Episode 3: Ms. Marvel, No Normal

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Kevin Moreau

Ms Marvel No Normal In this episode, the rubber meets the road as Curt and Kevin travel back in time to the sepia-toned days of 2014 to discuss Ms. Marvel #1-5! Kamala Khan may well be the most likeable first-generation Pakistani-American teenage Muslim superhero ever.

But is this plucky polymorph more than just Peter Parker in a burkini? Will time—and Donald Trump—render her nothing more than an intriguing historical footnote? Or does this shape-shifting schoolgirl have what it takes to crash that hallowed hall of marvels known as … The Comics Canon?

 

Things discussed in this episode:

  • The complicated history of Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Shazam
  • The quintessential 21st century superhero … a Jersey girl?
  • The best battle cry ever uttered: “Embiggen!”
  • Baseless speculation about the 2019 Inhumans movie
  • The most grounded superhero in comics history?
  • The efficacy of “super snot”
  • Overly sexualized teenage superheroes
  • Fan fiction about real people and other threads best left un-pulled

Join us in two weeks, as we point the Canonmobile toward the mean, blood-drenched streets of Gotham City to take the pulse of an aging Caped Crusader waging a one-retiree war on crime in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns!

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!

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Episode 2: Swamp Thing’s Anatomy Lesson

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Kevin Moreau

Anatomy LessonIn this episode, Curt and Kevin dig deep into the fertile soil of The Saga of the Swamp Thing issues 21-24! In this tangled tale of fearsome flora, Alan Moore puts DC’s mixed-up muck monster through an existential crisis that plants the seeds of a new era in superhero comics.

Will the flowery prose stylings of comics’ 800-lb. gorilla bog these issues down in the backwater of forgotten four-color flotsam? Or is this story of identity, rebirth and reinvention just bloomin’ brilliant enough to let our mythic marsh man put down roots in that pistil-packin’ parliament of pulp periodicals known as … The Comics Canon?

 

Things discussed in this episode:

  • The best single-issue story in comics history???
  • The hinky science of superhero comics
  • Swamp Thing, The Plant That Thinks It’s a Man!
  • “Alan Morgue,” Tales From the Crypt and E.C. Comics
  • “Uglier than Death backin’ outta the outhouse readin’ MAD Magazine and crazier than a football bat!”
  • Word of the Day: Epistrophe!
  • All this and … The Correction That Wasn’t!

You can listen to the episode via the player above, or on SoundCloud,  iTunes, or Stitcher. And join us in two weeks as we sneak out of our bedroom windows for the mosques, convenience stores and high school hallways of Jersey City to decide whether Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal merits a passing grade!

Remember: Please rate us on iTunes, send us an email or comment on our Facebook page, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode! And as always, thanks for listening!

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Episode 1: The Coming of Galactus

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Kevin Moreau

Fantastic_Four_Vol_1_49Our first episode is here, and it’s a big one! Join Curt and Kevin as they tackle Fantastic Four issues 48-50, introducing two of the heaviest hitters in the Marvel Universe—none other than that great-granddaddy of king-sized crumbums, the world-devouring Galactus, and his shreddin’ sentinel of the spaceways, the Silver Surfer! Will their combined cosmic might be enough to deliver this titanic tale into that heavenly host of four-color funnybooks … The Comics Canon?

Things discussed in this episode:

  • Galactus’ questionable wardrobe choices!
  • Stan “The Man” Lee’s passive-aggressive caption writing!
  • The senses-stunning synergy of “Joltin’” Joe Sinnott and Jack “King” Kirby!
  • The Black Racer: A bridge too far?
  • The Fantastic Four as supporting players in their own comic!
  • The Silver Surfer: from heel to hero (and this book, which Curt mentions around the 25:00 mark)!
  • And the pulse-pounding excitement of superhero college registration!

You can listen to the episode via the player above, or on SoundCloud,  iTunes, or Stitcher. And join us in two weeks as we brave the muck-encrusted marshes of southern Louisiana to pass judgment on Saga of the Swamp Thing issues 21-24!

Remember: Please rate us on iTunes, send us an email or comment on our Facebook page, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode.
Thanks for listening!

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Episode 0: What Is The Comics Canon?

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Kevin Moreau

Co-hosts Kevin Moreau and Curt Holman answer that burning question in this introductory preview.

Each episode, we’ll take a critical and completely subjective look at one of the greatest (or not-so-greatest) stories in comics history as they decide: Does this belong in the pantheon of great comic-book stories … The Comics Canon?

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