The Comics Canon

Paul Chadwick's Concrete has the trappings of a superhero story—a quiet, somewhat nebbishy man finds his brain transplanted into a giant stone body that allows him to do great things. But like a number of other similar titles from the early 80s like Nexus and Zot!, it spins this well-worn concept into something new, intelligent and wholly original.

In his first four issues (as reprinted in Concrete Vol. 1: Depths), former senatorial speechwriter Ronald Lithgow uses his newfound abilities to rescue miners from a cave-in, attempts to swim the Atlantic Ocean, and recounts his familiar yet freshly horrifying origin.

This chip off the old block may be able to hold his own against unfathomable aliens and undersea predators, but can he survive the unspeakable menace of the man known only as Anonymoose? And can he reach the summit of that pinnacle of comic-book excellence known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• Not another unscrupulous NPR reporter!
• Maureen's navigation of sexual politics
• The Stone Men From Saturn
• The link between Ron Lithgow and John McClane
• "I'm cute! I'm cuuute!"
• The Letterman/Crispin Glover incident
• Concrete's Spider-Man moment
• Mage The Hero Discovered Vol. 1
• Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole
• Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
• Ex Machina Vol. 1: The First Hundred Days
• Infinite Realities' Stay-at-Home Con

Join us in two weeks as we delve into another comic about a super-strong giant with a look at 2018's The Immortal Hulk Vol. 1: Or Is He Both?

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!

Comic book worlds don't come any more vividly imagined or painstakingly detailed than Astro City. The metropolis that gives this anthology series its title isn't all that different from the one outside your window—you know, except for all the high-flying heroes, insectoid invaders and mystical menaces that share the sidewalk with everyday citizens like you. Life in the Big City, collecting the first six issues of this long-running series, allows the reader to imagine what it would be like to live in a world of magic and wonder.

Will the super-powered Samaritan ever be able to slow down long enough to enjoy life, or go on a date? Can a young woman from the ethnic neighborhood of Shadow Hill trade her talismans and traditions for those of the city's bustling downtown? Is the boorish Crackerjack really all that stands between Earth and an alien assault?

And can these stories move on up to that shining city on a hill known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• The ethics of Samaritan's fact-checking gig
• Why are there so many bank robberies in superhero comics?
• The Bouncing Beatnik's most impressive power
• Curt's favorite character
• Chekhov's First Family Brooch
• Where's our Astro City TV series?
• Astro City: Confessions
• Kids Love Batman
• Astro City Vol. 3, issues 39 & 40

Join us in two weeks as we explore the world of Paul Chadwick's Concrete, discussing select stories from Concrete Vol. 1: Depths!

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!

It's hard out here for a C-list supervillain. You've got the basic lack of respect, your super-powered parole officer ... and then there's the constant bickering and backstabbing that threaten to tear your crew apart faster than your not-so-friendly neighborhood Spider-Man ever could!

At least, that's the problem facing the five members of the Sinister Six in the hilarious Superior Foes of Spider-Man Vol. 1: Getting the Band Back Together, by Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber, published by Marvel Comics!

Can these fractious felons survive the machinations of the Chameleon, the Owl and their own leader, the double-crossing Boomerang? And can this quarrelsome quintet graduate into that Secret Society of Super-Villains known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• This may not be the best pickup line
• The problem with Overdrive
• Does anyone find Groucho glasses funny?
• We cast the Superior Foes sitcom
• Curt workshops a Chameleon joke
• A few words from Evan Dorkin
• Superior Spider-Man Vol. 1: My Own Worst Enemy
• The Irredeemable Ant-Man
• The Fix Vol. 1: Where Beagles Dare
• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel

Join us in two weeks as we commemorate the 25th anniversary of Marvels with a discussion of (what else?) Astro City: Life in the Big City!

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!

It's April Fools' Day, and while most of us aren't in the mood for pranks given the current state of affairs, we could all use something a little light and fun. And what's more fun than ... Mister Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite deconstructing (okay, detroying) the entire DC multiverse? That's why we're discussing Superman and Batman: World's Funnest, by Evan Dorkin and an all-star cast of artists, published by DC Comics!

Join us as we ask the burning questions: How DO you pronounce Mxyzptlk, anyway? And can these two interdimensional imps manage the imp-possible and make a favorable imp-pression on that imp-maginary world known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• Aren't they ALL imaginary tales?
• Kit 'N' Kaboodle
• The Wonder Twins' powers ARE kind of lame
• What if Wolverine, but nothing interesting?
• The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited
• What If? #34
• Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites
• Fantastic Four Marvels Snapshot #1

We'll be back in two weeks with another fun, funny comic to help us all get through these tough times: The Superior Foes of Spider-Man: Getting the Band Back Together, by Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber!

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!

Just as Jack Knight was one of DC Comics' more interesting second-generation superheroes, the book that chronicled his saga from 1994 through 2001 was one of the more literary-minded and ambitious mainstream superhero comics of its time. And that ambition is on full display in issues #9-16 of the series, as collected in Starman: Night and Day, by James Robinson and Tony Harris!

Having reluctantly accepted the mantle of Starman from his father Ted, Jack Knight puts a decidedly Gen-X stamp on the role, complete with tattoos, a leather jacket and a staggering knowledge of obscure pop-cultural ephemera. But all that edgy '90s attitude can't keep the past from encroaching on the present as he contends with Nash, the vengeful daughter of his dad's arch-nemesis, the Mist!

Can Jack, Ted, the blue-skinned alien Mikaal Tomas and the red-haired O'Dare siblings survive as Nash cuts a swath of murder and destruction through Opal City? And can this story blow the mind of that Starman waitin' in the sky we like to call ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• Stargirl
• Zero Hour
• Aliens with human-sounding names
• Jack Knight is kind of a jerk
• High Fidelity
• Quentin Tarantino and all those pop-cultural references
• Do you know any good sci-fi lit podcasts?
• A few science fiction writers we like
• Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.
• Green Lantern: Rebirth
• JSA: The Return of Hawkman
• James Robinson's Airboy

Join us in two weeks as we commemorate April Fool's Day with Superman and Batman: World's Funnest, by Evan Dorkin and various artists!

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, we take a break from talking about fictional superheroes to discuss a real-life superhero with a look at March, Book 1, the first in a three-part series of autobiographical graphic novels examining the life and career of U.S. Congressman John Lewis, published by Top Shelf Productions!

Join us as we trace the civil rights leader's early days, from his humble beginnings preaching to chickens on his family's farm to his first meeting with the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and his efforts to desegregate Nashville department store lunch counters. Will this gripping account of one man's journey to gain freedom and equal rights through nonviolent means make its way to that hallowed hall of heroes known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• Curt's brush with Rep. Lewis
• Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story
• John Lewis, Time Traveler
• What's the deal with the oar?
• Unsettling similarities to the present
• The Spinner Rack on Twitter
• The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln by Scott McCloud
• Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch
• Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
• The National Center for Civil and Human Rights

Join us in two weeks as travel back to the '90s to visit one of the hippest superheroes ever with a look at Starman Vol. 2: Night and Day, by James Robinson and Tony Harris!

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, we conclude our two-part look at the two 2019 miniseries that reset the status quo for the X-Men: House of X and Powers of X, by Jonathan Hickman, Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva, published by Marvel Comics!

The mutant nation of Krakoa faces its first major setback when a mission to stop Orchis from activating the Mother Mold meets with disaster! Meanwhile, 1,000 years in the future, Wolverine and Moira MacTaggert must act as the Man-Machine Ascendancy prepares to be assimilated into the alien techno-collective known as the Phalanx!

Mutantkind seems destined to suffer a terrible fate. Can Charles Xavier and Magneto prevent that dark future from coming to pass? And can they hope to survive the judgment of that Not-So-Quiet Council known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• House of Buggin'
• Xavier's big emotional moment
• Everyone's favorite mutant, Goldballs!
• The thorny implications of resurrection
• Will humans evolve into machines?
• Are the dudes really muscling Moira out of her own plan?
• Giant-Size Fantastic Four #3
• Broken Angels by Richard K. Morgan and Altered Carbon on Netflix
• Transhuman
• God Is Dead Vol. 1

Join us in two weeks as we kick off the month of March with a look at the first volume of U.S. Representative John Lewis's autobiographical graphic novel trilogy, March!

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, after a brief delay, we tackle one of the biggest superhero comics events of 2019: the game-changing series House of X and Powers of X by Jonathan Hickman, Pepe Larraz and R.B. Silva, published by Marvel Comics!

The mutant telepath Charles Xavier shocks the world by announcing the formation of Krakoa, a nation of mutants. In return for recognizing its sovereignty, Krakoa will gift mankind with miracle drugs that drastically improve human life. Meanwhile, it's business as usual for the X-Men, who undertake a suicide mission to a sun-orbiting space station to prevent the eventual rise of one of mutantkind's greatest foes!

What do these events have to do with a mutant war against the Man-Machine Ascendancy 100 years from now, or the plans of the mysterious Librarian 1,000 years hence? What surprising role does Xavier's former flame Moira MacTaggert have to play in all this? And can our not-so-merry mutants survive long enough to make it to that island sanctuary known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• Krakoa, the Island That Walks Like a Man!
• Is Charles Xavier doing the Frug?
• The Stepford Cuckoos
• The most evil of all mutants!
• The Voyager Golden Record
• The Betty and Veronica of the mutant world
• The October Faction on Netflix
• The Black Monday Murders Vol. 1
• Manifest Destiny Vols. 3-4
• The Yesterday's Enterprise episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Wish
• Curt's review of Birds of Prey

Join us next week—that's right, next week!—as we wrap up our two-parter with an exploration of issues #4-6 of House of X and Powers of X!

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!

"Hey, where's my House of X episode?" we hear you asking. Well, Kevin's here to answer that question in this special bonus announcement.

And to make up for the delay, we're throwing in a little something extra—Curt Holman's Top 10 Superhero Adaptations of 2019!

Thanks for your patience—and as always, thank you for listening!

In this episode, we look ahead to the Feb. 7 debut of the Netflix series Locke & Key with a look at the six issue arc that launched the popular saga—Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, published by IDW!

The Locke family falls prey to a violent home invasion in which guidance counselor Rendell Locke is shot and killed. His widow and three children move across the country to Keyhouse, the family's ancestral home, which houses a few secrets. Meanwhile, Rendell's killer, Sam Lesser, is on their trail, under the thrall of an unearthly woman imprisoned in a well on the Keyhouse estate!

Can this fractured family overcome their inner demons and stop the devious Dodge from acquiring the mysterious Anywhere Key? And can they unlock the right door to gain entry into that house of horrors known as … The Comics Canon?

Discussed in This Episode!

• Content warning
• The 2011 Locke & Key pilot
• Lovecraft? Really?
• Our episode on The Walking Dead #100 and Violence in Comics
• The Locke & Key Unlocked podcast from Comic Book Club
• Nuts by Gahan Wilson
• Concrete Vol. 5: Killer Smile
• Basketful of Heads
• Full Throttle
• And, um, 8 Heads in a Duffle Bag

Join us in two weeks as we tackle one of the biggest comics events of last year: Jonathan Hickman's House of X/Powers of X!

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!