Superhuman Registration Podcast

Almost since the beginning of this podcast, Stephen has looked for a way to have the boys review the classic 90s event comic, the Age of Apocalypse. Finally, we decided to rip the Band-Aid off and just dive in. We start this week with Legionquest, and we'll make our way through one book at a time over the course of the next several weeks.

Since John's away, Stephen decided to break out an old issue of Wizard magazine - that giant of pop-culture reporting back in the early 2000s - to spark a conversation with Aldo over who the best villains of all time are. How well do these takes from 2006 age?

No, it isn't a crossover between malefic monkeys King Kong and Mojo Jojo. Rather, we're exploring some curious side stories featuring everyone's favorite villains. Kang! Kingpin! Mojo! …well, Stephen likes Mojo.

Two thirds of our little group have never played Marvel Rivals. Will the comic adaptation (tie-in? advertisement?) convince them to join the bandwagon? We'll find out right after we check in with where we left the Runaways last time in Miami. Look, there's no real theme connecting these two books. Not everything has to be connected. Life is chaotic. Let that be fun!

The Marvel Mangaverse is one of the weirder artifacts of early-2000s comicsdom. Is it a back-issue bizarrerie, or a buried gem? Also, Iron Fist was one of the stars of the post-Civil War Marvel universe. How does this Fraction/Brubaker hold up today?

It's the joke that won't die! When Medusa appears in the replacement roster for the FF, of COURSE we see it as an opportunity to dunk on our favorite weird superhero name. Also… Star Wars! You know Star Wars, right? But do you know Star Wars comics? Even if they are just the movie again? It's the manga adaptation of Return of the Jedi on the Superhuman Registration Podcast!

With the others out of commission, Stephen takes the bold stand of declaring that some of the MCU films aren't very good, while others are pretty great. Yes, we're still talking about this in 2025. Come for the bad takes, stay for the regrettable takes.

Well, none of us are feeling particularly patriotic at the moment. Luckily, neither is Cap, which makes Ta-Nehesi Coates's “Captain of Nothing” an appropriate read for the moment. ”Cosmic Cooties,” featuring both Moon Girl AND Devil Dinosaur, is less timely but still satisfying. Join us for the evening, won't you?

With the earth looking so bleak these days, we turn our eyes to the stars… only to see the Annihilation Wave headed for us? What the crap, stars?!!? It's Annihilation: Scourge and the origin of Spider-Woman on this week's Superhuman Registration Podcast!

Way back in 2014, the Superior Fors of Spider-Man took the world by storm. [checks notes] Excuse me… I'm reading here that they got up to a lot of mischief and… peed themselves a lot. [clears throat] Awkward. Anyway, how do their adventures hold up in 2025? Let's sit down and give it a read.

We continue to slowly make our way through a pair of critically-acclaimed series: The Mighty Thor and The Immortal Hulk. Both arcs today deal with themes of superheroic theology, which excites the heck out of Stephen. But are the stories any good? Let's rank them and see!

For the holidays, we each picked someone out and gave them a single issue story that we thought they would like/find interesting to discuss. Then, of course, we all met up to talk about them! Happy holidays! See you in 2025!

After a 2014 publication revealed some significant gaps in our Marvel readings, we plugged a couple of them in a double-feature, including Daredevil: Born Again and Days of Future Past. Bottom line: these are good books. But to find out just how good, you'll have to listen!

There's nothing to fear but fear itself, the saying goes. But is Fear Itself even worthy of fear? That's the question the boys have to face tonight as they read the main event and the tie-in, Hulk Vs. Dracula. Don't miss it!

Poor Aldo's taken a sick day, so Stephen and John provide a bit of banter over the best Marvel stories as chosen by Marvel readers… in 2014. How has their selection of best Marvel stories aged? And why is ours better?

Happy Halloween! And, like every Halloween, we're bringing you a factory sealed and packaged treat full of Marvel Zombies and other spooky stories. No razorblades here - we promise! This season, in addition to tackling Marvel Zombies Supreme, we've got the recent Darkhold Saga - a Twilight Zone-esque look at darker timelines for your favorite superheroes. And also Black Bolt. [Stephen: I actually like Black Bolt…]

When John's away, Aldo and Stephen will play. And the game they play is “Which Marvel characters would make good guest stars in classic anime?” John's presence never really deters the weabiness from coming forth, but be warned: this episode is just a LOT of anime.

After we continue our journey through Superior Spider-Man, we realize that we've hit a real milestone. It's our 300th story… with a twist so devilish you'd think we were reading One More Day again! Alas, it's not to be… It's potentially worse? Really? That can't be right.  After all, how bad could Trouble be?

It's a bit of a lighter read this week, but a good one. The boys tackle Johnathan Hickman's Doom one-shot… well, Hickman was the writer, but the real draw (no pun intended) was Sanford Green's amazing art. From there, things get EVEN MORE SERIOUS with the grim event comic that is Shadowland! Can Luke Cage and Iron Fist save Daredevil from his darkest demons? 

We're feeling a touch romantic this week. No particular reason. We just love you! Three of Marvel's biggest wedding stories are in the spotlight this week: Reed and Sue, Spidey and MJ, and Northstar and Kyle. How will the books fare on the great Superhuman Registration Podcast list?

Nostalgia is a strong spice, but does it accent the quality of John's first comic (the 1992 New Warriors event “The Hero Killers”), or is it simply so much pepper to mask the stink of something rotten? Also… Venom! It's not the 90s anymore as of Donny Cates's 2018 run. Why does that relic of the most extreme decade feel better today than it did then?

Aldo spent our usual recording time at Evo, so John and Stephen were left to their own devices. So they did what any parents would do when their kid leaves town: brainstorm which Marvel characters would make for the best musicals! Featuring Chris, who is perhaps most famous (at least in our circles) for… being John's brother-in-law.

Today's hero double-feature is… less heroic. First, we've got the slightly monstrous Immortal Hulk. Then, we've got the wonderful She-Hulk, who's very heroic in deed, but her personal life is kinda trash. Between the continued descent into horror we see in Bruce Banner and the offbeat comedy and heart in “Single Green Female,” I think we can conclude we're all Hulk fans now.

It's Patriot Season in the US, which means the boys are reading some more Captain America stories. Will the Star-Spangled avenger help our boys overcome their current nationalist-fatigue? Or will they walk away cold? (You get it? Cuz… cuz the stories we read are “Winter in America” and “Cold War”?) (Guess I should have explained that first.)

The X-Men and Captain Britain are, perhaps, the two most convoluted corners of the Marvel universe… and when they intersect in Betsy Braddock, you know there are gonna be shenanigans! Can our curious kiddos keep their craniums above the convoluted current of continuity long enough to dive deep into the Peach Momoko epic that is Demon Wars? Why not give this episode a listen and find out!

Join us for another episode where the boys valiantly strive - and fail - to stay on topic. The topic: Iron Man “Armor Wars” and Ms. Marvel… mutant? The tangents? Hololive, the Flash's Rogue's Gallery, and Whoopie cushions. The usual.

The boys get back to that far, far away galaxy for another crack at Marvel's Star Wars. First, we check in with that lovable scamp Dr. Aphra to see where her adventures have gone. Then, we tackle an unconventional (manga) adaptation of… possibly the greatest sequel ever? It's The Empire Strikes Back, and boy does the anime aesthetic add… something.

A bit late this week, but this discussion is worth it. We cover all things Sins of Sinister, including: The extreme stylishness of Sinister himself The horror of a teleporting baby The return of the gun fired in the first act How to make cool characters by copying other cool characters All this, plus a spider attack and more!

An odd double-feature this week, covering issues of Mockingbird and Hulk. What do the characters have in common? How about deep psychological themes? Folks are into that sort of introspective storytelling nowadays, right?

This week, it's the Merc with the Mouth facing off against America's Founding Fathers (and more) in Dead Presidents - a story which feels maybe more timely now than it did when published in… oh. Oh dear. How old we all are now. Let's try to recapture some of that fleeting youth by also visiting a new spin on a classic character. Can Rise of Ultraman help us feel young again?

For decades, scholars have wondered about Darkhawk. Who is he? Are his books any good? Can he introduce me to Wolverine? How good, exactly, was the Kyle Higgins-penned miniseries from a few years back. We aim to resolve these disputes today. Also: dads. What are they? Is Reed Richards a good one? Why not, exactly? Fantastic Four: Life Story paints a compelling picture of Marvel's first family that had us talking for HOURS.  This podcast is edited for brevity. You're welcome.

After a couple of real bummer weeks, the boys tackle some stories guaranteed to lighten hearts and tickle sides: A series of delightful super heists starring Marvel's own Catwoma… I mean, Black Cat! A reality (and fourth-wall) shattering adventure featuring everyone's favorite anthropomorphic animal sendup of an established big-name superhero, Spider-Ham!

The X-Men are known for fun, world- and universe-hopping adventures with incredible dialogue and deep, interpersonal relationships. They are also known for being… just REALLY heavy. We're here to talk about a couple of stories from the latter category, so… get ready for some bummers, I guess. Theyre good stories, though: God Loves, Man Kills, and Worst X-Man Ever.

Rumors spread about the return of the Ultimates universe… but how did it begin in the first place? Well, with Spider-Man, but we're not reading that one this time. Join us for a look at the early days of Ultimate Marvel Classic (TM) with Ultimate Iron Man and Ultimate Fantastic Four!

Personal obligations again keep the boys apart, but never fear! John is here, and he brought his sisters Erin, Christina, and Lauren along for a very fun pub quiz. Does watching the movie give you enough information to pass the book report? Let's find out!

Whenever we need some easy reading, we remind ourselves that comics are a serialized medium and look for single issue stories. Are any of these stories (about Cloak and Dagger, Spider-Man, and Daredevil) buried treasures! Yes! But which one?

What better way to pass your post-holiday food coma than by listening to a couple of knowledgeable blokes discuss the life and death of the most important literary figure in history? Comics history, that is. And the assertion is that Wolverine is the most important. Discuss.

Planet Hulk is empirically one of the best Marvel comics ever made… but what about the stories that came next? The boys tackle World War Hulk and Banner's vengeful rampage. Then we turn our attention to Hulk's companions in Aftersmash: Warbound, and find ourselves surprisingly moved by the relationship between a couple of rocky bros.

This year, we're thankful for… comics! But are we thankful for THESE comics? Give the episode a listen and find out what we thought of Photon and Love Unlimited featuring Ms. Marvel and Red Dagger.

As long as it's still seasonally appropriate to watch Over the Garden Wall, it's still seasonally appropriate to have a Halloween episode. Our annual return to Marvel Zombies brought some surprises in the form of Marvel Zombies 5, and our nostalgia buttons were definitely pressed when we read the RL Stine-penned Man-Thing. Did we actually like the stories? Listen to the episode and find out!

Once again, the demands of the real world have preempted out usual schedule, but never fear! John is here to reminisce about a series of short stories he holds in high regard: the frequent Marvel collaborations between Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale.

Legacy superheroes often star in compelling stories. How do the children of Wolverine fare in Orphans of X? Plus, the boys take a look at the future past (or is the the past future) of a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars: Legacy. Now a Legends title!

The Masters of Evil may take center stage on this week's discussion of Avengers: Under Siege and Thunderbolts, but you won't believe how much Burn Notice we can manage to talk about at the same time.

The real world has been a beast lately, so the boys are taking a week off from the grind of… reading… comics. To help pass the time, though, Stephen is here with three recommendations for favorite comics books. That's “books about comics,” not “comic books.” Here's a good opportunity to practice those language comprehension skills that may have been left fallow for a while!

Personal drama is getting in the way of getting an episode out on time, but hopefully a surprise drop helps your hump day along! We're continuing our read through two fantastic Dan Slott runs: Silver Surfer and Superior Spider-Man. Grab your trades and follow along!

Episode is a bit late this week, but we think it'll be worth the wait. The boys take a look at the career of the late, great John Romita Sr. through some of the amazing comics he left behind. We always love the chance to flex our art critic muscles, and we enjoyed seeing the way JRSR influenced the industry. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

The High Evolutionary - star of the big screen and of this week's episode, where the boys take a look at 1989's Evolutionary War saga. The landscape of Marvel events looks dramatically different now from 25-ish years ago. How well does this event hold up?

New babies mean the boys are taking a break this week, but that didn't stop Aldo from doing a deep dive into the career of one of our favorite art teams: the incomparable Gurihiru!

The comics Star Wars universe keeps getting bigger, and we continue to poke around out there with another installment of the Doctor Aphra series! Plus, the tendrils of Marvel/Disney have been grabbing different properties for years. We take a look at a more obscure offering in Mystic, an old Crossgen property with a fresh coat of paint.

IT's JEFF!!! …no, seriously. It's just Jeff. We did a whole episode about Jeff the land shark and the Infinity Comic dedicated to his adorable antics. If we had the chance, we'd do it again.  

This week, we tackle a pair of character-defining stories (or at least character-illuminating): Daredevil's “The Devil in Cell Block D” and Captain Marvel's “Enemy Within.” Read along and enjoy the show!