ABC Podcast, Episode #40 and visual aids

We are extremely excited to announce that this episode of Awesomed By Comics is sponsored by an official exclusive preview from DC Comics that YOU DO WANT TO MISS. Landridge's Muppet Show charms, Abnett and Lanning deliver across the cosmic board, and Ubu Bubu wraps up with what is easily the most enterprising use of rectal vomit in a comic book this month. Also, we totally sing "Rainbow Connection" at the end of the show, bitches.

Download/subscribe to the show in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.

Cover(s) of the Week

Evie's pick, from Ms. Marvel #37, cover by Phil Jimenez and Chris Chuckry:


Aaron's pick, from Amazing Spider-Man #589, cover by Paulo Siqueira:


Panel(s) of the Week

Aaron's pick, from Runaways #8 by Terry Moore and Takeshi Miyazawa:


Evie's pick, from Muppet Show #1 by Roger Landridge:


Bonus Molly Hayes costume designs from Runaways #8:

Yes, please!

According to a post today on colorist Christina Strain's DeviantArt blog, Hellcat writer Kathryn Immonen will be taking over Runaways as of issue #11. Um, that is AWESOME NEWS. Hellcat was the craziest, most absurd, most whacked-out series of 2008, and I loved every minute even when I had no clue what the fuck Patsy was doing. I can't speak for her long-range plot planning, as that was not really the point of Hellcat, and is a strength of the strongest Runaways stories, but the dialog at least will be SMOKIN nuts.

The penciler is Sara Pichelli, who did Marjorie Liu's NYX--not sure if it was the first or most recent series, which I was ambivalent about but I'll keep an open mind. Christina herself did wonders for Humberto Ramos' confusing art on Terry Moore's run, and I told her as much when I met her briefly at New York Comic Con this year--she was a delightful person and a genuine fangirl, so if she's this excited about the team, then bring it on.

Episode #39 fuxored?

Update: All dicks have been forcibly removed from all eyes, the episode should now be working.

So, a few hundred lucky souls procured Episode #39 before Libsyn's servers got dicked in the eye and messed up the file, so now it is somehow undownloadable. Trying to get answers, please stay tuned. If it's not resolved by the end of the day, I'll try to put the file up somewhere else. This kind of thing makes me batty in the membrane.

ABC Podcast, Episode #39 and visual aids

This episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by a steady stream of technical difficulties as well as a man from Nantucket. A sort of weird week is dominated by indies, magic, non-Canadians and a special moment between Norman Osborn and Dr. Doom. This episode may or may not contain audio nudity.

Download/subscribe to the show in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.

Cover(s) of the Week

Aaron's pick, from Invincible #60, cover by Ryan Ottley:


Evie's pick, from Spider-Man Noir #4, variant cover by Dennis Calero:


Panel(s) of the Week

Evie's pick, from Mysterius the Unfathomable #3 by Jeff Parker and Tom Fowler:


Aaron's picks, from Hotwire Requiem for the Dead #2 by Steve Pugh, and from Wolverine #71 by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven:

Financial Tip of the Week

I saw this on 14th St., and just thought I'd mention that, if you were considering it, I'd recommend against this purchase:

ABC Podcast, Episode #38 and visual aids

This episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by nothing and no one, everything and everyone, namaste. We go off the beaten path with awards for Captain Britain, Hexed, Special Forces and all the rock you can handle. Evie and Aaron disagree on some mainstream launches, and agree that Aaron makes a fine pasta sauce. Also, a winner is announced in our latest contest, but keep those entries coming.

Download/subscribe to the show in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.

Cover(s) of the Week

Evie's picks, a tie between Fables #82, cover by Mark Buckingham, and X-Men Noir #4, cover by Dennis Calero:



Aaron's pick, from Ghost Rider #33, cover by Arthur Suydam:


Panel(s) of the Week

Aaron's pick, from Special Forces #4 by Kyle Baker:


Evie's pick, from Captain Britain #11 by Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk:

It's like after Stonewall, or something

I take a short bus ride (the ride is short, not the bus, meanies) from the train to my house after work, and tonight's trip was a bit shocking. The guy on my left was reading Y: The Last Man, I was reading Love & Rockets, and the couple on my right was flipping through Wizard (or something) and talking about Rick Remender and Walking Dead. This was a half-full public bus, driving through Jersey City. Is this what it means to be in a post-Watchmen-movie world?

The Nerd Beat

I've had a number of people ask when I'll be reviewing Watchmen on the blog, and the truth is that I have read so many Watchmen reviews, I'm kind of oversaturated with the concept. However, Aaron and I did do a dedicated bonus podcast about it yesterday, which is less than 30 minutes, so I recommend downloading that (right sidebar) as a substitute. But here's the once sentence: We enjoyed it a lot, but thought it maybe didn't quite communicate its many messages to people who hadn't read the book and therefore might have seemed crazy and bad to anyone unprepared for the onslaught.

For something a little different, though, I did write a track-by-track of the soundtrack for Billboard.com, which includes context and history of each song, as well as its significance to the original book (if applicable). And, because in between business stories and Morrissey reviews I've naturally taken over the nerd niche at the magazine, here's a review of They Might Be Giants' "Flood" show last weekend.

ABC Podcast, Episode #37a and #37b (bonus Watcmen episode), and visual aids

This episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by Meat Twister, left hand pork cutlet, right hand tripe! We leave the Watchmen jibber jabber for a separate bonus show, and celebrate the fact that while a mixed bag, none of this week's comics screamed for Crap of the Week. Watery books like Submariner: the Depths and Spider-Man Human Torch: Bahia de los Muertos float to the top, as does Abnett and Lanning's start on War of Kings, which breaks Aaron and Evie's hearts on behalf of Ronan the sad, sad Accuser.

Download/subscribe to the show in the right sidebar, and be sure to get both Episode #37a and Bonus Watchmen Episode #37b! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum, and please leave an iTunes review!

Cover(s) of the Week

Aaron's pick, from Daredevil #116, cover by Marko Djurdjevic:


Evie's pick, from Echo #10, cover (and everything else) by Terry Moore:

Panel of the Week

Aaron and Evie's pick, from War of Kings #1 by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and Paul Pelletier:

OH MY GOD YOU GUYS

IT'S HERE, we're going to see Watchmen tonight, hurm hurm hurm n stuff! We didn't do the Thursday midnight or opening night thing because Aaron works a late shift and also we are lazy and would never wake up in the morning. So it's tonight, at a nice, reasonable, 9:15pm in a sprawling Jersey shopping center. They have an awesome Stop and Shop there.

Anyway, I'm going to say something: I don't care how good it is. Seriously. I've read the book, how awesome or crappy it is does absolutely nothing to change the book, and I don't know why people seem to act like it does. I know we don't want regular people to get a wrong or incomplete picture of OUR ART!! or anything, but who cares. I've read enough about the movie to know I'll enjoy it in some way, and it won't be a waste of money, or at least completely. See you on the other side!

(I will add here though that the incompetency of the film adaptation of The Golden Compass gave me a near aneurysm, but that's neither here nor there.)

We would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for that meddling squid

Sorry it's been a busy week kids, so I need to pilfer content several degrees removed... but I promise you'll thank me, if you've not yet seen Saturday Morning Watchmen. The bit about Dr. Manhattan is particularly awesome.

(via Heidi)

If you haven't bought Comic Foundry...

...What the hell are you waiting for? And now they're selling all five issues for $20, which is a great deal. Recession!

However, if you need a little preview before committing, here is the Valentine's Day article that Aaron and I wrote, includes free nerd candy.

ABC Podcast, Episode #36 and visual aids

This special double-sized* episode of Awesomed By Comics is brought to you by "inch time foot gem," which proves there is sadly no such thing as a LOLBuddah, or something. In yet another week where good books get fricking canceled, we tip our hats to She-Hulk and Blue Beetle, but say a warm, desperate hello to the healing pencils of Takeshi Miyazawa on two favorite titles. Be sure to stay tuned (or fast forward if you get bored) until after the closing music, when Saddest Guardian™ Scar brings you a not-to-be-missed bonus Origins & Omens backstory about Evie and Aaron.

*"Double-sized" in the way that She-Hulk and Incredible Hercules were "double-sized" this week, in that we went over our normal show length by like 20% or so.

Download/subscribe to the show in the right sidebar, and leave an iTunes review! Tell us what you think in the comments, or visit our show forum.

Cover(s) of the Week

Evie's pick, from Nova #22, cover by Juan Doe:

Aaron's pick, from Gigantic #3, cover by Eric Ngyuen:

Panel(s) of the Week

Aaron's pick, from Ultimate Spider-Man #131 by Brian Bendis and Stuart Immonen:


Evie's pick, from Incredible Hercules #126 by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, backstory art by Takeshi Miyazawa: