Deconstructing Comics

Captain America and the Falcon #212 concludes the Arnim Zola/Red Skull storyline in somewhat perfunctory fashion, and gives a living castle with big teeth much less P.R. than it deserved! In #213 we meet the strange and underutilized assassin the Night Flyer! (Underwhelming name? Must've been named by Jack Kirby!) Tim and Emmet discuss both issues in this episode. Brought to you by: The Quick and the Dad Our supporters on Patreon

Joe Mallard, a favorite of Tim and Jason's from a year ago, is back! Creator Asante Amani has sent us issues 4-6 of this crime series. Did it go over with us as well as the first two issues did? Ky Lawrence has created a trippy graphic novel about survivor's guilt. In Dream Machine, our protagonist dreams he can sacrifice himself to bring his cancer victim twin back to life. Tim and Adam critique. Brought to you by: Our supporters on Patreon

We've been building up to it for months with our reviews of previous Fantastic Four movies. Now it's here, the FF's debut in the MCU, Fantastic Four: First Steps. How well did it scratch that FF itch? Kumar and Jordan once again join Tim to review the film, and discuss how it stacks up against the others (including the unreleased 1994 version). One idea about what "Subzero Intel" might mean Brought to you by: Full Manga Alchemists Our supporters on Patreon

This week, Koom interviews Wahab Algarmi, author of Almost Sunset, a graphic novel about a Muslim American boy's search for balance between his family traditions and the demands of life in Middle School. Koom and Wahab discuss their international family backgrounds as well as the merits or demerits of 1990s Image comics! Almost Sunset on Amazon Brought to you by: The Quick and the Dad Our supporters on Patreon

Ben Wickey has created a graphic novel, More Weight: A Salem Story, that gives us a very deep dive into the Salem witch trials: why they happened, who was to blame, and how the city has dealt with their legacy. This week Koom gets the scoop on what inspired Ben, why his art style seems to vary depending on what point in the past he's writing about, and more. More Weight: A Salem Story on Amazon.com Brought to you by: Checkered Past podcast Our supporters on Patreon

The film is bloated, it's busy, it showcases numerous failures at human communication, and doesn't hit some points it needs to. And yet, Spider-Man 3 screenwriter Alvin Sargent managed to weave together the many plotlines thrust on him to make a script with a message - although not necessarily the one director Sam Raimi had in mind. Tim and Mulele examine Raimi's final Spider-Man film. (Originally published on Patreon May 23, 2020.) Brought to you by: Our supporters on Patreon

To this day, Spider-man 2 is considered one of the best superhero movies. How does it stand up to Tim's first viewing, after watching all the MCU movies that came after? What does Mulele notice about the look of the film that's a little annoying? How is Spider-fan Tim feeling about the portrayal of Peter Parker in these movies? These points and more! (Originally published on Patreon April 25, 2020.) Brought to you by: Our supporters on Patreon

Tim and Mulele begin reviewing the Sony (pre-MCU) Spider-man movies with a look at 2002's Spider-man, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire. After watching all the MCU movies, how does this film feel different? How was it affected by 9/11? And more. (Originally published on Patreon April 11, 2020) Brought to you by: Our supporters on Patreon

This week, a look at two great new comics submitted by their creators: God Summoner, by Dio Zogaris and Manos Laouvardos, is a story in the fantasy genre. Tim and Jason thought "Meh" until they actually read it! This is a well-written story with beautiful black and white art. The Keluarga Cable Ship Company, by Mereida Fajardo, gives us a father and son with communication problems, and a ship that lays down undersea cable through which, well, communication flows. Or doesn't flow. But what makes the book stand out is its very unusual format that shows great thought and planning on the author's part. Tim and Adam critique. LD Comics Fair Brought to you by: The Quarter-Bin podcast Our supporters on Patreon

FLASHBACK! Jim Shooter, who was Marvel Editor-in-Chief from 1978 to 1987, passed away on June 30. He wrote a number of comics published by Marvel (including the original Secret Wars series) and by a number of other companies. Two years ago, Koom interviewed Shooter to find out what he thought about Marvel in its current incarnation, get his recollections of Frank Miller and Ann Nocenti's respective starts in the comics industry, hear his theory that the nursery rhyme "Little Miss Muffet" can be a tool to teach good writing, and more. We re-present the interview this week in observance of his passing. (Originally published August 23, 2023.) Brought to you by: Our supporters on Patreon

In the 1960s, both Marvel and DC tried publishing humor books, often in a style reminiscent of MAD Magazine. One of these was DC's Angel and the Ape, about a beautiful young woman and a comics-artist gorilla who run a detective agency. While it only survived for 7 issues (with two title changes!) in 1968-69, somehow it got a Phil Foglio reboot in 1991, and showed up again as a Vertigo book in 2001, co-written by Howard Chaykin and David Tischman. While it's hard to explain the existence of these revivals, comparing the three versions gives us an appreciation of the changes in the US comics industry over 35 years. Tim and Kumar discuss. Brought to you by: Worst Collection Ever podcast Our supporters on Patreon

[ POW! ZAP! Comics may not be for kids anymore, but they still have sound effects! Our own Patrick Ijima-Washburn noticed that Japanese editions of American comics left the sound effects untranslated, and decided to put together a book on how common English sound effects should be translated. Life being what it is, it took well over a decade, but the book is finally out digitally, in both Japanese and English! This time Patrick joins Tim to talk about the genesis of the book, some sound effects trivia (what comic strip first used "ZZZZ" for snoring? Who originated adding "ker-" to the beginning of a sound effect?), and take a quiz from Tim: if quoted a sound effect from an actual Marvel comic, can he guess what action it's supposed to represent? Brought to you by: Who's Who podcast Our supporters on Patreon

While the last three issues of Captain America and the Falcon we looked at were rather underwhelming, issues 209 to 211 give us all the kooky science fiction and Kirby Crackle we could want! The appearance of Arnim Zola, in his first face-off with Cap, has revitalized the story. But Falcon seems shunted off to the side, and what the heck happened to Anna Maria's personality?? Tim and Emmet discuss these three issues. Brought to you by: Full Manga Alchemists Our supporters on Patreon

We conclude our look at 2015's Fant4stic, directed by Josh Trank. Trank's behavior on the set (and on Twitter) have been nothing but bad for his career, and studio meddling was nothing but bad for a film that wasn't a good take on the FF, but might have at least been a better film if Trank had been left alone. As it was, we're left with yet another FF movie that's short on explanations of Dr. Doom's objectives. Videos drawn on for this episode: Does the "Trank Cut" of Fantastic Four (2015) Exist? (Frame by Frame) Fant4stic Four (2015) — One X-cruciating Scene | Anatomy Of A Failure (Filmento) FANTASTIC FOUR (2015) BREAKDOWN! WTF Really Happened With This Movie? (New Rockstars) Inside Josh Trank's Director's Cut of Fantastic Four (Bullets & Blockbusters) Brought to you by: The Quick and the Dad Our supporters on Patreon

Should a director re-interpret a property when nobody wanted it re-interpreted? 2015's Fant4stic, directed by Josh Trank, turns getting superpowers into an exercise in body horror. Much of its inspiration comes from Bendis and Millar's very straightfaced Ultimate Fantastic Four comics, Trank threw in a liberal helping of The Fly and Scanners. Tim, Kumar, and Jordan (in another crossover with the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast) look at the first appearance of the Negative Zone in Fantastic Four #51 by Lee and Kirby, and at Ultimate Fantastic Four v. 1, before beginning a look at the film itself. Brought to you by: Checkered Past podcast Our supporters on Patreon

After the (connected) short stories of Safer Places, Kit Anderson's new book is a full-on graphic novel called Second Shift (again from Avery Hill) which has gotten some breathlessly positive reviews from writers who give the impression they totally understand it. At Deconstructing Comics, our reviews tend to be more nuanced. What did we think of it? I'm joined by Loyala Marymount University professor Juan Mah y Busch to examine this book, and we're not afraid to say we found it difficult to understand! Brought to you by: The Quarter-Bin podcast Our supporters on Patreon

FLASHBACK! Eileen Gray: A House Under the Sun is a slim graphic novel by Charlotte Malterre-Barthes and Zosia Dzierzawska, about the titular famous Irish architect that most people have never heard of. Kumar and Emmet found it beautiful and intriguing; here's their review. (Originally published August 28, 2019.) This episode includes a new intro from Emmet, referring to the recent film about Gray. Brought to you by: Worst Collection Ever podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Ken Krimstein's Einstein in Kafkaland: How Albert Fell Down the Rabbit Hole and Came up with the Universe builds on the fact that these two stars of the early 20th century were part of the same friend group at one point and builds it up into what NPR described as "Alice in Wonderland meets The Lives of the Poets meets Krazy Kat." This week Emmet talks with Ken about the book, the two historical figures featured in it, and the nature of comics itself. Brought to you by: Who's Who podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Joe Sacco has been covering the Israel-Palestine conflict in varying forms since 1991: first in Palestine, then in Footnotes in Gaza, and most recently in War on Gaza. It's too much for Kumar and Dana to contain in their heads all at once, both in terms of information and emotion, especially for poor Kumar, who struggles to form complete sentences through the entire episode. And it was a herculean task for Joe Sacco, too, as he confesses right on the page, but the end result is monumental. Never Again and Again by Joe Sacco and Art Spiegelman, from The New York Review (Feb 27, 2025) Brought to you by: Full Manga Alchemists Our supporters on Patreon

FLASHBACK! The 1990s DC series Starman is one of comicdom's most fondly remembered series. Interestingly, says series author James Robinson, it seems to be more popular now than it was when it was actually in production! James joins Tim and Ryan Haupt this week to look back on various aspects of this iconic series, including the theme of "legacy", a sneaky crossover with another series, a story arc that never happened, the differences in how the Big Two have dealt with their Golden Age characters, and much more. (Originally published January 6, 2014) James Robinson on Science…Sort Of in October 2009 Brought to you by: The Quick and the Dad Our supporters on Patreon

Fables of Fear is an anthology horror title by Karl Brandt and David Parsons. Tim and Adam discuss; there are some good short stories here, but maybe they're a bit ... TOO short? Black Plastic, by Josh Tierney and Nicci Busse is, as its writer says, a "karaoke cyber-thriller" graphic novel. That's his description; Tim and Jason aren't quite sure what to think of it. Are we getting too old for this comics-critique stuff? Brought to you by: Checkered Past podcast Our supporters on Patreon

FLASHBACK! This week a wide-ranging discussion between two Canadians, Koom and Ian, about comics in Canada. The talk centers on Montreal-based publisher Drawn & Quarterly, and two books from their catalog: Michel Rabagliati's 2005 book Paul Moves Out, and the latest from Jillian Tamaki, Boundless. Also, some deep background on the history and people behind Toronto comics shop The Beguiling. (Originally published August 7, 2017) Brought to you by: The Quarter-Bin podcast Our supporters on Patreon

FLASHBACK! Skim is a coming-of-age graphic novel written by Mariko Tamaki, and drawn by her cousin Jillian Tamaki. Jillian works primarily in the field of illustration; how does she find that different from drawing a comic? Is it wrong to say that a comic is "illustrated"? She also discusses her perhaps unorthodox collaboration with Mariko on Skim, and reviews of the book that see meanings in it that were completely unintentional, in this interview. (Originally published December 14, 2009) Also, Tim met Jillian at Kaigai Manga Festa in Tokyo in 2015. That interview, from episode 474, also appears in this episode. (Originally published November 23, 2015) Brought to you by: Full Manga Alchemists Our supporters on Patreon

This week we look at the movie that was based on the "Galactus Trilogy" of Fantastic Four #48-50, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. How does it stand up against the comics, and against the 2005 film? How do we feel about Galactus being a cloud of smoke? Does Doom finally have a real plan in this one? Once again, Tim is joined by Kumar and Jordan of the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast to dig into this film, as we count down to the upcoming MCU debut of the FF. Brought to you by: Worst Collection Ever podcast Our supporters on Patreon

One of the most famous Fantastic Four stories is the "Galactus Trilogy" from Fantastic Four 48-50 in 1966. This story has been adopted more than once, including in the 1990s FF cartoon, and in 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Leading into our discussion of that movie next week, this week Tim, Kumar, and Jordan, in another crossover with the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast, look at the original comics story. While it's been quite lauded, and very influential, why can it also be considered flawed? Brought to you by: Who's Who podcast Our supporters on Patreon

When Steve and Sam foil an attempt by police from south of the border to arrest their friendly waiter, the cops decide to arrest Steve instead! Hey, beats heading home empty handed! What looks like it's going to be a story about Cap (and maybe Falcon?) locked up in a Central American prison takes several odd turns: Cap is never locked up, Sam never even arrives there, and then a fish monster shows up! These three issues conclude with the coming of a then-new Cap villain who we all know and loathe. Tim and Emmet try to avoid saying "Ay caramba!" Brought to you by: Checkered Past podcast Our supporters on Patreon

In Clyde Fans by Seth, two brothers run a fan company for fifty years. One might expect it to be prosaic, but instead it's an immersive and epic exploration of the sense and meaning of life, every life, even when it's not apparent on the surface. Kumar and Dana ask the big questions. Brought to you by: Full Manga Alchemists Our supporters on Patreon

Briana Loewinsohn, who got a lot of praise two years back for her graphic memoir Ephemera, is back with a new book, Raised by Ghosts. It's a slightly fictionalized look at Briana's teen years, acting as both a time capsule of late-20th-century teenager culture, and the struggles of being comfortable with oneself that 's almost synonymous with the word "teenager." This week an interview with Briana about her new book, and then Tim and Jason review it. Brought to you by: The Quick and the Dad Our supporters on Patreon

What's that Kirby Crackle octopus chasing Cap and Falcon? And didn't it used to be an oddly muscular, bald (naturally) corpse? It's Agron, who gives our heroes some headaches in Captain America and the Falcon issues 204 and 205. Not the best Jack Kirby Cap adventure ever, but it produces at least one wildly T-shirt-worthy panel! Tim and Emmet discuss. Brought to you by: The Quarter-Bin podcast Our supporters on Patreon

The Night People are looking for a superhero. But who are the Night People? Where do they come from? And what does one have to sacrifice to become their superhero? Tim and Emmet discuss Captain America and the Falcon issues 201-203! Brought to you by: Worst Collection Ever podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Michael Cohen has created comics such as Strange Attractors and Tangled River, and is credited with helping to create the first known comic book price guide. He's also co-host of the Unpacking Peanuts podcast, and his talk with Tim includes discussion of Charles Schultz's strip, including about the reason why Michael has no interest in Peanuts animation! Brought to you by: Who's Who podcast Our supporters on Patreon

While the 2005 film Fantastic Four gives us, debatably, a well-casted group of heroes, with plenty of comics-accurate details, the script does no favors to Dr. Doom. What are his goals, other than "taking everything back" from Reed? Why is he a CEO instead of a despot? Who the heck gives a frightening metal mask as a thank-you gift?? This time, Tim, Kumar, and Jordan (in a crossover with the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast) conclude their look at this film, and cap it off with a review of its endless development process. Brought to you by: Checkered Past podcast Our supporters on Patreon

The Star Tide Shores is an action space adventure comic that isn't afraid to get a little deeper emotionally than, say, Star Wars. Tim and Adam enjoyed reading the first volume, by Henry Goeldner and Illuminated, and are here to give you the scoop.

After the fiasco of the 1994 unreleased Fantastic Four movie, development proceeded on a big-budget FF film, which finally hit theaters in 2005 -- a better film than the '94 attempt in some ways, but frustratingly as bad or worse in others. This week, in another crossover with the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast, Tim is joined by Kumar and Jordan to begin a two-part look at this film (as well as a few 1980s FF comics). Brought to you by: Full Manga Alchemists Our supporters on Patreon

Captain America was the obvious choice of a character to help Marvel celebrate the USA's bicentennial in 1976. The job of doing that went to Jack Kirby, co-creator of the character. Naturally, that meant a story full of hard-hitting moments, and one that gets a bit treacly at the end, but also doesn't back away from difficult moments in US history. This week, Tim and Emmet discuss the treasury-size special Captain America's Bicentennial Battles. Brought to you by: The Quick and the Dad Our supporters on Patreon

Oni are mythical monsters similar to the ogres of Western tradition. Like many of the legendary Japanese creatures, their characteristics are often adopted for manga characters, including series such as Lum, The Promised Neverland, and Demon Slayer. Our own Patrick has compiled a lot of data on them, and he's here this time to fill us in. He also discusses the main points of monster theory. Watch Patrick's videos on oni and other Japanese creatures Brought to you by: The Quarter-Bin podcast Our supporters on Patreon

The second omnibus volume of Mitsuru Adachi's Cross Game focuses largely on a scrimmage between the varsity team and the "portables", which doesn't go how anyone expects it to. Things are shifting subtly under the surface; we're pretty sure what the series is leading up to (it's a baseball manga, after all), but it's fun to watch it develop. And of course, it never lets us forget vol. 1's tragedy, even as Adachi hits us with goofy jokes. Tim and Kumar brush up on their baseball terms as they go through this volume. Brought to you by: To the Batpoles! podcast Our supporters on Patreon

When Hugh D'Andrade was ten years old, his next door neighbor was mysteriously murdered, and he saw the body. In his forthcoming graphic memoir The Murder Next Door, he explores the trauma this caused him as the experience stuck with him over decades, and he explores the question: If someone else has had a worse experience than mine, does that mean my trauma is less important than theirs? In this episode, Tim interviews Hugh, and then Jason joins Tim to review the book. Brought to you by: Worst Collection Ever podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Brad Guigar, creator of Evil Inc., has been putting his comics on the Web for over 20 years, and this week he's here to talk about how he made that his day job, the challenges of promoting your work in a changing media environment, how making an erotic comic (his Patreon-only spinoff Evil Inc. After Dark) forced him to up his game, and his new project to help NSFW comics creators support each other and find new readers! Waaay back in 2008, we reviewed How to Make Webcomics, co-authored by Brad Brought to you by: Who's Who podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Tim is now completely caught up with the MCU! Mulele joins him to discuss the most recently released (as of this episode's recording) Marvel Cinematic Universe film, last summer's Spider-Man: Far From Home! (Originally published on Patreon March 28, 2020) Brought to you by: The Law of Equivalent Exchange: A Fullmetal Alchemist manga podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Now that we've become familiar with Jack Kirby's original Eternals comics, repeatedly referring to the 2021 MCU film along the way, it's time to sit through all two hours and 37 minutes of it again and evaluate it anew. Unfortunately, as a movie, it still has just as many problems, but at least now Tim and Emmet can get a better idea of what those problems were. And also take note of the bright spots. Brought to you by: Checkered Past podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Samuel Edme's comic The Shapes is... a bit hard to pin down. It looks like notebook scribblings, it has its faults, but it seems to have found an audience, which is all a comics creator can ask for. Bad? No. Not for us? Probably. Tim and Adam attempt to describe it anyway.

We've reached the end of Jack Kirby's Eternals series. Sure, it was a weird series, but introducing a Hulk robot apparently did little for the sales numbers. How did Kirby wrap things up? For a series that featured so many characters (though not as many as the freakin' movie, which we'll get to soon!), he took the odd step of giving us an Ikaris solo adventure, with a Celestial-in-the-machine ending. Not really what we wanted from a series that we initially found enjoyable. Tim and Emmet discuss the series wrapup. Brought to you by: The Quarter-Bin podcast Our supporters on Patreon

The 1994 film The Fantastic Four seems to have been made with the expectation, at least from producer Roger Corman on down, that it would be released. While some interested parties have claimed that it was only made to help Constantin Film's Bernd Eichinger keep his option to make an FF film from expiring, others say that someone stepped in to kill it after the film was made. In part two of our FF '94 crossover with Comic Book Movie Oblivion, Tim, Kumar, and Jordan finish walking through the film itself, and then explore the possible reasons why it never hit your local multiplex. Watch the film on YouTube Watch Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's Fantastic Four on YouTube Read the 2005 Los Angeles magazine article "Fantastic Faux" Brought to you by: The Law of Equivalent Exchange: A Fullmetal Alchemist manga podcast Our supporters on Patreon

By the early '90s, Superman and Batman were blockbuster movie franchises, but Marvel had yet to find a way to get a big-budget film made based on their characters, let alone succeed at the box office. Bernd Eichinger of Constantin Film owned the film rights to the Fantastic Four, but those rights were soon to expire. So he teamed up with B-movie producer Roger Corman to bang out an FF film -- which, for somewhat unclear reasons, never came out. This week, in a crossover with the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast, Tim is joined by Kumar and Jordan; some early FF comics are evaluated, and then we begin a two-part discussion of the film, what's good and bad about it, and the (apparent) reasons it never hit screens. Watch the film on YouTube Watch Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's Fantastic Four on YouTube Brought to you by: To the Batpoles! podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Jack Kirby's The Eternals was not a conventional superhero book. It didn't even seem to take place in the Marvel Universe. By issue 14, it appears that Marvel editorial must have been pressuring him to make it more Marvel Universe-y, which would account for the appearance of the Hulk in issues 14-16... except it's not really the Hulk, leaving plausible deniability to the fact that this is really happening in the MU. But, along with New York City, the Pseudo-Hulk also smashed the direction of the series. Tim and Emmet sift through the damage. Brought to you by: Worst Collection Ever podcast Our supporters on Patreon

This week we catch up with the work of two DCP favorites, Chad Bilyeu and David Dye! Chad's series The Re-up, about his time as a pot dealer 20 years ago, continues and has overcome the skepticism Tim had of the series at the start. David has released three more issues of Amazing Tales and gone in various directions: a Beowulf adaptation, a Burroughs-esque time travel story commenting on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and an EC-type horror comic! We review The Re-up issues 4-6 and Amazing Tales issues 6-8! Brought to you by: BAT 77: The '70s Batman podcast Our supporters on Patreon

If you've ever felt like your city left you before you left your city, Jason McNamara's Ghost Band is for you. Tim and Emmet discuss this post-apocalyptic look at San Francisco. Jason then taps in to explain the inspiration for the book and what happened to artist Vincent Gladnick 2/3 of the way through. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, the Grim Reaper has an apprentice, and he saves a girl's life -- temporarily. Grimm's Assistant, by Mamode Ogbewele and Chigozie Amadi, might be a little too stingy with important story info, but sharp art and interesting ideas make it worth Tim and Jason's time reviewing it. Brought to you by: Who's Who podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Tim gets ever closer to catching up with the MCU! Tim and Mulele discuss Avengers: Endgame's time-travel explanation (and problems), Captain Marvel's relative irrelevance to the film, how this movie set the stage for the upcoming TV shows, and much more. (Originally published on Patreon March 14, 2020) Brought to you by: Bat Bits podcast on Patreon, featuring our research on Batman '66 Our supporters on Patreon

FLASHBACK! Sports have rarely been subject matter for comics in the US; perhaps comics' inherent static-ness has seemed antithetical to an activity with so much movement. But Japan has seen comics about various sports, and some of them have been quite popular, even iconic. Takehiko Inoue's Real is not only about basketball, but about physical handicaps, relationships, and more. Kumar and Ilango find a whole lot to like about it — including the satisfying ways in which it translates sports action to the comics page. (Originally published February 16, 2015.) Brought to you by: The Law of Equivalent Exchange: A Fullmetal Alchemist manga podcast Our supporters on Patreon