The Comics Canon

On this episode, Halloween season comes to a spine-tingling conclusion with a look at Edward Gorey's macabre masterwork The Gashlycrumb Tinies and Charles Addams's altogether ooky Addams Family cartoons!

And we're fortunate to be joined once again by Flop House co-host and award-winning television writer Dan McCoy (The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Hell of a Week With Charlamagne Tha God)!

Dan unsurprisingly provides invaluable insight as a humor writer, cartoonist, and horror aficionado, helping us pry the lid off such issues as Mad magazine, whether these works count as comics, and whether they belong in that crumbling Victorian manse known as … The Comics Canon!

In This Very Episode!

• The Museum of Nostalgia
• Edward Gorey's The West Wing
• Hokum
• Tremors
• The Martian Chronicles
• Marvel EIC Stephen Wacker's Retailer Day speech

Join us in two weeks as we prepare for the release of Godzilla Minus Zero with a look at (what else?) Kaijumax Season 1: Terror and Respect by Zander Cannon!

Until then:

Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

Content warning: references to sexual assault

On this episode, Etrigan the Demon makes a return appearance as he horns his way into one of the best horror comic runs ever in Saga of the Swamp Thing #25-27!

Jason Blood (dialing the creepiness up to 11) shows up in Baton Rouge just as Abby Arcane starts a new job at a home for autistic children. But he's not the only one who's new in town: The Monkey King (aka the cuddly yet deadly Kamara from The Demon #4) is newly arrived as well, barreling headlong toward a confrontation with Blood's devilish alter ego – and Abby's pal, the Swamp Thing!

Can everyone's favorite vegetable man and one very loquacious demon stop the Monkey King from feeding on the fears of Abby's charges? What is Sting doing here, anyway? And can our monstrous heroes gain entrance into that home for wayward youth known as … The Comics Canon?

Also in This Episode:

• Curt tries to keep it together
• Jason Blood needs to work on his people skills
• Lanterns
• The contemporary heir to Hammer Films
• Shin Godzilla

Join us in two weeks for something a little different as we usher in All Hallows Eve with a look at Charles Addams' Addams Family cartoons and Edward Gorey's Gashlycrumb Tinies!

Until then:

Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

On this episode, we get an early start celebrating the spookiest time of the year with a look at the frightfully fun first appearances of Jason Blood and Etrigan in The Demon #1-5 by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer, published by DC Comics!

As Camelot falls to the forces of Morgaine Le Fey, the wizard Merlin dispatches his faithful demon servant, Etrigan, to await further instructions. (Why does Merlin have a faithful demon servant? No idea!) Centuries later, brooding demonologist Jason Blood reads an inscription on Merlin's tomb and transforms into (can you guess?) … that's right, Etrigan!

Can Jason Blood and his chaotic alter ego defeat Morgaine Le Fey and foil the plans of the deadly Reincarnators? Can they survive the threat of Ugly Meg and the cuddly lil' fear monster known as the kamara? And can they withstand the sinister scrutiny of that cursed cabal known as … The Comics Canon?

Also in This Episode:

• Why was Kirby's Fourth World canceled?
• Harry Mathews: World's Worst Friend
• So, like, what is Merlin's deal?
• The Devil Rides Out
• Resident Evil
• Mooncop by Tom Gauld

Join us in two weeks as Etrigan visits everyone's favorite muck monster (and a certain cute lil' demon creature returns) in The Saga of the Swamp Thing #25-27!

Until then:

Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

The Vision gets his turn in the MCU spotlight next month with the Disney+ series VisionQuest, so it seems like the perfect time to turn the Comics Canon spotlight on the origin of everyone's favorite synthezoid with a look at "Behold … The Vision!" from Avengers #57 and "Even an Android Can Cry" from Avengers #58, published by Marvel Comics!

When Janet Van Dyne is attacked by a strange, unearthly being, she enlists the aid of her fellow Avengers to figure out who he is and why he's been programmed to kill Earth's mightiest heroes! Joining forces with the newly christened Vision, the team confronts the villainous robot Ultron-5 and begins to unravel the mystery of their new friend's murky past!

What in the world does the late Wonder Man have to do with all of this? Will the Avengers accept their new friend, who just recently tried to kill them, into their ranks, without even running a background check? And will Curt and Kevin invite him to march with them in that Robot Parade known as … The Comics Canon?

Also in This Episode:

• Matthew Modine as the Vision
• Kevin's favorite Shakespeare play
• Percy Bysshe Shelley OWNS Ultron
• Stop trying to make synthezoid happen!
• Curt makes a promise for 2027
• My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
• Atomic Robo and the Fightin' Scientists of Tesladyne
• Furious on Hulu

Join us in two weeks as we get ready for spooky season with a look back at the first five issues of Jack Kirby's The Demon!

Until then:

Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

It's back-to-school time, and we celebrate with a look at the first volume of the mega-popular manga Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo, published in the U.S. by Viz Media!

The unflappable super-spy known only as Twilight has just received the most challenging mission of his career: In order to get the goods on a reclusive politician, he must marry and produce a child – a child who must be accepted into the ultra-elite Eden Academy in one week's time!

In short order, he adopts 6-year-old Anya and recruits shy office worker Yor to pose as his wife. But what he doesn't know is that Yor is secretly the deadly assassin known as Thorn Princess, and Anya is a telepath!

Can this lone wolf learn to rely on Yor and Tanya and complete his mission? Can Yor survive the dinner party from Hell without killing everyone in sight? Will Anya be accepted into Eden Academy? And can these undercover operatives that treacherous volcanic island base known as … The Comics Canon?

Also in This Episode:

• Those dumb Mission: Impossible masks
• Let's cast the Spy x Family movie
• Housemaster Henderson's very specific kink
• A special cameo from a certain vampire cow
• Spoiler for the 1976 film Taxi Driver
• The Castle of Cagliostro
• Mr. & Mrs. Smith on Amazon Prime
• The End of Oak Street

Join us in two weeks as we gear up for Vision Quest with a look at Vizh's first appearance in Avengers #57-58!

Until then:

Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

On this episode, Dark August Knights, our two-part miniseries on Batman and Batman-adjacent stories, concludes with a look at Gotham Central Vol. 1, In the Line of Duty, collecting Gotham Central issues #1-5 by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka and Michael Lark, published by DC Comics!

In the criminal justice system, offenses committed by members of Batman's Rogues Gallery are considered especially heinous. In Gotham City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these crimes are members of an elite squad known as the Major Crimes Unit, for whom a search for a missing young girl might lead to a deadly encounter with Mister Freeze and a scorching-hot encounter with that pyromaniacal perp known as Firebug!

Can Detective Driver solve the murder of Bonnie Lewis and move past the death of his partner? Why don't Renee Montoya and Crispus Allen get more to do? And can these casefiles make it onto the desk of those loose cannons known as … The Comics Canon?

Also in This Episode:

• Homicide: Life on the Street
• Hey, is that Alan Moore?
• Kaya and the Lizard Riders
• Matt Goldberg on Sadie Sink's character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
• Mischief: A Novel of the 87th Precinct, by Ed McBain

Join us in two weeks as we discuss Spy x Family Vol. 1 by Tatsuya Endo!

Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

On this episode, we kick off a two-part miniseries, Dark August Knights! That's right, we're focusing on Batman and Batman-adjacent stories during the month of August!

And first up is the introduction of the Dark Knight's iconic villain Ra's al Ghul – as seen in 1971's Batman #232 and 1972's Batman #243-244, by the titanic team of Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams, published by DC Comics!

After Robin the College-Aged Boy Wonder is kidnapped, Batman is visited by the mysterious Ra's al Ghul, whose daughter, Talia, has also been abducted! The trail takes the World's Greatest Crime-Fighter and his enigmatic new acquaintance to Calcutta and the Himalayas, where a showdown with the lethal Brotherhood of the Demon awaits!

Later, the Dark Knight Detective and a team of allies travels to the Swiss Alps to take down this international crime lord – who turns out to be immortal!

Can Batman defeat the Head of the Demon in a desert duel to the death? And can this trio of tales infiltrate that mountaintop lair of villainy known as … The Comics Canon?

Also in This Episode:

• Batman, International Man of Mystery
• Sit, Ubu, sit!
• The Caped Crusader's implausible detecting skills
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day
• Dungeon Crawler Carl, narrated by Jeff Hays
• Taking work from cat actors

Join us in two weeks as we wrap up Dark August Knights with a look at Gotham Central #1-5!

Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

On this episode, in true Comics Canon fashion, we look ahead to the July 30 release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day with a discussion of (what else?) a pair of classic battles between the Hulk and Wolverine, natch!

First up are "And the Wind Howls … Wendigo!" and "And Now … the Wolverine!" from 1974's Incredible Hulk #180-181, featuring the debut of the first and greatest Canadian superhero!

Then we jump ahead 13 years to 1987's "Vicious Circle" from Incredible Hulk #340, for a rematch between a very different Hulk and a very different Wolverine, in perhaps the most 1990s comic of the 1980s!

Will Marie Cartier succeed in her plan to turn the Hulk into the Wendigo? (And how would that work, exactly?) Can Wolvie be the better man and avoid a knock-down, drag-out fight with a very irate Gray Hulk? And which of our combatants will emerge victorious from that Brawl to Settle It All known as … The Comics Canon?

Also in This Episode:

• Where's our Wendigo movie?
• Bobcat Goldthwait and Deadpool
• He's the best there is at what he does … and it's not what you think
• X-Men 97 Season 2
• The Odyssey
• Incredible Hulk #182: Between Hammer and Anvil!
• Triptych by Karin Slaughter

Join us in two weeks as we kick off a month of Batman-related tales with a look at the Caped Crusader's first run-in with Ra's al Ghul in Batman issues 232-234!

Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S.A. by looking back at the origin and first appearance of the nation's greatest super-soldier, Captain America, in 1941's Captain America Comics #1!

We also look back at the first appearances of two other Golden Age Marvel characters who are still around today – Cap's fellow Invaders the original Human Torch and Namor, the Sub-Mariner – in 1939's Marvel Comics #1!

And just for kicks, we throw in the first appearance of the Red Skull – well, a Red Skull, anyway – in The Riddle of the Red Skull, also from Captain America Comics #1!

Join us as we ask the burning questions: Does Captain America really punch Adolf Hitler in the face? And are these stories eligible for the senior discount at that VFW (Very Fine Works) hall known as … The Comics Canon?

Also in This Episode:

• Professor Horton buries the lede
• Are we supposed to root for Namor?
• Take it down a notch there, Bucky
• One World Under Doom
• Men of a Certain Age
• Kirby: King of Comics by Mark Evanier

Join us in two weeks as revisit two classic Hulk vs. Wolverine battles in The Incredible Hulk #180-181 (featuring the first appearance of Wolverine) and #340!

Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

Content warning: If the title didn't tip you off, this book deals with sex -- in graphic, often hilarious ways. Consequently, we're slapping an Explicit label on this episode, for both language and subject matter.

In this episode, we look ahead to Amazon's upcoming Sex Criminals streaming series with a look at Sex Criminals Vol. 1: One Weird Trick, by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky, published by Image Comics!

When Jon and Suzie hook up at a party, they discover that they both possess a unique gift: When they orgasm, time stops for seemingly everyone but them. When Jon proposes they use this power to steal from the bank he works at to save the library she works at, it seems like the perfect crime. But it turns out they're not the only ones with the ability to inhabit the frozen world Suzie calls The Quiet.

Like, what's the deal with the woman known as Kegelface? Is Jon a little too good to be true? And can our modern-day Bonnie and Clyde evade the Sex Police long enough to pull off that crime of the century known as … The Comics Canon?

Also in This Episode:

• Everyone's favorite porn search engine
• Kevin's newest crush
• The Fermata and Vox, by Nicholson Baker
• The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything
• Superior Foes of Spider-Man
• Richard Parker's The Score, by Darwyn Cooke

Join us in two weeks as celebrate America's 250th birthday with a look at the first appearances of Captain America, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the original Human Torch!

Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

Content warning: Sexual assault

It's finally happened! After 10 years and more than 250 episodes, we finally get around to discussing the elephant (or, rather, the aardvark) in the room: Dave Sim's 300-issue magnum opus, Cerebus! And to help us grapple with the weight of one of the longest-running, most creative and most controversial comics in the history of the medium, we're joined by longtime friend of the show Bryan Stratton of Marvel by the Month!

Self-published by Sim's Aardvark-Vanaheim, Cerebus paved the way for many other independent comics creators to self-publish their work. And its ambitious, experimental approach to comics storytelling expanded the artistic possibilities of the medium, as it grew from a parody of swords-and-sorcery comics into a complex, sprawling saga that would take on politics, religion, and other weighty issues.

But while there's a lot to recommend Cerebus, there's also a lot to give potential new readers pause—namely, Sim's contentious, divisive views on women, which ultimately begin to exert greater and greater influence over the series itself.

As the Will Eisner Comic Awards prepare to induct Sim (among other creators, including Gerry Conway and Rick Veitch) into its Hall of Fame at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, we take the opportunity to dive into this massive work, touching on topics including:

• What exactly IS Cerebus?
• Our personal histories with Cerebus
• The detailed background artwork of Gerhard
• The "Walking on the Moon" arc and the Cerebus creation myth
• Would we recommend that you read Cerebus?

We also share suggestions for other long-running, impactful series (in comics and otherwise) you might enjoy.

For further reading on the subject of Cerebus, we recommend:

Tom Ewing's great and insightful blog Aard Labour

Curt's 2004 Slate article on the endings of Cerebus and Bone

The Onion A.V. Club's notorious 2004 interview with Dave Sim

Join us in two weeks as we return to our regular format with a look at Sex Criminals Vol. 1: One Weird Trick, by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky!

Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we conclude our two-part look at Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons with a discussion of Books 2 and 3, by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Gene Ha and Nicola Scott, published by DC Black Label!

The Amazons accept Hippolyta and other disenfranchised women into their ranks as they continue their mission to hunt down those who abuse and oppress women. But it isn't long before their activities catch the attention of a wrathful Zeus, sparking an all-out war between the Amazons and the gods of Olympus!

What is Hera's long game? Why is there a baby made of sand? And will the Amazons prevail and take their rightful place in that League of Their Own known as … The Comics Canon?

Also in This Episode:

• Curt makes a shocking announcement about A.I.
• Widow's Bay and Margo's Got Money Troubles on Apple TV
• Age of Bronze Volume 1: A Thousand Ships

Join us in two weeks as we take a hard left turn to discuss … Dave Sim's Cerebus! This is not a drill!

Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we kick off a two-part look at a book we've had our eyes on for some time with a discussion of Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons, Book 1, by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Phil Jiminez, published by DC Black Label!

Phil Jiminez makes the artistic statement of his career to date with a visually arresting first issue that explores how and why the Greek goddesses (with the notable exception of Hera, Queen of the Olympians) come to create the Amazons, a race of women sworn to find and rescue women enslaved and mistreated by men.

Will Zeus redress the wrongs done to women by men throughout history? (Don't hold your breath.) Will Hippolyta escape a band of brutish brigands determined to cut out her tongue? What happened to that little baby girl she sent down the river? And will these maids of might prevail in that Fight Club known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

• Some complete random nonsense
• Zeus, God of Manspreading
• Shaq at the Parthenon
• The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
• Swamp Thing 1989 #1

Join us in two weeks as we continue our two-parter with Books 2 and 3, featuring art by Gene Ha and Nicola Scott!

Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

Note: This episode was recorded before the death of Gerry Conway, who wrote two of the stories we talk about.

The Punisher is gearing up for a busy summer on the big and small screens (with Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Punisher: One Last Kill, respectively). So what better time to dive into some key early stories charting the evolution of everyone's favorite gun-toting vigilante?

We start with a look at the Punisher's pop-culture inspirations, including the Executioner and Dirty Harry, before discussing his first appearance in 1974's Amazing Spider-Man #129, where he joins forces with (wait, this can't be right, can it?) the Jackal to take down your friendly neighborhood wall-crawler!

Then it's on to Marvel Preview #2 from that same year, in which we learn the tragic backstory behind his one-man war on crime!

Finally, we jump ahead a few years to Daredevil #183-184 and a gritty, street-level take on the character that's closer to the version we're all familiar with.

Is our (anti)hero just a poor judge of character? What type of story suits him best? And can our surly sentinel of the streets survive a frontal assault from that Whack Attack known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

• What happened to Curt on our April 1 episode?
• The Spotmaker
• Punisher War Journal #19
• Punisher: Circle of Blood (1986)
• Daredevil Born Again Season 2
• Questions about the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot

Join us in two weeks as we delve into the acclaimed three-part series Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons, by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Phil Jiminez, Gene Ha and Nicola Scott!

Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

On this episode, we revisit that bygone era when Detective Comics Comics would use any excuse to feature gorillas on its covers with a furry foursome of titanic Silver and Golden Age tales: "The Gorilla Boss of Gotham City" (Batman #75), "Titano the Super-Ape" (Superman #127), "Menace of the Super-Gorilla" (The Flash #107) and "The Brotherhood of Evil" (Doom Patrol #86)!

Can DC's greatest (and strangest) heroes prevail against these powerful, petrifying primates? And can these heavy-duty hominids take up residence in that Gorilla City known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

• The super-timely name on everyone's lips!
• Curt and Kevin's last meals
• Superman's foolproof plan
• Great Scott! It must be … THE GORILLA!
• Robotman? Total LOSER
• Turok, Son of Stone
• Amazing Spider-Man #130 "Betrayed!" and #136 "The Green Goblin Lives Again!"
• The Flash: The Silver Age Vol. 1
• The Doom Patrol #89 "The Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Menace" and #90 "The Enemy Within the Doom Patrol"
• King Sorrow by Joe Hill

Special thanks to Robb Milne of Marvel by the Month for co-hosting on our special April 1st podcast crossover episode. And if you haven't already, check out Curt's crossover appearance on Marvel by the Month alongside Will Hines of Screw It, We're Just Gonna Talk About Comics, and MbtM's Jamie Wenger crossing over on Screw It!

Join us in two weeks as we look back at the early days of the Punisher, including his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #129 and his origin in Marvel Preview #2!

Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

For our first episode of April, Kevin and Robb go into full-on geek mode as they look back at THE superhero crossover event of 1982: Marvel and DC Present The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans, by Chris Claremont and Walter Simonson!

This hotly anticipated team-up pits Marvel's X-Men and DC's New Teen Titans against the tyrannical space god Darkseid, as well as the deadly assassin Deathstroke the Terminator (yes, that's really his name) and … Dark Phoenix?!!

Will these two teams engage in the customary fight that's all just a big misunderstanding? Will we get a satisfying matchup between Wolverine and Deathstroke? And can the combined might of the two biggest titles of the first Reagan administration propel this action-packed adventure into that Clash of Comic-Book Titans known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

·

• The artistic heir to Jack Kirby's cosmic space god vibe
• That first page though…
• The origin of one of Huey Lewis' biggest hits REVEALED!
• DC Horror Presents: Sgt. Rock vs. the Army of the Dead
• Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga

Join us in two weeks as we put the "ape" in the month of April with a collection of stories pitting DC superheroes vs. Super-Gorillas!

Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

We're dropping into your feed a day early for this St. Patrick's Day episode, as we look ahead to the August debut of HBO Max's Lanterns and discuss the first appearances of Green Lanterns Alan Scott and Hal Jordan -- followed for no particular reason by a couple of Tales of the Green Lantern Corps written by Alan Moore!

First, in "The Green Lantern!" from 1940's All-American Comics #16, construction engineer Alan Scott meets a talking lantern that used to be … a meteor in ancient China? It's a whole thing.

Then, in "S.O.S. Green Lantern!" and "Secret of the Flaming Spear!" from 1959's Showcase #22, test pilot Hal Jordan is selected to succeed dying space cop Abin Sur and become an intergalactic lawman!

Last but not least, Green Lantern Tomar Re explains to his colleague Arisia just why "Mogo Doesn't Socialize" in 1985's Green Lantern #188! And we get a glimpse into Abin Sur's final moments in "Tygers" from 1986's Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #2!

Will Alan Scott and Hal Jordan prevail in their strikingly similar first adventures? Will Bolphunga the Unrelenting ever find the mysterious Mogo? Why does Abin Sur need a spaceship when his ring has the power of flight? And can these stirring tales of heroic space patrolmen survive the Blackest Night and break on through to that Brightest Day known as … The Comics Canon?

In This Episode:

· What can we call this radiation-sending device?

· Green Lantern's archnemesis – The Yellow Lamp!

· Plop!

· Curt punches up the Green Lantern oath

· Revenge of the Green Lanterns

· Roy Thomas's interview with Golden Age Green Lantern creator Mart Nodell in Alter Ego

Join us in two weeks as we discuss the 1982 inter-company crossover The Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans!

Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

We asked for questions, and you … asked them! In this, our second of two out-of-format episodes marking our 10-year anniversary, we answer the questions on your mind, including:

• Are there any episodes we'd like to do over?
• What are our favorite classic comic-book ads?
• Which comic had the worst movie adaptation?

But first, Curt gives his first-ever State of the Canon address, breaking down the characters, creators and comics publishers most represented in that body of great comic-book works known as The Comics Canon!

Join us in two weeks when we return to our regular format with a look at the first appearances of Green Lanterns Alan Scott (in All-American Comics #16 from 1940) and Hal Jordan (Showcase #22 from 1959) -- as well as two fun stories by Alan Moore: Tygers and Mogo Doesn't Socialize!

Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!

There's still time to submit questions for our upcoming March 4 episode, which features an Ask Us Anything segment as well as something Curt cryptically refers to as "The State of the Canon!"

If you've ever wondered how we choose the books and storylines we cover, whether we've ever changed our minds about something we've covered on the show, or just want to cast a vote for something you'd like to see discussed on the podcast, send us your emails at letters@comicscanon.com or drop us a line on Facebook or Bluesky by the end of the day on Friday, Feb. 27, and we'll answer as many as we can!

Also in this mini-episode, Kevin and Curt answer sample questions from each other with absolutely no preparation or advance warning! Who says this isn't the Comics Canon Age of Value-Added Content?

We hope you enjoy it, and we look forward to answering YOUR questions next week!

Got a burning question for The Comics Canon? Submit a question for our upcoming Ask Us Anything episode, airing Wednesday, March 4! Send us an email at letters@comicscanon.com or hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky no later than Friday, February 27!

After 10 years and 250 episodes of rendering judgment on the greatest comic book stories of yesterday and today, we decided it's finally time to record an episode for newcomers to the podcast – or to comics themselves!

In this super-accessible jumping-on point, we walk listeners through a typical episode of The Comics Canon and offer our recommendations for anyone interested in exploring comics, broken into 10 helpful categories:

Comics for Kids Comics for All Ages YA/Young Adult Comics Memoirs Humor Comics Crime Comics Horror Comics Superhero Comics Cosmic Comics and the 800-pound gorilla of superhero graphic novels: Watchmen!

Also in This Episode!

· What ARE comics, anyway?

· Who we are and how we came to be

· The creative comics boom of the 1980s

· "Your son is hooked on Micronauts."

· The one book we'd hand to anyone interested in the comics medium

Join us in two weeks for the second in our two-part anniversary series, as we answer questions from listeners, look ahead to possible future episodes and discuss … The State of The Canon!

Until then:Please consider donating to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Impress your friends with our Comics Canon merchandise! Rate us on Apple Podcasts! Send us an email! Hit us up on Facebook or Bluesky!

And as always, thanks for listening!