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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Episode 144 – All-Star Superman

Posted on September 1, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

Because YOU (well, one of you, at least) asked for it, we finally get around to discussing All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant, published by DC Comics!

Superman is dying, his cells flooded with solar radiation thanks to his arch-nemesis Lex Luthor. But before he goes, Kal-El has a few things to scratch off his to-do list. This acclaimed 12-issue series combines fun Silver Age concepts and a contemporary sensibility to distill the Man of Steel to his essence and explore what makes him one of the most iconic and inspiring characters in popular culture.

Can the Last Son of Krypton celebrate Lois Lane’s birthday, protect the Earth from the Bizarro world and boorish Kryptonians, and defeat a monster that eats time and a living, evil red sun?

And can he project himself into that Phantom Zone of funnybooks known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 143 – The Eternals (1976)

Posted on August 18, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

In anticipation of the Nov. 5 debut of the Eternals movie, we take a look at The Eternals issues 1-7, published by Marvel Comics!

A few years after defecting to the Distinguished Competition to create the ambitious Fourth World saga, Jack Kirby returned to the House of Ideas, where he set to work on … another ambitious cosmic epic!

Drawing inspiration from Erich von Däniken’s mega-successful Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past, he conjured a tale of humanity’s sibling races: the monstrous Deviants, the godlike Eternals, and the even-more-godlike Mega Space Gods, the Celestials, one of the most visually striking assemblages in all of comics!

Join us as we probe the cosmic mysteries: What are the similarities and differences between this book and the arguably better-known Fourth World titles? Why do the Eternals reveal themselves to a college anthropology class? And will these issues receive the Thumbs Up of the Gods and become part of that Uni-Mind known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

  • Curt likes Big Barda and he cannot lie
  • Fantastic Four: Forever
  • Nomadland
  • Some thoughts on the upcoming Eternals movie
  • Avengers: The Final Host by Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness
  • Eternals (2021) by Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribić
  • Kirby: King of Comics by Mark Evanier

Join us in two weeks as we discuss All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely!

Until then:
Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise!
Rate us on Apple Podcasts!
Send us an email!
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Episode 142 – What If We Did a What If Episode? (With Alonso Duralde)

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

Alonso Duralde, the hardest working man in podcasting (Maximum Film, Breakfast All Day, the Linoleum Knife family of podcasts) returns as we prepare for the Aug. 11 launch of What If…? on Disney+ by gazing upon the alternate realities of Marvel Comics’ What If!

First published in 1977, this anthology series explores what might have happened had key moments in Marvel continuity happened a little differently: What if Bullseye Had Not Killed Elektra? What if the Original Marvel Bullpen Became the Fantastic Four? What if the Avengers Had Become Pawns of Korvac? And what if a host of Marvel creators were let loose to create an issue full of rapid-fire dad jokes?

Can this quartet of issues ascend to that not-so-sacred timeline known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 141 – The Golem’s Mighty Swing

Posted on July 21, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, our Myth Takes miniseries concludes with a story that combines the mythic grandeur of America’s pastime with Jewish folklore—The Golem’s Mighty Swing by James Sturm, published by Drawn & Quarterly!

In the early 1920s, money problems force a traveling Jewish baseball team to agree to a promoter’s plan to increase ticket sales: Henry Bell, a Black player pretending to be Jewish, will take the field as a golem, an animated creature from Jewish legend!

When racial tensions come to a head during an ugly game in an anti-Semitic town, will the Stars of David make it out alive? And will this powerful tale hit a home run and slide into that All-Star Game of graphic storytelling known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 140 – The Sandman: Fables & Reflections

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, an actual Greek myth gets retconned as Myth Takes, our miniseries on comics and mythology, rolls on with a discussion of three stories from the Sandman collection Fables & Reflections—specifically, Thermidor, The Song of Orpheus and Ramadan!

You may be familiar with the myth of Orpheus, the balladeer who journeyed to the underworld to retrieve his lady love Eurydice. But you might have skipped class the day they covered the fact that Orpheus was the son of Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams!

 

Did Orpheus’s bodiless head really help bring about the downfall of Robespierre, one of the architects of the French Revolution’s bloody Reign of Terror? What role did the Dream King play in the storied history of ancient Baghdad? And will these stories make their way into that campaign of myth-information known as … The Comics Canon?

Discussed in This Episode:
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Episode 139 – The Sandman: A Game of You

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

(Explicit warning: A couple of swear words are used.) In this episode, Myth Takes, our series on comics and mythology and folklore, continues with The Sandman: A Game of You, collecting issues 32-37 of The Sandman, published by DC/Vertigo Comics!

Atlanta actress and friend of the show Jennifer Lee returns for a lively discussion that goes deep into Sandman lore as we get into this 30-year-old story arc that offers an incredibly timely take on the issue of trans identity.

Can Barbie save the Land, her childhood dreamscape, from the sinister forces of the Cuckoo? And can this moving tale of growing up and moving on unlock the door to that fabled Barbie Dreamhouse known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 138 – Fables: Animal Farm

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, we follow up the anthropomorphic samurai of Usagi Yojimbo with a menagerie of talking animals as Myth Takes, our miniseries on comics and mythology, takes a slight detour into fairy tale territory with a discussion of Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm, published by Vertigo/DC Comics!

In Bill Willingham’s long-running series Fables, the characters from all your favorite childhood tales have been driven from their homes by the mysterious Adversary and are living under the radar in New York. But when the Farm—home of the animal Fables—is rocked by the vicious murder of one of the Three Little Pigs, tensions between human and non-human Fables threatens to escalate into deadly political revolution!

Can Snow White defeat the militant Goldilocks—not to mention her own sister Rose Red—and prevent a bloody civil war? And can this tale as old as time win entry into that Happily Ever After known as … The Comics Canon?

Discussed in This Episode:

  • Myths and folklore in popular culture
  • Raunchy versions of children’s stories
  • Fables Vol. 6: Homelands
  • The Personal History of David Copperfield
  • Shelly Bond’s Filth & Grammar Kickstarter campaign
  • Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
  • Savage Avengers
  • Some thoughts on She-Hulk

Join us in two weeks as we kick off a Sandman two-parter with a look at A Game of You!

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 137 – Usagi Yojimbo: Grasscutter

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, Myth Takes, our miniseries on comics and mythology, continues with a look at Stan Sakai’s Eisner Award-winning Grasscutter saga from Usagi Yojimbo Vol. 3, issues #13-22, published by Dark Horse Comics!

Usagi Yojimbo, Sakai’s long-running series featuring rabbit ronin Miyamoto Usagi, draws from Japanese history and folklore to create a fully realized world populated by anthropomorphic rabbits, cats, bears and other animals, all rendered in Sakai’s detailed yet accessible art style.

Can Usagi keep Grasscutter, the legendary sword of the gods, out of the hands of a shadowy cabal—and survive an encounter with his mysterious nemesis, the sinister and murderous wolf Jei? And can he and his friends find safe passage to that Hidden Fortress of comic-book epics known as … The Comics Canon?

Discussed in This Episode:

  • Runaways (the Usagi story, not the Marvel comic)
  • The Hidden Fortress
  • Saturday Morning: Cartoons’ Greatest Hits
  • Groo the Wanderer
  • Space Usagi and Senso from The Usagi Yojimbo Saga: Legends
  • Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles

Join us in two weeks as we discuss Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm!

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 136 – Journey Into Mystery: Fear Itself

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, Myth Takes, our miniseries on comics and mythology, continues with a discussion of everyone’s favorite teenage God of Chaos, Kid Loki, in Journey Into Mystery: Fear Itself (specifically, Journey Into Mystery issues #622-626 and #628-629) by Keiron Gillen, Doug Braithwaite and Whilce Portacio, published by Marvel Comics!

When Cul the Serpent, God of Fear and brother of Odin the All-Father, threatens the Nine Realms in the 2011 crossover event Fear Itself, a newly reincarnated Loki sets out to prevent another Ragnarok. Using all his trademark cunning and guile, the godling must assemble a ragtag team of companions to help him in his quest—even though doing the right thing comes at a terrible personal cost!

Can the teen trickster save the world for once, rather than destroy it? And can he cross the rainbow bridge to that hallowed hall of heroic tales known as … The Comics Canon?

(Programming note: The god of mischief bedeviled us with some odd Zoom-related glitches for the first few minutes; things get better just after the 13-minute mark.)

In This Episode
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