Comic Book Logic

Spring is in the air over at Planet Arbitrary Studios, a time for new beginnings, rebirth, and matching black leather uniforms. Join your hosts for a rambling trip back to the turn of the century as they revisit the start of the modern comic book movie epidemic, X-MEN! See your favorite heroes and villains come to life on the big screen — classic characters like Toad and Iceman! Is this nearly two decades-old franchise worth revisiting, or were we better off sticking with our McAvoys and our Fassbenderses? Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

The first big comic book movie of the year is here, and now that BLACK PANTHER has broken records and is on track to make all the billions of dollars, it’s high time for your hosts to weigh in and give the definitive take. Is the latest offering from the MCU (the 18th!) as groundbreaking as they say, or is it just another conventional superhero movie? Joe and Kevin break down the plot with a spoiler-heavy review, plus they finally get around to sharing a few thoughts on SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

It’s a new year, and so your hosts are taking some time out from their winter hibernation to talk about the year ahead in comic book movies! There’s a bunch of them, but sometimes the schedule doesn’t work out the way they think so who knows how many of these movies we’re actually going to get? But so far we have big movies from Marvel, Fox, Sony, and yes, even DC on the horizon, so we dig in to what is tentatively coming to a multiplex near you during 2018. Plus some Oscar talk and some ideas of where we might go in 2019 and beyond! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

The long wait is over and JUSTICE LEAGUE is finally upon us. Joe & Kevin are fresh from opening weekend and ready to dissect everything from Batman’s collection of menswear to Superman’s digitally altered upper lip. Was it worth the wait to see the team assemble to save the world, or is this one more DC failure for the trash heap? So join your hosts on a Magic Carpet Ride for a SPOILER-HEAVY review of the movie, plus some thoughts on the new PUNISHER series from Netflix. Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

CBL makes its triumphant return to the internet-waves to talk about the latest Marvel joint, THOR: RAGNAROK! Long-time listeners will know our hosts’ thoughts on the Thor movies so far, but will the deadpan humor of director Taika Waititi turn this franchise around? Were all the jokes in the trailer and the rest of the movie a bunch of CGI punching, as usual? We give a SPOILER-HEAVY review, plus catch up on all the comic book movie news we missed since our last episode! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

This week, Joe and Kevin take The Long Walk to a post-apocalyptic police state with the 1995 career killer JUDGE DREDD! Although this isn’t a movie with a great reputation, we thought a revisit might yield some interesting ideas and maybe some silly, mindless 90s action-comedy. But do Sylvester Stallone and his wacky sidekick Rob Schneider deliver the action and/or comedy, or was this all a terrible mistake? Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

The biggest movie in the world right now is WONDER WOMAN, breathing new life into the dying corpse of the DC Extended Universe! It’s the film everyone is talking about, so naturally we give our long-winded opinions on Diana Prince’s journey from her idyllic island home to the front lines of World War I! Is WONDER WOMAN worth the hype, or is this another miss from DC? We dig into the movie, plus comic book news and a few words on the passing of the great Adam West. Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

This week, in anticipation of the next DCEU film WONDER WOMAN, we’re taking a look at the very first attempt at a WONDER WOMAN TV/movie from 1974, starring Cathy Lee Crosby as a blond super spy who may or may not have any tangential relation to the character of Wonder Woman. International intrigue! Pantsuits! Donkeys! And special guest star, Ricardo Montalban! Does this weird genre mashup have any entertainment value today, or did we just waste 75 minutes and $3 to rent it on Amazon? Hey, wait a minute... Wonder Woman? Amazon? What a twist! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

Hey CBL listeners, we’re back! Finally, after a long hiatus, your hosts found time to sit down for a SPOILER-HEAVY discussion of the first big movie of the summer season, Marvel’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2! All your favorite characters have returned for another adventure: Chris Pratt, Green Girl, Big Muscle Guy, Talking Raccoon, and everyone’s favorite merchandise goldmine, Baby Groot! And let’s not forget the big soundtrack, available for purchase now. Is this a case of a sophomore slump, or does GOTG2 hold up to its predecessor? We’ll debate it all, plus a roundup of comic book movie news and trailer talk! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

It’s time to get R-Rated with our SPOILER-HEAVY review of the 2017 film LOGAN, the film which dares to ask the question “What if your favorite comic book characters got really old, sick, and died?” The blood, drama, and naughty words are front in center in the latest and possibly final outing for Hugh Jackman as (The) Wolverine, but is this gritty, dusty movie a fitting send-off for our adamantium hero, or is it just depressing? We’ll get into the weeds, and also share our thoughts on JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

Darkness… No parents… Super rich… Must be another Batman movie! But this is no ordinary Batman movie: it’s THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE, the highly anticipated sequel/spin-off to the 2014 runaway hit THE LEGO MOVIE. But is everything awesome this time around, or should Lego Batman stick to the supporting roles? And how does this film fit into the canon of Batman movies alongside esteemed entries from Nolan and Burton? We attempt to answer these very questions and also give some predictions for next week’s Oscars ceremony! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

The time has come to talk about BATMAN FOREVER, the first of the Schumacher Batman films and the beginning of the end of the comic book movie false start of the 90s. Campy, kid-friendly villains, a big pop soundtrack, and a new actor playing the caped crusader… But is it as bad as we remember, or is this an underrated gem? We discuss the ins and outs, plus recasting and comic book movie news! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

It’s that time of year again! Join Joe and Kevin as they talk through the year in comic book movies, with offerings from Marvel, DC, and others competing for your dollars and eyeballs. Plus, some talk about our favorite movie scenes from 2016 and some lesser known movies to put on your radar. Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

The holidays may have come and gone, but Joe and Kevin are still putting the final bow on 2016 with a chat about the classic A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS. The music, the art, the gospel according to Linus: how does this annual favorite's riff on commercialization hold up today? Plus, Joe has a few spoiler-heavy things to get off his chest about one of the biggest non-comic book movies of the year, ROGUE ONE. So let's send off 2016 with some good old-fashioned complaining! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

Buckle your boots and grab your magic candles, CBL listeners, because this week we’re jumping into the 2007 adventure-fantasy STARDUST, novelist and comic book hero Neil Gaiman’s tale of one man’s quest to kidnap a celestial body and marry Sienna Miller. With a solid cast and impressive visual effects, does the film live up to Gaiman’s work, or was the public right to ignore this after all? Also, Joe shares his thoughts on that new Star Wars movie everyone’s talking about, and our top 3 Bobby De Niro movies! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

It’s time to go camping on CBL — wait, no, not camping, CAMPY! Jane Fonda takes us back to the retro-futuristic 1960s with the sexy classic BARBARELLA! Will Joe’s notorious hatred of Belgian comics keep him from appreciating this peace-love-and-understanding tale of sexual liberation, or will Babs win the day with some good old-fashioned physical play? We also talk new comic book movie news and recast the movie in the modern day. Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

This week, CBL is getting strange… DOCTOR STRANGE, that is! It’s a spoiler-filled discussion of the latest MCU offering, starring beloved internet mascot Benedict Cumberbatch as the wizard-doctor himself — or is that doctor wizard? Does the MCU have another hit on its hands, or should we all wave our hands and grab our sling rings and make this movie disappear? We talk the movie, some comic book movie news, and share our top 3 movie magicians! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

Sweet Christmas! CBL has moved to the small screen to talk about Season 1 of the new Netflix Marvel series LUKE CAGE. Luke may be bulletproof, but is the series so lucky? And does the show continue Netflix’s hot streak of making Marvel’s TV offerings palatable? We talk all 13 episodes, plus recasting and some comic book movie and TV updates! As always, here be spoilers! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

This week, CBL returns to the leather-and-sunglasses-clad streets of Manhattan for BLADE II! This time HELLBOY director Guillermo Del Toro shows us what happens when a genetic mutation creates a race of super vampires and you don’t take a second pass at the script the studio handed you. Country legend Kris Kristofferson and tax evader Wesley Snipes are back in action, but is any of this post-MATRIX techno-babble worth your time? We talk vampires, some upcoming comic book movie news, and name our top 3 movie badasses! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

Holy podcasts! This week CBL travels way back for the camp-tastic 1966 film BATMAN: THE MOVIE! It’s an amazing technicolor dream-bat experience as Batman and Robin take on a quartet of classic villains, each more absurd than the last! Will Joe and Kevin successfully discuss the movie and escape unscathed? Will they have any overlap in their recasting choices? Tune in to find out!

Comic Book Logic returns this week with our take on the beloved 2010 comic book/video game movie mashup SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD. Does Scott’s quest to win the heart of literal dream girl Ramona Flowers by defeating her “evil exes” win our hearts as well, or are we, as the saying goes, getting too old for this stuff? Plus, we take a look at the Amazon pilot for the newest live action incarnation of THE TICK, and share our top 3 visually inventive movies. Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

It’s a spoiler-iffic episode of CBL as we take on the brand new entry in the DC Cinematic Universe, SUICIDE SQUAD. Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, and a whole bunch of other weirdos you’ve never heard of are on a mission to save the world… or maybe just rescue their boss… or maybe both? Who knows! How do the so-called “worst heroes ever” fare? Does SUICIDE SQUAD save a lackluster summer and point the DC films in the right direction? Can Jared Leto expect any Oscar buzz for his turn as the Joker? Find out, plus some classic recasting and catch-up from Comic-Con! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

It’s a CBL Bonus Episode! We had a chance to check out the new animated feature BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE and sat down to discuss it. Mark Hamill’s reprisal of his classic Joker notwithstanding, how does the film — and by extension, the classic 1988 graphic novel — hold up to scrutiny? What are they planning to do at the playing card factory, anyway? Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterbox: http://letterboxd.com/kwhitesays/

The Summer of Spidey comes to a close with the often maligned 2007 film SPIDER-MAN 3! Sam Raimi may have disowned it, but are emo Peter Parker’s finger-guns and hair flips really so bad? Has this movie maybe aged a bit better than we expected, or are we right to leave it on the trash heap to be forgotten and rebooted a hundred times? We also share our Top 3 Chicago Movies, and roundup some of the news out of San Diego Comic Con! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterboxd: http://letterboxd.com/kwhite9266/

The Summer of Spidey continues this week with the 2004 sequel SPIDER-MAN 2! Sam Raimi and the whole gang is back and they look as tired as ever. This time Spider-Man faces off against the villainous Doctor Octopus, whose complete lack of foresight and attention to safety protocols causes CGI mayhem all over Chica — I mean, New York City. Is SPIDER-MAN 2’s reputation as one of the all-time great comic book movies deserved, or is this a case of nostalgia run amok? We discuss the film and recast it with all the grit and cocaine of old New York, plus a comic book movie news roundup! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterboxd: http://letterboxd.com/kwhite9266/

It’s the Summer of Spidey on Comic Book Logic! This week we kick things off with Sam Raimi’s 2002 blockbuster SPIDER-MAN, the film that spawned 2 sequels and who knows how many future reboots. It was a web slinging good time 14 years ago, but how does it hold up in a post-MCU landscape? And what’s the deal with all those faces Tobey Maguire makes? We discuss the film and recast it with some basic cable cheese, plus talk our Top 3 Movies about New York! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterboxd: http://letterboxd.com/kwhite9266/

This week, We didn't feel like giving Michael Bay anymore money so we decided to review another cinema garbage fire, 2005's FANTASTIC FOUR. Featuring that girl who was really popular in the 2000's, Captain America, and the Commish! This is where we once again ponder why FOX tries to desperately hold onto this license. We discuss all the spoilers, plus recast the film in as an 80's comedy and brush up on some comic book movie news!

This week, the contractually obligated X-Men alternate timeline movies continues with X-MEN: APOCALYPSE, featuring GAME OF THRONES alum Sophie Turner as Jean Grey and STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS hero Oscar Isaac as McDonald’s Grimace! Does this new world-ending installment live up to its surprisingly enjoyable predecessors, or has Sony dropped the ball again? And which of Magneto’s family members get killed this time? We discuss all the spoilers, plus recast the film in an earlier era and share our Top 3 Movies of 1983! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterboxd: http://letterboxd.com/kwhite9266/

The next installment of the MCU is upon us with CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR! Which side will your hosts take: Team Cap? Team Iron Man? Team William Hurt? Be warned that this episode, as always, is chock-full of SPOILERS so if you are one of the two or three people who haven’t seen this movie yet, do not listen yet! Find out if the Russo Bros handle our heroes going head to head with aplomb, or if this movie just a more colorful version of BATMAN V SUPERMAN. Plus we recast the ensemble with a quirky modern auteur at the helm, and give our Top 3 Civil War Movies! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterboxd: http://letterboxd.com/kwhite9266/

Sit back, relax, and slip on your most comfortable Italian leather shoes, because this week we’re dissecting the 1990 direct-to-video CAPTAIN AMERICA! There are no winter soldiers or civil wars here, but there are plenty of absurd Italian accents, dirt bikes, and beautiful assassins out to kidnap the president. Is this Roman holiday schlocky, B-movie gold, or should someone put this bargain bin bomb on ice? Plus, we recast this one for both TV and film, and compare our Top 3 Movies of 1990! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterboxd: http://letterboxd.com/kwhite9266/

This week the Zack Snyder-athon continues with the 2007 historical mini-epic 300! Joe and Kevin discuss the film’s gratuitous use of CGI, ample shirtless beefcakes, and some of the beardiest beards they’ve ever seen. Does the meme-worthy movie hold up, or should it have been chucked off a cliff at birth? Plus we return to the 1980s for recasting, and discuss our Top 3 Last Stands! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterboxd: http://letterboxd.com/kwhite9266/

This week, Joe and Kevin debate the latest divisive entry in the DC cinematic universe, BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, and just like director Zack Snyder they go BIG! With so much to unpack, the episode goes long, so they can do justice to Batfleck, mopey Supes, Wonder Woman, and all your favorites, with only one taco break to keep them going. Even moms NOT named Martha would be proud! How does BVS:DOJ compare with the trainwreck of MAN OF STEEL, and how is the outlook on DC’s future on screen? All that, plus our fantasy recasting and our Top 3 On-Screen Rivalries! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterboxd: http://letterboxd.com/kwhite9266/

This week, Joe and Kevin suffer through the 2013 disaster MAN OF STEEL, in which a British Superman mopes and grimaces his way to murdering an alien in order to get a job at a newspaper. Does this spell bad news for DC’s probably-too-late-to-matter attempt at building a cinematic universe to rival Marvel? More importantly, when will Superman get his own flying Krypton dragon buddy? The guys also talk disaster films of the 1970s, and their Top 3 Alien Invasion Movies! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/comicbooklogic Follow Kevin on Letterboxd: http://letterboxd.com/kwhite9266/

Your update on Captain America:Civil War, Deadpool, Justice League, Daredevil Season 2 and The Tick?

This week Joe & Kevin gear up and take revenge on the 2004 action flick THE PUNISHER, starring a too-serious Thomas Jane and a consistently bewildered John Travolta. Does this tale of a family reunion gone awry satisfy, or are your hosts the only ones being punished?  We also talk our fantasy casting, and share our Top 3 Bloody Revenge Movies! Find us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/PlanetArbitrary/ Follow Kevin on Letterboxd: http://letterboxd.com/kwhite9266/

The Internet has been exploding with R-rated glee over the new movie DEADPOOL, but is this not-quite-a-superhero adventure all it's cracked up to be? Joe and Kevin have a SPOILER-IFFIC discussion about the film's ups and downs, and whether the meta movie is meta enough to truly stand out.Seriously, there are lots and lots of spoilers in this one. You have been warned!Also, fantasy recasting and our Top 3 Meta Movie Moments!Like Planet Arbitrary on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/PlanetArbitraryFollow Kevin on Letterboxd: http://letterboxd.com/kwhite9266/

Who watches The Watchmen? Joe and Kevin, that’s who! We sit down to discuss Zack Snyder’s WATCHMEN, the 2009 adaptation of the epic graphic novel that couldn’t be filmed, but then was filmed anyway, with predictably mixed results. Does this grim commentary on the fall of the American dream satisfy, or does it splatter to the ground like so much human bean juice? We also take a look at the late 80s WATCHMEN film that never was, helmed by Terry Gilliam, and discuss our Top 3 David Bowie musical moments.

This week, Joe & Kevin are joined by special guest Pat B from the PLAY ON PODCAST to look into the future! We preview each of the big comic book movies coming in 2016 and discuss which have the potential to be worth your time, and which you ought to just wait and catch one afternoon on basic cable. It’s a jam-packed episode full of X-Men, Supermen, Batmen, and weird CGI monsters of all shapes and sizes — including vaguely turtle-shaped ones…   Then stick around after our preview for a look back at our Top 3 Movie Moments of 2015 to find out just how many came from STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. (Warning: Here be spoilers!)

Christmas comes early to Gotham as Joe and Kevin talk about Tim Burton’s 1992 Batman sequel BATMAN RETURNS! Enjoy a Penguin-sized holiday episode with no mention of Rudolph, Frosty, chestnuts, or mistletoe, but plenty of talk of sewer monsters and SIMPSONS references.

The Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy comes to a dramatic, goofy, befuddling conclusion with the cinematic boondoggle THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Three years later, does the final film hold up, or should Nolan be thrown into a mysterious pit in the middle of nowhere? And at the end of the day, which is better: Batman voice, or Bane voice?

This week on Comic Book Logic we discuss the 4th greatest film of all time (according to weirdoes on IMDb who haven’t seen a movie made  before they were born), THE DARK KNIGHT. Will your hosts give praise to Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning performance as The Joker, or do they just want to watch the podcast burn?

Get comfortable and settle in for a Nolan-sized episode of Comic Book Logic! This week we tackle the grandaddy of all reboots, Batman Begins, and cruise the streets of Chicago Gotham in our Tumblr. Plus, a 70s recasting you can't refuse, and our Top 3 movies about overcoming your fears ... unless your fears are bats.

Today we dissect and try to find a cure for 1998’s Blade, starring Wesley Snipes and country legend Kris Kristofferson! Joe talks about the 70s roots of the fearless vampire killer, while Kevin continues to adamantly defend his hero, Donal Logue. All this plus fantasy casting and our Top 3 vampire movies of all time.

Joe and Kevin get a rock. Plus the two discuss their favorite Halloween movies.

Joe and Kevin look at their Red Right Hands

The guys go long as they talk Tim Burton’s 1989 classic BATMAN. Will the Gothic weirdness and bestselling Prince soundtrack hold up, or does it crash and burn like so many flimsy Bat-Wings? Plus, fantasy casting with a legendary auteur at the helm, and our top 3 Tim Burton films!

Joe and Kevin and the Ants

Got no strings to hold us down...

OOGA CHAKA

‘Murica

It’s pretty Thor-able