Tales from the Short Box

It's the last episode of the season! Rj Is going to close us out with one last Ostrander and Madrake pick, Martian Manhunter: Sun of Mars. We had a lot of fun with this one. We get to take a much deeper dive into an otherwise overlooked member of the Justice League. We talk about the origin of J'onn J'onzz, his unique powersets, and his many secret identities. We even go down a few of the tell-tale comic book rabbit holes about comic book character deaths and personal lives.

It's Rj's turn to pick an artist (or a creative team), and we are diving straight into Hell with The Spectre by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake. We follow Jim Corrigan as he tries to fulfill his quest to understand Evil and confront it. It's part police procedural, part monster of the week, part murder mystery. It's got something for everybody!

It's part two of Shaun's Brubaker/Phillips series, and we're going back to Old Hollywood. We follow a couple of blacklisted screen writers as they try to solve a murder from within the movie industry. And in typical Brubaker fashion, a lot of bad things happen to good people, and there are not a lot of heroes.

It's Shaun's turn to pick an artist, and he has predictably brought us some Sean Phillips, and Ed Brubaker. We're starting off the series with Incognito. It's a hard boiled sci-fi neo-noir with an anti-hero metahuman twist. In typical Brubaker/Phillips fashion, there are very few likable characters, but somehow the story still pulls you in. And you're rewarded with some hard-hitting concussive action.

Cacey's got another one for us from one of our favorite duos, Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely! This week we really stretch our brains with Flex Mentallo: Man of Muscle Mystery. Join us as we discuss comics and storytelling as metaphysical concepts. And how comics will save your life.