Show #107 is up - the Comics Cast

[Rico]

Just got show #107 up!  It's all about comics and my take on them.  Along with a few other surprises.  Don't forget - one more week left on the contest!

[Rico]

I put this on the main page too - but to get you in the mood for this week's cast...

[youtube=425,350]4o29VoxtsFk[/youtube]

[Darkmolerman]

Great podcast :) aww dang i forgot what i was going to say also i may go see bridge to terabithia cause i am 1 year older then Rick's daughter and they seem to know bout this stuff....

[Dan M]

Downloading automatically through iTunes now.

[Fanboy]

Good one dude.  Loves me comics!

[Elizur]

Super.  I haven't listened yet but I saw the pic of the Gold Key comics and I have those.  They are so bad they are good. 

Can't wait to listen to this one

[moyer777]

I took you on my walk today Rico.  Great podcast.  Thanks again.. now I want comic books....

Hey, I did really like the second comic in the TNG series better than the first.  It was great, and complete with a Bolian!  :)

[Rico]

I really feel like I didn't get to cover as much on comics as I wanted to on this cast.  There will definitely be a Part 2 to this!  Oh, one book I forgot to mention that I just love is "Knights of the Dinner Table."  It's basically a comic about a bunch of folks that play a D&D game called Hackmaster and the fun they have.  It's very funny and really hits home if you have ever played a table top RPG type game.  Find out more about it here:  www.kenzerco.com

[Dan M]

Listened on the way into work today.  Good job, Rico.

I took exception to a few of the comparisons of DC v. Marvel.  I think those are generalizations which don't exist now.  With artists and writers switching between Marvel and DC constantly, I don't think there's any difference in the quality of writing or artwork.  (I agree that there used to be different flavors to the two universes, but I don't think those still exist.)

The core DC characters, once upon a time, were more perfect and unapproachable than Marvel's.  But over the past two decades, I think that has changed.   At one point, GL, Aquaman and Wonder Woman were as perfect and boring in the comics as they were in the Superfriends cartoons.   But look at them now. 

You said that the DCU is complicated and not easy to enter, but I think that's because of your familiarity with Marvel's stories.  If your experience was reversed, I'm sure you'd say the same about Marvel's complicated storylines.  I've been reading X-Men off-and-on for the past 17+ years, and I still can't understand all the different storylines.

I couldn't agree more with your recommendation of Ultimate Spidey.  Volume 1 of the TPB collection would be my first recommendation to someone who wanted to sample standard superhero comics.

I really hope your podcast gets some of your listeners to try out comics.  My wife is an avid reader of fantasy novels (George RR Martin, Robert Jordan, etc.) and I find that, if I pick out the right story for her, she enjoys a Marvel/DC trade paperback just as much.  (I try to coordinate those recommendations with movie releases.  I had her read Miller's Man Without Fear mini right before we saw Daredevil, Batman: Year One after we saw Batman Begins, Superman: Birthright just before Superman Returns came out.)

And anyone who loves Heroes is a great candidate for being a reader of comics, of course.

You mentioned doing a podcast about cartoons at some point.  That'd be great.  I think you could do a whole podcast just about cartoons based on Marvel/DC characters.

Great podcast, Rico.  I can't wait for part 2!

[Rico]

It's all a bit of a matter of taste.  On characters and comics.  Keep in mind I had very little trouble jumping aboard some Marvel books when I first started reading and even attempted to do that with DC many times over the years.  I just have always found them harder to get into.  I also will freely admit (like I did on the podcast) that the Marvel characters in general hold more appeal for me personally.

But don't get me wrong.  I read titles from both publishers and some independents.  I just lean a bit more to liking the Marvel books more.  I do agree both publishers have done a lot over the years to mix things up and try and keep them fresh.  I also hope I didn't come across as saying the DC comics were in any way inferior in art or story.  Again, they just haven't grabbed me as much as Marvel has done.

Hope that helps.  Sometimes it's hard to condense my thoughts on such a big topic in one short podcast.  That's why I want to do a part 2!  Glad you enjoyed listening.  I do want to do a cartoons from comics show sometime too.

[Dan M]

No, Rico, I didn't take it as you were saying DC was inferior. 

I just think that the particular criticism of DC's characters is a little out-of-date, though you still hear it.

In the '60s, Spider-Man was 100 times more relatable a character than any DC hero.  40 years later, that gap is pretty much gone.  Tim Drake's struggles as a teenager with a secret identity in his title are the same as Peter's in Ultimate Spidey. 

The last few years of division between Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman mirror the division in Marvel's Civil War.

When you've got numerous writers like Mark Waid who do an extended run on a Marvel title such as FF and then move over to DC and write stuff like LSH and 52, it's hard to maintain a distinction of tone and complexity between the two universes anymore.

Speaking of Waid, did you read Empire?  That's one of my favorite titles of the last few years that didn't take place in the DC or Marvel universes.

[Dan M]

I also think that Marvel was, at one point, much easier to jump aboard than they are know.

And I blame Chris Claremont.  :)   And the proliferation of multiple titles per character that you mentioned in the podcast.



It'd be nice if part 2 could trace the history of the Star Wars comics, just like part 1 did for Trek.

I've been rereading all the old Marvel Star Wars comics from my youth, and it's been a real treat.

[Rico]

Yeah, I was thinking of covering the Star Wars comics (there have been many) but ran short on time.  Definitely on the next one.

[Dan M]

Cool.