Character Corner - A Podcast On Your Favorite Comic Book Characters

%CODE1% We end our 3 part Rogue War Character Corner special with the only group of villains to actually be Rogues (well at least part of them). They might have silly costumes and silly names but when you realize that these villains go up against the Fastest Man Alive and routinely give him hell, you realize just how powerful and dangerous Flash's rogues are. Dpalm and Kriss make the case that not only are the Rogues of Barry Allen and Wally West underrated, but that this is actually the best Rogues Gallery in comic books. Bold statement but we have plenty of evidence to back it up. So give this show a listen. The Minor Players Murmur Girder Rainbow Raider Turtle Peek-a-Boo Magenta Blacksmith The Rogue “Affiliates" Doctor Alchemy Gorilla Grodd Flash Vol. 2 #178 Flash Vol.2 #192 - 194 Flash Vol.2 #210 - 211 Gorilla Warfare Abra Kadabra The Rogues Pied Piper Trickster/Jesse James Captain Boomerang/Digger Harkness Mirror Master/Sam Scudder Legacy Rogues Trickster/Axel Walker Cap

Part 2 of our Rogue War Character Corner is here. This time we visit the Rogue Gallery of none other than Peter Parker, Spider-Man. Honestly, this is probably the most robust and well known set of villains. An argument can be made for Batman being number 1, but the depth and growth of Spider-Man's villains is really tough to match. It even caught us off guard because we though this might be a shorter show than the Batman villains one and we were very very wrong. But it was great to talk about these characters and we have a ton of issues for you to read. We've linked to some of the bundled issues that you can get through Amazon/Comixology and almost all the issues we listed and mentioned on the show are on Marvel Unlimited. Characters & Issues J Jonah Jameson First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #1 Assorted Street Level Villains -  Tombstone, Kangaroo, Mr. Hyde, etc Scorpion (Mac Gargan) First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #25 Lizard First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #6 The G

%CODE1% So here it is. Part One of our Rogue War Character Corners. First up, we talk about Batman's classic gallery of rogues. And when I say "talk" I really mean that. We put together 2 1/2 hours worth of discussion on the villains that oppose the Bat and even then we had to limit it to the most well known of the villains (Sorry, no Kite Man). We tried to break them out into categories to keep the flow going. Also, unlike previous Character Corners where we have a fairly linear list of comic book runs, I just listed out most of the books we discussed since there's a lot of jumping around. Also the links to the issues go to Amazon where you can buy the Comixology digital copies. Mobsters Carmine Falcone Sal Maroni Penguin Two-Face Stone Cold Killers Victor Zsasz Deadshot Monsters Killer Croc Clayface (Basil Karlo) Solomon Gundy Mr. Freeze Psychological villains  Hugo Strange Scarecrow Femme Fatales  Poison Ivy Catwoman Harley Quinn Strategists Hush

%CODE1% The MTR Network sat down with Greg Burnham and Marcus Williams, the creators of a new comic launching in late July 2016, the Tuskegee Heirs.  Driven by a desire to provide representation for young Black people, they discuss the inspiration and purpose of the artwork, the reason for linking a new comic property to historical events, and the challenges in creating a campaign with a goal of creating an animated property. Information regarding background, updates, and ordering for the Tuskegee Heirs can be found in the following locations: Website: www.tuskegeeheirs.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/TuskegeeHeirs Twitter: @TuskegeeHeirs

%CODE1% When Dpalm suggested we do Superboy for our next Character Corner, I was skeptical that we would be able to cover a whole show. Boy was I wrong. We ended up doing 90 minutes on Connor Kent and that's after condensing and skipping over a lot of things. This is only the beginning though since we clearly have to do a Teen Titans Character Corner now. Superboy is a really interesting DC character since its really easy to follow a linear progression for this character from his first appearance up to the New 52 (but as Dpalm says...don't read any New 52 Superboy...its bad). We also cover Superboy Prime because he's an important piece of Connor's story. Issues: Superman: Reign of Supermen Adventures of Superman #500 - 1st Appearance Adventures of Superman #501 Adventures of Superman #502 Superman: Return of Superman Superman #81 - meets the real Superman for the first time Superboy Volume 3 Issues #25-30 - Losing it Part 1- 6 Knockout betrays Superboy Issue #59 - Superman brings Su

%CODE1% We cover another X-Man villain turned...good? This time we cover Magneto, the greatest enemy of the X-Men. Magneto has a very interesting arc as a villain. He starts off as the perfect antithesis to Professor Xavier. He starts with the simple idea of "never again" will he allow his people to be slaughtered to believing he's the messiah for mutant kind to dealing with the guilt when he fails. Kriss once again finds himself defending some of the more awful crimes Magneto commits but maybe once you finish listening you'll be agreeing that Magneto was right too. There's a LOT of issues involving Magneto. Below I just list some of the ones we talked about but there's plenty more. Marvel Unlimited is your friend. A great place to start is Cullen Bunn's 2014 Magneto solo series as it ends up covering a lot of Magneto's history as well. Issues: X-Men #1- First appearance Classic X-Men #12 - Magneto's origin Magneto's Children Vision and Scarlet Witch vol 1 #4 - learns he is the father of Wanda & Pietr

%CODECCBP% If you're looking for the essential marvel comics to read for Black Panther then look no further. With his first solo movie just over a month away, its time to revisit our Character Corner episode that goes through the history of the first black super hero in mainstream comics. T'Challa made his live action debut in Captain America: Civil War but the importance and interest in the character goes back much further.  In this episode, we break down what exactly Wakanda is and how progressive the writing for both Wakanda & T'Challa was even back in the 60's. Black Panther was given the spotlight in the Jungle Action series where he even took on and fought the KKK. The last 90's saw a new revival for T'Challa when Christopher Priest took over for Black Panther Volume 3. Looking back, this run is very problematic (it's a bit hotepy and the depiction of women/little girls is bad), but it represented a huge shift in how Black Panther & Wakanda were represented. This is the run that hooked a lot of people

%CODE1% This is a massive Character Corner episode. We cover 3 characters: Daredevil, Elektra and Punisher. This was a really great episode that allows us to dig into the depressing life of Matt Murdock. What makes Daredevil such a great character is how much Matt Murdock matters to understanding the character. We cover the major moments in Matt's life and how it all continues to spiral downhill. From crazy ninja ex-girlfriends, to dead girlfriends to murderous villains like Bullseye and Kingpin. We then talk a little bit about Elektra and then dig into the craziness that is Frank Castle, aka The Punisher. We end with a discussion on how Punisher and Daredevil really work well as competing narratives of the same end goal. You're not going to want to miss this. There are some spoilers here for Daredevil Season 2 on Netflix Daredevil: Daredevil #1 - First Appearance Daredevil : The Man Without Fear - Best to read First Daredevil #131 - First Appearance of Bullseye Daredevil #181 - Bullseye thinks Mat

%CODE1% This time Kriss & Dpalm cover Wonder Woman before her debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This is the oldest character we've done (She's been around since 1942) and we talk about how this has lead to some problematic ways she's been depicted. While now seen as a feminist icon, the character's beginnings are full of problematic depictions and just flat out bad writing. But we've found some really good reads that do her justice and really highlight her being "Truth" in the Trinity (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman) of DC Comics.  This was  a great discussion and I think we pulled out some great comics that really highlight what makes her so great. Issues: Gods & Mortals Spirit of Truth JLA - A League of One Wonder Woman - The Hiketeia Batman-Superman-Wonder Woman: Trinity WW Volume 2 Issues 195-200 Issues 206-2013 WW Volume 3 Issues 14-17 - Gail Simone run Flashpoint Paradox Flashpoint - Emperor Aquaman Flashpoint - Wonder Woman & The Furies First 7 Volume

Dpalm and Kriss present the final part of their Character Corner series on Doctor Doom. During this final part we focus mainly on Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four run that leads into New Avengers/Secret Wars. The heart of this story is a Reed Richards vs Doctor Doom story but there's so much more. We see Doom become a God, twice. We also see more of the relationship between Valeria & Victor. Doom kinda sorta tries to redeem and do good but ultimately is still a dick. We also finish up by talking about the new direction we see for Victor Von Doom in the new Invincible Iron Man run. This is one of our favorite Character Corners and you're going to want to listen. Issues: Doomwar #3 - Doom confronts the Panther God and is judged as having "pure" intentions The Entire Jonathan Hickman run of Fantastic Four (Volume 3 #570-611) & FF(Volume 1 #1-13) FF #2 - Doom mocks Ben for watching Johnny die FF #12 & 16 - All Hope Lies with Doom Fantastic Four #611 - Reed, Valeria, Nathaniel go to save Doom from Do

Dpalm and Kriss present part 2 of their character corner on Doctor Victor Von Doom. If you thought Doom was evil in part 1, he gets even worse. Doctor Doom decides that he needs to get back to his roots and decides to concentrate more on his magic and becomes even more terrifying. He takes trolling the Fantastic Four to a new level by helping Sue give birth to Valeria and it begins a very interesting relationship between Doom and his goddaughter. Doom also survives Hell and then gets revenge after millions of years, cementing that Doom is not to be fucked with. Oh and we throw in Doctor Doom vs T'Challa & Wakanda for good measure. Issues: Marvel Graphic Novel - Emperor Doom #27- Doom uses the Purple Man to take over the World Fantastic Four Vol3 #54 - Doom helps deliver Valeria, and saves Sue's life in the process Fantastic Four Vol 3 #67-70  - Unthinkable. Fantastic Four Vol 3 #556-565 Fantastic Four Vol 3 #566-569 - The Masters of Doom Doomwar 1- 6 - Dr. Doom successfully takes down Wakanda a

%CODE1% On this Character Corner Dpalm and Kriss cover the Merc with the Mouth, Wade Wilson aka Deadpool. Deadpool is a unique character in that you can pretty much read anything with Deadpool in it. We have a ton of suggested reading for the character include a surprising "cameo" in a DC Comics book. Issues: *All of these issues are on Marvel Unlimited except Superman/Batman Annual #1 obviously* New Mutants #98 - #100- First Appearance of Deadpool Deadpool (1997-2002) #1-#33- Joe Kelly run. First appearance of Blind Alfred Deadpool and Death Annual - Flashbacks to Wade's time in Weapon X & feud with Ajax/Francis. Also his love with Death Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars - the retelling of the 1984 Secret Wars with Deadpool as the hero Deadpool: Suicide Kings Cable & Deadpool Uncanny X-Force Volume 1 A+X #8 - Hawkeye & Deadpool team up Agent X #1-7 & #13-15 - Gail Simone's first mainstream comic Superman/Batman Annual #1 - Yes...this is not a mistake. This is DC embracing the fact that Dead

Dpalm and Kriss finally get around to their character corner on Doctor Victor Von Doom. We're going to have to break this up into two parts (maybe even three). For this first part we give a primer on Victor Von Doom's background. We cover the origin of his feud with Reed Richards. We also talk about about what makes Doom so terrifying (and a dick), his over confidence and his never ending quest for power. So check out Part 1 of this Character Corner. It only gets worse from here with Doom. Issues: Fantastic Four 4 & 5- First Appearance Fantastic Four 6 - Doom tricks Namor into attacking the Fantastic Four Fantastic Four 57 - 60 - Tricks the Silver Surfer and stills the Cosmic Power Iron Man 149 & 150 Fantastic Four 196 - 200 - Fantastic Four help Zorba to overthrow Doom in Latveria Fantastic Four 246 & 247 - Doom returns to Latveria. First appearance of Kristoff Secret Wars (1984) 1 - 12 - Doom takes the power of the Beyonder Check out our sponsor TweakedAudio.com using the code ‘reviews’ to

Photo by Alex Valente Join Kriss and Dpalm as they ring in the new year with Movie Trailer Reviews's first interview of 2016. The MTR crew sat down with the writer of IDW's Transformers More Than Meets The Eye, James Roberts. Roberts was recently named Comic Alliance's Outstanding Writer of 2015. We talk about the transition from fan to writer, the unique perspective of writing a licensed comic, and welcoming new readers to a 30 year old franchise. Of course, we talk about the book itself as the series nears its landmark 50th issue. Here is a sample of what we talked about: On why More Than Meets The Eye can be a good book for new readers: There was a decision to, I guess you can call it a soft reboot, sort of definitively move the IDW books into a second phase and the foundation for that was going to be the end of the war. That’s as good of a fresh start as you can have without starting from the very beginning and doing a proper reboot. So with John Barber with Robots in Disguise and myself with More Tha

%CODE1% We do a dual episode this time to cover Rip Hunter and Vandal Savage as a primer for CW's upcoming Legends of Tomorrow. We talk about how there's some really good stories with Rip Hunter although DC hasn't really used him much lately. Vandal Savage is another story. He seems to be very underused in the comics but has been used fairly well in other media like the animated shows/movies and has a lot of potential in Legends of Tomorrow up against Rip Hunter. Rip Hunter: Showcase #20- First Appearance 52 Booster Gold Volume 2 Time Masters: Vanishing Point - Dark Phoenix Saga Vandal Savage JSA #43 & #45 Villains United #5 & #6 JSA: Classified #10-13 Animated Young Justice Justice League Doom Justice League Unlimited Check out our sponsor TweakedAudio.com using the code ‘reviews’ to get 33% off & free shipping. Shop at our Amazon Store to support the site Contact Us: MTrailerReviews@MovieTrailerReviews.Net Check us out on Youtube Twitter – @InsanityReport & @MTrailerReviews

%CODE1% We talk about our first X-Men/Mutant with this discussion on Emma Frost. We cover her entire history from her being introduced as the White Queen of the Hellfire Club to her transition to becoming an X-Men and protector of the mutant race. We talk about the recurring tragedies that help mold Emma from being just an evil villain to the hero she is now. An interesting thing about Emma is that despite this change, she still maintained her elitism and coldness but it has a purpose. Reading list (Most if not all of these are on Marvel Unlimited): Uncanny X-Men #129 - First Appearance Uncanny X-Men #129 -133 - Dark Phoenix Saga Uncanny X-Men #314 - Takes over Iceman's body Generation X (63 - 70 are on MU) #70 - Massachusetts Academy is blown up by her sister, another student dies Uncanny X-Men #331 - "Helps" Bobby with his powers in a very Emma Way Grant Morrison's New X-Men (2001-2004) #115 - Genosha wiped out #116 - Emma gets secondary mutation Annual #1 & #131 - Her psychic Affair with Sc

%CODE1% On this Character Corner, we do our first solo episode on a villain. We talk about DC's Black Adam. Black Adam is such an interesting character because while a lot of what he does is wrong, the motives are something you can understand. Complexity like this makes a villain good. When you can make a character that slaughters an entire country of 2 million people sympathetic in a way, you're doing something right. Reading list: The Marvel Family #1 -Origins (Fawcett Comics 1945) JSA: Black Reign JSA #56 Hawkman #23 JSA #57 Hawkman #24 JSA #58 Hawkman #25 Fifty Two Adrianna Tomaz (future wife/Isis) 1st appearance #12 -  Adrianna becomes Isis #16 - Proposes to Isis and marries her #23 - Amon becomes Osiris #43 - Osiris is killed #44 - Isis is killed #45 - Black Adam slaughters 2 million in Bialya #50, 50b, 50c, 50d, 50e - World War III. Black Adam vs the World World War III Part 1 World War II Part 2 World War III Part 3 World War III Part 4 World War III Part 5 Justice

%CODE1% Time for another Character Corner. This time we're discussing Jessica Jones and giving the rundown on what makes this character so different from those we've seen before. She'll make her live action debut on November 20th on Netflix. Listen to our discussion on her history. Reading list: Alias Volume 1 - First appearance of Jessica Jones Alias Volume 2  "Come Home" Alias Volume 3 "The Underneath"- Teams up with Jessica Drew to save Mattie Franklin Alias Volume 4 "The Secret Origins of Jessica Jones" - Jessica Jones' origin story The Pulse 1 -14 - Jessica works for J Jonah and has her child New Avengers Annual #1 - Jessica and Luke Cage get married Young Avengers - Mighty Avengers - Luke starts the Mighty Avengers and Jessica isn't thrilled Check out our sponsor TweakedAudio.com using the code ‘reviews’ to get 33% off & free shipping. Shop at our Amazon Store to support the site Contact Us: MTrailerReviews@MovieTrailerReviews.Net Check us out on Youtube Twitter – @InsanityReport & @MTraile

%CODE1% We're finally back with a new Character Corner. This time we're here to discuss Tim Drake, the third Robin. We talk about how unfair it is for Tim to become the "Forgotten" Robin and how good of a character he is. Each of the Robins have distinct personalities and traits and Tim Drake is "The Detective". Check out our discussion. *I said Nightwing #1 on the show, it's actually #25 Reading list: Batman #436 - First appearance of Tim Drake Batman #442 - First appearance as Robin Red Robin #1 - First appearance as Red Robin Nightwing #25 - Great Dick & Tim issue Identity Crisis - Tim Drake's father, Jack is killed Teen Titans #20 - Tim dealing with his father's death with the Titans Teen Titans #29 - Tim Drake vs Jason Todd Red Robin #1-26 - Great run that really defines Tim Drake as "the Detective" and Bruce Wayne (not Batman) successor  

%CODE1% Kriss and Dpalm are joined by N'jaila Rhee to discuss black female comic book characters. This is a little different from our usually Character Corners since we go through several different characters. But I've made sure to list/link to some key issues and runs for some of these characters so you can look them up and read more about them. Marvel Storm Giant Size X-Men #1 - First Appearance * Uncanny X-Men #170 - Fights for leadership of the Morlocks* Uncanny X-Men #201 - Powerless Storm beats Cyclops for leadership of the X-Men * Shuri Black Panther Volume 4 #2 - First Appearance * Black Panther Volume 5 - Shuri takes over as Black Panther * Monica Rambeau The Amazing spider-Man Annual #16 * - First appearance as Captain Marvel Avengers Unplugged #5 - First appearance as Photon New Thunderbolts #9 * - First appearance as Pulsar Mighty Avengers vol 2 #1 * - First appearance as Spectrum Nextwave: Agents of HATE * - great series with Monica as the leader of a team Misty Knight