Indefensible Ink

You may have noticed that Ryan and Justin haven't sat down together for one of their usual discussions of (allegedly) terrible comics for a few months now. There's no cause for alarm: everybody's okay. But, like seemingly everything else in the year 2020, things just haven't been quite normal lately. Ryan checks in to say where he's been, what's going on, and what the future holds for Indefensible Ink.

(Justin wanted to call this episode something purposefully inflammatory to make sure everybody saw it--something like "Watchmen - The Much Inferior Prequel to Doomsday Clock," but fortunately, cooler heads prevailed.)

Justin once more sits down with his brother, Zach, to talk about comics. In this episode, what began as a hasty text exchange at the grocery store expands to an in-depth discussion about perhaps the greatest origin story in superhero comics: that of Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man.

The Brothers Zyduck discuss whether Peter let the burglar go because he was lazy or because he was angry, the MCU Spider-Man's origin (or lack thereof), how to resolve the various big coincidences in the story using headcanon, why Aunt May and Uncle Ben are so old, and of course, the most controversial debate of 2002: mechanical vs. organic webshooters. 

Plus, Zach has an unpopular opinion about one element of the Sam Raimi movies, and Justin reveals the one thing Mark Millar ever came up with that he really liked.

Ryan is taking August off, so Justin has invited his brother, Zach, on the show once more to discuss comics from the point of view of a slightly more casual fan. In this episode, the topic turns to Captain America. Zach has never read a single Cap solo comic, and yet he's his favorite character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Is it all down to the magic of Chris Evans, or is there more to it?

In addition to talking through their favorite Steve Rogers bits in the MCU, they'll try to figure out which superheroes are Dads and which ones are Older Brothers, why Earth's Mightiest Heroes might better be called the Super Friends, and the REAL difference between the metropolitan destruction sequences in The Avengers and Man of Steel. Plus: Justin renews his grudge against Mark Millar and discusses how his series The Ultimates provided a blueprint for the MCU...that Joss Whedon threw out almost immediately.

SPOILERS for pretty much every MCU movie ever, but you probably could have guessed that.

In the summertime, when the weather is hot, you can download this and touch the sky; when the weather's fine, you got comics, you got comics on your mind.

School's out, and with no assigned reading to do, Ryan and Justin are taking the rest of July off. But before they do, they've decided to kick back, have some soothing (non-alcoholic) island drinks, and have a low-key conversation about their personal pet peeves and "worst ofs" in comics. Along the way they'll discuss the Dark Phoenix Saga's inability to be translated to film, controversial opinions about the work of Grant Morrison, and a debate about Reed and Sue Richards that threatens to tear the podcast asunder.

PLUS! The moment you've all been waiting for: the CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND of the trivia sensation that's sweeping isolated parts of the nation, Canon Fodder! Which of our hosts will be crowned the King of Correctly Guessing Which Bizarre Comic Facts Are Real and Which Are Made Up? It's anybody's game...

• 00:00 - Theme and Intro
• 03:23 - Worst Comics Trope
• 10:36 - Worst Comics-to-Film Adaptation
• 20:16 - Worst Hero
• 26:22 - Worst Villain
• 33:40 - Worst Supporting Character
• 40:15 - Worst '90s Trend
• 48:15 - Biggest Comics Disappointment
• 55:00 - Worst Comics Couple
• 1:01:20 - Worst Comic Strip
• 1:08:44 - Canon Fodder: CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
• 1:23:27 - Recommendations
• 1:28:58 - Closing

All inquiries about starting a ska band with Justin can be sent to [email protected]

In this week’s episode of Indefensible Ink, Ryan and Justin continue to fight through the tangled web of ‘90s Spider-Man continuity by covering the second half of 1995’s Maximum Clonage! In these issues, Peter Parker (who thinks he’s a clone of Peter Parker) teams up with a clone of Peter Parker (who thinks he’s the real Peter Parker) in order to fight the Jackal and...more clones of Peter Parker. Confused? So are we!

Your indefatigable hosts discuss these developments, along with the inconsistent motivations of our key players, Kaine being too badass to use a door (or a window latch), Jackal’s underbaked mad scientist plot, and questionable use of ‘90s internet lingo.

Discussed: Spider-Man #61, Spectacular Spider-Man #227, Spider-Man: Maximum Clonage Omega #1 (1995).

• 00:00 - Recap of Parts One through Three
  
• 01:16 - Theme and Part Four (Spider-Man #61)
  
• 12:41 - Part Five (Spectacular Spider-Man #227)
  
• 22:56 - Part Six (Maximum Clonage: Omega)
  
• 36:40 - Analysis
  
• 47:23 - How the hell did they wrap up the Clone Saga?
  
• 50:39 - Canon Fodder
  
• 58:58 - Recommendations
  
• 1:02:55 - Closing

In this episode of Indefensible Ink, Ryan and Justin discuss the first half of one of the most reviled storylines of all time: the Spider-Man-centered Clone Saga! Specifically, they tackle 1995’s "Maximum Clonage," in which the Peter Parker fans had known and loved for approximately 20 years turned out to be (possibly) a clone created by C-list Spidey villain The Jackal, and was soon swept up into a convoluted, hopelessly grimdark storyline involving more off-brand Spider-Man knock-offs than you can shake a stick at.

Is "Maximum Clonage" as awful as its reputation (and title) suggest? Or is it a misunderstood masterpiece that will be recited by bards around campfires in some distant (or not so distant) post-apocalyptic future? Ryan and Justin contemplate this, along with science textbooks of the Marvel Universe, the trustworthiness of people obsessed with “genetic perfection,” and the Punisher’s secret nerd shame. Come back June 17 for Part Two!

Discussed: Spider-Man: Maximum Clonage Alpha #1, Web of Spider-Man #127, Amazing Spider-Man #404 (1995).

Contents:

00:00 - Titus Burgess - "Spiderman Too: 2 Many Spidermen" (from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
01:22 - Theme and intro
02:41 - A mercifully brief history of the Clone Saga
10:20 - Part One (Maximum Clonage: Alpha)
32:51 - Part Two (Web of Spider-Man #127)
42:47 - Part Three (Amazing Spider-Man #404)
51:50 - Closing...for now

What if you made a collector's edition that nobody cared to collect? Ryan and Justin break open a sealed polybag of Adventures of Superman #500 to find out what happened to the Man of Steel after the Death of Superman. Along the way we meet your starting lineup of the 1993 Superman Replacements.

Also covered in this episode: vigilante branding issues, how a lack of positive thinking doomed the Kryptonians, tactile telekinesis, and every possible meaning you can extract from the phrase "It's the '90s."

Discussed: Adventures of Superman #500 (1993).

In this special episode of Indefensible Ink, Ryan and Justin trade bad comics for a reputedly bad movie: the 2000 animated adaptation of the popular '90s super-teens-with-attitude comic Gen 13! Did this direct-to-nowhere movie (featuring the voice talents of Mark Hamill, Alicia Witt, and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers) get unfairly sent to its room, or was it merely misunderstood? Your hosts delve into this and more, including '90s female superhero fashion, what Gen 13 has to teach us about workstation security policies, some Academy Award-worthy sound effects, and the questionable curriculum of top-secret military academies.

Discussed in this episode: Gen 13 (animated film, 2000).

Contents:

• 00:00 - Theme and intro
• 01:24 - Background: Gen 13 in comics
• 06:46 - Background: Why was this movie buried?
• 08:44 - Gen 13: The Movie
• 52:02 - Analysis
• 59:40 - Canon Fodder
• 1:08:10 - Recommendations
• 1:13:55 - Closing

Taking a break from the usual format, Justin does the unthinkable and spends a podcast talking about GOOD comics. To do so, he's invited his brother, Zach, to have a laid-back conversation about Daredevil. Zach brings a different perspective with different taste in comics as a far more casual fan, and together they'll try to get to the bottom of what makes ol' Hornhead so appealing to this less-than-diehard comics reader. Plus, detours and off-topic musings aplenty, including whether Ultimate Spider-Man is any good, how Marvel and DC create new characters without actually creating new characters, and the decreased importance of the secret identity in superhero fiction. 

"Defensible Ink" strikes again! When Marvel asked Image breakaways Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee to reboot the Avengers and Fantastic Four titles in 1996, it infuriated fans and Marvel staffers alike. The Heroes Reborn publishing initiative was soon scuttled and became a notorious reminder of the grim 'n' gritty, all-style-no-substance 1990s. But revisited almost 25 years later, Lee's Fantastic Four not only comes off better than you might expect--it's possibly the best Fantastic Four movie you've never seen.

Also covered in this episode: questionable casino marketing strategies, Namor's weakness for the diplomacy of hot blond(e)s, and Chekhov's quantum drive. Plus: in a very special "Canon Fodder," Justin reveals his hideously nerdy yet surprisingly accurate method for calculating Marvel Time!

Discussed: Fantastic Four (vol. 2) #1-3 (1996-97)

Contents:

• 00:00 - Theme and intro
• 02:41 - Background: Heroes Reborn
• 11:08 - Issue #1
• 31:57 - Issue #2
• 43:32 - Issue #3
• 1:00:17 - Analysis
• 1:07:36 - Canon Fodder
• 1:18:33 - Recommendations
• 1:22:12 - Closing