Time to discuss the season finale of Lanterns. Murderers revealed, oaths stated, and territories divided! Check out Woody and Kurt’s discussion of everything that happens, and what it means for the characters we’ve followed, and will continue to follow in the ongoing DCU.
I was proven wrong. They didn’t say this once…Neither of them.
We name a few suspects in the murder of Hal Jordan, including Hal himself. Do we guess right? And also, what’s that yellow glow coming from down deep in the planet? Hear my theories in the penultimate Deep Dive of Lanterns with guest Woody Gaertner.
We don’t see him in the uniform this episode, but you never know what’s coming up…
Death of a Lantern. We dive into the mystery of who killed Hal Jordan, starting with a revelation about John and Hal meeting the night of the murder. We investigate all the clues, including meeting some new characters and an old…favorite? Well, let’s just say people have strong opinions both ways about this Guy.
This is the kind of funeral Hal thought he was getting (obviously not exactly the same, since Hal is one of the pallbearers in this one).
This mid-season episode felt like a season finale, with a massive battle in and for the town of Rushville. Guest Woody Gaertner and I have a lot to say, discussing not only this episode, but where things might go from here.
Doesn’t look like we’ll ever get a scene like this in the show…
This one, on the other hand, is fairly similar to a scene in this very episode.
Who Hunts the Manhunters? The Green Lanterns, of course! We reveal the mystery of who the Manhunter is this episode, but more questions are asked than answered in the halfway point of this Lanterns Deep Dive.
Who in the show is secretly one of these monstrosities? The answer…probably won’t surprise you, if you’ve been following online discussions.
How do you make a Green Lantern? That’s the question that John Stewart’s parents have in this episode of the show Lanterns, and that guest Woody Gaertner and I discuss for this episode of the podcast. We also touch quite a bit on John (and Woody’s) experience as a Black man in America, as that is a very important theme of this episode of Lanterns.
John Stewart’s first appearance in a Green Lantern costume. Rebelling from day one.
Once a Marine, always a Marine (unless it’s retconned into your history).
Continuing the Lanterns Deep Dive with my guest Woody Gaertner, we discuss Manhunters, Kanes, Mogo, and Sinestro. Find out the significance of all of those and more by taking a listen to this latest episode!
“No man escapes…the Manhunters” (Be prepared to hear that multiple times this series)
Well, look, maybe he does occasionally socialize, but it’s rare.
Any relation, Sheriff? (Probably not, but it’s fun to theorize)
Welcome Back to Welcome to Geektown! We return with a Deep Dive into the DC show Lanterns, currently airing on HBO. This first episode gives us mysteries aplenty, as well as the opportunity to discuss lots of comic book history. Take a listen!
Wake up, Junior.
Beginning my interview with comic book and television writer Jay Faerber, in this first section we discuss his pre-professional life, then his early works for Marvel and DC, including a stint on The New Warriors (featuring Speedball, so you know we’re focusing on that!)
If you want to know more about the characters in his New Warriors run, I did one of my scripted episodes about that run, which you can find here.
Our guest for the next few weeks, writer Jay Faerber (pronounced Fur-burr)
Don’t worry, Nova’s costume gets fixed by the end of the run…
Believe it or not, we do get a happy(ish) ending with this final issue.
The cover credits suggest Jay was correct in what memories he did have about this project.
We wrap up my interview with Judd Winick by starting on his decision to bring back Jason Todd (the 2nd Robin) from the dead as The Red Hood, then move on to his work during the New 52 at DC, the animated shows he worked on, and finally get to his decade-plus work writing and drawing the Hilo series of books. But first, a remembrance for another comics book professional who left us too soon.
Graphic novel and original movie: Judd wrote both.
The Jeff Smith quote is particularly apropos, considering how he helped inspire the series.
The show that Judd created, mixing mythology and modern adventure. (Yes, he calls out Buffy as an influence…)
R.I.P. Peter David (wearing a “Multiple Man” t-shirt, another character he redefined)
In this 2nd of three parts of my interview with Judd Winick, we talk about his time on The Real World, the doors that opened and how he grew as a storyteller from writing about his experiences, leading to his comic book work for DC (and a little Marvel).
I can spend that extra three cents. Give me the lowdown, Frump.
I can’t recommend reading this enough. One of the great autobiographical works, especially in graphic novel form.
Yeah, he’s basically a superhero. But no tights.
Well, there’s that song stuck in my head for a while…
In this first part of my interview with legendary artist Darick Robertson, we cover his early love of comics and drawing, how he got his first creator-owned comic book, Space Beaver, published, and how that led into his first bit of work for Marvel and DC.
The guest of honor, Darick, joining me in a Zoom meeting.
Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. Young Darick had good taste.
Fortunately, “Ten-Buck Comics” was just the company’s name.
Finally finishing up the Green Lantern “Replacements” episodes with the New 52 recruits of Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz. But, before we get to those, one last bit of business from the Loki Season 2 Deep Dive, thanks to a listener comment.
“Hi, Loki!”
The gun was an identifying feature for a little while.
Hey, look ma! Character growth!
Jessica in her “Power Ring” costume.
And in her (much happier) Green Lantern outfit. She kept the eye tattoo, however.
After a bit of a hiatus, we continue the discussion of Green Lantern “Replacements,” getting into the 90s with one of the longest running replacements, Kyle Rayner, as well as the woman who briefly took his place, daughter of original Green Lantern Alan Scott, Jade. (If you haven’t listened already, I suggest checking Episode 71 for discussion of Kyle’s first girlfriend, Alex DeWitt).
Ladies and gentlemen…Crab-Faced Guy!
One of Kyle’s different looks as “Ion.”
Don’t make her angry. You wouldn’t like her when she’s angry. Wait a second…
Better than your boyfriend…at least in my opinion.
Continuing the Green Lantern “Replacements” from last episode, we move on to the one that actually replaced Hal first, despite appearing after Guy Gardner. The Lantern so well loved, he was actually chosen over Hal for the Justice League cartoon in the DCAU, it’s John Stewart!
This is one of many cases where the cover image does not at all happen in the story.
Believe it or not…it gets worse.
Can you tell this costume was created in the 1990s?
After the show aired, the comics adapted John to fit this version even more.
Yes we can.
Continuing our ongoing “Replacements” feature, this is the first part of the Green Lantern franchise. Even with only covering those that directly replaced Hal Jordan, we’re still going to need multiple shows to discuss all the successors to the mantle, and what happened to them when Hal inevitably returned. We start with the first of those, Guy Gardner, a polarizing figure to say the least.
Ironically, he’s actually very nice in his first appearance, despite this cover.
Any man who dares walk the streets with that haircut has to be tough…
One of (a few) stints as a Red Lantern…
…or, in one case, a hybrid Green/Red (wouldn’t that be brown?).
My personal favorite Guy Gardner moment.
Based on his portrayal in the recent movie bearing his name, a listener is curious about The Flash ever having been shown on the autism spectrum before this, as well as the presence of other neurodivergent characters in the superhero realm, which is what we discuss this episode.
Link to the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network for more information on autism and other neurodiverse conditions.
Yeah, I can see it…
Oh, Reed, no…
Yes, we’ve had white suit…but what about second white suit? And third…and fourth…
He is the one that delivers…
Sniff any hair lately, Ed? (Listen to Gothamites, you’ll get it…)
Finishing up our look at a couple of unusual vehicles driven by famous superheroes, we land over at DC Comics, where the Supermobile is under the magnifying glass. How does it do all the things it can do? Why was it brought into the comics in the first place? We talk all that and more this episode.
Of course that’s the title of this story…
The Supermobile (literally) crashes onto the scene!
And of course, the Supermobile toy itself…Here’s the original…
The “Krypton Action Ram” version…
And the currently available McFarlane Toys version straight out of the comics.
The Last Boy on Earth! This Jack Kirby creation is probably not known to many outside hardcore comic book fans, but thanks to an animated short, one listener discovered his existence and asked Kurt to explain more about the world of Kamandi.
Planet of the Apes…and Rats…and Wolves…and…
The story plays a little bit with “The Mighty One” being a mystery, but the cover does not.
Still going with the ripped jorts look, huh? Talk about a Great Disaster!
A re-mastered version of Episode 6 with greatly improved audio, thanks to AI. The history of Marvel and DC’s rivalry, as well as some general differences between the companies over the years, is discussed in this classic episode.
Hope you had time to prepare, Batman!
Kind of a shame that Thor costume was what was current, as this very much dates it to the 90s.
It was a very short “age.”
Even after a hardcover reprint for charity, you’re still looking at paying a pretty penny for this story, but it’s worth it.