Category Spencer Irwin

Dec 8 2015

Spidey 1

spidey 1Today, Spencer and Drew are discussing Spidey 1, originally released October 2nd, 2015.

Spencer: I’m pretty sure Spider-Man is the reason I’ve become sick and tired of origin stories; two different Spider-Man movies retelling the 3rd most famous origin in all of comics within the same decade is enough to turn anyone off origins. Robbie Thompson and Nick Bradshaw’s Spidey is smart enough to cut that origin down to a single page and move onto more interesting things, but it’s still caught up in one of the greatest issues plaguing all retellings and reboots; this is just a story I’ve seen a million times before. Continue reading →

Dec 7 2015

DC Round-Up Comics Released 12/2/15

dc roundup21

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 Action Comics 47, Batman and Robin Eternal 9, Gotham by Midnight 11, Green Lantern 47 and Robin War 1.

slim-banner4 Continue reading →

Dec 7 2015

Gotham Academy 12

gotham academy 12

Today, Spencer and Ryan M. are discussing Gotham Academy 12, originally released December 2, 2015.

Spencer: I spend a lot of time talking about empathy on this site, but only because I believe that developing empathy is one of the single most important things people can do to help create a better world. Working to understand people and care about their feelings can avert catastrophes both big and small, while ignoring the viewpoints of others can turn even the most harmless endeavor dangerous. Case-in-point: Professor Strange. All ol’ Hugo wants to do is learn about Calamity, but his lack of compassion for the actual people hurt by Calamity means that even his simple quest for knowledge has the potential to ruin lives. It may have already ruined Olive’s. Continue reading →

Dec 2 2015

Weekly Round-Up: Comics Released 11/25/15

round up

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 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 52, Outcast 13, Darth Vader 13, Kaptara 5, Jupiter’s Circle Vol. 2 1, Black Hood 7 and Black Magick 2. Continue reading →

Dec 2 2015

Silver Surfer 15

silver surfer 15

Today, Shane Patrick and Spencer are discussing Silver Surfer 15, originally released November 25th, 2015.

wait, i'm not real

Patrick: Why do reboots matter so much to us? The characters we’re reading about aren’t — in the strictest sense — real. The only thing that’s ever real about them are our feelings toward them. And those feelings never need to go away, even as the very qualities that made us fall in love with characters in the first place are retconned out of existence. Silver Surfer 15 tackles this notion literally, as Dawn has to chose between an idealized world based on all the wonderful things she remembers and a scary new world with limitless possibilities for change. Continue reading →

Dec 1 2015

DC Round-Up Comics Released 11/25/15

dc roundup20

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 Justice League of America 5, Grayson 14, The Flash 46, Superman: Lois and Clark 2, Superman 46 and Batman and Robin Eternal 8.

slim-banner4 Continue reading →

Nov 30 2015

Robin: Son of Batman 6

robin son of batman 6

Today, Spencer and Mark are discussing Robin: Son of Batman 6, originally released November 25th, 2015.

Spencer: “Redemption” can be an awfully selfish pursuit if the person seeking redemption is more interested in clearing their own name and conscience than about alleviating the pain they’ve caused others. I certainly wouldn’t accuse Damian Wayne of being selfish, but he is young, and still learning just what, exactly, redemption and forgiveness are all about. In Robin: Son of Batman 6, Patrick Gleason uses the events of the past five issues to teach Damian an entirely new definition of redemption, one focused more on others than himself. Continue reading →

Nov 27 2015

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur 1

moon girl 1Today, Patrick and Spencer are discussing Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur 1, originally released November 25th, 2015.

“Hey Liz, how’s your telescope?”
“I don’t know Kelsey, how’s your mom’s pill addiction?”
30 Rock, “Reunion”
Patrick: By the time the third season of 30 Rock rolled around, the audience had grown used to Liz Lemon’s put-upon-nerd persona. It makes her a hyper competent underdog and immediately endearing in the world populated with sociopathic ego-machines like Jack, Jenna and Tracy. That’s what makes the set-up for the the episode “Reunion” so tantalizing – Liz plans to go to her high school reunion to prove to the people that used to bully her that she made something of herself. The problem, however, is that Liz was even more of a bully back to them, and whatever alienation she felt at the time was totally deserved. All of the jabs and jokes that she saw as self defense actually drove people away. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur 1 introduces us to the titular Moon Girl, and leans in to her outsider status, but may go too far, presenting her less like a misunderstood kid and more of a jerk.

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Nov 25 2015

Weekly Round-Up: Comics Released 11/18/15

round up

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 Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl 4, Jem and the Holograms 9, I Hate Fairyland 2 and Cognetic 2. Continue reading →

Nov 25 2015

Bizarro 6

bizarro 6

Today, Michael and Spencer are discussing Bizarro 6, originally released November 18th, 2015.

Michael: With the countless stories we have read or watched we have (most likely) seen the same number of finales. We’ve seen finales we’ve loved, ones that are easily forgettable and, of course, the ones that the general public can’t ever seem to forgive. We are all our own experts on the “art of the finale.” Heath Corson and Gustavo Duarte treat their Bizarro finale with the same unique and fun approach that they’ve taken with the series thus far, while still playing to the finale tropes we recognize. Continue reading →