The Macroverse Dispatch Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:46:46 -0400 en-us © 2026 The Macroverse Dispatch yes b5803416-5f74-5dd4-a465-f654aced1bee Adam @ Macroverse episodic false We think comics should be taken seriously. Spectacularly so. so each week I dive into a piece of the comics universe, be that history, upcoming books, artists or something completely random like quantum physics (which was my degree, weirdly enough...).

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Adam @ Macroverse https://storage.buzzsprout.com/054eb9kvqaoph6si2005okvi6fo3?.jpg The Macroverse Dispatch Blood, Guts and Pre-Code War Comics Blood, Guts and Pre-Code War Comics War comics evolved - some of them at least - from being exclusively jingoistic military adventures during WWII to anti-war re-tellings of events during the Korean War... until restrictions on both the portrayal of violence and criticism of authority  in the mid ' 50s essentially shuttered them.

]]> War comics evolved - some of them at least - from being exclusively jingoistic military adventures during WWII to anti-war re-tellings of events during the Korean War... until restrictions on both the portrayal of violence and criticism of authority  in the mid ' 50s essentially shuttered them.

]]> Adam @ Macroverse Buzzsprout-19287476 Wed, 03 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -0500 324 1 12 full false Episode 10 - Manga and Anime Episode 10 - Manga and Anime Welcome to Episode 10!

This week we dive into the wonderful world of Manga, and its dwarfing of the US comics market. 

This is something that I wasn't familiar with up until a couple of years ago, but my gateway drug was the anime of Attack On Titan, and I am now properly hooked. 

I encourage you to do the same!

If you prefer a reading experience to an audio one, then we just moved our newsletter to Substack... Please follow this link for more.

https://substack.com/@themacroversedispatch/note/p-196897366?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=3nvtor

Have a great weekend!

]]> Welcome to Episode 10!

This week we dive into the wonderful world of Manga, and its dwarfing of the US comics market. 

This is something that I wasn't familiar with up until a couple of years ago, but my gateway drug was the anime of Attack On Titan, and I am now properly hooked. 

I encourage you to do the same!

If you prefer a reading experience to an audio one, then we just moved our newsletter to Substack... Please follow this link for more.

https://substack.com/@themacroversedispatch/note/p-196897366?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=3nvtor

Have a great weekend!

]]> Adam @ Macroverse Buzzsprout-19223018 Fri, 22 May 2026 17:00:00 -0500 496 10 full false Diamond: One Company To Rule Them All Diamond: One Company To Rule Them All Small publishers - including ourselves - are still waiting to be paid, and some of us always will be. The rise and spectacular collapse of Diamond Distributors over the last 30 years has been quite the greek tragedy, and we will be feeling the effects of it for years to come...


]]> Small publishers - including ourselves - are still waiting to be paid, and some of us always will be. The rise and spectacular collapse of Diamond Distributors over the last 30 years has been quite the greek tragedy, and we will be feeling the effects of it for years to come...


]]> Adam @ Macroverse Buzzsprout-19179073 Thu, 14 May 2026 16:00:00 -0500 439 1 9 full true The European Non-Invasion of Comics The European Non-Invasion of Comics Ridley Scott, George Lucas, and Hayao Miyazaki were all inspired by the same French comic that you've probably never read, so this week we’re looking at the non-invasion of European comics in the seventies that nonetheless influenced a generation of filmmakers.

If you'd prefer to read this, you can find it on our Substack page: https://open.substack.com/pub/themacroversedispatch/p/european-comics-non-invasion?r=3nvtor&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

And can access this week's free read (Spectral from Chris Anderson and Dave Accampo) here: https://embed.macroverse.com/portal/019d9d8b-7d9d-707b-b22d-868adf253f37

Enjoy!

]]> Ridley Scott, George Lucas, and Hayao Miyazaki were all inspired by the same French comic that you've probably never read, so this week we’re looking at the non-invasion of European comics in the seventies that nonetheless influenced a generation of filmmakers.

If you'd prefer to read this, you can find it on our Substack page: https://open.substack.com/pub/themacroversedispatch/p/european-comics-non-invasion?r=3nvtor&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

And can access this week's free read (Spectral from Chris Anderson and Dave Accampo) here: https://embed.macroverse.com/portal/019d9d8b-7d9d-707b-b22d-868adf253f37

Enjoy!

]]> Adam @ Macroverse Buzzsprout-19136005 Wed, 06 May 2026 12:00:00 -0500 485 1 8 full false Jimmy Palmiotti, 30 Years, and What We're Building Jimmy Palmiotti, 30 Years, and What We're Building Harley Quinn. Jonah Hex. Painkiller Jane. The Pro. And that's just the start. Jimmy Palmiotti's entire library is coming to Macroverse — and we're kicking it off with two free titles.

We're doing things a little differently this episode, and moving away from comics history to dive into an industry legend, and the books that he is bringing to our platform.

We're also previewing a couple of books, and giving listeners a way to start reading them for free!

For The Pro, please read it on this link:

https://embed.macroverse.com/portal/a0e2b599-633d-4b83-a2cd-6162c17fc9fa

And for Back to Brooklyn:

https://www.macroverse.com/producers/paperfilms/series/back-to-brooklyn

Enjoy, and Keep buggering On

Adam

]]> Harley Quinn. Jonah Hex. Painkiller Jane. The Pro. And that's just the start. Jimmy Palmiotti's entire library is coming to Macroverse — and we're kicking it off with two free titles.

We're doing things a little differently this episode, and moving away from comics history to dive into an industry legend, and the books that he is bringing to our platform.

We're also previewing a couple of books, and giving listeners a way to start reading them for free!

For The Pro, please read it on this link:

https://embed.macroverse.com/portal/a0e2b599-633d-4b83-a2cd-6162c17fc9fa

And for Back to Brooklyn:

https://www.macroverse.com/producers/paperfilms/series/back-to-brooklyn

Enjoy, and Keep buggering On

Adam

]]> Adam @ Macroverse Buzzsprout-19109511 Fri, 01 May 2026 11:00:00 -0500 407 1 7 full false Superman Sold for $130 Superman Sold for $130 In March 1938, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster signed a contract transferring the rights of their character Superman to Detective Comics, Inc. In return, they received $130 - split between them, so $65 each.

Superman went on to become one of the most lucrative fictional characters in history, and Siegel, by the mid-1970s, was working as a typist in the mailroom of the Los Angeles Public Utilities Commission and living in a 1-room flat.

This is not an edge case. This is a foundational story of how American comics worked for the first four decades of its existence.. and, in some cases, considerably longer than that.

]]> In March 1938, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster signed a contract transferring the rights of their character Superman to Detective Comics, Inc. In return, they received $130 - split between them, so $65 each.

Superman went on to become one of the most lucrative fictional characters in history, and Siegel, by the mid-1970s, was working as a typist in the mailroom of the Los Angeles Public Utilities Commission and living in a 1-room flat.

This is not an edge case. This is a foundational story of how American comics worked for the first four decades of its existence.. and, in some cases, considerably longer than that.

]]> Adam @ Macroverse Buzzsprout-19053925 Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:00:00 -0500 335 1 6 full true How a video game company saved the greatest comic you've never read How a video game company saved the greatest comic you've never read Last week we established that 2000AD was one of the most important talent factories in comics history. This week we need to talk about what happened after the talent left.

The short version: the 1990s were rough, a Sylvester Stallone film did not help, and the comic spent a decade trying to figure out who it was without the generation of writers who had defined it.

The longer version is more interesting - because the longer version ends with 2000AD in 2026     being, by any reasonable measure, genuinely excellent.

]]> Last week we established that 2000AD was one of the most important talent factories in comics history. This week we need to talk about what happened after the talent left.

The short version: the 1990s were rough, a Sylvester Stallone film did not help, and the comic spent a decade trying to figure out who it was without the generation of writers who had defined it.

The longer version is more interesting - because the longer version ends with 2000AD in 2026     being, by any reasonable measure, genuinely excellent.

]]> Adam @ Macroverse Buzzsprout-19029127 Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:00:00 -0500 303 1 5 full false 2000AD - The Comic that Shouldn't Exist 2000AD - The Comic that Shouldn't Exist Today we look at the greatest talent factory the world has ever seen, and the strange fact that most American comics fans haven't ever read it...


]]> Today we look at the greatest talent factory the world has ever seen, and the strange fact that most American comics fans haven't ever read it...


]]> Adam @ Macroverse Buzzsprout-18988254 Thu, 09 Apr 2026 07:00:00 -0500 344 1 4 full false The night the government came for comics The night the government came for comics We've covered the rules. We've met the people who broke them. For the last in this series on the CCA, let’s look at how we got here in the first place. The origin story of the Comics Code is equal parts farce and tragedy — a moral panic stoked by a deeply questionable book, amplified by a Senate subcommittee looking for headlines, and resolved in the worst possible way for everyone except Archie Comics.

If you’d like to get the Dispatch sent straight to you, please visit us at https://www.macroverse.media/join which tells you a little more about all the fun things wer’re up to.

]]> We've covered the rules. We've met the people who broke them. For the last in this series on the CCA, let’s look at how we got here in the first place. The origin story of the Comics Code is equal parts farce and tragedy — a moral panic stoked by a deeply questionable book, amplified by a Senate subcommittee looking for headlines, and resolved in the worst possible way for everyone except Archie Comics.

If you’d like to get the Dispatch sent straight to you, please visit us at https://www.macroverse.media/join which tells you a little more about all the fun things wer’re up to.

]]> Adam @ Macroverse Buzzsprout-18939444 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0500 356 1 3 full false The Macroverse Dispatch #2 - Comics That Broke The Rules (and got away with it) The Macroverse Dispatch #2 - Comics That Broke The Rules (and got away with it) Last week we met the Comics Code - 41 rules designed to sanitize an entire medium. This week: the people who looked at those rules and decided they were more of a suggestion. Across every genre - romance, sci-fi, superheroes, crime - the Code tried to flatten comics into something safe… It did not succeed.

As a thank-you for sticking with me, please follow the link below to claim your FREE digital copy of Suspense Comics #8 from 1945, which was a classic Pre-Code Title.

https://www.macroverse.com/agamotto/B8VI-EACC-BHIU-MJBB

]]> Last week we met the Comics Code - 41 rules designed to sanitize an entire medium. This week: the people who looked at those rules and decided they were more of a suggestion. Across every genre - romance, sci-fi, superheroes, crime - the Code tried to flatten comics into something safe… It did not succeed.

As a thank-you for sticking with me, please follow the link below to claim your FREE digital copy of Suspense Comics #8 from 1945, which was a classic Pre-Code Title.

https://www.macroverse.com/agamotto/B8VI-EACC-BHIU-MJBB

]]> Adam @ Macroverse Buzzsprout-18894675 Wed, 25 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0500 355 1 2 full false The 41 rules that almost killed comics forever The 41 rules that almost killed comics forever There's a real document — printed, stamped, and enforced — that once banned the word "horror" from comic book covers. Literally the word. If you think that sounds like the work of people who had lost the plot, you're not wrong… Welcome to the world of the Comics Code Authority, the most spectacularly overcorrected act of self-censorship in American pop culture history. 


Seeing as we're talking about the Comics Code, it only seems fair to give you something from that era. Follow the link below to claim your free digital copy of Suspense Comics #8 from 1945, revel in a little pre-code insanity and try to forgive some of the... dubious?... stereotypes it indulges in.

https://www.macroverse.com/agamotto/B8VI-EACC-BHIU-MJBB

]]> There's a real document — printed, stamped, and enforced — that once banned the word "horror" from comic book covers. Literally the word. If you think that sounds like the work of people who had lost the plot, you're not wrong… Welcome to the world of the Comics Code Authority, the most spectacularly overcorrected act of self-censorship in American pop culture history. 


Seeing as we're talking about the Comics Code, it only seems fair to give you something from that era. Follow the link below to claim your free digital copy of Suspense Comics #8 from 1945, revel in a little pre-code insanity and try to forgive some of the... dubious?... stereotypes it indulges in.

https://www.macroverse.com/agamotto/B8VI-EACC-BHIU-MJBB

]]> https://www.macroverse.media/blog/episode1 Adam @ Macroverse Buzzsprout-18864567 Tue, 17 Mar 2026 16:00:00 -0500 361 comics, horror comics, comic book, golden age comics 1 1 full false