Category: Kumar’s reviews

#384 R. Crumb’s “Weirdo” Years Revisited

Crumb Weirdo

FLASHBACK! Weirdo was a magazine started by R. Crumb, which featured Crumb’s work alongside that of a number of other underground-type comics creators. Crumb’s work from Weirdo’s 28 issues was collected in 2013 as R. Crumb: The Weirdo Years, 1981-’93, released in the U.S. by Last Gasp. It features an astonishing variety of comics work, from Crumb rants and confessionals to a 1906 psychiatric report on sexual deviancy, fumetti, parodies, and more. This is a book that Deconstructing Comics can’t help but review, so this week Kumar and Tim do their podcasting duty! (Originally published December 16, 2013.)

R. Crumb’s Snapshots: Source Material of the Legendary Comic Artist (TIME.com)

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#875 Swamp Thing in Spaaaaace

Swamp Thing

At last we complete our look at Alan Moore‘s Swamp Thing run, looking at Swampy’s battle with Gotham City, his seeming death, and his travels through space. Along the way, Tim and Kumar have totally different takes on a certain issue, and Tim finds a fact about it that scandalizes Kumar. Join us as we traverse The Saga of the Swamp Thing issues 51-64!

What are those folks on Rann saying?

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#546 “The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye”

The Art of Charlie Chan Hock ChyeFLASHBACK! Why read a biography of a fictional comics artist? What if it’s also a history of Singapore — done in a style that apes more than a dozen seminal 20th century comics creators? Tim and Kumar take a look at the awe-inspiring (yet sometimes puzzling) Sonny Liew graphic novel The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye. (Originally published May 8, 2017.)

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#627 Walt Simonson’s “Thor”

Thor by Simonson

FLASHBACK! One of the most acclaimed Marvel runs of the 1980s was by Walt Simonson on The Mighty Thor. He began writing and drawing it with #337, continued through to #367 (with a quick break in the middle), then gave up art duties but continued writing through #382. This run set aside Dr. Don Blake, focused on mythical threats rather than earthly ones, and injected some humor into what had sometimes been a fairly dry, dour book. Tim and Kumar look back to assess this important run. (Originally published June 26, 2019.)

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#850 “Fantastic Four: First Steps” (2025): Did it live up to the hype?

FF First Steps

We’ve been building up to it for months with our reviews of previous Fantastic Four movies. Now it’s here, the FF’s debut in the MCU, Fantastic Four: First Steps. How well did it scratch that FF itch? Kumar and Jordan once again join Tim to review the film, and discuss how it stacks up against the others (including the unreleased 1994 version).

One idea about what “Subzero Intel” might mean

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#847 “Angel and the Ape”: Forgotten, but not gone

Angel and the Ape - 3 versions

In the 1960s, both Marvel and DC tried publishing humor books, often in a style reminiscent of MAD Magazine. One of these was DC’s Angel and the Ape, about a beautiful young woman and a comics-artist gorilla who run a detective agency. While it only survived for 7 issues (with two title changes!) in 1968-69, somehow it got a Phil Foglio reboot in 1991, and showed up again as a Vertigo book in 2001, co-written by Howard Chaykin and David Tischman. While it’s hard to explain the existence of these revivals, comparing the three versions gives us an appreciation of the changes in the US comics industry over 35 years. Tim and Kumar discuss.

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#839 The Fantastic Four on Film: “Rise of the Silver Surfer” (2007)

Rise of the Silver Surfer

This week we look at the movie that was based on the “Galactus Trilogy” of Fantastic Four #48-50, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. How does it stand up against the comics, and against the 2005 film? How do we feel about Galactus being a cloud of smoke? Does Doom finally have a real plan in this one? Once again, Tim is joined by Kumar and Jordan of the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast to dig into this film, as we count down to the upcoming MCU debut of the FF.

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#838 The Fantastic Four on Film: The Galactus Trilogy

FF 50 cover

One of the most famous Fantastic Four stories is the “Galactus Trilogy” from Fantastic Four 48-50 in 1966. This story has been adopted more than once, including in the 1990s FF cartoon, and in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Leading into our discussion of that movie next week, this week Tim, Kumar, and Jordan, in another crossover with the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast, look at the original comics story. While it’s been quite lauded, and very influential, why can it also be considered flawed?

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#836 “Clyde Fans” reviewed by two fans

Clyde Fans

In Clyde Fans by Seth, two brothers run a fan company for fifty years. One might expect it to be prosaic, but instead it’s an immersive and epic exploration of the sense and meaning of life, every life, even when it’s not apparent on the surface. Kumar and Dana ask the big questions.

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#831 The Fantastic Four on Film: “Fantastic Four” (2005) pt 2: What does Doom want?!

FF 2005 pt 2

While the 2005 film Fantastic Four gives us, debatably, a well-casted group of heroes, with plenty of comics-accurate details, the script does no favors to Dr. Doom. What are his goals, other than “taking everything back” from Reed? Why is he a CEO instead of a despot? Who the heck gives a frightening metal mask as a thank-you gift?? This time, Tim, Kumar, and Jordan (in a crossover with the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast) conclude their look at this film, and cap it off with a review of its endless development process.

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