationship dynamics that fuel the best spandex stories, shifting the microscope toward the C-list, well, maybe the D-List "super" crooks that frequently fall under the boots of top-tier heroes and villains. Kid Dusk is dead. The sinister Stickman pulled the trigger. Now, The Insomniac is on a rampage to secure justice...vengeance...payback. Tomayto, tomahto. Hoping to restore norm...
May 25, 2023•58 min•Ep. 183
Once upon a time, in a far-off kingdom, Tom King returned! In this episode, we go into the woods and down the dell; the path is straight toward Danger Street! We're talking with the creator about his utterly absurd and equally delightful maxi-series, illustrated by Jorge Fornés, colored by Dave Stewart, lettered by Clayton Cowles, and currently on the stands from DC Comics . What's the tougher task - knocking out another Batman story or creating a narrative where twenty-three random superhero re...
May 18, 2023•56 min•Ep. 182
We get highfalutin with Mitch Gerads and Tom King, discussing their latest Dark Knight collaboration, "The Winning Card," as it appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1, out now from DC Comics. The longtime collaborators continue to test each other, pulling the very best from one another and delivering a Batman tale unlike any other. It's Year One for both Bats and Joker. They're looking to prove themselves. They're looking to sell themselves to Gotham City. And sell themselves as something ...
May 16, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 181
We celebrate Free Comic Book Day with Jesse Lonergan and Steve Anderson from Third Eye Comics. Our first-ever spectacular promoting the annual event where comic readers collide to nab free comics but, more importantly, buy comics. Free Comic Book Day is a shop appreciation day, not a customer appreciation day. So, be kind, say thank you, and discover a new universe of titles and characters. Exploration is your mission. In our first portion, we chat extensively with Steve Anderson about his new B...
May 06, 2023•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 180
Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing return to Comic Book Couples Counseling, discussing their longstanding Star Trek obsession and how they transformed it into a propulsive narrative for the rest of us to enjoy. Their latest IDW Publishing series picks up where Star Trek: Deep Space Nine left off, fulfilling Benjamin Sisko's promise to his son. The Emissary returns from the Wormhole on a mission to halt a God-killing entity while reconnecting with an emotionally anxious Jake Sisko. As longtime Sisk...
Apr 24, 2023•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 179
You got comedy in my dystopia! You got dystopia in my comedy! Two great tastes that taste great together! In our latest Creator Cranny conversation, we chat with Pulitzer Prize finalist Matt Bors and Adult Swim filmmaker Ben Clarkson about their righteously hilarious buddy cop sci-fi satire, Justice Warriors. The new book from Ahoy Comics is a viciously funny tale about two Bubble City law enforcers maintaining the peace of the Uninhabited Zone. At the same time, their mayor desperately tries to...
Apr 18, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 178
When is a reboot not a reboot? When Robert Kirkman and Invincible are involved. We've reached the halfway point in our Mark and Atom Eve counseling sessions, delving into one of their relationship's most complicated and gut-wrenching moments. Surviving this moment is absolutely critical for themselves and the fate of the universe, and possibly the romance between the two podcasters making this episode! If you could go back in time with the knowledge you possess today, would you do better, be bet...
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 177
Thirty years ago, Milestone Media dropped into comic shops. Their books were almost unrecognizable next to the other comics being published at the time. They were politically charged, radically motivated, and bursting with boundless creative energy. Founded by Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle, Milestone Media changed the game and delivered iconic characters like Static, Hardware, Blood Syndicate, Rocket, and, yeah, Icon. If you want to understand the context surro...
Mar 31, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 176
Few comics feel as epic as Invincible by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley. As such, it presents an incredible challenge for Comic Book Couples Counseling. Where do we start if we want to properly analyze the complicated romantic relationship between Mark Grayson and Samantha Eve Wilkins? For years, the question has gotten in the way of programming our Invincible counseling sessions, but last week, Robert Kirkman himself came to our rescue. We've said this on the podcast before, but w...
Mar 23, 2023•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 175
Twenty years ago, Robert Kirkman unleashed Invincible upon the planet. The comic represented an opportunity to do everything he ever imagined a superhero comic was capable of doing. Through Image Comics (and what would eventually develop into his own Skybound Entertainment), the comic creator found a narrative freedom that previously proved impossible at the big two comic companies. In the process, he also created an utterly compelling romance that took significant time to develop, causing profo...
Mar 13, 2023•48 min•Ep. 174
Few comics operate like Do A Powerbomb! Cartoonist Daniel Warren Johnson does his thing (along with genius colorist Mike Spicer), pulling you in with the most incredible, kinetic, and badass panels while slowly engaging your heart and soul. When the comic reaches its jaw-dropping climax, you're shook and probably requiring a little alone time to get all those uncontrollable tears out of your system. Since the very first issue, we've been championing Do A Powerbomb! We've folded the comic into ou...
Mar 01, 2023•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 173
INT. CLAYFACE - DAY/NIGHT/WHATEVER. There are two wolves (desperation and artistic integrity) tearing into each other. The disgraced Basil Karlo will do anything to get his face (or someone else's face atop his face) on the screen again. Unfortunately, even after cheating and slaughtering his way to his goal, Karlo's damn creative principles threaten to ruin his bright lights, big city dreams. Batman: One Bad Day - Clayface #1 is a sensational trip into the murderous mudsliding thespian's soul. ...
Feb 24, 2023•43 min•Ep. 172
Nothing has a greater influence over your life than your thoughts; rather they are negative or positive. This is true for Superman, Lex Luthor, Brad Gullickson, Lisa Gullickson, Joshua Williamson, and Jamal Campbell. On this week's podcast, we chat with the two comic creators about Clark Kent's impact on their lives as well as his impact on the greater DC Comics universe. Their Superman #1 hits comic shops this Tuesday, and with it comes an exciting new take on the character and those that flock...
Feb 18, 2023•59 min•Ep. 171
Hang on! Dan Slott joins Comic Book Couples Counseling for an epic, in-depth conversation about his Silver Surfer run, which he did in collaboration with Mike Allred and Laura Allred. No other comic has had as profound an impact on our relationship as this one, especially when you consider that Dawn Greenwood and Norrin Radd were the inspiration for the podcast. In many ways, we've spent our entire time on this show preparing for the deep-dive chat you're about to hear. In creator corner convers...
Feb 10, 2023•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 170
We bring our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series to a close with the final Turtle story as envisioned thirty years ago by the original TMNT creators, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. In The Last Ronin, we find the last living Ninja Turtle marching into a Foot Clan-occupied New York City, determined to end the fight that consumed his family. He's beaten, bruised, and maybe a little deluded. After all, the spirits of his three dead brothers haunt his waking world. As discussed in our Martian Manhunt...
Feb 02, 2023•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 169
The latest DC Comics event is here - Lazarus Planet! Spearheaded by Mark Waid and Gene Luen Yang and carried forth by writers like Nicole Maines and Leah Williams, the crossover radically alters DC's science-based and magic-based heroes. Chaos rains, and chaos reigns. Heroes transformed. Secrets revealed. Powers unleashed. As seen in Batman vs. Robin #4, Lazarus Island has exploded. Dangerous, magical chemicals spread across the globe, catastrophically changing the atmosphere and the heroes who ...
Jan 19, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 168
We like big worlds, and we cannot lie. We like them, even more, when they come packed in extra thick premiere issues. Black Cloak #1 from creators Kelly Thompson and Meredith McClaren is the first event comic of 2023. It presents a massive, fantastical world jammed with magic, mystery, and mermaids. One part procedural, one part political intrigue, all parts pointedly compelling and weird as hell. After devouring the first three issues, we came away from Black Cloak wickedly captivated and brimm...
Jan 15, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 167
We can't quit vampires. Just when you think you've seen every mythological iteration, a creator comes along with a new take on the bloodsuckers. Blood Oath by Alex Segura, Rob Hart, and Joe Eisma arrived before our eyeballs at the perfect moment. The vicious vampire twist that plops our favorite fanged beasts amongst the gangs puppeteering the Prohibition era was the most delightful way for Lisa to extend her current undead obsession, ignited mostly by her recent Twilight re-read. She will not a...
Jan 10, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 166
Determining the Best Comics of 2022 requires more space than the usual Comic Book Couples Counseling conversation. More space and several more voices! In Part Two of our epic year-end celebration, we invite another cool cadre of guests on the show to name their favorite books from the previous year. Several titles you may expect, but a whole bunch of others should come as a surprise. We're not NPR, we're not IGN. We're the CBCC Podcast! If you missed last week's selection of great books, click H...
Jan 06, 2023•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 165
HAP...PY NEW YEAR! We close out December doing what we love most: rambling about comic books! And this year, we're joined by a bevy of guests who help us recognize the Best Comics of 2022. We've scurried and scrambled during the last several weeks, racing to read and re-read as many comic books as possible. 2022 was a banner year for the industry, certainly in terms of quality. Narrowing our two-part end-of-the-year extravaganza down to a few handfuls of books proved nearly impossible. Thankfull...
Dec 31, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 164
Close your eyes. Picture the longest strand of regret dangling in your memory. Want to clip it? What would your life be like if you could go back in time and fix that one annoying problem? In G.I.L.T. (the Guild of Independent Lady Temporalists), writer Alisa Kwitney proposes the possibility for at least one woman to repair her calamitous history and, in the process, drop an unwitting sidekick into the tricky solution as well. The acerbic science fiction adventure from Ahoy Comics is one of the ...
Dec 24, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 163
'Twas the week before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring - EXCEPT Two-Gun Khamen, the rootinest, tootinest cowboy mummy this side of the Pecos. This week, we're dipping into young Billy Coates' wild imagination as he regales his folks with a rip-roaring adventure saga, which serves as the backbone for That Texas Blood #20, the second twisted Christmas Special from comic creators Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips. Billy's strange tale is a most excellent jumping-on po...
Dec 12, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 162
When the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon erupted in popularity, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird required a comic book that kids could flock toward, which could not be their original hyper-violent Mirage Studios series. In 1988, they partnered with the industry's most wholesome brand, Archie Comics, launching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures. The second TMNT comic series began with strict adaptations of the cartoon but quickly swerved down far weirder avenues. Under the guidance of Ryan...
Dec 05, 2022•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 161
We've waited a long time for this one, but maybe not as long as our guest spent percolating on his subject. Alex Ross exhausted years thinking and rethinking the Fantastic Four. He desired a graphic reinterpretation of the characters that launched the Marvel Comics universe. A new coat of paint that would highlight what was so incredible about the sixties space race characters without tethering them to basic nostalgia. Fantastic Four: Full Circle spins directly from Jack Kirby and Stan Lee's ico...
Nov 24, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 160
Stan Lee's 100th birthday is next month, and we're getting a jump on the celebrations. Joining us on the show this week are comic creators Luke Lieberman, Ryan Silbert, and Bill Sienkiewicz, discussing their collaboration on Alliances: Orphans. The new graphic novel from Dynamite Entertainment springs from Lee's imagination and is further shaped into reality by Lieberman and Silbert. The comic is a cosmic adventure following the Orphans, a ragtag band of desperados who found each other after the...
Nov 17, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 159
Thirty years ago, Superman died. Then, he came back. We remember the event as a gimmick done to boost sales. Sure. Okay. However, the storyline had a massive impact on the readership, including our young Brad. Today, DC Comics recalls the fictional catastrophe in The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special, exploring the lingering trauma of Kal-El's death. We chat with Dan Jurgens, the original Death of Superman co-architect, about what it was like to kill the Man of Steel, resurrect him, and...
Nov 09, 2022•57 min•Ep. 158
Nearly forty years ago, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sprung from the Jack Kirby and Frank Miller-obsessed brains of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Pop culture was forever altered. For the better. In this week's episode, we continue to explore the sibling dynamics between the four mutant brothers: Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael. This time, however, we go back to the beginning, flipping through the pages of the first seven Mirage Studios issues. What we find within feels famili...
Nov 02, 2022•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 157
There are event comics, and then there are EVENT comics. This December, Todd McFarlane and Greg Capullo reunite for the new Batman/Spawn crossover, a comic book clash two decades in the making. It's a rematch many thought would never occur, but its possibility put every reader on notice. No one wants to miss out on this back alley rumble. Equally as legendary as the icons squaring off against each other are the creators themselves. McFarlane and Capullo's partnership solidified during Spawn's ea...
Oct 22, 2022•50 min•Ep. 156
We've attended many comic conventions, but none quite like the New York Comic-Con. In this week's episode, we plunge into our #NYCC experience, detailing how this convention differentiates from other shows like San Diego and Baltimore. We run you through the show floor, the many eating options, the glorious cosplay, and the never-ending artist's alley. Returning CBCC guest Matt Lesniewski also joins us for an in-depth discussion about his new comic book, Faceless and the Family. As he tells us, ...
Oct 14, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 155
