Recorded on Jack Kirby’s 107th birthday, this Comic Talk episode dips into all kinds of topics including: our first exposure to Kirby’s artwork, changing opinions as we age on artists, what parents thought of our comic collecting, listener feedback, Overstreet’s Top Ten Comics of the Golden Age, CGS Year 6 Trivia, an obscure Superman factoid, remembering Drunk Cap and a bunch more! (1:25:30)

X-Men have risen From the Ashes! It’s a new beginning for the X-Universe of titles and the Speakers of Geek give their Off the Rack reviews on a number of first issues: X-Men by MacKay and Stegman, Uncanny X-Men by Simone and Marquez, NYX by Kelly, Lanzing and Mortarino, and Phoenix by Phillips and Miracolo with quick comments on X-Force by Thorne and To and X-Factor by Russell and Quinn. Which books rose to the top, how will readers react to the new directions and where do we go from here? Listen in to find out! (57:47)

Previews! TerrifiCon! Comics and Conventions! Before we jump into this month’s Previews for books shipping in October, Pants and Shane recount their Tales from TerrifiCon: meeting creators, actors, buying art and comics, listener shoutouts and more! We then jump into comic coming attractions including DC’s All In and Absolute books, the return of Origins of Marvel Comics, a new Batman novel, offerings from Shawn Pryor, Dave Dwonch, Katie Cook and Charlie Kirchoff, new titles from Image, Ghost Machine, Oni and more! (1:13:17)

DC’s big summer event continues as the Speakers of Geek discuss issue 2 of Absolute Power by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Alejandro Sanchez, Ariana Maher and company. The depowered heroes battle one of their own in the Fortress of Solitude when amid the chaos, there comes... costumes! Also, Nightwing takes charge, Dreamer makes a big move, and Green Arrow has a plan. We touch briefly on a few tie-ins and offer up speculations on how this may all connect to DC All In and Absolute DC. (35:04)

“What is in your Comic Book D.N.A.?” continues! Bryan and Shane are back from vacation and it’s their turn to reveal those titles and characters that have informed their love of comics. We also discuss Bryan’s Pennsic adventures, some recent purchases for Shane, Batman: Caped Crusader thoughts and more. It’s a true “Get to Know Us” episode with some surprises along the way. (1:24:02)

For newer and longtime listeners, this Comic Talk episode covers a number of “Get to Know Us” (or “Get to Know Us Again”) topics including: catching up on Pants’ TV watching, DC cartoons we grew up on as well as initial thoughts on Batman: Caped Crusader, comics retailing, CGC vs Original Art collecting, listener feedback and more! We also kick off a main discussion of “What is in your Comic Book D.N.A.?”: those comics or runs that define us as comic book readers and collectors! (1:17:48)

Thoughts and reactions to the news, announcements, surprises and awards from this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Topics include a new Justice League by Waid and Mora, more cartoon comics from Dynamite, a slew of new Marvel titles, Joe Quesada’s new imprint, the Eisners, and so much more. Plus! Where were you when the sound of Doom was heard around the world? (1:08:47)

The end of Star Wars: The Acolyte has arrived! Listen in to hear our discussion on the final two episodes as we cover the secrets, the revelations, the surprise appearances, the fight choreography, listener feedback and more. Plus, speculations and hopes for the future of the Thrawn era of Star Wars, including recasting, as the franchise builds and expands. (59:05)