In this episode, we kick off 2023 with a look at one of the best-reviewed miniseries of 2021-22: Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, by Tom King, Bilquis Evely and Matheus Lopes, published by DC Comics! When her father is ruthlessly murdered, young Ruthye Marye Knoll enlists the aid of the Maid of Might in tracking down his killer, the dastardly Krem of the Yellow Hills. Along the way, she learns just what makes Kara Zor-El one of the galaxy’s greatest heroes! Can Supergirl convince her headstrong companion that revenge isn’t the answer? And does this superheroic space opera have enough “true grit” to amble into that saloon full of cowboys and aliens known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Tom King, send us our No-Prizes! What’s the deal with Comet the Super Horse? True Grit (the book and the 2010 movie) Number One Is Walking: My Life in the Movies and Other Diversions Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Favor the Bold and Sacrifice of Angels The Black Hammer Omnibus from Dark Horse Comics Join us in two weeks as we spend time with another popular DC Comics female in Death: The High Cost of Living! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

Content warning: suicidal ideation. In this episode, we celebrate the holidays with a collection of Christmas stories featuring that most Christmas-y of superheroes: Batman! First up is “The Man Who Murdered Santa Claus!” from Justice League of America #110, in which the World’s Greatest Detective and a holiday assortment of Justice Leaguers face off against ... The Key! (What is this guy’s whole deal, anyway?) Next is “The Silent Night of the Batman” from Batman #219, in which the Caped Crusader spends Christmas Eve in dogged pursuit of ... Christmas carols! Speaking of Christmas Carols, we finish up with Lee Bermejo’s Batman: Noël, which finds a curmudgeonly Dark Knight visited by visions of the past, present and future! Can this trio of tales join the ranks of those superlative stocking stuffers known as ... The Comics Canon? Discussed In This Episode: JLA (1996) #8-9 Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler Ambush Bug Stocking Stuffer Justice League: Comfort and Joy Curt’s top 12 movies of 2022 Join us in two weeks as we discuss Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, by Tom King and Bilquis Evely! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

Content warning: racism, drug abuse, death by overdose. Bryan Stratton and Robb Milne from the Marvel by the Month podcast return to discuss a pair of pioneering DC comics stories: No Evil Shall Escape My Sight! from Green Lantern #76, and the Snowbirds Don’t Fly two-parter from issues #85-86, by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams! 1970’s GL/GA #76 kicked off a run of socially conscious comics that found straight-laced space cop Hal Jordan and liberal archer Oliver Queen confronting such hot-button issues as racism, the environment, and government treatment of Native Americans in ways the superhero genre hadn’t seen before. This unprecedented run arguably reached its peak with Snowbirds Don’t Fly, which unflinchingly addressed the issue of teen drug abuse (just one month after Marvel’s take on the topic in Amazing Spider-Man)! These comics were inarguably groundbreaking, but are they hard-hitting enough to warrant inclusion in that After-School Special known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode:   “Only there’s skins you never bothered with—the black skins!” Similarities to Amazing Spider-Man #96-98 The Question, by O’Neil and Denys Cowan The introduction of Green Lantern John Stewart Hard Looks: The Adapted Stories of Andrew Vachss The Vigilante, as seen in Peacemaker Runaways from New Teen Titans #26-27 Join us in two weeks as we get into the holiday spirit with a collection of Christmas comics featuring the Caped Crusader! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

That’s right, it’s the return of everyone’s favorite comics-themed quiz with the weird name! Following last week’s episode on Bone: The Great Cow Race, Kevin tests Curt’s knowledge of bone-themed comics characters (and other, only nominally related topics). In This Mini-Episode! 1972’s The Ruling Class Two actors who’ve played the same MCU character The late, (somewhat) lamented Sleepy Hollow We Hate Movies’ Skeleton League (link is NSFW)

In this episode, we return to a fantastic world of dragons, princesses and stupid, stupid rat creatures with Bone: The Great Cow Race, written and drawn by Jeff Smith, published by Cartoon Books and Scholastic! Things get fast and furious when Phoney Bone attempts to fix the annual cow competition of the title with a little help from a certain “mystery cow.” Meanwhile, a lovelorn Fone Bone races for his life, pursued by the mysterious rat creatures! And what’s behind Thorn’s disturbing dreams about a cavern full of dragons? Can Phoney and Smiley Bone defeat defending champion Gran’ma Ben? And can this charming tale cross the finish line on that fast track to glory known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche What’s the deal with this cow race, exactly? Sign PEN America’s petition to protest Missouri book bans Dope by Sara Gran RASL by Jeff Smith The Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal Finding Batman by Kevin Conroy and J. Bone Curt’s favorite Kevin Conroy moment Join us in two weeks as we discuss the Green Lantern/Green Arrow anti-drug story Snowbirds Don’t Fly by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

Content warning: Suicide, mental illness and explicit language (one F-word). Film noir and hardboiled crime fiction get refracted through a postmodern lens in Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli’s adaptation of Paul Auster’s City of Glass! A mysterious late-night phone call leads mystery novelist Daniel Quinn to assume the identity of private detective Paul Auster and investigate a case whose bizarre patterns and revelations cause Quinn to confront unanswerable questions about the nature of existence itself! Can Quinn hold onto his sanity and find refuge in that Naked City known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Understanding Comics An homage to Watchmen Destroy All Monsters: A Reckless Book Double Indemnity The Maltese Falcon The Book of Illusions Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow Join us in two weeks as switch gears with a vengeance, careening headlong into Bone Vol. 2: The Great Cow Race! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

(Content warning: References to suicide and hate crime) What better way to round out the spook-tacular month of October than with a werewolf, ghosts, zombies, a serial killer and underwater vampires? All that and the debut of everyone’s favorite Sting impersonator in the first half of Alan Moore’s ambitious American Gothic storyline from The Saga of The Swamp Thing (issues 37-42 and 44-45), published by DC Comics! Everyone’s favorite muck monster travels across the U.S. encountering an unsettling series of supernatural horrors. But are they all part of a larger, more sinister design? Can Swamp Thing trust his new colleague, the manipulative John Constantine? And can these terrifying tales scare their way into that American Horror Story known as ... The Comics Canon?   In This Episode:   Reckoning with Moore’s feelings about his earlier works A dream team of horror-comic artists Swamp Thing #56: My Blue Heaven Winchester ’73 The Rampaging Hulk Ice Cream Man Vols. 1 and 2 Join us in two weeks as we commemorate “Noirvember” with a look at Paul Karasik and David Mazzuccheli’s adaptation of Paul Auster’s City of Glass! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

It’s October, and that means it’s once again time to scare up some spook-tacular horror and supernatural comics! We kick things off with a return to the world of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy – specifically, the fan-favorite story The Corpse, as well as two other done-in-one tales: The Chained Coffin and A Christmas Underground! Can everyone’s favorite half-demonic monster hunter bury the corpse of Tam O’Clannie in time to rescue a young girl kidnapped by faerie folk? Can he survive zombies, a rat-demon and ... his own demon dad? And can these fun stories, steeped in folklore and striking visuals, measure up to that Right Hand of Doom known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: A brief digression into The Iron Shoes Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters The Me You Love in the Dark The Devil Rides Out The new Hellraiser Hellboy: The Role-Playing Game Midnight Mass on Netflix Doctor Sleep Join us in two weeks as we delve into the first half of Swamp Thing: American Gothic (specifically Swamp Thing issues 37-42 and 44-45)! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we look ahead to the Oct. 21 release of Black Adam with a look at the JSA/Hawkman crossover event Black Reign, written by Geoff Johns and published by DC Comics! The powerful villain-turned-antihero Black Adam and a few superpowered friends invade the nation of Khandaq, Black Adam’s homeland, to overthrow its malevolent dictator, spurring a counter-invasion by Black Adam’s many, many former teammates in the Justice Society of America. But things quickly go wrong for the JSA, who are forced to question whether they have the right to intervene in another country’s affairs. Does this six-part storyline satisfy as both superhero slugfest and thinly veiled commentary on the Iraq War? And can it win over the hearts and minds of that four-color coalition known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Our appearance last week on Marvel by the Month The history of the JSA Not THAT Hector and Lyta Hall A spoiler for Alan Moore’s Miracleman Poisoned Chalice: The Extremely Long and Incredibly Complex Story of Marvelman Strange Adventures Join us in two weeks as we get into the spooky spirit of Halloween season with a look at Hellboy: The Corpse! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

We wrap up our selective two-part look back on Jonathan Hickman’s New Avengers, as the Illuminati—the secret syndicate featuring Black Panther, Iron Man, the Sub-Mariner and other heavy hitters—are finally confronted with an impossible decision: to destroy an alternate Earth or watch their own world die! Can our conflicted cabal figure out a solution before going toe-to-toe with the Justice League—we mean the Squadron Supreme—we mean the Great Society, the greatest heroes of Earth 4,290,001? And can they possibly win that war of the worlds known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: “Forever glass? That’s ridiculous!” Doom’s children’s health PSA We entertain a surprise guest The Coldest City Barbarian Lynda Barry in The New York Times Magazine Sulu Grabbed My Ass ... Green Lantern: Rebirth Join us in two weeks as we prepare for the upcoming Black Adam movie with a look at JSA: Black Reign! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

What was all that stuff about “incursions” in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness? The answer lies in these first six issues (plus one) of Jonathan Hickman’s run on New Avengers, drawn by the incomparable Steve Epting (and Mike Deodato), published by Marvel Comics! Black Panther calls on the clandestine cabal known as the Illuminati to help confront a menace that threatens the entire multiverse: Alternate universes are colliding into each other with Earth as the focal point! And the only options are to let both universes die, or destroy one Earth so that both universes can live! Can this covert conclave prevent disaster while keeping their consciences intact? And can they survive that Crisis on Infinite Earths known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: AVX: Avengers vs. X-Men Black Swan, Pilates instructor Reed Richards gives the best PowerPoint presentations War of the Realms Three Thousands Years of Longing We need to make Blade: Pig in the City happen Thor: Love and Thunder Avengers: The Gatherers Saga Join us in two weeks as our two-parter continues with New Avengers Vol. 4: A Perfect World! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we cram for the Aug. 18 release of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law on Disney+ by reviewing the case of She-Hulk: Single Green Female, collecting issues 1-6 of the Marvel Comics series by Dan Slott, Juan Bobillo and Paul Pelletier. (We also throw in issues 7-8 pro bono!) Everyone’s favorite green-skinned lawyer-slash-superhero is offered the job of a lifetime, only to find that it’s not exactly what it seems! As she deals with trials and tribulations including a surly teenager and a superpowered prison break, the jade jurist must come to grips with an opponent more fearsome than any jury ... her alter ego, Jennifer Walters! Can our avenging attorney win a summary judgment from that living tribunal known as ... The Comics Canon?    In This Episode: The behind-the-scenes origin of She-Hulk Some thoughts on the first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law She-Hulk (2014): Law and Disorder The Sandman on Netflix Supernatural Law Thor: The Goddess of Thunder Join us in two weeks as we discuss New Avengers (2013) Vol. 1: Everything Dies! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!  

(Explicit content warning: A swear word slips through.) A couple of Americans on a road trip find themselves caught in a summer snowstorm and are forced to seek shelter in a bigger-on-the-inside inn peopled with faerie folk, a centaur and other strange customers in The Sandman Vol. 8: World’s End by Neil Gaiman and a host of artists, published by Vertigo/DC Comics! Our assemblage of travelers from diverse worlds and time periods waits out a "reality storm" by swapping stories about dreaming cities, sea monsters, a boy president and other wonders -- until they witness a heavenly funeral procession of ominous import! Can these Canterbury-inspired tales score a reservation at that Restaurant at the End of the Universe known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Verisimilitude in Snoopy vs. the Red Baron Douglas Adams and Clive Barker (Super) Power to the People A Canterbury Tale Drowning on Dry Land Highlander FFast Times in Comic Book Editing on Kickstarter The Nazz on Indiegogo Join us in two weeks as we switch gears for a date with She-Hulk: Single Green Female! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we get ready for the Aug. 5 debut of Netflix’s The Sandman with the latest in our ongoing series of Sandman arcs, this time discussing Vol. 7: Brief Lives published by Vertigo/DC Comics! The Lord of Dreams, recovering from a painful breakup, agrees to help his younger sister, Delirium, search for their missing brother, the embodiment of Destruction. But what Dream sees as a harmless diversion soon turns deadly, claiming the lives of mortals and immortal beings alike! Can our mismatched siblings find Destruction before death (or Death) finds them? And can this stirring meditation on mortality gain entrance to that temple of Delight and Delirium known as ... The Comics Canon?                                                                                                       In This Episode: Dream and Delirium: buddy cops What is Delirium’s job, exactly? What’s the deal with Tiffany? The offhand cruelty of The Endless Cerebus: High Society and Church and State Tasha Robinson’s interview with Dave Sim for the AV Club Filth & Grammar Join us in two weeks as our ongoing Sandman series continues with World’s End! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we look ahead to the July 29 debut of Paper Girls on Amazon Prime with a look at Paper Girls Vol. 1, collecting the first five issues of the comics series by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, published by Image Comics! When four 12-year-old girls join forces to deliver the Cleveland Preserver on the dark pre-dawn morning of Nov. 1, 1988, they find themselves riding their bikes straight into a nightmare of terrifying pterodactyl creatures, menacing, armored “old-timers,” and time-traveling, tech-scavenging teenagers! Can our preteen paper-slingers keep their idyllic suburb from meeting its final deadline? And can they finish their rounds in time to make that extra-special edition known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: “Stranger Things” and the Kids on Bikes genre Writing for the trade and the “Lost” mystery box The Hood: Blood From Stones. Gary Larson’s The Far Side Yellowjackets on Showtime Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount Plus Super 8 Join us in two weeks as we get ready for the Aug. 5 debut of The Sandman on Netflix with the next installment of our Sandman read-through, Brief Lives! (And you can prepare for the show with our episodes on Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll’s House!) Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we wrap up our True Stories miniseries on nonfiction and autobiographical comics with a look at Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, published by Drawn & Quarterly! Writer and artist Chester Brown (Yummy Fur) chronicles the career of Riel, the Canadian political leader and freedom fighter, in a flat, dispassionate style that holds the reader at arm’s length, blunting some of the story’s natural drama. The result is nonetheless a fascinating portrait of an important figure in Canadian history. But is that enough to gain entry into that House of Commons known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: The return of The Quizzical Canonical (Canadian bands edition)! Mr. X by Dean Motter The Revolutions podcast 2 versions of 1 song about Louis Riel We Stand on Guard Steve Skroce Join us in two weeks as we review Paper Girls Vol. 1! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

(Content warning: At least one swear word; sexual exploitation) After a brief pause, our True Stories miniseries returns with Joe Sacco’s The Fixer: A Story From Sarajevo, published by Drawn and Quarterly! Part character study, part history lesson, The Fixer examines the bloody Bosnian War of the 1990s, mainly through the character of Neven, a former soldier who spins eyebrow-raising tales of his own exploits while shepherding journalist Sacco through a recovering Sarajevo at the tail end of the conflict. Exactly how much of what Neven says can be trusted? And can this account of life during wartime plant its flag in that No Man’s Land known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Hanging out with your pot dealer Neven’s ridiculously cinematic backstory Is this really two different books? Fax From Sarajevo: A Story of Survival The espionage novels of Alan Furst War’s End: Profiles From Bosnia 1995-96 Join us in two weeks as our True Stories miniseries concludes with Chester Brown’s Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!  

In this episode, we take a short break from our current True Stories miniseries for a look at Thor: The God Butcher by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic, published by Marvel Comics! This five-issue story kicks off writer Jason Aaron’s epic run of Thor stories, and provides some inspiration for this summer’s Thor: Love and Thunder. Hurtling back and forth through time between the 9th century, the present and the far, far future, this ambitious tale pits the Odinson against Gorr, the titular god butcher, whose name and occupation sport a very extreme 90s vibe! Will Marvel’s God of Thunder prevail against this cosmic serial killer? And can he survive his time on that butcher’s block known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Does Thor have more “good” stories than other Marvel characters? Reconciling Thor’s mythological and superhero roots Cosmic Home of the Cronut! Thor #126-130 New Avengers (2013) Vol. 1: Everything Dies Grendel, Kentucky Daredevil (2019) Vol. 1: Know Fear Curt makes a shocking revelation Join us in two weeks as our True Stories miniseries returns with Joe Sacco’s The Fixer! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

(Content warning: Slavery, rape, and execution) True Stories continues with a spirited discussion of Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts, by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martinez. This captivating graphic novel from 2021 follows Rebecca Hall’s efforts to shed light on the unheralded role of Black women in slave uprisings in the early 18th century and the institutional obstacles she faced along the way. Aided by the inventive artwork of Hugo Martinez, she gives voice to women who sacrificed so much for the cause of freedom. In This Episode: Treason against the state Spoiler alert for Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” The evolution of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade Louis Riel by Chester Brown Atlanta Season 3 Episode 4: “The Big Payback” Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds Join us in two weeks as we take a short break from our True Stories miniseries with a look at Thor: The God Butcher! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

True Stories, our series on autobiographical and nonfiction comics, continues with Lynda Barry’s emphatically punctuated One! Hundred! Demons! This collection of vignettes finds the acclaimed cartoonist grappling with such demons as a horrible boyfriend, teenage regrets, a difficult mother, a bad acid trip and the 2000 presidential election. The results are alternately charming, hilarious, melancholy, insightful and heartbreaking. But are they good enough to score a landslide victory at that ballot box known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! The eagerly anticipated return of Kevin’s Secret Shame! Snuffy Smith cosplay Lynda Barry invents doomscrolling! The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist by Adrian Tomine Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood Giant Days Vol. 1 Join us in two weeks as True Stories continues with Rebecca Hall’s Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

We kick off True Stories, a series on autobiographical and nonfiction comics, with a look at Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor! While not the first comics work to chronicle the real-life exploits of its creator, American Splendor broke ground as an ongoing series that told an impressively diverse range of stories within the confines of an autobiographical, slice-of-life title. Along the way, it also made him a minor celebrity—first through a series of appearances on Late Night With David Letterman and later via a 2003 feature film starring Paul Giamatti as Harvey. From observational musings about everyday moments to warts-and-all depictions of Pekar’s obsessions, grudges and personal foibles, American Splendor helped to redefine what comics could be and do. But is that enough to help it survive on those mean streets known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! “You’re doing a bit!” “This guy’s a huge JERK!” What can Wallace Shawn do for ME?!! American Splendor, Crumb and Ghost World Our Cancer Year Join us in two weeks as True Stories continues with Lynda Barry’s emphatically punctuated One! Hundred! Demons! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

Today marks the debut of the new Moon Knight series on Disney+, and to mark the occasion, we’re diving into the career of everyone’s favorite multiple-personality Avenger with a look at a few different eras of Moon Knight comics, published by Marvel Comics. First, we review 1980’s Moon Knight #1  Doug Moench and Bill Sinkiewicz, followed by a two-part team-up with the Werewolf By Night in Moon Knight #29-30! Then it’s a look at 2011’s 12-issue run by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, and we wrap up with the mysterious Mr. Knight as depicted by Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey. Join us as we ask the burning questions: Why hasn’t the Fist of Khonshu broken into the A-list of Marvel heroes? And can any of these stories break into that subterranean tomb of the comic-book gods known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! The worst Moon Knight premise EVER A note about Warren Ellis The Midnight Mission and Lunatic Makhno: Ukranian Freedom Fighter Doc Savage Vol. 2 (1975-77) The Shadow: Blood and Judgment Synchronic Once Upon a Monster of the Week Join us in two weeks as we kick off True Stories, a new miniseries, with a look at selected works from Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor! Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

Our Batman two-parter concludes with a discussion of Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, published by DC Comics! This popular miniseries serves as a de facto sequel to Batman: Year One, despite marked differences in size, tone and style, as a serial killer known as Holiday terrorizes Gotham City’s underworld over the course of a tumultuous year, providing the backdrop for a shift in the city’s criminal power balance from organized crime toward garish supervillains like the Joker, Scarecrow and Poison Ivy. Can District Attorney Harvey Dent bring down Carmine “The Roman” Falcone with his sanity intact? (Spoiler alert: No.) And can this influential tale survive a night in that haunted house of crime capers known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! The January Man The Godfather and other movie reverences Solomon Grundy not have salad fork! Batman: Dark Victory and Batman: Joker War The Penny Plunderers The Big Heat Tales of the Batman: Steve Englehart Join us in two weeks as we get ready for Moon Knight on Disney+ with: The Moon Knight Episode! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

We’re back, baby! Just in time for the March 4 release of The Batman, we discuss Batman Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, published by DC Comics! Following on the heels of 1986’s acclaimed The Dark Knight Returns and DC’s post-Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot, this four-part origin story (originally published in Batman #404-407) is steeped in the hard-boiled atmospherics of pulp, noir and gritty 70s crime flicks. Will grizzled police detective Jim Gordon prevail against Gotham City’s corrupt police force? Will a newly returned Bruce Wayne become the Dark Knight Detective we all know and love? And will this bare-knuckled take on Batman’s beginnings take flight in that dimly lit back alley known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! Was the bat all in Bruce Wayne’s head? The Roman: A missed opportunity Selina Kyle’s apartment Daredevil: Born Again The City of Glass graphic novel adaptation The Batman: Year One animated movie Curt likes The Batman Join us in two weeks as we extend our stay in Gotham City with a discussion of Batman: The Long Halloween! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

(Content warning: Sexual assault) Our two-parter on comics legend George Perez continues with a look at The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect, published by Marvel Comics! Eisner Award-winning writer Peter David brings a light touch to this alternate-future tale set in the appropriately named Dystopia, where a warlord known as The Maestro rules with an iron fist. A band of rebels travels to the past (and our present) to bring back the one “studly” who can take down the Maestro—the Hulk! Oh, and did we mention that the Maestro and the Hulk are one and the same? Can Future Imperfect overcome outdated future slang and some rather problematic elements to leap feet-first into that shining citadel of post-apocalyptic periodicals known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! Can we make the “Perez Pebble” a thing? RAKOVLAM! Jim Valentino’s Guardians of the Galaxy A Peter David/Mark Millar Venn diagram Curt gets a surprise visitor Hulk: Heart of the Atom The Immortal Hulk Join us in two weeks as we look ahead to the March 4 release of The Batman with a story we’ve been wanting to do forever: Batman: Year One! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

(Content warning: Sexual assault) In the first of a two-part series on George Perez, we discuss one of his most famous runs as a creator, the 1987 reboot of DC Comics’ Wonder Woman! Spinning out of the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths (also drawn by Perez), the series redefined the character in ways that are still felt today, from the comics to the recent Wonder Woman movies. And as plotter as well as penciller, Perez was the driving creative force behind these changes. These groundbreaking comics gave Wonder Woman new depth and cemented her ties to Greek mythology. Can they also lasso their way into that Paradise Island known as ... The Comics Canon? Discussed in This Episode! “Snakebeard makes a lot of sense!” A Wonder Woman/Watchmen connection? Kevin’s Great Shame Peacemaker on HBO Max Wonder Woman Vol. 2: Challenge of the Gods Two Moons Vol. 1: The Iron Noose Join us in two weeks as we discuss Peter David and George Perez’s alternate future two-parter The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

In N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell’s Far Sector (from DC Comics’ Young Animal imprint), Green Lantern Sojourner “Jo” Mullein is assigned to the City Enduring, a sprawling megalopolis of some 20 billion souls at the far end of space, where she becomes embroiled in a twisty plot involving politics, corruption and murder. Can this timely sci-fi thriller, with its scenes of voter suppression and peace officers firing on protestors, blast off to that galaxy far, far away known as ... The Comics Canon? Discussed in This Episode! Green Lantern/Green Arrow Forget it, Jo, it’s The City Enduring Chekhov’s armory Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke Usagi Yojimbo: Grasscutter Maniac of New York Vol. 1: Death Train My Bad Join us in two weeks as we visit one of the seminal works in the career of legendary artist George Perez: The 1987 reboot of Wonder Woman! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

Larfleeze Navidad! Just in time for the holidays, we unwrap not one but TWO tales featuring everyone’s ... favorite? ... DC Comics ring-slinger, Larfleeze, with a look at Green Lantern Vol 4 #39-42 and Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special! First, Hal Jordan struggles to wield the blue light of hope as he and the rest of the space cops in the Green Lantern Corps face off against the menacing (and somewhat comical) Larfleeze, wielder of the orange light of greed! Next, in a lighthearted change of pace, Larfleeze seeks vengeance on Santa Claus when the jolly old elf skips his house on Dec. 25! Can Hal Jordan unlock the sinister secret of his avaricious new adversary—and teach him the true meaning of Christmas? And can these salmon-tinged stocking stuffers find their way under the tree of graphic goodness known as ... The Comics Canon? Discussed in This Episode! Larfleeze and a certain Lord of the Rings character Don't get Hal Jordan for your Secret Santa Larfleeze by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis and Scott Kolins L’il Santa by Thierry Robin and Lewis Trondheim George Perez’s recent cancer diagnosis New Teen Titans Vol. 4 Glen Weldon's beautiful appreciation of George Perez Join us in two weeks as we ring in 2022 with a look at another Green Lantern story: Far Sector by N.K.Jemisin and Jamal Campbell! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

Author and podcaster Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics; Voice of Latveria) joins us to discuss his excellent new book, All of the Marvels, which examines the Marvel Universe as one single connected narrative that unfolds over six decades and 27,000+ issues. We also look at a pivotal moment in Marvel Comics history from three different vantage points: Avengers (1963) #16, Thunderbolts (1997) #9 and Avengers (2016) #1.1! Issues Addressed in This Episode: The surprising central character of the Marvel Universe The Life of Reilly The prescience (and odd timing) of Dark Reign How will we look back on the comics of 2021? New Avengers Vol. 6: Revolution Radioactive Man comics The French Dispatch House to Astonish and The Lightning Round The Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Yildiray Cinar Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons #1 Join us in two weeks as we ring in the holiday season with ... wait, this can’t be right, can it? What’s that? It is? Okay. Join us in two weeks as we ring in the holiday season with Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special #1 and Green Lantern: Agent Orange! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

In an exclusive deleted scene from last week’s Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? discussion, Curt surprises Kevin with a pop quiz covering the first 150 episodes of The Comics Canon!

In 1986, after decades of sneering supervillains, mad scientists and interplanetary despots, the Man of Steel was finally confronted with a foe even he couldn’t defeat—an editorially mandated reboot! But before he could fly off into the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths sunset, he’d have to deal with deadly new versions of some of his classic foes in the two-part farewell Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, courtesy of superstar writer Alan Moore, quintessential Superman artist Curt Swan and legendary editor Julius Schwartz! (Content warning: Things get a bit dark.) And as if that weren’t enough story for our landmark 150th episode, we also crack open The Superman Super-Spectacular from 1963’s Action Comics #309, featuring a guest appearance by none other than President John F. Kennedy! Can 60s Superman protect his secret identity from Lois Lane and Lana Lang for the umpteenth time? Can 80s Superman protect his friends—and himself—when his rogues gallery gets a lethal upgrade? And can these stories survive a trip to that Bottle City of Comic-Book Candor known as ... The Comics Canon? Discussed in This Episode! The unfortunate timing of Action Comics #309 The bottle city of Kandor’s greatest foe! Let’s just say we briefly mention the website Does the Dog Die?, if you catch our drift Lloyd Llewellyn Don Rickles and Goody Rickels in Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen Superman Breaks Loose from Superman (Vol. 1) #233 Join us in two weeks, when we hope to welcome a very special guest! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

In anticipation of the eagerly awaited Spider-Man: No Way Home, we look back at one of the most universally reviled stories in comics history: 2007’s Spider-Man: One More Day by J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada, published by Marvel Comics! Quesada, then Marvel’s editor in chief, wanted to reset everyone’s favorite wisecracking wall-crawler and magically undo his longstanding marriage to Mary Jane Watson. So of course what better way to return Spidey to his roots than to ... shoot Aunt May and have ol’ web-head make a deal with the devil??! Can this poorly conceived, editorially mandated event possibly be as bad as its reputation? Or can it somehow rise above its bad rap and swing its way into that Brand New Day known as ... The Comics Canon? Discussed in This Episode! The last gasp of ’90s superhero comics Comics’ complicated and confusing numbering system What happened to, you know ... that one more day? Curt breaks down the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer Silver Surfer (1968) #3 Make Way for Tomorrow Batman: Sword of Azrael Knighted by Gregg Hurwitz and Mark Texeira Join us in two weeks as we celebrate 150 episodes of The Comics Canon with a look at Alan Moore and Curt Swan’s Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

(Content warning: Lots of people get buried alive.) Greetings, boos and ghouls! Gather ‘round the campfire as the Curtkeeper and Kevin From the Black Lagoon wrap up The Tomb of the Crypt, their miniseries on horror comics, with a handpicked selection of spooky stories from EC Comics’ Tales From the Crypt! Join us as we dig up The Curse of the Full Moon, The Maestro’s Hand, Ghost Ship, The Hungry Grave, A Fatal Caper, A Shocking Way to Die, and The Thing From the Grave, from The EC Archives: Tales From the Crypt Vol. 1, published by Dark Horse Comics! How scary are these stories, really? And do they belong in that Vault of Horror known as ... The Comics Canon? Discussed in This Episode! The thinner the moustache, the more evil the person? The Bad Werewolf Friend Marvel By the Month: The Comics Code of 1954 All of the Marvels by Douglas Wolk The Crossroads at Midnight by Abby Howard P. Lovecraft’s The Hound and Other Stories by Gou Tanabe Join us in two weeks as we prepare for Spider-Man: No Way Home with a look at a Spider-Man story with a different three-word title: One More Day! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

(Content warning: This story contains references to rape by deception and incest.) Our horror-comics miniseries The Tomb of the Crypt continues with Swamp Thing: Love and Death—specifically, Swamp Thing Vol. 2 issues #29-31 and Swamp Thing Annual #2 by Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette, John Totleben and others, published by DC Comics! Swamp Thing’s nemesis, the evil scientist/warlock Anton Arcane, returns from the dead in one of the most horrific revelations in mainstream superhero comics—making 1984’s Swamp Thing #29 the first mainstream comic not to carry the seal of the Comics Code Authority since the 1950s! Eager for revenge against our muck-encrusted hero, Arcane unleashes a cadre of undead serial killers upon Southeast Louisiana, and casts his own niece—Swamp Thing’s friend and not-so-secret crush Abigail Arcane—down into the depths of Hell itself! Can Swamp Thing prevail against the hordes of Hell and rescue the woman he loves from eternal damnation? And will this chilling slice of contemporary horror fantasy take root in that Garden of Earthly Delights known as ... The Comics Canon? Discussed in This Episode! Previously, in the pages of Swamp Thing ... James Bond, for some reason The Phantom Stranger’s David Caruso sunglasses moments Swamp Thing #34: Rite of Spring The Empty Man Swamp Thing #32: Pog Edgar Allen Poe’s Snifter of Death #1 Lugosi: The Rise & Fall of Hollywood’s Dracula Join us in two weeks as The Tomb of the Crypt continues with ... Tales From the Crypt! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

The Tomb of the Crypt, our miniseries on horror comics, continues with a look at 2018’s acclaimed Infidel by Pornsak Pichetshote and Aaron Campbell, published by Image Comics! Described as a haunted house story for the 21st century, this five-issue series explores issues of bigotry, xenophobia and racism as Aisha and Medina, two young women of color, move into an apartment building where a bomb built by a Muslim tenant detonated a few months earlier—and soon find themselves confronting a terrifying spirit that feeds on the dark emotions of the building’s residents. Can our protagonists defeat this gruesome specter before its body count grows any higher? And can this smart, tense thriller gain admittance to that rent-controlled co-op of chills known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! Night of the Living Dead Special effects artist Rob Bottin A connection to our previous episode, Uzumaki His House We Are Lady Parts Something Is Killing the Children Ms. Marvel: No Normal Frontiersman #1 Join us in two weeks as The Tomb of the Crypt continues with Swamp Thing: Love and Death! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

(Content warning: Body horror and a couple of anatomical references) We kick off The Tomb of the Crypt, a miniseries on horror comics, with our very first manga title—Umuzaki: Spiral Into Horror by Junji Ito, published by Viz Media! In this chilling tale that Nerdist referred to as “the Watchmen of horror manga,” a small Japanese town becomes plagued by ... spirals. This everyday shape begins showing up in increasingly unsettling ways: A spiral-shaped scar on a girl’s forehead grows in size until it consumes her; two boys slowly mutate into giant snails; and a sentient hurricane becomes obsessed with a teenaged girl, to name but a few. And then things REALLY get weird. Can high-schoolers Kirie and Shuichi figure out what’s happening to Kurouzo-cho before their lives are irrevocably altered? And can this superbly realized saga twist and shout its way into that widening gyre of graphic-novel gruesomeness known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! Forget it, Shuichi. It’s Spiraltown Tomei by Junji Ito The Drifting Classroom A Walk Through Hell Vol. 1 Join us in two weeks as The Tomb of the Crypt continues with the 2018 Image series Infidel! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

Because YOU (well, one of you, at least) asked for it, we finally get around to discussing All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant, published by DC Comics! Superman is dying, his cells flooded with solar radiation thanks to his arch-nemesis Lex Luthor. But before he goes, Kal-El has a few things to scratch off his to-do list. This acclaimed 12-issue series combines fun Silver Age concepts and a contemporary sensibility to distill the Man of Steel to his essence and explore what makes him one of the most iconic and inspiring characters in popular culture. Can the Last Son of Krypton celebrate Lois Lane’s birthday, protect the Earth from the Bizarro world and boorish Kryptonians, and defeat a monster that eats time and a living, evil red sun? And can he project himself into that Phantom Zone of funnybooks known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! How to write Superman The Death of Superman Does Superman like abasing himself? Chekhov’s Sun-Eater The Death of Captain Marvel by Jim Starlin Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen by Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber Join us in two weeks as we delve into the worlds of horror and manga with a look at Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

In anticipation of the Nov. 5 debut of the Eternals movie, we take a look at The Eternals issues 1-7, published by Marvel Comics! A few years after defecting to the Distinguished Competition to create the ambitious Fourth World saga, Jack Kirby returned to the House of Ideas, where he set to work on ... another ambitious cosmic epic! Drawing inspiration from Erich von Däniken’s mega-successful Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past, he conjured a tale of humanity’s sibling races: the monstrous Deviants, the godlike Eternals, and the even-more-godlike Mega Space Gods, the Celestials, one of the most visually striking assemblages in all of comics! Join us as we probe the cosmic mysteries: What are the similarities and differences between this book and the arguably better-known Fourth World titles? Why do the Eternals reveal themselves to a college anthropology class? And will these issues receive the Thumbs Up of the Gods and become part of that Uni-Mind known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! Curt likes Big Barda and he cannot lie Fantastic Four: Forever Nomadland Some thoughts on the upcoming Eternals movie Avengers: The Final Host by Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness Eternals (2021) by Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribić Kirby: King of Comics by Mark Evanier Join us in two weeks as we discuss All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook!

Alonso Duralde, the hardest working man in podcasting (Maximum Film, Breakfast All Day, the Linoleum Knife family of podcasts) returns as we prepare for the Aug. 11 launch of What If...? on Disney+ by gazing upon the alternate realities of Marvel Comics’ What If! First published in 1977, this anthology series explores what might have happened had key moments in Marvel continuity happened a little differently: What if Bullseye Had Not Killed Elektra? What if the Original Marvel Bullpen Became the Fantastic Four? What if the Avengers Had Become Pawns of Korvac? And what if a host of Marvel creators were let loose to create an issue full of rapid-fire dad jokes? Can this quartet of issues ascend to that not-so-sacred timeline known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! “It’s a shame you’re not in this alternate reality where your girlfriend lives!” What If Dr. Fredric Wertham Became Doctor Doom? “This bar has everything!” What If #43: What If Conan Were Stranded in the 20th Century? Pyongyang: A Journey to North Korea by Guy Delisle Jamie Loftus’s Aack Cast The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel I’ll Be Home for Christmas Movies Join us in two weeks as we look toward the Nov. 5 opening of Eternals with a look at the source material: Jack Kirby’s original Eternals series from 1976! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, our Myth Takes miniseries concludes with a story that combines the mythic grandeur of America’s pastime with Jewish folklore—The Golem’s Mighty Swing by James Sturm, published by Drawn & Quarterly! In the early 1920s, money problems force a traveling Jewish baseball team to agree to a promoter’s plan to increase ticket sales: Henry Bell, a Black player pretending to be Jewish, will take the field as a golem, an animated creature from Jewish legend! When racial tensions come to a head during an ugly game in an anti-Semitic town, will the Stars of David make it out alive? And will this powerful tale hit a home run and slide into that All-Star Game of graphic storytelling known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Sports nerds vs. comics nerds Casey at the Bat Yasiel Puig’s hazardous journey to the U.S. The Golem in Marvel’s Strange Tales Charley the Australopithecine The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay James Sturm’s America: God, Gold, and Golems Jar of Fools by Jason Lutes The Der Golem episode of the Scream Scene podcast Reign of Terror Join us in two weeks as we look toward the Aug. 11 debut of What If ...? on Disney+ with a special What If episode! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, an actual Greek myth gets retconned as Myth Takes, our miniseries on comics and mythology, rolls on with a discussion of three stories from the Sandman collection Fables & Reflections—specifically, Thermidor, The Song of Orpheus and Ramadan! You may be familiar with the myth of Orpheus, the balladeer who journeyed to the underworld to retrieve his lady love Eurydice. But you might have skipped class the day they covered the fact that Orpheus was the son of Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams! Did Orpheus’s bodiless head really help bring about the downfall of Robespierre, one of the architects of the French Revolution’s bloody Reign of Terror? What role did the Dream King play in the storied history of ancient Baghdad? And will these stories make their way into that campaign of myth-information known as ... The Comics Canon? Discussed in This Episode: Content warning for The Song of Orpheus Destruction vs. the other Endless The Sandman stories August and Soft Places I, Claudius (and I, Podius) Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino Elric Vol. 1: Elric of Melnibone Ron Randall’s Trekker: Reckoning on Rigel on Kickstarter Join us in two weeks as our Myth Takes miniseries wraps up with a discussion of James Sturm’s The Golem’s Mighty Swing! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

(Explicit warning: A couple of swear words are used.) In this episode, Myth Takes, our series on comics and mythology and folklore, continues with The Sandman: A Game of You, collecting issues 32-37 of The Sandman, published by DC/Vertigo Comics! Atlanta actress and friend of the show Jennifer Lee returns for a lively discussion that goes deep into Sandman lore as we get into this 30-year-old story arc that offers an incredibly timely take on the issue of trans identity. Can Barbie save the Land, her childhood dreamscape, from the sinister forces of the Cuckoo? And can this moving tale of growing up and moving on unlock the door to that fabled Barbie Dreamhouse known as ... The Comics Canon? Discussed in This Episode: Similarities to A Doll’s House Neil Gaiman’s Tumblr post about Wanda Curt has some strong words for Morpheus What IS the Cuckoo, exactly? Brazil The Saga Compendium Astro City Special: Beautie #1 Join us in two weeks as we extend our stay in the Dreaming with a discussion of The Sandman: Fables and Reflections! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we follow up the anthropomorphic samurai of Usagi Yojimbo with a menagerie of talking animals as Myth Takes, our miniseries on comics and mythology, takes a slight detour into fairy tale territory with a discussion of Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm, published by Vertigo/DC Comics! In Bill Willingham’s long-running series Fables, the characters from all your favorite childhood tales have been driven from their homes by the mysterious Adversary and are living under the radar in New York. But when the Farm—home of the animal Fables—is rocked by the vicious murder of one of the Three Little Pigs, tensions between human and non-human Fables threatens to escalate into deadly political revolution! Can Snow White defeat the militant Goldilocks—not to mention her own sister Rose Red—and prevent a bloody civil war? And can this tale as old as time win entry into that Happily Ever After known as ... The Comics Canon? Discussed in This Episode: Myths and folklore in popular culture Raunchy versions of children’s stories Fables Vol. 6: Homelands The Personal History of David Copperfield Shelly Bond’s Filth & Grammar Kickstarter campaign Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Savage Avengers Some thoughts on She-Hulk Join us in two weeks as we kick off a Sandman two-parter with a look at A Game of You! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, Myth Takes, our miniseries on comics and mythology, continues with a look at Stan Sakai’s Eisner Award-winning Grasscutter saga from Usagi Yojimbo Vol. 3, issues #13-22, published by Dark Horse Comics! Usagi Yojimbo, Sakai’s long-running series featuring rabbit ronin Miyamoto Usagi, draws from Japanese history and folklore to create a fully realized world populated by anthropomorphic rabbits, cats, bears and other animals, all rendered in Sakai’s detailed yet accessible art style. Can Usagi keep Grasscutter, the legendary sword of the gods, out of the hands of a shadowy cabal—and survive an encounter with his mysterious nemesis, the sinister and murderous wolf Jei? And can he and his friends find safe passage to that Hidden Fortress of comic-book epics known as ... The Comics Canon? Discussed in This Episode: Runaways (the Usagi story, not the Marvel comic) The Hidden Fortress Saturday Morning: Cartoons’ Greatest Hits Groo the Wanderer Space Usagi and Senso from The Usagi Yojimbo Saga: Legends Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles Join us in two weeks as we discuss Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, Myth Takes, our miniseries on comics and mythology, continues with a discussion of everyone’s favorite teenage God of Chaos, Kid Loki, in Journey Into Mystery: Fear Itself (specifically, Journey Into Mystery issues #622-626 and #628-629) by Keiron Gillen, Doug Braithwaite and Whilce Portacio, published by Marvel Comics! When Cul the Serpent, God of Fear and brother of Odin the All-Father, threatens the Nine Realms in the 2011 crossover event Fear Itself, a newly reincarnated Loki sets out to prevent another Ragnarok. Using all his trademark cunning and guile, the godling must assemble a ragtag team of companions to help him in his quest—even though doing the right thing comes at a terrible personal cost! Can the teen trickster save the world for once, rather than destroy it? And can he cross the rainbow bridge to that hallowed hall of heroic tales known as ... The Comics Canon? (Programming note: The god of mischief bedeviled us with some odd Zoom-related glitches for the first few minutes; things get better just after the 13-minute mark.) In This Episode Norse vs. Greek mythology in comics War of the Realms The Sandman and Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount An early 90s Image Comics flashback Thor Vol. 1 by J. Michael Straczynski Resident Alien on SYFY Journey Into Mystery # 627 Young Avengers: Style > Substance Join us in two weeks as we move from Asgard to ancient Japan to discuss Usagi Yojimbo: Grasscutter! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!  

In this episode, we kick off Myth Takes, a miniseries on the intersection of comics and mythology, with a book in which an A-list superhero gets a mythological upgrade: Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Blood, by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang, published by DC Comics! This companion piece of sorts to our previous Wonder Woman episode explores the character’s reboot as part of the 2011 New 52 relaunch of DC titles—a reboot that takes the Greek mythology that’s always been a part of her world and moves it front and center by revealing her to be the daughter of Zeus, king of the Greek pantheon! Can Diana navigate her new family (and some less-than-ideal tropes) while protecting her human friend Zola from the wrath of Hera? And can she scale that Mount Olympus of comic-book epics known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Are comics the new mythology, man? Anatomy Lesson Syndrome Split happens Can you get better from being a statue? Some striking character designs John Constanti—we mean, Lennox Our Dangerous Habits episode Wonder Woman: Dead Earth Wonder Woman/Conan Join us in two weeks, when we discuss Journey Into Mystery: Fear Itself! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

Content warning: Depictions of wartime violence and PTSD symptoms are discussed. In this episode, we discuss one of the most acclaimed storylines from the Pulitzer Prize-winning comic strip Doonesbury, as collected in The Long Road Home: One Step at a Time and The War Within: One More Step at a Time, published by Andrews McMeel! These strips follow the physical and emotional ordeal of long-running character B.D., who loses his leg (and his signature helmet) while serving in the Iraq War. After undergoing painful physical therapy and receiving a new prosthetic leg, he returns home, where he begins showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, including nightmares and increasingly heavy drinking. With the help of his family and friends—and his counselor Elias, a fellow veteran and amputee—can B.D. confront his memories of that fateful day in Fallujah? And will this acclaimed narrative be awarded that badge of honor known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Our YUGE! episode A brief history of Doonesbury Iron Maiden vs. Queensrÿche That third act reveal, though Mel’s Story: Surviving Military Sexual Assault Beta Ray Bill (2021) #1 Join us in two weeks when we discuss Wonder Woman (2011) Vol. 1: Blood! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

Podcaster Alonso Duralde (Linoleum Knife, Who Shot Ya?, Breakfast All Day, A Film and A Movie) returns to discuss Justice League International by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire, published by DC Comics! Debuting in 1987, Justice League International came out of the gate with a light and often absurd tone that bucked the “grim and gritty” trend of the late 80s, with Batman and a roster of B- and C-list trading zingers as often as they engaged in fisticuffs. This risky move, coming on the heels of the poorly received Justice League Detroit era, restored DC’s premier superhero team to prominence. But is that enough to land it a spot in that Hall of Justice known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: The “Snyder Cut” joke we didn’t get to use Is Kevin Maguire the MVP of JLI? Superior Foes of Spider-Man Brother to Brother Cobra Kai The Gray Man Fate (1987) A 5-minute discussion of Zack Snyder’s Justice League The Owls on Culture Podcast Preorder I’ll Be Home for Christmas Movies at your favorite indie bookseller! Join us in two weeks for Doonesbury: The Long Road Home! Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!