The Omnibus: A Comics Podcast

Phillip and Eric kick off a month devoted to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the indie comic that became a billion dollar franchise with the latest film incarnation, the animated film Mutant Mayhem! They talk about its stylized visuals, the emphasis on the "teenage" part of the turtles' characterizations, and Eric asks about Phil to explain Dr. Umar Johnson and the concept of snow bunnies.

Phillip and Eric talk about another of the best comics of 2025, the Image dystopian sci-fi comic, Assorted Crisis Events Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadzki! They dissect its unique premise of melding temporal distortion with current socioeconomic anxieties, its ambitious layout designs and bold coloring, and Eric shares his experience about being recruited on Linkedin by AI companies.

Phillip and Eric finally wrap their rewatch/commentary on David Fincher's adaptation of The Killer graphic novel. They discuss the eponymous character's subtle character arc, Fincher's meticulous style of filmmaking, and Eric asks Phillip to explain K-Pop Demon Hunters to him.

Phillip and Eric break down the first volume of the alternate history superpower Image comic series The Power Fantasy by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard! They discuss its new take on the "beware the superman" narrative, the dissonance of its vibrant color scheme with the subject matter, and give fake lamentations about their graduate alma mater shutting down due to running up a $24 million deficit.

In this episode, Phillip and Eric attempt to continue their rewatch of David Fincher's The Killer adaptation, but things go awry and instead subject themselves to Captain America: Brave New World starring Anthony Mackie. They break down how immensely boring the film is, Phillip educates Eric on who Joaquin Torres is, and talk about how they should've watched M.A.N.T.I.S. instead.

For their first comic talk of 2026, Phillip and Eric break down the surprisingly good Marvel crossover, Aliens Vs. Avengers by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić. They discuss how it subverts the expectations of the cheap cash grab IP crossover, its exploration of the narrative themes Hickman gravitates towards, and how Alien: Earth is better than anyone gives it credit for.

The Patrick H. Willems video essay on Hollywood franchises that inspired this episode.

Eric finally gets Phillip to watch the Netflix adaptation of The Killer graphic novel, directed by David Fincher. They discuss its capture of the introspective spirit of the comic, Fincher's directorial style making him a great fit for the graphic novel, and twenty minutes about Gang of London season 3, Avengers: Doomsday teasers, and the kidnapping presidents abroad.

Phillip and Eric close out 2025 with a conversation about the best comic of the year, Absolute Martian Manhunter by Deniz Vamp and Javier Rodriguez from DC's Absolute line. They discuss its trippy art style afforded by the freedom of the Absolute imprint, its themes of empathy and alienation in a genre-bending story, and continue their mockery of Cynthia Erivo.

Phillip and Eric are back to complete their rewatch of Sam Raimi's much-maligned Spider-Man 3 starring Tobey Maguire, Kirstin Dunst, and James Franco. They also talk about Thomas Hayden Church being in the new Knives Out installment, and what constitutes murder when applied to a man made of sand.

Phillip and Eric are back from their Thanksgiving hiatus to break down one of the hottest comics of the year, Absolute Batman by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta, one of the flagship titles of DC's Absolute line. They discuss Snyder's reimagining of billionaire Bruce Wayne as an angry and brutal middle-class engineer, the series influences from Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Year One, and Cynthia Erivo's tweets about black American culture.