The Comic Source Podcast

Do you ever wonder what happened to Thanos after his supposed death in Captain Marvel #33. That first classic story crafted by Jim Starlin where Thanos was defeated by Captain marvel seemingly ended with the Mad Titans death, but a few months later he showed up in the pages of Warlock. How and why was Thanos spared? The master of Marvel cosmos himself is back to fill in the gaps, Jim Starlin along with his frequent artistic collaborator Ron Lim gives us an amazing tale that ties into the past as well as the future of Thanos. This tale adds so much to the character and even serves as a wonderful introduction to the character for any who are not familiar with the would be conqueror. Finally we will mention that goign back and retroactively telling tales that fit seamlessly into continuity is an extremely difficult feat, but Starling pulls it off flawlessly and other creators should take note of how to do it properly.

Jace discuss in depth 5 recent books he has read, starting with Female Furies #1. The world of Apokolips is ruled by Darkseid with an iron fist and it is no surprise that it is misogynists and backwards in terms of equality, but that doesn't sop the Female Furies from trying to right the imbalance. In Die #3 we start to get an idea of just how far in over their heads the 5 friends and former RPG players are. Also we are introduced to the "warden" of the world of Die and he just may be someone you've heard of. Jace breaks down the third issue of Mark Millar's Prodigy and takes about how the series just isn't working for him due to lazy writing and too many factual inconsistencies to be enjoyable. Self Made;s third issue flips the story on it's head as we head into act 2 with all the status quo thrown out the window and the very survival of our protagonist Amala is unknown by issue's end. Finally in the debut of Chip Zdarsky's Daredevil, Matt may have stepped over the line and rung a bell he can never unring. Zdarsky may be going over some familiar territory but he is doing it with such great characterization, intriguing interactions and dramatic tension that Jace was immediately sucked in.

More holiday cheer as Jace talks about his two favorite holiday stories from Marvel ever! First we have a silent story with Captain America that showcases the power of sequential art in telling a story. Then we have Dr Doom playing Santa Claus, or should we say Santa Doom! It a wonderful fun tale told in rhyme that captures the heart of the holiday spirit so well. The characterization of Doom is very reminiscent of Christopher Cantwell's Doctor Doom series and it make Doom more relatable than ever and certainly more fun!

It's another deep dive into a Holiday Special. This time Jace takes a look at Marvel's 1992 seasonal offering with tons of stories rooted in the 90's. Many of the stories have context for the characters ongoing title of the time with the same creative teams that are on those titles. It makes for an interesting read at times and will certainly be a trip down memory lane for fans who were reading those title at the time, especially the New Warriors story. Meanwhile the silent Wolverine Story that kicks off the book is outstanding and an instant classic. The Spider-Man has some great Steve Lightle art & the Doc Samson story is good for a few laughs. All in all, not the best holiday offering from Marvel but definitely worth a read.

Jace takes a deep dive into the Marvel Holiday Special from 2005. We get a Fantastic Four & Mole Man story where the Thing plays detective. The Fantastic Four also give a super-villain a much needed second chance. Finally in the most famous story from this issue we meet Santron! What do you get when you cross Ultron with Kris Kringle? You'll have to read this story to find out, but let's just say, he knows if you've been bad or good. Just about all the Avengers are on the naughty list of this Santa Claus and Santron is going to make them pay!

Jace chats with comic creator Ben Krieg about his upcoming prose novel Frontier Forever as well as the prequel graphic novel to that prose work, Frontier Forever: Regenisis. They guys get deep into sci-fi, world-building and how immense the universe is that Ben is creating. Ben's ideas are truly limitless when it comes to telling stories in this world. So much has gone into that and it is very evident on the campaign page through the character and character group descriptions. Perhaps most intriguing is the main character of Regenisis, The Marshall. Ben has found a way to put a lot of himself into her, who although she is a machine, exhibits some of the same sorts of characteristic challenges that Ben himself has had to overcome in his own life. The best kind of stories are those we can relate to and Ben is certainly writing what he knows. Jace is very excited for this story and we think you will be too if you go check it out!

Jace reaches the conclusion of the first story arc in Brandon Peterson's Arcanum series. Just when you think you know where it's headed, he throws us a curveball. Ming Chang finally makes her chose, will she use her newly granted powers as the Avatar of Life for the Avatars of the Good or will she join with Franklin Blake and his Avatars of Evil & seek power. The answer is really going to surprise you!

Jace takes us through another holiday special from DC comics. This time it is an issue filled with brand-new stories. Still editied by Mark Waid, but instead of reprinting stories of the season, Waid has assembled quite a roster of talent to bring us original stories to mark the holidays with thoughts of thankfulness and cheer.

Jace chats with comic creators Brian L Hawkins and Richard Kemp about their campaign for the second issue of their Don't Ever Blink series. It's a horror comic inspired by slasher films with a little bit of Scream thrown in and plenty of chills to top it off. The guys chat about what it takes to be a successful self-publisher, how hard work can pay off and how important it is to keep learning. Jace guessing on of Richard's artistic influences and Brian explains how Richard's character designs really brought the story to life and pushed up to new heights of storytelling as he built in references to prior visuals as the story developed. It's a great chat with two creators honing their craft.

Jace and Manny go over some of the titles hitting stands the week of December 16, 2020. Spoiler-free reviews of a lot of books including the three latest chapters of DC's Eternal Winter storyline. Manny gives his thoughts on what's really working for him in Rorschach and Death Metal. However, he expresses some disappointment with the end of the latest Batman arc. The guys both thought Post Americana was messy in all the best ways. Jace loves that Dan Slott is returning the Fantastic Four to their adventure-some roots in issue #27 and he also thinks that Immortal Hulk is revving up for lots of action based on what he saw in issue #41. Christopher Cantwell is continuing to take Tony Stark back to basics in Iron Man #4 and Jace thinks Al Ewing and Aaron Kuder created a masterpiece with Immortal Hulk King in Black #1, it's everything sequential storytelling should be.