Some of My Friends Read Comics

Hot on the heels of Kurt Busiek's take on a real-world(ish) Clark Kent, we're reading his Batman focused followup called Creature of the Night from 2017, with art by John Paul Leon. We meet a young kid in a non-superhero world named Bruce Wainwright who's obsessed with Batman comics, and that doesn't really change after his parents get murdered by robbers. So what's the deal with this Batman that starts showing up immediately? Then we move onto Thunderbolts #19, featuring the winner of the Wizard Create-A-Villain contest! Next Time: Wolverine (1982) by Chris Claremont & Frank Miller

We're double-dipping on Kurt Busiek today! We're still continuing his run on Thunderbolts with #18 and the rudest French supervillain you'll ever meet, but first we're reading Superman: Secret Identity from 2004, with Stuart Immonen on art.  It's a story about a regular kid named Clark Kent in a regular universe where superheroes only exist in comics, who gets ridiculed constantly for his name. And then he gets powers. Whoa! Join us as we follow this variant Clark Kent through a full lifetime, and we discuss the duality of Busiek. Next Time: We check out the Secret Identity spiritual sequel, Batman: Creature of the Night!

It's only been about 10 years since we read the first 5 issues of Alan Moore and Gene Ha's Top Ten, but now we're finishing the full first season with issues 6 through 12.  As the precinct deals with criminals on multiple fronts, there's one question on everyone's lips: What's Sergeant Dog Cop up to? Then we move onto Thunderbolts #17, which had a sword fight, an exploding castle, and a dude who can control gravity. Next Time - Superman: Secret Identity by Kurt Busiek & Stuart Immonen

We've never fully delved into the artistic stylings of Rob Liefeld, but it's finally time to take the plunge. We look at his work on relaunching Captain America during Marvel's Heroes Reborn event in the 90s along with Jeph Loeb, and we find plenty of... interesting art choices to discuss.  We read the first 5-issue storyline as well as a 6th issue that perplexed us. Then we move onto Thunderbolts #16 which brings up a new mystery! Next Time: Celebrate the podcast's 10th anniversary with Top 10 #6-12!

We're finishing up the back half of Secret Wars II with issues #6-9. So far, we haven't been very impressed with The Beyonder and his antics on Earth, but will his cool new "Thriller" vest help matters at all? Thankfully the Molecule Man takes center stage to give us something to latch on to. Then, the Thunderbolts are back on Earth in issue #15, and they've gotta figure out how to live life on the run. Next Time: Captain America (1996) #1-6 by Rob Liefeld

It's Secret Wars II, the sequel to Secret Wars... and it's very different! The Beyonder is on Earth and he's just a confused, lonely alien who wants love. It's only 9 issues, so we read the first 5 issues this time and try to understand why it exists. Then we move onto Thunderbolts #14 where they make it back to Earth too! Next time: Secret Wars II, Pt. 2 (Issues 6-9)  

Apparently we haven't covered a Daredevil book since our very first episode. We've never even read the death of Elektra, an iconic moment from the middle of Frank Miller's run in the early 80s. We're reading Daredevil #178-182 to see the big moment for ourselves, along with Daredevil using crutches because he got his leg caught in a bear trap. Oops! Then we're still reading Thunderbolts with issue #13, in which we deal with some alien BS. Next Time: Secret Wars 2, Pt. 1 (Issues 1-5)  

For some reason, we've devoted two episodes to Batman: Hush. Why did we do this to ourselves? For some payoff with The Riddler? The Riddler!?!?! Damnit, Loeb.  At least Thunderbolts #12 didn't disappoint with the big finale to their first story arc. Next Time: The Death of Elektra in Daredevil #178-182

Hush up y'all, this week we're checking out one of the biggest Batman storylines of the 2000s with Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee's Husssshhhhh [emphasis mine] from Batman #608-619. We're reading the first 6 issues in which we learn that Batman had a best friend named Tommy who has somehow never been mentioned in any comic before this one. There's also a mystery bad guy who barely shows up.  Cool.  Then, we're getting real close to the end of the first Thunderbolts storyline in issue #11, which features zappy mind control laser beams! Next Time: We finish up Batman: Hush with Batman #614-619

We've finally reached the end of Ed Brubaker's classic run on Captain America in issues 37-42. Steve Rogers is dead, probably forever, but now we've got Bucky running around with the shield. We also get some other clown who thinks he's Steve, and the Red Skull is trying to get his puppet elected as president while also doing some time travel shenanigans. Then we get to the beginning of the end in Thunderbolts #10. The secret is out! But how??? Next time: Batman: Hush Pt. 1 (Batman #608-613)  

Y'all ever heard of this Galactus guy? Always running around in red and green, throwing gas bombs at the Fantastic Four? Yeah, that's classic Galactus. Dude does way more than just planet-eating.  We read all about it in his very first appearance in Fantastic Four #48-50. The Silver Surfer makes his first appearance too, spending most of these issues talking to a blind sculptor. Classic Silver Surfer. Then we move onto Thunderbolts #9, which was mostly an Avengers flashback. We spend a lot of time in the 60s this week! Next Time: We conclude the Death of Captain America in Captain America (2004) #37-42!

John Constantine is a badass. He's such a badass that his series is called Hellblazer. He's such a badass that he smokes and gets lung cancer and then tricks demons into cure his lung cancer for him. Wow, what a badass. We've only seen this guy in the pages of Swamp Thing, so we're reading Hellblazer #41-46 from 1991 when Garth Ennis took over writing duties. Then we finally say goodbye to the Elements of Doom in Thunderbolts #8. Next Time: The Fantastic Four meet Galactus for the first time in Fantastic Four 48-50.  

Spooky season is swampy season here at SOMFRC and we're back to Swamp Thing! We're reading volume 5 of Alan Moore's run with issues #51-56. Swamp Thing has no more world-ending catastrophes to worry about, but his girlfriend's being persecuted for being into plants! Nothing to do but take over Gotham, get into a fight with Batman, and then spend a cool time in space. Then we move onto Thunderbolts #7, where the team disobeys a direct order from Baron Zemo! Next Time: We check out Garth Ennis's time with John Constantine in Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits (Hellblazer #41-46)

It occurs to us that we've never actually read an Iron Man comic, and with the recent dual-casting of Robert Downey Jr. as both Iron Man and Doctor Doom, we decided to take a look at Doomquest from Iron Man #149 & 150. The metal bros travel back in time to (friend of the show) the medieval era! Doctor Doom rides a horse and that's enough reason to read this comic. Then we move onto our long read of Thunderbolts with issue #6 which requires a periodic table to enjoy. Next Time: The Saga of the Swamp Thing, Vol. 5 by Alan Moore (Swamp Thing 51-56)  

Whelp, we tried to will a Dazzler movie cameo into existence, but Deadpool & Wolverine was unfortunately Taylor Swift-less. Nevertheless, we still press on to read Dazzler: The Movie, the 12th in Marvel's Graphic Novel line from the 80s, in which Dazzler meets a lot of terrible men who promise her a fast track to stardom. Then we continue our long read of Thunderbolts with issue #5, which has a dude in the shadows! Classic! Next Time: Iron Man and Dr. Doom meet in DOOMQUEST (Invincible Iron Man #149-150)  

Watch out crooks, there's a new Captain America in town. And he's got a gun! Steve Rogers is dead and Bucky is taking over as we pick back up with Ed Brubaker's run on Captain America in issues #31-36. Then we continue reading the Thunderbolts with an interlude in the Thunderbolts '97 Annual as we learn all about how the team came together. Next Time: Dazzler: The Movie (Marvel Graphic Novel #12) (in four weeks)

We haven't read nearly enough Hulk on this show, so we're looking at a couple different stories by Peter David. First up is the wedding of Rick Jones from issues #417-419, in which Captain America gets very bashful about a bachelor party. Then we check out The Incredible Hulk: The End, a one shot about the last days of the Hulk's life. We'll tell you why it doesn't feel like a comic book! And of course, we continue our long read of the Thunderbolts with issue #4 in which they accidentally gain a new member! Next Time: The Death of Captain America Pt. 2 (Captain America 2004 #31-36)

We're reading some detective comics this week! No, not the Bat. We're reading a lesser known PI published by Renegade Comics in the 80s: Ms. Tree, written by Max Alan Collins with art by Terry Beatty. We jump into the middle of the book and read issues #18-23 in which Ms. Tree deals with the death of her archnemesis... and kills a ton of people. We were expecting a little more noir and a little less Punisher. Then we continue Thunderbolts with issue #3 in which the former Masters of Evil meet the current Masters of Evil! Next Time: Hulk 417-419 (Rick Jones' Bachelor Party) & Hulk: The End

It's another classic X-Men story! We're reading God Loves, Man Kills by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson from 1982, which served as the inspiration for the X-Men 2 film. We get to know the evil reverend, Stryker, who has made some... questionable life choices. But why didn't they make him a reverend in the movie?  Then we continue our long read of Thunderbolts with issue #2, which contains the ugliest statue ever erected to honor a superhero. Next Time - Ms. Tree: Heroine Withdrawal

It's time to go back to Fairyland! We loved the first volume of Skottie Young's I Hate Fairyland when we read it back in 2020, so we thought we'd check out volume 2. Will the art still manage to simultaneously be cute and grotesque? You know it! Also, we begin our next long read with Thunderbolts #1 by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley, with villains posing as heroes. How devious! Next Time: X-Men - God Loves, Man Kills  

April Fools! We're doing some weird comics today, because that feels like it makes sense. We wanted to read Peter Porker and we only picked issue #16 because it had Baron Zebro in it.  Then we read Avengers #200 because it's said to be one of the worst issues of all time, and it definitely deserves that accolade. And we finally end Earth X in issue #X, in which Spiders-Man wears a hard hat. The best thing in all these comics is the cool dinosaur that attacked Avengers Mansion. Next Time: I Hate Fairyland, Pt. 2  

With the passing of Akira Toriyama, we wanted to take a look at his most famous work, and one of the most popular manga/anime series of all time, the Dragon Ball series. We go back to the first volume from 1986 and it's not what we expected! Then we continue Earth X with #12 in which... uhh... we can't remember anything that happened. Did anything happen?  DID ANYTHING HAPPEN?? Next Time: April Fools Day where Carol Danvers marries her son in Avengers #200 + Spider-Ham meets Baron Zebro in Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham #16 + the Earth X Finale!

It's time for us to visit the late 90s with Kurt Busiek and George Perez's relaunch of The Avengers! Who will be on the new roster? Will we remember any of the history that Busiek digs up? And is it ever a good idea to relaunch a book with an alternate reality story? Then we go onto Earth X #11 where we say farewell to the character with the best one-liners. Next Time: Dragon Ball, Vol. 1

Superman's still a fascist and now his best friend, Lex Luthor, is here to help him change the world in the 2nd half of Injustice: Year One. Will Superman kill again? He will; he'll do it a lot. It's true Superdickery. Then we continue to Earth X #10 where the Skull continues to be a major asshole as Captain America and his forces attack. Next Time: Avengers (1998) #1-6 by Kurt Busiek & George Perez

When the Mortal Kombat team makes a video game based on DC comic book characters and you need to write the prequel story, what do you do? You turn Superman into a fascist, of course. We're reading the first half of Injustice: Year One from 2013, where Superman starts killing people, Wonder Woman supports him, and Batman don't like it. Then we move onto Earth X #9 in which the Red Skull has a pretty good line. Next Time: We finish Year One of Injustice (issues 7-12, or 19-36 digitally)  

We've been building up to the Death of Captain America for a few years now, and it's finally time to read the most memorable moment from Ed Brubaker's run in issues #25-30!  Find out if Cap's supporting characters can sustain the book without him! Also learn a lot about how secret psychic activation codes work. Then, we move on to Earth X #8, which continues to improve and also prominently features a werewolf astronaut. Coincidence? Next Time: Injustice #1-6 (or digitally #1-18 - the first half of Year One)  

Let's do some more Spider-Man. Why not? It's The Owl-Octopus War from 1982 in Spectacular Spider-Man #73-79 by Bill Mantlo and Al Milgrom. The Owl gets beat pretty badly, but we also have some great guests in the form of Black Cat, Boomerang, Biff Rifkin, Deb Whitman, Deb's terrible psychiatrist, Peter's weird professor, and Peter's decaying mental state as he falls passionately in love. And then we move on to Earth X #7 in which stuff actually happens! Someone was secretly evil, and The Thing returns to his rightful place as the true star of this book. Next Time: We finally get to The Death of Captain America with Captain America (2004) #25-30 

Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first. We're reading Superior Foes of Spider-Man for this episode, but Spider-Man just isn't in this book. is the star of this short-lived comedy series and he's got a new Sinister Six that he's formed with four other D-list villains (that's right - these five make up the Sinister Six.). Join us as we follow the lives of these losers, and stay with us as we read Earth X #6 where Chewbacca joins the X-Men maybe! Next Time: Spider-Man - The Owl/Octopus War (Spectacular Spider-Man #73-79)    

It's been a while since we read something from the Marvel Graphic Novel series, so we're going back to read Emperor Doom, a story where Dr. Doom steals Purple Man's powers and takes over the world.  Doom actually does a pretty good job, until the Avengers screw everything up. It's really all Wonder Man's fault that world hunger is still a thing. Then we move onto Earth X #5 in which Uatu continues to be very mean to X-51. Next Time: The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #1-6  

We love our Spider-Comics here at SOMFRC, but we've somehow never covered Spider-Girl at all, so today we took a look at the birth of Marvel's alternate future MC2 universe to see what it's all about. Little did we know, we would become Spider-Girl Mayday Parker ourselves, and we would truly feel the relationship between her and her parents, MJ & Peter. Then we go back to our other alternate future storyline with Earth X #4. Hope you like vibranium! Next Time: Emperor Doom

It's only been about 10 years, but the Captain Marvel redesign of Carol Danvers has already become the most iconic version of the character. With a new movie on the way, we're looking at the first volume of Kelly Sue DeConnick's run where the new image was introduced, titled In Pursuit of Flight. It's not what we expected. At all!  Then we continue Earth X with issue #3 and... well... at least Spider-Man is in it. Next Time: We got to the MC2 with Mayday Parker in What If #105 + Spider-Girl (1998) #1-5  

Spooks! Haints! Evil twins! Shrek! They're all here (except Shrek) in the second volume of Harrow County. We all enjoyed the first volume when we read it a few years ago, so we decided to jump back in to continue the story and see more of the excellently horrific art.  Then we continue Earth X with issue #2. Are we on board with this series yet? Will we ever be? Only time will tell. Next Time: Captain Marvel (2012): In Pursuit of Flight  

It's manga time! Until now, we've only covered manga adaptations of video games, but we're jumping into our first long-form manga with the wildly popular One Piece by Eichiro Oda.  We read the first volume to figure out just who this straw hat kid is and why this book has spawned a whole media empire. Then we get into the meat of Earth X with issue #1, in which we try to determine if Spider-Man is a cop now. Next Time: Harrow County, Vol. 2: Twice Told  

Swamp Thing! Do you still make our heart sing? We return to Alan Moore's classic series with Volume 4: A Murder of Crows, which collects issues #43-50 where we get some nice redesigns of Swamp Thing's flora. We also tie into the Crisis and meet lots of other heroes, plus we get some more insight into what John Constantine is like. Then we move onto our next long read with Earth X #0, which is set in the future... we think. It's hard to tell after this introductory issue. Next Time: One Piece Vol. 1: Romance Dawn

It's a time travel story! This week on the show, we're reading some Fantastic Four from the early 90s in issues #350 & 352, written and drawn by the great Walt Simonson (don't worry about issue #351). We dip our toe into the FF status quo from this era to see a new Thing? And then another new Thing?!?! Then we move onto the finale of Knightfall in Batman #500 where our new replacement Batman has his final fight against Bane. Next Time: Saga of the Swamp Thing, Vol. 4 by Alan Moore (Swamp Thing #43-50) + Earth X #0

The Eisner Awards have come again, so we thought we'd dip our toe into some modern comics with the winner of the best ongoing series, Nightwing by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo. They're a few arcs into the book at this point, so we're starting with their first volume, Leaping into the Light, when the new creative team took over with issues #78-83. In this episode, we will also reveal the secret to creating the perfect Eisner-award winning comic. Then we near the end of Knightfall with chapter 18 in Detective Comics #666, in which we get a pretty great batprank on some goons. Next Time: Fantastic Four #350-352 by Walt Simonson

Bongo Comics has been publishing Simpsons and Futurama comics for decades. With the release of the new season of Futurama, we take our first look at this corner of the comic book universe with the Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Crisis collection, compiling two different 2-issue crossover events from 2002 and 2005. But how do these gag comics compare with some of the others that we've read? And will we be the next voice cast for the Groening-verse?  Kia or Chris? The answers lie within. And of course, we continue our long read of Knightfall with Chapter 17 in Batman #499, in which nobody bothers to tell Robin anything at all. Next Time: The Eisner Award-winning Nightwing: Leaping Into the Light by Tom Taylor & Bruce Redondo!  

It's been a long time, but we're finally getting back to some of Ed Brubaker's run on Captain America. We've been building up to the big death scene... it's gonna happen soon! We swear! Just not in this episode.  We read issues #18-24 where Cap takes a trip to the UK and fights a giant robot with Bucky, and then the Civil War event breaks out and we spend some time with the ensemble cast. After that, it's back to some more of Knightfall with Chapter 16 in Detective Comics 665, where Bruce Wayne learns he can't fight thugs quite as well while he's in a wheelchair. Next Time: The Simpsons/Futurama - Crossover Crisis!

It's time to enter the Spider-Verse once again, as we revisit a world where Gwen Stacy became Spider-Woman. It's Spider-Gwen! We already read the introductory issue back when we covered Edge of Spider-Verse, but now we dive into the first 5 issues of the ongoing series from 2015 (before it got relaunched with a new #1 later in 2015). Then, we get back into the main story of Knightfall with Chapter 15 in Batman #498, where Bane takes over the city while Robin & Alfred tell lies and beat up cars. Next Time: We're taking a short summer vacation, but we'll be back in 4 weeks to march toward the Death of Captain America with Captain America (2004) #18-24.

This show's been going for over 200 episodes and somehow we've never covered Days of Future Past? It's only two issues too, a nice little self-contained story by Chris Claremont and John Byrne in Uncanny X-Men #141-142 (but we talked about the whole trade which contains #138-143). Then we continue our long read of Knightfall with Chapter 14 in Showcase'93 #8, in which Two-Face holds a legally accurate mock trial. Next Time: Spider-Gwen (2015) #1-5  

It's noir time again as we revisit some Ed Brubaker! This time, we're covering his Catwoman run with artists Darwyn Cooke and Mike Allred which starts in The Dark End of the Street, a collection that contains two whole stories! The first is Slam Bradley on the hunt for Catwoman which originally ran as backups in Detective Comics 759-762, and then we jump into Catwoman #1-4 from 2002. And then it's more Batman as we continue Knightfall Chapter 13 with a strange Two-Face tie-in from Showcase '93 #7. -- Don't forget, Chris & Nick will be doing a live recording of the Your Stupid Minds podcast at Comicpalooza in Houston, TX on Friday, May 26 at 4:30 PM central.  They'll be covering the 2004 Catwoman movie! -- Next Time: X-Men - Days of Future Past (Uncanny X-Men 138-143)  

Aliens! Predators! Robots! Androids! Monkeys! Asshole Businessmen! Nerds! Marines! They're all here as we revisit Dark Horse's AvP crossover universe with 1995's Aliens vs Predator: War by Randy Stradley. We check in with Michiko again now that she's lived with the Predators for a year, and apparently she doesn't like it! Then we see the fallout of Batman's broken back with Knightfall Chapter 12 in Detective Comics 664. Next Time: Catwoman: Dark End of the Street by Ed Brubaker & Darwyn Cooke  

Ok so Frank Castle (The Punisher) is imbued with the Spirit of Vengeance (Ghost Rider) and he goes back in time to kill Baby Thanos, but instead decides to kidnap and adopt him. Also, Frank was the herald of Galactus for a bit, and THEY FIGHT SPACE SHARKS. Hell of a premise in 2018's Cosmic Ghost Rider by Donny Cates and Dylan Burnett. After that, we finally get to the famous bat-back-breaking issue in Knightfall, when Bane scores a big victory in Batman #497. Next Time - Alien vs Predator: War (1995)  

It's time. Time to revisit one of the worst comics we've ever read on the show... Frank Miller's All Star Batman & Robin, the famously crass and unfinished alternate universe version of "The Goddamn Batman." Our friend Nick (from the Your Stupid Minds podcast) joined us back when we read the first 6 issues, so of course we had to invite him back to talk about issues 7-10. We were all desperate for some classic Batman after that, so Nick also joined us as we continued our long read of Batman: Knightfall with Chapter 10 in Detective Comics #663. Next Time: Cosmic Ghost Rider (2018) + Knightfall #11 (The Breaking of the Batman)  

April is nearly upon us, and that means we're about to hit our favorite holiday, April Fools Day, when the world famously decides to all read bad comics together. For our first bad comic this season, we're reading Secret Invasion, the 2008 Marvel event by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu. Which heroes are really Skrulls? Does it matter? Is this comic as bad as we remember? After answering those questions, we continue our long read of Knightfall with Chapter 9 in Batman #496. Next Time: All-Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder Pt. 2 (Issues #7-10)

It's been a long time since we read any Alex Ross but today we decided to take a look at his newest book, Fantastic Four: Full Circle, a story exploring some of the FF's past with the Negative Zone. Alex Ross abandons his painterly for something a little different, and he also wrote this book too! Then we continue our long read of Batman: Knightfall with Chapter 8 in Detective Comics 662, a story that focuses on The Riddler while Batman hangs out with a monkey. Next Time: Secret Invasion #1-8

It's our 200th episode! And we're celebrating by reading an unfinished comic that can't be purchased anywhere, Alan Moore's 1963 -- A 6-issue Image comic from 1993 that is one big homage to the silver age of comics, with art from frequent Moore collaborators Rick Veitch, Steve Bissette, and Dave Gibbons.  We meet a bunch of brand new heroes who miiiiight tie back into the present day somehow. Then we move onto Chapter 7 of Knightfall with Batman #495 where Poison Ivy tries to kiss a bunch of rich people! Next Time: Fantastic Four: Full Circle by Alex Ross  

It's time for the 2nd half of our Young Avengers two-parter! We dive into issues #7-12 and learn more about Teddy's birthright while also speed-running the secret of Billy's speedster twin brother (because they gotta wrap this series up ASAP). Then we continue Batman: Knightfall with Chapter 6 in Detective Comics #661, where we learn to NEVER mess with the firefighter's union. Next Time: Our 200th Episode Celebration with Alan Moore's 1963.

We're jumping back to mid-2000s Marvel with a 2-part look at Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung's Young Avengers, a brand new teen superhero team starring Kate Bishop, Cassie Lang, and some other friends from the MCU! We also get to spend plenty of time with Jessica Jones, Captain America, and Iron Man as they try to figure out just who the Young Avengers are and why Kang is involved. Then the Joker hires a Scarecrow-knockoff in Chapter 5 of Knightfall in Batman #494. Next Time: We finish Young Avengers with issues 7-12!

Can Wolverine run a school? That's the premise of Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo's "Wolverine and the X-Men" from 2011. There's more to it than that: A new Hellfire Club is attacking. The Department of Education is inspecting. One of the students should probably be in jail. We read the first 4 issues to see how Wolverine survives. Then we continue Knightfall with Chapter 4 in Detective Comics #660. Next Time: Young Avengers (2005) #1-6

As one of Japan's most popular characters, of course Mario would have his own manga. It's been running for 30 years but somehow it just got its first English translation in 2020 with a greatest hits compilation called Super Mario Manga Mania. And you can't get a digital copy anywhere. This is the comic that finally broke the show. Nevertheless we persevere. And of course we also read the next chapter of the Knightfall saga in Batman #493 in which Zsasz threatens to slice up a bunch of people, and Batman is just plain tired. Next Time: Wolverine and the X-Men #1-4 by Jason Aaron & Chris Bachalo Website: allmyfriendsarerighthere.com (go check it out, Vince paid $18 for the domain)