Podcast - Episode 68: Doctor Strange

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So...

Okay. Obviously nothing matters anymore because Trump is president and everything good is dead. 

We saw Doctor Strange! It was great! There are spoilers in the second half of this episode! Did you see how many WOMEN voted for Trump?! There is also some static fuzz that keeps coming and going throughout the episode! Sorry! America has elected the Gene Hackman portrayal of Lex Luthor as President! 

We recorded this episode before the election happened, so you can still hear an ember of hope in our voices. 

That hope has been crushed. But, hey. Comic books!

Here's something nice to take your minds off the fact that violent bigots now have the official backing of their government to "protect themselves" from minorities: Nick Bradshaw was doing sketches at Hal-Con this past weekend and donating the money to our local children's hospital! Check out his Instagram! I don't think any are posted there, but you should still follow him. Here's one of the sketches:

And now I am going to my happy place: Sebastian Stan at the Doctor Strange premier, sporting what appears to be the prelude to a full beard.

I love that suit! Please don't deport him, Emperor Trump!

Podcast - Episode 58: Robin Year One / Batgirl Year One

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Hooray! This week we are talking about some of my favourite comics EVER! Robin: Year One and Batgirl: Year One!!! I love those kids!

I feel like I don't have much to actually write about in the blog this week. I mean, obviously you're gonna want to see that video of Chris Evans doing push-ups with his adorable dog, so here you go:

Bless you, sir. Now someone please nominate Sebastian Stan. Mackie? Where you at?

Oh.

Someone please tell that man how hashtags work.

Right, so anyway. Not much to report on. I do want to give you an idea of what we were talking about with Alfred's VERY HARD TO READ "handwritten" narration:

Whatever you say, Alfie!

Here's that heartbreaking panel of Batman cradling Robin's broken body:

Sob!

These books are both amazing and you should read them.

Next week we are talking about Mark Waid and Ron Garney's Captain America: Man Without a Country. We are actually reading this book, which collects both Man Without a Country AND Operation: Rebirth (and some other stuff):

I already have so many thoughts. About this story. About Steve Rogers in general. About Sharon Carter. About everyone being all 90s jacked. Love it.

See you next week!

Podcast - Episode 57: Cosmic Odyssey

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DCAF is over and Dave and I had a nice time! We recorded via Skype this week because I have somehow injured my neck and cannot drive. I think I'm really getting the hang of this Skype recording stuff, though. Sounds good!

It's week 7 of our summer book club and we read the 1988 DC space adventure, Cosmic Odyssey, by Jim Starlin and Mike Mignola. It really is great. We poke fun at it a lot in this episode, but we sincerely both love it.

Here is that article in the Washington Post I was talking about that talks about fan entitlement and the importance of submitting to the vision of the artist.

Here's the birthday tweet Chris Evans posted for Sebastian Stan that made news headlines (for some reason):

Here is the sketch that Michael Cho did for me of Captain America (dreaming about Bucky):

And here's the Plastic Man sketch he did for Mitchell:

Both totally excellent. We're very happy.

Speaking of happy, I was very excited to receive a package in the mail this week from our pal J.Bone! It included this ADORABLE little sketch of The Summer Soldier:

@originaljbone gives me the best presents. 💕 #wintersoldier

A photo posted by Living Between Wednesdays (@livingbetweenwednesdays) on

The Stucky fanzine by Jess Fink and Yuko Ota is, I believe, no longer available. But you can check out their awesome Tumblr sites, which will lead you to other great stuff you can read or buy: Jess Fink and Yuko Ota

Anyway, it's full of cute stuff like this:

I did buy a Winter Soldier dinky car, because obviously. On the Instagram post, Dave asked Steve Epting if he knew about this thing. He replied! He owns one himself. I like to think he means a full-size version. Like, that car is Steve Epting's ride.

JUST LIKE IN THE COMICS!!!! #wintersoldier

A photo posted by Living Between Wednesdays (@livingbetweenwednesdays) on

What a weird thing.

And, of course, I also got a hot Wal-Mart exclusive Winter Soldier figure.

Got a new boyfriend. Wal-Mart exclusive. #wintersoldier

A photo posted by Living Between Wednesdays (@livingbetweenwednesdays) on

And I am totally not putting him in weird, somewhat sexy scenes with my Captain America figure. 

Valium is a really good drug.

Here's the panel from Cosmic Odyssey that really cracks me up:

"What? Oh, I don't care about that anymore. Look at this computer thing I did..."

Next week we're reading and discussing Batgirl: Year One/Robin: Year One! 

Podcast - Episode 56: Suicide Squad and Copra

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Dave and I saw Suicide Squad and it was not painless!

Quite the opposite.

We laughed a lot, though. Not at the jokes. At other parts. And we fell in love with Slipknot, the lovable scamp who can climb ANYTHING! With a grappling gun. Um...and he actually can't even do that.

To wash the taste of that movie out of our mouths (tastes like one of the weird extreme Mountain Dew flavours), we read Michel Fiffe's Copra: Round One for the latest instalment of our summer book club. It was a much better "Suicide Squad" story.

I have been looking but I could not verify what Diablo spells with fire, so Dave and I will have to agree to disagree until we get a gif. Or until we forget all about it.

So, to recap, here is the line-up that I think the Suicide Squad movie should have had:

Deadshot
Captain Boomerang
Harley Quinn (but NO JOKER. POST JOKER!)
Poison Ivy
Clayface
Dr. Light

Better, right? And much smaller, which is important.

Also, I forgot to mention this, but the whole point of the Suicide Squad is to do jobs that super heroes can't/won't do. This particular "mission" was something that normal super heroes totally could have done. A Suicide Squad movie should be like Ocean's 11 with comic book villains. It should have been a heist, like having to break into the Batcave to steal something for Waller. Or something. This movie made no goddamn sense.

And it needed way more Slipknot. WAY MORE.

We hardly knew ye, rope guy.

Some photos have hit the internet since we recorded of Sebastian Stan filming his mystery movie in Ireland. Still nothing on his IMDB page, but the working title at least seems to be We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Which is clearly code for 1960s-era Star Wars Sequel:

Nah. It's actually a thriller based on a Shirley Jackson story. I hope it's not too scary for meeeeeee!!!!

This is my favourite image from the set so far:

What's he going to do with that hammer?! What's in that bag?! A head??!! A GHOST??!! Eeeeeek!!!!

Here's that Super Hero Beat Down: Nightwing vs Winter Soldier video. It's...something else.

If you want to read my live tweeting of the Captain America gay porn parody, you can read them here. Nothing too explicit, I promise:

And if you're in the Halifax/Dartmouth area this weekend, definitely come check out DCAF! It's going to be awesome! Check it out:

Podcast - Episode 55: SDCC and Doctor Strange: The Oath

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Dave went to San Diego Comic Con! He's back to talk all about the things he saw, the people he met, the awards he won, and the things he bought! We also cover as much of the news that came out of SDCC as possible, including our thoughts on about a hundred movie trailers.

It's also another instalment of our summer book club, and this week we are talking about Doctor Strange: The Oath by Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin.

PLUS we have a lot of comics to talk about! Steve Rogers Captain America #3 came out this week and it was awesome and nuts! And in This Week in Winter Soldier, I talk all about Thunderbolts #3 and tell Dave a story about fans going absolutely bananas on Sebastian Stan's Instagram when he cancelled his Wizard World Chicago appearance.

You can't watch Arty, the short film directed by Nathan Boone that Dave acts in, online yet, but here is the trailer:

Dave got me a present at SDCC! It's an amazing print by Marvel Studios' Head of Visual Development, Ryan Meinerding! 

Man, so pretty.

Ryan Meinerding has like the best job in the world.

Thanks Dave! 

Here are those Iron Fist/Power Man Bill Sienkiewicz Marvel ads Dave was talking about:

Alright! I hope you enjoyed, or will enjoy, Doctor Strange: The Oath! It's really, really good!!!!

Podcast - Episode 54: Batman: Hush

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Oh man. It's the one you've been waiting for. Or, the one we've been waiting for anyway. The 12-issue Jeph Loeb/Jim Lee hot mess that you can't help but love, Batman: Hush!

Just a couple of things real quick before I post some helpful Hush images.

Here is the link to the interview where Sebastian Stan talks about over-doing it on the bulking up for Civil War. It's from the GQ Style interview that I posted a few weeks ago. Here's that specific part of that Q&A:

He's wrong about the fitted jeans not looking good anymore.

Here's a Nicola Scott tweet, acknowledging that Beefcake Steve Trevor is the best Steve Trevor:

Ok, all aboard the crazy train to Hush station!

First, this is that double page spread I was trying to describe where Batman is looking, um, pretty busy but still has a hard time staying focused (based on his rambling interior monologue). 

And this is a great example of what Jim Lee thinks appropriate business attire for women is:

Poor, poor Lois.

And here is Bruce Wayne using his excellent detective skills, first noticing the subtle changes in the opera performance he's attending with Selina:

And here he is determining that the man in his arms with a hole in his forehead is DEAD:

Oh, Batman: Hush. You are the best.

I am sure I forgot to mention many things in our conversation about this. I mean, I know for sure that I forgot to mention the fact that Bruce Wayne borrows Lois Lane's work computer to OPEN UP A CHAT ROOM TO TALK SECRETLY TO ORACLE!!!!

This comic, you guys.

Ok, so Dave and I are taking a week off while he goes to SDCC, and then we'll be back to talk about Doctor Strange: The Oath.