Working on a podcast has its perks. I get to talk comics with awesome people, I get to read comics made by awesome people, and I get to provide comic info to our audience, whom are also awesome people. So there is a lot of awesomeness involved. But there is one slight difficulty about podcasting. When you don’t buy comics for 4 months: be prepared to pay the bill.  Regardless if I paid over the four month period or in one (oh so very) lump sum, it would have totaled all the same. But watching the numbers rise and rise on the cash register kills the soul little by little. It’s like pumping gas into a Hummer, you get a little teary eyed. But where gas will burn (and kill polar bears – YOU KNOW IT DON’T LIE) comics are forever.  With that being said…. GOOD GOD HOW DID I SURVIVE NOT READING THESE COMICS FOR FOUR MONTHS!!! I still can’t believe it. You’ve got SWONK, you’ve got Secret Warriors, you’ve got Walking Dead, Mighty Avengers, Criminal, Invincible Iron Man and of course… Blackest Night. (and how black it is indeed). I know what you’re thinking, “Darren, I know these books are awesome, you don’t need to tell me.” If this is you then... too bad, Make your own podcast.

 But for all intents and purposes, I have comic atrophy.  For all you whiz kid medical geniuses out there, you may know what I’m talking about but for us lay people let me explain. Not reading comics, **ahem** let me rephrase, not reading something that gives me a migraine (Japanese/manga) for four months is almost like losing a limb. You wish it was there and you want to use it but… no dice.  So these last couple weeks have been what I like to call INTENSIVE COMIC THERAPY. It’s quite simple really. It’s where I sit down and read comics… and read comics… and read comics on the toilet… watch Star Trek…make a joke about Rob’s facial hair… and then read more comics. And I think I’m getting feeling back in my comic appendages. With a little help from DC, Marvel, and all those great publishing houses in between, these last four months have been a roller coaster ride.  But after finally breathing the fresh air of new, weekly comics, I would like to post of few titles that have been absolutely… breathtaking.

They cut thy mullet: There aren't thou happy First up to bat, Swonk (Superman: World of New Krypton) and I know all the bitchin’ going on with this book. It’s taking too long, what about Blackest Night? why is Zod not evil? Well to you I look to William Shakespeare for the answer. You ask for in-depth Superman plot: there aren’t thou happy. You ask for detailed characters: there aren’t thou happy. You want excellent stories and writers: and there aren’t thou happy. You see the trend.  But in all seriousness, the amount of detail in this book is absolutely stunning. Getting to see inside the Kryptonian culture has been a comic geek’s wet dream for decades.  This book is going to be a staple in the Superman mythos.

Secondly Invincible Iron Man: the world’s smartest hero is losing his mind… literally. We haven’t seen Stark this messed up since he was double fisting two handles of Jack Daniels but you gotta feel bad for the guy. He’s basically getting chased around the world because he’s smart (and Norman Osborn is an uncontrollable dick) but Pepper Potts has stepped it up. From the once loveable ginger secretary, to the new owner of Rescue, Pepper Potts even saves Hill and Widow. You go girl. You go Fraction. You go Marvel.

And lastly Marvel Presents Bambi: Cute Deer or Deadly Assassin one-shot. Just kidding, but honestly I see marketing potential. But anyways, let’s talk Green Lantern. Green Lantern. Green Lantern. Words fail me when it comes to this comic. But for those of you with a pulse and can read English, you already know the praises about this book, which are many. So I am going to drop some negativity just to balance the scales. Primarily, What the hell is Nekron doing? We have mentioned this in several podcasts and I still don’t understand it. Are we going to see a Nekron/Black Hand one-shot where they go shopping and then come home and talk about their feelings while listening to Dashboard Confessional? If so, then that would make sense. But we get this build up of black lanterns ripping the hearts out of our beloved heroes just for him not to do anything. W.T.F. If someone has an answer for me and I’m just unaware, cyber-bitch slap me and give me the deets because I would love to know.

 Well anyways, there have been some superb books on the shelves this fall and this spring looks to be equally as promising. We got Blackest Night wrap-up and Brightest Day in the distance while Marvel (aka Bendis Publishing) puts out Siege. Now that my comic muscles are twitching, I hope to post more regularly on this comic – website – thing. So if you are digging what we are talking about or one to punch us in the face for neglecting things, drop us a line. We love antagonism.