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Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'X-Men' And Supervillains
While it's always sad when our compatriot Glen Weldon has the week off, Stephen Thompson and I were thrilled this week to be joined not only by regular PCHH-er Chris Klimek but also Daoud Tyler-Ameen,...
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DC Comics' 'Rebirth': When The Super-Villain Is Your Own History
The mechanics of DC Comics' latest relaunch of its superhero line — precisely which books are returning to their original numbering, and the fact that several titles will now be published twice...
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Me, Tarzan: Get To Know Your Friendly Neighborhood Ape Man
The Legend of Tarzan, starring Alexander Skarsgard, opens in theaters today. It's only the latest in a very long line of depictions of Edgar Rice Burroughs' noble, gray-eyed savage in books, films,...
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A Starkly Different Iron Man: Black, Female, And 15 Years Old
Her name is Riri Williams. She reverse-engineered her own version of the Iron Man battlesuit in her MIT dorm room, got kicked out, and struck out on her own to do the superhero thing. Clumsily at...
View ArticleRNC Wrap Up, Comic-Con International, Finding Solace Amid Grim News
Coming up on today's show:Friday is the halfway point between the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention. Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich brings us...
View ArticleThe Best of Comic-Con 2016
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview.This weekend, comic book uber fans are descending upon San Diego for Comic-Con International — they'll be dressed in elaborate costumes, and...
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Kids On Bikes: The Sci-Fi Nostalgia Of 'Stranger Things', 'Paper Girls' &...
Warning: This post discusses the basic plot elements of the Netflix series Stranger Things, the comic Paper Girls, and the film Super 8.Autumn 1979. Ohio. Five kids on bikes tool around their suburban...
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Rep. John Lewis Tells the Struggle For Civil Rights in Graphic Novel
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview.It was only 53 years ago that four little black girls were killed in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. This...
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In Defense Of Bronze: The True Mettle Of The Metal Of The 3rd-Place Medal
Gold, Silver ... and Bronze.As hierarchies of merit go, it's got long historical legs, stretching all the way back to the ancient Greeks.Not — as many believe — to the ancient Olympic Games, however;...
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Wolverine's Mutton Chops To Hugh Jackman: 'This Ain't Over, Bub'
Hey Hugh.It's us, the sideburns you wore while you played the character Wolverine. All the times you played Wolverine. To refresh your memory: When Wolverine 3 comes out next year, we'll have been...
View ArticleSept. 3: Image Moves to PDX, Rose City Comic Con Preview, Kelly Sue DeConnick...
Gather ‘round, True Believers. We’re getting all geeked up for the Rose City Comic Con, Sept 10–11. It’s always a hot ticket, given the critical mass of comics creators making their home around these...
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This Chinese-American cartoonist forces us to face racist stereotypes
Art by Gene Luen Yang. Image provided by First Second BooksThe first comic that cartoonist Gene Luen Yang ever bought was a two-in-one issue that featured a man made out of rocks and an intergalactic...
View ArticleThe Nobel Peace Prize, Cosplay and Identity, Escaping Syria
Coming up on today's show:Hurricane Matthew poses an interesting problem for the 2016 presidential candidates: How do you strike a balance between politics and respect in a swing state like Florida?...
View ArticleRigged Elections, Terror at Sea, Wonder Woman at 75
Coming up on today's show:When asked if he would accept the results of the election, Donald Trump says he’ll keep us in "suspense." But how are his claims of a rigged election resonating in countries...
View ArticleWonder Woman is Now a UN Ambassador – But What About Those Tiny Shorts?
Today is Wonder Woman's 75th birthday, and the United Nations is bestowing upon her a new title: Honorary Ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls.The UN has bestowed honorary titles to...
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Happy Birthday, Wonder Woman!
Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this interview.Wonder Woman may be immortal, but she's celebrating her 75th birthday today. The superhero has gone through many iterations over the years:...
View ArticleOct. 29: Joe Sacco, August Wilson, Okkervil River, Bri Pruett, Slenderman &...
War Cartoonist Joe Sacco on How Portland's Housing Crisis Is Like a Refugee Crisis You might find and unusual comic stuffed in your mailbox or slipped under the door in the coming weeks. Titled "Rent...
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Superheroes And The F-Word: Grappling With The Ugly Truth Under The Capes
Superheroes are democratic ideals.They exist to express what's noblest about us: selflessness, sacrifice, a commitment to protect those who need protection, and to empower the powerless.Superheroes are...
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The Term 'Graphic Novel' Has Had A Good Run. We Don't Need It Anymore
Hey Glen, did you hear? Last night, March: Book Three by Rep. John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell — the final book in their graphic novel trilogy about young Lewis' experiences in the civil rights...
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Pop Culture Advent Calendar, Day 10: Enter ... Spider-Man
Once a day, until Dec. 25, we'll be highlighting a specific small, good thing that happened in popular culture this year. And we do mean small: a moment or image from a film or TV show, a panel from a...
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