Robots From Tomorrow!

The boys go without a net or a plan on this one, and the topics range pretty far and wide as a result. From Mike Allred’s criminally underrated Red Rocket 7, to James Harren’s return to B.P.R.D., and whether or not certain creators should just be retired from certain awards categories (Todd Klein and Dave Stewart -- we’re looking at you!). All that, plus what exactly a graphic novel is and isn’t, thoughts on Darwyn Cooke’s newest Parker adaptation, and what combination of creators did Dynamite put on a book to finally get Mike to consider picking it up. The answer may surprise you! (Not if you’ve been checking the news on Multiversity Comics like we tell you, because they covered it there, but you should still listen to hear Mike talk about it!) 

As their acclaimed digital creator-owned series The Bunker makes its transition to print from Oni Press on February 12th, Greg sits down with writer Josh Fialkov and artist Joe Infurnari for an in-depth discussion about the book and the process of taking it from idea to reality. Josh and Joe show that they are a true collaborative team in every respect, as they tag-team for the funny and the heartfelt in this interview. Afterwards, Greg goes one-on-one with Joe to talk about his graphic novel Marathon (written by Boaz Yakin), which gives an account of the story behind the Greek victory at Marathon that is much more interesting and gripping than one man simply running 26 miles and collapsing. It is a book that was overlooked when it first came out, but deserves a second (or in most cases, first) look. Listen to Joe go in depth about bringing that work from Yakin's brain to the page. It's over two hours of talk from a pair of comics' rising stars that you won't want to miss! 

Picks for Wednesday, February 5, 2014 Mike- Dragon Ball Full Color Vol. 1: Saiyan Arc TPB Greg- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Color Classics #4 

This week finds the lads diving headfirst into a world of Cat Masters, alien races and mythic demons: Brandon Graham's King City. King City is Graham's first long-form comics work and one that nearly fell victim to the Tokyo Pop implosion. But after a time in limbo, the project was revived and completed at Image Comics. The collected edition is as thick as a phonebook, with plenty of back-ups and backmatter to sweeten the pot. Find out if Mike and Greg think King City deserves a place on your shelf. 

Picks for Wednesday, January 29, 2014 Mike- Furious #1 & Superman Golden Age Sundays 1943-1946 HC Greg- Warlock By Jim Starlin: Complete Collection & Siegfried Vol. 2: Valkyrie  

Greg chats it up with Joe Keatinge, fresh off of this month's Image Expo, and you'd better have a comfy chair to listen to this one in, because it is a behemoth! Over two and a half hours of comics talk straight from the man who brought you Hell Yeah!, Glory, and your soon-to-be-favorite title Shutter (announced at the Expo with artist Leila Del Duca), Joe is candid as always, and speaks his mind about Image, Marvel, DC, and a whole bunch of comics on either side of the Atlantic. Find out at what age he read Maus (it's a single digit), what he thought the biggest news out of the Expo was, what his original plans for Morbius were, and what event nearly collapsed the entire comic book industry. All this, plus updates on as many of the 10 books he has coming out in April 2014 as legally allowed: Shutter, What If: Age of Ultron, Marvel Knights: Hulk, the Glory hardcover, and more. AND after that, there's a special segment after the outro with Joe just after he interviewed Jim Steranko at last year's Collector's C

Picks for Wednesday, January 22, 2014 Mike- Deadly Class #1 & Midas Flesh #2 Greg- Judge Dredd Mega City Two #1 (of 5) & Serenity: Leaves On the Wind #1 

It's previews time! This week Mike and Greg comb through the January previews to talk about some of the gems that'll be hitting shelves in March. Lots of good picks, conversation and page rustling ahead! 

Picks for Wednesday, January 15, 2014 Mike- Skyman #1 & Department of Monsterology #4 Greg- Miracleman #1 & Must Read Valiant Greatest Hits #1  

Everything old is new again! Mike and Greg decide to tackle Bob Fingerman's 90's alt-comic fave from Fantagraphics, recently re-released in oversized hardcover form from Image Comics. Greg went new school and read the HC, while Mike went old school and busted out the FB trades. But it's all the same stories, right? Ummmm.... yes and no. For the new release, Fingerman (by his own admission) pulled a "George Lucas" and re-worked the old material to bring it all up to his current standards. Did that help? Hurt? How does this series stand against the test of time, and what about Fingerman's new Minimum Wage series debuting this month? And what's it like for two people to talk about a book they've both read and not read at the same time? Give a listen and find out! 

Picks for Wednesday, January 8, 2014 Mike- Elephantmen #53 & Minimum Wage #1 Greg- Atomic Robo: Savage Sword of Dr Dinosaur #5 (of 5) & All New X-Factor #1  

Another month has passed, so it’s time for us to take a look back to where we came from and see what’s coming for the rest of you to your comic shelves in February 2014. That’s right - It’s another Previews episode! Find out which Artist Edition finally makes Mike throw in the towel and pre-order one! Hear Greg talk about one of his favorite Iron Man runs, now making its complete collection debut! Find out about comics so new they have never been printed before...in any form (just in case you thought we only talk about reprints)! February can be pretty tough on the purse/wallet with having to save money for spending on that certain someone for Valentine’s Day. Get a head-start on planning your comic purchases that month with this episode! 

Picks for Wednesday, January 1, 2014 Mike- Baltimore: Chapel of Bones #1 & Where Bold Stars Go To Die Greg- Bad Blood #1 & Siegfried Vol. 2: Valkarie HC 

This week the guys dive into a work that, courtesy of the good folks at Humanoids, was translated and released in English earlier this year. From the incredibly inventive minds of Pierre Gabus and Romuald Reutimann, District 14 is a comic that pushes convention and genre into all sorts of new places. Part noir, part sci-fi epic, and with a cast of both humans and funny animals, District 14 is the tale of an elephant named Michael who has recently immigrated to District 14 and is confronted with all the drama and absurdity contained within its walls. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems, especially when it comes to Michael and his newly minted friend Hector McKeagh, a beaver who is also the most notorious reporter in town. District 14 is a comic that can work on a purely fantasy level, while also smartly commenting on some of today's social issues. Wealth, corruption, fame, and the press are just a few examples of the topics reflected on in this work. This volume, the first in a series, is well worth every co

Picks for Wednesday, December 25, 2013 Mike- Private Eye #5 Greg- Saviors #1 

Picks for Wednesday, December 18, 2013 Mike- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #29 & Dark Horse Presents #31 Greg- The Wake: Part One & Superman vs. Mongul TPB 

The lads end up talking about street gangs from both sides of the Atlantic in this episode. An off-air chat about Katsuhiro Otomo’s masterpiece spills onto the show as a prelude to our upcoming Akira talk. The 25th Anniversary Blu-Ray with DVDs included and all possible language combinations available is out, and you should buy it! Start reading and watching now, because our Akira talk is coming! Talk then shifts from Neo-Toyko to New York/Jersey with Brendan Leach’s Pterodactyl Hunters in the Gilded City and Iron Bound. Both stories were given high marks by each host, but does Greg think Iron Bound is a step forward for Leach, or backwards? Does Mike convince him that a creator of Leach’s caliber does nothing without consideration, and therefore everything is intentional? That passion making squiggles of straight lines should be embraced? That Leach is a creator to keep an eye on right now and moving forward? (Spoiler for the last question: yes).  

Picks for Wednesday, December 11, 2013 Mike- Dead Body Road #1 & 2000 AD Prog 2014 Greg- Parker’s SLAYGROUND & Lazarus #5   

Guy Adams is a writer who will be reintroducing a little know character to readers in this week's 2000 AD Prog 2014. Back in 1987 maniac-for-hire Ulysses Sweet appeared in the pages of the weekly British comics anthology 2000 AD. He made three appearances, all written by a young Grant Morrison, and then promptly disappeared (we ran said strips here, here and here). We talk to Guy about what it's like to dust off a character like that, as well as his transition from prose writing to comics. 

Continuing the Marvel streak, Mike and Greg launch into a discussion about the Claremont/Miller Wolverine mini-series, having just revisited the work for the first time in years. Does it still hold up? What works? What doesn’t? Is Logan dancing a jig in a bar while holding a man five times his size over his head? It goes without saying that these four issues cemented in the eyes of an entire generation of readers what was cool about Wolverine, Marvel, and comics in general. But what unholy terror of shortcuts did this work unleash upon the superstar artists of the “future”? Plus, we compare/contrast Miller’s issues with the Paul Smith Uncanny X-Men issues that immediately follow them. Why did Storm go punk so quickly? What did Claremont and Miller do completely backwards that worked out so well? And why did a series literally built on evolution stop evolving so long ago, and who’s to blame? Also, Greg takes a minute to ask the listeners to consider helping out Stan (Usagi Yojimbo) Sakai and his wife Sharon in