In our continuing series on the Iron Age Green Lantern, twentysomething ‘90s dude Kyle Rayner gets a new girlfriend (Donna Troy, formerly known as Wonder Girl, currently serving as a Darkstar), goes on a space adventure with his teammates in the Titans, meets Iron Age Flash Wally West and former Corpsman John Stewart, and is tempted to make a deal with the (literal) devil. But his biggest challenges will be confronting Major Force (the man who killed his previous girlfriend) and justifying his stewardship of the Green Lantern legacy when Hal Jordan returns and demands the ring back. And if he survives all that…he just might screw things up with Donna.

Discussed in this episode: Green Lantern #59-70 and Annual #4 (1995), plus crossover issues of Guy Gardner: Warrior, New Titans, Darkstars, and Damage.

Still bummed that Kraven the Hunter’s solo film career failed to launch? We ease the pain with a look at the celebrated 1987 storyline by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck that made the character’s reputation in the first place. “Fearful Symmetry” (later known as “Kraven’s Last Hunt”) is an unusually dark and generally atypical adventure for Aunt May’s favorite nephew, but it speaks to the central appeal of the hero and remains one of the most celebrated Spider-Man stories of all time. We’ll look at the genesis of this story as a Wonder Man pitch, DeMatteis’ love of Russian literature and interest in making Peter Parker’s recent marriage add some emotional heft to the proceedings, and Zeck’s moody and cinematic storytelling. Plus, don’t miss the podcast’s first (and probably last) edition of “Poetry Corner”!

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Beginning an in-depth look at the life and times of Kyle Rayner, a new Green Lantern for a new era! It’s 1994, sales on the Green Lantern comic are down, and with anniversary issue #50 on the horizon, DC is looking to revitalize the title. New writer Ron Marz is brought on board with a mission: replace Silver Age stalwart Hal Jordan with a new character (in a new costume designed by incoming regular penciler Darryl Banks). The introduction of freelance-artist-turned-superhero Kyle led to Green Lantern climbing the charts, but it also courted controversy by turning Hal into a megalomaniacal villain and through a scene that would later inspire Gail Simone to create the website “Women in Refrigerators.”

Discussed in this episode: Green Lantern #48-58 and #0, plus crossover issues of R.E.B.E.L.S. ‘94 and New Titans

When was the last time you actually sat down to watch Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin? Jim had never seen it, and Justin hadn't seen it for years and years. Is it worth a second look? (Or in Jim's case, a first?) In this Patreon-exclusive episode available now, we try to keep a cool head about a movie that provoked a lot of vitriol to have a clear-eyed discussion about what works and what doesn't. Want to hear the rest? Support us at patreon.com/ironageofcomics!

It’s the 50th regular episode of the podcast, and to celebrate, we’re finally doing a deep dive on a comic that helped ushered in the Iron Age and still stands as one of its most enduring accomplishments: Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight (better known in collected form as The Dark Knight Returns), aided and abetted by inker Klaus Janson, colorist Lynn Varley, and letterer John Costanza. But after 39 years of attention from the comics industry and mainstream media alike, is there anything left to say about arguably the most celebrated Batman comic ever published? Rather than try to reduce this landmark comic to a tidy message or thesis about “what it means,” we embrace the glorious messiness of DKR. By examining all the complexities and contradictions of the series, we try to foster an honest and true appreciation of this landmark work.

Thanks to everyone who's listened to us over the past two years and 50 episodes. There's a lot more great stuff to come. You can help us out in our endeavors by pledging support at patreon.com/ironageofcomics

It’s the final lap of our epic look at every issue of this legendary run! With Linda Park erased from history and Wally West merged with the Speed Force (again), a grimmer and grittier speedster takes over Flash duty. We’ll talk about the end of Mark Waid’s (and Brian Augustyn’s) tenure on the title, the transition to the Geoff Johns era, and the awkward batch of issues in between. Plus, we offer our highlights and lowlights of the entire run and reflect on the big picture: what these hundred-plus issues meant to us and to the development of superhero comics as a whole.

Discussed in this episode: The Flash #151-163, plus other stories.

We couldn't have done this without the support of our backers! Help support us at patreon.com/ironageofcomics !

When Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti were handed creative control over some of Marvel’s B- and C-list characters in 1998, they offered the job of writing Black Panther to Christopher Priest…who didn’t want the assignment! But Priest was eventually convinced to take Quesada and Palmiotti’s Coming to America-inspired suggestion to bring T’Challa to Brooklyn and turn it into a radical reinvention of the character, years ahead of its time in merging superheroes with international political intrigue. Much of the basis for the MCU’s mega-popular take on Black Panther and Wakanda begins in this run, but Priest was convinced it wouldn’t work without a white point-of-view character directly inspired by one of TV’s Friends. We look at one of the sharpest, funniest, most daring ongoing series of the Iron Age.

Who is Cobalt Blue? Well, we’ll tell you, but you might not like the answer! In 1997, Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn took a 12-issue vacation from the ongoing Flash series to recharge their batteries. But during this so-called “hiatus,” they were busy collaborating on a number of stories and even a 96-page hybrid prose/graphic novel that would set up their upcoming “Chain Lightning” storyline, billed as “the ultimate Flash epic.” Fans didn’t react well to the shocking retcon that kicked off the story, but we found the resultant time-travel romp to be a bit of an overlooked gem, introducing a thousand years of potentially interesting speedsters to the DC Universe. PLUS! Don’t miss the wedding of Wally West and Linda Park (Take One)!

Discussed in this episode: The Flash #142-150 and #1,000,000, plus The Life Story of The Flash (1997) and other stories.

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