It's the 11 O'Closcars for 2012!

Ron Richards, Image Comics' new Director of Business Development, joins us to talk about Robert Kirkman, Image United, Repo Man, Walking Dead, Brian K. Vaughn and SAGA, Multiple Warheads, Orc Stain, Revival, Young Avengers #1 and Phonogram, Spawn and Todd McFarlane, comic-related music, MorrisonCon, KISS from IDW, Dynamite's The Boys from Garth Ennis and company, Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan's Conan: Queen of the Black Coast from Dark Horse, Alan Moore's Superman and the post-Dark Knight comics industry, John Byrne, Draw #24 from TwoMorrows, The Art of Amanda Conner from IDW, Byrne's Star Trek: Leonard McCoy - Frontier Doctor, Jonathan Hickman's Manhattan Projects from Image, and a whole mess more!

VinceB and David Faust talk up William S. Burroughs and Malcom McNeill's The Lost Art of Ah Pook Is Here from Fantagraphics Books.

The Judge Dredd movie, Skyfall, Three Stooges, Paul Tobin and Coleen Coover's Bandette from Monkeybrain, Alphas, more on Bryan Talbot's Grandville, a follow-up on Fantagraphics' Angelman, Krishna: A Journey Within by Abhishek Singh and Image Comics, the great Gil Kane's Amazing Spider-Man Artist's Edition from IDW, John Byrne, Howard Chaykin, Garth Ennis and Goron Parlov's Fury Max V1, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie, Love and Rockets: New Stories V5 by Los Bros Hernandez and Fantagraphics, Brian Wood and Carlos d'Anda's Star Wars #1 from Dark Horse, Matt Kindt's Mind MGMT, Ryan Estrada and The Whole Story Kickstarter, Gerry Conway, a little on IDW's Popeye, and a whole mess more!

Dave Chapelle, My Little Pony, Tom Kelly, Tony Fleecs, Comics Buyer's Guide, Punk Rock Jesus by Sean Murphy from Vertigo, the history from EOC, Angelman by Nicholas Mahler from Fantagraphics, more on Dirt Candy and Ryan Dunlaevy, Jack Kirby, parting with our collections, Mike Norton, highly-detailed Silver Age artists, Steve Rude, Brandon Graham and James Stokoe, Darwyn Cooke, Wally Wood's Woodwork from IDW, Bryan Talbot's Grandville, Back Issue #62 from TwoMorrows, Greg Rucka and Rick Burchett's Lady Saber and the Pirates of the Ineffable Aether, and much more!

Soap and Hot L Baltimore, Kickstarter, the Bad Karma team, Jason Latour, the Dirt Candy Cookbook and Ryan Dunlavey, Tom Yeates and Al Gordon's The Once and Future Tarzan, Mark Crilley and Akiko, Blackest Night: Teen Titans, Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan, Judd Winick, Jeph Loeb, Mark Waid and Chris Samnee's Daredevil, our 2012 comics disappointments, Avengers Vs. X-Men, the (not so) New 52, Cartoon Network's Green Lantern and Young Justice, Windsor McKay, Jack Kirby, Masamune Shirow and digital art, Steranko, Will Eisner, Butcher Baker by Joe Casey and Mike Huddleston, Nancy in Hell on Earth by El Torres and Enrique Lopez Lorenzana from Image Comics, Jacques Tardi, Peter David, Mark Waid's Thrillbent and Insufferable, Hickman's Avengers, Planet of the Apes from BOOM!, Brandon Graham's Multiple Warheads, and a whole mess more!

11 O'Clock Comics Episode 245

Benedict Cumberbatch and Star Trek: Into Darkness, listener gifts, Will Pfeifer and Dial H for HERO, custom bound editions, DC/Marvel crossovers (Superman Vs. Spider-Man, X-Men/Teen Titans, JLA/Avengers and George Perez, and many more), Ross Andru > Walt Simonson?, Hideshi Hino's Lullabies from Hell and The Comics Journal Special Edition 2005: Seduction, Revival volume one by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton from Image, the Walking Dead comic (maybe spoilers), Action Comics, Fantastic Four, New Titans, Clone Saga, Peter David's Hulk, Iron Man, X-Men Legacy, Avengers, Greg Rucka's Punisher, Spider-Man + Daredevil + Punisher = GOLD, the Grateful Dead, Arthur Magazine #33 and Rick Veitch, Avengers Vs. X-Men: Consequences, Butcher Baker and Mike Huddleston, Mad Men, Skyfall, The Wire, the Thin Man series, and a whole mess more!

11 O'Clock Comics Episode 243

Marvel movies, Mike Zeck, Ryan Browne, Mam Tor and Liam Sharp, Andres Salazar and Pariah, Missouri, entry-level comics, favorite cover artists, Valiant, current artists bound for classic status, Kurt Busiek and George Perez's Avengers, Action Comics #1-8, Marvel Now, FF #1 by Fraction and Allred, style-changing artists, Uncanny Avengers, Walking Dead volume 17 (no spoilers), Scalped, Karen Berger, the Top 100 Most Powerful People in Comics according to Bleeding Cool magazine, back issue prices, a teaser for IDW's Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye, Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre by Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner, Jae Lee, and a whole mess more!

My Little Pony, Tower Chronicles by Matt Wagner and Simon Bisley, Hassan T, Bloodshot #1-5 and Valiant 2012, The Blob, music-based comics (Ed Piskor's Hip Hop Family Tree, Phonogram, I See a Darkness, Love and Rockets, IDW's KISS, and more), Amalgam, Jeff Lemire's Sweet Tooth (Matt Kindt and Mind Mgmt.), Walking Dead, Paul Grist's Mud Man from Image, EOC live tweets, Batman: The Animated Series and other DCU toons, Image Comics and The Road to Independence, Alan Moore and Mitch Jenkins' Act of Faith/Jimmy's End (setup for next week), Timothy O'Briant's BDR, Jack Davis + EC Comics + IDW Artist's Edition = GOLD, IDW vs. Image, Amazing Spider-Man #698 and Dan Slott, Captain America #1 and JR JR, Spain Rodriguez and Josh Medors, inkers, Haunted Horror #1 from Craig Yoe and IDW, Azzarello and Risso's Spaceman from Vertigo, Hawkeye, Jack Black's Brutal Legend and J. Scott Campbell, Avengers Academy, Batman Inc. and Chris Burnham, and a whole mess more!

Walking Dead, Doug TenNapel, Adventure Time from Kaboom!, Stephen Platt, SAGA, Justice League, Fantagrapics, "guilty" pleasures, Jacques Tardi, Floyd Gottfredson, Mars Attacks!, Punisher, the Big2 machine, American Vampire, CBLDF Liberty Annual 2012, Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes, Planet of the Apes, Kevin James, Lil' Gotham, The Campaign, The Shade miniseries, Thanksgiving tweets from our peeps, and a whole mess more!

C2E2, Walking Dead, Will Pfeifer, Quentin Tarantino, original art faves, Spawn, Amazing Spider-Man, Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa in the Valley of the Wind, Sandman, Hellboy, Starman, Invisibles, Brendan McCarthy, Parker, the effects of social media on the comics industry, The Homemand Directive and Mike Huddleston, Miracleman and the greatness of Rick Veitch, Salvador Larocca, time machines, Jim Cheung, Bill Mantlo, Neal Adams, Dave Cockrum, Herb Trimpe, Larry Stroman, Mike Allred's Madman and The Tick #101, Randy Gentile, Thor: God of Thunder #1 and Jason Aaron, Adventure Time, Michael Golden, and a whole mess more!

Smut Peddler, Tony Moore and Deadpool, current artists transplanted to Bronze Age Warren books, Uncanny X-Force, Pendelton Ward's Bravest Warriors from Kaboom!, Iron Age from Marvel, Lee Weeks, Juan Doe, Walking Dead, Ande Parks' Lone Ranger from Dynamite!, Paul Pope, Will Pfeifer and comic book crushes, Wendy Whitebread, Zachary Holmes Case One: The Monster by Carlos Trillo and Juan Bobillo from Dark Horse/Venture, falling behind, Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicca, Disney and Star Wars, Captain Marvel/Shazam!, Plastic Man, Hellblazer, Mike Huddleston, music and comics, Chuck Rozanski, Sam Raimi and Evil Dead, Godzilla: Half-Century War by James Stokoe, American Vampire, Angry Birds Star Wars, Fraction's Mighty Thor and Pascual Ferry, and much more!

Dark Shadows, American Horror Story: Asylum, Walking Dead, Conan, J. K. Woodward, Tony Harris, Lee Bermejo, Alex Maleev, David Mack, Alex Ross, Ty Templeton, Joe Kubert, inking, Ron Garney, ROM, Micronauts, Alpha Flight, Namor, Ghosts one-shot from Vertigo (Al Ewing, Rufus Dayglo, Toby Litt, Mark Buckingham, Victor Santos, Cecil Castellucci, Amy Reeder, Joe Kubert, Neil Kleid, John McCrea, Mary Choi, Phil Jimenez, Paul Pope, David Lapham, Gilbert Hernandez, Geoff Johns, Jeff Lemire, and more), Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe from Harper, Batman: The Cult by Jim Starlin, Bernie Wrightson, and Bill Wray, Marvel's Strange Tales: Werewolf by Night by Jeff Parker and Leonardo Manco and Strange Tales: Man-Thing by J. M. DeMatteis and Liam Sharpe, Space Punisher by Frank Tieri and Mark Texeira, All-Star Batman and Robin, Death of Jean DeWolff, Spidey villains, Mars Attacks the IDW universe, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and much more!

The Iron Man 3 trailer, creators that have surprised us, Tradd Moore, Darick Robertson, Fiona Staples, Mike Huddleston, C2E2, our dream Artist's Editions from the '90s, Barry Windsor-Smith, Chris Bachalo, Todd McFarlane, Joe Mad, Sleeper, Tim Seeley and Mike Norton's Revival, JLA/Avengers, Steve Gerber and Howard the Duck, Chris Ware's Building Stories, favorite Disney movies, Archer and Armstrong by Fred Van Lente and Clayton Henry from Valiant, Neal Adams and Warren's Thrill Kill, Walking Dead, Locke and Key, The Blob, Jaws, Halloween, Twilight Zone, Creepshow, Daredevil: End of Days by Brian Bendis, Klaus Janson, and Bill Sienkiewicz, Cerebus and Dave Sim, Fathom, Soulfire, and Michael Turner, Jason Pearson's Body Bags, Jeff Nicholson, OG villains (Kingpin, Bullseye, Lex Luthor, DOOM, Joker, Ozymandias, Kid Miracleman, and more), the S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series, Homeland, the best and worst costume redesigns, Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #18 from Bongo, Two Morrows' Modern Masters, Steve Rude, and a whole mess more!

Joe Kubert, Mahmud Asrar, David's 2012 NYCC report (Tony Fleecs, Regular Show, Julian Lytle, Cullen Bunn, Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko, Ryan Stegman, Mike Norton, Jamal Igle, Dennis Hopeless, Ryan Browne, Walking Dead, and more), Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang's Wonder Woman, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. and the direct market, Superior Spider-Man, Marvel Now! (FF, Fantastic Four, Bendis' X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, Cable and X-Force, Deadpool, Morbius, Nova, Savage Wolverine, Thor: God of Thunder, Thunderbolts, Young Avengers, and more), variant covers, comic horror hosts, prose books, Walking Dead S3E1, J. H. Williams III and color, True Patriot, Indiegogo, and Kickstarter, our favorite cartoons, Charles Burns' The Hive, Ande Parks' Lone Ranger and Zorro, The Only Living Boy #1 by by David Gallaher and Steve Ellis, the Avengers and the Thing in the Serpent Crown/Affair, Chris talks to B. Clay Moore about lots of stuff, and even more!

Jay Tomio instigates our first live-Tweeted episode! Before Watchmen Rorschach #1 by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo (with Umberto Lenzi, Cannibal Ferox, Babylon Blue, and more), Justice League of America #183-185, 192, 193, 200, and more (Dick Dillin, Jim Starlin, George Perez, New Gods, Darkseid, Gerry Conway, Red Tornado, Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott, Giant-Size Fantastic Four #4 and Madrox, Joe Kubert, Pat Broderick, Carmine Infantino, the Ultra-Humanite, and more), Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, starting Judge Dredd, Skottie Young, Ryan Stegman, Tim Seeley, Chris Burnham, Wally Wood, John Byrne, Steve Gerber and Howard the Duck and Man-Thing, Dr. Manhattan #1 by J. Michael Straczynski and Adam Hughes, Jeff Smith's RASL, Comedian #3 by Brian Azzarello and J. G. Jones, Silk Spectre #3 by Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner, Rick Veitch, Josh Simmons and Happy #1-4 from Top Shelf, Chris Ware's Building Stories (briefly), James Kochalka and American Elf, Matt Feazell, Prison Pit, Dash Shaw, IDW's Popeye, Nite Owl #3 by J. Michael Straczynski, Andy Kubert, Joe Kubert, and Bill Sienkiewicz, Hulk #181, Green Lantern #40, Giant Size X-Men #1, Encyclopedia Deadpoolica, L'Association's massive Comix 2000, Green Lantern/Green Arrow #85, Glory by Joe Keatinge and Ross Campbell, Double Barrel #5, Stumptown, Doctor Who, Adrian Tomine's New York Drawings, and a whole mess more!

After Chris fills us in on the greatness that was MorrisonCon, we traipse through Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples' awesome SAGA, Howard Chaykin's Black Kiss 2, The Shade by James Robinson, Darwyn Cooke, Cully Hamner, and Javier Pulido, IDW's Popeye and Classic Popeye, Chris Ware's Building Stories, Brian Wood's The Massive from Dark Horse, Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Love and Rockets, and a whole mess more!

Ales Kot and Riley Rossmo's Wild Children from Image, Walt Simonson's The Judas Coin, Public Education Volume 2 from Jonathan O'Briant, John Byrne's Legends, Incredible Hulk #13, Spider-Men, Dan Slott and Amazing Spider-Man rumors, Matt Fraction and David Aja's Hawkeye, the Alan Davis Annuals: Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and Wolverine, Abrams Comicarts and Topps' Mars Attacks 50th Anniversary Collection hardcover, The Strange Talent of Luther Strode by Justin Jordan, Tradd Moore, and Felipe Sobreiro from Image, Legends of the Dark Knight #16 by Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman, woman colorists, Dorothy and the Wizard in OZ by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young, Parker and Hardman's Secret Avengers, Cable and X-Force, Avengers: Arena by Dennis Hopeless and Kev Walker, Declan Shalvey, SpongeBob #12 and Ernest Borgnine, Tony Millionaire, Brandon Graham and PictureBox, Hayao Miyazaki's Nausica of the Valley of Wind, Ed the Happy Clown from Chester Brown and Drawn & Quarterly, Double Barrel #4 from Top Shelf, Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap by Ice-T, Young Justice, Revolution, Transformers Prime, the Covered blog, and much more!

More on Kickstarter, Marvel's Hulk: Season One by Fred Van Lente and the great Tom Fowler, Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Family Values, That Yellow Bastard (Jim Lee's Deathblow, Lone Wolf and Cub, Lynn Varley, and more), our personal comics Mount Rushmore, Grant Morrison, John Byrne, Mike Mignola, Steve Ditko, Joe Kubert, John Severin, Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, John Severin, Prophet by Brandon Graham and Simon Roy, Farel Dalrymple, and Giannis Milonogiannis from Image, the Todd McFarlane Collector's Club, Jason Aaron's Incredible Hulk, Godzilla: Half Century War by James Stokoe from IDW, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips Sleeper, Dave Sim, and much more!

Nick Spencer, Rob Liefeld, Scott Snyder, Kamandi Omnibus Volume 2, Carmine Infantino, Jason Pearson, RASL and Tesla, Bowie, Crystar the Crystal Warrior in The Origin of Crystar by David Anthony Kraft, Alan Kupperberg, and Marie Severin (Marvel Age #1, Comics Interview, toy prices, Eaglemoss, FOOM, WAM: Wild Agents of Marvel, Famous Monsters and Blue Oyster Cult, Wizard 1/2 and 0 issues, Masters of the Universe and Tim Seeley, J. J. Abrams' Star Trek, and more), BBC's Misfits (Alphas, Summer Glau, Falling Skies, Fringe, Doctor Who, and more), Dan Slott, Marie Severin: Mirthful Mistress of Comics by Dewey Cassell with Aaron Sultanfrom TwoMorrows (Back Issue, Alter Ego), Dan Nadel and the Born Again Artist's Edition, Ryan Browne's Blast Furnace Kickstarter, MorrisonCon, Dark Horse's Grendel Omnibus V1, Amazing Spider-Man #692, Godzilla: Legends from IDW (Dean Haspiel, Hedorah, Gary Panter, Simon Gane, and more), Batwoman: Hydrology, and a whole mess more!

The great Carl Potts and Alien Legion, Ryan Stegman and the I Draw Comics Kickstarter, Rick Remender's Fear Agent (EC Comics, Jerome Opena, Kieron Dwyer and Sea of Red, Salgood Sam and Mark Sable's Dracula: Son of the Dragon, and more), Infinite Horizon by Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto from Image, Dark Horse's Eerie #1 (David Lapham, Bill Dubay, Rafa Garres, the incomparable Richard Corben, Bernie Wrightson, the Heavy Metal movie, Den, and more), Darwyn Cooke, Jeff Lemire's Underwater Welder for Top Shelf (Matt Kindt, Sweet Tooth), Jonathan Hickman's string of Fantastic Four done-in-ones, Crystar: Crystal Warrior, Avenging Spider-Man by Zeb Wells, Joe Mad, and others, New Teen Titans, Planet of the Apes, Silver Surfer: Parable by Stan Lee and Moebius, Walt Simonson and Doctor Who, Richard Starking's Elephantmen #42, Jason Aaron and Scalped, Adventure Time #7 and LSP, Falling Skies, and a whole mess more!

Madman 20th Anniversary HC by Mike Allred and company, Joe Kubert (Tarzan #207-210, Ragman, Hawkman, Sgt. Rock, Jew Gangster, the Heroes World catalogs, Between a Rock and a Hard Place with Brian Azzarello, Neal Adams, Moebius, Chris Claremont, Phil Hester, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Wally Wood, and more), Wizard World Chicago,  Neal Adams and Chris' JLA jam piece, Comic Buyer's Guide #1694 and Jeff Lemire's Underwater Welder from Top Shelf (The Comics Journal, RBCC, TwoMorrows publications, and more), Valiant's X-O: Manowar, Before Watchmen: Ozymandias by Len Wein and Jae Lee, Becky Cloonan's The Mire, The Mighty Thor by Matt Fraction and company, Brian Wood (The Massive, Conan with Becky Cloonan, DMZ, and more), and a whole mess more!

Pendleton Ward and Adventure Time, Bravest Heroes, and Ben 10, Menage a Three, the Walt Simonson Thor Artist's Edition from IDW, Joe Kubert, the long-lost 1987 Penta hotel Creation Convention cassette tape, Marvel's New Universe, Mark Millar and Tommy Lee Edwards' 1985, Mike Allred and Mark Bagley on Matt Fraction's Fantastic Four family of books, Chris Tucker, Transformers: Regeneration One from Simon Furman, Andrew Wildman, and Stephen Baskerville from IDW, Larry Marder's Beanworld 3.5 from Dark Horse, Marvel Now and licensed books, Matt Kindt and Super Spy from Top Shelf, Double Barrel #3, Julian Lytle's ANTS, Walking Dead #19, and a whole mess more!

Ian Edgington and Mike Collins' American Gothic, Howard Chaykin and Ken Bruzenak's Black Kiss 1 and 2 from Vortex and Image Comics, Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli's Daredevil: Born Again Artist's Edition from IDW (incorporating Batman: Year One, The Dark Knight Returns, Todd McFarlane, Phil Hester and Andy Parks, and more),  Ernest Borgnine and Disney's Black Hole by way of Jack Kirby, Dark Knight Rises and Batman: Earth One by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, Captain America's wings, Neal Adams (HOLLA!), Gail Simone, Eric Powell's The Goon #40 from Dark Horse, Justice by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, and Doug Braithwaite, Creepy Presents: Richard Corben, Harper's Radioactive Man: Radioactive Repository Volume One by Bill Morrison, Steve Vance, and a cast of thousands, Captain America from Ed Brubaker and Pat Zircher, Alphas, Wolverine and the X-Men from Jason Aaron, Nick Bradshaw, and Chris Bachalo, Jamal Igle and the Molly Danger Kickstarter, Infinite Horizon, and a whole mess more!

Grant Morrison, Darwyn Cooke's Parker: The Hunter, The Outfit, and The Score, Locke & Key: Clockworks by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez from IDW, In The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak (Windsor McKay/Little Nemo), Jim Cheung, Brain Wood's X-Men, Desert Island's Smoke Signal #13 (Tony Millionaire, Brian Chippendale, SKINNER, and more), The Return of King Doug by Greg Erb, Jason Oremland, and Wook-Jin Clark from ONI Press, Ryan Estrada and The Whole Story (Ryan North, Doug TenNapel, Meredith Gran, Jeffrey Brown, Katie Cook, Box Brown, Nam Dong Yoon, and a whole lot more), Kickstarter (Creature Box, Remind by Jason Brubaker, etc.), Black Dynamite on Adult Swim, and a whole mess more!

11 O'Clock Comics Episode 222

The Amazing Spider-Man and Dark Knight Rises movies, more Before Watchmen, Azzarello and Risso's Batman: Broken City (Batman #620-625), Batman Vs. Spider-Man rogues, James Van Hise's RBCC (Rocket's Blast Comic Collector) #151 and Harlan Ellison (Jim Warren, Neal Adams, Gerry Conway, Will Eisner, Denny O'Neill, Len Wein, and more), Darwyn Cooke's Parker: The Score, Jack Davis, The Hustler, Doug Wildey's Rio from IDW (Alex Toth, Jonny Quest, and more),  Archaia's Cyclops by Matz and Luc Jacamon, Eddie Campbell's The Lovely Horrible Stuff from Top Shelf and Knockabout, a cornucopia of Kickstarter (Bob Burden's Flaming Carrot, Penny Arcade, Top Cow and Cyberforce, and more), The Beast of Chicago: The Murderous Career of H. H. Holmes (A Treasury of Victorian Murder) by Rick Geary and NBM/Comics Lit, Monsterverse's Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave #2 by Kerry Gammill and a host of horrors, Get Jiro! by Anthony Bourdain, Joel Rose, and Langdon Foss from Vertigo, Mahmud Asrar and Supergirl, Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man from Archie, and a whole mess more!

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century 1910/1969/2009 and Black Dossier by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill from Top Shelf, Chew by John Layman and Rob Guillory from Image, Warren Ellis and Gary Erskine's Jack Cross out of DC, IDW's KISS #1 by Chris Ryall and Jamal Igle,  Godzilla, Baltimore: The Curse Bells by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, and Ben Stenbeck from Dark Horse, Batman Incorporated #2 and Chris Burnham, a trio from MonkeyBrain: Bandette #1 from Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover, Edison Rex from Chris Roberson and Dennis Culver, and Amelia Cole and the Unknown World by Adam P. Knave, D. J. Kirkbride, and Nik Brokenshire, James Kochalka's massive American Elf digital collections from Top Shelf, Frankenstein Alive, Alive! by Steve Niles and Bernie Wrightson from IDW, Steve Gerber and Kevin Nowlan's Infernal Man-Thing #1, Tim Seeley and Mike Norton's Revival #1 from Image, and a whole mess more!

John Byrne's Trio #1 and the Born Again Artist's Edition from IDW, Hannes Bok: A Life in Illustration, Taschen books, Archaia's The Killer volume two by Matz and Luc Jacamon, Danger Club by Landry Q. Walker and Eric Jones, Bowen statues, Comixology, Jeff Smith's RASL from Cartoon Books, Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra's The Manhattan Projects from Image, Jim Rugg, Phil Hester's Darkness and Darkness/Pitt, Paul Grist, Angel & Faith by Christos Gage and Rebekah Isaacs from Dark Horse, ten issues of Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon, a tease at The Twelve, Mike Norton's Battle Pug, Winter Soldier, The Anthology Project, and much more!

After a plunge into the dark realm of Jacques Tardi's It Was the War of the Trenches from Fantagraphics, we surface into the light of Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #1 by Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner, Jeffrey Brown's Darth Vader and Son from Chronicle Books and CAKE (the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo), Top Shelf's Double Barrel anthology from Cannons Kevin and Zander (available on Comixology), Joe Kelly's Action Comics #775, Cyril Pedrosa's Three Shadows from :01, Stumptown by Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth from Oni, Rick Remender's Strange Girl from Image, Harbinger and the new Valiant, Haunted Hulk from Hulk #50-52 by Jeff Parker and Carlo Pagulayan, Ian Brill and Dracula World Order, Spider-Men #1, Tales of the Dark Knight #1 and Jeff Lemire, and a whole mess more!

All the pieces are back in place as we ramble through Revival by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton from Image, Mike Schwartz's Oceanverse, Won Ton Soup volume one by James Stokoe from Oni Press, Alejandro Jodorowsky's Weapons of the Metabaron with Travis Charest and Zoran Janjetov from Humanoids (incorporating Frank Herbert and David Lynch's Dune, Moebius, H. R. Giger, Sienkiewicz, Flash (Aaaaaaaaaaah!) Gordon, and more), Ron Garney and Fantastic Four #606, Jeff Parker and Dale Eaglesham's Hulk #53 and Alpha Flight, Jonathan Hickman and Ryan Bodenheim from Image, The Homeland Directive by Robert Vendetti and Mike Huddleston from Top Shelf, David's tale on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Detective Comics #526, trade dress and Dark Horse's Creepy and Eerie Archives, Juxtapoz #137, Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey's Comic Book History of Comics from IDW, Terry Moore's Rachel Rising, Fury MAX by Ennis and Parlov, Dynamite!, and a little about Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1. You'll live.

Mighty Skottie Young in the house! 

Grab your torches and pitchforks! Chris Neseman is back and with him he brings the X-Statix Omnibus (including DC's gay character, Princess Diana, Skottie Young and New Warriors, The Brotherhood, Doop, and more), Jason takes a long look at Avengers Academy and Thunderbolts, Godzilla #1 from Duane Swierczynski, Simon Gane, and IDW, Thundercats, Saga #3 from BKV and Fiona Staples, Steve Perry and Thomas Yeates' TimeSpirits from Marvel/Epic (incorporating Elektra: Assassin, Daredevil, Groo, Elfquest, Dreadstar, Starstruck, Steve Gerber's Void Indigo, Alien Legion, and more), Dark Knight Returns animated and Planet Hulk, Frank Miller's The Spirit and Sucker Punch, Ernie Chan, I [Heart] Fake #2 and Heather Benjamin, Fringe, Tim Seeley and Mike Norton's Revival from Image, John Carter: The Gods of Mars, Princeless from Action Lab and the Glyph Awards, Steve Bryant and Mark Waid on Avengers, Kickstarter, and more!

Zack Kruse creeps into the mix this week as we wander through the Summit City Comic Con (Hilary Barta, Gabriel Hardman, Dave Wachter, Carole Lombard, and more), Low Concept 2: Comix Boogaloo, the Rising Stars Omnibus by JMS and company, The Chilling Archive of Horror Comics, Volume 2: Bob Powell's TERROR from Craig Yoe and IDW (Will Eisner, CrossGen, Steve Ditko, Joe Staton, and more), The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath and Other Stories by H. P. Lovecraft and Jason Bradley Thompson from Mock Man Press, Valiant's X-O Manowar #1 (BKV and Saga, Peter David, Scott Snyder and Swamp Thing...), Haunt by Joe Casey, Nathan Fox, John Lucas, and Image, Young Justice, Avengers, Creepy #8 from Dark Horse, TwoMorrow's Back Issue #56, Finding Gossamer, Harvey Pekar's Cleveland, and a whole mess more!

iFanboy's Ron Richards jumps into the fray and brings Grant Morrison with him! Okay, maybe not the man in the flesh, but tales about the man and what fans can expect from the upcoming MorrisonCon! Plus, we've got some dissing the Legion, Wild Pig, FCBD 2012 (Sonic from Archie, Avengers, James Sime and Isotope, Image Comics, and more), Alan Davis, Lee Weeks, Rising Stars, Thundercats and Ed Benes, Uncanny X-Force and Greg Tocchini, art commissions gone horribly wrong, Avengers the movie, Daredevil and Chris Samnee, War of the Woods by Matthew Petz, Erik Larsen and Cory Hamscher's Supreme, Hell Yeah by Joe Keatinge and Andre Szymanowicz, and a long-ass look at the Grant Morrison/Frank Quitely masterpiece, Flex Mentallo!

All-different! All-weird! Around Comics' Brion "Sal" Salazar picks up the baton dropped by his wayward brother, helping us through The Dark Knight Rises, Green Lantern, Avengers, and other comic book-themed films (with a little Battleship on the side), Chew Volume Five: Major League Chew from John Layman and Rob Guillory, Hiroya Oku's Gantz from Dark Horse (incorporating Eli Roth and Hostel/Cabin Fever, Human Centipede, Rob Zombie and his cinematic oeuvre, Jim Lee and 100 Bullets, Bryan Hitch, Paolo Rivera, J. Scott Campbell, Scott McCloud and Abraham Lincoln, and more!), Sammy the Mouse from Zac Sally and La Mano 21, Mark Waid's The Unknown, Eric Powell's Goon (by way of Alan Moore and Pictopia, Mike Norton, Scotty Young, Rick Remender and Fear Agent, Hellboy, Jeff Lemire, and others), IDW's Popeye #1 from Roger Langridge and Bruce Ozella, The Green River Killer, a tease for Morrison and Quitely's Flex Mentallo, podcast burnout, and a whole mess more!

TV's Mario Muscar climbs into the Neseman chair this week, adding ample amounts of assessment on Pierre-Henry Gomont's Catalyse from Manolosanctis, Bill Keane and Family Circus, Morgan Spurlock's Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope (including Chuck Rozanski and Mile High Comics, Stan Lee, Kevin Smith, and more), Action Lab's Back in the Day by Dave Dwonch and Daniel J. Logan, Joe Kubert's Jew Gangster, more on Will Pfeifer and German Torres' The Advance Team from Tor, Butcher Baker and Bulletproof Coffin, Batman Incorporated by Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham, Cameron Stewart, Yanick Paquette, and Scott Clark/Dave Beatty, Brian Wood and Kristian Donaldson's The Massive out of Dark Horse, Double Feature's Sci-Fi #3 by Tony Donley, Jeff Zornow, Michael Morici, Steve Seeley, and Tom Scioli, even more praise for Brian K Vaughn and Fiona Staples' Saga from Image, John Romita Jr and Avengers Vs. X-Men, Brandon Graham and Prophet, Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt's Sixth Gun #21, Amazing Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth, Tony DeZuniga, and much more!

C2E2 2012: Tony Moore and moonshine! Charlie Adlard! Skottie Young! Tom Scioli and American Barbarian! Ramon Perez! Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman! Joe Kubert and the Kubert School! Chris Burnham! Jamal Igle! Hilary Barta and Christian Alamay! RBCC! Jose Gonzalez and Vampirella! John Carter, Warlord of Mars! Shia Labeouf! Ryan Stegman! Will Pfeifer and The Advance Team! Tom Kelly! George Perez! John Byrne! Jeremy Haun! Robert Atkins! Bill Sienkiewicz! Phil Hester! Jim Cheung! Gordon Purcell! Alfredo Alcala and Voltar! House of Secrets! Dylan Dog! Mike Norton! Cosplayers! Steve Bryant! Tim Seeley! Marrowbones! Darren Neeley and The Prospector! Avengers Academy and Christos Gage! Jimmy Palmiotti! Joe Quesdada! Fabulous forumites! More!

We give you a lot on which to chew before we head out to the wonders of C2E2, including Fantagraphics' The Sincerest Form of Parody (Mort Walker, Don Martin, Will Elder, Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman, EC Comics and Bill Gaines, Frank Robbins, MAD, humor in America, Underground comics, Cracked, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, Howard Nostrand, and more), Womanthology: Heroic from IDW (Fiona Staples, Renae DeLiz, Coleen Doran, Ming Doyle, Camilla D'Erico, and many, many more), Chris Mitten and Antony Johnston's Wasteland from ONI, Atomic Robo, John Carter: Gods of Mars and Ramon Perez (Skottie Young, Tale of Sand), Bob Layton's Hercules: Prince of Power minis,  a Creator Spotlight on Kurt Busiek (Astro City, Marvels, Thunderbolts, Kingdom Come, Ninjak, Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis, and more), Tom Scioli and American Barbarian, Chris Pitzer and Project: Superior from AdHouse, Witchblade and Diego Bernard, Bomb Queen volume seven by Jimmie Robinson, Ghost Rider, Chip Kidd, and a whole mess more!

We dig in deep this week with long looks at Brandon Graham's King City from Image and TokyoPop (including Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim, Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, James Stokoe and Orc Stain, Thomas Herpich, and much more), Adventure Time, Jason Aaron's Wolverine and the X-Men (Chris Bachalo, Nick Bradshaw), Avengers Vs. X-Men #0 (Frank Cho, Bendis, John Romita Jr.), Cartoonapalooza with Avengers: Earth's Mightest Heroes, Green Lantern, Young Justice, Ultimate Spider-Man, and more, more on Dames in the Atomic Age, Art Adams' Monkeyman and O'Brien, Uncanny X-Force, Eerie Presents: Hunter - The Classic Warren Publishing Hero's Complete Adventures and Paul Ryan, Waid's Daredevil, Chris Samnee and Rocketeer, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century 2009 from Top Shelf, Action Lab's Princeless, Brian Wood's DMZ, and a whole mess more!

Short on runtime, long on ideas as we pow-wow on Douglas Adams and Doctor Who, Art of Fiction's Dames in the Atomic Age by Christopher Ryder, Marc Sandroni, Mike Vosburg, Paul Little, Tony Fleecs, and company, Smoke and Mirrors by Mike Costa, Ryan Browne, and Jon Armstrong from IDW, 50 Girls 50 from Image, Vertigo's Dominique Laveau: Voodoo Child by Selwyn Hinds and Denys Cowan, Rocketeer Adventures volume two #1 (Peter David, Bill Sienkiewicz, Stan Sakai, and more), three years of Captain America, The Naked Heroes' Demon the Whiskey Down and the great Benjamin Marra, B.P.R.D. Plague of Frogs volume three and Hellboy, Avengers X-Sanction and Jeph Loeb, Tarot, Witch of the Black Rose #73 by Jim Balent, Haunt and Nathan Fox, Tim Seeley's Witchblade, Prophet and Brandon Graham, and a whole mess more!

Chaos is the name of the game this week as we kick the insanity up a few notches while talking about the 999 Challenge, Stan Lee's Mighty 7 from Stan Lee Comics, Alex Saviuk, and the fine folks at Archie (including the Spider-Man newspaper strip, Sonic, Archie, Mega Man, and more), an extended look at Jonathan Hickman's run on Fantastic Four (John Byrne, DOOM, the Waid/Wieringo run, etc.), The John Romita Amazing Spider-Man Artist Edition from IDW (Steve Ditko + Amazing Annual #1 with the Sinister Six, Ross Andru, Gil Kane, Romita Jr, Romitaman, Kingpin, ARch-nemeses, Morbius, and more), Dean Haspiel and Make Mine Me, The Believer #88 from McSweeney's, John Carter and the Gods of Mars, Cartoon Network's DC Nation block, Adventure Time, David Lapham's Age of Apocalypse, and a couple buckets more!

We jump in quick 'n' dirty on Gisele Lagace and Ménage á 3 (by way of Occupy Riverdale and Archie Comics), Brandon Graham and King City, Adventure Time, Saga #1 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples from Image, Moebius (Blueberry, The Airtight Garage, Arzach, Heavy Metal, and more), recent developments in The Walking Dead TV show, The Dead: Kingdom of Flies by Alan Grant, Simon Bisley, Glen Fabry (and more) from Berserker Comics, Watchmen/DKR and print, The Champions/The Order, Avengers: Childrens' Crusade and Avengers Vs. X-Men, Artifice by Alex Woolfson and Winona Nelson, The Manhattan Projects by Hickman and Pitarra from Image, Nathan Fox and Haunt, Jacques Tardi, Simone's Batgirl, Vertigo's Fairest, and a whole mess more!

Hold on to your hats, folks, because this one's a weird one even by our standards... While Skype wreaks havoc with a vengeance, we top off the tank in the rickety ol' Wayback Machine head out for a long, rambling ride through Amazing Spider-Man #300, Miller and Mazzuchelli's Born Again, Comic Confessions (including Cerebus, Camelot 3000, Black Dragon, Chris Claremont's First Flight, X-Terminators and Fallen Angels, Jon Bogdanove, and much more), Valiant both old and new, Ultraverse, Catwoman, Ted Mckeever's MONDO from Image/Shadowline, Justice League: Doom and Dwayne Mcduffie, Morrison and Quitely's Flex Mentallo (incorporating Doom Patrol, Teen Titans, Alan Moore and Don Simpson's Pictopia, Cliff Steele, and more), Rubber Blanket, Bongo Comics and the Ralph Wiggum one-shot (Sergio Aragones, Mike Kazaleh, Carol Lay, Ted May, and more), "Hawkeye's a dick!", listener email, Ghost Rider, the latest episode of the Walking Dead on TV, Rogue Trooper and Strontium Dog, Uncanny X-Force, and a whole mess more!

Once again bracketed by listener comments from the 11 O'Clock Hotline, we plunge our collective proboscises deep into the upcoming Wild Pig event (Peter David, Rudy Nebres, Lee Weeks, and many more), the Wally Wood Artist Edition from IDW (incorporating Frank Frazetta, Mark Schultz, John Romita, Wil Eisner, Chris Ryall, and more), Terry Moore's Rachel Rising, JLA and the Obsidian Age by Joe Kelly, Doug Mahnke, and Yvel Guichet, more on Winschluss' Pinocchio from Last Gasp, The Intrepids from Kurtis J. Wiebe, Scott Kowalchuk, and Image, Paul Gulacy and Master of Kung Fu #19, Punisher Max by Jason Aaron and Steve Dillon, the forthcoming Frankenstein Alive, Alive! by Bernie Wrightson and Steve Niles and John Byrne's Trio from IDW, Planet of the Apes from BOOM!, Winter Soldier, Empowered by Adam Warren, and a whole mess more!

We throw a whole mess of stuff at the fan in this old-school EOC episode, including Invincible Iron Man by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca, Scott Snyder, Scott Tuft, and Attila Futaki's Severed #6 and 7 from Image, Critical Millennium: The Dark Frontier by Andrew E. C. Gaska, Dan Dussault, and Archaia (incorporating Jim Henson's Tale of Sand, The Dapper Men, and more), Gates of Gotham by Snyder, Kyle Higgins, and Trevor McCarthy, Avengers Vs. X-Men, superstar writers (including Alan Moore, Jason Aaron, Gail Simone, Bendis, Roy Thomas, Ed Brubaker, Morrison, The New 52, and more), Fantastic Four, Alan Davis and Captain America, Brian Wood's DMZ, and a whole mess more!

Two hundred down and a lot more to come! This week, we cram a whole lot into our bicentennial episode, including Criminal: Last of the Innocent and Fatale by Brubaker and Phillips, Dennis Hopeless and Kevin Mellon's Lovestruck from Image, American Barbarian by Tom Scioli from AdHouse, the Gary Friedrich Marvel fallout, The Mask from John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke from Dark Horse, John Severin, Skinner: Every Man Is My Enemy from Gingko Press, Critical Hit, and ZeroFriends, Jonathan Ross and Tommy Lee Edwards' Turf from Image, Smoke Gignal #1 (Ben Marra, Michael DeForge, Bill Griffiths, Harvey Pekar, Tony Millionaire, Charles Burns, Sam Henderson, and more), Sleeper, Venom: Circle of Four, Peter Panzerfaust from Kurtis Wiebe and Tyler Jenkins, and a whole mess more!

The roster for this week includes Peanuts, the John Romita Artist's Edition from IDW, Strikeforce: Morituri by Peter B. Gillis, Brent Anderson, Whilce Portacio, and others, Astonishing Tales #12 and 13 (incorporating Ka-Zar and Man-Thing, Roy Thomas, Len Wein, Neal Adams, Gil Kane, Barry Windsor-Smith, Savage Tales #1, Big John Buscema, Rich Buckler, and more), the World's Collide DC/Milestone event (Static, Blood Syndicate, Superman, Icon, Hardware, Dwayne McDuffie, and others), American Vampire volume three by Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, and Sean Murphy, Rub the Blood by Secret Prison and Yeah Dude Comics (Jim Rugg, Benjamin Marra, Ian Harker, Pat Aulisio, Josh Bayer, Victor Cayro aka Bald Eagles, William Cardini, Mickey Z, Bloodwulf, Image, Extreme, Herb Trimpe, and a whole mess more), Prophet #21 from Brandon Graham, Scott Roy, and Extreme, Adventure Time, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, Weird War, and original art, Crossed: Psychopath by David Lapham, Raulo Caceres, and avatar, The Boys from Dynamite!, Bongo's Spongebob Comics #7, 20th Century Boys, the Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week and the Avengers trailer, Justice League Beyond, podcast love, and a whole lot more!

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn! It's almost an all Alan Moore episode as we spend a nice stretch talking about The Courtyard and Neonomicon from Avatar and DC's recent release of cover art and creative teams for the forthcoming suite of Before Watchmen prequel miniseries! After the dust settles, we manage to scrape together enough time to cover Spider Island, Shaky Kane's Monster Truck from Image, Heavy Metal: Iron Man Vs. X-O Manowar from Marvel and Valiant, Jeff Lemire and Sweet Tooth, Avengers: Childrens' Crusade, Matt Kindt on Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E., and a whole mess more!

Back to business as usual as we cover Spider Island, TMNT, Jim Henson's Tale of Sand by Henson, Jerry Juhl, and Ramon K. Perez from Archaia Entertainment, more on Winshluss' Pinocchio from Last Gasp, Ryan Stegman and Chris Yost's Scarlet Spider, Julian Lytle's ANTS, The Good Girl Art of Bruce Timm from Flesk, Daredevil #8, Fantastic Four 1234 by Grant Morrison and Jae Lee, the art of Rafael Gallur (incorporating Mexico's Ghetto Librettos, Daniel K. Raeburn and the Historietas Perversas of The Imp #4, and much more), John Byrne's IDW Next Men run, Who Is Jake Ellis?, Scott Snyder and Papi Capullo's masterful Batman #5, The Town, recent developments in Liefeld and Kirkman's The Infinite, The Last Battle by Tito Faraci and Dan Brereton from Image, One Piece: Color Walk 2 by Iichiro Oda and Shonen Jump, Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows' Neonomicon from Avatar, Brubaker and Davis' Captain America, Sonic the Hedgehog from Archie, and a whole mess more!

Part the second of the 11 O'Closcars for 2011!

(Show notes shelved to preserve the element of surprise.)

Part one of the 11 O'Closcars for 2011!

(Show notes shelved to preserve the element of surprise.)

Far more laid back than usual, we countdown the days to the 11 O'Closcars with talk on Red State, Jason Aaron and Wolverine's Revenge, Star Trek and the Legion of Superheroes from IDW (incorporating Spaced, Sherlock, and Doctor Who), Jim Woodring's Weathercraft and Congress of the Animals from Fantagraphics, Steve Rude and NEXUS (including Rob Liefeld, Matt Wagner, John Byrne and Cold War, and much more), Frank Miller and Sin City, Walking Dead, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century 1969, Scott Snyder and Severed, Skyrim and Skylanders, and a whole mess more!

X-Mas gifts are opened and subjects are spoken such as Skyrim, High School of the Dead Color Omnibus volume one, Parker: The Martini Edition, Nexus, the Kindle Fire, Ryan Stegman, Deadpool, Pat Loika, Jim Woodring's Congress of the Animals, Jack Kirby's OMAC, MetaMAUS from Pantheon Books, John Byrne's Fantastic Four Omnibus, Mercy Heights, Looking for Group, Doctor Who, Jacques Tardi (Like a Sniper Lining up His Shot, Adele, Arctic Marauder and more!), Pertograd, Pokemon, Shawn Pryor and M.A.S.K, the Craftsman circular saw, Matt Wagner's Mage, Magik: Storm and Illyana, Tintin, Alien Legion: A Grey Day to Die, the Kamandi Omnibus, The Ocean of Time by Jon Strongbow, Mudtown, Theo Ellsworth's Sleeper Car, The Stumptown Files, The Uncouth Youth, Neil Gaiman's Instructions, Stupid Tales of Wolverine, The Gangsta Rap Coloring Book, The Bad Azz Mofo Book of Blaxploitation, Meanwhile..., Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Book of th' Dead, Destroy all Monsters, Too Much Coffee Man coffee, La Mano del Destino and J. Gonzo, City of Glass, Freak Angels, Evan Dorkin's Milk & Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad, Dan Clowes' Death Ray, Gene Colan, TMNT, The Arrival by Shaun Tan, Satchel Paige: Striking out Jim Crow, Ken Dahl's Monsters, My Mommy Is in America and She Met Buffalo Bill by Regnaud and Bravo, Years of the Elephant by Willy Linthout, Casanova, Savage Sword of Conan, John Buscema, Secret Warriors, X-Men Rarities, Neonomicon, Cosmic Odyssey, Mickey Mouse by Floyd Gottfredson from Fantagraphics, Jesus Hates Zombies, War of the Independents, Longshot, Ian Fleming, The Tooth by Bunn and Kindt, Amazing Spider-Man: Hooky, Jack Kirby's The Demon, Andy Sidaris, Savage Hawkman, Rachel Rising, Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan's Conan, and a whole mess more!

It's our Twelve Questions of Christmas episode, touching upon topics like The Punisher, One More Day, Wolverine: Evolution, Sins Past, Secret Wars II, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Rob Liefeld, Dazzler, Fear Agent, Vigilante, Howard the Duck, Cable, King Mob, Secret Invasion, Valiant, Wildcats, Watchmen, Miracleman, Runaways, Power Pack, Gene Colan, Mike Allred, Carmine Infantino, Dave Cockrum, Jack Kirby, George Tuska, Neal Adams and Batman: Odyssey, Peter David's X-Factor, Stryfe, Strangers in Paradise, Alpha Flight #12, Amazing Spider-Man #400, Norman Osborn, Mar-Vell, Savage Dragon, Strikeforce: Morituri, Elfquest, PLOP!, DarkStars, Matt Wagner, Joe Kubert, Moebius, The Crew, ROM, Micronauts, Archer and Armstrong, TMNT, Pat Boyette, DnA, Jaime Hernandez, Keith Pollard, Chris Sprouse, Tom Fowler, Sal Buscema, Tony Bedard, Gabriel Hardman, Mahmud Asrar, Bongo Comics, Greg Rucka's Punisher, Fables, and a whole mess more!

Picking up where we left the Frank Miller discussion last week, we cap off the second half ouf this episode with a jump into the murky waters of The DarK Knight Strikes Again and another extended and heated discussion on art, perception, expectation, and crazy creators with little more than contempt for both their medium and audience. Or is it? You decide. Plus, we fill the first hour full to the brim with banter on Fantomex, the Dark Horse Archive Editions, TFAW, omnibus editions (incorporating Evan Dorkin's Milk and Cheese, Wolfman and Perez's Teen Titans, Simonson's Thor, Morrison and company's New X-Men, Acts of Vengeance, Secret Wars II, Avengers: The Crossing, Too Much Coffee Man, and more!), 100 Bullets, Azzarello and Risso's Spaceman, Jack Kirby's stint on Our Fighting Forces and The Losers, Kirby inkers, Defenders #1 by the Dodsons and Fraction, Hellboy: House of the Living Dead from Mignola and Corben out of Dark Horse, Animan Man and Swamp Thing, the New52, Image's Haunt #19 by Casey and Fox, Action Lab. Skaar: King of the Savage Land, and a whole mess more!

In this atypical extravaganza, we engage in two extended discussions -- the first concerns the X-Men: Asgardian Wars collection (incorporating Paul Smith, Terry Austin, Art Adams, Mike Mignola, X-Men/Alpha Flight, the New Mutants Special, Chris Claremont, Uncanny X-Men Annual #9, Longshot, Todd McFarlane, Michael Golden, and a whole lot more), and the second spotlights the book Chris and Vince deem the greatest Batman story of all time: Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley's The Dark Knight Returns! Plus, we have enough time left over to talk about the Parker Martini Edition, X-Men Vs. Avengers, Rick Remender, IDW's G.I Joe books and the Cobra Civil War crossover, the second volume in Craig Yoe's Chilling Archives of Horror Comics featuring Bob Powell's Terror from IDW, Gingerbread Girl, Percy Crosby's Skippy, Daredevil by Waid, Rivera, and Martin, Ennis and Batista's Jennifer Blood from BOOM!, and a whole mess more!

In this post-Thanksgiving King-Size gorgefest, we tickle the giblets of Grant Morrison's Action Comics, Dave Frank's Saucy Jesus and the Gun of Sod from Cactus Comics, Tom Scioli, Secret Prison, Action Lab, Doug Moench and Mike Ploog's Terror on the Planet of the Apes (soon to be reprinted from BOOM!), Universal Orlando and Harry Potter, Jack Kirby's Kamandi Omnibus volume one, the first volume of IDW's Grimjack Omnibus by John Ostrander, Tim Truman, and company (including Tom Sutton, Steve Pugh, Demon Knight, Nexus, Badger, Crossroads, Total Eclipse, Flint Henry/Henry Flint, and more), Airboy and Eclipse Comics, the TMNT Omnibus from IDW, Jacques Tardi's masterful Arctic Marauder from Fantagraphics, Superman: Birthright from Mark Waid, Leinil Francis Yu, and Gerry Alanguilan, Jughead Double Digest #175 from Archie (incorporating Rich Koslowski), ADD comic reading, Scud: The Disposable Assassin - The Whole Shebang from Image, Astro City: The Dark Age volume one, Legion of Monsters by Dennis Hopeless and Juan Doe, Avenging Spider-Man #1 from Zeb Wells and Joe Madureira, and a whole mess more!

Happy Thanksgiving! Franky DeJesus and Alan White help us give thanks for Comic Book Comics by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey, Bill Mantlo (incorporating David Yurkovich and Mantlo: A Life In Comics, Micronauts #1 and Micronauts Annual #1, ROM, Steve Ditko, Questprobe, Pat Broderick, Michael Golden, Jack of Hearts, Jackson Guice, and more), Paul Grist and Mudman #1 from Image, many issues of Amazing Spider-Man including the Spider Island event, John Severin, Joe Kubert and St. Johns Publishing (including 3D comics, TOR, Strange Terrors #7, Matt Baker, Comics Journal, and the prototypical "picture novel" It Rhymes with Lust), the Mid-Ohio Comic Con, Marc Sumerak and All-Ghoul's School from IDW, Back Issue #38, 48, and 52 from TwoMorrows Publishing (touching upon Bernie Wrightson, Sergio Aragones, PLOP!, EC Comics, Vampirella, John Byrne, Charlton Comics, Madame Xanadu and Michael Kaluta, and a whole mess more), Low Concept: The EOC Community Anthology, Mahmud Asrar and Supergirl #3, Skottie Young and Magneto: Not a Hero #1, and lots more!

We spend a nice chunk of time pulling apart Greg Rucka, J. H. Williams III, and Dave Stewart's Batwoman: Elegy (incorporating the New 52 Batwoman series, the Question, Pipeline, Five Books of Blood, Queen & Country, 52, and more), after which we take a detour into TV Land, taking long, hard looks at Young Justice, Green Lantern Animated, and Walking Dead (including Beast Wars, Joss Whedon and Buffy, and more). Plus, we still have enough slack to hang ourselves on Archie's Mega Man, Will Pfeifer, Dan Clowes and Eightball #23/Death Ray, Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlevy's Comic Book Comics #6, the New 52 Deathstroke by Kyle Higgins, Joe Bennett, and Art Thibert, the DC Universe Legacies hardcover, Marvel's Point One #1, Uncanny X-Force, Adam Glass and Suicide Squad #3, and a whole mess more!

Trans-dimensional broadcast in progress...Buffering...99%...LIVE from the ANT Farm, writer/artist Jeff Lemire sits in with us to discuss Animal Man, Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, J. G. Jones, Alberto Ponticelli and Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E., Travel Foreman, Elephantmen, the CBDLF Liberty Annual 2011, Dark Horse Noir, Benjamin Marra's Gangsta Rap Posse #2 from Traditional Comics, Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko's Betrayal on the Planet of the Apes #1 from BOOM!, Captain America and Bucky and Chris Samnee, Fear Itself 7.1, Superboy, Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown, NYCC, Top Shelf, Kamandi, Keith Giffen and the OMAC/Frankenstein crossover, Sweet Tooth, Zenescope's The Theater #1, Heroes for Hire, Crimson, Sonic the Hedgehog from Archie, the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival, J. Gonzo's La Mano del Destino from Castle and Key, Walking Dead, and a whole mess more!

Willy-nilly once again, we investigate the IDW Artist Editions and the late, great Wallace Wood, J. Gonzo's incredible La Mano del Destino and Castle and Key Publications (castleandkeypublications dot com), the other guys weigh in on Abrams ComicArts' Someday Funnies, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Juan Gimenez' Metabarons slipcase from Humanoids, Jason Aaron and Mark Silvestri (et al) on Incredible Hulk #1, Fables (incorporating Once Upon a Time and Grimm), Walking Dead S2E3, Flesh and Blood by Robert Tinnell and Neil Vokes from Monsterverse and Kerry Gammill, First Comics, John Byrne's Cold War #1 from IDW, Locke and Key, Steve Rude, the awesome Fantagraphics lineup for 2012, Jim Starlin and Breed III from Image, Pluto, Rick Remender and Fear Agent #32 from Dark Horse (no spoilers) , and a whole mess more!

In this messy, sloppy, scattershot episode, we talk about Brian Augustyn and Humberto Ramos' Crimson for Cliffhanger (incorporating Danger Girl and J. Scott Campbell, Out There, Battle Chasers, RASL, Planetary, Black Hole, Fear Agent, and more), The Someday Funnies from Michel Choquette and Abrams ComicArts (featuring Jack Kirby, Wally Wood, Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, Walt Simonson, Moebius, Art Spiegelman, Frank Zappa and Cal Schenkel, William S. Burroughs, Federico Fellini, Ralph Steadman, Tom Wolfe, and a whole lot more), more on Matt Wagner's Mage, Dan Clowes' Death Ray, Legends of the DC Universe (specifically, but not limited to, issues #22 and #23), Walt Simonson's Orion, Dave Gibbons and the Watchmen prequel rumors, The Dark Knight Strikes Back, Gil Kane and Jan Strnad's Sword of the Atom, The Ray, Marvel Value Stamps and comic book advertising, X-Men/Micronauts, Regular Show, All-Star Western, Carl Potts and Alien Legion, Orchid from Dark Horse, The Milo Manara Library volume one, Walking Dead episode two, Fables, and a whole mess more!

It's our giant-size NYCC 2011 wrap-up episode featuring chatter on Jim Cheung, jam pieces, Brian Azzarello, Ben Templesmith, Bob Layton, Ramona Fredon, Marie Severin, Kevin Maguire, Mahmud Asrar, Tim Seeley, Tom Fowler, Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman, Mike Norton, Greg Capullo, Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld and the return of the mighty Extreme!, Matt Wagner, Ryan Dunlavey and Fred Van Lente, Andy Lanning, Jeremy Haun, Kagan McLeod, Top Shelf, Jeff Lemire, Chris Claremont, Image Comics, Dan Didio, Jason Aaron, Cliff Chiang, Matt Kindt, Michael Dooney, Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett, Tony Moore, Erik Larsen, Scott Snyder, Bill Sienkiewicz, Herb Trimpe, and a whole mess more! Plus, after Chris bails, we stick around for close to another hour to chew the rag on Juan Doe and the Legion of Monsters #1, Neal Adams and the greatness that is Batman: Odyssey V2 #1, the Batman: Year One animated film, Habibi, Love and Rockets: New Stories #4, Star Trek/Legion of Superheroes #1, DC's Jackie Gleason and the Honeymooners and Mike Roy, the first episode of the second season of Walking Dead, Top Cow's Pilot Season: The Test, and much more!

Tim Seeley, the hardest-working multi-talented man in comics, drops in to talk to us about Witchblade, Hack/Slash, Suicide Girls, digital distribution, Jack Kraken and Four Star Studios, the double-edged sword of creative autonomy, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Dungeons and Dragons, Fletcher Hanks and Fantomah, the Hack/Slash movie and film options, horror movies, and a bloody mess more! Plus, we have enough steam to kibbitz about Creepy Presents Bernie Wrightson and Creepy Archives volume ten from Dark Horse, Johnny Ryan's Prison Pit from Fantagraphics, Steve jobs, Echoes by Joshua Hale Fialkov & Rahsan Ekedal from Top Cow, Teen Titans: Games by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, The Hit List Agenda books out of Aspen, Avengers Academy, and a short fifth-week DC wrap-up spotlighting Action Comics, OMAC, Detective Comics, Stormwatch, Animal Man, and Swamp Thing!

In our last overview of DC's New 52, we cover The Fury of Firestorm, Voodoo, Green Lantern: New Guardians, Blackhawks, Savage Hawkman, Justice League Dark, I, Vampire, Aquaman, Batman: The Dark Knight, The Flash, Superman, Teen Titans, and All-Star Western, with a little bit of time left over to touch upon Smoke Signal #10 and John Severin, Dennis Hopeless and Kevin Mellon's Lovestruck, the Abrams Star Trek from IDW, Kurt Busiek's Astro City, and a whole mess more!

The DC New 52 rampage rolls on as we ramble through Snyder and Capullo's Batman, Wonder Woman by Chiang and Azzarello, Mahmud Asrar and Supergirl, Lobdell and Rocafort's Red Hood and the Outlaws, Krul and Freddie Williams II's Captain Atom, Swierczynski and Saiz on Birds of Prey, Winick and March's Catwoman, Levitz and Portela's Legion, Tomasi and Pasarin on Green Lantern Corps, another look at Mr. Terrific, Bedard and Guara's Blue Beetle, Higgins and Barrows on Nightwing, and a whole mess more!

All DC Comics, all the time! This week, after Vince does a little bit of catch-up on the first salvo from the DC New 52 (Detective Comics, Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Action, Batgirl, Hawk & Dove, JLI, Stormwatch, and OMAC), we jump head-first into the second week, touching upon Batman and Robin, Batwoman, Deathstroke, Demon Knights, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E., Green Lantern, Legion Lost, Red Lanterns, Suicide Squad, Superboy, and Resurrection Man. Hey, it's a revolutionary month for the comics industry. Get used to it (for at least another two weeks).

In an extra-long episode to make up for the extra day's wait, we devote the first hour or so to the book on everyone's lips: Geoff Johns and Jim Lee's Justice League #1 (incorporating Flashpoint #5, Fear Itself, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and more), after which we throw down hard and thick on Walt Simonson and the IDW Thor Artist's Edition, Regular Show, the Thor movie (including Natalie Portman, George Lucas, and the recent boo-hoo over the Star Wars films), Gabe Hardman and Corinna Bechko's Betrayal on the Planet of the Apes miniseries from BOOM!, Archie Comics and the Red Circle heroes, Jacques Tardi and the second Adele Blanc-Sec volume from Fantagraphics, Dynamite's Kirbyverse, Kamandi (the world's greatest comic book), Christos Gage, Colossus, Batman/Deathblow, Greg Pak's Heart of the Monster swan song on Incredible Hulk, Jeff Lemire's Animal Man, Rob Williams' new take on Ghost Rider, Rafael Albuquerque and Mondo Urbano from ONI, Ben 10 Ultimate Alien, Mad, Doctor Who, Frank Cho, John Rozum and Frazer Irving's Xombi, Secret Wars vs. Super Powers vs. MEGO, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Raven Simone, Saved by the Bell, the Deluise legacy, and, unfortunately for the listeners, a whole mess more!

We're all over the place, talking up The Comics Buyer's Guide #1682 ($8000 for Eerie #32?!?, fanzines old and new, The Infinite, Zenescope, and more), the closing of Atomic Comics, Rob Liefeld's tweets, sales numbers for the first month of DC's New 52 (Stormwatch, Ron Marz, Wildstorm, Batman, and more), X-Men: Prelude to Schism and Schism proper (Acuna, Pacheco, Jenkins, Remender and Uncanny X-Force, inventive ways to beat a dead mutant horse, and more), Kagan McLeod's Infinite Kung Fu from Top Shelf, Dark Horse Presents #3, Chris Samnee and Captain America and Bucky, Joe Hill's The Cape, Marvel's Legion of Monsters, plus, Brent Schoonover sits in with us at the tail end to talk about Mr. Murder Is Dead from Archaia! Where else are you going to have this much fun?

What's this? Can it be? A well-planned and -executed, level-headed, hyperbole-free episode of everyone's favorite comic book podcast (all three of you)? You be the judge as we talk about John Romita JR and Al Williamson, The Heap #1 from Moonstone (incorporating Diamond's ridiculous minimum order policy, digital distribution, and more), Will Shetterly and Vince Stone's Captain Confederacy (spinning off into racism in comics, the Captain America movie, revisionist history, Fear Agent, Power Man, and more), Wizard World Chicago, Tom Scioli and Jonathan Maberry's Captain America: Hail Hydra #2, Incredible Hulks: Heart of the Monster (Greg Pak, Paul Pelletier, Danny Miki, Morry Hollowell, Fin Fang Foom, Bi-Beast, Wendigo, and more), Supergods, Kagan Mcleod's Infinite Kung-Fu from Top Shelf, League: 1969, Mike Carey's X-Men: Legacy, Astonishing X-Men, the NuDCU, Rob Liefeld, the Image Comics founders, Doc Stearn: Mister Monster, Jess Fink's sizzling Chester 5000 from Top Shelf, Victor Quinaz and Brent Schoonover's Mr. Murder is Dead from Archaia, Marvel's Mystery Men, The Stuff of Legend volume three, and a whole mess more!

On and on 'til the break of dawn... This time around, we talk about Frank Frazetta, Wizard World Chicago, Eduardo Risso and Challengers Comics, Greg Capullo, Robert Kirkman and Rob Liefeld on The Infinite #1 from Image, Terry Moore's Rachel Rising #1 from Abstract Studio, Star Wars: Jedi: The Dark Side and Mahmud Asrar, licensed comics, Jesse Moynihan's FORMING from Nobrow Press and AdHouse Books, Kieron Gillen, more on the Captain America film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Daredevil #1 and Mark Waid, Jim Balent's Tarot, Witch of the Black Rose from Broadsword, Detective Comics, Scott Snyder's Severed, ONI Press and Spontaneous, Dark Horse's Orchid, and a whole mess more!

Chasing the white rabbit leads us to encounters with Jack Davis, Wally Wood, the NuDCU 52, Cracked Mazagine, Thunderbolts (Gage, Blanco, Diggle, Parker, Walker, Shalvey, and more), Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century 1969, Jesse Moynihan's FORMING from Nobrow Press and AdHouse Books, Chester 5000, Roger Langridge's Snarked! from Kaboom!, Chris Samnee and Captain America and Bucky, X-Men: Schism, Hack/Slash and Fletcher Hanks, Tim Seeley and Witchblade, Shaky Kane, Avengelyne from Rob Liefeld, Mark Poulton, and Owen Gieni from Image, Fanzine Flashback: Four Color Magazine, Gingerbread Girl from Top Shelf, Robert Kirkman and Cliff Rathburn's Reaper, John Constantine, Jeff Lemire's Jonah Hex, Moriarity: The Dark Chamber from Image, and a whole mess more!

Neseman's even more fired up than usual as we talk about Sandman Mystery Theatre, Jeff Lemire and Sweet Tooth, Cable: Reborn, Evil Deadpool, IDW's Artist Editions, upcoming EC Comics reprints from Fantagraphics, SDCC 2011, the Captain America movie, Howard Chaykin's Black Kiss and the forthcoming Image Comics sequel/prequel, ZAP Comics, Creepy #6 from Dark Horse (Joe R. Lansdale, Nathan Fox, Jason Shawn Alexander, Budd Lewis, Archie Goodwin, Neal Adams, and more!), the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 1969, Fables, B.P.R.D., the Eisner Awards (COMICS AND VEGETABLES), Screamland #1 from Image, Halcyon, IDW's Locke and Key: Keys to the Kingdom by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, Frank Darabont and Walking Dead, George Herriman and the greatness of Krazy Kat, B-One Comics, Cinderella: Fables are Forever, Crossed: Psychopath, Lady Death, and a whole mess more!

The chickens come home to roost as we ramble through Low Concept: The 11 O'Clock Comics Forum Anthology, Sonic the Hedgehog, Jeffrey Brown, Stuart Immonen, Rafael Grampa and DC's upcoming Unexpected anthology, Chester 5000 by Jess Fink and Top Shelf, Massimo Mattioli's Squeak the Mouse and Superwest Comics #1 from Catlan Communications, Johnny Ryan, Prison Pit, and over priced vinyl collectibles, Daredevil #1 by Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera, and Marcos Martin, X-Men: Schism #1, Hickman and Pacheco's Ultimate Thor, Red Wing #1 by Hickman and Image Comics, Aspen's Hit List Agenda, trimming the comics fat, the huge honkin' NuDCU hardcover, Flashpoint: Batman: Knight of Vengeance #2, Phil Hester and Brook Turner's Golly from Image, Lady Mechanika from Joe Benitez and Aspen, Marineman, the shuttering of the Borders chain, DC Retroactive, more on Fear Itself and Flashpoint, Legion, The Griff by Christopher Moore, Ian Corson, and Jennyson Rosero from William Morrow/Harper Collins, Alphas, Infinite Kung-Fu from Kagen McLeod and Top Shelf, and much, much more!

While Mom and Dad are away on vacation the kids plug in the mics and talk some serious, and not so serious comics. Join Chris and David as they open up the Pandora's Box of forum questions and listener voice mail. Listen in for thoughts and opinions on convention memories, Michael Turner, Blade Runner, Revenge of the Jedi, 28 Days Later, Buffy Season 8, Michael Golden, more Legion & Legion Lost, Warehouse 13, Inception, Falling Skies, Kevin Mellon, Dennis Hopeless, the cool-o-meter of Christopher Priest's Black Panther, Ramon Perez, Emma Rios, Fear Itself & Flashpoint (SPOILERS at 52:50), digital comics and a whole mess more.

Simultaneously premature and under the gun as pending vacation fun forces us into the studio a day early to schlepp through soliloquies on Pokemon, Low Concept: The 11 O'Clock Comics Forum Anthology, Abnett and Lanning's Legion Lost (incorporating Coipel, Alixe, Byrne, Claremont, Cockrum, Waid, Kitson, Giffen, Threeboot, and more), Terry Moore's Echo, Malignant Man from BOOM!, Sonic the Hedgehog from Archie, Scalped #50 (Igor Kordey, Tim Truman, jill Thompson, Steve Dillon, Bernet, and more), Vampirella from Dynamite, Image and Skybound's Witch Doctor, Aspen's Executive Assistant Iris, Ron Marz and Phil Hester at Top Cow (plus Artifacts, Silvestri, Portacio, Babewatch, and a lot of Rob Liefeld thrown in for good measure), Young Avengers: Children's Crusade and Jim Cheung, Steve Engleheart and Gerry Conway (via Back Issue #45 from TwoMorrows), Dick Dillon and Justice League, Neal Adams, Geoff Darrow, James Stokoe, Dark Horse Presents #2, Holmes, Inc., Captain Marvel and the Monster Society of Evil, and much more!

Wonderous wordsmith, Will Pfeifer, helps us ride out massive waves of audio difficulties by wrangling topics such as the pending protest of the NuDCU, Amazon's Attack, Gotham City and Manhattan (by way of Jonah Hex), Rob Liefeld, the Green Lantern movie, Remender and Moore's Venom #4, The Avairy by Jamie Tanner and AdHouse Books, Taschen's 75 Years of DC Comics, Transformers 3, the Late List, Chris Ware, Infinite Horizon, Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams, the Comic Reader and Comics Journal, Citizen Rex by Gilbert and Mario Hernandez, Harlan Ellison, remembering Gene Colan, The Tattered Man by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Norberto Fernandez from Image, The Wormworld Saga, Spongebob Comics #3 and Ramona Fradon, Terry Moore's Echo, Marvel's Mystery Men, Bakuman, and a whole mess more!

Much doom and gloom and all-around depressing stuff the first hour as we wade hip-deep into The Walking Dead volume 14 from Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard (NOTE: If you want to skip ahead, you'll be fine if you jump to the 47:20 minute mark!), after which we elevate with elaboration on Falling Skies, Will Pfeifer and Jill Thompson's excellent Finals under the Vertigo Resurrected banner, Baltimore: The Plague Ships by Mignola and Ben Stenbeck from Dark Horse, the I...Vampire! serial by J. M. DeMatteis and Tom Sutton from the pages of House of Mystery, Wolverine and Jubilee, Rogue's X-marks, Deathmate, Joe Casey's Butcher Baker #3 and Marijuanaman from Image and Infantry under the DDP Aftermath imprint, 28 Days Later, Jeff Lemire's Sweet Tooth volume three, Avengers Academy Giant-Size, Aspen's Executive Assistant Iris Volume 1 from David Whol and Eduardo Francisco, Hickman's Red Wing, Scarlet, Gladstone's School for World Conquerors by Mark Andrew Smith and Image, and a whole mess more!

Taking a much-needed break from the Nu52, we delve into Matthew Allison's Calamity of Challenge, Rudy Nebres, Origins of Marvel Comics and other comics histories, Graveyard of Empires by Mark Sable and Paul Azaceta from Image, Waid and Martin's Daredevil, Comics Buyer's Guide #1680, Comics Retailer, the Wizard World app, 50 Girls 50 by Doug Murray, Frank Cho, and Axel Medellin, Jesse Jacobs' Even the Giants from AdHouse, Doctor Who and Sherlock, Jim Starlin's 'Breed III out of Image, the X-Men: First Class movie, Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown by Jeff Lemire and Ibraim Roberson, The Tooth by Cullen Bunn and Matt Kindt from Oni, Avatar's Crossed 3D by David Lapham and Gianluca Pagliarani, Blue Estate #2, Planet of the Apes #2 by Darryl Gregory and Carlos Magno from BOOM!, American Vampire, Al Jafee and SPY Vs. SPY, and a whole mess more!

We spend another huge chunk of time discussing the new titles pouring out of the new DC Universe in September (Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jeff Lemire and Frankenstein, Demon Knights, Justice League Dark, Rob Liefeld, Firestorm, Birds of Prey, Teen Titans, the Legion, Animal Man and family, Swamp Thing, Resurrection Man and DnA, and more), then move on to Charlton horror comics and the Ghosts of Doctor Graves (via Gabe Hardman, with Tom Sutton, Pat Boyette, Steve Ditko, and others), KIRBY: GENESIS #0 from Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross, and Jack Herbert from Dynamite!, bribing children with comics, Batman: Knight of Vengeance #1 by Azzarello and Risso, Fear Itself and Flashpoint, Oceanverse, Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt #1, Chester Brown's Paying for It from Drawn & Quarterly, Ron Marz and Lee Moder's Shinku #1 from Image, Top Shelf's Liar's Kiss, United States of Tara, Image's 50 Girls 50, 2000 A.D., and a whole mess more!

Overflowing with optimism and enthusiasm, we spend the better part of an hour examining DC's recent announcement of a line-wide reboot with simultaneous day/date digital releases (incorporating our thoughts and hopes on character treatment, storytelling techniques, delivery methods, the influence of Earth One, changes in retail sales, the direct market, Marvel's reaction, possible titles, and a whole mess more), plus, have more than enough time left over for even more on Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman's HULK (with a little Planet Red Hulk and Carlo Pagulayan thrown in for good measure), the brilliant comix work of Jason Karns (Fukitor and Satanic Terror), Malignant Man and 28 Days Later from BOOM!, Jason Aaron and Wolverine, William Messner Loebs' Journey: The Adventures of Wolverine McAllister from IDW, Black Panther, The Infinite from Kirkman and Liefeld, Roger Langridge's Snarked! from Kaboom!, and a whole mess more!

Everything's coming up comics as we cover Larry Marder, our favorite stories of all time, Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes from Archaia, Rozum and Irving's Xombi #2, Denys Cowan and Strange Adventures, Robert Kirkman (Invincible Ultimate Collection volume six, Walking Dead #83 (No spoilers!), Guarding the Globe, and more!), '68 #2 from Image, Archaia's Cyclops, Barbarella, Doctor Hue (aka the lovely and talented Val Staples), Jason Aaron's Punisher Max and Bullseye, Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman's HULK, creating new characters for the Big2, Tim Hensley's Wally Gropius for Fantagraphics, Boundless' Lady Death (Brian Pulido, Mike Wolfer, and Marcello Mueller), Wolverine: The Best there Is?, Tom Fowler and Venom #3, Tommy Lee Edwards' Super 8 promo, Nonplayer #1, Seth Fisher and Willworld, Jeremy Haun and Joplin, Missouri, Tom Scioli and American Barbarian, and a whole mess more!

Cleaning house for the end times, we purge our perceptions of Denys Cowan, the Image explosion, Jim Rugg, the possibility of a DCU reboot (incorporating Flashpoint, Fear Itself, One More Day, and more), the creative approach to events, Who Is Jake Ellis? #3, Joe Casey and Mike Huddleston's Butcher Baker, the Righteous Maker #2 and the author's backmatter, Frank Miller and Lynn Varley's Elektra Lives Again (with a little Elektra: Assassin thrown in for good measure), James Stokoe's Orc Stain and Brendan Graham's King City, One Piece, Moon Knight #1, Pak and Van Lente's Alpha Flight 0.1, IDW's Rocketeer Adventures #1 and Dave Stevens, Tim Seeley and the Hack/Slash Omnibus volume two, R.E.B.E.L.S., Hardman and Parker's HULK, Mega Man #1 from Archie, and much more!

All your base belong to us, including Douglas Adams, FCBD 2011 (Locke & Key from IDW and Gabriel Rodriguez, Kirkman and Howard's stunning Duper Dinosaur Origin Special, Captain America and Thor the Mighty: Fighting avengers by Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee, The Dark Crystal and Jim Henson, Top 10 Deadliest Sharks from Discovery Channel, Escapegoat, and more), Jacques Tardi, Hine and Kane's Bulletproof Coffin, Fear Itself, Flashpoint #1, Vince rants on Wonder Woman (and eats a heapin' helping of crow in the process), creators outliving their shelf lives, Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris from Dynamite, Judgment on Gotham, new reader hurdles, Remender, Moore, and company's Venom, Butcher Baker, Four Star Studios, Fracture, and a whole mess more!

Hokey smokes, it's a rare instance of an honest-to-gosh themed episode, this time taking a look at racism in comics with Night of the Living Dead Annual 2011 by Mike Wolfer from Avatar, BOOM's fantastic first issue of Planet of the Apes from Darly Gregory, Carlos Magno, and company, '68 by Mark Kidwell, Nat Jones, Tim Vigil, and Jay Fotos from Image Comics, and Ape Entertainment's Black Dynamite by Brian Ash, Jun Lofamia, and Michael Jai White! Plus, we have plenty of time left over to explore Strange Tales II, Dark Horse Presents #1 (featuring Paul Chadwick, Frank Miller, Neal Adams, Richard Corben, Carla Speed McNeil, Michael T. Gilbert, Howard Chaykin, and more), Finder, 28 Days Later, Pete Bagge's HATE Annual #9 from Fantagraphics, a pair of Image Comics' recent color-themed books in Green Wake #1 by Kurtis Wiebe and Riley Rossmo, and Blue Estate #1 from Viktor Kalvachev, Andrew Osborne, Robert Valley, Toby Cypress, and Nathan Fox, Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog, Free Comic Book Day 2011, Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard's Super Dinosaur #1, Tom Scioli, and a whole mess more!

If Wooode were in attendance this episode, he would no doubt deem this offering "rough", but that didn't stop us from trying, offering up commentary on the upcoming Kamandi Omnibus, Previews, Larry Marder, Grant Morrison, Tom Kelly, Action Comics #900, DC Blue Ribbon Digests, Starr, the Slayer from Daniel Way and Richard Corben, Giant-Size Atom #1 (Jeff Lemire, Mahmud Asrar, and others) and All-New Atom, Captain America and Bucky, The Losers, upcoming superhero films, Vertigo's American Vampire from Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque, the Dark Tower, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Fred Van Lente, Heroes for Hire, Skullkickers, Bulletproof Coffin, Howard Chaykin, and a whole mess more!

Proving King DAP very, very wrong, three years and still going strong! Throwing our nets far and wide, we drag the bottom for banter on Jim Rugg and Afrodisiac, 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking by Paul Levitz and Taschen Books, Wednesday Comics, the lack of Marvel archival editions, Annihilators #2, Devil Dinosaur, Teen Titans: Games by Wolfman and Perez, the upcoming Kamandi Omnibus, Marvel Fanfare #7 and Bill Mantlo, Neal Adams, Being John Byrne, Lucifer: Devil in the Gateway by Mike Carey, Chris Weston, Scott Hampton and company, Death: The High Cost of Living, Bucky and Bachalo, Cinderella: Fables are Forever, American Vampire, Onward towards Our Noble Deaths from Drawn & Quarterly, the 11 O'C Tarot, Avengers Prime by Bendis and Alan Davis, Sym-Bionic Titan, Ben Jones' Problem Solverz on Cartoon Network, Shadowland: Power Man, Fables, The Girl and the Gorilla, Monkeyman and O'brien, Studygroup 12, and much more!

We fill your media device with a feverish flood of four-color groupthink, including commentary on L'Association's massive COMIX 2000, Vertigo's Lucifer, KAPOW, the HERO Initiative, Alien Legion and Frank Cirocco, izombie by Chris Roberson and the Allreds, Four Star Studios (Mike Norton, Tim Seeley, and more), Kevin Mellon and SHIELD Infinity, Chris Burnham, the Jimmy Olsen one-shot by Nick Spencer and company, Scott Snyder's Detective Comics, Astonishing X-Men: Exogenesis by Warren Ellis and Kaare Andrews, The Spider #1 from Moonstone and Pablo Marcos, Skaar: King of the Savage Land #1, Paul Jenkins, more on Xombi #1, Grant Morrison, Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot and Geoff Darrow, Hellboy, Dave Stewart, the Eisner Awards, Spongebob Comics #2, Weapons of the Metabarons by Jodorowsky and Charest, Carla Speed McNeil's FINDER, Steve Rude, and a whole mess more!

Comic book and storyboard artist extraordinaire Gabriel Hardman joins us in an extended discussion on the visual storytelling media of which he is well-versed and their similarities and differences, plus, in the second hour, we find time to touch upon Butcher Baker, the Righteous Maker #1 by Joe Casey and Mike Huddleston, Nonplayer #1, Xombi #1, Incognito: Bad Influences and Sleeper, Captain America .1 and Thor .1, Fear Itself #1, Deadpool Team-Up, Night of the Living Dead: Death Valley #1, Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows' Neonomicon #4 from Avatar, FF #1, Detective Comics and Batman Inc., the Bomb Queen - Hack/Slash one-shot from Jimmie Robinson and Image, Black Panther: Man without Fear #516, Fish Police volume one, Dark Horse's Creepy #5, The Cardboard Valise, Archie #153, Mike Allred's Ginchy Madman one-shot, and a whole mess more!

Chris is off on a curling adventure, giving us the opportunity to fill the 11 O'Clock fort with all sorts of alcohol-fueled frivolity featuring Comic Art Magazine #3 and Savage Pencil, Annililation + Conquest + War of Kings, La Mano del Destino by the awesome Jason (J.Gonzo!) Gonzalez, Dark Horse's Vampire Boy by Carlos Trillo and Eduardo Risso (By way of the Venture Imprint and Video Noire), Vampirella #1 from Dynamite!, She-Hulks by Stegman and Wilcox, Pak and Van Lente's upcoming Herc, Xombi #1 from Rozum and Irving, Alpha Flight, Chaos War, a re-evaluation of Fables, Erik Larsen's Herculean, Machine Man by Defaclo, Trimpe, and Barry Windsor-Smith, Excalibur, Artifacts from Top Cow, the Image Explosion (50 Girls 50, Witch Doctor, Graveyard of Empires, Shinku, Butcher Baker, Marijuanaman, and more!), Oddville from Jay Stephens and AdHouse, Incognito: Bad Influences and Val Staples, Ultimate X from Art Adams and Jeph Loeb, and a whole mess more!

We wrap up this year's C2E2 in static-drenched style, incorporating talk on All Star Superman Vs. The Dark Knight Returns, Kyle Latino, John Siuntres, sketchbooks and original art, Lance Kizer, Gil Kane, LEGO minifigs, Spongebob, Mahmud Asrar, andy Jewett, HERO Initiative, Steve Bryant, Geoff Darrow, God Hates Astronauts, Cliff Chiang, Jeremy Haun, Adam Hughes, Jason Howard, Jamal Igle, Mike (Battlepug) Norton, Chris Burnham, Batman Inc., Hilary Barta, Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey, Will Pfeifer, back issue dealers, Robert Atkins and G.I. Joe, Richard Corben, Brian Stringer, Skottie Young and Deadpool Team-Up, Yildiray Cinar, Stuart Immonen, Halcyon from Image Comics, Tardi, Chris Samnee, and a whole mess more!

Excitement levels run high as we whittle away the days until this weekend's C2E2:2 with -- What else? -- comic talk, this time targeting Brian Michael Bendis, the first pair of issues of Jennifer Blood from Dynamite!, Tyrannosaurus Rex from Image, Fantagraphics' forthcoming 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente from Wilfred Santiago, Sigil #1 and Leonard Kirk, Butch Guice, Carbon Grey #1, Bad Dog #4 (Right...), Venom #1 by Remender and Moore, The Intrepids #1, Snyder and Jock's Detective Comics, Matthew Allison's Calamity of Challenge webcomic (CANKOR!), Dark Knight Returns Vs. Year One (and Ronin), socially relevant comics, Captain America and political groups, Mars Attacks! from Topps Comics (Keith Giffen, Charlie Adlard, Tom Sutton, Len Brown, Earl Norem, and more!), Who is Jake Ellis #2, Takio, and a whole mess more!

Sandwiched between a meaty look at Erik Larsen's long-running Savage Dragon, we take long looks at Comic Book Comics #5 from Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey, Miracleman/Marvelman, Bleeding Cool and the Kirby depositions, Generation Hope and Akira, Larry Lieber, Vertigo's Finals from Will Pfeifer and Jill Thompson, more on Annihilators #1, Bongo Comics (Simpsons, Futurama, Hilary Barta, and more...), Plastic Man, Paul Pope, Zatanna by Paul Dini and company, John Byrne's landmark Alpha Flight, Heavy Metal, Bendis' Powers, Young Justice, Marineman, and a whole mess more!

One of us runs off at the mouth a little bit too much as we back-and-forth about Terry Moore, Carl Potts, Avatar's Crossed: Psychopath #1 from David Lapham and Raulo Caceres, Starship Troopers, Harbinger, Mike Mignola's B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs volume one (Guy Davis, Ryan Sook, Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins, Dave Stewart, and more), series formats, Annihilators #1 by DnA and company and Marvel cosmic, Jim Starlin's forthcoming Breed series from Image, Rocketeer Adventures #1 out of IDW, Brian Wood's DMZ volume nine, Fantastic Four #588, Daffodil from Marvel Soleil, Silver Surfer #1, Iron Man 2.0 #1, Morning Glories, John K's Science Addiction, Axe Cop, Spongebob Comics, Freak Angels, and a whole mess more!

After raising our glasses to the life and work of the recently-departed Dwayne McDuffie, we retreat to our corners and begin this week's tag-team tussles with Chris and Jason taking on the landmark Alien Legion series from Marvel/Epic, and King DAP and I traipsing across Hal Jordan's mental landscape in J. M. DeMatteis and Seth Fisher's awe-inspiring Green Lantern: Willworld! Plus, we have plenty of time left to discuss B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs and Hellboy, creators we allow an occasional "pass" (Walt Simonson, Neal Adams, Todd McFarlane, John Byrne, John Severin, Russ Heath, Tony DeZuniga, Sal and John Buscema, and more), Warriors of the Shadow Realm, Godland, First Wave, Richard Starking and Elephantmen, American Vampire, The Dark Tower, and much more!

The tag-team takedowns continue as Chris and I join forces on Dave Gibbons and John Higgins' Thunderbolt Jaxon from Wildstorm while King DAP and Jason share thoughts on Who is Jake Ellis? #1 out of Image! Plus, we have more than enough digital rope to hang ourselves on Bunn and Kindt's The Tooth, John Byrne's new policy on interviews and Next Men #2, Fraction and Larocca's Invincible Iron Man 500.1 and Aaron and Rivera's Wolverine 5.1 from Marvel, the Invincible Iron Man (not an) omnibus, Borders' bankruptcy, Curse of the Spawn and Clayton Crain, Luke McDonnell, Bill Reinhold and Magnus, Alien Legion from the late, lamented Epic imprint (part one), Mike Norton's Battlepug, Seamonster, Legion of Super-Heroes, and a whole lot more!

The Cult of Chaos reigns as we caterwaul through a seemingly-endless cascade of comics commentary, including Mike Norton's Battlepug and Young Justice, regina piles and hoarding comics, the war genre, Russ Heath, pole shifts, Jaime Hernandez (via Sidebar), Wandering Star by Terri S. Wood/Challender, Desert Island's Smoke Signal #7 (Charles Burns, Jim Rugg, Sam Henderson, Jordan Crane, Marc Bell, Bill "Zippy" Griffith, and more), Deadpool, Green Lantern, Marvel vampires, the first volume of Lives by Masayuki Taguchi and TokyoPop, Mahmud Asrar, Madame Xanadu and Amy Reeder, Mirage Mini Comics (Eastman, Laird, Bissette, Veitch, Martin, Jewett, Zulli, Lawson, and more), comic-themed and -inspired cartoons (Generator Rex, Young Justice, Symbiotic Titan, and others), the Captain America trailer, Weird Worlds, Who is Jake Ellis? from Image, Cinderella: Fables are Forever #1, the Omega Men, and a whole mess more!