A critical re-evaluation of comic books from about 1985 to 2000… including, of course, the boom and bust of the '90s! Go beyond the chromium covers and grim 'n' gritty cliches for a deeper look at one of the most divisive periods in comics history. Hosts Justin Zyduck and Jim Cannon share context, commentary, and a few laughs on the first and third Wednesdays of each month.
https://linktr.ee/ironageofcomics
Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 2 days 9 hours 27 minutes
episode 25: Squadron Supreme
The story of a faux Justice League who seize control of the United States with the best of intentions only to be undone by the resulting ethical nightmares, Squadron Supreme is sometimes called “Marvel’s Watchmen”: a 12-issue series examining the impact of superheroes on society and deconstructing the genre...
episode 24: Watchmen — Part Two
Our continued deep dive into the comic book that defined the Iron Age begins with a lengthy appreciation of Dave Gibbons’ art and storytelling, then gets into the weeds talking about the novel’s themes, worldbuilding, and its legacy of superhero deconstructionism. We’ll also discuss the ownership dispute over the rights to Watchmen, and the various adaptations, sequels, and prequels that exist today because of that ownership dispute...
episode 23: Watchmen — Part One
What’s left to say about Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ novel Watchmen? Plenty, as it turns out! In our first of two episodes on the subject, we talk about the changes in the larger comics industry that needed to be in place for Watchmen to exist, consider the degree to which the series relies (or doesn’t) on the Charlton Action Heroes for inspiration, and finally do a deep dive on the major characters and what drives them...
Fifth Week Bonus #4: The Saga of Crystar, Crystal Warrior
This fifth Wednesday, the Iron Age boys throw a bit of a curveball by taking a look at an obscure fantasy series from the early 1980s! Designed to serve what was perceived as an untapped audience for Marvel and entice toy manufacturers to create a line of licensed tie-in action figures, The Saga of Crystar, Crystal Warrior throws a few curveballs of its own with a somewhat conceptually abstract central conflict and an antagonist who's more of a victim of circumstance than your standard...
episode 22: Hellboy: Seed of Destruction
Artist Mike Mignola made his first foray into creator-owned work with Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, a 1994 miniseries for Dark Horse’s Legend imprint. In time, Mignola would be responsible for every aspect of Hellboy’s adventures, turning him and the B.R.P.D into a miniature comic book industry, but for this initial story, Mignola turned to Iron Age stalwart John Byrne to help with the scripting...
episode 21: Deadpool #11
When up-and-coming writer Joe Kelly got the keys to Deadpool’s first solo series, he subverted fan expectations by downplaying the character’s connections to the larger X-franchise. Similarly, he decided to fulfill the constant requests for the Merc with a Mouth to team-up with Spider-Man in a way nobody expected...
episode 20: Hawkworld
Forget whatever you think you know about Hawkman! Tim Truman’s 1989 prestige format miniseries Hawkworld drew from inspirations including cop shows, Vietnam War movies, and The Count of Monte Cristo to update the winged warrior’s Silver Age origin for a grittier, more grounded era. The result is a science fiction adventure offering a critique of imperialism and class inequality that resonates just as strongly today...
episode 19: Animal Man by Grant Morrison — Book One
Riding the wave of comics’ “British Invasion” of the 1980s, Grant Morrison made their mark on U.S. superhero comics with the unlikely reinvention of an obscure DC Comics do-gooder...
episode 18: X-Men: The Animated Series (with Guest Cameron Kunzelman)
As popular as the X-Men were in the comics industry during the Iron Age, the 1992 Saturday-morning cartoon adaptation found its way into more homes than the source material ever did, and it continues to be a nostalgic favorite for many X-fans. We invited our first-ever guest, Cameron Kunzelman (co-host of Just King Things, Shelved By Genre, and other shows on the Ranged Touch podcast network) to offer a fresh perspective...
episode 17: Thunderbolts: Justice, Like Lightning
With the Avengers and Fantastic Four temporarily outsourced to Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee in 1997, Marvel touted the ostensibly brand-new heroes of the Thunderbolts as the next big thing to a somewhat skeptical comics readership. The legendary twist ending to the first issue made the book into an overnight success but sometimes overshadows the work Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley did on the rest of the series, making this comic worth a re-examination...