Hey, remember when they used to make official comics adaptations of major motion pictures? Hellboy auteur Mike Mignola drew one for the 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula! We look at this unusual gem from Topps Comics and weigh in on how the subject matter plays to Mignola's strengths and how it functions as an adaptation of the film. Plus, history and context for the novel that started it all.
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Ghost Rider was something of an also-ran character in the 70s and 80s, so when editor-turned-writer Howard Mackie was invited to pitch a revival in 1990, Marvel didn’t have high hopes. But, with a brand new human host created by Mackie and a gritty and powerful redesign by artist Javier Saltares, the Spirit of Vengeance soon became a massive commercial success. We figured the first Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch - Vengeance Reborn Epic Collection would be seasonally appropriate reading for Halloween, but there’s very little of the supernatural in these pages (except for the flaming-skull-headed biker himself). Instead, mysteries layered on top of mysteries are the order of the day, so your hosts will try to untangle what it all means (and whether it matters). We’ll also uncover Mackie’s personal connection to Danny Ketch’s neighborhood and debate how to pronounce "Zarathos"!
Discussed in this episode: Ghost Rider #1-12, Doctor Strange #28, and selected material from Marvel Comics Presents #64-71
Justin and Jim spent all their money on leather jackets covered in spikes and chains, so they don’t have any money left over to buy comics! Help them out at patreon.com/ironageofcomics
The Halloween season is upon us again, so we’re revisiting our favorite horror hero, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy, in the next batch of adventures following his debut in ”Seed of Destruction.”
We open with four short stories. In “The Wolves of St. August,” Hellboy investigates a town torn apart by werewolves and an ancient curse. Next, “The Corpse” and “The Iron Shoes” both detail conflicts with the fae folk of Ireland. Finally, we investigate the origins of Hellboy himself in “The Chained Coffin.”
Then it’s onto the main attraction: “Wake the Devil,” the second Hellboy epic, which entangles the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense in a conspiracy involving a billionaire industrialist, the return of Rasputin and his Nazi cronies, a Romanian vampire, and lots more mythological monsters.
Becoming a supporter of the Iron Age at patreon.com/ironageofcomics may not ward off evil spirits like actual iron, but it probably couldn’t hurt. (Supporters will also get access to more Mignola goodness in a bonus episode later this month.)
Following the triumph of Marvels and from the ashes of a proposed sequel that fell apart, Kurt Busiek launched Astro City with Brent Anderson on interior art and Marvels collaborator Alex Ross on covers and character designs. On the series’ 30th anniversary, we look at the complicated development of the series and its first six stories. We also ask some conceptual questions. Should Astro City be considered part of the larger superhero deconstructionist movement of the Iron Age, or something else entirely? Are the series’ familiar-but-different superheroes “analogues” or “archetypes”? Is there such a thing as including too many Easter eggs? And what’s the difference between “superheroes in the real world” and Astro City?
Discussed in this episode: the first volume of Kurt Busiek’s Astro City #1-6, published by Image Comics (as originally reprinted in the Life in the Big City trade paperback and other subsequent collected editions)
The municipality of Astro City is probably supported with robust and progressive property taxes, but our podcast relies on listener support at patreon.com/ironageofcomics
SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR CONCLUDES! Where were you when the lights went out? Your hosts were reading DC’s 1996 crossover, The Final Night, in which the Earth’s sun is blotted out, robbing Superman of his powers. A somewhat somber alternative to the traditionally bombastic action-packed crossover, writer Karl Kesel with artists Stuart Immomen with Jose Marzan, Jr. craft a crossover without a main villain (except for the ones trying to help out), focusing instead on how superheroes cope with what looks like the end of the world. This issue also features the final fate of Hal Jordan/Parallax, giving Ron Marz the opportunity to send off the character he so radically upended (and putting a nice neat bow on all our recent Green Lantern coverage).
Discussed in this episode: The Final Night #1-4, plus Parallax: Emerald Night.
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SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR CONTINUES! We’ve discussed tie-ins to DC’s 1994 continuity-altering crossover Zero Hour on a couple occasions so far, but now we finally tackle the main series itself. Billed as “The Beginning of Tomorrow!” and a fresh entry point for new and lapsed readers alike, writer-artist Dan Jurgens pits DC’s heroes against Extant and Parallax for the fate of the universe…and the good guys don’t quite stop them in time! The result is a new timeline (reflected in a literal printed timeline of events included in the last issue), a hard reboot for the Legion of Super-Heroes (the first of many, unfortunately), and some questionable changes to Batman’s history (which have since been overturned). We also do a real nerdy deep-dive on DC continuity and the lingering effects of 1986’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, and Justin finally lets Jim explain what the deal with Monarch was.
Discussed in this episode: Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #0-4 (well, actually #4-0…)
Bonus episodes and a newsletter at patreon.com/ironageofcomics
SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR CONTINUES! Comic book annuals are a remnant of the newsstand distribution era, when Marvel and DC tried to get some extra-sized product on the rack for the summer. With the advent of the direct market, annuals lost a bit of their luster, so Marvel began using them as a vehicle for linewide crossovers. “Atlantis Attacks” from 1989 sprawled across 14 annuals, contriving a way for the Silver Surfer, the Punisher, and three non-consecutive Spider-Man annuals to somehow participate in the same story as the Avengers and Fantastic Four. While Atlantis does indeed attack the surface world (eventually), the main focus of this story is actually the Deviant villain Ghaur, seeking to bring Set the Elder God to Earth. We also take a snapshot of the Marvel Universe circa 1989, learn the history of the Serpent Crown (it involves, canonically and inextricably, Conan the Barbarian) and celebrate Namor the Sub-Mariner’s 50th anniversary (largely by sidelining him from the story).
Discussed in this episode: Silver Surfer Annual #2, Iron Man Annual #10, X-Men Annual #13, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #23, Punisher Annual #2, Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #9, Daredevil Annual #4 (...or is it #5?), Avengers Annual #18, New Mutants Annual #5, X-Factor Annual #4, Web of Spider-Man Annual #5, Avengers West Coast Annual #4, Thor Annual #14, Fantastic Four Annual #22, plus New Mutants #76 and selected material from Marvel Comics Presents #26 and Avengers West Coast #56.Support the show at patreon.com/ironageofcomics
In the wake of Tim Burton's 1989 version of Batman, Hollywood tried to recapture its blockbuster success by fast-tracking a number of movies featuring other masked heroes. It may seem strange today, however, that so many of those heroes were pulp and pulp-inspired adventurers in period 1920s/30s settings. The films that followed--The Rocketeer (1991), The Shadow (1994), and The Phantom (1996)--were neither financial hits nor critical darlings, but they each have their fans. In this preview episode, we theorize about why studios in the 1990s thought this was the way to go. If this discussion whets your appetite, you can find a full-length bonus episode where we talk about each film in depth on patreon.com/ironageofcomics
SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR CONTINUES! Marvel’s X-titles are practically a superhero universe unto themselves, and the tradition of regular crossovers between them continues to this day. We take a look at the very first of these epics, “Mutant Massacre,” which follows the wholesale slaughter of the underground Morlock community through parallel story threads in Uncanny X-Men and X-Factor, while also winding its way through several other titles, both mutant-related and not-so-mutant-related. But whereas most crossovers are top-down editorial-driven stunts, the “Massacre” began as a storytelling experiment between writers (and friends) Chris Claremont and Louise Simonson. We look at the history of the X-books as a franchise, labyrinthine plotting that may or may not ever pay off down the line, and how events like this shake up the status quo, for better or for worse.
Discussed in this episode: Uncanny X-Men #210-213, X-Factor #9-11, New Mutants #46, Power Pack #27, Thor #373-374, and Daredevil #238.
CHECK OUT THE MUTANT MASSACRE MAP:
https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Mutant_Massacre?file=Mutant_Massacre_Map_001.jpg
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The Iron Age boys share a few personal reflections about former Marvel editor-in-chief, writer, and all-around controversial comics industry figure Jim Shooter on the occasion of his passing.
SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR CONTINUES! Alien attacks on Earth are an almost routine occurrence in the DC Universe, but until 1988’s Invasion!, we’d rarely seen one treated as an actual global war, with campaigns on multiple fronts, chains of command, political negotiations and alliances, and massive casualties. In three 80-page giant issues, Keith Giffen brainstorms an alliance between the Dominators and several other alien empires, Bill Mantlo supplies the dialogue, and Todd McFarlane and Bart Sears bring it to life in the art. We weren’t sure what to expect from this borderline-forgotten crossover, so we were pleasantly surprised to enjoy a rollicking superhero epic. The series also reveals the origins and mechanisms behind how metahuman super powers work in the post-Crisis DCU (if you’re into that sort of thing). Listeners of our series on Morrison and Truog’s Animal Man will find revealed in these pages the source of Buddy Baker’s malfunctioning abilities!
Discussed in this episode: Invasion! #1-3, plus various tie-ins and the Daily Planet Extra.
Support the show at patreon.com/ironageofcomics
SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR BEGINS! Love 'em or hate 'em, big event comics were a defining feature of the Iron Age, cramming a whole universe of superheroes into a single miniseries and/or spreading a single story out over multiple titles. We begin three months of surveying the crossover phenomenon with one of the first major examples: Marvel’s Secret Wars II, written and architected by friend-of-the-podcast* Jim Shooter. Whereas the original Secret Wars was designed to take place relatively unobtrusively between issues of the regular monthly books, the sequel sprawled across the Marvel Universe for nine months.
The cosmic being known as the Beyonder has come to Earth seeking the meaning of existence, and his limitless power—coupled with childlike curiosity and naivete—makes him a potential threat to the entire multiverse. But, in contrast with its action-packed predecessor, the frequently bizarre Secret Wars II spends much of its time on fish-out-of-water hijinks, thinly veiled attacks on former Marvel creators, mild satire of '80s consumer culture, and some uncomfortable fixations regarding women and relationships.
Discussed in this episode: Secret Wars II #1-9, plus various tie-ins.
_________
* (Not really.)
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Concluding (for now) our look at the saga of Kyle Rayner, the last of the Green Lantern Corps (for the ‘90s, at least). Just when Kyle finally thinks he’s proved himself for all time as a worthy owner of the power ring, his future comes into question when a trip to the 30th century reveals the Legion of Super-Heroes have no record of his career as Green Lantern. His position isn’t much more secure in the 20th century after he picks up an unplanned stowaway on his travels through time: a novice Hal Jordan. By the time Parallax shows up, all our emerald gladiators have to confront their legacies for better or for worse. As we wrap up, we’ll also talk about the real-world legacy of the character and comic in the wake of Hal Jordan’s more permanent return in Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern: Rebirth.
Discussed in this episode: Green Lantern #95-106, plus crossover issues of Green Arrow and The Flash.
We could use a little green ourselves! Support the show at patreon.com/ironageofcomics
Many artists look back on the work they did at age nineteen and cringe, but Matt Wagner keeps returning to Grendel, expanding and refining his youthful enthusiasms into an exploration of the nature of evil. Today, Grendel is a sprawling multigenerational saga that can be challenging to get into (and it was for one of your hosts), so we start at the beginning with the first link in the chain: a child prodigy who grows up to be the toast of Manhattan society as bestselling author Hunter Rose and master of the East Coast underworld as assassin-turned-crimelord Grendel. We’ll examine how the character evolved with Wagner’s maturing writing and art, ably assisted by some of the greatest comic book artists the Iron Age had to offer, and try to get to the bottom of “criminal chic” and the allure of the villain in popular fiction.
We veer just a bit outside the strict confines of our 15-year Iron Age to read Dark Horse Comics’ Grendel Omnibus Vol. 1: Hunter Rose, which contains The Devil by the Deed, the Black, White and Red and Red, White and Black short story collections, Behold the Devil, and other assorted material.
Grendel's money is ill-gotten, but we merely ask for donations: patreon.com/ironageofcomics
In our continuing series on the early years of Kyle Rayner, our hero squares off against Fatality, a spacefaring warrior woman who wants to crush the Green Lantern Corps (even though Hal Jordan has mostly done the job already). Kyle also gets a new roommate with a connection to the GL legacy, introduces his girlfriend to his mom, gets trapped in a painting, and deals with a troubled friend who was indirectly responsible for Kyle getting the ring in the first place. Featuring team-ups with Green Arrow Connor Hawke, Superboy Kon-El, Deadman, and Kyle’s new JLA teammate J’Onn J’Onzz the Martian Manhunter.
Discussed in this episode: Green Lantern #83-94 and Annual #6 (1997), plus crossover issues of Green Arrow and Superboy.
Support the pod at patreon.com/ironageofcomics
Some people think Mike Hodges' 1980 Flash Gordon movie is cheesy trash and hate it; others think it's over-the-top hilarious and enjoy it. But some weirdos truly LOVE this exercise in tonal whiplash, and your humble hosts are two such men. We'll talk about the film as an adaptation of both the original Alex Raymond source material and the Buster Crabbe serials, and how it proudly defies Star Wars' revisionist sci-fi aesthetic. But we'll also try to dig underneath the spectacle to expose the genuinely rousing humanistic heroism at this movie's core. Plus: more beloved character actors than you'll know what to do with!
Want to hear the rest? Support us at patreon.com/ironageofcomics !
When Marvel let their license to produce Star Wars comics lapse in 1986, Return of the Jedi was three years in the rear-view mirror and it seemed possible there would never be any further installments in the franchise. But Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy’s 1991 miniseries Dark Empire would begin Dark Horse Comics’ 23-year run of Star Wars comics and help launch the Expanded Universe. Set six years after the Battle of Endor, Dark Empire sees Luke Skywalker tempted to the Dark Side by the newly revived Emperor, Han Solo and Leia Organa fleeing bounty hunters, and a new Imperial doomsday weapon threatening the galaxy. We’ll look at the long and rocky development of the series, how involved (or not) Lucasfilm was in the story, and how it compares to its prose sister project, Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy.
This is the only podcast where you can hear two grown men arguing (politely) about Star Wars!
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It looks like Kyle Rayner and Donna Troy have broken up. In an effort to avoid both the consequences of his own self-sabotage and improve his approach to being Green Lantern, Kyle decides to go on a cross-country trip to seek advice from Batman, Captain Marvel, and Wonder Woman. He’ll also stand with Adam Strange and the Darkstars against Darkseid’s secret son and seek his own long-lost father with the help of new Green Arrow Connor Hawke. If that’s not enough superhero guest stars, wait till you see who shows up to Hal Jordan’s funeral!
Discussed in this episode: Green Lantern #71-82 and Annual #5 (1996), plus crossover issues of Green Arrow.
Take The Dirty Dozen, populate with supervillains and obscure DC characters, and plug them into Mission: Impossible-style plots. This is the recipe that John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell used to launch Suicide Squad, a series that takes place in the same mainstream post-Crisis DC Universe inhabited by Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern, but takes a very different look at the place of superhumans in it, while also casting a suspicious eye on Cold War-era U.S. interventionism. We’ll discuss how Ostrander spun this series out of little more than a name recycled from the Silver Age, his working method with McDonnell, and one of this run’s most enduring legacies in the DCU: Amanda Waller.
WARNING: Does not contain Harley Quinn (despite what some trade paperback covers may suggest).
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In our continuing series on the Iron Age Green Lantern, twentysomething ‘90s dude Kyle Rayner gets a new girlfriend (Donna Troy, formerly known as Wonder Girl, currently serving as a Darkstar), goes on a space adventure with his teammates in the Titans, meets Iron Age Flash Wally West and former Corpsman John Stewart, and is tempted to make a deal with the (literal) devil. But his biggest challenges will be confronting Major Force (the man who killed his previous girlfriend) and justifying his stewardship of the Green Lantern legacy when Hal Jordan returns and demands the ring back. And if he survives all that…he just might screw things up with Donna.
Discussed in this episode: Green Lantern #59-70 and Annual #4 (1995), plus crossover issues of Guy Gardner: Warrior, New Titans, Darkstars, and Damage.
