I love Preacher. Perhaps one of my favorite comic runs of all time, the second book I gave my wife to read when we were first dating (after Watchmen, this was 2001) and before time became a premium in my life, a book I read over and over again. Being a self contained epic, 66 issues, a four issue mini series and four over sized one shots, the one and done stories are far and few between or need a wealth of knowledge about the characters to truly grasp. Issue 18 is perfectly read in a vacuum. This is an in between arcs story as Jesse Custer is off on another quest to not only return God to his throne in heaven but also to learn more about Genesis, the being living inside his head that gives him the power of ‘The Word of God.” Very heady stuff. This issue? It’s about how Jesse got his famous lighter. As we learn in flashbacks, Jesse has very little memory of his father and even less of his mother. Jesse meets up with one of his father’s Vietnam buddies, ‘Spaceman’ who tells a harrowing tale of friendship and revenge. There are a few ties to the existing story, like it can’t be a coincidence that Jesse is urged on by vision of John Wayne, the same person who gave his father’s platoon the afore mentioned lighter. Did I just spoil the entire issue? NOPE! There is so much more packed into this one issue. Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our...

Ben Grimm is awesome. Even though there is no current Fantastic Four book being published by Marvel, he’s still around, whether be in Guardians of the Galaxy or Infamous Iron Man, that’ll happen to a current Agent of SHIELD. For a guy made of orange craggy rock, he’s truly the blue collar everyman of the Marvel Universe. But my favorite thing (pun intended) about the Thing is when they put him in combat sports, like when he was a member of the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, or in this week’s selection, Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7, taking on the Champion in a boxing match! Now, I have never read this issue, but am very excited to do so. I am also worried that someone who will not be named who stole Ben’s catchphrase will get some pitch about the Thing involved in Mixed Martial Arts. Sigh, at least it would be short… Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our...

I like Superman. After Spider-Man, Batman and the Flash, he’s up there for me. He gets a bad rep as he’s ‘the Big Blue Boy Scout’ or he’s hokey or not cool. Well, leave it to one of my favorite creative teams of all time, Joe Kelly and Doug Mahnke, to address those claims head on! Around this time, DC had accquired Wildstorm publishing from Image includes their flagship team book, the Authority. Essentially a mash up of the Avengers and the Justice League, but more bad ass! They kill people! They take charge! Not only did the Authorty inspire the Ultimate line at Marvel, which in turn inspired the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the inspired Manchester Black and the Elite, who show up in Metropolis to tell Kal-El exactly what many people were thinking, he’s old hat, dear. What was supposed to be a one off story and team, not only inspired their own comic, but also a direct to DVD animated feature and the below video game mini figure of Manchester Black. Still hoping to get my Captain Cold loose Lego minifigure so I don’t have to spend sixty bucks on a full set. Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our...

Everyone knows the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Staple of most 80’s kids cartoon, but like many properties that made their way to toy shelves or the boob tube from this era, found their origins in a much darker, gritier manner A book I have never read, as I am only familiar with the original Kevin Eastman and Peter Larid run by reputation only. This is a book that is 30 years old, but thanks to IDW reprinting this in the last five years or so, it’s a bit easier to come by than one would hope. The Turtles are still a viable property in 2017, who know, maybe 30 years from today, some podcast will look back at the current Nickelodeon series for it’s nuances and undertones. Maybe not… Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our...

One of the most well known and, arguably, most influential Batman stories of the last 30 some years comes from the mind of Alan Moore and the pen of Brian Bolland. Supposed to be the ultimate Batman vs. Joker story, but also supposed to be self contained, an elseworlds or ‘what if’ type of tale, but this is why we can’t have nice things. So much of this story became canon. SOOOO MUCH. The Joker’s origin, the interplay between Batman and the Joker, their entire relationship was changed and shaped entirely by this book. But no impact was felt more than this: At the time this book was published, Barbara Gordon was no longer Batgirl. Very rarely appearing in any Bat-book. The Killing Joke put her back on the table (no pun intended) but as a new character, Oracle, who became a fixture of the DC Universe. This change, however, has come under much scrutiny over the last 4-5 years, mostly being ignored by many new writers. Don’t let that sway you, grab yourself a copy and judge for yourself! Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our...

We talk about Doctor Doom quite a bit on the show and here on the site. He is arguably Todd’s favorite character and I’m starting to warm up to him as well. I do not have the same history with his as others as my first real, lenghty exposure to Doom was the Mark Waid run from the early 00’s. The thing that appeals to me about the good Doctor is he really works in any situation as a viable threat or protagonist. Where am I going with this? Well, in the fallout of Secret War, Victor became the new Iron Man, not to be confused with Riri Williams, who is also the new Iron Man…er…Ironheart, trying to become a good guy. In his ongoing title, Infamous Iron Man, the antagonist (so far) has been his own mother, long to be deceased. How long? Since shortly after his birth, but this is not the first time she has appeared in the pages of Marvel comics. Back in 1989, Doom teamed up with fellow mystic, Doctor Strange to travel to (Marvel’s version) of Hell to battle Mephisto for possession of his mother’s very soul. How does it turn out? Only one way to find out! Read along with us as we get ready to discuss on next week’s show! Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our...

Legacy heroes are a big part of the DC Universe. The mantle passed down from one person to another over time. Obviously comic time is a bit different than our time (see things like Zero Hour) but this story starts in the 1940’s. Ted Knight was an inventor who created a cosmic rod that allowed him to fly and shoot bolts of energy. Good enough to make a red and green costume and help found the Justice Society of America. As with most legacy types, his son, David was the willing successor to the mantle, but circumstances beyond his control (no spoilers), Ted’s less willing son Jack ended up being a much different Starman than expected. But not all Starmen were legacy types, take Mikaal Tomas here, the Starman of the 70’s, who only shared a name with the Knight family’s alter ego, but as we would later find out, it’s all connected. Our issue this week, number 19, is from James Robinson and Tony Harris, is an issue between storyarcs where ever year, Jack and David meet up, which would become a regular occourance in the book. This time, they are joined by another family member. And pirates, them too. Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our...

I love Spider-Man. By far my favorite comic character, possibly my favorite character in all of fiction. If you listened to this week’s episode, you heard my passion for the character in his current iteration. I love Spidey so much, I skipped his last two movies so my adoration for his would not deplete. So consider me shocked when Todd of all people, picked a Spider-Man issue for this week’s “Have Issues.” Now, there was a time when I wanted to collect the entire run of Amazing Spider-Man, like the owner of our local shop did, but for a married man with a kid and a mortgage, those dreams were quickly dashed. But there was a time when I was filling in gaps from the 200’s with cheap issues. So imagine surprise when I found that I owned this issue, but never have read it. Now, I have no idea what this issue is about as of this writing, other than Spidey still being in the black costume and teaming up with Human Torch, which is always fun, so enjoy the above salacious panel from this issue while I go and read it. Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our...

Ah, 1996. A simpler time in comics. And by simpler, I mean quite a mess. DC was doing OK, but Marvel was on the cusp of bankruptcy. It was time to take some chances and boy did they. Some five years earlier, several big names creators, Jim Lee, Rob Leifeld, among others, left Marvel to form Image. Now, Marvel turned to them to re-imagine some of their biggest properties, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. But to do so, they shunted them off to their own pocket universe. But wither the rest of the Marvel Universe? Enter the Thunderbolts! A collections of never before seen heroes, led by the new Citizen V, looking to fill the void left by the loss of the to be believed dead Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. But maybe everything wasn’t what it seemed… Now, I will not be revealing the last page secret of this issue that is almost 20 years old, because…something like this would NEVER happen in today’s comic climate! Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our...

Over the last 50 some years of comics, there have been dozens of “Justice League ‘blanks.'” America, United, Task Force, Dark, 3000. But only one (OK two, but stay with me) just plain, old Justice League. Hot off the heels of Crisis on Infinite Earth, Keith Giffen, JM DeMatties and Kevin Maguire were tasked with relaunching the Justice League. But no Superman. And no Wonder Woman. And no Flash. You can have a Green Lantern, just not the one EVERYONE knows. Good luck, boys! And you know what… They KILLED it. By taking Batman & Martian Manhunter and surroudning him with a bunch of (at the time) nobodys, they created a book that encapulated everything. Humor, action, adventure, horror, but most importantly, injected ‘character’ into characters that had none before. And the personalities grafted onto many of these folks are still the template used to this very day. The definition of a genre defining book. Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our...

Much like November 5th, 1955, my pick for this week’s ‘Have Issues’ is not the most well known comic, but a great one, none the less, Daredevil #360 by Karl Kesel and Cary Nord. I go into much greater detail about this issue here and this is, to me, the way I want Daredevil to be. I enjoy and will always enjoy the Frank Miller, the Kevin Smith, the Ed Brubaker, the Bendis and so on’s runs, but to me, Daredevil should be a much more light hearted character. There is enough gloom and doom everywhere else in the universe. The Mark Waid run is the closest in feel it has come to this all too short run from 1996. Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our...

As our new feature rolls on, we are covering a book with a cover that has been emulated very much to an almost iconic level, Superman vs. Muhammad Ali by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams! Now, I have never read this book and I feel was can get a separate episode out of just analysing the cover (its’s gatefold deal). Back in the 70’s and 80’s it was common place for ‘real life’ celebrities to crossover with super heroes. This one is a personal favorite of mine. This was a perfect encapsulation of of where late night TV and comics were at the moment this was published. For a while, nary did a celebrity make official apperances in comic books. You can claim all of Bryan Hitch’s designs in the Ultimates were unofficial and they did allegedly inspire some casting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but it wasn’t until President Obama appeared on the cover Amazing Spider-Man did celebs appearing in comics become a thing again. Any bets on what book will be the first to feature an official appearance of our president elect? I wouldn’t hold my breath. Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our...

Ah, 2001, what a time in comics. The big two, Marvel and DC of course, were trying a lot of things. Mostly based on the success of Brian Michael Bendis on Ultimate Spider-Man, both companies reached out to tons of other indie creators for chances on their big name characters. One such book was Tangled Web where non-traditional creators took a chance on Spider-Man stories. The first arc was three issues by Garth Ennis and John McCrea, notable for DC’s Hitman followed up by a one shot featuring the first Marvel work by Greg Rucka and Eduardo Risso. People forget that Wilson Fisk started out as a Spider-Man villain, so it was natural for two folks adverse at creating crime stories did a story about the Kingpin of Crime. It wouldn’t be until later that the Kingpin would become more of a Daredevil villain then later a catch all baddie for every street level character who ‘fought crime.’ I think an inspired story exists where the X-Men or the Avengers take on the Kingpin and his assorted cronies. It may have been done, just not in my recent memory. Now, this issue in question is not hard to come by, meaning it’s not worth tons of money, but it is a book that should be in any Spider-Fan’s collection. Lastly, I’ll probably never get a chance to mention this again, but in the Marvel mobile game, Avengers Alliance, where all the heroes and villains are in high school, Kingpin’s nick name is Mashed Potatoes. There’s you’re useless fact for the day. Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our...

When the main stream things ‘Swamp Thing’ I’m sure most people thing of the Wes Craven film from the early 80’s I was a bit too you to catch it in in it’s original run, but due to heavy rotation on HBO, this was the Swamp Thing I knew. Flash forward two years later, still not reading a ton of actual, physical comics, Alan Moore, Steven Bissette and John Totleben told a tale that would change Alec Holland forever! This was a modern day story of ‘everything you know is wrong’ and it stuck. They took the past ten plus years of Swamp Thing continuity and threw it out the window. And it’s fantastic. I did not read this for the first time until almost 15 years later and knowing what the issue was about, it still packed a punch. Now, the other media version of Swamp Thing would not be changed by this, spinning of a film sequel, a TV show on the USA Network, a Saturday morning cartoon and a toy line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u-WYde7nIo Man, the 90’s were a weird time. Now, this issue is not a freebie on many digital platforms, but has been collection dozens of times by DC, they even published a $1.00 version of the book, but if you use your Bing machine to dig through the muck, I’m sure you can read this issue before next week. Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our...

Starting something new for 2017 and it’s not even 2017 yet! Our new Thursday feature is going to be reading as a group and talking about a single issue of a comic. I have a tentative list and will do my best to make sure the books chosen are either: a) free b) cheap c) something everyone should already have d) some combination of two of the above Our first issue is from a series that originally started as several one shot stories, the Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson and Alex Ross book, Astro City. Spinning out of Busiek and Ross’s success on Marvels, they decided to start their own book and created an entire world of super heroes, taking a lot of clues from some of the best characters DC (Samaritan has a lot of similarities to Superman), Marvel (the First Family and the Fantastic Four are near mirror images of each other) and many, many other original characters. The main crux of their stories are less about the super hero fights and more about the interpersonal relationships and what the characters are doing when not superheroing. Our first selection will be an issue available digitally for free right here is an issue that was originally a mail in book from Wizard many moons ago about an epic crisis level battle where the fate of the entire universe lies in the hands of one man and the Hanged Man (the Astro City analogue of the Watcher). Any discussion, thoughts, feelings, criticisms of this week’s selection can be placed below in the comments section. As well as suggestions about future choices for one shot issues to add to our...