PODCAST EPISODES

Hosted in Perth, Western Australia by Kris Bather and Mladen Luketin. All the episodes so far are listed below and can be listened to in any order.

#90 – OUR GRAND FINALE! – Our last episode after two and a half years. Lost of laughs and rambling thoughts!

#89 – TEN FAVE COMIC BOOK FILMS –  Our selections may surprise you, with foreign films, animated movies and only three superhero entries on our list. Also, our guilty pleasures and worst films.

#88 – ARE SUPERHEROES RELEVANT? –  Our examination of the role superheroes play, a look at their origins and what the genre does to stay in touch with a changing readership.

#87 – LONG LOST CHARACTERS –  We ask whatever happened to characters such as Shermy from Peanuts, Batman’s mute mechanic Harold, Superman’s pals and many more.

#86 – IMAGE COMICS – Our Top Ten to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the diverse, and successful publisher.

#85 – RACE RELATIONS –  We examine the history of minority characters in superhero comics and look at characters such as the new Spider-Man, Blue Beetle, Luke Cage, and Black Panther.

#84 – STRANGE TEAM-UPS –  Tarzan, Predator, Superman, Cerebus, Batman, He-Man, The Mask, Godzilla, Archie and various combinations thereof!

#83 – FEMALE CREATORS –  That about says it all, but we look at Finder, Persepolis, A Distant Soil and many more.

#82 – JIM HENSON –  Recent works published by Archaia inspired by Jim Henson, including a Dark Crystal prequel, and Storyteller anthology.

#81 – META-COMICS –  We look at comics and characters that break the fourth wall including the work of Grant Morrison, whacky characters like Deadpool, Ambush Bug and more.

#80 – MULTI-DISCIPLINE WRITERS –  These days many comics writers also write films, plays, TV shows or novels. We examine a few examples, and also look at celebrities who write comics.

#79 – UNFINISHED PROJECTS –  From Kevin Smith to Alan Moore to William S Burroughs we look at projects that have yet to start or finish, including series featuring Batman, Wonder Woman, Daredevil and many more.

#78 – CREATIVE DEPARTURES –  We examine some surprising career choices, with creators producing unexpected comics, featuring cats, robot kids and vampires.

#77 – HABIBI REVIEW – Craig Thompson’s latest book after wowing us with Blankets is a deep exploration of religion, sex and much more,although it does have its problems.

#76 – CREATIVE DIFFERENCES –  Infamously messy writer/artist break-ups, the business behind a creative divorce, and what becomes of their creations

#75 – Review: Jack Kirby & Joe Simon’s YOUNG ROMANCE – We examine the great Fantagraphics collection of romance comics by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby from the 1940s and 50s.

#74 – Movie Review: TINTIN – Our review of Spielberg and Jackson’s big budget film interpretation of Herge’s popular creation.

#73 – 2011 RECAP –  Our look back at the news, trends and dead superheroes of 2011.

#72 – BEST COMICS OF 2011 – Our favourite comics of 2011 including best new series, ongoing, OGN, film adaptation and more.

#71 – CHRISTMAS GIFTS –  We recommend a few comic related gifts to buy those new to the medium in your life, across all tastes.

#70 – UNREAD STACK – We all have a pile of shame on our bookshelves – those comics that we bought ages ago that we haven’t read yet. We look at ours and ask why they’re gathering dust.

#69 – 1950s SCI-FI – Daring adventurers, questionable technology, tales with messages and more as we look at heroes such as Dan Dare, Jeff Hawke and others.

#68 – ENDINGS – What happens to our favourite superheroes such as Hulk, Wolverine, Superman and Spider-Man decades into the future when they’re old and grey?

#67 – DAMSELS IN DISTRESS – The history of the character trope, the role it fills and its sometimes embarrassing history.

#66 – WAR – From WW1, Vietnam and beyond, tales of modern warfare. Grizzled pilots, psychological horrors, embedded journalists under fire, chimps with guns, and the shift from adventure to subversive realism in war comics. Also, a discussion on Frank Miller’s “Holy Terror”.

#65 – CHUCK DIXON – Creator profile of one of the most prolific mercenary writers of the late 90s, shaper of the Bat-verse and gun for hire. His writing style, his controversial politics, his unabashed criticisms of his superiors, and his blacklisting from both Marvel & DC are dissected.

#64 – OLD DC DEBUTS – Comparing DC debuts from now and ten years ago, we look at the old and new versions of Hawk and Dove, Suicide Squad and some forgotten DC series premieres such as Lab Rats and Firebrand. What makes a good #1, and how do they work in a business sense?

#63 – MANGA FOR BEGINNERS – We guide you through the differences between manga and western art, where to start (for a western audience) and some great high concept examples of the artform.

SPECIAL: The C-List Podcast – C-list Comic Characters – We join The C-List as guests to discuss crazy and forgotten comics characters.

#62 – ARKHAM ASYLUM – Gotham’s madhouse, its best stories and craziest inmates.

#61 – 1930s AND 40s – It was an explosive time of enterprising in American comics, featuring wild forgotten pulp characters, crazy justice and whacky concepts, and all drawn with deadly seriousness.

#60 – SEX SCENES – From laughable superhero romance, to European comics to manga and anime, we look at the raunchy, disturbing and weird sex scenes in comics, and why Sex is such a taboo in comics.

#59 – DONALD DUCK AND DUCKTALES – Fantagraphics’ collection of classic Carl Bark’s Donald Duck stories and BOOM!’s modern DuckTales series.

#58 – STAR WARS – Comic artist Luke Milton (of the C-List Podcast) joins Mladen to talk about all things STAR WARS, covering the comics, expanded universe, prequels, original films and the multiple ‘special editions’.

#57 – AQUATIC Characters and Stories – Aquaman, Namor, One Piece and many more. Comics all about those who dwell and seek adventure on, under, or around the sea!

#56 – COMICS WE WANNA SEE – Our dream comic projects, forgotten franchises, and creators we WANT to see on titles!

#55 – READ COMICS IN PUBLIC – In time for “International Read Comics in Public Day”, we dissect the intentions behind the day, good advice for the hows and the whys of doing it, the public stigma aimed at manga, and argue whether comic books are a dying format.

#54 – GENRE MASHUPS – Werewolves vs Vampires vs Aliens vs Predator vs Ninjas vs Everything else! How the popular genre of ‘mashups’ can be an awesome sandwich or a cynical way to steal your money.

#53 – Reviews: THE DEEP, and LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN – CENTURY: 1969 – Two very different comics. The Deep, the new all-ages adventure from Gestalt Comics, and the weird and raunchy League of Extraordinary Gentlemen-Century: 1969.

#52 – CATS – Our feline focus on cat-themed characters! Catwoman, Catman, Black Panther, Doraemon, Apocalypse Meow, Garfield and many more. Also, race in superhero comics, and DC’s controversial problems with female readers and creators.

#51 – Review: OLD CITY BLUES & this year’s EISNER WINNERS – A review of the new original graphic novel “Old City Blues” by Giannis Milonogiannis from Archaia Press, and a discussion on this year’s Eisner winners.

#50 – The first mini-milestone!  – Lots of San Diego Comic Con news and reviews in celebration of our 50th episode! Includes: APOLLO’S SONG, X-MEN SCHISM, Harlan Ellison’s WATCHING, WONDERWOMAN: DC RETROACTIVE, GOGO MONSTER, Charles Burns’ BIG BABY, and CONAN: ISLE OF NO RETURN.

#49 – BAD TASTE – Joined DAVE JACKSON & PIERRE from Melbourne comic MODERN GENTLEMEN to discuss objectionable content in comics.

#48 – JULY PREVIEWS – We recommend some goodies from the July Previews catalogue, showing stuff that’s being released in September.

#47 – SWAMP THING – We go green in our episode delving in the murky backstory of DC’s Swamp Thing.

#46 – Reviews: LIAR’S KISS, and HOMELAND DIRECTIVE – We review two great OGNs from Top Shelf; the noir Liar’s Kiss and thriller The Homeland Directive.

#45 – GREEN LANTERN – It’s all about Green Lantern – the mythos, men, women and the strange alien creatures across the cosmos who wield the power rings.

#44 – X-MEN in FILM & TELEVISION – Joined by Special guest: MATT of the SEQUELCAST PODCAST, our X-Men special looks at the films and cartoons over the years starring the merry mutants.

#43 – DC COMICS RELAUNCH – DC Comics is relaunching their entire superhero line. Whoa. Speculations abound!

#42 – DISCWORLD COMICS – We check out the rare comics based on Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, and review the debuts of Rocketeer Adventures and Strange Adventures.

#41 – Interview: EDDIE DEIGHTON & ANDI EWINGTON of COM.X – Our interview with the English writers of the 45 (OGN) spinoff “BlueSpear”, Eddie Deighton and Andi Ewington.

#40 – DRUGS – Whether as a Public Service Announcement or a journey into the the shared hallucinogenic subconscious, Drugs are a topic that comics keep returning to.

#39 – FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2011 – We review a whole lot of offerings from this year’s event, and pick out our favourites.

#38 – SEX & BODY IMAGE – How male and female characters are represented in Superhero comics, and the extent to which they can be considered ‘sexist’.

#37 – Analysing: KINGDOM COME, and movie review of THOR – The Thor film and a debate on the merits of DC’s classic superhero epic Kingdom Come.

#36 – Review: ROMBIES #1, HAPPINESS IS A WARM BLANKET CHARLIE BROWN – Zombies in Rombies #1 and the Peanuts OGN Happiness Is A Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown are our featured reviews.

#35 – PARODIES – Parodies such as Justice League International, Super Human Resources,  Tank Girl, Rex Libris and more.

#34 – Review: MAN & ELEPHANTMEN and NONPLAYER #1 – Two brand new comics, Nonplayer and Man and Elephantman from Image Comics.

#33 – TIE IN COMICS – Tie-in comics always try to sell you stuff, whether its video games, TV shows or movies.

#32 – COMICS ARE COOL (should we be glad?) – Joined by guest Gianni, we attempt to work out just how did liking comics became cool and trendy, who is to blame/thank, and how long will it last?

#31 – BUYING HABITS – The how and why of comics purchasing habits and how it’s changed over the years.

#30 – STRANGE LANDS – Strangers in a strange land. We look at the tourists in comics, from Tintin, Asterix, Vertigo’s Air, The Books of Magic, Earthboy Jacobus and Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea.

#29 – MUSIC in COMICS – The overlap of music and comics, with Comic Book Tattoo, Modno Urbano, Kid Koala, Matt Madden, Alan Moore (and more and more).

#28 – LOVE in COMICS – Love is in the air! Our romance special. Blankets, Shortcomings, and OGN: Ivy.

#27 – Summer Tears 1, Modern Gentlemen 3, Thorgal, When the Wind Blows, Superman 80 Page Giant, and the new status quo of Batman and Robin.

#26 – ACTION in COMICS – Our examination at how action is portrayed in sequential art, from the different techniques between Manga and Western comics, to the change in action comics from the early days to today.

#25 – YEAR IN FOCUS: 1986 – The year 1986 was a turning point which made a big impact on the world of comics. We set the scene and examine how and why.

#24 – TALKING ANIMALS – Our talking animals special including Ninja Turtles, suicidal Mickey Mouse, Elephantmen, Sam and Max and more.

#23 – Star Wars, The Simpsons, Swamp Thing and Alan Moore vs Jason Aaron.

#22 – BEST COMICS OF 2010 – We list our fave comics of 2010 – and our worst.

#21 – CHRISTMAS COMICS! – Our fave whacky and wonderful Christmas comics!

#20 – Movie Review: TRON LEGACY – Our differing opinion on an expensive 3d movie, also: Magus, Sandman and Black Panther.

#19 – CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE – Our Holiday guide for the prepared shopper, as well as Kull: The Hate Witch, A Skeleton Story and hard-science fiction manga 2001 Nights.

#18 – DEFINITIONS: COMIC or GRAPHIC NOVEL? – Secret Origin doco on DC Comics’ history, Mark Schultz’s classic Xenozoic, all-ages Marineman, Batwoman and we define the differences between comics and graphic novels.

#17 – Reviews: Image’s FIREBREATHER, Dynamite’s VAMPIRELLA  – The Vampirella relaunch from Dynamite, Image’s Firebreather, classic Star Trek films, El Borbah and Ooku.

#16 – DETECTIVES – Our special dedicated to detectives in comics. Including Blacksad, Dylan Dog, Dick Tracy, Ms. Tree and MUCH more.

#15 – Documentary review: GRANT MORRISON, TALKING WITH GODS – The new doco on writer Grant Morrison, wild Mesmo Delivery Service, Toy Story, The Unwritten, Image superhero series Halcyon and a lot of news.

#14 – Review: SUPERMAN EARTH ONE – With special guest GIANNI. An in depth discussion of the new look at the origin of the Man of Steel in the Superman Earth One graphic novel, horror series Abattoir, the weird dreamscape of X’ed Out, new British comics magazine Clint and the much delayed comic about a beloved Serenity character.

#13 – New Creepy 1, Superman and Captain America movie costumes, My Best Friend is a Wookiee, Judge Dredd and a look at January 2011 goodies.

#12 – HORROR COMICS – Our Halloween special! We look at the history of horror comics, plus some of our fave horror series, such as The Goon, Domu, Strange Embrace and heaps more.

#11 – Review: PARKERL THE OUTFIT and OGN 45 – with special guest GIANNI. We discuss comics retailing, The Outfit by Darwyn Cooke, the unique 45 OGN, new Marvel TV series, Superior, Lady Mechanika and more.

#10 – Wonder Woman TV series, Watchmen director on Superman film reboot, cheaper comics from Marvel and DC, The Fountain comic adaptation, Ultimate Thor #1, Biomega Vol. 3, Uncanny X-Force #1, Winter World, plus our picks from the goodies being released in December.

#09 – Shake-ups within DC Comics, Frank Castle 21, works by Meobius and Phillipe Druilet, Smallville’s Chloe Sullivan make her printed debut and a History of Violence and the animated classic Fire and Ice.

#08 – Reviews: EMI TOWN, SEA BEAR & GRIZZLY SHARK – Also: Skullkickers #1, Thor #615, and Regis Loisel’s Peter Pan.

#07 – WORDLESS COMICS – From comedy to drama to the arty and experimental. Also: the new Daredevil, Watchmen writer Alan Moore’s message to aliens and the soap opera/superhero drama of Smallville.

#06 – COMICS FROM OUR CHILDHOOD – Including classic X-titles, Spider-Man unmasked and in bellbottoms, Superman vs Muhammad Ali, Beavis and Butthead, The Phantom, superpowered Simpsons and more.

#05 – FATHERS IN COMICS – It’s all about the ranging depictions of dads in comics including Sandman, Batman, Kickass, Preacher, Hulk and a heap more.

#04 – Studio Ghibli, Marvel film news, The Darkness: Four Horsemen, Gaston LaGaffe, indie OGN Power Out and the classic works of Winsor McCay.

#03 – TOP 10 POLITICAL COMICS – Also: Magazines from Alan Moore and Mark Millar, The Phantom (both old and new), Scott Pilgrim zaniness, and the obligatory much more.

#02 – VANITY PROJECTS – Also: Spider-Man the musical, KING! #1, Batman: Under the Red Hood DVD, Black Hole, and more than you can shake a stick at.

#01 – Animated film review: SUPERMAN/BATMAN PUBLIC ENEMIES and LARGE FORMAT COMICS – (Pood, Prince Valiant and Wednesday Comics) and so much more.