Episode 31 - Retcons

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Two books from February 19, 2014. Plus your Nerd Confessions (about the most impactful retcons in comics) and Aaron's Inner Child.

 On The Couch: legendary artist Klaus Janson.

Show Notes:
This week’s theme is retcons, Comics Therapy-style. We’re looking at two books that take characters from mythology and literature that we all know and drop them down in an unexpected place or time. Reinterpretations are nothing new in comics, or storytelling in general. Sometimes transporting a premise or a character from his or her origins breathes new insight into a stagnant tale you hadn’t thought about in years.

Midas Flesh #3 22:27
The Greek Myth of King Midas, set in the future, in space, by way of Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle. That last part is totally Andrea's opinion, by the way.

Peter Panzerfaust #17 30:10
J.M. Barrie's Peter & Wendy, set in World War II, in France, by way of the French Resistance.

The Couch - Klaus Janson 39:02
Mr. Janson has been a prominent penciller and inker for both Marvel and DC Comics for over 40 years. He worked with Frank Miller on Daredevil in the 1970s and collaborated with Miller again on The Dark Knight Returns a decade later. Mr. Janson has taught at the School of Visual Arts in New York City since the 1990s. Recently, DC announced that he would join John Romita Jr. on the upcoming Geoff Johns Superman run.

(Editor's note: This interview may seem slightly out of order. Rather than cut it together to fit our usual intro-questions-closings format, we left it as the conversation naturally developed. Mr. Janson's actual introduction occurs at 54:38, if you're looking for the formal start to the question and answer portion of the discussion.)

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This weeks Intro Adam WarRock - Retco:


This weeks Outro Bad Religon - Stranger Than Fiction:

Episode 30 - WAR

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Two comics from February 12, 2014. Plus your Nerd Confessions (about the best fights in comics) and we respond to the recent declaration of war from Assemble After Dark.
On The Couch: writer and artist Dan Goldman.

Show Notes:

This week’s theme is WAR. Good god, y’all. Apropos of nothing our friends Ben Bailey and Joey Esposito from the Assemble After Dark podcast have declared war on Comics Therapy. Yeaahhhh. We don't know what that means, either. You all should check their show, however. And in the meantime, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to talk about fighting. Especially since it’s Valentine’s Day. It’s so meta, we can’t stand it.

Think Tank #12 23:10
A frighteningly plausible look inside high-stakes weapons development in the US military, that somehow manages to feel neither too unapproachably political nor too military-centric. Tony Stark has nothing on Dr. David Loren.

Manifest Destiny #4 37:52
The real story of the Lewis & Clark expedition, complete with minotaurs (not minotaurs) and zombie plants.  This is war of a different, more fantastical sort.

The Couch - Dan Goldman 49:30
Dan’s ongoing series Red Light Properties is published digitally by Monkeybrain Comics and available on Comixology. The brand spanking new print edition is out this month from IDW. Dan’s website is a dynamically interactive tour of his other work, from the Eisner-nominated web comic Shooting War to the nonfiction comics journalism 08: A Graphic Diary of the Campaign Trail. Go check it out.


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This week's intro is Edwin Starr - War:



This week's outro is Barry McGuire - Eve of Destruction:

Episode 29 - Cause I'm A Liar

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Two comics from February 5, 2014. Plus your Nerd Confessions (featuring comics lies) and Aaron's Inner Child.
And after a three month hiatus, we welcome back the return of Grief Counseling.

Show Notes:
This week’s theme is all about lying. Lies we tell ourselves. Lies we tell each other. Sometimes they’re the same, and sometimes they’re dangerously different. As a storytelling device, they can be exciting, stressful and hilarious. In real life, it’s a lot more complicated. Both of the solo books we’re analyzing this week feature characters known for their crafty web of lies. It’s a good time to have deception as your superpower in the Marvel universe.

Black Widow #3 17:25

Balancing who you are and what you've done can be very expensive...

Loki: Agent of Asgard #1 30:30

...but knowing who you want to be moving forward is priceless.

Grief Counseling: The Walking Dead Vols. 11-14 39:10

Last year, Andrea started reading The Walking Dead for the first time. The consequences were fairly dire, with lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth. But as time went on, she grew to love tolerate this series, much to Aaron's sick delight. It's been three months since we last checked in. You may be surprised to see how this turns out.

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This weeks Intro Is Rollins Band - Liar:


This weeks Outro Is Queen - Liar:

Episode 28 - Alone

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Two comics from January 29, 2014. Scratch that. Aaron is sick, so here's hoping you're all #TeamAndrea since she's flying solo on the intro today. Plus your Nerd Confessions (about the books you read when you're feeling down) and Aaron's Inner Child maybe Andrea's Inner Child for a change?
On The Couch: writers Chris Sims and Chad Bowers.

Show Notes:
The theme of the show this week is being alone. Sure, you can call it solitude. Sure, you can get all introspective about it. Sure, you can even claim you like it. But at the end of the day? You're alone, man. How does that really make you feel?

Ouch. Too soon? #RIPMeyers

The Couch - Chris Sims and Chad Bowers
Chad and Chris work together currently on Sub-Atomic Party Girls, published digitally by MonkeyBrain Comics, and previously on their web comic Awesome Hospital. Chris also writes for Comics Alliance and is co-host of the War Rocket Ajax Podcast. Chad hosts Multiversity’s The Hour Cosmic Podcast and also writes his own web comic Monster Plus. Their new book, Down, Set, Fight, is available currently in chapters digitally on Comixology and will be out in print from Oni Press in February.

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This week's intro is Heart - Alone:



This week's outro is The Who - Behind Blue Eyes: