Podcast - Episode 54: Batman: Hush

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Oh man. It's the one you've been waiting for. Or, the one we've been waiting for anyway. The 12-issue Jeph Loeb/Jim Lee hot mess that you can't help but love, Batman: Hush!

Just a couple of things real quick before I post some helpful Hush images.

Here is the link to the interview where Sebastian Stan talks about over-doing it on the bulking up for Civil War. It's from the GQ Style interview that I posted a few weeks ago. Here's that specific part of that Q&A:

He's wrong about the fitted jeans not looking good anymore.

Here's a Nicola Scott tweet, acknowledging that Beefcake Steve Trevor is the best Steve Trevor:

Ok, all aboard the crazy train to Hush station!

First, this is that double page spread I was trying to describe where Batman is looking, um, pretty busy but still has a hard time staying focused (based on his rambling interior monologue). 

And this is a great example of what Jim Lee thinks appropriate business attire for women is:

Poor, poor Lois.

And here is Bruce Wayne using his excellent detective skills, first noticing the subtle changes in the opera performance he's attending with Selina:

And here he is determining that the man in his arms with a hole in his forehead is DEAD:

Oh, Batman: Hush. You are the best.

I am sure I forgot to mention many things in our conversation about this. I mean, I know for sure that I forgot to mention the fact that Bruce Wayne borrows Lois Lane's work computer to OPEN UP A CHAT ROOM TO TALK SECRETLY TO ORACLE!!!!

This comic, you guys.

Ok, so Dave and I are taking a week off while he goes to SDCC, and then we'll be back to talk about Doctor Strange: The Oath.

Podcast - Episode 53: Wilson

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Week three of the book club and we are talking about Wilson by Daniel Clowes! Because we can't talk about super heroes all the time!

We do talk about super heroes a lot in this episode, though. We read a whole lot of comics that we discuss, including Sam Wilson Captain America #11, Batman #2, Superman #1, Justice League #1, The Fix #4, Green Arrow #2, Green Lanterns #2 and more!

We also talk about the statue of (Steve Rogers) Captain America that is going to be installed in Brooklyn to commemorate the character's 75th anniversary (and, um, 5th year of being from Brooklyn). You can read more about that here. Here is the image of the concept for the statue:

"I'm just a kid from Brooklyn." Alright. Whatever. Fine.

But just imagine a statue based on Kirby's art in the Lower East Side. Right? Right?

Anyway.

Here's that hilarious "candid" photo of true, real, authentic, unstaged love from Taylor Swift's Fouth of July party:

Ryan Reynolds in that photo is my favourite thing.

And here's that Tom Holland selfie from the set of Spider-Man:

I'm gonna keep this post short because I am writing it way in advance before I leave for NYC.  I recommend listening to the Daniel Clowes interview on the WTF podcast with Marc Maron. And please do read (or re-read) Batman: Hush for next week because we have so much to say about it. We are very excited to talk about this one.

Podcast - Episode 52: Spider-Man - The Original Clone Saga

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It's week two of our book club! This week I read about 500 pages of Spider-Man. Dave had an earlier collection of this story that was under 200 pages. We should have communicated better.

This week we discuss Gerry Conway and Ross Andru's Clone Saga Spider-Man story from the mid-1970s. It's one of Dave's favourites and I had never read it before!

Before that we talk about how great Steve Rogers Captain America #2 is (and about how insane all the hate that's being hurled at Nick Spencer is). 

Speaking of insane, you can read the absolutely bonkers article about this comic that was posted on Paste Magazine's site here. As I say in the podcast, it's not only crazy because it STATES AS FACT that Marvel did something that would be impossible (completely change and re-write/draw/print a comic in like three weeks), it's also crazy because it suggests that Marvel, a very large entertainment company, would change a comic that QUICKLY SOLD OUT because a loud minority on the internet completely misunderstood it. It also ignores the content of this second issue, which is basically a very detailed outline showing how everything that has happened in all of the comics Spencer has been writing for most of a year now had led to this moment. It's just nuts.

Paste did post an apology, sort of, but man. Too little too late.

Anyway. I am so tired of defending this clearly awesome comic.

You can purchase and download that Year of Marvels Infinite comic about Winter Solider by Chuck Wendig and Juanan Ramirez here. I've seen the whole thing screen grabbed on Tumblr as well, because Tumblr is a lawless hellscape.

The comic is full of good stuff, like, um, this:

And this very hot WWII flashback version of Steve Rogers:

And who wants to see some creepy Captain America and Winter Soldier plush toys?

I think it's really funny that Steve's nose is so much larger than Bucky's. Attention to detail!

Here are some of the panels of the Clone Saga that we discuss. I apologize for the poor quality of these images. You're just gonna have to buy the book to see the beautiful art in all it's glory!

Here's that quiet scene on campus that Dave was talking about:

And here is the scene of J.J.J. clicking his heels together and then falling down:

Here's what Dave was talking about when he said Ross Andru draws crazy so well:

I forgot to mention this in the episode, but I was really impressed with Scorpion's costume-packing skills:

So cute!

And speaking of costumes, here's the one I became completely obsessed with: The Jackal!

Here is Prof Warren tearing his mask off:

Like...come on. That costume is insane.

Anyway. Ross Andru's art is amazing.

That's it for this week! Next week Dave and I talk about Wilspn, by Daniel Clowes! Not as many super villains in that one, if I remember correctly. Less clones, probably?