Show Notes

On this episode of Word Balloon it’s another Matt Fraction fireside chat as we discuss this week’s debut of Hawkeye #1, reuniting the Immortal Iron Fist creator team of Fraction artist David Aja and color artist Matt Hollingsworth. We give a spoiler free look at the book and tone of the new ongoing. Matt also looks back at Casanova Vol 3 with artists Gabriel Ba and colorist Chris Peter. We also discuss the new story arc starting in The Defenders with issue 9 . As Fraction says “It’s the closest chance I get at telling a 1968 Nick Fury story”. All the super-spy 60s tropes are well represented , plus a re-working of a little known 60’s good girl comics character from Marvel’s forgotten Mens Magazine era. Fraction’s Thor and Iron Man runs are wrapping up and we talk about where those current stories are, and the idea that all the Marvel creators are getting a chance to wrap up their takes on the heroes before the big shift into the Marvel NOW! Era

NOTE: This Fraction interview took place days before the announcement of him taking over The Fantastic Four title with Mark Bagley.

Then Ben Edlund joins us for a car phone conversation on his way to the writing room of the CW TV series Supernatural. Ben’s been a key writer/producer for the show since season 2, and we talk about his influence on the show and his sense of humor that elevates the series beyond its ghost hunter format and continues to delight longtime viewers with quirky plot directions and characters. We also discuss the dramatic TV landscape and how the over the air networks handle their programs versus the basic cable networks. Comic fans know Edlund for his irreverent hero The Tick and we talk a bit about its creation and that ever elusive next issue that percolates in Ben’s mind.