noir

by

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 499 – “Geek Challenge: Xanadu vs. Mulholland Drive”

Top: Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu (1980), directed by Robert Greenwald / Bottom: Naomi Watts and Laura Haring in Mulholland Drive (2001), directed by David Lynch

Gobbledygeek episode 499, “Geek Challenge: Xanadu vs. Mulholland Drive,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

You have to believe Gobbledygeek is magic. Or at the very least, that Paul and Arlo will revel in cinematic magic on the latest Geek Challenge. Robert Greenwald’s infamous 1980 flop Xanadu is paired with David Lynch’s acclaimed 2001 masterpiece Mulholland Drive for a fantastical discussion of filmic fantasy. The boys argue that Xanadu should not be seen as a failure, interpret Mulholland Drive‘s many cryptic symbols, bask in the radiance of Olivia Newton-John, and laud Naomi Watts’ raw emotion. Plus, our bodies continue to deteriorate.

NEXT: five hundo.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:39  –  Intro
  • 00:15:49  –  Xanadu
  • 01:04:15  –  Mulholland Drive
  • 01:57:26  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “Magic” by Olivia Newton-John, Xanadu (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1980)
  • “Llorando” by Rebekah Del Rio, All My Life – Toda Me Vida (2003)

GOBBLEDYCARES

by

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 498 – “FCF: Far Sector”

Art from Far Sector by Jamal Campbell

Gobbledygeek episode 498, “FCF: Far Sector,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

In brightest day, in blackest night, no listener shall escape the Four-Color Flashback’s might! In an unusual turn of events, Paul has selected a DC book–but, of course, it’s an unusual one. Published under DC’s Young Animal imprint, curated by My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way, Far Sector is a Green Lantern murder mystery written by N.K. Jemisin (in her first comics work) with art by Jamal Campbell. Sojourner “Jo” Mullein is the newest Lantern in the universe, and she’s been kicked way out into the far reaches of space to solve the City Enduring’s first murder in half-a-millennia. That murder, though, is only a thread–and when Jo starts pulling, the whole city begins to unravel. The boys discuss Jemisin’s timely social commentary, Campbell’s gorgeous art, why Jo Mullein overcomes our hosts’ Green Lantern skepticism, and the freaking @At. Plus, Paul and Arlo binge some TV, including the final seasons of Succession, Barry, and Ted Lasso; the new season of I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson; and the very first season of American Born Chinese.

NEXT: it’s Xanadu vs. Mulholland Drive in a Geek Challenge for the ages.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:35  –  Intro / Oh Lawd, it’s comin’!
  • 00:08:00  –  Recent TV season / series finales
  • 00:38:06  –  Far Sector
  • 01:46:55  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “Space Cop” by Sam Guydude, Space Cop – Single (2023)
  • “Many Moons” by Janelle Monae, Metropolis: The Chase Suite (2008)

GOBBLEDYCARES

by

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 450 – “FCF: The Spire”

The Spire (2015); art by Jeff Stokely & André May

Gobbledygeek episode 450, “FCF: The Spire,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

For their latest Four-Color Flashback, Paul and Arlo are exploring the world of Si Spurrier and Jeff Stokely’s 2015 mini-series The Spire. Our location is a massive, tiered city surrounded by a desolate wasteland; our cast of characters include privileged aristocrats and the undesired “Sculpted,” hybridized from human and animal DNA; and our story is one of noir sleuthing, extreme violence, racial intolerance, and classism. The boys discuss Spurrier and Stokely’s deceptively simple storytelling; the “soft edges” around their world-building; Stokely’s manga-influenced art; and just how in-spire-ing it all is. Plus, a number of previous FCF selections are hitting the small screen, including Y: The Last Man, The Sandman, and most unbelievably of all, Grendel.

NEXT: what’s that? It’s October? Time for Gobbledyween 2021. Our annual horror-fest kicks off with a discussion of Ti West’s 2009 indie phenom The House of the Devil, featuring our old pal Greg Sahadachny.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:51  –  Intro / Comics on TV banter
  • 00:22:11  –  The Spire
  • 01:34:42  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Gumshoe” by Penny & Sparrow, Finch (2019)
  • “Fresh Tendrils” by Soundgarden, Superunknown (1994)

GOBBLEDYCARES

by

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 430 – “FCF: American Vampire”

Art from American Vampire: Vol. 1 (2010) by Rafael Albuquerque and Dave McCaig

Gobbledygeek episode 429, “Geek Challenge: Wolf vs. The Insider,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

What’s more American than ruthless bastards sucking dry the poor, hardworking souls that make this country what it is–all in the name of progress? We’re not just talking about capitalism here, we’re also talking about the bloodthirsty monsters at the heart of Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque’s American Vampire. For this month’s Four-Color Flashback, Paul and Arlo sink their fangs into the first two volumes of Snyder and Albuquerque’s (with an assist from Stephen King) decades-spanning Vertigo series. The boys discuss how Snyder charts the path of American history through three distinct time periods; the seriously cool vampire taxonomy; Albuquerque’s ghastly, gorgeous art; the way King cusses; and, yes, what the book says about capitalist conquest. Plus, Paul chills with three very different Netflix projects: Moxie, Ginny & Georgia, and Behind Her Eyes.

NEXT: Michael Holland, post-production supervisor on American Horror Story and ABC’s For Life, joins us to discuss Disney+’s first MCU series, WandaVision.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:50  –  Intro
  • 00:07:14  –  American Vampire
  • 01:34:36  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1977)
  • “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves, Walking on Sunshine (1985) 

GOBBLEDYCARES

by

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 422 – “FCF: Sandman Mystery Theatre – Book One (feat. Vickie Willis Navarra)”

Art from Sandman Mystery Theatre: Book One (1993) by Guy Davis and David Hornung

Gobbledygeek episode 422, “Sandman Mystery Theatre – Book One (feat. Vickie Willis Navarra)”, is available for listening or download right here and on Apple Podcasts here.

For the penultimate Gobbledygeek of the year, Paul and Arlo return to an institution they dropped like a bad habit at the start of the pandemic: the Four-Color Flashback! Vickie Willis Navarra, board member of the Comics and Popular Arts Conference at DragonCon, joins the boys to discuss Sandman Mystery Theatre: Book One. Matt Wagner’s resurrection of DC’s Golden Age hero Wesley Dodds, with art by Guy Davis, John Watkiss, R.G. Taylor, and David Hornung, explores the dark dreams of 1938 New York. The gang discusses the art’s sketchy, shadowy noir qualities; Vickie interrupts her praise of Dian Belmont long enough to wonder if Dian falls into the “exceptional female” trope; Paul and Arlo ponder the series’ connection to Neil Gaiman’s Sandman; and more.

NEXT: season 11 comes to a close with a Geek Challenge featuring Thunderheart and Dead Man.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:55  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:00:00  –  Main Topic
  • 00:00:00  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Begin the Beguine” by Artie Shaw (1938)
  • “I’ve Got a Pocketful of Dreams” by Bing Crosby (1938)

GOBBLEDYCARES

by

Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 391 – “Four-Color Flashback: The Private Eye”

Art from ‘The Private Eye’ (2013) by Marcos Martin & Muntsa Vicente. Dialogue by Brian K. Vaughan.

Gobbledygeek episode 391, “Four-Color Flashback: The Private Eye,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

The Cloud burst, and for forty days and forty nights, all of our secrets rained down. In the not terribly distant future world of Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin, and Muntsa Vicente’s 2013-15 series The Private Eye, the Internet is a distant memory and anonymity is now the foundation of American society. Of course, our hero is an amoral paparazzo-slash-private investigator whose job is to dig up those old secrets; of course, this leads him into a world of trouble. For the penultimate Four-Color Flashback of 2019, Paul and Arlo discuss Vaughan’s clever utilization of noir tropes in the post-Internet age, Martin’s dynamic pencils/inks, Vicente’s eye-popping colors (this is one noir that doesn’t hide in the shadows), their radical pay-what-you-want self-publishing platform Panel Syndicate, and the big philosophical question at the heart of the book: is the Internet worth it?

Next: for the final Four-Color Flashback of the season, we get existential with Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba’s Daytripper.

THE BREAKDOWN

Total Run Time: 01:31:30

  • 00:00:22  – Intro
  • 00:04:10  – Main Topic
  • 01:27:00  – Outro / Next

THE MUSIC

  • “Private Eyes” by Daryl Hall & John Oates, Private Eyes (1981)
  • “This Masquerade” by The Carpenters, Now & Then (1973)

THE LINKS

by

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 340, “Batman: A Death in the Family (feat. Kenn Edwards)”

Gobbledygeek episode 340, “Batman: A Death in the Family (feat. Kenn Edwards),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

For the (belated) inaugural installment of Four-Color Flashback 2018, wherein Paul and Arlo will be discussing a different classic superhero story each month, they’ve recruited their old pal Kenn Edwards to help them discuss Batman: A Death in the Family by writer Jim Starlin and artist Jim Aparo. Kenn knows a thing or two about the Caped Crusader, having been part of the Batman Immortal fan film project. However, he’s never read this particular story, in which the Joker savagely beats Robin to death. That puts him on equal footing with our hosts: it’s one of Arlo’s blind spots and Paul hasn’t read it since it was published in 1988. They’re all a little shocked by how anachronistic its goofy plotting and dialogue seem given its release in a post-Dark Knight Returns landscape. Superhero comics were starting to mature, and this one feels like it may have gotten left behind. The gang discusses the impact of Robin’s death; whether Bruce’s hypocrisy is a bug or a feature; the ludicrous political implications of the Joker’s scheme; and why the follow-up story A Lonely Place of Dying is much better. Plus, Arlo is still watching Disney cartoons.

Next: be vewwy, vewwy quiet. The boys and their pal Nate Curtiss are hunting Krasinskis for a discussion of A Quiet Place.

(Show notes for “Batman: A Death in the Family.”)

by

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 283, “Grendel: Part 4 – The Devil Inside / Devil Tales”

grendel4

Gobbledygeek episode 283, “Grendel: Part 4 – The Devil Inside / Devil Tales,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Descents into madness on the hellish streets of New York City. The tragic inevitability of violence. Bitter, brutal punchlines. This is the world of Matt Wagner’s Grendel, which Paul and Arlo continue to explore in this year’s Four-Color Flashback series. This time, the boys dip into Grendel Omnibus: Vol. 2 – The Legacy, pp. 377-549, for “The Devil Inside,” wherein happy-go-lucky San Franciscan Brian Li-Sung has become corrupted by NYC and possibly some other forces; and “Devil Tales,” in which an elderly Wiggins spins two yarns of the original Grendel, Hunter Rose. Paul and Arlo discuss the change of pace from the twelve-issue Christine Spar epic to smaller, self-contained stories; the indie comix stylings of Bernie Mireault; and how Wagner continues to push the boundaries of comic book storytelling. Plus, Arlo is allergic to podcasts!

Next: the boys take the week off to get all patriotic for July 4th, then return with another Geek Challenge. The tables will turn, with Arlo challenging Paul to a ludicrously awful ’80s movie, Miami Connection; and Paul challenging Arlo to a genuine classic, Forbidden Planet.

(Show notes for “Grendel: Part 4 – The Devil Inside / Devil Tales.”)

by

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 274, “Grendel: Part 2 – Devil’s Legacy, Part 1”

grendel2

Gobbledygeek episode 274, “Grendel: Part 2 – Devil’s Legacy, Part 1,” is avalable for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

For their second Four-Color Flashback installment discussing Matt Wagner’s Grendel, Paul and Arlo jump into the first half of the first proper story arc, “Devil’s Legacy” chapters 1-7, collected in Grendel Omnibus: Vol. 2 – The Legacy, pp. 66-246. (This thing’s had a convoluted publishing history.) Anyways, as the boys discover, there’s been a radical shift from the series’ introductory story. Gone is Wagner’s Art Deco-cum-manga art style, replaced by the vibrant, angular artwork of Jacob and Arnold Pander; the storyline has also moved into the “near future” circa 1986, which thanks to some clever math, Paul figures out is probably somewhere around 2005. Most importantly, Grendel’s mask is now worn by Hunter Rose’s step-granddaughter, journalist Christine Spar, who is spurred into action by personal tragedy. Do these stylistic shifts work? Is Wagner’s overblown dialogue a noir-ish affectation or merely self-indulgent? Remember when Donahue was a thing? All this and more, plus Paul and Arlo are shocked by the passing of Prince.

Next: so shocked, in fact, that our next episode is devoted to him. The boys will discuss Prince’s music, as well as three of his films: 1984’s Purple Rain, 1986’s Under the Cherry Moon, and 1987’s concert film Sign ‘o’ the Times.

(Show notes for “Grendel: Part 2 – Devil’s Legacy, Part 1.”)

by

Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 270, “Grendel: Part 1 – Devil by the Deed”

Art from 'Grendel Omnibus: Volume One - Hunter Rose' by Matt Wagner and Rich Rankin.

Art from ‘Grendel Omnibus: Volume One – Hunter Rose’ by Matt Wagner and Rich Rankin.

Gobbledygeek episode 270, “Grendel: Part 1 – Devil by the Deed,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Spring has sprung, which means it’s time for another Four-Color Flashback! In years past, Paul and Arlo have explored the dream worlds of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman and the cartoonish fantasy of Jeff Smith’s Bone. They’ll be devoting 2016 to Matt Wagner’s magnum opus Grendel. There’s a wealth of material out there, but the boys will attempt to stick to the original series, which has been collected in various formats. For this introductory episode, they turn to the first Grendel story, “Devil by the Deed,” which can be found in Grendel Omnibus: Volume One – Hunter Rose, pp. 7-45. What’s it about? Good question! You see, there’s this wealthy playboy named Hunter Rose who writes bestselling novels while also masquerading as Grendel, who seeks control of the mob underworld. In his downtime, he fights an Algonquin werewolf called Argent. Paul recalls what initially drew him to Grendel, while first-time reader Arlo finds it…interesting. The boys discuss Wagner’s manga-meets-Art Deco style, his experimental storytelling, and how he inverts the whole hero/villain thing. Plus, there’s talk of Daredevil season 2.

Next: after a week off, it’s Paul v Arlo: Dawn of Kenn.

(Show notes for “Grendel: Part 1 – Devil by the Deed.”)