The Ask Us Anything Episode

Posted on March 4, 2026 by Kevin Moreau

We asked for questions, and you … asked them! In this, our second of two out-of-format episodes marking our 10-year anniversary, we answer the questions on your mind, including:

  • Are there any episodes we’d like to do over?
  • What are our favorite classic comic-book ads?
  • Which comic had the worst movie adaptation?

But first, Curt gives his first-ever State of the Canon address, breaking down the characters, creators and comics publishers most represented in that body of great comic-book works known as The Comics Canon!

Join us in two weeks when we return to our regular format with a look at the first appearances of Green Lanterns Alan Scott (in All-American Comics #16 from 1940) and Hal Jordan (Showcase #22 from 1959) — as well as two fun stories by Alan Moore: Tygers and Mogo Doesn’t Socialize!

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!

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Call for Questions!

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Kevin Moreau

There’s still time to submit questions for our upcoming March 4 episode, which features an Ask Us Anything segment as well as something Curt cryptically refers to as “The State of the Canon!”

If you’ve ever wondered how we choose the books and storylines we cover, whether we’ve ever changed our minds about something we’ve covered on the show, or just want to cast a vote for something you’d like to see discussed on the podcast, send us your emails at letters@comicscanon.com or drop us a line on Facebook or Bluesky by the end of the day on Friday, Feb. 27, and we’ll answer as many as we can!

Also in this mini-episode, Kevin and Curt answer sample questions from each other with absolutely no preparation or advance warning! Who says this isn’t the Comics Canon Age of Value-Added Content?

We hope you enjoy it, and we look forward to answering YOUR questions next week!

 

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The Gateway Episode

Posted on February 18, 2026 by Kevin Moreau

Got a burning question for The Comics Canon? Submit a question for our upcoming Ask Us Anything episode, airing Wednesday, March 4! Send us an email at letters@comicscanon.com or hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky no later than Friday, February 27!

After 10 years and 250 episodes of rendering judgment on the greatest comic book stories of yesterday and today, we decided it’s finally time to record an episode for newcomers to the podcast – or to comics themselves!

 

In this super-accessible jumping-on point, we walk listeners through a typical episode of The Comics Canon and offer our recommendations for anyone interested in exploring comics, broken into 10 helpful categories:

Comics for Kids
Comics for All Ages
YA/Young Adult Comics
Memoirs
Humor Comics
Crime Comics
Horror Comics
Superhero Comics
Cosmic Comics
and the 800-pound gorilla of superhero graphic novels: Watchmen!

Also in This Episode! Continue reading →

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Episode 250: Understanding Comics

Posted on February 4, 2026 by Kevin Moreau

On this milestone episode, we tackle our white whale of show subjects: Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud’s fascinating and thought-provoking exploration of the comics medium, how it works, and what it can do – told in the comics format!

Join us as we ask the burning questions:

What ARE comics, anyway?
How long has this particular form of communication been around? (Hint: Longer than you think!)
How many different ways can it illustrate the passage of time or the concept of movement?
What are the six steps of the creative process?

How far down a nerd rabbit hole can Curt and Kevin go?                                                              (Pretty far!)

And will this landmark textbook make the grade and go the head of that comics classroom known as  … The Comics Canon?

Also in This Episode!  Continue reading →

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Episode 249: Zot! The Earth Stories

Posted on January 21, 2026 by Kevin Moreau

On this episode, we celebrate our 10th anniversary — and gear up for our 250th episode — with a discussion of Zot! The Earth Stories! Specifically, Zot! #28-36 from 1989-1991, written and drawn by Scott McCloud, originally published by Eclipse Comics!

The high-flying teen superhero Zot zips merrily along in a bright, shiny and cool retro-futuristic version of our world, cheerful and carefree – so what happens when he ends up stranded on OUR Earth?

Mostly, he cedes the stage to his not-quite-girlfriend Jenny and her high school friends, most of whom get a moment to share the spotlight in these touching stories filled with warmth, humor and heart while deftly dealing with topics including coming out, racism and teen sex.

Can Zot’s relentless optimism remain intact after he experiences crime on our world? Can he convince Jenny not to turn her back on Earth? And can these stories ascend to that World of Tomorrow known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:  Continue reading →

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Episode 248: Drome

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Kevin Moreau

On this episode, we welcome writer, actor and friend of the show Michael Owl, host of The Origin Story Podcast, as we dive into one of the best-reviewed graphic novels of 2025: Drome by Jesse Lonergan!

This imaginative epic combines a visually dazzling creation myth with an action-packed fantasy adventure, as the blue-skinned demigoddess Blue attempts to impose order on a chaotic world, opposed by the violent one-eyed warlord Patch, each acting as proxies for remote gods.

 

Folding in elements from such sources as the Bible, Greek mythology and classic fantasy, it feels both familiar and aggressively new as Lonergan plays with the comic-book format in fun and creative ways.

But is all of that enough for Drome to survive the judgment of that pantheon of deities and demigods known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:  Continue reading →

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Quizzical Canonical 7: 2 Quizzical, 2 Canonical

Posted on December 24, 2025 by Kevin Moreau

(Mild explicit warning: a swear word is used.)

Curt and Kevin give themselves an end-of-year break with another quiz episode! And this time, it’s a quiz exchange!

Kevin tests Curt’s knowledge of past Christmas-themed episodes, while Curt grills Kevin on … his own show notes!

We’ll be back in two weeks with a look at one of the best-reviewed graphic novels of 2025, Jesse Lonergan’s Drome!

 

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Episode 247: The Hellfire Gala

Posted on December 10, 2025 by Kevin Moreau

For our last full-size episode of 2025, we wrap up our All My Xs miniseries on Marvel Comics’ X-Men franchise with one of the big crossover events of the Jonathan Hickman era – The Hellfire Gala!

The mutant nation of Krakoa makes its debut on the world stage with one hell of a coming-out party, filled with celebrity guests, fantastic costumes, behind-the-scenes intrigue and a truly out-of-this-world fireworks display!

Can Emma Frost keep this star-studded affair on the rails? What’s with Beast’s heel turn? What the heck is Charles Xavier wearing?

And can this story get past the velvet rope and into that social event of the season known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

  • The Tom Stoppard of superhero comics
  • A truly baffling cameo
  • Great artists steal
  • Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy
  • Pluribus on Apple TV
  • The Mighty Nein on Amazon Prime

Join us in two weeks – on Christmas Eve – for a fun mini-episode! Then, on Jan. 7, we discuss one of the best-reviewed books of 2025: Drome by Jesse Lonergan!

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!

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Episode 246: The Wedding of Northstar

Posted on November 26, 2025 by Kevin Moreau

All My Xs, our decade-by-decade exploration of the X-Men, crashes the first gay wedding of a Marvel Comics superhero in 2012’s Astonishing X-Men #51, by Marjorie Liu and Mike Perkins!

But first, we take a detour 1992 as Northstar becomes the first Marvel character to come out as gay in Alpha Flight #106, by Scott Lobdell and Mark Pacella! (And even better, we’re introduced to that most valuable piece of IP, Major Mapleleaf!)

Can a well-intentioned Very Special Issue of Alpha Flight survive a collision with the “extreme” art and storytelling trend of the 1990s? And can everyone’s favorite mutant Olympian turned Canadian superhero survive a run-in with that Big Fat Geek Wedding known as … The Comics Canon?

Recommended in This Episode: Continue reading →

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Episode 245: The Alpha Flight Episode

Posted on November 12, 2025 by Kevin Moreau

All My Xs, our miniseries on Marvel Comics’ X-Men, takes a little detour to introduce the Canadian superteam Alpha Flight in 1979’s Uncanny X-Men #120-#121 by Chris Claremont and John Byrne and 1983’s Alpha Flight #1 by John Byrne!

First, the Canadian government wants Wolverine back – and if his friends in the X-Men get in the way, well, too bad for them!

Next, Alpha Flight gets their own ongoing title, just in time to lose their government funding! And to make matters worse, they still have to deal with the gargantuan menace of Tundra!

Can the X-Men stop a group of government agents from forcibly detaining one of their own citizens? Can Curt and Kevin keep from saying “eh” every other sentence? And can Canada’s premier team of heroes take off to that Great White North known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode: Continue reading →

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