Comic Geek Speak Podcast - The Best Comic Book Podcast

A three person crew of Chris, Ian and Murd dive into Previews #390, DC Connect #10, and Marvel Previews #9, mostly for books coming out in the month of May. And unlike most Previews episodes, all three stick around all episode! Oh, what a glorious feeling that is. And because we were expedient in our dissection of this month's offerings, there's time for a Muddle the Murd, even! (2:08:08)

Who's been pulling every evil string? It's been Comic Talk all along! We give WandaVision the full spoiler filled treatment this episode (spoiler talk begins at 11:50 and concludes at 53:38), while also discussing the first few episodes of Superman & Lois, the new season of The Flash, and we even dabble into the upcoming Snyder Cut of Justice League. On the comics front, Ian discusses Infinite Frontier #1 from DC, Chris goes gaga for Radiant Black, Chip Zdarsky's Stillwater, Larry Hama and Dave Wachter's Iron First and Christopher Priest's Vampirella, and Murd dives deep into the first two issues of the original Nova. Plus some new GI Joe acquisitions by Shane, delving into some TwoMorrow's magazine content, the return of Chandra Free's The God Machine on Kickstarter, and a Muddle the Murd! (1:59:06)

Overture, curtains, lights. This is it, the night of nights. No more rehearsing and nursing a part, we know every part by heart! Gather round as the ever-ready Master of Ceremonies Adam Murdough, along with Chris, Ian and YOU the listener, bring forth the Best of 2020 Awards Nominations Show! 2020 was a long year, but there were tons of great comic books to help take our minds off of things. Let this episode be a way to learn about some you might have missed, and others you too wish to praise. (2:47:30)

Grab your prop sword, trench coat, and your best worst Sean Connery impersonation, because it's Highlander Time! Three out of four Geeks watch this cult classic for the very first time, while the other has nearly memorized the script word by word. Does the film live up to expectations? How do the flashbacks compare to time spent in 1986 Manhattan? Is The Quickening fast enough to keep up? Are Queen the Princes of the Universe? Is Clancy Brown's The Kurgan more punk than punk? What accent is Christopher Lambert using anyway? Listen closely, as your destiny awaits! We also have a challenger to Murd's throne, Muddle the Murd style. There can be only one (time we review this movie). (1:26:02)

It's Previews time once again and this time, things are a little bit more Dwonchy! Dave Dwonch joins in for the bulk of the episode to touch on picks for Previews #289, Marvel Previews #8 and DC Connect #9, for books scheduled for release mostly in April 2021. Dave isn't just here to catch up with old buddies, he has his new book, Jenny Zero, solicited this month under Dark Horse, plus a Kickstarter currently running for his follow-up to Prom of the Dead, The Broken Circle. That's right, two promos for the price of one! And enough vaudeville level humor to fit into a 1920s theater. But do be careful with those hardcover omnibus editions, you might wind up dead. Or...a zombie? Tip your waitress, try the veal! (3:05:28)

As the show hits yet another milestone number, what better way to celebrate than with the one, the only Uncle Sal! And this time Sal comes with purpose and with drive, specifically a Kickstarter drive, for his new graphic novel, The Hostage. We discuss that and, as usual, so much more, including what it takes to make it in the industry as an independent creator, the state of the comic book industry and of comic book conventions, the bodily hygiene of teenagers, etcetera etcetera. Finally, a reminder that this one is not for the kiddies, so wear headphones where needed. And before the show comes to a close, we squeak in a Muddle the Murd, like we do. (2:09:10)

Back at it again with that Comic Talk! This time, the gang are joined by Steve Bryant, who is returning to Kickstarter for the launch of his next story in the Athena Voltaire franchise, Athena Voltaire and the Terror on the Orient Express! Steve then sticks around afterward to talk about some of the things he's been reading of late such as Thief of Thieves, we go into Marvel's rebirth of Heroes Reborn, Bendis possibly no longer being DC exclusive, and we honor the untimely passing of legendary artist Steve Lightle. Then, Murd dives deep into The Other History of the DC Universe, Ian reviews Scout's Honor from Aftershock, Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Infinite Crisis and Dark Knights: Death Metal #1 and #2, Chris and Ian discuss the joy that is Christopher Cantwell's Iron Man, Chris checks out Terry Moore's Ever: The Way Out, Shane gives us a quick World of Toys deviation, and we are provided with a crash course on Disney's The Black Hole before we conclude with an in-depth spoiler-filled discussion on Wanda

As the month of January comes to a close, gather round for a run through Previews #388, Marvel Previews #7, and DC Connect #8 for books mostly scheduled for release in March 2021. Bryan Deemer joins the crew for the first part of our perusal of catalogs, while the three person team of Chris Eberle, Adam Murdough and Ian Levenstein soldier through the rest of the rest of the books. Plenty of stuff to read ahead of us! (2:39:33)

Possibly a dream! Maybe an imaginary story! Listen in as the Geeks count down from five to one their favorite alternate tales on familiar characters, and throw in plenty of honorable mentions while they're at it. Don't let the name of the episode fool you, there will be an occasional trek away from the path of just Elseworlds and What If...? branded comics here, but we got Uatu's permission first so everything is fine. Although step on the wrong branch, and history will be rewritten once more! (2:36:56)

We bid farewell to 2020 with one final whammy of a Comic Talk! Shane, Chris and Ian give their spoiler-filled thoughts on the newly released to streaming (and theaters) Wonder Woman 1984, Ian touches spoiler-free on Pixar's Soul, Murd gives us a post-Christmas book report on Santa: The Life and Times and a comic book adaptation of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys, Shane updates us on his GI Joe scores of late, Chris discusses Doomsday Clock now that he's read it all the way through, Ian finally enters the world of Black Hammer and tackles the Juggernaut, and we give a spoiler-filled discussion on The Mandalorian Season Two to close us out. Plus, Muddle the Murd! Bring it on, 2021, we're coming for you. (1:38:49)

For this year's 'Merry Christmas' monologue, Murd thaws out a winter wonder: from 1950, the very first portrayal in prose of that jolly, happy soul, Frosty the Snowman! Put your earbuds on and have some fun, now before he melts away! (5:19)

Continuing with our new recording setup, we bring you this month's Previews episode with a touch of Zoom! Read along with us on YouTube, or listen along with us as usual on your favorite podcatcher, as Chris, Ian and Murd delve deep into Previews #387, DC Connect #7, and Marvel Previews #6, for books scheduled to be released in the month of February 2021. (2:16:14)

For the first time, Comic Geek Speak ventures into the realm of ZOOM to celebrate fifteen years of the podcast! And joining the Speakers of Geek (with Jamie D in spirit), are fans, friends of the show, and special guests including Uncle Sal and Julie Benson. There's also a live musical performance by the one and only Paul French, voicemails, Muddle the Murd, and more! (2:49:43)

Gather round the table this holiday season, as we present our annual Cornucopia of Comics Conversation! Shane, Ian, Murd and Chris discuss a bevy of scintillating topics, including Wonder Woman 1984 heading to HBO Max, thoughts on The Mandalorian Season 2, revisiting The Rise of Skywalker and the Skywalker, TwoMorrow's Holly Jolly, Back Issue! #123 and AlterEgo #165, memories of Our Worlds at War and its subsequent tie-ins, some Dragonball manga as bedside reading material, a dip into Marvel Snapshots of X-Men and the Avengers, breaking down Taschen's The Marvel Age of Comics 1961-1978 by Roy Thomas, Tom King's Rorschach, Priest's US Agent, Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Too Long a Sacrifice, Bitter Root, A new edit of Rudolph on Freeform and a last minute save to show A Charlie Brown Christmas on terrestrial television, and various other deviations. Plus a dip into the CGS mailbag, Muddle the Murd, and more! (1:47:47)

As we all wake up from our turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie induced food comas, we can all be thankful for a brand new Previews episode! Murd and Ian are this month's dynamic duo, parading select picks from issue 386 of Previews, issue 6 of DC Connect, and issue 5 of Marvel's Previews. Future State, King in Black and Ahoy are ahoy for all, and a feast of other choices while we're at it. And I hope you all saved room for a Muddle the Murd dessert! (2:18:00)

Some actors and actresses are so good at a role they make it their own, while still managing to honor the source material that came before. This Top 5 respects and represents these performances throughout the comic book movie genre. Will there be crossover amongst the Geek's choices, or will each list stand alone? Is each choice a superhero, or do some non-superhero portrayals make the cut? Are they all actors taking on lead characters, or is there a side character or two? I'll never tell, I prefer leaving you all in suspense. And...cut! (1:52:16)

Time for another wibbly-wobbly, loosey-goosey Comic Talk! Topics include the first three episodes of Star Trek: Discovery (spoiler-free outside of some references to general Season 2 stuff); still more changes to DC's distribution chain; some potential and official casting for Marvel's upcoming Disney+ series; Shane's thoughts on The Three Jokers and the Black Mercy's return to Justice League; Chris's enlistment in The Old Guard; Chris and Ian read Chip Zdarsky's first arc of Daredevil; Murd wrestles with Box Brown's GN biography of Andy Kaufman; and more. Oh, and Muddle the Murd, of course. (1:32:24)

Chris, Ian, Murd and Shane present you all with a Halloween treat, no trick, in the form of a Retro Movie review of 1998's slice 'em and dice 'em vampire classic, Blade. We delve deep into this progenitor of today's standard of comic book movie adaptations, and try and figure out if it holds up after all these years. With a reboot looming on the horizon, will Wesley Snipes remain the version of Blade everyone will think of first? Is Donal Logue the best character actor around? Grab your ice skates, because we're ready to give it a try uphill. Just don't forget your sunblock, or you might get burned. (1:31:25)

Time flies when you're reading comics, doesn't it? So much so that out of nowhere, it's time for issue 385 of Previews, issue 5 of DC Connect and issue 4 of Marvel's Previews, going over books scheduled for release in the month of December. There's some jolly Christmas treats to be had for all in his catalog, including a bit of multiverse spanning DC content for Murd, Shane finds Maxwell Lord in his stocking, Ian foretells the looming conclusion of Lumberjanes, Marvel finds its King in Black, and Chris gets to wax poetic on Brubaker and Phillips. So won't you join us in our two month early Christmas (and Hanukkah) cheer? (2:02:40)

Time to continue, and conclude, our latest in-depth discussion on some of the most important issues of The Amazing Spider-Man. Here, our attention lies with issues 127 through 131, including a two-part Vulture tale (just in time for Halloween), the first appearance of Marvel's mercenary marksman The Punisher, lots of stuff with The Jackal (for good and for bad), Harry Osborn's not so subtle descent into madness, Hammerhead giving a full detail job to the Spider-Mobile, Doctor Octopus attempting a shotgun wedding with Aunt May out of nowhere, Canadian nuclear islands that are inherited by the death of a relative, and a whole lot more. And we are lucky enough to have "Dapper" Dan Gvozden along for the ride in the Spider-Mobile with us once more, as we should. BRAKA BRAKA TRAKA CHOW! (1:33:01)