Episode 13 – Batman: The Killing Joke

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Kevin Moreau

KillingjokeIn this episode, Curt and Kevin return to Gotham City and put on their Dark Knight Detective caps to sift through labored puns, fun-house felonies and other offenses as they consider the strange case of Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s highly acclaimed 1998 DC Comics graphic novel, Batman: The Killing Joke!

But first, they take a quick detour to the black-and-white days of 1951 for a very different look at the origin of Killing Joke antagonist the Joker! Listen to our heroes match wits with the Caped Crusader and his Boy Wonder as they try to crack the conundrum of The Man Behind the Red Hood!

Will our dynamic duo sentence the Joker to rot behind the imposing gates of Arkham Asylum? Or will the Clown Prince of Crime find himself laughing all the way to that big score known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode: Continue reading →

Posted in Episodes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Episode 12 – Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Kevin Moreau

FunHomeBookCoverIn this episode, Curt and Kevin put aside their capes and cowls to discuss a different kind of comic book story: Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic.

In sketching a portrait of her life growing up in a small Pennsylvania town, Bechdel examines her complicated relationship with her father, Bruce, a funeral home director and high school teacher whose passion for restoring the family’s Victorian-era home underscores his emotional distance from his wife and children.

When Alison comes out to her parents as a lesbian, she soon comes to learn of her father’s own homosexuality, which lands him in legal trouble and perhaps even contributes to his sudden death at the age of 44, which Bechdel considers to be a suicide.

Can Alison come to terms with her father’s death, his past, and his detached relationship with her? And can her award-winning memoir make its own way in the world, to that obsessively decorated “fun home” known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:
 Continue reading →

Posted in Episodes | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Comics Onscreen – 2016 Halftime Report

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Kevin Moreau
Deadpool Movie

20th Century Fox

In this episode, Curt and Kevin take a break from talking about comic book stories, and instead talk about … TV and movie adaptations of comic book stories from the first half of 2016! How did these series and films reflect their source material? And more importantly—were they any good?

Things discussed in this non-canonical, somewhat spoiler-y installment include Deadpool’s skewering of superhero movie tropes, the lighthearted romp that was Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the evolutionary dead end that was X-Men: Apocalypse, and the rock -’em sock-’em bonanza that was Captain America: Civil War.

But wait! There’s more! We also weigh in on the disappointing second season of Continue reading →

Posted in Comics Onscreen, Episodes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Episode 11 – DC: The New Frontier

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Kevin Moreau

DC_New_Frontier_Vol_1_TPIn this episode, Curt and Kevin pay tribute to the late Darwyn Cooke, whose death from cancer on May 14, 2016, shocked and saddened the comics community, with an in-depth discussion of his award-winning 2004 masterwork, DC: The New Frontier.

Cooke’s six-volume saga, spanning the 15-year period from the end of World War II to the dawn of the 1960s, finds DC heroes old and new coming to terms with a rapidly changing world, touching on topics as varied as McCarthyism, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the civil rights movement, the space race and the Cold War.

When a menace surfaces unlike any they’ve ever faced,  can Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and other heroes from DC’s Golden and Silver Ages rise to challenge the unknown, usher in a new era of optimism, and conquer that final frontier known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

Darwyn Cooke, 1962-2016

The Incredibles

Watchmen

The Right Stuff

Our favorite individual panels from DC: The New Frontier (especially this one)

The Spirit

Richard Stark’s Parker, Vol. 1: The Hunter

Join us in two weeks for a special non-canonical episode looking back at TV and film comics adaptations for the first half of 2016!

Until then, please rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

Posted in Episodes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

X-Men: Apocalypse Finds Venerable Mutant Franchise Running on Fumes

Posted on May 27, 2016 by Kevin Moreau

Review by Curt Holman

Apocalypse Fox

20th Century Fox

“Mutation – it is the key to our evolution,” announced Patrick Stewart’s Professor Xavier in the introductory monologue of 2000’s X-Men. As a film franchise, the X-Men movies have evolved in fits and starts. The first took the major step of bringing Marvel superheroes to the big screen (after Marvel’s warm-up with Blade in 1998), paving the way for Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man and the blockbusting, inescapable Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Director Bryan Singer improved significantly on the first outing with X2: X-Men United, which featured sharper characterization, better jokes and more exciting set pieces. After some significant missteps, the series made a comeback with the prequel X-Men: First Class, and then ingeniously brought the casts together with the time-travel epic X-Men Days of Future Past. And earlier this year, Deadpool became a colossal hit by ramping up the violence, raunchiness and self-deprecating comedy.

But as the ninth movie in this particular continuity, X-Men: Apocalypse suggests this dynamic has exhausted itself: There’s just not a lot of meat left on those adamantium bones. Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Episode 10 – Uncanny X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Kevin Moreau

Dark PhoenixIn this episode, Curt and Kevin embark on a dazzling journey from the stuffy confines of an exclusive NewYork club to the famed “blue area” of the moon (the No. 1 lunar tourist attraction!) as they struggle to decide the fate of Uncanny X-Men issues 132-137: The Dark Phoenix Saga!

The Hellfire Club, a cabal of wealthy, power-hungry Hamilton cosplayers, mentally manipulate Jean Grey, aka the godlike Phoenix, to help them capture her fellow X-Men. But in doing so, they unwillingly unleash a force of cosmic destruction—the Dark Phoenix, who promptly snacks on a star and earns the wrath of a mighty intergalactic empire.

Will this Black Angel destroy the man she loves, her teammates, and possibly the entire universe? Or can our band of merry mutants win the day and cement their spot in the fiery firmament of funnybooks known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode: Continue reading →

Posted in Episodes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Episode 9 – The Death of Captain America

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Kevin Moreau

Death of CapIn this episode, Curt and Kevin don their best star-spangled finery and strap on their shootin’ irons as they take on the awesome responsibility of discussing Captain America vol. 5, issues 25-36; the first 12 issues of The Death of Captain America.

In the aftermath of Civil War, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, is gunned down in front of a stunned nation—the first volley in a diabolical plot by the dastardly Red Skull, who really, really hates America! It’s up to Cap’s former sidekick, Bucky Barnes, to save the day—while atoning for his past as the brainwashed Soviet assassin Winter Soldier.

Have the Red Skull and his criminal cronies written freedom’s obituary? Or can Bucky Cap, Sharon Carter, the Falcon and the Black Widow march onward into that sweet land of liberty known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:
 Continue reading →

Posted in Episodes | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Captain America: Civil War Shows the Joy of Building Up Worlds – and Tearing Them Down

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Kevin Moreau

Review by Curt Holman

TIM3

Marvel Studios

They may be massive global hits, but the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe aren’t for everyone. While on vacation in 2014, my family went to see Guardians of the Galaxy. By the time Star-Lord and company got to the space jail, my mother said “I can’t take it any more” and left to see Get on Up instead.

And Guardians is essentially a standalone film, give or take a Thanos appearance. Imagine the plight of someone who wants to check out Captain America: Civil War without having seen any of its 12 predecessors. Civil War is one of Marvel Studios’ best-crafted films to date, but also possibly the most reliant on the world-building and relationships established in the previous entries. Watching it cold would be like starting a continuity-heavy TV show in mid-season. Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

One Shot – Free Comic Book Day!

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Kevin Moreau

March FCBDIn this non-canonical episode, we take a break from passing judgment on comic book stories to discuss one of our favorite days of the year: Free Comic Book Day!

Things discussed in this special mini-episode: What is this annual event all about? How did it get started? And what are some of the more noteworthy offerings? (Here’s a full list of this year’s FCBD comics.)

We also discuss the free comics we’re most looking forward to, and offer recommendations for comics to spend actual money on while you’re visiting your favorite comics retailer.

You know what else is free? Getting your name mentioned on The Comics Canon! Rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

Posted in One Shot | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Episode 8 – Civil War

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Kevin Moreau

Civil WarWHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?

In this episode, Curt and Kevin charter a school bus to Stamford, Connecticut to weigh the pros and cons of the Superhero Registration Act, the ethics of cloning a dead god, and the problems of giant crossover events as they (rather civilly) discuss the 2006-2007 Marvel limited series Civil War.

In the wake of a national tragedy, a shocked and fearful public calls for the regulation of super-powered beings. Iron Man leads a group of heroes in favor of licensing, proper training, and (presumably) having government holidays off, while Captain America heads up a resistance movement not eager to take its marching orders from politicians.

Will this clash of titans end in blood and tears, with friends and families forever rent asunder? Or will our Founding Fathers come together to deem it a revolutionary tale worthy of admission into that Land of the Free known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode: Continue reading →

Posted in Episodes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment