The Runners run out the clock on the year, the Reckless books, and the Ed Brubaker miniseries with our senses-shattering coverage of the final two volumes of Reckless! With Ethan out of town, Anna investigates the eerie goings on at her childhood idol's Hollywood home. But Ethan isn't cooling his heels - his own adventure starts as a favour to a fr…

Ho, ho, ho, happy week between Christmas and New Years! It's a double feature this week as the Runners wrap up their Ed Brubaker miniseries with the Reckless series of graphic novels. Private investigator/repo man/wrecking ball (but mostly private investigator) Ethan Reckless and his trusty sidekick Anna trip their way through 70s and 80s Los Angel…

Brubaker and Phillips issue the ultimate "Would You Rather" with their moral thought experiment/pulpy crime thriller Kill or Be Killed, and the Runners are ready to play! (For us, it's going to be "Kill".) Depressed graduate student Dylan's life goes from bad to worse when he finds himself locked to a contract with a demon requiring him to kill one…

Famous people really are just like us – colluding with the FBI to ensure our sordid pasts never come to light! We’re digging up some graves this week in Brubaker and Phillips’ Hollynoir murder mystery, The Fade Out. Troubled screenwriter Charles Parish is relieved to have gotten away clean after waking up next to the body of his latest picture’s le…

What if your mild-mannered podcast had a spy episode?!? We’re giving Phillips a week off as we continue our Brubaker miniseries with his super-spy collaboration with superstar artist Steve Epting: Velvet! Velvet Templeton’s life as a secretary in an international espionage agency is upended when she’s framed for murder, forcing her to draw on long-…

The Runners close the skin-bound book on Fatale this week as our Brubaker miniseries marches on! In the 1990s, Josephine’s missing memories wreak havoc on a Seattle band, setting events in emotion that prove pivotal as she tries to break her curse once and for all in the 2010s. Topics of discussion include the search for a feminist reading of the b…

Spooktober continues here on GTR as we present an especially unhinged GTR: Nights edition on Brubaker & Phillips' noir horror, Fatale! Cursed with irresistible beauty and ageless immortality, Josephine leaves a trail of broken men behind her as she seeks to escape the elder gods who desire her and their worshippers in a century of struggle. Topics …

Tales of thrilling suspense and derring-do! The Runners are diving into the noir-tinged pulp world of Brubaker and Phillips' Incognito this week. His brother's death finds one-time science-villain Zack Overkill turning State's witness, surrendering his superpowers to enter witness protection after betraying his boss... until their unexpected return…

If crime does not pay, podcasting must be the greatest crime of all! Join the Runners as they commit a capital offense against ears and taste by diving into the most recent Criminal stories by Brubaker and Phillips. Archie, Conan, Shang-Chi, and the entire comics industry are all lovingly pastiched before we learn the sordid history of the murder o…

Head on down to the Undertow and pull up a stool, true believer! The Runners are casing Brubaker's classic crime comic with Sean Phillips: Criminal! Leo Patterson, Tracey Lawless, Jacob Kurtz, Gnarly Brown: their lives are very different, but they all lead to the same place: years of enmeshment with a life of crime, and those who are lucky enough t…

Brace your ears for the Whisper of Ten Thousand Delights! The Runners are flashing their fanciest moves for the second Brubaker/Fraction collaboration to feature on the podcast, the groundbreaking Immortal Iron Fist. Danny Rand's latest adventure unwittingly surfaces his predecessor as Iron Fist, Orson Randall, and exposes him to a history and lega…

The Runners take a trip to Hand Central Station! It’s another Daredevil extravaganza as we move through the second half of Brubaker’s celebrated stint on the Man Without Fear this week. Once he deals with Mr. Fear and the fallout of his attack on all Matt Murdock holds dear, Daredevil must contend with still more threats both in the courtroom and o…

It’s time for the Pod Without Fear to log some billable hours with Marvel’s favourite hornhead! The first half of Brubaker’s Daredevil run is on the docket this week. Matt Murdock is behind bars… but who put him there, and why? The search for the answers to these questions will take him from Cell Block D to Monaco and Spain, not to mention his belo…

We're the best at what we do, and what we do is podcasting! The Runners conclude Ed Brubaker's work on the X-Men franchise by discussing his final issues of Uncanny X-Men, including the Messiah Complex crossover and some final Matt Fraction 'co-written' issues that Ed may or may not have actually written a word of. Topics of discussion include frus…

To me, my Runners! Your favourite Merry Mutants are in the spotlight for this week’s Got the Runs (and we talk about the X-Men, too!) as we launch a brand new miniseries on the latter works of Ed Brubaker. Startling revelations about the X-Men’s history prompt Professor X and a few of his faithful students to turn to the stars as they set out on a …

Your favourite yuck-bloods are headed back the scenic coast and creeping dread of Hobtown, N.S.! Join us at the elite Knotty Pines school for some development and enrichment. Amateur Detective Club members Pauline and Brennan are sent to a winter camp for high achievers at Knotty Pines, but it soon becomes clear something is terribly wrong at the s…

It's the comic book sequel to the beloved video game spin-off the beloved comic book! The Runners are getting bit by the Clementine bug as they wrap up their Tillie Walden miniseries. Clementine is trying to find a way to be happy in a world lost to a zombie apocalypse - and thinks she may have found it when she joins her new friend Amos on a trip …

Grab the ambient discordant cover of your favourite road trip album and join the Runners in the depths of weird America as we dive into Tillie Walden's Are You Listening? Runaway teenager Bea and directionless twenty-something Lou are drawn together by a quest to reunite a lost cat with its family and bound together by the hurts and hopes they expl…

In space, no one can hear you... discover yourself and find the family you never you needed?? The Runners are taking on Tillie Walden's science fantasy epic/intimate romantic drama On A Sunbeam this week. During her years at a ritzy boarding school, Mia finds young love with mysterious loner Grace, but loses the opportunity to say goodbye when she'…

The Runners are lacing them up to skate into Tillie Walden's name-making work, Spinning! Resident ice skating expert and sister of the pod Bethany is on hand to help navigate Walden's memoir of her adolescent years as seen through the lens of her time as a competitive figure skater. Topics of discussion include the difference between figure skating…

The Runners are breaking off a fresh miniseries! Join them at the start of indie sensation Tillie Walden's career with a sampling of her earliest work. In The End of Summer, sickly Lars and his royal family must endure the mental and emotional strain of weathering a three year long winter. In I Love This Part, two girls learn about love and heartbr…

It's time for another between-series breather! The Runners take a break by relaxing in scenic Nova Scotia with the first volume of Hobtown Mystery Stories, The Case of the Missing Men. The members of the Hobtown Junior Detective Club are accustomed to solving petty crimes and minor mysteries, but when people start going missing and the town is stru…

Who listens to the listen people? The Runners are putting the capstone on their Darwyn Cooke miniseries with his entries to DC Comics' embattled Before Watchmen line, Minutemen and Silk Spectre. The sparkly veneer of Golden Age superheroics is pulled back with Minutemen's meditation of the cost of doing good. Then, Silk Spectre takes on the San Fra…

The Runners are set up a string to take on the back half of Cooke's adaptations of the mean-talking, hard-hitting Parker novels. Despite his misgivings, Parker is drawn in by a plan for 12 men to rob an entire town in one night. Then, after a job goes sour, Parker finds himself trapped in a shut-down amusement park with only one way out: straight t…

When Darwyn Cooke realized his dream of adapting Richard Stark's Parker novels into comics, the Runners podcasted about it. We move on to Cooke's loving translations of these crime classics to the graphic medium with the first two of his four adaptations, The Hunter and The Outfit. When professional thief Parker is double-crossed by his wife and pa…

Let not your ears deceive you, dear listener - this is NOT a Snotgirl episode! The Runners are pushing through sickness to bring you Darwyn Cooke's take on Will Eisner's classic proto-superhero, The Spirit! Denny Colt came back from the dead as the Spirit and must now confront an old foe who has returned as something much darker – while taking time…

The Runners are kicking it old school, going back to the days of space exploration, Cold War, and looming nuclear apocalypse with Cooke's signature work, DC: The New Frontier! Cooke reimagines DC's classic Silver Age debuting in the historical moments that aligned with their first appearances on the page and rallying together to oppose a sinister t…

The Runners launch a brand new miniseries this week as they roll up their sleeves to check off another Canadian icon the list: Darwyn Cooke! First on the docket are two of Cooke's early graphic novels in the Batman and Batman-adjacent world with a moody character study and a sleek heist thriller. Topics of discussion include Cooke's unorthodox path…

No need to search for the podcast that loves you like Lottie loves Caroline - you're already reading the description of one of its episodes! And what better way to prove our love than by closing down our Bryan Lee O'Malley miniseries with his first ongoing title, Snotgirl with Leslie Hung. Fashion blogger and influencer Lottie Person's seemingly pe…

The Runners are on to O'Malley's post-Pilgrim follow-up, the original graphic novel Seconds! Chef/nervous wreck Katie thinks she's found the solution to all of her problems and existential crises when a spirit gifts her a magic mushroom that allows her undo past mistakes. Topics of discussion include O'Malley's use of the nega-self motif, the freed…

The Runners close the book on Scott Pilgrim with... a movie?! We tackle the cult classic film adaptation of the cult classic comic book series following Scott's quest to defeat Ramona's seven evil exes. Topics of discussion the film's potential alternate endings, actors who seem Canadian, and Bryan Lee O'Malley's role in the adaptation. Plus: how T…

The Runners polish off O'Malley's forever-iconic opus with the last two volumes of Scott Pilgrim! Our Hero(tm) confronts his greatest enemies: Self-Absorption! Self-Loathing! A pretty popular music-producer-cum-club-promoter! Topics of discussion include the series' coalescing themes, underwritten exes, and the Runners sharing memories of their fir…

The Runners continue their Pilgrimage with the middle two volumes of O'Malley's signature work, Scott Pilgrim! Scott and Ramona's relationship continues to prevail against the odds. Live shows, excruciating recordings, old friends, new jobs, hot summers, chilly dispositions, and of course, evil exes - these books have it all! Topics of discussion i…

The Runners are on to perhaps the best-known comic covered to date, the cultural phenomenon Scott Pilgrim! 20-something Scott Pilgrim's life has peaked when he starts dating beautiful American Ramona Flowers - provided he can defeat her 7 Evil Exes who have sworn to destroy him. Topics of discussion include Scott Pilgrim's subversive critique of ma…

The Runners dive into hometown hero Bryan Lee O'Malley with his debut graphic novel, Lost At Sea! 18-year-old Raleigh believes she has no soul. Will a road trip with three kids she barely knows and a freshly broken heart convince her differently? Topics of discussion include O'Malley's road into comics, the oft-cited influence of manga on his style…

Ring the Bonus Bell, it's time for a bonus ep! With David on the sidelines, Chris goes movie mode with returning guest Emilio Diaz and his cohost Cullen Atchley from the Cannes I Kick It podcast! The Honorary Runners close out the discussion of Marjane Satrapi with a discussion on her 2019 film Radioactive, adapted from Lauren Redniss's graphic nov…

The Runners are capping off their Marjane Satrapi miniseries with a combination discussion of her final comics work and sophomore film, Chicken With Plums! This is consistent! It makes sense! When Nasser Ali's prized tar/violin is broken and he is unable to find its equal, he resolves to die and spends the next 8 days reflecting on his family, love…

Got The Runs? More like Got The Reels! The Runners take their first ever leap to the silver screen to discuss Marjane Satrapi's directorial debut and adaptation of her graphic novel, Persepolis. Topics of discussion include the merits of Tubi, the artistic and narrative difficulties of adapting Persepolis as a film, and a troubling amount of Family…

"To speak behind others' backs is the ventilator of the heart." And so, in that grand tradition, the Runners continue speaking behind Marjane Satrapi's back with her second comics work, Embroideries! Embroideries sees Marji sitting down with family and close friends to exchange stories and share wisdom over warm cups of tea. Topics of discussion in…

Buckle up and hunker down for a new miniseries! The Runners are talking French-Iranian cartoonist and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi, and friend of the show Erik Stiller joins them to discuss Satrapi's seminal work, Persepolis! Topics of discussion include the thorny nature of Iran's political history, the state of the graphic memoir, and Erik's procliv…

The Runners take a breather between miniseries to get into Weird Archie mainstay (and childhood favourite) Jughead's Time Police! Riverdale's loveable layabout is conscripted into the Time Police to protect the fabric of time and space with Marshall January McAndrews. Topics of discussion include the essential elements of Jughead's character, the g…

The Runners conclude their Brian K. Vaughan miniseries with the final issues of BKV and Cliff Chiang's Paper Girls! Topics of discussion include the more portentious aspects of the Vaughnian Portentious Dream, the Runners' lingering unanswered questions, and Flowers in the Attic vs. Flowers for Algernon. Plus: the Runners' definitive BKV rankings a…

2020s got you down? Take a trip back to the halcyon days of, uh, 11,706 BCE with the Runners as our BKV miniseries marches onward through Paper Girls! Topics of discussion include Apple, the books surprising plotiness, and the Beanematic Winkerverse. Covering Paper Girls #11-20 by Brian K. Vaughan (W), Cliff Chiang (A), Matt Wilson (C), and Jared K…

The beginning of the end! The Runners are looser than ever as they enter the home stretch of BKV's bibliography with his and Cliff Chiang's '80s throwback, Paper Girls #1-10. Topics of discussion include colourist appreciation, plot versus character, and the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.Covering Paper Girls #1-10 by Brian K. Vaughan (W), Cliff …

Yes he can! Emilio Diaz of Cannes I Kick It is on the call to join the Runners in breaking down Brian K. Vaughan's detective turn with Marcos Martin, The Private Eye. Plus, his burning questions about "So what is this podcast?" - answered! Topics of discussion include the Private Eye in a post-Snowden World, Panel Syndicate and the pay-what-you-can…

The Runners cap off their journey into BKV and Fiona Staples’ era-defining indie darling, Saga, with issues 37-54. Contentious takes abound, reader surveys are answered, and Ghus is fawned over. Topics of discussion include the balance between shock and emotion in character deaths, DC’s handling of the Watchmen characters, and an instantly outdated…

The Runners unpack the second chunk of issues from Vaughan and Staples' mega-hit series. Topics of discussion include the hits and misses of Vaughan's comedic stylings, wrestling with how to do representation well, and the fine art of translating Gungan. Covering Saga #19-36 by Brian K. Vaughan (W), Fiona Staples (A), and Fonografiks (L/D). We talk…

The Runners are turning their gaze toward THE defining comic of the 2010s, BKV and Fiona Staples' imitable Saga! Join us for a very special After Dark(tm) episode as we cover the first third (so far) of one of the most popular comics ever. Topics of discussion include BKV's worldbuilding, Staples' non-traditional artistic approach, and Fard. Coveri…

The Runners' final episode on Ex Machina is here! Will their conclusion be as divisive as the book's? Listen and learn! Topics of discussion include the delicate art of the villainous turn, the dichotomous nature of the "To Hell With Hitler" guy, and Mitchell Hundred's closest real-world analogue. Covering Ex Machina #35-50 and Ex Machina Special #…

The Runners' dive into Ex Machina continues with the middle stretch of Vaughan and Harris' political opus! Topics of discussion include the narrative and thematic function of sexualized nudity, logistical questions about a certain kink, and yawning gaps in Chris' movie viewing.Covering Ex Machina #17-34, Ex Machina Special #1-2, and Ex Machina: Ins…