THIS IS THE WAY!

There's a new a Star Wars movie out now so of course Bill Z and Steve take a break from comic books to bring back our good friends podcast veteran Craig Lantz and The Reel Gay Movie's Mike Lovins to discuss The Mandalorian and Grogu!! The movie was directed by Jon Favreau, who co-wrote the film with Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor. Based on the Disney+ television series The Mandalorian, the film finds Pedro Pascal returning to star as Din Djarin/The Mandalorian alongside Jeremy Allen White, Jonny Coyne, Martin Scorsese, and Sigourney Weaver. Set after the fall of the Galactic Empire and the end of the Manadalorian series, Djarin and his apprentice Grogu are enlisted by the New Republic as bounty hunters to track down former Imperials. A new mission involving the rescue of Jabba the Hut's son does not go as planned and we find Mando and Grogu trying to set things right. So hit play to hear Bill, Steve, Craig and Mike talk about this latest tale set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away!!

Writer/Artist Steve Bryant has appeared on our podcast more times than any other guest, and we are thrilled to bring him back for another appearance! This time around Steve returns to discuss his best known work, Athena Voltaire! Athena is a globetrotting aviatrix who takes on Nazis, secret societies, mythical beasts, and unspeakable occult creatures in the 1930s! Launched online in 2001, the series has earned an Eisner Award nomination, a Russ Manning Award nomination, and three Harvey Award nominations. Athena's exploits have previously been published by Speakeasy Comics, Ape Entertainment, Dark Horse Comics, and Action Lab Entertainment. Athena Voltaire is now 100% back in Steve's hands and he has an active Kickstarter campaign to fund Athena Voltaire:The Complete Adventures Volume 1! This collection will compile and remaster the Athena stories The Brotherhood of Shamballa, The Feathered Serpent, The Isle of the Dead, The Vampire Queen, and The Immortal Power in a 256-page deluxe oversized (7.5" x 11") hardcover. Steve gives us the lowdown on all things Athena and links to the Kickstarter and to Steve's website are on our social media accounts and below!

But there's more to this episode! Steve, Caleb and Bill Z also chat about other books in the back half! Absolute Green Arrow #1 (DC), Action Comics #1097 (also DC), Nate Powell's graphic novel Fall Through (Abrams ComicsArts) and Sina Grace's remarkably touching Life On Paws are talked about during our roundtable! So hit play and, like Ms. Voltaire, let us help you fly away for a bit!

It's the end of another month and that means we have new Comic Book Bears Podcast audio episodes for you to enjoy! Earlier in the month it was the 24th annual Free Comic Book Day (and the first-ever Comics Giveaway Day - don't worry, we explain the distinction) and CBB boys Bill Z and Steve give a rundown of the free books that were available from retailers. After that it's onto this episode's funnybook round-up with a great bunch of recent first issues up for discussion - Zatanna (DC Comics), the long delayed (like, 37 years) Swamp Thing 89 (DC Black Label). Murder Hobo (Midnight Factory) and Nectar (Vault Comics)! Hit that play button and we will provide for you one hour and forty-five minutes of hairy heavy homo comic book chatter!

In a rare quick turnaround from livestream to audio episode (less than 24 hours), the Comic Book Bears boys are back with their latest! Steve, Caleb and Billy Z don the symbolic black armbands sadly on this episode as we eulogize legendary comic writer Gerry Conway who lost his battle with cancer this week. We talk about his career and one of his earliest comics (Daredevil #77 from 1971) and then discuss very recent issues of The Fury of Firestorm and Justice League Unlimited - two franchises Gerry had long associations with. We then delve into some other recent books including The Thing on the Doorstep (Image), No Saints Nor Poets (Tightrope) and once again harken back to 1960s Marvel with the facsimile edition of Silver Surfer #1. All this plus Steve's recent experience attending the Screams By Night: Halfway to Halloween convention in South Dakota, our recent Geek Gets and our Woofs of the Week (along with some unplanned South Park and Cure imitations along the way!)

We have two episodes coming to you in audio form from our April livestream and here is the first!! Billy Z, Steve and Caleb got together in the middle of the month to discuss new books and it was an even split: half DC and half Indie! First from the house of Superman and Batman, we have the Mad About DC one shot, where some of the biggest names in comics take on DC characters and concepts a la Mad Magazine! We also talk about Batwoman #1, the new series feauring Kate Kane written by her co-creator Greg Rucka with art by DaNi! Rounding out the trio of DC books, we have a book about a trio: Detective Comics #1107 by Tom Taylor and Pete Woods which is the start of an arc teaming up Batman, Green Arrow and Black Canary! Then we switch over to the independent side - first with Red Book #1 from Dark Horse, a companion series to Blue Book by James Tynion IV and Michael Avon Oeming crafted by the same creative team examining UFO sightings throughout history in Russia and China! We then shift our sights onto Defenders of the Earth, a reboot of the 80s cartoon and toy line which brings together the most famous King Features heroes - Flash Gordon, Mandrake, Lothar and The Phantom courtesy of Dan DiDio and James Calafiore. And lastly from new publisher Ignition Comics we chat about the first issue of Dennis Hopeless and Brahm Revel's Just Brutal, a kinetic yet chaotic blend of sorcery and family dynamics!! This is a loaded two-hour melting pot of a funny book fondue so hit play and enjoy!

Recorded on a rare Sunday night outing for the Comic Book Bears, this latest audio episode finds CBB boys Steve, Caleb and Billy Z reconvening on the sabbath to talk about some great comics! These include Superman/Spider-Man (the latest DC/Marvel crossover), the 2026 Absolute Wonder Woman Annual (detailing Diana's adventure with Athena and Medusa), The Death of the Silver Surfer (a speculative final tale of Marvel's soaring, spacebound hero), Black Moon Ritual (Ytasha Womack and Alitha Martinez Afrofuturist sci-fi tale from AWA Studios), A Star Called the Sun (another sci-book, this one consisting of interconnected stories by Simon Roy), and The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #1 (the latest title from the relaunched Vertigo Comics) - all this and lots more! So, no matter what day of the week it is, hit play and let us hairy heavy homos take it away!!

On this latest Comic Book Bears audio episode, recorded this past March 12th (hence the episode title), we return with another set of six recent books to delve into! Hit play to hear Bill Z, Steve and Caleb weigh in on this sextet of slick papered spectaculars! We talk about D'Orc #1, the Image book that has become an out of the gate hit with readers and speculators alike! We discuss C.O.R.T.: Children of the Round Table, the Tom Taylor helmed reinterpretation of Arthurian legends from DC. We opine on Bleeding Hearts #1, Deniz Camp's new zombie series from the resurrected Vertigo line. We examine The Crown: A Tale of Hell #1, the latest addition to the world of Hellboy from Mike Mignola and Dark Horse! We deliberate on the horror themed It Killed Everyone But Me #1, published by Mad Cave! And lastly we chatter about the wild ride that is Spirit of the Shadows from Oni Press! All this plus our usual regimen of tangents, geek gets and woofs!!

With good parts of the US having had to deal with more snow, the Comic Book Bears are back with you to present their latest storm of funnybook talk! Bill Z, Steve and Caleb bring out the books from the top of their stacks and, after some news chat including the impending return to the Australian Outback for the X-Men and Paramount's bid for Warner Brothers, there are some great books we have on this episode's docket! End of Life, the first of the new series of titles from DC's revived Vertigo imprint! DC K.O.'s The Kids Are All Fight one-shot special which previews the latest Titans relaunch! The sci-fi/horror blend of Malevolent by Justin Jordan and John Bivens from Image Comics! Dan Houser and David Lapham's crime series American Caper from Dark Horse! Tortured Hearts, the latest anthology from the relaunched EC Comics! The Jason Aaron-helmed adaptation of the early-80's animated TV series Thundarr The Barbarian from Dynamtie Entertainment! So hit play to enjoy two hours of four-color ice-thawing commentary!