Episode 172 – Swamp Thing: American Gothic (Part 1)

Posted on October 26, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

(Content warning: References to suicide and hate crime)

What better way to round out the spook-tacular month of October than with a werewolf, ghosts, zombies, a serial killer and underwater vampires? All that and the debut of everyone’s favorite Sting impersonator in the first half of Alan Moore’s ambitious American Gothic storyline from The Saga of The Swamp Thing (issues 37-42 and 44-45), published by DC Comics!

Everyone’s favorite muck monster travels across the U.S. encountering an unsettling series of supernatural horrors. But are they all part of a larger, more sinister design? Can Swamp Thing trust his new colleague, the manipulative John Constantine? And can these terrifying tales scare their way into that American Horror Story known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 171 – Hellboy: The Corpse (and Other Stories)

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

It’s October, and that means it’s once again time to scare up some spook-tacular horror and supernatural comics! We kick things off with a return to the world of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy – specifically, the fan-favorite story The Corpse, as well as two other done-in-one tales: The Chained Coffin and A Christmas Underground!

Can everyone’s favorite half-demonic monster hunter bury the corpse of Tam O’Clannie in time to rescue a young girl kidnapped by faerie folk? Can he survive zombies, a rat-demon and … his own demon dad? And can these fun stories, steeped in folklore and striking visuals, measure up to that Right Hand of Doom known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 170 – JSA: Black Reign

Posted on September 28, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, we look ahead to the Oct. 21 release of Black Adam with a look at the JSA/Hawkman crossover event Black Reign, written by Geoff Johns and published by DC Comics!

The powerful villain-turned-antihero Black Adam and a few superpowered friends invade the nation of Khandaq, Black Adam’s homeland, to overthrow its malevolent dictator, spurring a counter-invasion by Black Adam’s many, many former teammates in the Justice Society of America. But things quickly go wrong for the JSA, who are forced to question whether they have the right to intervene in another country’s affairs.

Does this six-part storyline satisfy as both superhero slugfest and thinly veiled commentary on the Iraq War? And can it win over the hearts and minds of that four-color coalition known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

  • Our appearance last week on Marvel by the Month
  • The history of the JSA
  • Not THAT Hector and Lyta Hall
  • A spoiler for Alan Moore’s Miracleman
  • Poisoned Chalice: The Extremely Long and Incredibly Complex Story of Marvelman
  • Strange Adventures

Join us in two weeks as we get into the spooky spirit of Halloween season with a look at Hellboy: The Corpse!

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!

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Episode 169 – New Avengers (2013) Vol. 4: A Perfect World

Posted on September 14, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

We wrap up our selective two-part look back on Jonathan Hickman’s New Avengers, as the Illuminati—the secret syndicate featuring Black Panther, Iron Man, the Sub-Mariner and other heavy hitters—are finally confronted with an impossible decision: to destroy an alternate Earth or watch their own world die!

Can our conflicted cabal figure out a solution before going toe-to-toe with the Justice League—we mean the Squadron Supreme—we mean the Great Society, the greatest heroes of Earth 4,290,001? And can they possibly win that war of the worlds known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 168 – New Avengers (2013) Vol. 1: Everything Dies

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

What was all that stuff about “incursions” in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness? The answer lies in these first six issues (plus one) of Jonathan Hickman’s run on New Avengers, drawn by the incomparable Steve Epting (and Mike Deodato), published by Marvel Comics!

Black Panther calls on the clandestine cabal known as the Illuminati to help confront a menace that threatens the entire multiverse: Alternate universes are colliding into each other with Earth as the focal point! And the only options are to let both universes die, or destroy one Earth so that both universes can live!

Can this covert conclave prevent disaster while keeping their consciences intact? And can they survive that Crisis on Infinite Earths known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

  • AVX: Avengers vs. X-Men
  • Black Swan, Pilates instructor
  • Reed Richards gives the best PowerPoint presentations
  • War of the Realms
  • Three Thousands Years of Longing
  • We need to make Blade: Pig in the City happen
  • Thor: Love and Thunder
  • Avengers: The Gatherers Saga

Join us in two weeks as our two-parter continues with New Avengers Vol. 4: A Perfect World!

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 Now

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Episode 167 – She-Hulk (2004): Single Green Female

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, we cram for the Aug. 18 release of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law on Disney+ by reviewing the case of She-Hulk: Single Green Female, collecting issues 1-6 of the Marvel Comics series by Dan Slott, Juan Bobillo and Paul Pelletier. (We also throw in issues 7-8 pro bono!)

Everyone’s favorite green-skinned lawyer-slash-superhero is offered the job of a lifetime, only to find that it’s not exactly what it seems! As she deals with trials and tribulations including a surly teenager and a superpowered prison break, the jade jurist must come to grips with an opponent more fearsome than any jury … her alter ego, Jennifer Walters!

Can our avenging attorney win a summary judgment from that living tribunal known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 166 – The Sandman: World’s End

Posted on August 3, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

(Explicit content warning: A swear word slips through.)

A couple of Americans on a road trip find themselves caught in a summer snowstorm and are forced to seek shelter in a bigger-on-the-inside inn peopled with faerie folk, a centaur and other strange customers in The Sandman Vol. 8: World’s End by Neil Gaiman and a host of artists, published by Vertigo/DC Comics!

Our assemblage of travelers from diverse worlds and time periods waits out a “reality storm” by swapping stories about dreaming cities, sea monsters, a boy president and other wonders — until they witness a heavenly funeral procession of ominous import!

Can these Canterbury-inspired tales score a reservation at that Restaurant at the End of the Universe known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 165 – The Sandman: Brief Lives

Posted on July 20, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, we get ready for the Aug. 5 debut of Netflix’s The Sandman with the latest in our ongoing series of Sandman arcs, this time discussing Vol. 7: Brief Lives published by Vertigo/DC Comics!

The Lord of Dreams, recovering from a painful breakup, agrees to help his younger sister, Delirium, search for their missing brother, the embodiment of Destruction. But what Dream sees as a harmless diversion soon turns deadly, claiming the lives of mortals and immortal beings alike!

Can our mismatched siblings find Destruction before death (or Death) finds them? And can this stirring meditation on mortality gain entrance to that temple of Delight and Delirium known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 164 – Paper Girls Vol. 1

Posted on July 6, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, we look ahead to the July 29 debut of Paper Girls on Amazon Prime with a look at Paper Girls Vol. 1, collecting the first five issues of the comics series by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, published by Image Comics!

When four 12-year-old girls join forces to deliver the Cleveland Preserver on the dark pre-dawn morning of Nov. 1, 1988, they find themselves riding their bikes straight into a nightmare of terrifying pterodactyl creatures, menacing, armored “old-timers,” and time-traveling, tech-scavenging teenagers!

 

Can our preteen paper-slingers keep their idyllic suburb from meeting its final deadline? And can they finish their rounds in time to make that extra-special edition known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 163 – Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, we wrap up our True Stories miniseries on nonfiction and autobiographical comics with a look at Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, published by Drawn & Quarterly!

Writer and artist Chester Brown (Yummy Fur) chronicles the career of Riel, the Canadian political leader and freedom fighter, in a flat, dispassionate style that holds the reader at arm’s length, blunting some of the story’s natural drama. The result is nonetheless a fascinating portrait of an important figure in Canadian history. But is that enough to gain entry into that House of Commons known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:
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