Podcast - Episode 118: Superhero Starting Points, Pt. 2

Time to use our comic book brains to come up with some recommendations of where new readers might want to start with some popular superheroes! This week we are making recs for Thor, the Justice League, and Daredevil.

So, I realized after recording this episode that we failed to mention Darwyn Cooke's The New Frontier as recommended Justice League reading. Obviously that is a fantastic starting point for the Justice League, and for DC characters in general. Hell, for superheroes in general. Anyway, we've talked about The New Frontier a lot. You know how we feel about it.

Here's what we do recommend for each character:

Thor

Thor The Mighty Avenger by Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee.
Thor by Walt Simonson
Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic
Thor/The Mighty Thor by Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman
The Unworthy Thor by Jason Aaron and Oliver Coipel

Justice League

JLA by Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Howard Porter, et al.
JLA: Earth 2 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
Justice League International by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire

Daredevil

Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Jansen
Daredevil: Born Again by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
Daredevil by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark et al.
Daredevil by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee et al.

Here are those panels from Justice League of America #9 where Brad Meltzer grossly overestimates the speed of a cheetah:

And you can read all about the time the Justice League invited Metamorpho to try out for membership (in the most insane way possible)

And finally, LOOK HOW GOOD BUCKY LOOKS GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm destroyed.

Thanks for listening!

Cat Week: Scrapperton Buys Comics

For Cat Week, I'm passing my reviewing duties over to my cat, Scrapperton. He's an avid comic reader, although I don't usually trust his opinion because he's basically only interested in comics with cats in them.

His favourite is Grant Morrison's WE3, even though "iz sad" according to him.  I gave Scrapperton a copy of Cat Getting Out of Bag by Jeffery Brown, but he hated it and said "iz not true. All dis is stereotypes."

So, here's what Scrapperton has to say. (I've included some of my comments for clarification.)

Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #1

Scrapperton: Dis one haz a cat in it. Two cats! I luvs it.

Tiina: Yeah? Great!

Scrapperton: I roded on a hippopodamuss once, like da guy in da comic.

Tiina: What are you talking about? No, you didn't!

Scrapperton: Maybe it wuz just a fat guy.

Ghost Projekt #1

Scrapperton: Dis one has a cat.

Tiina: Yup.

Scrapperton: Iz he da bad cat? Did he kills all da baybees?

Tiina: Um, I don't know. I don't think he's to blame. He might be bad though.

Scrapperton: He scratchez da couch. Iz very bad.

DMZ #51

Scrapperton: No cat. I hates it.

Tiina: But besides there being no cats, what did you think?

Scrapperton: Needs more cats.

Batman and Robin #10

Scrapperton: CAT! Anothr cat!

Tiina: Sort of a fancy tiger guy. A little like Bubastis from Watchmen. Remember him?

Scrapperton: Where iz Catwoman?

Breaking Into Comics the Marvel Way #1

Scrapperton: Da title doesn't rilly describe what's inside. And if dis iz da best up and coming artist den Marvel should be wurried. I can't wait 'till Faith Urrrin Hicks has comic in next issue of Girl Comics. She'z waaay better than any of dees guys.

Tiina: Wow, that's pretty insightful, Scrapperton. I was thinking something similar.

Scrapperton: Put dis comic in my box. I poop on it.

Tiina: Oh dear.

Herbie vs. Rorschach

I’ve been reading Dark Horse’s Herbie Archives recently, which collect  the exploits of lollipop-sucking, time-traveling weirdo kid Herbie Popnecker. It’s pretty strange stuff—the so-called “Fat Fury” is seemingly omnipotent and indestructible, not to mention irresistible to any number of beautiful ladies. Herbie travels to other planets, rubs elbows with Gregory Peck and Santa Claus, and helps Christopher Columbus discover America. The whole thing is made even more bizarre by Ogden Whitney’s classic illustrative style, which is kind of at odds with how wacky the stories are. Alan Moore is reportedly a huge fan of the series, and much has been made of the fact that both Herbie and Watchmen protagonist Rorschach share a similar speech pattern, a sort of lazy, disaffected monotone where they skip lots of words. However, I submit to you that the two characters have several more traits in common as well. For instance, both subscribe to a similarly unapologetic, uncompromising personal ethic: 

 

Not to mention, Herbie and Rorschach share a belief in enhanced methods of interrogation and intimidation:

 

Of course, their similar personalities might be a product of childhood trauma—both characters suffered at the hands of tyrannical, abusive parents:

 

No word on whether Herbie enjoys cold beans right out of the can, though. Or whether Rorschach enjoys a nice lollipop once in a while.