Mortal Kombat with the Pop Historian

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Sometimes you just need to flip things on their head. You know, really make sure to hit the point that you’re trying to make. Take down anything that stands in your way and kick right through any obstacle standing before you.

And sometimes I just try to make stupid puns because we’re doing things backwards today and looking at comic books based on a video game. Listen in as the Pop Historian joins the show to talk about the Mortal Kombat comics that are obviously based on that game you might have heard of from the 1990s.

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Catwoman (1999) with Blair Farrell

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What makes someone a villain? And once you get that label in people’s head what can happen to get that label removed or switched? It’s tough. You’ve got to change minds and deal with people who will never forget your past no matter how much good you do now and will always treat you like the villain that they see you as.

Well, we have Blair Farrell here to help figure out where that line is as we take a look at the 1999 Catwoman game for Gameboy Color. And long the way we’ll try to figure out if Catwoman has made amends for her previous criminal deeds or if she still has work to do to win us over.

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Ravage with Eli Powell

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What is it that makes a comic connect with an audience? Is it the writing? The art? The characters? Nope, but also yes….? It’s the passion behind it. And that passion certainly comes across in everything else but you can have the best writer and artist in the world using the most popular characters and have things fall flat if they’re just going through the motions.

Today we’re talking about Ravage with Eli Powell. He certainly has the passion for this story and I’m really excited to get my hands on a physical copy of this one. Be sure to check out the Ravage Kickstarter Campaign so you can get your hands on one as well.

And a big thanks to Mike over at Invader Comics for helping to set this one up.

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North and South with Insane Ian

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Comics can come from some weird places. Which most of the time is a shot at the writer or artist and the fact that they’re a weirdo. But sometimes is just a basic factual statement. You know, like when a nation makes a comic about a war they had no part in just because.

But who would ever do a thing like that? Not Insane Ian, but he did stop by the show to talk about North and South which does exactly that. Except under the name Les Tuniques Bleues if you’re reading it in the original French but known as The Bluecoats when translated into English.

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Amongst the Stars with Elyse Russell

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In the cold dark reaches of space nobody can hear you scream. Or something like that. Look, I’ve never been to space so I can’t know for sure. But I know that if I went to space I’d be lonely without my Kayleigh and that would suck so I’m not sure if I want to even think about that.

But Elyse Russell on the other hand, all about mixing up sci fi and romance in ways that I wouldn’t be able to pull off. Which is great because she’s helping to put together Amongst the Stars so I can read it and let her do all the work to put it together.

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Pocus Hocus #5 with Allen Dunford

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Pocus is still in Hell. He’s got Emily. He’s got Horrus. He’s got problems. And what can he do about it?

I have no idea, and to be perfectly honest I’m not sure that Allen Dunford does either. But it’s his job (along with Will Radford who sadly couldn’t be in this episode) to make the story happen. Which is good because they’re a lot better at it than I would be.

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Batman Gotham City Racer with Adam Williamson

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What are the elements of a good Batman game? Cool villains? Great side characters? Actually doing a bit of detectiving maybe?

Well listen in as Adam Williamson comes back on the show to talk about Batman Gotham City Racers, a game that basically none of those things and yet still exists.

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Sensory Life on the Spectrum with Bex Ollerton

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One of the best things about comics, especially lately, is the amount of creator diversity we’ve been able to get. So it warms my heart when we can get a collection bringing together a bunch of creators that don’t normally have a chance to get together for this specific reason. And what is that reason?

Well, we’re taking a look at Sensory: Life on the Spectrum with Bex Ollerton to take a look at her book giving creators with Autism a space to share their experiences. And I use her in the loosest sense of the word because a lot of people helped out in making this happen.

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M.U.S.C.L.E. with Doc Issues (Capes on the Couch)

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Sometimes things get missed. Like not realizing that a game is based on a comic. Or missing an NES game because you didn’t realize that a game was based on a comic. I know it’s a shock that I could miss something. Or an entire country can miss out on a wonderful franchise that you’d think would be a great fit if only people would know it existed and could give it a chance.

Good thing I have Doc Issues here from Capes on the Couch to help fix that mistake as we take a look at M.U.S.C.L.E. and the Kinnikuman manga that really should have been a hit over here but for some reason wasn’t because “Americans won’t get it” or something silly like that.

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The Atonement Bell (Revisited) with Tyler Ruff

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Sometimes we have to revisit some things. A blast from the past if you will. There can be so many reasons for this. Maybe there’s unfinished business. Maybe it’s just a fun trip down memory lane. Or maybe there’s something more sinister going on than you even want to think about.

Or it could just be because we previously looked at a title as a Kickstarter book and now we’re looking at it again when it’s with a publisher. So Tyler Ruff might not have any thing sinister up his sleeves in this relook at The Atonement Bell (previously heard about with Jim Ousley on Ep B57). But we can’t really know that without listening to this telling of the tale now, can we?

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Yu-Gi-Oh Forbidden Memories and Dark Duel Stories with Luke Herr

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Yu-Gi-Oh is something I never really got into growing up. Or now for that matter since I’ve gotten into some things now that I should have gotten into when I was younger. Although I was kind of around it since I was into Pokemon and Magic: the Gathering so it’s not a totally 100% new thing to me. Plus the memes.

Good thing I somehow convinced Luke Herr to come back for another session of “Luke Explains Things To Chris that Chris Should Already Know About.” This time he takes on Yu-Gi-Oh and a combo shot of games in Forbidden Memories and Dark Duel Stories. Will we be trapped in the shadow realm for attempting this? Only one way to find out!

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Legacy Comix Fall 2022 Releases

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Hot take here: comics are pretty fun. And one of those fun things is getting new stuff to check out. There’s just something about the teamwork and the combination of words and art and the way they work together that just hits me in all the right ways. I love it. The creators love it. That’s why I end up getting a lot of creators on this show.

But there’s the publishing side of things too. So who better to have come on the show than Patrick Hickey Jr to give us an insight into the publishing side of the comics world? And to give us a peek at what Legacy Comix has coming out for their fall slate of releases? Seriously, look at these!

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Barbaric Axe to Grind with Michael Moreci

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Alright no jokes with this one at all. I was looking through Previews one month and there’s this cover just staring at me. Barbaric. Such a simple name. Such an enticing cover. What’s not to love? You know, unless you hate cool looking comics and/or getting in at the start of the story of something like this.

Enter Michael Moreci, writer of Barbaric, coming to talk about his wonderful series. Especially this second arc, Axe to Grind. I’ll be perfectly honest with you about this one in saying that I can’t over sell it because this thing is soooooooooooooooo good. The comic, not this episode. I don’t deserve as many O’s as the comic does. While you’re checking things out, head over to the Wasted Space Kickstarter campaign as well.

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Destiny of an Emperor with Joey DiCarlo (So Wizard)

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Digging back into the NES days with this one because I somehow missed it. Which in a weird way makes sense because I don’t think anybody that I knew back in the day would have known that Destiny of an Emperor was based on a manga. Or even what a manga was for that matter, but that’s a different issue.

Good thing we have Joey DiCarlo from So Wizard here to help take a look at this early NES RPG. Because we’re both old and can appreciate this one for what it is without wondering why it doesn’t have the sensibilities of a PS4 game.

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Grandma Chainsaw with Allen Dunford and Will Radford

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Aren’t grandma’s cool? At least stereotypically they take care of you and make you cookies and I’ve even heard some parents will legit get mad that grandma’s aren’t spoiling those grandkids.

And now forget about all of that because Allen Dunford and Will Radford and here to destroy all of those happy memories. Listen in as we take a look at their latest comic adventure, Grandma Chainsaw, and the Kickstarter campaign that can bring this wonderful conversation piece into your home.

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Heart Eyes with Dennis Hopeless

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The Covid Times sure have brought us some interesting stories. But a lot of them that I’ve seen are focused on the transition to before to during. What happens in the way WAAAAAY after?

That’s where Dennis Hopeless comes enters the chat. Listen in as we take a look at his beautifully put together book Heart Eyes.

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Maggie the Cat Who Fights Demons with Tony Giammarino

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Those of us who have cats know that they come with built in weapons. Finger knives, teeth, that sort of thing. But what if they had, oh I don’t know, swords?

Listen in as Tony Giammarino comes to talk to use about Maggie the Cat Who Fights Demons which is about just that sort of thing. Oh yeah, and they’re from space.

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Pocus Hocus Issue 4 with Allen Dunford

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Sometimes things are just too magical for only a single visit. Like trips to Hell. Or demon rabbits. Or girls playing with knives.

Or, you know, talking to Allen Dunford about Pocus Hokus. That’s why he’s back to talk about Issue 4, which you can back now on Kickstarter.

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Head Cases with Lesly Julien

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You ever sit around noticing people’s bags and wonder what’s inside them? Turn your head to take a look even? Maybe even push them open a bit with your foot.

Of course not, me either. But I certainly haven’t seen anything too weird while I wasn’t looking in there. Definitely not a human head collection. Who would even think of a thing like that? Lesly Julien would. And he’d tell you about it too, like maybe in a comic called Head Cases where you get to see the heads as well.

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X-Men Reign of Apocalypse with Jessika Frazer and Mike Thompson (Ten Cent Takes)

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You’ve got a giant sprawling set of lore with the X-Men. You’ve got a huge villain, in multiple ways, in Apocalypse. You’ve got the last regular episode of Play Comics for a while because I don’t know how to plan things, which is huge news.

And of course you’ve got all of it on a Gameboy Advance screen. Listen in as Jessika and Mike from Ten Cent Takes come on the show to help us take a look at this bite size taste of the mutant experience.

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