Screw It, We're Just Gonna Talk About Comics

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Marvel Firsts - X-Men Feb 01, 2023

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We cover the first appearance of a group of heroes that would change Marvel, superheroes and all of comics forever: The X-Men. And we find the issue: really rushed! Like, no backgrounds, crazy powers (even for 60s Marvel standards), a lot of panels with the team simply freaking out that a pretty girl is joining the team (Marvel Girl) and Magneto writes in the sky in surprisingly legible cursive. It's Jack Kirby, so even a rushed Kirby is dynamic and inventive and good, but there's a long way to go before the X-Men become the force we know of them.

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Marvel Firsts - Iron Man and Dr. Strange Jan 25, 2023

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We cover the first appearances of Iron Man and Dr. Strange. We find Iron Man has a pretty solid story. Extremely problematic depictions of the Vietnamese? Yep. But the character of Tony Stark is well-developed, and much like he will remain right up until his rise to the top of the MCU. And you know we visit the 4-page introduction of the classic red and yellow armor, designed by Steve DItko. Speaking of Ditko, Dr. Strange has a slower start. It has the the terrific Ditko art. But since the initial few stories are just 5 pages each, it takes a few chapters until we have much more than Dr. Strange entering ghost form and punching other ghosts. But soon we have some beautifully designed villains and surreal nightmare dimensions. The Marvel Universe is starting to feel like a full place.

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Marvel Firsts - Ant-Man and Thor Jan 18, 2023

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We continue our examination of Marvel First Issues with the Ant-Man and Thor. We talk way more about Ant-Man than we expected to. But Ant-Man has a way of surpassing people's expectations. Who would have guessed that the hero of "The Man in the Ant Hill" or whatever it was called in Tales to Astonish #27 would go on to be Marvel's second-ever super-hero? Not the Milksops. But that is exactly what he is. And that's despite: odd powers, a shifting origin story, a complete lack of logic within his strategies, and aliens made of (drum roll) formic acid. We eventually move onto Thor's first apperence. The art is far superior and the story... mostly superior. But still a long ways to go in terms of how important the Mighty Thor will become to the Marvel Universe. But for all the craziness of these stories, they ARE fun. We kinda want to read more Ant-Man!

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Marvel Firsts - Amazing Fantasy #15, FF #1 and Hulk #1 Jan 11, 2023

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We start a new season analyzing the number 1 issues of all the original Marvel Comics series. Today we start with the big three: Spider-Man, FF and Hulk. Known informally (to us) as "the good ones" this discussion gives us an excuse to again celebrate the special alchemy of creativity, recklessness and just plain goodness that made these issues such milestones. We also discuss Alan Moore's new short story collection "Illuminations" and the recent DC movie "Black Adam."

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Marvel By The Month - 1963 by Alan Moore Jan 04, 2023

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The Milksops were guests on the terrific comics podcast Marvel By The Month to discuss the Alan Moore penned series 1963. This is that episode presented here in our feed for the convenience of our listeners / laziness of us. "1963" was published in 1993 by then-new Image Comics. It was Alan Moore's homage to the superhero books of the early 60s, basically the birth of the Silver Age. We have a Captain America-like person, a Fantastic Four-ish group, a Spider-Man sorta fella, and lots more. And it wouldn't be an Alan Moore book without 2 or so pages of straight prose in impossibly small type. Part love letter, part satire, all fun.

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Cosmic Rays and Correspondence - FF #244-245 Dec 28, 2022

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On the FF side of things, we start with the fate of Galactus and Frankie Raye, and we end with the beginning of a Dr. Doom story ("Too Many Dooms!"). Both fine issues. But in the middle we have one of the best FF issues ever, and certainly one of the signature issues of John Byrne's run - #245 "Childhood's End." It's Byrne's thesis statement on Susan RIchards, The Invisible Girl. What makes her special, powerful, indispensible? It is demonstrated masterfully in this tale, where Susan takes on a mysterious enemy so powerful he dispenses with Reed Ben and Johnny with little more than a thought. Two Milksops up! On the correspondence side, we get into some corrections on more Will Hines factual errors, a request for a no-prize (denied, for the first time ever) and a discussion of the inimitable Forbush Man.

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Cosmic Rays and Correspondence - FF #241-243 Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

We have some Galactastic issues of FF! John Byrne continues his tour of the big Kirby stories with a visit from Galactus! First we have to deal with some magic armor that has allowed a Roman soldier to preserve ancient Rome in a column just outside of Wakanda. You know, little stuff. But then it's Galactus, who is dying. Reed decides we gotta save him, which is a hot take. On the correspondence side, we have an impassioned defense of Squadron Supreme from Mark Gruenwald superfan, Chris Gethard.

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Cosmic Rays and Correspondence - FF #238-240 Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

On the FF side of things, we learn about Frankie Raye's hidden powers, see the return of H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot, and watch the Inhumans move their city to the moon. Very solid issues sandwiched in between a few more iconic chapters that we will soon get to. From the correspondence side, we get questions about how to deconstruct The Enforcers, do we care about "collecting," and somehow start talking about The Last Action Hero!

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Squadron Supreme #10-12 Dec 07, 2022

Show notes

We finish our analysis of 1985's Squadron Supreme series and come to the same conclusion we had at the very beginning: it's good but reading it now isn't as fun as reading it then probably was. We also go over Sean Howe's Marvel Comics: The Untold Story even though Will is only 20% through it! #screwitinstapush is still in effect as make our drive to get 1500 instagram followers. WILL IT HAPPEN? WOULD WE NOTICE?

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Squadron Supreme #7-9 Nov 30, 2022

Show notes

CORRECTION: Yep, Will is still saying 'Madame Ape' instead of 'Ape X' -- please enjoy his wrongness! Three more issues down, and the Milksops opinion of the Squadron has... remained mostly the same! They appreciate the books' strengths and find it interesting BUT we both feel that it suffers when you read it, like, now (post-Watchmen, post-multiversemania). Still, we examine the stories in this issue which include: Fake Evil Hyperion dating Recently Widowed Princess Power (recently widowed because Evil Hyperion killed her husband!), Blue Eagle and Foxfire getting it on, Madame Ape (Ape X?) falling for Tom Thumb, and a very abrupt ending to issue 9! We also talk about the CW cartoon series The Spectacular Spider-Man which Will has just started watching. We wrap it up by trying to think of what movies / comics / TV shows have endings that make your impression of them jump way up.

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