House to Astonish (general)

Paul and Al are back, with more news and reviews and the usual nonsense. They've got chat about Archie Comics' NFT shenanigans, IDW's Originals line, DC's Pride special's lineup, the new Batman and Detective Comics creative teams, Superman: The Space Age, X-Terminators, All-Out Avengers, the relaunch of Shang-Chi and Grant Morrison's debut novel Luda, as well as reviews of The Wrong Earth: Fame and Fortune and Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country. Does the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe love you, now that you can dance?

Direct download: House_to_Astonish_198_-_Deflator_Mouse.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:34pm EDT

Lightning strikes eight times! It's really very dangerous to be out here! Get to shelter!

Paul and Al are back to talk about Thunderbolts #21 and Captain America/Citizen V '98, with all the extraneous cover blurbs, world-class pauldrons and embarrassing Pritt-Stick accidents that entails.

Direct download: lightninground8.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:15pm EDT

Al and Paul have a full slate of comics news, remembering Ian Kennedy and Tom Veitch, and discussing the Hero Initiative's JLA/Avengers reprint, DC's upcoming Black Label titles, Marvel's Wild Cards and Thunderbolts revivals, IDW's Last Bot Standing and the Amazon/ComiXology disaster, and they've got reviews of Iron Fist and Nightwing to boot. If the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe falls in the forest, will anyone tidy up the mess?

Direct download: House_to_Astonish_197_-_The_Comics_Purge.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:28am EDT

It's time for another adventure with the Marvel Universe's most neurotic super... er... heroes? Villains? Something along one of those lines, or possibly both. Anyway! We're looking at issues 17-20 of Thunderbolts vol. 1, and we've got Graviton, Charcoal, and the addition of a crucial element of the Tbolts mythos. Plus: a pug in a hoodie! Some French! An old lady from Elgin! It's all go around here.
Direct download: House_to_Astonish_Presents__The_Lightning_Round_Episode_7.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:43pm EDT

It's time for Paul and Al's annual look-back at the comics and creators of 2021, as they give out the gongs in the Homies awards. Will your favourites go home with a glittering prize? Only one way to find out!

Then it's time for a trip back to Harrogate in November 2021, for the recording of the SILENCE! To Astonish panel from Thought Bubble, featuring Rachael Stott, Becky Cloonan, Al Ewing and Hannah Berry. What larks!

Direct download: House_to_Astonish_Episode_196_-_The_Silence_Of_The_Homies.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:03am EDT

A relatively quiet few weeks of news means a compact and bijou episode, but Al and Paul still find time to talk about Amazon's postponed assimilation of Comixology, Gina Gagliano leaving Random House Graphic, the launch of Zestworld, Oni signing with Lunar for distribution and Marvel's announcement of Secret X-Men, as well as reviewing King of Spies and Justice League Dark Annual. Last Christmas, I gave you the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, and the very next day, you returned it for store credit.


Lightning strikes six times! This is surely a sign of the Biblical apocalypse! Paul and Al dive into the second year of Thunderbolts, covering issues 13-16. Bug people! Political intrigue! Hulkbots! Guys called Dirkson! It's all here, and it's all go!

Direct download: House_to_Astonish_Presents__The_Lightning_Round_Episode_6.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:13pm EDT

Paul and Al have got a bit of NYCC-dodging news chat for you this time round, as we discuss the Ditko lawsuit, creative changes on the X-books, Kurt Busiek's new Image slate and Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese coming to Disney Plus, as well as reviews of Amazing Spider-Man and We Have Demons. The Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe has been, and always will be, your friend.

Direct download: House_to_Astonish_194_-_My_Two_Steves.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:38pm EDT

Lightning is striking again! That's five times now! This is surely statistically improbable! Paul and Al are now up to the finale of the first year of Thunderbolts, and are taking a run through issues 10-12. This is where is all starts going off, as secrets are uncovered, plans are revealed and the whole house of cards comes down.

Direct download: House_to_Astonish_Presents__The_Lightning_Round_Episode_5.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:15pm EDT

Paul and Al have a busy news week for you this time round, with discussion of Jonathan Hickman stepping away from X-Men, the Great Substack Migration of 2021, Scott Snyder's Comixology Unlimited slate, Brian Michael Bendis transplanting Jinxworld to Dark Horse, and DC signing with Webtoon, along with reviews of Eat the Rich and Kang the Conqueror. The Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe don't have anything, if it don't have you.

Direct download: House_to_Astonish_193_-_Imbrocated_Snout.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:39pm EDT