Hi everyone and welcome to the world. The Nerdy Podcast is going to talk later. The Nerdy Podcast is also going to be the Nerdy Podcast, and one of your hosts out. And on the other horse pole.
And this week we are taking our top five into the comic realm. Yes, scary times scary. We're going to be brave and put ourselves out there and talk about what makes it one of our first loves, shall we see it? Yeah, definitely.
Definitely. It's kind of like what led me down the path of this nerdy life. And I am. It's.
What was wrong with me to do? We're dying. It's all right. It's all right.
It's one of them things. We're doing a little bit later this week. Normally we've got a bit early. And I'm not sure.
We're throwing us off. I think I haven't seen you. I think it's all me. You're throwing us off.
We don't have any special guests this week. We're doing this. We're doing this year. Kelly.
Kelly was so funny. So funny. Definitely have to have Kelly up back on again. She really did like lighten everything off.
But I think this competition this week might be slightly on the grim side. Possibly. Yeah. Because comics are not very typically bright.
Especially at these era. I think when we go back to when we dad's age, it was very carvony and very vibrant and I say some of the artists and colours they use them were a lot different. There's a different palette show we see especially from our age like from the eighties, even to the early two thousands as well. A lot of the stories that were told are quite dark and then and some which probably did why it attracted us to both of the dark socks.
Yes. So as always we pick out top eyes and we go through each one of them and we've got no news this week. No, no, no, no. We've come really prepared news and all there's been a few things that's kind of glistened out.
A few normal things like the domination and one fighting the new Shang-Chi trailer of interest and certainly pick the interests and also the announcement of rumours that John Lithgow is going to be returning to Dexter in the next season, even though it's only for a day as villains. I think it's a flashback. That's only with the kind of do it. But that's a little bit exciting as well.
I can't really think about it. I don't think I've heard anything on the, I haven't said, because normally I get notifications of anything big coming out. The liberal is brilliant. But I was worried on how we're going to do it until I heard it could be flashback and I was like, as long as it is, because then you've just taken away one of the greatest series.
The season four of Dexter is where my level, like for me, I always measure everything up to how I felt watching that series and it was all because of him. And if you take it away, that you were like re-conning what actually happened to him, I'm going to be furious. No. So.
I'm sorry for the wise that season was perfect. I think I just said that is the perfect season. I don't think anyone. Perfect from start to that end scene.
I will always remember we were main managers. We didn't talk and that's not us. We talked with everything. We delve into everything while it's happening in real time.
And we didn't see an actual word. And I just, I didn't even blink. The tea is dropping. And it was phenomenal.
It was the best, the best series I've ever played. I cannot, nothing tops it. To me, to me. Definitely.
I don't know what the new season when it comes out. I wouldn't mind reading this in the next episode. It's not with you. Just to go through.
I know the top five things. It's fun. I was thinking about the other day that we could just sit down and have conversations about anything really doesn't have to be top five. It's just kind of what led us into this glorious podcast.
So let's get started because I've got to feel like you think that this isn't going to go very far. I'm going to be able to get to depth about it. So top five comics. Paul, you can kick it off.
Great. So my top five. I haven't put the individual comics I went for the trade back graphic novels just because it's a bit more media. It's a bit easier for the discuss.
I was surprised because I was like, I thought about it was a struggle. The company was and then when I said I thought about a little more and had a conversation like Sean, my miniature little friend. He makes everything kind of jumped out. Right.
These are the easy ones. These are the ones that I said got me into comics and when I was into comics, kept as in comics as well. That makes sense. I'm going to go with this one first.
It was a mini series was four issues and I do actually have the first prints of these infinvers as well. It was in 1996, DC, the prize, the prize. And I was done by Alex Ross. Alex was work.
Yes. And I've recently just purchased all of Alex Ross and Seattle books for the Universal horror, horror things and they are absolutely beautiful as well. He's a phenomenal artist. If you go on Instagram and follow him because you will not be disappointed.
He posts regularly multiple times a day and he is fantastic. I make superheroes same reel as well. It jumps out in the colors. The real colors were done in a vibrant way, which when I saw the cover for this as well, that on the graphic novel before I went to first prints, I had to own it and I'll show you them now.
Yeah. From four four. Kingdom come. Kingdom come.
I have Kingdom come. And I think I've taught you about it and I always pick it up. And I just can't offer some reason getting new ways to wear a grip. So don't know why.
It's an interesting and I'll look at the premise of it how it's set in the future. It's not not today as the issue. It's like all the superheroes that we love are aged and some are bit gated. Some are a bit like standoffish.
Some are down right just pissed off. So we say basically the premise of it is like it's narrated by I've got his name now. How his name. It's like don't know me here.
He's called it referred to as an narrator where it's this old law who just lives a normal life and the specter visit them and get them to witness the end of the world. And then guess to retell it and he gets to make a choice at the end to try and stop from what is coming from happening, which is an interesting take. So it's like all these massive superheroes super powers come like convulsion against normal human being gets the choice to try and or try and avert it, which was quite a critical premise. So basically it's set in the future where Superman's taken himself out of the world because he's jaded by it all.
And one of the big news here was called I'm gonna pronounce this McGog and end up. It doesn't have any qualms about killing so he kills the Joker after the Joker has been on trial for mass murder for killing like say low wisley and stuff. Just to name a few and then the whole premise of Superman going away is basically the trial of McGog and how he's found not guilty for killing the Joker even though he did it in front of the world because it was a mercy cannon. So it's a Superman I don't want to live in a world where someone who commits a crime like so clearly doesn't get pushed and then he decides to get brought back by Wonder Woman who said we need to run that way you get the black s that s the black in and he's then trying to patrol and table over the world is in his vision and again Bruce being Bruce decides he doesn't like Superman's vision so he gets a team against Superman's team and they all kind of come to the end and he's version of Civil War.
Kind of when they're all old and stuff. Alright, I guess we'll be able to watch it. But I see it's just interesting that Alex Ross's artwork brings everything to life like so much and make when you go to visit Gotham, make Bruce isn't patrolling anymore he's got bat robots stuff patrolling on his behalf. And he's like an ever so good.
Yep pretty much yeah. Well, so I'm getting started. Yeah, and like say when you go through all the characters it's got all the now like a couple marbles in very badson Lex Luthor still there trying to twist the things and make things and kind of aligns with Batman on one point so you don't know who was he does. He does anything just to get a superman of course he would.
Without giving too much it is an interesting take and for a graphic novel if you're not really into comics and you want to debut to it it is an easy read and it is beautifully beautifully drawn and all I trust has been other things but to me that's the first one I got introduced to Alex Ross's artwork and I was obsessed with it for a long time. It's one of Ants favorites and he absolutely loves it probably isn't taken much and is essentially the same as you love DC. You can see my collection and his collection is like half and half but do have a lot of DC that I can go to it's just it wouldn't be it wouldn't be best choice but it was a recommendation he give is back in the early days because he said it is something you don't need nor too much about it. Like you know the basics as long as you know the basics and who people are and if you don't you'll find out who they are along the way you don't really have to concern yourself and with knowing everything.
So yeah but I just I constantly pick it up it's like secret invasion I constantly pick it up I read the first part and then I'm like I'm done I'm done I'm done I'm done I'm done I'm done I'll go through the cycle again. Yeah. And that's going to be strange but it was a little bit like where as well because you're going through it and you're spotting all the different tools so heroes that once were like in the weird it's like the flashes they're morphed into like a beam that's moving too fast so he can't see it still ever. And he's like one of the pictures that love of Alex Ross's the flashes like kind of two forms like he's moving that fast it's like the frames like kind of merging together but when you go through all the who's who's like of the DC Universe is in it at some point and like even like the children of the people who've said I love so it's just based on that it's just like I said as I said for someone if you don't know too much about comics it's easy to pick up and you don't want to do basically know too much about it to enjoy it.
Yeah I totally get that I think like a lot of mine a lot of mine are like that where if you've not read a comic book you would quite simply just pick this one added like the ones that I've got I picked them up like without knowing anything like I know I picked up in 2014 and I've stopped reading and I've been in the audience and educated myself and I found out with myself who I want because of like the first one I read who I wanted to read about and where I want to know what it is just making start your journey basically is what I'm trying to say they're very corny cheesy weird it does is it could essentially start your comic book journey because I know a lot of people always ask is where do you even start because DC Marvel even image like issues are ongoing reruns are done reboots are done and they're like where do you even start to pick up and it's like just find a one shot graphic novel. And you take it from there where you want to go because that's how I did it. There you go. Let's be first pick so Kingdom come.
Next one he's just in there. Who wrote Kingdom come Alex Wright did you just watch. I think it was Mark Weird. Oh really.
Yeah so Mark Weird now it's Ross on the covers makes it I didn't even think about the writers I know you'd probably go out about. Yeah I'm not going to write this. I'll just like I'll put you things up. Yeah.
Because I look at the writing style and I wasn't essentially looking at the art style and when I was looking and trying to like research how to review a comic book everyone focus more on art. I had to start learning how to describe what I was looking at. I was given as a whole new like look on it because I always just look at the writing style I'm not going to the script because for me at the time the script was taken to the story but essentially everything else going on around it. Especially when we start doing things like this because of all different backgrounds your background is always been created right in my exam.
Your opinion where I've always been used to graphic design and design and that's meant visually pick things before like say stories do mean a lot to us when you head down to it which has to grasp us visually first for us to then. Oh definitely because once I understood what I was looking at is not just a person moving from point A to point B it changes how you perceive your comics going forward. And this is not only this is just part of my reading this at the moment is the models for our new Bittery Bill series. And it is absolutely done in the artwork because Bittery Bill is horsey lizard kind of the most attractive like he's strong.
And if we could get a version of him in the MCU that would be incredible. Oh is he's been announced. I don't know who's playing them but they have said that Bittery is going to be in love and thunder. Oh my god I did not know that.
I'm so happy this series is given as a whole new load of Bittery Bill and I am broken reading it because he's basically he's had his whole armor because he's he's very armored suited his face is hidden by armor and he's lost it and he's lost to on breaker. He's going through what the audience in the MCU when he lost. Linear. So the North East accent is it.
He's lost to on breaker and he's trying to and he feels that he's lost the love of his life because he's lost he's he's helmin. He's just he's going through a really hard time with like insecurity over how he looks and I am so broken for him. The series is fantastic because the artwork is a mentor. That was where I was born with me Bittery Bill.
I really am enjoyed it's a good series. It's only a few issues and if anyone wants to pick it up really goes to recommend it. My first pick there. That's really good.
See what you've got there. Right. You know what it is. It was the first comic book I ever read and I had to be honest with myself in this.
I could have been really smart and clever and like I said before we started recording I could have been smart and clever and getting all the independent stuff out and be like yeah look at being honest. But no, what I am is going to be honest. It was released. Oh god I did not get the date of it.
So sorry for that. It was written by Mark Miller and this all that was done by Steve Knivin and it is all the logo for your watching on YouTube. You will see it pop up right now. This book means the absolute world to us like the world to us.
I was in a very, very dark place and needed something to distract us video games was a big part of it and picking this book up. Let it down a path. I didn't know I was going and I absolutely I know everything. It's not pretty good.
It's quite quite. I think what I was saying about this song although it says about books or why people feel like we have a comment. It's just it is story is phenomenal and I wanted to write notes on it but it's really hard to like pinpoint stuff within this book of what's your best part. So I thought I thought I'll do a little story time and I'm going to read the actual again kind of synopsis.
So if you're not a comic book reader and Mark Miller is the guy who wrote Civil War and it is from the creators who brought your civil war comes the greatest war arena venture of all time. They were not long. A future world sufficient really should have thought about this before I decided to read it because the core reason is to ready by his worst super villain. The United States is in what it used to be.
It's the You grab the boundaries more. More to be remapped as the prize winners of a war of the bad guy's who won. It's people wasted away negligent in the new evil all the laws. So basically the world United States is split into three and it actually gives you a map of it at some point in the food because it's like you've got the whole someone side.
You've got doom on the other and I think it's kingpin on what there it is and kingpin on the other side. The kingdom of the kingpin the whole gland and doom's layer and the president's quarter. It's also the into the bad guy and it is it is way to learn. It's very almost like Mad Max style and green is not.
I was going to say that. I was going to say it did have very mad Max feels to it when you're reading it. It was the comic book I know Wolverines had blood interest in stories for years but that's the one that humanizes them the most. 100%.
It's a lot like obviously the title gives it that it's old man Logan and he's an older man who has gone through some shit. He has gone through a lot of shit and he doesn't give it away. You see little flashbacks when he was younger but it's not enough to make you realize what he's actually gone through. You just know that something's happened but he's living in a foreign wasteland.
You've got to wipe. He's got kids. He's trying his best to survive. Just day to day and he's a whole guy.
A whole guy who's now blind who is one of the standout characters of this. He is the biggest dickhead walking but he is so funny and kind of brings Wolverine back. Not back but he needs his help. Wolverine kind of feels obliged.
I think that he's been a very long time since I've read this book and the twist at the end. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but you find out as to why what happened to Wolverine and why he's away. Everything from that night has an effect on him today and it is heart breaking. That was the moment I was like I've just been captured by a comic book.
I could not conceive in my brain. That was unreal and it just started a love affair. Not just for Marvel but comics in general. I honestly have so much love for this book.
I had to put it on there. I wouldn't have been honest with myself. Anytime I have a chance to talk about comic books, it's the first one I'll bring. It's the driving force of everything else I've read.
I love it. It's weird. I know what you get and I feel like I've read comics from it. I've got the Benor and the Dandy and stuff because then we're British comics in a way.
You can't help but love them. I like to see the artwork as I said. I like to see the Benor to the Bayesley Spiderman, to X-Men. I just learned so many offshoots and stuff like that.
I think people are going to laugh at me when we start talking about the choices. I'm not as good as well as we're all mine. I'll be dayseated. I'm not sponsored by dayseated.
It might sound that way. The ones I read when I was younger don't have as much impact as the ones I've read now, which I've made since. I get them more. I understand them more.
The storytellers are different as well. Everything's not over. If you've read a book from the 60s and 70s, like Marvel, for example, if you go and read Dr Strange, if you want to read the madness, or all of the madness ones, or whatever that kind of stuff. You read them all the old ones.
They are incredibly detailed in every movement. You know their thought process because they are telling you what it is. The dialogue explains more than what you need it to. Now you don't need to because you can put your interpretation on what you think that character is going through.
I think it's just a better storyteller. Don't need to over-complicate what's already there. That would be just going back to the great artwork as well. Very much so.
So there we go. Final number one here. Very good. As I said, going back to the old man logon, it's such an interesting tier.
It's interesting that our first two picks, he was in the prime. Yeah. Definitely. I didn't plan it this way.
I had to make sure that one was out there first. We regard to the film, the old man logon film. I am not mad that they used that name even though. It did actually have some aspects of that.
Also, all new, all different Marvel events that I had probably in 2016, maybe 17, they did bring up another version of the following story. I read a few issues of it. It didn't get it. I didn't get it in the fields like I was expecting it to.
I thought, great continuation. I just didn't hit it. The film didn't bother us. I really enjoyed the film actually, but I think it was a talk about this, the author of this, wearing aspect of it.
That's a 20-off time I swear, and when I was in the police right now. I am the worst. I have a horrible mouth. And I understand that, but I don't expect Professor X to have the same.
Same for him. True. Exactly. Very well so.
Yes. Good. So this one was a 13-ish show. It's only a mini series again, but it was 13 issues.
It was launched by Joe Flop. I don't know if I said that right, Joe Flop. It was with Tim Seale. Again, this one didn't grip us with visually because it's very abstract and weird, but still, I think as I said with story-wise, this was a great story.
It is about my title, which you probably already guessed by now. It did have the raw gallery of members. Name a few of the members that's in it. So starting off, it had Condemat, had Moroni and Falcorn, two-face, Scarecrow, the Jorga, the Madhara, Poison Ivy, Riddler, Catwoman, and again, Beggal Two-face and Harvey Dent.
So it came out just getting the right date, 1996 to 1997. It was the long Halloween. I think you were going down that way. I just couldn't remember what it was called.
This is one that is on me list, but I want the full thing. I don't want to get individually. I want the full thing. I did actually own the first Prince, but I did sell them not too long, because I'll be honest, the prices did shoot up and fears also had a negative, tidy little profit there.
Very clever when it comes to things like that, I must say. I wish I had the Bitnaw because it's shut up in price recently with Robert Patterson, because apparently they are using the story of the long Halloween as basis to the new Robert Patterson and Batman. Basically, the tour of the film is, there's a mysterious, not the full of the comic, but basically, every holiday, there is a murder. So every big like Valentine's Day, St.
Patrick's Day, Halloween, Christmas, there's a new murder by this new killer. That's what I'm about. And Batman's doing his best to try and negotiate and see who it is. That's why he's gone through all the raw gallery to try and find out who is committing these crimes.
I'm going to see he goes to Kondaman, who's locked up in Arkham Silent and trying to get clues and everyone's playing them against each other. It's just a quite interesting tale. It's the first time in my eyes, we're from Green Batman, because a lot of it's all about the action. This is more to do with the detective site.
And it's quite interesting to see, I'll read, shall we see? Okay, so I can see how it was based on the old, the did-use elements of this story when it came to the Batman beginning so long. And all the shifted completely away from it, but the did-use small elements of it with the crime families and how the crime families operated and stuff. A lot of it wasn't.
You don't see a lot of that in Batman things, do you? Like the mob is there. When you think of Batman, you think of the job as Penguin too, like, you know, your unusual characters, you don't really think that the normal human being, the mob are really there within that universe. But it does tell you the origin story of Two Fists as part of this as well.
So it's quite an interesting read, especially if you're a novice too, and looking at a jump enough point to start reading about Batman comics, this one is a perfect one, because you don't even know what's went on before. You don't even know what's on after. It's just a set-alone story that's based in this 13-issue or this graphic novel. There was quite a long one as well, quite a thick one.
And all recently as well, the Disc Done The Animated movie, with Jensen Eggles being Batman. That's where DC gets me good, is that animated films? They are absolutely superb. The broken up into parts as well, because as I said, the comic is quite a long one.
So part one is just game out. And again, so around about the same time I read Two Batman comics, was this and Hush. Now I love Hush. This is better in my eyes.
People can argue I see I'm wrong, but I love this. And again, with Batman and how it works, there is a twist at the end, which I'm not spoiled. And it's quite an interesting one. And one you pretty much don't sit well out in the sea coming, so it kind of surprises.
But yes, they're long Halloween. I would always recommend it. Anyone who wants to read DC or Batman at its best, that in my eyes is one of the best comics there. In the perfect, though, what Batman that you don't have to have, anything that you jump into with them didn't have it before.
So you don't, there's nothing. You could literally, like, you could jump into any one of Batman's stories and you don't have to know the ins and outs of everything. I always thought that was perfect about Batman, because the story is like, you get to find out everything as you go along anywhere. Yeah.
I think what Batman is about is that in Grand in pop culture now. Everyone knows what happens to his parents, even if you're not a comic book fan. You know his parents were shot in an alleyway. It's like Spider-Man.
It's exactly like Spider-Man that you don't need to know the Uncle Ben side of it. You know what's going on with Spider-Man? Because it's already in Grand with us in pop culture that, you know, great. What is it?
Great, what is it? Great, how it comes with responsibility. I can't remember. My brain is like absolutely.
My God. Oh my God. You're the model girls. I'll work with them that one.
Okay. Yeah. I'll take the slap of that one. I do want to read it, but I guess I want it all in one go.
I do like a Duke who loved Hush and I only read Hush last year. And I always try and find when I'm buying comics when I have like, I go through videos as comics. I get really into it again. And then I kind of like pull back again.
I always do, but I like, I'm at a point now where I hear picking up individual issues. I get a bit better. I just want something in me hand to read right now. I think they say spoiler for me, I think two or three years ago when they've done the new rebirth and kind of fears and literally everything came out now.
Oh, 10 years stories, but some of the stories and some of the artwork was a tremendous. I don't pay for my date this very much. I think it was a waste. I like the new 52 when it did it.
Yeah. It's interesting. So it's like in the bottom of the call of the owls and stuff. That's when I was, I think, but from the new Batman, I stopped collecting them about, say a year and a half ago and I've sold more to them on because they would have stayed in a room and didn't really interest us.
And there's not been any, I know what they're doing in the new, the black label is being good for DC. Again, it's more of an adult tour. When it's when it's when it's when it's when it's when it's when it's like they see got a lot of black for black and get these cutouts. But we weren't ready to say the black one.
My God. But one has a penis. Oh, no. Oh, my God.
The black label is absolutely phenomenal. Again, it is issues that you can just go and pick off. You don't have to be hardcore comic book reader. And I'm just going to say, Oh, my God.
What is wrong with my brain? I just can't remember anything. Do you know what? It's a one time where I've got to myself.
I don't need to write notes or anything. I can be able to talk about this. I do it all the time. And I mean, brain just like mush today.
I'm going to blame here, favor. I'm going to blame him and here, favor. Everything else. I'm going to blame him here, favor.
No, but I'm going to be a little less than the same. Yes. That was my second pick the long Halloween. Awesome.
So again, anyone out there pick it up. It is a fun read. I mean, right. I had I knew when I was going into this list of the writers because I am very much about writers, I knew who I wanted to have on my list.
And I knew I wanted this guy. I just couldn't quite figure out which one to pick because I was actually worried you might have picked another one of his English writer. He is the most bizarre person. If you listen to any of this guy's talk, he is office.
In the best possible way. Again, I have not wrote the date down for this one, go to dummy. But it is an Alan Moore book. It is a DC book.
And it is the second comic book I read. It is an Alan Moore's turn door. Ah, not on my list. Right here.
You want me to say? No, not me to. It's on my list. I love the book.
I was just when you popped up. I was just saying which version it was. Sorry. It's been an older.
Because I know with the different. That's the hardback cover, isn't it? Yeah. I didn't realise there were different versions of it.
I was going to Google. I was going to Google. I don't know. Yeah.
I just glanced at the lens. I was doing something just going to put it in the lens. I think it was really cool. Because I was doing something just going to it.
Cause I didn't really want to talk about it. It was a pop out. But right, right on what I did different colors depending on which print it was. I had the watt totaling first print.
But I didn't really fit into it. It's too thick to free. I didn't really sit in a violin. You don't want it to sit lying around.
I think I've read an interview once and anyone can crack this maybe I might be wrong on this but he didn't really want to write to DC. I'm thinking he wanted to write that. He has such an opinion doesn't he? It's such an ugly wizard I would describe.
Yes he is. But killing Jorg is essentially his interpretation of the Jorgas origin because I don't think there is a Jorg origin like really, I don't think there's an Alan Mo's take on origin of the Jorga. I think I mentioned this on the podcast before but if you want to understand the killing Jorg and what it means, not what it means but the ending of it. Grant Morrison says it perfectly on a Kevin Smith podcast.
It's a four hour long podcast by the way but Grant Morrison is probably one of the most interesting people. I always said he was my spirit animal because he is so interesting to talk about and when he said that about the killing Jorgas, I'm going to spoil this one because in order for us to talk about this space but at the end. It's the whole thing about the Jorga. The going through the same process like they always do and the Jorga is, we're always going to do this dance together.
I want to do something bad. You're going to try and kill me but guess what? You're not because you won't kill it and we will just do this forever and ever and ever. And at the end he tells a Jorga and the both will happen at this Jorga and then the panels disappear from them too and you see the laughing bubbles and then one laughing bubble only remains and it's Batman's.
And Grant Morrison was like, you know, because the people didn't know how to interpret it and Grant Morrison was like, well, he killed him. He killed the Jorga. He was sick of the fact that the Jorga was always going to one of them and it was such a brilliant way of interpreting it. But essentially it's the Jorga trying to prove that anyone under any circumstance can go mad and he does it with Commissioner Gordon.
It's really sad this one though. It's really sad because obviously what happens to Barbara, that's devastating what happens to Barbara and because again you can interpret that scene however way you want to. She was assaulted, sexually assaulted. She wasn't just shot.
But that's again similar to like some of the old horror films we used to watch. It was stuff that you didn't see and you used to imagine and think about that kind of affected you more. Definitely. And obviously you've taken Barbara in the way that he does and then he can be kidnapped the Commissioner and he puts him through like a funhouse of terror to try and get that mental break in him.
And it doesn't work the way that he intended because he's a lot more stronger than what he was. Because I think he's trying to understand where his mental break come from. I think in a way it's such a fantastic boog. Alan, it's not the biggest of boogs.
It really is and this is a really thin boog. But it still packs such a punch. Do not watch the animated film. Yeah.
I was just saying that. I think a lot of the animated films as well. Some of them do take liberties with the source material and they're trying to try and make it fresh. And it's uncomfortable bits in the TV series.
I couldn't never get past the type of thing. But yeah, but as I said in the book, visually every single scene and everything, that's not all the panels jump out and it is art. It's pop culture art in a lot of things. And it's such a deep story as well because you've watched this man.
He is really like the more I talk about it, the more I'm starting to even understand it nowadays, I can still learn from it. You see it's like two stories running in one. You see in modern day, you see in flashbacks of the job. I can't remember his name, but you see him coming in how he came to be.
And his mental break was lost his wife lost his job. Did a bank Robbie that went wrong. I fell into a bad of whatever it was. Was it the red hood?
Was it the red hood? Well, I know the red hood came into it and mixed it with a Jason Todd story. That's where they gave the joy of the origin, shall we say it. But I can say I haven't read the killing Jordan a long time.
I just remember being shocked when I read it. Because there is a shock in elements, especially when he shoots Barbara. So he's paralyzed. Well, I just think that's kind of like, again, this is another thing I haven't picked up for a long time.
And this is, this commission of Gordon is tied up in the funhouse and he's actually shown in footage of him sexually assaulting Barbara. So it's not a case of interpretation. It actually happens. Wow, I really could not remember that.
And I just mentioned the best page I just opened up when I'm flicking through is that one. I mean, I'm not sure if you can see it. The door with these Hawaiian shirt on and the gun is creepy. It is horrifying.
Yeah, the cover is iconic as well. I don't think when you look at certain covers, that one will stand the test of time and it will always be one of the DC's best. Yeah, and it's such a great storyteller. Even though he's not a patter, he's such a great storyteller in that case.
But the page is done in. You can't believe the story you're getting out of it. I wouldn't mind having a pint of beer with Adam. Just to see what goes on in his head.
In my head, he's probably a really angry man, but hopefully he's not like that in real life. No, he doesn't use to anyway. He's doing a lot of talks and talks are available on YouTube. And I do, if anyone's a fan of them, do recommend watching them because he's a very passionate person.
He had a lot to say on them, Stanley, with Jeff Kirby and everything that went on around there. He's just, if I could have certain people in a room to talk to him, Jo-Dara Mon, Stephen King and Grant Morrison, they are like, I would love to just sit and talk to them about how they write what they do. How they write what they do. Like, when how does it come from my ring, my ring can't even expand to talk on this podcast.
How do you write stuff on the paper the way that you do? My ring number two, it was the second coming back up after Em Oldman Logan. Again, it was just, it's one of us. I think it's the role of that because I wasn't collecting at the time.
And it just said, again, that's another one. You can go into it. You don't even know anything. And it got me to, I'm a huge Barbara Gordon fan.
I love Barbara. I did not like what they did to her when she was Oracle. It used to both the life voters. So I was very happy when Gail Simone wrote her back in the new 52.
And that is, that is just an amazing series of anyone has a chance to pick it up. It's a quite lengthy one. It's Barbara going through PDST with what happened to her. She got family issues.
She's trying to balance our superhero life and our normal life. And it's just such a fantastic read. Like, I could not put it down. It was literally one issue after the next, after the next.
I did a hold. I think it was Christmas. You know, the idea of Christmas went, everything's over. And you have like that data like just do nothing.
I read the whole of that theory because I could not put it down. And it's not on me. It's not on me favorites because I have more. I have other ones that that would be it.
But it is not going to be a series. There you go. There's my number two killer joke. So on that thing, I'll go with my number three, which funny enough is done by our local chap, Alamo.
This one was a DC offshoot. I can say a lot of good comics come from the very cool issue. This is my, I didn't pick it for. This is my, I went with killing joke.
I knew you were going to pick this one. So again, this one came out in the year I was born in 1982 to 1989. It actually came through those 10 issues. It was a very quick, essential British comic as well.
So, and it's, I'll try and steer away from political topics or political discussions, especially on the internet, just because it's like a red rag to a ball for a lot of people. But to me, this is a very political comic, but still resonates today with a lot of the things it does touch on. It touches on my Christianity, former for bigger. And actually how governments place you in all of us, that situation, a lot of people didn't like the film.
And because due to someone's accent, what to be fair, I didn't mind if I quite enjoyed it. I love the comic, but I've watched the film many times and I always think it's a good film. Guy Fawkes was a big inspiration in this and it was a very fun vendetta, which visually. Sorry, I'm going to swear, but I fucking love this movie.
It was, and I didn't, when I was thinking of, I was thinking of watchmen, big vendetta from hell. And I was like, oh, and also one of Alan's very raunchy and one called, I think it's called The Lost Girls. If anyone gets a copy of The Lost Girls, don't have a child about your parents because it is the most built. It's practically born in a comic, but Alan does it so well, it's brilliant.
And I was thinking, which one of the people I knew you would either go, or be the vendetta or watchmen, so that I'll play it to you, and I'll go for killing Joel. I love this book. I've cried multiple times through this book. And the one thing that really got me more than anything is you haven't even gotten into the story yet.
Alan gives you an actual note of his thought process while writing the vendetta and he explains. I think he did this in the time. You have to understand how England was at the time and why I was watching it. It was going through fascism and stuff like that, wasn't it?
And it was explaining that at the time of writing. And he gave a date and said, Margaret Thatcher was on the verge of bringing in gay concentration camps. It got me so badly. You have that in your head.
Before you even started the book, phenomenal. That's when DC was like the offshoot, which was like a vertical work doing edgy type of titles and things that were off the wall type thing. I know you mentioned a lot of Alan Moore's like, a leg of extraordinary gentlemen as well. The comics.
That was a good one. I actually met one of the artists one a few years ago David Lloyd. It was at a convention. I couldn't find out.
He actually drew V for us and signed it to Paul. I think it's going to be one of the stories. Things I've got. I still remember this just because when you pick it up, you think, oh, it looks like cheesy, high-fork, rip off.
It's just like a cover and it's striking cover. And the character V is so interesting. And how the play it out as well. Because you think we're going to go one way and turn the other.
It's the epit of the epit of an anti-hero. Because he's doing wrong things. But as you all know, I say, we're going to give folks and stuff trying to offer the government and the government's run by a putrid horrible system, which kind of resonates a little bit today. But that's the northern is.
But yes, without going to political, it's shorter than it was quite a 19 big George Orwell, a 1984 type of filter as well, like the control. And I think at the time, I still now, I don't think there's many comics like this. I don't think many more dead tread on the things I did tread on. No, I have to hold the agreement here on that one.
You push so many boundaries on this. It's hard to believe it's still like. I was allowed to get out. Yeah, definitely.
Oh, definitely. I didn't mind the film. I actually thought Hugo even was amazing. I really don't.
Not the portman. Not the portman. I'm not doing a domestic fun. Portrait.
She was so much better than Keon Orrieves in Bram Doggers Dracula. So always, if you are looking for really bad accents and you're like, kind of trying to weird out Keona will always win at the worst accent. Oh, yeah. I've always, I've wanted multiple times and copies just because, as I say, I give it away.
If someone wants to read a comic and then as I said, without being like, wouldn't go to the down the same superhero route, it is a standalone ignore. And again, one of them where I'm so happy that they haven't tried to spin off from it or to do any sequels or do any of those as a standalone. It's done in the way it is. It doesn't need anything extra because it kind of finishes the story and you think, right?
I'm happy with that. I'm happy. Yeah, I don't need this to go any further. I'm surprised that they haven't been a TV series, to be honest.
I'm really surprised that that just with the DNA of television and, you know, television is probably can be better than movies at the time. Look, I was like, we are all about you bringing the television in. It's, it's, it's, and I just, I always assumed at some point we would have a B and. And a beef of a data TV series.
I think of Alan Moore had anything to say about it. He wouldn't say it ever again. Or should be free, nor free. Because he hears every adaptation doing of his work.
Something great. I don't blame him because there's has been a few missteps with his work and all, I can say, the legal book extraordinary gentlemen have watched again. I've really enjoyed it. I don't like it for a while.
Yeah. When you think of the source material and the characters are used, that's one thing. And it brings life to characters that you shouldn't really like, if that makes sense. Yeah.
And yeah, enjoy it. And you feel it. Yeah. I'm fine.
I'm a very quick read for that. I'm such an amazing storyteller. I actually wrote an article about them many years ago, and had to do some deep research. The man is just, he's not just comics, just storytelling.
Like I used to write the, oh, god, there's going to be people out there who like, I'm going to get it wrong, so I'm not going to see it. And it was a really interesting person brought up in very similar backgrounds to our lives from the North East. Not from the North East, but it's very similar. You want to know what I think?
Yes. And he's just a really interesting person. He kind of brings the darkness yet not too dark into the story. He's like, you're not depressed when reading them.
It's not depressing. As much as it was, when I cried over the internet, it was angry tears. It wasn't sadness. It was angry tears.
It was angry tears. Especially when you've got that forward in your head, going into it, you can't believe what you're reading. This was the one we were born. These were the times when we were born.
My mom and dad were like, early, early, early, early, 20s. It's hard to believe that that's how the world was, and still is. Like, they're still asking me to do it. My gosh, it's such a good pick, but it's such a difficult one to talk about without getting angry, without setting people.
But it is one to go and read. I couldn't recommend it enough. If you're going to experience Alan Miller, experience it through this book, all from hell because that's phenomenal. And Carolyn, you will get your bird, your copy back from hell.
I've been sitting on my bookshelf for, I've got not how many hours now. That's a good choice. My third one. My third one is, I used to call it my Everest because it was the book that, again, just like Kingdom Come, like Secret Invasion, I picked it up.
I started it. I put it back down again. It was released in 1991. The story was done by Jim Stalin.
The artwork was done by the amazing George Hadez and Ron Lin. It is part of the MCU story, but obviously is where this all material comes from. It is the Infinity Gone, but it's the Infinity Gone, but it's the Infinity Gone, but it's the first time I've ever seen it. Here's the cover right here.
So, you're two people. It is, I don't even know where to start. I think I read, I think when we were getting close to Endgame and not Endgame, but the endgame was like, right, you even know. You need to know your shit before you go into this.
I'll say, there's a mindful comic. There's bits in it that doesn't make any sense at all. This is what I was talking about when it comes down to overcomplicate and your book. Now, this is the first page for you on YouTube, I've got my camera.
Look at how detailed that is. And it doesn't stop there. The artwork is just absolutely, it overpowers what you are reading because there's so much to take in. But the story is obviously where the Infinity Saga of the MCU comes from, but in a very, very different way.
And the change it up where Thanos isn't wanting to balance its base trying to impress Death, isn't he? Yes, yes, yes. He's trying to win his Lady Love Death back. I see a look at the power I've got in this, go on this.
She's not this. Yeah, not she is zero impressed by all of it. So, there is similarities in the MCU. You've got the whole thing thrown down from the new Asgard to warn the industry and the Thanos's coming.
In an actual fact, it was the server who got the long into, for a long out of the universe, into Dr. Strange's arms. Yes, and he got the one who got Adam Wallach in the huge part of this group, which is why I thought when we saw him in the Galaxy 2, I was like, oh, of course Adam. An act of thinking, how is it going to bring Adam in to save the deer?
The pretty most years, the years, the years, the kind of aspect of that. That power, that power, because you needed that power in order to defeat him. You know, you may have got super powered people, but it's power. That's what the Infinity Gauntlet is.
It is all encompassed in power. And you need Adam Wallach or Carol Danvers. You need someone of that strength in order to come in and make that impact. I just really wish it was Adam.
There was a lot of shocks in this comic as well. Things that you want to take. I know Nebula played a big part in the comic, then, showed it in the films, but it's the whole. I did like, on Endgame, you had a lot of Nebula within the, and I thought that was quite a nice nod to how impactful Nebula actually is in Infinity Gauntlet.
And the stand-out panel, the stand-out, here, and here again, I've never been a big, big comic. This was probably different in the movies. I love it in the movies. I never really liked him in the comics.
It was Captain America. But when he stands in front of Thanos, and that big speech, he gives about, as long as one man stands in front of you, you'll never truly win. You'll always win. You'll always win because you're there, but Thanos doesn't even send anything.
You'll just snap his neck. So that was the end of Save Rogers in the comics for a little while. Due to that was always there. It was almost like Loki's speech.
Loki's speech, what he says, you'll never be a god. It's only great. It's Loki's neck. I'm looking at a panel now, and it is the whole of the, select, is it the select yields?
Like Galactus or Surfer, like the Orr, and look at the beauty of that page. It is done, and George Perez is a master at what he does. Even if you can absolutely hurt your eyes, and what you're looking at is very bright, is very colourful. The story is fantastic.
And I do like that they talk a lot of influence without directly doing the book. Yeah. With the Infinity Saga, you've got to remember this. And I've had this conversation on the birthday of the day that the MCU and the comics have to, there's a separate thing.
Within Marvel, there's always variations. There's always reboots. There's always redo all this, and there's always multiple universes. All you look at, and this is how I look at it, is the MCU is just another extension of the universe.
Like another part of the multiverse. And I think you've got to be realistic as well. There's only so much you can put on a screen. There's only so much you can do, like, cost wise as well.
Because if you do this, you couldn't do this. No, you couldn't. Like I know, as I said, with the other conversation about Civil War. If you try to do Civil War the way it was done in the comics, you're looking at a 2 billion, 3 billion film.