Welcome to Geektown

We wrap up my interview with Judd Winick by starting on his decision to bring back Jason Todd (the 2nd Robin) from the dead as The Red Hood, then move on to his work during the New 52 at DC, the animated shows he worked on, and finally get to his decade-plus work writing and drawing the Hilo series of books. But first, a remembrance for another comics book professional who left us too soon.

In this 2nd of three parts of my interview with Judd Winick, we talk about his time on The Real World, the doors that opened and how he grew as a storyteller from writing about his experiences, leading to his comic book work for DC (and a little Marvel).

Starting at the very beginning of Judd Winick's life, part one of this interview continues through to his college days, the value of an art education, and his early comic strip, “Nuts & Bolts.”

In this final part of my interview with Darick Robertson, we start by discussing his work with Garth Ennis and a couple of other writers for a second stint at Marvel, then move on to Happy and The Boys, the latter of which you'll hear how Darick has been involved in the adaptation process. Finally we look to Darick's future work, some of which actually involves going to his distant past.

In part two of this three-part interview, we mostly focus on The New Warriors run that was Darick's first regular gig at Marvel, and then move into more of his creator-owned work, as well as discussing the differences between collaborating vs writing and drawing all on his own.

In this first part of my interview with legendary artist Darick Robertson, we cover his early love of comics and drawing, how he got his first creator-owned comic book, Space Beaver, published, and how that led into his first bit of work for Marvel and DC.

The last of the rerun episodes, as I wrap up my interview with J.M. DeMatteis. We talk Moonshadow, the Bwah-Ha-Ha era of JLI, his animation work, and other parts of his career.

A repeat of part 1 of my interview with legendary author J.M. DeMatteis, starting at the beginning and going through to the genre-defining “Kraven's Last Hunt."

We wrap up the very first interview done at Welcome to Geektown, covering Evan's work on Ultimate Alliance 2, his time as a professor, as well as listener questions.

In Part 3 of the Evan Skolnick interview, we start on his time at Acclaim during the comic book bust, then move on to his video game career.

Continuing the re-run of older interviews in anticipation of the new interview format of the show, here's part two of my talk with Evan Skolnick, focusing on his time with Marvel, and especially as the writer of the New Warriors.

After an illness-driven break, I return with a new installment in the “Lesser-Known X-Men” series. Rogue (herself a former villain) recruited two villainous ladies (plus Sabretooth) to her team in 2006: Lady Mastermind and Omega Sentinel. How did that end up working out? Take a listen and find out!

Returning again to the “Lesser Known X-Men” feature (or “Why-Men” as I'm affectionately referring to it), we hit the mid-2000s with a pair of siblings, not to each other, but each one to a previously covered X-Man in this series. If you haven't already done so, meet Husk and Warpath!

Anne (who helped me discuss both seasons of Loki) fills in for Joel on this final Deep Dive on Agatha All Along. We discuss the final episode, which fills in quite a bit of the past, and discuss what it means for the future; of these characters and their place in the MCU.

The final two episodes of Agatha All Along were released at once, but my conversation with Anne (filling in for Joel) was too long to put out in one go, so this is the penultimate discussion. Secrets galore are uncovered and we get a fight to the death…with Death.

It's Episode 7 of 9, but the Voyage is All Along the Witches Road! Joel and I continue our Deep Dive on the latest MCU show, with quite a bit of discussion on Tarot thanks to some extra expertise from friend of the show Johnnie Breen.

Well, hello there, Billy! It's (mostly) a flashback episode, where we fill in a lot of the gaps of how we got to where we are with Teen (aka William Kaplan, aka Billy Maximoff, aka Wiccan). Some questions get answered, though others are asked, as Joel and I continue our Agatha All Along Deep Dive.

We've reached the halfway point of Agatha All Along, with some major reveals, and Joel and I have plenty to say about it, as well as a fairly long conversation at the end about our feelings on the MCU in general, post-Endgame. Take a listen and let us know what you think!

We may have lost Mrs. Hart (Sharon!), but we're continuing to talk about the rest of the coven in our Deep Dive of Agatha All Along. Hear Joel and Kurt's theories about who Teen and Rio really are, and their relationships to the title character, plus some musical talk from a recurring contributor.

We're moving on down the road in Episode 3 of Agatha All Along. As the coven faces their first trial, Joel and Kurt are surprised to discover an old name get mentioned that they had relegated to the dead theory pile at the end of WandaVision.

We begin the Agatha All Along Deep Dive with a double episode dose of witchy goodness. There are many questions raised to theorize on, and tons of new characters to discuss and compare to their Marvel Comics counterparts. Take a listen, and then let us know your thoughts!

Since the next few weeks will be devoted to a Deep Dive of the Agatha All Along show, I thought it would be a good idea to edit together some of the thoughts Joel and I had about Agnes/Agatha as she appeared in WandaVision, along with a comparison to her comic book counterpart, edited together from the WandaVision Deep Dive.

Continuing to work towards completing the “Lesser Known X-Men” feature, we cover four characters this time; three short-term members, and one who is possibly well-known enough to not qualify, but is important enough to merit inclusion to make sure as many learn about him as possible.

Returning to my Lesser Known X-Men feature (affectionately dubbed the “Why-Men”), we break from chronological joining to cover twins who were recruited at different times, but are so close that they may as be one character, as well as a mutant mentioned briefly in the “New Warriors Vol 4” episode of the show.

Thanks to some recent big news announced at San Diego Comic-Con, I was inspired to discuss the connections between Iron Man and Doctor Doom. Sure, they're both guys in armor, but what else connects them, and how will the MCU handle this? I've got a theory…

With so many super criminals in comics, it only makes sense that they'd have their own prison, and thanks to a question from listener Scott P., we'll be discussing those, from the real life locations, to the made up super-prisons, then to the dark halls of the asylums.

Continuing once again with the Lesser Known X-Men feature, we've reached the “aughts” or the first decade of the 2000s, where we find an Indian with a Native American codename, a Native American who gets tangled up with Norse Mythology, and a spy with a computer for a brain that wants to be a superhero.

Back in Episode 89, we discussed LGBT characters in DC with JennytheGeek. Well, after three years, she's back to discuss LGBT characters in Marvel. From Northstar's coming out story to the recent “Pride” issues, we touch on some of the characters we feel the most strongly about, and what Marvel is getting right and wrong in their representation.

Wrapping up the 90s era of “Lesser Known X-Men,” we have the clone, the doctor, the sentient slugs, and the bone-wielding Morlock all joining the team, though few of them stay on the team for too long. What happened to them after? I discuss that and many other details of their lives in this episode.

The 1990s was one of the best-selling eras for the X-Men comics. But, if you didn't read them, you might not know who Bishop, Kwannon, or Cannonball are. Take a listen here to find out what makes each of those characters unique and what they brought to the team.

Inspired by a new listener question, Kurt goes through his definition of a “Non-Powered Superhero” (or Supervillain in one case), to see who qualifies in the Big 2 comic book universes. The answer may or may not surprise you, but you'll have to listen to find out!

Continuing our focus on the “Almost Famous” members of the X-Men, we wrap up the members who joined in the 80s with the Disco Queen known as Dazzler, and the Indigenous American inventor who goes by Forge. But, before that, an important announcement about the future of the show.

For the sixth anniversary of Welcome to Geektown, Kurt continues looking at the history of the New Warriors. However, this is the only incarnation of the team that does not have his favorite superhero, Speedball, as a member. Who are these new kids, and where do they get off taking the team's name?

Our fourth in a recurring series on the less famous members of the X-Men roster, we reach the 80s, with a alternate future child, a mullet-wearing alien clone, and a body swapped telepathic ninja. Yes, the X-Men are weird. Take a listen to find out exactly how weird it can get!

Inspired by the recent Sony movie (which, while not good, is fun in its own way), we go through the comic book counterparts of the four lead women to see how they are all interconnected in multiple ways throughout their respective histories.

In light of the Big Game that aired the day of this episode's release, I found it only right to discuss heroes who were active in the sport at one time or another in their life. From Superman to SuperPro, football has been a part of many comic characters lives. Find out which of your favorites is included!

Finally finishing up the Green Lantern “Replacements” episodes with the New 52 recruits of Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz. But, before we get to those, one last bit of business from the Loki Season 2 Deep Dive, thanks to a listener comment.

After a bit of a hiatus, we continue the discussion of Green Lantern “Replacements,” getting into the 90s with one of the longest running replacements, Kyle Rayner. (If you haven't listened already, I suggest checking Episode 71 for discussion of Kyle's first girlfriend, Alex DeWitt).

Just a small announcement regarding me taking a little time off from the show.

Loki Season 2 comes to a climax as one of the most complex and well-performed characters gets a very fitting ending (it appears), and my guest Anne and I get into every detail along the way, as we discuss the writing, direction, costuming, and other choices made and how they impact the story as a whole.

It's the penultimate episode of Loki Season 2, and Anne and I have quite a bit to discuss, from the gorgeous camerawork to the rise of the God of Stories. Take a listen, and let us know what you think!

Continuing our Deep Dive on the second season of Loki, we've reached Episode 4. But with that ending, is it the last episode? No, but we'll discuss our theories on what happens this episode, see where theories went right or wrong from past episodes, and what happens next.

The Deep Dive of Season 2 of Loki continues with Guest Anne Valliant. There is much costume discussion, as well as World's Fair history, as we look at the episode that takes place almost entirely in the year that it's named after…1893.

Continuing our Deep Dive of Season 2 of Loki. Guest Anne Valliant returns from Season 1 to join me for this episode as we discuss the little easter eggs, the production design, the costumes, and of course, the plot and character development. The hair flip counter continues, and we learn…Who is The Phone Ranger?

We're starting a new Deep Dive, but it's our first continuation, as we discuss Season 2 of Loki. Guest Dennis Riddle joins me for this episode as we discuss the new characters, the new situations, and of course, any comic book connections. Plus, how many hair flips does Loki do?

Continuing the Green Lantern “Replacements” from last episode, we move on to the one that actually replaced Hal first, despite appearing after Guy Gardner. The Lantern so well loved, he was actually chosen over Hal for the Justice League cartoon in the DCAU, it's John Stewart!

Continuing our ongoing “Replacements” feature, this is the first part of the Green Lantern franchise. Even with only covering those that directly replaced Hal Jordan, we're still going to need multiple shows to discuss all the successors to the mantle, and what happened to them when Hal inevitably returned. We start with the first of those, Guy Gardner, a polarizing figure to say the least.

Thanks to listener feedback, we're looking at another group of heroes with a specific mental disorder. This time it's DID (or Disassociative Identity Disorder). Moon Knight, Legion, Crazy Jane, and others are members of this unique club discussed this episode.

Based on his portrayal in the recent movie bearing his name, a listener is curious about The Flash ever having been shown on the autism spectrum before this, as well as the presence of other neurodivergent characters in the superhero realm, which is what we discuss this episode.

The final episode of Secret Invasion takes us “Home.” Well, at least, for those that survived. To find out who those are, take a listen as Dag and I discuss the season finale, it's ups and downs, and what it might mean for future MCU projects.