Since his debut as the world’s first superhero in 1938’s Action Comics #1 – the Last Son of Krypton has had a number of incarnations, evolving through the decades as a reflection of the times he lived in, but one thing will never change – the Man of Tomorrow is here to stay! With James Gunn’s new “Superman” movie hitting theaters this summer (2025), we figured it would be a good time to do a deep dive into (nearly) every version of Superman… so far!
“Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. And now, it’s here. Or should I say… I am.” – Thanos
Chris, Erik, and Zack (Podcasters Assemble, Effin Cultured, and The Neat Cast) assemble once again to *finally* finish off The Infinity Saga!
MCU Phase 3 Movies (part two):
Be sure to listen to our previous MCU episodes as well:
(Episode edited by Chris Carroll)
“Flame On!” – Johnny Storm, the Human Torch
After dreading it for years, Chris and Erik are finally tackling their deep-seated trauma, and reviewing ALL 4 “Fantastic Four” movies!? (Spoilers: they’re all garbage, despite the comics being so good…) As well as some speculation on what the MCU may end up doing with the FF in Phase 5 or 6…
Movies Discussed:
Also on this episode:
(Episode edited by Chris Carroll and Erik Slader)
Check out our Essential Reads for the FF and more at our blog – ComicZombie.net!
“Time has a pattern that it can’t help reliving. Different people, different worlds, drawn to each other like magnets.” – Barry Allen
*SPOILERS AHEAD!*
On the latest episode, Erik and his wife, Meg, do a back-to-back multi-versal comic book movie double feature, and review both “The Flash” *and* “Across the Spider-verse”!
Note: We also give our “brief” (lol) thoughts on: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3”, “Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods”, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”, the *first* “Into the Spider-verse”, initial thoughts on the “Blue Beetle” trailer, and our review of the new Stan Lee documentary on Disney Plus!
(Episode edited by Erik Slader)
On our latest podcast episode (Issue #30) we gave some recommendations for THE HULK!
Chris’s Pick: THE IMMORTAL HULK by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett
On our latest podcast episode (Issue #26) we gave some recommendations for the FF!
Erik’s Pick: “FANTASTIC FOUR: 1234” by Grant Morrison and Jae Lee (Marvel Knights)
Chris’s Pick(s): “Fantastic Four: Unthinkable” by Mark Waid, Mike Wieringo, and Casey Jones *AND* “Fantastic Four: Authoritative Action” by Mark Waid, Howard Porter, and Mike Wieringo!
Back on Issue #10 of the podcast (Ranking the Spider-man movies!), we featured a couple of our all time favorite Spidey comics!
On our previous podcast episode (Issue #14), we featured the Mighty Thor on our latest Essential Reads segment…
Continued from Part 2: The Silver Age
THE BRONZE AGE (1970 to 1985)
— “I am fire and life incarnate! Now and forever — I am PHOENIX!!!” – Jean Grey (Dark Phoenix)
This is considered to be the start of the ‘Dark Age’ of Comics, and with good reason, which continued into the late 90’s (the Copper Age). Some very dark twists to many popular characters backstories were first established during this time such as: (Retro Spoiler Alert!) the Green Goblin killing Spider-man’s girlfriend (Gwen Stacy, not MJ), the demise of Jason Todd (the second Robin) at the hands of the Joker, Elektra’s murder by Bullseye, etc… (BULLSEYE was introduced in Daredevil #131 – 1976, and ELEKTRA in #168 – 1981)
Often disputed between comic fans / historians, this Bronze Era is typically said to have occurred sometime between 1970 and 1985 give or take a couple years. This was a time when comic books became more socially conscious and began featuring real-world issues. Comic books were no longer just an escape from reality, but a mirror of it. This is when the legends behind the most acclaimed adult-themed comics started to creep onto the scene. Writers and artists like Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Jim Lee, George Perez, Joe Quesada, and countless others who are still relevant today, most of whom are still actively in the comic industry today!
The Bronze Age was when there was a resurgence in interest for super heroes in general. Following the cheesy campy spoof that was the Batman 60’s TV series was the first serious, live action, depiction of a comic book, on the silver screen with Superman: The Movie in the late 70’s, and in the 80’s there was the Wonder Woman show and the Incredible Hulk became a Smash Hit! (pun-intended)
Continued from Part 1: The Golden Age!
THE SILVER AGE (1956 – 1970)
— “With great power comes great responsibility!” – Ben Parker (Spider-man comics)
This period from around 1956 to 1970 was a huge shift in the world of comic books. Prior to this comics were in decline, mainly because of the Comics Code Authority banning all the awesome shit that was actually selling, because they were afraid it was going to create a generation of delinquents, you know like rap music and video games! Thanks to douchebag of the century, Fredric Wertham, many comic books and pulp magazines were burned in massive bonfires around the country.
So the Silver Age is considered the point at which comics were rejuvenated after a lame stint of pure camp in the Atomic Age of the 50’s. It was the beginning of many a Marvel hero and was marked by a much more sci-fi focus than ever before. This was also notably the introduction of some of the industry’s best talent to date, both artists and writers, including Neal Adams, Denny O Neal, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita Sr., and of course Stan Lee. Comics of this era are seen as an extension of the Atomic Age, and are often heavily influenced by B-rated Science Fiction films of the time where flying saucers, and giant radioactive monsters ran amok across the silver screen. One of the earliest instances of this was with the devious BRAINIAC first invading Action Comics in issue 242 (1958). Much like the Children of the Atom (the X-Men), Comics began to evolve.
Comic Zombie 