Shelfdust Presents: The War Effort

Welcome to Shelfdust Presents: The War Effort, a special twelve-part podcast hosted by Al Kennedy! For this, our first special collector's edition episode, Al is joined by special guests Jay Edidin and Paul O'Brien to talk about, appropriately, Secret Wars #1. They discuss The Beyonder's great big smashy plan for the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe, Spider-Man getting an Incredible piggyback, and Doc Ock's sense of fashion. And more!   The War Effort is produced by the immensely talented Dave Bulmer, who you can follow on Twitter here. Our logo comes from the tremendously gifted mind of James Wendelborn, who is on Twitter here. Thank you to them both for their incredible work - give them a follow!   Al Kennedy is the host of podcasts House to Astonish and Desert Island Discworld, in which he sits down with special guests to talk about their work, their career, and the Terry Pratchett novel they would take with them if they were cast away to a desert island. He's also been a featured writer for Shelfdust, and you can find his byline here! For more from Al, you can follow him on Twitter here and follow Desert Island Discworld on Twitter here. Jay Edidin is co-host of the mega comics podcast Jay and Miles X-Plain The X-Men, which, if you ask me? About time somebody did that. A writer, editor, and hero of the people, you can find more from Jay here, or follow him on Twitter here! Paul O'Brien is the other co-host of House to Astonish, alongside Al. Paul writes regularly on the House to Astonish website, where amongst other prolific things he's been covering every single Wolverine comic to ever exist, if such a task is possible. You can find Paul on Twitter here!

For our second episode of The War Effort, host Al Kennedy is joined by special guests Dan White and Fraser Geesin to talk about Secret Wars #2. They talk about Magneto's mysterious power plant, Captain America's very specific briefing room, and do A LOT of Alan Bennett impressions in the process.   The War Effort is produced by the immensely talented Dave Bulmer, who you can follow on Twitter here. Our logo comes from the tremendously gifted mind of James Wendelborn, who is on Twitter here. Thank you to them both for their incredible work - give them a follow!   Al Kennedy is the host of podcasts House to Astonish and Desert Island Discworld, in which he sits down with special guests to talk about their work, their career, and the Terry Pratchett novel they would take with them if they were cast away to a desert island. He's also been a featured writer for Shelfdust, and you can find his byline here! For more from Al, you can follow him on Twitter here and follow Desert Island Discworld on Twitter here. Dan White doesn't know who The Beast Must Die is, but he would probably recommend their comics podcast SILENCE!, which you can find on the Mindless Ones website. Dan is also co-host of The Savage Beast podcast, which talks about cult films, and runs through the same site. You can find Dan on Twitter here! Who is Gary Lactus? I'm sure Fraser Geesin couldn't say, other than the very talented other half of SILENCE, which, uh, you can find on the Mindless Ones website. For more from Fraser, however, you can follow him on Twitter here!

For our third episode Al is joined by special guests Kelly Kanayama and Claire Napier to talk about Secret Wars #3. They talk about Mr Fantastic and Cyclops being the ultimate wife guys, Magneto's fabulous chairs, and, of course, Claire's myriad thoughts about Jim Shooter. And more besides!   The War Effort is produced by the immensely talented Dave Bulmer, who you can follow on Twitter here. Our logo comes from the tremendously gifted mind of James Wendelborn, who is on Twitter here. Thank you to them both for their incredible work - give them a follow!   Al Kennedy is the host of podcasts House to Astonish and Desert Island Discworld, in which he sits down with special guests to talk about their work, their career, and the Terry Pratchett novel they would take with them if they were cast away to a desert island. He's also been a featured writer for Shelfdust, and you can find his byline here! For more from Al, you can follow him on Twitter here and follow Desert Island Discworld on Twitter here. Kelly Kanayama is a writer and comics scholar who is literally writing the book on Garth Ennis. Don't believe me? Have a look at her Patreon page here! You can also find Kelly on Twitter here! Claire Napier is a writer and editor, and has been published by The Guardian, ComicsAlliance, and of course at WomenWriteAboutComics, for which she served as Editor in Chief for several years. You can find her on Twitter here, you can find her website here, and you can buy her comic Dash Dearborne here!

For our fourth episode of the show Al is joined by special guests Kirsten Howard and Steve Morris to talk about Secret Wars #4, and you better believe they're talking about Hawkeye's singing ability! They also cover Muppet Treasure Island, Volcana and Molecule Man's blossoming romance, and Al's personal origin as a Marvel reader!   The War Effort is produced by the immensely talented Dave Bulmer, who you can follow on Twitter here. Our logo comes from the tremendously gifted mind of James Wendelborn, who is on Twitter here. Thank you to them both for their incredible work - give them a follow!   Al Kennedy is the host of podcasts House to Astonish and Desert Island Discworld, in which he sits down with special guests to talk about their work, their career, and the Terry Pratchett novel they would take with them if they were cast away to a desert island. He's also been a featured writer for Shelfdust, and you can find his byline here! For more from Al, you can follow him on Twitter here and follow Desert Island Discworld on Twitter here. Kirsten Howard is the News & Features editor for Den of Geek. You can find their byline on the website here, or follow them on Twitter right here! Steve Morris runs Shelfdust! Having previously written for sites including The Beat, ComicsAlliance, CBR and The MNT, he can be found on Twitter here. He's a bunny.

Our special guests Jay Edidin and Paul O'Brien return for episode #5, ready to talk about the fifth issue of Marvel's Secret Wars! And they're just in time, too, because Galactus is about to destroy everything! They talk to cosmic host Al Kennedy about Xavier's bedside manner, Molecule Man's glow-up, and reveal what Jim Shooter's idea of a psychedelic mind-expanding experience looks like.   The War Effort is produced by the immensely talented Dave Bulmer, who you can follow on Twitter here. Our logo comes from the tremendously gifted mind of James Wendelborn, who is on Twitter here. Thank you to them both for their incredible work - give them a follow!   Al Kennedy is the host of podcasts House to Astonish and Desert Island Discworld, in which he sits down with special guests to talk about their work, their career, and the Terry Pratchett novel they would take with them if they were cast away to a desert island. He's also been a featured writer for Shelfdust, and you can find his byline here! For more from Al, you can follow him on Twitter here and follow Desert Island Discworld on Twitter here. Jay Edidin is co-host of the mega comics podcast Jay and Miles X-Plain The X-Men, which, if you ask me? About time somebody did that. A writer, editor, and hero of the people, you can find more from Jay here, or follow him on Twitter here! Paul O'Brien is the other co-host of House to Astonish, alongside Al. Paul writes regularly on the House to Astonish website, where amongst other prolific things he's been covering every single Wolverine comic to ever exist, if such a task is possible. You can find Paul on Twitter here!

As we reach the halfway point for the series, Al is joined by special guests Kelly Kanayama and Chloe Maveal to talk about issue #6 of Secret Wars, which means we're in for a whole lotta talk about Janet Van Dyne. When not discussing The Wasp, they chat about Klaw's love of soup, Johnny Storm's seductive rendition of Thriller, and the lasting cultural impact of Dazzler. Because of course they do.   The War Effort is produced by the immensely talented Dave Bulmer, who you can follow on Twitter here. Our logo comes from the tremendously gifted mind of James Wendelborn, who is on Twitter here. Thank you to them both for their incredible work - give them a follow!   Al Kennedy is the host of podcasts House to Astonish and Desert Island Discworld, in which he sits down with special guests to talk about their work, their career, and the Terry Pratchett novel they would take with them if they were cast away to a desert island. He's also been a featured writer for Shelfdust, and you can find his byline here! For more from Al, you can follow him on Twitter here and follow Desert Island Discworld on Twitter here. Kelly Kanayama is a writer and comics scholar who is literally writing the book on Garth Ennis. Don't believe me? Have a look at her Patreon page here! You can also find Kelly on Twitter here! Chloe Maveal has written all over the comics internet – including pieces published by Polygon, WomenWriteAboutComics and The MNT.  She's also the Culture Editor-at-Large for NeoText. You can find her on Twitter here!

We've reached issue #7 of Secret Wars, and everybody loves Zsaji! Our cosmic host Al Kennedy is joined once again by both halves of the SILENCE! podcast, Dan White and Fraser Geesin, to discuss all the goings-on off-world! They talk about Julia Carpenter's sudden arrival on the scene, Galactus's special smile, and bicker over who the Fonz of the Marvel Universe is.   The War Effort is produced by the immensely talented Dave Bulmer, who you can follow on Twitter here. Our logo comes from the tremendously gifted mind of James Wendelborn, who is on Twitter here. Thank you to them both for their incredible work - give them a follow!   Al Kennedy is the host of podcasts House to Astonish and Desert Island Discworld, in which he sits down with special guests to talk about their work, their career, and the Terry Pratchett novel they would take with them if they were cast away to a desert island. He's also been a featured writer for Shelfdust, and you can find his byline here! For more from Al, you can follow him on Twitter here and follow Desert Island Discworld on Twitter here. Dan White doesn't know who The Beast Must Die is, but he would probably recommend their comics podcast SILENCE!, which you can find on the Mindless Ones website. Dan is also co-host of The Savage Beast podcast, which talks about cult films, and runs through the same site. You can find Dan on Twitter here! Who is Gary Lactus? I'm sure Fraser Geesin couldn't say, other than the very talented other half of SILENCE, which, uh, you can find on the Mindless Ones website. For more from Fraser, however, you can follow him on Twitter here!

Behold! The Mighty Enchantress! *hic* ohboy. Yes, it's time for episode 8 of the podcast, and Amora has had a little too much to drink. This week our cosmic host Al Kennedy is joined once more by special guests Kirsten Howard and Steve Morris to talk about Jim Shooter's thought process, as they take on issue #8 of Secret Wars. They chat about the smell of brain vapours, Shamrock's side-business as a hairdresser, and this strange new black suit Spider-Man has found...   The War Effort is produced by the immensely talented Dave Bulmer, who you can follow on Twitter here. Our logo comes from the tremendously gifted mind of James Wendelborn, who is on Twitter here. Thank you to them both for their incredible work - give them a follow!   Al Kennedy is the host of podcasts House to Astonish and Desert Island Discworld, in which he sits down with special guests to talk about their work, their career, and the Terry Pratchett novel they would take with them if they were cast away to a desert island. He's also been a featured writer for Shelfdust, and you can find his byline here! For more from Al, you can follow him on Twitter here and follow Desert Island Discworld on Twitter here. Kirsten Howard is the News & Features editor for Den of Geek. You can find their byline on the website here, or follow them on Twitter right here! Steve Morris runs this site! Having previously written for sites including The Beat, ComicsAlliance, CBR and The MNT, he can be found on Twitter here. He's a bunny.

As we begin our final rotation around the glowing sun that is Secret Wars, Al is joined once more by special guests Jay Edidin and Paul O'Brien to talk about issue #9 of the series. That means an extensive breakdown of Colossus's choice of boots, Iron Man's new high-tech dodging software, and the deep emotional thoughts of Reed Richards. Oh, and they explore Galactus's eating habits too, for good measure.   The War Effort is produced by the immensely talented Dave Bulmer, who you can follow on Twitter here. Our logo comes from the tremendously gifted mind of James Wendelborn, who is on Twitter here. Thank you to them both for their incredible work - give them a follow!   Al Kennedy is the host of podcasts House to Astonish and Desert Island Discworld, in which he sits down with special guests to talk about their work, their career, and the Terry Pratchett novel they would take with them if they were cast away to a desert island. He's also been a featured writer for Shelfdust, and you can find his byline here! For more from Al, you can follow him on Twitter here and follow Desert Island Discworld on Twitter here. Jay Edidin is co-host of the mega comics podcast Jay and Miles X-Plain The X-Men, which, if you ask me? About time somebody did that. A writer, editor, and hero of the people, you can find more from Jay here, or follow him on Twitter here! Paul O'Brien is the other co-host of House to Astonish, alongside Al. Paul writes regularly on the House to Astonish website, where amongst other prolific things he's been covering every single Wolverine comic to ever exist, if such a task is possible. You can find Paul on Twitter here!

Dr Doom is very interested in the idea of beating up god and stealing all his stuff, which means it's time to talk about issue #10 of Secret Wars! Al joined by special guests Kelly Kanayama and Chloe Maveal to discuss the particular sound that Reed Richards' bones make, The Thing's poetic side, and what it'd look like if Magneto were a fashion Influencer with a grudge. Also Doom fights a god, if you're into that sort of thing.   The War Effort is produced by the immensely talented Dave Bulmer, who you can follow on Twitter here. Our logo comes from the tremendously gifted mind of James Wendelborn, who is on Twitter here. Thank you to them both for their incredible work - give them a follow!   Al Kennedy is the host of podcasts House to Astonish and Desert Island Discworld, in which he sits down with special guests to talk about their work, their career, and the Terry Pratchett novel they would take with them if they were cast away to a desert island. He's also been a featured writer for Shelfdust, and you can find his byline here! For more from Al, you can follow him on Twitter here and follow Desert Island Discworld on Twitter here. Kelly Kanayama is a writer and comics scholar who is literally writing the book on Garth Ennis. Don't believe me? Have a look at her Patreon page here! You can also find Kelly on Twitter here! Chloe Maveal has written all over the comics internet – including pieces published by Polygon, WomenWriteAboutComics and The MNT.  She's also the Culture Editor-at-Large for NeoText. You can find her on Twitter here!

Is that the chiselled jawline of Zac Efron we see? No, 'tis Doctor Doom, who is handsome now! Al is joined by special guests Dan White and Fraser Geesin to talk about the transformed Doom, as seen in issue #11 of Secret Wars. They also discuss the foundations of eternity, the intertwining of energies which are the basis of all that is, and the moment where Reed Richards uses his powers to become a plastic bag.   The War Effort is produced by the immensely talented Dave Bulmer, who you can follow on Twitter here. Our logo comes from the tremendously gifted mind of James Wendelborn, who is on Twitter here. Thank you to them both for their incredible work - give them a follow!   Al Kennedy is the host of podcasts House to Astonish and Desert Island Discworld, in which he sits down with special guests to talk about their work, their career, and the Terry Pratchett novel they would take with them if they were cast away to a desert island. He's also been a featured writer for Shelfdust, and you can find his byline here! For more from Al, you can follow him on Twitter here and follow Desert Island Discworld on Twitter here. Dan White doesn't know who The Beast Must Die is, but he would probably recommend their comics podcast SILENCE!, which you can find on the Mindless Ones website. Dan is also co-host of The Savage Beast podcast, which talks about cult films, and runs through the same site. You can find Dan on Twitter here! Who is Gary Lactus? I'm sure Fraser Geesin couldn't say, other than the very talented other half of SILENCE, which, uh, you can find on the Mindless Ones website. For more from Fraser, however, you can follow him on Twitter here!

Here we are: the heroes are all dead, and god-king Doom stands triumphant over all. But there's one more oversized issue left, so once more special guests Kirsten Howard and Steve Morris join Al in order to talk about the epic conclusion to Secret Wars! They talk about Dr Doom's man-cave complete with snazzy beanbag chair, Enchantress's magic talking bath, and then they threaten Al with having to do the Bendis-written Secret War miniseries next. That'll teach him!   The War Effort is produced by the immensely talented Dave Bulmer, who you can follow on Twitter here. Our logo comes from the tremendously gifted mind of James Wendelborn, who is on Twitter here. Thank you to them both for their incredible work - give them a follow!   Al Kennedy is the host of podcasts House to Astonish and Desert Island Discworld, in which he sits down with special guests to talk about their work, their career, and the Terry Pratchett novel they would take with them if they were cast away to a desert island. He's also been a featured writer for Shelfdust, and you can find his byline here! For more from Al, you can follow him on Twitter here and follow Desert Island Discworld on Twitter here. Kirsten Howard is the News & Features editor for Den of Geek. You can find their byline on the website here, or follow them on Twitter right here! Steve Morris runs this site! Having previously written for sites including The Beat, ComicsAlliance, CBR and The MNT, he can be found on Twitter here. He's a bunny.