To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Marvel Knights, we welcome Joe Quesada to tell the origin story of the imprint and contextualize it within Marvel history. One lucky break he got early in his career came full circle with the launch of Marvel Knights. That single opportunity he was given has continued to inform his creative career (and life) ever since.

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John interviews Dean Haspiel pre-Election 2016 about what it is that he's afraid of and the infinite emptiness of the internet, while Moisés talks with Alex de Campi about the glorious darkness of certain fairy tales and the importance of being on a Science Ninja Team.

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As a coda to our creator spotlight on Dan Slott, we look at the just-released Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy #1. There's a spoiler warning at the point where we start spoiling, so don't worry. In the outro, we tease some upcoming guests and episodes.

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• Fracture: photos printed beautifully on glass to make those once-in-a-lifetime memories last you a lifetime. Made in the USA (with international shipping available). Visit fractureme.com/podcast and tell them we sent you to save 10% on your first order.

Dan Slott injects danger and fear for our hero's life wherever he can, and that's why we love his work on Spider-Man. Those choices extends to how he has brought unexpected, sometimes-hated (and then loved), but always interesting changes to the status quo of various characters.

We also hear from the man himself about not only his sensational and spectacular run onAmazing Spider-Man, but also his work on She-Hulk, The Thing, Silver Surfer, Ren & Stimpy, andArkham Asylum: Living Hell.

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• Fracture: photos printed beautifully on glass to make those once-in-a-lifetime memories last you a lifetime. Made in the USA (with international shipping available). Visit fractureme.com/podcast and tell them we sent you to save 10% on your first order.

Special Cameo Appearance by Stan "The Man" Lee! We waited until the second issue ofCaptain America: Steve Rogers came out to talk about the whole "Hail HYDRA" thing. How many people read comics versus read headlines about them? What is and isn't "a gimmick"? Are we on-board?

This is either a "Triple-Sized" One-Shot or a Regular-Sized regular episode (or both!) coveringDC Universe Rebirth #1. There was confusion we were aware of before starting, and all-new, all-different confusion we discover while recording.

We stay spoiler-free until the 37-minute mark.

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• Mack Weldon: use GIANT at checkout to save 20% on modern, superhero-grade underwear and men's basics. Keep them coming back as sponsors and Moisés will do something embarrassing in public wearing their trunks.

Neither of us liked Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. We hadn't spoken to each other about it until we recorded this all-spoiler-filled discussion. Weeks later, neither of us can really tell you what the movie was about or trying to say other than "these characters all suck and need fixing."

Well...now they sure as hell do.

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• Mack Weldon: use GIANT at checkout to save 20% off modern, superhero-grade underwear and men's basics. Keep them coming back as sponsors and Moisés will do something embarrassing in public wearing their trunks.

Southern Cross co-creator Andy Belánger has done Big Two, licensed, and is now a loud-and-proud "creator-owned or GTFO" advocate who is all-in with Image Comics. We discuss his work, fandom, and wrestling. This live episode was recorded at Dallas Fan Days in February 2016.

Special Guest

• Andy Belánger (Comic Book DB bibliography, twitter)
• Get the first volume of Southern Cross for $9.99, co-created by Andy and Becky Cloonan with coloring by Lee Loughridge

Storyteller artist Paul Ryan was more than just a "pencil guy". A consummate draftsman who came to comics work in his mid-30's, Ryan embodied a work ethic seldom seen then or now. The news of his sudden passing this past weekend took everyone by surprise this morning.

The majority of this episode is comprised of a "Modern Marvel Masters" panel we hosted at Dallas Fan Days in October 2015. The panel includes Ryan, his friend and colleagueHoward Mackie, and Val Mayerik. Rather than edit the panel down to only Paul Ryan's anecdotes, it's presented here uncut, uninterrupted, and followed by a few minutes of further appreciation by your hosts. We'd originally planned to run portions of this as two separate episodes, but considering the circumstances of the day, we hope you agree that this is the best tribute we could offer.

Photo credit: Dallas Comic Con Fan Days 2015
From left: Moisés, Howard Mackie, Paul Ryan, Val Mayerik, the side of John's head

Special Guests

• Paul Ryan (Comic Book DB bibliography)
• Howard Mackie (Comic Book DB bibliography, Facebook)
• Val Mayerik (Comic Book DB bibliography, website, Facebook)

Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #125 is one of the best values you can find for a comic from the 1960’s. Spurred by a Nostradamus prophecy discovered under the sea (you read that correctly), Jimmy Olsen collects the tears of four people, including Superman in the hopes of obtaining superpowers.

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Kelly Sue DeConnick has a massive, loyal, and deeply passionate following for a very good reason: she makes comics that mean something to people. In this Creator Spotlight episode, we discuss her body of work, and the distinct humanity of her voice as a writer.

This episode features excerpts from a previously recorded interview with DeConnick. Kelly Sue portrait art by the amazing Christian Ward.

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Captain America gets a lot of Avengers Middle Management Work done! The Red Skull has (consensual) sex with a lady in a hot tub (how does she kiss him?)! Thor (Eric Masterson) is put on probation! Red Skull’s ancestral family house…drips dough!

• Have you rated and reviewed the show in iTunes? Recommended episodes in Overcast? Sent us a feedback email? Promoted the show on social media or supported our sponsors? You could be the Giant Size Fan of the Show of the Month and win a box full of various comics including Captain America #395!
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