A listener asked us some time ago if we’d consider reading some Moon Knight; instead, we read a lot of Moon Knight. We used Moon Knight Epic Collection Volume 3: Butcher’s Moon to take a broad survey of a Bronze Age character’s transition to the Iron Age. In these pages, the multiple-personalities angle of the character is de-emphasized, and multiple creative teams try to crack the character of Marc Spector in their absence. The Fist of Khonshu goes from a silver-suited urban vigilante to a supernatural avenger decked out with gold accessories, then back to a gritty and grounded international action hero (this time, with an unwanted sidekick). We’ll compare these very different iterations of the character, ask ourselves why Chuck Dixon and Sal Velluto’s take was more popular than Alan Zelenitz and Chris Warner’s, and try to figure out whether all these phases of the Moon Knight have a common denominator.

Discussed in this episode: Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #1-6, Marc Spector: Moon Knight #1-7, plus Marvel Team-Up #144, Marvel Fanfare #30 and #38, and Solo Avengers #3

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Hey, remember when they used to make official comics adaptations of major motion pictures? Hellboy auteur Mike Mignola drew one for the 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula! We look at this unusual gem from Topps Comics and weigh in on how the subject matter plays to Mignola's strengths and how it functions as an adaptation of the film. Plus, history and context for the novel that started it all.

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Ghost Rider was something of an also-ran character in the 70s and 80s, so when editor-turned-writer Howard Mackie was invited to pitch a revival in 1990, Marvel didn’t have high hopes. But, with a brand new human host created by Mackie and a gritty and powerful redesign by artist Javier Saltares, the Spirit of Vengeance soon became a massive commercial success. We figured the first Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch - Vengeance Reborn Epic Collection would be seasonally appropriate reading for Halloween, but there’s very little of the supernatural in these pages (except for the flaming-skull-headed biker himself). Instead, mysteries layered on top of mysteries are the order of the day, so your hosts will try to untangle what it all means (and whether it matters). We’ll also uncover Mackie’s personal connection to Danny Ketch’s neighborhood and debate how to pronounce "Zarathos"!

Discussed in this episode: Ghost Rider #1-12, Doctor Strange #28, and selected material from Marvel Comics Presents #64-71

Justin and Jim spent all their money on leather jackets covered in spikes and chains, so they don’t have any money left over to buy comics! Help them out at patreon.com/ironageofcomics

The Halloween season is upon us again, so we’re revisiting our favorite horror hero, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy, in the next batch of adventures following his debut in ”Seed of Destruction.”

We open with four short stories. In “The Wolves of St. August,” Hellboy investigates a town torn apart by werewolves and an ancient curse. Next, “The Corpse” and “The Iron Shoes” both detail conflicts with the fae folk of Ireland. Finally, we investigate the origins of Hellboy himself in “The Chained Coffin.”

Then it’s onto the main attraction: “Wake the Devil,” the second Hellboy epic, which entangles the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense in a conspiracy involving a billionaire industrialist, the return of Rasputin and his Nazi cronies, a Romanian vampire, and lots more mythological monsters.

Becoming a supporter of the Iron Age at patreon.com/ironageofcomics may not ward off evil spirits like actual iron, but it probably couldn’t hurt. (Supporters will also get access to more Mignola goodness in a bonus episode later this month.)

Following the triumph of Marvels and from the ashes of a proposed sequel that fell apart, Kurt Busiek launched Astro City with Brent Anderson on interior art and Marvels collaborator Alex Ross on covers and character designs. On the series’ 30th anniversary, we look at the complicated development of the series and its first six stories. We also ask some conceptual questions. Should Astro City be considered part of the larger superhero deconstructionist movement of the Iron Age, or something else entirely? Are the series’ familiar-but-different superheroes “analogues” or “archetypes”? Is there such a thing as including too many Easter eggs? And what’s the difference between “superheroes in the real world” and Astro City?

Discussed in this episode: the first volume of Kurt Busiek’s Astro City #1-6, published by Image Comics (as originally reprinted in the Life in the Big City trade paperback and other subsequent collected editions)

The municipality of Astro City is probably supported with robust and progressive property taxes, but our podcast relies on listener support at patreon.com/ironageofcomics

SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR CONCLUDES! Where were you when the lights went out? Your hosts were reading DC’s 1996 crossover, The Final Night, in which the Earth’s sun is blotted out, robbing Superman of his powers. A somewhat somber alternative to the traditionally bombastic action-packed crossover, writer Karl Kesel with artists Stuart Immomen with Jose Marzan, Jr. craft a crossover without a main villain (except for the ones trying to help out), focusing instead on how superheroes cope with what looks like the end of the world. This issue also features the final fate of Hal Jordan/Parallax, giving Ron Marz the opportunity to send off the character he so radically upended (and putting a nice neat bow on all our recent Green Lantern coverage).

Discussed in this episode: The Final Night #1-4, plus Parallax: Emerald Night.

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SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR CONTINUES! We’ve discussed tie-ins to DC’s 1994 continuity-altering crossover Zero Hour on a couple occasions so far, but now we finally tackle the main series itself. Billed as “The Beginning of Tomorrow!” and a fresh entry point for new and lapsed readers alike, writer-artist Dan Jurgens pits DC’s heroes against Extant and Parallax for the fate of the universe…and the good guys don’t quite stop them in time! The result is a new timeline (reflected in a literal printed timeline of events included in the last issue), a hard reboot for the Legion of Super-Heroes (the first of many, unfortunately), and some questionable changes to Batman’s history (which have since been overturned). We also do a real nerdy deep-dive on DC continuity and the lingering effects of 1986’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, and Justin finally lets Jim explain what the deal with Monarch was.

Discussed in this episode: Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #0-4 (well, actually #4-0…)

Bonus episodes and a newsletter at patreon.com/ironageofcomics

SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR CONTINUES! Comic book annuals are a remnant of the newsstand distribution era, when Marvel and DC tried to get some extra-sized product on the rack for the summer. With the advent of the direct market, annuals lost a bit of their luster, so Marvel began using them as a vehicle for linewide crossovers. “Atlantis Attacks” from 1989 sprawled across 14 annuals, contriving a way for the Silver Surfer, the Punisher, and three non-consecutive Spider-Man annuals to somehow participate in the same story as the Avengers and Fantastic Four. While Atlantis does indeed attack the surface world (eventually), the main focus of this story is actually the Deviant villain Ghaur, seeking to bring Set the Elder God to Earth. We also take a snapshot of the Marvel Universe circa 1989, learn the history of the Serpent Crown (it involves, canonically and inextricably, Conan the Barbarian) and celebrate Namor the Sub-Mariner’s 50th anniversary (largely by sidelining him from the story).

Discussed in this episode: Silver Surfer Annual #2, Iron Man Annual #10, X-Men Annual #13, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #23, Punisher Annual #2, Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #9, Daredevil Annual #4 (...or is it #5?), Avengers Annual #18, New Mutants Annual #5, X-Factor Annual #4, Web of Spider-Man Annual #5, Avengers West Coast Annual #4, Thor Annual #14, Fantastic Four Annual #22, plus New Mutants #76 and selected material from Marvel Comics Presents #26 and Avengers West Coast #56.Support the show at patreon.com/ironageofcomics