The film is bloated, it’s busy, it showcases numerous failures at human communication, and doesn’t hit some points it needs to. And yet, Spider-Man 3 screenwriter Alvin Sargent managed to weave together the many plotlines thrust on him to make a script with a message – although not necessarily the one director Sam Raimi had in mind. Tim and Mulele examine Raimi’s final Spider-Man film. (Originally published on Patreon May 23, 2020.) Brought to you by: Our supporters on Patreon...
Aug 13, 2025•47 min•Ep. 23
To this day, Spider-man 2 is considered one of the best superhero movies. How does it stand up to Tim’s first viewing, after watching all the MCU movies that came after? What does Mulele notice about the look of the film that’s a little annoying? How is Spider-fan Tim feeling about the portrayal of Peter Parker in these movies? These points and more! (Originally published on Patreon April 25, 2020.) Brought to you by: Our supporters on Patreon...
Aug 06, 2025•47 min•Ep. 22
Tim and Mulele begin reviewing the Sony (pre-MCU) Spider-man movies with a look at 2002’s Spider-man , directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire. After watching all the MCU movies, how does this film feel different? How was it affected by 9/11? And more. (Originally published on Patreon April 11, 2020) Brought to you by: Our supporters on Patreon
Jul 30, 2025•52 min•Ep. 21
This week, a look at two great new comics submitted by their creators: God Summoner , by Dio Zogaris and Manos Laouvardos , is a story in the fantasy genre. Tim and Jason thought “Meh” until they actually read it! This is a well-written story with beautiful black and white art. The Keluarga Cable Ship Company , by Mereida Fajardo , gives us a father and son with communication problems, and a ship that lays down undersea cable through which, well, communication flows. Or doesn’t flow. But what ma...
Jul 23, 2025•54 min•Ep. 244
FLASHBACK! Jim Shooter , who was Marvel Editor-in-Chief from 1978 to 1987, passed away on June 30. He wrote a number of comics published by Marvel (including the original Secret Wars series) and by a number of other companies. Two years ago, Koom interviewed Shooter to find out what he thought about Marvel in its current incarnation, get his recollections of Frank Miller and Ann Nocenti ’s respective starts in the comics industry, hear his theory that the nursery rhyme “Little Miss Muffet” can b...
Jul 16, 2025•29 min•Ep. 780
In the 1960s, both Marvel and DC tried publishing humor books, often in a style reminiscent of MAD Magazine. One of these was DC’s Angel and the Ape , about a beautiful young woman and a comics-artist gorilla who run a detective agency. While it only survived for 7 issues (with two title changes!) in 1968-69, somehow it got a Phil Foglio reboot in 1991, and showed up again as a Vertigo book in 2001, co-written by Howard Chaykin and David Tischman . While it’s hard to explain the existence of the...
Jul 09, 2025•54 min•Ep. 847
Art by Don Martin POW! ZAP! Comics may not be for kids anymore, but they still have sound effects! Our own Patrick Ijima-Washburn noticed that Japanese editions of American comics left the sound effects untranslated, and decided to put together a book on how common English sound effects should be translated . Life being what it is, it took well over a decade, but the book is finally out digitally, in both Japanese and English! This time Patrick joins Tim to talk about the genesis of the book, so...
Jul 02, 2025•44 min•Ep. 846
While the last three issues of Captain America and the Falcon we looked at were rather underwhelming, issues 209 to 211 give us all the kooky science fiction and Kirby Crackle we could want! The appearance of Arnim Zola, in his first face-off with Cap, has revitalized the story. But Falcon seems shunted off to the side, and what the heck happened to Anna Maria’s personality?? Tim and Emmet discuss these three issues. Brought to you by: Full Manga Alchemists Our supporters on Patreon...
Jun 25, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 845
We conclude our look at 2015’s Fant4stic , directed by Josh Trank . Trank’s behavior on the set (and on Twitter) have been nothing but bad for his career, and studio meddling was nothing but bad for a film that wasn’t a good take on the FF, but might have at least been a better film if Trank had been left alone. As it was, we’re left with yet another FF movie that’s short on explanations of Dr. Doom’s objectives. Videos drawn on for this episode: Does the “Trank Cut” of Fantastic Four (2015) Exi...
Jun 18, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 844
Should a director re-interpret a property when nobody wanted it re-interpreted? 2015’s Fant4stic , directed by Josh Trank , turns getting superpowers into an exercise in body horror. Much of its inspiration comes from Bendis and Millar’s very straightfaced Ultimate Fantastic Four comics, Trank threw in a liberal helping of The Fly and Scanners . Tim, Kumar, and Jordan (in another crossover with the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast) look at the first appearance of the Negative Zone in Fantastic ...
Jun 11, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 843
After the (connected) short stories of Safer Places, Kit Anderson‘s new book is a full-on graphic novel called Second Shift (again from Avery Hill) which has gotten some breathlessly positive reviews from writers who give the impression they totally understand it. At Deconstructing Comics, our reviews tend to be more nuanced. What did we think … Continue reading #842 Struggling with Kit Anderson’s “Second Shift”
Jun 04, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 842
FLASHBACK! Eileen Gray: A House Under the Sun is a slim graphic novel by Charlotte Malterre-Barthes and Zosia Dzierzawska, about the titular famous Irish architect that most people have never heard of. Kumar and Emmet found it beautiful and intriguing; here’s their review. (Originally published August 28, 2019.) This episode includes a new intro from … Continue reading #633 “Eileen Gray: A House Under the Sun”
May 28, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 633
Ken Krimstein‘s Einstein in Kafkaland: How Albert Fell Down the Rabbit Hole and Came up with the Universe builds on the fact that these two stars of the early 20th century were part of the same friend group at one point and builds it up into what NPR described as “Alice in Wonderland meets The … Continue reading #841 Ken Krimstein on Einstein, Kafka, and comics in general
May 21, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 841
Joe Sacco has been covering the Israel-Palestine conflict in varying forms since 1991: first in Palestine, then in Footnotes in Gaza, and most recently in War on Gaza. It’s too much for Kumar and Dana to contain in their heads all at once, both in terms of information and emotion, especially for poor Kumar, who … Continue reading #840 Joe Sacco’s books on the Middle East
May 14, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 840
FLASHBACK! The 1990s DC series Starman is one of comicdom’s most fondly remembered series. Interestingly, says series author James Robinson, it seems to be more popular now than it was when it was actually in production! James joins Tim and Ryan Haupt this week to look back on various aspects of this iconic series, including … Continue reading #385 The Legacy of “Starman”
May 07, 2025•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 385
Fables of Fear is an anthology horror title by Karl Brandt and David Parsons. Tim and Adam discuss; there are some good short stories here, but maybe they’re a bit … TOO short? Black Plastic, by Josh Tierney and Nicci Busse is, as its writer says, a “karaoke cyber-thriller” graphic novel. That’s his description; Tim … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #243: “Fables of Fear” and “Black Plastic”
Apr 30, 2025•45 min•Ep. 243
FLASHBACK! This week a wide-ranging discussion between two Canadians, Koom and Ian, about comics in Canada. The talk centers on Montreal-based publisher Drawn & Quarterly, and two books from their catalog: Michel Rabagliati’s 2005 book Paul Moves Out, and the latest from Jillian Tamaki, Boundless. Also, some deep background on the history and people behind … Continue reading #559 Drawn & Quarterly and Canadian comics
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 559
FLASHBACK! Skim is a coming-of-age graphic novel written by Mariko Tamaki, and drawn by her cousin Jillian Tamaki. Jillian works primarily in the field of illustration; how does she find that different from drawing a comic? Is it wrong to say that a comic is “illustrated”? She also discusses her perhaps unorthodox collaboration with Mariko … Continue reading #210 Jillian Tamaki interview(s)
Apr 16, 2025•48 min•Ep. 210
This week we look at the movie that was based on the “Galactus Trilogy” of Fantastic Four #48-50, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. How does it stand up against the comics, and against the 2005 film? How do we feel about Galactus being a cloud of smoke? Does Doom finally have a real plan … Continue reading #839 The Fantastic Four on Film: “Rise of the Silver Surfer” (2007)
Apr 09, 2025•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 839
One of the most famous Fantastic Four stories is the “Galactus Trilogy” from Fantastic Four 48-50 in 1966. This story has been adopted more than once, including in the 1990s FF cartoon, and in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Leading into our discussion of that movie next week, this week Tim, Kumar, … Continue reading #838 The Fantastic Four on Film: The Galactus Trilogy
Apr 02, 2025•52 min•Ep. 838
When Steve and Sam foil an attempt by police from south of the border to arrest their friendly waiter, the cops decide to arrest Steve instead! Hey, beats heading home empty handed! What looks like it’s going to be a story about Cap (and maybe Falcon?) locked up in a Central American prison takes several … Continue reading #837 Jack Kirby’s Captain America 206-208: The Tiger, the Swine…and the Fish
Mar 26, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 837
In Clyde Fans by Seth, two brothers run a fan company for fifty years. One might expect it to be prosaic, but instead it’s an immersive and epic exploration of the sense and meaning of life, every life, even when it’s not apparent on the surface. Kumar and Dana ask the big questions. Brought to … Continue reading #836 “Clyde Fans” reviewed by two fans
Mar 19, 2025•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 836
Briana Loewinsohn, who got a lot of praise two years back for her graphic memoir Ephemera, is back with a new book, Raised by Ghosts. It’s a slightly fictionalized look at Briana’s teen years, acting as both a time capsule of late-20th-century teenager culture, and the struggles of being comfortable with oneself that ‘s almost … Continue reading #835 “Raised by Ghosts”: A time capsule, but relevant to anyone who’s been a teen
Mar 12, 2025•47 min•Ep. 835
What’s that Kirby Crackle octopus chasing Cap and Falcon? And didn’t it used to be an oddly muscular, bald (naturally) corpse? It’s Agron, who gives our heroes some headaches in Captain America and the Falcon issues 204 and 205. Not the best Jack Kirby Cap adventure ever, but it produces at least one wildly T-shirt-worthy … Continue reading #834 Jack Kirby’s “Cap and Falcon” vs a bodybuilding corpse
Mar 05, 2025•49 min•Ep. 834
The Night People are looking for a superhero. But who are the Night People? Where do they come from? And what does one have to sacrifice to become their superhero? Tim and Emmet discuss Captain America and the Falcon issues 201-203! Brought to you by: Worst Collection Ever podcast Our supporters on Patreon
Feb 26, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 833
Michael Cohen has created comics such as Strange Attractors and Tangled River, and is credited with helping to create the first known comic book price guide. He’s also co-host of the Unpacking Peanuts podcast, and his talk with Tim includes discussion of Charles Schulz’s strip, including about the reason why Michael has no interest in … Continue reading #832 Michael Cohen: Comics price guides, “Peanuts”, and more
Feb 19, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 832
While the 2005 film Fantastic Four gives us, debatably, a well-casted group of heroes, with plenty of comics-accurate details, the script does no favors to Dr. Doom. What are his goals, other than “taking everything back” from Reed? Why is he a CEO instead of a despot? Who the heck gives a frightening metal mask … Continue reading #831 The Fantastic Four on Film: “Fantastic Four” (2005) pt 2: What does Doom want?!
Feb 12, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 831
The Star Tide Shores is an action space adventure comic that isn’t afraid to get a little deeper emotionally than, say, Star Wars. Tim and Adam enjoyed reading the first volume, by Henry Goeldner and Illuminated, and are here to give you the scoop.
Feb 08, 2025•20 min•Ep. 242
After the fiasco of the 1994 unreleased Fantastic Four movie, development proceeded on a big-budget FF film, which finally hit theaters in 2005 — a better film than the ’94 attempt in some ways, but frustratingly as bad or worse in others. This week, in another crossover with the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast, Tim … Continue reading #830 The Fantastic Four on Film: “Fantastic Four” (2005) pt 1: “I am hot, and I’m not afraid to cry”
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 830
Captain America was the obvious choice of a character to help Marvel celebrate the USA’s bicentennial in 1976. The job of doing that went to Jack Kirby, co-creator of the character. Naturally, that meant a story full of hard-hitting moments, and one that gets a bit treacly at the end, but also doesn’t back away … Continue reading #829 Jack Kirby’s “Captain America’s Bicentennial Battles”
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 829
