Garth Ennis's Punisher MAX - Part 3

Phillip and Eric continue their Blue Beetle rewatch/commentary! They talk about Susan Sarandon's leftist politics, the film's love for the history of Blue Beetle, and why the bad guy somehow has a castle.

In this episode, Phillip and Eric are talking the Eisner-nominated DC superhero miniseries Alan Scott: The Green Lantern Tim Sheridan and Cian Tormey. They discuss the character's history originating in the Golden Age then retconned into a gay superhero, the book's depiction of LGBTQ+ people in 1930s America, and how 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS is the gayest movie ever.

Phillip and Eric are talking the modern DC classic, All-Star Superman by the legendary duo of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. They discuss its optimistic and sincere tone, Morrison's portrayal of Superman as an all-powerful but altruistic being, and Eric expresses his dismay over the new Pope not living up to his super expectations.

Phillip and Eric are talking the modern classic DC comic Superman For All Reasons by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. They break down Tim Sale's Norman Rockefeller influences on the art for this story, the focus on a grounded, character-driven Superman series, and Eric makes Phillip explain the appeal of Marvelous Ms. Maisel.

Inspired by watching The Thunderbolts*, Philip and Eric are talking the Marvel Knights limited series The Sentry by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee. They discuss its origin and initial marketing scheme as a "forgotten" creation of Stan Lee, Jae Lee's moody art style, and its deconstruction of then superhero tropes.

Phillip and Eric are exploiting the algorithm this week by talking Star Wars while it's still hot, but not the Star Wars anyone expected. They're going over the obscure comic Dark Empire by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy, set after Return of the Jedi featuring a resurrected Palpatine when it was still original. They talk about its trippy art and color scheme by Cam Kennedy, its lackluster writing and pacing by comparison, and their shared hatred of The Rise of Skywalker and toxic Star Wars fans who hate The Last Jedi.

Phillip and Eric are talking the Dark Horse creator-owned comic series Hellboy by the legendary Mike Mignola! They discuss Mignola's exquisite and distinctive art style, his Jack Kirby influences, the series drawing upon superhero, gothic horror, pulp, and folklore genres, and Phillip tests if Eric can tell the difference between a quote from Wilson Fisk vs mayor Eric Adams.

Phillip and Eric wrap up their breakdown on Garth Ennis's Punisher MAX run, covering the final three arcs. They discuss what is Ennis's definitive statement on what it means to be the Punisher, gush over the "Widowmakers" arc, and Eric asks Phillip to lend him some money to buy a PS5 and Death Stranding 2.

In this episode, Phillip and Eric continue their discussion on Garth Ennis's iconic run on The Punisher MAX. They talk the influence Ennis's readership of war comics on the series, the introduction of Frank Castle's silliest foe to date, and Eric gushes about the Devil May Cry Netflix series.

Phillip and Eric continue their breakdown of Garth Ennis's run on the Marvel MAX series The Punisher. They discuss the darkest arc of its series with Frank Castle going after human traffickers, the introduction of Nick Fury and espionage elements into the story, and why Phillip hates Boston.