The Comics Canon

In this episode, Crimewave!, our series on gritty crime comics, continues with a fictionalized account of the real, ripped-from-the-1930s-headlines case of the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run, co-written and "executed" by one of the biggest names in comics before he was one of the biggest names in comics: It's Torso, by Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko, originally published by Image Comics!

Between 1935 and 1938, a mysterious figure murdered, dismembered and decapitated at least 12 victims in Cleveland, Ohio, preying on the city's growing transient population. Against the backdrop of a corrupt city reeling from the Great Depression, Cleveland's new safety director—former "Untouchable" Eliot Ness himself—and a pair of homicide detectives find themselves investigating a new kind of criminal: America's first serial killer!

Can our intrepid and all-too-human protagonists solve this unsolved mystery, or will their quarry prove truly Untouchable? And can Bendis and Andreyko make it into that lineup of killer crime stories known as ... The Comics Canon?

On the docket:

• Spoiler and content warnings
• Encounter: An Ongoing Online RPG Where Readers Vote on the Story
• Ways the book differs from actual events
• Fortune and Glory: A True Hollywood Comic Book Story
• Brian Michael Bendis's artwork
• "It ain't duck soup!"
• Who was Gaylord Sundheim?
• Similarities to Se7en
• The problem with that ending
• From Hell
• What is Torso about?
• "This Eliot Ness. Who owns him?"
• The Black Dahlia
• Scalped Vol. 1: Indian Country

Join us in two weeks as Crimewave! continues with a look at Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' supernatural noir, Fatale!

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 rat. 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, continues with Darwyn Cooke's crackling adaptation of The Hunter! Beautifully illustrated in black, white and teal, this stylized revenge tale from IDW Publishing is the first in a four-part series adapting novels about the career criminal Parker by the late Donald E. Westlake, writing as Richard Stark.

Physically imposing and intense, the man known only as Parker storms into New York City in 1962, where he confronts the wife who shot him and left him for dead before hunting down the man who betrayed him.

Can our laconic lawbreaker survive a one-man war against the nationwide criminal syndicate known as The Outfit? And can he break into that impenetrable vault of graphic excellence known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• Content warning
• "Her corpse isn't gonna disfigure itself!"
• The women of The Hunter
• "Waste not, want not!"
• Toxic masculinity heaven
• Parker in: Home Alone!
• Private Parts
• Curt poses a what-if question
• Road to Perdition
• Point Blank
• Flood by Andrew Vachss
• Derec Donovan's Trigger Mortis on Kickstarter

We return in two weeks as Crimewave! rolls on with the fictionalized true-crime tale Torso, by Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko!

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

Last but not least, we'd consider it a favor if you'd rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook! Who knows? We just may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this hard-boiled episode, we kick off Crimewave!, a series of episodes on gritty crime comics, complete with its own theme song! And for our money, there ain't no better way to get things rolling than by jawing about Frank Miller's bare-knuckled Sin City: The Hard Goodbye, published by Dark Horse Comics, see?

Here's the thing about Basin City—it's the kinda place where a hulking bruiser like Marv can spend a once-in-a-lifetime night of passion with an angel like Goldie, only to wake up the next morning to find she's been murdered—and the cops are on their way to take him down for the crime!

Can our problematic protagonist prevail against crooked cops, tough-as-nails sex workers, a smirking serial killer, and the most powerful family in Sin City—not to mention his own faulty faculties? And can this black-and-white valentine to noir fiction muscle past the bouncers and make it into that den of iniquity known as ... The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• A brief history of crime comics
• Content warning
• Frank Miller's Sin City artwork
• The women of The Hard Goodbye
• Lucille gets a raw deal
• That's an awful lot of Nancy
• How to enjoy revenge fantasies
• Kurt Busiek and the Punisher
• The Sin City movie
• Is the "lasting influence" argument a cop-out?
• Kill or Be Killed Vol. 1-2
• Queenpin by Megan Abbott
• Tumor
• The Maltese Falcon and The Reelist podcast

Join us in two weeks as Crimewave! continues with another highly stylized revenge tale: Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter, by Darwyn Cooke!

Until then, that's a very nice coat you've got there. But not as nice as our Comics Canon merchandise! And why not accessorize with a little King Krackle from our sponsor at Category 4?

Last but not least, do us a solid and rate us on Apple Podcasts, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, our look back at 80s mutant mania continues with The Demon Bear Saga from The New Mutants Vol. 1 #18-20, and the follow-up double-sized story Slumber Party from #21, by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz, published by Marvel Comics!

Danielle Moonstar, haunted by visions of the monster that killed her parents, summons it to a showdown on the snow-covered grounds of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. It doesn't go well. As she lies near death, her fellow students find themselves in the mystical Badlands, the only ones standing between this savagely powerful entity and the rest of the human race! And if and when they finish with the Demon Bear, they'll face off against the bizarre techno-organic alien known as Warlock!

Can the X-Men's inexperienced junior varsity prevail against these larger-than-life, out-of-this world threats? And can they crash that swingin' superhero sleepover known as ... The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• The New Mutants movie
• The origin of The New Mutants
• The artwork of Bill Sienkiewicz
• Why are the other kids hatin' on Illyana?
• The implications of Healer the Morlock
• Who knew changing two characters' race would be problematic?
• Warlock
• Fear Itself: Wolverine/New Mutants
• The New Mutants: A Date With the Devil
• The Immortal Hulk Vol. 1: Or Is He Both?

Join us in two weeks as we kick off Crimewave!, a series of episodes on gritty crime comics, with one of the grittiest crime comics of all—Frank Miller's Sin City: The Hard Goodbye!

Until then, trade in those drab yellow-and-back New Mutants uniforms for some snazzy Comics Canon merchandise! And add your own Roberto DaCosta sunspots with King Krackle from our friends at Category 4!

Last but not least, please be so kind as to rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we welcome Tedd Walley, writer, artist and publisher of Mathilda: The Forces of Evil vs. The Third Grade, as we travel to the distant future of 2013 for a discussion of the landmark X-Men storyline Days of Future Past from Uncanny X-Men #141-142, and finish it off with Demon from #143, by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, published by Marvel Comics!

In a dystopian future America ruled by the mutant-hunting Sentinels, Kate Pryde and the few remaining X-Men launch a desperate plan to avert nuclear war! The adult Kate inhabits the mind of her younger self, enlisting the X-Men of 1980 to stop the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from assassinating Senator Robert Kelly!

Then, young Kitty Pryde finds herself alone in the X-Mansion on Christmas Eve when she's attacked by one of the demonic N'Garai in a cross between Home Alone and Alien!

Can the youngest X-Man save the day twice in the span of three issues? And can our misunderstood mutants prevent apocalypse and usher in that better tomorrow known as ... The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• Point Blank, on Netflix July 12
• The cover of Uncanny X-Men #141
• X-Men: Days of Future Past
• Wolverine: Days of Future Past
• Rachel Summers
• What is the Brotherhood's endgame?
• How tight is security at the Pentagon, exactly?
• Kitty Pryde and Chris Claremont's legacy of strong female characters
• Our Dark Phoenix and Ed Piskor episodes
• A Murderer's Row of 80s comics professionals
• All-New X-Men: Yesterday's X-Men
• The Great Darkness Saga
• Brian Michael Bendis's upcoming Legion of Superheroes comic
• New X-Men: Here Comes Tomorrow

Join us in two weeks as we grow tired of wondering whether the New Mutants film will ever see the light of day and dive into another Claremont mutant property from the early 80s with The Demon Bear Saga from New Mutants #18-20!

Until then, be the most stylish mutant on your block with our Comics Canon merchandise! And be sure to check out King Krackle from our friends at Category 4!

Last but not least, please be so kind as to rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we temporarily set aside our "clean" rating to wind up our four-part series on Watchmen with a discussion issues #10-12 of the landmark comic-book series written by Alan Moore, drawn by Dave Gibbons, and published by DC Comics!

As President Richard Nixon prepares to launch nuclear missiles, Nite Owl and Rorschach discover that the person behind the Comedian's death and Dr. Manhattan's self-imposed exile is their former colleague, Adrian Veidt! When they track him to his Antarctic retreat, the "world's smartest man" shares with them his plan to avert a nuclear apocalypse—presenting them with a horrific moral dilemma!

Can these hopelessly outmatched heroes, along with Laurie Juspeczyk and Dr. Manhattan, look on Ozymandias' works without despairing? Can they prevent Veidt from killing millions of innocent people? And will Curt and Kevin judge this paradigm-shifting 12-issue series worthy of admission into that stronger, loving world known as ... The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• "Two riders were approaching ..."
• Alexander the Great's dick move
• The trolley problem
• The ending of the Watchmen movie
• Tales of the Black Freighter
• Kyle Cooper and the opening credits of Se7en
• Len Wein and The Architects of Fear
• The lasting influence of Watchmen
• Before Watchmen and Doomsday Clock
• Watchmen the TV show
• Mark Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme
• Mary Renault's Alexander trilogy
• The Afghan Campaign by Steven Pressfield
• Our Dark Phoenix Saga episode

Join us in two weeks as we observe the recent release of Dark Phoenix with a discussion of (what else?) Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past!

Until then, why not peruse our new spring line of Comics Canon merchandise? We also invite you to check out King Krackle from our friends at Category 4!

Last but not least, please be so kind as to rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

Like sands through the hourglass, our four-part series on Watchmen continues with a look at issues #7-9 of the groundbreaking comic series written by Alan Moore, drawn by Dave Gibbons, and published by DC Comics!

As the world marches closer to the brink of nuclear war, Dan Drieberg and Laurie Juspeczyk become lovers. They also defy the nation's ban on costumed heroes and rescue the residents of a burning building. Determined to find out who's killing other masked adventurers, Nite Owl hatches a plan to spring Rorschach from prison, bringing the police to his front door. Just when things couldn't get any worse, Dr. Manhattan appears and whisks Laurie away to Mars to talk, with the literal fate of the world hanging in the balance!

Can Dan and Rorschach avoid being collared by the cops? Can Laurie convince her godlike former boyfriend to save the world? Can any of them survive long enough to make it to that floating crystal palace known as ... The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• Spoiler and content warnings
• The ridiculous sex scene in the Watchmen movie
• The transformation of Dan Drieberg
• Is Laurie Juspeczyk a strong character?
• The Comedian and Silk Spectre: a missed opportunity
• The relative stakes of Dan and Laurie's epiphanies
• Why do characters tack extra phrases onto the ends of sentences?
• The political cartooning of "Stan Kelly"
• A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
• The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
• Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy
• Department of Corrections

Join us in two weeks as our four-part series concludes with a look as issues 10-12!

Until then, why not peruse our new spring line of Comics Canon merchandise? We also invite you to check out King Krackle from our friends at Category 4!

Last but not least, please be so kind as to rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

Like clockwork, our four-part gaze into the abyss of Watchmen continues as we analyze the hidden meanings of the inkblots contained in issues #4-6, written by Alan Moore, drawn by Dave Gibbons, published by DC Comics!

Alone on Mars, Dr. Manhattan examines his past, jumping back and forth through time as he recalls the accident that gave him his godlike powers. Back on an Earth growing increasingly fearful of atomic conflict, a homeless Laurie Juspeczyk moves in with lovestruck Dan Dreiberg and Adrian Veidt survives an assassination attempt. Meanwhile, the outlaw vigilante Rorschach, framed and arrested for the murder of the former villain Moloch, tells prison psychiatrist Malcolm Long who he is and how he came to be.

Can this overmatched analyst shake off the all-consuming darkness of his patient's pitiless worldview? Can Curt make it through the episode with a sore throat? (Spoiler: Yes!) And can our heroes survive being thrown into that atomic disintegration chamber known as ... The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• The Watchmen TV show trailer
• Manhattan and Rorschach as Superman and Batman analogues
• Strangeness and charm
• Chekhov's time-lock test vault
• The weird passivity of Dr. Manhattan
• The fearful symmetry of Fearful Symmetry
• Hey, that guy carrying the sign! He's ...!
• The cultural influence of Rorschach
• The Watchmen Hostess Fruit Pie parody ad
• Saturday Morning Watchmen
• The Whimper of Whipped Dogs by Harlan Ellison
• The Reversible Man by Alan Moore
• The Death of the Red Mask from Animal Man # 7
• Judgment Day and Other Stories: Illustrated by Joe Orlando

Join us in two weeks as we march toward Armageddon with a look as issues 7-9!

Until then, why not peruse our new spring line of Comics Canon merchandise? We also invite you to check out King Krackle from our friends at Category 4!

Last but not least, please be so kind as to rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, Curt and Kevin start the clock, kicking off a four-part exploration of one of the most acclaimed comic book series of all time with a look at Watchmen #1-3, written by Alan Moore, drawn by Dave Gibbons, and published by DC Comics!

In an alternate-reality version of 1985, a man named Edward Blake is thrown to his death from his penthouse apartment. Investigating this Manhattan murder mystery, the faceless vigilante known as Rorschach discovers that Blake was once the government-sanctioned crimefighter called the Comedian!

Fearing that someone may be targeting former costumed adventurers, Rorschach attempts to warn his onetime allies—Dan "Nite Owl" Dreiberg, Adrian "Ozymandias" Veidt, Laurie Jon "Doctor Manhattan" Osterman and his live-in girlfriend, Laurie "Silk Spectre" Juspeczyk. But Rorschach's warnings seem far-fetched, until the godlike Doctor Manhattan is accused of causing cancer in his friends and enemies—and abandons Earth for Mars!

With America's atomic protector gone, can President Richard Nixon prevent an impending nuclear conflict? And will our protagonists live long enough to retire to that home for hidebound heroes known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• The kid gloves come off!
• Watchmen's Charlton Comics roots
• The signature trope of Watchmen
• Why is he called The Comedian when he doesn't tell any jokes?
• What kind of person would want to become a costumed vigilante?
• Tales of the Black Freighter: The feel-good book of the year!
• A surprise menage-a-trois
• "Threatening man buns"
• Citizen Kane—the Watchmen of movies!
• Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt

Join us in two weeks as our four-part series continues with a look as issues 4-6!

Until then, why not peruse our new spring line of Comics Canon merchandise? We also invite you to check out the King Krackle digital brushes from our friends at Category 4!

Last but not least, please be so kind as to rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, Curt and Kevin mark the 1,000th issue of Detective Comics and the 80th birthday of Batman with a look back at three early milestones in the career of DC Comics' mega-popular Caped Crusader—beginning with his first appearance (as "The Bat-Man") in Detective Comics #27 from 1939!

From there, it's on to the world's best-known origin story from 1939's Detective Comics #33! And last but not least, since a snarling Dark Knight Detective is only as good as his anarchic arch-enemy, it's the first appearance of the Joker, from 1940's Batman #1!

Can the World's Greatest Detective crack the imminently solvable Case of the Chemical Syndicate, overcome the death of his parents, and survive his first encounter against the deadly Clown Prince of Crime? And can he strike terror into the hearts of the superstitious and cowardly gatekeepers of … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• What's the appropriate gift for an 80th anniversary?
• Our Dark Knight Returns episode
• The enduring flexibility of Batman as a character
• Batman & Bill and the legacy of Bill Finger
• The cover of Detective Comics #27
• "I'm not a doctor, but that's not how poisons work!"
• Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs
• The Silver Age Batwoman
• Batman: Year One, the animated film
• The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture (and our Court of Owls episode)

Join us in two weeks as we begin a four-part deep dive into Watchmen with a look at issues 1 through 3!

Until then, why not peruse our new spring line of Comics Canon merchandise? We also invite you to check out Mathilda: The Forces of Evil vs. the Third Grade, as well as the King Krackle digital brushes from our friends at Category 4!

Last but not least, please be so kind as to rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!