Episode 61 - Die For The Government

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Two comics from October 1, 2014. Plus a Second Opinion, featuring questions answered by a different listener each week, with Carl Smith. Carl's Kickstarter for The Horror at Loon Lake is going on now!

On The Couch: artist Annie Wu.

Show Notes:

This week, we’re looking at anti-heroes, but cut from a very specific cloth. Say you are a former sidekick. You used to pal around with a pretty serious hero-type. Captain America, say. Or Batman. Strong moral integrity, clear cut sense of right and wrong. Willing to go to extremes to help the little guy. So what happens when you stop being a sidekick? When you get to decide the hero you want to be, instead of standing in the shadows of another. What traits would you emulate? How much of your former role model would you use to define yourself? We’re looking at two books this week whose characters are definitely not sidekicks, and haven’t been for awhile. These men have broken away from their former identities, though those experiences still inform the kind of hero they are today. The assassin. And the spy.

Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier #1 11:00

This is the assassin. You knew that. He's hanging out with Daisy Johnson. You may have known that. She is not his sidekick. Now you know that. And he's definitely not a traditional hero.

Grayson #3 22:15

This is the spy. Did you know that? He used to be Batman's sidekick. You probably knew that. He may still be. Does he know that? He's not a traditional hero, either.

The Couch - Annie Wu 32:47

Most of you will know Annie as the artist behind Kate Bishop’s adventures in Los Angeles in Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye. She also co-created the new Batgirl in Batman Beyond with writer Scott Peterson. Annie is a storyboard artist for The Venture Brothers on Adult Swim, and straight up one of the funniest people on the internet.