Issue 83 - Northstar

06/10/20 • 72 min

Capes On the Couch - Where Comics Get Counseling

For Pride Month, we head north of the border to talk Northstar with Dr. Goku from GuardiansMH! A fascinating episode that covers impulse control, linguistic history, and how to handle trauma! Listen now!

SHOW NOTES:

Intro
- Intro Dr. Goku, talk about Guardians
- New patron - Angela
- Shoutout to FriGay the 13th - Andrew & Matty cover horror films & topics with a LGBTQ perspective - frigay13.com
Background (10:17)
- Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier) created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne in Uncanny X-Men #120 (April 1979)
- Jean-Paul Beaubier and his twin sister Jeanne-Marie are born to French Canadian parents in Montreal, but his parents die in a car crash and the twins are separated
- Shortly thereafter, his adoptive parents are killed
- Despite this tragedy, he becomes a champion skier until his mutant powers manifest in puberty - flight, durability, and super speed
- Later joins the Quebec separatist movement, but renounces their terrorist tactics
- He joins Alpha Flight, where he’s reunited with Jeanne-Marie
- Working with his sister sours their relationship, and they are estranged for some time - they reconcile after fighting a villain that required the full force of Alpha Flight
- After finding an HIV positive baby abandoned in a dumpster, he reveals himself as a homosexual to fight for HIV prevention
- Recruited to the X-Men by Jean Grey to help save Professor X from Magneto, who imprisoned him on Genosha - later becomes a teacher at the Xavier Institute
- Killed by a brainwashed Wolverine, and ends up resurrected by HYDRA, who brainwash him and his sister - they’re both mentally repaired by the X-Men
- Returns to sports, using his invulnerability to become an extreme sports star
- After the Mauraders brainwash the X-Men and kidnap his boyfriend Kyle, he realizes life is short and he doesn’t want to waste it, so he marries Kyle
- Currently living on Krakoa with other mutants - no word on Kyle
Issues (25:02)
- Impulsive and hot headed, seems to be a recurring theme among speedsters
- Related to that, tends to be a bit of an extremist, especially in his youth (29:27)
- Uses his personal, private information to advance a larger cause - potential for significant interpersonal conflicts (35:50)
Break (47:21)
- Plugs for Sips Suds & Smokes, and We're All Mad Here, plus Chris Claremont
Treatment (49:21)
- In-universe - Slow down and work on impulse control
- Out of universe - (52:00)
Skit (60:09)
Ending (66:57)
- Recommended reading: Alpha Flight #106, Astonishing X-Men #51
- Next episodes: Erica Schultz interview about Forgotten Home, Raphael, Support systems in comics

Apple Podcasts: here

Google Play: here

Stitcher: here

TuneIn: here

iHeartRadio: here

Spotify: here

E-mail

SHOW NOTES:

Intro
- Intro Dr. Goku, talk about Guardians
- New patron - Angela
- Shoutout to FriGay the 13th - Andrew & Matty cover horror films & topics with a LGBTQ perspective - frigay13.com
Background (10:17)
- Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier) created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne in Uncanny X-Men #120 (April 1979)
- Jean-Paul Beaubier and his twin sister Jeanne-Marie are born to French Canadian parents in Montreal, but his parents die in a car crash and the twins are separated
- Shortly thereafter, his adoptive parents are killed
- Despite this tragedy, he becomes a champion skier until his mutant powers manifest in puberty - flight, durability, and super speed
- Later joins the Quebec separatist movement, but renounces their terrorist tactics
- He joins Alpha Flight, where he’s reunited with Jeanne-Marie
- Working with his sister sours their relationship, and they are estranged for some time - they reconcile after fighting a villain that required the full force of Alpha Flight
- After finding an HIV positive baby abandoned in a dumpster, he reveals himself as a homosexual to fight for HIV prevention
- Recruited to the X-Men by Jean Grey to help save Professor X from Magneto, who imprisoned him on Genosha - later becomes a teacher at the Xavier Institute
- Killed by a brainwashed Wolverine, and ends up resurrected by HYDRA, who brainwash him and his sister - they’re both mentally repaired by the X-Men
- Returns to sports, using his invulnerability to become an extreme sports star
- After the Mauraders brainwash the X-Men and kidnap his boyfriend Kyle, he realizes life is short and he doesn’t want to waste it, so he marries Kyle
- Currently living on Krakoa with other mutants - no word on Kyle
Issues (25:02)
- Impulsive and hot headed, seems to be a recurring theme among speedsters
- Related to that, tends to be a bit of an extremist, especially in his youth (29:27)
- Uses his personal, private information to advance a larger cause - potential for significant interpersonal conflicts (35:50)
Break (47:21)
- Plugs for Sips Suds & Smokes, and We're All Mad Here, plus Chris Claremont
Treatment (49:21)
- In-universe - Slow down and work on impulse control
- Out of universe - (52:00)
Skit (60:09)
Ending (66:57)
- Recommended reading: Alpha Flight #106, Astonishing X-Men #51
- Next episodes: Erica Schultz interview about Forgotten Home, Raphael, Support systems in comics

Apple Podcasts: here

Google Play: here

Stitcher: here

TuneIn: here

iHeartRadio: here

Spotify: here

E-mail

Previous Episode

Issue 82 - Azrael

It's time for another Bat-family episode, this week it's Azrael! We break down the Az-Bat and discuss how religion impacts his outlook on life! Plus we get real about current events - you won't wanna miss it!

SHOW NOTES:

Intro
- Talk about last week’s call to action
Background (10:35)
- Jean-Paul Valley created by Denny O’Neill, Joe Quesada, Grant Morrison, and an uncredited Peter Milligan in Batman: Sword of Azrael #1 (Oct.1992)
- Jean-Paul Valley is a computer science student in Gotham City, who discovers his father was an assassin for a secret religious society called The Order of Saint Dumas, and that he is next in line
- He was sent to kill Carlton LeHah, who had murdered his father, and in so doing crossed paths with Batman - ends up saving Bruce and overriding his conditioning, becoming his own man
- Joins WayneTech, and after Bruce is paralyzed by Bane, takes over as Batman
- Operates much more ruthlessly, as a combination of his conditioning and his belief that Bruce is too lenient on criminals - after killing one villain, Bruce realizes Jean-Paul is going too far, rehabilitates himself, and battles Jean-Paul, finally winning after snapping Jean-Paul out of his deluded state
- Bruce takes pity on him, and gives him money, encouraging him to find out where he came from - discovers he was a test tube baby whose DNA was spliced with animals
- Works to regain Bruce’s trust, which he does after saving several Senators
- Later killed while battling his father’s murderer - later revived as part of Black Lantern Corps
- New 52 - Jean-Paul Valley was cloned by his father as the newest member of the Order of Saint Dumas
- Sent to battle Bane on Santa Prisca, where he encountered Red Robin (Tim Drake) & Red Hood (Jason Todd) - began to question the Order, and joined the Bat-Family
- His conditioning returned, and Bruce & the family were forced to battle him - Bruce then created a suit that would allow Jean-Paul to stay in control
- Became a member of Justice League Odyssey
Issues (15:38)
- Struggles with conditioning - ultimate nature vs nurture argument
- Extremism as a result of the Order - belief that mercy is weakness (24:35)
Break (34:24)
- Plugs for Parent Quest & Popcorn Psychology, plus Gail Simone
Treatment (35:47)
- In-universe - Create structure within the Bat-family for “controlled complexity”
- Out of universe - (42:00)
Skit (47:49)
Ending (53:33)
- Recommended reading: Batman: Knightfall
- Next episodes: Northstar, Erica Schultz interview, Raphael
- Anthony’s appearance on P3
- Plugs for social

References:

Bane episode - Anthony (12:22)
Laura Kinney episode - Anthony (16:03)
Jason Todd episode - Anthony (39:48)
Dick Grayson episode - Anthony (39:50)
Forrest Gump - "Life is like a box of chocolates..." - Anthony (59:05)

Apple Podcasts: here

Google Play: here

Stitcher: here

TuneIn: here

iHeartRadio: here

Spotify: here

Next Episode

Issue 84 - Erica Schultz (Forgotten Home)

We bring back writer ERICA SCHULTZ to talk about her latest work, Forgotten Home! Which Disney hit inspired the story? How does she avoid writing a Mary Sue character? All this and more in a great interview - listen now!

SHOW NOTES:

Intro
- Plug social media
Interview
- Background on Erica
- Genesis for project - inspiration, etc
- Marika Cresta - how did she come on board?
- Previous interview, mentioned daddy issues in characters - this one has mommy issues - how much Erica in Lorraine/Joanna?
- Lorraine - Tries to keep Joanna safe, but it backfires on her
- - Several children taken from home...some of which were abusive to begin with
- Rani - what’s the source of her prejudice?
- - Narcissism on full display - claims to give people choices, but it’s only a choice that works for her
- Trodaire - most fascinating character to me, so many divided loyalties - crown, Lorraine, Kerel
- - Gained trust/authority at a young age despite no magic in a magical royal court
- How is Michael unfazed by Lorraine’s appearance?
- Ideas for sequel based on ending?
- Thoughts on Dennis O’Neil
Ending
- Next episodes: Raphael, Support systems in comics, [REDACTED]
- Plugs for social