Classic Comics Cavalcade

Jason is joined by Daniel Elkin of My Chicken Enemy and Nick Hanover, esteemed critic, for a discussion of some of the fascinating life and career of writer Steve Gerber. Nick, Daniel and Jason discuss the chilling feel of the Foolkiller comic, how writing six comics per month can change one's attitude, and the importance of having the right artist to match a story. Show notes at comicscavalcade.t...

In part two of his history of the crazy American comic book distribution system, Jason talks about the 1980s comic book boom and bust and about the 1990s comic book boom and its terrible bust, which led to bankruptcy for many businesses and a single national distributor of comic books. How did we get to the bizarre place in which only one company distributes comic books to American comic stores? F...

We're all used to Diamond Distribution being the only company that distributes comic books to the American direct market. But how did we get that way? We look at the corrupt and complex beginnings of comic book distribution and learn about a crucial lawsuit that changed everything.  Part one of two.

This week Jason joins Carlos Rodela of the ALOTOFTHINGS podcast to talk about comic book TV shows. They start with a lively chat about Doom Patrol and The Umbrella Academy before talking about every single comic book based TV show ever produced. Yeah, it's a tough job but who better to handle it? Show notes are available at https://comicscavalcade.tumblr.com/

Tom Mason was in the front line for some of the most interesting events in comics history, from the black and white boom of the 1980s to the creation of Image Comics to Malibu Comics' purchase by Marvel. Tom shares some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories of his long career in this very fun episode.

Broken backs. Madness. Hands eaten by piranhas. A job at Taco Bell? DC abused their mainline heroes in the 1990s -- and were rewarded with great sales.

1993 was a weird, wild year for comic book fans. On one hand, traditional super-heroes seemed to be drifting away from what fans loved about them. On the other hand, a befuddling number of new comics lines were created. We begin exploring that crazy year in this episode.

For many years, Gahan Wilson has been one of our smartest and darkest cartoonists, with brilliant work appearing in the pages of The New Yorker, Playboy and other magazines. It was a thrill to get to speak with the master creator as he launched a kickstarter project.

Jim Shooter is one of the most controversial creators in comic book history. But is that controversy justified? I explore that topic in my latest episode.

Reviving an interview I conducted with the great artist Mark Schultz in 2011 to discuss his amazing Xenozoic Tales, Prince Valiant and artistic independence.

Valiant Comics was one of the most important and influential comic book companies of the 1990s. In this episode, I trace Valiant's long and winding history.

Steve Englehart's run on Justice League of America is a lost classic. We explore it here.