Classic Comics Cavalcade

Carlos is back to chat about Marvel movies with Jason, and the next one on their list is Ant-Man and the Wasp . They both entered this watch with... well, medium hopes anyway for something fun and entertaining. Well, yeah, the movie is pretty fun but it's also lacking some real basics with logic and common sense. So join us and listen to the guys trash this movie, then you can skip it on your Marv...

Amir and Jason get together again to look at another classic comic that's in their collection. This time they look at Marvel Treasury Edition #3 from 1974, which features two classic Conan stories by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith. In fact, this book is kind of a proto-graphic novel which features new coloring by Windsor-Smith over some exquite artwork by him. It includes the terrific "Rogues...

For years, Jason has been telling Amir how incredible The Love Bunglers by Jaime Hernandez is. Finally the pair get to get together and discuss the graphic novel and, if anything, they find it to be even better than they thought. Join them for a fascinating discussion of a work by one of the finest graphic novelists of his generation.

It's finally happened. Jason and Carlos have arrived at Avengers: Infinity War in their Marvel movie watch. One of the longest, and absolutely the biggest downer of a Marvel movie, the guys ponder if this movie transcends its sadness with good character moments or if it is finally just too depressing to really enjoy.

Neither Jason nor Amir had read Prince of Cats before the decided to cover it in this episode - and they had heard great things about Ron Wimberly's graphic novel - so this was the perfect time to finally check it out. But the book ended up being even better than either of them expected, and their chat shows how great they both thought this wholly original yet wholly derivative graphic novel is.

Jason and Carlos loved Thor Ragnarok when they first saw it, but was it indeed the best Marvel movie, as many critics have said? The guys explore that question, looking in detail at the complex world director Taika Waititi creates in this movie, a world much more complex than it seems to have on a first watch. Is it the best Marvel movie? Jason and Carlos answer that here. It's 42 minutes of some...

Dr. Strange is both an oddball entry in the MCU and a completely traditional entry. On one hand, the story takes place in odd dimensions, outside of the world most other heroes experinece, and with a complex and hard-to-grasp cosmology. On the other hand, it's an origin story through and through, a classic kind of Marvel movie. Carlos and Jason explore the odd contradictions at the heart of this m...

Amir is a self-professed huge fan of Daniel Clowes, but he's never read David Boring before. Jason had read it before but was puzzled by the book. So this read was a revelation for both of them, as they revel in the complex plotline Clowes created and the artful way he delivered the story. The guys get intrigued by the book's mysteries and enigmas, its artful embrace of ambiguity, and its plain ex...

Somehow, despite the fact they both owned copies of the story, neither Jason nor Amir had ever read any of Moebius's classic western comic Lt. Blueberry . They rectify that error here, reading "The Iron Horse", and discover - no suprise - that these are incredible comics. 

Amir and Jason decided to take one more stop in their reading of Steve Gerber comics, so they decided to take a look at Howard the Duck #4 from 1976, a shockingly dark look at violence. It's a great comic and the guys spend 20 minutes discussing the complicated moral questions Gerber raises in this issue. Give it a listen and let us know what you think!

Amir loved the Tintin comics growing up, but Jason never read them. So Amir shares his passion for this classic series and sees Jason blown away by the artistry and plain fun of these volumes. Along the way the guys talk about great coloring, Herge's complicated lovelife, and unrequited monster love. It's a half hour of great listening.

This week Amir and Jason go a little outside our normal Classsic Comic Cavalcade topics, with a discussion of the comics work of the brilliant Carl Barks. Amir and Jason discuss the classic story "The Fabulous Philosopher's Stone", a thrilling story about a treasure hunt to find a rock than transmutes metal into gold. Appropriately, the guys find gold in the brilliant storytelling and amazing clev...

Spider-Man: Homecoming got extremely good reviews on its release, but Jason is full of complaints about it. Is he just being a contrary aspiring hipster or do his points make sense? Carlos tries to sort out Jason's take on the first Spider-Man movie in the MCU. What do you think of his take?

Amir and Jason wrapup their discussion of the brilliant Steve Gerber/Mary Skrenes/Jim Mooney comic Omega the Unknown with a look at the mysterious issue #10. The issue starts with a funeral, ends with a hero being shot down, and contains a slew of cryptic scenes in between. The guys try to make sense of the story and take guesses as to where the series would have gone if it hadn't been cancelled.....

Steve Gerber and Mary Skrenes are back on Omega the Unknown with issue 9, so it's a return to greatness. Their brilliant work spurs an interesting conversation by Jason and Amir, discussing children's wish fulfillment, the shallowness of comic book heroism, and the nature of vigilantism - among many other topics. It's a great listen which we're sure you'll enjoy. If you liked the episode, please s...

After loving James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy films (especially Book 2 ), Jason was really excited to watch Gunn's The Suicide Squad . Carlos was excited, too, but not holding his breath. And after watching this new movie, Carlos and Jason are... kind of conflicted. Kind of happy, laughing along, at the same time they're frustrated by the movie. It's an ambivalent 24 minute conversation that w...

Yeah, Carlos and Jason both spent the 30 bucks to watch Black Widow on Disney+. But they both agree the expense was worth it because they agree the movie is fun, with some clever character moments and people to root for. Way to go Disney/Marvel! Join us for 20 minutes of happy discussion!

Omega the Unknown was an incredible Steve Gerber - Mary Skrenes project, but two issues were fill-ins. Amir and Jason dig into those fill-in issues, exploring where they succeed and fail, and how they might have gone differently if Amir or Jason had written the comic instead of Scott Edelman and Roger Stern. It's an interesting listen, worth 30 minutes of your time! If you enjoy this podcast, plea...

The Marvelcast, our rewatching of the Marvel movies in chronological order, continues with our watch of Captain America: Civil War. Jason expected to love the movie and only kind of liked it. Carlos, on the other hand, has a hot take -- he thought it was pretty awful. Join us for 20 minutes of honest disappointment, a few laughs, and maybe a few signs of Marvel fatigue...

Omega the Unknown #6 is an odd issue - but then again, every issue of this comic is odd. Omega #6 starts with a spooky dream sequence that echoes trauma from earlier issues, has a few non-sequitur scenes, starts to explore tensions and trust issues between the Hell's Kitchen roommates, and features a villain who is odd, unerwhelming and yet terrifying. In short, it's a comic worth the discussion,...

Next up on the great Marvel movie rewatch is Ant-Man, a movie Carlos had never seen and which Jason barely remembered. Did they like it or hate it, or kinda fall inbetween? (Spoiler: bet in inbetween!) This pod is a 28-minute fun listen, so please listen and enjoy!

Amir and Jason are back with their discussion of the classic Omega the Unknown by Steve, Gerber, Mary Skrenes and Jim Mooney. The guys declare the comic is amazing, with one of the darkest moments of 1970s comics and a deeply strange villain. It's 30 minutes of interesting discussion about a brilliant, unique comic book.

Yeah, so Avengers: the Age of Ultron isn't the greatest Marvel film but it isn't the worst one, either. Join Carlos and Jason as they dive deep into sentient robots, complicated twins and the pointless destruction of a city in this 30 minute chat.

Jason and Carlos knew they'd enjoy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but they weren't ready for how much they enjoyed it. The ended up recording a 35 minute pod all about how fantastic this film was - and you should go watch it right now if you love fun. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating on iTunes.

Finally Jason and Carlos watch one of their favorite Marvel movies, Guardians of the Galaxy. Both of them love this fun, freewheeling superhero flick, so they trade off in a conversation about why it's so great. Join them for 24 minutes of purely pleasurable chat about a purely pleasurable film! If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe and leave a rating on iTunes.