As Gotham City celebrates New Year's Eve, the Joker sets out over the city in a crop duster laden with Joker gas to poison the revelers. While Batman tries to stop the Joker, Holiday prepares to take his next victim aboard a luxury yacht in Gotham Harbor, and DA Harvey Dent learns some new information about the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Carmine Falcone. 

Join the Graphic Novel Apostle podcast for our January installment of our Batman: The Long Halloween series. 

Batman: The Long Halloween, issue 4
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Tim Sale
Colors: Gregory Wright
Letters: Richard Starkings and Comicraft
Publisher: DC

Let us know what you think. Questions? Comments on the show? Comments on the book we covered? Recommendations for other comic collections or graphic novels?
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @graphicnovelapostle
Blue Sky: @gnapostlepod.bsky.social
Twitter: @markohrenberger

In part 3 of our Batman: The Long Halloween series (see Episode 19 for part 1 and Episode 23 for part 2), it's Christmas in Gotham City. The Joker has escaped from Arkham Asylum and is on a mission to find and eliminate the serial killer that has come to be known as "Holiday." As he puts it, "This town isn't big enough for two homicidal maniacs." Meanwhile, Batman and Captain Gordon visit Arkham to see whether the similarly theme villain Calendar Man can offer them any insight. 

Batman: The Long Halloween, Issue 3
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Tim Sale
Colors: Gregory Wright
Letters: Richard Starkings and Comicraft
Publisher: DC

Let us know what you think. Questions? Comments on the show? Comments on the book we covered? Recommendations for other comic collections or graphic novels?
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @graphicnovelapostle
Blue Sky: @gnapostlepod.bsky.social
Twitter: @markohrenberger

It's guest's choice this week, as Mark's friend Craig Brukardt joins the show and introduces Mark to the highly acclaimed comic series, Saga. This episode covers volume 1, which consists of series issues 1-6.

Saga, vol. 1
Writer: Brian K. Vaughn
Artist: Fiona Staples
Letters: Fonografiks
Publisher: Image Comics

Let us know what you think. Questions? Comments on the show? Comments on the book we covered? Recommendations for other comic collections or graphic novels?
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @graphicnovelapostle
Blue Sky: @gnapostlepod.bsky.social
Twitter: @markohrenberger

We welcome the Christmas season on this mini episode of the Graphic Novel Apostle podcast with a heartwarming tale of Peter Parker struggling in the final days before Christmas to acquire just the right gift to show his Aunt May how much he loves her.

Credits:
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man, issue 46 (Dec. 2008)
Writer: Todd Dezago
Pencils: Roberto Castro
Inks: Greg Adams and Kris Justice
Colors: Sotocolor's A-Street
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Cover Art: Francis Tsai and Skottie Young
Publisher: Marvel

On next week's Book Club episode, Mark's pal Craig Brukardt will join the show to discuss Saga, Vol. 1, from Image Comics.

Let us know what you think. Questions? Comments on the show? Comments on the book we covered? Recommendations for other comic collections or graphic novels?
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @graphicnovelapostle
Blue Sky: @gnapostlepod.bsky.social
Twitter: @markohrenberger

In part 2 of our Batman: The Long Halloween series (see Episode 19 for part 1), it's Thanksgiving in Gotham City. In addition to continuing their search for gangster Johnny Viti's murderer, Batman and Captain Gordon seek to discover who was responsible for the bombing of District Attorney Harvey Dent's house on Halloween night. In the midst of it all, the Holiday Killer strikes again!

Batman: The Long Halloween, Issue 2
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Tim Sale
Colors: Gregory Wright
Letters: Richard Starkings and Comicraft
Publisher: DC

Let us know what you think. Questions? Comments on the show? Comments on the book we covered? Recommendations for other comic collections or graphic novels?
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @graphicnovelapostle
Blue Sky: @gnapostlepod.bsky.social
Twitter: @markohrenberger

Something a little different for this episode of the Graphic Novel Apostle podcast. Think of this as an addendum to last week's Trve Kvlt episode, which also included my guest Michael Crump. During our discussion of Trve Kvlt, we took a detour ... for about 45 minutes ... to discuss our "40 From 20" playlists, that is - playlists with 2 tracks each from our 20 favorite albums. In the end, we decided to cut that discussion out of our Trve Kvlt episode and share it this week as a bonus episode. I hope you enjoy our conversation. Be sure to come back next week for the second entry in our Batman: The Long Halloween series, as I'll be discussing Batman: The Long Halloween, issue 2.

Crump's Top 20 Albums (no particular order): 

• Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair
• Peter Gabriel - Car
• Jason Isbell - Southeastern
• Pearl Jam - Vs.
• Childish Gambino - Camp
• Twenty One Pilots - Vessel
• Prince - Purple Rain 
• The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
• Men at Work - Cargo
• The Cranberries - No Need to Argue
• Toad the Wet Sprocket - fear
• The Replacements - Tim
• The Decemberists - Picaresque
• Live - Throwing Copper
• Ben Folds Five - The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner
• New Edition - Heart Break
• R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
• Carbon Leaf - Indian Summer
• Of Monsters and Men - My Head is an Animal
• Midnight Oil - Blue Sky Mining

The Apostle's Top 20 Albums (no particular order): 

• Elvis Costello - My Aim is True
• Cake - Motorcade of Generosity
• Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album)
• G. Love & Special Sauce - Philadelphonic
• The Head and the Heart - The Head and the Heart
• Grateful Dead - American Beauty
• Jason Isbell - Southeastern
• Paul Simon - Graceland
• Son Volt - Trace
• Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
• Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean 
• Billy Joel - Cold Spring Harbor
• Dave Matthews Band - Before These Crowded Streets
• David Gray - White Ladder
• Bon Iver - Bon Iver
• Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind
• The National - Trouble Will Find Me
• U2 - The Joshua Tree
• R.E.M - Automatic for the People
• Dashboard Confessional - MTV Unplugged

Let us know what essential records we missed!

Let us know what you think. Questions? Comments on the show? Comments on the book we covered? Recommendations for other comic collections or graphic novels?
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @graphicnovelapostle
Blue Sky: @gnapostlepod.bsky.social
Twitter: @markohrenberger

Host Mark Ohrenberger's long-time friend Michael Crump joins the podcast to discuss the hilarious, absurdist, burger-flipping, heist-pulling, devil cult thriller Trve Kvlt. This 5-issue miniseries is nothing but fun from start to finish.

Trve Kvlt
Writer: Scott Bryan Wilson
Artist: Liana Kangas
Colors: Gab Contraras
Letters: DC Hopkins
Publisher: IDW Publishing (IDW Originals)

And come back next week for a bonus episode where Mark and Michael break down their personal all-time top 20 records ... none of which is known to possess occult powers.

Let us know what you think. Questions? Comments on the show? Comments on the book we covered? Recommendations for other comic collections or graphic novels?
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @graphicnovelapostle
Blue Sky: @gnapostlepod.bsky.social
Twitter: @markohrenberger

On this week's mini episode, host Mark Ohrenberger begins by recapping his experience at the Memphis Comic Expo last weekend. After that, the episode focuses on the new Ghost Machine horror universe and specifically Hyde Street, issue 1, and the one-shot It Happened on Hyde Street: Devour.

Hyde Street, issue 1
Storytellers: Geoff Johns & Ivan Reis
Inks: Danny Miki
Colors: Brad Anderson
Letters: Rob Leigh
Publisher: Ghost Machine/Image Comics

It Happened on Hyde Street: Devour (one-shot)
Creators: Maytal Zchut & Leila Leiz 
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letters: Rob Leigh
Cover Art: Ivan Reis, Danny Miki & Brad Anderson 
Publisher: Ghost Machine/Image Comics

Let us know what you think. Questions? Comments on the show? Comments on the book we covered? Recommendations for other comic collections or graphic novels?
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @graphicnovelapostle
Blue Sky: @gnapostlepod.bsky.social
Twitter: @markohrenberger

On this episode, host Mark Ohrenberger starts a new monthly series covering Batman: The Long Halloween, the 13-issue noir mystery series in which an early-career Batman pursues a serial killer on the loose in Gotham City who strikes every month on the holiday falling on that page of the calendar. One week out of each month from this October to next October, we'll examine one issue from the series as Batman closes in on the mystery Holiday Killer!

Batman: The Long Halloween #1
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Tim Sale
Colors: Gregory Wright
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Publisher: DC

This week, Mark also announces a new schedule and format for the show. Moving forward, each month:

• One episode will be dedicated to exploring a single issue in a longer series, beginning this week with Batman: The Long Halloween #1;
• One episode will be a "mini" episode where Mark highlights books from his pull list or speaks with a comic creator or another participant in the comic book industry; and 
• One episode will be a traditional two-person show where Mark invites a friend who doesn't read comics to come on the show and discuss a comics collection or original graphic novel he has selected specifically for them.
• Some months might also feature a bonus episode. Otherwise, the show will likely take one week off per month.

Finally, Mark discusses his recent visit to Gabe's Cave comic shop, in El Dorado, Arkansas, to meet the writer and one of the artists on two recent series from Image Comics, Feral and Stray Dogs: Dog Days - Tony Fleecs and Tone Rodriguez. 

Let us know what you think. Questions? Comments on the show? Comments on the book we covered? Recommendations for other comic collections or graphic novels?
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @graphicnovelapostle
Blue Sky: @gnapostlepod.bsky.social
Twitter: @markohrenberger

On this week's mini episode, GNA host Mark Ohrenberger offers a "State of the Union" on horror anthology titles in comic books. Specifically, we discuss:

Creepshow, from Skybound/Image Comics
Epitaphs from the Abyss, from EC/Oni Press and
Hello Darkness, from Boom! Studios

In the second half of the episode, we'll discuss a great Halloween tale from Creepshow, vol. 1, issue 1 (Sept. 2022):
"Take One"
Writer/Artist: Chris Burnham
Colors: Adriano Lucas
Letters: Pat Brosseau

This week, I also want to recommend a Kickstarter project that I am backing, and I hope you'll join me to get it to its fundraising goal in the next few days.
unSeen/unHeard: Disability & Neurodivergence Comic Anthology will present a dozen short stories across a variety of genres, all written and drawn by creators with disabilities or neurodivergence and featuring characters with disabilities or neurodivergence. Back the project here: http://kck.st/3B4CAoh

Let us know what you think. Questions? Comments on the show? Comments on the book we covered? Recommendations for other comic collections or graphic novels?
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @graphicnovelapostle
Blue Sky: @gnapostlepod.bsky.social
Twitter: @markohrenberger