Podcast - Episode 65: A Visit from Wordburglar!

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It's Wednesday! Coming off a Thanksgiving long weekend here in Canada, and we are joined by our friend Sean "Wordburglar" Jordan. It's an episode so jam packed with geeking out that we don't even really have a topic!

We talk about so many things! Here are some helpful references!

Here's the article about Stan Lee's plan to end racial tension in America.

Here's an account (and here is a video) of what Peter David said at NYCC about the Romani people. And here is his follow-up blog post where he, uh, regrets(?) what he said?

Here is the trailer for the Ninjak vs the Valiant Universe series, which is a real thing that is happening:

Here is a picture of Gideon, which, yes, is an important reference image for this episode:

Enjoy! And check out Sean's new video for Channel Halifax, and check out the single on vinyl!

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 52: Spider-Man - The Original Clone Saga

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It's week two of our book club! This week I read about 500 pages of Spider-Man. Dave had an earlier collection of this story that was under 200 pages. We should have communicated better.

This week we discuss Gerry Conway and Ross Andru's Clone Saga Spider-Man story from the mid-1970s. It's one of Dave's favourites and I had never read it before!

Before that we talk about how great Steve Rogers Captain America #2 is (and about how insane all the hate that's being hurled at Nick Spencer is). 

Speaking of insane, you can read the absolutely bonkers article about this comic that was posted on Paste Magazine's site here. As I say in the podcast, it's not only crazy because it STATES AS FACT that Marvel did something that would be impossible (completely change and re-write/draw/print a comic in like three weeks), it's also crazy because it suggests that Marvel, a very large entertainment company, would change a comic that QUICKLY SOLD OUT because a loud minority on the internet completely misunderstood it. It also ignores the content of this second issue, which is basically a very detailed outline showing how everything that has happened in all of the comics Spencer has been writing for most of a year now had led to this moment. It's just nuts.

Paste did post an apology, sort of, but man. Too little too late.

Anyway. I am so tired of defending this clearly awesome comic.

You can purchase and download that Year of Marvels Infinite comic about Winter Solider by Chuck Wendig and Juanan Ramirez here. I've seen the whole thing screen grabbed on Tumblr as well, because Tumblr is a lawless hellscape.

The comic is full of good stuff, like, um, this:

And this very hot WWII flashback version of Steve Rogers:

And who wants to see some creepy Captain America and Winter Soldier plush toys?

I think it's really funny that Steve's nose is so much larger than Bucky's. Attention to detail!

Here are some of the panels of the Clone Saga that we discuss. I apologize for the poor quality of these images. You're just gonna have to buy the book to see the beautiful art in all it's glory!

Here's that quiet scene on campus that Dave was talking about:

And here is the scene of J.J.J. clicking his heels together and then falling down:

Here's what Dave was talking about when he said Ross Andru draws crazy so well:

I forgot to mention this in the episode, but I was really impressed with Scorpion's costume-packing skills:

So cute!

And speaking of costumes, here's the one I became completely obsessed with: The Jackal!

Here is Prof Warren tearing his mask off:

Like...come on. That costume is insane.

Anyway. Ross Andru's art is amazing.

That's it for this week! Next week Dave and I talk about Wilspn, by Daniel Clowes! Not as many super villains in that one, if I remember correctly. Less clones, probably?

Podcast - Episode 48: Controversial Comics with Cal Johnston

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Comics have a long, proud history of dropping crazy stories on their readers. Some of these created a bit of a stir at the time. Sometimes that stir moved beyond the comic fandom and into mainstream media. And sometimes a comic that didn't cause much controversy at the time...just doesn't age well.

Dave is away this week but I was lucky enough to be joined by Cal Johnston, owner of Strange Adventures comic shops here in Halifax/Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Strange Adventures are amazing comic book shops, and Cal is an awesome guy. I do owe a lot of my love of comics to Cal and Dave and the welcoming nature of Strange Adventures. Cal is very enthusiastic about comics, and shares his love of them in many awesome ways, from being incredibly generous on Free Comic Book Day, to organizing and financing DCAF, a free one-day comic fest that happens in Dartmouth every August. He has also helped the careers of several cartoonists, and is the cornerstone of the local comic scene here. Cal rules!

As I mention on this podcast, if you would like to learn more about Cal and his stores, you should listen to him on Sean Jordan's podcast, Weekend At Burgie's.

I mention a few good tweets from the comic book world this past week. You should read the entire thread of tweets from Kurt Busiek here.

And Gerry Conway had a bunch of great tweets on white male privilege, like this one:

Gerry Conway, as it turns out, might be the most woke dude on Twitter (did I say that right?).

I also really enjoyed this Nick Spencer tweet:

Thanks for listening! 

Podcast - Episode 44: CIVIL WAR!!!!!! (with J.Bone)

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OHMYGODIT'SFINALLYHERE!!!!

We are joined once again by our pal J.Bone to discuss the movie that we've all been, um, looking forward to, Captain America: Civil War (or, as I like to call it BUCKY! BUCKY! BUCKY! BUCKY!).

Look, I'm not even going to write that much this week. Because this episode is LONG. We joke at the beginning about going two hours, but guess what? We completely did. Longer, even!

I cut as much as I can, and the rest, I am sure you'll agree, is solid gold.

Here's the thing though, guys. I got so caught up talking about the actual plot of this movie that I forgot to mention how scorching hot Winter Soldier is in it. And so did J! Like, what was this episode even for?!

So here are some things I forgot to mention in this episode:

  1. Bucky is crazy hot;
  2. Like, so hot;
  3. Like, I could not CUSTOM BUILD a hotter man;
  4. He's so beefy and scruffy and those eyes are so sad but also so smouldering;
  5. I wish he had been shirtless;
  6. What a god damn waste of a jacked Sebastian Stan. I mean, come ON!;
  7. Not for, like, the whole movie, but maybe just an extended shower scene?;
  8. The tank top was nice;
  9. He looked good in white;
  10. I love him and I am in love with him.

So yeah. That's important.

Hey, here's a supercut of that Late Late Show episode clip where Sebastian Stan flirts hard with Sharon Stone until she flirts back with him. Then he turns into a giggling mess. It's VERY CUTE!

I wish that video wasn't edited so heavily. You can probably find that whole episode online somewhere. I would recommend. Zach Woods is very funny. At the end of the episode Sebastian turns to him and says "we should be friends!"

Anyway, enjoy the episode. We had fun recording it. I shouldn't speak for everyone. I had fun recording it, even though it went way past my bedtime.

Now let's start the countdown to the next Avengers movie! 2018! YEAH!!!!

Podcast - Episode 41: Steve McNiven!

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Holy smokes you guys! Civil War mania is reaching a fever pitch, and it's not just in my own head any more! Dave and I are very serious about wanting to remain spoiler free when it comes to this movie, but we could not resist talking to Steve McNiven about his recent trip to L.A. to attend the world premier! He also visited the set in Atlanta last year! Oh, and he also drew the Marvel comic series Civil War. 

Steve McNiven is a superstar and he also lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia! He is also a super nice (and tall) guy and kindly invited Dave and me into his beautiful home to talk to him about all sorts of stuff. This is his very first podcast appearance ever you guys! What an honour!

I was very disciplined and I didn't even ask him how wonderful Sebastian Stan smells, or what Chris Evans' arms feel like, or if either or both of them are surrounded by an aura of pure white light. Or if that light only appears when they are standing together.

I kept it 100% professional.

Dave and I talk about some other stuff before, but whatever. Trailers, Spider-Man logos...these are all things you can Google.

Here is the cute lil' video of Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan on their way to a mystery location (Phoenix, AZ) to surprise some fans at one of the advance screenings of Civil War:

I would post more images and video of Civil War promo stuff, but there is just way, way too much. 

Ok, I am very tired from editing this podcast. Enjoy!