House to Astonish (general)

It's time for another electrifying set of issues of Marvel's most wanted superteam, the Thunderbolts, as Paul and Al look at Thunderbolts Annual 2000, as well as Thunderbolts #38 and #39. Scourges! Hellstroms! Citizens V! It's very much all go, as the storyline begun in issue 34 continues along its twisty-turny path. 

Direct download: House_to_Astonish_Presents__The_Lightning_Round_Episode_14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:58pm EDT

Paul and Al are back on their regular beat, remembering Al Jaffee and Rachel Pollack, talking about all the upcoming Fall of X and Knight Terrors books, enjoying Mark Waid's mini-renaissance at DC and dissecting the digital drops of DSTLRY, as well as reviewing The Great British Bump-Off and Guardians of the Galaxy. The Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe? I don't believe they exist.

Direct download: House_to_Astonish_202_-_Now_With_Cobalt.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:41pm EDT

It's a whole new era for Marvel's Most Wanted as Paul and Al's reread of Thunderbolts enters the Fabian Nicieza era, looking at issues 34-37. The team comes face to face with someone who's either a new enemy or an old friend (or possibly both) as the tale of the new Beetle wraps up and the Scourge saga begins!

Direct download: House_to_Astonish_Presents__The_Lightning_Round_Episode_13.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:57pm EDT

It's 2023! And you know what that means! That's right, more 2022! Join al and Paul as they dish out the golden gongs in the comics industry's most Scottishy-podcasty awards, the Homies! Now in its titantic tenth year! Who won (they'll tell you!)? Who lost (they won't tell you!)? EXCITING!

Direct download: House_to_Astonish_201_-_Custody_of_Another_Lamp.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:47pm EDT

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me... twelve lightnings striking!

It's time for the latest episode of Al and Paul's reread podcast covering Marvel's most wanted, the Thunderbolts, and they're looking at issues 31-33 of the original run of the book. This is the end of series cocreator Kurt Busiek's run as writer, so there's a little tear in everyone's eye as they revisit Arnim Zola From Work, the Marvel Universe's most deadly drug and Citizen V's emoji mask.

Direct download: House_to_Astonish_Presents_The_Lightning_Round_Episode_12_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:26pm EDT

To quote the Bard, it's been a long road, getting from there to here, but Paul and Al have made it to episode 200 of House to Astonish, and they're indulging in their traditional vices of cake and fizz, and talking about Vault Comics' Headshell line, Titan's new Conan series, Joe Kelly and Kim Niimura's Immortal Sergeant, and Ty Templeton's cancer-free all-clear. They're also reviewing a bunch of comics on a theme, as they look at Batman #200, House of Mystery #200, Amazing Spider-Man #200, and, er, Deadpool #58? And as always, the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is ringing in the new. (As this episode was recorded on Sunday evening, the news hadn't yet broken of the incredibly sad loss of Kevin O'Neill, an absolute giant of British comics, but there will be more to say about him on a future episode.)

Direct download: House_to_Astonish_200_-_Lets_Scare_Batman_To_Death.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:20pm EDT

The Thunderbolts are back, and Graviton is making heavy weather of things for them. Can Archangel tip the scales in the heroes' favour? Can you imagine how embarrassed he would be if he didn't? We're looking at issues 27-30 of Thunderbolts (1997) this time out, and there's a guy with too many baguettes, some highly unfortunate kerning, and a high society scandal in the world of military robotics to deal with.

Direct download: Lightninground11.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:33pm EDT

Direct download: lightninground10.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:31pm EDT

Al and Paul are back, and they're remembering George PĂ©rez, Neal Adams, Tim Sale, Kazuki Takahashi and Pat McCallum, as well as talking about Oni-Lion Forge and Comixology's recent personnel shifts, the upcoming Tim Drake: Robin series from DC, Marvel's newest Spider-Man ongoing, the return (again) of Miracleman, the just-announced Wakanda miniseries and Ryan North and Erica Henderson's Danger and Other Unknown Risks, and reviewing Starhenge and Batman. The Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been - lives in a dream.

Direct download: House_to_Astonish_199_-_Incorporating_Melody_Maker.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:54pm EDT

Lightning keeps striking! Good lord! It's just bizarre by this point! Paul and Al are back to look at Thunderbolts issues 22, 0 and 23 (in that order) and Avengers 12 (not in that order). Thrill to Hawkeye losing his AirBnB deposit! Be wowed by Vision's capacity for complaining! Wonder aloud at whether Hercules and Atlas had a fling! It's all go here!

Direct download: House_to_Astonish_Presents__The_Lightning_Round_Episode_9.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:13pm EDT