In this episode, we discuss the fifth issue of Birthright! As the story finally gives us a proper introduction to Lex Luthor, we spend a chunk of the conversation discussing the character in general. Somehow, despite the fact that we're only covering a single 22-page comic book issue, we always find things to talk about.

At the time of this recording, Albert has already seen James Gunn's Superman film, but Dru had yet to watch it. Dru's since watched it, so stay tuned for our autopsy on the Superman film soon!

Please continue to hang with us as talk about Superman! And don't forget, you can also find us on YouTube. We've posted a few videos of us discussing random comics-related stuff... Think of it like the bonus video podcasts for our patrons... Except it's free!

https://www.youtube.com/@betweenthegutterspodcast5544/videosIf you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free to hit us up on our socials, or email us! We have a Linktree here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/betweenthegutters

Thanks again to Corey J. Beats for producing our theme music. Check out all of his music on various platforms here: https://linktr.ee/coreyjbeats

We always have fun talking about comics together, and this episode goes into some unexpected but welcome directions. Birthright #4 is our big introduction to Lois Lane, and it gives us a chance to discuss the character and her place in the Superman mythos. (For more you can also check out episode 211, when we covered Lois Lane: Enemy of the People by Greg Rucka and Mike Perkins!) Not only that, but there's also some stuff in this issue that takes us back to 2003 and some of the socio-political context of the era. It really gave us something to reflect on as we reread this comic in 2025.

Please note that we recorded this episode back in June, before James Gunn's Superman came out. We have already recorded our episode on Birthright #5, and we hope to record our episode on the movie sometime relatively soon. Please continue to hang with us as talk about Superman! And don't forget, you can also find us on YouTube. We've posted a few videos of us discussing random comics-related stuff... Think of it like the bonus video podcasts for our patrons... Except it's free!

https://www.youtube.com/@betweenthegutterspodcast5544/videos

If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free to hit us up on our socials, or email us! We have a Linktree here: ⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/betweenthegutters⁠⁠⁠

Thanks again to Corey J. Beats for producing our theme music. Check out all of his music on various platforms here: ⁠https://linktr.ee/Coreyjbeats

In the third issue of Superman: Birthright, we make our way to Smallville and spend some time with Ma and Pa Kent. It's a more introspective chapter centered around Clark's relationship with his parents, and there are some meaningful emotional beats. Join us as we continue our thorough readthrough of Birthright!

Although we recorded this episode around two months ago, we only just got to posting it. Circumstances and life schedules have slowed down our pace, but it is not our intention to neglect the podcast. Thank you for bearing with us, and thank you for your faithfulness. We've already recorded our episode on issue four, so after a little bit of editing, we should be able to post it relatively soon! Please share our Birthright episodes with any Superman fans you know, or with people who are interested in Superman stories!

If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free to hit us up on our socials, or email us! We have a Linktree here: ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/betweenthegutters⁠⁠

Thanks again to Corey J. Beats for producing our theme music. Check out all of his music on various platforms here: https://linktr.ee/Coreyjbeats

The second issue of Birthright continues the plot from the first issue and gives us some more insights into Clark's motivations. Waid, Yu, and the rest of the creative team add more meat to Superman's origin, but they do it in a way that's reasonable and makes sense with the existing lore. Join us as we continue our issue-by-issue readthrough and analysis of Superman: Birthright!

If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free to hit us up on our socials, or email us! We have a Linktree here: ⁠⁠linktr.ee/betweenthegutters⁠⁠

Thanks again to Corey J. Beats for producing our theme music. Check out all of his music on various platforms here: ⁠⁠linktr.ee/Coreyjbeats

We're deep into 2025 already, but we're still going to do a readthrough this year. Superman: Birthright, by Mark Waid, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, Dave McCaig, and Comicraft is one of the definitive Superman origin stories. There have been a bunch of Superman origins, but Birthright is one that seems to have stood the test of time. Can you believe it's already over twenty years old? It's been a while since we last revisited it, and now we're gonna revisit it in decompressed fashion, with discussions on every single issue! Join us for the ride!

In this first Birthright episode, we also talk about some general background for this limited series, our histories with it, and our familiarity with the other works of the creative team.

If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free to hit us up on our socials, or email us! We have a Linktree here: ⁠⁠linktr.ee/betweenthegutters⁠⁠

Thanks again to Corey J. Beats for producing our theme music. Check out all of his music on various platforms here: ⁠⁠linktr.ee/Coreyjbeats

Here's another indie comics hidden gem for y'all to check out! No Ivy League by Hazel Newlevant is a thoughtful and socially conscious memoir about a teen's growing awareness of racial and class disparity. It's a comic that will give you something to think about, a work that provides an avenue for some much-needed self-reflection in these times. No Ivy League is something we should all read if we're interested in growing in our empathy.

If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free to hit us up on our socials, or email us! We have a Linktree here: linktr.ee/betweenthegutters

Thanks again to Corey J. Beats for producing our theme music. Check out all of his music on various platforms here: linktr.ee/Coreyjbeats

Okinawa by Susumu Higa is a must-read manga for anyone who appreciates comics or world history. Okinawa is a collection of short stories pertaining to the past, present, and even future of Higa's homeland. Every story in this collection is immaculately crafted. Some of them are about life on Okinawa during wartime, some are about the U.S. occupation, and yet others are about life on the archipelago. There's a wide variety of material here, but it's all absolutely worth your time and we hope you seek it out. We were extremely impressed by Okinawa and we want everyone out there to read it, too!

If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free to hit us up on our socials, or email us! We have a Linktree here: linktr.ee/betweenthegutters

Thanks again to Corey J. Beats for producing our theme music. Check out all of his music on various platforms here: linktr.ee/Coreyjbeats 

The final issue of Solo, by Brendan McCarthy, is memorable for its psychedelic visuals and offbeat storytelling. It's a fascinating issue that has been held in high regard by critics in the years since its release. Outside of comics, McCarthy is known for his work on Mad Max: Fury Road as a writer and designer, as well as cult animation such as Reboot. We spend a little time discussing what we know of his work, and then talk about each story in his Solo issue. Finally, we reflect back on the year of reading every issue of the series!

For a handy Spotify playlist featuring all of our episodes on Solo, click here: tr.ee/LWngAKKWTt

If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free to hit us up on our socials, or email us! We have a Linktree here: linktr.ee/betweenthegutters

Thanks again to Corey J. Beats for producing our theme music. Check out all of his music on various platforms here: linktr.ee/Coreyjbeats

One of the great masters of visual comedy, Sergio Aragonés, finally gets his spotlight issue in Solo! From Mad Magazine to Groo, he's long established himself as one of the finest cartoonists in the Western Hemisphere. Join us as we discuss our level of familiarity with his work, and then dive into each of the stories in this comic.

For a handy Spotify playlist featuring all of our episodes on Solo, click here: ⁠tr.ee/LWngAKKWTt⁠

If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, or corrections, we're here. Feel free to hit us up on our socials, or email us! We have a Linktree here: ⁠linktr.ee/betweenthegutters⁠

Thanks again to Corey J. Beats for producing our theme music. Check out all of his music on various platforms here: ⁠linktr.ee/Coreyjbeats