This week, I’m alone without any special guests. Even so, I take the opportunity to discuss some great Superman comics you should read and DC’s upcoming Villains Month. Give it a listen below and let me know what you think!
Articles referenced in the podcast:
Knightfall is one of Batman’s most famous storylines. DC sought to change its comics in the early 90s, and many characters saw utter overhauls or elimination including Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Emerald Twilight) and Superman (The Death of Superman). Knightfall focuses on a villain called Bane as he pursued his lifelong goal: defeat Batman and take complete control of Gotham City. Though The Dark Knight Rises took cues from this arc there were still numerous great plot threads within the comics.
The Demon Knights are still struggling through Hell after the events of last issue. Etrigan’s former comrades turn on the renegade demon, seeking vengeance for bringing them to Hell for tortures tailored to each companion. Through it all, Lucifer has schemes of his own that could spell doom for the world. As always, I held high hopes for this issue when I grabbed it from the shop this week; did this penultimate chapter in Paul Cornell’s amazing run uphold the high standard and set the stage for an exciting conclusion next month?
For the month of October, the DC Comics website has undergone a transformation for what they’ve christened Villains Month. All this month, DC has posted villain related articles, sales, and even a sweepstakes. This week, they created a poll to craft the ultimate supervillain team. Just for fun, I decided to answer and figured I’d post who I chose and why.
Wow, hard to believe it’s been over a year since DC’s relaunch known as The New 52. Since then, we’ve seen the cancellation of a few series and the introduction of some others which have varied in quality. Today, I’m going to discuss the series I liked and others I disliked or avoided. I’m also going to talk about what I think worked and what didn’t, and where I’ll be looking ahead as DC continues into its second year of The New 52.
As a big fan of fantasy, it’s only natural that I’d pick up Sword of Sorcery, DC’s newest anthology title from the New 52′s Third Wave. The main story features Amethyst, a classic DC character with an extensive fan following, while the backup tale focuses on a post-apocalyptic DCU that’s become akin to the world of the Old English story of Beowulf. How did this title hold up to the scrutiny of a big sword and sorcery genre fan?
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Green Arrow. He is, without a doubt, my favorite DC superhero for a number of reasons, one of which is his strong moral code and sense of liberal values which often put him at odds with other heroes. Recent tales of the Emerald Archer, however, caused me to drop his title entirely and it’s been a few months since I’ve read a Green Arrow title. When I heard that DC planned to re-release the acclaimed Dennis “Denny” O’Neil/Neal Adams run of Green Lantern/Green Arrow, I wasted no time grabbing this amazing volume which collected the entire run in one place. How does this 40 year old comic hold up to a modern reader?
Demon Knights has consistently been my favorite New 52 title since I first picked it up last September. Now, a full year of issues have passed and the pieces of this grander story are falling into place. Last month’s title was less enchanting, but did this issue reinvigorate the title to its previously perfect levels?
Introducing Harley Quinn in this episode! I’m thinking of drawing Jill with the Gotham Sirens (in a real picture, not with just chibis) but the amount of work it would entail … well, it kills all my motivation.
Speaking of Gotham Sirens, I feel obligated to squeeze Poison Ivy in here somewhere, but how?
Well, enough of my ramblings. Without further ado, here’s what you came for: Episode 23
