Episode 41: SDCC 2015: The Struggle Is Real

Pre-registration for San Diego Comic-Con 2015, for people who attended SDCC in 2014, came and went yesterday, and it marked the first disappointment for would-be attendees who didn’t manage to snag passes… including us. So we spend some time talking about the process, how it differed from registration procedures over the past ten years, and whether there are any other fair options that can balance the need to allow as many people as possible to experience the con, against the horrors of being forced to impotently watch the Blue Ring of Disappointment.

In addition, DC announced their spring crossover event, Convergence, and it was interesting in that it could bring back some pre-Flashpoint characters, it might roll back some New 52 changes, and it sounds suspiciously similar to Marvel’s upcoming Secret Wars event. So we talk about how these respective events might affect their greater continuities, for which publisher this might be a better and stronger move, and ultimately, which one we’re most looking forward to.

We also talk about:

• Grayson #4, written by Tim Seeley with art by Mikel Janin, and:
• Spider-Verse #1, written by Dan Slott with pencils by Olivier Coipel!

And now the legalese:

• This show is recorded live to tape. While this might mean a looser comics podcast than you’re used to, it also means that anything can happen. Like the observation that, if people bitten by radioactive spiders throw off irresistible pheromones, then Spider-Verse will become a very sticky place for reasons other than webbing.
• This show contains spoilers. While we try to shout out warnings ahead of time, just assume that we might ruin everything you love.
• This show contains adult, profane language, and is therefore not safe for work. Your boss doesn’t have Spyral’s nano-bugs, so all you’ll need is some headphones.

Oh, and here’s that Marvel Secret Wars video we talked about:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:35:33 — 84.1MB)

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Enjoy the show, suckers!

Episode 40: Press Play For Zola

In case you didn’t notice, this week was all about Marvel Studios. They released the extended trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron on Monday, and Tuesday they announced their Phase Three slate of movies to be released between 2016 and 2019, including Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and Avengers: Infinity War.

So we talk about those things, along with a brief rundown of some of the news coming out of this weekend’s Rhode Island Comic Con (That news being that it was impossible to get in… less in the “I can’t get tickets!” way than in the “I have VIP passes and you’re telling me I can’t enter the building?” way), and an analysis of the greatest living threat to your comic collection: unsupervised little brothers.

And on the actual printed comics front, we talk about:

• Death of Wolverine: The Logan Legacy #3, written by Kyle Higgins with pencils by Jonathan Marks,
• Death of Wolverine: Deadpool and Captain America #1, written by Gerry Duggan with pencils by Scott Kolins, and:
• Thunderbolts #32, written by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker with art by Kim Jacinto!

And here be disclaimers:

• This show is recorded live to tape. While it might lead to a looser comics podcast than you are normally accustomed to, it also means that anything can happen. Like trying to cast Benedict Cumberbatch as Squirrel Girl.
• This show contains spoilers. While we try to shout out warnings ahead of time, be aware of it before going in.
• Amanda and I use adult, profane language, and therefore this show is not safe for work. You want your boss to hear a conversation about whether the final shot of an adult video is better shot in 24 frames per second or 60 frames per second any why? Didn’t think so. Get some headphones.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:36:36 — 76.1MB)

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Enjoy the show, suckers!

Episode 39: Filthy Manny: The Time Lord Who Tried, But Couldn’t

This week we’re joined by our longtime contributor Lance Manion, who, similarly to Amanda, has been watching Doctor Who since the 1970s. So, being most of the way through Peter Capaldi’s first season as The Doctor, we talk about the season so far, what we think works and what doesn’t, and what we individually want from a season of Doctor Who.

Conversely, Lance has very little background in the character of John Constantine. So we revisit the just-aired first episode of Constantine, discuss the key difference between the leaked pilot and the aired episode, and how the show works for fans of the character and people who only know him as the guy who was a jerk to Swamp Thing.

We also discuss:

• Deathstroke #1, written and penciled by Tony S. Daniel, and:
• Arkham Manor #1, written by Gerry Duggan with art by Shawn Crystal!

And now, the disclaimers:

• Normally, we record this show live to tape. However, we had a technical issue this week, which required some sound post-processing and some editing. However, we kept it as close to live as possible to maintain the spontaneity.
• This show contains spoilers. While we try to yell out warnings ahead of time, assume that we will spoil any surprises you might hold dear.
• This show contains adult, profane language, and is not safe for work. Unless you want to explain to your boss what the “Tuscaloosa Armpit Gank” is, get some headphones.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:45:11 — 84.8MB)

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Enjoy the show, suckers!

Episode 38: Slash Sausage Fiction

At last week’s New York Comic Con, Marvel announced that writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Esad Ribic would be bringing us an updated version of Secret Wars. And after months of Marvel hyping up their version of the Multiverse in Avengers, New Avengers, and Spider-Verse, we can honestly say that: yeah, this looks just like DC’s Crisis On Infinite Earths. Except for the big stakes of a reboot, and written by a guy who sometimes seems to value intricate plots over character.

So we discuss that, as well as the dual announcements that Marvel Comics is bringing back some version of 2006’s Civil War in 2015, and that the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be addressing that same storyline. Specifically, how this might be a smart practical move for Marvel Studios (in that it could allow them to replace some key actors), and a not-so-smart story move (in that Marvel Studios has no Spider-Man).

And finally, we discuss The Death of Wolverine #4! The Canucklehead’s dead! So why are we having a hard time caring?

And now, the disclaimers:

• We record this show live to tape. While this might mean a looser comics podcast than you are used to, it also means anything can happen. Like discussing why one might need a tissue to read certain books of The Bible.
• This show contains spoilers. While we try to shout out warning ahead of time, please consider this your official heads-up.
• Amanda and I use adult, profane language, so this show is not safe for work.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:22:50 — 65.3MB)

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Enjoy the show, suckers!

The Driving Dead

Another funny story: in New England, there is a type of person called a “leaf peeper.” These are people who, based on a love of nature’s glory, travel to northern New England in the autumn to look at the colorful changing foliage.

Turns out they like to do this on long weekends like this one. Also turns out they like to return south to their homes today. Also turns out these useless treehugging motherfuckers can’t find the wherewithal to drive a straight line on New Hampshire’s Route 93 at a speed exceeding 15 miles per hour.

Because of this, Episode 38 will be posted tomorrow evening. We apologize for the continued delay.

Where Is My Internets?

So, funny story: we are in New Hampshire, at an unfamiliar hotel we booked last minute for the long Columbus Day weekend. We booked the hotel because their Web site swore that they had Wi-Fi available.

Turns out that that Wi-Fi is available only in the hotel lobby. Which is across the street. And which closes at 6 p.m. on Sundays after Labor Day.

Which means that we have a satchel full of recording equipment, opinions about some news items from New York Comic Con and Scott Snyder’s comics this week… and only 2G cell phone Internet. Which ain’t exactly enough to publish a big MP3 podcast file. Or a small one. Or anything more complicated than an apology.

We will be back in the Civilized World tomorrow afternoon, and will have a new episode on the wire soon after that.

Episode 37: 50 Shades of Lobo

Hi, my name is Lobo! I enjoy vegan cuisine, fitness, and long walks on the beach. I’m looking for someone who shares my affinity for sword collecting and leather clubs. Could you be my special someone?

With the cancellation of Vortexx on the CW network, this is the first weekend that has had no Saturday morning cartoons on a major television network. And given that seeing superheroes on TV was a large part of what got Amanda and I into comics in the 1970s, we spend some time reminiscing about our favorite cartoons (as well as live action superheroics like The Adventures of Superman and Shazam!), and digging into how modern kids might find comic books. You know, other than billion-dollar Marvel Studios movies.

It is also a week where several comic characters have new faces behind classic costumes. So we talk about them all:

• Lobo #1, written by Cullen Bunn with pencils by Reilly Brown,
• Captain America #25, written by Rick Remender with art by Carlos Pacheco and Stuart Immonen, and
• Thor #1, written by Jason Aaron with art by Russell Dautermann!

And now the legalese:

• We record this episode live to tape. While this might mean a looser show than other comics podcasts, it also means that anything can happen. Like learning about a child named Vlad who apparently lives under the bed.
• We spoil a lot of stuff on this show. While we try to shout out warnings ahead of time, consider yourself warned.
• We use adult, profane language, and therefore this show is not safe for work. If you don’t have any headphones, ask Lobo. Based on what happened to him in this week’s issue, he’s not using them.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:25:47 — 67.3MB)

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Enjoy the show, suckers!

Episode 36: Kidnapping, Sadness And Donkey Shows

Gotham premiered on NBC this past week, so Amanda and I talk about the first episode. We discuss what we thought worked, what didn’t, why we don’t want to see all the fan service super villains we got in this first episode… and frankly, why we don’t want to see much more of Bruce Wayne, either. We also compare the show to Ed Brubaker’s and Greg Rucka’s Gotham Central comic series, sometimes favorably, others… not so.

We also talk briefly about the second season premiere of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and how we like that we got an honest-to-God supervillain, an early direction, and an Agent Ward who might not be long for this Earth!

And when it comes to comics, we discuss:

• Secret Avengers #8, written by Ales Kot with art by Michael Walsh, and:
• Harley Quinn: Futures’ End one shot, written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner, with art by Chad Hardin!

And now the disclaimers:

• We record this show live to tape. While this might mean it’s a looser show than you are used to from other comics podcasts, it also means that anything can happen. Like discussing the mechanics of M.O.D.O.K. sex.
• This show has a lot of spoilers. We try to warn you ahead of time, but consider this our blanket heads-up.
• Amanda and I use adult, profane language, and therefore this show is not safe for work. Did you not see the warning that we talk about M.O.D.O.K. sex? Get some headphones.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:21:54 — 65.6MB)

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Enjoy the show, suckers!

Episode 35: Do The Brokeback

Between the new female Thor, Falcon taking over as Captain America, and this week’s rumors that X-23 will take over as Wolverine (after Sabretooth takes over as Wolverine), Amanda and I talk about succession in superhero comics in general. We start with the idea that DC is all about succession while Marvel never has been, the kinds of stories that could work as new people put on the old costumes, what probably couldn’t work, and what ulterior motives Marvel could have for such recent character churn.

We also discuss:

• Batwoman: Futures’ End One Shot, written by Marc Andreyko with art by Jason Masters, and:
• Edge of Spider-Verse: Gwen Stacy, Spider-Woman, written by Jason LaTour with art by Robbi Rodriguez!

And now the legalese:

• We record this show live to tape. Which might mean a looser show that you are used to from other comics podcasts, but it also means anything can happen. Like ruminations over the flat affect of people rescued by Superman in 1970s Hostess Fruit Pie ads.
• This show contains spoilers. While we try to shout out a warning ahead of time, consider this a master, blanket warning.
• This show contains adult, explicit language, and is not safe for work. You no longer need to sell Grit subscriptions to get headphones, so go out and do so.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:21:59 — 64.2MB)

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Enjoy the show, suckers!

Episode 34: Drunken Irish Space Jesus

Over the past week, announcements have come down that TV versions of Teen Titans and Supergirl are being developed… mere weeks before the premieres of Gotham, Constantine, The Flash, and a new season of Arrow. And all this on top of DC’s efforts to build a Marvel Studios style cohesive universe with their own movies.

So Amanda and I discuss who they could possibly use in Titans, what with all these other disconnected properties being released (spoilers: if we see Jericho, there will be blood). We also talk about whether, with these series as well as Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, and the four Netflix series, we could be driving the non-comics reading public into superhero burnout, and if DC is fouling their own nest by pulling possible movie characters out of play for basic cable TV shows.

We also talk about:

• Batman: Futures’ End #1, written by Ray Fawkes with art by Aco, and
• The Death of Wolverine #2, written by Charles Soule with art by Steve McNiven!

And now the disclaimers:

• We record this show live to tape. While that might mean a slightly looser show than you are used to, it also means that anything can happen. Like talking about Matthew Perry wearing Leifeld leg pouches stuffed with Vicodin.
• This show contains spoilers. While we try to shout a warning ahead of time, consider this the official one.
• This show contains adult, explicit language, and is therefore not safe for work. If you don’t have headphones, find Jericho, clock him in the head and take his. He’s got it coming, and besides: he can’t cry for help anyway.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:31:20 — 71.9MB)

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Enjoy the show, suckers!