Episode 61: Serious Issues in the Comic Book Industry

It has been a rough few weeks for the comic book industry, with news of abusers and other bad actors coming into (or back into) the light.  I want to stand with and support those who were brave enough to come forward, and so this episode is a statement on that subject, as well as the ongoing issue of minority representation in comics, and its relation to Black Lives Matter.

If you are a minority or female creator, or have one in mind you’d like interviewed or spotlighted, please let me know. I hope to expand my own knowledge in this area, and spread that knowledge to my other listeners as well.

Episode 60: D&D On-Screen - Community’s “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons” Episode

Dungeons and Dragons has been seen played in many TV shows and movies.  But, what did they get right, and what was totally wrong?  A curious listener wants to know specifically about the “Advanced Dungeons and Dragons” episode of Community, and Kurt obligingly breaks it down for her.

As mentioned in the episode, be sure to check Twitter for #comicwriterschallenge for a bunch of great stuff being auctioned off to support Black Lives Matter.

The Caverns of Draconis. Yes, the Dragon is named Draconis. Abed’s not the only one bad at coming up with names.

No Chang. Just…no.

This is cheating. If you are not the DM, DO NOT LOOK at the module you are currently playing in.

Episode 59: What to Expect When You’re at the D&D Table (or any other RPG game)

Let’s talk D&D Conventions!  Well, not Conventions, but conventions, aka the social expectations one is likely to find when they first sit down at a table to play D&D, or other role-playing games.  A new listener is afraid to start playing, and Kurt is here to assuage those fears, and let her (and you) know how you should behave at your first (and subsequent) session.

This is pretty close to what my first D&D table looked like (without the costume; I don’t recommend that). And honestly, other than the players being much older, that’s not too far from the current table.

And something to aspire to…when I get rich.

Yeah, but can I find anyone to play with?

One of the Virtual Tabletop options (VTTs) out there. Roll20. Not a sponsor, but I’m open to it…

Episode 58: The Replacements - Robin

In this recurring feature, we look at the various heroes that have replaced the original, and what happens to them after their tenure is over.  Maybe it’s because he’s a sidekick and not (usually) a solo hero, but Robin is one of the few cases where the original never actually came back.  Instead, we’ve had a parade of Robins, which we’ll discuss in this episode.

Some of you Dark Knight Returns fans may ask where Carrie Kelly is. However, with these “Replacements” episodes, I only stick to what is in mainstream continuity, and Carrie has never been Robin in the main DC Universe, which is why she is not included, and Stephanie gets the “first female Robin” title.

Hope it doesn’t get too cold in Gotham…

Pretty soon, Dick will have spent more publishing time in this costume than he did as Robin.

Spoilers: The answer is “No.” (But later, “Yes.”)

Jason back on team Bat…sort of.

Featuring a new innovation for Robins…pants!

Jason Todd also wore this costume verrrrry briefly, but it’s most associated with Tim in this continuity.

Stephanie is also the only Robin to have a previous vigilante codename…Spoiler.

…then became Robin…

…and then Batgirl…

…and then forgotten. (Sorry Steph, you apparently didn’t make the cut for the Robin family photo.)

The scariest of the Robins.

Episode 57: Interview with Evan Skolnick, Part 4 (Finale)

The Mona Lisa smile.

A smattering of the dialogue Evan wrote for Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2…

…bringing his comic book writer past together with his game writer present.

Episode 56: Interview with Evan Skolnick, Part 3

In part three of this multi-episode interview, Kurt continues his talk with comic book writer/game writer and producer/college professor Evan Skolnick, getting into his video game work, after briefly discussing his time at Acclaim Comics and the comic boom and bust of the 90s.

That faaaaaace…

Just a few of the titles Evan has worked on. Check his portfolio for a full list.

Evan spoke for many a New Warriors fan when he wrote this dialogue about the “reality show” version of the team, in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.

Episode 55: Interview with Evan Skolnick, Part 2

In part two of this multi-episode interview, Kurt continues his talk with comic book writer/game writer and producer/college professor Evan Skolnick, this time focusing on the comic book writing portion, with special emphasis on his two-year stint on The New Warriors, but we also talk about writing licensed books and running the company softball team.

The interview subject

Careful. You’ll poke his eye out!

Evan’s first issue on the series.

New Warriors joins the Spider-Man titles…I guess they had to go somewhere.

Some of the characters created by Evan added to the New Warriors include Timeslip…

Helix…

and Turbos, both Mike (R.I.P)…

and Mickey.

All Good Things…

Episode 54: Interview with Evan Skolnick, Part 1

In the first part of this multi-episode interview, Kurt talks to comic book writer/game writer and producer/college professor Evan Skolnick about the earliest part of his career, up to his editorial stint at Marvel Comics.

Stay tuned next week for Part 2! While this interview is running, Welcome to Geektown will be on a weekly release schedule instead of every other week. Enjoy the extra content, and if you have an extra $1.00 or so, why not join the Patreon for even more material!

The subject of these interviews. Check out his website for a brief rundown of some of his credits.

Evan shows his sense of humor by poking fun at some of the Marvel 1993 Annual creations, including his own contribution…Khaos!

Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #60 (on right) was Marvel’s first computer-colored book. By way of comparison, a similar panel from issue #59 is on the left. Lots more gradients and colors available!

Episode 53: Who Are The New Warriors? (Volume 1)

For the first anniversary of the podcast’s release, Kurt’s favorite hero Speedball was introduced.  On this 2nd-Anniversary episode, we introduce the rest of his teammates in the New Warriors, or at least the members of the team when it was first formed, plus a little bit about why the “Heroes for the 90s” continue to be re-read by fans 30 years later.

Night Thrasher loses the “The” very quickly.

Continuing a long tradition of tearing through comic book covers.

How does Speedball speak in the title font like that?

Episode 52: Fifty-Two (The DC Mini-Series)

No, I’m not just repeating the episode number again, but spelling it out. 52 (or Fifty-Two) was an important work in the DC Universe, so much so that the number keeps popping up in DC Lore ever since.  This year-long weekly series was the first in a few that DC did, but is the only one that really left a lasting impact.  Because this is Episode 52, I decided to go into more detail on this story, introducing the basic set-ups and talking about what made the story one of my personal favorites.

The build-up (and a very soft reboot).

Steel, Ralph, The Question, Booster Gold, and Renee are all there in the background.

Everything there means something, but telling you what would be spoiler territory.

Episode 51: When Did Nick Fury Start Looking Like Samuel L. Jackson?

Nick Fury started out as a square-jawed white Sergeant with adventures taking place in World War II.  So, how did he go from that to the Samuel L. Jackson look-alike we see today, running a super-spy agency?  That’s the question that gets asked and answered in this week’s episode.

As concise an intro to the Howling Commandos as one could ask for. Thanks, Stan!

That Steranko goodness. This cover has been homaged many, many times.

This is how Nick first appeared in the Ultimate Universe, but it was quickly retconned to…

this motherf-er here.

For a while, this was the most accurate Nick Fury on film. Weep for the fandom…

Say Cheese!

Episode 50: Story Length and Continuity Conundrums

How much back reading is required to get into comic books today?  Elyse (of the OHotMU or Not? podcast) wrote in to ask this question among others.  We look at how comic story lengths have changed over time, and how continuity has become a more important factor in the tales of today.

I briefly quote Tom Brevoort in his blog post on the “Five-Year Rule.” If you’d like to read his full thoughts on this, go click that link!

The first time Batman gets a full issue story, and of course he has to share it with three other characters…

The first part of “Zatanna’s Search.” Of course, she’s not going to find much with her eyes closed.

11 pages is “Feature Length.” That’s a really short feature.

Amazing Spider-Man #31-33. One of the classic tales of all time, and the first one starring Spidey that is longer than two issues.

Avengers Forever: A great story, but not recommended unless you know your Avengers history. For instance, there are two Hank Pyms pictured above.

Episode 49: DC Around the World (DC Characters based outside the United States)

A continuation of last episode, where we discussed Marvel characters based outside the United States, this time we turn our attention to DC, and what heroes they have created who originate from a (non-fictional) foreign country.  I apologize in advance if I get any of the pronunciations wrong.  I did my best, but I’m not perfect!

I think that guy in the front was also on the cover of Action Comics #1.

Sorry Craveonline, you did not get your wish…(although 35 issues isn’t bad for a new character these days)

See how many characters you can guess the country of origin just from their costume!

Ice, Fire and Dr. Light are the three in a triangle behind the balding man (named Oberon). Rocket Red has “CCCP” on his helmet. If you want to know about any others, just ask!

That’s a lot of hope on Most Excellent Super Bat’s costume…

The original Great Ten (or, at least, their heads).

That should cover a lot of the ones I didn’t hit in the episode itself.

Episode 48: Marvel Around the World (Marvel Characters based outside the United States)

Although most Marvel comic book stories are based in United States (and even more specifically New York), there are heroes in many other countries in the Marvel Universe.  We take a look at a few of them, trying to avoid the ones completely based around a stereotype of that country (except maybe Kangaroo).  Let’s romp around the world and check out the international heroes of Marvel!

Do you know this hero? If so, please email to be on the show!

Wakanda’s not real, so we don’t talk much about Black Panther, but he’s still gets a picture!

Not pictured: Banshee, but he does get added in soon after.

Just a few characters featured in Contest of Champions. Black Knight ends up as an Avenger down the line! The rest…not quite as successful.

Snowbird has reallllly long hair, apparently.

Captain Britain’s original costume on the left, the new costume on the right. What’s your preference?

We’ll get to Silk when we do the “The Replacements: Spider-Man” eventually.

Episode 47.1: Fixed link for Two More Questions

Had an error with the file uploaded originally. The link has been fixed on the original, but I’m also adding a new post for those who use Podcatchers that may not see the fix on the first file. Thanks for your patience, and if you see any issues in the future, please let me know ASAP!

Episode 47: Two More Questions from the Ladies of the “OHotMU or Not?” Podcast

Being non-comic readers (for the most part), but having to deal with things in the comic book world, I was curious to find out if the ladies from the OHotMU or Not podcast had questions they needed answered about comics.  And they delivered!  Two questions were answered last episode and now we finish them off with questions from Shotgun and Emelie!

Once again, this episode inspired by the women of this podcast. Thanks, ladies!

Sandman. He’s a man, and he’s sand. Powers explained.

DC’s first Sandman. He puts you to sleep with his sleep gas gun.

The 2nd Sandman from DC. A trippy dream warrior still based very much in a superhero world.

Sandman #3 from DC. The God of Dreams, aka Morpheus of the Endless.

Usually, Flash is the humble one and Quicksilver is the braggart. Perhaps this wasn’t the greatest example.

Black Canary putting up with these two is a miracle in and of itself.

Sad sack Peter Parker under Steve Ditko’s pen became…

Peter Parker, ladies man. But, still keeps the peak!

Episode 46: Two Questions from the Ladies of the “OHotMU or Not?” Podcast

Being non-comic readers (for the most part), but having to deal with things in the comic book world, I was curious to find out if the ladies from the OHotMU or Not podcast had questions they needed answered about comics.  And they delivered!  Two questions coming this week (one from Elyse and one from Nathalie), and two more next episode! First I “Explain Comics” to the best of my ability, then we go into why heroes get replaced, and how the Direct Market figures into that equation.

I’m betting if you took a guess as to which end up as “Hots” and which are “Nots" according to the OHotMU or Not podcast, you’d only get about half right.

Scott and I disagree slightly on this definition, but it’s pretty darn close.

Episode 45: Stephen Sondheim vs. Andrew Lloyd Webber - Why the Drama?

We’re comparing two giants of pop culture again, but not in the comics or sci-fi realm.  This time, we’re looking at musical theater.  Stephen Sondheim fans often disparage Andrew Lloyd Webber.  Why the vitriol, and how different are the two composers anyways?

The trailer that inspired the question in the first place.

Andrew Lloyd Webber…

and Stephen Sondheim.

One of Sondheim’s most easily recognizable musicals.

Episode 44: The Replacements - Hulk

Another in the recurring feature, where we look at other characters who have taken on the superheroic identity from another, both how that occurred and what happened to them after the original comes back.  The Smashing character known as The Hulk is under the spotlight this time.

Even after a noise reduction pass I can hear a little noise in the background on this recording. I hope it doesn’t bother you too much. But, if you want to help me get better sound baffling, better equipment, and other items to help improve the show, you can always become a Patreon member! It’s just $1.00 per month!

Kids, peer pressure is bad…

Banner’s the grey one, Rick is the green one.

Captain Marvel and Rick Jones, not to be confused with…

Captain Marvel and Rick Jones.

Strange seeing someone who looks like the Abomination smiling, but Rick enjoyed his time as A-Bomb apparently.

He was less happy as “Subject B.”

Ross on the left, Banner on the right. You really don’t want to be stuck in the middle.

Rhyming phrasing to transform not necessary, but it’s fun!

The Totally Awesome Hulk wearing his Totally Awesome Biker Shorts!

Trimmed down, but still Brawn-y.

Episode 43: A (Semi-)Brief History of Valiant Comics

Vin Diesel has a new movie coming out next February titled Bloodshot (see the trailer below!), based on the Valiant Comics character.  But, what is Valiant Comics, and what makes it any different from Marvel or DC?  From the early 90s up to the current stable of titles, we look at the history of Valiant Comics/Entertainment.

BLOODSHOT Official Trailer (2020) Vin Diesel, Superhero Movie HD Subscribe to Rapid Trailer For All The Latest Movie Trailers! ▶ https://goo.gl/dAgvgK Follow us on Twitter ▶ https://goo.gl/8m1wbv Ray Garrison, a slain mobster, is re-animated with superpowers. © 2019

Unless you want to know (at least one of) the twist(s), I recommend stopping at around 1:10.

Where it all begins.

“The first one’s free…” The slogan of all the best dealers.

The book that sunk a thousand shops. (Well, not single-handedly, but it definitely helped.)

This one gets a little existential, but it’s worth the read!

The sole survivors of VH2.

The current stable of Valiant characters.