The Comics Canon

The Cosmic Canon, our miniseries on space-faring epics, concludes with a look at Mike Baron and Steve Rude's Nexus, as seen in Nexus. Vol. 2, issues #13-16 and 18-19, published by First Comics!

In the 25th century, Horatio Hellpop dreams of mass murderers, and is compelled to hunt those killers across the galaxy and kill them. When his efforts to free himself of this mission are thwarted, he winds up face to face with the bizarre alien entity behind his incredible powers!

Can his best friends and his erstwhile lover prevail against a four-armed assassin and one of the galaxy's most formidable spymasters in a desperate effort to save Horatio's soul? And can this richly imagined and beautifully rendered saga cross the threshold into that space odyssey known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

• First Comics
• Burn After Reading
• Steve Rude's artwork
• Nexus as a Warlock in Dungeons and Dragons
• The Sun Devils
• We Hate Movies: The Nexus
• Nexus Omnibus Vol. 1
• Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes

Join us in two weeks as we switch gears in a big way with a look at Art Spiegelman's Maus Vol. 1: My Father Bleeds History.

Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook!

And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, The Cosmic Canon, our series on space-faring epics, rockets all the way to the 30th century as we discuss The Great Darkness Saga from Legion of Super-Heroes #290-294, published by DC Comics!

As chronicled by Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen, the early '80s Legion isn't your daddy's teenage superhero space club! Combining space opera and soap opera, it features a large cast of super-powered young adults embroiled in romantic dramas and interplanetary intrigue. And in this landmark five-issue story, they face their greatest foe yet, the enigmatic Master of Darkness! (Spoiler alert: It's Darkseid!)

Superboy, Supergirl and the Legion face off against Jack Kirby's deadly despot as well as his sinister Servants and three billion mind-controlled aliens with the power of Superman in this story that helped to establish Darkseid as one of the elite antagonists of the DC Universe! Can our host of attractive young Lads and Lasses hope to prevail? And can this twilight saga emerge unscathed from the Apokalips Now that is ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

• What's your Legion name?
• Superboy goes to college
• The artwork of Keith Giffen
• Great Darkness Saga vs. The Sinestro Corps War
• Legion of Substitute Heroes Special #1
• The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans

Join us in two weeks as The Cosmic Canon concludes with a look at Mike Baron and Steve Rude's Nexus!

Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook!

On this episode, The Cosmic Canon, our series on cosmic tales, soars from peaceful New Genesis to pockmarked Apokalips to Earth as we discuss Jack Kirby's epic saga of space gods, galactic wars and skiing avatars of Death: New Gods Vol. 1, issues 1-11, published by DC Comics!

The flagship title of Kirby's ambitious Fourth World line, New Gods introduced a head-spinning mixture of science fantasy, mythology and superheroics that built on the themes explored in Kirby's work on Marvel's The Mighty Thor. And its villain, the deadly Darkseid, has gone on to become one of the pre-eminent tyrants of popular culture.

Can the brooding Orion, wielder of the "Astro-Force," overcome his dark nature and defeat the forces of Apokalips before they find the Anti-Life Equation? And can this unfinished series ascend to that Twilight of the Gods known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

• Quotation marks
• There's Kirby in the air
• The Blank Check podcast
• Our Superman's Pal: Jimmy Olsen episode
• New Gods' influence on Star Wars
• The Star Wars Episode Zero podcast
• The, um, Santa Clause
• Orion Book 1
• The "Apokalips ... Now!" and "Legacy" two-parters from Superman: The Animated Series
• Even Gods Must Die

Join us in two weeks as The Cosmic Canon journeys to the 30th century as the Legion of Super-Heroes battles a mysterious foe (who COULD it be?) in The Great Darkness Saga!

Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook!

And as always, thanks for listening!

On this episode, The Cosmic Canon, our series on cosmic comics stories, rockets from Coast City to the sentient planet Mogo to the anti-matter universe as we get embroiled in Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War Vol. 1, by Geoff Johns, Dave Gibbons, and various artists, published by DC Comics!

The intergalactic peacekeeping force known as the Green Lantern Corps is rocked to its core when the renegade Sinestro assembles his own army of magic ring-wearing aliens, who launch a full-scale assault on Green Lanterns across the galaxy! And they've got a Cyborg Superman, an alternate-universe Superboy, and the Anti-Monitor on their side!

Can Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner and their compatriots stop these fearsome gleep-glops from annihilating the Corps? And can they blast off to that final frontier known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

• I mean, the name "Sinestro" is kind of a giveaway
• Green Lantern 101
• Kevin makes another G.I. Joe reference
• Tygers by Alan Moore
• Curt has a great idea for a T-shirt
• Revenge of the Green Lanterns
• Green Lantern: Agent Orange
• The "Green Loontern" episode of Duck Dodgers
• Blackest Night
• Nova: Annihilation Conquest

Join us in two weeks as The Cosmic Canon tackles the mother (or is that the Granny Goodness?) of all cosmic comics series: Jack Kirby's New Gods!

Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook!

And as always, thanks for listening!

On this episode, we launch a new miniseries on cosmic comics stories called (what else?) The Cosmic Canon! First up: the historic Kree-Skrull War, specifically Avengers issue #93-97, by Roy Thomas, Neal Adams and John Buscema, published by Marvel Comics!

Can you call a storyline the Kree-Skrull War when there's no actual Kree vs. Skrull combat? And can this character-stuffed epic achieve victory in that Battle Beyond the Stars known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

• Holy pop-culture and sci-fi references, Batman!
• G.I. Joe #1
• "You guys hired Jack of Hearts as an Avenger?!!"
• Is Goliath juicing?
• Skrull milk
• Marvels Epilogue
• The Avengers/Defenders War
• Deep Space Nine: A Call to Action through Sacrifice of Angels
• Should we do a side episode on DS9?
• War of Kings
• The Avengers: The Korvac Saga

Join us in two weeks as The Cosmic Canon continues with Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War Vol. 1!

Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook!

And as always, thanks for listening!

Phil Sheldon is just your average man on the street—except that his career as a freelance photographer uniquely positions him to chronicle several key events in the history of the Marvel Universe, as depicted in the 1994 miniseries Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross, published by Marvel Comics!

Can our workaday shutterbug overcome his feelings of inferiority in the face of superpowered beings? Can he rise above a wave of anti-mutant hysteria, survive the Coming of Galactus and work through the tragic death of young Gwen Stacy? And can he make it onto that Front Page of funnybook excellence known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

• We linger on the artwork of Alex Ross
• Jolene by Dolly Parton
• Sex and the City
• Phil Sheldon's journalistic objectivity
• The Black Cat
• The Old Guard
• Avengers #16-28
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• The Marvels Project
• A Killing in Comics

Join us in two weeks as we dive into the Kree-Skrull War!

Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

Atlanta actress Jennifer Lee joins us for the conclusion of our Sandman two-parter to discuss The Sandman: Dream Country (issues 17-20), as well as Tales in the Sand (#9) and Men of Good Fortune (#13), by Neil Gaiman and a dream team of artists, published by DC Comics!

Will the lord of Dreams rescue his former flame, the muse Calliope, from a reprehensible author? Can a thousand dreaming cats transform reality? And can these stories transcend the waking world and gain entry to that midsummer night's dream known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

• Content warning: Sexual assault
• Audible's The Sandman adaptation
• "Britain's hottest pub IS ..."
• Planet of the Apes, but with cats!
• A Midsummer Night's Dream at the World Fantasy Awards
• Is Hamnet the price of Shakespeare's success?
• Hamilton on Disney+
• The Sandman #75: The Tempest
• The Sandman: Overture
• Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino
• Kill Shakespeare Vol. 1: A Sea of Troubles
• Fool by Christopher Moore

Join us in two weeks as we review Marvels, by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross!

Until then: Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook!

On July 15, Audible is releasing a star-studded audio production of the first three storylines of the beloved DC/Vertigo series The Sandman—giving us the perfect excuse to book a two-part return trip down the River of Dreams. First stop: The Doll's House, by Neil Gaiman, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Chris Bachalo, and others!

Taking stock of his realm after decades away, Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, notes that some of its denizens are missing. Meanwhile, teenager Rose Walker embarks on a search for her missing brother Jed—a journey that involves a pair of Silver Age superheroes, a boarding house full of memorable characters, and the extremely unsettling nightmare known as The Corinthian.

Will Rose survive a serial killers' convention only to die at the hands of Morpheus himself? And can she make her escape to that Field of Dreams known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

• Content warning: Child abuse and attempted assault
• Our Preludes and Nocturnes and Season of Mists episodes
• A missed merchandising opportunity
• Little Nemo in Slumberland
• G.K. Chesterton
• Women without agency
• "Calm down, Mickey Spillane!"
• The Bogeyman and The Family Man
• Swamp Thing: American Gothic
• The Man Who Was Thursday
• Mindhunter
• The Dreaming Vol. 1: Pathways and Emanations
• Iron Maiden's Revelations
• Cereal Killers by Too Much Joy

Join us in two weeks as our Sandman two-parter continues with looks at the short stories Tales in the Sand and Men of Good Fortune from the Doll's House collection, as well as Sandman: Dream Country!

Until then:

Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!

Today's episode was supposed to be about The Sandman: The Doll's House. But we felt that we just couldn't ignore the protests taking place around the United States and across the world over the needless, senseless deaths of George Floyd and many other black Americans. So instead we're discussing the historic but little-known Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story, published in 1957 by a group called the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

This 16-page comic explores the events surrounding the Montgomery Bus Boycott, gives a brief biography of Dr. King, and outlines the principles of nonviolent resistance. And it inspired a young man named John Lewis, who would go on to become a leader of the Civil Rights Movement and U.S. Congressman, and whose comic biography March, Vol. 1, we reviewed back in March of this year.

Original copies of this book are hard to find, although an authorized reissue was published in 2013 by Marietta, Georgia-based Top Shelf Productions. It's also available on Comixology for $1.99. (And here's some background on it by March co-writer Andrew Aydin.)

In addition to our thoughts on the book itself, we discuss the ways in which superhero comics can be problematic, particularly in their sometime glorification of violence by authority figures. We also briefly discuss the 2019 HBO miniseries Watchmen, and spoil some plot points.

We plan to be back in two weeks with that episode on The Doll's House, pending other world-shaking events. In the meantime, we encourage you to donate to Black Lives Matter or to a bail fund or other activism-related funds: you can find an extensive list here and here.

Thanks for listening, and stay safe and well!

Over the years, the Hulk has been a rampaging behemoth, a Vegas enforcer, and a gladiator-turned-warlord on a far-flung alien planet. And the Green Goliath gets another incarnation in The Immortal Hulk Vol. 1: Or Is He Both?, by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett, published by Marvel Comics.

When Bruce Banner dies (which happens a lot), he awakens at nightfall as The Immortal Hulk, a cunning, brutal and fearsome instrument of vengeance, exacting terrible retribution on those who take the lives of others.

Can investigative reporter Jacqueline McGee and the Canadian superhero Sasquatch survive their encounters with this terrifying new monster? And can this fresh take on ol' Jade Jaws gain entry into that Tomb of Horrors known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• The very first Wolverine fan fiction?
• The Incredible Hulk TV series
• "The Green Door"
• Joe Bennett's career peak
• Indestructible Hulk Vol. 1: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• From Beyond
• Incredible Hulk Vol. 1: Return of the Monster
• Mighty Avengers Vol. 1: No Single Hero

Join us in two weeks as we commemorate Audible's upcoming Sandman adaptation with a look at Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House!

Until then:

Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! And as always, thanks for listening!