John and David go undercover in search of the answer to the ultimate question: Why? They get into the magic of great creators and their stories, do a deep dive on the recent Batman/Deadpool comic by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora, and discuss David’s unchecked comics spending. Also, John has a revelation.

Timestamp Segments

• [01:06] Why?
• [02:07] David’s Why? Salvation Run.
• [05:46] John’s Why? Youngblood #1.
• [09:04] The most Garth Ennis of Garth Ennis books.
• [14:00] The thing about Hitman.
• [19:05] The DC One Million controversy.
• [20:34] Grant Morrison writes the comic book of the moment.
• [22:11] Batman/Deadpool.
• [23:11] All the Morrison layers.
• [31:15] Marvel vs DC stories.
• [34:36] The magical Carlos Ezquerra.
• [36:45] The Stainless Steel Rat.
• [40:43] John’s revelation.
• [44:15] Spawn: The Dark Ages.
• [49:24] The return of the Swat Kats.
• [54:01] Spending too much on comics.

Notable Quotes

• “In general, he’s just too smart for me.”
• “I take it all back, man. He’s great.”
• “I think I may have spent more money in comics than I’ve made.

Books Mentioned

• Animal Man (1988-1995).
• Back to the Future: Untold Tales & Alternate Timelines.
• Batman: No Man’s Land.
• Batman & Robin (2009-2011).
• Bloodstrike, by Rob Liefeld, Dan Fraga, Danny Miki, & Thomas Mason.
• The Boys, by Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson.
• Conan the Barbarian.
• Crisis on Infinite Earths, by Marv Wolfman & George Perez.
• DC K.O.
• DC/Marvel: Batman/Deadpool.
• DC One Million.
• The Demon Annual #2: Introducing Hitman, Dicks, Hitman, Troubled Souls, by Garth Ennis & John McCrea.
• Ernest & the Dream Stone, by Corey Perkins, M. Arief Russanto, Mariam Yasser.
• Final Crisis, by Grant Morrison & J.G. Jones.
• For a Few Troubles More, by Garth Ennis, John McCrea, & Wendy Simpson.

Rob Worst cheats death once again and joins John and David to talk about the art of collecting comics, the value of original art, the rise of AI and digital comics, and the importance of artists supporting other artists.

SUPPORT THE SHOW! DO FUN THINGS!

John has a Kickstarter | Behind the Panels of Marvel’s Secret Wars

Rob Worst has a podcast | Not Near Mint

Timestamp Segments

• [00:00] Check out This Secret Wars Kickstarter!
• [02:03] The show gains a new listener!
• [02:39] Rob’s origin story.
• [03:33] Rob cheats death.
• [05:59] To slab or not to slab?
• [13:34] Signed comics.
• [16:45] The rise of digital comics.
• [21:01] The Mark Spears phenomenon.
• [23:26] AI comics.
• [24:46] David’s Dan Mora story.
• [27:34] 3D comics.
• [31:37] Collecting CG comics.
• [32:48] The true value of original art.
• [35:58] Artists supporting artists.
• [41:07] Not Near Mint.

Notable Quotes

• “Rule #1: don’t die.”
• “You can’t smell digital.”
• “One day, today will have been 20 years ago.”

Books Mentioned

• Batman: The Man Who Laughs, by Ed Brubaker, Doug Mahnke, Patrick Zircher, Tim Sale, Aaron Sowd, Steve Bird, & David Baron.
• Daredevil: Born Again, by Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli.
• Detective Comics (1937-2011).
• Dungeons & Dragons.
• Faust, by David Quinn & Tim Vigil.
• The Forever People, by Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta, Frank Giacoia, Mike Royer, Tom Ziuko, & Jim Amash.
• G.I. Joe.
• Gold Digger.
• Grips, by Kris Silver & Tim Vigil.
• Hexed, by Michael Alan Nelson, Dan Mora, & Emma Ríos.
• Iron Man: Crash, by Mike Saenz.
• Justice League Unlimited, by Mark Waid & Dan Mora.
• The Monster and the Wolf, by Mark Spears.
• New Champions (2025- ), by Steve Foxe, Ivan Fiorelli, & Gleb Melnikov.
• New Mutants (1983-1991).
• Nightwing (1996-2009).

Former Marvel editor and Behind the Panels writer, Ellie Pyle, joins John and David to talk about the upcoming Behind the Panels of Marvel’s Secret Wars! They get into Ellie’s career path through every known form of media, the ins and outs of working at big companies, the process of creating the Behind the Panels book, and collaborating with the nicest people in comics.

Relevant Links

Women of Marvel

Behind the Panels of Marvel’s Secret Wars

Timestamp Segments

• [00:00] Check out This Secret Wars Kickstarter!
• [02:18] Ellie is too impressive.
• [04:24] The most fun Marvel summit ever.
• [07:58] What it’s like to develop a book at Marvel.
• [12:05] Making comics at Riot Games.
• [19:57] Marvel Television.
• [21:13] Women of Marvel.
• [23:31] Ellies favorite project, Spider-Boy.
• [28:31] Getting back into publishing.
• [31:36] Creating a space for theatre.
• [33:27] What’s Secret Wars?
• [35:52] Behind the Panels.
• [44:22] Creator-owned books.
• [46:22] Knowing when to trust a writer.

Notable Quotes

• “Sales are the only thing that keeps this business alive.”
• “If it weren’t for Ron Lim, Paco Medina would be the nicest guy in comics.”
• “You need to not be the reason that someone else can’t do their job.”

Books Mentioned

• 1872, by Gerry Duggan, Nik Virella, & Leonard Kirk.
• Aliens vs Avengers (2024- ), Secret Wars (2015-2016), by Jonathan Hickman & Esad Ribic.
• Amazing Spider-Man (1999-2013).
• American Vampire, by Scott Snyder, Stephen King, & Rafael Albuquerque.
• Carnage (2023- ), by Torunn Gronbekk, Pere Perez, Juan Ferreyra, & Paulo Siqueira.
• Daredevil (2011-2014).
• Deadpool (2024- ), by Cody Ziglar, Gerry Duggan, Roge Antonio, Andrea di Vito, & Taurin Clarke.
• Fearless Defenders, by Cullen Bunn, William Sliney, & Mark Brooks.
• Jem and the Holograms, by Kelly Thompson & Sophie Campbell.
• Lucifer, by Mike Carey, Peter Gross, & Ryan Kelly.
• Spider-Boy (2023- ), by Dan Slott & Paco Medina.
• Spider-Woman (2023- ), by Steve Foxe, Ig Guara, Leinil Yu, & Carola Borelli.

John and David look at what it means to succeed in comics, David Finch's incredible work on Skinbreaker, some new Easter eggs in old comics, and the best way to waste a splash page. Also, John talks about his exciting new Kickstarter, and David sees the light.

Support the Fellas!
Behind the Panels of Marvel’s Secret Wars

Timestamp Segments

• [00:00] Check out This Secret Wars Kickstarter!
• [02:17] David’s winning week.
• [04:54] John has 3D glasses.
• [05:54] John was “hard at work.”
• [06:24] Good for Guy Davis.
• [08:06] Winning in comics.
• [11:29] David sees the light.
• [15:14] How to waste a splash page.
• [25:05] How David Finch tells a story.
• [27:02] Rus Wooton’s evolution.
• [33:05] Keeping up with the Invincibles.
• [38:31] Going old-school.
• [39:10] Did Jack Abel murder Howard Chaykin?
• [43:00] Popeye’s chin.

Notable Quotes

• “The win state of comics is to not have to do them anymore.”
• “Creative talent is not being paid commiserate to the amount of work and the amount of skill that is necessary to create those things.”
• “Nobody asks the question, why did he want to kill Howard Chaykin?”

Books Mentioned

• Aphrodite IX, by Matt Hawkins, David Wohl, Stjepan Sejic, & David Finch.
• Baker Street, by Guy Davis & Gary Reed.
• Batman (2025- ), by Matt Fraction & Jorge Jiménez.
• Batman: The Dark Knight (2011-2014).
• B.P.R.D., by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Guy Davis, Tyler Crook, Duncan Fegredo, & Dave Stewart.
• Casanova, by Matt Fraction, Gabriel Bá, & Fábio Moon.
• Conan the Barbarian #25, by Jim Zub, Alex Horley, & Diego Rodriguez.
• Defenders #53, by David Anthony Kraft, David Cockrum, Keith Giffen, Michael Golden, & Sandy Plunkett.
• Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley.
• G.I. Joe A Real American Hero.
• Invincible, by Robert Kirkman, John Rauch, & Ryan Ottley.
• Invincible Universe: Battle Beast, by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, & Annalisa Leoni.
• The Marquis, by Guy Davis.
• Marvel Team-Up (1972-1985).
• Miss Mina and the Midnight Guardians, by David Hedgec

John and David share their monthly "Top 10 Hottest Artists of the Moment" list! This isn't some arbitrary list, folks. These artist picks are based on a variety of factors including their current book sales, industry "buzz", and production pulled from several different online and in print sources. Not enough for you? The guys also get into the art of New #1s, John’s life after Grey, and the podcast gets a 5th listener!

SUPPORT THE SHOW!
John's Company has a Kickstarter!

Timestamp Segments

• [00:50] The podcast gets a new listener!
• [01:31] Are New #1s the answer?
• [06:05] A new bankruptcy.
• [07:47] John rereads Grey.
• [21:21] The Top 10 Hottest Artists of the Moment.
• [22:16] A shocking drop!
• [22:55] #10 – Iban Coello.
• [24:50] #9 – Nic Klein.
• [26:15] #8 – Dan Mora.
• [27:50] #7 – Ludo Lullabi.
• [28:50] #6 – Jason Fabok.
• [29:58] #5 – Gary Frank.
• [31:02] #4 – Ryan Ottley.
• [32:35] #3 – You Have...
• [34:44] #2 – To Listen...
• [36:30] #1 – To Find Out!
• [37:58] Final thoughts on the current Top 10.

Notable Quotes

• “A New #1 actually does work, even in podcasting.”
• “Looks can be deceiving, John.”
• “Even the bad stuff, you can learn from.”

Relevant Links

Cornerbox.club

Books Mentioned

• Absolute Batman (2024- ), by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, & Frank Martin.
• Absolute Wonder Woman (2024- ), by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, & Jordie Bellaire.
• Akira, by Katsuhiro Otomo.
• Aliens vs Avengers (2024- ), by Jonathan Hickman & Esad Ribic.
• Batman (2025- ), by Matt Fraction & Jorge Jiménez.
• Battle Chasers, Ghost Pepper, by Ludo Lullabi & Joe Madureira.
• Big Rig, by Post Malone, Adrian Wassel, & Nathan Gooden.
• Black Terror, by Beau Smith, Chuck Dixon, & Dan Brereton.
• DC K.O. #1, by Scott Snyder, Javi Fernández, & Alejandro Sánchez.
• Geiger, by Geoff Johns & Gary Frank.
• G.I. Joe A Real American Hero.
• Good Devils, by David Brothers & Nick Dragotta.
• Grey, Horobi, by Yoshihisa Tagami.
• Haunt, by Robert Kirkman, Todd McFarlane, & Ryan Ottley.

After a couple of weeks of really insightful comic talk from John and special guest host (and Fun Time Go EiC), Chase Marotz, David returns just in time to dumb things back down and go “All In” on DC’s K.O. brackets! The guys predict the winning brackets, make a shocking discovery about Batman(?!), announce (again) the return of Vertigo, contemplate Marvel’s ventures into other genres, and speculate about the future of the Ultimate and Absolute Lines.

SUPPORT THE SHOW!
John's Company has a Kickstarter!

Timestamp Segments

• [00:30] David sees all!
• [01:50] DC K.O.
• [04:33] John goes off on a weird tangent.
• [05:29] The old man reactions.
• [12:04] The fate of the Absolute Line.
• [13:12] The brackets.
• [20:22] A Batman shocker!
• [28:07] DC making all the right moves.
• [29:34] The return of Vertigo (again!)
• [34:44] Marvel announces the end of the Ultimate Line.
• [38:32] Marvel’s other comics.

Notable Quotes

• “You want to see a bunch of superheroes fighting each other? That is what this is.”
• “We’re the Woodward and Bernstein of modern-day comic book reporting.”
• “DC can keep letting me vote if Jason Todd dies, and I’ll keep voting he dies.”

Books Mentioned

• 100 Bullets, by Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso, & Dave Johnson.
• Alien (2021-2022), by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Salvador Larroca, & Marc Aspinall.
• Aliens vs Avengers (2024- ), by Jonathan Hickman & Esad Ribic.
• Aliens vs Predator, by Randy Stradley, Phil Norwood, Chris Warner, & Wes Dzioba.
• Civil War.
• DCeased, by Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine, & Stefano Gaudiano.
• DC K.O. #1, by Scott Snyder, Javi Fernández, & Alejandro Sánchez.
• The Death & Return of Superman.
• Dragon Ball, by Akira Toriyama.
• Fear Itself, by Matt Fraction & Stuart Immonen.
• JLA, by Grant Morrison, Howard Porter, & John Dell.
• Justice League Unlimited, by Mark Waid & Dan Mora.
• Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, by Mariko Tamaki & Rosemary Valero-O’Connell.
• Naruto, by Masashi Kishimoto.
• The New History of the DC Universe.
• Pokémon.

John and special guest host, Chase Marotz, learn new things about old stuff! They get into pronouncing names they’ve never heard, the state of reproduced comics, and the joy of finishing a really bad comic. Also, John crosses the threshold.

Timestamp Segments

• [01:44] How to pronounce things you’ve never heard.
• [05:15] Learning new things about old stuff.
• [07:47] Reading Weapon X.
• [10:09] The problem with reproduced comics.
• [14:35] The early years of manga in the US.
• [17:20] Ranma 1/2.
• [19:54] The WE3 hype.
• [23:36] Watching the wrong movie.
• [29:51] Little Lulu and Tubby at Summer Camp.
• [36:17] Hate-reading comics.

Notable Quotes

• “People can bully me more today for the comics I only recently read.”
• “Somewhere, David felt a disturbance in the force, and he didn’t know why.”
• “I’ve never been happier to not be reading something…”

Relevant Links

Cornerbox.club

Books Mentioned

• Akira, by Katsuhiro Otomo.
• All-Star Superman, by Grant Morrison, Chip Kidd, & Frank Quitely.
• Appleseed, by Masamune Shirow
• Archie Comics.
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, & Lynn Varley.
• Batman: Odyssey, Blood, by Neal Adams.
• Casper, by Sid Jacobson.
• Conan.
• Dwellings, by Jay Stephens.
• Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown, by Walter Simonson, Louise Simonson, Jon J Muth, & Kent Williams.
• Hot Stuff.
• Inuyasha, Maison Ikkoku, Mao, Ranma 1/2, Rin-Ne, Rumic World, Urusei Yatsura, by Rumiko Takahashi.
• Manhunter, by Archie Goodwin & Walter Simonson.
• Marge's Little Lulu and Tubby At Summer Camp, by Marge Buell & John Stanley.
• Monsters, by Barry Windsor-Smith.
• Sin City, by Frank Miller.
• Sky Masters, by Jack Kirby & Wally Wood.

John and Chase Marotz (as David 2.0) get into Autobiographical Comics! They talk about the evolution of autobio comics, what it would take to write about one’s innermost thoughts, grappling with comics as journalism, and the educational value of non-fiction comics. Also, David somehow finds himself in a meaty situation?

Timestamp Segments

• [01:04] What happened to David?
• [02:24] Chase’s journey into comics.
• [04:24] Early autobio comics.
• [11:01] Chase’s favorite 4 Autobio Comics.
• [13:41] The Playboy.
• [16:26] Olivia, the Pig.
• [20:14] Chase’s own autobio comic.
• [20:46] Writing about secrets.
• [23:35] John’s own autobio comic.
• [25:27] It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth.
• [29:09] Palestine.
• [30:07] Comics as non-fiction.
• [32:23] Learning by reading comics.
• [35:35] What we can learn from autobio comics.
• [36:37] Nobody stays dead for long.

Notable Quotes

• “There’s nothing that comics can’t do as well as, or better, than other mediums.”
• “We live in a world that, much to my dismay, has become increasingly less empathetic and hostile towards people who are different.”
• “It’s comics. Nobody stays dead for long.”

Books Mentioned

• A Single Man, by Christopher Isherwood.
• The Black Panther Party, by David F. Walker & Marcus Kwame Anderson.
• Blankets, Ginseng Roots, by Craig Thompson.
• The Cartoon History of the Universe, by Larry Gonick.
• Clyde Fans, It’s a Good Life, If You Don’t Weaken, by Seth.
• Ed the Happy Clown, The Little Man, Louis Riel, Paying For It, The Playboy, Yummy Fur, by Chester Brown.
• Eightball, by Daniel Clowes.
• Epileptic, by David B.
• The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, by Gilbert Shelton & Dave Sheridan.
• Footnotes in Gaza, Palestine, Paying the Land, War on Gaza, by Joe Sacco.
• Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel.
• HATE, by Peter Bagge.