Join married couple Brad and Lisa as they explore the various dynamics of comic book relationships throughout pop culture and publishing history.
Episodes
Sunday Mar 03, 2019
Sunday Mar 03, 2019
The magical day has finally arrived for Bruce Wayne & Selina Kyle - they are to be joined in wedded bliss by writer Tom King and every artist under the DC Umbrella. Everyone is coming out for this big event! Are Batman & Catwoman meant to be together forever, or are these two creatures of the night destined for spinsterhood?
On our final episode discussing the relationship between The Bat & The Cat, Brad & Lisa will answer that question using "He's Just Not That Into You" as their relationship guide. Ah, and neither guru is of the same mind on this one. We're sorry to say goodbye to Gotham City, but this has been one of our favorite couples on the series so far. Lots to unpack with these two, folks.
Saturday Feb 23, 2019
Saturday Feb 23, 2019
"Mr. Unknown is Dead!" Bruce Wayne & Selina Kyle travel to Japan to recruit the pulp adventurer Mr. Unknown into the new "Batman Incorporated" crimefighting organization. Unfortunately, the devilish Lord Death Man has already struck and killed the hero. What will happen to Wayne's global security task force now!?!?
This week, Brad & Lisa continue to use "He's Just Not That Into You" to discuss the overt flirtations of Catwoman and how Batman wants none of it. Grant Morrison has big plans for Bat-continuity, but with master cheesecake illustrator Yanick Paquette on pencil duties, the sensational Scottish scribe simply wants to have fun with these slinky, sexy characters. And the more tentacles to fend off the better!
Sunday Feb 17, 2019
Sunday Feb 17, 2019
"Batman was never funny!" So says Frank Miller. Sorry, Adam West. This week, Brad & Lisa excavate one of the most celebrated comic books in pop culture history - "Batman: Year One," written by Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, and colored by Richmond Lewis. Here we see the first encounter between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle in and out of the costumes, and running parallel to their romance is the deteriorating marriage of Detective Jim Gordon and Barbara Gordon.
As they did last week, Brad & Lisa use Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo's "He's Just Not That Into You" as their relationship guide. Golly gee, are there a whole mess of folks who are not "into" each other in this classic comic. Run, Barbara, run.
Saturday Feb 09, 2019
Saturday Feb 09, 2019
February feels like the perfect month to root around in one of the most twisted and dysfunctional relationships in comics - Bruce Wayne & Selina Kyle a.k.a. Batman & Catwoman. We love seeing them together, and we hate seeing them together. To kick this month's relationship series off, we're diving deep into a "not-so-classic" issue of "The Brave and The Bold" - #197, in which the Batman & Catwoman of Earth-2 battle the terrifying formula of The Scarecrow and find love in the process. In all honesty, we loved this single issue!
To aid in our conversation surrounding Bruce & Selina, Brad & Lisa are using the bestselling relationship book "He's Just Not That Into You" by Greg Behrendt & Liz Tuccillo. After several months of questionable guides, we may have found a few tolerable gurus to lead us through the dark alleys of Gotham City.
Sunday Feb 03, 2019
Sunday Feb 03, 2019
This week Brad & Lisa are reporting to you live from Park City, Utah as they attend the Sundance Film Festival 2019. While this is not their usual comic book relationship talk, they did find a few films that CBCC listeners will definitely want to put on their radar. Without going into spoilers, Brad & Lisa discuss the Australian horror comedy "Little Monsters" as well as the beautifully melancholic "The Last Black Man in San Fransisco." What exactly makes these films necessary watches for comic book readers? Tune in and find out.
Also, Brad & Lisa may have found the perfect relationship guru as they discuss the documentary "Ask Dr. Ruth." Finally, a self-help guide that doesn't skeeze them out in the slightest. What a relief.
Next week, Brad & Lisa will fully return to the world of comic books as they launch their series on Batman & Catwoman. Stay tuned, true believers.
Saturday Jan 26, 2019
Saturday Jan 26, 2019
We close out our first month of the year with "Saga Vol. 4," which might represent a split between Marko & Alana, but certainly not the end. We look into how this volume deviates significantly from the vibe previously established by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples in the first three arcs, and how the time-jump between the last issue and the first issue of this storyline radically expands the possibilities of the series. There are several banger confrontations in this week's book, and it drags us into some tough conversations. Will Lisa want to keep pressing with these characters after reaching such an emotionally catastrophic moment that climaxes this particular story?
Let us not forget about "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus." Yikes. We're still struggling to bring that relationship metaphor into the worlds of Marko & Alana, and we may be more than a little happy to say goodbye to Mr. John Gray. Finally, we reveal at the end of the episode who our next Comic Book Couple will be, and we think they will bring out the animal in all of us.
Friday Jan 18, 2019
Friday Jan 18, 2019
What's that old cliche? Never meet your heroes. Well, in the pivotal third volume of "Saga" from Image Comics, Marko & Alana flee to Quietus in an effort to encounter the brilliant mind that birthed the novel that originally bonded their hearts. D. Oswald Heist is everything and nothing like his dust jacket promised. This brief and bizarre relationship will not only steer their lives, but that of their daughter, their stowaway companions, and their nefarious pursuers.
Our third episode on the romantic struggle of Marko & Alana may very well be our most personal discussion yet. Hosts Brad & Lisa open up about their own disagreements and their most epic battles they've waged in their first ten years of marriage. And yes, they are still struggling to adopt the words of John Gray and the awkward metaphors of "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus." More importantly, though, they are finding great empathy in the science-fiction adventures of Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples and are excited to continue their venture into one of today's most popular comics.
Friday Jan 11, 2019
Friday Jan 11, 2019
"Please. Keep reading." Indeed. In the second volume of Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples' "Saga" we finally learn how our lovebirds first met, and the source of their bonding. While Marko & Alana bicker in the face of a surprise visit from the in-laws, our trusty narrator also reveals all the raunchy secrets no child should know about their parents' coupling. Also, we can't forget that Marko's Ex is hot on their trail along with Prince Robot IV, The Will, and Lying Cat.
Brad & Lisa are still determined to apply the awkward teachings of "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" to the proceedings, but their struggle is real. What primary emotional needs do Marko & Alana crave? Should we care? Also, Brad has a cold and he's a big baby. "FARD!"
Saturday Jan 05, 2019
Saturday Jan 05, 2019
"This is how an idea becomes real..." For the last seven years, "Saga" by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples has held the attention of all comic book fans with discernible tastes. This sweeping science-fiction fantasy romance is an epic that truly lives up to its many labels. Marko & Alana are two soldiers from opposite sides of a galactic war who get lost in each other's eyes and a beautiful baby girl is the result. "Saga" Vol. 1 is brutal, witty, profane, romantic as hell, and it's only just beginning.
Brad & Lisa are launching the new year with a 4-week long discussion on everyone's favorite sci-fi Romeo & Juliette. To assist in their conversation, they will apply John Gray's infamous "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" to analyze Marko & Alana's differing approaches to sudden conflict, child rearing in the apocalypse, and love in the time of intergalactic chaos. "It was heaven. For a while anyway..."
Saturday Dec 29, 2018
Saturday Dec 29, 2018
"Is he a master of spectacular trickery -- or is he something more? -- You will have to decide when you confront the strangest, most incredible hero to ever appear in comics!" Brad & Lisa close out 2018 with a special bonus episode focusing on one of the year's best comic books - Mister Miracle by Tom King and Mitch Gerads. This limited series was the talk of the town this past year, and for good reason.
We meet heroes Scott Free and Big Barda at a crossroads in their lives, and we cry and cheer with them as they wage war against the powers of New Genesis and Apokolips. King and Gerads use one of the most underrated power couples in comics to tell a deeply personal story that is less about continuity and meta commentary (although there is plenty of that to be found here) and more about the everyday battles we wage to find ourselves in the eyes of our partners. Darkseid is...