Giant Size

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Marvel Knights, we welcome Joe Quesada to tell the origin story of the imprint and contextualize it within Marvel history. One lucky break he got early in his career came full circle with the launch of Marvel Knights. That single opportunity he was given has continued to inform his creative career (and life) ever since. Without Marvel Knights, we would not have the version of Black Panther that just hit screens, and were it not for writer Christopher Priest (aka Jim Owsley), we would not have had Marvel Knights in the first place, either. "The chance that there's an open assignment? Not good, but I'll see." Interviews with Joe Quesada were recorded live onstage at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto in the fall of 2016.

John interviews Dean Haspiel pre-Election 2016 about what it is that he's afraid of and the infinite emptiness of the internet, while Moisés talks with Alex de Campi about the glorious darkness of certain fairy tales and the importance of being on a Science Ninja Team.

As a coda to our creator spotlight on Dan Slott, we look at the just-released Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy #1. There's a spoiler warning at the point where we start spoiling, so don't worry. In the outro, we tease some upcoming guests and episodes.

Dan Slott injects danger and fear for our hero's life wherever he can, and that's why we love his work on Spider-Man. Those choices extends to how he has brought unexpected, sometimes-hated (and then loved), but always interesting changes to the status quo of various characters. We also hear from the man himself about not only his sensational and spectacular run onAmazing Spider-Man, but also his work on She-Hulk, The Thing, Silver Surfer, Ren & Stimpy, andArkham Asylum: Living Hell.

Special Cameo Appearance by Stan "The Man" Lee! We waited until the second issue of Captain America: Steve Rogers came out to talk about the whole "Hail HYDRA" thing. How many people read comics versus read headlines about them? What is and isn't "a gimmick"? Are we on-board?

This is either a "Triple-Sized" One-Shot or a Regular-Sized regular episode (or both!) coveringDC Universe Rebirth #1. There was confusion we were aware of before starting, and all-new, all-different confusion we discover while recording. We stay spoiler-free until the 37-minute mark.

Neither of us liked Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. We hadn't spoken to each other about it until we recorded this all-spoiler-filled discussion. Weeks later, neither of us can really tell you what the movie was about or trying to say other than "these characters all suck and need fixing." Well...now they sure as hell do.

Southern Cross co-creator Andy Belánger has done Big Two, licensed, and is now a loud-and-proud "creator-owned or GTFO" advocate who is all-in with Image Comics. We discuss his work, fandom, and wrestling. This live episode was recorded at Dallas Fan Days in February 2016.

Storyteller artist Paul Ryan was more than just a "pencil guy". A consummate draftsman who came to comics work in his mid-30's, Ryan embodied a work ethic seldom seen then or now. The news of his sudden passing this past weekend took everyone by surprise this morning. The majority of this episode is comprised of a "Modern Marvel Masters" panel we hosted at Dallas Fan Days in October 2015. The panel includes Ryan, his friend and colleague Howard Mackie, and Val Mayerik. Rather than edit the panel down to only Paul Ryan's anecdotes, it's presented here uncut, uninterrupted, and followed by a few minutes of further appreciation by your hosts. We'd originally planned to run portions of this as two separate episodes, but considering the circumstances of the day, we hope you agree that this is the best tribute we could offer. Photo credit: Dallas Comic Con Fan Days 2015 From left: Moisés, Howard Mackie, Paul Ryan, Val Mayerik, the side of John's head

Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #125 is one of the best values you can find for a comic from the 1960’s. Spurred by a Nostradamus prophecy discovered under the sea (you read that correctly), Jimmy Olsen collects the tears of four people, including Superman in the hopes of obtaining superpowers.

Kelly Sue DeConnick has a massive, loyal, and deeply passionate following for a very good reason: she makes comics that mean something to people. In this Creator Spotlight episode, we discuss her body of work, and the distinct humanity of her voice as a writer.

Captain America gets a lot of Avengers Middle Management Work done! The Red Skull has (consensual) sex with a lady in a hot tub (how does she kiss him?)! Thor (Eric Masterson) is put on probation! Red Skull’s ancestral family house…drips dough!

What is the aftermath of two of the biggest of Big Two Mega-Event Crossovers in comics history? Are our buying habits…FOREVER CHANGED??? (Yes.) How or can we justify $5 cover prices? Find out in a truly 80-ish-“page” (minute) Giant episode of the show! Now that Convergence and Secret Wars (2015+2016) are over, this episode serves as the truefinale to Crossover Crisis Infinity, our 2015 multi-part series on All Big Two Crossovers Ever…which, like Secret Wars, ends the following calendar year and ends up longer in terms of installments than was ever advertised.

Secret Wars (2015) is complete as of this, the second week of 2016. Since we did a mega-event-scale series on crossovers last year that was kicked off by the announcement of Secret Wars, we dig into our spoiler-filled thoughts on the final issue, as well as the event as a whole.

A primer on Star Wars comics from 1977 forward, covering everything in general from early movie adaptations to the lengthy Dark Horse work in the Expanded Universe to the "New Marvel Era" and speculation on what is (and we hope) to come.

In our first-ever, short-length, One-Shot episode, John relates the personal and historical significance of Marvel's Star Wars: Special Edition #1. Coming on Giant Size #41, a full episode covering all of Star Wars in comics.

“Breaking in” stories from Steve Epting, Jim Cheung, and Val Mayerik. Neal Adams tells us why people call him an idiot and end up calling him a genius. We also look at how this convention in particular marked an artistic turning point for your hosts. Believe it or not, we aren’t running as late as Secret Wars. Fan Expo Dallas 2015 Special, Part 2 of 2

In the first installment of our 2-part Fan Expo Dallas Special, we and our special guests talk about the importance and impact of Archie, working with material well-known in another medium, and the vital importance of major publishers staying the course when investing in new voices and audiences. Part 1 of 2

In our Comicpalooza 2015 Special, we discuss childhood influences and the importance of licensed properties in comics with a wide array of guests: World Champion wrestler (and comic creator) Booker T, Katie Cook, Peter David, J.M. DeMatteis (albeit briefly), and returning guest Walt Simonson. Our featured guest this week is the great Louise Simonson. Louise Simonson will be the focus of an upcoming Creator Spotlight episode. We'll get to Walt eventually...we suppose.

We look at the vital role of the more-precise-than-ever art of comics coloring, shining a spotlight in particular on the work of Elizabeth Breitweiser and featuring special guests Neal Adams, Steve Epting, and Walt Simonson. NOTE: audio gain as well as clarity are less than ideal in some places (totaling under a minute). We've done our best in post to make this episode as listenable as possible at a consistent volume level.

In framing a conversation with writer Greg Pak about the new direction for Superman in Action Comics (as well as his new creator-owned project The Princess Who Saved Herself), we find ourselves also indulging in preaching the gospel of Adam Warlock. In our conversation with Greg, we look at the importance of "bold, different takes", going back not only to his work on Hulk (Planet- and World War- specifically) and Adam Warlock, but also the major influence of Bill Mantlo's legendary work on Hulk and Micronauts.

In the first installment of a new recurring series, we recommend great, currently running reads that we've never discussed on the show.

ComiXology co-founders David Steinberger and John D. Roberts join us for an annual check-in, discussing library expansion, the changes post-Amazon acquisition, and the possibility of new UI/UX features in the future.

In our first-annual STAPLE Special, we dive into some of our mutual comfort foods: autobiographical and otherwise-great indie comics. Intercut throughout are interviews with an all-star, all-woman super-team lineup of comics creators.

In the Epilogue to our comprehensive, decades-spanning, senses-altering Crossover Event(s), we each name the five events from each publisher we would "save" if forced to choose. Stay tuned for a shocking conclusion in the conclusion that will change the way you judge us...FOREVER.

The Crossover Crisis War(s) experience is consummated with a dive from AvX and its Consequences (without ruining it for you) through the recently-concluded AXIS. Part 8 of 8

Do our hosts come to blows over heroes coming to blows in Civil War?! Who will leave this battle "WWH Champion"? Have one or both of us been Skrulls the whole time? Find out as we take race across the Rainbow Bridge and out of dark-gritty-dark-darkness, toward The Heroic Age! Crossovers Crossover Epic Event: Part 7 of 8

In the aftermath of the 90's and Marvel's bankruptcy, a classic is sequelized, Earth becomes a penal colony for the rest of the galaxy, and writer Bendis kicks off the modern era of line-wide, endlessly connecting crossovers. Crossovers Crossover Epic Event: Part 5 of 8

The trilogy of Infinity Something crossovers (Gauntlet, War, and Crusade) and the rest of the Events of the 1990's employ "crossover tactics" seen in Marvel crossovers through the present. Say "hello" and at once (in many ways) "good riddance" to the 90's! Crossovers Crossover Epic Part 5 of ????

In an episode where we cover both parts of Secret Wars, you'll be amazed at which Marvel crossover we declare the most influential and important to Marvel history in the years leading up to Infinity Gauntlet. Crossovers Crossover Epic Part 4 of ????

In the first of more parts than we planned, we lay the foundation and start into Marvel Comics crossovers, looking at what a crossover really is (and isn't, and is/isn't perceived to be), including how Marvel invented them (no, seriously).

Recorded after our two-part discussion of DC crossover events, this would usually go in the Test Pattern "extras" feed, but this is a major crossover event, so we're including this tie-in you didn't ask for with everything else in your subscription box. Play along with the Marvel Trivia game to tide you over until this weekend (no fair Googling!).

The second part of our intra-show crossover event covering DC and Marvel crossover events (all of them), takes us from Zero Hour (1994) to the New52-generating Flashpoint (2011). Part 2 of ???

The first part of our intra-show crossover event covering DC and Marvel crossover events (all of them), starting with DC's "Big Bang" that set their standard, Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985). We leave you hanging off the cliff just before Zero Hour (1994). Part 2 posts tomorrow. Part 1 of ???

We dispel some misconceptions about this week's major Secret Wars announcement from Marvel and tease our podcast-redefining, multi-episode, intra-show-crossover event, where we will do an overview of major crossover events at DC and Marvel since they began back in the 1970's. Audio Quality Notice: This short bonus episode was recorded over tethered LTE with Skype calling John's cellphone, with him literally "phoning it in", but in peak form.

We memorialize some great comics cancelled in 2014 with a truly Giant-Size episode that is full of complete runs you can start and finish (for the most part) right now.

Usagi Yojimbo celebrated a 30th Anniversary in 2014. In our first single-creator spotlight episode, we celebrate Miyamoto Usagi and his creator, Stan Sakai.

In our version of an Annual issue, we deconstruct end-of-year lists by just talking about comic-related topics, happenings, and trends that we're thankful for in 2014.

John and Moisés hosted two "sketch duels" at Dallas Fan Days this fall. One of them lent itself nicely to a light "creator sampler" episode. The other was an unmitigated, glorious, and hilarious disaster. Left-to-Right: Crain, Raney, Banks Audio levels and quality are a little dicey in a few places due to multiple not-as-reliable-as-we'd-like source files. This episode has gone through more post-production than any episode of any ESN show yet.

Marvel announced their movie slate through 2019, and it's full of characters that you may not know very well. John and Moisés blow through a ton of rapid-fire reading recommendations to the extent we can predict (or not) what parts of comic lore the movies will use.

"Batman (Without Batman)" comics, especially Gotham Central and Arkham Asylum: Living Hell, the brand-new Gotham Academy and Arkham Manor, as well as great collected series from the last two decades and a light primer on the work of Ed Brubaker.

Among other things, Kevin Maguire talks with John and Moisés about his "signature shot", how Godzilla began and ended his movie career (for now!), the frustrating logic that drives internet insta-controversies in comics, and what he's driven to do next in his career.

We discuss the "origin stories" of how John came to love Swamp Thing, Howard the Duck, and The Thing. From movies on cable and Saturday morning cartoons to reprints and recommendations from friends, we get to better know John's tastes and his "human experience" as "this fan, this podcaster."

The Power of-, Trials of-, and Magic of Shazam are all on the table this week, as we look at one of John's favorite characters. Old-school fans may know Billy Batson's alter-ego better as The Superhero Formerly Known As Captain Marvel.

How to get into Batman, with both older and newer modern-era takes on the Caped Crusader. It's probably best to start with Year One instead of The Dark Knight Returns. This is "Volume 1" in a series of Bat-shows to come.

This is the "Big Damn" Frank Miller episode. We look at his entire body of work while at once barely touching on Sin City or 300. In particular, more attention should be paid to his collaborations with David Mazzuchelli, Geof Darrow, Chris Claremont, Dave Gibbons, Klaus Janson, and Bill Sienkiewicz. Meanwhile, John culls his collection by hundreds of comics, and we discuss the hard choices we make going digital.

Val Mayerik (co-creator of Howard the Duck) discusses his career, work with friends like Steve Gerber and Bill Mantlo, untold tales of "The Duck", and his interest in getting back into comics. Cameo appearance by Larry Hama!

In this year's San Diego Comic-Con special, we further meditate on the balance of forces in fandom. The mainstream has fully invaded comics via TV and movies. Could it be that's how women (both characters and creatives) have gained traction in recent years? Featuring an interview with legendary designer and author Chip Kidd and the majority of the audio from this year's "Superheroines" panel, with Faith Erin Hicks, Marjorie M Liu, Jules Rivera, Joanna Estep, Dr. Andrea Letamendi, Marguerite Bennett, and moderator Dariane Nabor.

Our Spider-Man Spectacular continues, with Moisés, John, and Todd taking a much deeper focus on more from the modern era of Spider-stories, the work of Dan Slott in particular. We also hear more from the historic "Stan n' Dan" Q&A. Part 2 of 2

Our Amazing Spider-Man Spectacular begins here, True Believers! We've got good jumping-on points, what we like about ol' webhead, and weird one-off stories (like that time Peter Parker made his own detergent). Todd Nauck, Stan Lee, Dan Slott, and Howard Mackie guest in Part 1 of 2!