The library is celebrating ten years of podcasting!

 We began recording episodes of The All the Books Show back in August of 2015 as a way to highlight the library collection and services. Shortly after, it was added to the schedule for the Angelica County Radio Station (where the current iteration still airs Wednesdays at 4pm). In 2016, we were awarded the Best Use of Social Media Award from STLS for our use of SoundCloud and other social media apps in conjunction with the podcast. After Eric Mikols (who served as Head of Youth Services from 2015-2020) moved on, the podcast began a new life as Howe's Things with an increase on author interviews and special guests. Then in 2023 Ally Fesmire (Youth Librarian 2021-Present) joined the show, which became ButHave You Tried, where she and I trade off trying new things like ukulele, needle point, cooking, and more!

 Since its inception the David A. Howe Library podcast has had approximately 100k listens! You can find back episodes on YouTube or any podcast app. It has been a great way to share unique things about the library and its collections.  And we've had a lot of fun doing it.

 To celebrate the tenth year, we have a special episode where Eric and I recreate the original show to discuss the best books since 2020. Thanks for Listening!

Direct Link: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/atbs-episode-276-the-phoenix

 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Mz6LDM42atGOoWoeA4Yel?si=066f608c6d674f7d

The current show, But Have You Tried: https://buthaveyoutried.podbean.com/

Comic Book Coffee Break: Giant-Sized Annual #4

 This year, Eric and I reunited for a special episode of Comic Book Coffee Break, discussing our favorite comics from 2024.  We had so much to cover we broke it into two parts!  

Here are some of the things we discussed: 

• Eric - 

• Movies/TV/Games

• Deadpool & Wolverine

• Marvel 

• Lee/Kirby FF

• Hellions

• X-Men Red

• X-Men ‘92 Krakoa

• Thunderbolts

• Maestro 

• Classic Daredevil

• DC- 

• Demon Knights

• Aquaman by Geoff Johns

• Flash/Impulse Marc Waid

• Batman & the Joker

• Batman Chip Zdarsky

• Others

• Science Dog

• Berserker
  
  

• Nic

• Movies/TV/Games

• Gotham Knights TV/Game

• Venom Last Dance

• Superman & Lois

• Joker Movies

• Penguin

• Games

• Spider-Man 2

• Star Trek Prodigy

• Marvel 

• She-Hulk by Rainbow Rowell and Andres Genolet

• Phoenix Resurrection by Matthew Rosenberg

• Black Bolt by Saladin Ahmed

• DC

• Superman: Secret Identity by Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonem

• Fourth World Omnibus by Jack Kirby

• One Star Squadron by Mark Russell

• Bad Dreams by Nicole Maines

• Others

• Fire Power by Robert Kirkman

• Green Hornet: Sky Lights by Scott Lobdell

• Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

• 
  

• Quarter Bin Selection: 

• O So Long APC Puzzle from Batman 298

• The End

Find the episodes here:

CBCB Giant-Sized Annual 4.1

CBCB Giant-Sized Annual 4.2

Listen to Eric on Previously on X-Men!

Listen to Nic on This Endorian Life!

PLA Conference 2024

 

This year, I was awarded a full scholarship to attend the PLA Conference in Columbus, Ohio. I had never attended one before and was eager to check out the schedule of programs, guests and exhibitors. I found the app to be a useful tool as I sat down to plan my conference experience.

I began by pouring through the daily schedules and adding any session that grabbed my interest. Obviously, this resulted in a substantial overbooking of my time. I took another pass, focusing on sessions that spoke to initiatives I’d like to see about adapting for my home library as well as areas where I felt I could use some professional growth. Even after the culling, I still had a few sessions that overlapped, but I was close enough! Coffee in hand, I headed out for day one.

One that really stood out to me was called The Library as Studio: Why Original Content Is Important For Libraries Today and Tomorrow, led by Mary Kapusta and Casey Corneil. The concept of a library putting out original content was not wholly new to me. Here at the David A. Howe Public Library, we have had a podcast that also airs locally on FM radio since 2015. When the pandemic forced us to quickly rethink everything, I was very relieved that we already had the podcast as a programming outlet. It went on, unfazed by the shutdowns, and truly showcased its importance to the library overall.

As the speakers in this session covered, 2020 made us all start to look to video options. We did things we hadn’t done before and found that, some of them, we liked! While we’ve continued in some of these veins, video did not go on to become a major part of our output. This session made me question why. When discussing YouTube content, Kapusta and Corneil cautioned against treating it as an archive for content (often outdated) to languish. I did feel a little called out by that. Running through our
library channel in my mind as the session continued, I identified several things that I knew were there that shouldn’t be. 

They went on to express the importance of simple production values. Things like sound, clarity and camera work can often feel like afterthoughts, especially in live videos or quickie content. I appreciated some of their practical advice, and they really drove home the idea of making original content stand on its own. Aside from the podcast, I realized I considered a lot of our online and video work as just supplemental. I was really challenged to flip that and explore all that we might be leaving on the table.

                It was great to hear from a library and librarians who have found success in this area, and it was encouraging to look around and see so many people in the seats having the same realizations as me. Now, we are better prepared to charge forward. Let’s do it!

Comic Book Coffee Break: Giant Sized Annual #3

 Well now it's officially a tradition.  For the third year in a row, Eric and I reunited to talk favorite comics of 2023. Listen to Giant Sized Annual #3 on youtube or in the feed for Previously on X-Men. Here are some of my picks: 

• Movies/TV/Games

• The Marvels

• The Flash

• Shazam Fury of the Gods

• Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

• Marvel 

• Storm by Greg Pak

• Dark Web by Zeb Wells and Adam Kubert

• Amazing Spider-Man Beyond by Zeb Wells and Kelly Thompson

• Amazing X-Men: World War Wendigo by Craig Kyle and  Carlo Babiery

• DC

• Nightwing: Leaping Into the Night by Tom Taylor

• Superman: Son of Kal-El by Tom Taylor, Nicole Maines and Cian Tormey

• Infinite Frontier by Josh Williamson and Alitha Martinez

• Wonder Woman: The Four Horsewomen by Steve Orlando, Jesus Marino and Keiran McKowan

• Others

• TMNT: The Last Ronin by Kevin Eastman

• Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink by Brendan Fletcher

• Star Trek Discovery: Adventures in the 32nd Century by Mike Johnson and Angel Hernandez

• Quarter Bin: Action Comics #444 from 1975: “The Black Canary is Dead” art and story by Mike Grell, written by Elliot S! Maggin

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You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.
The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 
You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast and This Endorian Life, both for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 
I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library. 

Comic Book Coffee Break: Giant Sized Annual #2

 New year, new episode of Comic Book Coffee Break! Eric and I settled in for our second annual episode of the show covering our favorites from 2022. And, of course it wouldn't be complete without a dive into my quarter bin. This time Superboy is in the spotlight with #99.

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You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.
The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 
You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast and This Endorian Life, both for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 
I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library. 

Comic Book Coffee Brake: Giant Sized Annual #1

After a nice, long break Eric and I returned to mic for a Giant Sized Annual edition of Comic Book Coffee Break. We covered our favorites of 2021 and I dusted off my long boxes for a a look at Adventure Comics #383 straight from the quarter bin. Tune in!

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You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.
The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 
You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast and This Endorian Life, both for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 
I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library. 

Comic Book Coffee Break #54

  Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break!  Today I'm having Jockey Streets Three Falls blend coffee with cream and Vanilla.

It's been a minute, but I eventually finished my New 52 Superman reread.

DC Comics

I don't even remember why now, but I decided to do a reread of the New 52 Superman.  My memories were that It started clunky, but by the time I reached Final Days of Superman I was completely invested. I went back to see if I could capture that magic again, and found I really couldn't. 

Wait though. 

I was going to have my wife read along, but was only going to give her the necessary and/or top tier volumes to read.  That proved harder than I'd expected.  I did enjoy the second half of the reread, but I kept waiting for the one that knocked it out of the park and it just never really came. Still, when I got to Final Days, I found it just as moving. That Truth to Final Days stretch is some of my favorite Superman of all time.  The issue is that it's not any one volume or story. And taken piecemeal, it doesn't really hold up. It's a package deal, and you've got to be in the right place for it or it doesn't land. So it didn't really work to isolate the best stories from the era. I think what I like is deeper than that. It gets the essence of Superman and his core goodness better than most. 

Starting with Truth his powers are in decline, but he can't stop being Superman.  Not because of outside pressure or expectations, he just can't stop.  It's who he is.  Powers are irrelevant.  So he just keeps going, even when it stops being practical or realistic. 

Then you move into a false sense of security when powers are restored, only to be undercut with the events leading in to Final Days.  Again, I don't think this should really work, but for me it did. The final issues are incredibly moving and I found myself mourning the New 52 version of the character.  Even with the reveal that the original is back on the job, you still have to accept that the fact that the character you've been following since the Grant Morrison relaunch is just dead. And that's forever. 

What's stark about that is typically, when a character dies in comics, it's rare that real feelings are attached because you know it isn't going to stick. This is different though, because, yes there will always be a Superman.  Just not this one.  

And I liked this one. 

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You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.
The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 
You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast and This Endorian Life, both for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 
I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library. 

Comic Book Coffee Break #53

 Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break!  Today I'm having Yuban coffee with cream and Vanilla.

Let's talk comic books.

With the Black Widow movie dropping, we got to work on a whole spotlight episode for Howe's Things s that means another themed entry for CBCB.

Marvel

Back in 2015 I read the first volume of the Nathan Edmonson/Phil Noto run, The Finely Woven Thread. I was taken with the art which manages to feel both modern and 70s chic all at once.  The story was a little nonsensical at times, but I figured I'd follow the series for a while.  Only I didn't. Then jump to 2020 when the movie was set to come out. 

I remembered nothing about V.1 so I reread it and then the next two volumes.  They didn't really leave much of an impact on me, outside of the artwork. They make Natasha such an insular character that it's hard to invest in the character as a reader. It's a very stylish run, but I don't think it's going to convert anyone who already isn't onboard for Black Widow. 

Next I followed it up by reading The Name of the Rose by Marjorie Liu, Kiss or Rill by Duane Swierczynski then Widowmaker by Jim McCann.  I wish I had something to report on these, but they just didn't do it for me.  Marjorie Liu run stands out a bit with her more nuanced treatment of the character but with only 5 issues there wasn't really time to invest.

The Web of the Black Widow by Jody Houser and Stephen Mooney was a step in the right director but it's so rooted in continuity that it wasn't very approachable.  It isn't the "Year One" it is marketed as. 

Finally that brings me to Ties that Bind by Kelly Thompson and Elena Casagrande.  This was by far the best representation of the character that I've read or seen so far.  And yes it helps to have a vague idea of the relationships with Hawkeye and/or Bucky, but there's enough here to fill in the blanks.  This is clever and intriguing and I can't wait for volume 2.

Also, I very much liked the Black Widow movie.  We discussed it to death over on Howe's Things. 

DC

Over on DC, I've been reading Super Sons.  I finished the Ridley Pearson series with volume 3. This is a good end to the series, and I do think this works overall. I like that this is doing its own thing, but I wish it felt a little more like the DC world. Then I read both volumes of Adventures of the Super Sons by Peter J. Tomasi.  I don't know.  I think this premise is just stretched too thin. I don't see following the ongoing digital first series, but then I've tried to quit Super Sons before.  

Next Time...

I'm dragging my heels on finishing Final Days of Superman, but it will happen.

------------------
You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.
The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 
You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast and This Endorian Life, both for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 
I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library. 

Comic Book Coffee Break #52

 Thanks for joining me no my Comic Book Coffee Break!  Today I grabbed coffee at Dunkin' on my way in for an early meeting. Pretty solid coffee.

Let's talk comic books!

This week I was guest-hosting Previously on X-Men and the focus was on The First X-Men, a 2012 limited series from Neal Adams and Christos Gage.  Because of that you get an all Neal Adams issue.  Let's do it.

Marvel 

I'd already read The First X-Men a while back so I jumped back to Adams' early X-Men stuff as collected in X-Men Visionaries: Neal Adams.  This collects several issues from '69-'70 illustrated and plotted by Adams.  I always like the original team so it was fun to dive into this mess of a story and revisit the characters. The story dealt with Havok and then with the Sentinels, but I was primarily focusing on the art, which did live up to the hype.  It's bright, clever and delightfully chaotic. I can see why it got the "Visionaries" treatment. 

On to The First X-Men.  I guess I'd categorize this as... harmless?  It's fine.  It's a relatively entertaining story about Wolverine and Sabertooth setting up a proto X-Men team. It doesn't provide much in the way of new insights into the characters, but it does tell a very serviceable story.  We really picked it apart in the episode. 

DC Comics

I've read a lot of books with Neal Adams art, Green Lantern/Green Arrow and classic Batman comes to mind.  But I've only recently read some of the stuff we wrote as well. Let's talk The Coming of the Supermen. This feels to me like something that was written in the 80s, forgotten for a few decades, then dusted off and printed with no changes.  And I mean that as a compliment. It's kooky, it's weird, and I had a great time. 

Batman: Odyssey on the other hand, is every bit as bad as you've heard.  Despite the negative reviews, I went in to this slightly optimistic. After all, I'd enjoyed the Superman story, so I thought maybe. 

No. Everything about this is bad.

For starters, the plot is impossible to follow.  Not difficult, IMPOSSIBLE. The character designs are clunky and the overall look of the book is unappealing. I've read a lot of bad graphic novels, but this might actually be the worst mainstream graphic novel ever assembled.  I can't believe it went to print. 

There was one section with Robin and a dinosaur that I enjoyed, but it was brief. That's as close to a compliment as I can get. 

Here's the thing though, I do think you should read it, as least part of it anyway. It's worse than you think.

Next Time

I'm finishing up Superman Savage Dawn, then that's only leaves Final Days.  See you then.

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You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.
The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 
You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast and This Endorian Life, both for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 
I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library. 

Aunt Velma's House of Horrors!

 

So last year, since we couldn't do a full stage production we reunited the cast from my old production of Dragnet and recorded a sequel, Dragnet: The Big Small. This year I tried something new!  I wrote a short audio comedy called Aunt Velma's House of Horrors. 

It started with a little grain of idea and I just sat down and wrote it in one go. I was happy with how it turned out, and it makes me want to try again!  

Comic Book Coffee Break #51

 Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break!  This morning I had Yuban Coffee with cream and Irish Creme syrup.  Good stuff.

DC Comics

My copy of the DC Pride anthology came in just in time.  I'm loving these DC anthologies. Standouts for me were the Green Lantern/Alan Scott story and Flash vs. Reflek. It was also cool to see Dreamer make her way to comics. I'd love to see more from that character.

Continuing with New 52 Superman, I read Batman/Superman: Truth Hurts. Look, I am loving this whole arc. I don't care much about Jim Gordon Batman, but it worked well in this collection.  Plus Superman teams up with Batgirl, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd as if it were a gift just for me.

Marvel

I got back on track with Cap and Falcon, reading Marvel Masterworks: Captain America V. 10.  This set of issues from 1976 sees Jack Kirby return, this time as both artist and author.  I love and will continue to love Kirby, but his complete disregard for the story that came before is pretty bold. He did the same thing with Black Panther. I loved seeing the Kirby style return, but I was digging the contemporary 70s stories that came before and this felt like an unnecessary disruption. (More on Kirby in a minute)

Other Stuff

We were working on a "Tales & Tails" Summer Reading Program over at the library so I picked up some of Erin Hunter's Warriors series.  I read the first novel Into the Void, then picked up a three-volume manga series called Graystripe's Adventures. The book was a little too serious for my taste, but I had a pretty good time with the manga. Basically a wild cat and a house cat (or "kittypet" as they are called) opt to hit the streets and returns to the Warriors home in the forest.  The story is pretty straightforward they have highs and lows, they save a group of barn cats and then continue on in their quest. It's written by regular comic book writer Dan Jolley, and he does a nice job of adapting the series. I probably wouldn't read more, but this was a fun little excursion nonetheless. 

Finally, back to Kirby. I read The Simon & Kirby Library: Crime.  This is made up of mostly true-crime stories from the 1940s.  They were a little do similar to read back to back like this, so I'm sure that colored the experience.  My main complaint is similar to one I had with the Science Fiction volume. There just isn't enough editorial content.  You're given an into and then you're off.  I would have liked it if the issues had more commentary or were broken up into sections.  As is it just felt like a content dump and it wasn't a particularly enjoyable read.  Still, as a fan of early comics history, I'm glad to have read it. (My copy has a bookplate signed by Joe Simon, so that made it extra cool.)

Next Time...

I'm in the home stretch with New 52 Superman so I will check back in when I finish that. 

Oh, also, I guest hosted an episode of 90s Music Got Me Like.  You can find it here or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.
The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 
You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast and This Endorian Life, both for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 
I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library. 

Comic Book Coffee Break #50

Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break! I was in Utah last week, so now I'm playing catch-up!  This morning I had a small Tim Horton's Coffee with cream and sugar.  I don't really care for their coffee, which is why I usually get tea. Anyway...

Let's talk comic books!

We were doing a Fairy Tale episode for Howe's Things so I finally read Fables V.1 by Bill Wyndam.  My friend Kendra has been recommending it for years.  Legends in Exile is basically a murder mystery looking into the death of Snow White's sister Rose Red.  I get the appeal and it really sticks to its groove, but I don't expect to check back in.  I find the premise a little hard to get past and it never quite got over that hump in my mind. 

Next, I read Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye V.1 by James Roberts.  I don't know why, but I have a fondness for the Transformers, and yet I never seem to settle on a version of them that I like.  (I loved the Transformers/Star Trek crossover, but that hardly counts.) This version looks great, but don't let that V.1 confuse you.  This is not a very good hopping on point.

Marvel

I'm doing a guest-spot on Previously on X-Men so I picked up some Deadpool.  This week was Deadpool vs. X-Force by Duane Swierczynski and Pepe Laraz.  This was harmless, but not particularly intriguing. It's a time travel story where Deadpool is going back and messing things up so Cable assembles a proto X-Force and goes after him.  It's fun how it intersects with Deadpool's first appearance. 

DC

I'm rounding the corner on my New 52 Superman reread. I read Superman: Before Truth and Action Comics: Truth. This is setting up the fall of New 52 Superman.  Oddly enough the actual Truth story wasn't as impactful as I remember. Some of the villains and side plots drag down the story.  It works best when we get an introspective Superman, but he keeps having to rumble. I'll looking forward to the grand conclusion. 

Next Time...

I'm reading the Batman/Superman and Superman/Wonder Woman volumes to complete the Truth story, and then finally getting back to the vintage Cap reading. 

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You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.

The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 

You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast and This Endorian Life, both for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 

I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library. 

Comic Book Coffee Break #49

Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break. Home again and back to the Folgers Noir.  It doesn't solve gritty mysteries, but it is a dark roast. 

Let's talk Comic Books!

This was the last week of Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month so I read The
Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen.  Ultimately this is about a son trying to come out to his mother.  It interweaves their lives with the folktales they share to come to a point of openness.  It looks great and serves it's purpose well. I would read more by this author.

Marvel Comics

While on vacation last week I stopped at Chautauqua Comics and picked up a random Cap comic called Captain America & the Korvac Saga by Ben McCool and Craig Rousseau.  I wasn't really familiar with the original story that this is inspired by and I found this 2011 version to be a little dull. Basically Cap and Guardians of the Galaxy go into the future to fight (?) Korvac.  I grabbed this because it looked self-contained and I loved the smaller size.  It worked fine to sit in an Airbnb and read, but left next to no impact.

DC Comics

Back to my Superman New 52 reread. I picked up Superman V.6: Men of Tomorrow by Geoff Johns and John Romita, Jr. This was a lot of fun to revisit. I think Johns' sensibilities and Romita Jr.'s style came together well to make the first truly good Superman story of the New 52 era. I've enjoyed a few stories here and there, but this might be the fist of this run that I'd recommend to someone. It looks cool and the story actually manages to feel unique. We'll done fellas.

Other

I picked up One Trick Pony by Nathan Hale.  It's a YA graphic that's an homage to the Pied Piper.  We are doing a Fairytale Adaptations theme over on Howe's Things, so I grabbed a few to read.  This was quick and distinct.  I really liked the limited use of the colors and the overall design. Check it out!

Finally, I read Kirby: King of Comics by Mark Evanier. This is a biography of Jack Kirby, interlaced with art, comic excerpts and even full stories. I really loved it.  I knew the broad strokes of the story, but I found this to be immensely readable and very informative. This was a gift from my old co-host Eric Mikols.  Thanks Buddy!

Next Time...

I'm still chugging away at my Simon/Kirby Crime collection, plus more Superman, more Fairytale adaptations and some retro Captain America. 

______________________

You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.

The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 

You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast and This Endorian Life, both for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 

I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library.

Comic Book Coffee Break #48

  Thanks for joining me on my Comic Book Coffee Break. We were at a an Airbnb this morning so I had Donut Shop coffee from a Keurig with a little cream and sugar. Not bad.

Let's talk Comic Books!

I'm still reading and writing in the midst of Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month so that's still my guide at the moment.

DC Comics

My copy of DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Super Hero Celebration arrived in the mail from Midtown Comics and I was pumped to dig in.  I've been really enjoying these anthologies DC has been doing. This features 11 different stories with a stellar lineup or authors and artists. Here are some of the standouts.

• Dress Code by Minh Le and Trung Le Nguyen revisits the Green Lantern character Tai Pham from Green Lantern: Legacy. I thoroughly enjoyed the original graphic novel, and while this isn't a full sequel, it was nice to check in again with that world.
• Hawke & Kong by Grek Pak and Sumit Kumar was a team-up between the Connor Hawke Green Arrow and New Super-Man. It's an unusual pairing and has a fun, buddy-cop kind of vibe.
• Finally, a new character was introduced in The Monkey Prince Hates Superheroes. The story is by Gene Luen Yang and drawn by Bernard Chang. This was a lot of fun.  I really liked the team-up with Shazam. This ends with a teaser that the series will continue down the road and I'm looking forward to that.

Marvel Comics

My wife has been a fan of Runaways since the beginning, but I only became familiar with the series from the TV adaption. I picked up my wife's old copy of Pride & Joy and read through it.  This was in digest form, back when Marvel was doing that on the regular. It was interesting to read this coming from the TV show.  I really enjoyed the first season, but the premise is watered down by making the parents sympathetic. Here they are just plain villainous and it works much better. While I wasn't all in on this one, I would likely read more.  I know we have a stack of digests here, so why not?  It was interesting to see Nico's introduction because it seems her stock has risen more in recent years as Marvel tries to expand their magic characters beyond Doctor Strange. Also, interesting how quickly things changed. Some very obvious issues with words used as pejoratives here.

Image Comics

 While at that Airbnb, we had access to the streamer that is airing Robert Kirkman's Invincible and we took full advantage, binging the full season over of the course of two nights. My wife had never seen it before so it was fun to see her reaction to some of the more shocking moments. My love of the comic books series is well documented across The All the Books Show and Comic Book Coffee Break, so I was excited to see this. While I did enjoy it, it's not the kind of adaptation that really adds much to the experience. The voice cast is great and I don't really have complaints about the series; I guess it's more that I just didn't need it. When the change presents itself, I'll likely watch the future seasons, but I'm not particularly invested.

Next Time...

I picked up a few graphic novels at a comic shop while we were away, so I'm going to read some Captain America, continue my New 52 Superman reread and dig in to my Simon & Kirby Library: Crime collection.

______________________

You can find back issues of the video version of Comic Book Coffee Break here.

The audio version of Comic Book Coffee Break is over there. 

You can find me as the co-host of 9021 Here We G0: A 90210 Rewatch Podcast and This Endorian Life, both for the Radio Meanwhile Network. 

I also host Howe's Things, the podcast and radio show of the David A. Howe Public Library.