Everyone has a Batman opinion. Inside your imagination is a definitive Batman: a Batman who should behave this way, and a Batman who should not behave that way. Your tight grip on your Batman is why Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta's carefully considered Absolute Batman works so damn well. They fully understand and appreciate how the character has congealed over the last eight decades into a rock-solid idea.

For the last eight months, alongside collaborators like Gabriel H. Walta, Marcos Martín, Frank Martin, Muntsa Vicente, and Clayton Cowles, Snyder and Dragotta have chipped away at the quintessential Dark Knight. They've altered elements of his origin, removed his social position, and rearranged his relationship with his rogues. Their Absolute Batman is a Bruce Wayne in motion, moving toward the impenetrable idea in your head, but struggling to match it. Here is a character growing into something, evolving into a recognizable hero for 2025.

After confronting Mr. Freeze in issues seven and eight and facing the final days of Matches Malone, Bruce Wayne must reassess his war on Gotham City crime. What lessons did he learn from that awful day at The Zoo? Do his nights as Batman honor his father's sacrifice? As he fights to find himself, a grotesque demonic doppelganger appears - Bane, the nineties sensation who once broke a bat from another universe.

FOC for Absolute Batman #9 is today (5/19/25)! Tell your retailers to order a copy for ya. With this comic, Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta have cooked an undeniable banquet. As the best alternate reality stories should, they've weaponized your knowledge of these characters against you, subverting in radically compelling ways, while delivering what should never be manipulated.

Today's podcast features two conversations. Up first, Scott Snyder joins us for a lengthy look back at the last eight months of Absolute Batman. We discuss Bruce Wayne's continuing development into the Dark Knight, his complex relationship with Joe Chill, his father's killer, and why Bane had to arrive sooner rather than later. Secondly, Nick Dragotta pops in for a conversation about his ultra chonky Bane design, and how what we've seen so far is only a hint of his true monstrosity.

Absolute Batman #9 will finally arrive in stores, courtesy of DC Comics, on June 11th. Follow Scott Snyder on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/ssnyder1835.bsky.social] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/Ssnyder1835/], and subscribe to his Substack [https://bestjackettpress.substack.com/]. Follow Nick Dragotta on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:3aibrstc2c7y27htdzaodphi] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dragottaart/].

This Week's Sponsor

We're sponsored by 2000 AD [https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/subscriptions], the greatest comic you're not reading! Within its pages is a whole universe of characters, from Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog to Rogue Trooper, Shakara, Halo Jones, and the poor sods slogging across the Cursed Earth in The Helltrekkers. Get a print subscription at your door every week - and the first issue is free! Or subscribe digitally, get free back issues, and download DRM-free copies of each issue for just $9 a month. That's 128 pages of incredible monthly comics for

Scott Snyder/Nick Dragotta: Absolute Batman vs. Bane

Kids can take it. You can coddle them. You can protect them with everything you have, but life is not simply coming for them; it already has them. Last year, Armored, the spectacularly spooky adventure story from writer Michael Schwartz and artist Ismael Hernandez, struck a deep emotional chord in us. The series seemingly came out of nowhere and walloped us with a powerfully relatable ghost story about family, loss, and perseverance. We gave it the Stampie for Best Surprise Comic [https://www.comicbookcouplescounseling.com/post/the-stampies-best-comics-of-2024-part-two], and the more times we re-read it, the more comfortable we are with that declaration.

Armored traffics in recognizable tropes, but executes them perfectly through a singular vision. At the story's core is Andy, a child forced into the foster system after his parents mysteriously vanish. He's planted in a home dealing with its own awful tragedy, which propels him into a confrontation with a haunted suit of armor. With the ghostly Sir William by his side, Andy seeks to solve the disappearance of his folks while stumbling into battle with ancient evil.

Having devoured the single issues from Clover Press, we patiently awaited word of a proper hardcover collection. Friends, we're ecstatic to be the first to tell you this: the Armored hardcover is almost here, and its Kickstarter Pre-Launch Page is already up and running (CLICK HERE AND GET NOTIFIED [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cloverpress/armored-vol-1-graphic-novel-by-schwartz-and-hernandez]).

Not only that, but we also have the first look at the new Armored hardcover collection artwork by artist Francesco Tomaselli. Please bask in its beauty while you listen to this week's podcast [https://www.comicbookcouplescounseling.com/post/armored-michael-schwartz-hc-interview] with author Michael Schwartz discussing Armored, how the theft of his comic book collection only intensified his comic book addiction, and why kids need stories with emotionally dark realities.

Armored is published by Clover Press, written by Michael Schwartz, illustrated by Ismael Hernandez, lettered by Ferran Delgado, and edited by Chris Stevens.

To continue this conversation, follow Michael Schwartz on Bluesky [https://web-cdn.bsky.app/profile/themikeschwartz.bsky.social] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mikeschwartzwrites/].

This Week's Sponsor

We're sponsored by 2000 AD [https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/subscriptions], the greatest comic you're not reading! Within its pages is a whole universe of characters, from Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog to Rogue Trooper, Shakara, Halo Jones, and the poor sods slogging across the Cursed Earth in The Helltrekkers. Get a print subscription at your door every week - and the first issue is free! Or subscribe digitally, get free back issues, and download DRM-free copies of each issue for just $9 a month. That's 128 pages of incredible monthly comics for less than $10.

Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:

Michael Schwartz on Armored

With the Invincible animated series propelling more and more fans to the comic books, now is the perfect time for Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley to reteam on a new series. In a universe populated with numerous rich, wild characters, they could have revamped an infinite number of ideas. They chose Battle Beast, the white lion-like humanoid cursed with an unquenchable rage, and in doing so, Kirkmann and Ottley create an opportunity to reframe the character's original narrative.

Battle Beast first appeared in Invincible #19 (2004) and did not return until Invincible #55 (2008). Between those comics is a massive swath of time, and the new series, Invincible Universe: Battle Beast, will explore it fully. The first issue arrives in comic shops next Wednesday. If it's any indication, when this series is over, it will radically alter our understanding of Battle Beast's narrative and its place within the larger Invincible storyline.

This week, we trap Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley in our Zoom room. We examine how this first issue challenges our previous interpretation of the title character, the pain at Battle Beast's core, and the brilliant action that erupts from it. Having built a utopia on his homeworld through violent combat, Battle Beast seeks an end through a worthy opponent. You should know that this episode ventures into conversations about suicide and mental health crises.

Helplines are available if you do not already have a support system. For the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - dial 988 or visit www.988lifeline.org [http://www.988lifeline.org/] to chat with someone online. You can reach the Mental Health Hotline in Virginia by dialing 1-866-903-3787 or CLICK HERE [https://mentalhealthhotline.org/virginia/].

Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #1 is written by Robert Kirkman, illustrated by Ryan Ottley, colored by Annalisa Leoni, and lettered by Rus Wooton. It's published by Skybound Entertainment [https://www.skybound.com/], operating in partnership with Image Comics [https://imagecomics.com/press-releases/new-invincible-comics-incoming-invincible-universe-battle-beast-by-robert-kirkman-ryan-ottley-to-launch-in-april-2025].

To continue this conversation, follow Robert Kirkman on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/robertkirkman.bsky.social] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/robkirkman/]. Also, follow Ryan Ottley on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/ryanottley.bsky.social]and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ryanottley/].

This Week's Sponsor

We're sponsored by 2000 AD [https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/subscriptions], the greatest comic you're not reading! Within its pages is a whole universe of characters, from Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog to Rogue Trooper, Shakara, Halo Jones, and the poor sods slogging across the Cursed Earth in The Helltrekkers. Get a print subscription at your door every week - and the first issue is free! Or subscribe digitally, get free back issues, and download DRM-free copies of each issue for just $9 a month. That's 128 pages of incredible monthly comics for less than $10.

Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley on Battle Beast

First issues are hard. Last issues are hard. Second-to-last issues are hard. Maybe...all issues are hard? Book Club is back in session with creators Rick Quinn and Dave Chisholm, discussing Spectrum #5, the penultimate issue in their brilliant Mad Cave Studios series [https://madcavestudios.com/product/spectrum-5/?srsltid=AfmBOoorVSAITtAPLxxaNB8Xl5kdTTg1PCieolxaY2mn15xXocsWk6bd].

With the end just around the corner (the final issue arrives in shops on May 21st, as does our final Book Club episode with Quinn and Chisholm, so mark your calendars), Spectrum #5 must elevate and explode a bunch of grandiose ideas about art that the comic has so far been teasing or suggesting. Spectrum #5 is a BIG comic following two central characters while traversing multiple timelines and encountering alternate-dimension stand-ins for iconic cultural figures and places from our world.

Quinn and Chisholm might not say it, but we will: PBGBs is CBGBs, and Gloria Bell is Patti Smith. Half the pleasure of reading Spectrum is tracking their sci-fi alternatives of real-world legends, which recalls similar joys had when devouring Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. However, as Spectrum #5 ramps toward its fiery conclusion next month, the fervor with which Quinn and Chisholm explore vital artistry is the ultimate appeal.

Why do humans sing? Why do they paint? Why do they tell stories to one another? During a moment when artistic expression is recklessly dismissed or downright eradicated, Spectrum #5 shows its readers how they're constantly engaged with creative expression and why only the most vile and pathetic people are detached from it.

Last month's Spectrum Book Club was extremely process-heavy in its conversation. Now, for the penultimate issue, it's time to dig into the thematic weeds, have a serious chat about human connection, and worry not about labels of pretension. We're all friends here.

Spectrum 1 - 5 are currently available from Mad Cave Studios [https://madcavestudios.com/product/spectrum-3/?srsltid=AfmBOop8g9ayKGTDqJ2EKmAZO3OaJotUKdmz9fF5-BsND1eiSMQOBnM8], and the final issue will arrive in shops on April 21st. Make sure you're following Dave Chisholm on his Website [https://www.davechisholmmusic.com/], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@davechisholmcomics], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thedavechisholm/], and Bluesky [https://app.bsky.cz/profile/did:plc:nledhpo4gwe65si72dvosjby]. And follow Rick Quinn on his Website [https://aphexquinn.com/], Bluesky [https://app.bsky.cz/profile/riqkquinn.bsky.social], and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/riqkquinn/].

This Week's Sponsor

We're sponsored by 2000 AD [https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/subscriptions], the greatest comic you're not reading! Within its pages is a whole universe of characters, from Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog to Rogue Trooper, Shakara, Halo Jones, and the poor sods slogging across the Cursed Earth in The Helltrekkers. Get a print subscription at your door every week - and the first issue is free! Or subscribe digitally, get free back issues, and download

CBCC Book Club: Rick Quinn and Dave Chisholm on Spectrum 5

June. 1962. Two men do the impossible: break Out of Alcatraz. The legendary escape almost immediately caught the public's imagination, becoming fodder for TV, film, and prose. Maybe you've encountered a few of these stories; maybe you haven't. Whatever the case, you certainly have not read an interpretation like the Oni Press [https://www.onipress.com/news/dn37kv7un9dmyy0l9ugkflx1jdi2au] comic from Christopher Cantwell and Tyler Crook.

Their Out of Alcatraz begins in the crashing waters outside the prison. From there, it dips into a storm of speculation, terror, and hope. Through their story, Cantwell and Crook explore a critical moment in the American narrative. The Civil Rights movement hasn't quite popped off. John F. Kennedy still stands righteously in the White House. The confidence of Post-war America is about to burst. Three criminals taste freedom with all its bitterness and desperately attempt to choke it down.

This week's podcast considers the American story and those who were left out of it or forced from it. We chat with Cantwell and Crook about the real men who broke free from Alcatraz and the fictional men they became in Cantwell and Crook's imaginations. We discuss the allure of prison narratives and the cells we all find ourselves in at some point.

Issues one and two of Out of Alcatraz are now available wherever rad comics are sold, and issue three will arrive in shops on May 21st.

Continue this conversation by following Christopher Cantwell on BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/ifyoucantwell.bsky.social] and Tyler Crook on BlueSky [https://bsky.app/profile/mrtylercrook.bsky.social], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mistertylercrook/], and his Website [https://www.mistercrook.com/]. Also, you can listen to his music through his Bandcamp page [https://harrowcounty.bandcamp.com/album/harrow-county-vol-1] (although it's also available on Spotify, Apple Music, and the like).

This Week's Sponsor

We're sponsored by 2000 AD [https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/subscriptions], the greatest comic you're not reading! Within its pages is a whole universe of characters, from Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog to Rogue Trooper, Shakara, Halo Jones, and the poor sods slogging across the Cursed Earth in The Helltrekkers. Get a print subscription at your door every week - and the first issue is free! Or subscribe digitally, get free back issues, and download DRM-free copies of each issue for just $9 a month. That's 128 pages of incredible monthly comics for less than $10.

Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:

 * Tyler Crook on CBCC: The Ultimate Lonesome Hunters Interview [https://www.comicbookcouplescounseling.com/post/tyler-crook-the-lonesome-hunters-ultimate-interview]

 * Tyler Crook on CBCC: Mage - The Hero Discovered [https://www.comicbookcouplescounseling.com/post/tyler-crook-matt-wagner-mage-interview]

 * 

Christopher Cantwell and Tyler Crook on Out of Alcatraz

Surprise, friends. Grant Morrison joins the show for Superman Day! As the writer behind the seminal All-Star Superman, which observes its 20th anniversary this November, we cannot think of a better person to help us celebrate the Last Son of Krypton on his 87th birthday. Action Comics #1, featuring the first appearance of Superman by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, hit newsstands on April 18th, 1938. It is the source of everything you love about superhero comics.

When Action Comics first arrived, America was in economic ruin. The world was about to enter its second great war. Despair was easily accessible, but two Jewish kids from Cleveland imagined a Man of Steel who could do the impossible and would act for those who could not act for themselves. As we look outside our windows in 2025, we see an incredible darkness, but we strive for a future beyond it. We can imitate the devils in the dark, or we can seek Superman, who reflects the best version of ourselves.

Like most people, probably, we first encountered Superman through television and film; it was the All-Star Superman comics by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Jamie Grant, Phil Balsman, and Travis Lanham that solidified our passion for the character. Those twelve issues showcased the joyous, awful, absurd, and adventurous universe Superman populated, making us fall in love with it and our own realm in return. As Morrison writes in Supergods [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/201094/supergods-by-grant-morrison/], we are the stories we tell ourselves. In Superman, we see who we've been, who we are, and who we could be.

We're positively chuffed to chat Superman with Grant Morrison. We discuss their approach to the character in All-Star Superman and how it differs from the version they wrote in JLA, Action Comics, Final Crisis, and other stories. We discuss the significance of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and what it means for Grant and others to extend their great idea. We talk about Lois and Clark, Lex Luthor, Samson, and Atlas, and Grant Morrison reveals their next big comic project somewhere along the line.

Continue our conversation with Grant Morrison by visiting their Website [https://www.grantmorrison.com/], Substack [https://grantmorrison.substack.com/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/grant.morrison/], and Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:fayxt4a6spltgw4cyn6cn5nv].

This Week's Sponsor:

We're sponsored by 2000 AD [https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/subscriptions], the greatest comic you're not reading! Within its pages is a whole universe of characters, from Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog to Rogue Trooper, Shakara, Halo Jones, and the poor sods slogging across the Cursed Earth in The Helltrekkers. Get a print subscription at your door every week - and the first issue is free! Or subscribe digitally, get free back issues, and download DRM-free copies of each issue for just $9 a month. That's 128 pages of incredible monthly comics for less than $10.

Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:

 * Dan Slott and Mark Waid on Action Comics #1 [https://www.comicbookcouplescounseling.com/post/action-comics-1-mark-waid-dan-slott-interview]

 * 

Grant Morrison on All-Star Superman

If you listen to comic book podcasts beyond Comic Book Couples Counseling, you've probably already encountered Aubrey Sitterson. The writer has been making the rounds, discussing his radical new science fiction series Free Planet, made in collaboration with artist Jed Dougherty, colorist Vittorio Astone, letterer Taylor Esposito, and designer Mark Kaufman. Sitterson LOVES comics, and he LOVES talking about comics. He's spent years percolating in the medium, absorbing the code of how to make the best comics in the best way possible for his particular talents.

Aubrey Sitterson has developed something he calls "The Approach." It's a new method of storytelling discovered during the making of other such comics as The Worst Dudes, No One Left to Fight, and Savage Hearts. Sitterson is not just design-focused; he's design-obsessed, and it was a delight to chat with him about this intensely, carefully sharpened obsession.

We're in the weeds this week. We wanted to double down on a comics-making meal, possibly inspired by the last episode's heavy process conversation with Rick Quinn and Dave Chisholm about Spectrum #4 [https://www.comicbookcouplescounseling.com/post/spectrum-4-rick-quinn-dave-chisholm-interview]. Aubrey Sitterson appears reinvigorated by Free Planet, and his enthusiasm for the craft is infectious and should encourage your leap into storytelling.

Final Order Cutoff for Free Planet #1 is Monday, April 14th (That's Today!), and Image Comics will finally drop the first issue in shops on May 7th. It's not a title you want to sleep on. Everyone involved is going for it, swinging for the fences. You can view the Preview Pages here [https://bindings.app/read/aoTlqPe8], which are overwhelming in the best way possible.

Follow Aubrey Sitterson on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/atlantisstillsunk.com], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/aubreysitterson/], Substack [https://aubreysitterson.substack.com/p/my-new-comic-free-planet?utm_source=post-banner&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=posts-open-in-app&triedRedirect=true], and his Website [https://aubreysitterson.com/].

We're sponsored by 2000 AD [https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/subscriptions], the greatest comic you're not reading! Within its pages is a whole universe of characters, from Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog to Rogue Trooper, Shakara, Halo Jones, and the poor sods slogging across the Cursed Earth in The Helltrekkers. Get a print subscription at your door every week - and the first issue is free! Or subscribe digitally, get free back issues, and download DRM-free copies of each issue for just $9 a month. That's 128 pages of incredible monthly comics for less than $10.

Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode

 * Four Color Fantasies Charity Sketch Cover Auction [https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1189782103156611&type=3]

 * Patreon Exclusive: Saga of the Swamp Thing Book Club [https://www.patreon.com/posts/gallivanting-of-125069526]

 * 

Aubrey Sitterson on Free Planet

There are not many opportunities like this one. Every month, we devour the latest Spectrum comic and then jump on the phone with creators Rick Quinn and Dave Chisholm. It's an intimate, super nerdy book club, and you're all invited. But you gotta bring your own wine. With issue four, we're more than halfway through the series, but we're just getting started regarding a thorough excavation into their creative process.

Spectrum #4 is the most dense chapter in the series so far. Multiple threads weave the narrative, and several of those introduce new concepts and characters. We travel to "The Twilight of the Gods," witnessing a massive mythology dump while our heroes Melody and Ada traverse time through song. We witness the beginning of everything and must prepare for its end.

This week's podcast starts with Rick Quinn and Dave Chisholm taking ownership of the Book Club, wrestling the reins from us, and guiding us to the discussion topics they want to tackle. We discuss how the series has swerved unexpectedly, resulting in radical issues like Spectrum #4. We got tangents and anecdotes, wild theories, and sidequests.

But before all that, we must discuss our recent WonderCon excursion [https://www.comic-con.org/wc/], offering a little recap on dollar bins and panels. The Anaheim convention rests in the shadow of Disneyland, offering a unique vibe from other comic cons. It was Lisa's first time. Will she return?

Spectrum 1 - 4 are currently available from Mad Cave Studios [https://madcavestudios.com/product/spectrum-3/?srsltid=AfmBOop8g9ayKGTDqJ2EKmAZO3OaJotUKdmz9fF5-BsND1eiSMQOBnM8], and the fifth issue will arrive in shops on April 23rd. Make sure you're following Dave Chisholm on his Website [https://www.davechisholmmusic.com/], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@davechisholmcomics], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thedavechisholm/], and Bluesky [https://app.bsky.cz/profile/did:plc:nledhpo4gwe65si72dvosjby]. And follow Rick Quinn on his Website [https://aphexquinn.com/], Bluesky [https://app.bsky.cz/profile/riqkquinn.bsky.social], and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/riqkquinn/].

You wake in a hospital bed. Your hand feels heavy, there’s a ringing pain in your head. Machine parts have replaced what could not be repaired with flesh. Did the doctors save you, or strip you of your humanity? This is the question facing Adam in Futility Shapes, a one-shot comic live on Kickstarter now [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nyaliss/futility-shapes-a-dark-sci-fi-neo-noir-one-shot-comic?ref=71505n]! Created by Edward Kane and Dave Fowler. Futility Shapes is a weird blend of The Terminator, The Machinist, and Mass Effect. What shapes you? Visit EdwardKane.net [http://edwardkane.net/].

We're also sponsored by 2000 AD [https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/subscriptions], the greatest comic you're not reading! Within its pages is a whole universe of characters, from Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog to Rogue Trooper, Shakara, Halo Jones, and the poor sods slogging across the Cursed Earth in The Helltrekkers. Get a print subscription at your door every week - and the first issue is free! Or subscribe digitally, get free back issues, and download DRM-free copies of each issue for just

CBCC Book Club: Rick Quinn and Dave Chisholm on Spectrum 4

A year ago, Scott Morse found himself adrift, severed from a stable income and a defined creative path. Panic was an option. So was fear. Instead, he chose collaboration and creation. This Ink Runs Cold: Short Stories from the Space-Crime Continuum smashes two of his favorite genres between its pages. It's an anthology of one-page pulp stories written by 89 different writers, all drawn by Scott Morse and colored by José Villarrubia.

Many of these writers are seasoned comic veterans, animators, and filmmakers. The table of contents includes Mike Allred, Brian Michael Bendis, Jorge Gutierrez, Derek Kirk Kim, Dave McKean, Fábio Moon, Scott Mosier, Eric Powell, Stan Sakai, and on and on and on. Even better, for our purposes anyway, This Ink Runs Cold includes numerous comic book newcomers, including us - Brad and Lisa Gullickson!

As of this writing, This Ink Runs Cold has one week left on Kickstarter [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/allenspiegel/this-ink-runs-cold]. Scott Morse and Allen Spiegel Fine Arts offer two editions: the Full-Color version featuring José Villarrubia's wizardry and the limited Black and White Noir version, showcasing Scott Morse's beautiful brushwork. Having knocked out some stretch goals, those backing the Bookplate and Noir/1-2 Punch tiers will get an extra book, The Brush-Offs. This is a 24-page bonus book featuring unused art, abandoned pages, scripts, an alternate prologue/epilogue, and an analysis of this unique writer/artist collaboration.

We're beyond honored to contribute one page to This Ink Runs Cold; we're practically in disbelief. Today's podcast is the first time we have featured a story we helped create, and it's an incredibly emotional experience. We're grateful to Scott Morse for coming on the show, explaining how This Ink Runs Cold grew from a mini-devastation, and why this intense injection of collaboration reinvigorated him.

We also had the opportunity to explain what our short story "The ADHD P.I." means to us and how it helped us process some anxiety and self-loathing. Working with one page was ridiculously challenging, and what's most exciting is seeing how 88 other writers tackled that challenge and used that finite space in infinite ways.

We also start this week's episode with our recent trip to WonderCon and an LAX nightmare we will never forget. If you're here only for the Scott Morse chatter, we won't begrudge you for skipping ahead, but you'll miss out on another outlandish story.

This Week's Sponsors:

You wake in a hospital bed. Your hand feels heavy, there’s a ringing pain in your head. Machine parts have replaced what could not be repaired with flesh. Did the doctors save you, or strip you of your humanity? This is the question facing Adam in Futility Shapes, a one-shot comic live on Kickstarter now [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nyaliss/futility-shapes-a-dark-sci-fi-neo-noir-one-shot-comic?ref=71505n]! Created by Edward Kane and Dave Fowler. Futility Shapes is a weird blend of The Terminator, The Machinist, and Mass Effect. What shapes you? Visit EdwardKane.net (spell out the name for ease)

We're also sponsored by the sponsored by 2000 AD [https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/subscriptions], the greatest comic you're not reading! Within its pages

Scott Morse on This Ink Runs Cold

If you're not reading Juni Ba comics, you're missing out on a living legend pushing the form to its extreme potential. Since Djeliya, we haven't missed a panel from the cartoonist, and we've watched him develop into an undeniable talent, producing one essential comic after another. Just when we think he can't possibly top himself (seriously, did you read Mobilis: My Life with Captain Nemo and The Boy Wonder?), he drops Monkey Meat: The Summer Batch, his sequel to the Image Comics anthology series. It's a radical, rageful commentary on the world we're all trapped on, but it contains profound joy through its creation.

THIS. IS. COMICS.

Today's podcast is a thorough conversation with Juni Ba about Monkey Meat: The Summer Batch. Why did he adopt a new aesthetic for this series? Is it too hopeless to be considered dystopian? What does Britney Spears have to do with Monkey Meat: The Summer Batch? We dig in and chow down.

The first issue of Monkey Meat: The Summer Batch is now available wherever rad comics are sold. The second issue will arrive on April 2nd [https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/monkey-meat-the-summer-batch-2-of-5]. We're begging you not to let this series, destined for legendary status, slip through your fingers. Be sure to continue this conversation with Juni Ba by visiting his Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/juni.ba/], Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/juniba.bsky.social], and Twitter [https://twitter.com/juni_ba].

This week's episode is sponsored by 2000 AD [https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/subscriptions], the greatest comic you're not reading! Within its pages is a whole universe of characters, from Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog to Rogue Trooper, Shakara, Halo Jones, and the poor sods slogging across the Cursed Earth in The Helltrekkers. Get a print subscription at your door every week - and the first issue is free! Or subscribe digitally, get free back issues, and download DRM-free copies of each issue for just $9 a month. That's 128 pages of incredible monthly comics for less than $10.

We're also sponsored by the Beyond the Cape Podcast [https://www.btcapepodcast.com/]. If you enjoy Comic Book Couples Counseling, you'd undoubtedly enjoy their show. Beyond the Cape is a laid-back talk show in which every episode highlights their love of this beautiful comic book medium, their personal journey with it, and the respective artists they feature on each podcast. This June will mark their second anniversary, which we certainly recognize as a massive accomplishment. So, follow them on Instagram @BeyondTheCapePodcast [https://www.instagram.com/beyondthecapepodcast/] and Spotify with The Uncensored Nerds Network [https://open.spotify.com/show/4T0G3MNPPko7WtoYMBsBwY].

Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:

 * Juni Ba on CBCC: Djeliya [https://www.comicbookcouplescounseling.com/post/juni-ba-djeliya]

 * Juni Ba o [https://www.comicbookcouplescounseling.com/post/juni-ba-mobilis-interview]

Juni Ba on Monkey Meat: The Summer Batch

Join married couple Brad and Lisa as they explore the various dynamics of comic book relationships throughout pop culture and publishing history.

Brad Gullickson

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