Trade Waiters

In excitement for the next Marvel show we read Secret Invasion. A subversive, long-term invasion of Earth by the Skrulls, a group of alien shapeshifters who have secretly replaced many superheroes in the Marvel Universe with impostors over a period of years. Who do you trust? Also, listen to our thoughts on Across the Spider-Verse! News 1:13 Secret Invasion 13:35 Back Matter Matters 1:00:47 The Pu...

In anticipation for The Flash, we read a book that inspired it. Flashpoint by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert. A revisit to one of our favorite comic book events that change the timeline and created the New 52 universe.  A world in which only Barry Allen seems to be aware of significant differences between the regular timeline and the altered one, including Cyborg's place as the world's quintessential...

In excitement for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, we went to the roots of the franchise in Transformers: The Manga. One of the first comics by Masumi Kaneda and Ban Magami that were released alongside the original animated series. The Autobots and the Decepticons have been locked into a brutal civil war for eons. The Autobots seek peace and coexistence, while the Decepticons seek power and contr...

In excitement for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, we decided to visit one of the books that inspired the story. This is the first meeting of the original marvel universe and the ultimate universe spider-men. In this Peter faces a world where Spider-Man's greatest secret is public knowledge and where being Spider-Man led to an early demise for Peter Parker; a world where the child Miles Morale...

This week we're getting familiar with this year's Eisner Award nominees with the auto-bio-graphic-novel from Zoe Thorogood. The writer/artist  records 6 months of her own life as it falls apart in a desperate attempt to put it back together again in the only way she knows how. This is an intimate metanarrative that looks into the life of a selfish artist who must create for her own survival. Right...

In excitement for the new Disney+ series, we read American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. The story of three apparently unrelated characters: Jin Wang, who moves to a new neighborhood with his family only to discover that he's the only Chinese-American student at his new school; the powerful Monkey King, subject of one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables; and Chin-Kee, a personification of...

This week we're visiting one of all-time greats with Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. As fans of the AMC series we were excited to visit the source material. The story of Jesse Custer, a preacher in the small Texas town of Annville. Custer is accidentally possessed by the supernatural creature named Genesis, whose power might rival that of God Himself, making Jesse potentially the most po...

The long-awaited debate that we have teased is finally here. We have fleshed out the pros and cons of the first 2 volumes of Guardians of the Galaxy in the MCU directed by James Gunn. The first of potentially many bonus episodes we'll make alongside our weekly comic reviews. Linktr.ee/tradewaiters Follow Us!

From the creators of Raiders, Daniel Freedman and CROM, comes an original dark fantasy graphic novel of epic adventure and magic. Bianca, teenage apprentice to an infamous arcane blacksmith, is forced to flee her homeland and seek out Atlas, a fabled land of light ruled by “the clean god.” She is joined by a mysterious guardian spirit known only as the “BirdKing”. Together they will have to overco...

In excitement for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, we read Star-Lord by Chip Zdarsky and Kris Anka. Peter Quill might have been born on Earth, but he’s been away a long time. And now that the Guardians of the Galaxy have gone and gotten themselves stranded, how does a man go from soaring through the stars as the legendary Star-Lord to living with his feet planted firmly on the ground? News 1:49 Sta...

With Star Wars: Jedi Survivor coming out today we decided to read a book from the Legends catalogue. Legends are series that are no longer considered canon since the Disney acquisition. Head far into the future of long ago, in a series that explores the state of the galaxy more than 100 years after Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. A new evil has arisen, shattering a resurgent Empire and s...

Everyone who was invited to the house knows Walter—well, they know him a little, anyway. But nobody was going to turn down Walter's invitation to an astonishingly beautiful house in the woods, overlooking an enormous sylvan lake. Why not? All of them were at that moment in their lives when they could feel themselves pulling away from their other friends; wouldn't a chance to reconnect be…nice? Tun...

For Daniel's birthday episode, he decided to make Nathan read the weirdest comic he's ever read. The Beef is the story of Meat Men! Chuck is a mild-mannered meat factory worker who is a little in love with a strawberry picker named Mary Lynn. But everything changes when Mary Lynn falls victim to the Vodino Brothers. This book was filled with unlikely turns and was surprisingly educational. News 1:...

To fill the void of the football offseason, we read Southern Bastards by Jason Aaron and Jason Latour. The series revolves around the culture in a small town in the South where football is everything and crime is organized by the praised football Coach. We loved the pacing and grit of this book and could not predict how this story unfolds. News 4:17 Southern Bastards 19:06 Back Matter Matters 43:4...

This week we return to one of our favorite comic duos with Grant Morrison and Frank Quitley with their run on X-Men. A story where 16 million mutants were murdered on the mutant island of Genosha and the X-Men go after the one responsible. This trade introduces new ideas about mutants and new enemies. News 0:50 New X-Men 9:06 Back Matter Matters 57:50 The Pull-List 1:00:40 Linktr.ee/tradewaiters F...

This week we read a book about two characters that will soon have their own movies from DC! Blue and Gold is about the timeless team up between Booster Gold and Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) written by the creator of Booster Gold, Dan Jurgens with art by Ryan Sook and more. This book revisits their history as a duo as well as touches on what they're doing currently. News 3:48 Blue & Gold 18:06 Back M...

In anticipation for the new John Wick film we read the only comic adaptation. This is a prequel comic that chronicles a young John Wick after his release from prison and his first vendetta. Learn how the legendary hitman finds his way into the international organization of assassins. News 3:07 John Wick 15:32 Back Matter Matters 45:15 The Pull-List 51:28 Linktr.ee/tradewaiters Follow Us!

In anticipation for Shazam! Fury of the Gods we read a book by Jeff Smith, the award-winning creator of BONE, who tells the story of young orphan Billy Batson who finds himself transformed into the World's Mightiest Mortal whenever he says the magic word "Shazam!" after being granted the magical powers of the gods by an ancient wizard. News 4:35 Shazam! 19:14 Back Matter Matters 55:18 The Pull-Lis...

In honor of Daniel's wedding, we are reading the shortest of the wedding comic trades we could find. Deadpool is getting married! But to whom? Tune in to find out as Deadpool and his mysterious bride tie the knot! This trade also features the many times he has been married in the past, as well as a time travel story and a team up annual featuring Madcap.  News 2:17 Wedding of Deadpool 12:04 Back M...

This week we review a Frank Miller classic, Sin City. The crime-comic megahit features our main character Marv, and someone paid good money to frame him for murder. He works his way up the crime-ladder to find the truth in this black and white tale written and drawn by the legendary Frank Miller. News 1:13 Sin City 16:17     Back Matter Matters 50:18 The Pull-List 56:53  Linktr.ee/tradewaiters Fol...

For our 150th episode we read a book we have pushed off long enough, DC: The New Frontier. A masterpiece by Darwyn Cooke with colors by Dave Stewart. A book about the DC universe set when Cold War paranoia outlawed the heroes of the Golden Age and the trinity continued to fight for truth and justice. But as the world hurtled toward an uncertain future, a new breed of hero would define the American...

Are you excited for the new Ant-Man and the Wasp movie? Do you want to know more about the characters' history? This week we read the brand spankin' new Ant-Man trade by Al Ewing and Tom Reilly. A tale through time that brings together all the Ant-Men in history to take down their greatest foe! News 1:00 Ant-Man 20:13 Back Matter Matters 51:18 The Pull-List 56:25 Linktr.ee/tradewaiters Follow Us!

An often-overlooked genre in comics are romance comics. They're not quite as frequent as your superhero books but hold an important place in the industry. For this year's Valentine's Day episode, we review Sunstone by Stjepan Sejic. A story about two people trying to find someone they're compatible with through online dating. Also featured in this episode is our One Panel Game which is like Wordle...

This week, featuring our friend Jack, we read Wolverine: Old Man Logan by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. A post-apocalyptic tale where Logan's quiet life is interrupted by a journey across America where Wolverine will become a hero again. This is one of our favorites that we wanted to review on the podcast. News 1:54 Wolverine: Old Man Logan 7:55 Back Matter Matters 1:07:19 The Pull-List 1:13:55 L...

This week we read one of the first collaborations by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Flex Mentallo, the Man of Muscle Mystery, investigates the sinister dealings of his former comrade. This fast-paced tale twists super-hero tropes, introducing one mind-boggling concept after another. News 3:02 Flex Mentallo 14:14 Back Matter Matters 47:39 The Pull-List 51:40 Linktr.ee/tradewaiters Follow Us!