Robots From Tomorrow!

Mike- Hellboy In Hell #5 & Prophet #41 Greg- COPRA #12 & Numbercruncher HC

Mike- Black Science #1 & Judge Dredd #13 Greg- Judge Dredd Classics #6 & G0dland Finale

Brian- The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story HC & Green Lantern: New Guardians #25 Mike- Maxx Maxximized #1 & Adventure Time #22 Greg- Dark Horse Presents #30

Having not yet reached his breaking point, The Hour Cosmic’s Brian Salvatore returns to the show and, like any good guest, brings with him a gift. Lo, there shall come a topic! Jonathan Hickman’s run on The Fantastic Four: great comic magazine or The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine? Is it too soon to call for this series? What works and what doesn’t? And did Marvel drop the ball in continuing the title’s greatest (if you agree it’s there) with the run that followed Hickman’s? Brian throws down the (Infinity) gauntlet he got from the Council of Reeds for Mike and Greg. Are they up to the challenge?

This week we flip (and click) through the latest issue of Previews to see what’s coming up in January that you should keep an eye out for. Considering the magnitude of such a task, we asked The Hour Cosmic’s Brian Salvatore to stay a while and give us a hand. But before that, we run Brian through a gauntlet of questions about his own podcast and Multiversity Comics in general, as this is the first time we’ve actually had, on the show, a representative of the website we recommend week in and week out. Hear his answers and see if we are able to make it through the comic industry’s catalog of wonders without stopping to pick the low-hanging fruit of controversy from a distinguished competitive publisher.

With the release of Action Presidents #1 this week, we take this opportunity to bring you a chat with the creative team behind that book, as well as Action Philosophers, Comic Book Comics, and a whole host of other titles from publishers as diverse as Valiant, Marvel, IDW, and Clarkson Potter: Fred van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey! Greg managed to carve out some time from their busy schedules to talk past, present, and future with the duo. And since technical difficulties have presented this talk from being broadcast since its March 2013 recording, their future is our present! None of that pesky waiting around for stuff to happen....it already has! All manner of van Lente/Dunlavey work is discussed, including the aforementioned edu-tainment titles, as well as Ryan's cook book with vegetarian chef Amanda Cohen (Dirt Candy) and, of course, Action Presidents! Bon appetit!

Brian- Abe Sapien #7 & The Manhattan Projects #16 Mike- The Sabertooth Swordsman & Rocket Girl #2 Greg- Unity #1

Rounding out our coverage of New York Comic Con 2013 is this trio of interviews with Tony Fleecs, Corrina Bechko, and Gabriel Hardman. Greg managed to squirrel away a few minutes with each of these creators to find out what they have worked on that you should check out, and what they have coming up for you to look out for. It turned out to be quite the Noah's Ark of an episode, as talk ranged from the My Little Pony juggernaut to Planet of the Apes to Kinski (which is named after a dog, not the actor). Throw in some non-porn porn, dastardly doings in San Francisco, and a special guest appearance by Ron Marz for a you-are-there experience like no other podcast brings you!

Mike- Michael Avon Oeming's Victories #6 Greg- Bandette Vol. 1: Presto HC & Hawkeye Vol. 1 HC

A podcasting first: this episode debuts on October 31st and yet makes absolutely no mention to the accompanying holiday! Not how we roll in the underground recording studio. But what we do talk about is Battling Boy, the new OGN from writer/artist Paul Pope with colors by Hilary Sycamore. Greg and Mike rave and rave about this . . . wait a minute . . . Greg didn’t like it? Are you serious? Is that even allowed in comics podcasting? Is this the last episode of Robots From Tomorrow? No, but this episode does feature some real-time opinion-evolution. Give it a spin to see if you agree with where the duo start this conversation and where it ends up. Also, a quick shout-out to Steve Niles and how you can give Steve a hand and get some cool comics in the process! 

Mike East of West #7 & Adventure Time 2013 Spoooktacular Greg The Art of Sean Phillips & Sandman Overture #1

The lads are back from New York Comic Con and ready to bring you, the listener, the inside scoop on one of the largest comic conventions in the country! And not without personal risk, as Mike battles through a delayed “con crud” reaction that Greg managed to somehow avoid (possibly due to his junk-food-fortified constitution). But that won’t stop you from getting to hear about the Image/ Multiversity party, talking with industry giant Mike Richardson, just where the hell the DC booth was (spoiler: not at NYCC), how to plan your activities effectively, and so many other things. Shouts are outed, and news items from IDW, Archie, Dark Horse, DC, and Marvel are discussed. Couldn’t make it to the show? Spend an hour with us and you’ll feel like you were there all four days (without the “con crud”)! 

Mike Hellboy Midnight Circus & Samurai Jack #1 Greg Pretty Deadly #1 & Velvet #1

2000AD crossed the pond to attend New York Comic Con last week, and Robots From Tomorrow was there to greet them! Mike got a chance to talk with Simon Fraser and Andy Diggle, while Greg chatted up with Ian Edginton and PR droid Michael Molcher. Names were dropped, secrets were revealed, and insights into 2000AD stories past and present were given. From their lips to your ears, we are pleased to bring you over an hour of audio goodness from Tharg's favorite earthlets (and for those of you who don't know who that is, all will be explained within...)! 

Mike Iron Bound HC & Letter 44 #1 Greg Mysterious Strangers #5 & Thor Epic Collection: War of the Pantheons TPB

It's just been announced that IDW Publishing has brought in Tom Scioli to create a brand-new Transformers/G.I. Joe comic. We talk about what it's like to be handed the reigns to such iconic licences, as well as what he plans to bring to the title in terms of art and narrative. With the long-running G0dland coming to a close, and Transformers/G.I. Joe on the horizon, we also take the time to talk about Tom's career as a whole. He's an artist who seems to always push his art in new directions, experimenting with line and color to deliver different types of stories in different ways. We're excited for what he's got in store for the Joes and the Autobots, and after this talk, you will be too! Robots From Tomorrow is a weekly comics podcast recorded deep beneath the Earth’s surface. You can subscribe to it via iTunes or through the RSS feed at RobotsFromTomorrow.com. You can also follow Mike and Greg on Twitter. Music is John Hughes by Anamanaguchi. Enjoy your funny books.

Today's episode takes Mike and Greg across all manner of comics! The discussion starts of with Francesco Francavilla's Black Beetle. This story is a true artistic accomplishment, but does story take a backseat to visuals? From there the talk shifts toward the newly solicited X-Men: Battle of the Atom hardcover. It carries a heavy pricetag, and the guys ponder whether or not the second-act storytelling is worth the cost of admission. To wind things down, the conversation turns towards Francis Manapaul and Brian Buccellato's departure from The Flash. After such an impressive run, will DC hand the title off to? And what really keeps us reading a title: the characters or the creators? 

Mike Rocket Girl #1 & Battling Boy HC Greg Afterlife With Archie #1 & Best American Comics 2013

In a time when so much attention is paid to 'heroes' who seem less and less deserving of the phrase, Mike and Greg take a look at a graphic novel telling the beginnings of a real-life crusader for truth and justice. March, the first in a planned trilogy from Top Shelf Productions, tells the story of civil rights activist and current U.S. Congressman John Lewis in his own words, aided by writer Andrew Aydin and adapted into sequential storytelling by Nate Powell. Easily one of the best graphic novels of 2013, March pulls the reader right into one man's journey from bystander to activist, and shows with uncanny skill an America we are long past and yet still frightening close to. 

Mike Trillium #3JLA Earth 2 Deluxe Edition HC GregMarvel Comics: The Untold Story TPB The Star Wars #2