The Corner Box

By David & John

Welcome to The Corner Box, where we talk about comic books as an industry and an art form. You never know where the discussion will go, or who’ll show up to join hosts David Hedgecock and John B

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FAQs about The Corner Box:

How many episodes does The Corner Box have?

The podcast currently has 131 episodes available.

The Corner Box episodes:

February 10, 2026Our Best of 2025 Concludes on The Corner Box - S3Ep20
Our Best of 2025 continues! We find out which comics and artists made it on to the comics industry’s most prestigious (and accurate!) awards list: The Corner Box Best of 2025! This week's awards include Best Original Graphic Novel, Best Collection and Archival Collection, Best New Series, Favorite Comeback, Favorite Artist and Cover Artist, and Best Continuing Series.
Timestamp Segments
[00:54] The Best Best Of List.
[01:56] Recap of last week’s Bests.
[01:58] Best Original Graphic Novel.
[02:17] Best Collection.
[02:32] Best New Series.
[02:51] Favorite Artist.
[04:39] Best Archival Collection.
[08:53] The self-publishing movement.
[13:46] John’s first publication.
[14:27] David’s comics manifesto.
[18:40] David’s 2024/25 Best Archival Collection.
[22:47] Favorite Cover Artist.
[28:30] Favorite Comeback.
[39:39] Where does John buy his comics?
[42:32] Best Continuing Series.
[49:46] Honorable Mentions.
Notable Quotes
“This is the only true, valid list of Best of 2025 that’s out there.”
“This is what we wanted. As fans of comic books, people have been screaming for this, for a while.”
“Fletcher Hanks froze to death on a bench.”
Books Mentioned
Absolute Batman, by Scott Snyder & Nick Dragotta.
Absolute Batman 2025 Annual.
Absolute Wonder Woman, by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, & Jordie Bellaire.
Aquaman, by Jeremy Adams & John Timms.
Assorted Crisis Events.
Bacchus, by Eddie Campbell.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller.
Batman: Hush 2, by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, & Alex Sinclair.
Batman: The Long Halloween, by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale.
Batman: Year 100, by Paul Pope & Jose Villarrubia.
Blueberry, by Jean-Michel Charlier & Moebius.
Bone, by Jeff Smith.
Captain Marvel (2019-2023).
Cerebus, by Dave Sim.
Complete Megaton Man Universe Volume 1: The 1980s, by Don Simpson & Bill Morrison.
Cornelius: The Merry Life of a
...more
55min
February 03, 2026The Best of 2025 According to The Corner Box - S3Ep19
John and David bring us their BEST OF 2025! They take a look at the comics that took the world by storm, the stories that shaped the industry, the artists that made it all possible, and a few honorable mentions (some maybe not from 2025... the fellas got a little excited).
Timestamp Segments
[00:38] The true 2025 review.
[04:00] John’s Favorites: New Material.
[08:10] The story of Prometheus.
[09:36] David’s Favorites: New Material.
[13:25] Favorite Interior Artist of the Year.
[17:21] OGN of the Year.
[25:10] Best New Ongoing Series.
Notable Quotes
“We’re probably the only truly valid Best of 2025 List that’s really going to be out there.”
“It’s the most David Finchy thing that’s ever been drawn.”
“Keep on comic-ing, everyone.”
Relevant Links
TheCornerbox.Club
Books Mentioned
20th Century Man, by Stipan Morian & Deniz Camp.
Absolute Batman, by Scott Snyder & Nick Dragotta.
Assorted Crisis Events.
Absolute Martian Manhunter, by Deniz Camp & Javier Rodriguez.
Absolute Wonder Woman, by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, & Jordie Bellaire.
Batman and Robin: Year One, by Mark Waid & Chris Samnee.
Invincible, Invincible Universe: Battle Beast, by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, & Annalisa Leoni.
Copra, Death of Copra, by Michel Fiffe.
Don’t Go Where I Can’t Follow, Tongues, by Anders Nilsen.
Dreadstar, Gilgamesh II, by Jim Starlin.
Drome, Hedra, Kaya, Man’s Best, by Jesse Lonergan.
Fire Power, by Robert Kirkman & Chris Samnee.
G.I. Joe.
G.I. Joe: Real American Hero.
Helen of Wyndhorn, by Tom King, Bilquis Evely, & Matheus Lopes.
Hitman, by Garth Ennis & John McCrea.
Little Bird,
...more
39min
January 27, 2026Conan Editor Chris Butera Savages The Corner Box - S3Ep18
Heroic Signatures Editor, Chris Butera, joins David and John to talk about all things Conan the Barbarian! They get into Jim Zub’s mastery of Conan lore, the expansion of the Howard-verse, the importance of a good writer-artist pairing, and fitting stories into a modern context, and David learns about comics without pictures.
Timestamp Segments
[01:14] This is the Barbarian.
[02:51] How Chris fell into comics.
[04:15] Jim Zub is made for success.
[08:37] Starting on Conan.
[11:47] Into the Howard-verse.
[16:38] Finding new artists.
[17:37] The Rob and Roy comic magic.
[21:51] Why writer-artist pairings are so important.
[28:12] Dealing with Solomon Kane.
[37:35] Robert E. Howard’s prolific output.
[39:34] Staying true to Conan while gaining new readers.
[43:46] How Conan stands the test of time.
[47:17] What’s in-store of Conan in 2026?
Notable Quotes
“Prose is comic books without pictures.”
“Let the artist cook.”
“We have this goldfish memory, culturally, sometimes, where we forget how acceptable certain things were, how recently, and then cast back 100 years from that, and expect those values to have been in place 100 years earlier…”
Relevant Links
www.ChrisButera.com
www.HeroicSignatures.com
Books Mentioned
Alter Ego, by Roy Thomas & Ron Harris.
Conan, Shadows in Zamboula, The Dark Man, by Robert E. Howard.
Conan the Barbarian.
Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone, by Jim Zub & Jonas Scharf.
Conan the Barbarian: Frozen Faith, by Jim Zub & Doug Braithwaite.
Conan the Barbarian: Scourge of the Serpent, by Jim Zub, Ivan Gil, & Joao Canola.
Corto Maltese, by Hugo Pratt.
Dungeons & Dragons.
The Frost-Giant’s Daughter, by Robert E. Howard & Raymond West.
Head Lopper, by Andrew MacLean.
The Invincible Iron Man (2004-2007).
Popeye.
Savage Avengers (2019-2022).
Savage Sword of Conan.
Transformers.
...more
50min
January 20, 2026Patrick Bower Challenges The Corner Box Part Two - S3Ep17
Challengers Comics + Conversation’s Patrick Brower joins John and David for part 2 of this year-end conversation about all things comics in 2025. They get into why David can’t get all the variant covers, the Marvel/DC crossovers, what made the Absolute Line so successful, the good and the bad of 2025, and looking ahead at the comics industry in 2026, and Patrick makes a prediction – will it come true?
Timestamp Segments
[00:57] Excitement for 2026.
[04:38] The variant covers headache.
[08:03] Marvel and DC do different books together.
[09:59] The average customer.
[11:09] The DC/Marvel solution.
[12:29] DC K.O.
[14:22] What makes the Absolute Line work?
[17:56] Was 2025 a good year for comics?
[19:10] PRH’s payment portal.
[21:28] Book distributors vs comic distributors.
[23:31] Making more money – still broke.
[25:06] What’s coming up in 2026?
[29:09] Patrick’s prediction for 2026.
[30:21] Patrick mentions wrestling.
[30:40] Warner being bought, again.
[31:35] The longest-running comic shop.
Notable Quotes
“I'm not saying any names, whatsoever.”
“Your average customer isn't the expert customer you're hearing from on the internet.”
“I'm just disappointed that Time Warner rejected the Blockbuster video bid from the early 90s.”
Relevant Links
Challengerscomics.com
Books Mentioned
Absolute Batman, by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, & Frank Martin.
Absolute Green Lantern, by Al Ewing & Jahnoy Lindsay.
Absolute Martian Manhunter, by Deniz Camp & Javier Rodriguez.
Absolute Superman, by Jason Aaron & Rafa Sandoval.
Absolute Wonder Woman, by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, & Jordie Bellaire.
Batman, by Matt Fraction & Jorge Jiménez.
The Cull, by Kelly Thompson & Mattia de Iulis.
DC K.O., by Scott Snyder, Xermanico, Javi Fernandez, & Alejandro Sanchez.
DC/Marvel: Batman/Deadpool.
G.I. Joe.
Ice Cream Man, by W. Maxwell Price, Martin Morazzo, & Chris O’Halloran.
Marvel/DC: Deadpool/Batman (2025- ).
Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. (2006-2010), by Warren Ellis & Stuart Immonen.
...more
34min
January 13, 2026Patrick Brower Challenges The Corner Box - S3Ep16
Challengers Comics + Conversation’s very own Patrick Brower joins John and David for a 2-part year-end conversation about all things comics in 2025. They get into how Diamond’s fall reshaped the entire industry, what it takes to run a comic bookstore, the disappearance of customer service, and a week in the life of a Challengers comic book.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of The Corner Box vs Patrick Brower!
Timestamp Segments
[01:13] The podcast peaks.
[05:00] The fall of Diamond.
[13:53] Navigating smaller margins.
[16:57] Where is customer service?
[19:05] Heroes World.
[20:46] Delivery headaches.
[25:09] David gets a card.
[27:06] The shelf-life of a Challengers comic book.
Notable Quotes
“Not being able to access customer service and talk to a real-live person in 2025, there’s nothing that makes me more angry than that.”
“It’s not a New Year’s card. It’s a Christmas card.”
“If you want people to look through stuff, hide it.”
Relevant Links
challengerscomics.com
Books Mentioned
Kamen Rider, by Shotaro Ishinomori.
Transformers.
Transformers: Optimus Prime, by John Barber & Kei Zama.
...more
33min
January 06, 2026Jim McCann Boosts the Numbers on The Corner Box - S3Ep15
The one and only real Jim McCann joins John and David to talk about his secret careers in music and flower arranging, the truth behind the success of the podcast, a peek the behind-the-scenes in comic book publishing offices, and how to put a double-page spread to good use. Also, David wets himself, Jim wets his comics, and John gets a rock.
Timestamp Segments
[00:48] David’s leaky pipes.
[04:28] Jim loses comics.
[05:12] David finds comics.
[06:16] The third best Jim McCann.
[06:53] Jim is algorithm-optimized.
[08:37] The world, summarized.
[10:16] The best office locations.
[17:53] The Other/Half.
[19:30] Setting up a double-page spread.
[22:33] The perfect page turn.
[32:01] Working with Ignition Press.
[42:11] Jim’s other secret projects.
[43:25] John and G.I. Joe.
Notable Quotes
“I was there for, if I recall correctly, about another 435 years.”
“Sometimes, rocks are bad. Sometimes, they’re good.”
“I’m responsible for more failed relaunches of G.I. Joe than any other human being.”
Books Mentioned
Avengers #800, by Brian Michael Bendis, Jed Mackay, Mark Bagley, Farid Karami, & Russell Dauterman.
Avengers Disassembled.
Civil War.
Conan the Barbarian.
Dazzler, by Jim McCann & Kalman Andrasofszky.
Deluge, by Cullen Bunn & Marika Cresta.
G.I. Joe.
Green Lantern: Ganthet’s Tale, by John Byrne & Larry Niven.
Green Lantern Mosaic, by Gerard Jones & Cully Hamner.
Hawkeye & Mockingbird, by Jim McCann, David Lopez, & Paul Renaud.
House of M.
Mind the Gap, by Jim McCann.
Morning Glories, by Joe Eisma, Nick Spencer, & Rodin Esquejo.
Murder Podcast, by Jeremy Haun, Mike Tisserand, & Nick Filardi.
Mutant Massacre.
New Avengers: The Reunion, by Jim McCann, David Lopez, & Jo Chen.
New Teen Titans.
Return of the Dapper Men, by Jim McCann & Janet Lee.
Something is Killing the Children, by James Tynion IV, Werther Dell’Edera, & Miquel Muerto.
Star Trek: Year Five.
...more
48min
December 30, 2025Comics, Chronic, and Superguys with Anthony Iannaccio on The Corner Box - S3Ep14
Superguy creator and Comics and Chronic cohost, Anthony Iannaccio, joins John and David to talk about his career arc, from WWE arenas to writing comedy superhero comics, the super team behind Superguy, the state of comedy in comics, and the best comics of the moment.
Relevant Links
MrTonyNacho
Timestamp Segments
[00:43] Comics and Chronic.
[02:08] The secret to longevity.
[03:09] Anthony career arc.
[04:18] Getting into comics.
[07:59] Stand-up comedy.
[09:54] Writing for WWE.
[13:29] Breaking into comics.
[17:07] Superguy.
[19:26] Comedy in comics.
[22:29] Are audiences more sophisticated these days?
[23:40] The Superguy Super Team.
[26:50] Overcoming the pressure to perform.
[29:49] David’s thoughts on Superguy.
[31:32] The best of the latest comics.
[35:55] Get your MrTonyNacho comics.
[37:43] A true commitment to the fans.
Notable Quotes
“If you’re successful in comic books, you write for other media, and if you’re not successful in comic books, you write for other media.”
“It’s harder to write a 20-page comic than a 22-page one.”
“I don’t think there’s enough good comedy in comics anymore.”
Books Mentioned
Absolute Batman, by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, Gabriel Walta, & Frank Martin.
Absolute Martian Manhunter, by Deniz Camp & Javier Rodriguez.
Absolute Wonder Woman, by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, & Jordie Bellaire.
Assorted Crisis Events, by Deniz Camp, Eric Zawadzki, Jordie Bellaire, & Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.
Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson.
Civil War.
Drome, by Jesse Lonergan.
Hawkeye, by Matt Fraction & David Aja.
Infinite Crisis.
Mutant Massacre.
Nightwing, by Tom Taylor.
Quick Stops, by Kevin Smith, Jeremy Simser, & John Sprengelmeyer.
RoboWolf, by Jake Smith.
Spectators, by Brian K. Vaughan & Niko Henrichon.
Sugar Bomb, by David Hedgecock.
Superguy, by Anthony Iannaccio & Joey Murphy.
The Tick, by Ben Edlund.
Ultimate Endgame (2025- ), by Deniz Camp
...more
39min
December 23, 2025Top 5 Marvel Runs of All Time (Part 2) on The Corner Box - S3Ep13
John, David, and Everybody Else (aka Mason Rabinowitz) return for Part 2 of the "Top 5 Runs in All of Marvel Comics"! They get into the Top 3, make some honorable mentions, add a few titillating surprises, and then the trio faces-off for the True #1 Marvel Comic Run.
Relevant Links
Behind the Panels of Marvel’s Secret Wars
Timestamp Segments
[00:00] Check out This Secret Wars Kickstarter!
[02:13] John’s #3.
[05:34] Dave Cockrum vs John Byrne.
[09:42] Mason’s #2.
[13:35] David’s #2.
[17:10] John’s #2.
[18:16] Mason’s Top Comic Run.
[19:07] Lee/Kirby magic.
[20:22] Has David read Fantastic Four?
[22:09] John’s Top Comic Run.
[25:07] Why Spider-Man didn’t make the list.
[27:58] David’s Top Comic Run.
[32:08] When New Mutants gets really great.
[33:32] The Liefeld rollercoaster.
[35:54] Behind the Panels of Marvel’s Secret Wars.
Notable Quotes
“That book is the Marvel Universe.”
“You might be right, but you’re wrong.”
“New Mutants: better than girls.”
Books Mentioned
Amazing Fantasy #15, The Amazing Spider-Man – The Master Planner, by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko.
The Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998).
Avengers: Kree/Skrull War, by Roy Thomas, John Buscema, & Neal Adams.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, & Lynn Varley.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Classic X-Men (1986-1990).
Daredevil (1964-1998).
Daredevil, by Ann Nocenti & John Romita Jr.
Daredevil: Born Again, by Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli.
Deadpool/Batman (2025).
Fantastic Four (1961-1998).
Fantastic Four: Imaginauts, Unthinkable, by Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo.
The Flash, by Mark Waid.
Incredible Hulk, by Peter David.
...more
38min
December 16, 2025Top 5 Marvel Runs of All Time (Part 1) on The Corner Box - S3Ep12
Everybody Else (aka Mason Rabinowitz) joins John and (eventually) David for Part 1 of their "Top 5 Runs in All of Marvel Comics"! They get into what makes a run truly great, some iconic collaborations and runs that didn’t make the lists, the exciting Behind the Panels of Secret Wars, and Batman’s new logo. Also, David makes a surprise appearance on today’s episode.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of The Corner Box vs Mason Rabinowitz next week!
Relevant Links
Behind the Panels of Marvel’s Secret Wars
Timestamp Segments
[00:00] Check out This Secret Wars Kickstarter!
[01:49] What’s David really doing?
[02:08] Everybody Else is here.
[02:45] David’s real Top 5.
[03:14] The Top 5 Criteria.
[05:12] What has Mason been working on?
[08:46] Mason’s #5.
[14:33] John’s #5.
[18:41] Wait, there’s another host!
[19:34] Batman’s new logo.
[20:17] Honorable mentions.
[21:26] David’s #5.
[26:46] Mason’s #4.
[28:23] David’s #3.
[35:26] David’s #4.
[37:14] Mason’s #3.
Notable Quotes
“There is no objective measurement of this, and anybody that pretends there is, there isn’t.”
“It’s the only run… that started in 1982 that you can still go out and pick up the current issue of, by the same writer.”
“And then Thor becomes a frog for two issues.”
Books Mentioned
Alien: The Illustrated Story, Manhunter, by Archie Goodwin & Walter Simonson.
Avengers (1963-1996).
Batman (2025- ), by Matt Fraction & Jorge Jiménez.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Daredevil, by Frank Miller.
Bloodstrike, by Rob Liefeld, Dan Fraga, Danny Miki, & Thomas Mason.
Cerebus, by David Sim.
Daredevil, by Brian Michael Bendis & Alex Maleev.
Fantastic Four (1998-2012).
G.I. Joe, by Larry Hama.
Incredible Hulk (1962-1999).
M.A.R.S. Patrol, by Wally Wood.
Marvel Knights Punisher, Punisher Max, by Garth Ennis.
...more
41min
December 09, 2025Avoid Your Family During the Holiday with The Corner Box - S3Ep11
John and David go undercover in search of the answer to the ultimate question: Why? They get into the magic of great creators and their stories, do a deep dive on the recent Batman/Deadpool comic by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora, and discuss David’s unchecked comics spending. Also, John has a revelation.
Timestamp Segments
[01:06] Why?
[02:07] David’s Why? Salvation Run.
[05:46] John’s Why? Youngblood #1.
[09:04] The most Garth Ennis of Garth Ennis books.
[14:00] The thing about Hitman.
[19:05] The DC One Million controversy.
[20:34] Grant Morrison writes the comic book of the moment.
[22:11] Batman/Deadpool.
[23:11] All the Morrison layers.
[31:15] Marvel vs DC stories.
[34:36] The magical Carlos Ezquerra.
[36:45] The Stainless Steel Rat.
[40:43] John’s revelation.
[44:15] Spawn: The Dark Ages.
[49:24] The return of the Swat Kats.
[54:01] Spending too much on comics.
Notable Quotes
“In general, he’s just too smart for me.”
“I take it all back, man. He’s great.”
“I think I may have spent more money in comics than I’ve made.
Books Mentioned
Animal Man (1988-1995).
Back to the Future: Untold Tales & Alternate Timelines.
Batman: No Man’s Land.
Batman & Robin (2009-2011).
Bloodstrike, by Rob Liefeld, Dan Fraga, Danny Miki, & Thomas Mason.
The Boys, by Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson.
Conan the Barbarian.
Crisis on Infinite Earths, by Marv Wolfman & George Perez.
DC K.O.
DC/Marvel: Batman/Deadpool.
DC One Million.
The Demon Annual #2: Introducing Hitman, Dicks, Hitman, Troubled Souls, by Garth Ennis & John McCrea.
Ernest & the Dream Stone, by Corey Perkins, M. Arief Russanto, Mariam Yasser.
Final Crisis, by Grant Morrison & J.G. Jones.
For a Few Troubles More, by Garth Ennis, John McCrea, & Wendy Simpson.
...more
1h 3min

FAQs about The Corner Box:

How many episodes does The Corner Box have?

The podcast currently has 131 episodes available.