The Corner Box

The show gets its first archenemy! John & David talk about their successful Kickstarter campaigns, David’s new and expensive collector bug, Jim Lee’s return, and David dives into the DC Creature Commandos limited series from 1999 by Truman & Eaton (the FIRST Creature Commandos #1). Timestamp Segments [00:49] David and John’s mutual printer. [04:34] The show gets its first archenemy. [05:02...

Kirt Burdick joins hosts John and David to talk about Kirt’s new and extended Death of Power series, the problematic marketing of superhero comic tropes, how Batman memes will cause a nuclear meltdown, the future of digital art, and how extended copyright stifles creativity. Also, the podcast gets a new listener, Kirt dislikes musicals, David has his heart broken, and John takes down Diamond. Time...

John & David dive into the 1974 Famous First Edition facsimile reprint of Sensation Comics #1 , the clumsy progressive attempts found in the book, and all the unhinged storylines. Then, John toots his own horn as we discuss the consequences of Diamond’s bankruptcy, and the damning Neil Gaiman report. Also, David finds a potential fart joke. Timestamp Segments [01:21] John is Nostradamus. [02:2...

The Corner Box goes INTO THE FUTURE (waver your voice and wiggle your hands when you read that)! John & David make their predictions for comics in 2025, talk about the different directions the big publishers are taking, the state of superhero movies, Rob Liefeld’s upcoming record-breaking comic, and the fall of Diamond! Also, John gets bleeped and David takes a vacation in the sun. Timestamp S...

John & David wrap up 2024 with their Top 3s (or 8s), and talk about John’s uncanny impressions, the new version of Jonathan Hickman, John’s disappointment in non-sex comics, the end of David’s Dog (Man) Days, and John revives a “classic” Corner Box joke. Timestamp Segments [00:50] Kraven the Hunter. [03:39] John has fallen behind. [05:00] A spin on Top 3s. [05:58] All-time Top 3 Comics. [12:47...

This week on The Corner Box, hosts John & David do a deep dive into some Famous Firsts, and talk about navigating the racism in some very old stories, the most appropriate ways to solve crimes, skipping comics with no pictures, what an anthology would look like today, and the crazy original gun ads in the books. Also, David launches another successful Kickstarter campaign, the podcast listener...

On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts John & David gather round the fire to reminisce about the past year in comics, and get into the reinvigoration of older properties, how different publishers approach existing properties, DC and Marvel’s Absolute and Ultimate Lines, DC’s $10 books, and PRH’s disruption of the industry by purchasing Boom! Studios. Also, most definitely not in the spirit o...

John & David wrap up their deeper dive into Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E.! The guys make a noble attempt at trying to explain The Captain’s drunken origin, Machine Man’s dark origins, Elsa’s childhood training origins, Forbush Man’s pot, the magic of the Warren Ellis/Stuart Immonen collaboration, the Crayon Butchery Variant, Nextwave’s crazy covers, fun Easter eggs in each issue, and the greate...

On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts John & David do a deep dive on Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E., and get into where this series came from, the original creators’ thoughts on the meaning behind the series, how the project got greenlit in the first place, the sales numbers that should’ve been, and Nextwave’s Marvel controversies, and David has an emotional moment with a monster. Stay tuned...

John & David get together to celebrate the season of giving THANKS by discussing the comics that they’re thankful for! Then, keeping with the spirit, they discuss some comic book TURKEYS that weren’t quite what they should’ve been. Along the way, the guys talk about how to monetize a comics podcast, the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight, and the importance of access to comics. Also, John has an in...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts Ultimate John Barber and Absolute David Hedgecock return for the much-anticipated sequel to The Corner Box vs Marvel and DC’s Ultimate and Absolute comic lines, to talk about the logic of the Multiverses, the visual art experiences, the backstories to the new stories, how the world has changed, and how the new lines could fall apart, and Dav...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts Ultimate John Barber and Absolute David Hedgecock get into the Ultimate and Absolute comic lines at DC and Marvel, the differences between Marvel and DC characters, how the new launches compare to the originals, and what does and doesn’t work in each new line, and John says something interesting. Timestamp Segments [00:46] The Big Two’s new...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock talk about the genius of Dav Pilkey, life lessons from Captain Underpants, the true main character in Dog Man, the limitless possibilities of comics, and the promising future of comic book readers, and John gets a puppy, and David goes down an Avengers rabbit hole. Timestamp Segments [00:35] Everything that ha...

You got your JLA in my Avengers! John & David regroup to talk about David’s adventures into the Avengers, the true difficulty of comic book collecting, Marvel’s legacy numbering solution, and how you too could own Mark Gruenwald’s ashes. Also, joy-of-joys! The podcast gets a new listener, John renumbers all future episodes, and David makes a shocking confession. Timestamp Segments [01:11] A ne...

Boldy going where no one dares to go! Eisner Nominated Dave Baker joins regular host David Hedgecock to talk about his essay on John Byrne’s Star Trek: New Visions, the launch of The Comics Courier, the phenomenon of Noble Failures, theories about why this work exists, and the exciting prospect of a Star Trek: New Visions Season 2. Timestamp Segments [01:45] Dave’s research for today’s episode. [0...

More spooky goodness! John & David return for Part 2 of the Halloween Special! The guys talk about more of their favorite spooky comics, how to create a jump scare in a comic book, the perfect artist/writer balance, and the problematic trajectory of superheroes. Also, David has beef with Eisner Nominated Dave Baker. Timestamp Segments [00:45] John’s spooky pick: When I Arrived At The Castle. [...

Get into the Halloween Spirit! On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock talk about some of their favorite spooky comics, the advantage of public domain, how Japan has stayed ahead of the graphic storytelling curve, and the many eras of Malibu comics. Also, David scratches an itch, and John dreams of teeth. Stay tuned for Part 2 of The Corner Box Halloween Special. T...

On this episode of The Ultimate/Absolute/New Adventures of The Corner Box, Chase Marotz joins hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock to talk about books that have caught their attention, some tragic news in comics, the true quality of improv, IDW’s venture into whiskey, and the mark of a good comic. Also, David gets written out of Corner Box continuity, Chase has to follow too many rules, and John...

NEW NUMBER ONE! On this episode of The Corner Box, host John Barber is joined by Eisner-nominee, Dave Baker, and Editor-Extraordinaire, Chase Marotz, to kick off SEASON 2! The gang talks about all things Batman: Knightfall, Bane’s misunderstood character, Bruce Wayne’s broken back, when different characters try being Batman, and how Batman comics have evolved since the 90s. Also, David Hedgecock g...

Episode Summary In today’s episode of The Corner Box, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock talk about the exciting future of the podcast, big announcements from all around the industry, and the aftermath of San Diego Comic Con, and John holds off on seeing new movies, David nearly sets a new record, and Keanu Reeves earns exclusive access to Comic Con. Timestamp Segments [01:04] David has a solut...

Episode Summary In today’s episode of The Corner Box, Jeremy Whitley joins hosts David Hedgecock and John Barber to talk about Jeremy’s journey from Blockbuster to Marvel, the elusive 10th volume of Princeless, Jeremy’s prolific pandemic output, and the new "Navigating With You" graphic novel. Also, John has a superpower, and David makes a promise. Timestamp Segments [03:26] Jeremy’s gat...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, Alex Segura joins hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock to talk about breaking into the comics industry, the world of Legendary Lynx, getting to work on Dick Tracy comics, exploring the Spider-verse, trying to make it on social media, and Alex’s exciting November releases, and David is unimpressed by puns. Timestamp Segments [01:16] Alex’s origin...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, Denton J. Tipton joins hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock to talk about Denton’s early introduction to reading comics, the best and worst times for product launches, moving to San Diego, Magma Comix’s fast growth, and exciting upcoming Magma titles. Also, Tom Waltz gets a promotion, David launches a new project, and John has a special bond. Tim...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, Kirt Burdick returns to join hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock to talk about the new Death of Power issue, how issue #4 challenged Kirt’s skills, the 3D comic craze, the best awful movies, and how Kirt’s art has transformed since Fae Archaic, and Kirt entered a contest that didn’t exist, John is still himself, and David learns about combat kan...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock talk about Omnibus shutting down, Larry Hama and GI Joe, the reality of comic book royalties, what Filip and Jamie are really up to, Boom!’s exciting future, and what Peepshow means in 2024, and David gets a mission briefing, and John makes a mistake.   Timestamp Segments ·       [01:55] David’s new alien rese...