Deconstructing Comics

#884 Jack Kirby’s Black Panther: Take THAT, George Lucas!

This week we finally return to Jack Kirby’s 1970s run on Black Panther, specifically issues 9 and 10. With Panther away during a crisis, his four relatives step up and be

#883 Hulk smash! Hulk stomp! Hulk wear rubber Hulk mask!

Consider the Incredible Hulk. He’s often referred to as the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of the Marvel Universe. But is he really Jekyll and Hyde on a deep level? Paul has bee

#882 “Supergirl” vs. “Woman of Tomorrow”

This summer’s Supergirl movie, while not nearly as good as sliced bread, was compelling enough to make Tim curious as to how it compares with the comic it’s based on, Sup

#881 “Doomwar”: Black Panther vs. Dr. Doom

Doomwar is a 2010 miniseries in which Dr. Doom sponsors a coup in Wakanda in order to get his hands on all the country’s processed vibranium. As we continue to celebrate

#880 Interviews: Emil Wilson (“The Nightingales”) and William Bernhardt (“The Superman Wars”)

Emil Wilson is the author of the new graphic novel The Nightingales, about a family in 1985 who take in an AIDS patient. The book shows us the panic and misinformation th

#879 Comics Satirize Comics: “DESTROY!” and “Doom Force”

Superhero comics have been parodied for as long as they’ve existed. This time Tim and Kumar look at two books by comics insiders that satirized the predominant comics of

#878 Three fun graphic novels

A number of interesting graphic novels have been brought to our attention recently — works with laugh-out-loud moments and deeper meanings as well. We review three of the

#671 Derf’s “Kent State”

FLASHBACK! In 1970, four students died when national guardsman inexplicably opened fire during an anti-war protest at Kent State University. The craziness of 2020 has hin

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

While the characterization of Spidey in Amazing Spider-Man 2 is still spot-on, not much else in the movie is. Tim and Mulele discuss the myriad problems, and occasional s

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

After Sam Raimi bailed on doing any more Spidey movies, Sony decided to reboot. So, ten years after Spider-man 1, viewers got a new version of Spider-man’s origin story –

#877 Jack Kirby’s Black Panther #7-8: The Truth about Vibranium

The adventure in the Samurai City comes to a close, and Panther attempts to get back to Wakanda. As a vibranium-related crisis unfolds in his homeland, various roadblocks

#876 Marjane Satrapi remembered

Persepolis author Marjane Satrapi passed away on June 4. This week, Tim and Kumar recall their initial reactions to that book and talk a bit about her life and legacy. T

#471 “Crumb” and “Punk Rock Jesus”

(Concluding our review of past episodes featuring the work of R. Crumb.) FLASHBACK! Tim and Kumar meet in person for the first time! This calls for a podcast, but… what

#415 Crumb’s Confounding “Genesis”

FLASHBACK! Perhaps one of the most puzzling comics releases in years was The Book of Genesis, Illustrated by R. Crumb. While it’s a virtuoso art performance, the exact pu

#384 R. Crumb’s “Weirdo” Years Revisited

FLASHBACK! Weirdo was a magazine started by R. Crumb, which featured Crumb’s work alongside that of a number of other underground-type comics creators. Crumb’s work from

Critiquing Comics #249: “Westron”

Westron is about a private investigator who investigates crimes with supernatural elements. When a girl is murdered, he feels driven to solve the crime by the memory of a

#875 Swamp Thing in Spaaaaace

At last we complete our look at Alan Moore‘s Swamp Thing run, looking at Swampy’s battle with Gotham City, his seeming death, and his travels through space. Along the way

#874 Jack Kirby’s Black Panther #5-6: The City of Samurai

Typical of the Jack Kirby comics we’ve read from the 1970s, the 1977 Black Panther series is a wild ride. Issues 5 and 6 feature a city of samurai (apparently nowhere nea

#873 Adam Tierney: Godzilla comes to Verona

Adam Tierney, writer of the recent hit one-shot Romeo and Juliet and Godzilla, is a video game writer who dabbles in comics as a hobby — and it’s looking like a very succ

#872 Steranko’s “Nick Fury,” pt 2: The argument in favor of Stan Lee editing

Jim Steranko’s Nick Fury stories from the late 1960s are lauded for the artwork, especially in the stories after Fury got out of Strange Tales and into his own book. The