Views From The Longbox – THE FORTRESS OF BAILEYTUDE

VIEWS FROM THE LONGBOX EPISODE 275: THE ULITMATE(S) TALK WITH ANDY

Episode 275: The Ultimate(s) Talk With Andy

Back in 2002, Marvel began publishing The Ultimates, a then modern and socio-politically aware version of The Avengers set in the same universe as Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men. The writer (Mark Millar) and the artist (Bryan Hitch) updated Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and the others and produced two series over the course of five years. I recently finished the first series (after starting it over a decade ago) and read the second one and had some thoughts about those twenty-six issues. My good friend (and podcasting partner over on The Overlooked Dark Knight) Andrew Leyland read the two series at the same time that I did and our messaging back and forth through Facebook turned into an episode where we discuss our feelings on the series, the characters, the writing of Millar, the art of Hitch, how this series inspired the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and what we think of the legacy of the Ultimate line as a whole.

Below are the covers to the comics we discussed during the course of this episode.

Be sure to check out Andy’s other shows. The Palace of Glittering Delights (which he does on hiw own) the Toon Trek podcast (which he hosts with Paul, Dr. Bill, and Dave), and occasionally Hey Kids Comics (with his son Micheal).

Views is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also like the official Views From The Longbox Page over on Facebook. You can email the show by clicking this link with all questions, concerns, fears, and trepidations. Also, if you could leave a review over on Apple Podcasts, that would be keen.

The opening and closing theme is “Upbeat Forever” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Next Time: No idea, but it will be about comics. Yeah. I’ll continue to stick with that.

VIEWS FROM THE LONGBOX EPISODE 274 – MMMS 2021 ACTS OF VENGEANCE: CAPTAIN AMERICA

Episode 274 – MMMS 2021 Acts of Vengeance: Captain America

The Merry Marvel MARCHing Society crossover continues with an all-star panel of comic book podcasters teaming up to talk about the Captain America issues that tied into Acts of Vengeance. Joining me to talk about these amazing issues of Cap are Jarrod, Delvin, and Jason from The Longbox Crusade, and those guys are so much fun to record with. We do bits, joke around, talk about Captain America issues 365-367, and generally have a great time. What is the office culture like in the Red Skull’s organization? Are Ron Lim and Kieron Dwyer a good fit as artists? What is up with that back-up feature where a dude spits into another dude’s mouth? And are the Red Skull’s cuff links on point? Listen and find out.

Below are the covers and select pages from the comics discussed during this episode.

A Proud Participant in the Merry Marvel MARCHing Society 2021 event!

Thanks again for Jarrod, Delvin, and Jason for stopping by!

Next Time: Either a shoot the breeze episode with Andy Leyland or a “lost” episode with Paul Spataro.

VIEWS FROM THE LONGBOX EPISODE 273 – MMMS 2021 ACTS OF VENGEANCE: MOON KNIGHT AND THE INCREDIBLE HULK

Episode 273 – Merry Marvel MARCHing Society 2021 Acts of Vengeance: Moon Knight and The Incredible Hulk

Views is back just in time to take part in the newest podcasting crossover epic called The Merry Marvel MARCHING Society. This year a bunch of us have banded together to cover the best ever, ain’t no doubt about it Marvel crossover OF ALL TIME…Acts of Vengeance.

I’m dedicating two episodes of Views to this crossover. This time out I am talk about two different titles that crossed over with the event. In Marc Spector: Moon Knight issues 8-10, Marc teams up with The Punisher to take on Flag-Smasher and the forces of ULTIMATUM. Moon Knight also has to take on three zed-list villains, who actually give him a run for his money. Then, in Incredible Hulk #363, Doctor Doom tasks the Gray Gargoyle with either capturing or killing the Hulk, which is easier said than done.

All of this and a brand new theme song!

Below are the covers and select pages from the comics discussed during this episode.

Podcasts promoted during this episode are…

Make Ours Marvel – Hosted by Jon Wilson and Michael Kaiser
The Quarter Bin Podcast – Hosted by Alan Middleton

A Proud Participant in the Merry Marvel MARCHing Society 2021 event!

Next Time: Jarrod, Delvin, and Jason from The Longbox Crusade join me to talk about the Captain America issues that crossed over with Acts of Vengeance!

VIEWS FROM THE LONGBOX EPISODE 272 – TALES FROM THE LETTERS PAGE

Episode 272 – Tales From The Letters Pages

At the risk of sounding like and old man and talking about when I wore an onion on my belt (which was the style of the time) there was a time when the letters pages of a comic was a big deal. They’re still around today, but the mystique of them has been replaced with the various ways talking about comics is done on the Internet. In their day, the letters pages were a window into what the audience was thinking about the books they were reading and if you could get a letter printed it was a big deal.

From 1999 to 2002(ish) I wrote (or e-mailed, I guess) into a bunch of comics and some of those missives actually got printed. In fact, one of those letters was printed in an issue of Martian Manhunter, where another letter by a fellow podcaster was also printed. And that’s why Paul Hix (co-host of Waiting For Doom, DCOCD, and The Gary Show) and I are teaming up. Not only do we talk about why the letters pages mattered but we read a handful of the ones that we got printed with some fun digressions along the way.

Below is the cover and the letters page from the book where Paul and I first “worked” together.

Next Time: No idea, but it will be about comics. Yeah. I’ll stick with that.

VIEWS FROM THE LONGBOX EPISODE 271 – 100 BULLETS: FIRST SHOT, LAST CALL

Episode 271 – 100 Bullets: First Shot, Last Call

Views is back and I have a case of Vertigo.

(In all seriousness, I have suffered from vertigo from time to time over the past fifteen years. It’s not fun. That has nothing to do with this episode, but I felt like sharing.)

Anyway, this time out I am joined by Professor Alan to talk about the first trade paperback collection of the Vertigo series 100 Bullets. Well, that’s only half the episode. During the first part, we discuss the idea of The Lifetime Pass. Does something a creator does that you love give that creator a lifetime pass when it comes to other projects that aren’t as good or are problematic. Examples discussed are Brian Azzarello and J. Michael Straczynski. It’s a fun conversation that is full of nuance and the occasional cheap joke.

After that, Alan and I discuss the first two story arcs of 100 Bullets. They are linked by a mysterious man offering a gun and 100 rounds of untraceable bullets to get the revenge the person being offered deserves to exact, but are set in very different worlds and there is a mystery afoot. Alan is the one that turned me on to this series after talking about it on one of his shows and I’m glad I not only read these issues but that I got to talk to Alan about them.

Here are the covers and select (and potentially NSFW) pages from the comics discussed on this episode.

Alan is the host or co-host of some fantastic shows over on The Relatively Geeky Podcasting Network. Those shows are The Quarter Bin Podcast, Shortbox Showcase (which he hosts with his progeny Em), and Doomspeak. On a separate but equally awesome feed, he co-hosts (again, with Em) Dorkness to Light, which is where theology and pop culture meet. All of these shows are amazing and I cannot recommend them enough.

Next Time: Paul Hix stops by to discuss writing letters to comic books and actually getting them published.

VIEWS FROM THE LONGBOX EPISODE 270 – THE SUMMER OF 1990 REVISITED

Episode 270 – The Summer of 1990 Revisited

The summer of 1990 was thirty years ago and while it wasn’t the most important year for me and comics it was a pretty big summer for me. So, I thought it would be fun to trip hammer through the books I read that summer and into the fall (and maybe earlier in the year, because it’s 2020 and rules have no meaning) and get into why I liked them so much. I also thought it would be fun to bring a friend along for the ride, so Tom Panarese (he of Pop Culture Affidavit and Required Reading With Tom and Stella fame) joins me on this journey through time and nostalgia.

We cover a lot of comics. Nothing in great detail, but we go through the comics that we read and that meant the most to us. Topics include; the Robin mini-series, the return of the Joker, Todd McFarlane’s Spider-Man #1, the Alan Grant Demon series, the Superman books that came out that summer, Comics Scene magazine, the Flash, Aliens vs. Predator, and much, much more. There are also memories of traveling to El Paso, Texas and plenty of tangents along the way.

Below is a gallery of the covers to some of the covers we talked about in this episode.

Thanks again to Tom Panarese for coming out to play. Be sure to catch the premiere episode of a new/old series on the Fortress of Baileytude Podcasting Network called Views On…, which will be coming out soon.

Next Time: Alan Middleton stops by to talk about the first five issues of the Vertigo series 100 Bullets.

VIEWS FROM THE LONGBOX EPISODE 269 – JLMAY 2020: COUNTDOWN TO INFINITE CRISIS

Episode 269 – JLMAY 2020: Countdown to Infinite Crisis

Welcome to the kick off to JLMay 2020!

In case this is your first experience with JLMay, it is an annual podcasting crossover where a bunch of different networks and shows get together to cover a particular maxi-series, fifth week event, or crossover. It started in 2016 and over the years we’ve talked about JLA: Year One, Justice (the Alex Ross grown up Super Friends series), The Silver Age (a DC Fifth Week Event), and Blackest Night. This year we’re covering Countdown to Infinite Crisis.

Not Infinite Crisis.

Countdown to Infinite Crisis.

The event before the event.

Over the course of several hours, I, along with some guests, discuss the Countdown to Infinite Crisis 80 Page Giant that DC released to get the ball rolling. What happens when a hero that has seen better days, the Blue Beetle, stumbles upon a mystery that could shake the heroes of the DC Universe to their core? Why is Batman so paranoid and what is Brother I? What’s going on with magic and why is Captain Marvel fighting the Spectre? Why are the planets Rann and Thanagar at war? And what does the espionage agency Checkmate have to do with Blue Beetle’s life being in danger? Some of those questions are answered and some are merely hinted at over the course of this special, but one this is certain; the final fate of the Ted Kord Blue Beetle will be the shot heard around the universe.

Joining me for this special are some people I’ve been podcasting with for years and a bunch of people that I have listened to but never worked with. Things start, as they often do on Views From The Longbox with The Irredeemable Shag (of The Fire and Water Podcast ) but they continue with Mike Staley (Silent Knight: The Cassandra Cain Podcast), Jon and Maggie Schaefer-Hames (Married With Comics), Clinton Robison (The Coffee and Comics Podcast), J David Weter (Dave’s Gambit Podcast), and then back to The Irredeemable Shag. Shag and I break down the era this book was published during and then the rest of the crew and I tackle each chapter leading to Beetle’s last stand. It’s a fun three hours.

Yes, this is three hours. If that makes you go, “Wow, when am I going to have time to listen to all of this?”, fear not because the sections break down into smaller, more bite sized chunks of show. You can listen to the whole thing at once, or listen to a section, live your life, and then come back to it. The choice, as ever, is yours.

Below are the cover and select pages from the comic discussed in this episode.

The fun of JLMay 2020 is only just beginning! Be sure to check out the following shows over the course of May to continue the epic coverage of the event before the event.

Also, if you are listening to these shows and digging this podcast crossover, be sure to use #JLMay2020 if you’re sharing these episodes on social media.

Next Time: An episode I’ve had on the editing block for awhile, but haven’t gotten to because…reasons. Paul Spataro joins me for a Fireside Chat to talk about the Bring on the Bad Guys trade paperback.

VIEWS FROM THE LONGBOX EPISODE 268: SEMI-RETIRED

Episode 268: Semi-Retired

Over the past few years I have been selling off the majority of my comic book collection and back in August I sold the final, giant chunk all in one lot. At the same time, I have felt myself moving farther and farther away from the modern comic book marketplace. Since Views is all about my history with and opinons on comics I thought it would be interesting to sit down and talk about those two developments. I tried doing it solo, but it never worked. Around the same time, Andrew Leyland (he of Palace of Glittering Delights and Listen to the Prophets: A Deep Space Nine Podcast) was going through a similar set of circumstances, so we got together and spent about two hours discussing our feelings on collecting and comics and how things are different now.

This is my anti-catharsis episode. We’re not here to yell at clouds (though a little of that does happen). We’re here to talk about how it is to be a semi-retired comic book reader, fan, and collector. Discussions include my collecting history, the different reasons Andy and I have sold our books, adventures in eBay selling, what we’re currently enjoying, and why it’s okay to walk away.

Warning: There is political talk in this episode. Not a lot, but it’s there.

Next Time: No clue. I haven’t decided on an episode yet. Stay tuned.

VIEWS FROM THE LONGBOX EPISODE 267 – JUSTICE LEAGUE: DARKSEID WAR

Episode 267 – Justice League: Darkseid War

Hey! It’s an episode of Views! Wonders never cease.

Anyway, this time out I am joined by Stephen Lacey (of Fantasticast fame) to finish some business we started a few years ago. Way back in episode 191 of this show, Stephen and I talked about Forever Evil in specific and the New 52 version of Justice League in general. Now we finish that conversation by discussing the final three story lines of Geoff Johns’ run on Justice League.

We begin with the stories packaged in Vol. 6 of the trade paperbacks. Injustice League continues from where Forever Evil left off with Lex Luthor joining the Justice League whether they like it or not. We see the early days of Jessica Cruz, Lex confronting Bruce Wayne with the fact that he’s Batman and a zombie outbreak that ended up being really good. Then, Stephen and I get into Darkseid War by looking at the two trades that collected that story and the trade collecting nearly all of the one shot specials that served as the mid-point of this epic as well as being a pretty decent cash grab.

Keep an ear out for the point in the show where I make a pretty big mistake and leave it in because that’s how I roll.

Special thanks to Stephen for coming back to the show. We had a lot of fun discussing these comics.

Next Time: Andy Leyland joins me to do a state of the union of our comic collecting.

VIEWS FROM THE LONGBOX EPISODE 266: ANNIVERSARY COMICS WITH FRIENDS

Episode 266: Anniversary Comics With Friends or Why Did I Do This To Myself?

In the second part of the extremely late and yet still entertaining set of episodes celebrating 10 years of Views From The Longbox I am joined by The Irredeemable Shag (of The Fire and Water Podcast) and Andrew Leyland (of The Overlooked Dark Knight, Hey Kids Comics, Listen to the Prophets, The Fantasticast and The Palace of Glittering Delights) to talk about three…count them…three anniversary issues of super-hero comics. These comics include Brave and the Bold #150, Star Wars #50 and Amazing Spider-Man #250. I also spend about twenty or so minutes at the end when the guys have left to talk to you about the show and where it’s going.

Here are some pages from the comics we talked about on this episode.