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Superman Flying Away by Bill Sienkiewicz

The Greatest Bronze Age Superman Stories, Part 3

March 14, 2024 by Greg Matiasevich

Alan Moore, Bronze Age, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Curt Swan, Dave Gibbons, DC Comics, George Perez, Gil Kane, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, Superman, Vince Ostrowski

Greg and The DC3Cast’s very own Vince Ostrowski! wrap up their three-part look into the best Superman stories from the Bronze Age. It’s all Eighties all day long on this episode, as the discussion starts with the revamp of Lex Luthor and Braniac and finishes up in the aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths!

Crises! Birthday presents! Planets exploding! Planets not exploding! Team-ups great and small! All that plus Alan Moore gives us a look at Superman’s possible future on today’s episode!

[This is episode 807 in a series.]

The specific comics referred to in this episode are:

Action Comics #544-546, 554, 583
Superman #385-386, 400, 412-414, 423
Superman Annual #11
DC Comics Presents #61, 82, 85, 87
Crisis on Infinite Earths #7, 11-12 (of 12)

All comics are available as individual issues on DC Universe Infinite except for Superman #385-386 and 400, and Action Comics #544-546.

Action Comics #544-546 and 400 are collected, either in full or excerpts, in the Adventures of Superman: Gil Kane or Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years collections.

Alan Moore, Bronze Age, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Curt Swan, Dave Gibbons, DC Comics, George Perez, Gil Kane, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, Superman, Vince Ostrowski

Alex de Campi on FULL TILT BOOGIE

March 4, 2024 by Greg Matiasevich

Interviews

2000AD, Alex DeCampi, Full Tilt Boogie

Having just talked about the early days of 2000AD, Greg thought it would be fun to chat with Alex de Campi about her strip running in the Progs right now. Starting with Prog 2367 was Book Two of the strip “Full Tilt Boogie”, the continuing adventures of teen bounty hunter Tee, her grandmother, and their cat as they criss-cross the galaxy. Drawn by Eduardo Ocana, colored by Eva de la Cruz, lettered by Annie Parkhouse, and written by today’s guest.

She is a multi-hyphenate creator whose CV would take the entire show to lay out in detail, so with her indulgence I will paraphrase. A writer of prose, comics, poetry, film and television, she is also a director and collaborator and obviously a multi-tasker of the highest order. She has mashed up the Archie gang with the Predator, worked with Duncan Jones, and edited an anthology of soldiers autobiographical stories about their deployments. While not afraid to roll up her sleeves and do all manner of creative jobs herself, her eye for collaboration has led her to working with such talents as Carla Speed McNeil (on No Mercy) and Erica Henderson (on the pulp horror Dracula Motherf**ker and the more recent Parasocial), as well as the aforementioned Ocana even prior to “Full Tilt Boogie”.

Greg tried to keep this episode’s conversation coherent but with so many avenues for questions and straight-shooting answers, it was no mean feat. Find out how he did and more on today’s chat!

[This is episode 806 in a series.]

2000AD, Alex DeCampi, Full Tilt Boogie

The Greatest Bronze Age Superman Stories, Part 2

February 29, 2024 by Greg Matiasevich

Book Discussions, Shelf Bound

Alex Toth, Bronze Age, Curt Swan, DC Comics, Gene Colan, Intercompany Crossover, Jim Starlin, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, Marvel Comics, Ross Andru, Spider-Man, Steve Gerber, Superman

Greg and the DC3Cast’s very own Vince Ostrowski continue their dive into gem after gem of the greatest Bronze Age Superman stories of the post-Silver Age / pre-Crisis Man of Steel!

Intracompany crossovers! History lessons! Horror on a superhero scale! All that plus a REALLY big missile and more on today’s episode

[This is episode 805 in a series.]

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Intro

02:24 – Overview

05:44 – Superman vs Spider-Man + Spider-Man vs Superman

12:40 – DC Comics Presents (v1) #1-4

23:54 – DC Comics Presents Annual #1

27:32 – Superman Special (v1) 1 + Superman Annual (v1) #9

30:23 – World of Krypton (v1) + The Phantom Zone (v1)

39:53 – Closing Thoughts

AVAILABILITY

The Phantom Zone and World of Krypton minis, as well as the DC Comics Presents issues, are available as individual issues on DC Universe Infinite.

Superman Annual #9 is not available digitally or collected in any English-language reprint.

The two DC/Marvel crossovers are also unavailable digitally, though they were reprinted at standard comic book size in both the Crossover Classics vol. 1 collection from 1992 and as individual reprints in 1996. They will both be included in the upcoming DC Versus Marvel Omnibus, and presumably available digitally at some point afterwards.

2000AD – The First Dozen!

February 20, 2024 by Greg Matiasevich

Book Discussions, Someday Project

2000AD, Action Comics (UK), Dan Dare, Dave Gibbons, Harlem Heroes, Invasion!, John Wagner, M.A.C.H. ONE, Pat Mills

As part of his Someday Reading Project, Greg takes a look at the first dozen programmes of The Galaxy’s Greatest Comic: 2000AD !

Do those early installments still hold up? Was Dredd the leader of the pack… or the runt of the litter? What controversial boys’ adventure comic paved the way for Tharg and all that Thrill-Power? All that and more on today’s bite-sized episode!

[This is episode 804 in a series.]

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Intro
01:30 – Picking 2000AD
02:24 – 2000AD‘s Origins
05:14 – Following Along At Home
05:54 – My Rankings
08:17 – Outro

SUPPLEMENTAL READING & VIEWING

Rebellion/2000AD’s First Stories Digital Bundle

BE PURE, BE VIGILANT, BEHAVE! by Pat Mills

FUTURE SHOCK: THE STORY OF 2000AD

2000AD, Action Comics (UK), Dan Dare, Dave Gibbons, Harlem Heroes, Invasion!, John Wagner, M.A.C.H. ONE, Pat Mills

The Greatest Bronze Age Superman Stories, Part 1

February 15, 2024 by Greg Matiasevich

Book Discussions, Shelf Bound

Bronze Age, Curt Swan, DC Comics, Denny O'Neil, Jack Kirby, Kirby's Fourth World, Muhammad Ali, Neal Adams, Superman, The DC3Cast, Vince Ostrowski

Today’s episode is the first of three looking at the best Superman stories of the Seventies to the mid-Eighties with the DC3Cast’s very own Vince Ostrowski! Vince & Greg dive into what makes the Superman of this era different than his more modern incarnation and start giving you gem after gem of Super-Tales of the post-Silver Age / pre-Crisis Man of Steel.

Kryptonite No More! Must There Be A Superman! The Great One and the Greatest of All Time! Whiz Wagons! Clones! The Sweet Science! The Wedding of the Century! Hippie Bikers! More quotemarks than you can shake a stick at! All that and more on today’s episode!

[This is episode 803 in a series.]

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Intro

03:42 – What does “Bronze Age Superman” mean to you?

06:32 – Which Superman do you prefer?

10:27 – Superman v1 #232

11:17 – Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen v1 #133-139 + 141 and Forever People v1 #1

14:08 – Kirby Faces

20:42 – Superman v1 #233-242

26:00 – Individual Moments

30:07 – Superman v1 #247

33:44 – Superman vs Muhammad Ali

37:36 – “Gloriously goofy and absolutely earnest”

42:25 – The Cover

44:39 – Wrap-up / Outro

AVAILABILITY

Superman v1 #232, 247, and Action Comics v1 #484 are not available digitally as individual issues. Action Comics v1 #484 is available digitally in the Lois Lane: A Celebration of 75 Years and Action Comics: 80 Years of Superman: The Deluxe Edition collections. Superman v1 #247 and the main story from #232 (originally from Superman v1 #141) are available digitally in the Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years collection.

Superman vs Muhammad Ali is available digitally but not through DC Universe Infinite.

The rest of the comics are available as individual issues or in the Kryptonite No More, Jack Kirby’s Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, or Jack Kirby’s The Forever People collections on DC Universe Infinite.

Bronze Age, Curt Swan, DC Comics, Denny O’Neil, Jack Kirby, Kirby’s Fourth World, Muhammad Ali, Neal Adams, Superman, The DC3Cast, Vince Ostrowski

WORMY by David A. Trampier

February 5, 2024 by Greg Matiasevich

Book Discussions, Someday Project

D&D, David A. Trampier, DRAGON Magazine, TSR, Wormy

Greg kicks off The Someday Project looking at one of his early comics influences: a magazine-sized mind-bender (at least for someone of his age to read it) unlike anything else on the stands. HEAVY METAL? Nope. 2000 AD? Negative. Those are coming soon enough, but today Greg talks about the impact of David A. Trampier’s “Wormy” from DRAGON magazine. Does it still hold up? How can you get a hold of it today? All that and more in today’s episode!

“Wormy” ran in DRAGON issues:

9-20
29-34
36, 39, 42-44
47-52
54-58
60-128
130-132

The start of “WORMY” on the Internet Archive

Wormy: The Dragon’s Dragon

Correspondence with Dave Trampier and A History of His 1985 Attempt to Crowdfund a “Wormy” Anthology

D&D, David A. Trampier, DRAGON Magazine, TSR, Wormy

What is . . . THE SOMEDAY PROJECT?

February 1, 2024 by Greg Matiasevich

Someday Project

The winter break is over, and Greg returns to give listeners a peek behind the curtain in this quick preview of what 2024 has in store for the show, including and most importantly, the lowdown on what has been referred to in hushed whispers around the office as . . . THE SOMEDAY PROJECT! What new devilry is this? All is revealed in today’s episode!

Jose Villarrubia on Restoring SWAMP THING and THE CORBEN LIBRARY

November 23, 2023 by Greg Matiasevich

Interviews

Baltimore, Bernie Wrightson, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Den, Jae Lee, Jose Villarrubia, MICA, Richard Corben, Swamp Thing

Today’s guest is someone listeners of this show will be familiar with, as he name is mentioned often and in tones of reverence. For almost 30 years he has worked with such artists as Jae Lee, Jeff Lemire, Bill Sienkiewicz, JH Williams III, and BERNIE WRIGHTSON to bring color into their art in a way that always enhances, never detracts – no mean feat there.

He’s also been a teacher/presenter/lecturer of art and illustration at such institutions as Towson University, Johns Hopkins University, the Institute for Contemporary Art in London, and MICA the Maryland Institute College of Art, where he currently a professor. Two of his most recent projects are his recoloring of the Bernie Wrightson’s Swamp Thing run for the recent Absolute Edition, and the second volume of Dark Horse Comics’ “Richard Corben Library”, which collects Den: Neverwhere with his gorgeous restoration work giving it new life.

He’s Jose Villarrubia, and Greg is thrilled to have him on the show to talk about all of that and more.

Baltimore, Bernie Wrightson, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Den, Jae Lee, Jose Villarrubia, MICA, Richard Corben, Swamp Thing

Howard Chaykin on Mentoring and FARGO

November 9, 2023 by Greg Matiasevich

Interviews

Comic Book U, FARGO, Howard Chaykin, Mark Waid, Mentoring, Time2

Today’s guest needs no introduction, but we have episode post space to fill so we’re doing one anyway. He’s a creator whose balance of romanticism and pragmatism has kept him in the business and thrall of comics for almost 50 years. As an artist, a writer, and a cartoonist, he has almost certainly forgotten more about comics, history and storytelling than most of us will ever know. But thankfully, two of his latest projects are about giving that knowledge back to the comics community.

The first is Hey Kids! Comics!, a roman a clef work from Image about the history of mainstream comics whose final issue just came out last month and whose trade collection is due next month. The other is COMIC BOOK U, a series of in-person seminars with writer/editor Mark Waid kicking off next Saturday, November 18th at UCLA that looks to give attendees “an immersive tutorial into the process and craft of creating comic books”. In addition to all of that, he is reviving John Benteen’s early 20th Century soldier-of-fortune creation Fargo with an upcoming 96-page adaptation through the crowdfunding platform ZOOP.

We are, of course, talking about Howard Chaykin, and Greg got a chance to chat with him about comic book know-how, the collision of past & future, musical theater as comic book inspiration, just how neat Jason Bernard was, and a lot more on today’s episode!

Comic Book U, FARGO, Howard Chaykin, Mark Waid, Mentoring, Time2

Josh O’Neill and BEEHIVE BOOKS

October 12, 2023 by Greg Matiasevich

Interviews

Beehive Books, Dracula, Josh O'Neill, Locust Moon

The last time today’s guest was here for his own episode, it was July 2014, during the final days of the Kickstarter campaign for Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream, the Eisner-winning anthology title assembling a truly dream-worthy roster of creators to pay tribute to Windsor McCay’s seminal comic strip. In the nearly ten years since then, he has gone on to found Beehive Books, where he and creative partner Maielle Doliveux continue to put out book after book, work after work that seem like artifacts from some other, better timeline.

From Illuminated Editions pairing such literary classics as Crime and Punishment, Peter Pan, and The Kwaidan Collection with artists like Dave McKean, Brecht Evans, and Kent Williams, to documenting the continuing works of cartoonist Ronald Wemberly, to blanket tapestries from the likes of Michael DeForge, Jim Woodring, Yuko Shimizu, to a literal suitcase of period-accurate text & ephemera for the epistolarian horror classic Dracula, and so much more, my guest apparently hears the word NO as an invitation, not an obstacle. He is Josh O’Neill, and Greg is thrilled to have him back on the show after much too long an absence to talk about all things Beehive Books.

Beehive Books, Dracula, Josh O’Neill, Locust Moon