Episode 101 – Bone Vol. 1: Out From Boneville

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Kevin Moreau

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?

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Episode 100 – Action Comics #1, Superman #1, and the Comics Canon All-Stars!

Posted on December 24, 2019 by Kevin Moreau

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!

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Episode 99 – Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 2: Issues 7-12

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Kevin Moreau

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?

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Episode 98 – Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 1: Issues 1-6

Posted on November 27, 2019 by Kevin Moreau

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?

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Episode 97 – Secret Wars (2015)

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Kevin Moreau

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!
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And as always, thanks for listening!

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Episode 96 – Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars (1984-85)

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Kevin Moreau

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?

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Episode 95 – Emily Carroll’s Through the Woods

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Kevin Moreau

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?

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Does Joker Have Too Much Sympathy for the Villain?

Posted on October 4, 2019 by Kevin Moreau

Warner Bros.

Review by Curt Holman

Contemporary superhero movies tend to come with so many Easter eggs and references to character histories that even comics fans can feel burdened by all the footnoting.

Todd Phillips’ Joker turns a spotlight on Batman’s famous archnemesis but breaks the superhero formula by having its primary touchstones be not comic books, but two Robert DeNiro movies directed by Martin Scorsese. Batman references definitely abound, but Joker is primarily concerned with serving as a pastiche of Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, deliberately echoing those films’ visions of vigilante antiheroes, obsessed fans-turned-stalkers and New York City at its filthiest.

Phillips, who directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay, has an intriguing jumping-off point and an exhaustingly committed leading man in Joaquin Phoenix. A flawed but often compelling movie, Joker has become, fairly or not, a flashpoint for a host of contemporary controversies, including whether its depiction of the main character could incite violence in the film’s most toxic fans. Continue reading →

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Episode 94 – Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Kevin Moreau

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? Continue reading →

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Episode 93 – Bastard

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Kevin Moreau

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?

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