Rereading comics that sit in the box or on the shelf for long periods of time, binge reading, single issue stories, Valerian and Moebius being available in English start this one off. Pullapalooza finishes it out.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Thin Lizzy
Akira By Katsuhiro Otomo.
Join Don, Al and Dallas as they reminisce about Halloweens past! The gang fumbles over their knowledge of the origins of Halloween, and Al relishes over Creepy Presents: Bernie Wrightson and explains the Egyptian tradition of a beetle on a string.
Then Don discusses DC’s new YOUNG ANIMAL imprint, including Doom Patrol and Shade the Changing Girl. After that, we plug Slow Robot a Go-Go and DaddyMindTricks.com
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett
The core four are joined again by Dallas’ daughter and begin the discussion by trying to think of great single issue and standalone stories. Rook and Don gush over Alex + Ada, specifically volume 2, Al reviews “Bravo for Adventure” by the legendary Alex Toth, and Don reviews “The Sculptor” by the near-legendary Scott McCloud.
The gang starts randomly bashing variant covers in mainstream comics and Al finishes everything out saying goodbye to Herschell Gordon Lewis.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Ed Woltil
The core four return with Baby Emily to talk shop about comics! Don gives the gang rose rocks from Oklahoma, Dallas considers his multiple attacks by animals this past week, and Rook *finally* swears off DC’s exhausting Rebirth series.
Big event books are compared to popular series that grew organically are discussed, along with the lackluster Fantastic Four movies, Ang Lee films, Lady Snowblood, and James Robinson.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Purity Ring
Rook Says Goodbye To DC Rebirth.
Al and Don are back and start it off with The Outer Space Spirit, Will Eisner, comic magazines of the seventies and Barney Google. Johnny Hazard By Frank Robbins leads into the influence of Milton Caniff and Noel Sickles on the newspaper adventure strip, and finishes with books by François Rivière and Marguerite Abouet.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Red Club
The Outer Space Spirit By Will Eisner, Wally Wood And Jules Feiffer.
Dallas and Rook discuss their love of coffee while gushing over the Marvel Cinematic Universe, specifically Captain America: Civil War.
They also review Batman vs. Superman and Ant-Man, and Rook highlights his interest in DC’s WB shows along with Marvel’s Netflix Shows.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Arkasia
The core four are together, with Rook showing interest in the DC Rebirth titles. Crossover fatigue, the many Captain Marvels, The Vision and other television show style comics are brought up among other things.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: The Runaways
Starting out hating an artist only to change your mind two months later is the first topic, then early projects we didn’t like from creators we did follows it up.
Love for golden age artists Matt Baker, Reed Crandall and Raymond Kinstler is shown, along with a whole lot of talk about Howard Chaykin. A whole lot. Then Chris Samnee, Walt Simonson and the first issue of Bob’s Burgers plus Al’s love for Win Mortimer converts Don over to his side. It gets dark. Really dark.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: The Masons
Al begins the conversation with a spillover from Kung Fu Theater On Radio St. Pete, and then moves into the art of comic book script writing and fanzines. The Beatles Revolver is brought up along with the question of why songs were removed from each album for the American audience. Don brings Darwyn Cooke: Graphic Ink and Valerian to the table, then we stop.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: The Jam
Bruce Lee: Fists Of Fury (aka Chinese Connection In The USA).
The conversation starts off recommending these 21 San Diego Comic-Con Panels. We say goodbye to Jack Davis and discuss the incredible body of work he left behind. Everything finishes out with Future Quest 3, Valentina and Black Canary.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Van Morrison
It starts off with Future Quest, moves into Famous Monster Movie Art Of Basil Gogos, then runs off into heavy metal drummers and double albums on vinyl. Jim Aparo and Saturday morning cartoon ads finish it out.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Blue Cheer
Future Quest 1 By Jeff Parker, Evan Shaner And Jordie Bellaire.
If you liked us talking about Vampirella last episode, here is some more that we didn’t think was good enough to include. Enjoy!
Vampirella By Enric And José González.
We start off with Vampirella, move into the Filipino artists who did American comics in the seventies and end up talking about barbarian titles from the same era. Heroines of the golden age and Tarzan finish it out.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Steve Robinson
Vampirella 2 Cover By Bill Hughes.
Rook and Dallas return and discuss DC’s new REBIRTH storyline before touching on some unique properties, including Scooby Doo Apocalypse and Wacky Raceland.
Then it’s time to talk video games! Specifically, E3 2016 and all the new games coming out! We wrap it up with movie and television talk, touching on Supergirl, Gotham, Daredevil, and X-Men: Apocalypse.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Killswitch Engage
Dallas starts it off talking about Injection, then Al and Don come in and look at the Free Comic Book Day issue of Hilda, Jonah Hex 33 and Catwoman 17, 18 and 19. Then it goes into a massive pullapalooza.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Be Bop Deluxe
Injection By Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey And Jordie Bellaire.
Even though Al starts off with a certain question, the conversation turns to following creators or following the characters, Mad paperbacks, Jeffrey Catherine Jones documentary and pullapalooza finish it out.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: The Replacements
Although Al Hasn’t Read The Current State Of Captain America,
He Talks About What He Has Heard.
The episode opens saying farewell to Darwyn Cooke and give an appreciation to the fantastic work he left behind. Tom Gauld’s Mooncop, Scarlet Witch, Giant Size comics, Jack Kirby’s later work and Squirrel Girl finish it out.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Adrian Belew • The Cadets
Goodbye Darwyn Cooke. Thanks For All The Work.
Free Comic Book Day, The Autumnlands, Archie Comics Digest, the missing element of fun and color or no color are the topics of this on the road show. Enjoy!
Fast reading comics starts it off, along with early work we may not have liked as kids. Artists we missed out on meeting, Flash Gordon, remaking movies and James Robinson’s Starman finishes it out..
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Blue Ash
Black Widow By Chris Samnee And Mark Waid.
Frank Frazetta: The Adventures Of The Snowman is finally discussed, along with artists simplifying their styles. Jack Kirby’s Fourth World is mentioned, Peter Max somehow comes up, Dallas’ The Mighty Blue is reviewed and Gilbert Hernandez’ Sloth is recommended.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: The Jezabels
Al brings Frank Frazetta’s The Adventures Of The Snow Man to the table. Dallas talks about Injection and Don brings up The Vision (again). Sex Criminals, little hamburgers and the many versions of The Incal finish out the rest.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: The Shadow Moses Incident
Al and Don get together and actually talk about comic books without slipping into any other topic. Even stranger is the fact that they only discussed two titles.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Van Duran And Jody Stephens
The Vision By Tom King, Gabriel Hernandez Walta And Jordie Bellaire.
Al starts it off talking about a movie he has no interest in seeing, and Don talks about comic books from previous episodes. We also discussed this Howard Chaykin interview.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Brian Eno featuring Snatch “R.A.F”
The Core Four burn through the first part of the show talking about how they met, then learn how Hashbrowns got his name. The question of are there too many comics these days? is brought up, and Al discusses the return of variant covers. Dallas gives a lukewarm review of Fantastic Four 352 after Don pushed it on him and Rook reviews Super Zero. And at the end Poison River, Chrononauts 1, Black Science and The Nevermen were talked about, but not very well. Enjoy!
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: The Horribles • Prince Whipper Whip
Are There Too Many Comics These Days?
Continue readingChris begins employment at Yancy Street Comics, and Rook asks the crew to assign required reading. Then Dallas and Rook talk about the Deadpool movie as well as Captain America 2: Civil War.
Now That He Is Working There, What Comics Should Chris Read?
There were a lot of technical difficulties on this one, so please excuse the poor sound quality. Al is joined with Pat and discuss the comic books they were exposed to in the early sixties and what brought them into the fold.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Palehound
Dallas, Al, Rook, Don and Hashbrowns discuss Gabriel Rodriguez and Joe Hill’s staggeringly epic magnum opus in excruciating detail. We cover the characters, story, writing style, art, and everything in between. SPOILERS ENSUE, but we don’t give away the ending.
If you haven’t read this comic, you’ll want to after this episode. In other news, Rook presents Al with a gift live on air, and we announce Hashbrowns’ future plans.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Crywolf
Vault Of Horror Cover By Johnny Craig.
Filling in the blanks, comic images that scared us as kids and horror comics from Harvey start things off. Madame Xanadu, Batman Vs. Grendel, Valerian and the fact that AL HAS NEVER SEEN The Fifth Element finishes it.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: The Masons
Fill In The Blanks From Understanding Comics By Scott McCloud.
This one starts off about Dell Comics many movie and television adaptations and goes into The Monkees and wondering why and how Dell Comics ended and Gold Key began. Trying to continue a comic after the adaptation ends, O.G. Whiz, Jethro Tull, newsreels, cartoon shorts and serials that were shown at the movies was discussed, as well as Bazooka Joe bubble gum, Ernie Bushmiller’s Nancy and other newspaper comics Al didn’t seem to enjoy.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Mike Nesmith
Movie Adaptations From Dell Comics.
We starts it off with Dennis The Menace Comic Books by Al Wiseman and Fred Toole, go into Owen Fitzgerald’s Dennis The Menace, as well as his many other comic work. Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson’s Nail Biter is discussed, as well as Nemo: River Of Ghosts and League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume II. And we finish it off with Top Shelf Productions, Patsy Walker AKA Hellcat! and Last Days Of The Silver Surfer.
MUSICAL SPOTLIGHT: Steve Robinson & Ed Woltil
Dennis The Menace Comic Book Collection
By Al Wiseman And Fred Toole.
