iFanboy: Don't Miss - Comic Books Podcast

Aric of Dacia readies to meet the Vine at its very root on the planet Loam. But before taking on Planet Death, this man out of time, must defend a world far removed from his own Visigoth heritage. Aric is the first man to wield the armor of the X-O Manowar, and he’s Earth’s last line of defense against an alien invasion force who desperately want that weapon back. This week we speak to writer Robert Venditti about capturing the voice of a displaced Visigoth and leading Valiant’s vanguard...

The female super hero of the Marvel Universe takes to the skies for this first issue of a new story arc and a perfect jumping on point for new readers with Captain Marvel #9. Writer Kelly Sue Deconnick comes to talk about the ride with this ongoing solo character series so far, her take on the character and what readers can expect from this issue. We also get into the visual look of Captain Marvel and Kelly Sue’s thoughts on her various artistic collaborates, as well as just what is going on...

Punch it, Chewie! We kick off 2013 with a big Don't Miss dedicated to a very big book. Writer Brian Wood takes us back to a time long ago in a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars #1, an all new story set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back! The Death Star is in pieces, but the Rebel Alliance is still holding itself together with duct tape. Darth Vader gets demoted! Leia hops into an X-Wing! And the family tree is still a little shady. Join us as we talk to Wood about his...

Justin Jordan and Tradd Moore absolutely demolished expectations with the loser-to-bruiser mini-series The Strange Talent of Luther Strode. Now they and their masked juggernaut are back for the next chapter with this week’s The Legend of Luther Strode #1. The lanky teenager we met a year ago has more than mastered the training techniques from that mail order fitness program. He bulked up and lost nearly everything he cared about in the process. Five years on, the legend of his abilities–and...

Jim Shooter chronicled the psionic tug-of-war between Peter "Sting" Stanchek and the enigmatic Toyo Harada for over 40 issues in the early 90s. Nearly 20 years later, Valiant Entertainment is back, and with it, an all new interpretation of Harbinger. We spoke to series writer Joshua Dysart about his new vision for the iconic struggle between two impossibly powerful men equipped with the full range of telekinetic abilities. In each new issue of the "Renegade" arc, starting with this week's...

Continuing the parade of new series from Image Comics, Great Pacific #1 is this week’s entry into the world of new comics that you should be checking out. Writer Joe Harris joins us to talk about the inspiration for Great Pacific, an enormous ecological phenomenon currently happening in the Pacific Ocean, which launches this tale that combines science fiction, adventure and a little political intrigue. Fans of near present sci-fi will definitely want to give Great Pacific #1 a read. Great...

We turn now to old Eternia in the wake of bloody civil war. Who is the cloaked terror who stalks the kingdom, hellbent on reclaiming the throne of his birthright, thirsty for righteous vengeance against his own kin? How did he earn his gruesome death’s mask? What sinister motivations roil within the grim skull of Skeletor? Just in time for Halloween, we sit down with Joshua Hale Fialkov to unveil the secret history of your toy chest’s most twisted despot. Why is Frank Langella so angry? What...

GSend in the Clown Prince of Crime! A year after losing face in the pages of Detective Comics #1, the Joker returns to Gotham with grim new purpose in Batman #13. Writer Scott Snyder drops by to psychoanalyze Arkham’s favorite son, delving deep into the Joker’s twisted relationship with the Dark Knight. What stories inspired Snyder and artist Greg Capullo’s vision of the iconic villain? What is Joker’s true endgame as he plots the “Death of the Family?” Crank up the nitrous oxide, kick back,...

Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko have been showing readers new sides of the Planet of the Apes for quite a few issues now. In Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm #2, an ongoing series, they get to really explore the Ape society in depth and it feels like they're just starting to scratch the surface of this property, which hasn't even begun to wear out. You don't need to have read that which came before, or even seen the movies to dig this story of strife among the apes, and what can only be some...

One of 2012′s most anticipated comics, Happy! #1, combines the writing of Grant Morrison with the art of Darick Robertson to bring us a modern Christmas story in a way that only Morrison and Robertson could dream up. Meet Nick Sax, a down on his luck ex-cop who, after a hit goes wrong, finds out his fate is tied in with a flying blue horse named Happy! If that isn’t enough to get you on board, than I don’t know what you’d need. We chat with Grant Morrison about the origins of Happy! and what...

Geronimo! Paul thumbs a ride on the TARDIS with Andy Diggle, lead writer of IDW's all new Doctor Who ongoing! With which of the time lord's many incarnations did Diggle first venture into the vast reaches of time and space? What does he think about the 11th and current Doctor portrayed on television by Matt Smith? Will the timey be wibbly-wobbly? Hold on to your fez and find out in the latest Don't Miss podcast! DOCTOR WHO #1 Written by Andy Diggle Art and Cover by Mark Buckingham The Doctor...

Walter Simonson is an actual living and working legend in comics, and the good news is that he doesn’t seem like he’s close to done. The man draws and writes this original graphic novel, The Judas Coin, which works a bit like an anthology that spans distant corners of the DC Universe, following the cursed payment for the betrayal of Christ, but also featuring Batman. Simonson is still very much pushing and challenging himself with comics at a point in his career where many would just sit...

IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mythos has grown incredibly rich and inventive over a very short amount of time. With their recent Micro Series of dedicated character studies, that depth has increased exponentially. But with the turtles, Master Splinter, Casey Jones and April O'Neil all accounted for, who's next in line? This week, writer Paul Allor introduces the tragic and adorable rogue robot Fugitoid into the mix for his IDW debut. Whose mind resides within the complex matrices of...

DC Comics’ line of one-shots re-imagining some of its more obscure heroes for modern readers continues this week with National Comics: Looker #1. Paul sits down with writer Ian Edginton to discuss Emily Briggs, an undead supermodel who puts the “vamp” in vampire. Eternal youth might seem like a major boon for a glamourous pinup, but what if that gift also comes with the inability to cast a reflection or show up in photographs? How does the stunning Ms. Briggs explain her sudden reluctance to...

The Marvel MAX iteration of Frank Castle may have met his maker earlier this year, but a guy like that is bound to leave behind a lockbox or two, right? This week faithful readers inherit a lost case file from our dearly departed Punisher. Untold Tales of Punisher MAX #3 is a one-and-done story from crime writer Megan Abbott and artist Matteo Baffagni. Paul talks to the author about making the jump to comics and coaxing Frank Castle’s long shadow to the tranquil suburbs. What film noir...

As if the story of Daredevil from Marvel Comics couldn’t get any better, editor Steve Wacker blows everyone away with just one artist. After bringing Mark Waid on to write the relaunched title, and pairing him with artistic talents such as Marcos Martin, Paolo Rivera, and Chris Samnee. And now with Daredevil #17, the king of pop comics art, Mike Allred joins the fray. We catch up with the artist to hear how a simple letter lead to bringing him not only to Daredevil, but to return back to...

Tom King didn’t write a comic book. He wrote a book. But it’s not a book about comic books. It’s a book that’s about what a lot of comic books are about: superheroes. In that book, he does have comics, drawn by none other than Tom Fowler, one of the resident geniuses in comics. Before being an author, King held the following positions: intern for Vertigo Comics, assistant to Chris Claremont, CIA counterterrorism officer. Yes, those are all true. And yet now, he’s written the story of a world...

What started as a cool concept for a T-Shirt evolved into a web comics sensation, and is now hitting the bookshelves in it’s first collected edition. Battlepug creator Mike Norton walks us through the brief history of his epic “Pet Project” and let’s us know what to expect in this extras packed print edition. Battlepug Vol 1 By Mike Norton $14.99 – Dark Horse Music: Jonny Quest / Stop That Pigeon Reverend Horton Heat

Anthony Bourdain is well known in the food world, first for his years a chef in New York City, then as an author of books like Kitchen Confidential, and then as a TV host on the show No Reservations, but now Bourdain joins Joel Rose in writing the graphic novel Get Jiro! with art by Langdon Foss. Set in the near future in Los Angeles, the world has we know it is shot to hell. Everything is broken down, save for one thing: Food. The new economy and celebrity is built around food and warring...

One of the most controversial comic events starts this week with the release of Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 by Darwyn Cooke. In an extended interview, we spoke with Darwyn Cooke, cartoonist on Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 about what it was like to take on one of the biggest projects of the year and what we can expect from this first chapter in the event. We also talk about his collaboration with Amanda Conner on Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre and what we can look forward to from the next...