What’s up, spooks? Time for some scary comics for the spookiest month of the year. First up is Locke & Key by Joe Hill who for some reason reminds us all of Stephen King. Hmm, wonder why that is.
Anyways, it’s a book about the scariest thing in existence: KEYS. We read the 1st volume: Welcome to Lovecraft.
And we’re so, so close to the end of All Star Superman with issue #11.
Next Time: Jughead: The Hunger, Vol. 1
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! We’re celebrating our neighbors our neighbors up north by reading about their premiere superhero team, Alpha Flight!
We checked out their 1st appearance in Uncanny X-Men #120 and then read issues 1-4 of their ongoing series written and drawn by John Byrne.
Listen as we try to figure out how Vindicator / Guardian / Captain Canada is an even more milquetoast version of Cyclops. And then Clark Kent gets the scoop of a lifetime in All Star Superman #10!
Next Time: Locke & Key, Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft
There's a spy in the Teen Titans... and she works for Deathstroke! Dick Grayson drops the Robin mantle to debut Nightwing! There's a new team member named Jericho, a sweet little mute boy!
It's the Judas Contract from Tales of the Teen Titans #42-44 and Teen Titans Annual #3.
And over in All Star Superman #9, Clark deals with some real assholes!
Whoa, Carnage is so Maximum it’s taking us two episodes to get through it. Spider-Man seems to be having a tough time getting through Maximum Carnage as well, because in parts 8-14 he really just can’t deal anymore.
All Star Superman also rolls on with issue 8. Booooooo!!!!! (Don’t worry, that’s a Bizarro Boo.)
Next Time: The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (Tales of the Teen Titans #42-44, Annual #3)
Can you believe this is the 25th anniversary of the Maximum Carnage video game? A classic that has such accolades as being A Game and being Based On A Comic Book. At least we know it was a memorable comic book 14-parter that ran through the Spider-Man comics of 1993.
Actually, was it memorable? We know Carnage goes Maximum, but… what else? Let’s start finding out with parts 1-7.
We also don’t continue No Moon Superman with issue #7.
Next Time: Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage #8-14
It may seem hard to believe, but there used to be a time when we knew little to nothing about Wolverine's origins. The Weapon X story from 1991 by Barry Windsor-Smith began to fill in some gaps.
Originally told in small chunks appearing in Marvel Comics Presents #72-84, it's become one of the classic Wolverine stories in his history.
Plus, we continue All-Star Superman with issue 6.
Next Time: Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage, Pt. 1
Animal Man has never exactly been one of DC’s biggest heroes, but he got a reboot in 2011 for the New 52 written by Jeff Lemire with some gruesome, horrific art by Travel Foreman.
We read the first volume which saw him re-discover his origin, find out that his daughter can turn human arms into chicken arms, and start making his way toward the Swamp Thing.
And then in All Star Superman #5, Clark Kent interview Lex Luthor in prison!
Next Time: Wolverine: Weapon X (1991) from Marvel Comics Presents #72-84
If the modern stone age family wasn’t modern enough for you, then we’ve got good news: it’s a reboot, baby! Mark Russell and Steve Pugh re-imagined The Flintstones in this 2016 series filled with cave puns, science “facts,” and hot takes on society.
We also finally learn the origin of Yabba Dabba Doo, a secret that hardcore Flintstones fans have been dying to learn, probably.
Plus All Star Superman #4!
Next Time: Animal Man (2011) #1-6
Jean Grey’s lost it.
Mastermind’s been making her think she’s in the past, she’s been smooching dudes she shouldn’t be smooching, and now the Phoenix Force has moved in and I don’t think she can handle it.
All this while the X-Men fight fancy folks and aliens in the conclusion of the Dark Phoenix Saga from Uncanny X-Men #133-137.
And in All Star Superman #3, we meet some jerks!
Next Time: The Flintstones #1-6
The first appearances of Kitty Pryde, Dazzler, AND Emma Frost? The Dark Phoenix Saga is a story so big, we wouldn’t dream of trying to contain it in one episode.
We read the first half in Uncanny X-Men #129-132 and watched as Scott Summers couldn’t handle Jean’s smoochin’ ways.
And in All-Star Superman #2, what’s hidden in Superman’s secret room?!?!?!
Next Time: We finish the Dark Phoenix Saga with Uncanny X-Men #133-137 (with an option for #138)!
It’s time for Endgame! No, not Avengers… it’s Batman: Endgame from 2015, the culmination of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s run on Batman.
We also start our next long-read tile: All Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely! What a time to be alive.
Next Time: We begin a new 2-parter with The Dark Phoenix Saga Pt.1 (Uncanny X-Men 129-132)
It’s the 2nd part of our Avengers: Forever read! This time it’s less about time travel and more about pulling in Avengers from every timeline. See also: The Kree Supreme Intelligence, Rick Jones, and Kang all pile into a car and drive/fly through space together.
We also unpack Secret Wars a bit more by reading Uncanny X-Men 138. An epilogue issue where Colossus, Wolverine and Nightcrawler talk about their feelings at a bar.
Next Time: We spoil Endgame with Batman: Endgame (Batman (2011) #35-40)
Have you ever heard of the Avengers? Well they’re FOREVER. They fought dinosaurs in the wild west and they tried to stop Skrull Nixon in the ‘50s.
Kurt Busiek chronicles their foreverventures in Avengers: Forever, a 12-issue limited series from the late ’90s.
As far as I can tell, it’s about 2 Hank Pyms stopping 3 Kangs, or something like that. We read the first 6 issues of Forever + the finale of Secret Wars with issue 12! We’ll miss that floating suburb of Denver!
Next Time: Avengers Forever 7-12 + Uncanny X-Men 183 (Secret Wars epilogue)
Detective Comics just released their milestone 1000th issue, so of course we had to read it! But of course we had to take a look back in time and visit the first appears of Batman aka “The Bat-Man” in Detective Comics #27 as well.
Did Detective Comics #1000 do better or worse than Action Comics #1000?
Then we approach the end of Secret Wars with issue #11.
Next Time: Avengers Forever (1998) 1-6 + Secret Wars Finale!
It’s our 100th episode!
And as we do with every anniversary, we celebrate with Batman! This time it’s Batman: Year 100 by Paul Pope, a story that takes place in 2039...aka Batman's 100th year.
Then we continue our read of Secret Wars with issue 10. Galactus may be defeated, but Doom's about to Doom.
We also marked this momentous occasion the only way three nerds know how: by talking about more nerdy things. Here’s to 100 more!
Next Time: Batman reaches his own anniversary with Detective Comics 1000 (out on store shelves today!) and we read the first appearance of Batman in Detective Comics 27 (May 1939)
We continue our last episode by finishing off the Kree Skrull War from Avengers 94-97.
We’re not entirely sure when the war started, but we do know that a fake senator (alien in disguise!) is trying to take down the Avengers by making the public scared of aliens. Bad move, dude.
And then the Inhumans show up?
We're also nearing the end of Secret Wars with issue 9.
Next Time: We celebrate our 100th episode with Batman: Year 100!
We’ve been talking about a lot of “Event” comics recently, and this week we’re going back to what could arguable be called the first big Marvel event, the Kree-Skrull War from Avengers 89-97.
We’re splitting it up into two parts, reading issues 89-93 this time, plus the continuation of our Secret Wars read with issue 8.
Two different Marvel events in one episode?
They said it couldn't be done.
Next Time: Kree-Skrull War Conclusion! (Avengers 94-97)
For Valentine’s Day, we wanted to cover a comic book couple that we haven’t spent much time with: Dick Grayson & Barbara Gordon. Turns out Nightwing: Year One didn’t have quite as much Batgirl in it as we thought it would, but don’t worry…
Smooching.
Does.
Happen.
Join us for Nightwing 101-106 and Secret Wars 7.
Next Time: We get ready for Captain Marvel by checking out the Kree-Skrull War Part 1 (Avengers 89-93)
We tried to read Spider-Man: The Death of Jean DeWolff, but I think we must have picked up the wrong comic.
DeWolff, Spider-Man’s long-time friend in the NYPD, was barely in it!
We did get a little story about Daredevil and some villain named Sin-Eater?
And then we talked about politics even though we promised we wouldn’t. Plus Secret Wars rolls on with issue 6!
Next Time: Nightwing: Year One (Nightwing 101-106)
We don't want to spoil how Death of Superman ends, so we'll keep this brief. Let's just say that a certain "Superman" meets his "death" because he gets "punched many times in the face."
Join us for this milestone event from the early 90s as well as our continuation of Secret Wars with issue #5.
Next Time: The Death of Jean DeWolff in Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man 107-110.
In 1988, DC Comics urged the American people to exercise their right to vote by calling a 900 number and deciding the fate of Robin #2, Jason Todd.
The people were not kind to Jason.
We read “Batman: A Death in the Family” from issues 426-429 by Jim “Infinity” Starlin. Does anybody actually call him that? Anyways, this book doesn’t get very cosmic, but we do get the Joker/Ayatollah team-up we didn’t know we needed.
All this, plus Secret Wars #4!
Next Time: The Death of Superman!
With the passing of Stan Lee, we took a look back at some of his classic origin stories in Fantastic Four #1, Amazing Fantasy #15 and Avengers #1.
We celebrated this legend’s life the only way we knew how: debating what credit he should actually receive and how much should go to Ditko & Kirby.
Then we continued Secret Wars with issue 3 in which lots of stuff maybe happened. Blink and you’ll miss it!
Next Time: Batman: A Death in the Family (Batman 426-429)
We’re back! After a little break, we’re picking up right where we left off with a Halloween episode in December.
We read Volume 1 of Afterlife With Archie, which of course led us to some discussion about Netflix's "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" and the CW's "Riverdale" TV series.
We also continue reading Secret Wars with issue 2 and Vince fills us in on how his personal Justice League is coming along.
Next Time: We remember Stan Lee with Amazing Fantasy 15, Fantastic Four #1, and Avengers #1!
We’ve reached the final issue of Crisis on Infinite Earths!
And as our first long-read book ends, we jump right into our next one and begin Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars (yes, that’s the full title).
We look back at the entirety of DC’s first event and what it meant for comics as a whole before reading Secret Wars #1 to see what direction Marvel took for their first event.
And we’ll keep reading an issue of Secret Wars every episode to see how the story progresses!
Next Time: Afterlife with Archie
You want teeth? Venom’s got teeth!
As his first movie approaches release, we thought we’d read his first titular miniseries, Venom: Lethal Protector from 1993.
Venom travels through time*, fights five different versions of his own symbiote spawn, and deals with three different dudes in suits.
And we’ve got a special no-prize going out to the first listener to count all the teeth in these issues!
PLUS! We read the penultimate issue of Crisis on Infinite Earths...and it's good?
Next Time: We wrap up Crisis on Infinite Earths with issue #12 and start our next long reading project, Secret Wars (1984) #1!
*Venom does not travel through time.