Info

Some of My Friends Read Comics

SOME OF MY FRIENDS READ COMICS is a book-club format podcast about reading the great comic book stories for the first time. On each episode, your hosts will review a classic comic book story or run, examine how well it holds up, and figure out how it fits within the grand context of comics.
RSS Feed
Some of My Friends Read Comics
2024
March
February
January


2023
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2022
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2021
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2015
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April


All Episodes
Archives
Now displaying: 2020
Dec 23, 2020

It's still December, we've been told, which means we're legally obligated to continue covering Christmas comics. But we broke the rules and did a cartoon too! Take that!

We went with Paul Dini's "Slayride" in Detective Comics #826 as well as the "Christmas with the Joker" episode of Batman: The Animated Series. 

And then we continued Squadron Supreme with issue #8, in which we get an actual honest to goodness superhero fight.

Next Time: The Death of Gwen Stacy (Amazing Spider-Man #121-122) and What If Spider-Man Had Rescued Gwen Stacy (What If? #24)

Dec 9, 2020
Anytime the holidays roll around, you know we're gonna get Santa plastered all over a ton of comics. DC's Christmas With the Superheroes 1988 collects 6 different stories from throughout the years and we tried to guess how many would contain the real Santa. Or as real as a comic book Santa can get.
 
And then we got another shocking twist in Squadron Supreme #7.
 
Next Time: A double-dose of Paul Dini Holiday Fun with Batman: Slayride (Detective Comics #826) and Christmas with the Joker (Batman: The Animated Series Season 1, Episode 2)
 
Nov 25, 2020

We forgive you if you haven't heard of Dog Man, he's not exactly a super hero. He's half cop / half dog, stitched together after a terrible accident, but not in like a gross way.

It's cute, we promise. It's a spinoff of that kids book, Captain Underpants and it's published by Scholastic.

We jumped right into Dog Man Volume 3: A Tale of Two Kitties and then went on to Squadron Supreme #6, where we get some bigtime shakeups in the team roster.

Next Time: DC's Christmas with the Superheroes (1988)

 
Oct 28, 2020

Spooky month continues with a highly praised modern horror comic called Harrow County. It's a witch book by Cullen Bunn with watercolor finished art by Tyler Crook, so we just had to try it!

The first volume, Countless Haints, was only 4 issues and the haints were honestly pretty countable.

Then we moved on to Squadron Supreme #5 where the entire team gets mind controlled AGAIN.

Next Time: Dog Man 3: A Tale of Two Kitties

Oct 14, 2020

We wanted to read some classic horror to celebrate the spookyseason so we dug up some of the original Tales From The Crypt comics from 1950.

Actually, we read the first issues (#17-19) called Crypt Of Terror before they changed the name. It was some weird crime stuff before that, I know it's confusing, just listen to the episode and everything will be okay.

Until we continue our read of Squadron Supreme with #4 in which everything is definitely NOT okay.

Next Time: Harrow County: Countless Haints by Cullen Bunn & Tyler Crook

Sep 30, 2020

What's that Doctor Doom scamp trying to steal this time? Oh, it's all the vibranium in Wakanda. Yikes. We read DoomWar from 2010 in which he succeeds?!?!?! Oh no.

And wait until you see which Deadpool character named Deadpool shows up to help the Black Panther out, it's a real shocker.

We also read Squadron Supreme #3 and got some pretty unacceptable behavior from one of them old boys.

Next Time: Tales from the Crypt #17-19 (found in the Tales from the Crypt: The EC Archives Vol 1)
Sep 16, 2020

The Boys is a show. It seems to be a pretty popular one, so we read the comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson that inspired it. This was an unwise decision. The levels of sex and gore in these pages had us questioning if we had become our own moms.

We moved onto Squadron Supreme #2 as quickly as we could.

Next Time: Black Panther: Doomwar

 

Sep 2, 2020

They're not rats and they're technically not queens, they're Rat Queens! A band of D&D-esque adventurers in a D&D-esque world just starting fights everywhere they go. We read the first volume of this Image title.

And then we begin our long read of Mark Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme from 1984, which is some nice escapist fiction about fixing our broken brainwashed government.

Next Time: The Boys: The Name of the Game by Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson

Aug 19, 2020

Madness! Chaos! Anything goes! It’s Assistant Editors’ Month at Marvel!

Back in 1984, when all the head editors were off at conventions, they handed the reigns over to their assistants who had a lot of fun with their freedom.

We read Thing #7, Defenders #127, Avengers #239, Dazzler #30, and the infamous takedown of Galactus by Aunt May and Franklin Richards in Marvel Team-Up #137.

We also finished out JLA/Avengers #4!

Don't say we didn't warn you!

Next Time: Rat Queens: Sass & Sorcery + Squadron Supreme #1

 

Aug 5, 2020

It's a scientific fact that stories about maniacal ax-wielding children are always entertaining. I Hate Fairyland is no exception, although I guess technically it's about a woman who just looks like a kid because she's spent 27 years stuck in a sugary wonderland.

We read the first 5 issues of writer/artist Skottie Young's recent Image series and then we continued JLA/Avengers with issue #3.

Next Time: Marvel Assistant Editor's Month 1984 (Avengers #239, Dazzler #30, Defenders #127, Marvel Team-Up #137, Thing #7)

Jul 22, 2020

In 1989, long before the AVP movies, Dark Horse published a few short stories that brought the Alien and Predator franchises into the same universe.

In 1990, they kicked off a full miniseries of Aliens vs Predator. Now, with the news that Dark Horse is losing their rights to the licenses, we take a look back at that original miniseries that forever intertwined these two foes.

We also continue JLA/Avengers with issue #2.

Next Time: I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 1: Madly Ever After by Skottie Young

Jul 8, 2020

This week on the show, we remember Dennis O’Neil with a look back at his run with Neal Adams on Green Lantern from 1970, in which he explored a few topics that superheroes didn’t often tackle.

Green Lantern shared the spotlight with Green Arrow to start their “Hard Travelin’ Heroes” Era, and we read issues 76-81. After that we jumped into another DC/Marvel team-up with the first issue of JLA/Avengers from 2003.

Next Time: Aliens vs. Predator (1990)

Jun 24, 2020

For the last few episodes, we’ve been reading Marvel vs DC, about two universes pitted against each other. But just before the final issue, they merged and Amalgam Comics was born!

We take a look at a handful of those special one-shot issues that all arrived before the event’s finale which we also read! Join us as we explore Amazon, Dark Claw, Super Soldier, Spider-Boy, Doctor Strangefate and the JLX.

Next Time: We remember the late great Denny O'Neil with Green Lantern & Green Arrow: Hard-Traveling Heroes (Issues 76-81) + We start our next long-read with JLA/Avengers #1 (from 2003).

Jun 10, 2020

Teenage. Mutant. Ninja. Turtles. Four words that instantly belong together. We go back to where it all started in Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s original comics from the mid 80’s.

We read the first 7 issues and saw the turtles fight robots, travel to outer space and murder Shredder(?!). Unfortunately, there were no Cowabungas.

Then we read Marvel vs DC part 3 aka the one with all the fights!

Next Time: We wrap up DC vs. Marvel, but not before reading a few comics from the Amalgam Universe!

May 27, 2020

There aren’t main writer/artist pairs in comics who work together as consistently as Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips, and yet we’ve never covered their work!

We finally rectify that by reading a spin-off of their long standing Criminal series called Bad Weekend, in which we learn about all kinds of shady practices behind the scenes of the comic book industry.

And then we keep diving deeper into Marvel vs DC with issue #2.

Next Time: The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics by Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird!

 

May 13, 2020

It’s the exciting conclusion to the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time manga with Volume 2! Will Link ever be a little kid again? Will this mysterious Sheik be friend or foe? And how much does this thing line up with the video game?

After that, we begin our long read of Marvel vs DC, featuring the most famous comic book character of all time: Lobo!

Next Time: Criminal: Bad Weekend by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips

Apr 29, 2020

Some of My Friends Read… Manga?!?!? And Play Video Games?!?!?!

After 5 years, we finally delve into some content from Japan: The Ocarina of Time manga adaptation from the Legend of Zelda series. Did we get confused reading right to left? Were we able to switch back for the Marvels Epilogue? (Yes, it was fine.)

Next Time: We close out The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time with Volume 2 + we start reading DC vs. Marvel issue by issue. 

Apr 15, 2020

Marvel’s had plenty of titles dedicated to the “next generation” of X-Men, but New Mutants was the first.

We jumped into the Demon Bear Saga and read issues 18-21 written by Chris Claremont in his prime and with the wIcKeD art of Bill Sienkiewicz.

Then we finished up Marvels: Eye of the Camera with the unexpectedly moving issue 6.

Next Time: After 5 years, we finally decide to dip our toe into manga with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Vol. 1 by Akira Himekawa

Apr 1, 2020

Remember that time Colonel Sanders defeated the evil Colonel Sunder from Earth-3 by taking down his knock-off fried chicken franchise with the help of Green Lantern and Flash?

Well you’re remembering it wrong, Colonel Sanders doesn’t need nobody’s help.

We read a 3-pack of KFC/DC crossover comics from 2015-2017 and then we experienced an actually intriguing story beat in Marvels: Eye of the Camera #5.

Next Time: New Mutants: The Demon Bear Saga (New Mutants 18-21)

 

Mar 18, 2020

It’s high time we read some Sandman for this show. No, not the the literal sand guy from Spider-Man. It’s the Neil Gaiman series that made Vertigo Comics famous.

We jumped straight into Volume 4: Season of Mists, which seems to be less about seasons and more about land ownership rights.

Then we keep reading Marvels: Eye of the Camera and we regret every second of it.

Next Time: April Fools' Day with the KFC Colonel Sanders Trilogy: The Colonel of Two Worlds (2015), Colonel Corps (2016), Green Lantern/Colonel Sanders: Across the Universe (2017)

Feb 26, 2020

It’s finally time for us to cover one of Batman’s greatest villains: a leopard! (Actually, it’s Ra’s al Ghul, but the fight with the leopard looked cooler).

We take a look at Old Ghoulie’s first appearance in Batman 232 and then his first rise from a Lazarus Pit in issues 243 and 244. All by Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams.

And do we have to keep mentioning Marvels: Eye of the Camera? We’re on issue 3.

Next Time: Sandman Vol 4: Seasons of Mist (Issues 21-28)

(Apologies for the first 27 minutes, where Vince's sound is wrong)

Feb 12, 2020

On today’s episode, we explore the rare Non-Gritty Reboot. I assure you, they exist. At the very least, one example exists: Archie. In 2015, Mark Waid and Fiona Staples brought Archie back to mainstream comics. And it’s nothing like Riverdale.

We checked out the first six issues and then continued our read of Marvels: Eye of the Camera with issue #2.

Next Time: The Origins of Batman villain Ra's Al Ghul with Batman 232, 243, and 244!

Jan 29, 2020

In my headcanon, Birds of Prey was always 3 members: Oracle, Black Canary, and Huntress. Turns out Huntress didn’t even join the team until Gail Simone took over in 2003. Turns out Harley Quinn was definitely not on the team.

We read the first few issues of Simone’s run from #56-61 and then we continued our read of Marvels with the 1st issue of the followup miniseries, Marvels: Eye of the Camera.

Next Time: Archie gets rebooted in 2015 by Mark Waid & Fiona Staples!

Jan 15, 2020

We've got more Moore than you can handle, as we take a double dose of Alan Moore's Superman from the 1980s!

First up, Alan Moore teams up with his future Watchmen collaborator Dave Gibbons with 1985's "For the Man Who Has Everything", where Batman & Wonder Woman try their darndest to find a good birthday present for Superman, while Superman imagines a world where Krypton did not explode and he never came to Earth.

Then, we check out the final story of the pre-Crisis Superman with Alan Moore and Curt Swan's "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" As Bill Hader's Stephon would say, this book has everything: Krypto the Superdog, superbabies turning coal into diamonds, Jimmy Olsen & Lana Lang getting superpowers, and Superman defending his friends against all his foes. It's a classic story you don't want to miss!

And finally, we conclude Phil Sheldon's journey through the early days of the Marvel Universe with Kurt Busiek & Alex Ross's "Marvels #4"! (That's not really true, we start the sequel "Marvels: Eye of the Camera" next episode.)

Next Time: Birds of Prey: Of Like Minds by Gail Simone (Birds of Prey #56-61) + Marvels: Eye of the Camera #1

Jan 1, 2020

Way back in episode 19, we read our first Thanos comic when he returned from death in 1990 and started collected the Infinity Gems. Now, exactly 100 episodes later, we decided we’d take a look at how he actually died in the first place.

It was surprisingly earlier in 1977’s Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2, written and drawn by Jim Starlin (because who else would it be?).

And then we relive the terror of Galactus in Marvels #3!

Next Time: Superman & Alan Moore times two with "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" and "Superman: For the Man Who Has Everything"

1