Wait, What? Ep. 121: Gilded View

Erroneously called 'Barbarian Romance' by Jeff throughout the hours that follow. Image, I believe, by Corey Lewis for Brandon Graham; Apologies if that link is a jerk.

Oh my god, it almost doesn't matter what hour of the day or night it is, my next door neighbors WILL NOT FUCKING SHUT UP.

After the jump: show notes just the way Thomas Hobbes would like 'em: nasty, brutish and short.  (Actually, just short.)

Sorry, I'm angry and terrified about the bombing at the Boston Marathon.  My best wishes and condolences to everyone involved.  It feels weird just rolling this forward but the show must go on, right?

0:00-2:32:  We go right from greetings to tech problems to Age of Ultron in under two minutes! 2:32-28:14: Comixology, Apple, and SAGAgate!  Our least favorite controversy ever? Maybe!  Our favorite issue of SAGA yet? Almost certainly! 28:14-42:24: Comics! Graeme has read the Avengers Assemble AU issue written by Al Ewing and has things he quite enjoys.  Jeff talks about Age of Ultron #5, but in more of a light overview kind of way and not in his standard "Haters gotta hate and god am I a hater" kind of way.  Graeme has recently reread Bendis's Siege event and compares it with  the AoU pacing… 42:24-48:59: Jennifer Blood #25, writing credited to Al Ewing but it's not.  (What the hell is up with that, Dynamite?) 48:59-1:01:22: Batman & (Red) Robin #19 by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason: the term Haney-rific is used. 1:01:22-1:07:16:  Batman #19 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo: the term "Cronenbergian body horror" is used (but lightly, which may not count).  The four page preview of Lazarus by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark also gets some love from us. 1:07:16-1:07:37: Intermission One! 1:07:37-1:30:56: Jeff talks about how great the Whatnauts are. (Big props to Voodoo Ben!) Also, for those of you unsure about our status as hunters & gatherers.I'd like to say we smoothly segue from there to Archer & Armstrong #9 but it's not smooth even slightly.  Graeme has some information about reaction from Quantum & Woody's co-creator, Mark Bright. Also discussed: Tony Bedard, Joe Casey's Sex, and Dive Bar by friend of the podcast Dave Clarke which you can read online. 1:30:56-1:46:34: Finally, Jeff gets around to talking bit more about what he digs about the Hulk, a point that was supposed to have been made several podcasts ago -- so thanks for waiting!). We cover the concept of a character's iconic era; the return of the Marvel 700 giveaway; Ditko; Bendis; Abhay; and more. 1:46:34-2:01:38:  Also on Jeff's mind these days:  Barbarian Revenge (as Brandon Graham might put it).  More specifically:  The Chronicles of Conan and Thundarr The Barbarian. So of course, we talk about Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Kamandi, uggs, Steve Gerber, Jack Kirby.  Is it any wonder Jeff is almost slobberingly rhapsodic at the end of it? 2:01:38-end:  Closing Comments! More Age of Ultron talking because -- well, honestly, I'm not entirely sure why. And Zeb Wells! And Richard Nixon! Also, this is the penultimate episode before a skip week so take note.

And, on the off-hand chance you read all that and want to listen to the podcast [Note to self:  put episode link above show notes?], well, it's probably on iTunes, fingers crossed, and you can also listen to it below:

Wait, What? Ep. 121: Gilded View

As always, we hope you enjoy and thank you for listening.

Wait, What? Ep. 97: How soon is NOW

Just listen.  Trust me.

Episode 97! We are getting very, very close to the triple digits!  And, as you can see with the show notes after the jump, we are still capable of bringing the high weirdness.

(After the jump: Hi, Weirdness!)

So, right.  Show notes.  You are still digging these, I hope?  Because they do add a bit of extra duty to my editing chores...

1:04-2:45: All apologies:  Jeff is late, Graeme is behind.

2:45-13:30: But we are once again quick to start talking comics--more particularly, The Essential Incredible Hulk volumes and the art of Herb Trimpe.  We also talk Hulk and the crucial Harvey character that Jeff can't seem to remember.

13:30-38:39: And since we are talking old comics, Jeff brings up the curious case of Aquaman #56 (1971).  He was able to explode Graeme's mind with this story; hopefully, he can explode yours as well.  (There's also a harbinger of our tech problems to come in the middle of this.)  Also included: words of praise for the mighty Jim Aparo and frustrations about accessing reprints.

38:39-43:30:  On to other comics!  Jeff talks highly of Double Barrel #3 (Master of Feng-Shui!), Amelia Cole #2 (story by Adam Knave!), and Archie #635 (art by Gisele!).

43:30-48:08: Also discussed:  The 64 page 2000 AD sampler (partially read, partially too-completely discussed) and our hopes for their offerings as they leap into the digital marketplace.

48:08-55:34: Unsurprisingly, this leads to talk of Dredd as Graeme has recently read a span of Judge Dredd and tells us about it.  How is Judge Dredd like the silver-age Superman?

55:34-58:33:  And somehow I work in Spider-Man, X-Men, and the near-impossibility of reading every appearance of a superhero character. I assure you it organically flows into our discussion of...

58:33-1:04:34: Miss Thing and the Marvel NOW! announcements.  Graeme makes his picks; Jeff suggests that the Fantastic Four are done with.

1:04:34-1:10:49: And why should that be, exactly?  The answer might lie in a very different area than is typically discussed.  Belated props are given, btw, to Jonathan Hickman and we also mention the Waid and Wieringo run.

1:10:49-1:25:59: Speaking of which, Graeme has been re-reading Waid and Kitson's Legion of Super-Heroes book. Also Waid-related: his recent Four Panels That Never Work  about which we (incorrectly, apparently) assume the worst.  But on the plus side, Jeff hypes vol. 13 of Bakuman which is god-damned delightful and highly recommended.

1:25:59-1:37:58: And then, even though Jeff tries to talk about the new Archer and Armstrong reboot from Valiant, we talk about the second Walking Dead lawsuit between Tony Moore and Robert Kirkman about which...hoo boy.

1:37:58-1:41:13: No, we weren't done talking about the lawsuit, but Skype or Jeff's microphone just up and gave up on us.  It takes a minute or two for us to get back into our groove.

1:41:13-1:49:10: Like, Joss Whedon and his exclusive deal with Marvel? Hell yes, we'll talk about that!

1:49:10-1:52:39: Oh, and Archer and Armstrong?  Jeff does get around to talking about it.  Graeme has some good things to say about other books in the Valiant reboot: the new Harbinger and the new Bloodshot.

1:52:39-1:55:08: Also, Becky Cloonan on Batman #12 is a little bit of all right.

1:55:08-1:58:42: Also, Jeff picked up G0dland, Book Thirty-Six from the other week and found it (and we quote) "Kirby as fuck."  Tom Scioli does tremendous work,Joe Casey ups his game, and Skype (or Jeff's microphone) shits the bed.  (Due to the number of awesome double-page spreads in G0dland, Jeff recommends you do not pick this up in digital.)

1:58:42-end:  Graeme has a closing question!  Also, next week is our skip week...so we will be back two weeks from now.

And, well, there you have it, eh?  I'm a little exhausted at the moment so lemme just point you to  the direct link in case you don't have access to our feed on iTunes:

Wait, What? Ep. 97: How Soon is NOW

And, as always, we hope you enjoy!

End of the Road -- Hibbs' 8/8/12

Today is day 13 of 13 days working in a row. Oh, how I doth long for thee, seven pee em! Let's clear the plate for this week, so I can meet the next with joy and not weariness!

ARCHER & ARMSTRONG (NEW) #1: While I enjoyed this new take (and I say this as, largely, a liberal), I honestly hope that future issues are a little more balanced, politically speaking. I mean, yes, the idea of  a cult wearing bull and bear masks calling themselves "The 1%" is kind of amusing, as is the idea of a cult of assassins HQed in a Christian Theme Park where animatronic dinos and cavemen frolic together -- but it did make things feel less like a story, and more like a polemic. But, I did find this first issue entertaining enough to come back for next issue which is better than I can say for so many comics... GOOD.

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #6: I read this on Tuesday night, then looked at it again blankly on Wednesday morning, because I had forgotten that I had. Even after that, I can barely recall it. Guardians of the Galaxy, travelling in space, banter banter banter, Thanos shows up at the last page, the end. This book has been completely lifeless all the way along, feeling, I guess, as a way to "capitalize on the film" rather than to be a passion project for anyone involved. Joyless comics are never good comics. AWFUL.

BATMAN #12: I really liked the Becky Cloonan portions of the book (though some of Snyder's script was wooden on the page -- that whole scene with the gang, "Hey. let's see who swells up first!", ugh), but that sudden change on the last 7 pages to Andy Clarke... well, damn, those two styles just aren't compatible at all.I loved that Rich Johnston tried to spin that switch as being on purpose ("A switch to the superhero POV" or some silliness, belied by last three pages though), but, yeah, I thought this was a sweet issue, with a much needed different tone than The Owl Show the book has been for a while. But I just want to state for the record that the last thing this comic needs is another "Harold"-style supporting player who gets ignored a whole lot. Or, god, another Robin. But, that's the future, in the now I thought this issue was (on the balance) VERY GOOD.

GAMBIT #1:  There's a kind of mental sigh that comes when you're talking about a comic like Gambit -- basically, no matter who does the book, or how much wit and verve they could theoretically bring to bear to the creation of it, at the end of the day it is, still, about Gambit. It will, if they're lucky, last a single year (which thanks to MarvelMath(TM), could now be up to #18), but it's more likely to be selling at cancellation levels before issue #6. James Asmus and Clay Mann do the best they can reformatting Remy to a more Bond-like-but-with-superpowers Adventure Caper (or, maybe, Mission: Impossible, without a supporting cast [Movie M:I, I guess, rather than TV]), and it really really is a noble stab. But, end-of-the-day? It's, still, about Gambit. Which really makes it EH.

GODZILLA HALF CENTURY WAR #1 (OF 5): Boi-oi-oi-oi-oing! Wow, Swellsville, as James Stokoe, and his detail-oriented style takes on a soldier who has been fighting the big G for 50 years, starting from the original film. This is a pretty impressive Godzilla, and I was especially taken by the first double-page spread where Stokoe renders the sound of G's famous bellow halfway as a design element and halfway as an onomatopoeia and halfway as a, dunno, a sigil, maybe. It was the most thrilling translation of something that's screen-only that I think I've ever seen. Give the man an Eisner nominee for lettering just for this one, Judges! Terrific stuff, and I never ever ever thought I'd be saying this about a Godzilla comic book: VERY GOOD.

IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS #1: Struggling what to say about this one, but I think this might be it: Trying Too Hard To Be Cute. EH.

Only six books? Lazy bitch! But that's where I am this week.

As always, what did YOU think?

-B