In this episode, we load up our rucksacks and make a long-overdue trip to the world of bande dessinées—and one of the most popular comics characters of the 20th century—with a look at Tintin in Tibet by Hergé! When Tintin learns of a plane crash in the Himalayas, a dreamlike vision convinces him that his friend Chang has somehow survived the crash. Joined by his faithful dog Snowy and the irascible Captain Haddock, Tintin travels to Tibet, determined to rescue his friend against impossible odds! Will our intrepid trio survive a brutal blizzard and the fearsome Abominable Snowman and find Chang before it’s too late? And will this beloved boy adventurer make it to that remote Himalayan hideaway known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: The Totally Tintin podcast Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin The art of Herge Some of our favorite Captain Haddock expletives The Black Island Touching the Void Tintin in Tibet from the Adventures of Tintin animated series Bastard by Max de Radiguès Join us in two weeks as we explore a pivotal moment for one of Marvel Comics’ most popular characters with a look at Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle! 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’re joined by Bryan Stratton and Robb Milne of the Marvel by the Month podcast to complete our first podcast crossover (you can hear the first part here)—and to discuss Ultimate Comics Spider-Man: Death of Spider-Man, by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, published by Marvel Comics! Just when things are looking up for the Peter Parker of Earth-1610, life comes crashing down around him. His arch-nemesis Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, has escaped from S.H.I.E.L.D. with a handful of superpowered felons. Worse yet, he knows that Parker is Spider-Man and has murder on his mind! You’ve seen the title of this episode, so you know things don’t end well. The question is, can Spidey protect Aunt May, his friends, and innocent bystanders from Osborn’s insane fury? And can this landmark tale ascend to that ultimate universe of four-color finery known as ... The Comics Canon?   In This Episode: The Ultimate Comics line May Parker’s friends, Smith and Wesson Amazing Spider-Man #33 Our Panels of the Week! The Death of Captain America The Death of Jean DeWolff Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 9: Ultimate Six Redshirts by John Scalzi Join us in two weeks as we discuss the alliterative Tintin in Tibet! 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 celebrate our fifth anniversary by finally tackling a seminal work by one of the biggest names in comics: Smile by Raina Telgemeier, published by Scholastic/Graphix! In this Eisner Award-winning graphic memoir, sixth-grader Raina suffers a dental injury that upends her entire world, kicking off a years-long succession of visits to various “odontists” involving surgery, braces, headgear and a retainer with fake teeth attached. And as if all that weren’t enough, she also has to deal with middle-school crushes, some toxic friends and the 1989 San Francisco earthquake! Can Raina overcome her insecurity about her teeth and learn to accept herself? And can this orthodontic odyssey graduate to that ivory league known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Newspaper comic strips M. Forster on plot vs. story A cosmic Community coincidence No one wants to be judged by who they were in middle school Zot! The Complete Black and White Collection The Expanse Book 5: Nemesis Games Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh Lumberjanes Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy Join us in two weeks as we discuss Ultimate Spider-Man: Death of Spider-Man! 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!

(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 also unintentional microaggressions and racist jokes. They also attract the attention of the Klan of the Fiery Cross, which kicks off a campaign of intimidation to drive them out of town, including cross-burning and kidnapping! Can young Roberta and Tommy Lee help the Man of Steel stop the Klan before lives are lost? Can Superman make sense of his troubling visions and discover the truth about his alien heritage? And can this book find a home in that promised land known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Do certain story choices diminish the threat of the Klan? The secret origin of Tommy Lee Superman vs. Hollywood by Jake Rossen The Adventures of Superpup Caliban’s War and Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey Superman: The Unauthorized Biography by Glen Weldon Flash Gordon: On the Planet Mongo by Don Moore and Alex Raymond Join us in two weeks as we discuss Raina Telgemeier’s Eisner Award-winning 2010 graphic novel, Smile! 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! 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 “Merry F—king Christmas.” (A sixth story that was announced last episode, “You’re Not the Boss of Me,” was cut for time.) In these stories and others, Bagge presents a typical ’80s suburban family in all its dysfunctional glory, laying the groundwork for the likes of Married ... With Children and The Simpsons. But Bagge balances the caustic family dynamics with faithful depictions of the teenage experience and explorations of such issues as religion and the plight of the working suburban mom, employing a wonderfully expressive and exaggerated cartooning style influenced by MAD Magazine and Looney Tunes shorts, among others. Will Buddy ever stop being such an a—hole? And will the Bradleys be invited into that nuclear family known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: The provenance of Duran Duran’s “A View to a Kill” Kevin’s Uncle Ben moment The best-ever description of Boone’s Farm All in the Family The Complete Hate Our Eltingville Club episode Peter Bagge’s recent graphic novel biographies Peepshow: The Cartoon Diary of Joe Matt Join us in two weeks as we begin 2021 with one of the best-reviewed comics of 2020: Superman Smashes the Klan! 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!

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 his teen sidekick, Bucky—who might also be the Soviet assassin known as the Winter Soldier! Can the Star-Spangled Avenger help this ruthless killing machine remember who he is, while also facing off against Crossbones and a Russian mastermind with a Cosmic Cube? And can this popular and influential story arc score an invite to that Party in the U.S.A. known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Walking in a Winter Soldierland The Avengers’ leather jacket era The soap opera elements of Winter Soldier Comparisons to Captain America: The Winter Soldier (the movie) Velvet by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting The Expanse series of novels Strange Adventures by Tom King, Mitch Gerads and Evan “Doc” Shaner Rorschach by Tom King and Jorgé Fornes Join us in two weeks as we segue seamlessly from hard-hitting superhero action into a collection of stories about the Bradley family from Peter Bagge’s 1980s comic Neat Stuff! 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 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 as a parody of fellow Marvel Comics characters). Can our fowl-tempered philosopher prevail against such absurd antagonists as Pro-Rata, Turnip-Man, Count Macho and the undead menace of Bessie the Hellcow? And will he take his rightful place among that duck dynasty known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: The Bird Pun Swear Jar Milkshake Duck Curt’s favorite comic book sound effect Smokestacks and skyscrapers Master C’haaj Our Immortal Hulk episode Mark Gruenwald Dark Avengers Vol. 2: Molecule Man Thundarr the Barbarian Howard the Duck Vol. 0: What the Duck? Join us in two weeks as we look ahead to Marvel Studios’ 2021 slate of Disney+ shows with a discussion of Captain America: The Winter Soldier! 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!

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 style courtesy of David Aja and the muted color scheme of Matt Hollingsworth. Can Avenger Clint Barton and his protégé, Kate Bishop (who also goes by Hawkeye) survive encounters with tracksuit-clad mobsters, the Circus of Crime, and a dangerous auto-thieving redhead? Can Clint’s pizza-loving canine companion, Lucky, solve the murder of one of Clint’s neighbors? And can these stories hit that moving target known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Save the Cat and Does the Dog Die? How is the Circus of Crime still in business? Pulp by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips Hawkeye: Kate Bishop Vol. 1: Anchor Points by Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero and Michael Walsh Daredevil Vol. 1 by Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin 20th Place Media on Instagram Join us in two weeks as we discuss Steve Gerber’s Howard the Duck! 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 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 Florida and back to New York, Vladek’s recollections take him from the horrors of Auschwitz through the end of the war. But although he’s finally free of the concentration camp, his trials are far from over. Recommended in This Episode:   Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir Safe Area Gorazde and War’s End: Profiles From Bosnia 1995-96, by Joe Sacco   Join us in two weeks as we change course to discuss Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon, by Matt Fraction and David Aja! 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!  

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 40s, including his eventual arrival at the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. In one of the book’s most disarming touches, all of its Jewish characters are portrayed as bipedal, clothes-wearing mice, while Germans are depicted as cats, and the non-Jewish people of Poland as pigs. In this first volume, Vladek paints an increasingly grim portrait of a changing Poland and recounts the various indignities, humiliations and atrocities he and other Jews experienced during the first stages of the Holocaust. In This Episode: Prisoner of the Hell Planet The Wild Party: The Lost Classic By Joseph Moncure Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio Our appearance on Marvel by the Month: December 1966 Join us in two weeks as our two-parter concludes with a discussion Maus: A Survivor’s Tale II: And Here My Troubles Began. 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 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 and his erstwhile lover prevail against a four-armed assassin and one of the galaxy’s most formidable spymasters in a desperate effort to save Horatio’s soul? And can this richly imagined and beautifully rendered saga cross the threshold into that space odyssey known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: First Comics Burn After Reading Steve Rude’s artwork Nexus as a Warlock in Dungeons and Dragons The Sun Devils We Hate Movies: The Nexus Nexus Omnibus Vol. 1 Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes Join us in two weeks as we switch gears in a big way with a look at Art Spiegelman’s Maus Vol. 1: My Father Bleeds History. 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, 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 five-issue story, they face their greatest foe yet, the enigmatic Master of Darkness! (Spoiler alert: It’s Darkseid!) Superboy, Supergirl and the Legion face off against Jack Kirby’s deadly despot as well as his sinister Servants and three billion mind-controlled aliens with the power of Superman in this story that helped to establish Darkseid as one of the elite antagonists of the DC Universe! Can our host of attractive young Lads and Lasses hope to prevail? And can this twilight saga emerge unscathed from the Apokalips Now that is ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: What’s your Legion name? Superboy goes to college The artwork of Keith Giffen Great Darkness Saga vs. The Sinestro Corps War Legion of Substitute Heroes Special #1 The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans Join us in two weeks as The Cosmic Canon concludes with a look at Mike Baron and Steve Rude’s Nexus! 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!

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 Thor. And its villain, the deadly Darkseid, has gone on to become one of the pre-eminent tyrants of popular culture. Can the brooding Orion, wielder of the “Astro-Force,” overcome his dark nature and defeat the forces of Apokalips before they find the Anti-Life Equation? And can this unfinished series ascend to that Twilight of the Gods known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Quotation marks There’s Kirby in the air The Blank Check podcast Our Superman’s Pal: Jimmy Olsen episode New Gods’ influence on Star Wars The Star Wars Episode Zero podcast The, um, Santa Clause Orion Book 1 The “Apokalips ... Now!” and “Legacy” two-parters from Superman: The Animated Series Even Gods Must Die Join us in two weeks as The Cosmic Canon journeys to the 30th century as the Legion of Super-Heroes battles a mysterious foe (who COULD it be?) in The Great Darkness Saga! 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!

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 on Green Lanterns across the galaxy! And they’ve got a Cyborg Superman, an alternate-universe Superboy, and the Anti-Monitor on their side! Can Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner and their compatriots stop these fearsome gleep-glops from annihilating the Corps? And can they blast off to that final frontier known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: I mean, the name "Sinestro" is kind of a giveaway Green Lantern 101 Kevin makes another G.I. Joe reference Tygers by Alan Moore Curt has a great idea for a T-shirt Revenge of the Green Lanterns Green Lantern: Agent Orange The “Green Loontern” episode of Duck Dodgers Blackest Night Nova: Annihilation Conquest Join us in two weeks as The Cosmic Canon tackles the mother (or is that the Granny Goodness?) of all cosmic comics series: Jack Kirby’s New Gods! 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!

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 sci-fi references, Batman! G.I. Joe #1 “You guys hired Jack of Hearts as an Avenger?!!” Is Goliath juicing? Skrull milk Marvels Epilogue The Avengers/Defenders War Deep Space Nine: A Call to Action through Sacrifice of Angels Should we do a side episode on DS9? War of Kings The Avengers: The Korvac Saga Join us in two weeks as The Cosmic Canon continues with Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War 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!

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 tragic death of young Gwen Stacy? And can he make it onto that Front Page of funnybook excellence known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: We linger on the artwork of Alex Ross Jolene by Dolly Parton Sex and the City Phil Sheldon’s journalistic objectivity The Black Cat The Old Guard Avengers #16-28 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood The Marvels Project A Killing in Comics Join us in two weeks as we dive into the Kree-Skrull War! 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!

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 night’s dream known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Content warning: Sexual assault Audible’s The Sandman adaptation “Britain’s hottest pub IS ...” Planet of the Apes, but with cats! A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the World Fantasy Awards Is Hamnet the price of Shakespeare’s success? Hamilton on Disney+ The Sandman #75: The Tempest The Sandman: Overture Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino Kill Shakespeare Vol. 1: A Sea of Troubles Fool by Christopher Moore Join us in two weeks as we review Marvels, by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross! 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!

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 a search for her missing brother Jed—a journey that involves a pair of Silver Age superheroes, a boarding house full of memorable characters, and the extremely unsettling nightmare known as The Corinthian. Will Rose survive a serial killers’ convention only to die at the hands of Morpheus himself? And can she make her escape to that Field of Dreams known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode: Content warning: Child abuse and attempted assault Our Preludes and Nocturnes and Season of Mists episodes A missed merchandising opportunity Little Nemo in Slumberland G.K. Chesterton Women without agency “Calm down, Mickey Spillane!” The Bogeyman and The Family Man Swamp Thing: American Gothic The Man Who Was Thursday Mindhunter The Dreaming Vol. 1: Pathways and Emanations Iron Maiden’s Revelations Cereal Killers by Too Much Joy Join us in two weeks as our Sandman two-parter continues with looks at the short stories Tales in the Sand and Men of Good Fortune from the Doll’s House collection, as well as Sandman: Dream Country! 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’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 Montgomery Bus Boycott, gives a brief biography of Dr. King, and outlines the principles of nonviolent resistance. And it inspired a young man named John Lewis, who would go on to become a leader of the Civil Rights Movement and U.S. Congressman, and whose comic biography March, Vol. 1, we reviewed back in March of this year. Original copies of this book are hard to find, although an authorized reissue was published in 2013 by Marietta, Georgia-based Top Shelf Productions. It’s also available on Comixology for $1.99. (And here's some background on it by March co-writer Andrew Aydin.) In addition to our thoughts on the book itself, we discuss the ways in which superhero comics can be problematic, particularly in their sometime glorification of violence by authority figures. We also briefly discuss the 2019 HBO miniseries Watchmen, and spoil some plot points. We plan to be back in two weeks with that episode on The Doll’s House, pending other world-shaking events. In the meantime, we encourage you to donate to Black Lives Matter or to a bail fund or other activism-related funds: you can find an extensive list here and here. Thanks for listening, and stay safe and well!

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. Can investigative reporter Jacqueline McGee and the Canadian superhero Sasquatch survive their encounters with this terrifying new monster? And can this fresh take on ol’ Jade Jaws gain entry into that Tomb of Horrors known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! The very first Wolverine fan fiction? The Incredible Hulk TV series “The Green Door” Joe Bennett’s career peak Indestructible Hulk Vol. 1: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. From Beyond Incredible Hulk Vol. 1: Return of the Monster Mighty Avengers Vol. 1: No Single Hero   Join us in two weeks as we commemorate Audible’s upcoming Sandman adaptation with a look at Sandman Vol. 2: 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!

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 rescue miners from a cave-in, attempts to swim the Atlantic Ocean, and recounts his familiar yet freshly horrifying origin. This chip off the old block may be able to hold his own against unfathomable aliens and undersea predators, but can he survive the unspeakable menace of the man known only as Anonymoose? And can he reach the summit of that pinnacle of comic-book excellence known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! Not another unscrupulous NPR reporter! Maureen’s navigation of sexual politics The Stone Men From Saturn The link between Ron Lithgow and John McClane “I’m cute! I’m cuuute!” The Letterman/Crispin Glover incident Concrete’s Spider-Man moment Mage The Hero Discovered Vol. 1 Billy Wilder’s Ace in the Hole Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Ex Machina Vol. 1: The First Hundred Days Infinite Realities’ Stay-at-Home Con Join us in two weeks as we delve into another comic about a super-strong giant with a look at 2018’s The Immortal Hulk Vol. 1: Or Is He Both? 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!

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 live in a world of magic and wonder. Will the super-powered Samaritan ever be able to slow down long enough to enjoy life, or go on a date? Can a young woman from the ethnic neighborhood of Shadow Hill trade her talismans and traditions for those of the city’s bustling downtown? Is the boorish Crackerjack really all that stands between Earth and an alien assault? And can these stories move on up to that shining city on a hill known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! The ethics of Samaritan’s fact-checking gig Why are there so many bank robberies in superhero comics? The Bouncing Beatnik’s most impressive power Curt’s favorite character Chekhov’s First Family Brooch Where’s our Astro City TV series? Astro City: Confessions Kids Love Batman Astro City Vol. 3, issues 39 & 40 Join us in two weeks as we explore the world of Paul Chadwick’s Concrete, discussing select stories from Concrete Vol. 1: Depths! 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 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 Comics! Can these fractious felons survive the machinations of the Chameleon, the Owl and their own leader, the double-crossing Boomerang? And can this quarrelsome quintet graduate into that Secret Society of Super-Villains known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! This may not be the best pickup line The problem with Overdrive Does anyone find Groucho glasses funny? We cast the Superior Foes sitcom Curt workshops a Chameleon joke A few words from Evan Dorkin Superior Spider-Man Vol. 1: My Own Worst Enemy The Irredeemable Ant-Man The Fix Vol. 1: Where Beagles Dare The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel Join us in two weeks as we commemorate the 25th anniversary of Marvels with a discussion of (what else?) Astro City: Life in the Big City! 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 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 can these two interdimensional imps manage the imp-possible and make a favorable imp-pression on that imp-maginary world known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! Aren’t they ALL imaginary tales? Kit ‘N’ Kaboodle The Wonder Twins’ powers ARE kind of lame What if Wolverine, but nothing interesting? The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited What If? #34 Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites Fantastic Four Marvels Snapshot #1 We’ll be back in two weeks with another fun, funny comic to help us all get through these tough times: The Superior Foes of Spider-Man: Getting the Band Back Together, by Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber! 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!

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 role, complete with tattoos, a leather jacket and a staggering knowledge of obscure pop-cultural ephemera. But all that edgy ’90s attitude can’t keep the past from encroaching on the present as he contends with Nash, the vengeful daughter of his dad’s arch-nemesis, the Mist! Can Jack, Ted, the blue-skinned alien Mikaal Tomas and the red-haired O’Dare siblings survive as Nash cuts a swath of murder and destruction through Opal City? And can this story blow the mind of that Starman waitin’ in the sky we like to call ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! Stargirl Zero Hour Aliens with human-sounding names Jack Knight is kind of a jerk High Fidelity Quentin Tarantino and all those pop-cultural references Do you know any good sci-fi lit podcasts? A few science fiction writers we like Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Green Lantern: Rebirth JSA: The Return of Hawkman James Robinson’s Airboy Join us in two weeks as we commemorate April Fool’s Day with Superman and Batman: World’s Funnest, by Evan Dorkin and various artists! 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 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 his efforts to desegregate Nashville department store lunch counters. Will this gripping account of one man’s journey to gain freedom and equal rights through nonviolent means make its way to that hallowed hall of heroes known as ... The Comics Canon?  In This Episode! Curt’s brush with Rep. Lewis Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story John Lewis, Time Traveler What’s the deal with the oar? Unsettling similarities to the present The Spinner Rack on Twitter The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln by Scott McCloud Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History The National Center for Civil and Human Rights Join us in two weeks as travel back to the ‘90s to visit one of the hippest superheroes ever with a look at Starman Vol. 2: Night and Day, by James Robinson and Tony Harris! 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 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 the alien techno-collective known as the Phalanx! Mutantkind seems destined to suffer a terrible fate. Can Charles Xavier and Magneto prevent that dark future from coming to pass? And can they hope to survive the judgment of that Not-So-Quiet Council known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! House of Buggin’ Xavier’s big emotional moment Everyone’s favorite mutant, Goldballs! The thorny implications of resurrection Will humans evolve into machines? Are the dudes really muscling Moira out of her own plan? Giant-Size Fantastic Four #3 Broken Angels by Richard K. Morgan and Altered Carbon on Netflix Transhuman God Is Dead Vol. 1   Join us in two weeks as we kick off the month of March with a look at the first volume of U.S. Representative John Lewis’s autobiographical graphic novel trilogy, March! 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, 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 for the X-Men, who undertake a suicide mission to a sun-orbiting space station to prevent the eventual rise of one of mutantkind's greatest foes! What do these events have to do with a mutant war against the Man-Machine Ascendancy 100 years from now, or the plans of the mysterious Librarian 1,000 years hence? What surprising role does Xavier's former flame Moira MacTaggert have to play in all this? And can our not-so-merry mutants survive long enough to make it to that island sanctuary known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode! Krakoa, the Island That Walks Like a Man! Is Charles Xavier doing the Frug? The Stepford Cuckoos The most evil of all mutants! The Voyager Golden Record The Betty and Veronica of the mutant world The October Faction on Netflix The Black Monday Murders Vol. 1 Manifest Destiny Vols. 3-4 The Yesterday’s Enterprise episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Wish Curt’s review of Birds of Prey Join us next week—that’s right, next week!—as we wrap up our two-parter with an exploration of issues #4-6 of House of X and Powers of X! 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!

“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!

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, Rendell's killer, Sam Lesser, is on their trail, under the thrall of an unearthly woman imprisoned in a well on the Keyhouse estate! Can this fractured family overcome their inner demons and stop the devious Dodge from acquiring the mysterious Anywhere Key? And can they unlock the right door to gain entry into that house of horrors known as … The Comics Canon? Discussed in This Episode! Content warning The 2011 Locke & Key pilot Lovecraft? Really? Our episode on The Walking Dead #100 and Violence in Comics The Locke & Key Unlocked podcast from Comic Book Club Nuts by Gahan Wilson Concrete Vol. 5: Killer Smile Basketful of Heads Full Throttle And, um, 8 Heads in a Duffle Bag Join us in two weeks as we tackle one of the biggest comics events of last year: Jonathan Hickman's House of X/Powers of X! 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 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 Thorn. Can our wayward cousins avoid the clutches of the fearsome Rat Creatures and their terrifying leader, the Hooded One? And can they stay out of trouble long enough to settle that uncanny valley known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! What ARE the Bones, exactly? Mad Magazine’s Don Martin Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche Where are all the plush Bone dolls? Bone Vol. 5: Rock Jaw, Master of the Eastern Border Batman Vol. 8: Cold Days The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 Join us in two weeks on Wednesday, New Comic Book Day, as we pivot from fantasy to horror with a look at Locke & Key Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft! 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 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 of the most beloved and iconic figures in popular culture. Can this champion of the oppressed save an innocent woman from the electric chair and foil a plot to drag the U.S. into war in Europe? And can he muscle his way into that hallowed Fortress of Solitude known as … The Comics Canon? But wait! There's more! We also look back at our favorite canonical stories from the first 99 episodes! In This Episode! One of the best covers in comics history Babies in padded cells and straitjackets This Superman is a super-jerk! Superman: The Unauthorized Biography by Glen Weldon We need to talk about The Dark Knight Returns What can you expect from the NEXT 100 episodes? Join us in two weeks as we kick off our fifth year with a look at the first installment of Jeff Smith's charming Bone saga (coming soon to Netflix): Out From Boneville! 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!

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 redundant superheroes find themselves without a home! But the Anti-Monitor still has one trick up his metal sleeve, teleporting our world to the anti-matter universe (hey, you said there was only one universe left)! Can the last Supermen standing and a parade of your favorite D-listers succeed against the cosmic creep with the worst name in comics? And can this landmark reality-warping series score a table at that restaurant at the end of the universe known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! George Perez’s cosmic artwork The Anti-Anti-Monitor “How come YOU get to be Earth-1?” “Weird” Al Yankovich’s “Word Crimes” Plan 9 From Outer Space Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War Justice League: The Darkseid War 52 Join us in two weeks on Wednesday, Dec. 25, as we mark our 100th episode with a look at the origin of the first and most legendary superhero of them all in Action Comics #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!

Like the animator’s giant eraser in Chuck Jones’ classic Merrie Melodies short “Duck Amuck,” a wave of anti-matter sweeps across countless realities, obliterating everything in its path until only a handful of universes are left in the epic 12-issue event Crisis on Infinite Earths, by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, published by DC Comics! Aided by the mysterious Monitor, some of comics’ greatest heroes are all that stand between the remaining worlds and the malevolent ... um, Anti-Monitor! Join us as we answer the burning questions: Can George Perez draw every single DC character before this crossover event is through? And can this world-changing saga survive that End of the Effing World known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! The history of the DC multiverse We have to talk about Pariah Characters referring to other characters by their names Does The Haunted Tank have a horn that plays Dixie? DC: The New Frontier “You’re going to die now! ... But later!” The worst name in comics Swamp Thing: American Gothic Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 1 Six Crises by Richard Nixon (yes, really) Join us in two weeks on Wednesday, New Comic Book Day, as this story shifts into gear, resulting in some memorable moments and the birth of a new universe in issues #7-12! 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!

You finally achieve your lifelong goal—absolute dominion over all of creation, not to mention the wife of your bitterest rival—only to find that godhood isn't everything you'd hoped for. We've all been there, right? Victor Von Doom certainly has, in the epic 2015 miniseries Secret Wars, by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic, published by Marvel Comics! Join us as we answer the burning questions: Can Curt and Kevin avoid getting deep in the weeds of this superhero crossover event? (Not so much.) And can this epic, world-changing series emerge triumphant in that Clash of Kings known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode! Similarities to Game of Thrones "What am I going to do with all these bullets?" The thorny implications of Doom's relationship with Susan Storm Weirdworld Infamous Iron Man House of X and Powers of X Join us in two weeks as we continue our exploration of cosmic crossovers with the mother of all universe-obliterating epics, Crisis on Infinite Earths! 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 all-powerful Beyonder transports some of Earth's mightiest heroes and villains to a patchwork planet known as Battleworld, conveniently outfitted with high-tech ships and fortresses! His one command: "Slay all your enemies and all you desire shall be yours!" Thus begins one of comics' first and most famous multi-part crossover epics: Secret Wars, written by Marvel Comics editor in chief Jim Shooter and drawn by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton! Conceived to support a line of Mattel toys, this 12-part series pits members of the Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four against such heavy hitters as Doctor Doom, Magneto, and the Devourer of Worlds himself, Galactus! Alliances are formed, schemes are hatched, battles are fought, and many plotlines are brought up and then abandoned! Join us as we answer the burning questions: Can Curt and Kevin find meaningful things to say about an overlong slugfest aimed squarely at young children? And can this landmark comics event emerge victorious in that Contest of Champions known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode! Martin Scorsese vs. the MCU Jim Shooter's problematic female characters Where did these two supervillains come from?!! Volcana is totally Kevin's type "Some of my best friends are mutants!" Doctor Doom's space-age bachelor pad We need to talk about Klaw Chekhov's lightning bolt Is this the worst comic we've ever reviewed? Asgardian Wars Contest of Champions (2015) Secret Warriors V1: Nick Fury: Agent of Nothing Join us in two weeks on Wednesday (new comic book day!) as we review a multi-part crossover epic featuring Reed Richards, Doctor Doom, Molecule Man and a mysterious planet known as Battleworld! Yes, it’s Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic’s Secret Wars from 2015! Until then, be the envy of your Battleworld fortress with our snazzy Comics Canon merchandise! Last but not least, please help us spread the word! Rate us on Apple Podcasts, send us an email, and hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! We may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

  In this episode, we get into the spooky spirit of Halloween with a look at Through the Woods, a collection of unsettling horror stories by cartoonist Emily Carroll, as well as a trio of chilling and inventive webcomics: Margot’s Room, Some Other Animal’s Meat, and the Eisner Award-winning When the Darkness Presses! Through the Woods weaves a dark fantasy setting that echoes the classic horror stories of fairy tales and folklore, grounded by Carroll’s gorgeous artwork and spidery lettering, while her web stories immerse the reader in fully realized worlds that take full advantage of the medium to scratch and claw at the back of the reader’s mind. But can these eerie tales safely make their way to that remote cabin in the woods known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! A little Stephen Sondheim Hands as a recurring motif His Face All Red Gilles de Rais and the legend of Bluebeard Curt feels seen Webcomic and manga recommendations The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter In the Company of Wolves Blue Lenses by Daphne du Maurier The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson Nailbiter Vol. 1: There Will Be Blood Blink and You’ll Miss It Join us in two weeks as we begin the countdown to our 100th episode with the first of a series of cataclysmic crossover events: Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars! Until then, turn some heads with our snazzy Comics Canon merchandise! And why not accessorize with a little King Krackle from our sponsor at Category 4? Last but not least, please help us spread the word! Rate us on Apple Podcasts, send us an email, and hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! We may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

Just in time for the Oct. 4 release of Todd Phillips’ Joker movie, Curt and Kevin are joined by Atlanta actress and comics fan Jennifer Lee for a timely (and faintly explicit) discussion of the 1989 graphic novel Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean, published by DC Comics! On April Fools’ Day, the inmates, led by the Joker, have taken over Arkham Asylum and taken the staff as hostages. Their one demand? That Batman join them for a lethal game of hide and seek! Meanwhile, the journal of founder Amadeus Arkham reveals the gruesome origins of Gotham City’s most notorious psychiatric facility! Can the Caped Crusader survive a gauntlet of his deadliest enemies without going insane—if he hasn’t already? And can this strikingly illustrated tale check itself into that madhouse of sequential storytelling known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! Church Going by Philip Larkin The Thoth tarot deck Why is Batman so uptight? The fetishization of madness “You can’t let someone run around blinding horses, dude!” Is Batman mentally ill? Violent Cases and Mr. Punch Alice by Jan Svankmajer Legion season 3 Batman: I Am Suicide The Stumptown pilot The Invisibles Planetary Castle Rock season 2 Join us in two weeks as we get into the spooky spirit of October with a look at Emily Carroll’s book of short horror comics, Through the Woods! Until then, turn some heads with our snazzy Comics Canon merchandise! And why not accessorize with a little King Krackle from our sponsor at Category 4? Last but not least, please help us spread the word! Rate us on iTunes, send us an email, and hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! We may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, Crimewave!, our series on gritty crime comics, comes to a rollicking (and not entirely swear word-free) conclusion with the “Mommy and Clyde” graphic novel Bastard, written and drawn by Belgian cartoonist Max de Radiguès, published in America by Fantagraphics Books! After taking part in a massive heist that targeted 52 different locations in the same city at the same time, May and her son Eugene are on the run, trying to stay ahead of the police while hiding duffel bags stuffed with cash. And if that weren’t difficult enough, they soon find themselves hunted by their fellow criminals! After a deadly confrontation, May is forced to make a decision that will change everything Eugene thought he knew about their relationship! Can our fleeing felons elude a pair of dangerous killers long enough for May to turn the tables on the traitor who wants them dead? And can they cross the border to that remote hideout known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! BIG spoiler alert! Southwestern noir vs. urban noir How most criminals see themselves The simple, straightforward artwork of Max de Radiguès Our episode on The Walking Dead #100 Crosswind by Gail Simone and Cat Staggs The Mammoth Book of Best Crime Comics Where to get the perfect Halloween costume! Join us in two weeks as we look ahead to the Oct. 4 release of Joker with an exploration at 1989’s controversial graphic novel Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean! Until then, turn some heads with our snazzy Comics Canon merchandise! And why not accessorize with a little King Krackle from our sponsor at Category 4? Last but not least, please help us spread the word! Rate us on iTunes, send us an email, and hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! We may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, Crimewave!, our series on gritty crime comics, rolls on with Death Chases Me, the first volume of the James Ellroy-meets-H.P. Lovecraft occult noir Fatale, written and drawn by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, published by Image Comics! In 1950s San Francisco, reporter Dominic Henry Raines meets with the mysterious and attractive Josephine, girlfriend of corrupt police detective Walt Booker. As Raines investigates Booker, he falls under Josephine’s spell, unaware that there’s more to his feelings for her than puppy love. And a dying Booker, investigating a series of occult murders, makes a deal with the devil. Meanwhile, in the present, Nicolas Lash meets the alluring and secretive Jo, and finds himself pursued by some familiar-looking sinister goons! Will Raines and our sympathetic femme fatale evade the demonic forces on their trail? And will they survive their ordeal at those mountains of madness known as ... The Comics Canon? In This Episode! Nods to North By Northwest Who is the protagonist of this story? The lipstick-on-the-collar trope The trouble with Sylvia Raines Jack Kirby’s New Gods Lazarus Our Death of Captain America and Groot and Jimmy Olsen episodes A Study in Emerald Mandy Criminal: Bad Weekend The Violent Vol. 1: Blood Like Tar The Drop and Peaky Blinders Join us in two weeks as Crimewave! concludes (at least for now) with Bastard by Max de Radiguès! Until then, turn some heads with our snazzy Comics Canon merchandise! And why not accessorize with a little King Krackle from our sponsor at Category 4? Last but not least, don’t be a dirty, no-good tentacle monster! Rate us on iTunes, send us an email, and hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! We may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, Crimewave!, our series on gritty crime comics, continues with a fictionalized account of the real, ripped-from-the-1930s-headlines case of the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run, co-written and “executed” by one of the biggest names in comics before he was one of the biggest names in comics: It’s Torso, by Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko, originally published by Image Comics! Between 1935 and 1938, a mysterious figure murdered, dismembered and decapitated at least 12 victims in Cleveland, Ohio, preying on the city’s growing transient population. Against the backdrop of a corrupt city reeling from the Great Depression, Cleveland’s new safety director—former “Untouchable” Eliot Ness himself—and a pair of homicide detectives find themselves investigating a new kind of criminal: America’s first serial killer! Can our intrepid and all-too-human protagonists solve this unsolved mystery, or will their quarry prove truly Untouchable? And can Bendis and Andreyko make it into that lineup of killer crime stories known as ... The Comics Canon? On the docket: Spoiler and content warnings Encounter: An Ongoing Online RPG Where Readers Vote on the Story Ways the book differs from actual events Fortune and Glory: A True Hollywood Comic Book Story Brian Michael Bendis’s artwork “It ain’t duck soup!” Who was Gaylord Sundheim? Similarities to Se7en The problem with that ending From Hell What is Torso about? “This Eliot Ness. Who owns him?” The Black Dahlia Scalped Vol. 1: Indian Country Join us in two weeks as Crimewave! continues with a look at Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ supernatural noir, Fatale! Until then, turn some heads with our snazzy Comics Canon merchandise! And why not accessorize with a little King Krackle from our sponsor at Category 4? Last but not least, don’t be a rat. Rate us on iTunes, send us an email, and hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! We may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, Crimewave!, our series on gritty crime comics, continues with Darwyn Cooke's crackling adaptation of The Hunter! Beautifully illustrated in black, white and teal, this stylized revenge tale from IDW Publishing is the first in a four-part series adapting novels about the career criminal Parker by the late Donald E. Westlake, writing as Richard Stark. Physically imposing and intense, the man known only as Parker storms into New York City in 1962, where he confronts the wife who shot him and left him for dead before hunting down the man who betrayed him. Can our laconic lawbreaker survive a one-man war against the nationwide criminal syndicate known as The Outfit? And can he break into that impenetrable vault of graphic excellence known as … The Comics Canon? Things Discussed in This Episode: Content warning "Her corpse isn't gonna disfigure itself!" The women of The Hunter "Waste not, want not!" Toxic masculinity heaven Parker in: Home Alone! Private Parts Curt poses a what-if question Road to Perdition Point Blank Flood by Andrew Vachss Derec Donovan's Trigger Mortis on Kickstarter We return in two weeks as Crimewave! rolls on with the fictionalized true-crime tale Torso, by Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko! Until then, spiff up your wardrobe with some snazzy Comics Canon merchandise! And why not accessorize with a little King Krackle from our sponsor at Category 4? Last but not least, we'd consider it a favor if you'd rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! Who knows? We just may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this hard-boiled episode, we kick off Crimewave!, a series of episodes on gritty crime comics, complete with its own theme song! And for our money, there ain’t no better way to get things rolling than by jawing about Frank Miller’s bare-knuckled Sin City: The Hard Goodbye, published by Dark Horse Comics, see? Here’s the thing about Basin City—it’s the kinda place where a hulking bruiser like Marv can spend a once-in-a-lifetime night of passion with an angel like Goldie, only to wake up the next morning to find she’s been murdered—and the cops are on their way to take him down for the crime! Can our problematic protagonist prevail against crooked cops, tough-as-nails sex workers, a smirking serial killer, and the most powerful family in Sin City—not to mention his own faulty faculties? And can this black-and-white valentine to noir fiction muscle past the bouncers and make it into that den of iniquity known as ... The Comics Canon? Things Discussed in This Episode: A brief history of crime comics Content warning Frank Miller’s Sin City artwork The women of The Hard Goodbye Lucille gets a raw deal That’s an awful lot of Nancy How to enjoy revenge fantasies Kurt Busiek and the Punisher The Sin City movie Is the “lasting influence” argument a cop-out? Kill or Be Killed Vol. 1-2 Queenpin by Megan Abbott Tumor The Maltese Falcon and The Reelist podcast Join us in two weeks as Crimewave! continues with another highly stylized revenge tale: Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter, by Darwyn Cooke! Until then, that’s a very nice coat you’ve got there. But not as nice as our Comics Canon merchandise! And why not accessorize with a little King Krackle from our sponsor at Category 4? Last but not least, do us a solid and rate us on Apple Podcasts, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, our look back at 80s mutant mania continues with The Demon Bear Saga from The New Mutants Vol. 1 #18-20, and the follow-up double-sized story Slumber Party from #21, by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz, published by Marvel Comics! Danielle Moonstar, haunted by visions of the monster that killed her parents, summons it to a showdown on the snow-covered grounds of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. It doesn’t go well. As she lies near death, her fellow students find themselves in the mystical Badlands, the only ones standing between this savagely powerful entity and the rest of the human race! And if and when they finish with the Demon Bear, they’ll face off against the bizarre techno-organic alien known as Warlock! Can the X-Men’s inexperienced junior varsity prevail against these larger-than-life, out-of-this world threats? And can they crash that swingin’ superhero sleepover known as ... The Comics Canon? Things Discussed in This Episode: The New Mutants movie The origin of The New Mutants The artwork of Bill Sienkiewicz Why are the other kids hatin’ on Illyana? The implications of Healer the Morlock Who knew changing two characters’ race would be problematic? Warlock Fear Itself: Wolverine/New Mutants The New Mutants: A Date With the Devil The Immortal Hulk Vol. 1: Or Is He Both? Join us in two weeks as we kick off Crimewave!, a series of episodes on gritty crime comics, with one of the grittiest crime comics of all—Frank Miller’s Sin City: The Hard Goodbye! Until then, trade in those drab yellow-and-back New Mutants uniforms for some snazzy Comics Canon merchandise! And add your own Roberto DaCosta sunspots with King Krackle from our friends at Category 4! Last but not least, please be so kind as to rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we welcome Tedd Walley, writer, artist and publisher of Mathilda: The Forces of Evil vs. The Third Grade, as we travel to the distant future of 2013 for a discussion of the landmark X-Men storyline Days of Future Past from Uncanny X-Men #141-142, and finish it off with Demon from #143, by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, published by Marvel Comics! In a dystopian future America ruled by the mutant-hunting Sentinels, Kate Pryde and the few remaining X-Men launch a desperate plan to avert nuclear war! The adult Kate inhabits the mind of her younger self, enlisting the X-Men of 1980 to stop the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from assassinating Senator Robert Kelly! Then, young Kitty Pryde finds herself alone in the X-Mansion on Christmas Eve when she’s attacked by one of the demonic N’Garai in a cross between Home Alone and Alien! Can the youngest X-Man save the day twice in the span of three issues? And can our misunderstood mutants prevent apocalypse and usher in that better tomorrow known as ... The Comics Canon? Things Discussed in This Episode:   Point Blank, on Netflix July 12 The cover of Uncanny X-Men #141 X-Men: Days of Future Past Wolverine: Days of Future Past Rachel Summers What is the Brotherhood’s endgame? How tight is security at the Pentagon, exactly? Kitty Pryde and Chris Claremont’s legacy of strong female characters Our Dark Phoenix and Ed Piskor episodes A Murderer’s Row of 80s comics professionals All-New X-Men: Yesterday’s X-Men The Great Darkness Saga Brian Michael Bendis’s upcoming Legion of Superheroes comic New X-Men: Here Comes Tomorrow Join us in two weeks as we grow tired of wondering whether the New Mutants film will ever see the light of day and dive into another Claremont mutant property from the early 80s with The Demon Bear Saga from New Mutants #18-20! Until then, be the most stylish mutant on your block with our Comics Canon merchandise! And be sure to check out King Krackle from our friends at Category 4! Last but not least, please be so kind as to rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we temporarily set aside our “clean” rating to wind up our four-part series on Watchmen with a discussion issues #10-12 of the landmark comic-book series written by Alan Moore, drawn by Dave Gibbons, and published by DC Comics! As President Richard Nixon prepares to launch nuclear missiles, Nite Owl and Rorschach discover that the person behind the Comedian’s death and Dr. Manhattan’s self-imposed exile is their former colleague, Adrian Veidt! When they track him to his Antarctic retreat, the “world’s smartest man” shares with them his plan to avert a nuclear apocalypse—presenting them with a horrific moral dilemma! Can these hopelessly outmatched heroes, along with Laurie Juspeczyk and Dr. Manhattan, look on Ozymandias’ works without despairing? Can they prevent Veidt from killing millions of innocent people? And will Curt and Kevin judge this paradigm-shifting 12-issue series worthy of admission into that stronger, loving world known as ... The Comics Canon? Things Discussed in This Episode: “Two riders were approaching ...” Alexander the Great’s dick move The trolley problem The ending of the Watchmen movie Tales of the Black Freighter Kyle Cooper and the opening credits of Se7en Len Wein and The Architects of Fear The lasting influence of Watchmen Before Watchmen and Doomsday Clock Watchmen the TV show Mark Gruenwald’s Squadron Supreme Mary Renault’s Alexander trilogy The Afghan Campaign by Steven Pressfield Our Dark Phoenix Saga episode Join us in two weeks as we observe the recent release of Dark Phoenix with a discussion of (what else?) Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past! Until then, why not peruse our new spring line of Comics Canon merchandise? We also invite you to check out King Krackle from our friends at Category 4! Last but not least, please be so kind as to rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

Like sands through the hourglass, our four-part series on Watchmen continues with a look at issues #7-9 of the groundbreaking comic series written by Alan Moore, drawn by Dave Gibbons, and published by DC Comics! As the world marches closer to the brink of nuclear war, Dan Drieberg and Laurie Juspeczyk become lovers. They also defy the nation’s ban on costumed heroes and rescue the residents of a burning building. Determined to find out who’s killing other masked adventurers, Nite Owl hatches a plan to spring Rorschach from prison, bringing the police to his front door. Just when things couldn’t get any worse, Dr. Manhattan appears and whisks Laurie away to Mars to talk, with the literal fate of the world hanging in the balance! Can Dan and Rorschach avoid being collared by the cops? Can Laurie convince her godlike former boyfriend to save the world? Can any of them survive long enough to make it to that floating crystal palace known as ... The Comics Canon? Things Discussed in This Episode: Spoiler and content warnings The ridiculous sex scene in the Watchmen movie The transformation of Dan Drieberg Is Laurie Juspeczyk a strong character? The Comedian and Silk Spectre: a missed opportunity The relative stakes of Dan and Laurie’s epiphanies Why do characters tack extra phrases onto the ends of sentences? The political cartooning of “Stan Kelly” A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars Trilogy Department of Corrections Join us in two weeks as our four-part series concludes with a look as issues 10-12! Until then, why not peruse our new spring line of Comics Canon merchandise? We also invite you to check out King Krackle from our friends at Category 4! Last but not least, please be so kind as to rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

Like clockwork, our four-part gaze into the abyss of Watchmen continues as we analyze the hidden meanings of the inkblots contained in issues #4-6, written by Alan Moore, drawn by Dave Gibbons, published by DC Comics! Alone on Mars, Dr. Manhattan examines his past, jumping back and forth through time as he recalls the accident that gave him his godlike powers. Back on an Earth growing increasingly fearful of atomic conflict, a homeless Laurie Juspeczyk moves in with lovestruck Dan Dreiberg and Adrian Veidt survives an assassination attempt. Meanwhile, the outlaw vigilante Rorschach, framed and arrested for the murder of the former villain Moloch, tells prison psychiatrist Malcolm Long who he is and how he came to be. Can this overmatched analyst shake off the all-consuming darkness of his patient’s pitiless worldview? Can Curt make it through the episode with a sore throat? (Spoiler: Yes!) And can our heroes survive being thrown into that atomic disintegration chamber known as ... The Comics Canon? Things Discussed in This Episode: The Watchmen TV show trailer Manhattan and Rorschach as Superman and Batman analogues Strangeness and charm Chekhov’s time-lock test vault The weird passivity of Dr. Manhattan The fearful symmetry of Fearful Symmetry Hey, that guy carrying the sign! He's ...! The cultural influence of Rorschach The Watchmen Hostess Fruit Pie parody ad Saturday Morning Watchmen The Whimper of Whipped Dogs by Harlan Ellison The Reversible Man by Alan Moore The Death of the Red Mask from Animal Man # 7 Judgment Day and Other Stories: Illustrated by Joe Orlando Join us in two weeks as we march toward Armageddon with a look as issues 7-9! Until then, why not peruse our new spring line of Comics Canon merchandise? We also invite you to check out King Krackle from our friends at Category 4! Last but not least, please be so kind as to rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!