Here we are! The finale of season 2. Yet another year has gone by in which we have proved the gypsy wrong!

Our extra-sized season closer (even for this notoriously long-winded show), in what is becoming a weird tradition, ranges far and wide over Marvel's great trade dress reimagining of last fall, Marvel Now. Is it a reboot? Is it a marketing ploy? Why are there two X-Force books that aren't very good? We discuss all this and more. 

Plus that Hickman guy's name may come up once or twice in passing.

Season 2 of the Stack wraps up in typically ridiculous fashion. See you on the other side.

This week we are rather profanely talking about the David Milch HBO Western Deadwood, famous for Al Swearengen and more f-bombs per minute than David Mamet's discarded drafts for Glengarry.

Seriously, folks, the explicit tag on this episode is not meant ironically. Very, very explicit.

But we have a lot of fun talking about a show we really, really love, and that you should too. Unless you're a hooplehead.

To paraphrase the Tenth Doctor: we're sorry. We're so, so sorry.

DON'T PANIC

Sex! And violence! And superheroes! Oh my!

It's THE BOYS by Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, and a host of other artists. And Black Noir. And, gods save us, Team Titanic.

There is something so monumentous in this week's show on the 117 versions of Ridley Scott's sci-fi neo-noir Blade Runner that we dare not spoil it here. 

Here's a fun drinking game, though: every time someone says the word "replicant" or "subtle," take a drink. 

Yes, we will visit you in the hospital.

Before Jonathan Hickman's groundbreaking, earthshaking, heart-stopping run on FANTASTIC FOUR, the cover of the book used to read "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine."

On this episode, we go into great detail about why Hickman's run on this book literally is the greatest comic ever made.

All hope lies in The Stack.

DAH 

DAH

DAH

DUM

DAH!

(repeat, adding hand signals)

This week we are taking a look at TRUTH: RED, WHITE, AND BLACK, a book you may not have read. And if you want to read it that's going to be very hard, because it's out of print. And that sucks, because you should read it. It's incredible. Written by Robert Morales and drawn by Kyle Baker, TRUTH is the story of a second Super Soldier program in World War II that experimented on African-American soldiers, and the repercussions that had in the 1940s and today.

It's an astounding book, and the fact that it's out of print makes your faithful podcast hosts about as angry as you've ever heard them. If you have read it, or you manage to get your hands on it, you will very quickly learn why.

The Stack - yeah, Marvel, we called you a travesty. And we mean it.

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell take us on a harrowing tour of 19th century London and the secret history of Jack the Ripper in FROM HELL, their hulking, tome-like, extensively-cited black and white masterpiece. While FROM HELL may not necessarily be the first comic to have endnotes, it certainly has the best.

Join us as we talk about magical architecture, Victorian pornography, and unsettling Venn diagrams.

The Stack: the saddle point in the curve of history.

Steven Moffat! A Tolkein dwarf! Wedge Antilles!

This episode we are talking about something that incredibly contains all of these things, and isn't that secret Doctor Who fanfic you wrote in high school. It's the BBC miniseries Jekyll, written by Doctor Who and Coupling scribe Steven Moffat, aka your god, and starring James Nesbitt, Gina Bellman and a host of comic actors in a sequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's novel of Victorian repression and genetic damage.

Also we close with a patented Stack-style extended digression on the British television model.

The Stack: some happier podcast's dark side given form.

Ah, yes. KINGDOM COME. Mark Waid and Alex Ross' mid-90s epic on the end of the DC Universe. It's painted! Stuff happens! And... uh... yeah, think we'll stop there.

The Stack: the world's only fully-painted podcast.

So it goes.

What happens when a crazy alien in love with Death (the person) gains ultimate power? He snaps his fingers, kills half the universe, and then spends six issues talking about how weird it is to have ultimate power, and hey, what is ultimate power anyway?

You'd think we're making this up. We're not. This is the driving thrust behind THE INFINITY GAUNTLET by Jim Starlin, George Perez and Ron Lim, the brilliant, trippy, bizarre Marvel mega-event that dared to ask questions about... well, pretty much everything.

Also the Silver Surfer is in it, so that's fun.

The Stack - we also live in the Soul Gem.

Reposted from Facebook, in case someone comes looking here:

Hey, folks. John here with an announcement.

In light of the terrible events in Boston on Monday, and the content of both the film and our discussion about it, we're going to hold off from releasing the Akira episode of the podcast this week. It will come out later in the year, when things are hopefully not as raw as they are right now.

Our thoughts are with the people in Boston; we have at least a couple listeners up there and we hope everyone is safe and sound.

If you want to help, go to http://www.redcross.org/ to give money or find a local blood donation center.

We will be back in two weeks. See you then.

The Professor, The Designer and The Cannibal take us on a journey into one of the best new comics of the 21st century as The Stack dives headfirst into THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY, the brilliant and bonkers creation of a rock star and half a set of twins.

Join us as we talk about the reluctant bonds of family with robots and monkeys, the joy of a perfectly executed comic, and Viggo Mortensen.

The Stack: we're what the world needs saving from.

Not only do you get a whole podcast's worth of content on the brilliant book Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, this week also brings inside it two special, bonus mini-podcasts inserted right into the show! They're great. You'll love them

Join Halandjohnandchris as we talk about period pieces, the importance of irreligiosity, and pretentious paganism.

The Stack - we also lost our flaming sword.

We go to the Loeb/Sale well again this week with our look at SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS, the classic coming of age story about a Kansas farmboy getting away from his small town roots. Also his small town friends, who we determine to be kind of annoying.

Join us as we talk about this four-issue classic in minute detail, about Superman in exceeding generality, and about the dreadful cultural stereotypes of the Claremont X-Men.

The Stack: we're what's wrong with truth, justice and the American way.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, we're back.

And we brought Galaxy Quest with us!

We aso, uhm, talk a lot about Star Trek. But that's cool, right? I mean... you know... the link is there, right?

By Grapthar's Hammer, The Stack has returned.