Comic Geek Speak Podcast - The Best Comic Book Podcast

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,

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! (1:58:40)

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 everywh

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'

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)

On what would have been Jamie D's 57th birthday, we at Comic Geek Speak head back into the archives to rerelease a true gem. A little bit over ten years ago, the weekend of April 6th and 7th 2013 to be exact, CGS held Comic Geek Speak Super Show 2013 at the Greater Reading Expo Center (which is now a warehouse). At that event, Uncle Sal sat down with Jamie, with some Pants interjection for good measure, and let loose. This is also the event where Uncle Sal received his Freking Sweer award! Listen in and enjoy, but earmuffs, as there will be swears and stories you shouldn't repeat to your kids or grandmother, as always. And happy birthday, Jamie! Shiznit strong, always. (1:22:50)

It's still hot out there, so let's have our annual Summer Spectacular, right before Labor Day! Shane, Chris, Murd and Ian start off with some strike related delays for Dune 2, and then all but Murd give their non-spoiler thoughts on Blue Beetle. Discussion then deviates to Ian's review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, followed by a post-season finale breakdown of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Comics discussed include Shane checking out Image's big surprise, Void Rivals, as well as the new Green Arrow and Green Lantern, and Superman: Space Age. Ian tackles Mark Waid and Bryan Hitch's Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor, Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent 1-6, and issue 2 of Ultimate Invasion. Murd flies through space to uncover the secrets of Star Wars: Dark Droids and comes back home for Big Jim Miller's Rental Classics Vol 1 and 2. And Chris remains current with the new Black Panther series, What If: Dark Spider Gwen, Superman Lost, Star Trek Vol 1: Godshock, Parker Girls, and Brubaker and Ph

What's more frightening than Halloween, and the bevy of horror books that come with it? A fourth Previews book to read on a monthly basis! That's right, for this August edition of Previews with book mostly set for October 2023 release, Chris, Shane, Murd and Ian grin and bare it and make it through the entire episode as a foresome, and wade through Diamond Previews 419, issue 2 of Image Comics Previews, DC Connect issue 39, and Marvel Previews vol 6 issue 23. Highlights include a Futurama Christmas, Saga's latest collected volume, Jonathan Hickman's G.O.D.S., Kong and Godzilla take on the freakin JLA, and much much more. Plus, hear Ian get a bunch of names and numbers wrong as he shakes off the ring rust after not recording for a few weeks! (2:49:23)

Adam and Peter celebrate 25 episodes of the Crisis Tapes by turning their attention to the CW’s live-action version of Crisis on Infinite Earths! Covering the first three chapters - in Supergirl, Batwoman and the Flash - this first part explores the buildup to the Crisis in the Arrowverse, how the event unfolds for television, the actor and character cameos and appearances from across the DC Mediaverse, parallels to the original comic book Crisis, the Black Lightning tie-in episode and more! The Crisis is now upon us all! (3:29:07)

This week, we bring you a syndicated episode of Paul Spataro's Back to the Bins, featuring Shane and Chris! Episode 578 features the trio delving into an Independent book, a DC book, and a Marvel book of their choosing, and each is a doozy this time around. Elfquest, Booster Gold and Man-Thing are the choices du jour, so listen in and enjoy the nostalgia! (1:14:22)

It's Previews time in the old corral, as summer scorches on! This month, Murd, Chris and Ian discuss Diamond Previews issue 418, DC Connect 38, and Marvel Previews Vol 6 issue 22, with books mainly set for September 2023 release. Highlights include Darkwing Duck's Negaduck getting a miniseries, the official solicit for the ROM Omnibus, JMS' Captain America, Tom King's Wonder Woman, new books from friends of the show Mike Norton and Martheus Wade, and much more. And if you listen close, you'll hear the torrential downpour outside Ian's window mid-episode. (2:20:05)