The Comics Canon

After a brief but worthwhile interruption, All My Xs, our decade-by-decade look at Marvel’s X-Men franchise, returns with 1991’s Weapon X, written and drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith! Originally serialized in Marvel Comics Presents #72-84, this Wolverine story largely focuses on three members of the shadowy Weapon X program, which captures a scrappy loner named Logan, gives him an adamantium skeleton and claws, and turns him into a ruthless killing machine. Will the evil Professor, along with Dr. Cornelius and Carol Hines, suffer any consequences for what they’ve done? What’s the deal with that twist, anyway? And can this popular X-Men-adjacent storyline survive a confrontation with that super-soldier program known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       Wait, why does he need an adamantium skeleton, exactly? ·       Moss Introduces Jen to the Internet ·       Curt casts Weapon X ·       Low-Down Road by Scott Von Doviak ·       Conan the Barbarian #16, “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” ·       The Whole Wide World Join us in two weeks All My Xs – and the X-Men – roll headlong into the 2000s with Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s New X-Men: E Is for Extinction! Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

Content warning: Sexual assault, pedophilia On this episode, we welcome The Flop House podcast co-host, current Harley Quinn writer and former The Daily Show With Jon Stewart head writer Elliott Kalan for a discussion of the 1978 graphic novel A Contract With God, written and illustrated by Will Eisner! This collection of standalone stories, centered around a fictional tenement building in the Bronx, finds Eisner (perhaps best known as the creator of The Spirit) drawing on his own life to examine the relationship between man and God and the Jewish-American experience in 1930s New York. Can Frimme Hersh, filled with grief and rage following the death of his adopted daughter, draft an unbreakable compact with the Almighty? And can this groundbreaking work enter into a legally binding covenant with that higher authority known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       The Tenement Museum    ·       Harley Quinn Vol. 1: Destructive Comics ·       Sadie Mouse Wrecks the House ·       Joke Farming: How to Write Comedy and Other Nonsense Join us in two weeks as All My Xs resumes with a look at Wolverine: Weapon X by Barry Windsor-Smith! Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!  

Content warning: Gun violence, including against children Our decade-by-decade miniseries on the X-Men, All My Xs, reaches the 80s with a look at the 1982 standalone graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills, by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson, published by Marvel Comics! The X-Men have faced evil mutants, sinister aliens and even a sentient island, but they may be up against their toughest opponent yet: a white-haired televangelist! The Reverend William Stryker doesn’t just preach hatred of mutants to his millions of followers – he also employs a paramilitary strike force known as the Purifiers to hunt them down and kill them in cold blood. When they seemingly kill Professor Xavier, Cyclops and Storm, the rest of the X-Men are left reeling – and on the run for their lives. Can the X-Men find common cause with their arch-nemesis, Magneto? Can they rescue their friends and defeat the Stryker Crusade? And can they survive that Spanish Inquisition known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       The evolution of Kitty Pryde ·       The problem with Professor Xavier ·       Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance ·       Weapons ·       The Comics Courier ·      Curt and Kevin discuss their Comics Canon coffee mugs Join us in two weeks as we take a break from All My Xs to discuss Will Eisner’s A Contract With God! Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

All My Xs, our decade-by-decade miniseries on Marvel’s merry mutant franchise, rolls into the 1970s with a look at The Phoenix Saga from X-Men #101, 104-105 and 107-108, published by Marvel Comics! Superstar writer Chris Claremont starts coming into his own in these issues, which introduce the Phoenix, reestablish Magneto as the X-Men’s primary big bad, and inject a healthy dose of space opera (and more than a few Star Trek shoutouts) into this once-moribund title! And if that weren’t enough, artist extraordinaire Dave Cockrum hands the book off to blockbuster artist John Byrne, kicking off one of the most impactful writer-artist runs in comics history! Join us as we ask the burning questions: Do you think this Phoenix character will catch on? What’s the deal with Eric the Red’s costume? And can these pulse-pounding issues survive an encounter with that M’Kraan Crystal known as … the Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       Sean Cassidy, 70s pop superstar ·       Spoiler alert for 1986’s X-Factor #1 ·       Star Wars and The Phoenix Saga: a timeline ·       Wolverine: Old Man Logan Vol. 0: Warzones! and Vol. 1: Berzerker ·       A specific moment from the first season of X-Men 97 ·       “No More Critics” from Matt Goldberg’s Commentary Track newsletter ·       Imperial #1 ·       Kevin’s shocking confession about Fantastic Four: First Steps Join us in two weeks as we forge ahead into the 1980s and the X-Men graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills! Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we kick off All My Xs, a decade-by-decade look at everyone’s favorite Marvel mutants, the X-Men! First up, it’s the swingin’ 60s – 1969, to be exact, and X-Men #57-61, by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams, published by Marvel Comics! Adams’s creative and energetic artwork enlivens these issues, in which Scott Summers’ brother, Alex, gets a cool costume to go with his new codename, Havok, and Larry Trask revives his late father’s mutant-hunting robots, the Sentinels! And before they can catch their breath, the X-Men find themselves facing off against the energy-draining half-man, half-Pteranodon known as … Sauron! Did Larry Trask program these Sentinels with extra snark? Was Karl Lykos bitten by a radioactive Pteranodon? And can our young mutant heroes survive that Danger Room training session known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       Cyclops uses an unfortunate slur ·       A highly sketchy use of Cerebro ·       What if Karl Lykos had been reading Portnoy’s Complaint? ·       X-Men #62-63: Strangers … in a Savage Land! and War in the World Below! ·       The new Fantastic Four movie ·       Cow Tools Daily on Bluesky  Join us in two weeks as we revisit the birth of the Phoenix with a look at X-Men #101, 104, 107 and 108! Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

Galactus makes his big-screen debut this week in Fantastic Four: First Steps*, which means it’s the perfect opportunity to discuss his second-ever comics appearances in The Mighty Thor – specifically, issues #160-162 and 168-169, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, published by Marvel Comics! (For his comics debut, we humbly direct you to our very first episode from 2016!) First, it’s the war to settle the score, the brawl to end it all, as the Devourer of Worlds squares off against none other than Ego the Living Planet! And the Son of Odin and the Rigellian robot known as the Recorder are caught in the middle! It’s classic 60s Lee/Kirby space opera at its most grandiose! Then, we get a … somewhat disjointed look at Galactus’ origin, including a rap session between Big G and the God of Thunder! PLUS: We discuss James Gunn’s Superman! Does Thor stand a chance against this most colossal of foes? Will Odin act in a frustrating manner? (Spoiler: Yes!) And “Shall a God Prevail” against that sentient bioverse known as … The Comics Canon? (*No, we’re not counting the purple space cloud in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Would YOU?) In This Episode: ·       Actual sound footage of the Recorder! ·       You should never have to see Galactus’ knees ·       Hush now! Odin’s stories are on … ·       How DO you pronounce Ra’s al Ghul? ·       Thor God of Thunder Vol. 4: The Last Days of Midgard ·       Fantastic Four #171-175: Galactus vs. the High Evolutionary Join us in two weeks as we kick off a miniseries on everyone’s favorite Marvel mutants with a look at 1969’s Uncanny X-Men #57-61 by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams! Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

On this episode, the upcoming Superman movie has us in a Justice League frame of mind, which is as good an excuse as any to discuss the classic Tower of Babel storyline, as collected in JLA #43-46 by Mark Waid, Howard Porter and Steve Scott, and JLA Secret Files #3, by Dan Curtis Johnson and Pablo Raimondi, published by DC Comics! Batman’s longtime nemesis Ra’s al Ghul unleashes a plan to cull the world’s population, and to ensure his success he proactively incapacitates the members of the Justice League! How does he do that? Funny you should ask! Turns out the Dark Knight Detective has been keeping files on his teammates, complete with ways to take them out! AWK-ward! Can the JLA stop Martian Manhunter from bursting into flame, help Aquaman get over his deathly fear of water, and put a literally shattered Plastic Man back together again? And can this high-stakes tale of trust betrayed gain entrance into that Himalayan retreat known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       J’onn J’onzz and those darn apostrophes ·       What about the F-Sharp Bell? ·       Is the best issue in the bunch the one not written by Mark Waid? ·       Is Batman really, you know … wrong? ·       Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man ·       JLA: American Dreams Join us in two weeks as we prepare for Fantastic Four: First Steps with a look at The Mighty Thor issues #160-162 and #168-169! (Just go with us on this one!) Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

On this episode, we’re getting ready for the July 11 big-screen debut of Krypto the Super-Dog in James Gunn’s Superman with a look at the Silver Age origins of Krypto and his fellow members of the Legion of Super-Pets, as collected in Tails of the Super-Pets, published by DC Comics! First, Superboy is reacquainted with his childhood pet and uses him to gaslight Lana Lang in “The Super-Dog From Krypton!” Then, Superbaby, the Toddler of Steel, butts heads with another denizen of his former homeworld in “The Super Monkey From Krypton!” Not to be outdone, Supergirl gets in on the act when she meets Streaky the Supercat in “Supergirl’s Super Pet” before embarking on the absolutely bonkers origin of Comet in “The Super-Steed of Steel” and “The Secret Origin of Supergirl’s Super-Horse!” Will Krypto’s star turn usher in the SPCU – the Super-Pet Cinematic Universe? And are these Krypto bros ready for their close-up in that Amazing Zoo Crew known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       The troubling male/female dynamic in Silver Age comics ·       We have to talk about Superbaby ·       Superman’s questionable marketing tactics ·       Big Girls by Jason Howard ·       The Secret Life of Bat-Hound ·       Companion Join us in two weeks as we discuss JLA: Tower of Babel (JLA #43-46) by Mark Waid, Howard Porter and Steve Scott! Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

On this episode, we discuss a Swamp Thing story that we’re surprised didn’t qualify for our recently wrapped We’re With the Banned miniseries on banned and challenged comics -- Rite of Spring from Saga of the Swamp Thing #34, as well as its sequel, Windfall from Saga of the Swamp Thing #43, by Alan Moore and various artists, published by DC Comics! First up, Abigail Cable finally professes her love for our sentient vegetable man. And in lieu of sexytimes, he offers her communion via a bite of one of the tubers growing on his body, sending her on a consciousness-altering trip that shows her the interconnectedness of all things. Next we meet Chester Williams, an affable hippie who finds one of Swamp Thing’s discarded tubers in the bayou. Part of the yam finds its way to Sandy, a woman dying of cancer. Another part of it ends up with Chester’s unpleasant acquaintance Milo, and … let’s just say things don’t work out very well for one of them. Like, does this mean Swampy and Abby are going out? Does the yam as a kind of cosmic litmus paper? Do kids today even know what litmus paper is? And are these two stories good enough to embark on that long, strange trip known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       Curt’s first experience with Rite of Spring ·       A little heads-up would be nice, Swampy ·       Kevin recounts an acid trip ·       We know what the ellipsis means … ·       The 1982 Swamp Thing movie ·       Have we mentioned our recent appearance on Marvel by the Month? ·       X-Men 97 ·       (We Could Be) Diving for Pearls from Swamp Thing #65 Join us in two weeks as we look ahead to the upcoming Superman movie by discussing (what else?) some stories about the super pets of the Silver Age! Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

We’re With the Banned, our miniseries on banned and challenged graphic novels, concludes (at least for now) with a stop at Daniel Clowes’ Ice Haven, a “narraglyphic picto-assemblage” published by Pantheon Books! A collection of comic strips covering a variety of styles and perspectives, this peek behind the curtain of suburban America introduces us to an absorbing cast of characters including bitter would-be poet Random Wilder, lovesick teen Violet Van Der Platz, her young stepbrother Charles, clueless detective Joe Ames, aspiring writer Vida Wentz, and … (ahem!) comic book critic Harry Naybors. How does the abduction of uncommunicative tot David Goldberg affect our cast? What do Leopold and Loeb have to do with any of this? And can Ice Haven find itself welcome in that idyllic small town known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       What’s the deal with Blue Bunny? ·       Is one of our cast an unreliable narrator? ·       “Planting the Seeds of Divorce” ·       We need to talk about Harry Naybors ·       What does Daniel Clowes have against critics? ·       Transformers Vol. 1: Robots in Disguise ·       “The Falls” by George Saunders Join us in two weeks as we discuss a pair of controversial Swamp Thing stories from the Alan Moore era: Rite of Spring (#34) and Windfall (#43)! Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense FundImpress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

We’re afraid you’ll have to wait another week for our episode on Daniel Clowes’ Ice Haven. But that doesn’t mean you’ll have to wait a whole week to hear Curt and Kevin talk at length about comics. In fact, you can hear them render judgment on some fun comic-book stories of yesteryear this very day! Confused? Kevin’s here to explain.

On this episode, We’re With the Banned, our miniseries on banned and challenged graphic novels, takes on the most banned book of the past several years – Gender Queer: A Memoir, by Maia Kobabe, published by Lion Forge Comics/Oni Press! We discuss some fairly personal topics and fumble a bit (although not as much as we may have feared) with the author’s preferred pronouns (e, em, and eir) as we discuss Kobabe’s account of eir struggles with gender dysphoria and other issues on the road to identifying as nonbinary. It’s an important work, especially in our current cultural moment. But is that enough to guarantee entry into that bastion of One Direction fandom known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       The Spivak pronouns ·       A brief discussion of Barbarian ·       Bad news from the future ·       How did we end up talking about typing class? ·       Curt’s review of Thunderbolts* ·       Gamemasters: The Comic Book History of Roleplaying Games Join us in two weeks as We’re With the Banned continues with a discussion of Daniel Clowes’ Ice Haven! Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

We’re With the Banned, our miniseries on challenged comics and graphic novels, rolls on with a discussion of Yusei Matsui’s manga Assassination Classroom Vol. 1: Time for Assassination, published by Viz Media! Consider this a big ol’ content warning, as this charming and bizarre story contains many scenes of attempted murder inside a school, as the underachieving students of classroom 3-E are charged with assassinating their teacher! Oh, and that teacher, Koro Sensei, just happens to be a tentacled creature with a giant smiley face for a head, who’s already destroyed most of the moon -- and threatens to do the same thing to the planet Earth unless our hapless junior high students can assassinate him before the school year ends! This may be the silliest book we’ve covered on the podcast – far sillier than Ambush Bug for sure. But will that be enough to win a seat at that cool kids’ table known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       Why was this book banned? ·       Voice casting Koro Sensei ·       Sinners ·       The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss ·       Deadly Class Vol. 1: Reagan Youth, by Rick Remender and Wes Craig Join us in two weeks as We’re With the Banned continues with a discussion of Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer! Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense FundImpress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!  

Content warning: Sexual assault, cruelty to animals In this episode, We’re With the Banned, our miniseries on banned or challenged comics and graphic novels, continues with a discussion of Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon, published by Vertigo/DC Comics! Based on a true story, this absorbing graphic novel follows four lions who escape from the Baghdad Zoo following a bombing by American forces in April of 2003. Filled with smart dialogue, sharp characterization and rousing action, it quickly makes you forget you’re reading a book about talking animals as it draws you into its vividly realized world and makes you care for its four protagonists. Will Noor, Zill, Safa and Ali find food and safety on the deserted, shell-shocked streets of Baghdad? And will they at last roam free in that heavenly habitat known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·     Curt’s no good, very bad day ·     Why don’t more people talk about Brian K. Vaughan? ·     Why has this book been challenged? It’s not because of the Iraq War ·     Three Kings ·     Four Lions ·     The New Gods by Ram V. and Evan Cagle J   Join us in two weeks as We’re With the Banned continues with a discussion of Assassination Classroom Vol. 1 by Yusei Matsui! Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense FundImpress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!  

In this episode, we kick off We’re With the Banned – a miniseries on banned or challenged comics and graphic novels – with a discussion of This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki, published by First Second Books! In this delightful, finely detailed coming-of-age story, friends Rose and Windy contend with their impending adolescence during a summer beach trip, set against a pair of contrasting conflicts revolving around pregnancy, communication and depression. Will Rose get over her crush on store clerk Dunk and realize she’s backing the wrong horse? Will Windy ever slow down and take a breath? And can they prevail in that high-stakes game of Beach Blanket Bingo known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund ·       We welcome a surprise guest ·       Petit Maman ·       The Power Fantasy Vol. 1: The Superpowers Join us in two weeks as We’re With the Banned continues with a discussion of 2006’s Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon! Until then:Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, blind lawyer Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, is behind bars – but so are Hammerhead, the Kingpin, and a host of other hardened criminals in 2006’s The Devil in Cell Block D, by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark, published by Marvel Comics! When someone close to him suffers a grisly fate, a spiraling Matt Murdock is bent on revenge! And if that weren’t bad enough, Bullseye and the Punisher join the fun as simmering tensions come to a boil, resulting in an all-out riot!  Who is the mysterious figure manipulating things from behind the scenes? Who is the fake Daredevil patrolling the streets of Hell’s Kitchen while Matt cools his heels in the slammer? And can ol’ Hornhead prevail in that four-color courtroom known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       A brief discussion of HBO’s Oz ·       A flaw in the design of Ryker’s Island ·       A question about comic-book aspirations ·       The Devil Takes a Ride ·       Daredevil Vol. 1 by Mark Waid and Paolo Rivera ·       A VERY SPOILERY discussion of the first two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+         Join us in two weeks as we kick off a miniseries focused on banned and challenged comics with a look at This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki! Until then:Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

A mere 16 years after the Kingpin learns Daredevil’s secret identity in Frank Miller’s Born Again, that secret becomes front page news in 2002’s Out, by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, published by Marvel Comics! Returning to his indie crime-comic roots, Bendis puts attorney Matt Murdock through the wringer in this compelling story grounded in street-level atmosphere by artist Maleev and colorist Matt Hollingsworth. Is gaslighting your friends and loved ones okay if it means you can put on a costume and fight crime? Just how much are we supposed to root for a hero who doubles down on lying to the entire world? And can Matt Murdock get a fair shake from that sleazy tabloid known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       Homicide: Life on the Street ·       A few words from our sponsor ·       Some random podcast ideas ·       The Origin Story podcast ·       The Big Empty by Robert Crais ·       To Live and Die in L.A. ·       Daredevil: Underboss ·       Amazing Spider-Man: Civil War Join us in two weeks as join ol’ Hornhead behind bars for The Devil in Cell Block D (issues #82-87), by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark! Until then:Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

Our six-episode, six-decade overview of the Thunderbolts and the Masters of Evil comes to a close (for now, at least) as we discuss two time-hopping tales from 2011 and 2012: The Great Escape from Thunderbolts #163-165 and Like Lightning from #172-174, published by Marvel Comics! Following the events of the Fear Itself crossover event, most of the Thunderbolts manage to escape their prison home, only to end up in World War II Austria, side-by-side with Captain America and Prince Namor, fighting the Nazi forces of Baron Zemo! Then, we skip ahead a few issues (and decades) as they find themselves confronting the original Thunderbolts, led by (Son of) Baron Zemo! Can these temporally tossed antiheroes repair the timeline before they cease to exist? And will these issues be deemed an excellent adventure or a bogus journey by that Time Variance Authority known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       Hey, it’s Centurius! ·       Thunderbolts #163.1 ·       The tearjerking tale of Techno vs. Fixer ·       Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) ·       MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios ·       A Thunderbolts movie theory (recorded before the new trailer was released) Join us in two weeks as we use the March 4 release of Daredevil: Born Again on Disney + to discuss Daredevil: Out by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev! Until then:Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

Our decade-by-decade series on Marvel Comics’ Thunderbolts rolls into the 21st century as we discuss Burning Down the House, collecting Thunderbolts #126-129 and #132 by Andy Diggle and Roberto de la Torre, published by Marvel Comics! After saving the Earth from the Skrulls’ Secret Invasion, Thunderbolts director (and Green Goblin) Norman Osborn is headed for bigger and better things … but not before he turns the Thunderbolts against each other on his way out the door! Then, it’s high-flying mayhem aboard Air Force One as we meet an all-new T-Bolts squad led by Black Widow (no, not that one – the other one) and Osborn protects President Not Barack Obama from … the Green Goblin??? Will Songbird survive against the combined might of Moonstone, Venom and Bullseye? And will this new black-ops hit squad succeed against that Wild Covert Action Team known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       The inevitable Talking Heads chatter ·       Wait, what happened to covering Faith in Monsters? ·       Why the Irredeemable Ant-Man is the best(?) shrinking character ·       How lame is Mister X? Pretty lame, right? ·       Dark Avengers: Molecule Man and Siege ·       Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation Join us in two weeks as the Thunderbolts reach the 2010s, only to hop right back out in two time-traveling tales: The Great Escape (Thudnerbolts #163-165) and Like Lightning (#172-174)! Until then:Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we look back at one of the best-reviewed graphic novels of 2024: Final Cut by Charles Burns! When Brian, a shy, socially awkward artist, meets Laurie, the soon-to-be star of his new amateur sci-fi horror movie, she quickly becomes his muse, sharing space in his drawings and his mind with the film’s giant, pod-spewing aliens. Like him, Laurie is an outsider, wrestling with her own inner demons. But as his obsession with her grows, his grasp on his mental health weakens.  This vividly drawn tale of longing – to create and to connect – is part love-triangle teen romance and part love-letter to the science fiction creature features of a bygone era. But is all of that enough to make the cut with that Invasion of the Body Snatchers known as … The Comics Canon? In This Episode: ·       Curt and Kevin’s 8mm adventures ·       We have to talk about Tina ·       The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn ·       Curt’s existential crisis ·       Brief thoughts on Madam Web and The Northman ·       Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Married With Children Join us in two weeks as we return to our decade-by-decade look at the Thunderbolts with a look at 2007’s Faith in Monsters! Until then:Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky! And as always, thanks for listening!