#665 Remembering Denny O’Neil

Green Arrow and Green Lantern

This week we take a look back at the career of Denny O’Neil, the longtime comics writer and editor who passed away June 11. Emmet discusses O’Neil’s legacy with Professor Jonathan W. Gray, author of such books as Civil Rights in the White Literary Imagination, and the founding editor of the Journal of Comics and Culture.

O’Neil was a force in the move to turn DC’s iconic but silly characters in a more serious direction — having substance, not only violence. What shaped his worldview? How much of his personal story was in evidence on the page? Was his editing a crucial component of Frank Miller’s best work? And more.

#626 Wolverine ’82: a second look

Wolverine

The 1982 Wolverine mini-series, by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, was seminal in a number of ways: One of the first Marvel minis, a major fleshing-out of Wolverine’s character, a milepost on the road to the expunging of omniscient narration from American comics.

Six years back, Kumar and Dana had a lot of reservations about the story; in this issue, Koom, Rob, and Sam have a different take.

#620 “Daredevil: Born Again”

Daredevil: Born Again came out in 1986, when US mainstream comics were changing in ways that now are either taken for granted or now look a bit antiquated (so much story in so few pages!). Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli were making their mark. But does their storytelling style hold up 33 years later? How does it look alongside Miller’s contemporaneous The Dark Knight Returns? Koom and Rob discuss this classic story arc from Daredevil #226-233.

#590 Chris Stevens and “Once Upon a Time Machine”

Chris Stevens, a comics writer and editor who has co-edited two volumes of the anthology series Once Upon a Time Machine (the second volume is newly released) talks with Koom about Frank Miller’s work, Chris’ time with Philadelphia indy publisher Locust Moon, income inequality among comics creators, and of course, some of the stories he’s edited for the anthologies.

#522 “Give Me Liberty” and the 2016 U.S. Election

givemelibertyFrank Miller and Dave Gibbons’ brilliant Give Me Liberty features a surreal America in the near future that is falling apart. Their Martha Washington, a young black woman raised in a housing project, is a tough, resourceful, heartbreaking heroine who journeys through and ultimately survives this America.

Koom and Kumar reflect upon the neglected classic and its eerie ability to touch upon the spirit of America during this election season. They recorded this podcast after the third presidential debate, when Hilary Clinton seemed likely to win, and joked about the connections. Sometimes, reality has a way of outdoing fiction.

#505 Tiny Daredevil Hands and a Potato-Powered Bike

This week (and next), we turn the mic back on ourselves. What, in terms of comics, are we doing?

Frank Miller’s Daredevil and the Ends of HeroismFirst up, Paul, To the Batpoles co-host and occasional DCP contributor, talks about his book Frank Miller’s Daredevil and the Ends of Heroism , which will be out soon! In it, Paul reflects on how Miller’s Daredevil changed comics — and Paul.

 

 

The Mindgator

 

Then, Mulele catches us up on The Mindgator — soon to be Kickstarting volume 2 — and the new edition of his black cat comic Elbis!

#500 Stephen Bissette: Comics, Movies, and Creator Credits

Steve Bissette with Tim and PaulFive hundred episodes?! Where’d the time go? As has been typical of recent “landmark” episodes, a topic discussion is in order, this time among Tim, Paul, and famed artist, writer, and comics educator Stephen Bissette.

Steve talks about favorite film versions of comics; Mario Bava’s Diabolik; and what would have been a better way to make a Dick Tracy movie? How have certain films utilized “comics” language — even if they weren’t based on actual comics stories? What were some of our most traumatic moments in childhood TV viewing/comics reading?

Then we move on to the struggles that creators of Marvel and DC characters and storylines have had in getting proper credit for the film versions of their stories — especially focusing on Frank Miller and Daredevil. And, why do some fans have so much vitriol for Miller?

#405 Teaching comics as literature

300

It’s been a long time coming, but a fair number of teachers in mainstream American education are finally recognizing that what the comics medium brings to the table can be just as meaty and challenging as the best prose novels. This week we meet Juan Mah y Busch, an Associate Professor at Loyola Marymount University. Juan teaches comics like Frank Miller’s 300 and Anders Nilsen’s Dogs and Water not in special “comics appreciation” courses, but alongside novels like Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” to make other points about cultural history.

How do fellow faculty and administrators react to comics in the classroom? Do students have any trouble with the concept? Why can comics often be better for teaching cultural history than most other media? That and more in this episode!

#392 Writing the Book on Miller’s “Daredevil”

daredevil2Tim Across America pt 2! In Nashville, Tim visits with his brother Paul about his progress on his book about Frank Miller’s Daredevil run. What was Daredevil like before Miller got ahold of the book? What was Miller’s inspiration for making it more of a gritty crime book? How did he end up contradicting his own original take on the character?

Also, a visit with The Great Escape in Madison, TN!

#351 Two Wolverine Milestones

WolverineYet again, Kumar and Dana go all nationalistic to discuss another Canadian icon: the best there is at what he does, th’ ol’ Canucklehead, Wolverine, bub. First on the chopping block is Wolverine (1982) by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, a comic which tries to not be paint-by-numbers, but ends up being little else. And, Barry Windsor-Smith’s Weapon X, which was apparently spawned from a universe in which neither paint nor numbers exist.