The Comics Canon

In this episode, Curt and Kevin look forward to the April 27 release of Avengers: Infinity War by reviewing the first appearances of the original lineup of Marvel Comics' Avengers!

It's a whirlwind lightning round of takes on Phase One of the comic-book Avengers:

"The Man in the Ant Hill!" (Henry Pym, Tales to Astonish #27) "The Hulk" (The Incredible Hulk #1) "Thor the Mighty and the Stone Men From Saturn!" (Thor, Journey Into Mystery #83) "Iron Man is Born!" (Iron Man, Tales of Suspense #39) "The Creature From Kosmos!" (The Wasp, Tales to Astonish #44) And finally, "the first in a star-studded series of book-length super-epics" ... "The Coming of the Avengers" (Avengers #1)!

Can the combined power of the Avengers defeat the sinister spells of Loki, god of evil? And can Earth's mightiest heroes gain entry into that awesome assemblage known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• Curt's got Avengers fever
• A busy couple of years for Marvel Comics
• The Rodney Dangerfield of the Marvel Universe
• A handy rule of thumb when testing a shrinking formula
• The Marvel Universe's monster-pulp roots
• The tragic figure that was Iron Man
• Unfortunate racial stereotypes
• The cutting-edge technology of … transistors!
• Marvel's first retcon?
• "Go to the ants, thou sluggard!" (Turns out it was a thing)
• The Wasp ... well, she's been treated better
• Avengers #57: Behold … The Vision!
• Avengers #16: The Old Order Changeth
• Doomwar

Join us in two weeks as we conclude our trilogy of Marvel origins episodes with Uncanny X-Men #1, Giant-Size X-Men #1, and prepare for season 2 of Legion with a look at Psi War! from Uncanny X-Men #117!

Until then, please 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 once again set aside their "clean" rating as they prepare for the second season of Netflix's Jessica Jones by snooping around Alias Vol. 4: The Secret Origins of Jessica Jones, collecting issues #22-28 of Alias, published by Marvel Comics! (Please be advised: Mature subject matter is discussed.)

First, as the title implies, the origins of everyone's favorite super-powered sleuth are explored, as young Jessica Campbell Forrest Gumps her way around the early days of the Marvel Universe on her way to gaining extraordinary abilities!

Then, our former superhero turned private eye is hired to confront Zebediah Killgrave, The Purple Man, who can make his victims do whatever he wants. To do so, she'll have to face her painful past as Killgrave's physical and emotional plaything.

Can Jessica finally defeat Killgrave and put this dark chapter of her life behind her? And can she crack the code that will grant her entrance to that hall of hard-boiled heroes known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• Content warning
• Marvel's MAX line
• The Coming of Galactus
• Marvels
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
• Greg Rucka on Word Balloon
• Comics Jessica Jones vs. Netflix Jessica Jones
• The correct spelling of "sweetie"
• Some actual detective work would have been nice
• (Why do people talk in parentheses?)
• Luke Cage and Jessica's relationship
• Sexual assault, consent, and agency
• Why does Killgrave break the fourth wall?
• Grant Morrison's Animal Man
• Journalism? Hasn't she suffered enough??!
• Chew
• New Avengers Vol. 10: Power
• Stumptown Vol. 1

Join us in two weeks as we begin our preparations for Avengers: Infinity War with a look at the origins of the comic-book Avengers, starting with the first appearances of Henry Pym (Tales to Astonish #27), The Incredible Hulk (The Incredible Hulk #1), Thor (Journey Into Mystery #83), Iron Man (Tales of Suspense #39) and the Wasp (Tales to Astonish #44), all leading into Avengers #1!

Until then, please 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 Valentine's Day episode, Curt and Kevin discuss a tale of love, longing and murder: Heartbreak Soup (or Sopa de Gran Pena) and its prologue, Chelo's Burden, written and drawn by Gilbert Hernandez, from the long-running series Love and Rockets, published by Fantagraphics Books.

In the small Latin American town of Palomar, a violent breakup finds dazed, drunken Tip in' Tip in' taken under the wing of headstrong 11-year-old Carmen. Meanwhile, Pipo, Carmen's 14-year-old sister, is quickly falling in love with Manuel, the town's baby-faced lothario. But that doesn't sit well with hot-headed Gato, who carries a major torch for Pipo.

When this love triangle turns deadly, will all three live to tell the tale? Can Chelo, the town's bañadora, survive a little competition from beguiling newcomer Luba? And can this indelible cast of characters move on up to that magnificent metropolis known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• Love and Rockets
• A Talking Cat!?!
• A disturbing age difference
• One of Kevin's biggest pet peeves
• The films of Robert Altman
• Strong women and horny idiots
• The Soledad problem
• What Curt has in common with Manuel
• Human Diastrophism (or Blood of Palomar)
• Daytripper

Join us in two weeks as we anticipate the second season of Marvel's Jessica Jones on Netflix with a look at Alias Vol. 4: The Secret Origins of Jessica Jones!

Until then, please 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 look forward to the highly anticipated Black Panther film with a look back at the late 90s storyline Black Panther: The Client, collecting Black Panther vol. 3 #1-5, the start of the groundbreaking run by Christopher Priest, published by Marvel Comics.

T'Challa, king of the African nation of Wakanda, leaves his homeland in the middle of a refugee crisis for an urgent mission to New York City. Accompanied by low-level diplomat Everett K. Ross, the menacing monarch and his pair of sleek, deadly bodyguards investigate the death of a young girl and corruption at The Tomorrow Fund, a Wakanda-backed charity.

But our stealthy sovereign soon discovers that he's been duped by the murderous Reverend Achebe, who's taken advantage of his absence to stage a takeover of Wakanda!

Can the embattled emperor survive a confrontation with the demon Mephisto and rescue his realm from the ruthless reverend? And can he gain entrance to that peerless preserve of epic exploits known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• The Marvel Knights imprint
• Hanging a lantern on Quentin Tarantino's influence
• The fascinating past of Christopher Priest
• Black Panther: The Man Without Fear
• Mephisto's debut in Silver Surfer # 3
• Bring on the Bad Guys
• The CW's Black Lightning TV series
• Black Lightning Vol. 1

Not Discussed In This Episode:

• Our previous Black Panther episode

Join us in two weeks as we commemorate Valentine's Day with a tale of longing and love (but no rockets) with the first Heartbreak Soup story from Love and Rockets by Gilbert Hernandez!

Until then, please 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 celebrate their two-year podcasting anniversary with a special birthday two-fer, as they discuss the classic Superman birthday story For The Man Who Has Everything by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons from Superman Annual #11, published by DC Comics, as well as its animated adaptation from Justice League Unlimited!

Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman arrive at Superman's arctic hideaway to wish him a happy birthday, but find the Man of Steel immobilized by a sinister-looking plant known as the Black Mercy. Before they can figure out a plan of action, they're confronted by the alien warlord Mongul, who reveals that Superman has been put into a coma, dreaming of an idyllic existence as a husband, father and geologist on his home planet of Krypton!

Can our overmatched heroes stop Mongul from conquering the Earth? Can the Man of Tomorrow wake up from his seductive fantasy in time to save them? And can this fearless foursome gain entry into that Fortress of Solitude known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• The Silver Age and the Bronze Age
• The kiss that hasn't aged well
• Kevin can't pronounce "fetishization"
• Curt's love for Justice League Unlimited
• How much cash do you give Superman for his birthday?
• Hey, is that Mike Farrell?
• For the Girl Who Has Everything
• What IS Ninja?
• Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
• DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore

Join us in two weeks as we prepare for the release of the hotly anticipated Black Panther adaptation with a discussion of Black Panther: The Client, by Christopher Priest and Mark Texeira!

Until then, please 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 return to Gotham City to unwrap the riddle of Batman: The War of Jokes and Riddles, by Tom King, Mikel Janin and Clay Mann, published by DC Comics!

The Dark Knight Detective has popped the question to his "purr-fect" match, the beguiling cat burglar known as Catwoman. But before his feline foil can answer, he must unburden himself of a terrible secret—an especially dark night from early in his crime-fighting career.

The Caped Crusader's two most dangerous enemies, the Joker and the Riddler, have gone to war, with the streets of Gotham as their battleground. The city's supervillain community has taken up sides, with its citizens quite literally caught in the crossfire, along with the tragic figure known as … Kite Man?

Can the World's Greatest Detective suss out a solution to this pernicious puzzle before the entire city is torn asunder? And can this criminal conflict win top billing on that comedy club marquee of magnificence known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• Curt starts with a knock-knock joke
• DC's Rebirth initiative
• Our Vision: No Worse Than a Man Episode
• Our favorite Riddler
• The Joker and Riddler's Dungeons & Dragons alignments
• Is Charlie Brown a Batman villain?
• Enemy at the Gates
• The troubling implications of Batman and Catwoman's hookup
• The heartbreaking tragedy of Kite Man
• Batman: I Am Suicide
• Mister Miracle
• Batman: The Long Halloween

Join us in two weeks as we celebrate our two-year anniversary and our 50th official episode with Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' landmark Superman tale, For the Man Who Has Everything!

Until then, please 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 last episode of 2017, Curt and Kevin welcome Collider.com senior TV editor and critic Allison Keene for a fun, spirited discussion of the big comics adaptations from the second half of the year, including Thor: Ragnarok, Marvel's The Defenders and Justice League!

Spoilers are (mostly) avoided in this non-canonical episode, which also touches on the CW's Crisis on Earth-X crossover event; whether Black Panther will continue Marvel's recent trend toward the comedic (probably not); Thor: Ragnarok's similarities to The Empire Strikes Back; waiting for The Punisher to get exciting; the engaging cast of Runaways; The Gifted's similarity to The O.C.; Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in space; and The Tick.

As if that weren't enough, there's also a discussion of what we're looking forward to in 2018, including the CW's Black Lightning, the second season of Fox's Legion and X-Men: Dark Phoenix.

Other Things Discussed in This Episode:

• What makes the CW's superhero shows work?
• Marvel's TV shows vs. DC's movies
• The best scene in Justice League
• Ben Affleck's Batman: "What a hero!"
• The best thing about Inhumans
• Curt Inhu-mansplains to Allison
• Our Planet Hulk episode
• Hap and Leonard
• Ant-Man and the Wasp
• Tom Hardy and the Venom movie

Things not discussed in this episode? The latest seasons of Preacher and Gotham (which we haven't seen), The Walking Dead, My Friend Dahmer (ditto), and Riverdale (see our Archie Meets the Punisher episode).

And if you're looking for takes on Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Logan or Legion, you'll want to check out our July episode on Marvel media adaptations (and Wonder Woman).

We're back to rendering judgment on comic book stories in two weeks, as we roll into 2018 with a review of Batman: The War of Jokes and Riddles!

Until then, please 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, worlds collide as Curt and Kevin take aim at Marvel's the Punisher and the hit CW series Riverdale with a discussion of the epic 1994 crossover Archie Meets the Punisher (or The Punisher Meets Archie), published by Archie Comics and Marvel Comics!

Written by Batton Lash (Supernatural Law) with art by comics legends John Buscema and Stan Goldberg, this most unlikely of mashups finds Marvel's mass-murdering vigilante in the idyllic small town of Riverdale on the trail of drug dealer "Red" Fever – who just happens to bear a striking resemblance to Riverdale's most popular teenager, Archie Andrews!

After their first meeting almost ends in disaster, our dubious duo tracks Archie's deadly double to Riverdale High's 1950s dance! But the Punisher's not the only one after Archie's dastardly dopplegänger – and these homicidal hitmen don't care if Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica and the rest of the gang get caught in the crossfire!

Can America's favorite teenager and the Marvel Universe's avenging antihero join forces to thwart the mob and rescue Veronica from Archie's lethal lookalike? And can they win election to that homecoming court known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man: The Battle of the Century
• Superman vs. Muhammed Ali
• Rorschach vs. Casper the Friendly Ghost
• A kinder, gentler Punisher
• Archie Meets KISS
• Crisis on Infinite Earths
• "Flutesnoot here!"
• Wolverine vs. Jughead
• Everyone's favorite Legion of Super-Heroes member!
• Some thoughts on Riverdale
• Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
• Archie's Weird Fantasy
• Ambush Bug: A precursor to Deadpool?
• Afterlife With Archie Vol. 1: Escape From Riverdale

Join us in two weeks for a look back at the current landscape of comics-related TV and film adaptations, including Justice League, Thor: Ragnarok, Runaways, Inhumans and much more!

Until then, please 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 take the midnight train going anywhere, joined by Collider.com senior editor Matt Goldberg, as they mark the debut of Hulu's new Runaways series with a discussion of Runaways: Pride and Joy by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, published by Marvel Comics!

All kids think of their parents as villains on occasion. But Alex Wilder and his adolescent friends have just discovered that their well-to-do parents are actual supervillains – members of a criminal cabal called the Pride! Stunned, our hormonal heroes steal away into the California night, determined to expose their felonious fathers and murderous mothers! Along the way, superpowers are discovered, secrets are revealed, superheroic identities are (briefly) adopted … oh, and someone gets a pet dinosaur!

Can these pubescent powerhouses stay a step ahead of their evil elders and avoid the most severe grounding of all time? And can our teen titans find placement in that home for wayward young Avengers known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Not Discussed in This Episode:

• Runaways editor C.B. Cebulski's new job as editor in chief of Marvel Comics (mainly because this was recorded before the promotion was announced)

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• The other Runaways
• The new Runaways series by Rainbow Rowell
• A farewell to AIM
• Matt Goldberg previews the Runaways TV series
• Our Eltingville Club episode
• Young Avengers Vol. 1: Sidekicks
• Invincible
• Pride of Baghdad
• Y: The Last Man
• The Collider Podcast

Join us in two weeks as we use Marvel's The Punisher and the second season of Riverdale as an excuse to discuss the unlikely crossover Archie Meets the Punisher!

Until then, please 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 prepare for the long-awaited release of Justice League with (what else?) a discussion of a kinda/sorta Justice League story: the acclaimed 1996 battle-of-the-superheroes miniseries Kingdom Come, written by Mark Waid, painted by Alex Ross, and published by DC Comics!

In the not-too-distant future, a new generation of super-powered beings has taken the place of the Justice League. But these reckless "heroes" are even more of a menace than the villains they face, and millions of innocents pay the price when one super-battle results in the devastation of the American Midwest!

Wonder Woman coaxes a reluctant Superman out of self-imposed exile to reunite the Justice League. But Batman refuses the call, and the heroes clash over differing ideologies. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor and the U.N. have their own ideas for how to deal with this growing crisis—and one of them involves a nuclear bomb!

Can these costumed crusaders put aside their differences, end the threat of these metahuman miscreants, and avert atomic annihilation? And can they win the keys to that kingdom of caped champions known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• "Get It On" by Kingdom Come
• Elseworlds and "imaginary stories"
• Marvels and the breathtaking art of Alex Ross
• Alan Moore's Twilight of the Superheroes
• Kingdom Come's uncanny similarities to Civil War
• Can you have a grim and gritty refutation of grim and gritty comics?
• Alan Moore's Miracleman
• JLA: American Dreams
• Everyone's favorite Superman!
• Canceled Too Soon

Join us in two weeks as we prepare for the first season of Hulu's Runaways adaptation with a discussion of Runaways: Pride and Joy!

Until then, please 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!