superheroes

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 501 – Scavengers Reign

Levi (voiced by Alia Shawkat) and Azi (voiced by Wunmi Mosaku) in Scavengers Reign (2023), created by Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner

Gobbledygeek episode 501, “Scavengers Reign,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

We’re crash-landing back into regular podcasting with the Max original animated series Scavengers Reign. Created by Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner, the seeds of Scavengers Reign were planted in an Adult Swim short before blossoming into a brilliant sci-fi series teeming with surrealist detours and bits of body horror. Paul and Arlo rave about the show’s Cronenberg-meets-Miyazaki vibe, laud the series’ refusal to provide easy answers, and hope against hope that this beautiful, otherworldly thing will continue to thrive in a second season. Plus, Arlo is the worst.

NEXT: more Western adult animation with heavy influence from the East, as the boys confront Netflix’s Blue Eye Samurai.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:45  –  Intro / Arlo is the worst!
  • 00:27:55  –  Scavengers Reign
  • 01:53:45  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Interstellar Outer Space” by Anderson East, Maybe We Never Die (2021)
  • “Slime Creatures from Outer Space” by “Weird Al” Yankovic, Dare to Be Stupid (1985)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 500 – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (feat. Eric Sipple)

Spider-Woman (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson

Gobbledygeek episode 500, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (feat. Eric Sipple),” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

500 episodes! Can you believe it? What incredibly special way will we choose to commemorate this event??? By, well, just having a regular episode discussing Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse with our good friend Eric Sipple. At one point this past summer, we weren’t sure another episode was ever going to happen, so this seems like a fitting celebration. The boys rave about Across the Spider-Verse’s layered meanings, innovative animation, strong emotion, and how much more fun and exciting the movie is than the comics are these days.

NEXT: who even knows, man.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:55  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:07:05  –  Shout out to Levi Williams!
  • 00:13:28  –  Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
  • 02:29:18  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers, Sunshine On Leith (1988)
  • “Spiderwebs” by No Doubt, Tragic Kingdom (1995)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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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

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 496 – “FCF: Boxers & Saints”

Art from Boxers & Saints (2013) by Gene Luen Yang & Lark Pien

Gobbledygeek episode 496, “FCF: Boxers & Saints,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

For this month’s Four-Color Flashback, Paul and Arlo tackle a blindspot from one of their favorite writers. Gene Luen Yang, author of Gobbledyfaves like American Born Chinese and Avatar: The Last Airbender, tells the brutal story of the Boxer Rebellion in Boxers & Saints. The graphic novel duology delves into complex subjects like faith, spirituality, nationalism, and fascism; we cover ‘em all, hopefully in something resembling depth. Plus, Arlo returns to the city of Metropolis for more Superman comics, including mega-event The Death and Return of Superman and Grant Morrison & Mark Waid’s JLA run. 

NEXT: we find our inner Greenwich Village folksters with a Geek Challenge featuring Noah Kahan’s Stick Season and Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:30  –  Intro / Arlo’s Adventures of Superman
  • 00:36:45  –  Boxers & Saints
  • 02:20:14  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “The Boxer” by Simon & Garfunkle, Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)
  • “It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City” by Bruce Springsteen, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 493 – “RRR”

Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr. in RRR (2022), directed by S.S. Rajamouli

Gobbledygeek episode 493, “RRR,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Time to rise, roar, and revolt as Paul and Arlo engage in some extreme piggybacking with S.S. Rajamouli’s RRR. This alt-history epic is the rare Indian film to make a splash in the Western world, and our boys approach it as only two ignorant white guys can: with almost no knowledge of Indian culture or film! Nevertheless, they are in love with the movie, which reimagines Indian revolutionary figures Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju as superheroes who can outrun tigers, shoot a British bastard from a mile away, and stop motorcycles with their bare hands. The boys praise stars N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan, admire Rajamouli’s craft, and weep in awe at the insane shit happening in every single scene. Plus, there’s a trailer for The Flash and Arlo has finally gone back to reading old Superman comics.

NEXT: TBD.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:44  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:18:04  –  Main Topic
  • 02:03:24  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Dosti” by Amit Trivedi, RRR (Original Soundtrack) (2022)
  • “Naacho Naacho” by Vishal Mishra & Rahul Sipligunj, RRR (Original Soundtrack) (2022)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 492 – “FCF: We Only Find Them When They’re Dead”

We Only Find Them When They’re Dead – Art by Simone Di Meo & Mariasara Miotti

Gobbledygeek episode 492, “FCF: We Only Find Them When They’re Dead,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Got a hankerin’ for god meat? Well, pull out your giant lightsaber knife and feast on a new Four-Color Flashback! For the first FCF of 2023, Paul and Arlo set out at warp speed to seek enlightenment with Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo’s We Only Find Them When They’re Dead. The BOOM! Studios series, whose 15-issue run wrapped in December, is set hundreds of years from now, when the primary industry is extracting proteins, enzymes, and minerals from the corpses of massive deities. Evocative title and crazy premise aside, the book is chock full of theosophical enigmas that our boys try to solve. Beyond the elusive quest for concrete answers, though, this comic certainly makes them feel a whole lot. Dig in. Plus, some bellyaching about the new slate of DC movies.

NEXT: a discussion of S.S. Rajamouli’s action epic RRR, which presumably concerns reading, writing, and arithmetic.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:30  –  Intro / Banter
  • 00:21:25  –  We Only Find Them When They’re Dead
  • 01:58:36  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Metallica, Ride the Lightning (1984)
  • “Mystery Jack” by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Float Along – Fill Your Lungs (2013)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 490 – “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”

Pinocchio fan poster by Aleks Phoenix (IG: aleks_phoenix)

Gobbledygeek episode 490, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Is that a tree branch on your face, or are you just lying to me? An extra-long Gobbledygeek season finale takes root with a discussion of Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson’s new stop-motion adaptation of Pinocchio. Paul and Arlo discuss the numerous ways del Toro has made Carlo Collodi’s immortal tale his own, chiefly by making it a study of mortality–oh, and fascism too. The boys rave about Ewan McGregor’s take on the Cricket, the awe-inspiring puppetry and animation on display, and Arlo’s pot-addled epiphany. Plus, tributes to Angelo Badalamenti and Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss, as well as a look at the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer.

NEXT: happy holidays, y’all. We’ll be back in 2023.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:45  –  Intro
  • 00:17:18  –  Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
  • 02:10:16  –  Our brief, incomplete list of Best of 2022
  • 02:33:17  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “Twin Peaks Theme” by Angelo Badalamenti, Soundtrack from Twin Peaks (1990)
  • “Big Baby Il Duce March” by Gregory Mann, Pinocchio (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) (2022)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 479 – “Sad & Weird”

Gobbledygeek episode 479, “Sad & Weird,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

For another freestyle, Paul and Arlo are getting weird. As in “Weird Al” Yankovic, whom Arlo recently saw with their good buddy Kenn Edwards. Arlo recounts the concert moment he’d been waiting for all his life, then Paul discusses the joys and frustrations of the first-ever virtual Slayage conference. Plus, brief ruminations on Nope, Thor: Love and Thunder, and The Rehearsal; and we remember our friend Chelsea Hawk.

NEXT: TBD.

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “We Would Be Building” by John Fahey, Days Have Gone By, Vol. 6 (1967)
  • “Lame Claim to Fame” by “Weird Al” Yankovic, Mandatory Fun (2014)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Episode 477 – “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”

Benedict Cumberbatch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), directed by Sam Raimi

Gobbledygeek episode 476, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Paul and Arlo are going slightly mad. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the MCU’s latest trip through the titular multiverse, fracturing and reshaping reality to meet the franchise’s corporate needs. If that sounds a little unenthused, well, what can we say? The boys didn’t love this one. Paul, ever the optimist, discusses why the MCU’s depiction of sorcery continues to be one of its greatest assets. Arlo, ever the cynic, expresses appreciation of Sam Raimi’s trademark flourishes before lamenting that they’re all recycled riffs. Along the way, they discuss the film’s odd function as a WandaVision sequel, whether punching star-shaped holes in the universe is good goofy or bad goofy, those weird fucking kids, and more.

NEXT: more madness.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:00:34  –  Awkward Intro
  • 00:03:33  –  Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Spoiler-free)
  • 00:21:15  –  SPOILERS!!!
  • 01:50:40  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “I’m Going Slightly Mad” by Queen, Innuendo (1991)
  • “X-Men Theme” by Florian Haack, X-Men Theme (Single) (2018)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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Listen to Gobbledygeek Episode 474 – “MCUTV: Moon Knight (feat. Michael Holland)”

Oscar Isaac in Moon Knight (2022), created by Jeremy Slater

Gobbledygeek episode 474, “MCUTV: Moon Knight (feat. Michael Holland),,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

Travelers of the night, welcome to Paul and Arlo’s latest MCUTV discussion. They join hands once again with Hollywood wonder boy Michael Holland, and together they summon Moon Knight. Oscar Isaac joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Marc Spector, the human avatar of Egyptian god Khonshu, and…well, is he Marc Spector? Is he Steven Grant? Or is he someone else entirely? The gang discusses how the show tackles Marc’s dissociative identity disorder, the killer costume design, how the series pushes the MCU’s boundaries, and more.

NEXT: on a new Geek Challenge, we are The One who is Everything Everywhere All at Once.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:01:17  –  Intro / Guest
  • 00:11:00  –  Moon Knight
  • 01:36:40  –  Outro / Next

LINKS

MUSIC

  • “A Man Without Love” by Engelbert Humperdinck, A Man Without Love (1968)
  • “Nights in White Satin” by The Moody Blues, Days of Future Passed (1967)

GOBBLEDYCARES