Robin: Son of Batman 2

robin 2Today, Spencer and Mark are discussing Robin: Son of Batman 2, originally released July 15th, 2015.

Spencer: We see a lot of redemption stories in comics (and in pop culture in general), and while many of them end in death, almost all of them end with the person seeking redemption finding some sort of forgiveness. Yes, the ideas of atoning for past crimes and being forgiven for them tend to go hand-in-hand, but should they? It’s an interesting notion, one which Patrick Gleason seems interested in examining throughout Robin: Son of Batman 2. Damian Wayne is out to atone for a year full of horrors he committed before becoming Robin, but atoning for some crimes is clearly going to be much harder than atoning for others — and it may simply come to down to who he’s seeking redemption from. Continue reading

Ant-Man Annual 1

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Today, Taylor and Spencer are discussing Ant-Man Annual 1, originally released July 15, 2015.

Taylor: Mentorship is an ancient practice. Any of us who have had the pleasure of reading Plato’s Republic (or were assigned to read it for class) know that the practice of an elder teaching a younger the ropes is something present in almost all societies. It’s natural then that we see this same master-apprentice relationship present in comic books. Batman, the Ninja Turtles, Wolverine, Jean Grey – they’ve all had someone there to mentor them and help them become heroes who save the day. We generally like to think of those mentors knowing it all, often forgetting that they are still human and far from perfect. Ant-Man Annual 1 examines what it’s like to find this out in typical witty fashion.

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Secret Wars Round-Up: Issues released 7/15/15

secret wars roundup9Today, Spencer, Taylor, Patrick, and Drew discuss Siege 1, Planet Hulk 3, Years of Future Past 3, Captain Britain and the Mighty Defenders 1, Inhumans Atillan Rising 3, Secret Wars Battleworld 3, Hail Hydra 1, and Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps 2.

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Spencer: “Each domain is a region unto itself.” Each and every Secret Wars tie-in has begun with these words, and they really are a remarkably accurate mission statement: despite the common thread they all share, most of these mini-series feel like separate concepts far removed from the rest of their brethren. That begins to change with this week’s offerings, however. Several of this week’s issues find their casts questioning Doom and venturing beyond their own domain. Are we about to see some of these characters collide with the main Secret Wars title? Perhaps, but fortunately, these tie-ins still work as fun standalone stories as well. In many ways, it’s the best of both worlds.
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Weekly Round-Up: Comics Released 7/8/15

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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, Patrick, Spencer, Drew, Ryan, Michael and Shane discuss Saga 30, The Fox 4, Injection 3, Starfire 2, Justice League of America 2, Justice League United 11, Batman 42, Catwoman 42, Gotham Academy 8, Constantine: the Hellblazer 2, and Mad Max Fury Road: Max 1.

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Patrick: Our Weekly Round-Ups are often articles about comics we really feel like hosting entire conversations about. They’re not necessarily lesser comics, but there’s a little bit of a value judgement associated with it, for sure. This week saw an insane surge in quality, with all of these titles pulling out insightful, action-packed installments. There’s so much to say about all these comics, so let’s just get to it, huh? Continue reading

Mrs. Deadpool and the Howling Commandos 2

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Today, Spencer and Michael are discussing Mrs. Deadpool and the Howling Commandos 2, originally released July 8th, 2015. This issue is a Secret Wars tie-in. For more Secret Wars coverage from the week, click here.

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Spencer: One of my best friends and I quite often find ourselves arguing about how “realistic” a story should be. He loves stories that could take place in our “real” world, while they sometimes rub me the wrong way. Don’t get me wrong, there’s quite a few stories that benefit from a sense of gritty realism (The Black Hood is an excellent, recent example), but I resent the idea that all stories need to be realistic. Our world is quite often an awful place, and fiction is my way of escaping it — I get a lot of joy out of stories that can break the restrictive rules of our reality. Gerry Duggan and Salva Espin’s Mrs. Deadpool and the Howling Commandos 2 is just such a story, one which takes great pleasure in transcending the limits of both reality and traditional narrative structures. It’s a hoot. Continue reading

Archie 1

Alternating Currents: Archie 1, Drew and Spencer

Today, Drew and Spencer are discussing Archie 1, originally released July 9th, 2015.

Drew: Ah, the reboot. Comics have a long history of restarting characters from the beginning (or something resembling it), but new artists reimagining familiar characters can be seen everywhere, from Peter Pan to Macbeth. The recent popularity of rebooting movie franchises, however, has often smacked of a dearth of ideas. Reboots have all of the familiarity of sequels, but without any of the risk of putting characters in new situations. Or, at least, that’s the cynical attitude I tend to bring to reboots. Archie 1 proves to be surprisingly daring, even as it riffs on characters and situations that have been around for decades. Continue reading

Secret Wars Round-Up: Issues released 7/8/15

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Today, Patrick, Spencer, Michael and Drew discuss Amazing Spider-Man Renew Your Vows 2, Spider-Verse 3, Spider-Island 1, Civil War 1, 1872 1, Ghost Racers 2, Runaways 2, Secret Wars 2099 3, and X-Men ’92 Infinite Comic 4.

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Patrick: It’s Spider-Day in Battleworld! Not only do we have three books with “Spider” in the title, Civil War prominently features Peter Parker (and the rest of the Parker clan). It’s amazing how malleable the concept of Spider-Man is, and how it can be at home in all four of these discrete story worlds. The rest of the issues on our Round Up today all approach their unique worlds in different ways – some try to cram in every possible piece of relevant lore, others pic and choose; some want to make a point about the source material, others are only interested in telling fun stories with the concepts. I’m continually amazed that no two series have similar approaches to Secret Wars – not even when they’re all named “Spider.”
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Lando 1

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Today, Spencer and Patrick are discussing Lando 1, originally released July 8th, 2015.

Spencer: Maybe it’s just because of the way superheroes dominate the medium, but when I think of comic books, my mind immediately turns to fighting. It’s almost unheard of to find a superhero who doesn’t fight in some capacity, and even in the indie books I read, most of the characters are spies, soldiers, robots wielding built-in weaponry, or kids struggling to survive in the wild — the one thing they have in common is that they all fight. Lando Calrissian, however, does not. Throughout Lando 1, Charles Soule and Alex Maleev depict Lando as someone who may know the value of a good warrior, but prefers to win his battles with cunning. It’s a compelling take on the character, one that helps set him apart from his good buddy (and fellow smuggler) Han Solo, and one which also establishes this mini-series as a heist story through and through. Sure, there’s action, but the twists and turns of Lando’s high-stakes schemes (as well as the schemes hatched against him) are what this series is really all about, and that’s a fun new direction for the Marvel Star Wars books to explore. Continue reading

Weekly Round-Up: Comics Released 7/1/15

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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, Spencer, Patrick, Drew, and Michael discuss Darth Vader 7, Groot 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Team-Up 7, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl 7, Outcast 10, Jupiter’s Circle 4, Onyx 1, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 47, Action Comics 42, Bizarro 2, The Woods 14, and The Spire 1.

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Drew: I used to write questions for a trivia competition, and I was absolutely terrified of questions where you had to say what a list of items (or songs, or people) had in common. Not because they were hard to write, but because it was nearly impossible to make only one answer correct. “Things not in my kitchen” or “people who aren’t me” are obviously wrong, but also technically correct. Trivia players would only put down an answer like this when they couldn’t think of the right answer, but it came up often enough to put me off of writing those kinds of questions. All that is to say, I’m sure there’s a common thread more meaningful to this week’s comics than “comics I didn’t write,” but man, I can’t think of that right answer. Can I still get some points, or what? Continue reading

The Wicked + The Divine 12

wicked and divine 12Today, Spencer and Patrick are discussing The Wicked + The Divine 12, originally released July 1st, 2015.

Spencer: In superhero comics, readers get used to seeing characters interpreted in myriads of ways. Everyone from Bill Finger to Frank Miller to Jim Lee has had their hands on Batman, and as a result, we’re able to accept Batman’s characterization in almost any incarnation, no matter how drastic the change. That’s great for accessibility, but much worse for consistency, especially when a character gets saddled with a less-than-stellar creative team. Indie books, on the other hand, allow for finite stories told by a single creative team, with some books (such as Saga) even deviating from a monthly release schedule in order to ensure that no fill-in artists will be needed. Throughout its first 11 issues The Wicked + The Divine stuck with a consistent team (Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Matthew Wilson, and Clayton Cowles), but issue 12 features Kate Brown as the series’ first fill-in artist. This artistic switch-up comes in the aftermath of the series’ most turbulent moment, and it’s the perfect way to illustrate how shaken-up the cast still is after last month’s sudden, tragic turn. Continue reading