Graphic Novel Explorers Club

Episode 94Greetings, Explorers! It’s the final episode of our sixth season! We’re closing it out with She-Hulk: Law and Disorder. Marvel published the book in 2014. Charles Soule wrote the story, with art by Javier Pulido and Ron Wimberly. Colors by Munsta Vicente, Rico Renzi, and Ron Wimberly. Lettering by VC’s Clayton Cowles.She-Hulk: Law and Disorder finds Jennifer Walters, otherwise known as She-Hulk, starting her own law firm. Her first case involves representing a widow of a villain who claims Tony Stark stole her dead husband’s invention. Next, she helps Doctor Doom’s son seek refugee status in the U.S. However, Doctor Doom isn’t too happy and will go to great lengths to stop them both. Finally, She-Hulk finds herself and several other superheroes and supervillains as a defendants in a lawsuit. The odd thing is, none of them remembers even meeting the plaintive or the incident mentioned in the case.Johnny and Dennis (Aubrey was training in the Danger Room when we recorded) kicks things off by diving into the contrasting, but beautiful, art of Javier Pulido and Ron Wimberly. Next, they ponder if the character design of Princess Fiona had any influence on this version of She-Hulk. Finally, they look at just how you get promotions if you’re the minion of a supervillain. Additional topics include Daredevil not caring about his secret identity; being revived by monkey vomit; and not pulling the lawyer card. Last of all, but not certainly not least, they look at the storytelling and art of She-Hulk: Law and Disorder.

Episode 93Greetings, Explorers! In this episode we return to the criminal world of Richard Stark’s Parker, with The Outfit. IDW published the book in 2010. The late, great Dawryn Cooke adapted and illustrated this book along with three other of the Parker novels. We reviewed the first of his adaptations, The Hunter, in Episode 11. There’s also a Catwoman story in Batman: Ego & Other Tails possibly inspired by the Parker character. We looked at that book in Episode 67.The Outfit picks up shortly after The Hunter ended, then skips ahead a year later to 1963. Parker got the money owed to him from The Outfit, the criminal organization he went toe-to-toe with in The Hunter. Parker decides to relax in Miami after a getting a new identity and a surgical operation to change his face. Unfortunately, he’s ratted out to The Outfit by one of the few people who knows his real identity. Now The Outfit is hot on his trail. However, what they don’t realize is that while they’re hunting him, he’s looking to take the organization out, from the top down.Dennis, Johnny, and Aubrey dive in by comparing the loads of misogyny and civilian deaths in The Hunter and the lack of either (or a reduction of) in The Outfit. Next, they compare Parker to The Getaway‘s Doc and Roland from The Dark Tower series. Finally, they question if Parker is in any way a “hero”, even an anti-hero. Additional topics include “conveniently good” vs “accidentally OK”; F-M-K Parker; and rather or not readers should skip The Hunter and go straight to this book. Last of all, but not certainly not least, they look at the storytelling and art of Richard Stark’s Parker – The Outfit.

Episode 92Greetings, Explorers! Yeah, see. We’re takin’ a look at The Good Asian, Vol 1. Image Comics published the comic in 2021. Yeah, see. Pornsak Pichetshote wrote the story with art by Alexandre Tefenkgi. Additional contributions as follows, ya mug: color by Lee Loughridge and lettering & design by Jeff Powell. Historical consultation by Grant Din.Set in 1936, Eddy Hark is a Chinese-American cop. Actually, he’s the first Chinese-American cop in the country. Eddy returns to San Francisco at the request of the wealthy Carroway family. He’s in town investigating the disappearance of a young woman employed by the family. The Carroways and Eddy Hark have a difficult relationship. His mother was their servant and they took him in after she was murdered. Eddy’s disliked by his fellow police and not trusted by the Asian-American community he serves. But no one hates Eddy as much he does for being a pawn in America’s anti-Chinese policies of the early 20th Century.Aubrey, Dennis, and Johnny begin things by looking back at their histories with noir and mystery novels. Next, they learn about Chang Apana, the real-life inspiration for Eddy (and Charlie Chan). Finally, they delve into the author’s mix of real-world events like the Chinese Exclusion Act in The Good Asian. Additional topics include Eddy’s self-loathing; the language of the times the book takes place in; noir tropes; and if America will ever stop “othering” people. Last of all, but not certainly not least, they look at the storytelling and art of The Good Asian.