The Comics Canon

In this episode, Curt and Kevin mark the 1,000th issue of Detective Comics and the 80th birthday of Batman with a look back at three early milestones in the career of DC Comics' mega-popular Caped Crusader—beginning with his first appearance (as "The Bat-Man") in Detective Comics #27 from 1939! From there, it's on to the world's best-known origin story from 1939's Detective Comics #33! And last bu...

In this episode, a week ahead of the April 12 debut of the Hellboy movie, Curt and Kevin awaken ancient spirits to explore the origin of everyone's favorite wisecracking monster-hunter in 1994's Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola and John Byrne, published by Dark Horse Comics! During World War II, the Russian psychic Rasputin conjures an otherdimensional being to help the Nazi war effort...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin wrap up their series on comics' Captains Marvel (and prepare for the April 5 release of Shazam! ) with a look at the Big Red Cheese himself , the original Captain Marvel, aka Shazam, in 1940's Whiz Comics #2 and 2007's Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil, written and drawn by Jeff Smith and published by DC Comics! In Bill Parker and C.C. Beck's charming origin story...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin look toward the March 8 debut of Captain Marvel with a look at two key stories featuring Carol Danvers:  In Pursuit of Flight (Captain Marvel Vol. 7, #1-6) and 1977's Ms. Marvel #1, published by Marvel Comics! The former Air Force pilot has come a long way since her first outing as a superhero, which sees her flying into action against the backdrop of the women's li...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin prepare for the March 8 debut of Captain Marvel with the first of two episodes on Marvel Comics characters with that name! First up: the Kree warrior Mar-Vell, as seen in The Thanos War from Captain Marvel Vol. 1, #27-33! This Captain Marvel was an alien soldier who became a superheroic protector of Earth in order to capitalize on a lapsed trademark. In these issues...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin prepare for the Feb. 15 debut of The Umbrella Academy on Netflix with a look at The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, published by Dark Horse Comics! Brimming with inventive energy, this engaging miniseries follows a group of extraordinary children—each born to women showing no signs of pregnancy on the same night—adopted by inventor S...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin brave the fire-pits of Apokalips to discuss one of the most critically acclaimed series of the year, Mister Miracle #1-12 by Tom King and Mitch Gerads, published by DC Comics! Something is wrong with Scott Free, the New God who is also the celebrity escape artist known as Mister Miracle. Following a failed suicide attempt, his perception is plagued by glitches and h...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin take a break from graphic novels and caped crusaders for a look at two clever, contemporary comic strips … the webcomic xkcd and cartoonist Olivia Jaimes' take on the newspaper comic strip Nancy ! Created by Ernie Bushmiller, the original Nancy was hailed as a pinnacle of comic-strip architecture. When the pseudonymous Olivia Jaimes took the reins in April of last y...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin discuss the graphic novel that inspired one of Curt's favorite movies of the year: The Death of Stalin, by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin, published by Titan Comics! In this satirical account based on actual events, Joseph Stalin, head of the Soviet Union, collapses from a severe stroke in February of 1953, setting off a chain of events that threatens to throw the so...

In this special crossover episode, Curt and Kevin welcome Chris Jordan, Lyric Eschoe and Kenneth Franklin of VOX ATL to discuss the new animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse! (Be advised: Spoilers are discussed.) Topics discussed in this episode include the cultural importance of Miles Morales , the film's exciting visual aesthetic, Michael B. Jordan in Fantastic Four, the YA novel Miles...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin take the plunge with a discussion of "nobody's favorite superhero," Aquaman! First up, they plumb the depths of the seafaring sentinel's first appearance in 1941's More Fun Comics #73! Can this freshman warrior of the waves sink the dastardly plans of a Nazi submarine crew? Then, it's a deep dive into the character's 2011 reboot from Aquaman Vol. 7, as DC's defender...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin discuss another graphic novel that has taken on a new level of relevance in today's political landscape: the first volume of Marjane Satrapi's comics autobiography Persepolis. It's an engrossing and eye-opening account of the author's childhood in the late 70s and early 80s, as she comes of age against the backdrop of the Islamic Revolution and a subsequent war with...

It's Election Day in the U.S., and we're marking the occasion by casting our ballots for a lesser-known gem: Shaun Tan's wordless 2006 graphic novel The Arrival. Set in a world similar to but slightly different from our own, this vividly imagined and beautifully illustrated tale traces one man's journey from his menacing homeland to a strange and fantastic new world. Along the way, he meets other...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin are off to never-never land as they conclude a look at game-changing DC horror comics with a discussion of The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes, collecting issues #1-8 of the Sandman by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg and Malcolm Jones III, published by DC Comics! When an ambitious magician attempts to capture Death, he instead ends up Runnin' Down a Dream … t...

In this episode, October is here, Curt and Kevin get into the spirit of the season with a look at the comic-book origins of everyone's favorite muck monster! First up is 1971's House of Secrets #92, a kind of proof of concept giving us a proto-Swamp Thing that's a little light in the swamp department. Next, it's on to Swamp Thing (Vol. 1) #1-3, detailing the (first) origin and early adventures of...

In this episode, Kevin Moreau and "Ultimate" Curt Holman return to the Ultimate Universe to discuss the origin of the popular biracial Spider-Man, Miles Morales in the second half of an unofficial Ultimate Spider-Man two-parter, this time reviewing Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #1-5 by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli, published by Marvel Comics! When young Miles Morales is bitten by a genetic...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin prime the pump for the Oct. 5 release of the Venom feature film with a discussion of the sinister symbiote's origin story -- that is, as portrayed in issues 33-39 of Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, published by Marvel Comics! Peter Parker's childhood friend Eddie Brock reveals that their fathers were working on a cancer-fighting super-su...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin put superhero slugfests aside to confront a subject far more frightening than Doomsday, Thanos or the Annihilation Wave! That's right: We're talking about the award-winning graphic memoir Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, written and drawn by Roz Chast and published by Bloomsbury! Chast, a critically acclaimed cartoonist for the New Yorker, paints an unf...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin turn their attention to one of the most famous Superman stories of all time—the headline-grabbing, multi-part event storyline The Death of Superman, written and drawn by a rotating cast of creators and published by DC Comics! The hulking, mysterious figure who comes to be known as Doomsday arrives out of nowhere, destroying everything in his path! Not even the Justi...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin observe the 25th anniversary of Scott McCloud's landmark Understanding Comics … with (what else?) a discussion of a pair of stories from McCloud's lighthearted comic Zot!: The Eyes of Dekko from Zot #17-18, and the webcomic Hearts and Minds! Jenny Weaver, a high schooler from a world similar to our own, and her boyfriend Zot, a free-spirited superhero from another E...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin welcome singer-songwriter Paul Melancon! And despite some intermittent microphone issues, the three of them wrap up this four-part exploration of the World's Greatest Comic Magazine with a discussion of Fantastic Four: Three, by Jonathan Hickman, Steve Epting and many others, published by Marvel Comics! These issues are jam-packed: Reed Richards fights to save an ar...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin take a long look at the current landscape of comics-based movies—a landscape dominated by the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With only one big-ticket DC Comics film (that would be Aquaman) on the horizon for 2018, we're truly living in the Marvel Age of Movies. Spoilers are as thick on the ground as armored rhinoceroses as we ponder whether Marvel Studios can the critic...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin continue their Fantastic Four-part series on the World's Greatest Comic Magazine with a discussion of the FF's greatest villain via two very different tales: The Fantastic Origin of Doctor Doom from Fantastic Four Annual #2, and Unthinkable, from Fantastic Four Vol. 3 #67-70 and #500, published by Marvel Comics! First, it's a quick time-hop back to the 1960s as Stan...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin continue their four-part exploration of Marvel Comics' first family of super-powered science adventurers! This time around, they turn their attention to two titanic beings who cast a large shadow over the World's Greatest Comic Magazine – the cosmic entity Galactus and writer-artist John Byrne – with a discussion of Fantastic Four #242-244 and #261-262! Terrax, the...

In this episode, Curt and Kevin launch into a four-episode deep dive into the world's greatest comic magazine, The Fantastic Four, with a look at three key stories from the 1960s and 70s! First up, it's the book that started it all (and gave birth to the Marvel Universe): Fantastic Four #1! Who are these mysterious figures who answer a strange signal in the sky? Where and how did they get their fa...