August 2018 – THE FORTRESS OF BAILEYTUDE

FORTRESS OF BAILEYTUDE SHOWCASE PRESENTS…THE DEATH AND RETURN OF SUPERMAN 25 YEARS LATER!

Fortress of Baileytude Showcase Presents: The Death and Return of Superman 25 Years Later

Welcome to another episode of Fortress of Baileytude Showcase Presents, an irregular show here at the Fortress where I talk about something that either doesn’t fit with my other shows or is about something that I feel deserves its own dedicated special.

This time out I am celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of Superman (Vol. 2) #82. While there was a month and a half of wrap up stories Superman #82 was the final chapter of the Reign of the Supermen storyline and saw Superman return to his original costume after a month or so of running around in a black suit with a silver S. It was also the end of a saga that had been going on since October of the previous year, so this felt like a thing to celebrate. More than anything, The Death and Return of Superman is not only one of the most important stories in the history of the character but it is also an important time in my own collecting life.

So, this time out I am not talking about the what happened in the pages of the comic (because I already did that with Jeffrey Taylor over on From Crisis to Crisis) but what was happening in the real world and I am not alone. Joining me to discuss the real world history of The Death and Return of Superman is the co-founder of The Fire and Water Podcast Network, as well as being one of my best friends in the world, The Irredeemable Shag. As some of you may know Shag managed a comic shop in the early nineties so he was there when both the Death and Return happened. He was also a reader of the Superman books at the time, so through the course of the special we talk about the behind the scenes history of the story, where we were when we learned that the death was coming, what it was like the day the comic hit stores, our own experiences reading the saga and the legacy this story left on us and the comic book world.

You will also learn how the theater kept distracting me throughout the time The Death and Return issues were being published.

Continue reading FORTRESS OF BAILEYTUDE SHOWCASE PRESENTS…THE DEATH AND RETURN OF SUPERMAN 25 YEARS LATER!

FCTC EPISODE 222: SEPTEMBER 1992 PART 2

Episode 222: September 1995 Part 2

Welcome to the two hundredth and twenty-second episode of From Crisis to Crisis: A Superman Podcast! This podcast has a simple premise; examine just about every Superman comic published between Man of Steel #1 in 1986 to Adventures of Superman #649 in 2006 in an informative and hopefully entertaining format.

This time out Mike and Jeff continue their discussion of the September 1995 cover dated Superman books. Up first is Superman #104, which has a cover that is a tad misleading. It’s a good cover but it writes a check that the story doesn’t necessarily cash. In this issue a warrior from Apokolips Boom Tubes to Earth and seeks the Man of Steel’s help in saving his daughter, who is about to be executed by Darkseid. Superman heads to Apokolips and suddenly the issue becomes a conversation on freedom and when to step in and save a people from a brutal dictatorship.

Oh, and a bad guy returns “from the dead”. He’s not in the issue as much as the cover would have you believe, but he is there.

Then in Adventures of Superman #527 the Alpha Centurions returns to make his first appearance…in this timeline anyway. The hero from one of Superman side trips during Zero Hour makes a dramatic entrance and Superman spends a good deal of the issue acting like a jealous high school boyfriend because he remembers the fact that during Zero Hour Alpha Centurion and Lois were an item. We also see more of the Contessa Erica Alexandra Del Portenza, who seems to take a shine to the Alpha Centurion.

Mike also goes off on a tear about why he’s excited about the books he and Jeff are currently covering and will be covering down the road.

Below is a gallery of covers and selected pages from the comics discussed.

(Audio Note: Jeff’s audio is a bit garbled at times. It’s not too bad and the episode was able to be released but Mike wanted you to know about it ahead of time. Or ahead of time if you read the show notes.)

You can subscribe to the show in two ways. First there is the RSS Feed and there is also the iTunes link. Are you on Facebook? Be sure to “like” the official FCTC page, which you can find by clicking on this link.

You can email the show by clicking this link. All questions, concerns, fears, trepidations and cheap shots are welcome. Also be sure to give us a review over on iTunes and feel free to comment on the show here at the site!

Next Time: It’s time for September 1995 Supplemental! Books covered, to one extent or another, will be Superboy #19, Steel #19, New Titans #125, Loose Cannon #4, Showcase ’95 #8 and Outsiders #22!

This episode of From Crisis to Crisis was brought to you by Jason Sandberg’s Jupiter! Check it out today at Comixology!

OVERLOOKED DARK KNIGHT EPISODE 23: THE DOCTOR AND MISTER CHICKEN

Episode 23: The Doctor and Mister Chicken

Welcome to the twenty-third episode of The Overlooked Dark Knight. The is a non-index index show where the hosts, Andrew Leyland and Michael Bailey, look at Batman comics that rarely, if ever, get talked about. In the second episode of the month they discuss the various books that were associated with the animated Batman shows of the nineties, though just about everything is fair game.

This time out things return to normal and Mike and Andy travel back to the late seventies to talk about two solid Batman stories. In Batman #317 Robin continues to hang around and the Dynamic Duo take on the Riddler in a plot where…”shockingly”…the Riddler leaves clues and Batman and Robin must solve them to catch the villain. The commentary on this issue includes a lengthy discussion on where the Riddler fits into Batman’s rogues gallery. Then in Brave and the Bold #156 the Dark Knight teams up with Doctor Fate. Sort of. It’s complicated but still a good read.

Below is a gallery of images from the comic covered in this episode.

Andy and Mike want your feedback on this episode so they can read it on an upcoming show! You even have options in how you leave your feedback. The most direct way is to leave a comment right here on the site. You can also send all questions, concerns, fears and trepidations to overlookeddarkknight@gmail.com. Then there’ the Facebook page, where you can also leave a Batman related question for Andy and Mike to answer at the beginning of the show. If you talk about this show on the social medias please include a #overlookeddk so the guys know where to find it.

If you want to subscribe to the show here’s the RSS Feed and the iTunes link. If you use iTunes please leave us a review. Not only will we read that on the air like the other feedback but it really helps the show out.

Next Time: Animated Batman! Be there!

FCTC EPISODE 221: SEPTEMBER 1995 PART 1

Episode 221: September 1995 Part 1

Welcome to the two hundredth and twenty-first episode of From Crisis to Crisis: A Superman Podcast! This podcast has a simple premise; examine just about every Superman comic published between Man of Steel #1 in 1986 to Adventures of Superman #649 in 2006 in an informative and hopefully entertaining format.

This time out Mike and Jeff kick off their discussions about the Superman books with a September 1995 cover date with the resolution to one story and a special guest star in the next. In Action Comics #713 the whole Savior storyline wraps up as Ramsey Murdoch finally becomes the Savior, emphasis on the word “finally”. There’s also some bits and bobs involving the fallout of Jimmy rage quitting the Planet, Cat Grant’s problems at work and another example of why Lois and Clark should not leave town for a date. This is followed by Superman: The Man of Steel #48, which guest stars future (or current or past, depending on when you read this) movie sensation Aquaman! It seems there are monsters from the deep attacking the shore and Superman momentarily forgets that he is in a DC book for moment leading to the always hilarious fight followed by a team-up against a new undersea threat.

Below is a gallery of covers and selected pages from the comics discussed.