Christmas Miracle #2 -- New Kids on the Block #4

One of the things I love about comics is that they're basically a snapshot of a moment in time. They had ads in them, letters pages, and of course stories, that are all immediately of their time. I don't think I've ever felt that as hard as I have with New Kids on the Block #4, our second piece of Christmas cheer for 2014.

So why are there New Kids on the Block comics? Because these guys were ridiculously popular. They were trendsetters who basically defined what the 1990s, or at least the early 1990s, was going to become. It's hard to understand now, because they're little more than a punchline to jokes about the era -- but people really BELIEVED in this stuff back in 1991. And I mean 'believed' as literally as possible.

But we'll get to that in due time.

A Christmas Miracle #1: Bizarre Adventures #34

You know what I love? Christmas. You know what else I love? Comics based on Christmas. So, to that end, how about we do a little series on Christmas themed comics?

 My comic database program got deleted, so I'm afraid you're going to have to wait until next year for me to pull out specific Christmas comics that I want to cover because I love them.

This year you just get to see the Christmas books I've been saving. These were all bought... nearly two years ago, and have been waiting on my shelves to be read -- waiting for a special occasion. And what more special occasion could there be than Christmas?!

None. None more special.

 So let's start this series with Bizarre Adventures #34!

Top 20 Best Comic Based Movies of All Time.

I think it's time I did one of those countdown lists. I'm going to make it a top 20. This list is going to be what I think are the 20 best comic-based movies ever made. Because everyone who knows me already knows my number 1 I'm not going to divide this up into multiple articles. So let's get into it as soon as possible, I'll just lay a couple of ground rules first.

1) It needs to be a movie either based on a comic, whether that's a comic book, a Japanese manga, a French comic, a European comic magazine, a web comic, or a newspaper comic strip, I don't care.

2) This is my opinion, so it's not definitive, it's just what I like.

3) If I want to cheat and include a pulp hero like The Shadow, or a knock-off comic hero like Darkman, I totally can. But I won't, so this rule is pointless.

So let's get on with it boys and girls, after the jump!

80-Pagecast 43: The Obscure Claus

Jem is back in book form and yet more super hero movie & tv casting news gets discussed. Superior Foes of Spider-man #17, New Warriors #12, Transformers vs GI Joe #4, Fantastic Four #13, Fantastic Four #11, Transformers: Primacy #4, Transformers #35 (previously RiD), Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #35, The Great Car Rally, Battle For Cybertron, and more old coloring books. Plus our usual and some unusual digressions into other things and stuff.

80-Pagecast 42: Say Good Night To The Bad Guys

Howard the Duck is back! The end times are upon us. Alas, the end times are upon some of our favourite series, too,  Also: discussion of Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #1, Spider-Woman #1, Deadpool #37, Loki: Agent of Axis #8, Guardians of the Galaxy #21, and Rocket Raccoon #5

80Pagecast 41: The Desolation of Jughead

DC announced years worth of planned movies. Marvel set up a slate of more movies. So many comicbook movies are on the horizon. It's kind of overwhelming. Also we take a spin in the Axis of Spider-verse to talk about issues of the Spider-verse event up to Amazing Spider-man #9, Issues of the Axis event up to #4, Transformers: More That Meets The Eye #34, Transformers: Robots In Disguise #34, and Legends of Baldur's Gate #1. We're butt kicking for goodness. And so is Betty Brant in a horrible Spider-girl outfit.

80-Pagecast 40: Monster Mash

Spooktober shambles on!  The FANG is all here, as we discuss the SLEWS from NYCC and DC's upcoming BOO-VIES, then STALK about our favourite comics monsters.  TISSUES discussed include Edge of Spider-Verse #5, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #1, Ragnarok #2, Loki: Agent of Asgard #7, Death Vigil #4, and SIXIS AXIS #2.  Plus: a dramatic reading of Gargoyles: Action-Packed Pop-Up Adventure!

Go Home Spider-Man, You're Drunk

Drinking isn't totally anathema to super heroes - Wolverine and the Thing have been known to enjoy a cold beer or two, Thor probably drinks mead with every meal, and the Wasp and the She-Hulk are noted Girl Drink Drunks. (Some, of course, need to stay away from alcohol, like recovering alcoholics Iron Man and Captain Marvel.) But what about Spider-Man, the best superhero of all?  On one hand, Marvel may not want their marquee character to be portrayed as a drinker; but on the other hand as an ostensibly hip young person, it would be a little weird for Peter Parker to be a complete teetotaller. Thus, the compromise: he doesn't drink if he can help it, because he's really bad at it.

"Mattingly, I told you to TRIM those sideburns!"

Unstable Molecules: Cataclysm

"Hey, my eyes are...well, I guess they are down there, too."
(Amazing Spider-Man #3, written by Dan Slott, art by Humberto Ramos and Victor Olazaba)

The Black Cat just got a new costume in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man.  As with most Humberto Ramos designs, it's good - and it doesn't really deviate that much from her previous costumes, most of which have been slight variations on the one she wore in her first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #194. For the most part, her costume only varies in cleavage, which ranges from reasonable...

(Amazing Spider-Man #205, written by David Michelinie, art by Keith Pollard and Jim Mooney)

80-Pagecast 39: House of Shadows

The Fall festival of Spooktober begins as we look at the week's news. Such as is Gotham worth watching, can Spider-man smell brimstone, or what happened to Polaris's old costumes? Comics we talk about this week are things from 2000 AD like Indigo Prime & Grey Area & Judge Dredd stuff, Gotham Academy #1, Edge of Spider-verse #3 & #4, Space Adventure Cobra (it's cartoon spin off that almost was, Cobra's Psycho car, and Cobra's music video), Fantastic Four #10, and a little bit of Transformers: Robots in Disguise #33. The topic of the week is substitute super heroes. Nurp.