Category Spencer Irwin

Dec 13 2016

Midnighter and Apollo 3

midnighter-apollo-3

Today, Mark and Spencer are discussing Midnighter and Apollo 3, originally released December 7th, 2016. As always, this article containers SPOILERS.

slim-banner

Mark: Throughout the first three issues of Midnighter and Apollo, Steve Orlando has proven his love for the obscure corners of the DC Comics universe by incorporating his favorite elements at every opportunity. The most successful of these moments are like Midnighter and Apollo 1‘s Subway Pirates cold open, and don’t rely on the reader sharing his same pool of knowledge to enjoy. Midnighter and Apollo 3 is the first time in Orlando’s work that I’ve felt on the outside looking in. It’s alienating in a way I wasn’t expecting, but maybe gives me a better understanding of why Midnighter remains such a niche character. Continue reading →

Dec 12 2016

Weekly Round-Up: Comics Released 12/7/16

roundup40

Look, there are a lot of comics out there. Too many. We can never hope to have in-depth conversations about all of them. But, we sure can round up some of the more noteworthy titles we didn’t get around to from the week. Today, we discuss The Woods 28, Glitterbomb 4, The Wicked + The Divine 24, and Faith 6. Today we also discussed Star Wars: Doctor Aphra 1, so check that out, and we’ll be discussing Motor Crush 1 on Tuesday and Cannibal 3 on Wednesday, so come back for those! As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

Continue reading →

Dec 9 2016

Marvel Round-Up: Comics Released 12/7/16

marvel-roundup60

We try to stay up on what’s going on at Marvel, but we can’t always dig deep into every issue. The solution? Our weekly round-up of titles coming out of Marvel Comics. Today, we’re discussing All-New Wolverine 15, Clone Conspiracy 3, Deadpool 23 and Unworthy Thor 2. We discussed Moon Knight 9 on Thursday, so check that out. Also, we’re discussing Nova 1 on Wednesday, so come back for that! As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

slim-banner4 Continue reading →

Dec 8 2016

Moon Knight 9

moon-knight-9

Today, Spencer and Drew are discussing Moon Knight 9, originally released December 7th, 2016. As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

slim-banner

Spencer: One of the greatest things about superhero comics is how thoroughly they live in the realm of metaphor. The limitless possibilities provided by the Marvel and DC universes mean that creators can take the most abstract of concepts and make them literal, physical threats for our heroes to face head-on. Sometimes this can oversimplify things, sure, but under the pens of the best creators this provides an opportunity to explore complicated subjects in a more straightforward manner. That’s certainly the case with Moon Knight 9, where Jeff Lemire and his murderers’ row of artists tackle Marc Spector’s mental illness in a way that’s simultaneously realistic and about as sci-fi as humanly possible. Continue reading →

Dec 8 2016

DC Round-Up: Comics Released 12/7/16

dc-roundup64

How many Batman books is too many Batman books? Depending on who you ask there ain’t no such thing! We try to stay up on what’s going on at DC, but we can’t always dig deep into every issue. The solution? Our weekly round-up of titles coming out of DC Comics. Today, we’re discussing Green Arrow 12, Green Lanterns 12, Nightwing 10, Shade the Changing Girl 3 and Superman 12.  Also, we’ll be discussing Batman 12 tomorrow, and Midnighter and Apollo 3 on Tuesday, so come back for those! As always, this article containers SPOILERS!

slim-banner4 Continue reading →

Dec 7 2016

IvX 0

ivx-1

Today, Spencer and Drew are discussing IvX 0, originally released November 30th, 2016. As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

Spencer: I don’t know much about my ancestry or heritage other than the fact that I’ve got blood from at least six or seven different European countries in me (I’ve been known to describe my ethnicity as “White Mystery”). Combine that with a family that’s never been all that worried about tradition and you get a guy who just doesn’t care about his culture (if I could even be considered as having one). This is absolutely not the case with the mutants or the Inhumans, though; although the two groups’ concepts of culture and tradition differ greatly, they’re absolutely vital to both camps. That’s something Charles Soule and Kenneth Rocafort make abundantly clear in IvX 0 — the conflict that’s been brewing between them isn’t really about the literal deaths of individuals anymore, but about the possible figurative death of their very ways of life. Continue reading →

Dec 7 2016

Star Wars Annual 2

star-wars-annual-2

Today, Taylor and Spencer are discussing Star Wars Annual 2, originally released November 30th, 2016. As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

Taylor: I’m incredibly excited for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. This isn’t just because I’m a huge Star Wars fan and it isn’t just because George Lucas apparently likes it better than The Force Awakens. True, these things do rouse my blood, but what really excites me about the movie can be found right in its title. That Rogue One is being labeled “a Star Wars story” holds so much promise. I love the depth of the Star Wars universe and it’s amazing what authors can do with this backdrop when they aren’t burdened by telling the next great chapter in the Star Wars saga. While the second annual issue of the Star Wars comic does involve some classic Star Wars characters, what makes it wonderful is that it gives us a glimpse into the day in the life of your average Star Wars universe Jane.  Continue reading →

Dec 6 2016

Saga 40

Today, Ryan and Patrick are discussing Saga 40, originally released November 30th, 2016.

Ryan: When I was a child, my least favorite sentence was “Life’s not fair.” As a hyper-verbal kid who was encouraged to talk out her frustrations, things boiled down to those three words far too often. It got to a point where my mother would only have to intake her breath to start to say it and I would finish the sentence, feeling a sense of injustice that the world cannot be bent to fit the ideals of fairness of my ten-year-old mind. It felt glib then, but I understand a bit more now. Fairness is an ideal and is easy to enforce in a tennis match or on tax forms, but when the stakes become more personal, there is no way to find a quantifiable balance. Saga 40 is made up of scenes of characters behaving unfairly to one another and Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples use thematic elements to hold together an otherwise scattered issue.

Continue reading →

Dec 5 2016

Black Widow 8

black-widow-8

Today, Spencer and Patrick are discussing Black Widow 8, originally released November 30th, 2016. As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

slim-banner

Spencer: Natasha’s mission in Black Widow 8 is, ostensibly, to save the Vice-President from an assassination attempt by one of the young Dark Room recruits, yet it’s not really about trying to save the Vice-President; he doesn’t even make an appearance in the issue. Instead, the person Natasha is truly trying to save is the young assassin herself. In a way, by saving her, Natasha can save herself as well. Continue reading →

Dec 2 2016

DC New Talent Showcase

new-talent-showcase-1

It’s the 2016 DC Comics New Talent Showcase! To cover it, Retcon Punch has assembled out finest old talent to say something about each of these stories. There are a lot of promising starts in here, along with a handful that don’t start so well, but very few full-fledged stories. Still, every series has a beginning, so let’s get in to how these new creators would kick off their own story arcs. (There’s no DC Round Up this week, but we did write about the Batman Annual 1 on Thursday, and we will be discussing the Superman Annual 1 on Tuesday, so come back for that!)

slim-banner4 Continue reading →