The Collected Edition

“Mantlo and Golden threw their hearts into this assignment
and made it far better than it has any right to be.  “

Today on the program, we talk about The Micronauts…the Marvel toy adaptation from the 1970s written by Bill Mantlo and drawn by Michael Golden that should have just been a bit of fluff…but holy cow, there is so much more. There’s political intrigue, revo...

“It is a hell of a lot of fun.”

On today’s episode we talk about the nonsensical, psychadelic, batshit insane comic that is Shade the Changing Man. Created and drawn by the legendary Steve Ditko with scripting by Michael Fleisher, this is 1970s weirdness to the extreme. Is there any narrative cohere...

“I have found that to be a fan of something is to let fandom go.”

One of the more controversial crossover event comics ever released. It has a bad reputation among fans in general and Captain America fans in particular. Written by Nick Spencer and drawn by a roster of superstar artists, Secret Empire sees Cap implementing a fascist takeover of the US. It is an action-packed political...

“A gritty…but not grim…street-level aspect to the character.”

Today on the program Selina’s Big Score a Catwoman comic (sort of). It is a noir crime drama, a gumshoe detective story, a heist caper, but mostly it’s Darwyn Cooke just being Darwyn Cooke. Great art, great story, great ...

“It’s about as goofy as it gets written at a time
when comics were not afraid just to be silly.”

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!

Today on the program we discuss what can best be described as a “completely bonkers” comic…The Brave and...

“It sometimes feels that to escape the Past it would
take some kind of superhuman effort of some kind of magic”

On this episode, we discuss The Scarlet Witch by James Robinson. This is a beautiful book with a rotating roster of artists that takes Wanda Maximoff on a world tour to redo/retcon/reimagine her origin story and find redemption. She ...

“Consider, if you will, the Phoenix, how it shines.”

On this episode, we discuss the epic that is The Dark Phoenix Saga. There are certain works that we call “seminal” “iconic” or “classic” but none truly live up to those monikers like this story.  Written by Chris Clar...

“Happy Halloween!”

On this episode we talk about we talk about a horror crossover that launched and entire sub-genre: Afterlife with Archie by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla. The Archie gang meets zombies. It is an unlikely horror comic that is genuinely horrific and genuinely moving.

In addition we talk about Agatha All Alon...

“Heroes? Villians? Or something more complex?”

On this episode we discuss The Suicide Squad: Trial By Fire by John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell – the seminal run that pretty much defined the Suicide Squad right up till this very day. Lots of moral ambiguity and pragmatic decisions.

In addition we talk about Marvel and DC losing the trade...

“…a much richer texture than the typical comic aimed at children.”

On this episode we talk about The Smurfs. Yes, the Smurfs. The original comics from the 196s written and drawn by the Belgian author Peyo. Specifically we will be discussing four stories: Purple Smurfs, The Smurfette, King Smurf, and...

“Oh Canada!”

On this episode we talk about the one and only Canadian super team Alpha Flight written and drawn by John Byrne. This is a very 1980s comic – that can be a good thing and a bad thing. In this case more good than bad. Lots of new situations, new heroes, a new country, and a very daring choice for a particular character’...

“Pain…so much pain.”

On this episode we talk about The Crow written and drawn by James O’Barr. First off…content warning. This comic deals with extreme violence, self harm, and sexual assault. This might not be for everyone. The Crow is of course the Goth classic (?) that has spawned mul...

“And We’re Back…for Real!”

After a long hiatus we are in fact back baby! And to kick it off its a good one, Howard the Duck by the legendary Steve Gerber and the equally legendary Gene Colan. And not just any old story either, but the time Howard ran for President in 1976! It was a tumultuous time in America’s history with extr...

And we’re back…almost.

After a long, unplanned hiatus The Collected Edition will be back with brand new episodes starting in July 2024. This is just a brief announcement episode to explain where we’ve been and what will be coming. Thanks, everyone for your patience while we’ve been gone and I hope you will join us again for new and exciting conversation about famous and i...

“One of my favorites among
the multitude of Xmas stories!”

It’s that festive time of the year and what’s a better way to celebrate than with a rolicking adventure from the legendary Darwyn Cooke? It’s got everything: The Fantastic Four, Inhumans, mind control, lost children, shopping a Macy’s, and a tender J. Jonah Jamison. Oh, an...

“Tank Girl simply is.”

Today on the program we discuss the anarchic insanity that is Tank Girl. A punk rock fever dream created by artist Jamie Hewlett and writer Alan Martin in 1988, it was a frenetic cacophony of a comic book that didn’t so much cross the line of decency and good taste, as it erased that ...

“…a noble piece of work in the ongoing evaluation of the comics medium.”

Today on the program we discuss the radical parody/satire that is Ambush Bug! The 1985 crazy meta masterpiece (?) from the legendary Keith Giffen and Robert Loren Fleming. It’s only 4 issues…but man is it something.

In addition, we talk about the second se...

“Nostalgia writ large”

Today on the program we discuss the retro adventure-chic masterpiece that is The Rocketeer by Dave Stevens. It’s cool, it’s beautiful, it ended too soon.

In addition, we talk about the passing of Keith Giffen, a true legend in comics.

As always, thanks for listening.

“Conflict in narrative is fun!”

The premise of the show is to talk about the famous and infamous runs in comics, and this comic falls perfectly into both categories. Probably one of the most acclaimed and controversial runs in comics, Neal Adams and Denny O’Neil‘s Green Lantern Green Arrow arguably changed comics forever. But is it a...