Podcast - Episode 80: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

They. Just. Keep. Getting. Worse!

This has to be the worst one, right? This week we watching X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, and, yeah...that is not a good movie.

But at least it has GAMBIT, right??!! YEAAAAHHH!!!

Ugh. How do you make Taylor Kitsch look that bad? Honestly.

Here's stupid ol' Logan laying waste to the poor elderly couple's bathroom:

Moron.

As I mention, there was a very important news piece this week that aired on Fox5 in New York. It was a gripping investigation into the work-out routine of Sebastian Stan as he prepares to bulk up to play Winter Soldier again. This is good journalism, guys.

You should really watch the whole video. It's important to follow the news. And there is grunting:

And if you're interested, here is the art I bought from Chris Samnee, now hanging on my bedroom wall.

Here's a better look at the Winter Soldier sketch on the invoice:

It's SO GOOD!!!

Big thanks again to Heather for getting these to me from the States.

Alright,  next week we're watching The Wolverine. And tonight we're seeing The Lego Batman movie!

Podcast - Episode 77: X-Men (2000)

An evil monster becomes President of the United States this week and we are coping by watching all of the X-Men movies. We kick it off this week with X-Men (2000). It's not bad, guys!

We're going to be continuing with this for as long as we can stand it. We will at least be watching the first three X-Men movies. I think we should force ourselves to watch the first two Wolverine movies as well. If anyone has copies to lend us, let us know!

Podcast - Episode 76: Favourite Formats

There's been a lot of talk in the comic book world lately about formats, and the future of how comics will be published and distributed. Dave and I talk about some of our favourite formats, old and new, in this episode. It's more entertaining than it sounds.

Not much to write about this week. We got a new microphone to replace the broken one, and we got new headphones, so things are sounding pretty good.

Thanks for listening! Let me know if you see any hardcover copies of Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus vols 3 & 4 anywhere!

Podcast - Episode 74: Rogue One

It's the last episode of 2016! Dave and I went to see Rogue One (separately) and waited until recording this episode to share our thoughts. We have a lot of thoughts.

We also exchange Christmas presents!

Here is the Jabba the Hutt festive candy bowl that I gave to Dave:

And here's the Captain America toque that he gave to me!

Awwww thanks Dave!

And, for reference, here is the insane Suicide Squad toque I spotted in a store:

I mean, you could wear that with anything. This would have fit right in with the hats I reviewed on this blog back in 2010.

Alright, we're taking next week off and we'll see you in the new year. Let's end this garbage pile of a year with a very hot recent photo of Sebastian Stan.

Stop being so hot, Sebastian. It's gross.

Podcast - Episode 73: The Image Revolution

Dave and I have decided to not do a Best of 2016 episode this year because those things are BORING.

Instead, we have taken a trip back to a simpler time by watching the 2014 documentary, THE IMAGE REVOLUTION, about the creation of Image Comics in the 1990s.

The documentary features clips from the 1991 series, The Comic Book Greats, which was hosted by Stan Lee. You can see full episodes of Stan the Man talking to "greats" like Todd McFarlane and Rob Liefeld on YouTube:

I didn't really read superhero comics that much in the 90s because they were so ugly and confusing and just didn't appeal to me at all. Besides the occasional Jim Lee X-Man comic, I mostly ignored them. Most of my 90s superhero intake was in animated form.

As a result, comic books in the 90s have always just baffled me. It's a bizarre island where no attention was paid to storytelling or art or character development. And yet it was the most successful the comic book industry has ever been.

But, like all things that are all flash and no substance, the bottom fell out hard. Fortunately, Image was able to continue on, and even flourish, and today is a place where some of the top talent in the industry have the ability to tell their stories the way they want to tell them. As much as we roll our eyes at the comics Image was putting out in the 90s, the idea of Image as a publishing house for creator-owned properties was important and is responsible for some of the best comics on the stands today.

Enjoy! We'll be back next week to talk about Rogue One!