Mother Box: A New Gods Podcast: Recent Episodes
Matt Lune and Paul Lai
Explore the New Gods, Mister Miracle, the Forever People, and more! Matt and Paul read and discuss the comic book works of comics master Jack Kirby under the banner of the Fourth World from DC Comics.
This episode, Matt and Paul talk about Mister Miracle by Jack Kirby issues 4 and 5 and the Mister Miracle (2017) series by Tom King and Mitch Gerads. Check out the podcast at the showpages at http://www.multiversitycomics.com/tag/mother-box/
On this episode, Matt and Paul deep dive into the fascinating lecture that celebrates Kirby's life and contextualizes his work within both the historical landscape and his career in the comics industry. The 2017 lecture from Palm Springs Comicon is a multimedia presentation by Illustrator and comic book historian Arlen Schumer (The Silver Age of Comic Book Art), and you can watch the whole thing on YouTube right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwHBkpXnEhA ! Thanks again to number one fan of the show Jaems Murphy for pointing us towards this awesome lecture!
Also on the show, Matt and Paul discuss The treatment of Kirby at both Marvel and DC; understanding the context of the Fourth World; the many faces of Orion; the many genres of New Gods; the cosmetic benefits of a Mother Box; the arrival of Sonny Sumo; the uncomfortable racial stereotypes of comics from this era and much, much more.
Mother Box: Episode 4! Big Barda, Happyland, and the Ballad of Goody Rickles!
Full show notes at our home at Multiversity: http://www.multiversitycomics.com/tag/mother-box/
On the show this time, Paul manages to pull an interesting discussion from the concept of Goody Rickles, Matt compares Intergang to Homer Simpson, and Big Barda has no time to suffer your neuroses! Discussed this episode: The sliding timeline of superhero comics, and how contemporaneous references can add a date to the seemingly timeless; How Happyland highlights the world we see versus the terrifying reality that lurks under the surface; how a scene in "New Gods" #4 is a microcosm for the series as a whole; and the progressive (relatively) introduction of an important new female character!
Paul and Matt also talk about: DC's handling of its "legacy," Pervy Darkseid, the overwhelming imagination of Jack Kirby, Orion vs O'Ryan, Metron's existential crisis, Darkseid's "Santa Claus" moment, Kirby's scathing commentary on the media and its powerful role in our everyday lives, and just who the heck is Goody Rickles anyway?!
Stay tuned to the end of the show when Paul and Matt discuss the future format of the show! A massive thanks also to Jaems Murphy for his awesome feedback and suggestions for further viewing/reading.
Join us in two weeks for the opening blasts of the next exciting episode of Mother Box!
"Forever People" #3! "New Gods" #3! "Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen" #137! "Mister Miracle" #3! Join Matt @MattLune and Paul @TwoPlai as they dive deep into Jack Kirby's New Gods, walking through some masterpieces of Fourth World lore and adventure.
Full show notes at our home at Multiversity:
http://www.multiversitycomics.com/tag/mother-box/
To subscribe, add this URL to your favorite podcatcher app: http://paulflai.com/feed/podcast/motherbox
Mattron (Matt Lune) and Lai-ray (Paul Lai) march on through the second issues of Jack Kirby's Fourth World series,"Forever People" #2, "New Gods" #2, "Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen" #136, and "Mister Miracle" #2. Join Matt @MattLune and Paul @TwoPlai as they dive deep into Kirby's creative masterwork.
Full show notes at our home at Multiversity:
http://www.multiversitycomics.com/tag/mother-box/
Issues info: (all Vince Colletta inks in interiors)
“Forever People” #2, April-May 1971, “Super War!”
“New Gods” #2, April-May 1971, “O’ Deadly Darkseid!”
“Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen” #137, April-May 1971, “The Four-Armed Terror”
“Mister Miracle” #2, May-June 1971, “X-Pit!”
To subscribe, add this URL to your favorite podcatcher app: http://paulflai.com/feed/podcast/motherbox
Across the vast distances – where the mysteries deepen, and hide, and wait with answers not yet known – a call has been heard – a name summoned for the Ultimate Mission – to thwart the Ultimate Destruction! Thus they come – the protectors – the wielders of the Astro-Force – Matt and Paul of the Mother Box Podcast!
[audio: http://episodes.castos.com/podsforliteracy/Mother-Box-03-the-Fourth-World-Expands-and-Darkseids-Tendrils.mp3]
Other topics for discussion include the parodic nature of "Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen," the burgeoning generation gap in 1970's society, the examination of the target audience of "Forever People" and how that's exploited through advertising, Kirby's experimentation with photo collages, how both Margaret Attwood and Jack Kirby exploit matriarchal tropes to present convincingly disturbing villains, and much, much more!
Matt and Paul also discuss at length the masterful skill in which Kirby draws the reader down the page, an example of which can be found near the end of "New Gods" #2:
[image width=600]http://multiversitystatic.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2018/07/IMG_0404-2.jpg[/image]
Join us in two weeks where we’ll be discussing the third issues of “Forever People,” “New Gods,” and “Mister Miracle,” and “Jimmy Olsen” #138! Don’t miss the opening blasts of the next exciting episode of Mother Box!
The first issues of Jack Kirby's Fourth World series, "New Gods" #1, "Mister Miracle" #1, and "Forever People" #1, along with "Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen" #136. Join Matt @MattLune and Paul @TwoPlai as they dive deep into Kirby's creative masterwork.
Full show notes at our home at Multiversity:
http://www.multiversitycomics.com/podcasts/mother-box-episode-1/
Issues info: (all Vince Colletta inks in interiors)
“Forever People” #1, February 1971, “In Search of a Dream.”
“New Gods” #1, February 1971, “Orion Fights for Earth!”
“Mister Miracle” #1, March 1971, “Murder Missile Trap”
“Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen” #136, March 1971, cover art by Neal Adams
To subscribe, add this URL to your favorite podcatcher app: http://paulflai.com/feed/podcast/motherbox
Get ready to expand your mind as Matt @MattLune and Paul @TwoPlai start their dive into Jack Kirby’s Fourth World!
Matt and Paul launch “Mother Box: A New Gods by Jack Kirby Podcast” project, a read-through of the “Fourth World Omnibus” by Jack Kirby. Together, Matt and Paul aim to learn about the New Gods universe, characters, and stories in anticipation of the planned “New Gods” movie directed by Ava Duvernay. They will read through and discuss Kirby’s New Gods work issue by issue. And they’ll invite on experts and other readers to inform them along the way.
Part One:
This episode is a pilot, of sorts, for “Mother Box,” as well as a briefing about Jack Kirby, the New Gods, and what we hope to do with the project.
Some primer articles you might check out:
Multiversity’s Jonathan O’Neal’s piece DC’s 101 Nerdist Primer IGN rundown Chris Sims at Comics Alliance A blogger’s explainer piece Recent Kirby write-up in the Independent The Vulture’s Reisman longform Another blogger’s take, what’s wrong with New Gods (it’s Superman) LA Times “Reading Irresponsibly with Jack Kirby” piece
Part Two:
We continue with a closer reading of the first issues of the “Fourth World Omnibus,” the first three issues of Jack Kirby’s work at DC on “Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen.
Whether you’re a new fan or an avid fan, if you want to read the Fourth World Saga along with us, on this, the second part of our pilot episode, we’ll be discussing the issues where it all began, “Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen” #133-135. Matt also mentions the Jack Kirby penned introduction from #133, which you can find below!