The Comics Canon

In this episode, we explore the wondrous world of Jeff Smith's Bone (soon to be an animated Netflix series) with a look at the first installment of this beloved fantasy series: Out From Boneville, originally published by Cartoon Books!

Forced to flee their home of Boneville, cousins Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone each find their way to an uncharted valley populated with adorable talking possums, a laconic red dragon, tough-as-nails Gran'ma Ben and the beautiful young woman known as Thorn.

Can our wayward cousins avoid the clutches of the fearsome Rat Creatures and their terrifying leader, the Hooded One? And can they stay out of trouble long enough to settle that uncanny valley known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• What ARE the Bones, exactly?
• Mad Magazine's Don Martin
• Real Men Don't Eat Quiche
• Where are all the plush Bone dolls?
• Bone Vol. 5: Rock Jaw, Master of the Eastern Border
• Batman Vol. 8: Cold Days
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Mouse Guard: Fall 1152

Join us in two weeks on Wednesday, New Comic Book Day, as we pivot from fantasy to horror with a look at Locke & Key Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft!

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!

We all know the story: Rocket escapes exploding planet. Elderly couple adopts alien baby. Baby grows up to become the most powerful superhero of all time.

But today's Man of Steel is very different from the one we get in his first-ever adventure, as originally recounted in 1938's groundbreaking Action Comics #1—and expanded upon a year later in his own magazine, Superman #1, both published by DC Comics.

For our landmark 100th episode, we explore the origin and first appearance of Superman, one of the most beloved and iconic figures in popular culture. Can this champion of the oppressed save an innocent woman from the electric chair and foil a plot to drag the U.S. into war in Europe? And can he muscle his way into that hallowed Fortress of Solitude known as … The Comics Canon?

But wait! There's more! We also look back at our favorite canonical stories from the first 99 episodes!

In This Episode!

• One of the best covers in comics history
• Babies in padded cells and straitjackets
• This Superman is a super-jerk!
• Superman: The Unauthorized Biography by Glen Weldon
• We need to talk about The Dark Knight Returns
• What can you expect from the NEXT 100 episodes?

Join us in two weeks as we kick off our fifth year with a look at the first installment of Jeff Smith's charming Bone saga (coming soon to Netflix): Out From Boneville!

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!

Listen here, Anti-Monitor! Wiping out countless realities and snuffing out untold billions of lives is one thing. But when you step to the Maid of Steel ... well, now you've gone and made it personal!

In what may be our longest episode ever, we close the book on the epic 12-issue event that closed the book on the DC multiverse—Crisis on Infinite Earths, by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, published by DC Comics!

After a pitched battle at the dawn of time, five Earths become one, and a few redundant superheroes find themselves without a home! But the Anti-Monitor still has one trick up his metal sleeve, teleporting our world to the anti-matter universe (hey, you said there was only one universe left)!

Can the last Supermen standing and a parade of your favorite D-listers succeed against the cosmic creep with the worst name in comics? And can this landmark reality-warping series score a table at that restaurant at the end of the universe known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• George Perez's cosmic artwork
• The Anti-Anti-Monitor
• "How come YOU get to be Earth-1?"
• "Weird" Al Yankovich's "Word Crimes"
• Plan 9 From Outer Space
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War
• Justice League: The Darkseid War
• 52

Join us in two weeks on Wednesday, Dec. 25, as we mark our 100th episode with a look at the origin of the first and most legendary superhero of them all in Action Comics #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!

Like the animator's giant eraser in Chuck Jones' classic Merrie Melodies short "Duck Amuck," a wave of anti-matter sweeps across countless realities, obliterating everything in its path until only a handful of universes are left in the epic 12-issue event Crisis on Infinite Earths, by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, published by DC Comics!

Aided by the mysterious Monitor, some of comics' greatest heroes are all that stand between the remaining worlds and the malevolent ... um, Anti-Monitor!

Join us as we answer the burning questions: Can George Perez draw every single DC character before this crossover event is through? And can this world-changing saga survive that End of the Effing World known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• The history of the DC multiverse
• We have to talk about Pariah
• Characters referring to other characters by their names
• Does The Haunted Tank have a horn that plays Dixie?
• DC: The New Frontier
• "You're going to die now! ... But later!"
• The worst name in comics
• Swamp Thing: American Gothic
• Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 1
• Six Crises by Richard Nixon (yes, really)

Join us in two weeks on Wednesday, New Comic Book Day, as this story shifts into gear, resulting in some memorable moments and the birth of a new universe in issues #7-12!

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!

You finally achieve your lifelong goal—absolute dominion over all of creation, not to mention the wife of your bitterest rival—only to find that godhood isn't everything you'd hoped for. We've all been there, right? Victor Von Doom certainly has, in the epic 2015 miniseries Secret Wars, by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic, published by Marvel Comics!

Join us as we answer the burning questions: Can Curt and Kevin avoid getting deep in the weeds of this superhero crossover event? (Not so much.) And can this epic, world-changing series emerge triumphant in that Clash of Kings known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• Similarities to Game of Thrones
• "What am I going to do with all these bullets?"
• The thorny implications of Doom's relationship with Susan Storm
• Weirdworld
• Infamous Iron Man
• House of X and Powers of X

Join us in two weeks as we continue our exploration of cosmic crossovers with the mother of all universe-obliterating epics, Crisis on Infinite Earths!

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!

The all-powerful Beyonder transports some of Earth's mightiest heroes and villains to a patchwork planet known as Battleworld, conveniently outfitted with high-tech ships and fortresses! His one command: "Slay all your enemies and all you desire shall be yours!" Thus begins one of comics' first and most famous multi-part crossover epics: Secret Wars, written by Marvel Comics editor in chief Jim Shooter and drawn by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton!

Conceived to support a line of Mattel toys, this 12-part series pits members of the Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four against such heavy hitters as Doctor Doom, Magneto, and the Devourer of Worlds himself, Galactus! Alliances are formed, schemes are hatched, battles are fought, and many plotlines are brought up and then abandoned!

Join us as we answer the burning questions: Can Curt and Kevin find meaningful things to say about an overlong slugfest aimed squarely at young children? And can this landmark comics event emerge victorious in that Contest of Champions known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• Martin Scorsese vs. the MCU
• Jim Shooter's problematic female characters
• Where did these two supervillains come from?!!
• Volcana is totally Kevin's type
• "Some of my best friends are mutants!"
• Doctor Doom's space-age bachelor pad
• We need to talk about Klaw
• Chekhov's lightning bolt
• Is this the worst comic we've ever reviewed?
• Asgardian Wars
• Contest of Champions (2015)
• Secret Warriors V1: Nick Fury: Agent of Nothing

Join us in two weeks on Wednesday (new comic book day!) as we review a multi-part crossover epic featuring Reed Richards, Doctor Doom, Molecule Man and a mysterious planet known as Battleworld! Yes, it's Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic's Secret Wars from 2015!

Until then, be the envy of your Battleworld fortress with our snazzy Comics Canon merchandise!

Last but not least, please help us spread the word! Rate us on Apple Podcasts, send us an email, and hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! We may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we get into the spooky spirit of Halloween with a look at Through the Woods, a collection of unsettling horror stories by cartoonist Emily Carroll, as well as a trio of chilling and inventive webcomics: Margot's Room, Some Other Animal's Meat, and the Eisner Award-winning When the Darkness Presses!

Through the Woods weaves a dark fantasy setting that echoes the classic horror stories of fairy tales and folklore, grounded by Carroll's gorgeous artwork and spidery lettering, while her web stories immerse the reader in fully realized worlds that take full advantage of the medium to scratch and claw at the back of the reader's mind. But can these eerie tales safely make their way to that remote cabin in the woods known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• A little Stephen Sondheim
• Hands as a recurring motif
• His Face All Red
• Gilles de Rais and the legend of Bluebeard
• Curt feels seen
• Webcomic and manga recommendations
• The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
• In the Company of Wolves
• Blue Lenses by Daphne du Maurier
• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
• Nailbiter Vol. 1: There Will Be Blood
• Blink and You'll Miss It

Join us in two weeks as we begin the countdown to our 100th episode with the first of a series of cataclysmic crossover events: Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars!

Until then, turn some heads with our snazzy Comics Canon merchandise! And why not accessorize with a little King Krackle from our sponsor at Category 4?

Last but not least, please help us spread the word! Rate us on Apple Podcasts, send us an email, and hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! We may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

Just in time for the Oct. 4 release of Todd Phillips' Joker movie, Curt and Kevin are joined by Atlanta actress and comics fan Jennifer Lee for a timely (and faintly explicit) discussion of the 1989 graphic novel Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean, published by DC Comics!

On April Fools' Day, the inmates, led by the Joker, have taken over Arkham Asylum and taken the staff as hostages. Their one demand? That Batman join them for a lethal game of hide and seek! Meanwhile, the journal of founder Amadeus Arkham reveals the gruesome origins of Gotham City's most notorious psychiatric facility!

Can the Caped Crusader survive a gauntlet of his deadliest enemies without going insane—if he hasn't already? And can this strikingly illustrated tale check itself into that madhouse of sequential storytelling known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• Church Going by Philip Larkin
• The Thoth tarot deck
• Why is Batman so uptight?
• The fetishization of madness
• "You can't let someone run around blinding horses, dude!"
• Is Batman mentally ill?
• Violent Cases and Mr. Punch
• Alice by Jan Svankmajer
• Legion season 3
• Batman: I Am Suicide
• The Stumptown pilot
• The Invisibles
• Planetary
• Castle Rock season 2

Join us in two weeks as we get into the spooky spirit of October with a look at Emily Carroll's book of short horror comics, Through the Woods!

Until then, turn some heads with our snazzy Comics Canon merchandise! And why not accessorize with a little King Krackle from our sponsor at Category 4?

Last but not least, please help us spread the word! Rate us on iTunes, send us an email, and hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! We may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, Crimewave!, our series on gritty crime comics, comes to a rollicking (and not entirely swear word-free) conclusion with the "Mommy and Clyde" graphic novel Bastard, written and drawn by Belgian cartoonist Max de Radiguès, published in America by Fantagraphics Books!

After taking part in a massive heist that targeted 52 different locations in the same city at the same time, May and her son Eugene are on the run, trying to stay ahead of the police while hiding duffel bags stuffed with cash. And if that weren't difficult enough, they soon find themselves hunted by their fellow criminals! After a deadly confrontation, May is forced to make a decision that will change everything Eugene thought he knew about their relationship!

Can our fleeing felons elude a pair of dangerous killers long enough for May to turn the tables on the traitor who wants them dead? And can they cross the border to that remote hideout known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• BIG spoiler alert!
• Southwestern noir vs. urban noir
• How most criminals see themselves
• The simple, straightforward artwork of Max de Radiguès
• Our episode on The Walking Dead #100
• Crosswind by Gail Simone and Cat Staggs
• The Mammoth Book of Best Crime Comics
• Where to get the perfect Halloween costume!

Join us in two weeks as we look ahead to the Oct. 4 release of Joker with an exploration at 1989's controversial graphic novel Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean!

Until then, turn some heads with our snazzy Comics Canon merchandise! And why not accessorize with a little King Krackle from our sponsor at Category 4?

Last but not least, please help us spread the word! Rate us on iTunes, send us an email, and hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! We may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, Crimewave!, our series on gritty crime comics, rolls on with Death Chases Me, the first volume of the James Ellroy-meets-H.P. Lovecraft occult noir Fatale, written and drawn by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, published by Image Comics!

In 1950s San Francisco, reporter Dominic Henry Raines meets with the mysterious and attractive Josephine, girlfriend of corrupt police detective Walt Booker. As Raines investigates Booker, he falls under Josephine's spell, unaware that there's more to his feelings for her than puppy love. And a dying Booker, investigating a series of occult murders, makes a deal with the devil. Meanwhile, in the present, Nicolas Lash meets the alluring and secretive Jo, and finds himself pursued by some familiar-looking sinister goons!

Will Raines and our sympathetic femme fatale evade the demonic forces on their trail? And will they survive their ordeal at those mountains of madness known as ... The Comics Canon?

In This Episode!

• Nods to North By Northwest
• Who is the protagonist of this story?
• The lipstick-on-the-collar trope
• The trouble with Sylvia Raines
• Jack Kirby's New Gods
• Lazarus
• Our Death of Captain America and Groot and Jimmy Olsen episodes
• A Study in Emerald
• Mandy
• Criminal: Bad Weekend
• The Violent Vol. 1: Blood Like Tar
• The Drop and Peaky Blinders

Join us in two weeks as Crimewave! concludes (at least for now) with Bastard by Max de Radiguès!

Until then, turn some heads with our snazzy Comics Canon merchandise! And why not accessorize with a little King Krackle from our sponsor at Category 4?

Last but not least, don't be a dirty, no-good tentacle monster! Rate us on iTunes, send us an email, and hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! We may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!