Ryan from Positively Nerdy Getting Into Comics

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The Pole Bag. How am I supposed to fight advanced

alien technology with a stupid stick? Hello and

welcome to The Pole Bag. This is one of the Origins

episodes. I am your host, TFGO, Mike, and if

this is your first time tuning in, the Origins

episodes are a... it's a discussion episode.

It's something that I was interested in doing

when Steve Megatron and I first did episode three

of the show way back. when in twenty thirteen

discussion based on you know friends of mine

or people that i've come across to on the internet

people that actually will respond if i send them

a message unlike super famous guys with glasses

and all that other stuff but anyway uh... origins

episodes are myself and my guest me asking them

how they get into comics Which do they prefer

which company whether it's the M or the D or?

others like IDW or Etc etc etc and this time

coming to us from positively nerdy is Ryan hello

Ryan. Oh Mike Thank you so much for having me

on Yes. Ryan, this is his first time on the GCRN,

but he's actually met members of the GCRN because

he's up where Grand Con happens. Yes, the Great

White North of Michigan, especially the last

few weeks. And actually, it was a bizarre story

because I knew they were going to be there from

looking at the Grand Con stuff. And I was like,

well, that's great because I know people that

know them. So that'll be fun. Basically, that's

what it was. And I'm walking by the booth and...

I see this guy I know, like has lost a hundred

pounds, but I still recognized him as none other

than Art Danner from Off the Cuff. And he was

my supervisor. I worked at a movie theater in

college and he was my supervisor. And it just

blew me away. I had no idea he was part of a

geek cast. It was just, it totally floored me.

And I spent a good chunk of the day at the booth

with the guys, just... Just talking and it was

awesome. So I've met a few of you and actually

introduced myself to you. Even though it was

the other Mike I got really confused Yeah, when

you get too many of us in a room, it's like which

one they're like, yeah, that's nothing like you're

thinking of and I was like, oh, well, it's still

nice to meet you. That's fine. So It was a good

time though a grand con but yeah, it looked like

it was you know, those guys are having a really

good time up there Your show positively nerdy.

I think the Only and I said this to you offer.

I think the only episode I've listened to is

the interview with Bobby Kernau from IDW Yes,

yep for the turtles because it was right around

the time I And you can correct me if I'm wrong

It was like writer like maybe a few months or

maybe a few weeks after free comic book day last

year or something like that I know it was after

free conflict. I know it was in the it was in

the build -up to city fall We were... Right,

exactly. It was just starting City Fall for the

TMNT ongoing. And I listened to it because I

wanted to know more about the new adventures.

Ah, okay. I'm so far behind on the regular ongoing

for TMNT. It is actually just after Free Conflict

Day. I'm just looking it up right now. It's about

two weeks after Free Conflict Day. So that was

very, very cool. uh... we did actually talk to

eric bernham who wrote the issue from free complex

a also get lost we also talk to him and that

was the blasted his he's a really really fun

guy and he does the ghostbusters comic and for

idw as well and uh... i mean the the free complex

a new adventures issue was just terrific and

then like that next saturday uh... it was almost

the exact same story in the cartoon and uh...

oh yeah yeah yeah it worked out i worked out

pretty well It didn't work out. Well, I think

the comic pulled it off a little bit better though.

That's what we told Eric man We were like, I

love I love the new TMNT from Nickelodeon. I

really do I don't get a Hair up my ass about

Oh Rob Paulson will always be Raphael blah blah

blah. Don't get me wrong I love Rob Paulson.

I loved him as Raphael, but he's doing a new

character now and he's made donnie really really

always killing it as as donnie i love i was like

is donnie more than a raft so don't worry about

rufflin feathers i'll roughly even more i think

i think i like is donnie better than his raft

uh... it's just one of those things like uh...

all the the episode i don't know which one it

was but i have the clip it's uh... how was supposed

to fight highly advanced alien technology was

stupid still yeah I think that was early on because

that's always been... Yeah, it was very early

on. That's always been a fan thing, right? How

does he do it with a wooden stick and everybody

else has got bladed weapons or at least nunchucks.

So, let's jump back into the comics here. You

know, normally the first question I ask everybody

is, was there a certain person in your life,

your mom, your dad, your uncle, your grandparents,

was there a certain someone that... said here

ryan read this and go away and leave me alone

so that they're going to have to be uh... well

that's not quite how it happened but it would

absolutely be my dad my dad read comics so i

read comics uh... the the doing things my dad

did stopped at a certain age obviously but as

as a youngster i was just fascinated by all the

comics of my dad had and he was a huge spider

-man a fantastic for fan he had polls for any

time those characters showed up uh... he got

those issues so i i through spider -man a fantastic

four that's when i got introduced to x -men or

avengers because they'd show up or spider -man

would show up in avengers or vice versa so that

was i mean it was all marvel all the time as

far as i know my dad did not read dc so i totally

grew up on marvel i'm probably one of the few

people who knew about all of the characters before

those early nineties cartoons that uh... i knew

who all those characters were before those cartoon

started uh... and in addition to just the comics

my dad brought home and you know i got to read

after he was done with them kind of thing uh...

they the human many comics I, that came with

the action figures, I love those things. I would

reenact them. I'd read them and then I'd get

as many toys as I could to reenact what I had

just read and that kind of stuff. So I don't

ever remember there not being comics. Even if

I wasn't quote unquote reading them and I was

just looking at the pictures, I've always been

exposed and surrounded by comics. And it was

a wonderful, wonderful day when my dad was like,

I don't want this anymore. And I got all of his

comics. I like to say inherit them, but that

implies my father died. So people would always

tell me that. were sorry don't like wait what

oh no no no he's still alive i just he gave them

to me he passed them down i guess is better than

inherited so i've got some early fantastic foreign

amazing spider -man gems in my collection and

uh... hasn't stopped i've got a little bit of

a gap between where my dad stopped or i started

uh... to fill out but other than that that's

i've got almost every single uh... amazing spider

-man issue so yeah i don't have the really early

stuff my first one is little upper forties and

from there on so i've it's a little too expensive

to start filling in lower than that uh... yeah

you know especially when you have an amazing

fantasy fifteen that's yeah that's yeah all my

dad loves to tell the story about how he had

it and grandpa put it in the fire because it's

just a dumb old comic book uh... my dad never

tires of telling that story wow i think i shed

a tear every single time i'm like the vision

just that one little tear just that's that's

kind of like my dad's selling off Hat I've sold

this story many times before but it's new to

me Mike. Go ahead. Yeah. Yeah, I know It's not

new to the geek cast radio network listeners

might be new to pull bag listeners though here

in the pull bag but um as you know as all 80s

kids were we loved having toys and playing with

action figures and giant robots that turned into

two things and you know blonde guys with swords

and loincloths for clothes and you know gray

castles and or green castles in that case but

um because my parents were divorced i had my

castle gray skull and all for some reason i don't

know why i had all my heroic warriors at my mom's

house And I had Snake Mountain and all the evil

warriors at my dad's house. It's like, how the

hell are they going to fight if they're at two

different places? Roy would have torn that one

apart, man. I think you were trying to say something

about your mom and dad. Yeah, probably. I went

down to my dad's one time. Mom and I were living

in Massachusetts at the time, because I'm originally

from up there. And Dad was living in Rhode Island.

at that time and went down there and went into

my room expecting to play with all my toys. I

was six years old. He sold them all. Said I was

too old for toys. That's rough, man. My dad took

the opposite approach. He packed them all up.

Once he thought I was too old for toys, he just

packed them all up. He wasn't going to get rid

of them. Maybe, you know, give them to the next

generation, which is what I'm going to do. But,

I mean, I still have almost all of them. A while

ago, I foolishly went through and got rid of

all the broken ones. I probably should have tried

to do something with them, but those are the

loved ones, right? Those are the ones you played

with the most if they got broken. Yeah, if you

broke a toy, that's the one you banged up and

played with the most. Exactly. But yeah, I mean,

it's the same thing with, you know, with your

dad's comic story. It's like, oh, God, parents,

damn it. Hey, at least you sold it instead of

just throwing it in a fire. Yeah, that's true

Alright, so Later in life as you're growing up,

are you still? reading stuff or had you decided

to explore outwards a very very long time until

I got into anything other than Marvel Especially

because I mean being a kid like I was again in

the 80s. I was born in 82 So I was quote -unquote

reading comics all through the 80s and then you

had that Marvel explosion in the early 90s With

the like of I mean Jim Lee's push push. Excuse

me Chris Claremont Jim Lee's x -men number one.

Holy cow I I mean I have vivid memory of getting

in trouble in class because I was trying to read

my x -men comics Instead of whatever the hell

I was supposed to be doing I mean we would I

mean we would read them on the playground and

you know play with the the the the secret wars

toys and all you know i mean uh... and that's

the spawn toys were right around the corner from

there too so i mean i had a little bit of exposure

to spawn through the toys to somebody would bring

in a comic that was a marble like what is this

uh... because my only exposure is most kids is

what your parents provide you know you might

get a little bit of exposure from other friends

or things like that but most of our friends also

read marvel because what nine ten -year -old

wasn't reading x -men or watching the cartoon

or playing with the toy. I mean, X -Men were

everywhere and that was Marvel. And then you

had the clone saga with Spider -Man, which I

know most people like to crap on. I love it.

I mean, that was like when I actually started

was legitimately reading comics, not just looking

at the pictures, not just reading it and forgetting

about it, but really reading it and getting into

it and becoming invested. That was the clone

saga for me. I was hook line and sinker on the

clone saga. I loved it. And I understand its

flaws as an adult, but I still look back fondly.

on it like there's this adage in in collecting

or reading or whatever you want to call it that

uh... whatever you started reading is your golden

age well i was kind of always reading but that

was when i got invested and so that early to

mid nineties boom that everybody wants to crap

on all the time i mean that that's just right

in my wheelhouse and i just can't not be so in

love when i think about that early nineties stuff

especially especially x -men and spider -man

i just i mean the scarlet spider were a hoodie

with the sleeves torn off how cool is that guy

i still think he's amazing the scarlet spider

series that marvel just came unfortunately uh...

with uh... cain is the you know scouts better

now i thought i mean that's all going right back

to The clone clone saga and when again I first

became truly invested in those stories in those

characters and then you know junior high kind

of rolled around and I got the impression it

wasn't cool to be reading comics and I spent

a lot of misspent years trying to fit in or be

normal or whatever it was in high school and

I I mean look back on that and I mean I wasn't

I don't want to complain about high school because

I had friends and you know somewhat of a social

life and stuff but it was easier to hide my what

became my Star Wars obsession than it was my

comic book obsession. I don't know how that is

the case but that's I kind of shifted from comic

books to Star Wars because the EU explosion and

all those great novels we had during the quote

-unquote dark times. That was kind of where my

focus went and I just I mean I read eddie star

wars not only put out i just tore it up i love

those things uh... as i discovered star was very

very late actually speaking of x -men fifth grade

i didn't discover star wars till fifth grade

i grew up a star trek it is again that was what

my dad liked now they didn't like star wars but

he was a star trek guy first and foremost and

i grew up uh... next generation i lost to this

day i love next generation and one day we were

in class or at recess or wherever we were arguing

about who could be who write those great little

kid superhero discussions you have. And we got

onto Wolverine versus Darth Vader. Oh my god.

And I was like, you're out of your mind. I don't

know who Darth Vader is, but there's no way he

could be Wolverine. I had no idea who Darth Vader

was. But I wasn't, based on how all the other

kids were talking, I wasn't about to admit that.

And I kept my mouth shut. And I got, I went home

and I was like, Dad, who's Darth Vader? And he

just gave me this blank look like I failed you

as a father. And that night we popped popcorn

and we watched Star Wars and it was awesome.

uh... and i i i don't know i know i watched star

wars first but i always have memories of jedi

i think that i was just my favorite that was

the one i watched over and over again as a kid

and then when the books came out because there

was nothing else we just had those three films

at that time and then there the empire comes

out and boom this is huge explosion so i could

hide reading star wars novel easier junior high

and in the high school uh... i didn't let my

you know my nerd flag fly didn't say a lot didn't

say a product i kinda hid that from anybody on

fear of death or social death anyway and then

when I got went to college I kinda got back into

that stuff a little bit just because I mean there's

college is that great atmosphere that there's

whatever you can think of there's a group on

campus into it or dedicated to it or or or both

and you kind of get exposed to I mean even things

like magic again like I never really played it

all that much but it was like look at these people

playing magic out in the open they're not afraid

of you know, whatever. Like, I'm sure they were

getting made fun of by somebody walking by, but

they weren't, they didn't care, and that was

a huge thing for me, like, oh, they don't care,

neither do I. The only problem was I couldn't

afford any of it, because I was in college. And,

you know, what little money I had went to beer

and pizza and trying to get laid. So, not that

I spent money on that, but you know what I mean,

it costs money. It costs money, you know? It's

a good thing you saved yourself from that. Yeah,

I realized how bad that sounded. But, um... the

very my last full year college my roommate was

just a huge nerd like I mean that I say that

in the best way possible and we became such good

friends and we we both kind of Fed off each other

we both got back into action figures because

we had each other to share the love with and

bounce ideas off of and Concepts ideas and hey,

do you remember this comic? Oh, yeah, there's

got to be a comic store around here somewhere,

right? Let's go to it And we both like totally

just fell in love with comics again fell in love

with action figures again And that was 2004 and

that finally brings us up to my exploring of

DC It was identity crisis identity crisis was

the book that got me into DC uh... before that

i'd maybe read a superman here and there like

batman nightfall i know i read or at least look

through when it was coming out uh... but it was

identity crisis i was blown away by that story

despite the fact that i had no idea who these

people were like despite not knowing i mean i

i didn't know i didn't even know who green arrow

was i didn't know i knew that uh... i'm trying

to think it was it wasn't buried that story well

a little bit because the flashback but Like,

I didn't know who this other Flash guy was. I

only knew Deathstroke the Terminator was in it.

I only knew him because of an old X -Men Teen

Titans crossover from back in the day. I don't

know if you're familiar with it, but if you're

not, you need to track it down to read it because

it's amazing. So I knew who Deathstroke the Terminator

was and I knew he was not to be trifled with

and I wasn't surprised when he took out that...

little faction of the justice league and uh...

it was the second or third issue that story uh...

but i didn't i didn't know who elongated man

was now so it was all about i didn't get any

of the nods or any of the references to what

was close coming really was a lot of it and that

is that let into infinite crisis and i i mean

again i eight that thing up i was so engrossed

in dc at that time uh... rebirth I didn't know

how Jordan was dead, much less coming back, but

everybody was talking about it because I was

going back to comic book stores again. And that

community and that awesomeness. I was like, all

right, I'll read Rebirth. Sure, why not? I didn't

know what the hell was going on, but it looked

pretty. And the Countdown to Infinite Crisis,

though, that 80 -page, $1 Countdown special they

put out, that thing blew me away. I fell in love

with Ted Kord in those... pages only have been

taken away from me at the end of it uh... spoiler

alert for a ten -year -old comic uh... and then

that's like driven me nuts not actually i'm glad

now apparently is coming back in forever evil

number seven uh... but like they had so many

chances to bring this character back who i met

and fell in love with the head taken away from

in the course of eighty pages and they didn't

bring it back in bright state in bringing back

in the fifty two and going out of my mind about

it but uh... really now he is finally quote -unquote

coming back but we'll see what kind of capacity

it's going to be in so that was when i finally

got in dc time very long -windedly answer your

question uh... so nowadays are you still marvel

or have you jumped ship to do you know i am still

marvel especially now i am just in love with

almost everything marvel is doing i've not been

this excited about x -men since those fifth -grade

playground discussions i was just talking about

i think what marvel's doing x -men right now

is beyond phenomenal i love the schism i love

the split i love all new x -men is probably one

of the best comics being published right now

in my opinion and this comes from a lifelong

die -hard spiderman fan who is in love with everything

the dance lot is doing a good lord is all new

x -men is just is just absolutely terrific and

insane. I tried really hard to get on board with

New 52 because I'd always kind of, since Infinite

Crisis, I kind of came and went with DC whether

or not the story interests me. Like I went back

and I read Crisis and things like that. And I

want to be a DC fan so much. It sounds weird

to say, like go out and do it, right? But it's

just, it's overwhelming. It really is. So...

i go to new fifty two thinking this is my clean

slate this is it and it no not a clean slate

they kept this they didn't keep that they did

this they did that a lot of it was just plain

bad regardless of continuity uh... so i started

off reading twenty something of the fifty two

books and within six months i was down to nine

and now i read wonder woman aquaman i stopped

reading batman during the whole crop the the

second time they tried to crossover event that's

not really an event. I just got pissed at that

Batman, so I stopped reading that, but I'll come

back soon. Don't. It's not worth it. Well, as

soon as this zero year, whatever it's called,

as soon as that's done, I'll come back and see

what's going on. I actually really like Batman

and Robin, or Batman and Two -Face, whatever

that's become. I really like Gleason and Tomasi

as a creative team, way back from their days

on Green Lantern Corps. So I'll read anything

those guys are working on together. uh... what

else do you see my reading right now? I can't

believe they're coming out with the second Aquaman

series. I love the first, I love the main book

but I cannot believe they're coming out with

the second one. Earth 2 I really like because

it's the characters I'm kind of familiar with

but not really so I don't get all in a tizzy

about the continuity. It's the quote unquote

golden age characters but now they're modern

and yada yada yada. I appreciate the nods without

getting upset about the nods if that makes sense.

I know enough. to know, oh, that's a reference

to this, but not in love with that reference

enough to be upset by it. And then what's the

other? Well, the world's finest, I guess, is

kind of the companion to sort of Batman Superman.

I'm loving Batman Superman, especially that first

arc with the J. Lee artwork. God, that was amazing.

I tried two issues. I was out. Was it the art?

Was it the story? What was it? No, it was this

issue one was the story because I didn't okay

I understood that there was some sort of dimensional

shift or some sort of time shift but issue one

just ends on this unknown villain to me at least

unknown villain and I was like What the hell's

going on? I read issue two and I'm like, okay.

I get it there Two different worlds there for

four characters two Superman two Batman and each

of them are from different worlds I get it at

this point I just don't care to me the interaction

was just so much fun the part I'm the parts that

didn't make sense didn't I didn't care because

the interaction between them and what what Greg

pock did with that dialogue and stuff was just

Amazing I did I love the dialogue in issue one.

I love the the monologues between the two of

them. I thought that was great. But just, I don't

know, I just... No, it's, hey, not everything's

for everybody. I hear you. I think that's about

it. I can't think of anything else I'm reading.

Unchained, but that's turned into be a miniseries,

apparently, because Jim Lee's schedule, you know,

can't keep a schedule. I'm kind of glad, though,

I was waiting on it. But now that I know it's

a miniseries, I'm like, oh, they're just going

to wrap up this story. I can deal with that.

um what else do you see that might be it i guess

masters counts as a dc book right yeah masters

counts as dc i'm actually kind of liking that

this last issue was god -awful but for the most

part i've really enjoyed the the horde coming

and totally invading and what they've done with

the dora and stuff i've loved all that actually

so it's it's new and different and i'm glad yeah

and we'll see masters okay You really have to

start with that. You have to start in 2012 with

the Mini, because the Mini is really setting

it up. It really, really is. You can only guess

who the blue -handed orange -robed guy is at

the end. We all kind of know and kind of think

in the back of our minds, but wait, how is that?

What's going on? This isn't filmation. Ow, ow,

ow, my head. But then they do the 2013 ongoing,

or what I assume is going to continue to be an

ongoing. If it's still going, it's got to be

an ongoing. Yeah, I know. Well, you know, they

said that... Somebody said something was gonna

be an ongoing and then it turned into an 8 -issue

mini and then it did this and then it did that

whatever it happens Yeah, yeah with Masters.

I love it because it's like I This is what the

cartoon this is what any new cartoon should be

now something that pays homage to filmation,

but isn't filmation and Basically takes everything

you know about these characters and turn I love

I love and hate the fact that there is no secret

what I love about it is the fact that Randor

knows Teland everybody friggin knows right what

I hate about it at least recently is No one ever

and calls him he man anymore. Oh Yeah, I can

see that no I have in the land from issue 6 to

issue 9 I think is the most recent one that's

out I think so I think 10 comes out in a couple

weeks or is Whatever, but you know it's like

no one is calling him he man, and it's like oh

my god come on now But no, the art, I don't dislike

it. What I'm hating about comics now is keep

the damn creative teams where they're supposed

to be. Stop changing artists every four, five,

six, seven, it's not just Masters, it's any comic.

I don't get why. That they have to change all

of the time You know Take my favorite DC book,

which is Nightwing and Yeah, we'll be here all

night the focus will be off of you and back onto

me But it's just one of those things where what

I don't get is okay. I said this is someone in

my local comic shop a while back, right after

the announcement of that Nightwing 30 would be

the final issue, I said, I get that they have

to, that creators have to work on things in advance,

like they're working on Batman Eternal now to

have it release in April. I get that. I understand

that, but why wouldn't you let the guy that relaunched

Nightwing and made him so awesome finish it out?

Instead of pulling him off at 20 why pull Kyle

Higgins off at 29 and not let him finish his

own damn story Yeah, did they pull him off or

did he leave? He's well, I don't know if he left

but He said on Facebook that Nightwing 29 would

be his last issue I don't know if that's him

leaving or if that's DC saying hey You need to

go over here now, right? I don't want to put

words in his mouth that doesn't that doesn't

sound like a happy camper when he says That's

going to be my last issue. He was very respectful

in the thing that he posted on Facebook. We've

got to be professional sooner or later you end

up back in D .C. If that's the case I have no

idea so I'm just I shouldn't be speculating if

I don't know what I'm talking about. Well it's

just one of those things that kind of makes me

mad that why if they I don't I don't know if

they pull them off maybe I'm speaking incorrectly

but why? Well they've developed a pattern though

of pulling and or upsetting their creative talent

and making them walk out so I'm just I'm just

going off of that pattern I'm guessing. That's

very true. uh... all right so what else you're

reading besides the dc stuff in the marvel stuff

is anything i know you're reading turtles of

course reading turtles love turtles that's definitely

a top five book for me uh... it's just it's so

good and that's what we're just talking about

the something that that pays homage to what came

before while blazing completely original new

trailer or trail excuse me trail yeah it's I

mean you got new characters you have new concepts

you have new I mean new dynamics things that

I would if you had said to me, hey, a new turtles

comic is going to contain this, and I don't want

to say anything because you're behind, but I

would have thought, you're out of your mind,

I'll never read that. I'm up to the first mini,

or the first micro, I should say. I'm up to issue

eight of the ongoing, so if you would have told

me that they're going to include reincarnation,

I'll look at you like you're crazy. That was

pretty much what I was getting at. And they kind

of solidify it. later on so yeah um yeah they

they do for at least as far as i've gotten um

because they solidify it by leo having all these

visions and dreams and mutagens a hell of a drug

you don't know uh but you know who knows that

doesn't that doesn't mean anything but there

are some things later on that kind of uh definitely

cement that and i i especially as this like i

don't know if i like it The way I put it in the

in the podcast where we've covered it I don't

I'm kind of on team Donnie like I don't know

if it's Legit or the real thing but from a storytelling

like as a reader, I love it I mean it's very

compelling and it's very different without again,

you know treading badly on what came before Reading

a lot of image saga rat Queens was reading Manhattan

projects. I'm a little behind on that way behind

on morning glories uh... but was loving both

of those was reading them uh... draw a blank

now what else my reading of star wars and star

trek of both liking both of those star trek from

i d w i think i'd have you can almost do no wrong

at this point i think they've had success after

success they do things of license properties

that as a lot of lifelong comic reader i didn't

think you could pull off license comics the way

they do uh... it's kind of amazing I didn't pick

up any, I haven't yet to pick up any other Star

Wars stuff. Well, Star Wars is Dark Horse, right?

Star Wars is Dark Horse, for the time being.

For the time being, and then it will be going

back to Disney. I saw an article about that.

But with IDW and Star Trek, I'm not the biggest

Trek in the world. Like you, I grew up watching

Next Gen, and then like... You know, from 88,

I don't know, somewhere around 93, 94, my dad

tried to sit me down and watch classic. Ah, okay.

Yeah, new. Didn't know it worked for you, huh?

Didn't work whatsoever. I like all the classic

lines. I like all the classic characters in general.

So I'm not, I'm a casual Star Trek fan, so I

can go into a Star Trek movie with an open mind.

right i got you the first one i liked i really

enjoyed it i thought it was cool um the second

one was okay i think they were going for a little

bit too much homage to all the different incarnations

of star trek and certain things and yes i yes

i understand it's a rip -off of wrath of con

essentially um but i It's almost more of a rip

-off of Space Seed if you really want to get

into this right now. Yeah, that's true. That's

very true. It's one of those things though when,

like, either right before or right after I saw

the movie, I saw IDW announce or say that issue,

I think it's issue 25 or whatever it was of their

series was going to be Star Trek After Dark.

Learn what happens after the film. That arc was

awful. I got it. I only got that one issue. I

got Star Trek 25 and After Dark and Yeah, it's

Spock going through Vulcan puberty Okay, that

story can be Somewhat. All right. I didn't like

the art. That's the main reason why I ranted

and raved about that and the issues I reviewed

it there are the episodes I reviewed it definitely

I'd agree with that the because They basically

tried to comicalize, and I don't mean as in funny,

I mean as ripping something off the 3D screen

to 2D comic, the movie characters and the actors,

and it just didn't work. The images of the Enterprise

loved them. Absolutely great. The character designs

and the art for those, oh God, no. Not to mention

at that point you had... Mean it was it was that

like painterly 3d style, but then you had these

obnoxious bright white word balloons Totally

in contrast to the art. They look terrible just

to look at it. It looked terrible Yeah, like

aesthetically just like why would you have such

a muted color palette and then BAM these giant

white? Dialogue and then I get they're supposed

to be white but you don't have to make them white

white like You could you could mute that a little

bit to put a little beige on it or something

Just so it doesn't pop off the page and look

disgusting Uh, positive. Let's go back to something

positive. Uh, not reading Transformers or G .I.

Joe. I hope you don't disconnect me after saying

that. No. Well, G .I. Joe. I don't care. Why

are you not reading either one of the Transformers

ongoings? It's it's just it's mostly a lack of

familiarity. Okay, I watched the cartoon as a

kid. I only had like maybe one toy transformer

toy as a kid I mean I watched the movie I loved

the movie we cried when optimus died who didn't

right, but it's it's the total lack of familiarity

for me And then there's like three of them right

now. There's at least two ongoing There's the

there's the two ongoing so the robots in disguise,

which is bumblebee and everybody on Cybertron

Okay, and then there's more than meets the eye,

right? where it's Rodimus and a ragtag group

of Autobots and others that jump on the lost

light and go try to find the Knights of Cybertron.

None of that makes sense to me, by the way. Basically,

James Roberts, the writer of More Than Meets

the Eye, said, screw you guys, we're leaving.

And he just took them off Cybertron. More Than

Meets the Eye, other than knowing characters

like Chromedome and Rewind and Rodimus and Ultra

Magnus and all that stuff, You don't need to

know anything else, because it's a whole new

story. You should start with Death of Optimus

Prime. If you're politically inclined, read Robots

in Disguise, because the first 14 -15 issues

of that is Bumblebee trying to set up a new government

on Cybertron. If you want a space adventure,

go with more than meets the eye, because it is

just amazing. It really, really is. Maybe I'll

try. I'm always advocating to just jump on, right?

So maybe I'll take my own advice and see what

happens there. Let's see here. All right. So

what would you say is your holy grail single

issue? If you could ever have it, what would

it be? Just because he's my favorite character,

and I'm such a Marvel guy, it'd have to be Amazing

Fantasy XV. I figured you were gonna say that.

Not the biggest surprise answer, I know. No.

Spider -Man is far and away my favorite character,

and I mean, that's gotta be the holy grail. I

love Spidey, don't get me wrong, and kinda like

you, I grew up on the X -Men and Spidey cartoons.

Oh yeah. And the Fantastic Four cartoon, as bad

as it might be, it really made me want to seek

out the comics that started those characters.

Well, then it does its job. Same thing with Spidey,

same thing with Iron Man. Now, Iron Man I will

defend to a certain extent. The Iron Man cartoon

series I will defend Season 2. because it had

a really awesome theme song. Gotcha. I really

like the Fantastic Four cartoon they launched

in... was it like 2004, 2005? It only ran like

13 episodes or something like that, but I really

liked that cartoon. I thought that was awesome.

For me with Spidey, after watching the original

94 series and... I know Unlimited gets a rare

and unfair shake. i saw a limited as a continuation

of the original series and i saw the mtv series

and i was all right i hated the mtv series it

was all right it would they were trying to go

off of the first film right you know that they

were trying it come on it's it's mtv i mean you're

supposed to be showing music on your television

not spider -man you idiots uh... really one of

those guys still complains about music not being

on it Not very vocally, except for now. Let's

see, I haven't seen all of Spectacular, but I

don't know if I can get past the animation style.

I'm willing to give it a more honest try, but

I do remember seeing the first three or four

episodes and I'm like, no, this animation is

just... no it's definitely a unique style i can't

get this is that i do i am really enjoyed ultimate

spidey though that was really good uh... with

with spider -man though my whole point here is

there's only so many times i can see him fight

shocker doc ock green goblin hobgoblin venom

there's only so many times i can see that or

read that in a comic and i jumped on amazing

the last possible minute. I read $698 to $700.

Oh, I see. I went, read $698 to $700 and went

straight into Superior. Superior is um... It's

amazing it's superior is superior. It's It is

amazing. It's one of those things where they

took a concept flipped it on its head and basically

tore Peter Parker's life apart with being in

his body, but at the same time Not only did Doc

Ock tear his personal life apart. He Succeeded

for Peter in his professional life. Yeah, there's

no docked. I mean Now has his doctorate, now

has his own business. I'm loving Dan Slott's

writing. I generally don't say negative things

about the man, but I'm sorry. I read something

online, him saying that the plan all along was

to have Superior End when it's at issue 31 or

whatever else. No, he's just being a good company

man. He's full of it. I don't believe me there.

That's what I read. I read. Yeah, I'm sure you

did. I'm just saying. I don't believe it either.

That's all I'm saying. You know, it's one of

those things where he says that the plan all

along was to end it at 31 and then bring Peter

back. I was as soon as Spider Superior launched,

I was like, great. This is so awesome. This is

such a fresh. Breath of fresh air change the

pace love it love it love it But we all know

that Peter's gonna be back in his body before

spider -man 2 amazing spider -man 2 hits theaters

that's just the way they do business because

there's this imaginary group of people out there

that Marvel and DC can't seem to get their head

around doesn't exist They think they're gonna

go see Amazing Spider -man 2 and then rush to

the comic book store to buy all the spider -man

and they don't want them to be Confused that

Peter's not there those people don't exist That

I mean understand it what I don't understand

is how is it that? Okay, and I'm not counting

superior team up and whatever other Other all

the spidey books are so good right now though.

Okay, but what I'm saying, okay? How many spidey

books are there currently? Well Venom and Scarlet

ended so there's superior team up superior foes

superior There's at least one more I'm missing

Okay, so let's say there's four Spidey types.

You mean to tell me that you cannot keep Dr.

Octopus as Spidey and bring Peter back as a clone

so the regular general audience that only wants

to see the film can see that, okay, it's Peter

back in his... Want it to be a split where superior

can continue and amazing can kind of limp along

its little path They did that they did that 13

years ago. It's called ultimate spider -man Sorry

to get all snarky on there, but no it's fine

I just that's pretty much what ultimate spider

-man started as was that jumping on point for

people who went and saw the movie Yeah, I just

it's just one of those things where it's like

why are you going to take away from us the regular

readers who are like you and I who are really

enjoying this new twist for this group of people

that doesn't exist yeah just because they want

to bring in new readers and make sure that the

new readers know hey it's Peter Parker because

it's Peter Parker in the friggin you know what?

Amazing Spider -Man 2 okay really and I know

they weren't gonna do this but if you had found

a way to finish up Amazing 700 before the first

film You could have lined it up with having superior

be a film I would love superior. Oh, yeah. Yeah,

that would be awesome The only complaint I really

have with superior is black cat wasn't in it

enough Well, you could say that always it was

like like was it five pages of issue 20 less

than that Maybe a page and a half. She gets punched

like her beautiful face I'm sorry. I cannot stand

violence against women. It makes my blood boil.

But man, that page cracked me up because it was

such a, that's what Otto would do. Right? She's

a criminal. Like he's not going to go for this

whole little repartee the two of them have at

all. So I thought it was brilliant actually.

And I will say the P coming back was inevitable.

i hate the timing of it it feels like a superior

thing is just getting going but and one of my

favorite things about spider -man always has

been is the fact that spider -man is really one

of the few heroes who still deals with an alter

ego problem nobody cares what bruce wayne does

with this time nobody care you know most of these

heroes don't deal with the alter ego issue spider

-man still does and it's been the core of his

character from day one You know, he's fighting

with the Green Goblin, but Aunt May's sick across

town and hospital and he needs to get her the

medicine, but he can't because he's up to his

neck in pumpkin bombs. I mean, he's always dealt

with that. And now, I mean, it's going to come

to a head when Pete comes back. His life is effed

because of all these things. I mean, everybody's

going to hate him and people are dead and all

these things that he's going to have to deal

with now both as Spider -Man and Peter Parker.

I can't wait to read those stories. I just would

have preferred to wait two or three more years

to do it. would see this the thing it's like

why not wait until you get to okay outside of

the whole oh hey we need to market because of

movie yay outside of that why couldn't these

series have at least gotten 50 issues if if superior

got 50 issues I would have been happy if Nightwing

would have gotten another story arc and Kyle

was allowed to do the story that he wanted to

do for because I think with Dick being in Chicago

Kyle's next kind of story after the The prankster

was gonna be exploring Chicago's past with superheroes

and all this You know, why kid and I know these

books sell fairly. Well, I mean, you know Dick

has a huge following. I can't believe that that's

not selling well enough to you know, justify

its continued existence it just What are you

gonna do? All right, so Yeah, yeah, so is there

Anything that you will recommend to the listeners

that they check out that they may not already

be reading um Something that kind of I guess

to go I mean I love superheroes obviously right

anybody just listen to me this this last chunk

of time We've been talking it should be pretty

clear But to go like recommend something kind

of off the beaten path Saga I mean there there

are a couple volumes in at this point, but man

saga is good. It's adult So just know that going

in. There's a new series. It's only two issues

in. I think it's only two issues in. Manifest

Destiny from Image Comics. This is a retelling

of Lewis and Clark's expedition to the Pacific,

except the unexplored territories west of St.

Louis are filled with monsters and... which is

and all sorts of creepy supernatural stuff and

it's only two or three issues law deep at the

moment but man is it a lot of fun anybody who

likes a alternate history kind of thing with

the lot big sci -fi fantasy twist definitely

would recommend that uh... as long as it's not

a vampire hunter or no vampires are least not

yet Or a hobo with a shotgun. I'll be... No,

I said that wrong. As long as it's not a dead

president as a vampire hunter or a hobo with

a shotgun, I might check it out. Nope. Buffalo

Minotaurs is what they've dealt with most of

this so far. Oh, wow. Yeah, it's pretty badass.

uh... really really really really off the beaten

path the top of the obvious kid on earth they

just finished up their second volume sub both

the trades are going to be out very soon uh...

i don't even know how to describe this it's the

most perverted depraved hysterical comic i've

ever read my life uh... something similar to

the lives of kick -ass but it's not it's more

demanded the kick -ass It's the most depraved

thing I've ever read in my life, and it has Charlie

Rose as a leader of a satanic cult. Just to give

you an idea of where they're at with that. And

then a little more family friendly, Skyward from

Action Lab Entertainment. Love it. Love it. It's

so like old 80s fantasy, like Black Cauldron,

Labyrinth, even Masters of the Universe. And

it's got a really... cool young uh... protagonists

like a little kid it's very family -friendly

young all ages kind of comic uh... it's uh...

it's so much fun to read it's at the top my stack

every time that that would be my recommendations

come off the beaten path so for me uh... did

you how far did you follow the dc and universe

uh... i didn't really make it much past batman

in the series we also know Yeah, just I mean

here and there I love it I watch it all the time,

but you know I watch it all the time meaning

when I catch it But it wasn't it wasn't anything

I ever felt the need to sit down and watch all

of it kind of thing so Between now and the next

time you're on this show got it check out Batman

Beyond That is definitely the one I've seen the

most of other than animated series, okay, but

but no I'm way behind though don't don't start

grilling me on it I'm not you have to watch all

52 episodes I think it's 52 episodes of Batman

Beyond because the current line of comics that

started last year going into actually started

2012 going into what's going on now Kyle Higgins

is writing it now okay and he loves that universe

and he's doing all kinds of cool things with

it. And the storyline prior to it that was written

by, oh, I've got the trade over on my shelf.

What is it? Adam Beecham. I think it's Beecham.

He started the 2012 run, and the first arc is

10 ,000 clowns, and it's really, really amazing

what Kyle is doing, because Kyle is an amazing

fan of the DCAU. He's tying all kinds of stuff

in. It's very, very awesome. I would highly recommend

that. Well, I'm going to have to at this point,

because our friend Sween Holick, who co -hosts

with me on our Turtle, comic podcast loves Batman

Beyond and has been pressuring me to do it for

a while now so that's that's uh that's one more

you know harping on me to do it so i'm gonna

have to do it at some point awesome awesome alright

so where can the folks interact with you online

where can they find your podcast say that stuff

well we just came out we being pretty much mean

i do have various co -host for certain things

just came out with uh... episode one sixty one

which is all about star wars uh... speculation

on episode seven and the upcoming rebels which

i'm insanely excited for a few listen to it you

will understand uh... is uh... over all of that

is over it possibly nerdy dot com not quite all

one hundred 61 episodes, but I'm working on an

archive to get the rest of them up on the website.

I have written comic reviews there. I do a weekly

top five list every Tuesday of whatever I feel

like. We got a new box office time machine feature

coming up pretty soon, too. All of everything

I do is at PositivelyNerdy .com. It's your one

-stop shop for everything. Of course, you can

subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher to listen to

just the podcast. And you can always find me

on Twitter at PositivelyNerdy. Awesome awesome,

so Next time on the pull bag. I think it's going

to be It's probably gonna be the start of marvelous

March our our our march event that we're gonna

be doing mm -hmm So I don't think Ryan will be

able to get his homework done in time, but it'll

be all right You don't think you don't think

I'll be able to get it done. I don't know 52

episodes in less than a month I have to get that

homework done on top of the other one? No, not

happening. But I'll start. I'll definitely start.

We'll discuss my progress. Yes, exactly. Coming

up next on the poll bag will be Marvelous March,

where we talk about five of the core Marvel characters.

We're going to discuss two trades per episode.

A first one being a team up of Captain America

and Hulk, and then Spidey, Iron Man, and Wolverine,

after that closing it out. For now, I am TF2

and Mike with... Ryan Porter. And we will catch

you next time. Make your great escape into comics.

It's action. It's drama. It's comedy. It's Decian,

the superhero webcomic. Decian has superhero

antics and sexy girls. Catch updates weekly at

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