pokemon go

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Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 353, “Kingdom Come”

What if Superman was one of us? Just a slob like one of us? Just a stranger baling hay, trying to till his own farm? That’s part of the appeal of Alex Ross and Mark Waid’s Kingdom Come, the subject of our latest superheroic Four-Color Flashback–Ross’ painted artwork brings DC’s pantheon to vivid life. Of course, Superman isn’t one of us. He makes this clear when, after a decade in exile, he descends upon Metropolis to mete out cold hard justice to a new, irresponsible generation of heroes and villains. Kingdom Come was intended as a statement on the Xtreme anti-heroes of the ‘90s, and as its human protagonist Norman McKay witnesses the fantastic devastation around him, the book explores issues of faith and fascism. Paul and Arlo discuss how Ross and Waid’s tale holds up more than 20 years later, how it reconciles the heroes’ godlike power with fragile human will, why it may be Ross’ best work, and its nigh definitive portrait of DC’s Trinity. Plus, Arlo finishes his Disney marathon while catching Pokémon, and we tease a future discussion of Spider-Man PS4.

Next: we switch religions from DC to Marvel as our pal Chance Mazzia joins us to talk Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s Daredevil: Born Again.

(Show notes for Kingdom Come.)

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Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 286, “Grendel: Part 5 – The Incubation Years”

grendel5

Gobbledygeek episode 286, “Grendel: Part 5 – The Incubation Years,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

This week on Gobbledygeek, Arlo has Pokémon fever! That’s right, he has become one of the hordes of mindless zombies trawling their backyards and local establishments for Japanese pocket monsters via the Pokémon Go mobile game. Then, Paul reports live from San Diego Comic-Con 2016 (sort of)! He and Arlo give their scalding hot takes on footage from Wonder Woman, Justice League, and more! They get into the icky, misogynistic controversy surrounding the new animated film version of Batman: The Killing Joke! Is all of this a ploy to get you to actually listen to the next episode in our year-long Four-Color Flashback series analyzing Matt Wagner’s Grendel? Why, yes! Yes, it is! No one cares, but this week, the boys dig into the bold, bizarre, brazen “Incubation Years,” collected in Grendel Omnibus: Vol. 3 – Orion’s Reign, pp. 10-112! It’s good, we swear!

Next: after a week off, Paul and Arlo return to discuss the first season of AMC’s Preacher adaptation. What’s that? You haven’t watched Preacher yet? Go watch Preacher.

(Show notes for “Grendel: Part 5 – The Incubation Years.”)

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Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 285, “I Ain’t Afraid of No Girls”

ghostbusters

Gobbledygeek episode 285, “I Ain’t Afraid of No Girls,” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

Can you dislike Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot without being a woman-hating, frothing-at-the-mouth MRA cave troll? Well, Paul and Arlo sure hope so. While championing the concept of a female-led Ghostbusters movie and praising the comic abilities of the girls in gray–Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones–the boys deconstruct the problems not just with this film but modern mainstream comedies in general. They also dig into how this film’s story breaks the mold set by the original movies, its attempts at social commentary, and its action- and CGI-stuffed climax. Plus, Paul delves into Stranger Things and reminds us he used to train Pokémon.

Next: it’s Grendel time again, which means it’s time for us to badger you–or anyone!–to read along with us. Our Four-Color Flashback exploration of Matt Wagner’s epic tale continues with “The Incubation Years,” collected in Grendel Omnibus: Vol. 3 – Orion’s Reign, pp. 10-112.

(Show notes for “I Ain’t Afraid of No Girls.”)