( Note: Due to some sound issues, we were forced to re-record a couple of spots in the first few minutes of the podcast.) In this episode, we kick off 2021 with one of the best-reviewed books of 2020: Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru, published by DC Comics! Taking inspiration from the 1940s radio serial The Adventures of Superman, this three-issue limited series follows the Chinese-American Lee family as they arrive in Metropolis, where they’re met with open arms, but al...
Jan 06, 2021•1 hr 8 min
Explicit Warning! This episode contains strong language and is recommended for mature listeners. For the last episode of 2020, we segue seamlessly from Bucky Barnes to another iconic comics antihero, Buddy Bradley, with a discussion of five stories featuring the Bradley clan from Peter Bagge’s 1980s anthology Neat Stuff, published by Fantagraphics Books! Specifically, we dive deep into “Rock ‘n’ Roll Refugee,” “Mom Power,” “Sneakin’ a Peek at Babs Bradley’s Secret Diary,” “Hippy House,” and “Mer...
Dec 23, 2020•1 hr 33 min
For decades, Bucky Barnes sat cooling his heels with Ben Parker in the exclusive club of characters Marvel Comics would never bring back from the dead. But all that changed in 2006, as chronicled in Captain America: Winter Soldier—specifically, Captain America issues 1-6. 8-9, and 11-14—by Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting, Michael Lark and others. While chasing down a terrorist plot with S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter, Captain America starts having flashbacks to World War II and the heroic death of h...
Dec 08, 2020•1 hr 11 min
In this episode, we quack the case of everyone’s favorite talking waterfowl with a look at Steve Gerber’s Howard the Duck! Specifically, his appearances in Giant-Size Man-Thing issues 4-5 and Howard the Duck (Vol. 1), issues 1,2,3, and 5, published by Marvel Comics! Trapped in a world he never made, this irascible, cigar-chomping mallard became a breakout star following his debut in Man-Thing #1 and went on to star in his own series, known for its biting satire (and for having him often appear a...
Nov 25, 2020•1 hr 23 min
Bro! On this episode, comics writer and publisher Carlton Hargro (20th Place Media) returns as we take aim at “the breakout star of the blockbuster Avengers film” with a discussion of Hawkeye (2012), specifically issues 1-5 (as seen in Vol. 1: My Life As a Weapon) and 11 (“Pizza Is My Business”), by Matt Fraction, David Aja and Javier Pulido, published by Marvel Comics! This charming take on the World’s Greatest Marksman deftly balances humor, action, dense plotting and a strong, unifying visual...
Nov 10, 2020•1 hr 27 min
The second volume of Art Spiegelman’s award-winning graphic memoir finds the artist grappling with the success of the first, and questioning his ability to pull off such an ambitious project. In doing so, he adds another layer to the book’s metaphorical conceit of depicting various ethnicities as different animals, and creates a work more reflective and self-aware than its predecessor. Meanwhile, as Spiegelman’s often contentious relationship with his father takes him from the Catskills to Flori...
Oct 27, 2020•1 hr 31 min
Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus had a profound effect on the public perception of comics as an art form when its first volume, serializing installments that had first appeared in the alternative comics anthology Raw, appeared in 1986. In it, Spiegelman’s conversations with his father, Vladek—background for a comic the artist wants to write—serve as an entryway into the elder Spiegelman’s harrowing, matter-of-fact account of his experiences in Poland in the 1930s and 40...
Oct 13, 2020•1 hr 20 min
The Cosmic Canon, our miniseries on space-faring epics, concludes with a look at Mike Baron and Steve Rude’s Nexus, as seen in Nexus. Vol. 2, issues #13-16 and 18-19, published by First Comics! In the 25th century, Horatio Hellpop dreams of mass murderers, and is compelled to hunt those killers across the galaxy and kill them. When his efforts to free himself of this mission are thwarted, he winds up face to face with the bizarre alien entity behind his incredible powers! Can his best friends an...
Sep 30, 2020•1 hr 23 min
In this episode, The Cosmic Canon, our series on space-faring epics, rockets all the way to the 30th century as we discuss The Great Darkness Saga from Legion of Super-Heroes #290-294, published by DC Comics! As chronicled by Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen, the early ’80s Legion isn’t your daddy’s teenage superhero space club! Combining space opera and soap opera, it features a large cast of super-powered young adults embroiled in romantic dramas and interplanetary intrigue. And in this landmark f...
Sep 15, 2020•1 hr 6 min
On this episode, The Cosmic Canon, our series on cosmic tales, soars from peaceful New Genesis to pockmarked Apokalips to Earth as we discuss Jack Kirby’s epic saga of space gods, galactic wars and skiing avatars of Death: New Gods Vol. 1, issues 1-11, published by DC Comics! The flagship title of Kirby’s ambitious Fourth World line, New Gods introduced a head-spinning mixture of science fantasy, mythology and superheroics that built on the themes explored in Kirby’s work on Marvel’s The Mighty ...
Sep 01, 2020•1 hr 22 min
On this episode, The Cosmic Canon, our series on cosmic comics stories, rockets from Coast City to the sentient planet Mogo to the anti-matter universe as we get embroiled in Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War Vol. 1, by Geoff Johns, Dave Gibbons, and various artists, published by DC Comics! The intergalactic peacekeeping force known as the Green Lantern Corps is rocked to its core when the renegade Sinestro assembles his own army of magic ring-wearing aliens, who launch a full-scale assault ...
Aug 19, 2020•1 hr 20 min
On this episode, we launch a new miniseries on cosmic comics stories called (what else?) The Cosmic Canon! First up: the historic Kree-Skrull War, specifically Avengers issue #93-97, by Roy Thomas, Neal Adams and John Buscema, published by Marvel Comics! Can you call a storyline the Kree-Skrull War when there’s no actual Kree vs. Skrull combat? And can this character-stuffed epic achieve victory in that Battle Beyond the Stars known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Holy pop-culture and ...
Aug 04, 2020•1 hr 27 min
Phil Sheldon is just your average man on the street—except that his career as a freelance photographer uniquely positions him to chronicle several key events in the history of the Marvel Universe, as depicted in the 1994 miniseries Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross, published by Marvel Comics! Can our workaday shutterbug overcome his feelings of inferiority in the face of superpowered beings? Can he rise above a wave of anti-mutant hysteria, survive the Coming of Galactus and work through the...
Jul 21, 2020•1 hr 14 min
Atlanta actress Jennifer Lee joins us for the conclusion of our Sandman two-parter to discuss The Sandman: Dream Country (issues 17-20), as well as Tales in the Sand (#9) and Men of Good Fortune (#13), by Neil Gaiman and a dream team of artists, published by DC Comics! Will the lord of Dreams rescue his former flame, the muse Calliope, from a reprehensible author? Can a thousand dreaming cats transform reality? And can these stories transcend the waking world and gain entry to that midsummer nig...
Jul 08, 2020•1 hr 19 min
On July 15, Audible is releasing a star-studded audio production of the first three storylines of the beloved DC/Vertigo series The Sandman—giving us the perfect excuse to book a two-part return trip down the River of Dreams. First stop: The Doll’s House, by Neil Gaiman, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Chris Bachalo, and others! Taking stock of his realm after decades away, Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, notes that some of its denizens are missing. Meanwhile, teenager Rose Walker embarks on ...
Jun 23, 2020•1 hr 26 min
Today’s episode was supposed to be about The Sandman: The Doll’s House. But we felt that we just couldn’t ignore the protests taking place around the United States and across the world over the needless, senseless deaths of George Floyd and many other black Americans. So instead we’re discussing the historic but little-known Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story, published in 1957 by a group called the Fellowship of Reconciliation. This 16-page comic explores the events surrounding the Mon...
Jun 07, 2020•56 min
Over the years, the Hulk has been a rampaging behemoth, a Vegas enforcer, and a gladiator-turned-warlord on a far-flung alien planet . And the Green Goliath gets another incarnation in The Immortal Hulk Vol. 1: Or Is He Both?, by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett, published by Marvel Comics. When Bruce Banner dies (which happens a lot), he awakens at nightfall as The Immortal Hulk, a cunning, brutal and fearsome instrument of vengeance, exacting terrible retribution on those who take the lives of others....
May 27, 2020•1 hr 7 min
Paul Chadwick’s Concrete has the trappings of a superhero story—a quiet, somewhat nebbishy man finds his brain transplanted into a giant stone body that allows him to do great things. But like a number of other similar titles from the early 80s like Nexus and Zot!, it spins this well-worn concept into something new, intelligent and wholly original. In his first four issues (as reprinted in Concrete Vol. 1: Depths), former senatorial speechwriter Ronald Lithgow uses his newfound abilities to resc...
May 13, 2020•1 hr 17 min
Comic book worlds don’t come any more vividly imagined or painstakingly detailed than Astro City. The metropolis that gives this anthology series its title isn’t all that different from the one outside your window—you know, except for all the high-flying heroes, insectoid invaders and mystical menaces that share the sidewalk with everyday citizens like you. Life in the Big City, collecting the first six issues of this long-running series, allows the reader to imagine what it would be like to liv...
Apr 29, 2020•1 hr 31 min
It’s hard out here for a C-list supervillain. You’ve got the basic lack of respect, your super-powered parole officer ... and then there’s the constant bickering and backstabbing that threaten to tear your crew apart faster than your not-so-friendly neighborhood Spider-Man ever could! At least, that’s the problem facing the five members of the Sinister Six in the hilarious Superior Foes of Spider-Man Vol. 1: Getting the Band Back Together, by Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber, published by Marvel Co...
Apr 15, 2020•1 hr 15 min
It’s April Fools’ Day, and while most of us aren’t in the mood for pranks given the current state of affairs, we could all use something a little light and fun. And what’s more fun than ... Mister Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite deconstructing (okay, detroying) the entire DC multiverse? That’s why we’re discussing Superman and Batman: World’s Funnest, by Evan Dorkin and an all-star cast of artists, published by DC Comics! Join us as we ask the burning questions: How DO you pronounce Mxyzptlk, anyway? And ...
Apr 01, 2020•50 min
Just as Jack Knight was one of DC Comics’ more interesting second-generation superheroes, the book that chronicled his saga from 1994 through 2001 was one of the more literary-minded and ambitious mainstream superhero comics of its time. And that ambition is on full display in issues #9-16 of the series, as collected in Starman: Night and Day, by James Robinson and Tony Harris! Having reluctantly accepted the mantle of Starman from his father Ted, Jack Knight puts a decidedly Gen-X stamp on the ...
Mar 18, 2020•1 hr 40 min
In this episode, we take a break from talking about fictional superheroes to discuss a real-life superhero with a look at March, Book 1, the first in a three-part series of autobiographical graphic novels examining the life and career of U.S. Congressman John Lewis, published by Top Shelf Productions! Join us as we trace the civil rights leader’s early days, from his humble beginnings preaching to chickens on his family’s farm to his first meeting with the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and h...
Mar 04, 2020•59 min
In this episode, we conclude our two-part look at the two 2019 miniseries that reset the status quo for the X-Men: House of X and Powers of X, by Jonathan Hickman, Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva, published by Marvel Comics! The mutant nation of Krakoa faces its first major setback when a mission to stop Orchis from activating the Mother Mold meets with disaster! Meanwhile, 1,000 years in the future, Wolverine and Moira MacTaggert must act as the Man-Machine Ascendancy prepares to be assimilated into...
Feb 19, 2020•1 hr 8 min
In this episode, after a brief delay, we tackle one of the biggest superhero comics events of 2019: the game-changing series House of X and Powers of X by Jonathan Hickman, Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva, published by Marvel Comics! The mutant telepath Charles Xavier shocks the world by announcing the formation of Krakoa, a nation of mutants. In return for recognizing its sovereignty, Krakoa will gift mankind with miracle drugs that drastically improve human life. Meanwhile, it's business as usual f...
Feb 12, 2020•1 hr 14 min
“Hey, where’s my House of X episode?” we hear you asking. Well, Kevin’s here to answer that question in this special bonus announcement. And to make up for the delay, we’re throwing in a little something extra—Curt Holman’s Top 10 Superhero Adaptations of 2019! Thanks for your patience—and as always, thank you for listening!
Feb 04, 2020•3 min
In this episode, we look ahead to the Feb. 7 debut of the Netflix series Locke & Key with a look at the six issue arc that launched the popular saga—Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, published by IDW! The Locke family falls prey to a violent home invasion in which guidance counselor Rendell Locke is shot and killed. His widow and three children move across the country to Keyhouse, the family's ancestral home, which houses a few secrets. Meanwhile, Rende...
Jan 22, 2020•1 hr 21 min
In this episode, we explore the wondrous world of Jeff Smith’s Bone (soon to be an animated Netflix series ) with a look at the first installment of this beloved fantasy series: Out From Boneville, originally published by Cartoon Books! Forced to flee their home of Boneville, cousins Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone each find their way to an uncharted valley populated with adorable talking possums, a laconic red dragon, tough-as-nails Gran’ma Ben and the beautiful young woman known as Thor...
Jan 08, 2020•1 hr 9 min
We all know the story: Rocket escapes exploding planet. Elderly couple adopts alien baby. Baby grows up to become the most powerful superhero of all time. But today's Man of Steel is very different from the one we get in his first-ever adventure, as originally recounted in 1938's groundbreaking Action Comics #1—and expanded upon a year later in his own magazine, Superman #1, both published by DC Comics. For our landmark 100th episode, we explore the origin and first appearance of Superman, one o...
Dec 23, 2019•1 hr 12 min
Listen here, Anti-Monitor! Wiping out countless realities and snuffing out untold billions of lives is one thing. But when you step to the Maid of Steel ... well, now you’ve gone and made it personal ! In what may be our longest episode ever, we close the book on the epic 12-issue event that closed the book on the DC multiverse—Crisis on Infinite Earths, by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, published by DC Comics! After a pitched battle at the dawn of time, five Earths become one, and a few redunda...
Dec 11, 2019•1 hr 37 min
