House to Astonish Episode 131
We’re back (on what seems to be a three-weekly schedule, though don’t go setting any recipe timers by it) with discussion of the Daredevil Netflix show – not spoilery in terms of plot details, though we do discuss tone and so on – as well as the Agents of Shield and Arrow/Flash spin-off shows, the Luke Cage showrunner, Valiant’s next crossover, James Stokoe’s return to Godzilla and Marvel’s latest Secret Wars tie-ins. We also review Convergence: The Question and Kaijumax, and the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is pressing the flesh. All this plus Godzilla’s stockings, the accidental word of the week and the Radox Bandit.
The show is here, or here on Mixcloud, or available via the player below. Let us know what you think, in the comments, on Twitter, via email or on our Facebook fan page. We also have a Redbubble store where you can outfit yourself in our most chic duds.
Charts – 5 April 2015
Cyclops vol 2 – “A Pirate’s Life For Me”
The first volume of Cyclops was one of the quiet gems of the line last year. Plainly never intended for anything more than a short run (though sales would probably have done for it anyway), and doomed to be seen as a footnote to All-New X-Men, the second volume nonetheless has a good stab at completing the title character’s arc.
But while the first five issues were written by Greg Rucka, this arc sees John Layman take over. Layman’s good in his own right, though, and for most of this book he does a solid job of continuing what Rucka had started. Broadly, the idea seems to be that the series starts with Scott depressed by the knowledge of what his older self will become, and sees him gradually regain his confidence and mature into a (somewhat) different sort of hero under the different mentorship of his father Corsair, who was absent the first time around. So instead of Cyclops being defined by the X-Men, this is Cyclops having formative experiences in the Starjammers’ milieu.
Charts – 29 March 2015
Wrestlemania 31
Right, the biggest WWE show of the year. The fact that it’s now thrown in with the Network subscription, and that the network is available worldwide, makes it logically less significant financially than it used to be. And that’s probably why there are no big name guest stars this years. On top of that, the company’s increasingly dodgy writing has not provided the most inspiring build. But it should still be good in the ring.
I’m watching this on the WWE Network as I write. I haven’t read the results, as usual. So basically first draft.
Okay, let’s get started.
Nightcrawler vol 2
Nightcrawler is but the latest in a long line of X-Men solo titles that never looked remotely likely to make it past a year, whatever it might turn out to contain. And so it comes as no great surprise to find that this second volume is the last.
You have to wonder about Marvel’s thinking, when it comes to commissioning books like this. I doubt anyone would seriously dispute that the X-Men line is far larger than any creative considerations could justify. But persistently launching titles for which there is little discernible demand doesn’t exactly make much sense on purely mercenary grounds either.
Charts – 22 March 2015
Another rather quiet week sees Sam Smith hang on uneventfully. I know, I’m really building this one up, aren’t I? Perhaps the most interesting announcement this week is the official confirmation that the chart is shifting to Fridays, where Radio 1 will grudgingly accommodate it in a reduced two hour slot. To be honest, that’s probably for the good of the chart show, as three hours of statistically-determined play listing is a bit much for most people. (Even I don’t actually listen to it live.)
38. MNEK – “The Rhythm”
House to Astonish Episode 130
Paul and I have got a good solid 95 minutes of comics chat for you this time round, with (brief) discussion of last week’s controversies, (less brief) chat bout Marvel’s slate of books going into Secret Wars, the artistic changes on Star Wars, the new Hopeless Savages OGN, the first wave of casting for the Preacher TV show, Universal’s Chrononauts deal, Oni’s open submissions period and DC’s returnability for their June releases, and a (very non-brief) blitz through a packed wave of solicitations. We’ve also got reviews of Invisible Republic and Giant Days, and the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is the future of personal safety. All this plus boring potatoes and ugly fish, Mad Max: Torode Warrior and Untold Tales of Moses.
The podcast is here, or here on Mixcloud, or available via the player below. Let us know what you think, either in the comments below, on Twitter, via email or on our Facebook fan page. iTunes reviews and ratings are very much appreciated and really do help with spreading the word about the podcast, and of course, our Redbubble store is full of swish gear, as your old dad no doubt would refer to it.
Charts – 15 March 2015
Wolverines vol 2: Claw, Blade & Fang
Wolverines is turning out to be one of the oddest, most haphazard X-books in quite some time, seemingly for reasons both intentional and otherwise. This second volume takes us up to issue #10 – halfway through the run, as the whole thing is wrapping up in May before Secret Wars. And quite where it’s all heading at this stage is anybody’s guess.
The first arc set up a relatively focussed story. The Paradise guys wanted to get their hands on Wolverine’s body in order to (somehow) derive a cure for their condition; the rest of the cast were tagging along in order to be released from their post-hypnotic control words. So this sets up a series about people chasing the Wolverine statue as a macguffin, right?
