The Comic Source Podcast

Spawn #80 - Story - Todd McFarlane & Brian Holguin, Pencils - Greg Capullo, Inks - Danny Miki, Letters - Tom Orzechowski, Colors - Brian Haberlin & Dan Kemp Spawn metes out brutal justice to the "exterminator" killer after we learn their motivations for the depraved murder spree they have been on. Once justice has been served, Spawn is reluctant to entertain Cog's worries that the recent violence hasn't ended. Sam and Twitch might be more receptive to those suspicions though, as something is left on the doorstep of their office we seems to indicate that the bad times have only just begun.

Spawn #79 - Story - Todd McFarlane & Brian Holguin, Pencils - Greg Capullo, Inks - Danny Miki, Letters - Tom Orzechowski, Colors - Brian Haberlin & Dan Kemp Just when it seems like the clues Sam and Twitch have found will lead no where, Sam literally stumbles across something that reveals the killer was hiding in plan sight. Spawn has been singularly focused on finding and punishing the "exterminator" killer, so what will he do now that his "minions" have uncovered the truth?

Spawn #78 - Story - Todd McFarlane & Brian Holguin, Pencils - Greg Capullo, Inks - Danny Miki, Letters - Tom Orzechowski, Colors - Brian Haberlin & Dan Kemp  With Twitch on his deathbed, Sam makes a deal with Spawn to save his partner's life. The price both Sam and Twitch will pay is be be Spawn's minions, but what does that entail? Well to start with, Spawn has them set out to find out who is behind the gruesome murders of the homeless in the alleys of Rat City. Just when the stakes can't get any higher, the identity of the latest victim sends outrage through all three of the unlikely allies.

Get ready for an epic rant from Jace! That's right, it isn't Rocky railing against a book when the guys chat about the DC titles for the week of April 23, 2024. This time it's Jace with his biggest rant ever! There's way more good than bad this week though, so be sure to listen in to find out why the guys loved Detective Comics, the Penguin and Batman Dark Age.

Spawn #77 - Story - Todd McFarlane & Brian Holguin, Pencils - Dwayne Turner, Inks - Danny Miki, Letters - Tom Orzechowski, Colors - Brian Haberlin, Dan Kemp & Andy Troy  Cog's secret stands revealed and if Spawn thinks that's the craziest thing the mysterious character has to tell him, he is in for a HUGE shock. This issue starts several very important plot threads and is all out action from start to finish. Add in some emotional torment and moments from Bobby and you have a well-balanced issue that shows Spawn, as a series, is really hitting its stride.

Curse Of The Spawn #29 - Writer - Alan McElroy, Penciller - Clayton Crain, Inker, Chance Wolf & Todd McFarlane, Color Artist - Todd Broeker & Mark Nicholas, Letterer - Tom Orzechowski Jonathan Edward Custer is the administrator of Purgatory. A place between, a place where souls who aren't quite worthy of heaven can go in hopes of making up for minor transgressions and  achieving everlasting salvation. What happens when the world has become so black and white that there are no "fence-straddlers"? And what will that mean for Custer, who's entire existence has revolved around watching, judging and caretaking in this special realm of the afterlife.

Curse Of The Spawn #25 - Writer - Alan McElroy, Penciller - Clayton Crain, Inker, Chance Wolf & Todd McFarlane, Color Artist - Todd Broeker & Mark Nicholas, Letterer - Tom Orzechowski Harley is a typical teenager, trying to deal with high school crushes, navigate an afterschool job and keep his grades up. When a hellspawn he calls "Angel" begins to haunt him and, worse, continually goads him to commit acts of extreme violence, is it only a matter of time until he snaps? Harley tries to drowned out this "anti-christ" hellspawn with his favorite rock music, but will it work?  

Curse Of The Spawn #22 - Writer - Alan McElroy, Penciller - Dwayne Turner, Inker, Chance Wolf, Color Artist - Todd Broeker & Mark Nicholas, Letterer - Tom Orzechowski Ryan Hatchett, a bullied, despressed and would-be suicide victim from the world we know, finds himself transported during the attempt to take his own life. He finds himself in the world of The Zombie Spawn where various versions of the undead attempt to devour the flesh of the living or offer humans they have captured of the few remaining as tribute to their Zombie leader. This hellspawn crashed to earth in an asteroid and was birthed forth along with a tidal flood of worms that burrowed into the earth bringing to life all those who had been buried. Can Ryan, in his new form as the undead hero Hatchet, defeat the Zombie Spawn and rescue this apocalyptic earth?

Spawn #76 - Story - Todd McFarlane & Brian Holguin, Pencils - Dwayne Turner, Inks - Danny Miki, Letters - Tom Orzechowski, Colors - Brian Haberlin, Dan Kemp & Tyson Wengler It what is definitely the most romantic issue of Spawn to date, Al learns the "secret origin" of Granny Blake and how much he and Wanda have in common with Granny and her late husband, Jack. We get gorgeous line and color work illustrating this issue that covers decades of history and goes from a graveyard on Earth to heaven and back again. It's not only a nice chance for Al Simmons to catch his breath after all the tumultuous action he has seen lately, but it's a chance for readers to catch there breath also. That doesn't mean it isn't a must-read though as the themes of love and devotion are a reminder of how those ideas are at the very heart of Spawn as a character and were present from the beginning. Sure the chains, spikes and capes are cool, but despite the demons and monsters and hellfire, Spawn IS a love story.

Jace is joined by actor, author and film maker Luke Arnold and TV/Animation writer/producer Chris "Doc" Wyatt to talk all about their Kickstarter Campaign for ESSENTIALS. This is a wildly imaginative book that takes a very strange and somewhat elaborate premise and makes it imminently relatable. Also, the co-main leads of the story are so vastly different, but somehow still remain relatable as the represent different aspects of humanity we all have within us. When you add in the huge roster of talented artist you have an incredible title that deserves your attention. Check out the campaign and be sure to share it with your fellow comic readers.

DC has dropped a huge announcement with details about the upcoming big event, Absolute Power. Amanda Waller finally has a chance to achieve the goal she's been working for all these years, taking the power of all the superhumans in the DCU. How she does it working alongside the Brainiac Queen and Failsafe remains to be seen. Perhaps even more compelling, is how this triumvirate DC is dubbing the " Trinity Of Evil" will get along once the smoke clears. They are all huge, alpha villains with egos that don't seem to indicate they will allow themselves to be subservient to others. Plus there's plenty of hints about some revelations for Waller that will help us understand her motivations and perhaps in relate to the character. Can you imagine a world where Amanda Waller is actually sympathetic? Yeah we can't either. Either way, there are tons of series announce and the guys give their thoughts on each one, along with some thoughts on the new characters we will see in the event and how they look visually. For dates and creative line-ups for the series. Please see the Official DC Press Release below and watch the video on YouTube for more preview art and to get our thoughts on what we know so far!

Spawn #75 - Story - Todd McFarlane & Brian Holguin, Pencils - Greg Capullo, Inks - Danny Miki, Letters - Tom Orzechowski, Colors - Brian Haberlin, Dan Kemp & Tyson Wnegler We find out who has taken Spawn from Earth and why, but it isn't good news for Spawn or perhaps the planet either. As these beings explain their motivations to Spawn and grant him a new ability they deem a "gift", it appears that Spawn may not survive using this new ability. An ultimate sacrifice is made to return Spawn to Earth, but the price that is paid is high and the consequences of these events feel like something Spawn will be dealing with for a long time. It seems ever since his latest resurrection, Al Simmons hasn't known a moments peace. Unfortunately, it appears that his life is only getting more complicated.  

Solid of week of DC Comics for Jace and Rocky from Comic Boom to break down. Jay Garrick, Flash comes to a satisfying conclusion, while Nightwing hits a milestone and Titans continues to build drama. Also Wonder Woman confronts the Sovereign face to face, Batman faces a huge threat in space and Superman has to team up with an unlikely ally to take on Braniac.

Spawn #74 - Story - Todd McFarlane & Brian Holguin, Pencils - Greg Capullo, Inks - Danny Miki, Letters - Tom Orzechowski, Colors - Brian Haberlin & Dan Kemp As Sam and Twitch examine the file on Al Simmons that Cogliostro left with them, it becomes clear that they don't have all the pieces to the puzzle. They do know that Jason Wynn may have a lot of the answers, but since they can't get to Wynn they plan to go after Spawn himself again for the answers to their questions. What they don't know is that Spawn is engaged in a life and death struggle with The Heap and when the dust settles, it isn't the Hellspawn who comes out on top. When Cogliostro and Bootsy come upon the scene of that battle it becomes apparent, that Spawn is not present on Earth, Heaven or Hell. Does this mean Spawn has been erased from existence? If so, who is The Heap working for and just how powerful are they?

Jace is joined by artist and character designer Jordan Brown to take about the crowdfunding campaign for The Fury, The Maelstrom and The Kiwi. A tale of vengeance drawing inspiration from John Wick, Atomic Blonde and other action-packed stories. Strong female characters dominate this narrative and the creative team, but if you think that means it won't be completely bad-ass, you couldn't be more wrong. So listen in and check out the campaign.   The Fury, The Maelstrom, and The Kiwi by M.H. Cali, Elsa Charretier, Liana Kangas, Skylar Patridge, Alison Sampson & many more This is a story about revenge. A story about having nothing left to lose. This is definitely not a tale about redemption. Because once you’ve fallen this far, there’s no way back. Darkness will consume you until your soul is dimmed, and your ideals have vanished. You’ve been warned. It's Kill Bill meets Atomic Blonde in this sapphic spy tale by an all-star lineup of creators.

By all accounts, "Resident Alien" from NBC Universal has been a hit. The Alan Tudyk-led dramedy, which airs on the SyFy channel, has found a loyal fanbase that appears to be growing now that the first two seasons are streaming on Netflix. This series, based on the Dark Horse comic of the same name, differs slightly from its source material by incorporating witty humor to capitalize on Tudyk’s unique talents as a comedian. While it's fair to say he anchors the show with a complex and often hilarious portrayal of the titular alien, the rest of the cast also brings their A-game. Combined with this talented cast, show creator and executive producer Chris Sheridan, along with the writing team and directors he’s brought in, show a clear passion for the story and characters that inhabit the small Colorado town of Patience, which serves as a charming backdrop for all sorts of weird extraterrestrial shenanigans. Jace, from The Comic Source, had a chance to chat with Chris Sheridan, Sara Tomko (who plays Asta Twelvetrees), and Corey Reynolds (who plays Sheriff Mike Thompson) at the recent Wondercon Convention. Their thoughts about creating the show were insightful and we especially loved the story about what a fan had to say about their own PTSD after watching a pivotal scene.

Jace and Rocky from Comic Boom! chat about the DC Comics for the week of April 8, 2024. Dreamer confronts Amanda Waller about her true intentions in Dream Team, Hal Jordan connects with the underground Green Lantern rebellion on OA and discovers his ring doesn't work the way theirs do and The Outsiders lean more into their Planetary roots than ever. Meanwhile, The Batman: First Knight continues to tell the tale of the earliest days of Batman with a brilliant narrative and gorgeous art, while Action Comics kicks off an intriguing Brainiac event that feels like an instant classic.

Jace is joined by Mickey Finnegan to talk about his current Kickstarter Campaign, Sanity. You might know Mickey from his YouTube channel Swagglehaus Comics, where he chats about vintage comics and collectability. His second campaign picks up the Lovecraftian inspired horror story he began in issue one with two additional issues. Set in the 1930's the story follows private investigator Robert Grant as his world view is challenged by horrific monsters you would not have believed existed until he saw them himself. Will this stop Grant from seeking out the truth? Guess you will have to read it to find out. Fantastic linework from Santiago Espina and perfectly mood-setting colors from Maksim Strelkov round out the visuals. Listen in for more details and go pledge. 

Mark Russell returns to the show to chat about his upcoming over-sized One-Shot from AWA Studios, Death Ratio'd. In a future world where social media has taken over for governments, too many dislike will cause you to lose your head ... literally. So when a man awakens from a 20 year coma and learns that you can be killed if your ratio of likes to dislikes is unfavorable, how does he survive? Plenty of talk about the meta relevance of this story and the fabulous art from Laci also. Listen in to learn more.

Spawn #72 - Story - Todd McFarlane & Brian Holguin, Pencils - Greg Capullo, Inks - Danny Miki Todd McFarlane & Chance Wolf, Letters - Tom Orzechowski, Colors - Brian Haberlin & Dan Kemp Sam and Twitch get a visit from Cogliostro telling them they need to start doing more to help Spawn. In an attempt to persuade them, he leaves a file with information about Spawn, but just what is in it, remains a mystery for now. Meanwhile, in Rat City, Spawn, Bootsy and Cogliostro all sense a menacing presence which is the cause of an unrelenting heatwave in Manhattan. What they don't know is the being beyond it, represents a new faction in the war between Heaven and Hell and it looks like he may on his own side. Just wait until you are introduced to ... THE HEAP!