Vertigo Voices

Penguin soars while Joker flops. Colby tells an inappropriate story. Oh, and VERTIGO COMICS IS BACK...no big deal.

We take a look at the new animated Batman series on Amazon. Does Bruce Timm have another hit on his hands or does it misfire, unlike the gun that killed Bruce Wayne's parents...yikes. Anyway, give it a listen! Also, look up Brian Heinzman on Intsagram! @brianheinzman

Today we look at what is arguably the best ongoing superhero comic ever written: Starman by James Robinson and Tony Harris. It's a tale of legacy, familial responsibility, Art Deco and superheroics. Give it a listen. And for those who need a reminder: Hand Banana.

Bedbugs mate by a process called "Traumatic Insemination". Look it up. Anyway, this isn't a fun episode. It was difficult to think about, to record and to edit. Looking back, we probably shouldn't have done an episode that tackles issues of sexual assault. But this topic and this story are very personal and important to me. While it's worth discussing, I'm not sure if I'm able to provide the nuance needed for a topic like this and apologize deeply if any aspect of our discussion comes off as flippant. Sophia and myself have nothing but respect and admiration for those who have survived and thrived after something as traumatic and horrifying as sexual assault. Thank you for listening and know that there is help if you or anyone you know has been the victim of sexual assault. The National Sexual Assault Hotline is 1-800-656-4673 Use your voice. Your story deserves to be heard.

After telling some stories about hanging out at Pride, attending the annual Lilac City Comic Con and almost getting "Hansel and Gretel'ed", this vertiginous duo break down the Mad Max Saga, including a 4 issue tie-in to Fury Road that Vertigo released in 2015. With a story by George Miller and writing credited to Mark Sexton (who also oversaw most of the art) and Nico Lathouris, this hard-to-find series fleshes out the world of Max, Furiousa, Immortan Joe and the like. Fun fact: It's actually up to about $300 on eBay right now! Happy hunting!

Now that the next chapter in the Sandman Universe has dropped, we pick apart the new series, how it relates to the original characters and how well it stands on its own. We also briefly discuss James Gunn's new Superman movie and get far too personal with some stories that probably shouldn't have been told. Look, this isn't our best episode, I'll be honest. That said, it may be my favorite.

While Sophia has a history with the character and an affinity for the movie, Colby has no such connection. As such, this episode is mostly spent asking questions of the film's baffling decisions, googling old issues of Cinescape magazine and deep-diving into the animation department's IMDb pages. Also, IMDb sucks now. Come for the movie talk, stay for the endless diversions.

After discussing ECCC (where Colby got to meet 3 Vertigo all-stars, including legend Shelly Bond!!) and sifting through some news of hot takes and remakes, we begin discussing who are the most prolific and important creators that made Vertigo Comics into the iconoclastic, genre-mixing behemoth that it was. Did we miss your favorite? Do you agree with us 100%? Either way, let us know at VertigoVoices@gmail.com!

Maybe we're back on a more regular basis? Who knows?! Today we review, compare and contrast Si Spencer's comic series 'Bodies' with its television series adaptation from Netflix. While the two versions of the story share the same central conceit and major characters, they diverge in some serious ways. Listen along and find out how!

We're back! Colby and Sophia return once more to catch up on DC's new Sandman series, discuss The Unstoppable Doom Patrol and then dive into some random pages of the invaluable reference book, The Vertigo Encyclopedia. Prepare yourselves, the diversions and sidetracks are many and varied this time round. Whatever, it's been a while.

We're back! For now at least. We talk about the new Sandman TV series on Netflix! It's literally taken years to get to this point so we weren't going to let it pass by without giving it the discussion it so richly deserves. What stayed true to the comic? What was changed? Listen and find out! And feel free to let us know what your favorite part was or if we missed anything!

We discuss the first volume of the DC New 52 Justice League Dark series. It's terrible! After thoroughly picking apart the worst thing we've read on the series, we say some goodbyes. To the few of you who listened, a heartfelt thank you. However, there were very, very few of you. So it's time to pack this noble failure up and move on. Maybe not forever, but at least for now. 

We each make our own list of our favorite covers of Vertigo Comics. That's it. Nothing unique or clever this week. Listen along and google the images as we discuss them. Or don't.

With 2021 being Smallville's twentieth anniversary, we look back at the two-part episode that finally took the show in the direction that it probably should've been a few seasons earlier. Season 9's "Legends" and "Society" (Aired together as "Absolute Justice") introduces the Justice Society of America to teen drama of Clark, Lois and Chloe. There's even an appearance or two of well-known Vertigo characters! Watch along and enjoy!

We look through all 10 volumes of Neil Gaiman's Sandman (not counting spin-off's or later volumes) and rank them from worst to best. Although, take this ranking order with a grain of salt because it should be noted that even the "worst" volume of Sandman is still one of the greatest pieces of art ever to be produced. Listen along and then go read this entire series!

Remember, remember the 5th of November! Based on Alan Moore and David Lloyd's groundbreaking dystopian comic that was reprinted under the Vertigo banner, this movie has become something of a cult classic and cultural touchstone. How much of that is due to the original comic and how much is a result of this slick adaptation from The Wachowskis and James McTeigue? We certainly don't have the answer. But we do have a lot to discuss about the production design, casting, direction, political significance and how it relates to British comedy. Come and give it a listen to make sure that this 5th of November is surely one that is not to be forgot.

It's time for our annual Halloween/Horror movie roundup! Before we dive into what we've been watching this year, we look at the recent reveals from DC's FanDome event. What got us excited? What looked less than stellar? What was Ezra Miller wearing?! Listen along and find out!

It's the spooky season so for this short episode, we look at a Halloween themed episode of Justice League Action. Aside from Superman, Green Lantern and the like, this series actually had an incredibly deep roster of DC characters that it drew from. Listen as we discuss this episode and see which Vertigo regulars show up. Enjoy!

Before discussing the anthology horror series from the late 90's/early 2000's, we dig into some recent media that we've enjoyed to varying degrees as well as the recent Lilac City Comicon and the fun that was had there. Listen along and enjoy!

We're finally doing a Doctor Who episode! Colby is joined by Brian Baer, longtime unseen friend of the show and Doctor Who aficionado. We talk about how the series connects to Vertigo Comics (those who've listened to the Books of Magic episode already know) and the long history of the show while watching the 1996 TV movie starring Paul McGann as the 8th Doctor and Eric Roberts as his enemy, The Master. Listen along and then get to watching Doctor Who!

It's finally here! After about 15 years of development hell and false starts, the adaptation of Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra's beloved Vertigo comic has finally dropped. How does the new TV series stack up against the comic? Is Ben Schnetzer really that good looking? Listen along and find out! And if you need some more background on the original comic, we discussed the first volume way back in episode 5. Give it a listen too!

We're back to complete the Justice League Dark movie series. Apokolips War is even more of a joyless slog than the last one. You can hear the movie slowly sapping our will to live with every passing second that we watch it. Enjoy!

We're back after a bit of a hiatus with a look at this animated adaptation of the titular New 52 series. While this has become something of a fan favorite, neither of us can really figure out why. It's toothless and slow paced, which are some of the worst things that an R-rated action-horror film could be. Needless to say, we basically find any excuse to talk about anything other than the action on the screen. Enjoy!

We discuss James Gunn's new take on the exploits of Task Force X. It's currently in theatres, and we'd highly suggest you give it a watch (if it's unsafe to visit the movies in your area, it's free to watch on HBO Max through September 5th). Was this version better or worse than the previous attempt? Who lives and who dies? Was there a post-credit scene? All this and more will be revealed!

We watch and discuss 2016's Suicide Squad. While the movie's become something of an example of studio overreach these days, we take a look at the underlying choices in the design and narrative to see if there's really any hope of salvaging this beast with a director's cut. Listen along and find out how this team of supervillains ties in with Vertigo Comics!

Colby gets a chance to show off his collection of Sandman and Vertigo Comics trading cards and their swanky binders to Sophia. Since those at home can't see what we're looking at, you can check out photos of the collections here: Sandman Trading Cards And here: Vertigo Trading Cards Now you can check them out while you listen along. Enjoy!

We're back from a couple of weeks off with a look at a story about the quintessential bespectacled, British, schoolboy who learns about magic. You all know who I'm talking about, right? Yes, it's Tim Hunter! The Neil Gaiman penned Books of Magic was a huge influence (while not always acknowledged) on popular culture. We discuss the original comic, it's novel adaptation, pseudo-sequel and the lesser works that have been derived from it. Listen as we tall you why Hunter is better than Potter!

We continue our look at the Sweet Tooth comic and television series. This week, we talk about characters being adapted, potential plot threads for season two and the follow up stories Sweet Tooth: Black and Sweet Tooth: The Return. Enjoy!

Have you been watching Sweet Tooth on Netflix? We explore the series and its connections to the original comic book series by Jeff Lemire. While both the comic and the show have vastly different tones and story arcs, the characters and core narrative are the same. Listen to us pick apart both versions of the story!

We look at another pilot episode and one that Sophia has been dreading since this endeavor started. Naturally, some subterfuge was employed in order to get the episode going. Is this show as bad as Sophia believes? Is it still an adaptation if it ignores everything about the source? Come and listen to us hash it out.

After a short break, we're back with a whole bunch of Vertigo news from the past couple of weeks. Most importantly, we break down and discuss the newly revealed cast of Netflix's Sandman adaptation. For some reason some of these decisions were "controversial" to the worst people on the internet and we spend some time on why they're dumb. We then jump into Kyle Baker's wacky dark comedy I Die At Midnight. It's good to be back! 

This episode starts with us taking some random people who don't listen to the show to task for some odd, and not particularly enlightened, opinions on comics. We then look at It's A Bird... by Steven T. Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen. It's a very complex look at familial secrets, the creative process and humanity in general all under the giant shadow of Superman's red cape. More than that, it askes probably the most important question that every person needs to answer themselves. Listen and find out. 

After some news about a new Vertigo television adaptation and thumbing through some cards based on DC's most forgotten crossover, we dive into the prophetic world of Transmetropolitan. Written by Warren Ellis with art by Darick Robertson, this cyberpunk series brought the world social commentary, interesting sci-fi concepts and one of the greatest comic book characters: Spider Jerusalem.

While not fondly remembered and a box office failure, I still contend that this movie is great. Sylvain White directs a star-studded and charming cast in a fun caper movie that accurately adapts Andy Diggle and Jock's comic series while injecting a fair amount of humor and hijinks. Listen to us recite large chunks of dialogue over the actual movie.

You thought we were done last time? Well, I got news for you: We're not even close to done. There are still a whole lot of Vertigo stories that should be brought to life on the big or bigger screen. Join us as we go through some great (and not so great) stories that are ripe for adaptation.

We put together lists of Vertigo comic series that we feel should be adapted into film or television. Listen along as we explain why our choices would make great viewing!

After some DC movie news and an official apology, we begin looking at Milligan and Biukovic's 1999 Human Target mini-series. Unlike the television pilot that we watched earlier, this is a story about identity and larger societal issues sprinkled with over-the-top, hollywood style action. While we don't quite agree on how well it works in the end, overall it's definitely a fun ride. If you watched the TV series (either of them, really) then listen along and find out the differences between Christopher Chance on the page and on the screen.

We dive back into the longest and most R-rated kid's movie ever made. Picking up where we left off, the two of us continue discussing the plot before digging into the psychological underpinnings of comic book characters and their adaptations. Plus, if you wrote in about Snyder's Justice League, then we read your comment today! Gotta keep that audience engagement going. Enjoy!

The time is finally upon us. Zack Snyder's Justice League is here. After some quick retractions and corrections (nobody's perfect) we dive head first into the deepest (well, longest) superhero movie ever made. What were our thoughts? Which version was better? Did The Flash get less annoying? Listen along and find out! Also, because of the sheer size of this piece of media, we've had to cut the review into two parts. Apologies.

We dive back into the semi-regular series on Vertigo Pilots with Doom Patrol! Originally created for the DC streaming app, this series mixes and matches the best aspects of the team's comic book histories while being firmly centered on bold character development. Listen along as we watch the pilot episode and barely address what's on the screen in front of us. Enjoy!

After some Sandman casting and Suicide Squad news, we dive into the Fables video game and subsequent comic adaptation, The Wolf Among Us. While it may not be written by Bill Willingham, it's still a great look into the world of the legends in exile and makes for a solid entry point for new readers. Give it a listen!

Pilot Season continues as we watch the first episode of Swamp Thing's second live action series. The sets and body horror are on full display, it's just too bad that Swampy doesn't show up until the final 40 seconds. Give it a listen and enjoy!

Today we dive into a mystery box. What's in the mystery box? You'll just have to listen and find out!

Pilot Season continues as we watch the pilot of the 2010 Human Target series. Can you make a valid and interesting adaptation of something while ignoring the core tenants of what it's based on? We'll try to sort that out...poorly.

We both agree that this was a pretty solid series that didn't get the initial love that it deserved. While there's some things that don't quite work in the pilot, later episodes smoothed those out as the show progressed and grew. Give it a listen and give the series a watch!

Today we begin a new miniseries looking at the pilots of Vertigo-based TV series starting with Preacher. This comic has been in some form of adaptation for a couple of decades. While I don't think the finished result sticks the landing 100%, it could have been a whole lot worse. So listen along as we watch the first episode of Preacher and get lost in various conversational segues. And come back next week for part 2 of Vertigo Voices: Pilot Season!

We begin the episode with some huge announcements for Netflix's upcoming Sandman television series. From there, we head on over to Terminal City. Written by Dean Motter with art by Michael Lark, this series (and its sequel, Areal Graffiti) tells the story of the strange denizens of the retro futuristic, art deco metropolis of the title. We both loves this story. Check it out!  

We look back at the media that we consumed in 2020, both old and new. After that, we dive into Jamie Delano's 2020 Visions, a 1997 series that predicted life in 2020. To quote Lou Stathis, "Today's fiction is just tomorrow's fact in a bad suit."

We're back from winter break! Now that our hibernation has subsided, we take a look at Vertigo Comics adaptation Wonder Woman 1984. Patty Jenkins returns to helm this sequel to her last Wonder Woman film and muddy the timeline of the DCEU even more. You may be wondering how this is a Vertigo adaptation. Well, listen along and find out!

We look at the multiple incarnations of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, paying particular attention to the Vertigo Comic series by Mike Carey and Glenn Fabry. This is a remarkable story in how often it's been adapted but how little changes in each retelling. Listen to us try to decipher why that is and provide exactly zero definitive answers.

We're back and talking about Jeff Lemire's The Nobody. This contemporary take on Wells' The Invisible Man re-stages the story into mid-western America for a solid and contemplative look at connection and loneliness.