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?

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Episode 162 – The Fixer: A Story From Sarajevo

Posted on June 8, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

(Content warning: At least one swear word; sexual exploitation)

After a brief pause, our True Stories miniseries returns with Joe Sacco’s The Fixer: A Story From Sarajevo, published by Drawn and Quarterly!

Part character study, part history lesson, The Fixer examines the bloody Bosnian War of the 1990s, mainly through the character of Neven, a former soldier who spins eyebrow-raising tales of his own exploits while shepherding journalist Sacco through a recovering Sarajevo at the tail end of the conflict.

Exactly how much of what Neven says can be trusted? And can this account of life during wartime plant its flag in that No Man’s Land known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 161 – Thor: God of Thunder (2012): The God Butcher

Posted on May 25, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, we take a short break from our current True Stories miniseries for a look at Thor: The God Butcher by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic, published by Marvel Comics!

This five-issue story kicks off writer Jason Aaron’s epic run of Thor stories, and provides some inspiration for this summer’s Thor: Love and Thunder. Hurtling back and forth through time between the 9th century, the present and the far, far future, this ambitious tale pits the Odinson against Gorr, the titular god butcher, whose name and occupation sport a very extreme 90s vibe!

Will Marvel’s God of Thunder prevail against this cosmic serial killer? And can he survive his time on that butcher’s block known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 160 – Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts

Posted on May 11, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

(Content warning: Slavery, rape, and execution)

True Stories continues with a spirited discussion of Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts, by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martinez.

This captivating graphic novel from 2021 follows Rebecca Hall’s efforts to shed light on the unheralded role of Black women in slave uprisings in the early 18th century and the institutional obstacles she faced along the way. Aided by the inventive artwork of Hugo Martinez, she gives voice to women who sacrificed so much for the cause of freedom.

 

In This Episode:

  • Treason against the state
  • Spoiler alert for Toni Morrison’s “Beloved”
  • The evolution of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade
  • Louis Riel by Chester Brown
  • Atlanta Season 3 Episode 4: “The Big Payback”
  • Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds

Join us in two weeks as we take a short break from our True Stories miniseries with a look at Thor: The God Butcher!

Until then:
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And as always, thanks for listening!

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Episode 159 – One! Hundred! Demons!

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

 

 

 

 

True Stories, our series on autobiographical and nonfiction comics, continues with Lynda Barry’s emphatically punctuated One! Hundred! Demons!

This collection of vignettes finds the acclaimed cartoonist grappling with such demons as a horrible boyfriend, teenage regrets, a difficult mother, a bad acid trip and the 2000 presidential election.

The results are alternately charming, hilarious, melancholy, insightful and heartbreaking. But are they good enough to score a landslide victory at that ballot box known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 158 – American Splendor

Posted on April 13, 2022 by Kevin Moreau

We kick off True Stories, a series on autobiographical and nonfiction comics, with a look at Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor!

While not the first comics work to chronicle the real-life exploits of its creator, American Splendor broke ground as an ongoing series that told an impressively diverse range of stories within the confines of an autobiographical, slice-of-life title. Along the way, it also made him a minor celebrity—first through a series of appearances on Late Night With David Letterman and later via a 2003 feature film starring Paul Giamatti as Harvey.

From observational musings about everyday moments to warts-and-all depictions of Pekar’s obsessions, grudges and personal foibles, American Splendor helped to redefine what comics could be and do. But is that enough to help it survive on those mean streets known as … The Comics Canon?

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