Classic Comics Cavalcade

Eric and Jason wrap up their discussion of Matt Wagner's classic Grendel Cycle with a look at the stories included in the Grendel Tales Omnibus volume 5. This includes a couple of great stories, one very good story and one flop. Enjoy the conversation, including a discussion at the end of the episode of our best and worst Grendel tales. It's an interesting 1:20 of discussion about some comics that...

Visit Apokolips and Die!  Mr. Miracle just keeps getting better and better each issue. Mr. Miracle #7 shows Scott and Barda returning to Apokolips, where they're captured by Kanto and have to escape his evil trap. That's all very fun and all, but what makes this issue really shine is the wonderful work Jack Kirby does with character this month. Join Jason and Amir for a 30 minute chat about y...

Matt Wagner's Grendel Cycle is one of the longest running independent comic books in history. Eric Hoffman joins Jason to discuss Grendel Tales Omnibus Volume 1, which contains four interesting and complex short stories, including work by James Robinson and Steven Seagle. Those stories are great, but Jason and Eric are bigger fans of Devils and Deaths , a brilliant two-parter by Darko Macan and th...

Mr. Miracle #6, "Funky Flashman", is famous for being one of the most mean-spirited comics Jack Kirby ever created. Jason and Amir look at the issue and find it has a nasty satirical edge but also find it tremendously fun, especially the sections that feature Big Barda. Join us as we explore another very fun comic book by the king of comics!

"With Barda you can't go wrong" says Amir on this latest discussion of Jack Kirby's Fourth World saga and those words are definitely true. Our amazing Apocalyptan warrior is plain awesome in Mr. Miracle #5. Join Jason and Amir as they talk about Barda carrying cannons one-handed, Vermin Vunderbar's Napoleon complex, the amazing cover to the original issue, Mike Royer's sterling inks, and much more...

Mr. Miracle #4 is the best issue of this wonderful series so far because it introduces one of Jason and Amir's favorite Kirby characters, Big Barda. Barda dominates this issue, and provides a huge amount of fun, energy and female spirit. The guys dig into Kirby's surprising approach to gender, his brilliant storytelling chops and the ways he makes Barda truly larger than life. It's a very fun look...

This week Jason and Amir continue their look at Jack Kirby's Fourth World with a review of Mr. Miracle #3, "The Paranoia Pill." There's a lot of interesting stuff going on in this issue, including the nature of a battle among the celestials, the weaknesses and strengths of Scott Free, and the brilliant storytelling of Jack Kirby. It's 20 minutes of great listening about a fantastic comic book.

Matt Wagner's Grendel Cycle is one of the longest running independent comic books in history. Eric Hoffman joins Jason to discuss Grendel Omnibus Volume 4 , which we agree is the best volume of the series so far because it includes the fantastic action movie on paper War Child, the intriguing novel   Past Prime (written by Greg Rucka) and the disappointing Devil Quest. You won't be disappoint...

Granny Goodness appears for the first time in Mr. Miracle 2, throwing off her cape like a pro wrestler ready for a fight. Jason and Amir glory in the debut appearance of one of Jack Kirby's, greatest heels, as well as celebrating Kirby's magnificent page layout and character building. This was a terrific issue!

Jason and Amir find the fascinating subtext behind Jack Kirby's brilliant Mr. Miracle #1, including praise for the inking of Vince Colletta(!).

The Hunger Dogs is often called one of the worst comics Jack Kirby created. but Jason and Amir disagree. As they read this standalone graphic novel, they find some outstanding storytelling, some fascinating thoughts on the nature of knowledge, and a real sense of closure for many of the lead characters. Far from being bad, this is yet another exploration of Jack Kirby's rich inner life as channele...

Matt Wagner's Grendel Cycle is one of the longest running independent comic books in history. Eric Hoffman joins Jason to discuss Grendel Omnibus volume 3, which includes the fall of a society, a giant gun powered by bananas (!) and vampires in Vegas, among much, much more. It's an hour of smart, in-depth analysis we hope you'll enjoy!

Jason and Amir Talk New Gods: "Even Gods Must Die!" This is one of the final New Gods stories by Jack Kirby, and it's a surprisingly poignant story about aging, technology, fear of the future and anger at the past. We dig into some of the subtext of the story and see how even late period Jack Kirby is sublime.

One of the most unique projects on the Internet is Galactic Journey , a website that recreates the world of 55 years ago, with a focus on science fiction, comics and classic movies. Jason is delighted to be part of the project. Galactic Journey also has a YouTube channe l, on which Gideon Marcus, the mad maven of the site, hosts friends to discuss relevant topics. A few weeks ago, Jason was lucky...

"Darkseid and Sons" in New Gods #11 is yet another astonishing volume of Jack Kirby's masterwork. It deepens our knowledge of Darkseid's tragic past, explores the deep sibling rivalry between Orion and Kalibak and shows the devastating effects of his massive battles on Orion's anger. It's a way better comic than both Amir and Jason expected, and a fascinating conclusion to Kirby's original run on...

In New Gods #10, Mantis and his army of bugs invade Earth. Thankfully Forager comes to Earth to fight back, and enlists Orion and Lightray to help him. What ensues is a breathtaking Kirbyesque battle. There's typically breathtaking Kirby work here, with a lot below the surface about class structure, the futility of man fighting gods, and the nature of heroism. Jason and Amir dig deep into this one...

New Gods #9 kind of lives in the shadow of the previous three issues, but "Bug!" shows Jack Kirby continuing his unparalleled vision for his comics. This issue is full of action, passion, smart storytelling, intriguing characters and some intriguing work building. In other words, it's typical Kirby! Jason and Amir bring the insights and fun in this 30-minute chat.

Matt Wagner's Grendel Cycle is one of the longest running independent comic books in history. It's about time we did a systematic reread of the series. Nick Hanover and Eric Hofffman join Jason to discuss the first several storylines, from the original black-and-white Grendel up to the much more sophisticated Comico series. It's an hour and twenty minutes of smart, in-depth analysis we hope you'll...

This week, Jason and Amir Talk New Gods #8, "The Death Wish of Terrible Turpin" and discover yet more brilliant Jack Kirby comics mastery. In a way this issue acts as a kind of summing up of Kirby's career, because it includes moments which could have appeared in Kirby's crime romance and war comics whole transcending superhero comics. We think you'll enjoy this and more insights during this 35-mi...

New Gods #7, "The Pact", is generally considered to be one of the greatest comics Jack Kirby ever created. in this 28-minute podcast, Jason and Amr talk about Kirby's technological sublime, the terrors of World War II, and the religious transformation of Izaya into Highfather. It's a great listen and we hope you enjoy.

New Gods #6 is one of Jason's all time favorite comic books, and he and Amir spend an hour talking about "The Glory Boat", its approach to transcendence and heroism, the nature of violence, and the meaning of true transcendence. Please join us as we discuss why this comic is so brilliant.

Jason and Amir are back to continue their breakdown of perhaps Jack Kirby's greatest comic book, New Gods . This week they discuss New Gods #5, "Spawn", the first issue inked by Mike Royer, the last issue with Orion's human sidekicks, and another issue with brilliant Kirby stage settings. It's a fun 45 minute chat this week that any Kirby fan will enjoy

Eric Hoffman and Jason Sacks, 2 of the editors of Steve Gerber: Conversations (published by University Press of Mississippi) are joined by writer and critic Nick Hanover to discuss three of Steve Gerber's late  '90s and early 2000s comics: Hard Time, the revival of Howard the Duck and a two-part Superman Elseworlds story by Gerber. The team delves deep into Gerber's work, exploring the ideas...

Lev Gleason was one of the most important American comics publishers of the 1940s and 1950s, releasing key comics such as Kid Comics, the original Daredevil and the legendary Crime Does Not Pay. But comics were only a small part of Gleason's life. As his nephew Brett Dakin discusses in his new book American Daredevil: Comics, Communism, and the Battles of Lev Gleason (and on the podcast), Gleason...

"O'Ryan Gang and the Deep Six" is yet another amazing issue of Jack Kirby's New Gods . Jason and Amir discuss Kirby's amazing cosmology, the weird coloring choices between different versions of these comics, Kirby's passion for youth, the redemption of Claudia Shane and Victor Lanza, and much more.