Podcast - Episode 73: The Image Revolution

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Dave and I have decided to not do a Best of 2016 episode this year because those things are BORING.

Instead, we have taken a trip back to a simpler time by watching the 2014 documentary, THE IMAGE REVOLUTION, about the creation of Image Comics in the 1990s.

The documentary features clips from the 1991 series, The Comic Book Greats, which was hosted by Stan Lee. You can see full episodes of Stan the Man talking to "greats" like Todd McFarlane and Rob Liefeld on YouTube:

I didn't really read superhero comics that much in the 90s because they were so ugly and confusing and just didn't appeal to me at all. Besides the occasional Jim Lee X-Man comic, I mostly ignored them. Most of my 90s superhero intake was in animated form.

As a result, comic books in the 90s have always just baffled me. It's a bizarre island where no attention was paid to storytelling or art or character development. And yet it was the most successful the comic book industry has ever been.

But, like all things that are all flash and no substance, the bottom fell out hard. Fortunately, Image was able to continue on, and even flourish, and today is a place where some of the top talent in the industry have the ability to tell their stories the way they want to tell them. As much as we roll our eyes at the comics Image was putting out in the 90s, the idea of Image as a publishing house for creator-owned properties was important and is responsible for some of the best comics on the stands today.

Enjoy! We'll be back next week to talk about Rogue One!

Podcast - Episode 54: Batman: Hush

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Oh man. It's the one you've been waiting for. Or, the one we've been waiting for anyway. The 12-issue Jeph Loeb/Jim Lee hot mess that you can't help but love, Batman: Hush!

Just a couple of things real quick before I post some helpful Hush images.

Here is the link to the interview where Sebastian Stan talks about over-doing it on the bulking up for Civil War. It's from the GQ Style interview that I posted a few weeks ago. Here's that specific part of that Q&A:

He's wrong about the fitted jeans not looking good anymore.

Here's a Nicola Scott tweet, acknowledging that Beefcake Steve Trevor is the best Steve Trevor:

Ok, all aboard the crazy train to Hush station!

First, this is that double page spread I was trying to describe where Batman is looking, um, pretty busy but still has a hard time staying focused (based on his rambling interior monologue). 

And this is a great example of what Jim Lee thinks appropriate business attire for women is:

Poor, poor Lois.

And here is Bruce Wayne using his excellent detective skills, first noticing the subtle changes in the opera performance he's attending with Selina:

And here he is determining that the man in his arms with a hole in his forehead is DEAD:

Oh, Batman: Hush. You are the best.

I am sure I forgot to mention many things in our conversation about this. I mean, I know for sure that I forgot to mention the fact that Bruce Wayne borrows Lois Lane's work computer to OPEN UP A CHAT ROOM TO TALK SECRETLY TO ORACLE!!!!

This comic, you guys.

Ok, so Dave and I are taking a week off while he goes to SDCC, and then we'll be back to talk about Doctor Strange: The Oath.