iFanboy Comic Books Video Show (HD)

Love it or hate it, Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales' Identity Crisis certainly shook up the world of DC Comics back in 2004. It told the story of the Justice League keeping some very big secrets, and how that was all brought to light with the actions of a very disturbed individual. The consequences were long ranging, both in the fictional DC Universe, and in the way comics were made after Identity Crisis. It featured some very adult characters studies of beloved classic DC characters, which didn't sit well with all the fans. It also introduced a new generation to wonderful characters like the Elongated Man, Atom, as well as villains like the Calculator and Dr. Light. Just in time to coincide with DC's release of Absolute Identity Crisis, Josh, Ron, and Conor take you through everything there is to know about the story. Don't answer the phone, and don't let Batman find out.

On this anthology episode of iFanboy, we start at the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco as Ron chats with some indie creators. First up is Ed Luce, the creator of Wuvable Oaf who's taken to a creative way to offer his comics to readers. After that, Ron chats with Katie Longua, the winner of the Isotope Comics Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics for her work on Rok. And finally, Ron catches up with the creative masterminds behind Reed Gunther from Image Comics, Shane and Chris Houghton. Next, staff writer and mixologist Paul F. Montgomery digs up an old LP from 1978 featuring The Amazing Spider-Man and Friends. Spidey squares off with the Man-Wolf! Captain America and Falcon face a shadow from Cap's distant past! Do these adaptations of classic stories from 70s Marvel stand the test of time? Finally, Josh has been thinking about lettering. Specifically sound effects and other non dialogue lettering and ponders if hand drawn letters are superior to digital lettering. After flipping through Walt Simonson's Thor: Artist's Edition, it's hard to argue with him.

This week, iFanboy takes a look at one of the biggest new names in comics over the last ten years: writer Brian K. Vaughan! Rare is the modern comic book creator that dabbles in so many different genres while working with so many different companies and imprints while still maintaining star status. But if anyone epitomizes that versatility it's Brian K. Vaughan. From his early days at Marvel doing fill-in and back-up work to Swamp Thing and Y: The Last Man at DC's Vertigo to Runaways at Marvel's Tsunami to Ex Machina at DC's Wildstorm to Ultimate X-Men at Marvel's Ultimate line to The Escapists and Buffy the Vampire Slayer at Dark Horse, and finally to his just recently announced new sci-fi epic: Saga for Image Comics, iFanboy celebrates the entire Brian K. Vaughan catalog this week. And that's just the tip of the Brian K. Vaughan iceberg. The man is prolific.

Let's be frank, in the world of comic books, there are alot of dudes. From readers and fans to creators, there is a large population of men associated with comic books. Recently some criticisms around the number of women employed in comics was raised, and it got us thinking...there are many talented women working in the world of comics. Women have been a creative force in comics since The Golden Age and that long, rich history continues today with many of the women creators that we spotlight in this episode. From established, superstar talents like Amanda Conner and Gail Simone, to the up and comers like Sara Pichelli and Becky Cloonan, the world of comic books is filled with talented women making some of the best comics today.

Comics aren’t just for 35 year old dudes anymore! Nope, publishers and creators are making a valiant effort to produce comics for everyone. They’re not always the easiest to find, but we’re here to help. For the young kids, there are Yo Gabba Gabba comics from Oni. There are also books from Image/Shadowline like T. Runt and Dear Dracula. As the kids get older, you can find plenty more books that are for young and old alike. Check out Fraggle Rock from Archaia, or the Three Thieves series from cartoonist Scott Chantler, for fantasy adventure. Even Marvel superstar Brian Michael Bendis and his longtime collaborator Michael Avon Oeming produced the kid friendly superhero book, Takio. Then, everyone should be able to find something fun in the western Reed Gunther, from Image Comics. Finally, there’s a Eisner winning original fairy tale, Return of the Dapper Men from Jim McCann and Janet K. Lee. Comics can be good for everyone, even kids!

Every once in a while iFanboy likes to reach deep into their comic book vaults and pull out gems to share with everyone. Sometimes there’s a theme to the books and this week it’s books without color. Heathentown Before he took on teh Red Hulk, fan-favorite artist Gabriel Hardman drew a creepy creator owned story involving zombie mammoths, the dark secrets of a swamp, and meat hooks. Oh, the meat hooks. Scenes From An Impending Marriage Indie darling Adrian Tomine got married. But before he did he chronicled the lead up to the marriage in a delightful and charming series of vignettes that may or may not have ended up as a party favor at his wedding. Baby’s in Black: The Story of Astrid Kirchherr & Stuart Sutcliffe You probably know the story of John, Paul, George, and Ringo? But do you know about Astrid and Stuart?

The DC Relaunch is finally upon us with today's release of Justice League #1! To celebrate the New DC Universe, DC Comics held a midnight launch party at Midtown Comics in New York City and iFanboy was there to talk to Justice League writer (and DC Comics Chief Creative Officer) Geoff Johns and artist (and DC Comics Co-Publisher) Jim Lee about Justice League #1 and the new DC Universe in general. Plus! Batman and Swamp Thing writer Scott Snyder makes an appearance to talk about the excitement of finally seeing his books come out and some of his personal favorite books in the New DC Universe.

With the upcoming DC Relaunch, one of the books not being relaunched (right now) is Justice Society of America, also known as the JSA. The first heroes in the DC Universe, originating in the 1940s, the JSA have a long legacy of appearing and then disappearing from the DC Universe. We take a look at the history and legacy of the JSA.

And so it is that another round of San Diego Comic-Con shows comes to a close with part three of our 2011 coverage. Make sure to watch parts one and two as well! Kicking off the episode is the Man himself, Stan Lee, talking about more of his myriad projects, like Blood Red Dragon from Stan, Todd McFarlane, and Japanese pop star, Yoshiki. He's also got The Seekers over at MTV Geek. Finally make sure to follow the modern version of Stan's Soapbox with @TheRealStanLee on Twitter. Next we welcome Greg Pak to our show for the first time ever! Greg tells us about Red Skull: Incarnate, his work with Fred Van Lente on the Canadian heroes of Alpha Flight, and his epic, long run on Hulk. Plus, if you've ever wanted to know how to pronounce his name, this is the place. Bryan Q. Miller joins us to talk about the ending of fan favorite series, Batgirl, telling the behind the scenes story of how he ended it more prematurely than he'd planned. He also hints at upcoming work with DC Comics after the relaunch, contrary to some rumors that there are no new DC Comics planned from Miller. Thomas Jane, star of movies and the TV series Hung is a real deal comic book creator. He's joined by his Raw Studios partner, artist Tim Bradstreet to talk about the various comics they've got on tap like Bad Planet, Alien Worlds, and The Lycan, and just what it is they find important when it comes to making comics, and it's not deadlines. Rob Liefeld chats with us about all the upcoming work he's got hitting the comic shop shelves. First, he gives us the low down on The Infinite with Robert Kirkman, and then he talks about Hawk and Dove, with the DC relaunch. Rob drops some hints that there is Deadpool movie footage out there, and it is happening, then goes on to talk about the longevity of some of his creations. Witch Doctor was the first book announced on Robert Kirkman's Skybound imprint for Image Comics. We're joined by artist Lukas Ketner and writer Brandon Seifert, who are enjoying one heck of a good time at a comic convention. They tell us the story of how Kirkman plucked them out of the blue, just by chance, to announce his new imprint. Jonathan Hickman talks to us about his newest creator owned work, Red Wing and Feel Better Now, as well as what's in store in the future. Then we move over to the work at Marvel like Fantastic Four, including talking about one of his least favorite issues of Secret Warriors. Finally, closing out the show, we're honored to speak with Walt Simonson, legendary Thor creator, about the resurgence of the character for whom he is best known, and currently being celebrated in IDW's Walt Simonson Thor Artist Edition and the Thor Omnibus from MarvelWe talk about the planning behind his long run on the character in the 80s, as well as his reaction to the Thor movie. But the writer and artist isn't done yet. He's got a graphic novel called The Judas Coin on the way from DC Comics, composed of six interconnected short stories featuring lesser known characters. Finally, Josh shares a memory with Walt. We hope you enjoyed all the conversation and love of comics from this year's San Diego Comic-Con. We'll see you next at New York Comicon!

You thought part one was enough? No, there is more from the 2011 Comic-Con International in San Diego, and we're bringing it to you. Get ready for more from the best in comics at the biggest event there is in the industry. Cliff Chiang will soon be lending his talent to Wonder Woman, along with writer Brian Azzarello. Cliff tells us a little about the new take on the Amazon princess and how he deals with people being mad about her having pants or not. There are going to be gods, and fights, and all sorts of exciting new stuff, and it's going to look fantastic. Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez are behind the wonderful and scary Locke & Key series from IDW. As the series ramps up for the conclusion, they discuss just what goes into this acclaimed horror series. Plus, as they approach the second to last story arc, they discuss what's coming up in the future for the team, and the very real possibility of more Locke & Key, after some new projects together. Jonathan Ross, the UK TV chat show star turned comic book writer joins us to talk about his onslaught of new projects with The BLVD studio. After the success of his story with Tommy Lee Edwards, Turf, Ross has a whole slate of new comics coming out with artists like Bernard Chang, and, did he just say Bryan Hitch? He did. Legendary guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave joins us to talk about his new comic book, Orchid, from Dark Horse. Conceived and written entirely by Morello, the musician tells us of a story about battles and monsters and magic, but also class struggles and social consciousness and themes familiar in Morello's music. Crazy, insane, Eisner Award winning person, Jim McCann joins us after Return of the Dapper Men from Archaia won the Eisner for Best Graphic Novel. Along with artist, Janet K. Lee, Jim shared the honors in a very rare tie with Wilson from Dan Clowes. But that didn't put a damper on what was a wonderful experience, as Jim recounts it for us, as well as how he already damaged his trophy, making it slightly more like the Death Star. You'll need to watch. Kyle Higgins is new to the scene, but already handling plenty of big name titles. He worked with Scott Snyder on Gates of Gotham, and is making a splash in the DC Relaunch, heading up Nightwing and Deathstroke. Hear his take on these new series and what he thinks of the characters, getting a little sneak peek at what's in store for September. DC's co-publisher and superstar artist Jim Lee wraps up the show, talking about the relaunch, as well as fan reactions. He also talks about taking on art duties on a book like Justice League and what it means to do a team book so packed with characters, and how he handles the challenge, as well as the fun of it. We've got one more show coming your way next week!

Comics have been rebooted before, and comics will be rebooted again. Which ones made an impact and stuck around? Which were any good? For that matter, just what is a reboot? DC has dabbled before, beginning in the '50's, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Zero Hour, and more. Marvel made an attempt, but also played it safe, Ultimately. If you've watch our show on the DC Reboot already, here's a little more. Try and get along, everyone.

The big return of Swamp Thing has happened, and the DC Universe will feel the effect. But what does it mean? Who is this guy? What's the big Swamp Thing story? We talk about the origins of Swamp Thing over the years, and get in depth with Alan Moore's Saga of the Swamp Thing, the seminal run from the 80's, looking over the rereleased hardcovers. We talk about Alec Holland and Abby Cable and the main mage himself, John Constantine, who is inextricably tied to the swamp elemental himself. Accompanied by Stephen Bissette, John Totelben, Rick Vietch, and others, it's a timelessly beautiful comic book run. We also explore Swamp Thing's role in the world of superheroes in the past, and where he fits in with the DCU now. Having been relegated to Vertigo for a long time, will the character fit with the characters of today? Brightest Day #23 brought the bog man back, and Brightest Day #24 showed us what he can do, but we look at the precedents for this as well. Comics history, like that of the Green, goes way back, and it just might all fit together. Please.... sit back and... enjoy... this episode.

Every once in a while iFanboy likes to reach deep into their comic book vaults and pull out gems to share with everyone. Sometimes there’s a theme to the books and sometimes, like this week, there’s not. JSA: The Golden Age In this Elseworlds tale, that is only just barely an Elseworlds tale, James Robinson and Paul Smith explore the Golden Age of super heroes. World War II is over but the Justice Society of America have to save the day, one more time. The Archie Wedding Betty or Veronica? It's the classic Archie conundrum. Sadly, the red head boy from Riverdale is destined to never choose - until now. In this "what if?" tale, we see what would happen if Archie chose Veronica... and what would happen if Archie chose Betty. Either way, we win. Daytripper The Brazilian brothers Gabriel Bá and Fabio Moon craft the wholly unique tale of Brás de Oliva Domingos, a man whose life is explored through his death, which occurs at a different point of his life at the end of every issue.

The iFanboy comic convention whirlwind continues as Ron and Conor find themselves in San Francisco for Wonder Con. WonderCon is one of our most favorite shows and this year did not disappoint! Nate Simpson Who's the darling of the comic book industry right now? Why it's Nate Simpson! With the first issue of his series Nonplayer coming out from Image Comics, everyone has been oohing and aaahing over the stunning art Mr. Simpson has produced. We chat with him about what Nonplayer is about and what his influences are and what we can expect in the future from him Jason Aaron Once we were able to convince Jason Aaron that we were actually the guys from iFanboy, he was happy to talk to us about his big announcement at the show about X-Men: Schism and how it ties into the X-Universe. We also chat up his run on Wolverine and the infinitely entertaining Spider-Man and Wolverine mini-series. This leaves a little time for Conor and Jason to to discuss the minute details of Scalped. Axel Alonso Newly crowned Editor In Chief of Marvel Comics, San Francisco native Axel Alonso checks in with Ron to discuss his vision for the future of Marvel Comics and what he's excited for from the House of Ideas, such as Fear Itself and X-Men: Schism. We also hear about Axel's first editorial retreat and what we can expect coming from Marvel. He also gives a shout out to his favorite Marvel book currently in print... Robert Kirkman Because you demanded it! We go another round with fan favorite, Image Comics partner Robert Kirkman to discuss the surprising success of The Walking Dead on TV, as well as the recent shocking issue of said comic. We aso get a taste of what's to come from Invincible, Super-Dinosaur and The Infinite with Rob Liefeld. And there's a hug. It's the Robert Kirkman show!

Comic book convention season powers on, relentless and unstoppable. If you can't make it to the shows, iFanboy, as always, is there to bring the show to you, interviewing the folks who make the comics we love. This first part of two from Chicago's C2E2 has a great crop of creators from your favorite books.Tony Moore Fresh off the incredible television success of his co-creation, The Walking Dead , Tony's not stopping there. As the artist of the new take on Venom from Marvel Comics and the end of Fear Agent , both with Rick Remender, he's doing some incredible work. Not only that, but Threadless released the zombified t-shirt he designed with great fanfare and success.Jim Zub With the first arc of his Image series, Skullkickers in the bag, Jim, along with his colorist, Misty Coats, talk about what they love so much about this comedy/fantasy/adventure series, and what's coming up in the future.Terry Moore The man doesn't stop. With his second major series, Echo about the wrap up, Terry immediately announces the follow up, Rachel Rising , a sort of super natural horror story. We're assured, however, that Rachel is easy to look at. Plus, Ron gets very excited about distant crossover possibilities.Ryan Stegman Ryan is a rising star in Marvel's art stable, having recently completed the very fun She-Hulks mini-series. Now, with X-23 , the young lady Wolverine, Ryan keeps getting better and better. We also talk about his Hammerific cover for Fear Itself: Deadpool , and how he's gotten better at drawing boobs.Paul Cornell The bearded man behind Action Comics and Knight and Squire talks about those two series, and his upcoming addition of thought balloons to the man of steel's world, and just how the seriousness and levity in Knight and Squire works at the same time. Plus, about that beard? It's for charity !Brian Michael Bendis We have a nice long chat with the main man at Marvel, and boy does he have a lot to talk about. He's had major creator owned success with Powers , Scarlet , and most recently Takio , so he's going to parlay that into a new series with Mark Bagley, Brilliant . That's while the Powers TV series, Ultimate Spider-Man TV series, and his Avengers and Ultimate Spider-Man work takes up his time as well. As expected, he might be taking some time off from conventions just to keep up. -- Get back here next week for part two of our C2E2 coverage. We've got even more of the best in the comic industry, up close and personal.