Comic Geek Speak Podcast - The Best Comic Book Podcast
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Bryan, Peter, Pants and Adam cover a number of topics including: Baseball Geek Speak, more 20th Anniversary announcements (including a venue and sponsorship opportunities!), the closing of The Comic Forums (along with some past memories), the new X-Men '97 animated series as well as other '90s Marvel animation, the new Beetlejuice Beetlejuice trailer, Michael Keaton and Tim Burton movies, post-Infinite Crisis Justice Society of America and Justice League of America titles, the first issue of Batman Dark Age by Mark Russell and Mike and Laura Allred, the cost of comic books over the years, the new video content you may be seeing on our various channels, CGS 20th Anniversary trivia, and more! (1:21:20)
Just in the nick of time, with days to spare, it's time for Previews! Ian, Murd and Chris crack open Image Catalog Issue 8, DC Connect issue 46, Marvel Previews Vol 6 issue 30, and Diamond Previews issue 426 as their sources of selections, with comics mainly set for May 2024 release. Highlights include Jonathan Hickman and Sanford Greene's Doom, Garth Ennis' return to Nick Fury, Space Ghost is back at Dynamite, Mark Russell's Death Ratio'd, Remender and Pesehn's Grommets, I Can Count to Ten and much more! (2:51:23)
A second podcast release in a week? Just like old times! And this one is much anticipated indeed. Chris, Murd, and Ian give their nominations for the CGS Best of 2023 Awards, along with the choices made by YOU, the listeners! Who will be selected in each of the sixteen categories as our favorites? Listening in will solve that question for yas. And once you do, you'll have until Sunday, April 7th at 11:59pm ET to get your final ballots in to bestof@comicgeekspeak.com; please vote in at least 12 of the sixteen categories to have your ballots properly counted. Happy voting! (2:40:51)
The countdown to Comic Geek Speak's 20th Anniversary begins here! What better way to start the celebrations than to announce early plans for a gathering in Reading, Pa. for March 2025! Listen in to hear how we are hoping to involve you, the listeners! To let us know that you are hoping to attend the CGS 20th Anniversary celebration, and to give us an early idea of attendee numbers, please secure your spot here! http://tiny.cc/cgs20th. http://tiny.cc/cgs20th And then Peter, Pants, Shane and Bryan continue the geek topics with: Broadway Geek Speak, a rousing trivia segment led by Pants based on Overstreet Price Guide comic values (it’s fun and challenging, believe us!), the Oscars, digging into recent issues of the Energon Universe (Void Rivals, Duke, Cobra Commander and Transformers), Gone by Jock, Thundercats from Dynamite, the Marvels, Neil Gaiman's Heritage art auction, reactions to the X-Men: From the Ashes title announcements and more! (2:11:56)
Peter and Adam return to the Crisis Tapes to begin their in-depth coverage of Crisis on Infinite Earths issue 7. The main feature of this episode is a breakdown of the iconic cover by George Pérez as well as some of the many homages it has spawned over the years. We then cover the first five pages of this double-size shocker in grand Footnotes style. Along the way, listen in for Crisis Fun Facts, thoughts on the Crisis related toy figures from McFarlane Toys, untold stories we'd like to see, and other DC Comics continuity tidbits. (3:01:01)
A more fitting episode couldn't possibly have been recorded on the day of CGS' nineteenth anniversary. Artist extraordinaire Dave Wachter, a man who has been a guest, friend, and listener since 2005, comes on to discuss his latest book, Uncanny Valley, with Chris, Shane, Murd and Ian. They also talk how Dave first got into comics and then subsequently got back into them in the 2000s, his recent run on Punisher and getting to design the new legacy version of the character, Planet of the Apes the movie and getting the draw the comic set in the new movie universe, an undying love of 80s cartoons and pop culture, some Super Show memories, and so much more. Plus, Murd dishes on Superman: Meshi, Ian makes his prediction come true and gives thoughts on Madame Web, Muddle the Murd and more! (1:52:31)
Pants and Peter cover various topics such as: Old Pants Speak, a Tom King signing in Baltimore, January’s Original Art Expo in Orlando, behind the scenes info on the 52 weekly comic series, recent Comic Link results, trivia from the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, Newsstand vs Direct Market covers, current reading including Gotham City Year One, Dawn of DC, and Green Arrow, as well as older titles such as From Hell, an update on Pants’ TV watching, and more! (1:37:40)
Shane, Murd and Ian are here to bring you this month's Previews! Image Catalog Issue 7, DC Connect issue 45, Marvel Previews Vol 6 issue 29, and Diamond Previews issue 425 are the books this month, with comics mainly set for a April 2024 release. Highlights include the return of Disney's Hercules, a reboot for Deadpool, Braniac returns for a Superman crossover, Roboforce is back, and bunches of other tantalizing comics. (2:36:43)
It's Comic Talk time once more! Shane, Murd, Ian and Chris start things off with some show announcements, including the launch of the Best of 2024 Awards nominations, then go into the mass exodus of artists from Cadence Comic Art. Then, Murd and Chris give their thoughts on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, with some spoilers within (12:22-30:54), then Ian and Chris give their thoughts on Marvel's latest Disney+ offering, Echo (spoiler free) and Ian goes all What If...? Other topics include birthday comic related birthday gifts, Chris catches up on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Shane goes World of Toys on GI Joe Classified, Bat-Communicators, and new Macfarlane Toys Batman and Robin and DC Superpowers revivals. Plus recent reads such as Murd finally finishing reading the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, Bizarro's return in Action Comics 1061 and Zorro's return in Zorro: Man of the Dead, Shane concludes Human Target and catches up on Wonder Woman, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Transformers, Cobra Commander and Duke, Ian goes Valentine's with DC's How To Lose Guy Gardner in 10 Days, then talks Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate Black Panther's premieres, Immortal Thor, the Ghost Machine one-shot from Image and the new Superior Spider-Man, Chris is legendary with JMS' Thor Omnibus, Jeff Lemire's Cosmic Detective, Comic Creator's Steve Gerber tribute and Alter Ego doing the same for inker extraordinaire Tom Palmer, goes Ennis with Batman: Reptilian, is rapturous on Brubaker and Phillips' Where the Body Was, Waid's Kingdom Come World's Finest, and more! Plus thoughts on Insomniac's first Spider-Man game, the passing of the luminary José Delbo, Muddle the Murd, and more more! (2:45:01)
IT'S A MADHOUSE!!! We finally make a monkey out of you, as we return for another entry in our Retro Movie Review series, this time with Chris' choice, the original Planet of the Apes. This classic Rod Serling and Franklin J. Schaffner science fiction opus crafted a franchise that is still cooking 56 years later. Murd, Ian, Chris and Shane discuss the minutia of the film itself, the world building, Charlton Heston's impossible to match gravitas, the relationship between Zira and Cornelius, beards making you look smarter, some trivia you may not know, and so much more. I love you, Dr. Zaius! (1:53:37)
It's the first Previews of 2024! Chris, Murd and Ian bring forth a doozy of a read-through of Image Catalog Issue 6, DC Connect issue 44, Marvel Previews Vol 6 issue 28, and Diamond Previews issue 424, clocking in at nearly three hours of choice selections, with books mostly set for a March 2024 release! Highlights include Biker Mice From Mars, The Last Mermaid splashes onto shore, Greg Weisman brings us The Spectacular Spider-Men, Zdarsky's Batman goes deeper into Zur-En-Arrh territory, Matzoh Man, more Bizarro, and so much more! (2:57:31)
Bryan, Peter, Shane, Kevin and Adam gather to discuss: Colonoscopy Geek Speak, the defunct Warner Bros. Studio Store, Where were you when Superman died?, Golden Eagle memories, G.I.Joe 301, Low by Remender and Tocchini, Killadelphia by Barnes and Alexander, '90s X-Force comics, Happy Days 50th Anniversary trivia, an in-depth review of Ultimate Spider-Man 1 by Hickman and Checchetto, celebrating 25 years of Batman Beyond, Earth X and Batman No Man's Land, raving about Godzilla Minus One, Peter Jackson's King Kong, Zom 100 by Aso and Takata, and a quick post-outro chat with Pants! (2:08:21)
As CGS recovers from the holiday break, we present a special presentation of Comic Timing! Ian and Brent got to record in person in Florida over Christmas break, and here is the glorious result. Topics include Brent's thoughts on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, combined conversation on The Marvels, Blue Beetle, the burial of Comixology, trains passing by, David Corensweat and James Gunn's Superman Legacy to come, and so much more. Earmuffs as always with these, as there is the occasional off-color comment or language that comes with two friends communing in a park for a podcast. Like you do. Enjoy, and Happy 2024 all! (1:48:18)
As CGS recovers from the holiday break, we present a special presentation of Comic Timing! Ian and Brent got to record in person in Florida over Christmas break, and here is the glorious result. Topics include Brent's thoughts on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, combined conversation on The Marvels, Blue Beetle, the burial of Comixology, trains passing by, David Corensweat and James Gunn's Superman Legacy to come, and so much more. Earmuffs as always with these, as there is the occasional off-color comment or language that comes with two friends communing in a park for a podcast. Like you do. Enjoy, and Happy 2024 all! (1:48:18)
One last episode before the year concludes, as Murd, Shane, Chris and Ian go through the various December Previews catalogs, with books mostly set for a February 2024 release date. This spans Image Catalog Issue 5, DC Connect issue 43, Marvel Previews Vol 6 issue 27, and Diamond Previews issue 423. Highlights include the new batch of Free Comic Book Day issues, the return of Thundercats (HOOOOOOO!), a bunch of Omnibuses that are way too heavy for Shane, a Howard Chaykin book so good they don't need to describe it, Ultimate Black Panther, Joker's origin by way of Zdarsky, and tons more where that came from! Enjoy, and see you in 2024 for more! (2:46:01)
Reach deep into the toe of your stocking and you'll find the last delicious morsel of this classic of Christmas literature as read by Murd, in which L. Frank Baum describes how dear old Santa Claus overcame the last few obstacles (including Death itself!) in his neverending quest to make all the children of the world happy at Christmastime. Happy Holidays from CGS! (31:54)
Matt, Shane, Murd, Chris and Ian convene with merriment, as it is time for this year's Cornucopia! Plenty to discuss in this one, including the merits of VHS, Special and Unspecialized Star Wars, the alternate fate of Jason Todd released after all these years, the official death of Comixology as an app, Belgian comic book acquis ions in the form of The Adventures of Blake and Mortimer, a spoiler-filled discussion of The Marvels (27:48-1:08:00), the potentially perilous Sony adaptation of Madame Web and Kraven, and more! More includes Shane diving into recent GI Joe acquisitions in a World of Toys segment, a mention of Sina Grace's new all-ages Superman book, Superman: The Harvests of Youth, Matt gives thoughts on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and listening to recent episodes of Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum's Talkville podcast, Ian reviews volume 1 of Daniel Warren Johnson's Do a Powerbomb and the conclusion of Hickman's Ultimate Invasion, streaming media such as Gen V, Invincible and Netflix's The Killer, Chris and Ian go Planetary with Outsiders #1, Chris goes Joe as well with GI Joe issue 1 (aka 301),JMS' Captain America, Star Trek: Year Five, a return to Kingdom Come with World's Finest issue 20, Gallery Editions of The Kree Skrull War and Spider-Man: Blue, going further Christmassy with Merry Little Batman, Muddle the Murd and more more! (2:43:42)
Bryan, Peter, Shane, Pants and Adam gather to discuss: Cuisine Geek Speak, Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns cover debate, some recent local conventions, Hiroshi Sumi’s Voice of a Star Wars Fan short film, holiday ornaments, Star Wars: Dark Empire from Dark Horse by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy, Dave Filoni's promotion at LucasFilm, Dr. Who 60th Anniversary specials, Adventures of Captain America by Fabian Nicieza and Kevin Maguire, more Energon Universe talk, CGS History for November and December, Bryan's thoughts on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, various TV Talk including Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Moonlighting, Three's Company, the passing of Norman Lear and more! (2:01:40)
To me, my X-Men! Chris, Shane, Ian and Murd present us with a Top 5 that is a long time coming. Twelve years ago, CGS brought you their Top 5 X-Men Team; this time, they go individual, giving you their favorite X-Men of all time. There is plenty of crossover between lists, an amazing Murdoughnian surprise as one would expect, and some other unique choices along the way. Get some training in in The Danger Room, grab yourself a belt with an X on it, and practice your Claremontian narration! (1:59:38)
What's more festive than gathering round a table with turkey, cranberry sauce, gravy, stuffing and pumpkin pie? Previews, of course! Murd, Chris and Ian gorge themselves on Image Catalog Issue 4, DC Connect issue 42, Marvel Previews Vol 6 issue 26, and Diamond Previews issue 422, with books mostly scheduled for release in January 2024. Highlights include some new Garth Ennis, Greg Pak's Lilo & Stitch, Jason Aaron's Superman, the return of a very different Ultimate Spider-Man, and tons more; enough for seconds, even. We are thankful to you for listening, and may this fill you with as much joy as leftovers do the next day! (2:19:45)
And there came a time when Ian finally found the opportunity to release recordings made at recent conventions. That time is indeed today! Depending on your definition of recent, that is. First, we flash back to last year's Anime NYC, just in time for this year's Anime NYC, as Ian interviews manga translator for books such as Cat + Gamer and Marvel's Demon Wars, writer and beer buddy, Zack Davisson, as well as artist Robert Wilson IV from Oni Press' Heartthrob, Vault's Barbaric: The Harvest Blades, Bitch Planet issue 3, and a bunch of posters for bands such as Metallica and Weird Al! We then flash forward to New York Comic Con 2023, as Ian runs through his experiences at the convention, followed by convo on the floor with Donovan Morgan Grant and artist and creator extraordinaire, Mr. Jamal Igle. This includes discussion of The Harvey Awards, the existence of Death Note: The Musical, attending the Steve Ditko panel on a whim, and so much more. (1:28:32)
Adam and Peter complete their examination of the CW's live-action version of Crisis on Infinite Earths! Covering the final two chapters - in Arrow and in Legends of Tomorrow - topics include the origin of the Monitor, Oliver Queen's ghostly transformation, the final battle against the Anti-Monitor, even more surprising cross media cameos (including Marv Wolfman himself), the new Prime Earth and more! We also explore the Paragons Rising tie-in stories from the Crisis on Infinite Earths 100 Page Giant comics. (2:59:16)
Fulfilling a prophecy set forth by one Chris Eberle about a year ago, we have quite literally willed the Micronauts back into existence! That's right, as Marvel begins republishing this long in limbo property, we here at Comic Geek Speak gather together to discuss the first twelve issues of this 1979 classic in as much detail as we can muster. And in order to do so properly, Chris, Ian, Murd and Shane are joined by none other than Ryan Drost of the Star Joes Podcast! Ryan brings with him history on the original toy line, what led Bill Mantlo to the comic book series in the first place, who Marvel nearly had draw the title before Michael Golden signed on, the many comparisons to Star Wars, and so much more. So do you best to avoid miniature ships as they whiz through your front yard, secure Muffin, time travel with The Time Traveler, be cautious of Baron Karza and his Body Banks, and try not to get turned into a cyborg or a centaur, because this one is a doozy! (1:58:31)
Peter, Shane, Pants, and Adam cover several topics including: cheering on the Phillies, Concert Geek Speak, honoring the legacy and career of Keith Giffen, original art and sketches, our first Giffen comics, Pants' trip to Baltimore and New York comic conventions, and CGS History for September and October. As well as a return segment of Off the Rack Reviews on the first issues of Transformers by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer from Skybound's Energon Universe, Marvel's Captain America by Straczynski, Saiz and Hollingsworth, and the new Wonder Woman title by Tom King, Sampere and Morey from DC Comics. (2:06:37)
Previews time yet again, with time to spare for once! Chris, Ian and Murd mull over Image Catalog Issue 3, DC Connect issue 41, Marvel previews Vol 6 issue 25, and Diamond Previews issue 421, for books mainly set for a December 2023 release. Highlights include Marvel's latest Timeless adventure, the conclusion of Zdarsky's Mindbomb storyline in Batman, Brubaker and Phillips' Where the Body Was, the return of Valiant thanks to Alien Books, a whole lot of Chrimas-y horror books, an excuse for Ian to use his movie trailer voice, and more! (2:27:38)
Recently, Toy Fair held their (usually) annual event at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City on September 30th through October 3rd, 2023. Ian attended the trade show for the first time, and he discusses the event with Kris Naudus on this very episode. They delve into just what exactly Toy Fair is, where it will be headed come 2025 after 100+ years in NYC, how this year's event compared to previous years Kris experienced, and so much more. So much more includes highlights from Vault and their AEW figures and professional cosplay you can wheel around in a custom overhead bin friendly suitcase, tons of Lego playsets and buildable art, Bandai's Tamashi Nations selections as well as their Godzilla and Tekken figures, Funko's massive presence and their integration of Mondo's high-end collectibles, Foam Alive's incredibly soothing foam fun and other sensory pleasures like slime and putty, Super7's TMNT and GI Joe offerings, the return of Ty and Beanie Babies, InstaCake (just add water), bubbles and Bluey everywhere, Playmobil's Star Trek and Magnum PI sets (you read that right), Fresh Dolls, including their Black Panther: Wakanda Forever dolls, The Elf on the Shelf Santaverse, and tons more! (1:28:42)
We begin this episode joined by longtime comic book artist, creator, and now writer, Sean Chen, Chris, Murd and Ian discus his career at large, beginning with how he first got into comic books, including some fascinating insights on how he first got into the business. Next, his time at Valiant, meandering over to Marvel and his Iron Man run, and as the main course, go in-depth on his current Kickstarter. This is for the first three issues of EVERMIND, the book he co-created along with martial artist and actor Daniel Wu. Then, Murd discusses his trip back to Bowling Green University for their Spider-Man in Popular Culture Conference, curated by friend and listener of the show, Dr. Chuck Coletta. Ian then reviews J. Michael Straczynski's first issue of Captain America, Kelly Thompson's Birds of Prey, and Jonathan Hickman's first Infinite comic presentation of G.O.D.S. Finally, we discuss this year's CGS By the Sea, and Chris talks Steve Orlando's Scarlet Witch Volume 1, Al Ewing's Immortal Thor, Luise Simonson's Jean Grey, Backissue 146's Bronze Age Daredevil breakdown, Star Trek: Day of Blood, and Titan's Conan the Barbarian. Plus, Muddle the Murd and more! (1:58:11)
Shane! Chris! Ian! Previews! These books are in issue 2 of Image's catalog, DC Connect issue 40, Marvel previews Vol 6 issue 24, and Diamond Previews issue 420, for books mainly set for a November 2023 release. Highlights include a Gang War at Marvel, a Beast World at DC, the return of The Outsiders, Howard the Duck is back, Christmas comes early with Image's The Deviant, GI Joe returns, and so much more. (2:18:28)
We go all the way back to 1984 for tonight's Retro Movie Review; long before the Internet, podcasts, or Zoom were even a dream in the wind. Instead, we found ourselves getting lost in the pages of a story book...quite literally. That's right, for Murd's selection, the crew of Ian, Chris, Shane and Murd discover together the true majesty that is The Neverending Story! Two out of four Geeks watched it for the first time, while Ian hadn't seen it since he was Bastian's age. What say they about one of Murd's favorite fantasy movies of all time? Get yourself out of that video game arcade with its beeps and boops, get the theme song completely stuck in your head, grab Falcor by the neck and hold on for dear life, and try not to think about the subpar sequels...for that, is another story. SAY MY NAME BASTIAN!!!! (1:30:46)
A collection of Bryan, Peter, Shane, Murd and Pants tell us all to get off their lawns with an "old" school Comic Talk! Topics include Geeks vs Father Time as we cover Old Geek Speak; aging Action Heroes; the state of streaming; Perry Mason; Barbenheimer; changing viewing habits for tv and movies; Rebel Moon; Adam jumps into A Song of Ice and Fire; Pants is reading Fables and rediscovering old comic contests; where’s the Image Comics digital app?; CGS History for August; reminiscing about the London Super Comic Con; Pants updates his TV watching; My Adventures of Superman and more! (1:53:26)
