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A lot of comics we think of as “Vertigo books”—including Sandman, Swamp Thing, and Hellblazer—started life under the DC Comics banner, but Sandman Mystery Theatre was the first ongoing series designed with the new mature-readers imprint in mind. We begin with a brief history of Vertigo and then segue into how Matt Wagner and Guy Davis piggybacked off the Sandman brand to create a sideways spinoff, influenced more by film noir and gritty pulp magazines than dark fantasy. Wagner and Davis reimagine the gasmask-wearing Golden Age avenger as a bookish young sleuth who’d rather sneak in and out of a crime scene than get into a fistfight. The series is uncompromising in depicting the brutality and injustice of a New York City caught between the Great Depression and World War II, but it’s also one of comics’ greatest love stories, depicting progressive intellectual Wesley Dodds’ evolving relationship with Dian Belmont, a young woman searching for an outlet for her growing social conscience. Discussed in this episode: Sandman Mystery Theatre #1-16 (containing “The Tarantula,” “The Face,” “The Brute,” and “The Vamp”) Support the show at [email protected]

Milestone Media reimagined the superhero team as a street gang, mutated as a result of secret human experimentation during a riot. But where so many media narratives in the 1990s painted gang members either as vicious criminals or as victims with no agency, Blood Syndicate gave its protagonists a complex combination of attitudes and motivations and allowed them to be capable of compassion and callousness in equal measure. Novice writer Ivan Velez Jr. expanded on and diversified Dwayne McDuffie’s initial concept so that the team reflected a unique range of ethnicities, cultures, sexualities, and gender expressions. But it’s also a real fun comic book with magical demons and talking rats! We make the case that Blood Syndicate, illustrated by the highly expressive ChrisCross, was the 1990s’ real successor to Chris Claremont’s approach to characterization on the X-Men titles. We also discuss team books in general and what makes them work! Discussed in this episode: Blood Syndicate #1-12 Support the show at patreon.com/ironageofcomics

What if all the various radioactive spiders, gamma bomb detonations, and cosmic ray exposures in the origins of Marvel’s superheroes were not accidents, but rather the calculated machinations of a shadowy organization within the U.S. government? That’s the question asked by Conspiracy, a two-issue miniseries from 1998 written by Dan Abnett and painted by Igor Kordej. Is this comic sort of an “anti-Marvels”? Cameron Kunzelman of RangedTouch.com returns to the podcast (as he does from time to time as the Secret Third Co-Host) to make the case! We also discuss conspiracy theory thinking as a mode of storytelling and how its recurring narrative structures and devices affect both the real world and our beloved continuity-based superhero universes. Plus: Should we bother to read Frank Miller’s new memoir? Goethe vs. Marlowe! And the smoochability of Steve Rogers and Ben Grimm’s lips… Support the show at patreon.com/ironageofcomics! It's what Mulder and Scully would do!

(Or … “Knightfall - Part Three”!) Bruce Wayne is back in Gotham, but before he can challenge his successor, Azrael, for the mantle of the Batman, he’s got to recover his fighting edge. What could go wrong with asking the deadly assassin Lady Shiva to help him retrain? It all leads to a final, dramatic confrontation between Az-Bats and Bruce-Bats, and in the aftermath…the rise of Dick-Bats? Nightwing takes on the cowl in a coda to the entire storyline! We wrap up our look at the KnightSaga, offer our opinions about what works and what doesn’t, and ponder the connection of the Breaking of the Bat to the Death of Superman. Also: just how many ninjas is “Too Many Ninjas”? Discussed in this episode: Batman #509-514, Detective Comics #676-681, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #62-63, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #29-34, Robin #8-9 and #11-13, and Catwoman #12-13, plus material from Showcase '94 #10 Support the show and get essays and bonus episodes at patreon.com/ironageofcomics!

(Or … “Knightfall - Part Two”!) There’s a new Batman in town, and his name is Jean-Paul Valley, a.k.a. Azrael. While Bruce Wayne is recuperating from a broken back and mounting an international rescue mission, Az-Bats kicks Robin out of the Batcave, alienates Commissioner Gordon, and replaces the cape and cowl with high-tech armor. But his more aggressive attitude has unexpected consequences for the innocent victim of the villain Abattoir. We’ll talk about the creators behind the titles involved and how their approaches to showing an out-of-control Batman differ, discuss the pervasive themes of mind control throughout the storyline, and speculate about why for many years DC seemed hesitant to reprint the story of how Bruce Wayne’s back actually gets healed. Discussed in this episode: Batman #501-508, Detective Comics #667-675, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #19-20 and #24-28, Catwoman #6-7, Robin #7, plus material from Knightquest: The Search Donate to the fund to repair Wayne Manor at patreon.com/ironageofcomics

(Or ... "Knightfall - Part One"!) Now that we’ve discussed Superman’s literal death and rebirth, we come to Batman’s symbolic resurrection in the Iron Age: "Knightfall," a mega-epic so sprawling we’ll need three episodes to come to grips with it. We begin with the Breaking of the Bat, in which the super-steroid-fueled Bane comes to Gotham City to prove himself the Dark Knight’s superior. To do so, he’ll unleash all the inmates of Arkham Asylum and wear down a Batman who’s already physically and spiritually exhausted. With Bruce Wayne out of the picture, can his chosen successor, Azrael, defeat Bane without going too far? We’ll discuss the origins of this arc, spearheaded by editor and legendary writer Denny O’Neil as a way to tell fans of grim ‘n’ gritty superhero escalation to be careful what they wish for. Discussed in this episode: Batman #491-500, Detective Comics #659-666, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #16-18, plus material from Showcase ‘93 #7-8 Bane might break the BAT, but donating to our Patreon won't break the BANK! patreon.com/ironageofcomics

Will the real Superman please stand up? The Man of Tomorrow (aka the Cyborg Superman), the Last Son of Krypton (aka the Eradicator), the Metropolis Kid (aka Superboy), and the Man of Steel (aka John Henry Irons, aka Steel) all lay claim to the name and role in one way or another. Through weekly issues of the Triangle Era Superman titles, these four will vie for the title before (spoiler alert) the true Superman returns from the grave with a new look for the ‘90s (though opinions vary whether he has long hair or an actual mullet). We’ll wrap up our look at the death and return of Superman and talk about the big issues: how did Superman pave the way for decades of deaths and resurrections in his wake, why does this story linger in the canon when so many other stunts have been forgotten, and why are superhero fans so obsessed with their favorite superheroes dying, anyway Discussed in this episode: Action Comics #687-691, Adventures of Superman #500-505, Superman #78-82, Superman: The Man of Steel #22-26, and Green Lantern #46. Support the show at patreon.com/ironageofcomics

In the early ‘90s, DC Comics, facing a changing comics market with the rise of Image Comics and the popularization of the grim ‘n’ gritty antihero, replaced the World’s Finest team of Superman Clark Kent and Batman Bruce Wayne with upstart newcomers before ultimately restoring the heroes to their original roles and reaffirming their importance. We’re spending the summer looking at these mega-epics, beginning with the “Death of Superman” arc. But once the senseless bloodbath is over and the Man of Steel and Doomsday are down for the count, we get to the real heart of the matter: “Funeral for a Friend,” in which superheroes, loved ones, and ordinary citizens of Metropolis alike must mourn the loss of their greatest hero and come to terms with living in a World Without a Superman. We’ll look at the first half of the death and return of Superman, share opinions about the Triangle Era of Superman comics, and discuss the real-world media frenzy that fueled sales of Superman #75 (and the lack of said frenzy that made Adventures of Superman #500 the common dollar-bin find it is today). Discussed in this episode: Action Comics #684-686, Adventures of Superman #497-500, Superman #74-77, Superman: The Man of Steel #18-21, Justice League America #69, Superman: The Legacy #1, plus Newstime, an in-universe glossy magazine commemorating the event

In which Christine Spar and Brian Li Sung inherit the mantle of Grendel. Last time we covered Matt Wagner’s antihero Grendel, we did a chronological readthrough of the Hunter Rose stories, starting with material from the mid-1980s collected as Devil By the Deed and then skipping ahead to miniseries from 1998, 2002, and 2007. Now we’re going back to 1986 (and the future…which is probably our present…but looks like the past…with flying cars) to read the first actual Grendel ongoing series from Comico (although we’ll be looking at a two-issue miniseries from 1999 first). Sound confusing? Dark Horse’s omibuses make it easy, trust us! In these stories, we examine the seduction of violence and how quickly it can spiral out of control, even with the best of intentions. Can anybody come into contact with Grendel and survive? (Maybe, if you’re a cop with a cybernetic eye.) Discussed in this episode: Grendel: Devil Child #1-2, Grendel #1-19 (aka Devil’s Legacy, The Devil Inside, and Devil Tales), collected as Grendel Omnibus Volume 2: Legacy from Dark Horse Comics The devil told me to tell you to back the podcast at patreon.com/ironageofcomics for a monthly newsletter and Fifth Week Bonus episodes.

In what promises to be the snappiest episode of the podcast to date, we do a deep dive into the early years of Mike Allred’s signature creation, Frank Einstein (sometimes but not exclusively also known as “Madman” in the comics themselves) at Tundra Publishing and Dark Horse Comics. Born of a desire to fuse existentialism with costumed adventure, Allred mixes ‘50s sci-fi movies, Silver Age comics, David Bowie lyrics, a dash of Mary Shelley and J.D. Salinger, and a whole lot of other influences and ingredients. With heart-on-its-sleeve earnestness tempered by gonzo absurdity, Madman asks the big questions: What makes us human? Is evil necessary to define good? Does God exist? But most importantly: Isn’t it super-neat-o to have a girlfriend? Discussed in this episode: Madman #1-3, Madman Adventures #1-3, Madman Comics #1-10, plus material from Creatures of the Id #1 (recently and conveniently collected as Madman Omnibus Volume 1 from Dark Horse Comics) Man oh man, did you know you can back the podcast and get a monthly newsletter and Fifth Week Bonus episodes at patreon.com/ironageofcomics?

Startup superhero universes were a dime a dozen in the Iron Age, but Comics’ Greatest World was $16 for 16! Each issue of this weekly miniseries introduced a brand new character theoretically poised to take the industry by storm, but while heroes like X and Ghost would go on to become the stars of ongoing series (and Barb Wire even made the leap to a major motion picture), most of them languished in obscurity. Dark Horse tried very hard to make their first foray into mainstream superheroes stand out amongst 1993’s oversaturated market by emphasizing worldbuilding and backstory, but to no avail. In this episode, we visit the fictional cities of Arcadia, Golden City, Steel Harbor, and the Vortex of Cinnebar Flats to check out what went right, what went wrong, the limits of “mystery box” storytelling, and why all of Team CGW’s carefully laid-out environmental storytelling just didn’t grab fans the way Image Comics did. Justin rented and watched Pamela Anderson's Barb Wire for the sake of this podcast, and if that kind of commitment and dedication doesn't make you want to support the show at patreon.com/ironageofcomics, we don't know what will!

It’s April Fool’s Day* and the Joker has led an inmate revolt of Arkham Asylum! In 1989, Tim Burton’s Batman was the year’s hottest movie, and fans took to comic book shops and bookstores starving for more Dark Knight content. What they found was…a dense, 128-page experimental narrative featuring terrifying expressionist paint and artwork with a story crammed with allusions to the Tarot, Passion plays, St. George the Dragonslayer, and Carl Jung. Was this an April’s Fools prank DC was pulling on new readers? Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth has been praised as a brilliant psychological-horror take on Batman by some and a pretentious mess by others; even writer Grant Morrison and artist Dave McKean don’t see eye to eye! It’s a graphic novel open to interpretation, and we’ll guide you through a bunch of possible readings, unpack some symbolism, and use the book’s subtitle to unlock the ambition behind one of the strangest Batman stories ever told. * No really, check your calendar CONTENT WARNINGS: Lurid and sensationalist approaches to the concepts of mental health and “insanity,” as well as other disturbing topics befitting a “mature readers” graphic novel.

We continue our way through Jeff Smith’s all-ages comedic fantasy epic, Bone. Picking up where the first volume, “Out from Boneville,” left off, the three Bone cousins adjust to their new pastoral life. For Fone Bone, that means helping out on the farm to stay close to Thorn, his love-at-first-sight crush. For Phoney and Smiley, that means trying to scam the locals by throwing a ringer into the annual cow race. But reigning champion Gran’ma Ben turns out to be more than meets the eye…and so does Thorn. In these issues, Smith draws us deeper into the lore of the Valley. Are the mysteries and worldbuilding a source of enchantment, or does the gradual shift to plot over gags start to weigh the series down? The Iron Age boys brave lightning storms and rat creatures to investigate how Smith’s art softens the tonal shifts between comedy and drama. Discussed in this episode: Bone #7-19, collected in The Great Cow Race and Eyes of the Storm The valley's economy might run on eggs and chickens, but here in Boneville we need money to keep the show running. Consider supporting the podcast at patreon.com/ironageofcomics

Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley's 1997 launch Thunderbolts had a killer high concept: what if a band of supervillains posed as heroes to con the public into trusting them? But by the end of issue #12, the central conflict and premise of the series had been effectively dismantled by exposing the team's deception and turning them into fugitives. Where could the series possibly go next? We investigate a narrative swerve that some fans thought was a mistake, but we'd argue took the series to new creative heights. Targeted by the good guys and the bad guys alike, the Thunderbolts go on the run, and Bagley and Busiek turn what could have been a limited premise into a true ongoing series in the tradition of Claremont and Byrne's Uncanny X-Men, constantly shifting the status quo and packing each monthly issue with intrigue and subplots. Plus: Jim and Justin explain why Hawkeye is one of the coolest Avengers ever as he takes the reins of the team. Discussed in this episode: Thunderbolts #13-33, #0Baron Zemo says, "Under no circumstances should you support this podcast at patreon.com/ironageofcomics!" But are you gonna let that guy tell you what you can and can't do??

Revisit 17th century Japan with us and see what everyone’s favorite rabbit ronin gets up to next! The second Dark Horse omnibus includes “Grasscutter,” an Eisner-award winning storyline in which writer-artist Stan Sakai seamlessly blends traditional mythology, meticulously researched history, and his own brand of adventure and whimsy. Miyamoto Usagi stumbles upon the legendary sword Grasscutter, a national treasure and symbol of imperial power, and is drawn into a conspiracy that could change the balance of power in Japan. He also re-encounters some old friends, makes some new ones, and faces his opposite number: the demon spearsman Jei. And don’t miss what Justin promises is his last-ever rant about flat coloring vs. gradients! Discussed in this episode: Usagi Yojimbo (vol. 3) #7-30, plus Usagi Yojimbo Color Special: Green Persimmon #1 Bonus episodes and more at patreon.com/ironageofcomics