Well, folks, we are going to be super deep in the comic talk today.We are going to talk about all in and absolute power for DC.We're going to, of course, have our Clint's pick three.We've got some odds and ends we'll mention as well.
You're listening to episode 537 of the worst comic podcast ever.
Baby, if you ever wonder, wonder whatever became of you.
I'm talking on the web in Kansas City Kansas City WCP Got tired of talking comics by my lonesome Called some high school pals to podcast Maybe just us three were ever meant to be You should check out our show pretty fast
At WCP in Kansas City In Portland!
Doing fantastic.It's a beautiful day.Got out for a walk this morning and it's been kind of up and down hot, uh, hot and... It got warm yesterday.
Yesterday was like hot.The day before was kind of very nice fall.The day before was hot, then very nice fall.It was also exciting.We had at the school where I teach, we had goats.
This week we have a prairie area outside of our school where our field biology classes go and we have a little place with some benches and the classes can go outside.
But they've had a problem that the ragweed keeps receding when they mow, so they brought up these goats and they
route and area and then they move them and everything so but they invited classes to go out so it was a common reward this week for classes and a couple of teachers said my students have never worked as hard for a reward as they did to go out and see goats.
So it was so and everybody is now going to miss them because they'll be gone on Monday.They've cleared out the area.And so we'll see if there will be an eventual return of return of the goats next next year.
But it was a very exciting week at the school with the goats.
To tie it into our comic community, it reminds me so much of when Oh Comic Con would have the Corgis session on a Sunday morning.
And how excited everyone got to go pet the Corgis.So.
We were 100 percent correct.We live in a wonderful time.It's good that we can share these moments with our animal sisters and brothers. I'm glad, I'm glad, that's good.
So did you guys do, I know when I was a resident of the Kansas City metro area, we always like to go to the Deanna Rose Pet Farm and feed their baby goats, baby goat food through a baby bottle.Was anyone doing that there?
This was not, well, they had the, these were not baby goats.Oh.These were full blown adult goats.Okay.And, um, they had an electric fence around the area, and the purpose of having the goats was for them to eat.Oh, good point, good point.
So we don't want to feed them stuff and spoil their appetite.For the ragweed.Yeah, for all of the different plant stuff that's there.That makes sense.
Now, I will tell you that a lot of the kids did enjoy going out and just touching the electric fence. And they were like, you know, it's not survival of the fittest.Well, like it's not that that bad.It's like it's not designed to kill you.Right.
It's designed to discourage the goats from getting out.The point is, is not to keep you out, but to keep the goats in.
So the teenager brain is an amazing thing.
It can't be a scary place.
For sure.Sure.Yeah.All right.Well, listen, let's turn the page on Goat Talk.Always love to start the day that way though.And let's talk a little bit about our podcast and comics and our sponsor, Clint's Comics.
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We definitely want you to go out and send an email to clintsbooks at gmail.com.clintsbooks at gmail.com.You do that, Sharon's going to put you on the weekly email blast.She puts that together every Thursday or Friday, sends that out to you.
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That lets them sort of manage their business a lot better and practically guarantees that you get what you're looking for for your collection.Clint's books at gmail.com.Let Sharon know that you heard about it on the podcast.
So what we do is we take that new comic email blast and Jerry and John and I kind of peruse it, pick a few books that we'd be interested to throw on the read pile.
and uh... talk a little bit about him and so this week i'm gonna start with you mister mcmullin you were uh... quick to know which book that you wanted even though you had a long list of alternates what is my dad's what's gonna be your selections are
Whenever I see it on the list, it's first up and it's kind of been a back and forth whether John or I will take it on any given week when it shows.I'm going Fantastic Four, number 26.
This has been such a fun series and this issue will not disappoint.We get a Reed and Johnny team up, which that's a pairing of two of the characters that we don't see a lot of together.
You know, it's it's either Ben and one of the other people or Sue and one of the other members, but to have Johnny and Reed together, to me, I think is very unique.And they're left at Ampetunia's farmhouse.
Yes, they're home away from home, down in Arizona.Reed has created a new magic detector, knowing that Doom is sorcerer supreme of the world now.And they detect a magical spot in the basement.And of course, Johnny's suggestion is, let's dig it up.
What can go wrong with digging something up in a basement? we're going to find out this issue.So, uh, I'm, I've been looking forward to it.There's a variant cover from Ben Harvey with a featuring Dr. Doom on it.
I, I think I might get that cover as opposed to the, the regular cover, which regular cover isn't even done by Alex Ross this month.So yeah, I'm, uh, the doom cover is definitely the one to go with.So.
That's a great pick.Yeah.I know everyone's been loving on that FF series for a while now.So, uh, um, awesome selection.And like you said, the pairing of Reed and Johnny, you know, usually you get Ben and Johnny.
Uh, that's, that's usually the, the back and forth.So it'd be interesting to see, uh, how these two work together.All right.Great pick.Uh, Johnny D sir, what will you be selecting from the list this week?
Well, I'll be going with a follow-up to a book we're gonna talk about that I picked up this week, and that is the DC All-In, I guess, follow-up to Absolute Power DC All-In, and that is Absolute Batman Number One.
I know this is one that has gotten on some people's radar in a number of different ways.I know there's been a lot of people, the guy looks too big, or the bat symbol is wrong, or whatever, but I think
Understanding a little bit about having read DC All-In, I think I better understand the world in which this new absolute Batman, absolute Wonder Woman, absolute Superman appear.
Also, if you are interested in the first appearance of any of those characters, that is the DC All-In.While we don't see them a ton or necessarily learn a ton of background about them, that is the first time that you actually get to see
these versions of these particular characters, whether that'll be worth anything or whatever, who knows?But Scott Snyder is writing Scott Snyder obviously had one of the long runs on on Batman and we had a very successful run on on Batman.
And this is sort of the although it's kind of funny, it's, you know, they they sort of without the mansion, without the money, without the butler.The funny thing is that kind of is Batman to a degree.
in the regular DC universe, and that Alfred is gone and he doesn't have the mansion anymore, and he's only a millionaire or something instead of a billionaire.So my guess is, though, at some point things will return.
I don't know if Alfred will ever come back to life or not.It's comics, so we'll see. But yeah, so I'm definitely intrigued enough to pick it up.And Nick Drogada is doing the art.There's also, of course, a Jim Lee variant and a Wes Craig variant.
Wes Craig did the the flip side of the DC All In book.We'll talk a little bit more about that, as I said, later on.So absolutely, Batman No.1 is going to be my pick.
Yeah, that's a great pick.I was on the app, on the DC app, and they had, at the end of All In, they had an opportunity to read, like, three two-page excerpts of Absolute Batman, Absolute Wonder Woman, I think.I think it was.
I only looked at the Absolute Batman.And the only two pages that they provided were sort of, well, absolutely out of context.So you don't really know how things are leading up to where this particular two-page little spread is going.
In it, there's a man on a motorcycle.He stops underneath this Gotham Bridge after some internal exposition about the state of the city.Guy takes the helmet off, and the excerpt below it says that it's Alfred.
So I don't know how all of that will cross over. I know it's an else world or not, but we'll see how it all plays out.I'm excited.I get it.We've been around this block a couple times now, but you know what?If they tell a good story, I'm here for it.
If the art is good, I'm here for it.We're gonna talk about Absolute Power 4 and All In later on in the show, and I thought they did a great job making me interested and intrigued into where this is headed.Yeah.I think that's a great pick.Okay.
All right, and then part of the little game that we play is that the guy that's hosting keeps his selection for the week off the list secret, and the other two take an opportunity to see if they can guess it.
This week, I'm going to stay with you, John, and let you have an opportunity to guess what my selection from the new comic list is going to be.
There's a number of interesting books out there this week for sure, but I'm going to go with I'm going to go with Spider-Man, Black Suit and Blood number three, knowing your love of the the black suit.
Symbiote Spider-Man suit.
Yeah, that's pretty easy this week.There's a lot of books out there.I actually can't wait to get to the honorable segment section of this podcast.But yeah, Spider-Man, Black Suit and Blood issue number three.
Not only do I just always love the visuals and the aesthetics that go with this particular character, but This month, I'm going to get some Al Ewing writing one of the stories, which.
Listeners, recent listeners will know I'm super high on Mr. Ewing and his work, and so looking forward to that little darker approach with some some different storytellers, but that Marco Chichetto cover is Beautiful love it.
There's a couple variables.Sorry variants this week as well A Dustin Nguyen, which is he's always turning out amazing symbiote spider-man Commissions and things like that.So really cool.
I've really enjoyed the book does everything that I'm looking for I can get in and get out but have lots of great visuals and and good concise storytelling.
So you're exactly right, Johnny D. Spider-Man Black Suit and Blood number three from Marvel is going to be my pick this week.But like I said, we have a lot of good content coming out this week.
Jer, I'm going to ask you, what else have you got on your list that you're going to throw on the pile?
Well, I was, you know, I was looking at the list, trying to figure out what your pick was going to be.And I actually had the Spider-Man black suit as like number four on the potential list for you.
Um, just because I think I had guessed that a couple of weeks ago when you were hosting and it wasn't your pick.So I didn't think you were going to go back to that well, but, um,
I thought for certain you were going to go with Star Wars Ewoks number one.
Oh man, it's on my list.It's on my list.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.And then there is a new, Marvel's got a new title coming up called Conquest 2099. I know you're a big fan of the Spider-Man 2099.They introduced Nova 2099, Spider-Woman 2099, so that was kind of screaming colon to me.
And then there's a, over at DC, there's the start of a new Green Lantern Civil Corps.I saw that. And I thought that that would probably intrigue you enough that you would want to pick it up.
So as for me, my big honorable mentions, and I was struggling to choose between them until I saw Fantastic Four on the list, but it's
The, the double shot coming out from dynamite this week, we've got Johnny quest number three, and we've got space ghost number six.And I have just been loving each of these series this summer.
And I would have been hard pressed trying to pick one over the other as my pick of the week.So, um, thankfully fantastic for solve that issue for me, but definitely.
Uh, Johnny quest and space ghosts are going to be on the to buy list for me this week.
Yeah, those are great picks.I have really just been enjoying the heck out of that Space Ghost series.So, so good.So good.Johnny D, what about you, sir?
I'm going to go, I've got a couple Action Comics starts their new weekly release schedule with Mark and Mark Wade's going to be doing some of the writing in that as well.But you've also got Supergirl story.
It's still anthology, but it's going to be coming out every week. I've enjoyed Amazing Spider-Man of late.I think they've been doing some pretty good stuff.And so Amazing Spider-Man 59 hits newsstands.
I mean, I'm still following along, although I've kind of, it's the Batman Gotham by Gaslight, the Kryptonian age, we're gonna get introduced to Clark.And so I love the cover.
of that book enough that that alone will probably pull me in for that issue.But it's been a little, they've kind of thrown a lot of elements in all at once.
Like for a world where it was just Batman and all of a sudden everybody is coming out of the woodwork at the same time feels a little much for what was a one issue thing.I will say one of my favorite Elseworlds books has been the,
the DC vs. Vampires series.It's been a really intriguing read.Just things are moving, zipping right along.Like every issue, a lot happens.Matthew Rosenberg has been writing that.
You know, he wrote some of that Joker, that last Joker series that I thought was so good and just really different.And this one's a great sort of horror,
Action and it's it's it's a lot like Gosh Tom Taylor some of his best Elseworlds work is how I feel and that I'm really connected to the characters in this particular Story and you do not know who's gonna die at any given moment Yeah, who's gonna turn into a villain or who's gonna be whatever?
but it it's like You know, most even like I enjoyed absolute power, but you know, at the end, the heroes are going to win, right?Like you're you're it's they're not all good.They're going to kill off every superhero.
So, you know, in a sense, you know, maybe somebody will die.But in these. These Elseworlds, one man, you just do not know what is going to happen.Yeah.And so it still has that tinge of the familiar that you care about, but also that difference.
So so that's that's been one that has surprised me how much I have I have enjoyed.And Otto Schmidt is doing the art.And I think it's his or his style is just perfect for the book.So those are those are my big Honorable mentions there.
Yeah, those are great.I staying in the sort of horror genre, but also silly. from one of our favorite publishers right now, Ahoy Comics.We're getting a new Toxic Avenger, excuse me, book.And I'm super excited to see how all that plays out.
Fred Harper is the artist and Matt Bors is the writer.I believe Matt Bors, I think he was the publisher and editor of a book an online blog called, is it The Nib?But a long time writer and hobbyist in this space.
And I'm really anxious to see how this goes.The artwork looks amazing.Fred Harper is a more of an independent small publisher small press sort of Creator and an artist and pencil er, but I think this is a perfect fit for that creative team Let's see.
What else we're getting another I think John you had been staying current with the ultimates Looks like we're we're getting another.
Yeah, I've been I got the first couple I Now I'm kind of waiting on the app, which means I'm a little behind.I found it interesting, but I didn't find it.I want to know what happens, but I didn't want to know what happens enough to buy issues.
I feel bad sometimes saying that, but it's also like, but that's why you have the app.That's why you have these things.
You don't have to buy every single issue.
And most of those things, there's enough of those out. You know, I've got the first couple, I know they have multiple printings and everything, but I'm like, it's not going to stay rare forever.No.
There's going to be books out there if you want to get them.
Yeah, absolutely.A couple of interesting books.There's a Sentinels miniseries.That seems really interesting, sort of. on the tale of all the launches of these new recent X books.And I had one, oh, and Transformers number 13.
I believe I had read several months ago that Daniel Warren Johnson said that he'd be stepping away from the book after issue 24, which isn't here yet, but will be here sooner than we think.So it'll be interesting to see.
you know, if they're going to go ahead and bring a different creative team in.I mean, he spoke like issue 24 was just a choice he was making about a time in the future where he'd step away, not that the book was intended to come to an end then.
So not sure how that'll play out, but still continues to be a favorite read of mine and just love absorbing the artwork every month. All right, I think that'll do it then for our Pick 3 segment and our honorable mention segment again.
Check out Clint's Comics, 3941 Main.Let Sharon know that you heard about the shop on the podcast.We greatly appreciate it.All right, let's dive into a little more DC talk and kind of talk about Absolute Power and it leading into DC All In.
John, I know you shared with Jerry and I that you had picked up the foil version, the variant of All In, which was super pretty.
I read it twice and then wiped it down to clean off my fingerprints.The nice thing about the foil covers is you can kind of do that.
I don't know if you guys have ever back in the day, you'd get some of the issues that were the high prestige and they would maybe have a cover that had like a black ad and you'd read the book and you'd look and you realize your fingerprints
Had kind of your fingers that kind of let some of the ink off and it's like no There was a there was a a Baxter book.
That was John Byrne's omac Yeah And I it's not that I'd transfer Inky fingerprints from the inside.It was that the cover was like a matte black and if you by chance were a sweaty handed teenager
and would hold your book, it would leave little spots on the black cover where you had been holding it carefully, but also trying not to crack the spine.Yeah, it's a delicate dance that we collectors, it's like, what a great, you know, cool cover.
Hopefully I can read it without having to wear white gloves so I don't totally smudge it up.
I think every collector learns early on that you can't read comics and eat Cheetos at the same time.
Right.I think back then, yeah, might have been Funyuns and might have been Funyun dust, but thankfully we've had High-profile celebrities show us that, you know, you can have your bowl of Cheez-Its or your Crunchies and just eat them with chopsticks.
And you don't get your fingers all dirty.So, you know. Life finds a way, and we keep moving forward.But anyway, back to DC and Absolute Power and All In.
I think, John, you had mentioned during our Pick Three segment that with regards to Absolute Power, you kind of know, hey, this is a four-issue limited series.The heroes are probably not going
to be permanently affected by the result of this four issue story.But I thought that the storytelling was good.I thought there was a lot of quick action and a lot of good sort of foundational groundwork being laid that leads into DC all in.
What were your thoughts?How did you kind of like how Absolute Power resolved?
Yeah, I thought they did a really good job of establishing the heroes as being their heroism is not tied to powers.You know, it's tied to how they want to live their life and what they want to do and how they want to support others.
And so in this case, they see bad things happening and now they don't just see, they're imprisoned.So it's pretty bad.And like all great you know, storylines, your best stories happen when it seems like you have no chance to win.
You're overpowered, you've become vastly the underdogs, and how are you going to get around that?
And so they managed to, you know, at the end, like a lot of these things, the question is, what is returned to the status quo, and what is new going forward? And so, you know, are the heroes going to get their powers back?
You know, because that was they'd all been all the powers have been removed.So you defeat the bad guys.And then what's the new status quo?
And so the big thing is that while there's a point where all of the powers get trained out of the amazos, amazos, I don't know.And they go back to the they go back to the heroes.
But apparently some of the powers don't go back to the same person who had them before.We see fire and ice seem to have each other's powers.
And there's a I don't think it's I can't remember if it is in this or if it's in the next issue as they're talking. The big three are talking to Green Arrow.
And one of the things they're saying is that the powers went, but not necessarily back to the original host.We see Black Canary with like heat vision, it looks like.And Plastic Man, I can't tell if it looks like he is Like he's flexing a muscle.
Like, is he strong?Is he, we don't, I don't know.Right.So there's a, there's a lot of that stuff to be kind of figured out.And so I thought absolute power.It also, we see at the end that they're going to have, um, a satellite, a watchtower satellite.
Right.And, um, you know, I was telling my wife about this, who, and I was like, Oh yeah.And they're going to have a satellite thing.She says, don't they have a satellite, one of the cartoon things I'm like, Did you ever watch any of the cartoons?
I don't think so.But I said, when I grew up, when I was a kid, was what is sometimes known as the satellite era of the Justice League, which, of course, we had, you know, and towards the end of that was Justice League 200, which was one of the best
you know, Justice League stories.
And I was like, God, I'm trying to figure out how to tell the story of what's going on without getting too much in the weeds because every part of it has some of these aliens and they but they left these like meteorite eggs behind and the original justice.
Like it's tough to it is tough to go through all the backstory and just because I remember reading Justice League 200 as a kid and not knowing all of the backstory.Oh, sure.Yeah, I did.I didn't know Martian Manhunter super well because he hadn't been
a Justice League member for a long time.And so so there was a lot in there that I didn't know very much, you know, backstory on.I was more familiar with Firestorm and Zatanna and Red Tornado than I was with Martian Manhunter.So.
Yeah, anyway, I thought I thought Absolute Power was a good wrap up and it very much set up the now all in era of D.C.
Yeah, I was, you know, I really enjoyed Absolute Power.I totally understand, like, that was a four issue series.They couldn't have wedged this into other books to make this sort of story happen.But I'm always like,
like the green arrow reveal and that, you know, he had to sell that he was on Waller's side for a long time because he didn't want any of her mind readers or empaths to know that he was really a double agent.
And I know that that's the get out of jail free card.And I know that Ollie is probably of all those characters, right?He's the one that makes the most sense for all of that.
But there was a part of me that was just like, I felt like a lot of things got resolved really quickly because it was issue four.And that's fair.And that's totally fair.But I thought the execution of the storyline was well done.
I thought the artwork all the way through was super crisp.And you know, I didn't, I didn't miss a beat with it.I really enjoyed the story.
And, you know, we were talking, I think, off air before we started recording, the whole concept of some of these heroes now have other heroes' powers.
I really want to see, you know, again, I know just to your point, John, like there's going to be a return to status quo, but I wonder how far they'll go with that, right?Like that's, to me,
I feel like that's a deeper mine that you can sort of dig into than the, let's switch the villains for the heroes and, and see where we go there.And so anyway, so, so I thought it was an interesting thing when I turned the page there and saw,
The satellite gave me a nice smile, you know, good to see that we're going to take a trip back up to space to bring these folks all together.I will admit that
the Justice League Unlimited concept of, you know, we're just gonna give everybody a JLA card and everybody who wants to be a Justice League member can be a Justice League member.And I get that, right?
That expands the way, the number of stories that can be told.You don't have to focus on the big three, things like that.I don't know, like, I,
I know it's just setting the scene for these stories to be told, but I definitely feel like after we had, you know, late last year, early this year, the whole, hey, the Teen Titans are going to be the new Justice League.No, they're not.
I didn't even feel like they really gave the Teen Titans a chance to really prove to be Justice League level strength heroes, but maybe that's just me.
But now we're kind of now doing the same thing where it's like this new Justice League and we're going to bring all these people in.I don't know.
I think maybe there's just a part of me that's like, I need to see this play out, because right now just the everybody's in the family thing, I've kind of felt like we've seen that a little bit before.But we'll see.
I don't know, JerBear, I know you hadn't, you know, grabbed absolute power or all in yet.But what are your thoughts just about the event and the things that are kind of starting to shape up in the direction that the story is taking?
Um, I'm cautiously optimistic.Um, I, I think that the switching of the powers that creates a fun short term diversion, but at some point you're going to want to switch everything back.And, um, it, it kind of has like,
Maybe it's not a one-to-one comparison, but it kind of reminds me of Age of Apocalypse.
Let's stop all the current Edsmond books for three months and let's put out brand new titles featuring new takes on all these characters and just a different environment.
My concern is that this is just a short-term stunt, and I don't know in this era of IPs and licensing if you can make power, changing powers with another character, an ongoing thing for very long.
Yeah, no, I think all those things are totally fair. Yeah, I mean, I think sometimes the three of us, because we've been reading comics for so long, we've kind of seen how the sausage gets made.
We've seen the story plays out multiple times.
Totally, totally.And whether it be through Elseworlds or a small miniseries or, God help us all, a series like Millennium, where it was Or AVX, I don't need to just pick on DC.
There's plenty of, of Marvel books that have done the same sort of had the same sort of structure and machinations behind it to drive the event.But yeah, I, I think though, that
One of the things that's got me interested in it, because there are days when I get event weary, I think the creative teams that have been lined up for these two series are amazing.
And I feel like if we're going to get top quality talent creative teams, look, I've bought plenty of two issue events.And, you know, DC last Halloween or in September had that Night Terrors thing.
And I picked up a couple of those two issue series, you know, that didn't really produce a lot, but it was a some sort of quote unquote event.But so I'm not casting shade on it as a as a mechanism to get readers in.
But but I am excited about the creative teams.And and honestly, like, you know, I love Booster Gold because, you know, he's such a dingbat and he he's definitely got a lot of focus in the all in issue.Yeah.
You know, which makes me which then I was getting flashbacks of 52 a little bit.And I was thinking, oh, man, how are they going to because there's a lot of mentions about is his circumstances of being from the future and knowing how things play out.
And he doesn't, you know, he doesn't know that or hasn't seen some of these things that are starting to unfold in the all in issue from history.
So I don't know, you know, John, what did you think of the the sort of coven approach to creating the Justice League cards and
Yeah, I mean, we've, we've seen similar things in the past.It's, it's been a while, you know, during the Justice League, wah-ha-ha days, expanded out to Justice League Europe.
And, and so we, we, we had a, there we had a very large, a very large cast.Yeah.And, but we really haven't seen a Justice League in the comics this big.
Now, there are some characters who I think it's a little odd, like Colin's getting a little superpower boost there of some coffee coming in, delivery.I love it.
But we see like Mr. Terrific and, you know, a character that I would traditionally think of as a justice society. JSA, not a Justice League.
Most of the other characters that we see, though, you know, Power Girl is a, you know, a character who can kind of go, you know, either way.But we see a lot of the Greenlanders.It's kind of funny that, you know, we see Dr. Fate.
But I would say most of the other characters are not JSA Hawker, although I mean, but some of these characters also have had ties to the Justice League as well at times.
So it's not when they've been around for 80 years, there's going to be some crossover.
Oh, 100 percent.Yeah, I don't I don't think the talking about the power changing thing.I don't think that's going to be a major driving part of all in.I think that's going to be a little part that they're going to that they probably gave.
Hey, listen, if you're writing this character like I'm sure they didn't just bring, hey, Dinah has heat vision instead of sonic powers on, you know, Kelly Thompson without, you know, without her say so on that.
My guess is that they said, hey, listen, we do a thing, we might change powers around.Are there any characters you think you'd have fun with if you change their powers around?That's my hope. My hope is that Mark Wade did not unilaterally do this.
I would be surprised knowing, you know, what little bits that I know about Mark Wade.And so, you know, I think this is a way to sort of blow out this team a little bit.You can get some different combinations.
I love the idea of, hey, we've got a specific thing we want to do, and here's who we want to use for this one. And, you know, I think that's a that's a potentially cool idea.
I think there's a reason, though, that you normally don't see teams that have 50 members, because it's it's harder to write those now.It's less so when those characters all have their own books.
So you don't have to you don't have to make sure we got to use Shazam.
We got to use Captain Marvel in every single issue of Justice League because you can leave him for a while and he can be over in his own book and you can pull him in wherever you want.You know, Superman, Flash and some of those other characters.
You know, you can have a question.Now you can have a series with the question where question is the new like security person on the Justice League.Right. satellite.And so how do you how to use them?
It did seem like it was interesting that they spent so much time with booster gold until you got to the dark side part of the book, right.And so the you know, the the main, I read the book twice, and it's a flip book.
So the first time I read the book, I read it with the Justice League part first, and then I read the dark side part second. And then the next time I wrote it, I read it the dark side part first and the Justice League part second.
And it's kind of an interesting difference between the two.And you can't totally divorce, you know, you can't read it for the first time twice.But reading it with that perspective was definitely different because the whole point of this is that
Dark Side is a necessary part of the universe.
He's a part that challenges the heroes and forces them to grow and forces progress, but that essentially the good is the foundation of the universe and the Dark Side is there to push everybody in a new way.I felt like with
With this new universe, this absolute universe, it's the flip.The evil, the dark side part is the foundational part of the universe.
And now Booster Gold comes over to this world and he's the only one there that knows what dark side sort of was as a thing and what the universe could be.This is a universe founded on dark side.The daily planet building has a giant omega on it.
Right.And we see Booster Gold and we see he makes reference to his Legion ring.There's a couple of references to that.And then the big, big reveal.
Sorry to spoil too, too much, but you're going to read about or hear about one way or the other, but that Darkseid has his army is his legion, and that the legion of superheroes is the army of dark side, that they are his, his foundational part.
And so, you know, it's gonna be interesting to see how does how our Batman and Wonder Woman and Superman these new absolute versions, what is their life going to be like in a world that dark side is, right?
And so I think it's going to be very, very interesting.I super enjoyed this read.I enjoyed the hopeful side.I will say this, though.When you read the Justice League side of the book. I think it's very accessible.
There's a lot of characters, but you just get, there's a lot of characters, right?
You may not know everybody, but you know, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the only other character that gets major, the two characters, Mr. Terrific gets a lot of FaceTime and then Booster Gold, but they kind of explain who, like they completely tell you who Booster Gold is.
If you don't know who Booster Gold is, they tell you, they explain his, his origin.Right. On the dark side side of it, if you don't know who these other characters are, like if you don't know who Calibac and Granny Goodness, then you just don't know.
If you don't know who Eclipso is, this different name, Spectre, they don't really that much explain, maybe they explain a little who the Spectre is, Zoriel or Blaze in hell. There's a lot of characters throwing at you pretty quick.
And if you don't know them, then you just don't know them.They're not filling those gaps.So as a part where the point is to pull in and be a jumping off point for new heroes, for new readers, that part I felt like you would be a little out of it.
Now, maybe you don't need it.Maybe at the end you get the idea enough.Darkseid is bad.He's looking for this character, this specter.He's got to fight everybody about it. Maybe that's enough.
And maybe they're just figuring out, maybe you're not going to read this.Maybe Absolute Batman is going to be your introduction.But it was just interesting to me that one side of the book was super accessible and the other side of the book
It's fine for the old folks like us, but for a new reader, it'd be like, what the heck is happening here?
Yeah, no, that's a great point.Yeah.And whether that's intentional or not for the old heads or the longtime fans, who knows?But I did think it worked.But I'm definitely with you as an open door to invite folks in for this who are not normal visitors.
It was a little stiff, but um, I also will say sorry Let me say one last thing and then i'm out of the way is I I think we're also let's be honest.We're not who are we fooling with this new?readers Right, right Right.
We're not pulling in 15 year olds to read absolute batman at 4.99 a pop like we're not pulling in new readers what we really want to do is give interesting stories and interesting points to get the people who are already readers to spend more money.
That's who we've got.And maybe, sure, maybe somebody reads an article, but it's not like Death of Superman where you put out, where you got stories in the mainstream media for people to come into a comic shop and buy Death of Superman.
And that did happen. in that case, and you could get some stories like that.But the same thing with Ultimates and Ultimate Spider-Man, those books are not pulling in new readers.They're just ways to get money for their enemies.And I get it.
It's a business, but there are ways to get to get money from the people who are already reading, already reading the book.So that's why we have open that they can slab it.And eventually, you know, DC all in is going to be worth whatever.But yeah.
less than cover price.Yeah, it's Yeah, I love I love our hobby.May right may no mistake about it.But we've been around long enough to take the good with the bad but it was some dark side got a little bit of a upgrade.
If you will a little refresh on his drip as the kids say he's got a little different outfit. bringing up Calabac.Don't know if we're going to see a whole lot more of Calabac.
And it was like, like, like, we're gonna like the old school calabash fans are going to be pretty really upset when really all four of them.
Yeah, right.Yeah, for certain.But again, you know, superficial changes, things like that, but an enjoyable story.Lots of action and and I'm looking forward to it.
You know, I, like I said, I kind of approached it as I was going to keep it at arm's length for a while. I started liking Absolute Power more and more.And then I was like, you know what?I'm easy.I'll do it.All right, let's go.Let's go on this date.
But I'm definitely going to be picking up Absolute Batman to go with it as well.I'm really, really fascinated.Only in so much is that I loved
when everyone started complaining about the bat symbol on the chest and how Scott Snyder was like, every time someone complains about it, it makes me stronger.And I was like, yes, yes.
I kind of want to just buy an issue just to give him some residuals just for being salty the way he is.I loved it.
Yeah, same anyway, so so yeah, so I'm really interested in it if Big splash panel multi-character Images and things like that big fight scenes or your thing Honestly, that's what these events are great for you got a good creative team.
You're about to see some amazing art even so much that as John brought up off air, there's a nice big single page where the artist did a homage to the Perez hand holding the world from crisis.And, you know, that's the kind of thing I'm here for.
Let's see some of that big grandeur and some of these big sweeping artistic attempts and things like that.
So anyway, and it's and it's but it's it's dark side creating this or inhabiting this new universe.I did like, there's a, so Wes Craig did the dark side, did the art for the dark sides part of this, which I thought was really good.
I thought his, his, I wouldn't love his art on every kind of story, but I thought it was great here.Totally.
And there's a, there's a part though, where all the heroes are coming at dark side and I'm like, I'm looking and it's like, okay, Nightwing, Robin,
Like, okay, guys, listen, if you're going up against Darkseid, and you're Nightwing or Robin, listen, just get out of the way.You're not helping.
There is also a part where Wonder Woman is holding Darkseid with the lasso, and Batman is holding him on the other side as Superman comes up.I'm like, Batman is not holding Darkseid.
Like, I get it, the Trinity and everything, but you also have to know, like, If Batman lasso's Shazam with his bat, you're just giving a conduit for him to shoot you with lightning.
Unless you're just hoping he comes to his senses because of this, I don't know what you think you're doing over there, but it's nothing.If Wonder Woman ain't holding him with the lasso, you ain't holding him with the bat.
You're just along for the ride.Yeah, exactly, exactly. Yeah.So anyway, I'm really, really looking forward to it and can't wait to talk more about it on the show as the story unfolds.So, all right.
I know we had a great Pick Three segment, a really long and fun honorable mention segment.We dug into Absolute Power and DCE All In.What else have we got to talk about?
Well, we had Episode 4 of Agatha all along.Thank you.
You can call it Episode 4 or I refer to it as Episode 1 of Season 2 of Daisy Jones and the Siths.
There were some vibes there.Yeah.Yeah.I thought, yeah, I thought this one, it did, it did surprise me in that.I did think Deborah Joe rubs character was going to come back there and it turned out not to be her.
We got Aubrey Plaza's character back in sort of a new way.Um, I thought this episode was.
I thought it was the least intriguing to me in that it felt like we've got the formula in the last one where it was the potions, which she was going to have to get them through.
And then this time it's the protection, which has got to get them through and that it felt the most retreading like we're going to we're going to do the formula next week.
My guess is next week's going to be the psychic woman, the air challenge, and then they'll have to do the Aubrey, the earth.
one where it'll be Aubrey Plaza, but she's gonna negotiate because she's gonna want something for them to, you know, from them to get her through it.That's my guess.
So it did feel a little like this was the issue where we've got to get the protection, which the interesting thing was in the previous episode, the potions, which didn't get her wish, like the reason that she's on the road is to get something.
They're all on the road to get something. She did.She got them through that challenge, but she didn't get the thing that she wanted yet.Presumably she will at the end of the road.
In this one, it felt like the protection, which did get what she wanted, which was the curse.It seems like her curse is lifted in this episode.So what is left for her on the on the road?
Because she you know, they all thought she was there to get her mom. But her mom died on the road, not the witch's road, but just on the road as a concert performer.And so we've also been building a lot of intrigue about teen.
And that continued and Aubrey Plaza has a reveal at the end of the episode that you're like, oh, that's oh, that's a twist.But then you're like, but is she telling the truth?
Like, I don't know if that's clearly there's still some we still have a mystery about teen.We still have some mystery about Agatha and her and her background and what happened to her.
her son, her child, and what's the background relationship between her and Aubrey Plaza's character?Obviously, there's a lot there.
The woman who can tell the future, she kind of fades out a couple of times, and we don't know fully what's going on with that.That's what she seems to want to resolve.So we still have a lot of business to deal with in this episode, in this show.
But to me, this particular episode was the weakest of the episodes.I still enjoyed it.I just didn't think it dazzled or intrigued me as much as the other ones had.I don't know.What did you guys think?Jer, what did you think?
I was kind of hoping that each episode they would kill off one of the other witches along the way and almost make it like a whodunit, but neither here nor there. It was fine for me.I think it keeps us intrigued to keep watching the show.
I don't know how much it really advanced the show.I do think the show is better with Aubrey Plaza on the screen.Just her character provides a little more life to every scene.
And I thought it was kind of a nice little nod whenever they start back traveling with Aubrey Plaza's character Rio, I think is the character's name.
Her walk as she's going down the quote yellow brick road is very reminiscent of the Scarecrow's walk from the Wizard of Oz.
So definitely, I think that was something planned or I just can't imagine her throwing it in on just a whim there. Yeah, I mean, I'm enjoying it.
I think the biggest mystery for me right now still remains Teen as to what his connection is and to which member of the cast he is connected to or if that person is even part of the cast.
You know, I think last couple of weeks we've even said, oh, that's Nicholas Scratch, it's Agatha's son.What if it's not Agatha's son?What if it's Scarlet Witch's son or something else?
I mean, I think there's definitely possibilities that maybe we need to kind of expand our thinking as to what his background is.
Yeah, yeah, especially after, you know, Rio tells Agatha, right?Like, this is not that's not your that's not your son.You know, and and but to John's point, maybe she's not telling the truth.
And Agatha doesn't really necessarily object to that truth.She seemingly is either in agreement or is denying it or something, but yeah, lots of good character development.I'll agree with both of you.You know, this is a television series.
And so, you know, I know that they're trying to build, you know, intrigue and suspense and how's this all gonna unfold?Honestly, I was like,
If I now have to sit through four episodes of each of these individual witches being tested, like, that to me feels long and drawn out.Like, you could test a couple of these witches in 42 minutes in a single episode.Like, I don't know.
Like, I just... I just... It feels like it can be a little repetitive.Now, the only... The only benefit – the funny thing is you should have four challenges, earth, air, fire, water.And that's why Agatha had to get these others.
But the funny thing is, in a sense, what does she bring to the party? because she's not solving any of this.In fact, if anything, what's funny is the MVP is often teen because he seems to have a lot of knowledge about stuff.
In some ways, I'm kind of surprised we haven't heard this in a way.Is he a bit of a Mary Sue? You know, the person who is not is not a witch, has not been a witch, but somehow seems to know all the deets about all this stuff.
Is that because he's a plant?Only because traditionally and this was an all male group and the one female was the one who often had the answer.Totally.That that that would be the critique.Right.
And so in this case, why doesn't the critique go go the other way? And it's in some ways odd in that, you know, is it the teen?Is it the one male character who ends up being?
Also, why we fail the Bechdel test over and over again, because whenever the half the time when the women are alone, they're talking about teen, right?We got to talk about the male character, like he becomes the he becomes the focus. of everything.
And so, I don't know, it's just to me a little bit odd in some ways.I can see some of that as some critique of the show, and that they all seem to like Teen.Like they get real bitchy at each other, but everybody likes Teen.
Like he's the only one that everybody sort of likes.So it's an interesting It's an interesting thought process.It doesn't make me not like that in itself does not make me like the show.I do.I do enjoy the show.
I think Catherine Hahn is absolutely phenomenal.Aubrey Plaza is just over the top and Audrey Plaza.And which is exactly what you expect and want.And I feel like everybody else is playing their role and adding some humor or whatever.
And and I've enjoyed that.I will say this version of the song.Not as good. This is the poppy 60s version of The Road.I didn't like it nearly as much as I liked the one that they did acapella before.
That is interesting.I wonder if they will take a stylistic difference episode to episode if we'll get a rock version.I guess we did sort of get a rock version, right, when we were in the protection, which interesting.
Yeah, I'm, of course, still very much enjoying the show.And I'm interested to see where it goes.I think I'm going to have a hard time shaking expectations in my own head formed by nothing Disney has done.
I just loved WandaVision so much and the creative approach that they took.And I want that from these types of shows.And I think we're, I don't know if disappointment is the right word, but
It felt this episode to me felt formulaic, like, oh, now we're settling into the rut or here.Now we just got to get through the McGuffin stuff, get through the mid the second, you know, the second act.And then we get we're going to get to the real.
the real meat of it, but enjoying it, of course, and enjoy the... I almost would love to see more bitchy, catty back and forth between the witches.I think that when they get into that mode, I really enjoy it.It's super entertaining.
And I feel like we could learn more about each of these characters a little bit if we just let them sort of have that back and forth to see some of their characteristic types or preferences.But anyway, all in all, loving it.
We'll continue to make it a priority each week just because of content volume.I haven't caught up with the Penguin yet, but I'm still seeing lots of positive reactions online.
People still really like, I think people are, you know, the thing I saw most after the first episode was just everybody reaffirming how crazy it is that no one, you can't recognize Colin.
no his speech patterns his his visual look uh like everyone's like there is no way and it's yeah he just does such a great job so again he should be on the short list for the emmy nominations and their makeup artist yeah uh you know that whole crew man has done such an amazing job but he definitely is is embodied it
Yeah, I did watch episode two, and it just it keeps going just as strong as the first episode.Really?This might be just because of the timing of the show versus the timing that we record this.
You know, the new episodes go up on HBO Sunday night, so we're we're going to be always a full week behind.
true any attempt to talk about penguin so uh it may be something that maybe we hold off talk on the penguin until it's completely done and we can assess the whole series but yeah it's not like we're trying to avoid the penguin it's just the timing and the logistics of us recording this podcast and the show airing totally totally
Jerry, I know you've you've watched it.And I haven't watched any of it yet.Because I don't have Max.But besides, you know, Colin, who would you say are some of the other characters besides the penguin?
Who are some other characters that if you're a old time bat fan, and you've read some of the stuff that kind of jump out to you is really well done?
Well, the whole premise is that Penguin's trying to take over Carmine Falcone's criminal organization.And I don't know how well the the family members are known within the DC Comics universe.
There's the son and the daughter of Carmen Falcone, and the daughter has a very prominent role in this.
I heard she's really good.
Yes, she is extremely good, and she's a relatively young actress.I don't know that I've seen her in a lot of stuff before. So she is a good kind of point counterpoint to the penguin that they kind of each seem to be trying to one-up the other.
The other character that they've introduced is this teenage sidekick that Penguin... Do they just call him Teen? Uh, disappointingly, no, it could have coordinated that with Disney.That would have made things a whole lot easier for all of us.
Um, and then we, we get to see penguins mom, which, um, is kind of a, it puts a more human take on the penguin.You, you kind of think of him as, as Oswald at that point, and not necessarily as penguin.
And it's hard to balance trying to take care of your mom and trying to run a criminal empire at the same time.So, yeah, as one struggles, I mean, look at Tony Soprano.So, but yeah, it's definitely entertaining.
Now, Jerry, you moderated a panel for somebody who also played the mother of the penguin.
Yeah.I, didn't you from, she was also in Pee-wee's.
Oh yeah.Yeah.Yeah.I completely blanked that out.
Yeah.Yeah.Um, and now I'm completely blanking on her name.
I cannot remember her name either.She was in Pee-wee's Big Adventure.She was the, the waitress who wanted to go to France.Yes.And she was at, uh, um, our last, Smallville Comic-Con, or last or next to last, but yeah.
Yeah, and she was, because she was in Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and because of everything that happened with Paul Rubens, that Tim Burton wanted to give Paul Reubens a part in the second Batman movie as a chance to kind of rebuild or redeem himself.
And that's when they brought her in to star opposite him in those scenes as the Penguin's parents.
Right.Right.Diane Salander.Thank you.Yes.
Perfect.Yes.Was is is the actress's name.Yeah.So, yeah, absolutely.Yeah.So we have close ties to to the Penguins family, a vested interest in seeing how this plays out.But.Right.
Absolutely.Yeah.So I think even in Gotham, I think in the show Gotham, I think Penguin's mother, and it was, oh, that was Carol Kane.Carol Kane, yes, who played his mother there.Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, that Gotham series, that was still a fantastic burn.Like it took a while and then it just kept getting better and better and better.Definitely one of the high watermarks.Was that a CW show?No, it was Fox.Was it Fox?Yeah, yeah, you're right.
But anyway, great show, great shows all the way around and fun stuff to continue to watch as we head into the holiday season.All right, I'm looking around. I think everybody's good.
I think we've gone through our agenda, talked about all the hot things that are hot this week.So listen, we're going to let you go.
We're going to tell you how grateful we are for everything you do to support the podcast, everything you do to support Clint's Comics.You've been listening to the worst comic podcast ever.
