Episode 206: Wolverine (1982)

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Kevin Moreau

On this episode, it’s the return of “Miller March,” featuring a month of Frank Miller comics! First up is the 1982 miniseries Wolverine by Chris Claremont and the aforementioned Mr. Miller, published by Marvel Comics!

The very first comic series to feature Wolverine’s name in the title takes Logan to Japan, where his lady love Mariko has entered into an abusive marriage arranged by her father, the crime lord Shingen. His heart broken by Mariko, humiliated by Shingen, Logan spirals into a dark night of the soul as he’s pursued by the deadly ninja clan known as the Hand!

 

Will Logan’s new friend Yukio stop trying to make “Gotcha!” happen? Can Logan redeem himself, defeat his enemies and regain Mariko’s love? And can this miniseries fight its way ino that House of Flying Daggers known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 205: Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 1 – The Assassin’s Road

Posted on February 28, 2024 by Kevin Moreau

On this episode, we take a long-overdue look at one of the most influential manga of the last 50 years: Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima! Specifically, selected stories from Vol. 1: The Assassin’s Road, as published by Dark Horse Manga!

Who is this taciturn assassin known as Lone Wolf and Cub? Why does he push his young son across feudal Japan in a wooden baby carriage with a banner that reads “Son for Hire, Sword for Hire?” How did he get to be such a proficient killing machine? And can father and son survive their harrowing journey along that Road to Perdition known as … The Comics Canon?

 

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Episode 204: Hulk vs. Thing – The Last Round?

Posted on February 14, 2024 by Kevin Moreau

Our two-part look at Hulk/Thing fights wraps up with a look at one of the twosome’s more recent titanic tussles in Fantastic Four Vol. 6, issues 12 and 13, by Dan Slott and Sean Izaakse, published by Marvel Comics!

But first, because this episode drops on Valentine’s Day, we discuss the wedding of Ben Grimm and Alicia Masters in Fantastic Four Vol. 6 issue 5, most notably the story “4-Minute Warning” by Dan Slott and Aaron Kuder!

Then it’s time for the main event, as the Immortal Hulk interrupts Ben and Alicia’s honeymoon, with a little help from Alicia’s father, the pernicious Puppet Master!

Is this really our last episode discussing these Marvelous melees? (Who knows?) Can the Thing keep the Immortal Hulk from endangering an entire seaside resort before he reverts back to all-too-human Ben Grimm? And can either of them prevail against that titanic tag team known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 203: Hulk vs. Thing, Rounds 1 and 2

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME as we kick off a two-part look at one of Marvel Comics’ most storied traditions: epic slugfests between the Hulk and the Thing! Specifically, the first two face-offs between these fearsome foes in Fantastic Four #12 and #25-26, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby!

First, everyone’s on their worst behavior as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross enlists the FF’s aid in subduing the Hulk, who’s accused of sabotaging a military experiment!

Then, with his teammates sidelined, it’s up to Ben to stop the angry green goliath from rampaging across New York City, in a knock-down drag-out brawl guest starring the Mighty Avengers!

Can the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing prevail against the jade giant? And can these stories go the distance in a title match against … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 202: A Guest in the House

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Kevin Moreau

Content warning: Mentions of suicide; general gaslighting, psychological domestic abuse.

In this episode, we look back at one of the best-reviewed books of 2023: A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll, published by First Second!

Shy, awkward Abby is newly married to widowed dentist David and adjusting to domestic life with him and his pre-teen daughter Crystal. But David’s stories about his past wife, Sheila, don’t add up. And there’s more to Abby than meets the eye, as well – as becomes apparent when she strikes up a halting friendship with Sheila’s ghost!

Can this gripping story survive a night in that haunted mansion of horror stories known as … The Comics Canon?

Recommended in This Episode:

  • Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein
  • Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller: The Man Who Created Nancy, by Bill Griffith

Join us in two weeks as we kick off a two-parter looking back at historic matchups between the Hulk and the Thing! First up: Rounds 1 and 2, from Fantastic Four #12 and #25-26!

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 The Platform Formerly Known as Twitter!

And as always, thanks for listening!

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One-Shot: The Comics Canon All-Stars 2024 (The Best of Our Second 100 Episodes)

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Kevin Moreau

In this not-so-mini mini-episode, we look back on the last episodes, each ranking our 10 favorites. How many titles did we agree on?

We also discuss Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the Transformers movies, the current state of the Big Two publishers, comic strips, some things we’d like to cover in the coming year, and a possible reconsideration of one of our most controversial decisions!

Plus: Curt opens a present live on-air!

 

Join us in two weeks as we resume our regular programming with a look at Emily Carroll’s A Guest in the House!

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 The Platform Formerly Known as Twitter!

And as always, thanks for listening!

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Episode 201: A Carl Barks Christmas (With Dan McCoy)

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Kevin Moreau

Just in time for Christmas, Emmy-winning writer (and co-host of The Flop House) Dan McCoy joins us to unwrap a trio of Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge stories by the late, great Carl Barks!

In “Only a Poor Old Man,” Uncle Scrooge’s first full-length adventure, everyone’s favorite spats-wearing billionaire fights to protect his fortune from the Beagle Boys in a rollicking heist tale.

In “Luck of the North,” Donald drags his nephews to rescue his insufferable cousin Gladstone Gander in a madcap, Tintin-esque adventure.

And in “A Christmas for Shacktown,” Donald, Daisy and the boys try to raise money to give the denizens of Duckburg’s poverty-stricken neighborhood a memorable Christmas celebration.

Can Donald and company prevail against industrious thieves, a polar bear and a bottomless pit? And can these tales safely find their way to that Island of Misfit Toys known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

  • There’s a lot to admire about the Beagle Boys
  • Isaac Asimov’s iCarly
  • Kevin shares an embarrassing story
  • Pogo by Walt Kelly
  • I Must Be Dreaming by Roz Chast
  • Eat the Rich by Sarah Gailey and Pius Bak
  • Iron Man # 215-216

Join us in two weeks as we pause to take a look back before plunging ahead into 2024!

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 the platform formerly known as Twitter!

And as always, thanks for listening!

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Episode 200: Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Kevin Moreau

It’s our bicentennial episode, and we celebrate by going back to 1976 for a momentous match-up between comics’ two most popular characters: Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man, by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru, published by DC and Marvel Comics!

This first-ever inter-company crossover event finds the Man of Steel and Ol’ Web-Head going toe-to-toe (of course) before joining forces to combat the combined threat of criminal masterminds Lex Luthor and Doctor Octopus!

 

Can the Man of Tomorrow and your Friendly Neighborhood Wall-Crawler rescue Lois Lane and Mary Jane Watson and thwart this dastardly duo’s perilous plan? And can our awesome allies win their way into that World’s Finest Two-in-One known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 199: Bone Vol. 5: Rock Jaw, Master of the Eastern Border

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Kevin Moreau

Happy Bonesgiving! In this episode, we celebrate our favorite(?) holiday with another excursion into the world of Bone, this time skipping ahead to Bone Vol. 5: Rock Jaw, Master of the Eastern Border, written and drawn by Jeff Smith, published by Cartoon Books and Scholastic!

Fone Bone and Smiley Bone are separated from the rest of the book’s main cast, attempting to set an adorable baby rat creature free into the wild, when they run afoul of the menacing mountain lion Roque Ja, who plans to turn them in to Kingdok, monstrous leader of the rat creatures and servant of the mysterious Hooded One!

 

Can the Bones, the possum kids and a menagerie of cute young orphans evade these dangerous predators? And can they find shelter in that literary lion’s den known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 198: Hellblazer: Newcastle (A Taste of Things to Come)

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Kevin Moreau

Content warning: sexual abuse and implied sexual assault

In this episode, friend of the show and John Constantine authority Tracy Tanoff joins us in unpacking a defining moment in the life and career of everyone’s favorite street-level mage (and con man) with a discussion of John Constantine, Hellblazer #11: Newcastle: A Taste of Things to Come, by Jamie Delano, Richard Piers Rayner and Mark Buckingham, published by DC Comics!

10 years before the cataclysmic events of American Gothic, a young John Constantine and his band of occult amateurs investigates strange happenings at an abandoned rock club, only to quickly find themselves hopelessly out of their depth!

Can John and his friends survive the monstrous Norfulthing? Can John rescue a young girl named Astra from the clutches of the demon Nergal? And can he bluff his way past the bouncer and into that hellish hole-in-the-wall known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

Join us in two weeks as we return to the world of Jeff Smith’s Bone with a look at Bone Vol. 5: Rock Jaw: Master of the Eastern Border!

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 the platform formerly known as Twitter!

And as always, thanks for listening!

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