The Cape and the Cowl 2 – X-Men Death, DC “0” issues, Secret War and more

Death of Xavier in Avengers vs X-MenJames and Olivia return to the world of comics in the second edition of The Cape and the CowlWith the much-publicised death in Avengers vs X-Men, we stop to ask – wait, you mean Xavier was still around?! We also consider DC’s 0 Issues, look back at Marvel’s Secret War in Hazy Recollection, and make our recommendations for the best of indie comics right now…

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(Please note that this was recorded mid-September, but hasn’t been released until now because we were busy with Doctor Who and other stuff – sorry! Future episodes will be more current, we promise!)

The Cape and The Cowl, Issue 1 – new comics podcast!

Welcome to The Cape and the Cowl! In the new Comic Book Podcast, James and Olivia round-up how Superman kissing Wonder Woman damages female characters, discuss Rob Liefeld vs. Scott Snyder, review Kelly Sue DeConnick’s new Captain Marvel series, rundown the comics you should pick up this week, and try to remember what happened in Civil War.

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Let us know what you think – are you an avid comics reader, and if so, what titles are you into? Or are you new to the world of comics, but interested in finding out more? James and Olivia will be back soon with another Cape and Cowl, so get in touch with your feedback, comments and questions!

Five Comics You Should Read

It’s all fun and games until someone calls the Homicide Crabs

As the nation goes Dark Knight crazy once again, regular columnist Olivia Cottrell offers up some tantalising alternatives for those of you looking for more than just men in tights…

So, you like comic books, do you? Or maybe you’ve seen the big Marvel movies, or the Nolan Batman, and you want to get into the genre proper but don’t know where to start. Well, here are my top five comic books of all time: each one perfectly acceptable as a series on its own, but each, I hope, a great example of what the medium can offer in superheroes and beyond. There’s dinosaurs, cowboys, explosions and crime, serious comics and comics that will make you laugh your head off. They also probably say far more about me and my tastes than I intended.

Well, never mind. Onwards!
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‘American Vampire’ review

If you’re reading ‘American Vampire’ then chances are you’re only doing so because of the draw of one man’s name – Stephen King. A straight vampire project by Snyder alone would have been unlikely to pick up many readers, but by pairing him with a celebrated (and established) horror writer and a fantastic artist, Vertigo have hit on a winner.

Approaching ‘American Vampire’, King’s first direct foray into comics, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

King is a difficult writer to pin down; his early work is some of the best written ‘pulp horror’ around, his habit of writing scary stories is often parodied but his ear for language and his ability to write convincing characters and dialogue is unmatched in the field. If there has been a drop off in quality recently it is more noticeable in his longer novels than the ever reliable short stories he seems to excel at. Much can be chalked up to the accident he suffered a few years ago which impacted so heavily on his writing, the direct effects most clearly seen in the derailing of the Dark Tower series into a self-pleasing anti-climax.

And yet, I love him. I buy anything he releases. So I went in with high hopes but low expectations.

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