Billy and Dave go in-depth on Batman: Earth One Volume Two by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. They also discuss the latest breaking Arrow and Flash TV news (lots of new characters are coming!) and give you their picks for what new comic books to pick up this Wednesday!
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Nick returns! Dave is on his honeymoon, so Nick is back to help fill in. Billy and Nick blow way past $20 each in this week’s 20, talk about what they’re both reading right now, as well as the new iZombie TV series, their mutual love of Mike Allred, and Nick’s recent reread of the Starman omnibuses. Who’s ready for some comic talk?
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2014 was a great year for comic books. The hosts of the Tuesday Night Comic podcast were asked to list their top 5 favorite comics of 2014. Whittling the lists down to just 5 comics each was tough, but here they are!
As soon as I started reading Box Brown’s biography of Andre the Giant, I could not put it down. Besides being incredibly well researched, it’s also a very good read. Box Brown really shows off his skills as a cartoonist on a subject that comes across as very dear to him. This might be the best biographical comic book I’ve ever read.
4. Copra
At the tail end of 2014, fans of Michel Fiffe’s Copra worried that his deal with Marvel might mean Copra would be put on hiatus. Thankfully, Fiffe’s love letter to the Suicide Squad continued in 2014 with 6 new issues. The series shifted for Round 3, with each issue focusing on a specific character. As of this writing, Michel has exactly 8 subscriptions available for the next 6 issues of Copra available at his Etsy shop. Trust me, you will not regret treating yourself to this.
Dan Slott is writing the best Doctor Who comic on the stands, and it is Silver Surfer.
2. Ms. Marvel
Month in, and month out, this comic book is so good! I can’t rave about it enough, and I know I’m not the only one. It was great seeing fans coplaying as Kamala Khan at NYCC this past year, and any panel attended by Ms. Marvel writer G. Willow Wilson was a packed one.
There’s a reason Dave and I go into lengthy conversations on the Tuesday Night Comics podcast about every new issue of The Multiversity. It’s because it’s that damn good!
This has really been a fun read.
…by Dan Slott, Mike Allred, and Laura Allred: Look, I’m as surprised about this as you are; I don’t care about the Silver Surfer, I’ve never cared about the Silver Surfer – not even in the issues of Fantastic Four where he was first introduced. But this book is fantastic! It’s charming and fun, which shouldn’t surprise me, since it’s Mike Allred, but still. Much like Mark Waid’s Daredevil run, Slott and the Allreds have taken a character I had zero affinity for and put together one of my favorite books. Who’s going to do that next year?!?
3. Saga
…by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples: this was on my list in 2012, but like I said before: “good comics are good comics!” This year saw both the conclusion of the 3rd arc of the book and the whole of the 4th, which jumps ahead in time a few years. After pulling us in with the Romeo & Juliet-style love-affair between Marco and Alana in the first 18 issues, Vaughan and Staples then proceed to yank the rug right out from under us over the next 6. I’m not going to spoil things for you, but I will say this: we never did have to see Romeo & Juliet actually have to learn to live with one another.
…by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky: Another repeat, this time from last year’s list, the second volume of Sex Criminals hits the same note as Saga: in a relationship, what happens when the honeymoon ends? This arc is definitely darker than the first, although Zdarsky tosses in enough background jokes to keep everything fun. The end of the second volume hasn’t come out yet, but I have faith that Fraction and Zdarsky will not let us down. Also – if you’re trade-waiting this series, don’t! The letters page is the best!
1. Seconds
…by Bryan Lee O’Malley and Nathan Fairbairn: Scott Pilgrim is one of my all-time favorite comics, so I was anxiously awaiting O’Malley’s follow-up ever since it was announced a couple of years ago. When the book finally arrived in July, I spent a morning reading the entire thing…then read it again that afternoon. Even though it probably gets the most attention for its video game references, Scott Pilgrim was essentially about figuring yourself out in your early/mid 20’s. Seconds follows the same path, only this time it’s about realizing you’re in your 30’s, and looking back on the decisions you’ve made and how they’ve brought you to where you are. The book replaces Pilgrim’s video game metaphors with a more supernatural flavor, which fits the subject matter perfectly. On the art side, O’Malley has grown as a comic artist by leaps and bounds – the book is stunning. I already knew going in that the colors would be great (Fairbairn has been doing an amazing job with the Scott Pilgrim color editions) but I was blown away when I read the final product – throw in lettering by my second favorite letterer, Dustin Harbin, and Seconds was not just the best comic I read this year, it might be the best book I read this year, period.
5. Annihilator
Grant Morrison’s Legendary comics debut with Annihilator this year really blew me away. With fantastic art from Frazer Irving and the story being written by one of industry’s best writers, this book had everything going for it and it did not disappoint. Ray Spass is a writer who has to team up with his own fictional character to save his sanity and the world in the process, Annihilator was a real welcome new book from this past year.
Take one part Sliders, one part Lost in Space, and add some of the best action in comics and you have Rick Remender’s Black Science. Parallel worlds and dangerous alien races with a cast of characters who are as expendable as the cast of Game of thrones. The action is intense and this book grabbed me from issue one and never let go.
3. East of West
Jonathan Hickman is writing one of the most gripping post apocalyptic westerns ever and I just can’t stop reading it. I love this book and got the first 2 trades as gifts and have added it to my monthly pick ups. East of West is a harsh and uncompromising vision of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse and the Horsemen Death’s quest for revenge and redemption.
2. Saga
Saga is still good and still worth reading every single issue. Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples spent 2014 continuing the exploits of Alana and Marko and just keep offering the best story and dialogue in the business, hands down.
1. Rat Queens
Kurtis J. Wiebe was at a signing this year and I missed him by 10 minutes. If i had met him I would have said “Thank you so much for writing one of the most important comic books in my social adult life.” Rat Queens was the book I gave to my girlfriend and she gave to her friends, and I gave to my friends, who in turn gave to their friends. Rat Queens is not a book made just for girls or women but it is a book about girls and women that is so important and necessary in our day and age. It takes archetype Dungeons and Dragons style characters and breaks down all of the tropes, stereotypes, and replaces them with characters who are incredibly deep and also kick ass and can be incredibly funny. Rat Queens is a book that is loud and crude and at the same time violent and depressing. It’s about mythical creatures who have real world problems and relationship woes.
Okay, these are our lists. Now it’s your turn. What are your top 5 comics of 2014?
Billy and Dave are back from not being at San Diego Comic Con! The guys preview new comic books coming out Wednesday, 7/30/14. Billy talks about all the MonkeyBrain books he’s been reading lately (Are you reading Edison Rex. You need to read Edison Rex). Dave talks about series he’s fell off of and series that have fell off him. And are you excited for DC’s Multiversity? Because we are, thanks in no small part to this map of the DC multiverse by Grant Morrison.
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In the newest episode of the Tuesday Night Comics podcast, Billy and Dave discuss the coolest looking new comic books being released on Wednesday, April 16, 2014, and review their favorite comics of the previous week. They also discuss the huge news of Comixology being bought by Amazon and what this means for the future of digital comics.
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Are you heading to the comic book store this Wednesday? Check out the newest episode of the Tuesday Night Comics podcast. In this episode, Billy and Dave preview the must read comic books coming out on Wednesday, March 12 and highlight some great comics from last week that you might have missed.
The guys also weigh in on how they feel about DC’s 3D covers, now that the 2nd printings of the 3D cover Villains Month books are hitting the stands this week.
And Dave reads Charles Soule and Javier Pulido’s She-Hulk! Does he love it as much as Billy does? Listen to the show and find out!
Plus, at promised in the episode, here is Billy’s favorite panel from Misunderstanding Comics!
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Welcome to the 9th episode of the Tuesday Night Comics podcast. In this episode, Billy and Dave preview new comics coming out the week of Wednesday, March 5, 2014 and review comics from the previous week. Reviewed comics include Hawkeye #15, The Walking Dead #122, Fantastic Four #1 and Batman/Superman #8, among others. The guys also discuss DC’s recent announcement for their 3D covered, 5 years in the future happening comics in September, and their thoughts on variant covers in general.
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2013 has come to an end, and it was a great year for comics! Here are our picks at Tuesday Night Movies for the best comics of 2013!
Billy says:
1. Copra: I hopped on the Copra train late. I picked up the first Copra Compendium when issue #7 was on the stands. I devoured the first three issues and quickly ordered the rest of the series, rereading that first compendium over and over again until the issues arrived. It is a gorgeous comic, with sublime art and a great story. If you’re a fan of the Suicide Squad, forget the series that DC has on the stands right now and read Michel Fiffe’s Copra instead!
2. Hawkeye: If it wasn’t for Copra, my #1 comic of 2012 would have repeated in 2013. Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye remains the best comic being published at Marvel. Heck, it’s the best comic produced anywhere but inside Michel Fiffe’s apartment. I wouldn’t be surprised to find this comic at the top of my Best Comics of 2014 list.
3. Battling Boy: I had never heard of Battling Boy before Nick told me about it just before NYCC. I’m glad he recommended it to me, because it is awesomesauce. This and Copra are superhero comics for those who want more from what they’re finding on the stands. Pope’s art is insanely kinetic. I’m really looking forward to the next chapter in the Battling Boy saga.
4. Young Avengers: I’m typing up this list the day before Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s excellent Young Avengers series comes to an end. It’s been a glorious 14 issues thus far. This comic has such a unique voice, and I’m very sorry to see it come to an end. McKelvie’s line work is so beautiful and Gillen captures the voice and feel of teenagers perfectly. And I think this series marks the first time I’ve liked Noh-Var since Grant Morrison’s Marvel Boy series.
Best variant cover ever?
5. Sex Criminals: Matt Fraction makes my list twice! I first heard Fraction talking about Sex Criminals on the Word Balloon podcast and immediately put it on my watch list. I hyped it up a bit in my head and my expectations were blown away. The comic has a wry sense of humor that doesn’t turn cornball or overtly perverse, which it easily could have devolved into.
Nick says:
When I started compiling my list of the best comics of 2013, I found that I hadn’t started reading many new comics this year – most of the books I read were launched earlier – but there are a few that stood out above the rest. Here’s my top 5 comics of 2013 list, in no particular order:
1. Batman ’66: If you listened to the Billy & Bryan Show where we discussed the Dark Knight Rises, you may remember that I love Batman more than most things, and when I heard that DC was releasing a weekly digital series based on the classic Adam West Batman TV series, I was ecstatic! The show is one of my very favorite interpretations of the character, and this book echoes it perfectly – it’s fun without being silly, is gorgeous to look at, and is the best use of Comixology’s “guided-view” technology that I’ve seen so far. Even though they later release them in physical form (with beautiful covers by Mike and Laura Allred,) reading the comics digitally is the way to go. I’ve found most post New52 Batman books to be virtually unreadable (outside of Scott Snyder and Grant Morrison’s stuff) but as long as they keep putting these out, DC will at least get some of my money every week.
2. Battling Boy: Years in the making, Paul Pope finally released the first book in his Battling Boy series at this year’s New York Comic Con, to pretty much universally rave reviews (I tried to put one together myself but had trouble coming up with more than “this is a fantastic book, and I like it.”) In addition to being a great adventure story, it’s also perfect for readers of (almost) all ages – the closest analog I can make is that it reminds me of Kirby’s classic 1970’s work. Pope is firing on all cylinders and I cannot wait for the next installment(s) in the series.
3. The Private Eye: Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga was on my list of my favorite stuff from last year, and continues to be among my favorite books each month. That said, I think I might like The Private Eye, Vaughan’s newest book, even more. Featuring gorgeous art by Marcos Martin, the series takes place in a future where all of the information contained in “the cloud” has been released into the world for everyone to access, which results in the internet being completely shut down and people reverting back to paper records for everything. An inspired idea from Vaughan, who eschews social media (he doesn’t have a Twitter account or a website.) In addition to being a great comic, the series has also made waves by its business model – customers get to decide how much they’re willing to pay for each issue, even going so far as to be able to get the book for free. In addition, there are no plans to offer a physical version of the comic; digital is the only way to get it.
4. Lazarus: I found myself reading more of Greg Rucka’s work this last year than I have in the past, mostly due to the release of his and Michael Lark’s Lazarus series. I’ve been a fan of Lark’s work ever since I first read Terminal City in the late 90’s, and this is definitely some of his best work. The premise of the book, where all of the world’s wealth is under the control of a handful of families, leaving everyone else to pretty much work under them, is fantastic while at the same time completely terrifying, as this is something that could eventually occur in real life. Rucka has taken to joking at conventions about how he’s been pigeon-holed as “just a writer of strong female characters” and while the main protagonist of the book, Forever Carlyle, is not going to change anyone’s mind about that, his handling of the book makes those comments completely moot – comics needs more books like this, and Lazarus continues Image’s recent winning streak of putting out some of the industry’s best books by its best creators.
5. Sex Criminals: speaking of fantastic comics that Image released in 2013, Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky’s Sex Criminals is my book of the year. They’ve taken what could have been, in lesser hands, a crass idea (basically, they’re trying to translate a “sex comedy” such as American Pie into comic form) and created a charming and hilarious book. The premise is (pretty) simple: two characters, Jon and Suzie, find that they have the ability to stop time when they, um, “climax” and decide to do what anyone would do in that situation – commit crimes! Like I said, this could have definitely been an embarrassing lowest-common-denominator book full of low-brow jokes, but it’s turned out to be witty, fun to look at, and (surprisingly, at least to me) legitimately sexy. Zdarksy is an inspired choice to be on art duties; the drawings are full of hilarious background details, and Fraction’s story presents a realistic portrayal of how people learn about sex and fit themselves into relationships – seeing where this book is headed is one of the things I’m most looking forward to in 2014.
Written by Billy Henehan and Nick Doyle
Written by Nicholas Doyle.
A few weeks ago, Charlotte, NC played host to the 31st annual HeroesCon, put on by Shelton Drum’s fantastic comic shop, Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find. The convention is among the best in the country, and is beloved by both fans and professionals alike – mostly due to the fact that its focus is completely on comics, which is a welcome change as the bigger conventions are including more TV/Film/Video Game content and pushing the comic stuff off to the side.
I’ve been going to the convention for a few years now, but this time was going to be different; for one, I was going to be there all three days, which I’ve never done. Also, my wife Brooke was going to join me the entire time – while she’s not super interested in comics, she’s been to the convention in the past and had a good time – another great thing about HeroesCon is that it is very family friendly, and doesn’t include some of the creepier aspects that you might find at other conventions. Her being there meant that we would spend a good majority of our time in various panels – which was also new to me; in the past, I’ve usually gone to conventions to have books signed, and not gone to many panels.
,) Paul Friedrich (who makes hockey comics for the Carolina Hurricanes website,) and Jarrett Williams (who creates Super Pro KO
for Oni Press.) The panel mainly focused on the challenges inherent with adapting sports to comics, and why they felt that sports comics were not more popular. While the panel was sparsely attended, I really enjoyed it, and it led to my first impulse buy of the convention – after almost buying Super Pro KO at last year’s HeroesCon (and again at the 2012 New York Comic Con,) I decided to pick it up after hearing Williams discuss it on the panel – I really enjoyed it, and fans of pro wrestling, manga, and Scott Pilgrim
should definitely check it out.
panel, where writer Greg Rucka and artist Matthew Southworth were discussing their Portland-based crime book, which is published by Oni Press. After a few minutes, Brooke texted me to join her, and I’m really glad I did. Rucka described Stumptown as a love letter to The Rockford Files
, and it was great hearing both him and Southworth discuss the effort they put into the book – for example, there’s a car chase that takes place in the second volume of the book that essentially prompts the reader to hold and turn the book like they themselves are driving a car – which, frankly, sounds awesome. Southworth said that the editor of the book actually filmed a “practice run” of the route of the chase, so that he had exact reference. To be honest, the only Rucka work I’ve read is Gotham Central
, but by the end of the panel not only did we both want to pick up Stumptown, I also decided to pick up Lazarus, Rucka’s collaboration with Michael Lark.
strip last year – if you want to be happy and heartbroken at the same time, go to http://www.gocomics.com/culdesac and read through the archives – Thompson is a master, and it’s a shame the disease has taken the his work away from us.) The D&D was not just limited to professionals – the convention had provided paper and coasters that everyone could use – and there are few things that are more fun that sitting in a bar, doodling.
to, well, beards (although I would assume that any panel that includes Aaron would get to this topic sooner or later.)
is one of my favorite comics, and the convention was hosting a 20th anniversary panel with series artist/co-creator Tony Harris and cover artist Andrew Robinson. I was a little hesitant because James Robinson, the writer of the entire series was not going to be present, and Harris left the book before it ended, but I was still interested in seeing what he had to say. It turned out to be the most boring hour of the entire convention. While I did learn some things (for example: Harris and Robinson are contractually obligated to be included in anything that involves Jack Knight, even if it’s just them signing off on something,) the panel (obviously) revolved around Harris, and his stories about his time on the book (or his eventual falling out/making up with Robinson) just were not that interesting. Add into the mix that Harris seemed to have no interest in anything that happened in the book after he left, and it just felt like a waste of time – we would have gotten up and left, but there were not a ton of people in the room and did not want to be obvious. It definitely would have been great to have had Robinson, who steered the book through its entire run, present on the panel.
box set signed by Bill Watterson!) and I wanted to look at all the art that had been created specifically for the auction. When we arrived, there were some empty seats, but by the time we’d looked at the art on display, the room was packed. We only stuck around for a little bit of the auction (enough to see the Calvin and Hobbes collection go for over $1000, which is admittedly a lot, but I wonder what it would have gone for if Watterson had doodled in the book instead of just signing it.)
) and spent a good chunk of time talking about that book and how his family has influenced his writing of FF
and Fantastic Four
. In addition, he also touched on the future of Casanova
(Michael Chabon is coming onboard to write back-up stories!) and his two new creator-owned books, Satellite Sam and Sex Criminals. I’ll admit to being in the tank for most of Fraction’s stuff, but both of these books sound great – Satellite Sam looks what goes on behind the scenes on a 1950’s kid’s show (and with Howard Chaykin on art, it’s bound to be risqué,) while Sex Criminalswas described by Fraction as his attempt at creating a Bridesmaids or Knocked Up
for comics. 
Last month, Marvel and Comixology announced they would be giving away the #1 issue of 700 Marvel titles through their joint digital comics service. This quickly crashed the Comixology servers and the program was suspended. The program is reopening today for readers who signed up on Comixology’s website earlier in the week (check your inbox today for an email from Comixology if you signed up). The different #1 issues available to download span decades; you can download the Avengers first appearance as well as the first issue of a new Avengers series that debuted earlier this year. 700 comics can be a little daunting. Here are what Tuesday Night Movies feels are your best choices:
Hawkeye #1 – You might recognize this from our Best Comics of 2012 post. Hawkeye is the best series that Marvel currently produces. The creative team of Matt Fraction and David Aja are working magic on the page. When I recommend this series to people, their reaction is usually, “Hawkeye? The guy from the Avengers? With the arrows?” Yes, yes and yes. This series is so much more than that though. It focuses on what Hawkeye does when he’s not with the Avengers. It’s very street level. His main antagonist is the Russian mob. After you download the first issue for free, you may want to buy the just released Hawkeye, Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon
Avengers Arena #1 – If you like The Hunger Games or Battle Royale, I highly recommend checking out this series. 16 heroes have been captured by murderous villain Arcade and taken to an island where they’re told they have to battle it out to the death. I won’t lie, when this series was first announced I thought it would be cheesy and shallow. I was wrong on both counts. Writer Dennis Hopeless is giving us great stories on what it means to be a hero. The pacing reminds me of the TV show Lost.
Infinity Gauntlet #1 – That purple guy at the end of The Avengers movie? That’s Thanos, an alien obsessed with death. Infinity Gauntlet is the tale of Thanos getting the power to do what he wants. He starts the story by wiping out half the universe with the snap of his fingers. Needless to say, Marvel’s heroes aren’t happy about this (the half of them that are left, that is).
Amazing Fantasy #15 – Spider-Man is my favorite superhero. After four movies and countless cartoons, I’m sure you know the story by now. Nerdy high school student Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider, imbuing him with spider-like superpowers. Yes, this isn’t technically a #1. But this is the issue that started it all, and Marvel is including it in this promotion. See Spider-Man’s origin as it was originally told by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
Superior Spider-Man #1 – What you need to know: Doctor Octopus switched brains with Spider-Man. Spider-Man died in Doctor Octopus’s body, leaving Doctor Octopus in charge of Spider-Man’s body. Having access to Peter Parker’s memories have inspired Doc Ock to use his powers for good and become a superior Spider-Man to Peter Parker. It’s an exciting series full of thrills and intrigue. Will Ock woo Mary Jane? Will Peter find a way back to the land of the living? Will Peter’s friends realize it’s not him in his body? Only time will tell.
Fantastic Four #1 – Another classic. Stan Lee. Jack Kirby. This is the one that really started it all. This is the birth of the Marvel Universe right here.
Daredevil Volume 3 #1 – The best Marvel comic on the stands right now not named Hawkeye. For years, Daredevil has been portrayed as a hard boiled action hero. Writer Mark Waid flips the script with the new Daredevil comic, giving readers the first lighthearted Daredevil in decades. Artist Paolo Rivera gives us the coolest visuals from Daredevil’s POV that we’ve ever seen.
Wolverine #1 – Without a doubt, the most popular character to wear a X on his belt in the Marvel Universe, it was years before Wolverine starred in his own solo comic, a 4-issue mini-series. This is the start of that mini-series. Besides having one of the coolest covers of all time, this comic takes Wolverine away from the X-Men to Japan where he fights ninjas. Ninjas!
All-New X-Men #1 – In the next X-Men movie, the story is going to focus on Days of Future’s Past, a story where X-Men from the future come to the present to stop the annihilation of the mutants from coming about. In All-New X-Men, the original five teenage X-Men from the past come to the present and aren’t exactly happy with what they see.
If you’re a Deadpool fan, you’ll find a bunch of comics to choose from. The two that I recommend most are Deadpool #1 and Uncanny X-Force #1. The latest volume of Deadpool is written by comedian Brian Posehn and his TV writing partner Gerry Duggan. Uncanny X-Force #1 is the first issue of the recently completed 35 issue epic by writer Rick Remender. It gives you Deadpool, Psylocke, Wolverine and Archangel at their absolute coolest. It’s a must read.
That’s 11 of 700. There are a lot of other really good stories among the 689 that remain. Try some out. What’s it going to cost you?