Why Did You Make Me Read this?
41 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 4 years ago -A weekly comic podcast about some awesome comics from your host Jay Van Veen and a wide variety of his fantastic friends.
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Episodes
Probably The End
August 10, 2020 04:00 - 19 minutes - 13.2 MBWell friends, it's been a good run. I always wanted to do a comic book podcast and I did it. I'm proud of the show. I had a lot of fun with it. With some new events on the horizon, I decided it was time to leave the show behind and focus my efforts and concentration towards some different endeavors. Maybe I'll come back to this some day. Maybe not. Thanks so much for listening. It means the world to me. Take care of yourselves. Take care of others. Read some comics.
Probably The End
August 10, 2020 04:00 - 19 minutes - 13.2 MBWell friends, it's been a good run. I always wanted to do a comic book podcast and I did it. I'm proud of the show. I had a lot of fun with it. With some new events on the horizon, I decided it was time to leave the show behind and focus my efforts and concentration towards some different endeavors. Maybe I'll come back to this some day. Maybe not. Thanks so much for listening. It means the world to me. Take care of yourselves. Take care of others. Read some comics.
100 Bullets: Samurai
August 03, 2020 05:00 - 24 minutes - 17 MBIn this episode, we slice off a sliver of the complex interweaving crime comic opus that is 100 Bullets. One of my favorite comics of all time, this collection deviates from the main narrative to tell some stranger tales. We go through prison politics, the dangers of a makeshift backyard zoo, a massive junkie with a murderous streak, and so much more as Risso and Azzarello once again spin a one of a kind sequential art yarn. It's not the clearest cut comic in terms of conveying the bulk of...
100 Bullets: Samurai
August 03, 2020 05:00 - 24 minutes - 17 MBIn this episode, we slice off a sliver of the complex interweaving crime comic opus that is 100 Bullets. One of my favorite comics of all time, this collection deviates from the main narrative to tell some stranger tales. We go through prison politics, the dangers of a makeshift backyard zoo, a massive junkie with a murderous streak, and so much more as Risso and Azzarello once again spin a one of a kind sequential art yarn. It's not the clearest cut comic in terms of conveying the bulk of...
Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days - Pt. 2 (the interview)
July 27, 2020 05:00 - 35 minutes - 24.6 MBToday I'm Joined by creative renaissance man and all around good dude, Geoff Haney. We dive into details of the first Ex Machina trade paperback and discuss favorite moments and characters, personal politics, ethics behind controversially content, and a ton of other wild stuff. Geoff's Instagram: gyhaneybomm Remember to check out part 1 of the Ex Machina episodes for more comic coverage!
Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days: Pt. 1 (the breakdown)
July 20, 2020 05:00 - 22 minutes - 15.1 MBIn this episode we enter a comic book version of America and follow the life of newly elected New York mayor Mitchell Hundred as he tries to keep control of the bustling metropolis. The comic jumps through temporal points as the Mayor works his way through getting super powers, takes up the mantel of probably misguided vigilante, meets the various characters the populate his present day, and makes the decision to leave the superhero costume behind for the slick suit of a big city politician....
Wolverine # 34. The Hunter in Darkness
July 13, 2020 05:00 - 21 minutes - 14.6 MBAt the risk of using my platform here to wax nostalgic on my yesteryears, I'm running down one of the very first comics I ever remember reading. In my defense, the shit holds up. This episode we follow Wolverine in a single issue where he traverses the great white outback of Canada and teams up with some Mounties while tracking down a murderer and finding something much, much worse lurking deep within the woods. Here we find vintage Wolverine, trying to figure out his past and ready for an...
Wolverine # 34. The Hunter in Darkness
July 13, 2020 05:00 - 21 minutes - 14.6 MBAt the risk of using my platform here to wax nostalgic on my yesteryears, I'm running down one of the very first comics I ever remember reading. In my defense, the shit holds up. This episode we follow Wolverine in a single issue where he traverses the great white outback of Canada and teams up with some Mounties while tracking down a murderer and finding something much, much worse lurking deep within the woods. Here we find vintage Wolverine, trying to figure out his past and ready for an...
New Avengers: The Trust
July 06, 2020 05:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MBIn this episode we get to jump into the mix of an unrelenting series as we attempt to take on some of that good ol' Marvel madness in Brian Michael Bendis' New Avengers. The action never ceases as we ride through plane crashes, demonic gangsters, Wolverine getting shot right in the dick, hostel large scale symbiote takeovers, shower scenes, alien invasion induced paranoia, Luke Cage being a cool dude, and more D-list villains than you can shake a stick out. Join me as I try to condense the...
New Avengers: The Trust
July 06, 2020 05:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MBIn this episode we get to jump into the mix of an unrelenting series as we attempt to take on some of that good ol' Marvel madness in Brian Michael Bendis' New Avengers. The action never ceases as we ride through plane crashes, demonic gangsters, Wolverine getting shot right in the dick, hostel large scale symbiote takeovers, shower scenes, alien invasion induced paranoia, Luke Cage being a cool dude, and more D-list villains than you can shake a stick out. Join me as I try to condense the...
Moonshine: Vol. one Pt. 2 (the interview)
June 29, 2020 05:00 - 30 minutes - 21.2 MBThis episode is a further examination of Moonshine as Malissa Moore helps me unpack the plot, try to understand character motivations, and pinpoint just who the hell is actually a werewolf in this Horror/noir graphic novel. We go on to discuss depictions of historical racism, why some men are just plain stupid when it comes to women, the comic's own problematic imagery, and more as Malissa discusses her first experience reading a comic book. Remember to check out part 1 of the Moonshine...
Moonshine: Vol. one Pt. 1 (the breakdown)
June 22, 2020 07:00 - 23 minutes - 16.2 MBThis week's episode drags us down into deep southern woods and nightly blackouts as a New York city mobster with a heavy drinking problem makes his way into the Virginia countryside. This here's a prohibition era horror-noir story where mobsters, werewolves, bootleggers, and nightmares collide as our drunken narrator leads us down a debaucherous tale of doom and double crossing. A yarn that keeps you guessing as it unravels itself with anxiety and bloodshed, Moonshine is an original tale o...
Criminal: Wrong Time, Wrong Place
June 15, 2020 05:00 - 24 minutes - 16.8 MBIn this episode I dive into but a small corner of the Criminal world. A series that rotates through a vast cast of interconnected crooks, lowlives, thugs, mobsters, and dirty cops over decades. This story focuses in on Teeg Lawless. Perhaps one of the worst of them. We follow Teeg as he fights for his life behind bars where he finds he has a hit put out on him. Then we go for a ride with him and his young son Tracy as they mix things up in a small town during one of Teeg's crime sprees. Cr...
Criminal: Wrong Time, Wrong Place
June 15, 2020 05:00 - 24 minutes - 16.8 MBIn this episode I dive into but a small corner of the Criminal world. A series that rotates through a vast cast of interconnected crooks, lowlives, thugs, mobsters, and dirty cops over decades. This story focuses in on Teeg Lawless. Perhaps one of the worst of them. We follow Teeg as he fights for his life behind bars where he finds he has a hit put out on him. Then we go for a ride with him and his young son Tracy as they mix things up in a small town during one of Teeg's crime sprees. Cr...
John Constantine, Hellblazer: Highwater
June 08, 2020 05:00 - 32 minutes - 22.3 MBThe English enigma that is John Constantine has had a lot of different creative teams at his comic's helm over the years. A divisive run written by an American happens to be both my personal introduction to the "blue-collar warlock" as well as one of my favorite runs. Bringing his tour through the backwaters of American to an end, Constantine finds himself up against white supremacists, an eccentric billionaire, kinky sex club participants, and the ghost of the man whose death brought abou...
Hawkeye: Rio Bravo Pt. 2 (the interview)
June 01, 2020 05:00 - 34 minutes - 24.1 MBToday's episode is a deeper dive into the Hawkeye: Rio Brave trade paperback as Sam Guikema-Bode joins me in unpacking the beautiful comic book. We discuss color schemes, humor highlights, character interactions, just what it is that makes this comic so damn good, and much more. Sam is a wonderful guy and a great guest. I had a lot of fun talking to him about some comic books. Check the show out and if you haven't listen to part 1 yet, go listen to that as well!
Hawkeye: Rio Bravo Pt. 1 (the breakdown)
May 25, 2020 05:00 - 22 minutes - 15.7 MBWhat do you get when you take an Avenger and pull him away from the fancy costumes and over-the-top fights of the superhero world? Well as it turns out, you get one of the best damn Marvel comic books of all time. In this episode, we go over the final installment of the trade paper backs that collected the Fraction and Aja Hawkeye run. Even if you don't like superheroes, even if you don't like the Avengers, even if you don't like that dude Clint Barton, it really don't matter. The book is so...
The Crow (solo ep.)
May 18, 2020 05:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MBAll us counterculture 90's kids grew up with the subversive superhero in white makeup that went around murdering Detroit thugs on a revenge mission from the other side of the grave. But chances are you knew The Crow from the movie. Did you know it was based on a comic book? Because I'm that dude that will repeatedly interject that kind of information into a conversation any chance I can get and in no way is that something annoying that should have ceased long before I was in my thirties! R...
Blade of the Immortal: Comrades (solo ep.)
May 11, 2020 05:00 - 32 minutes - 22.1 MBIn this episode, we travel back to feudal Japan to cover our first manga. Blade of the Immortal ran for almost twenty years of blood, brutality, sword fights, and immortality. The protagonist Manji, with his cursed blood worms and twelve blades, travels the roads of old Edo as he cuts down members of the Itto-Ryu, a samurai gang that murdered the parents of the young girl he vowed to help and protect. In this story arc, Manji has quite possibly met his match as he has a roadside showdown wi...
Astonishing X-Men: Gifted
May 04, 2020 05:00 - 55 minutes - 37.9 MBIn this episode, we explore one of the best portrayals of the X-Men ever put to paper. My personal favorite X-Men run begins with a bang (or an optic blast, a diamond skinned punch, an adamantium clawed slash, etc. ) as the OG mutant superheroes pull their team and their school back together to once again protect a world that hates and fears them. If you're looking for peak X-team characterization, look no further than Whedon and Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men. Joining me for this episode is...
Astonishing X-Men: Gifted
May 04, 2020 05:00 - 55 minutes - 37.9 MBIn this episode, we explore one of the best portrayals of the X-Men ever put to paper. My personal favorite X-Men run begins with a bang (or an optic blast, a diamond skinned punch, an adamantium clawed slash, etc. ) as the OG mutant superheroes pull their team and their school back together to once again protect a world that hates and fears them. If you're looking for peak X-team characterization, look no further than Whedon and Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men. Joining me for this episode is...
Ultimate Fantastic Four: Crossover (solo ep.)
April 27, 2020 05:00 - 23 minutes - 16 MBZombies abound in this episode, wherein which we cover the Ultimate version of the Fantastic Four. Behold in terror as supposedly smart people make some poor decisions and traverse to a nearby dimension where the undead versions of the Marvel heroes run rampant with unrelenting appetites for human flesh. YOU KNOW HOW ZOMBIES DO. In the introductory story of the subsequent Marvel Zombies series, we take a terrifying tour through an alternate universe and watch superheroes scramble simply ju...
Deadpool (1994) (solo ep. )
April 20, 2020 05:00 - 23 minutes - 16.3 MBIn today's episode we talk about everyone's favorite merc-with-a-mouth in one of his first solo series. The epitome of nineties nerd-cool, Deadpool chews the scenery of these panels as Siryn, Black Tom, Banshee, and The Juggernaut rampage through the night in NYC. We drag cheesy jokes, knife factories, failing healing factors, and Jay's cringe-worthy attempts at Irish accents through the deep waters of nostalgia in one of the best Deadpool stories of all time. The wise-cracks are worth the p...
Deadpool (1994) (solo ep. )
April 20, 2020 05:00 - 23 minutes - 16.3 MBIn today's episode we talk about everyone's favorite merc-with-a-mouth in one of his first solo series. The epitome of nineties nerd-cool, Deadpool chews the scenery of these panels as Siryn, Black Tom, Banshee, and The Juggernaut rampage through the night in NYC. We drag cheesy jokes, knife factories, failing healing factors, and Jay's cringe-worthy attempts at Irish accents through the deep waters of nostalgia in one of the best Deadpool stories of all time. The wise-cracks are worth the p...
Scott Pilgrim: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
April 13, 2020 05:00 - 49 minutes - 33.7 MBThis week I wade deep into the pool of nostalgia while reading the story of the antics of a twenty-something slacker who fills his abundant free time by playing in crappy bands, making doomed decisions about dating, and generally being a bit of a derpy dude. No, it's not a tale about me in my early twenties, it's the introductory story arc of the saga of Scott Pilgrim. It's a fantastic mixture of humor, music, video games, fight scenes, and all-around nonsense, presented in one fanciful indi...
Scott Pilgrim: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
April 13, 2020 05:00 - 49 minutes - 33.7 MBThis week I wade deep into the pool of nostalgia while reading the story of the antics of a twenty-something slacker who fills his abundant free time by playing in crappy bands, making doomed decisions about dating, and generally being a bit of a derpy dude. No, it's not a tale about me in my early twenties, it's the introductory story arc of the saga of Scott Pilgrim. It's a fantastic mixture of humor, music, video games, fight scenes, and all-around nonsense, presented in one fanciful indi...
Wolverine: Manifest Destiny (Solo ep. w/ guest appearance)
April 06, 2020 05:00 - 31 minutes - 21.8 MBIn this episode we follow Wolverine through the tough streets of San Fransisco's Chinatown, where he has a complicated history with the locals who seem to have a straightforward hatred for him. The ol' canucklehead claws and kills his way through time as we follow a story that's fifty years in the making. The battle for the position of The Black Dragon takes us through some super-powered urban warfare in this humorous and action-packed comic. Later in the episode we explore some of the po...
Hitman: Zombie Night at the Gotham Aquarium (solo ep.)
March 30, 2020 05:00 - 23 minutes - 16.3 MBIn this episode, we follow Tommy Monaghan and friends as they step out of the slums of Gotham City and take their particular brand of mercenary skills to attempt a hit on a scientist gone mad. And where does this misadventure lead them? To the aquarium! Join the league of chain smoking, beer drinking, gun toting, 90's tough guys as they shoot, explode, club, and chainsaw their way through legions of zombie aquatic animals in one of my personal favorite story arcs of the fantastically fun a...
Changes, Meditations and Comic Books
March 28, 2020 14:00 - 7 minutes - 5.18 MBHey friends, Just a short episode here about some upcoming changes to the show as we sail the strange tides of pandemics and quarantines. Hope everyone is staying smart, safe, and sane while we collectively weather the viral storm.
Changes, Meditations and Comic Books
March 28, 2020 14:00 - 7 minutes - 5.18 MBHey friends, Just a short episode here about some upcoming changes to the show as we sail the strange tides of pandemics and quarantines. Hope everyone is staying smart, safe, and sane while we collectively weather the viral storm.
Moon Knight: From the Dead
March 23, 2020 05:00 - 51 minutes - 35.5 MBIn this episode, we explore the lunar activities and lunatic behaviors of Marvel B-lister and all-around badass Moon Knight. A nighttime vigilante with a fractured psyche and a propensity for violence, this white costume clad nocturnal warrior hits the streets of New York to delve out with own brand of justice. In arguably the best portrayal of the character ever, here we see him up against ghost punks, a disgruntled hitman, psychedelic nap time, and more mesmerizing weirdness as the man wit...
Moon Knight: From the Dead
March 23, 2020 05:00 - 51 minutes - 35.5 MBIn this episode, we explore the lunar activities and lunatic behaviors of Marvel B-lister and all-around badass Moon Knight. A nighttime vigilante with a fractured psyche and a propensity for violence, this white costume clad nocturnal warrior hits the streets of New York to delve out with own brand of justice. In arguably the best portrayal of the character ever, here we see him up against ghost punks, a disgruntled hitman, psychedelic nap time, and more mesmerizing weirdness as the man wit...
Paper Girls Vol. 1
March 16, 2020 05:00 - 52 minutes - 36.2 MBChaos, armageddon, monsters, time- travelers, and a few young denizens delivering papers in a Ohio suburb, Paper Girls is not a comic to be missed. Here we get the tale of four young girls as they navigate the dangerous and chimerical occurrences of their small town. K.J., Mac, Tiff, and Erin go up against insurmountable odds and add their own brand of hilarious banter and juvenescent hijinks as they do their best to stay alive in the bizarre new world they've entered into. Host Jay Van Ve...
Blacksad: Somewhere Within The Shadows
March 09, 2020 05:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MBThis tale of "greek drama for the working class" is a take on the hard-boiled private eye tale. Filled with booze, endless cigarettes, and the finer furnishings of your classic noir caper, John Blacksad paws at this yarn of woe and tragedy until it unravels into damnation and violence. Who is John Blacksad? Well, he's our hero protagonist in the form of a six-foot black cat, who wears a suit and tie and smiles to make ya melt, only to hit you with a left hook that'll leave your kidney scream...
Blacksad: Somewhere Within The Shadows
March 09, 2020 05:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MBThis tale of "greek drama for the working class" is a take on the hard-boiled private eye tale. Filled with booze, endless cigarettes, and the finer furnishings of your classic noir caper, John Blacksad paws at this yarn of woe and tragedy until it unravels into damnation and violence. Who is John Blacksad? Well, he's our hero protagonist in the form of a six-foot black cat, who wears a suit and tie and smiles to make ya melt, only to hit you with a left hook that'll leave your kidney scream...
Generation Next (Age of Apocalypse)
March 02, 2020 10:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBConvoluted chronology and whacky alternative timeline hijinks aside, the Age of Apocalypse era of X-Men comics had some arguable awesome stories. The darkest of those stories showcased a young X-team in training, lead by Colossus and ShadowCat, who get thrown into a meat grinder of a mission by then X-Men leader Magneto. Join host Jay Van Veen as he pontificates on the ins and outs of the surprisingly morbid and gloriously nineties Marvel comic. We're also joined by living cartoon charac...
Generation Next (Age of Apocalypse)
March 02, 2020 10:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBConvoluted chronology and whacky alternative timeline hijinks aside, the Age of Apocalypse era of X-Men comics had some arguable awesome stories. The darkest of those stories showcased a young X-team in training, lead by Colossus and ShadowCat, who get thrown into a meat grinder of a mission by then X-Men leader Magneto. Join host Jay Van Veen as he pontificates on the ins and outs of the surprisingly morbid and gloriously nineties Marvel comic. We're also joined by living cartoon charac...
A hint of things to come.
February 21, 2020 23:00 - 5 minutes - 3.57 MBIn this brief introductory episode, host Jay Van Veen introduces himself and explains the premise for this comic book based podcast. Also, buried deep within the subtextual layers of this audio file are the secrets to eternal life and the meaning of existence. You probably wanna hear that.
A hint of things to come.
February 21, 2020 23:00 - 5 minutes - 3.57 MBIn this brief introductory episode, host Jay Van Veen introduces himself and explains the premise for this comic book based podcast. Also, buried deep within the subtextual layers of this audio file are the secrets to eternal life and the meaning of existence. You probably wanna hear that.
Teenagers From Mars
February 20, 2020 17:00 - 55 minutes - 38.2 MBIn the first actual episode of Why Did You Make Me Read This? Host Jay Van Veen discusses Rick Spears and Rob G's indie comic Teenagers From Mars and reflects upon his own youth of punk, comics, fights, and delinquency. Later in the episode he's joined by his good buddy Jason Schuurman and the two discuss the comic and remember a history of being misfits while growing up. Also, If you summon the courage to listen to this podcast backwards while spelunking in an Argentinian underwater laby...
Teenagers From Mars
February 20, 2020 17:00 - 55 minutes - 38.2 MBIn the first actual episode of Why Did You Make Me Read This? Host Jay Van Veen discusses Rick Spears and Rob G's indie comic Teenagers From Mars and reflects upon his own youth of punk, comics, fights, and delinquency. Later in the episode he's joined by his good buddy Jason Schuurman and the two discuss the comic and remember a history of being misfits while growing up. Also, If you summon the courage to listen to this podcast backwards while spelunking in an Argentinian underwater laby...