Shortbox Summary

Welcome back! This week Chad from the Last Comic Shop Podcast stops by to turn back the clock even more than usual to discuss Alias AKA Jessica Jones by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos from 2001. We jump straight into the era and talk strictly about the comics of the times and break down the whole series from tet to tail. Please follow the Last Comic Shop Podcast for even more comic book themed audio goodness!!

Holy shit, it's Nick from None of My Friends Like Comics! And he's here to discuss an extremely Wolverine story called Origins and Endings! Nick loves the mid-2000's as much as I do, so strap in as we cover everything that made the era important to us, and also a comic book.

Welcome back to Shortbox Summary! This week, I'm lucky enough to be joined by my buddy Zizi, and together we break down Dr. Strange: The Oath, a miniseries by BKV and Marcos Martin from October of 2006!

Welcome back to Shortbox Summary! This week, I'm lucky enough to be joined by JA Scott from The Last Comic Shop Podcast, and we're covering X-Men: The Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire. This story originally appeared in Uncanny X-Men 475-486, and you can find those issues on Marvel Unlimited, or the trade collected digitally on Hoopla, courtesy of your local library.

Our House of M fallout continues. Kinda. Sorta. The X-Men were all over the place in 2005, and not just because of the Scarlet Witch, but because of Xavier! This mini series details the hidden history of Professor X and one more way he's made life for Cyclops even shittier. Thanks to my buddy Dunne for coming on board to help me break it down!

The fallout of House of M continues! What happened to the man responsible for for the whole ordeal that ended up depowering 99% of all mutants everywhere? To be honest, nothing good - but what IS good is Andy Larsen, the host with the most from the Last Comic Shop Podcast stops by to break it all down with us, and also help remember December 2005-May 2006 was like.

An irregular episode with a soon to be regular guest! Zizi returns to the show for the first time! We talk about the comics we're looking forward to this summer, the movies we're excited for, our dreams, our fears, and most importantly - our comic blindspots.

It's a little early in the year, but with this unseasonable heat and humidity it's the right time to air some grievances, especially about comics. I try so hard to stay positive about comics, and I think we all did that today. But I am beyond frustrated with the business side of Marvel and I invited some friends on to let me get something off my chest. I also give them the opportunity to tell me if I'm right or if I'm entitled. Huge thanks to the Last Comic Shop Podcast boys, always a pleasure to talk comics with you!

We welcome Chad from Last Comic Shop Podcast to run us through his pull list and which books he thinks you should be reading. Much like all of the hosts at LCS Pod, if they're recommending it, you should be reading it! Before we get to the main course, I dish my thoughts on Marvel's current line of Spider-man, Star Wars, and Ultimate books and tell you which ones I think are worth your time.

Hello, Internet! This week, I go over my thoughts on the current stable of X-Men books and which ones you need to be reading. But, the main event - one of my favorite guests we've had on the show returns - it's Carlos! Carlos Loves Spider-man, and you can find him on Twitter and Bluesky with that very handle. We talk Spidey-titles, we talk Absolute vs Ultimate, we have a blast, and I hope you do too!

Hello, internet! Welcome back to Shortbox Summary - this week we break down the best Image books that are currently on my pull list and then for the main event - JA Scott from my favorite comic book show, The Last Comic Shop Podcast, joins me to talk about their pull list and what it's like reading comics abroad!

AND WE'RE BACK! It's been a minute but I'm finally ready to start releasing pods again. This week we're talking about what I think of DC's current offering of books, and 5 titles that I think should be on everyone's titles. Do I cheat and include 11? Absolutely. Do I have a reason to? Absolutely. Is absolutely a pun? Absolutely. After that we talk to artist Kevin Newburn about their pull list and what I need to add to mine! Kevin is a wonderful artist from the PNW who works on zines and loves comics. Follow him on Blue Sky at @kevinnewburn.bsky.social

SHORTBOX RETURNS! I am high on cold medicine, so please forgive the lateness of this episode, and the quality of the first 20 minutes. I forgot how to read, which is unfortunate, because the first third of this episode is just me reading my summary of X-Factor (2005) 1-6 with a quick summary of Madrox (2004) 1-5 beforehand. We (briefly) cover the five issue Madrox miniseries from 2004-2005 before jumping into X-Factor (2005) issues 1-6. We are in the House of M fallout and it's covering characters I didn't know before I randomly picked up a new issue 1 halfway through my sophomore year of high school. Is it good? Actually, yeah, it's pretty good. We summarize the books read in the first 20 minutes and then start the conversation with fabio at 20:05. Oh yeah, Fabio is back! Do you like him? I like him. So yeah, this should be a pretty good episode I recorded a little buzzed off cold medicine, please to enjoy! There are some new beats in this episode, provided to me by the singularly genius talent of Bugatti Elroy. Please find him on twitter @bugattielroy

AND WE'RE BACK! I don't know if that vacation was deserved but it was definitely needed. Fabio returns to the show to help cover the fallout from House of M. First up, we talk House of M: Decimation - The Day After one shot that sets up story threads across existing and new (and returning) titles in the X-world of books and then we cover the three part HOUSE ARREST story that ran in adjective-less X-Men issues 177-179. If you're not interested in the summary, skip ahead to the conversation Fabio and I have at the 15:20 mark. Again, shout out to @bugattielroy for some absolutely killer beats I can't wait to use on the show going forward! I'm glad you like my show, but there are a ton of comic podcasts that I'm obsessed with! Track them down on Twitter: None of my Friends Like Comics - @NoComicFriends The Last Comic Shop Podcast - @lastcomicshop The SJW Comic Book Club - @sjwcomicscast Wednesday Pull List! - @WednesdayPull Digging for Kryptonite - @diggingforkrpod Geeksplained - @GeeksplainedPod

WE FINALLY DID! For the 3rd, maybe even the 4th time (who's counting?) we record our MILESTONE 50th EPISODE! It's finally time to talk about House of M, the first proper event of this new era of Marvel, and we celebrate it in style. After an in-depth summary provided by yours truly, we're joined by a stacked panel of guests! Anthony Stokes, Jojo, Richard Fairgray, Amaya, and Aleah - some new voices some returning favorites help me tackle this monumental story from as many different angles as possible. Thanks again to everyone who helped ring in the real 50th episode of Shortbox Summary in such grand fashion. Here's to the next 50! twitter follows: Stokes - @StokesTheWriter Jojo - @JojoTalksComics Richard - @RichardFairgray Amaya - @ChewieDanvers Aleah - @Aleah413 Collin - ... too cool for twitter, but DM me and I'll pass the message along.

2005 was a banner year for comics and everything else. This is the start of our House of M coverage, where Aleah and I break down the music - specifically the pop-punk and alternative songs that dominated our young lives. After that, Collin returns to break down the films we were seeing this summer back when the movies were nothing but magic. Next week we dive deep into the story of House of M, so get ready nerds - it's happening!

Holy smokes, we did it! Sean from The Captioned Life makes his Shortbox Summary debut to discuss Captain America White, the last book in the Color Series from Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. The series had an extremely unique wait between its debut issue and follow up, while also having a change in colorist. Not only that, but issue 0 released before the MCU had really become a thing and wasn't completed until after Avengers Age of Ultron had released in theaters. It's a strange book that deserves some dissection, and I couldn't have been happier to dive into it with Sean from This Captioned Life!

AS WE MARCH through the color series by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, we meet a friend! Nick from None of My Friends Like Comics (@NoComicFriends on twitter), one of my favorite comic podcasts around, joined us to talk about Daredevil Yellow, an examination of Matt Murdock, the man without fear, in his earliest days as the costumed hero of Hell's Kitchen.

🚨Emergency Pod 🚨 We don't talk about modern comics a lot here, but there was a huge announcement today about Amazing Spider-man 26 that couldn't be ignored. So I called up my buddies Carlos and Garrett and we talked about it. This is a spoiler-heavy podcast for a comic that comes out 5/31, so consider yourself warned.

The color series continues! Chad and Andy from The Last Comic Shop stop by to talk about Hulk: Gray, a fantastic retelling of the Hulk's origin by the amazing creative team of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale (with Matt Hollingsworth on colors). In a conversation you don't want to miss, we all get really honest about the Hulk - why he works, why he doesn't, and where this story lands in the character's library. Like Chad and Andy? Who doesn't!? Check out https://www.lastcomicshoppodcast.com to

Your friendly neighborhood Carlos returns to talk about Spider-man Blue, a retroactive look at Silver/Bronze Age era spider-man and how he meet the first love of his life, Gwen Stacy. Nobody knows Spider-man like Carlos so buckle up because this one goes places.

Things are going to change soon in Marvel comics, so let's take one last look at what things are changing from, shall we? First up, Fabio helps us revisit Marvels, a groundbreaking series from 1994 by writer Kurt Busiek with art by Alex Ross. This beautiful book details the coming of the Marvel Age, the birth of heroes through all their highs and lows of the silver age from the perspective of photographer Phil Sheldon. We go through the first four issues, the prologue that was released after the fact, the epilogue released for the 25th anniversary, and we touch on Ruins, the parody from 1995 that tears down everything Marvels built up. We take an excruciatingly detailed lens at media and how it shapes our reality from the point of view of the man sharing it with people. You won't want to miss this. Also, we talk about Lisa Loeb. God I love 1994.

FABIO RETURNS just in time to walk us through Doom putting the Fantastic Four through the ringer! With a device that can reshape reality to his will, Doom is taking out the Four one by one in this classic, four-issue miniseries from Grant Morrison, Jae Lee, and colorist Jose Villarrubia (not to mention Letterers extraordinaire Richard Starkings and Wes Abbot). So put your time-shoes on and walk back to July 2001 with us as we relive the songs, the cinema, and the sport that was shaping the world this Limited Series dropped into.

Aaron returns to Shortbox Summary to talk about one of his favorite villains of all time - the one, the only, Dr. Doom! We check out the 2005 origin story called Books of Doom by Ed Brubaker and Pablo Raimondi (along with Mark Farmer, Drew Hennessy, Robin Riggs, Brian Reber, and VC’s Rus Wootow). A lot happens in these six issues that help paint the picture of the man we know as Doom. It's part Shakespearian, part terrifying, and all epic, culminating in Steve Nash winning his second straight NBA MVP award, so, buckle up, because things get wild.

We take another look at Batman in the mid 2000's and this time with indie comics creator Trevor Lenkiewicz! Trevor wanted to talk about Batman: Broken City, the story that immediately follows Batman Hush and you could get whiplash reading these two stories back to back. From Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, colorist Patricia Mulvihiill, and letterer Clem Robins comes BATMAN BROKEN CITY.

Sean returns for the penultimate arc of Astonishing X-Men. Two of the biggest talents at Marvel are supported by an amazing team of letterers, colorists, and editors for a story that's... strictly fine? This is one of the most confusing arcs in this era of Marvel, because it is highly dependent upon you doing your homework and reading 50 issues of X-Men going back a few years... and if you didn't, that's ok! I did, and that's what I'm here for. Please support the show by following @purplebird616 on Twitter, and leaving a review for the show on your podcast service of choice!

CARLOS RETURNS. Dude has recommended I read a lot of books, and none of them have been bad, so when Carlos brought up Spider-man/Doctor Octopus Year One, I had to check it out. It's a retelling of a single issue of Amazing Spider-man 3 from 1963 across multiple issues, so we go back, and cover the first appearance of the character, and this delightful miniseries from 2004 made just in time for the sequel movie!

Richard returns to Shortbox Summary to finish our discussion about Batman Hush. It's one of the best selling comics of the 2000's, but is it good? Well, yes, but mostly no. Usually no. Is it your first Batman comic? If so, yes, it's good... ish. See how we landed on our opinions!

We take a break from Marvel to talk about one of the hottest books of the early 2000's, Batman HUSH by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee! It's one of the most important comics of the last 20 years, but is it any good? Well, yes and no. Special guest Richard Fairgray makes his Shortbox debut to discuss what works and what doesn't in this deep dive back to the year 2002. Strap in, champions, this is a long one! We start talking about Batman 608 at 00:54:17 if you want to jump right into the story! Follow Richard on Twitter at @RichardFairgray and support his kickstarter project at kick Richard dot com.

It's 2003, and the last major comic book movie to come out this year wasn't a Marvel or DC superhero, but The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen! This movie was HOSED upon release but y'know what? It's actually pretty decent. Listen to George, Aaron, and Collin break down why. Follow Shortbox Summary on twitter at @purplebird616

CARLOS RETURNS to discuss the second half of the disproportionately maligned Spider-man crossover, THE OTHER. Peter is dead... or is he? We talk about our feelings on the controversial Spidey story, how it ended, other Spidey stories to check out, and what's to come down the pipeline for your friendly neighborhood Spider-man. Please follow Carlos on twitter at @carlos_esconde and Shortbox Summary at @purplebird616 and hit us up with questions, comments, concerns as we approach the House of M and Civil War era of mid-2000's Marvel

The Parker Luck is never a good thing but seldom has it been this bad! In fact, things were so bad, we had to bring in a Peter Parker expert to help break everything down in THE OTHER (Evolve or Die): a Spider-man crossover event! Find Carlos on Twitter at @carlos_esconde and hit up him up with any Spider-man questions you may have!

The Jackalope crew is back together to discuss a certified banger of a movie - X2 X-Men United! Put your shoes on and take a walk with us back to 2003, when movies were shot on location or had sets built and the effects were more or less practical. Guests: Aaron, Marty, Kyle

Wolverine is mad. Really mad. But that's ok because his claws are sharp. REALLY SHARP! He's on the revenge path and I've got some buddies from @LastComicShop to talk about it! From the minds of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., and the voices of Chad Smith and Andy Larson, here's an extra special episode of Shortbox Summary, please enjoy!

On November 10, 2022, beloved voice actor Kevin Conroy passed away. Although a working actor for more than 40 years, he's probably best known for his portrayal of Bruce Wayne and Batman on WB's Batman: The Animated Series. My friend Collin stops by Studio H to help me talk about Mask of the Phantasm, a landmark film for the character, for animation, and the start of something special from WB.

It's movie week again at Shortbox! This week Aleah and George tackle Daredevil from 2003, starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, and Collin Farrell in... honestly, we didn't live this movie. There's a lot to like. Maybe. Sort of. Butttt we did have a great time talking about the movie because it is 2003 as hell and this podcast is all about that post Y2K life.

It smashed the box office, but was it any good? And Lee gave us an incredible Bruce Banner story with a Hulk story of questionable-quality. It's the perfect movie for Marty, Aaron, Kyle, and George to break down, seeing it for the first time in nearly 20 years (and in Kyle's case, the first time ever.)

Andy Larson of @LastComicShop fame stops by the studio to talk all things WOLVERINE in Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.'s impressively violent story, Wolverine: Enemy of the State! The first half of what would become a year long run on the title features undead ninjas, psychic boogymen, a resurgent HYDRA death cult, and a plot to end the line of heroes in the Marvel Universe once and for all! You won't want to miss this episode covering Wolverine (2003), issues 20-25!

The long-awaited return to the story of the Young Avengers! Austin (from Frame Skip, a video game podcast) returns to the studio to dish on the finale of Young Avengers Vol. 1. We get the origins of our heroes, their connections to to Avengers history, and what happens when an intergalactic war kicks off in downtown Manhattan! Strap in, this one gets exciting, emotional, and explosive!

Robert Smothers III, creator of the graphic novel Broken Planet stops by to let us pick his brain! We cover the inspiration for the story, what it was like actually producing a graphic novel, its themes, and what it pairs best with. This was a super fun conversation with a super talented creator! Check out their work on www.globalcomix.com to help support the sequel!

And then came the Winter Soldier! Robert of Red22 Studios, the creator behind the comic Broken Planet joins us today to talk about the Winter Soldier, how it compares to the movie, International Borders, what it means to "remember everything", and the top banger songs of 2005! Be sure to check out Broken Planet on www.globalcomix.com and give the dude a follow on twitter at @red22studios!

Aleah returns to Shortbox Summary to discuss just what about Spider-man is actually all that amazing and spoilers - it's MJ. Reading Amazing Spider-man 519-524 it's clear how important that relationship is to making AMS feel like a different book than anything else Marvel had on the stands, and this story that so fully integrates MJ into Peter's life as a New Avenger is a great example of why the punches are fun, but the interpersonal drama is what makes a story memorable. Thwip-thwip, listeners, shit's about to pop off.

This week we finally talk about everyone's favorite wall-crawler! On the docket is Sam Raimi's Spider-man movie from 2002, starring Toby Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco. It blew up the box office, it blew up bias towards comic book movies, and most importantly - it blew our minds. So please join Aaron, Collin, and George as they break down the significance of this movie 20 years later!

Aleah is back at Shortbox Summary to discuss the finale of The Pulse! Jessica Jones gives birth, D-Man makes us sad, Jonah Jameson gets put in his place, and Luke asks Jessica to marry him on this SUPER special episode of Shortbox Summary! We're getting ready for the mega-chaos that is House of M so enjoy the calm-but-not-so-calm-before-the-storm while you can!

Indie comic author Anthony Stokes comes by to drink some wine and get nerdy as hell. We talk about their horror comic, Decay, and address what the best and most underrated comic book movies are.

So far, Shortbox Summary has only covered Marvel comics and movies, but that finally changes! This week, Fabio returns from too many episodes away to hear about what DC was doing after the millennium. These stories are what was happening while Marvel was Secret Warring, House of M'ing, and Secret Invasioning.

FINALLY! The origin of Spider-Woman as told by Brian Michael Bendis, Brian Reed, Jonathan and Joshua Luna, and VC's Cory Petit. In this episode we learn about Jessica Drew's complicated childhood, her bizarre adolescence, and the moment she decided to be a hero. Originally a a disaffected HYDRA youth, she sees the world as presented by Nick Fury and ultimately chooses what kind of person she wants to be in the world. We talk about her origin, the art, the questionable narrative choices, and women's portrayal in comics all here - get it while it's hot! (also, go Celtics ☘️)

The film crew is back to discuss the first sequel on Shortbox Summary - Blade 2! Marty, Aaron, Kyle, and George bark down what this movie meant for the greater comic book adaptation sub-genre that was really about to pop off, what this movie managed to accomplish coming out between the first two Matrix films, and so much more.

Aleah is back in the studio to record a show about the New Avengers! One of the criminals who broke out of the Raft is back in Japan, and he's been chosen by The Hand and Hydra to be their new leader! The Avengers can't let that stand so they enlist the help of a new hero named Ronin to help them out. Meanwhile, who is Spider-woman really working for? How can she be trusted? Get ready as we answer those questions and more!

A bonus episode! Where we talk about something that happened this week! Marvel dropped a teaser trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder, and friends of the show Seth and Austin stopped by to share how excited they are about it. I explain the general summary of the comic it's based on, and we all get hyped about how hyped we are. Enjoy!