The Comic Source Podcast

Jace welcomes bestselling author William Bernhardt to the show to discuss Superman Wars, his deeply researched exploration of the decades-long battle over Superman ownership and the emotional toll it took on Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The conversation covers creator rights in comics, the contradictions at the center of Superman's legacy, the evolution of DC editorial culture, Jeanette Kahn's impact on the industry, why Superman continues to resonate across generations and how modern audiences still connect to the character as a symbol of hope. They also discuss modern Superman adaptations, the current resurgence of the character, the lasting impact of Siegel's fight for recognition and Bernhardt's upcoming project, The Batman Wars.
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Jace breaks down Amazing Spider-Man / Venom: Death Spiral – Body Count #1, an epilogue issue that reframes Torment through his final moments after Mary Jane/Venom throws him from the rooftop. The issue gives added context to Torment's origin, his youth, his lack of experience, and the possibility that his connection-seeing ability may be hereditary, especially with the final tease involving his younger sister. Jace discusses how the funeral scene complicates Torment's family dynamic, whether the issue turns him from a mysterious horror figure into a more tragic character, and how the added explanation both deepens the villain and strips away some of his mystique. There is also plenty of discussion about the moody art, the psychological horror tone, the unanswered questions about Torment's physical abilities, and whether Body Count was necessary as an epilogue to Death Spiral.

Jace and Rocky break down this week's DC releases including Supergirl #13, where Sophie Campbell's handling of Kara's trauma, Kandor's civil unrest and the Black Flame conflict leads to one of the biggest disagreements of the episode, Barbara Gordon Breakout #1 as the hosts debate Barbara willingly entering prison as part of Batman's larger Vandal Savage plan, Bleeding Hearts #4 with Dennis Camp continuing to humanize Polk while expanding the emotional divide between the zombies and humans through Rabbit and Mush, Emperor Aquaman #17 as Jarro makes a shocking decision involving the Starros that dramatically escalates Aquaman's cosmic status and creates major moral fallout, Action Comics #1098 with Mark Waid blending Silver Age Superboy storytelling and modern sensibilities through Mary Marvel, Booster Gold and Martian Manhunter learning more about Clark's origins, Fury of Firestorm #2 as Ronnie Raymond's darker trauma is contrasted against the classic heart-of-gold characterization that defines the hero, Green Lantern Corps #16 with Morgan Hampton expanding the Manhunters' plans to control the emotional spectrum while Aya, Parallax and the emotional entities become central to a massive cosmic power struggle, Absolute Martian Manhunter #11 as the series heads toward its conclusion with more psychological and reality-bending storytelling, and Absolute Batman #20 with discussion of the printing defects, retailer response, massive number of variant covers and continued teases surrounding Scarecrow and Robin. They also discuss the shutdown of Read Comics Online and the larger conversation surrounding comic piracy and affordability before covering this week's facsimiles, reprints and collected editions, ranking every book from the week and each giving their respective Book of the Week picks.

Derek Kirk Kim and Jacob Perez join Jace to talk about Royals #1-2 from Image Comics. The conversation covers the series' crime noir setup, the telepathic connection between twin brothers Paul and Castor, the poker tension that kicks the story into motion, and how the book quickly escalates beyond its opening premise. Derek and Jacob also discuss how the series came together, Jacob's transition into sequential comics, the visual energy of the book, the Seoul setting, lettering, thought balloons, color choices, the response to issue #1 selling out, the second printing, and why Royals feels so cinematic on the page.
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Jace and Rocky break down the DC books for the week of May 6, 2026, with Absolute Superman #19 delivering massive action as Superman, Steel, Lois, Talia, Ra's al Ghul, and King Shazam collide; Absolute Green Lantern #14 diving deeper into the Absolute spectrum mythology with Jo Mullein and Tomar-Re; Poison Ivy #44 continuing Pamela Isley's dangerous rise as mayor of Gotham while Batman gives her a chance to walk away; Batman #9 setting the next stage of Matt Fraction's run with Barbara Gordon's capture, Vandal Savage's pressure campaign, and the destruction of Wayne Manor; Batgirl #19 wrapping Cassandra Cain's blood-curse arc while expanding DC's martial arts mythology; Batman/Static Beyond #6 closing out its team-up story with Shutdown and the cosmic Cooperative; JSA #19 focusing on the Spectre, Kid Eternity, and the younger generation of the team; Adventures of Superman: Book of El #8 continuing Philip Kennedy Johnson's larger Superman mythology; and Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner #1 revisiting Guy Gardner and the Manhunters. They also briefly touch on DC vs. Sonic the Hedgehog, run through this week's reprints, facsimiles, and collected editions, rank every book, and each host gives a Book of the Week pick.