wonder woman

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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 the Gobbledygeek Season 12 Premiere – “Who’s Your Daddy?”

The Gobbledygeek season 12 premiere, “Who’s Your Daddy?,” is available for listening or download right here, on Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts.

First comes a podcast, then comes 423 more podcasts, then comes a baby who is doomed to think having a podcast host for a dad is normal. On the Gobbledygeek season 12 premiere, Arlo is revealed to be a babydaddy–and the kid isn’t Paul’s! Scandal! Arlo discusses life as the father of a newborn, which involves a good deal of poop. Paul has also had to deal with a good deal of poop, even though his isn’t issuing forth from a screaming, squealing bundle of joy. In between all the poop talk, the boys squeeze out some pop culture talk: Arlo catches up with the new seasons of Ramy and PEN15; Paul gets TikTok’d; Arlo watches (and reads) You; and the boys commiserate about the bizarre, disappointing Wonder Woman 1984.

NEXT: ‘tis the damn season. A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis returns to the show for another round of Swiftie analysis with a deep-dive into Evermore.

BREAKDOWN

  • 00:01:07  –  Intro
  • 01:24:30  –  Spoilers for Netflix’s You (and the novels it’s based on)
  • 01:29:20  –  End spoilers
  • 01:55:05  –  Outro / Next

MUSIC

  • “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
  • “Wellerman” by Nathan Evans (2021)

GOBBLEDYCARES

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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 350, “DC: The New Frontier (feat. Eric Sipple)”

Art from ‘DC: The New Frontier’ by Darwyn Cooke.

Gobbledygeek episode 350, “DC: The New Frontier (feat. Eric Sipple),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

For this month’s superheroic Four-Color Flashback installment, Paul and Arlo set out for lands unknown with the late, great Darwyn Cooke’s DC: The New Frontier. Cooke’s ambitious 2004 limited series bridges the gap between comics’ Golden Age and Silver Age, paying nostalgic tribute to the fictional heroes of that time while using the era’s form and style to comment on the day’s social and political ills. They’re joined on their voyage by The Avatar Returns co-host and The Deli Counter of Justice co-creator Eric Sipple. The gang discusses Cooke’s artwork, striking and cinematic in ways few others comics have achieved; how Cooke wisely keeps Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman in the background to focus on new heroes like Green Lantern and the Flash; how the story of J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter, compares to that of African-American freedom fighter John Henry; the pretty good animated adaptation; and more. Plus, Eric has some personal news; SDCC happened, including a slew of trailers for the likes of Shazam, Aquaman, and more; and Nathan Fillion gets his Nathan Drake on in the Uncharted fan film.

Next: the end is out there. Wesley “Wezzo” Mead joins Paul and Arlo to talk The X-Files one last time, as the gang discusses the big screen continuation I Want to Believe and both revival seasons.

(Show notes for “DC: The New Frontier.”)

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Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 344, “Wonder Woman by George Pérez: Vol. 1 (feat. Heather Wiley)”

Art from ‘Wonder Woman by George Pérez: Vol. 1″ by George Pérez, Bruce D. Patterson, and Tatjana Wood.

Gobbledygeek episode 344, “Wonder Woman by George Pérez: Vol. 1 (feat. Heather Wiley),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

In the winding, physics-defying halls of Mount Olympus, the idea for the noble Amazon race was hatched among the gods. In the presumably plain, ordinary offices of DC Comics circa 1987, the idea to reboot one of their most iconic heroes was hashed out by George Pérez, Greg Potter, Len Wein, Karen Berger, and more. And on this typically long, rambling podcast, Paul and Arlo continue this year’s superheroic Four-Color Flashback by discussing Wonder Woman by George Pérez: Vol. 1, collecting the first 14 issues of Diana’s post-Crisis series. Heather Wiley joins them to discuss how Pérez revitalized the character by leaning hard into her mythological aspects; why it’s important that the series touches on uncomfortable subject matter; the minute details that make Pérez such a terrific artist; and why this run hasn’t lodged its place in the public consciousness alongside The Dark Knight Returns and Man of Steel. Plus, Heather fails to keep quiet about Hush, and Paul reads comics.

Next: we inch closer to oblivion with Wesley Mead, who joins us once more to discuss Chris Carter’s seminal sci-fi series The X-Files. This time? It’s season 9, the original final season. So. Yeah.

(Show notes for “Wonder Woman by George Pérez: Vol. 1.”)

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Listen to ‘Gobbledygeek’ Episode 314, “Wonder Woman: Amazon Prime (feat. Hallie Prime)”

Gobbledygeek episode 314, “Wonder Woman: Amazon Prime (feat. Hallie Prime),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

This week, the lasso of truth compels Paul and Arlo to tell you all about their thoughts on Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, the fourth film in the DC Extended Universe and the first major female-led superhero movie since freaking Elektra. Joining them on this Themysciran horseback ride is friend of the show Hallie Prime. The gang discusses Gal Gadot’s note-perfect performance, Chris Pine’s frighteningly large eyebrows, whether or not the film’s villains live up to its hero, and if there’s still hope for the DCEU yet. Plus, Arlo gets all evangelical about The Leftovers.

Next: after a week off, Paul and Arlo will take a look at The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford ten years on.

(Show notes for “Wonder Woman: Amazon Prime.”)

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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 271, “Paul v Arlo: Kenn of Justice (feat. Kenn Edwards)”

batmanvsuperman

Gobbledygeek episode 271, “Paul v Arlo: Kenn of Justice (feat. Kenn Edwards),” is available for listening or download right here and on iTunes here.

In this corner: striking terror into the hearts of cowardly and superstitious criminals, a creature of the night, black, terrible, it’s the Dark Knight of Gotham City…Batman! And in this corner: faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, unable to get his own sequel not stuffed with a thousand other characters, it’s the Last Son of Krypton…Superman! With Zack Snyder’s hands in the toybox, they must now v each other in preparation for the dawn of next year’s Justice League. Kenn Edwards, host of So Let’s Get to the Point, joins Paul and Arlo to discuss the superheroic epic Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Is Snyder’s Superman a Randian superman? How does Ben Affleck fare as the Caped Crusader? Is the film as much of a mess as you may have heard? The boys get to the bottom of all this, not to mention another of Kenn’s metatextual monologues. Plus, Arlo’s had a name change, and Paul saw Hamilton on Broadway.

Next: poet Donora Hillard joins us to discuss her new book Jeff Bridges. Plus a discussion of Starman!

(Show notes for “Paul v Arlo: Kenn of Justice.”)

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Listen to Episode 193, “The Sandman: Vol. V – A Game of You (feat. K. Dale Koontz & Ensley F. Guffey)”

Art from 'The Sandman' #35 by Shawn McManus and Daniel Vozzo.

Art from ‘The Sandman’ #35 by Shawn McManus and Daniel Vozzo.

Gobbledygeek episode 193, “The Sandman: Vol. V – A Game of You (feat. K. Dale Koontz & Ensley F. Guffey),” is available for listening or right here, and on iTunes here.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, it might just be because Thessaly’s pulled it to Earth, wreaking all sorts of havoc on the ground. This Paul and AJ learn in the latest installment of our year-long Four-Color Flashback analyzing Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, this time focusing on Vol. V – A Game of You. Joining the boys again are Wanna Cook? authors K. Dale Koontz and Ensley F. Guffey, who have much insight to offer on Gaiman’s depiction of transgender character Wanda, artist Shawn McManus’ use of the classic nine-panel layout, and, uh, polar bears. Add to this many Wizard of Oz illusions and discussions of identity, and you’ve got something we promise makes sense. Sort of. Plus, the gang riffs on Comic-Con, including the unveiling of Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman.

Next: ooga-chaka, ooga-chaka, it’s the Guardians of the Galaxy.
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Listen to Episode 77, “Buy, Buy, Buy”

Gobbledygeek episode 77, “Buy, Buy, Buy,” is available for listening or download right here.

If there’s anything we learned from A Charlie Brown Christmas, it’s that Christmas has become far too commercialized and that the true spirit of Christmas isn’t in the gifts that you receive. So, going entirely against that lesson from our childhoods, we’ve concocted the second annual Gobbledygeek Gift Guide! We’ll clue you into everything you should buy for that nerd in your life, be they into movies (The Tree of Life! Hanna!), music (Nirvana! Pink Floyd!), games (Arkham City! Skyrim!), or more. We also leaven all the cynical buying and spending with genuine, heartfelt appreciations of the movies We Bought a Zoo, Hugo, and The Muppets, plus some Formspring questions and an e-mail.

Next: We continue our Christmas celebration with a discussion of Gremlins. Because who doesn’t like to think of Phoebe Cates’ dad getting stuck in the chimney when they’re putting up the tree?

(Show notes for “Buy, Buy, Buy.”)