Comic Geek Speak Podcast - The Best Comic Book Podcast

Rounding out the month of April, it's Previews! Chris, Ian, Murd and Shane discuss picks from Image Catalog Issue 9, DC Connect issue 47, Marvel Previews Vol 6 issue 31, and Diamond Previews issue 427, with books mainly set for a June 2024 release. Highlights include Destro and Scarlett miniseries at Image, the return of The Ultimates at Marvel, Uncle Scrooge and Jason Aaron unite, the return of Elseworlds at DC, Jason Aaron jumping on the BZRKR train at Boom, new Doctor Who comics for the Fifteenth Doctor at Titan, Two Morrows bringing forward DC's Bronze Age Not-Ready-For-Primetime Players, and so much more. (2:30:57)

You the listeners voted, Murd tallied said votes, and now it's time to crown the winners of The CGS Best of 2023 Awards. Who will win this year's "Jamies"? Shane, Murd, Chris and Ian are here to read them out! Plus, some talk on the new Transformers: One trailer, X-Men '97 (spoiler free), the high price of Marvel trades, Muddle the Murd, and more! (1:03:45)

After a few updates and announcements for the 20th Anniversary gathering, Patreon, and Youtube, Bryan, Peter, Shane, Pants and Adam return to Off the Rack to discuss Ghost Machine, the first fully shared creator-owned comic book universe! By the creative team of Geoff Johns, Brad Anderson and Rob Leigh, we give our thoughts on the first issues of Geiger with art by Gary Frank; Redcoat with art by Bryan Hitch; and Rook: Exodus with art by Jason Fabok. We then get into some convention talk with a recent visit to the Lehigh Valley Comic Con, do some Year Two CGS Trivia, and more! (1:34:13)

It's hard to believe it's been so long since the last time the Geeks had Katie Cook on the show, so now it's time to rectify that! Shane, Murd and Ian discuss Katie's first physical edition of Nothing Special, as well as the online Webtoon version that started it all. We talk what it took to transition from one format to the other, how Webtoon initially approached her for the project, and learning how to do art digitally. We also delve into the fandom that comes with a webcomic, the joy that is Radish, some Gronk, flasks and bowling balls named Eula, avoiding children's band practice, the uniqueness of Hot Topic, some Super Show memories, and lots more! (1:35:45)

Off the Rack returns as Bryan, Peter, Pants and Adam review and give their thoughts on the first issue of Helen of Wyndhorn. From Dark Horse, this Gothic sword and sorcery epic is by Tom King, Bilquis Evely, Matheus Lopes, Clayton Cowles and company. From the art to the pulp origins, listen in for our discussion and speculations for the rest of the series! (30:33)

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 Posehn'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. 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 2023 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)

NOTE: This is a reupload, as some people have had trouble getting this to download. 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)

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)