136: The Year the Music Died

Death's holiday is over and he's back, hustlin' like the Blob in a pie-eating contest, so we're saying goodbye this week to the Purple One, Joey Coco, the Artist himself, Prince. Plus, once we're cleaned up and presentable, we hit THEY'RE NOT LIKE US in Comic Book Club, recoil in horror at Hollywood whitewashing in a Big Issues segment *AND* finally get our wishes granted when we talk to Jay and Miles (of X-Plain the X-Men) in the Emerald City!

#leavesuealone

Seriously, Death...take some personal time or something. You've done plenty.

ECCC 2016 Day 0(?)

What day is it even...we have no idea. As Emerald City Comic Con opens in Seattle, Image pulls of the heist of the century by kickstarting con a day early with Image Expo! We talk the announcements from that, run down a bit of the week's news, review Black Panther #1 (hot from the shelves!), and we let you know where we'll be this weekend at ECCC! PLUS, another installment of Comic Book Club where we gawp in awe at Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross's Marvels!

What exactly *is* up with Geoff Johns?

129: A Match Made in Haven

Start preppin' with us this week as we cover Ed Brisson and Jonnie Christmas's SHELTERED for Comic Book Club! Plus, we announce more guests for ECCC *AND* we talk Black Panther, Young Justice, and the Main Man, Lobo! This ain't your daddy's podcast, fanboy!

A tistich, a tastich, here's the link, ya...

121: Amaterasu Hour

Join the Pantheon this week as we judge The Wicked + The Divine! Laugh as Kal says "Amaterasu" wrong 157 times! Jeer as Mika runs the gauntlet of The Mark Waid Superman Quiz! Nod satisfactorily to yourself as we once again talk Deadpool and the Expanse! When people ask if I liked The Faust Act, I say "It was Goethe!"

And when people ask how low I'll stoop for a pun, I say "Marlowe".

113: Iffy Cakes

We're back and...mostly confident as we talk about Warren Ellis's TREES! Plus, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, X-Men: Apocalypse and all kinds of nerd chatter! Speak your mind, Red 2!

Stay in there, Wedge! You're doing great!

The Con before the Storm

San Diego Comic Con is looming on the horizon and this is our chance to get some stories in before the deluge of SDCC news starts. Selling point: NEWS THUNDERDOME. Also, we review the first trade of Image's Dark Engine and we talk about what exactly is going on in SF publishing. Batten down the hatches!



Thar she blows!

Divine Intervention

Image via

I finally joined the cool kids and read the first 7 issues of The Wicked + The Divine. One word: phenomenal. (If you aren't already reading it--start right now. Why are you still reading this?! Read this comic!!) Ahem... The comic follows "The Pantheon"--twelve human teenagers who become gods with super human abilities. These gods are pop stars and have many adoring fans. With their new found powers and fame, what could possibly go wrong for these teen idols? Once you become a god, you only have two years to live. "The Recurrence" cycle happens every ninety years. 

Kieron Gillen writes a well paced and captivating story. The protagonist and audience surrogate, Laura, is a typical teenager who just happens to befriend her favorite pop idols. At the heart of the story, there is an unsolved mystery surrounding the members of the Pantheon. Laura will stop at nothing to unravel the Gordian Knot of lies and deceit. I love Jaime McKelvie's art--fresh, vibrant, and very stylized. It invokes the feel of a vivid, engrossing pop/rock music video.

The characters are well developed and diverse. I love how the Pantheon is made up of gods native to myths from all over the world. Yes, they are gods, but they are also teenagers. Rebellious free spirits who act invisible, but have a shorter leash then they think. Even gods have their limits. A lot of the gods invoke real life musical idols. Baal reminds me of Kanye West. Cocky, confident, charming, and talented. Inanna is definitely modeled after Prince. Hair coiffed, vibrant ruffled outfits, and his word bubbles are even in purple. One of my favorite characters is Lucifer--Luci for short. She is a bad ass anti hero. Trust me--you will love her.

Issue number 8 hits stands today, February 25th, and I cannot wait to read it. Run out to your local comic book shop today and pick up TW+TD!! You won't regret it. Have you read The Wicked + The Divine? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Image via Issue 8 Cover