Got The Runs

The Runners run out the clock on the year, the Reckless books, and the Ed Brubaker miniseries with our senses-shattering coverage of the final two volumes of Reckless! With Ethan out of town, Anna investigates the eerie goings on at her childhood idol's Hollywood home. But Ethan isn't cooling his heels - his own adventure starts as a favour to a friend, but soon finds him wrapped up in a cause of his own. Topics of discussion include issues with the OGN format, Brubaker's character work, and celebrating a very special Got the Runs milestone. Plus - our definitive Ed Brubaker rankings! (Not to be disputed!!)

Covering Reckless: The Ghost In You (2022) and Reckless: Follow Me Down (2022) by Ed Brubaker (W), Sean Phillips (A), and Jacob Phillips (C).

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Ho, ho, ho, happy week between Christmas and New Years! It's a double feature this week as the Runners wrap up their Ed Brubaker miniseries with the Reckless series of graphic novels. Private investigator/repo man/wrecking ball (but mostly private investigator) Ethan Reckless and his trusty sidekick Anna trip their way through 70s and 80s Los Angeles on a variety of sordid cases. Topics of discussion include how reckless Ethan Reckless really is, what constitutes an old movie, and micro-MFs.

Covering Reckless (2020), Friend of the Devil (2021), and Destroy All Monsters (2021), by Ed Brubaker (W), Sean Phillips (A), and Jacob Phillips (C).

We talk at you – talk back at us! Tweet at us @gottherunspod or email us at [email protected]!

Brubaker and Phillips issue the ultimate "Would You Rather" with their moral thought experiment/pulpy crime thriller Kill or Be Killed, and the Runners are ready to play! (For us, it's going to be "Kill".) Depressed graduate student Dylan's life goes from bad to worse when he finds himself locked to a contract with a demon requiring him to kill one person each month or forfeit his own life, but soon finds a new sense of purpose when his unexpected calling empowers him to confront evil in ways he never imagined. Topics of discussion include the book's divisive ending, the Sean Phillips showcase in the artwork, and an investigation into whether Dr. Dre is actually a doctor.

Covering Kill or Be Killed (2016) #1-20 by Ed Brubaker (W), Sean Phillips (A), and Elizabeth Breitweiser (C).

We talk at you - talk back at us! Tweet at us @gottherunspod or email us at [email protected]!

Famous people really are just like us – colluding with the FBI to ensure our sordid pasts never come to light! We’re digging up some graves this week in Brubaker and Phillips’ Hollynoir murder mystery, The Fade Out. Troubled screenwriter Charles Parish is relieved to have gotten away clean after waking up next to the body of his latest picture’s leading lady, but when the press begins reporting the death as a suicide, he’s driven to find out who killed her and why. Topics of discussion include a lengthy attempt to understand basic plot elements, Brubaker and Phillips’ noir subversions, and a return to the beloved Villains wiki.

Covering The Fade Out (2014) #1-12 by Ed Brubaker (W), Sean Phillips (A), Elizabeth Breitweiser (C), and more.

We talk at you – talk back at us! Tweet at us @gottherunspod or email us at [email protected]!

What if your mild-mannered podcast had a spy episode?!? We’re giving Phillips a week off as we continue our Brubaker miniseries with his super-spy collaboration with superstar artist Steve Epting: Velvet! Velvet Templeton’s life as a secretary in an international espionage agency is upended when she’s framed for murder, forcing her to draw on long-neglected skills to find the truth and clear her name. Topics of discussion include the logistics of international spy organizations, a cry for more bureaucratic action scenes, and decrying fan-casting (conversation takes place while performing a fan-casting).

Covering Velvet (2013) #1-15 by Ed Brubaker (W), Steve Epting (A), Elizabeth Breitweiser (C), and Chris Eliopoulos (L)

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The Runners close the skin-bound book on Fatale this week as our Brubaker miniseries marches on! In the 1990s, Josephine’s missing memories wreak havoc on a Seattle band, setting events in emotion that prove pivotal as she tries to break her curse once and for all in the 2010s. Topics of discussion include the search for a feminist reading of the book, Nazi occultism, and the worst Call of Duty perk. Plus: how Chris would wield the powers of the Fatale (dementedly)!

Covering Fatale (2012) #12-24 by Ed Brubaker (W), Sean Phillips (A), Dave Stewart (C), and Elizabeth Breitweiser (C).

We talk at you – talk back at us! Tweet at us @gottherunspod or email us at [email protected]!

Spooktober continues here on GTR as we present an especially unhinged GTR: Nights edition on Brubaker & Phillips' noir horror, Fatale! Cursed with irresistible beauty and ageless immortality, Josephine leaves a trail of broken men behind her as she seeks to escape the elder gods who desire her and their worshippers in a century of struggle. Topics of discussion include West Coast crime cities, Phillips' comparability to Mignola, and Chris' ongoing quest to convert David to a TooOldie.

Covering Fatale (2012) #1-11 by Ed Brubaker (W), Sean Phillips (A), and Dave Stewart (C).

We talk at you - talk back at us! Tweet at us @gottherunspod or email us at [email protected]! 

Tales of thrilling suspense and derring-do! The Runners are diving into the noir-tinged pulp world of Brubaker and Phillips' Incognito this week. His brother's death finds one-time science-villain Zack Overkill turning State's witness, surrendering his superpowers to enter witness protection after betraying his boss... until their unexpected return forces him to confront if he's still the villain of yester-year. Then, Zack's new life sends him back into the underbelly of science crime to find out if a leopard can really change his spots, or if old habits die harder than it may first appear. Topics of discussion include the mean streak of aughts comics, the cultural footprint of pulp, and a critical analysis of whether "Wazzup" ever stopped being funny.

Covering Incognito (2008) #1-6 and Incognito: Bad Influences (2010) #1-5 by Ed Brubaker (W), Sean Phillips (A), Val Staples (C), and more.

We talk at you - talk back at us! Tweet at us @gottherunspod or email us at [email protected]!

If crime does not pay, podcasting must be the greatest crime of all! Join the Runners as they commit a capital offense against ears and taste by diving into the most recent Criminal stories by Brubaker and Phillips. Archie, Conan, Shang-Chi, and the entire comics industry are all lovingly pastiched before we learn the sordid history of the murder of Teeg Lawless over the course of one cruel summer! Topics of discussion include Cruel Summer’s successes and failures as a capstone Criminal story, the Runners’ ranking of the Criminal oeuvre, and some Mario Kart strategizing.

Covering Criminal: The Last of the Innocent #1-4, Special Edition #1, Criminal 10th Anniversary Special #1, My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies, and Criminal (2019) #1-12 by Ed Brubaker (W), Sean Phillips (A), Elizabeth Breitweiser (C), Jacob Phillips (C), and more.

We talk at you – talk back at us! Tweet at us @gottherunspod or email us [email protected]!

Head on down to the Undertow and pull up a stool, true believer! The Runners are casing Brubaker's classic crime comic with Sean Phillips: Criminal! Leo Patterson, Tracey Lawless, Jacob Kurtz, Gnarly Brown: their lives are very different, but they all lead to the same place: years of enmeshment with a life of crime, and those who are lucky enough to walk away from it won't do so without a few scars! Topics of discussion include Brubaker's tour through the sub-genres of crime, the heavy influence of Parker, and David's newest 100% original character, Dodney Rangerfield!

Covering Criminal (2006) #1-10, Criminal (2008) #1-7, and Criminal: The Sinners (2009) #1-15 by Ed Brubaker (W), Sean Phillips (A), Val Staples (C), and more!

We talk at you - talk back at us! Tweet us @gottherunspod or email us at [email protected]!