Episode 152 – Far Sector

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

In N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell’s Far Sector (from DC Comics’ Young Animal imprint), Green Lantern Sojourner “Jo” Mullein is assigned to the City Enduring, a sprawling megalopolis of some 20 billion souls at the far end of space, where she becomes embroiled in a twisty plot involving politics, corruption and murder.

Can this timely sci-fi thriller, with its scenes of voter suppression and peace officers firing on protestors, blast off to that galaxy far, far away known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 151 – Green Lantern: Agent Orange and the Larfleeze Christmas Special

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

Larfleeze Navidad! Just in time for the holidays, we unwrap not one but TWO tales featuring everyone’s … favorite? … DC Comics ring-slinger, Larfleeze, with a look at Green Lantern Vol 4 #39-42 and Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special!

First, Hal Jordan struggles to wield the blue light of hope as he and the rest of the space cops in the Green Lantern Corps face off against the menacing (and somewhat comical) Larfleeze, wielder of the orange light of greed!

Next, in a lighthearted change of pace, Larfleeze seeks vengeance on Santa Claus when the jolly old elf skips his house on Dec. 25!

Can Hal Jordan unlock the sinister secret of his avaricious new adversary—and teach him the true meaning of Christmas?

And can these salmon-tinged stocking stuffers find their way under the tree of graphic goodness known as … The Comics Canon?

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Canonical Conversations: All of the Marvels With Douglas Wolk

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

Author and podcaster Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics; Voice of Latveria) joins us to discuss his excellent new book, All of the Marvels, which examines the Marvel Universe as one single connected narrative that unfolds over six decades and 27,000+ issues.

We also look at a pivotal moment in Marvel Comics history from three different vantage points: Avengers (1963) #16, Thunderbolts (1997) #9 and Avengers (2016) #1.1!

 

 

Issues Addressed in This Episode:

  • The surprising central character of the Marvel Universe
  • The Life of Reilly
  • The prescience (and odd timing) of Dark Reign
  • How will we look back on the comics of 2021?
  • New Avengers Vol. 6: Revolution
  • Radioactive Man comics
  • The French Dispatch
  • House to Astonish and The Lightning Round
  • The Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Yildiray Cinar
  • Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons #1

Join us in two weeks as we ring in the holiday season with … wait, this can’t be right, can it? What’s that? It is? Okay. Join us in two weeks as we ring in the holiday season with Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special #1 and Green Lantern: Agent Orange!

Until then:
Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise!
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Send us an email!
Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook!

And as always, thanks for listening!

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One-Shot: The Quizzical Canonical!

Posted on December 1, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

In an exclusive deleted scene from last week’s Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? discussion, Curt surprises Kevin with a pop quiz covering the first 150 episodes of The Comics Canon!

 

 

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Episode 150 – Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

In 1986, after decades of sneering supervillains, mad scientists and interplanetary despots, the Man of Steel was finally confronted with a foe even he couldn’t defeat—an editorially mandated reboot!

But before he could fly off into the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths sunset, he’d have to deal with deadly new versions of some of his classic foes in the two-part farewell Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, courtesy of superstar writer Alan Moore, quintessential Superman artist Curt Swan and legendary editor Julius Schwartz! (Content warning: Things get a bit dark.)

And as if that weren’t enough story for our landmark 150th episode, we also crack open The Superman Super-Spectacular from 1963’s Action Comics #309, featuring a guest appearance by none other than President John F. Kennedy!

Can 60s Superman protect his secret identity from Lois Lane and Lana Lang for the umpteenth time? Can 80s Superman protect his friends—and himself—when his rogues gallery gets a lethal upgrade? And can these stories survive a trip to that Bottle City of Comic-Book Candor known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 149 – Spider-Man: One More Day

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

In anticipation of the eagerly awaited Spider-Man: No Way Home, we look back at one of the most universally reviled stories in comics history: 2007’s Spider-Man: One More Day by J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada, published by Marvel Comics!

Quesada, then Marvel’s editor in chief, wanted to reset everyone’s favorite wisecracking wall-crawler and magically undo his longstanding marriage to Mary Jane Watson. So of course what better way to return Spidey to his roots than to … shoot Aunt May and have ol’ web-head make a deal with the devil??!

Can this poorly conceived, editorially mandated event possibly be as bad as its reputation? Or can it somehow rise above its bad rap and swing its way into that Brand New Day known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 148 – Tales From the Crypt

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

(Content warning: Lots of people get buried alive.)

Greetings, boos and ghouls! Gather ’round the campfire as the Curtkeeper and Kevin From the Black Lagoon wrap up The Tomb of the Crypt, their miniseries on horror comics, with a handpicked selection of spooky stories from EC Comics’ Tales From the Crypt!

Join us as we dig up The Curse of the Full Moon, The Maestro’s Hand, Ghost Ship, The Hungry Grave, A Fatal Caper, A Shocking Way to Die, and The Thing From the Grave, from The EC Archives: Tales From the Crypt Vol. 1, published by Dark Horse Comics!

How scary are these stories, really? And do they belong in that Vault of Horror known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 147 – Swamp Thing: Love and Death

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

(Content warning: This story contains references to rape by deception and incest.)

Our horror-comics miniseries The Tomb of the Crypt continues with Swamp Thing: Love and Death—specifically, Swamp Thing Vol. 2 issues #29-31 and Swamp Thing Annual #2 by Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette, John Totleben and others, published by DC Comics!

Swamp Thing’s nemesis, the evil scientist/warlock Anton Arcane, returns from the dead in one of the most horrific revelations in mainstream superhero comics—making 1984’s Swamp Thing #29 the first mainstream comic not to carry the seal of the Comics Code Authority since the 1950s!

Eager for revenge against our muck-encrusted hero, Arcane unleashes a cadre of undead serial killers upon Southeast Louisiana, and casts his own niece—Swamp Thing’s friend and not-so-secret crush Abigail Arcane—down into the depths of Hell itself!

Can Swamp Thing prevail against the hordes of Hell and rescue the woman he loves from eternal damnation? And will this chilling slice of contemporary horror fantasy take root in that Garden of Earthly Delights known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 146 – Infidel

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

The Tomb of the Crypt, our miniseries on horror comics, continues with a look at 2018’s acclaimed Infidel by Pornsak Pichetshote and Aaron Campbell, published by Image Comics!

Described as a haunted house story for the 21st century, this five-issue series explores issues of bigotry, xenophobia and racism as Aisha and Medina, two young women of color, move into an apartment building where a bomb built by a Muslim tenant detonated a few months earlier—and soon find themselves confronting a terrifying spirit that feeds on the dark emotions of the building’s residents.

Can our protagonists defeat this gruesome specter before its body count grows any higher? And can this smart, tense thriller gain admittance to that rent-controlled co-op of chills known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 145 – Uzumaki: Spiral Into Horror

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

(Content warning: Body horror and a couple of anatomical references)

We kick off The Tomb of the Crypt, a miniseries on horror comics, with our very first manga title—Umuzaki: Spiral Into Horror by Junji Ito, published by Viz Media!

In this chilling tale that Nerdist referred to as “the Watchmen of horror manga,” a small Japanese town becomes plagued by … spirals. This everyday shape begins showing up in increasingly unsettling ways: A spiral-shaped scar on a girl’s forehead grows in size until it consumes her; two boys slowly mutate into giant snails; and a sentient hurricane becomes obsessed with a teenaged girl, to name but a few. And then things REALLY get weird.

Can high-schoolers Kirie and Shuichi figure out what’s happening to Kurouzo-cho before their lives are irrevocably altered? And can this superbly realized saga twist and shout its way into that widening gyre of graphic-novel gruesomeness known as … The Comics Canon?

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