Deconstructing Comics

#319 “The Maxx” (RIP Sam Kieth)

FLASHBACK! Even amidst the anything-goes craziness of the early Image years, Sam Kieth’s The Maxx was an outlier. While it included some superhero tropes, it wasn’t really a superhero book, nor was it like much of anything else on the market, then or now. While it definitely has its weaknesses, Kumar and Dana confirm this week that it was absolutely mind-blowing…and emotionally affecting. Marking Sam Kieth’s death on March 15, we re-present this episode. (Originally published May 28, 2012.) Brought to you by: The Quick and the Dad Our supporters on Patreon

#870 Steranko’s “Nick Fury,” pt 1: Spy or superhero?

Somehow it’s taken us 20 years of podcasting to get to Jim Steranko’s fabled run on Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. But is the early stuff really so fabled? There’s lots of action and it’s exciting, but don’t dare think about it too much, because the seat-of-the-pants plotting is all over the map, and the anatomy drawing sometimes leaves something to be desired. Still, as you go issue by issue, you start to see new ideas coming to him as he starts to innovate with Marvel’s Jack Kirby house style. Tim and Kumar discuss the “Fury” stories in Strange Tales 154-163. Brought to you by: Waxy Buildup podcast Our supporters on Patreon

#325 Alan Moore’s “Swamp Thing”

FLASHBACK! Due perhaps to the passage of time, poorly handled reprinting by DC, or some other reason, Alan Moore’s writing stint on Swamp Thing in the 1980s does not seem to get mentioned much today. Which is a shame, because it ranks with Moore’s best work. And the art by Stephen Bissette and John Totleben (and able fill-in artists) is worth the price of admission by itself, not to mention Tatjana Wood’s colors. Tim and Kumar had a blast reading the early issues of the run (#21-37) and are here to share the experience with you. (Originally published July 16, 2012.) Brought to you by: Full Manga Alchemists Our supporters on Patreon

#869 Jack Kirby’s Black Panther #1-2: A Ribbit-ing Time Travel Story

We begin our look at Jack Kirby‘s Black Panther series from the 1970s, introducing a new Kirby character who’s a bit too similar to one who first appeared in Captain America! Panther has somehow gotten mixed up in the search for the mate to King Solomon’s Frog, an oddball time travel device. The mate is used to return people to their proper point in time. Tim and Emmet discuss the first two issues of the run and how Kirby’s Panther dialog just doesn’t seem quite right to the modern Marvel reader. Brought to you by: The Quick and the Dad Our supporters on Patreon

#868 “The Pass”: Are you living the dream, or is the dream killing you?

Sometimes, achieving your dream can be kind of a nightmare, even though it’s also rewarding. Claudia, in Katriona Chapman‘s latest graphic novel The Pass, has started her own restaurant and enjoys creating in the kitchen, but everything else that goes with it wears her down. The book gives us a peek at the ups and downs of running a restaurant and the relationships that form behind the scenes. Tim and Emmet review. Tim and Emmet on Katriona’s 2020 book Breakwater Kumar and Emmet discuss Dorohedoro Tim interviews Lucy Knisley Brought to you by: TV Tangents podcast Our supporters on Patreon