It’s no secret that I love comic books. I think the blog header is evidence of that. For almost a year I’ve been listening to podcasts related to comics (books, strips, cartoons, toys, etc.) so that I can add to my enjoyment of this hobby. There are quite a few I like (as you’ll see), but there are a lot more than what’s on this list.
Quite by accident, I’ve been on five podcasts in the past few weeks. Well, not really by ‘accident’, as I knew I was recording, but ‘accident’ in the sense that the shows came out almost one after another. It felt like those that know me were inundated with appearances by me on the shows they listen to. And to be fair, two of those appearances had me as a guest, two were audio comments I submitted to the respective shows, and one was… well… a sound bite basically
The one I’ve been listening to the longest is Comic Geek Speak. Anywhere from two to six guys - longtime friends - sittin’ around talking comics. Bryan, Peter, Jamie, Kevin, Shane, and Matt are very intelligent, witty, and all-around great guys. And I’m not saying that because I ‘just’ listen to them. I had the pleasure of meeting them back in January when they recorded the 100th episode. A great end to that day was when the CGS crew and a bunch of listeners went out to dinner and I’m sitting across from Kevin and Matt and next to Bryan.
Also on that day I met Sean Whelan (who sat on Bryan’s left at that dinner), host of Raging Bullets: A DC Comics Fan Podcast. Sean knows a ton about DC Comics and he is joined by his friend Jim, who has admittedly been out of the loop when it comes to this four-color medium for awhile. The two of them bring unique perspectives to the table and with Jim you get a point-of-view from someone that doesn’t live and breathe this stuff. And Sean’s voice was made for podcasting.
Speaking of voices for podcasting, Rick Gordon recently started his own called The Pop Cult Online. The man was born to podcast. The show is designed to look back on the days from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. Or as Rick puts it: ‘It’s for the ten-year old in all of us’. I was on the inaugural episode and I think Rick asked me one question, next thing I knew and hour went by. Looking forward to more.
CGS also brings people together it seems. A few months back there were some guys in the Chicago area that would get together and talk comics and the like. Chris Neseman and Brian Salazar put out a podcast called Around Comics. A weekly roundtable discussing any number of topics such as death in comics, marketing, online vs. brick-n-mortar shops, how the Internet has changed comics, adult themes, and conventions. Episode 12 was my second ‘official’ audio appearance on a podcast. It can be found here.
A few others that I make sure I listen to: I Read Comics with Lene Taylor. It’s comic talk with a real live girl. Lene is joy to listen to and while not everything she likes may be to your tastes, you’re going to be entertained. The Collected Comics Library is a podcast focusing on collected works such as trades and graphic novels, Marvel Masterworks, and DC Archives. Chris does a wonderful job not only with the show, but with the CCL blog that will keep you up-to-date on collected editions. Derek Coward is the creator of Comic Book Noise. CBN is a nice mellow (due to Derek’s softspoken-ness) show, never really too long, and always enjoyable (especially his ‘Top 5…’ and ‘Random Comic’ segments). And yes, I have been heard on this show. Geek 4×4 with JM Campbell and Earth-2.net hosted by Michael and Jenny are often in my playlist. JM takes the time to look at comics with a slant on the independent side. Mike and Jenny are great hosts with that talk about comics, anime, movies, and games and get some assistance by their listeners. Recently, I started listening to The Legacy Age with Jackson Murdock. “Where yesterday meets today”. This show is fun with a capital F. And May is Marvelman/Miracleman Month! I cannot wait to get the lowdown on this story. David Arroyo and Charlie Mangual bring you a podcast about self-publishing by self-publishers on the road to breaking into the field of comics in Comic Makers. Neil Gorman puts out Comicology, and some of his tastes mirror mine. There have also been what he calls ‘Info Bombs”, which focus on a specific character. Recently Martian Manhunter was put under the microscope over three episodes. Crankcast with Crank and Mike is a hoot. Crank is an A/V and multimedia guru and works for Devil’s Due Publishing. Mike Norton is a professional comic book artist and has done work for Marvel, DC, Devil’s Due, Image, Oni and more.
Two podcasts that often touch on comics, but focus elsewhere most times are SciFiDig and Geekspeak. On the former Aaron Macom discusses things related to, umm… sci-fi and Ian Levenstein is a student at Brooklyn college who spends time on the mic talking about technology, games and gaming, sports, and comics. As for the show that used me as a sound bite, Drew M.’s podcast, Weekly Specials focuses on stuff that’s coming out. I was given the honor of closing out the episode for 4.11.06.
Finally, there’s KomicsKast. Bruce Rosenberger loves comics. Be it strips, books, cartoons, it doesn’t matter. He delivers a great show and I always end up learning something (unlike other shows where I may dispute a point or already know what’s being discussed). Recently, Bruce asked me if I’d be interested in recording something for his show. I said yes and with the purchase of that headset mic, a monster was created. My appearances on the shows mentioned above is proof of that. So, ‘Have A Sec’?’ will be my few minutes on KomicsKast. Hope you’ll give it a shot. If not for me, at least listen to what Bruce has to say.
[Update - 6.07.06: There will be a page devoted to comic-related podcasts soon]
Okay, I know the time between my last two posts was a little longer than I wanted. And I hope to make some regular contributions to this blog. And I will if you’ll me this favor. Go check out this comic strip.  Danielle Corsetto is a very funny and very, very talented creator. This ranks up there with Bloom County and Calvin & Hobbes for me. Seriously, I was laughing out loud at this strip. I feel like I’ve been friends with the characters in this strip for years. And trust me, they are all chracters.  Especially McPedro.
