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
Fifth Week Bonus #3: Spider-Man Unlimited
The first issue of the web-slinger's quarterly fifth-week title kicked off the 1993 14-part crossover "Maximum Carnage," but Spider-Man Unlimited #1's supersized page count left room for two whole backup stories as well. We talk plenty about the main feature's giant fang monsters and unconvincing serial killers, but also dig into the very nature of the anthology superhero comic and ponder what it could be capable of.
episode 16: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Before they were a multimillion-dollar media and licensing franchise, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were just a funny idea that two young artists in Western Massachusetts introduced in a black-and-white book with a 3,000-copy print run. For one of your hosts, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s original series is a longtime favorite by a pair of hometown heroes; the other is coming in fresh, having only ever seen the cartoon and movie adaptations...
episode 15: Captain America: Operation Rebirth
At a time in the mid-1990s when the Avengers franchise struggled for attention against the industry-defining X-Men and Image titles, Mark Waid and Ron Garney somehow pulled off one of the most celebrated Captain America runs of all time…until it was cut short to make way for Rob Liefeld’s “Heroes Reborn” revamp...
episode 14: Elektra: Assassin
Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz, at the height of their powers and industry clout, took advantage of the creative freedom offered by Marvel’s Epic imprint to produce the highly experimental (and somewhat improvisational) eight-issue miniseries, Elektra: Assassin, a dark comedy taking aim at politics, spycraft, ninjas, and the media...
episode 13: Static: Trial by Fire and Milestone Media
Thirty years ago, Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Derek Dingle, and Michael Davis founded Milestone Media to try to encourage diversity both on the comics page and in the talent pool. Static (minus the “Shock” at this point) was deliberately conceived of as a youthful Spider-Man figure for a new generation and went on to become the publisher’s most enduring character...
episode 12: Ultimate Spider-Man and the End of the Iron Age
If the Iron Age begins with the Crisis/Dark Knight/Watchmen trifecta, where does it end? In this episode, we propose a turning point: Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley...
episode 11: Marvel Knights Daredevil: Guardian Devil
In the late '90s, Marvel was struggling through a bankruptcy and looking for innovative ways to boost sales and find a wider audience. They turned to hot artists Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti, who enlisted their pal, indie screenwriter and director Kevin Smith, to relaunch Daredevil to mainstream media coverage...
Fifth Week Bonus #2: Superman: The Man of Tomorrow
Another fifth week is upon us, the perfect excuse to take a quick-hit look at one of DC Comics' actual fifth-week bonuses: Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #1, first of an ongoing quarterly title designed to ensure a Superman book came out each and every week of the year. We examine this curious artifact of a publishing strategy the market will no longer bear, along with a brief overview of Superman's subplot-laden "Triangle Era" in general. This mini-episode answers the two big questions: 1...
episode 10: Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals
Wonder Woman is perhaps the most iconic female character in comics and one of the few superheroes to remain in continuous publication since the Golden Age, but Diana of Themyscira has had an uneven and somewhat rocky creative history. Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, George Pérez took it upon himself to radically reinvent the character with co-plotter and scripter Greg Potter, emphasizing her mythological roots and attempting to address the patriarchy and its impulse to war...
episode 9: Marvels
At the height of the grim ‘n’ gritty superhero craze, Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross offered fans a nostalgic but innovative look at the superheroes of yesteryear with their 1994 miniseries, Marvels. Through a combination of man-on-the-street perspective and near-photorealist painting, this series brought Marvel’s Golden and Silver Ages to life like never before. Today, Marvels is rightly celebrated as an all-time classic, but we’ll take a look at how unusual this series was for its time.....