Welcome to the third episode of the Comic Show by Monkeys Fighting Robots! Anthony and Matt have a lot to discuss with you today: Batman #26 with depressed Joker, Unholy Grail #1 by Cullen Bunn, Dad Superman with beat writer Nick Enquist, our must read Sacred Creatures #1 by Image Comics, and Howard Chaykin’s latest controversy.
01:27 Batman #26 review
Matt – 3 out of 5 Robots
Anthony – 3 out of 5 Monkeys
14:49 Unholy Grail #1
Matt – 3 out of 5 Robots
Anthony – 3.75 of 5 Monkeys
23:26 Beat Reporter Nick Enquist – Superman #26
36:34 Sacred Creatures #1
Matt – 3.75 out of 5 Robots
Anthony – 4 of 5 Monkeys
51:44 Howard Chaykin vs the Industry
Thank you for listening!
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About the Comic Show Podcast: A comic journalist in the twilight of his career still grasping for his first Eisner runs into a young buck that mildly reminds him of his youth. Their warped enthusiasm for the comic book industry unites them to spread the good word to the inter-web. Realistically, we are two nerds that love comic books and want to entertain you with quality recommendations, creator interviews, and reports from your favorite publisher. For diehard fans and comic newbs; all are welcome to the Comics Show on Monkeys Fighting Robots! Hosts, Matthew Sardo and Anthony Composto.
Sam Wilson is returning to his roots, putting down his Captain America shield and becoming the Falcon once more. His brand new series Falcon will spin out of the Marvel Legacy one-shot, and is being written by Peabody and AFI Award winning writer/producer Rodney Barnes.
Barnes has served as producer and writer on shows such as My Wife and Kids, Everybody Hates Chris, and The Boondocks (on which he was the head writer). He is also a co-executive producer and writer on Marvel’s Runaways, hitting Hulu in 2018.
Falcon will be drawn by Joshua Cassara, and focuses on Sam as he deals with the aftermath of Secret Empire. Barnes spoke with Comicbook.com about the series.
“At the moment, Sam is in a state of transition,” Barnes says. “He feels guilty about his relationship with Steve Rogers and wonders if he didn’t pick up clues as to what team Steve was really playing for what else has he missed? So he’s backing away from the limelight for a spell and taking a more grass roots approach to making the world a better place.”
Readers can already see the seeds of this idea planted in Secret Empire, where Sam is first seen isolating himself and wallowing. Barnes sees this as a time for “resetting the table,” and hopes that his series will help Sam re-find his place in the world:
“By the end of my run, my hope is that Sam will be clear minded and focused as to his place in the Marvel Universe. He’s worn a lot of hats over the last few years and that’s sort of disrupted his sense of self. The plan is to restore that. I’d say the tone is more personal and intimate. Often times superheroes become so connected to the missions at hand that they forget there’s a real person under the costume.”
Barnes also talked briefly about Sam’s new sidekick in the series, the Patriot:
“The Patriot helps Falcon connect with the Millennial mindset of today’s world,” he says. “Sam typically deals with his own peer group who sees the world much like he does. Shaun is an optimist and this helps to balance the sense of self-doubt Sam’s going through. There are some similarities in Sam’s relationship with Rayshaun to the one he had with Joaquin Torres, but Sam was in a different place then. Much more the typical authoritarian. Here he’s second guessing himself and Shaun isn’t afraid to point that out.”
Falcon will start things off by introducing dark magic into Sam’s world, pitting the hero against Blackheart, son of Mephisto (Marvel’s Satan).
“Genre wise there’s a blending of urban street sensibilities with dark magic. Sam’s never been to the place we’re taking him and it’s going to take more than muscle to overcome the obstacles in his path,” Barnes says. “My hope is that taking Sam out of his typical environment will cause him to use wits of a different sort. The fight now is from the inside out. And since he’s soul searching it felt kind of cool to put him in the spiritual realm. Blackheart was a character I’ve appreciated for a long time. I felt his frustration at being a second stringer on the demon totem pole so why wouldn’t he take his shot at shaking up the world? If a bad kid won’t listen to his parents surely a Demon son wouldn’t take well to conformity either.”
Check out the full solicitation for Falcon #1 here:
FALCON #1 Written by RODNEY BARNES
Penciled by JOSHUA CASSARA
Cover by JESUS SAIZ
TAKE FLIGHT! Continuing directly out of the pages of MARVEL LEGACY #1!
Sam Wilson – winged warrior, avian Avenger and one-time sentinel of liberty – takes to the skies again, reborn and recommitted as the fighter for freedom, THE FALCON!
Engaged in an all-new assignment while training his new partner THE PATRIOT, Sam Wilson soars high and sees all. But Sam’s new mission finds him on a collision course with an enemy way out of his weight class—the demonic BLACKHEART! From the stratosphere to the streets, the Marvel Universe now has a high-flying hero circling above them ready to strike!
Seven To Eternity has quickly been established as one of the most unique and engaging comic book experiences available currently. Image Comics’ science fiction fantasy by the dream team of Rick Remender & Jerome Opeña releases its seventh installment this week.
Adam Osidis has seemingly betrayed his allies and left Jevalia to die in order to save the Mud King. His daughter has joined the group he’s left behind to pursue his agenda with the “God Of Whispers”. The group finds refuge in a strange village in order to save Jevalia from being lost to the swamp.
Tensions are high for our characters as they stray from their already crumbling scheme to compensate for the latest betrayal. The series began with its focus on the worth of a man and his word. As the story progresses we see that put to the test every week in some form.
Who do you trust? Seven To Eternity‘s beautiful cast of characters has gotten smaller, the stakes are always high as the series keeps us constantly on the edge of whatever we read comics on. Readers are forced to go back and forth each book on Adam Osidis and company.
The analysis of character motivation and action between issues rivals the most thought provoking television dramas. All within a heavy science fiction landscape, filled to the brim with life.
Seven issues into this monumental series, readers have so much to digest and analyze. Remender and Opeña have built a massive world on the fly, introducing us to unique concepts, creatures, and rules. What could easily be overwhelming in other books is executed so flawlessly that readers don’t miss a beat.
Remender has a remarkable skill in creating these vast sci-fi thunderdomes. He fills them with so many details and layers of character that readers want to be apart of them. To subscribe to a Rick Remender series is to immerse yourself into the greatest reality escape comic books can provide each month.
Another reason Remender’s comics always matter so much is because of who he chooses to do them with. He always partners with the perfect collaborator on every title, it becomes a very personal experience in an industry that can’t keep a single creative team together for a full run.
Unfortunately, with Seven To Eternity #7, that worked against them. Jerome Opeña was absent this issue, with James Harren stepping in on pencils. Harren does a fine job illustrating a new landscape and tons of new creatures. It’s just that this book belongs to Opeña and his chemistry with Rick is what sunk its hooks into us in the first place.
Personally, I don’t want anyone else on the book, leave the creative carousel to Marvel and DC. That being said, James Harren took one of these insane scripts and drew the hell out of it and that absolutely deserves major praise.
Seven To Eternity is a book like no other, even if you read Remender’s other titles. It’s still young, despite all that it’s already accomplished creatively. If you’re not reading this book, get on board.
Shakir has been cast as John Mclver, who is described as, “a natural leader, brimming with charisma, whose mission is focused on Harlem and vengeance.”
Dennis will be playing Tilda Johnson, “a brilliant, holistic doctor with a complicated history in Harlem where, as much as she tries to stay far from trouble, it seems to always find her.”
As more information on this cast announcement is released, Monkeys Fighting Robots will have it covered.
Luke Cage season two is set to premiere in 2018 on Netflix.
Ivan Drago, the mountainous, routed out villain of Rocky IV and the man responsible for the death of Apollo Creed , might be making a return to the franchise in Creed 2. At least that’s what Sylvester Stallone really wants everyone to think.
In a series of Instagram posts over the last week or so, Sly hinted and hinted and hinted again that the personification of oppressive 80s Russian communism, played by Dolph Lundgren, is going to be a part of the sequel to Ryan Coogler’s surprisingly terrific sequel/spinoff, Creed.
A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone) on
We get it, man.
We should definitely consider this as a sign that Ivan Drago is coming back since Stallone is writing Creed 2. And Sly certainly likes nostalgia as much as the next person. We should also all collectively beg and plead with Stallone that Adonis isn’t going to square off against the super old Russian fighter in some sort of stunt fight. We did the stunt fighting in Rocky III.
At the same time, having Drago reappear in some capacity could be an emotionally charged moment for Adonis, seeing the man who killed his father face to face. Just… don’t fight…
There is no release date for Creed 2, but it is slated for some time in 2018. Stay tuned for more updates.
Superman #26 hits your local comic book store today, it’s a personal story of how a father and son learn to communicate with one another. At a base level, it’s a dad trying to not mess up his kid. It just so happens the father and son are Superman and Superboy.
5-Page Preview of Superman #26
Superman #26 written by a father of two, Michael Moreci, who created a name for himself with his sci-fi trilogy Roche Limit, explains why we need a Superboy.
“Superboy–in addition to being a great character on his own–humanizes Superman in a new, dynamic way, and it gives him a new extreme (of which there are many in parenthood) to overcome,” said Moreci.
The most common piece of advice you will get as a writer is, write what you know. In the issue, you can see how big of an influence Moreci’s personal life and experiences were on Clark and Jonathan Kent.
“Very big; as a dad–a stay at home dad at that–I struggle, a lot, with wanting to be perfect for my sons and being very, very hard on myself when I get things wrong. Parenting is an emotional rollercoaster, and you can have all the superpowers in the world, as Supes does, but it won’t help you with the challenges of being a father,” said Moreci.
Superman was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster in 1933, that’s 84 years of mythos, which could be very intimidating for a new writer. It’s like coming to the Yankees, but the pressure didn’t seem to phase Moreci.
“It was an inventory issue*, so I figured it wouldn’t ever get released, haha. But when it DID, when I found out…whew boy. The pressure was pretty legit. It’s been so much fun, though, so I’ve been able to pretty much ignore that and just enjoy the ride,” said Moreci.
Up next for Moreci, a super secret DC Comics project he can’t talk about. He also has his first novel ‘Black Star Renegades’ coming out January 2, 2018, and Moreci is writing Dishonored (based on the video game) for Titan.
Why do you think we need a Superboy? Comment below.
The Toronto Sun asked Spider-Man: Homecoming star Tom Holland what Marvel hero he wants to see in the sequel. His answer? Ant-Man, of course.
“For me? It would be Ant-Man. I think we could have a really fun time with Spider-Man and Ant-Man. A mini-Spider-Man could be really interesting and so cool. Swinging from that Coke bottle to that glass [he gestures to a coffee table in front of him], but making it look like Manhattan would be insane. It would be a really amazing way to start off the movie. You see Spider-Man swinging around in like Rome or something and he suddenly grows and it turns out he was on a model.”
Scott Lang and Peter Parker would be an interesting duo. While Tony Stark is an inspirational figure to Parker, it’s likely that Lang would be more of comedic relief in times of crisis.
Do you want to see Ant-Man appear in the next Spider-Man film? Comment below, let us know.
Wonder Woman has grossed over $700 Million at the box office, according to Box Office Mojo.
Domestically, the Gal Gadot-led picture has brought in $350 Million, roughly. This just goes to show how critical international box office is for success of a film.
Wonder Woman not only made bank at the box office, but also was a hit among fans and critics. If the DC Extended Universe has ever had a chance at rivaling the Marvel Cinematic Universe in quality, it’s now.
Have you seen Wonder Woman yet? If so, what did you think? Sound off in the comments section below.
Every time I doubt the ability of Disney to take a classic and make into a live action film, they prove me wrong. Emma Watson and Dan Stevens are a sight to behold in this beautiful remake. Here’s our review. Check out the trailer!
In the second issue of their Dynamite mini-series, Matt Miner and GWAR’s Matt Maguire continue fleshing out the latest entry in the shock-rock band’s chaotic, bad-acid-trip mythos.
Picking up where the last issue left off, the members of the band are continuing their trek through time after being jettisoned from the present in the villainous Mr. Perfect’s phallic meat rocket. In GWAR mythos, Perfect is a powerful and omnipresent being who exists across all times and is responsible for the death of Oderus Urungus, former leader of our heroes, the Scumdogs (i.e., the band).
Now, he has his sights set on perennial GWAR nuisance Sawborg Destructo, aiming to siphon his DNA and incorporate it into his own. To keep the Scumdogs distracted as they play Forrest Gump across a number of high-profile events in human history, he also sends a pair of monsters back to deal with them: the serpentine War Minion Q, which is identified by the Aztecs as Quetzalcoatl, and the aptly-named Krakunt, which attacks the sinking Titanic.
The aesthetic of the art continues to be a nice throwback to ’90s cult comics like the “Mortal Kombat” tie-in series, as well as GWAR’s own album art. One of the backup stories, by OG GWAR Slave Pit member Hunter Jackson further hammers this home.
Ultimately, this series is still a fun must-read for GWAR’s fans or Bohabs. Whether anyone beyond that would enjoy it is another question — though it’s also hard to imagine anyone who doesn’t already like GWAR going out of their way to read the band’s comic.
