It’s been a long time since we read any Alex Ross but today we decided to take a look at his newest book, Fantastic Four: Full Circle, a story exploring some of the FF’s past with the Negative Zone.
Alex Ross abandons his painterly for something a little different, and he also wrote this book too!
Then we continue our long read of Batman: Knightfall with Chapter 8 in Detective Comics 662, a story that focuses on The Riddler while Batman hangs out with a monkey.
Next Time: Secret Invasion #1-8
It’s our 200th episode!
And we’re celebrating by reading an unfinished comic that can’t be purchased anywhere, Alan Moore’s 1963 — A 6-issue Image comic from 1993 that is one big homage to the silver age of comics, with art from frequent Moore collaborators Rick Veitch, Steve Bissette, and Dave Gibbons.
We meet a bunch of brand new heroes who miiiiight tie back into the present day somehow.
Then we move onto Chapter 7 of Knightfall with Batman #495 where Poison Ivy tries to kiss a bunch of rich people!
Next Time: Fantastic Four: Full Circle by Alex Ross
It’s time for the 2nd half of our Young Avengers two-parter! We dive into issues #7-12 and learn more about Teddy’s birthright while also speed-running the secret of Billy’s speedster twin brother (because they gotta wrap this series up ASAP).
Then we continue Batman: Knightfall with Chapter 6 in Detective Comics #661, where we learn to NEVER mess with the firefighter’s union.
Next Time: Our 200th Episode Celebration with Alan Moore’s 1963.
We’re jumping back to mid-2000s Marvel with a 2-part look at Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung’s Young Avengers, a brand new teen superhero team starring Kate Bishop, Cassie Lang, and some other friends from the MCU!
We also get to spend plenty of time with Jessica Jones, Captain America, and Iron Man as they try to figure out just who the Young Avengers are and why Kang is involved.
Then the Joker hires a Scarecrow-knockoff in Chapter 5 of Knightfall in Batman #494.
Next Time: We finish Young Avengers with issues 7-12!
Can Wolverine run a school? That’s the premise of Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo’s “Wolverine and the X-Men” from 2011.
There’s more to it than that: A new Hellfire Club is attacking. The Department of Education is inspecting. One of the students should probably be in jail.
We read the first 4 issues to see how Wolverine survives. Then we continue Knightfall with Chapter 4 in Detective Comics #660.
Next Time: Young Avengers (2005) #1-6
As one of Japan’s most popular characters, of course Mario would have his own manga. It’s been running for 30 years but somehow it just got its first English translation in 2020 with a greatest hits compilation called Super Mario Manga Mania.
And you can’t get a digital copy anywhere. This is the comic that finally broke the show. Nevertheless we persevere.
And of course we also read the next chapter of the Knightfall saga in Batman #493 in which Zsasz threatens to slice up a bunch of people, and Batman is just plain tired.
Next Time: Wolverine and the X-Men #1-4 by Jason Aaron & Chris Bachalo
Ho ho ho ho, it’s time for another holiday special!
This year we take a look at the DCU Infinite Holiday Special from 2006 featuring stories about Green Lantern, Supergirl, Batwoman, Shadowpact, Flash, Superman, and… Shazam? Let’s just say the card is subject to change.
Then we continue the Knightfall storyline in Detective Comics #659 where the Ventriloquist tries a bunch of new hand puppets!
Next Time: Super Mario Manga Mania
Instead of reading comics, we thought we’d put a focus on watching cartoons for this episode so that we could look back at some of Kevin Conroy’s best work as the voice of Batman in some of his favorite episodes.
First, we cover an episode titled “Perchance to Dream” from Batman the Animated Series where Bruce Wayne dreams of a life with his parents still alive. Then “This Little Piggy” from Justice League Unlimited, where wonder Woman gets turned into a pig and Batman has to save her.
Then we jump into Knightfall proper with the first episode of the Broken Bat Saga in Batman #492 where lots of villains have just been freed from Arkham!
Next Time: DCU Infinite Holiday Special (2006)
It’s been a while but we finally revisit the Age of Apocalypse with the next miniseries on our list, X-Calibre, which is basically the Nightcrawler and Mystique show.
It’s got pirates and senseless murder and piles and piles of dead bodies. Cool.
Then we start our longread of Batman: Knightfall with a special Vengeance of Bane one-shot that tells us about how Bane was sentenced to prison as a baby. Wait, that can’t be right…
Next Time: We break format to remember Kevin Conroy with a pair of animated TV episodes
Plus we start Batman: Knightfall properly with Batman #492
With Namor appearing in the movies soon for the first time in Black Panther, we go waaaaay back in the past to 1939 to read the first appearance of the Sub-Mariner in Marvel Comics #1, published back when they were called Timely Comics.
Then we read the Namor stories from Marvel Mystery Comics #7-10 to see him attack New York and fight the Human Torch and basically be the biggest a-hole of all time. It’s very entertaining!
Then we finish our tour through the life of Earth-2’s Batman with Brave and the Bold #197, in which Batman recalls the way he and Catwoman fell in love.
Next Time:
All My Friends Are Right Here 