Episode 251: Green Lantern Origins
The Comics Canon
We're dropping into your feed a day early for this St. Patrick’s Day episode, as we look ahead to the August debut of and discuss the first appearances of Green Lanterns Alan Scott and Hal Jordan -- followed for no particular reason by a couple of Tales of the Green Lantern Corps written by Alan Moore! First, in “The Green Lantern!” from 1940’s All-American Comics #16, construction engineer Alan Scott meets a talking lantern that used to be … a meteor in ancient China? It’s a whole thing. Then, in “S.O.S. Green Lantern!” and “Secret of the Flaming Spear!” from...
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The Ask Us Anything Episode
The Comics Canon
We asked for questions, and you … asked them! In this, our second of two out-of-format episodes marking our 10-year anniversary, we answer the questions on your mind, including: Are there any episodes we’d like to do over? What are our favorite classic comic-book ads? Which comic had the worst movie adaptation? But first, Curt gives his first-ever State of the Canon address, breaking down the characters, creators and comics publishers most represented in that body of great comic-book works known as The Comics Canon! Join us in two weeks when we return to our regular format...
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Call for Questions!
The Comics Canon
There’s still time to submit questions for our upcoming March 4 episode, which features an Ask Us Anything segment as well as something Curt cryptically refers to as “The State of the Canon!” If you’ve ever wondered how we choose the books and storylines we cover, whether we’ve ever changed our minds about something we’ve covered on the show, or just want to cast a vote for something you’d like to see discussed on the podcast, send us your emails at or drop us a line on or by the end of the day on Friday, Feb. 27, and we’ll answer as many as we can! Also in this...
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The Gateway Episode
The Comics Canon
Got a burning question for The Comics Canon? Submit a question for our upcoming Ask Us Anything episode, airing Wednesday, March 4! Send us an email at or hit us up on or no later than Friday, February 27! After 10 years and 250 episodes of rendering judgment on the greatest comic book stories of yesterday and today, we decided it’s finally time to record an episode for newcomers to the podcast – or to comics themselves! In this super-accessible jumping-on point, we walk listeners through a typical episode of The Comics Canon and offer our recommendations for anyone interested in...
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Episode 250: Understanding Comics
The Comics Canon
On this milestone episode, we tackle our white whale of show subjects: Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud’s fascinating and thought-provoking exploration of the comics medium, how it works, and what it can do – told in the comics format! Join us as we ask the burning questions: What ARE comics, anyway? How long has this particular form of communication been around? (Hint: Longer than you think!) How many different ways can it illustrate the passage of time or the concept of movement? What are the six steps of the creative process? How far down a nerd rabbit hole can Curt and Kevin...
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Episode 249: Zot! The Earth Stories
The Comics Canon
On this episode, we celebrate our 10th anniversary -- and gear up for our 250th episode -- with a discussion of Zot! The Earth Stories! Specifically, Zot! #28-36 from 1989-1991, written and drawn by Scott McCloud, originally published by Eclipse Comics! The high-flying teen superhero Zot zips merrily along in a bright, shiny and cool retro-futuristic version of our world, cheerful and carefree – so what happens when he ends up stranded on OUR Earth? Mostly, he cedes the stage to his not-quite-girlfriend Jenny and her high school friends, most of whom get a moment to share the spotlight in...
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Episode 248: Drome
The Comics Canon
On this episode, we welcome writer, actor and friend of the show Michael Owl, host of , as we dive into one of the best-reviewed graphic novels of 2025: Drome by Jesse Lonergan! This imaginative epic combines a visually dazzling creation myth with an action-packed fantasy adventure, as the blue-skinned demigoddess Blue attempts to impose order on a chaotic world, opposed by the violent one-eyed warlord Patch, each acting as proxies for remote gods. Folding in elements from such sources as the Bible, Greek mythology and classic fantasy, it feels both familiar and aggressively new as Lonergan...
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Quizzical Canonical 7: 2 Quizzical, 2 Canonical
The Comics Canon
(Mild explicit warning: a swear word is used.) Curt and Kevin give themselves an end-of-year break with another quiz episode! And this time, it’s a quiz exchange! Kevin tests Curt’s knowledge of past Christmas-themed episodes, while Curt grills Kevin on … his own show notes! We’ll be back in two weeks with a look at one of the best-reviewed graphic novels of 2025, Jesse Lonergan’s Drome!
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Episode 247: The Hellfire Gala
The Comics Canon
For our last full-size episode of 2025, we wrap up our All My Xs miniseries on Marvel Comics’ X-Men franchise with one of the big crossover events of the Jonathan Hickman era – The Hellfire Gala! makes its debut on the world stage with one hell of a coming-out party, filled with celebrity guests, fantastic costumes, behind-the-scenes intrigue and a truly out-of-this-world fireworks display! Can Emma Frost keep this star-studded affair on the rails? What’s with Beast’s heel turn? What the heck is Charles Xavier wearing? And can this story get past the velvet rope and into that...
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Episode 246: The Wedding of Northstar
The Comics Canon
All My Xs, our decade-by-decade exploration of the X-Men, crashes the first gay wedding of a Marvel Comics superhero in 2012’s Astonishing X-Men #51, by Marjorie Liu and Mike Perkins! But first, we take a detour 1992 as Northstar becomes the first Marvel character to come out as gay in Alpha Flight #106, by Scott Lobdell and Mark Pacella! (And even better, we’re introduced to that most valuable piece of IP, Major Mapleleaf!) Can a well-intentioned Very Special Issue of Alpha Flight survive a collision with the “extreme” art and storytelling trend of the 1990s? And can everyone’s...
info_outlineWe asked for questions, and you … asked them! In this, our second of two out-of-format episodes marking our 10-year anniversary, we answer the questions on your mind, including:
- Are there any episodes we’d like to do over?
- What are our favorite classic comic-book ads?
- Which comic had the worst movie adaptation?
But first, Curt gives his first-ever State of the Canon address, breaking down the characters, creators and comics publishers most represented in that body of great comic-book works known as The Comics Canon!
Join us in two weeks when we return to our regular format with a look at the first appearances of Green Lanterns Alan Scott (in All-American Comics #16 from 1940) and Hal Jordan (Showcase #22 from 1959) -- as well as two fun stories by Alan Moore: Tygers and Mogo Doesn’t Socialize!
Until then:
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And as always, thanks for listening!