The Comic Source Podcast

Jace is joined by Trevor form Dark Knight Nation and Rocky from Comic Boom! to discuss the third week of Future State. They talk art and story, what they liked and what they didn't. Breaking down both the plot and sequential storytelling in the main stories as well as all the backups. There are spoilers here so be sure you have read the books already if you plan too. Overall the guys feel like this is the best week yet in terms of quality of the books, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Jay and Jace break down some titles from the week of January 27, 2021 without giving away spoilers. For Jay his favorite book of the week was Batman Black & White #2 which showcased some gorgeous artwork and showed, once again, how the versatility of Batman is as a character allows for so many different types of stories to be told. We also got the next chapter of Captain Marvel's story in a possible Marvel Universe future that may lead into Carol gaining some the magical powers that have been hinted at by Marvel recently. Over in Post Americana, the blood and guts continue to fly as the action is turned up in this title for mature readers. Both Jay and Jace vastly preferred the Black Adam story in the pages of Suicide Squad much more than the story of Amanda Waller's latest line-up of Task Force X. Future State Batman Superman gives us some details about the Magistrate coming to power in Gotham and the guys think it should have been the first Future State title to be released. Both Amazing Spider-Man and Fantastic Four take a slight step back in quality this week, but for different reasons, in FF, the latest arc goes out with a whimper instead of a bang although the artwork is top notch. Amazing Spider-Man has once again placed the Kindred story arc on the backburner instead of resolving it and Jace is very frustrated by this. We have a similar problem with Daredevil #26 where the story Chip Zdarsky is telling is unfortunately interrupted by a King in Black tie-in. The AfterShock title Kaiju Score continues to be a wild ride and issue #3 is no exception as our gang of would be thieves are forced to switch things up on the fly. In Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity #7, we see the first inklings that even this version of Harley may not be able to avoid the machinations of the Joker which could lead her down a very dark path. Finally in The Other History of The DC Universe #2, John Ridley & company pick up right were they left off with book #1 and give us a powerful & emotional look at the DC Universe through the eyes of characters who are often times overlooked. Jace gives it his nod for Book of the Week. Plus we gives a run down on some other titles you may want to be in the lookout for.

Jace is joined by writer Kyle Higgins and editor/designer Michael Busuttil to talk about Radiant Black. Launching from Image Comics on February 10, 2021, this is shaping up to be one of the biggest launches of the year. Already 70,000 copies have been sold and it seems like the guys may have a hit on their hands. Kyle gives us the origins of the story, how his experiences as a freelancer and his love of the super hero and tokusatsu genres have all come together to create this story. We hear a bit about what the team has planned for the future of the title, supporting characters & world building as well. Michael gives some great insight on the design and look for the series plus he chats about he gives us an insiders view on the collaboration of the creative team. we wrap it up with Kyle discussing the community he is hoping to build both through the letters page type back matter and his new newsletter for Black Market Narrative.

Jace and Jon-Paul tackle Powers of X #1. Jonathan Hickman uses an accelerated story structure to give a glimpse into 4 distinct eras of the X-Men. First we look into the past as the very idea of the X-Men has just occurred to Charles Xavier very soon to be followed by him meeting Moira Mactaggert for the first time. Then we see the world of the X-Men as it is in present time, just as we saw in House of X #1. When we look 100 years into the future things are not looking so bright as a huge war has devastated not only mutants, but the very earth itself. Finally we get a very brief scene of the world one thousand years from now and try to determine what it might mean. There is a TON to unpack in this one and the guys to their best to break it down and explain all the scenes as well as the informational text pages that Hickman gives us that provide a lot of material to help flesh out these different Ages of X he shows us.

Jace continues his look at the chronological history of one of Marvel most enduring villains, Thanos. As hard as it is to believe, after Thanos's apparent death at the end of Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2, he was gone from the pages of Marvel comics for over a decade. However, once Jim Starlin returned, so did the Mad Titan. Silver Surfer #34 begins the epic tale which eventually leads to the Infinity Gauntlet story that so many know from the similar story told in the MCU. Not only does this bring Thanos back for good and establish him as one of the most enduring and influential characters of the Marvel universe, it inextricably links Silver Surfer, Thanos and the Infinity Gems themselves together. It's hard to think of a time when Thanos and the Surfer weren't to different sides of the same coin and the reason for that is the story that starts here.

Jace chats with Chad Bokelman of The Lantern Cast about his origins with the show and comic books themselves. They also talk about the balancing act necessary for covering comics you simply may not like. Also who is Chad's favorite Green Lantern, the answer may surprise you. We talk about the different eras of Green Lantern and which one Chad likes best. Jace and Chad also look to the future and discuss what the upcoming Infinite Frontier Green Lantern title may be like. There's TONS of behind the scenes & Green Lantern talk in this one!

Jace is joined by some other stellar comic book pundits as they return to the future of the DC Universe for the second week of Future State. Overall, most of the guys felt like the quality improved in the second week, but there is still plenty of room for more improvement. Always the trend of cramming too much story into too few pages continues, as did the tendency for the art to let us down, even from creators whose work we normally love. So while the highs were higher the second week, the lows were a bit lower. Join is to find out which issues were which.

Jace and Jay break down some DC books in depth with spoilers. They start with Wonder Twins #2 as it straddles the juggles the genres of humor, satire & all ages superheroes. With so many different thematic goals, can it accomplish any of them? Next up is The Batman Who Laughs: The Grim Knight #1. In writer Scott Snyder's own words, this is what happens when you cross Batman with the Punisher. It's safe to say all criminals better beware, but does his thirst for vengeance go beyond justice? Is this truly a tale of Bruce Wayne? Could this happen? Finally the guys finish up with an issue of the incredible Hawkman series from Robert Venditti. We've finally had a writer makes sense of all the convoluted history and continuity of Hawkman, even Jay who has dismissed Hawkman in the past for exactly those reasons is on board for this series. In this issue Hawkman's ancient past finally catches up with him, but he may have a very unique way of dealing with it. Carter Hall's answer to his problem is literally something no one else in the DC Universe could hope to accomplish. Great stuff!

Jace, Jay and Manny talk about a few of the books they have read that hit stands this week. Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman #1 and Future State: The Next Batman #2 are both a little uneven but have their moments. Maestro: War and Pax is action packed with plenty of Hulk Smash! Scumbag is a title both Jay and Jace have been enjoying for both it's irreverence and its unlikable, humorous and some how endearing lead. King in Black #3 continues the big Marvel event from writer Donny Cates and Jay is ALL-IN! Stillwater #5 ends with a couple of very consequential moments that promise to have a big impact. Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon #1 & We Live #4 are wall to wall action. Rorschach #4 shows why Tom King continues to be on the best in the business when it comes to story structure. Book of the Week DCeased Dead Planet #7 brings the story Tom Taylor has been crafting to a close with so much heart, that it reminds us what's best about the DC Universe. Jace also gives a run down on some other titles you might want to be on the lookout for hitting stands this week.

Jace is joined by writer, fellow podcast and all around awesome guy Jason Inman to discuss his latest Kickstarter project. Jason is tapping into his deep love of superheroes and Superman in particular to craft a relevant story about friendship, self-worth and social media in the digital age. Packed with tons of great artwork that pays homage to some of our favorite comic images from the past, this story introduces us to Mattie Moore, the best friend of Captain Terrific. Things take a turn for the worse however, when Mattie livestream reveals the secret identity of Captain Terrific. What will the consequences be for Mattie and the hero he idolizes? You will have to join the campaign by pledging to find out!