Warm, opinionated talk from the comics pile.
I Read Comic Books gathers a rotating group of comics people around what they have been reading lately. The tone is casual and affectionate, but the talk can move quickly from Star Wars runs and magical-girl tropes to memoir, Indigenous stories, horror, paper stock, and why a book earns a spot on the pile.
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I Read Comic Books is a conversational comics-review show with a rotating panel and a sturdy weekly rhythm. The premise is direct: people who read a lot of comics talk through what is on the pile, what surprised them, and what they are planning to read next. The show works because the talk is relaxed without being vague. A recommendation usually comes with art notes, writing notes, format talk, and some sense of where the book sits in comics culture. One episode can move through Star Wars comics and a run by a favorite writer, then drift into baseball and the practical problem of being behind on single issues. Another can spend time with a book’s photographs, epilogue, local history, and emotional structure. The panel is comfortable being silly. Magical-girl transformation items, trash-boy archetypes, trading-card chores, leather-jacket jokes, and desert-island panic all get room. It is also comfortable slowing down. When a book touches racism, Indigenous experience, environmental disaster, PTSD, family dynamics, or tragedy, the discussion gets more careful before returning to the recommendation. The recurring shape is part banter, part shop talk, part reader diary. Listeners hear why a book landed, not just that it was good. The show’s comic-book literacy is high, so creator names, publishers, formats, back matter, floppies, trades, and continuity references arrive without much handholding. That is part of the appeal. It sounds made for people who already browse shelves with strong opinions, but it stays welcoming because the panel admits gaps, biases, and unfinished reading piles. Guest episodes broaden the texture, especially when creators talk about their own work, reading habits, or research piles. The result is lively comics criticism with enough looseness to feel social and enough specificity to be useful.
Made for: For comics readers who enjoy recommendations with craft detail, personality, and informed side roads. Best for listeners already comfortable with creator names, formats, genres, and comics-shop shorthand.
What sets it apart: The show’s strength is its rotating-panel chemistry: recommendations come through conversation, pushback, tangents, and personal reading habits rather than polished review monologues. It treats superhero continuity, indie work, YA, horror, memoir, and creator interviews as one shared comics ecosystem.
A podcast for comic book fans, hosted by Mike Rapin. IRCB features a rotating, 2-person panel of diverse comic book experts discussing what they’re reading with a comic book specific topic every week. New episodes every Wednesday.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Detailed panel talk connects comics enthusiasm with clear attention to artwork, storytelling, creators, and the practical question of what to read next.
I Read Comic Books turns the reading pile into a generous group conversation. Mike Rappin and the rotating hosts and panelists move between recent discoveries, books they plan to read, creator-focused discussions, and themes such as comics made by people who share their…
One trade recommendation becomes five here, and your carefully managed unread pile will not survive the panel.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Warm comics-shop banter that turns small reading updates into real recommendations.
The episode is at its best when it stays close to comics talk that feels lived in. Paul Jaisley sits in with Daniel Martinez and Kate Scotchless for a standard reading episode, and the conversation moves from a school-librarian recommendation to a Star Wars volume before…
A careful comics conversation built around structure, photographs, and epilogue context.
Kate Lamphere keeps the conversation loose and easy to follow, which suits a book built from connected stories and photographs. The episode is strongest when it stays with how each scene adds context about local government, family dynamics, doctors, food, and livestock, then…
A loose comic-book conversation about magical girls and trash boys, guided by Kara Shamborski, Kate Scotchless, and Brian Murray.
This episode of I Read Comic Books follows Kara Shamborski as she talks with Kate Scotchless and Brian Murray about magical girls and trash boys.
Own Voices becomes a relaxed, useful guide to comics shaped by lived experience.
The episode uses a Goodreads Own Voices theme as its spine and turns it into a grounded comics discussion: why shared background between creators and characters can matter, how Persepolis still hits hard against current events in Iran, and why books like Surviving the City can…
A desert-island prompt turns into a brisk, funny comics conversation anchored by Kara Zamborski's committed pick.
I Read Comic Books keeps its Desert Island Comics setup simple: two books, plenty of personality, and enough back and forth to make the choice feel harder than it should. Zach McCrary hosts for Mike, with Kate Scotchless and Kara Zamborski joining in.
A warm comics-shop hang that makes Gideon Falls feel like an easy sell.
Paul Jaisley, Zach McCreary, and guest Nick Goud keep things in a familiar comics-shop rhythm, moving through what they are reading and what keeps rising to the top of the pile, with a bit of weather chatter to settle the mood.
A loose comics hangout that still lands on a solid recommendation.
The panelist episode stays on comics and conversation: Mike Rappin is joined by Paul Jaisley and Nick White, there is a quick Hellboy-adjacent joke, and the show points toward its penultimate panelist episode before episode 500 in January.
Comics talk with issue-by-issue memory.
Continuity arguments at Marvel speed.
Comics talk with memory, tangents, and teeth.
Paul Jaisley keeps Mike Rappin's seat warm without making a production of it.
Kate remembers the legally mandated questions, and Danny and Nick answer from a loose card-nerd cold open.
Kara Shamborski has a topic.
Own Voices is the frame.
This episode features comic creators Dave Baker and Nicole Goux discussing their collaborative work on coming-of-age romance graphic novels, including their upcoming release Pumpkinheads.
Two comic books, one island.
Gray London weather gets the chatter going.
The host and guests discuss their recent activities, focusing on comic books and a trading card game called Riftbound, including organizing cards and building decks.
This episode of the I Read Comic Books podcast features a discussion on feel-good, comforting comics as part of a monthly reading challenge theme.
The host and guests discuss what they are reading in comic books and a weekly topic.
A weekly comic book podcast where hosts and guests discuss what they've been reading, with a focus on recent releases and industry news.
The hosts discuss the graphic novel 'Dr.
Host Mike Rapin and guest Xander Riggs celebrate the 500th episode by discussing new merchandise and comic book topics.
The host and panelists discuss upcoming 500th episode, special merch, and live event while previewing comic book talk.
Hosts Daniel Martinez and Nick White discuss their recent comic book reads, including the Eerie archives from Dark Horse, in a casual roundtable format.
The hosts discuss new comic books released in 2025 as part of a Goodreads-themed episode.
A comic book podcast panel discusses their recent reads and a holiday-themed episode with a reading challenge announcement.
Host Mike Rapin and guests discuss comic book reading, a reading challenge deadline, and preview the episode's topic.
The hosts discuss their annual reading challenge and share what they've been reading in comic books.
A panel of comic book enthusiasts discuss post-apocalyptic comic books, sharing their reading experiences and recommendations.
The hosts discuss comic books recommended by local comic shops and libraries as part of a monthly theme.
Host Mike Rapin interviews comic book artist Brian McRae about his self-published work and current reading, with a rotating panel of comic book experts.
Host Mike Rapin interviews comic book creator Connor McCreary about his career and projects like Kill Shakespeare.
Host Mike Rapin interviews comic book artist Martin Marazzo about his work on Ice Cream Man and Superman, and discusses recent reads.
The host and two comic book fans discuss the resurgence of 1990s-style comic book collectibles like Blind Polly Bags and share their experiences with the current craze.
The hosts discuss their love for Halloween and spooky stories as part of a comic book podcast's themed episode.
This episode of the I Read Comic Books podcast features host Paul Jaisley and guests Daniel Martinez and Kate Scotchless discussing comics, including Batman, while sharing personal updates like Kate's new cat adoption.
The host Mike Rappin and guests Paul Jaisley and Nick White discuss comic books and Mike's plans for New York City Comic Con, including giving away stickers and getting signatures for the IRCB zine.
The hosts discuss the graphic novel adaptation of Dante's Inferno, sharing their initial reactions and expectations.
The host and guests discuss magical creature-themed comic book recommendations for a Goodreads monthly theme, celebrating a moderator's birthday month.
Mike Rappin opens with a strange Hellboy bit, and even he knows he is reaching.
Host Mike Rapin and guests discuss what they've been reading in comic books, with a humorous segment about library borrowing.
The hosts discuss the Fantastic Four series by Ryan North, sharing their history with the characters and summarizing the first volume.
Host Mike Rapin and guest Brian Murray discuss new show merchandise before diving into comic book topics.
A bonus episode discussing variant covers of the comic series 'The Wicked + The Divine' as part of a Patreon-exclusive series.