Movie rankings with comic-book memory.
Comics & Cinema is a film-and-comics journal built around Alex Klein's fresh reactions, franchise rewatches, and ranked lists. Its strongest lane is fandom-minded criticism, where Alien, X-Men, Deadpool, Tarantino, Marvel comics, and theatergoing habits all sit in the same conversation.
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Comics & Cinema is a movie-and-comics podcast shaped by Alex Klein's steady habit of watching, rewatching, ranking, and reflecting out loud. It sounds like a fan keeping a detailed field journal from theaters, streaming queues, and comic-reading binges. The show is most at home around franchise cinema. Recent episodes spend serious time with Alien: Romulus, the broader Alien run, Deadpool and Wolverine, the Fox X-Men universe, Tarantino's filmography, Secret Invasion comics, and Marvel screen adaptations. The approach is casual but not careless. Klein tends to explain where a film lands for him, why a scene works, how a performance fits into a larger continuity, and what a rewatch changed. Rankings are a recurring engine. They give the show structure without making it feel too polished or distant. Theatergoing also matters here. Episodes mention premium formats, packed crowd reactions, membership changes from AMC to Cinemark, 70 millimeter screenings, steelbooks, DVDs, and the practical rituals around seeing movies often. That material makes the criticism feel grounded in actual viewing life. Comics coverage appears less constantly than film coverage, but it carries real enthusiasm when it returns. Secret Invasion becomes a way to talk about omnibus reading, Marvel Unlimited, complicated reading orders, and adaptation choices. Superhero episodes lean into continuity, cameos, comic-accurate costumes, discarded development histories, and the odd affection fans keep for imperfect movies. The show can be spoiler-heavy, especially around new releases. It also has a reflective streak, especially near episode 300, where the finale looks back over five years and asks what movies or collected comic stories might introduce the whole medium to a newcomer. The pacing is loose and personal. The strongest episodes feel less like verdicts than guided revisits through a fan's memory and current reaction. Comics & Cinema suits listeners who enjoy franchise criticism with rankings, nostalgia, theater detail, and a clear affection for the culture around movies as much as the movies themselves.
Made for: Built for film fans, superhero readers, franchise completists, and theater regulars who enjoy spoiler-friendly reactions, rankings, and rewatch conversations. It especially fits listeners who like personal context alongside criticism.
What sets it apart: The show connects reviews to the habits around watching: theater formats, crowd energy, physical media, franchise rewatches, and comic-reading history. Its appeal is the blend of ranking logic, fan memory, and reflective long-haul continuity.
A podcast discussing and reviewing movies and cinema along with some comic discussions. Theme music by Scott Holmes.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Alex Klein turns franchise rewatches and immediate film reactions into candid criticism shaped by memory, theatrical experience, and comic-book context.
Alex Klein approaches movies through the pleasures and complications of fandom. Fresh reactions to Deadpool and Wolverine and Alien: Romulus share space with full-franchise rewatches, while rankings of the Fox X-Men films and Quentin Tarantino's work let personal history rub…
Alex Klein rewatched the X-Men films so your next Wolverine argument comes with fresh receipts.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Alex Klein closes five years of Comics and Cinema with memories and recommendations for complete beginners.
In episode 300 of Comics and Cinema, Alex Klein looks back on the show's five years and sets himself one last challenge: recommend movies and comics to someone who has never encountered either.
Alex Klein reacts to *Alien: Romulus* while catching up with and ranking the Alien films.
Alex Klein comes to Comics and Cinema fresh from his first viewing of Alien: Romulus. His reaction leads into a week spent watching the Alien films, including some he had never seen, and deciding where the new film belongs in his ranking.
Alex Klein's Tarantino ranking turns on a memorable 70mm screening of The Hateful Eight.
As Comics and Cinema nears its final episodes, Alex Klein ranks Tarantino's films after watching them this year. He calls the list personal and allows that the order may change.
After a second viewing, Alex Klein lingers on Gambit's cameo and the long wait to see Channing Tatum play him.
Alex Klein has seen Deadpool and Wolverine twice, and the difference between the screenings gives his reaction some texture. At the first, a crowd cheered and clapped for scenes and cameos; the next morning was quieter.
Alex Klein's X-Men ranking makes room for changed ratings, familiar flaws and old DVD memories.
Alex Klein has rewatched the X-Men films ahead of Deadpool & Wolverine, and some of his ratings changed along the way. His brother joined the rewatch, while friends and family came along for a couple of films.
Kelly Thompson talks about the artists and writers who shape her comics work.
Kelly Thompson's conversation with Comics & Cinema gets most interesting when she talks about Elena pushing each fight scene further than the last. Thompson describes their use of double-page spreads and makes clear that each one has its own effect.
Three friends recap Daredevil, Fallout, and new releases scene by scene, in Spanish.
Slasher talk with sharp teeth.
Comics and Cinema 219, Kelly Thompson Interview, follows Kelly Thompson from an Eisner win on Black Widow to her Marvel work on Captain Marvel, Hawkeye, Uncanny X-Men, and Amazing Spider-Man.
Host Alex Klein announces the end of the live stream due to financial issues and discusses the future of the podcast.
Host Alex Klein discusses the Secret Invasion comic series and compares it to the TV show adaptation.
Host Alex Klein discusses recent Deadpool and Wolverine movie news, including a new costume reveal, along with other film updates and reviews.
Comics and Cinema episode 300 is Alex Klein's final episode, recorded on August 19, 2024, as he closes a five-year run that began on August 1, 2019.
Alex Klein reviews Alien: Romulus after seeing it in XD and after rewatching the Alien films, including the first Alien, Prometheus, Covenant, and Alien Resurrection.
Alex Klein ranks 12 Tarantino-adjacent films in honor of anniversaries, 4Ks, and a full year of rewatches, including Pulp Fiction's 30th and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's 5th.
Alex Klein says "Deadpool and Wolverine" is his favorite Deadpool movie, and he settles on roughly an 8.5 after two theater viewings and a lot of crowd reactions.
Alex Klein ranks all 13 Fox X-Men universe films after rewatching them in release order before Deadpool and Wolverine.
Host Alex Klein discusses recent movies seen in theaters and on streaming, shares his move to Texas, and compares theater chains.