Does This Come In Chromium? · Matt Anderson

Eclipso: The Darkness Within Part 1 of 4 with Al Sedano

March 29, 2026·2 hr 29 min·5 clips

Al Zidano admits he's a Keith Giffen completionist who owns even obscure titles like Blood Strike #5.

This episode of "Does This Come In Chromium?" features host Matt Anderson and guest Al Zidano from "That Giffen Show" discussing the 1992 DC Comics event "Eclipso: The Darkness Within." They explore Keith Giffen's career and his collaborative role in shaping modern comic book storytelling. The conversation centers on Giffen's work in the early 1990s, a period marked by industry shifts following the speculator boom. Anderson and Zidano detail Giffen's partnership with scripter Robert Loren Fleming as the architects of the Eclipso event, which used a crossover model with two essential bookend issues. They reference Giffen's influential runs on "Justice League" and "Suicide Squad," noting how he often subverted the grim-and-gritty trends of the era. The hosts compare the Eclipso annuals to earlier Marvel crossovers like "Atlantis Attacks" and DC's "Armageddon 2001," highlighting differences in narrative connectivity. They discuss Giffen's later resurgence in the mid-2000s with projects like "52" and "Annihilation," which redefined Marvel's cosmic characters and influenced the MCU. Specific creations credited to Giffen include the modern versions of Drax and the Kiln prison seen in "Guardians of the Galaxy." The dialogue touches on Giffen's varied genre work, from the absurdist "The Heckler" to the serious "Thanos" series, showcasing his range. A surprising insight is Giffen's frequent self-deprecation about his dialogue writing, despite his clear scripting contributions in solo works like "Hero Squared." The hosts note how Giffen's plotting and breakdowns provided a consistent voice across collaborations with different scripters. They reflect on the collector mentality of the 1990s, with Anderson sharing a personal anecdote about buying ten copies of "X-Force" #1 to obtain trading cards. The episode reveals how working in a comic shop gave Anderson early awareness of the speculator market's pitfalls. Zidano positions Giffen as a "completionist" favorite due to his vast and often underrated bibliography, including obscure titles like "Bloodstrike." They examine the industry's 2001 era as a period of recalibration, where TV and novel writers like Jodi Picoult were brought into comics. The tone is conversational and deeply nostalgic, filled with personal anecdotes and mutual fandom for Giffen's work. The style is educational but informal, tracing historical context through the lens of a specific comic event. Listeners who enjoy deep dives into comic book history, especially 1990s DC events and Keith Giffen's career, will love this episode. Those seeking tight narrative analysis of the Eclipso story itself or who dislike industry shop-talk might prefer to skip it.

As heard by us

A lively comics chat where personality and memory do as much work as plot.

Matt Anderson and Al Zidano use Eclipso: The Darkness Within #1 to show how much a comics chat can ride on personality, memory, and creator lore.

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Why you'd press play

Want a Giffen-heavy DC deep dive with playful chemistry?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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