Pick of the Week Podcast
Show Notes
The inmates are running the asylum! iFanboy staff writers Jim Mroczkowski, Paul Montgomery, Mike Romo, and Sonia Harris have wrestled control of Pick of the Week away from Josh Flanagan, Ron Richards, and Conor Kilpatrick! What will they do with unfettered access to microphones and a captive audience? Will they make the most of it, or will this be their single, shining moment in the sun?
Running Time: 00:55:21
Pick of the Week:
00:01:44 – Josh’s Pick of the Week — The Flash: Rebirth #1 — has something for everyone to love.
Comics:
00:10:45 – Is that Senator John McCain or Ed Asner starring in Destroyer #1? Could it be Wilford Brimley?
00:16:35 – Steve Rogers freaks out Sonia in Captain America Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1.
00:22:28 – Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular #1 was wildly appropriate for this show.
00:25:22 – Mark Waid’s dark side came back out in Irredeemable #1.
00:31:58 – Mike and Paul say that Superman/Batman #57 is a great comic for fans of non-continuity stories.
00:34:18 – What happened in Sea Guy: The Slaves of Mickey Eye #1? No one knows.
00:36:30 – Buffy the Vampire Slayer #24 nearly splits the group asunder!
00:38:19 – Did anyone read The Invincible Iron Man #12? Apparently so.
User Reviews:
00:40:47 – FausticCaust found a spot-on Reed Richards in Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #2.
00:42:05 – JumpingJupiter casts a visual eye on The Mighty #3.
E-Mail:
00:44:48 – Stephen M. really doesn’t like back-up stories.
00:47:53 – Corinne wants to catch up on the X-Men.
Music:
“Alex Chilton”
The Replacements
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Doing the podcast is fun and all, but let's be honest, listening to the 2 of us talk to each other can get repetitive, so we look to you, the iFanboy listeners to participate in the podcast! "How can I get in on the fun?" you may ask yourself, well here's how:
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awsome music choice.
What the hell’s going on?! I’m confused and frightened!
I’m so scared. But excited! This should be fun 😀
I’m so excited for this! Paul, Jim and Sonia are three of my top reasons to keep coming back to the site!
I CAN’T HANDLE CHANGE!
So far so good. I’ve only heard the Flash review so far and I’m more with your (especially Sonia’s) ambivalence about the whole thing than with Josh’s fullscale raving. While there is lots to like about the book, the more I think about it, the more I have problems with it. Considering how much EVS and Geoff Johns have claimed to be Flash fans, Flash Rebirth #1 felt very un-Flash-like to me. There isn’t the sense of fun that should come with Flash, instead the whole thing feels rather morose . It’s also surprisingly slow for a Flash book too. And yup, Bart Allen continues to be written horribly, as he has since he put on the Kid Flash suit and Barry Allen felt really off to me. Forcing in tragedy into Barry’s childhood strikes me as being, well, idiotic. The Flash – all of them – have been characterised by doing what they do not because of some tragedy in the past but by an inate wanting to do right with their powers. Yes, the story is absorbing enough and the art beautiful enough to get me to come back but I really don’t know what Geoff is going for here, and seeing as how the Flash is my favourite superhero, I am worried by this first issue.
@Ilash: How can Barry Allen be "off" when he hasn’t been written in any kind of meaningful way since the new age of comics have begun? Geoff Johns has a blank slate for Barry Allen.
@Conor: I disagree. Barry has a long history, mostly in the Silver Age, yes, but he has made a number of appearances over the years since his death. Mark Waid has done the most with him and, based on what I read in Showcase #4, he really did get the core of Barry Allen before expanding on him for a modern audience. The Flash in Waid’s superb JLA: Year One feels like Barry Allen to me – fitting in, incidentally, also with the way other DC heroes over the years have described him – Barry Allen in Rebirth did not.
Or, to put it more simply, I don’t have much of an interest in a "grim and gritty" Flash and if I did, I would rather they use Walter West for these purposes than have them butcher the character of Barry Allen.
FINALLY a show with everyone else! this should be a monthly thing. let jim, mike, paul and sonia do this once a month… or maybe once a year…
@Ilash: We’ll have to agree to disagree. One of the most exciting things to me about Barry coming back is that we are finally going to get to see him done in modern comics, and not in Silver Age throw back books (however good those books might be). It’s also clear that he’s not exactly the same Barry Allen as he was before, his time in the Speed Force has changed him. So exciting.
Well this is new and different…..
But I’m sure it’s gonna be a lot of fun! Load quicker itunes!!
I’d rather read a story that had some surprises and left turns and gave me stuff that I wasn’t expecting, rather than the same old thing. But that’s a reader’s prerogative. If every writer didn’t bring their own spin to the personality of characters, then there would be no development over time, and Ollie would still refer to Hal as "Old Chum".
And I stand by my review entirely, because this was one excellently crafted comic book. I’m learning so much from how those two put it together. It’s a work of art.
This is also just the first issue of Barry’s return. It doesn’t mean he’s going to remain this pessimistic. He just returned from the Speed Force, where he was witness to injustice, but effectually paralyzed. He thinks he’s acting on borrowed time. He finally has the chance to be a hero again, and he’s taking it seriously.
Haha, very nice. I enjoyed this muchly, it should be done more often. I’m sick of John, Rob and Hunter. Get Sonia some more champagne!
@josh: I think that’s what gets people a bit annoyed with your review. When you call it a ‘work of art’. That is definitely opinion and not fact.
I do agree with llash, Barry might not have been in the DC proper for many years; but he’s been involved with a lot of outside continuity stories. Even then that felt like a different Flash or the writers got him down. Frank Miller, of all people, even got him write when it came to DKSB.
Here it felt like Barry was ‘oh woe as me’ and Jimski said it in the podcast….it felt like reading The Punisher at points. It was a first issue, but this Barry Allen didnt feel any different from Wally or even Bart.
"Doplle-Whedoner." Ha. Brilliant!
Can we start calling Maria Hill and Pepper Potts "Tony’s Angels." We could always throw a third one in to make it stick. They’re all really badass. Enjoying the hell out of Invincible Iron Man.
Edit: (whoa lot of typos! sorry)
Ment to say ‘Even then it felt like the same Barry Allen and the writers got him down’
and ‘right’ instead of write.
@TNC – Haven’t you been on record as saying you don’t read The Flash? Where are these opinions coming from?
@Paul: I’ve read enough out of continuity stories involving Barry to get the gist of his character. His character really doesnt change whether it’s ‘Elseworld’s’ or something else along like that.
Plus I do listen to Tom vs the Flash and have started reading Flash Showcase a bit….I’m trying to become a bigger fan.
@Conor: Yeah, agree to disagree it is. My problem is simple, time in the speedforce or not, this ain’t Barry Allen. In much the same way that this Kid Flash dude, ain’t Bart Allen either (and he hasn’t been for years). I’m not much of a continuity obsessive but I do like consistent characterisation with what has come in the past.
@Josh: I agree that it is entirely well crafted. The creative team on the book are real pros, make no mistake. And I actually think that the storyline itself is interesting and exciting enough that these character tweaks are pretty unneccessary. I’m all for writers putting their own stamp on characters – but NOT at the expense of what made the character work in the first place. I mean, why go through all the trouble of bringing Barry Allen back, if he is, for all intents and purposes, unrecognisable.
Say what you want about Final Crisis but Grant Morrison displayed a much better understanding of Barry and his relationship with Wally in those few short scenes than Geoff Johns does in the entire first issue of Rebirth. Well, in my opinion, of course.
Hah…The Replacements…
@Ilash: That’s the whole point, though – there hasn’t been any Barry Allen in the modern comics world beyond a few token appearances here and there. He’s a total blank slate. Geoff Johns is building Barry Allen now from the ground up.
I feel like people are ignoring the fact that characterizations changed wildly post-Crisis. Batman pre and post-Crisis is almost totally different. That’s what happens when you modernize a SIlver Age character. If Johns had brough back Barry in his full Silver Age glory I would have been horrified.
My review is my opinion?
Really?
Imagine that. A review of something that’s opinion. Crazy…
Folks, it’s one issue. I completely respect somebody who isn’t interested in reading new Barry Allen stories deciding this isn’t for them and skipping it, just like I respect someone who thinks this is a great comic book and can’t wait to read more. But making all kinds of judgments about what Johns is planning for the series based on 22 pages seems a little premature.
@Conor: The problem is though that Barry Allen is not a blank slate. While I’m more than OK with them fleshing out his character, he does have certain core qualities that define him as a character. If he didn’t then why even bother bringing him back? Why not just create a new character from scratch?
To go back to Mark Waid again, he showed exactly how to balance modern storytelling with a Silver Age character like Barry Allen. The Barry Allen in JLA: Year One was recognisably Barry Allen – a bit of a square, clatter-brained and serious but totally personable – even if he was written with the sort of depth that simply didn’t exist in the Silver Age.
And while his actual appearances in the moderen DCU have been limited, he has still cast a great shadow on the modern DCU. You may not have seen him much but his character was actually very well defined in Waid’s Wally West run – cerainly enough to give even a Silver Age ignoramus like me a very solid understanding of who Barry Allen was.
The "Barry Allen" in Rebirth may as well have been called "Broody McIntensity" for all that he had to do with Barry Allen. And that for me is a huge problem to try and get past.
Very fun show. I must say that "the crowd howls for blood" is the best transition ever.
Heh heh….Broody McIntensity.
Okay here’s the real question guys: We got you guys doing the podcast, now we got the other writers do their own….When is the ifanboy community going to do one? 🙂
So much controversy for a book that isn’t by Grant Morrison, but by Geoff Johns…freakin’ Bizarro world or something
@Ilash: The fact that Barry hasn’t been written in any meaningful way in any modern age books that haven’t been throw backs and Silver Age tributes (i.e. the excellent JLA: YEAR ONE) means that Barry in the modern age is indeed a blank slate.
I know Geoff Johns shares this opinion, he said as much at his talk on Wednesday.
Barry wasn’t entirely humorless in the book. Don’t let the opening monologue color the entire experience of the issue. He joked around with Hal a bit and took pleasure in the idea of a sped-up modern culture. He’s just not a party mood. Doesn’t mean he’s Hamlet.
I like Geoff Johns a lot usually but I couldn’t imagine why his stuff wouldn’t raise a lot of controversy. He’s a writer with very specific ticks (ultra-violence, "continuity porn", not much in the way of humour) that I’m sure must rub a lot of people the wrong way. They even irritate me, at times.
I would have been horrified if it was 22 pages of Barry hugging everyone and then they go punch Starro. Dying and comin back, that is bound to alter someone’s outlook on life. If you are afraid of dying again, you would avoid your loved ones. The job is the thing, no matter what, that job is the same.
@Conor: I have to say then that I’m going to have to agree to disagree with both you and Mr Johns. I really couldn’t disagree more.
Oh and incidentally replacement iFanboy’s: Great, great job with this show! I miss Josh, Conor and Ron,to be sure but I would be more than cool with this being a yearly feature.
Great show!
Loved this episode. Props to the writers.
This week’s Destroyer issue is maybe the most "badass" outing for a Stan Lee creation.
On a side note not referring to any issue specifically: I really hope comics isn’t going into the territory of unneccesary violence. It seems that each issue I read gets more and more grotesque for no reason at all.
We all know you’re talking about that Mini Marvels installment.
So am I the only one who thought Rebirth #1 (and it was 30 pages, not 22) was neither orgasmically fantastic nor an insult to everything that is decent in the world? To the detractors: really, is this really the best you can do, to second-guess a character who’s been through what Barry Allen’s been through and say that he should be happier or whatever? The guy’s been through a lot and he’s naturally very weirded out by it all. And he wasn’t THAT brooding! To the high-praisers: I hear a lot of calls that the issue was fantastic, but you’re doing worst than the nay-sayers when it comes to naming specifics. Why do you say it’s fantastic? Because Geoff Johns name is on the cover? Also, I think Ethan has done much better art; to praise him for this issue without noting how much worse it looks than his Green Lantern stuff is kind of inexcusable–it’d be like praising a .330 hitter for having 1 hit in a game, saying "See, that guy can hit!" This was just a routine first issue, complete with the vague supernatural menacing threat (speed-force) and the opening that shows a villain doing bad things. It felt like a bunch of cliches. But cliches are cliches for a reason–because they work. They’re NOT fantastic things, but they work out alright, and I think this was an "alright" issue. It’s average, sure, but I guess if you guys want to you could also write essays explaining why the McDonald’s Big Mac you just ate was a 5/5 meal and a "work of art" (a child’s fingerpainting can count as that too, you know). Or on the other hand people could complain that Big Macs serve no purpose and are awful and tasteless. I’m in the middle.
@flappjaxx: Josh provided 1,081 words of specifics in his Pick of the Week review.
Although I would have liked to hear what Ron and Conor though of Flash in detail, I bet I’ll get that when issue two comes out. Other than that, great job guys! Also, BKV>Wheadon
Thanks for this episode, everyone!
Hey, this is kind of like the Terence and Phillip episode of South Park. If I remember that was done as an April Fool’s joke.
Soooo apparently calling a comic a "work of art" creates a lot of problems on a website dedicated to enjoying comics. I found a sort of sick humor in that. Also, despair. Definitely despair.
@conor: Amazing, and you didnt need a computer you counted all those words by yourself 🙂
@Anson: I have no problem with someone calling a comic a work of art, but it’s far to early to say something like that. It’s only the first issue! Did, what, the bright light of Geoff Johns touched upon someone and stated: ‘My God, it’s beautiful…..’ Then their face melted.
I’m sorry I watched Indiana Jones too much…Still I think saying the first issue a ‘work of art’ might be a bit much. I mean I loved Deadpool #1 or Final Crisis #1 and I didnt think they were works of art at the beginning.
I half expected to see a "This podcast is bollocks" response from Mr Casey.
I’m almost done with the podcast, and I’d definitely like to see something like this more, maybe quarterly?
Just reread Rebirth and I gotta say, Barry cracks quite a few jokes. There’s enough of what people are claiming the old Barry is and plenty of the Tabula Rasa thing going on. It seems to be doing both sides of it pretty well.
@TNC-A single issue can easily be called a work of art. Even if the series falls apart after this, the first comic was great and no subsequent issues can take away from that.
@drake: Well again I guess it all goes down to a matter of opinion. Although I still think calling a first issue of a five part mini a ‘work of art’ is a bit too strong….It’s josh’s opinion and that’s that.
I did love the Flash Museum bits though; probably the strongest part of the book. It’s like Old Man Logan; anything that has a huge amount of continuity porn in a comic makes it at least worth the buy. Although I still dont recognize some of the statues…
By definition, EVERY single comic book is a work of art. That’s not opinion, that’s fact. This week’s issue of Man-Bat was a work of art as much as Flash: Rebirth was. Of course, whether something is a *great* work of art or a *piece of shit* work of art — that comes down to personal opinion.
Anyways … haven’t listened to the show yet, but I enjoyed Sonja’s no bullshit approach/attitude last time she was on the show! Sonia is my favourite (& only?) iFangirl.
do this every fourth week! make this regular! i love it!
I really liked this show a great deal! I listened to it while working and had a fit of laughter about the poop thing. I literally ROTFLOLed. So juvenile, so hilarious!
Thanks for the kind words about my review.
@TNC: I know everything too! Let’s be friends!
if barry’s a blank slate, what the hell should i care?
This was an awesome podcast. Where can I subscribe to the staff writer podcast?
@ed: Why not? 😛
@ed: I picked it up straight after Dylan Moran picked his up at Impact Comics.
Great job, Legion of Superstitute Ifanboys!
@tnc I imagine Conor used a Cut and Paste Wordcount feature to assess Josh’s impressive length. And as Josh has already pointed out, the review is his opinion, he gets to call Rebirth 1 a work of art. So by all means give your own view, but don’t argue the toss over Josh’s right to air his view – especially on his own website.
I’m also expecting Barry to brighten over the mini. I certainly hope he does, because if Barry is to be just another super-serious hero, he may as well have stayed comics’dead
It’s like screaming at a wall. Someday it’s gonna fall.
This abundant outpouring of kind words and positivity about the podcast confuses and frightens me. There should be at least one "where’s Ron? This is bullshit!" by now.
@edward Every character was a blank slate once…why should you care about any of them?
I can’t believe there’s so much negativity about Flash Rebirth! I enjoyed it – it wasn’t the best thing I read this week, but I don’t see how anyone could be angry with it. Or any comic book for that matter.
I agree with the above good folks, excellent job on the podcast guys. May I request that Mike read the emails on a weekly basis? That dude emoted like nobody’s business 😉
Great work, all. I have to say though, Destroyer left me wanting. Perhaps it’ll start to round out next issue… but the art was kickin’.
Also, as a first time Flash reader, I was entertained but also very confused. They did a lot right to get me back for the rest of the mini, though.
Where is Ron? This is bullshit!
yeah, and there were technical difficulties as well! that never happens when RON’s on the show. 😉
Where is Conor? This is bullshit!
Great show… and the Mats music finally puts me in as a member.
I picked up Irredeemable on a whim, one of the best first issues I’ve read in a long time.
It is weird that the guy who made the pick of the week for this site wasnt even on the podcast….is that a first?
If Sonia, Mike, Paul, and Jimski could have their own seperate podcast every sunday then I would totally subscribe to it.
Sonia, Paul, and Conor could do a podcast called "Who Loves Nathan Fillion More?"
It would be several hours long but broken up into hour-long bits.
I had the pick one week, and then had to have my appendix out, so Ron and Conor did the show without me, neither having read the book.
@josh: Almost true. Ron bought the book and read it (with no context) after you went to the hospital.
@Josh-Appendix (appendicies?) are for suckers. I had mine taken out when I was ten and never looked back.
Where is Josh? This is bullshit!
hey, i think it’s bullshit every week that gordon the intern isn’t on, but i try to keep the complaints to myself.
Gordon was in Seattle, shooting a show with Ron.
Just sayin…
@goofgnewt: the black books dude? i kniew he was a secret nerd-burger.
did you herad Mel on ABC 666 talking about the watchmen movie? pretty cool
Great show! Perhaps there should be a spin-off podcast, maybe you can call it "iFanGirl and Three Guys". I swear it will be a hit!
@TehDave, yup, we had Gordon here in Seattle, but we were forced to release back into the wild.
Oh, and I’m going to start leaving voicemails for Jim, Paul, Mike, and Sonia to answers.
Serious, the show was very enjoyable. Good going B-Team!
Conor, Josh and Ron who? I would love to see more writer’s episodes. I very much enjoyed what I just listened to on the podcast. Maybe a quarterly writer’s show to alleviate Conor, Josh and Ron burnout by the audience? I think it is a splendid idea. Not that I ever get sick of you fellas, a little variety though can go a long way to keeping this wonderful creation fresh.
Gives the iFanhosts a deserved break too.
I assure you, this was no break. This was more work if anything.
And I’m having withdrawals since I didn’t get to podcast this week. It’s too much fun to skip!
Where WAS I? this is bullshit!
great job by the iFan-writers!
wow–thanks so much for your support, iFanbase!! I was stressing about this all week and had woke up every 30 minutes the night before we taped…I dunno how the guys do it, really..
thanks to Ron, Josh and Conor for the opportunity and the help…
now…do I dare listen?
Great show writers!
As for a couple comments on an iFanbase podcast, get a mic (a rockband one works really well), Audacity, and go to iTunes. It’s really not all that hard and would be all around easier then giving the iFanboys more work then they really need. Unless the writers were in on the editing process I would assume this was a nightmare to cut. I don’t even want to imagine what Josh, Ron, and Conor would have to go through to cut my ranting and raving down to something sane. I’d rather they read one of my reviews, that’s about as close as I want to get to the iFanbase podcast for the moment…
Unless I get off my lazy ass and edit the one I have sitting on my laptop.
That would be funny. If we actually did do an iFanbase podcast…
@JJ: I’d just imagine a lot of screaming and then someone gets killed….
you know like in Very Bad Things…but without hookers…..okay maybe one…
wouldn’t your speech impediment and breathing issues irritate the audience, TNC?
Mike Romo & Jimski’s voices sounded EXACTLY the same to me, I couldn’t tell them apart at all, sorry o_O
My favourite part of the episode was Sonia saying she liked Power Girl’s boobs. All these (mostly male) over-sensitive comic book feminists getting so upset over comic art lately,it was good to hear a reasonable/rational reaction to something people are taking way too serious …
Please have Sonia on the show more often iFanboys!
Ouch.
It probably sounds like it’s easy, but it’s really, really not. Not just the editing either. Establishing a good podcasting rhythm as host or so-host takes time and practice. So, don’t expect to pick up a mic, hop on Skype and end up with a great or even decent podcast an hour later.
A lot of people don’t realize that we record six takes of every show. Also, Paul and I are sworn enemies, so our parts had to be recorded separately. Listen to it again with that in mind and I think you’ll agree it sounds much more professional, and hardly notice me recording with a microphone from a PS2 karaoke game.
I’d give a pretty penny to see you singing to a PS2 karaoke game.
@edward: Well I never…….no wait….your dead on.
@jimski/paul: That’s why I know a ifanbase podcast will probably never happen. Cause for one thing I have no idea how to make/edit/publish a podcast in the first place. That and on twitter the guys seem to post sometimes how hard it is just to make the video podcast. So audio must be a bitch as well.
I was having an itunes problem for the last couple days, so I seem to be the last person on earth to listen to this podcast (except for Mike, but I assume that’s by choice. . .) Anyway, I’ve been anticipating it very much and the Fab Four did not disappoint. Really great job, and I could tell how much fun you were all having. I thought the ‘Buffy’ comic was really good, for what it’s worth, and I enjoyed hearing the ‘Iron Man’ discussion, since this is a book I’ve really been enjoying. Great job all around!
My favorite episode for a while. No offence to the boys.
It’s taken me weeks but I can now remember Shugurui Death Frenzy(tm) off the top of my head. Thanks Mike Romo!
@Jimski – you would be surprised how well those microphones work on the computer for recording. When I recorded the never heard podcast, I used a Rockband Mic and my roommate used another mic that was a PS2 one, the sound was way better then what I would have thought.
@TNC: of course, i’m only kidding. Plus i’m sure i could edit a podcast pretty easily, i did a few media production courses at uni. one step closer to the dream, my friend
"ahhh, HEL-lo! weCOme to the IfanStoy, i mean boy, i meant to say boy. p-p-pick of the week p-p-podcast."
@edward: I’ll be like a guy who was a big hit in the silent movies….then just suddenly tanked when sound was the big rage.
@TNC: nah. that’s a visual medium
There was some comment about Assistant Editors’ Month being a semi-regular thing at Marvel in the Eighties? Are you sure? I remember January 1984, but when else? And it wasn’t all silly stuff that month, there was also the classic ‘Kid Who Collected Spider-Man- schmaltsfest. I was disappointed with the Ass Ed Spectacular, hoping for some Eighties-style wackiness, but ‘inventory’ seemed to be the order fo the day.
Great episode, despite having some trouble distinguishing the people talking.
My wife pointed out the theme of mortality and Johns’ emphasis on how mortality makes us live faster…
Jee, the more i think about it and re-read the book and hear other’s thoughts on this (including idustry folks). I’m becoming convinced that Barry isn’t back for good. I think Barry’ll be gone again by the end of this series.