Episode 106 – Starman: Night and Day

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Kevin Moreau

Just as Jack Knight was one of DC Comics’ more interesting second-generation superheroes, the book that chronicled his saga from 1994 through 2001 was one of the more literary-minded and ambitious mainstream superhero comics of its time. And that ambition is on full display in issues #9-16 of the series, as collected in Starman: Night and Day, by James Robinson and Tony Harris!

Having reluctantly accepted the mantle of Starman from his father Ted, Jack Knight puts a decidedly Gen-X stamp on the role, complete with tattoos, a leather jacket and a staggering knowledge of obscure pop-cultural ephemera. But all that edgy ’90s attitude can’t keep the past from encroaching on the present as he contends with Nash, the vengeful daughter of his dad’s arch-nemesis, the Mist!

Can Jack, Ted, the blue-skinned alien Mikaal Tomas and the red-haired O’Dare siblings survive as Nash cuts a swath of murder and destruction through Opal City? And can this story blow the mind of that Starman waitin’ in the sky we like to call … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 105 – March Book 1

Posted on March 4, 2020 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, we take a break from talking about fictional superheroes to discuss a real-life superhero with a look at March, Book 1, the first in a three-part series of autobiographical graphic novels examining the life and career of U.S. Congressman John Lewis, published by Top Shelf Productions!

Join us as we trace the civil rights leader’s early days, from his humble beginnings preaching to chickens on his family’s farm to his first meeting with the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and his efforts to desegregate Nashville department store lunch counters. Will this gripping account of one man’s journey to gain freedom and equal rights through nonviolent means make its way to that hallowed hall of heroes known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 104 – House of X and Powers of X Part 2

Posted on February 19, 2020 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, we conclude our two-part look at the two 2019 miniseries that reset the status quo for the X-Men: House of X and Powers of X, by Jonathan Hickman, Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva, published by Marvel Comics!

The mutant nation of Krakoa faces its first major setback when a mission to stop Orchis from activating the Mother Mold meets with disaster! Meanwhile, 1,000 years in the future, Wolverine and Moira MacTaggert must act as the Man-Machine Ascendancy prepares to be assimilated into the alien techno-collective known as the Phalanx!

Mutantkind seems destined to suffer a terrible fate. Can Charles Xavier and Magneto prevent that dark future from coming to pass? And can they hope to survive the judgment of that Not-So-Quiet Council known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 103 – House of X and Powers of X Part 1

Posted on February 13, 2020 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, after a brief delay, we tackle one of the biggest superhero comics events of 2019: the game-changing series House of X and Powers of X by Jonathan Hickman, Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva, published by Marvel Comics!

The mutant telepath Charles Xavier shocks the world by announcing the formation of Krakoa, a nation of mutants. In return for recognizing its sovereignty, Krakoa will gift mankind with miracle drugs that drastically improve human life. Meanwhile, it’s business as usual for the X-Men, who undertake a suicide mission to a sun-orbiting space station to prevent the eventual rise of one of mutantkind’s greatest foes!

What do these events have to do with a mutant war against the Man-Machine Ascendancy 100 years from now, or the plans of the mysterious Librarian 1,000 years hence? What surprising role does Xavier’s former flame Moira MacTaggert have to play in all this? And can our not-so-merry mutants survive long enough to make it to that island sanctuary known as … The Comics Canon?

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Birds of Prey: Harley Quinn’s Hot Mess with High Spirits

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Kevin Moreau

Warner Bros.

Review by Curt Holman

If you had any doubts about who’s the star of the comic book movie Birds of Prey, look to the subtitle. The parenthetical (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) signals that the Joker’s former sidekick/love interest has claimed the spotlight for herself. Continue reading →

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House of X Programming Note – and a Bonus Top 10 List!

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Kevin Moreau

“Hey, where’s my House of X episode?” we hear you asking. Well, Kevin’s here to answer that question in this special bonus announcement. And to make up for the delay, we’re throwing in a little something extra—Curt Holman’s Top 10 Superhero Adaptations of 2019!

Thanks for your patience—and as always, thank you for listening!

Listen Now

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Episode 102 – Locke & Key Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, we look ahead to the Feb. 7 debut of the Netflix series Locke & Key with a look at the six issue arc that launched the popular saga—Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, published by IDW!

The Locke family falls prey to a violent home invasion in which guidance counselor Rendell Locke is shot and killed. His widow and three children move across the country to Keyhouse, the family’s ancestral home, which houses a few secrets. Meanwhile, Rendell’s killer, Sam Lesser, is on their trail, under the thrall of an unearthly woman imprisoned in a well on the Keyhouse estate!

Can this fractured family overcome their inner demons and stop the devious Dodge from acquiring the mysterious Anywhere Key? And can they unlock the right door to gain entry into that house of horrors known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 101 – Bone Vol. 1: Out From Boneville

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Kevin Moreau

In this episode, we explore the wondrous world of Jeff Smith’s Bone (soon to be an animated Netflix series) with a look at the first installment of this beloved fantasy series: Out From Boneville, originally published by Cartoon Books!

Forced to flee their home of Boneville, cousins Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone each find their way to an uncharted valley populated with adorable talking possums, a laconic red dragon, tough-as-nails Gran’ma Ben and the beautiful young woman known as Thorn.

 

Can our wayward cousins avoid the clutches of the fearsome Rat Creatures and their terrifying leader, the Hooded One? And can they stay out of trouble long enough to settle that uncanny valley known as … The Comics Canon?

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Episode 100 – Action Comics #1, Superman #1, and the Comics Canon All-Stars!

Posted on December 24, 2019 by Kevin Moreau

We all know the story: Rocket escapes exploding planet. Elderly couple adopts alien baby. Baby grows up to become the most powerful superhero of all time.

But today’s Man of Steel is very different from the one we get in his first-ever adventure, as originally recounted in 1938’s groundbreaking Action Comics #1—and expanded upon a year later in his own magazine, Superman #1, both published by DC Comics.

For our landmark 100th episode, we explore the origin and first appearance of Superman, one of the most beloved and iconic figures in popular culture. Can this champion of the oppressed save an innocent woman from the electric chair and foil a plot to drag the U.S. into war in Europe? And can he muscle his way into that hallowed Fortress of Solitude known as … The Comics Canon?

But wait! There’s more! We also look back at our favorite canonical stories from the first 99 episodes!

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Episode 99 – Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 2: Issues 7-12

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Kevin Moreau

Listen here, Anti-Monitor! Wiping out countless realities and snuffing out untold billions of lives is one thing. But when you step to the Maid of Steel … well, now you’ve gone and made it personal!

In what may be our longest episode ever, we close the book on the epic 12-issue event that closed the book on the DC multiverse—Crisis on Infinite Earths, by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, published by DC Comics!

After a pitched battle at the dawn of time, five Earths become one, and a few redundant superheroes find themselves without a home! But the Anti-Monitor still has one trick up his metal sleeve, teleporting our world to the anti-matter universe (hey, you said there was only one universe left)!

Can the last Supermen standing and a parade of your favorite D-listers succeed against the cosmic creep with the worst name in comics? And can this landmark reality-warping series score a table at that restaurant at the end of the universe known as … The Comics Canon?

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