Pulp Culture Podcast

027 - Mother Wrestling Comic Books

Pulp Culture Productions Season 1 Episode 27

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0:00 | 2:37:34

MJ & Nath kick things off by wishing all the mums a very Happy Mother’s Day… and it’s gloriously downhill from there.

The boys somehow end up wrestling with the ever-growing size of movie theatre popcorn buckets, while Nath develops a brand-new obsession with wrestler Danhausen, very nice, very evil, very intriguing for MJ.

There’s a heap of Free Comic Book Day reviews, a shout out to the new show Windows Bay that you absolutely need to check out, and the boys also farewell Season 1 of Maul: Shadow Lord. Plus, the Mos Eisley Mailbag returns with even more wonderfully weird correspondence for a galaxy far, far away.

Popcorn chaos, comic goodness and maximum pulphausen, it’s the Pulp Culture Podcast. 

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SPEAKER_07

Okay, but not the monkey staff.

SPEAKER_00

Let's get this podcast started. Here's your host, MJ Mate.

SPEAKER_07

Hey, welcome to the Pop Culture Podcast, your weekly dose of all things pop culture. Freshly squeezed for you. I'm Nate. I'm MJ. And word to your mother. Wow. My mother? Well, my mother, your mother, everyone's mother.

SPEAKER_09

Okay.

SPEAKER_07

As as uh as as Mr. T would say, mothers. Love a mother.

SPEAKER_10

So um Hello to all the mothers and mother figures out there.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, happy Mother's Day. Guardian's Day. Is it? Well, by the time this episode comes out, it'll be the day after. Oh jeez, is it? So it's post post-Mother's Day.

SPEAKER_10

I'd better buy a gift.

SPEAKER_07

Uh I've got my list. I'll just give her comics. That sounds like a great, great, great uh been read. I think you work in a shop that would help you out with that. Yes. Yeah, no, I've got it locked down. Yeah. But uh regardless of being uh the day after Mother's Day, happy uh Mother's Day to all those that are mothers. Happy May the 4th. And oh yes. And it's uh for us it's it's uh it's what it's uh May the 6th, isn't it? It's the fifth. Yeah, so it's May the 5th. May the 5th, May the 6th. May the Sith strike you down.

SPEAKER_10

Up in your business.

SPEAKER_07

Up in your grills. Wow.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah. That turned sour real quick, didn't it? Yeah, May the Sith be with you. Yeah, no. May May the Fourth be with you. I hope you all had a good May the 4th.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, it was great. You know, you know what I love about May the 4th? What's that? Is it how how much we get, you know, it depends on your algorithm, obviously. Yeah. But how much we get flooded with Star Wars excellence.

SPEAKER_10

I love um the stuff that comes from like places that you wouldn't expect.

SPEAKER_07

Oh yes.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, like there was a I don't know whether you saw it, but there was an uh AFLW team. No. I think it was the Bulldogs. Yeah. And one of the girls must be a a Star Wars fan or something, and and so the challenge that the social media team had set her was to while she was training drop as many Star Wars quotes as she possibly could. So she was running around saying stuff like sand, it's coarse and rough and blah blah blah blah. And it was very funny.

SPEAKER_07

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, it was very good.

SPEAKER_07

They had uh they had the uh the Empire State Building in New York, and they had jeweling, jeweling uh lightsabers.

SPEAKER_10

Oh nice.

SPEAKER_07

So I think it was the the the tower next to it, whatever that tower is called next to the Empire State Building. Um Big W. And uh and they had a red and a blue light lights coming out of the top of them, so they looked like lightsabers.

SPEAKER_10

Oh nice.

SPEAKER_07

Which is which was a really nice one to see as well. My social media was flooded with Star Wars, but um and Star Wars art, which I loved seeing as well.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, all the artists were jumping on and everybody was getting into it.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

What did you do?

SPEAKER_07

Uh what did I do? Well, I I wore my uh well, we posted what we were doing on ones. I walked t-shirt my 1980s Luke Skywalker t-shirt, my Metro t-shirt and my C3PO socks. So that was amazing. I I remember quite a number of years ago, about five or six years ago, I was working um in a corporate building, and when I walked into the building at eight o'clock in the morning, they had uh the Star Wars theme going. Oh, nice. Which I thought was amazing. Yeah, very good. So um so yeah, someone was obviously a fan and put that on for the for the day.

SPEAKER_10

So it's good. We should all respect each other's religious holidays.

SPEAKER_07

And what about you? You worked in the in the store.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, no, I um uh wore my Revenge of the Sith t-shirt, my new one. Would have been more appropriate today. It would have, yeah, yeah. But I mean it was still Star Wars, yeah. Um, which was really good. And I wore my Star Wars uh new era cap. Oh yes, and I wore my um uh somewhat homemade Star Wars uh jacket with the patches sewn all over it. Um and it was good, yeah. There were lots of people um wanting to talk Star Wars yesterday. Um that's awesome. I was amazed that I made it through the day without getting the more Shadow Lord finale spoiled. Um very impressed and very grateful to all of the people that spoke to me that uh they didn't um they didn't spoil it for me. But um yeah, it was was it was a good day. There was a good vibe when I went and bought coffees for everybody in the morning. The the coffee shop people were really excited to talk Star Wars with me. And um, yeah, no, it was it was it was a good Star Wars day.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, that's awesome. That's so good. Yeah, anyway, let's get into the zest.

SPEAKER_10

Let's get into the zest. All right, Mr. Trailers. Yes, got some trailers. We do have some trailers. Trailers have been coming in hard and fast right up until even this afternoon. Yeah, right up in our face. Yes, made that worse, didn't you? Um I dug a hole and you jumped in it with me. Um yeah, well let's I mean, let's talk about the most recent one. Like um this afternoon. The Odyssey. Yeah, the Odyssey. Like I'd already made all my notes, I thought, for um the the this episode, and and then the Odyssey trailer dropped.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, I look this is um maybe maybe uh help the listeners out for those that might not know too much about the Odyssey and what what's involved with that.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, well, Christopher Nolan's uh new movie, and it's based on I think it's the the oldest written um story in human history. Yeah, right. Um the Homer's The Odyssey.

SPEAKER_07

It was like a Sanskrit text or something or something like that, yeah.

SPEAKER_10

It's a really old story anyway, but it's a you know the basis of much Greek myth. Um it's uh certainly the basis of a lot of what we see in um from pop a pop culture perspective, Percy Jackson and then the the lightning thief and the Olympians. Um and yeah, this movie's been being made for it feels like the last couple of years, I think. Yeah, it's got an amazing cast.

SPEAKER_07

And it's and it's epic, it's going to be an epic film.

SPEAKER_10

It's literally an epic. It's like the the epic of epics. Like the only way you could make anything more epic is when if you make it like a biblical story or you know, you wanted to remake the Lord of the Rings.

SPEAKER_07

It's um it's just short of three hours, I think, too. So by about 15 minutes or something.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, well, it should. I mean, it should be. It's it's there's a heck of a lot that happens in the story.

SPEAKER_07

Um amazing cast as well.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, a fantastic cast.

SPEAKER_07

Damon, uh, we've got Tom Holland.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, Anne Hathaway, John Berthel. Um, the list goes on. It's um uh interesting, like getting back to talking about the trailer, that um I noticed that we don't we actually don't see heaps and heaps of people from the that that we know that are in the cast in the trailer. Um as big as as it as big as it looks, it it still feels to me like a trailer that's not actually showing us much that we're gonna see in the in the movie.

SPEAKER_07

Well, we really didn't get uh, you know, because there is monsters involved or beasts involved.

SPEAKER_10

There are, yeah.

SPEAKER_07

And we didn't get a real good look at those either.

SPEAKER_10

No, we we got a little bit of a look at some. Yeah, like I didn't freeze frame or anything. We just they were quick. Yeah, we just we watched it once, but um uh there were monsters to be seen, but yeah, they were uh keeping it um fairly uh yeah under wraps.

SPEAKER_07

I I I I I don't know about you, but I I just felt like this was a Christopher Nolan trailer. Yeah. It just it it felt very much in line with what he did with Tenant and um Inception and you know those other ones where he gives you just enough to get excited about and then you have to wait to the movie to see the rest.

SPEAKER_10

I thought it was yeah, I mean uh as I said, I've only watched it once, but I thought it was a like a lot of trailers, uh early trailers, it felt like a tone setter. Yeah, like it was trying to give us a a a sense of the the tone of the film. I thought it seemed the tone that we were getting, I thought seemed a little bit lighter than what I expect from Christopher Nolan films. Yeah, but part of me wonders whether they've done that because the next run of big films, like the next reason that people are gonna have to go to the cinema is going to be lighter, sort of fair. Yeah. Like Supergirl looks like it's gonna have its share of uh weight and intensity, and from what we know of the source material of I think it probably will. Yeah, but at the same time, I think it's gonna be a fairly I mean it's it's a it's a supergirl film. Yeah. Um so uh between that and Spider-Man and what am I forgetting? Uh Mando and Grogu. Yeah, so like the next run of movies, the American summer movies are gonna be fairly light, and that's the audience that uh currently has the eye of cinema. Yeah, and I feel like this trailer's uh sort of set to appeal to those people. Yeah. I think I I definitely think that this story is gonna get dark, the Odyssey. Um you know the book certainly does, the the the story certainly does. Um it's uh basically a a story of of um you know one man's um uh years long attempt to get home after years and years of war.

SPEAKER_07

And all the stuff that he gets put through to get home.

SPEAKER_10

Absolutely. That's that the whole I mean that's what what the odd what what the word Odyssey has become known as. It's it's it's a you know huge struggle in saga. So um yeah, I thought that the tone was you know perhaps a bit lighter than what the the film as a whole might be, but um that's fine.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

It was nice to finally get a look at it.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, absolutely. I I'm I'm I'm all down for it and um looking forward to seeing that in the cinema. Because I think that's the only way you really want to be watching this is definitely some of those battles are gonna be pretty, you know, big.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah. Hoyt's needs to hurry up and build those new IMAX.

SPEAKER_07

IMAX theatres that they're gonna build, yeah. 14 new ones, or I think it was.

SPEAKER_10

Oh, 10 or 14, yeah, something like that. Um, but yeah, no, I think it's definitely gonna be an IMAX one where possible.

SPEAKER_07

What's gonna happen to Village?

SPEAKER_10

If they're doing IMAXs, it's putting putting uh putting pressure on village, they've got to come up they'll have to do um uh bigger, more ridiculous popcorn buckets. V V Max, they'll have to do more V Maxes. Yeah. Have you seen the si like I'm rambling today, but have you seen that the size of that AT AT popcorn bucket?

SPEAKER_07

It's massive.

SPEAKER_10

No, because I was thinking about getting that and then I saw how big it was and I thought, nah, we're gonna chance.

SPEAKER_07

Can we go off topic for a second?

SPEAKER_10

It's bigger than my dog.

SPEAKER_07

Can we go? You know it's true. It's true. Can we can we go off topic about popcorn buckets for a sec? And and and this is a bit of a hot take. Yeah, and listeners, you help us out. Tell us what you think about popcorn buckets. But do you think it's getting a little bit excessive with the popcorn bucket?

SPEAKER_10

Like Are you asking listeners or are you asking me?

SPEAKER_07

I'm asking both, right? So I'm asking you, do you think that we're getting a bit excessive with the popcorn bucket? It's getting a little bit out of control. Yes, and I love it. Where do you put that when you were going into the I know in the cinema?

SPEAKER_10

But that's the fun of it. It's like but that's I'm like I I I've you know, I I've said to someone recently that like I think I said to you when we're went well after when we went to Kmart and we had a look at toys and stuff, and I said, if I ever get a Millennium Falcon Lego, it's gonna be the biggest one. Yeah, and that's because I want it to be ridiculous. Like, if I'm ever gonna do it, I'm gonna do it properly.

SPEAKER_07

Do you think this is like part of the movie going experience now? Is to as part of the part of the gameplay, is like get there for the trailers, but then during the trailers, you're struggling to know where to put your popcorn bucket.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, like you've got to yeah, in st like back in the day, back in the day you had to make try and make sure that you weren't sitting behind the lady with the giant haircut. Yeah. And now you've got to try and make sure that you're not sitting behind the person with the giant light up with sound glow-in-the-dark popcorn bucket. Um no, I yeah, look, I mean, it is a bit ridiculous, but um when you keep in mind that the reason that they're doing it is because cinemas are struggling to make ends meet. Um, you know, that that that's how they're they're because of the money that they're getting as part of their share of of ticket sales, yeah. Um, you know, they're they're they're trying to use concessions and popcorn buckets as licensing for to give them some extra cash.

SPEAKER_07

Um I don't get that part, right? I get that part, but I there's gotta be uh, you know, like you know when you go on a and you take your kids on a ride and they've got the you know, if you're this high, then you can go on the ride.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

I'm starting to wonder whether we need if it's this high, then it shouldn't be made as a popcorn bucket.

SPEAKER_10

Right. No, that's no fun. Yeah, yeah, that's no fun.

SPEAKER_07

Because, you know, I mean, you've got you've gotta you've also got to work out where you're gonna put these in your house because they're getting bigger and bigger. Yeah, but I soon you're gonna need a storage storage unit just for your popcorn buckets.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, I'm I'm definitely like I I think if I ever buy a really ridiculous one, it's I'm gonna buy maybe one really ridiculous one.

SPEAKER_07

Do you do you think that uh popcorn buckets will like we'll look up, we'll look at this in like 10 years' time, and popcorn buckets are gonna be like, you know, the thing to to to cash in on? Like it'll be a good idea.

SPEAKER_10

With the housing crisis, people are gonna be living in them. Like you look at the size of that AT80 one, it's uh the size of a small one-bedroom apartment.

SPEAKER_07

You could probably put a hamster, that could be a new, you know, if you put a hamster, that could be its new home.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, oh, completely. Yeah. Like I said, my dog could live in one of those things.

SPEAKER_07

Uh you tell us, listen, tell us what you think. Do you think that popcorn buckets should be a, you know, there should be a minimum, uh maximum height, or uh, or am I just being a uh grumpy old man sitting behind someone with a humongous ATAT sitting on the the next three people in front of them's laps?

SPEAKER_10

It'll probably be me.

SPEAKER_07

Hit us up on PumpConchapad on all our socials. Uh what other trails have we got?

SPEAKER_10

Oh wow. Um uh let's have a look at my my extensive list. Um I've got a couple in here that I possibly wouldn't normally talk about, but I watched them and really, really loved them. Uh we uh it feels like forever ago, but um the Ted Lasso teaser.

SPEAKER_07

Oh yeah, I saw that, yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Um we we got that and we got a date announcement. It's coming out on the 5th of August. Um did you watch have you watched Ted Lasso?

SPEAKER_07

No, it's on my list. It just it yeah, it's it's it's it it gets to the top and then something else comes and it sort of just pushes us back down.

SPEAKER_10

There's a lot, there's a lot to watch. Yeah, um, yeah, no, we we we we loved the first three seasons of Ted Lasso and I'm really excited that it's um returning. I really like the the twists in this one. It's not spoilers so much, but um the first three seasons uh uh Ted um uh uh look uh coaching the men's football team at at um I was gonna say Wrexham, but at Richmond AFC, getting my um football shows confused. Um and uh this this one he's returning to to Richmond um to coach the women's team. Um so there's a bit of a spin on it, but it's um I think it's a poignant one with the rise of women's sports. Um I think that's a really fun uh way to to just change things up a little bit and no doubt introduce some different characters. Um yeah, so uh uh Ted Lasso. Um one we didn't talk about in our last episode was Spider Noir.

SPEAKER_07

Oh yes, that was um yeah, I think we just I think it had kind of dropped around this around the time we we were recording.

SPEAKER_10

I hadn't I actually hadn't watched the trailer. I kept it it wasn't it wasn't so much that I was putting it off. I've been busy and and I just hadn't actually watched the thing. I watched it for the first time earlier today. Yeah, it looks amazing.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, it's it's phenomenal. It's um it's really in that that uh it it it it feels very noir, right? It's good, it's just it's just oozing with with um that sort of detective, you know, 20s sort of feel to it.

SPEAKER_10

I've seen lots of people comparing it to various things this week. Uh Batman the Animated Series, yeah, um Sin City. Yep. Um and I can see all of those things in the trailer.

SPEAKER_07

Like it just looks Werewolf by Night would I would have to be a good idea. Werewolf by night would be the same same well.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, it just it looks really, really great. And um in I I was even more excited watching the trailer because there were people that I knew were in it. Um Nicholas Cage, obviously. Um Lamor Morris, who is from uh Fargo, um uh amongst other things. Um uh he's in it as well. Um, but I also spotted another one of my favourites from Boardwalk Empire, Jack Houston. Oh yes.

SPEAKER_07

Um I think he's playing Electro.

SPEAKER_10

I think he might be playing Sandman. Oh Sandman. Yeah, I only had a quick look at IMDB today, but uh, but I think it I think it might be um Sandman. Sandman. But um I also spotted uh Li Jun Lee, who is from Sinners.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, okay, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_10

She played Grace in Sinners, and she's obviously got a reasonably um She's like the damsel by the looks of it. Uh something like that. Yeah, um but yeah, no, she's she's uh got a reasonably prominent role as well. So um and then of course Brendan Gleason and and a whole bunch of other people.

SPEAKER_07

So this is kind of the part that Nick Cage was born to play, really, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_10

I mean he and at this stage of his career in life too, like it it it just seems to have um you know happened naturally. Like he's obviously he's voiced the character in you know two Spider-Verse movies, and and now to be able to play him in live action is um is a real gift and opportunity. But yeah, um I wasn't super pumped when I first heard about this. I was a bit dismissive of it, um, like I have been about some of the other spider spin-offs that we've had.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, um but this one's that's all good reason, right? All those other ones, yeah, very good reason.

SPEAKER_10

They've brought that on themselves, yeah. Yeah, but um you know this one uh I really think it looks amazing, and I'm I'm going into it you know as open-minded as I possibly can, I think.

SPEAKER_07

Starting with black and white and then going over to that was gonna be my next question.

SPEAKER_10

Yes. Um I I for one amount it in black and white, but I'm interested to interested to know what other people are gonna do. Um but yeah, for me, black and white is the way to go.

SPEAKER_07

It's interesting because when Werewolf by Night came out, that was black and white only. And then they brought out that was a true colour or hue colour or whatever they called it. True hue, true hue colour or something like something like that. Um and then they brought that out later, it was like a month or two later they brought that out. Yeah, well, I mean and whereas this time we're getting the option of one or the other um straight away. But I I think to to have the you know, to get into the sort of the mood of what they're trying to achieve, I think black and white's probably a good start for me.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, I think it's I mean it's it's not it's obviously a novelty to have the option from the very start, but I don't I don't hate that. I think that's fine. I think having you know more than one choice when you're watching something like this is fine.

SPEAKER_07

Um I think we've talked about this before, but have you watched Indiana Jones in black and white?

SPEAKER_10

I haven't yet, no.

SPEAKER_07

Definitely, you know, listeners, um do yourself a favour. You've probably watched Indiana Jones and um Raiders of the Lost Ark a million times. Watch it in black and white changes the whole entire film.

SPEAKER_10

No, I still haven't figured out how to do that on my remote.

SPEAKER_07

I've just turned the colour down.

SPEAKER_10

No, I don't I don't know, but I don't know what you're saying. Those those words don't make any sense to me.

SPEAKER_07

Destroy your diagram later.

SPEAKER_10

Oh as long as that's on a with pen and paper, then that's fine.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_10

Um yeah, no, I I really enjoyed um uh Justice is Grey, the the the black and white cut of Justice, uh Zack Snyder's Justice League.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Um I think uh when I re-watched that again, I've watched it several times since. I'll probably watch it in the black and white if possible. Yeah. Um because yeah, there was just something I don't know, there's something very magical about it and something that um really uh does credit to the cinematography in in that film at least. And I think that's it's gonna be the same with this Spider Noir.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, I think it just changes your perception on the film, right? Because everything's in colour, um, it's already sort of all there for you. Whereas when you take away the colour, then you've kind of it kind of leaves your mind open to watching the whole thing.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, it's like when you take away one sense, your other senses get heightened. Yeah, like yeah, like if you if you can't if you can't see something you hear more, and if you can't hear something, you see more. Yeah, um definitely. Yeah, no, it's um it it's gonna be an interesting exercise, but like I said, I'm I'm interested to know what other people think too.

SPEAKER_07

And that's not too far away for us to to to start viewing that. So uh 27th of May. Yeah, yeah. I know. Fantastic. Yeah. What other trails you got?

SPEAKER_10

Um I also have oh, here we go. Uh getting into some of the more random ones, but but but but things that um I thought were really interesting. Um you texted me about this this afternoon.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, I did.

SPEAKER_10

But the um the end of Oak Street. The end of Oak Street. It's a teaser, really.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, it is a teaser.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

This is it it looks like like it's it's it looks like a new story, which is kind of cool.

SPEAKER_10

I know nothing about the background of this.

SPEAKER_07

No, neither do I, and this is what I like about the teaser. So from from everything that we've seen in the teaser, essentially it is about a neighborhood, a large uh uh US suburban neighborhood.

SPEAKER_10

You and McGregor.

SPEAKER_07

Which and uh and Hathaway and Hathaway um and and their kids and their kids uh and this this this neighborhood get transported and end up what looks like maybe in the Jurassic period in the Jurassic period, yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, it's like dinosaurs and stuff.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, it's like Jurassic Park meets Twin Peaks.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, like they don't give us whole a whole lot of detail about the logistics of it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um but you can see clearly that there is a boundary line on the the whole thing has moved.

SPEAKER_09

So it's like a cliff at the end. Yeah, it's like a cliff, yeah.

SPEAKER_07

So something mystical has happened to to transport them away from their their normal neighborhood.

SPEAKER_10

It reminds me of um assorted crisis events. Oh do you know what I mean? Yes. Have you read Assorted Crisis Events?

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, I haven't read it all, but I I I I know the one you're talking about.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, but assorted crisis events, uh for for anyone who doesn't know is is um you know an ongoing series um about uh uh time crisis. So um uh different times and time periods have all crashed together. There's dinosaurs and Roman legionaries and World War II soldiers and um they're all populating the world. Yeah um and it's uh an anthology series about stories of people uh trying to exist in that setting. And this one this movie sort of looks a bit like an episode a chapter of a sort of crisis events. Yeah, I can see that. Um you know it's it's about this family that um yeah, their house has literally been moved into the dinosaur age or something, yeah or to the savage land from Marvel or um I think it looks really fascinating.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, I I I agree with you. I I think it looks um I think it looks fun. I mean it'll be it's nice to have a a dinosaur movie that's not Jurassic Park.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, yeah, it'll be interesting to see um how they perhaps treat it differently, maybe they won't, but yeah, um yeah, and I'm I'm potentially excited about that movie. And it doesn't look as terrifying as the the next trailer that I'm gonna talk to you about.

SPEAKER_07

You're gonna talk about Resident Evil.

SPEAKER_10

I am gonna talk about uh Zach Craig's Resident Evil. Yeah, um largely because that trailer is amazing. It it's cool, it's very cool.

SPEAKER_07

It's it's really cool.

SPEAKER_10

Like it makes me very certain I'm not gonna go see the movie.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, I I will definitely be seeing the movie. Um I I I liked the very first movie that they did. Second movie was okay, and then we sort of went down the rabbit hole with terrible films.

SPEAKER_10

I haven't seen any of them.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, really? You haven't seen the fur the the original with uh Mila Jovic?

SPEAKER_10

Miliovovich, yeah. Yeah, no, I I love her. I think she's great from um uh The Fifth Element and other stuff. Uh I'm a big fan. Um she was great in um But no, the Resident Evil movies have always looked a bit too creepy for me.

SPEAKER_07

This this this one gives it puts us in a this sort of sits outside of what from my understanding is it's outside of the canon of Resident Evil. Well it looks like a reboot. This is like an independent story to like the game and anything else that they've done.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, so it's taking the concept, yeah.

SPEAKER_07

And so this is this is one man who stumbles into the wrong um the wrong area on his way home, yeah, and turns out that this is like full-blown zombie, you know, monster territory um that you would expect from Resident Evil.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, and this has um got uh genetic connections with uh one of last year's hits, Weapons.

SPEAKER_07

Yes.

SPEAKER_10

It's directed by Zack Krager and it's I know it's gonna be creepy as yeah, yeah, but it's also it stars Austin Abrams, who was in Weapons.

SPEAKER_07

And and Zach Cherry's in it as well from uh Severance.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07

I I really like him.

SPEAKER_10

No, it looks it as I said, it looks really great, but but the the trailer itself was giving me chills. Yeah, it's super creepy. And that's not something that often happens. So um yeah, I'll probably opt out of that one.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah. I'll represent.

SPEAKER_10

Or I'll watch it at home, maybe.

SPEAKER_07

I'll represent. The interesting thing about it is on IMDB there's only five actors in it. So unless unless they, you know, uh are keeping that sort of under wraps who else is in it based on a trailer.

SPEAKER_10

If it's a small scale thing, that's really uh tantalizing to me, but also terrifying in a way. Does that make any sense?

SPEAKER_07

It gets it gets it gets creepier when there's less people. Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

So um that's like an enclosed space.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, absolutely. So anyway, we'll we'll we'll we'll see what happens when it's released. But uh looking forward to that.

SPEAKER_10

I'm gonna move on before I start having waking nightmares. Um Jack Ass 5.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, not interested.

SPEAKER_10

No, I probably won't go and see it in the cinema like I did the first one. Oh, really? Back in the day.

SPEAKER_07

I did.

SPEAKER_10

I went and saw it with a couple of buddies. It was one of the dumbest experiences of my life. Not my bag, but um boy did we laugh. But um, yeah, no, Jack Ars Five, uh, I saw the trailer for this and it yeah, brought back a lot of memories of when I had potentially could have taken hits like those and not been paralyzed forever. Um very concerned for the for uh Johnny Knoxville and all the old boys because they're just a little bit older than me, I think. Yeah, and I'm not sure how they're gonna survive all of this, but I guess that's part of the intrigue, isn't it?

SPEAKER_07

Well, I mean they're still around and they're still talking and they've already filmed this film, so you know, well, most of them, right. Um, but yeah, look, it's uh they they obviously survived it. Yeah. I mean, you know, there is AI now, so who knows?

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, I just uh but you know, in the days before uh TikTok and YouTube and all that sort of stuff, or in the early days of YouTube, anyway, I guess it was, um, you know, Jackass uh was a bit of a breakthrough in in um you know self-harm.

SPEAKER_07

Acceptable self-harm.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, but but self-harm, but but also like just uh pop culture entertainment, and now you know people are trying to do it every five minutes for likes on TikTok. So um I I I'm glad that they're getting to sort of go out on their own terms, and it looks like this one's gonna be a bit of a retrospective as well, like it's not just new stuff, but they're also looking back at some of the really dumb stuff that they've done before. And so um, you know, for dopes like me that like the the show back in the day, um it might be an interesting trip down memory later.

SPEAKER_07

Is that going into theatres?

SPEAKER_10

It is really wow okay. No, all five of them have gone into theatres, and I think they've all made really good money. So um, yeah, and I hope this one one does well. Who knows? Maybe I will go and see it in the theatre. I'll drag you along with me.

SPEAKER_07

I'll go see Resident Evil and then you can you can go see Jack Else and then we'll uh we'll have a conversation afterwards.

SPEAKER_10

How about I trick you and you trick me?

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, we're gonna see Jack Us. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_10

You're gonna go see Resident Jack Resident Evil Jack Us Evil.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Anyway, moving on. Yep, any others? Uh no, no other trailers. Um the only other thing I wanted to talk about is uh because I don't think we've talked about this before, is um the uh the stills from X-Men 97.

SPEAKER_07

Yes, season two. So we're getting uh we got uh character stills, uh just of who's gonna be in it.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah. I'm really excited by this.

SPEAKER_07

We're getting a feral Wolverine, which is what are that they call them that's like Badlands or something. Like there's well they're they're they're visiting the they're they're going to visit the Badlands.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah. Is that the one you're talking about?

SPEAKER_07

The the feral where he's feral, yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, yeah. Because um they all look sort of cool. I have to I have to confess, I've I've already pre-ordered the Cyclops Bad I think it's the Cyclops Badlands Funko Pop.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, awesome.

SPEAKER_10

Um with his jacket. Yeah, with his jacket and his scarf and because he looks really rad. And he looks like he's wearing um he's he's wearing a blue, I think it's a blue uniform with a white X-Cross on it. Yeah. Which reminds me of was it X-Force? Yep. The original X-Force. And that's another team that we're getting um in season two.

SPEAKER_07

We're getting X-Force and we're getting the other team as well.

SPEAKER_10

We're getting X-Force and we're getting X Factor. X Factor. Yeah, so we're getting X-Force led by Cable, featuring what looks like um a slightly I was gonna say slightly older, but it's Jubilee, but with a cool new haircut, yeah. And a groovy black sort of um cat suit costume. Yeah. Uh Archangel, Sunspot, who we saw in season one, and also Psylock.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, yeah. Um and then we get and then we get uh X-Factor.

SPEAKER_10

X-Factor with uh led by Havoc with uh characters like um uh Lorna Dane, I think.

SPEAKER_07

Um and yeah, uh I don't know, it just looks like the team that's got Magneto in it and uh and Rogue.

SPEAKER_10

I'm not sure because uh that that one's it's got Rogue, Bishop, Magneto, and Nightcrawler. Yeah. Um and they all sort of look like they're in oh I think they might be going to like prehistoric or medieval.

SPEAKER_07

They could be a Savage Lands.

SPEAKER_10

It'll be the Savage. Well maybe it's the Savage Lands. Savage Lands. I don't know, but it's there's all like time displacement as a result of the end of last season, which I can't quite remember.

SPEAKER_07

I mean, because Rogue Rogue Um when they did that uh Jim is it Jim Lee Chris Clarmont 80s um run. Yes, and they had the Savage Lands in it, yeah. Um, and uh and and Rogue and Magneto were together.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, well luckily they've they've put her in a sensible poncho.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, they have this time, right? Okay, good, good to know. No, no, she's she's got sensible weather clothing.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, she does, yeah, yeah. No, she looks rad. Yeah, like uh her hair looks all sort of um groovy and unkempt, but uh that's uh rogue at her best, in my opinion. So um I'm looking forward to this season. I I'm looking super pumped.

SPEAKER_07

The the first season was was groundbreaking. They did some really, really cool stuff.

SPEAKER_10

But it but it was i in many ways it was it was very similar to the to the look and the tone of the original series. Yes. This one looks like they're really exploding out into all sorts of different directions.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, they're they've they've sort of taken it up to the next they've turned it up to 11, right? Yeah, oh completely.

SPEAKER_10

Like, I mean, you know, if they're gonna fit storylines including all of these characters and all of these looks in, you know, 10 episodes or 12 episodes or whatever it is, yeah. Um then I'm I'm all there for it.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, totally.

SPEAKER_07

Um one thing that we posted on our socials um that that both you and I are really happy about, and it seems like Disney uh Disney heard our conversations regarding Scrubs.

SPEAKER_10

Yes, yes, they did, they did, they listened to me.

SPEAKER_07

Yep, yeah, they they did here specifically. Yep, and uh so Scrubs uh has been picked up for season two.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, I'd say thank you, but um you're welcome. Isn't it Disney?

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, it's interesting though, because that was on the bubble, like that was uh really touch and go whether that was going to get picked up or not. Was it? Yeah, it was. I hadn't heard. Um yeah, so from everything that I read, it was on the bubble. I think everything's touch and go these days. Uh not necessarily. Um, you know, some some you can guarantee. So like uh like an NCIS, you know, series will get picked up or a you know, one of those 9-11 or country whatever shows. They're they're a guarantee.

SPEAKER_10

That's pulp TV though, isn't it?

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, but um, you know, uh Scrubs was no offense, but and comedies, comedies are one of those, you know, back in the day, right? You think about the 80s, like um there was a cavalcade of of different genres of TV that we would watch. Yeah, and the lineup would be um it would sort of start with family programming, followed by a comedy, followed by an action, followed by news, right?

SPEAKER_10

And and usually if a time slot lost like a sitcom, it'd get another sitcom. Another sitcom, right?

SPEAKER_07

And and whereas now, you know, with streaming, we don't have that sort of lineup anymore. Yeah, and so comedies are really finding it hard to land a spot um like your Seinfeld's and your friends of of of the you know of the of the errors. No, there's nothing really that's um that that that has been able to have longevity as a comedy, it's interesting, isn't it?

SPEAKER_10

Because like the things that you the comedies that you hear about going for want of a better expression, viral on uh streaming services are the old ones where there's like 20 seasons.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

And so it's almost like in order to have a new sitcom be a smash hit, you'd have to release it with five seasons ready to go. Yeah. Because um, you know, people want to sort of jump in and and binge and spend all sorts of time, but they uh you know, in order to do that, you've still got to make like you've got to build up uh a catalogue of episodes.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, definitely. You definitely do, and but I'm really happy to hear about Scrubs, and I really hope that with season two brings uh even more resurgence of of um viewers so that we can get you know at least you know another three you know seasons out of it at least.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, I I think that this might be um a little bit of a um uh a rising tide what is a ri I can never get this expression right. A rising tide uh uh helps all ships or something something. Yeah, hit us up on the socials and correct me on that one. I keep going, I keep trying to use this metaphor and keep stuffing it up. Anyway, you know what I'm talking about. But it's like uh Bill Lawrence, who is the show creator and runner of Scrubs, he's he's on a bit of a you know uh the crest of a wave at the moment. Yeah. I need to stay away from the ocean metaphor. But um he he's yeah, he's at the cr he's at the crest of a wave at the moment because like he's the guy behind Ted Lasso. Yeah, he's the guy behind Shrinking. I don't know what the ratings is like for shrinking, but it's just come off its third season.

SPEAKER_07

And it's been picked up for its fourth, and it's been picked up for a fourth, yeah.

SPEAKER_10

And yeah, Ted Lasso again is coming back for a fourth. Yeah, they're all great shows. Yeah. Um and and and also um uh producer Kim and I started watching Rooster this week, too.

SPEAKER_07

Right, okay.

SPEAKER_10

Because Scrubs Steve Carell. Yeah, because Scrubs had finished, because shrinking's over, we I I figured you know, we need to you know fill the gap somewhere when we want just a 25-minute, half-hour show to watch. And so we we s we watched the first episode of Rooster, and I think that's gonna be really good too. So um, yeah, I think the fact that all of these shows are successful, um, any of the networks that have got a hold of one of them because they're on three different uh streaming services, one of them's Disney Plus, two of them are Apple, and one of them's HBO Max. Yeah, they're trying to lock them down. Yeah, um, because yeah, he he he's he's hitting a lot of home runs at the moment.

SPEAKER_07

Agree. Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

See, that's a metaphor, I landed.

SPEAKER_07

There, well done. Congratulations, I've got you a participation certificate for that one. Thank you. Uh uh got some news. Uh AMC have announced a sequel TV series to the cult classic Point Break.

SPEAKER_10

Yes. I think we've talked about this.

SPEAKER_07

Well, we've got a little bit more information now. So this is going to be 35 years after the original movie. Right. Um and Which would be what now? Which would be now. Yeah. So it's set in modern.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um, and it has to do with a new Bankheist crew that have ties to the original ex-presidents. Okay. So there's a little bit more information. But it has been greenlit for a series, AMC coming 2027. Okay. So that's good. We did speak about that, it was sort of, you know, rumoured to be possibly happening.

SPEAKER_10

But it's it's it's been given the go-ahead.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, it's been given the go-ahead and it and it's um it's got a it's it's been um sort of targeted for 2027. So no no no idea on you know who's who's writing it, who's um, you know, creating it, or who's actually um acting in it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

But um look which which stream or a network is that AMC.

SPEAKER_07

Oh AMC, yeah. Yeah, AMC. So um so yeah, it'll it'll probably pop up on a Paramount or uh, you know, um Pepsi Max or something like that. So yeah.

SPEAKER_10

I say this a lot these days, but who knows?

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, it'll it'll turn up anyway somewhere along the line. Yep. Um uh strong rumors coming out of uh the wire. Um and when I say strong rumours, we're talking about some pretty reputable sources that Eva uh D. Dominici uh is Wonder Woman in the uh new DCU.

SPEAKER_10

Okay, well I'm just looking her up on IMDB now.

SPEAKER_07

I I don't recognise a lot of the films that she's been in. She's been in a lot, um, but I don't recognise her in a lot of these films.

SPEAKER_10

Well she's uh she's Argentinian.

SPEAKER_07

Yes. Maybe that's probably why.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, well, uh no, it look I mean, yeah, it's a lot of the stuff that she's been in has been um tina-based.

SPEAKER_07

Right, gotcha.

SPEAKER_10

Um good reason why.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, well Yeah, so so so the strong rumour is that she's that she's gonna be fatigue-based uh uh ignorance there, I'm gonna say. Um yeah, so Wonder Woman, what's your what's your what's your take? I reckon she looks good.

SPEAKER_10

I reckon she could be uh um yeah, uh she could be. Um I mean, judging on looks alone. Looks alone. Um yeah, of course. Yeah, she could be Wonder Woman, but I I haven't seen her in anything. Yeah. Um my take on the DCU stuff is when James Gunn announces it, then it's real.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, but I I think we're I think we're nearly there. I think we'll see that in the it it wouldn't surprise me by by next episode we'll probably be talking about that it's that it's official.

SPEAKER_10

That's another thing with the DCU stuff is that there's often rumblings about someone before James officially announces it.

SPEAKER_07

So and I I think that's part of his I think that's part of his bag. I think he likes to sort of you know push that out a little bit and get get people talking first and then he so a bit of a soft launch. Yeah, yeah. I I I I really think he does that. So uh talking about um talking about soft launches, um uh Oscar Oscar Isaac doing a podcast this week.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um and he and they were sort of asking him about Moon Knight and what was happening with Moon Knight. Um and he said that he has had discussions with Marvel Studios uh for a potential Midnight Suns project.

SPEAKER_10

Okay.

SPEAKER_07

Um so for those of you who might not know what Midnight Suns is, um it's a comic book series that is more on the sort of the supernatural sort of side of things.

SPEAKER_10

Yes.

SPEAKER_07

Um and uh has characters like Blade and Moon Knight and Ghost Rider, um, Doctor Strange, uh Doctor Voodoo, uh and sort of like a man thing.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah. Kind of like a uh a rad Marvel Justice League Dark.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, or an Avengers Dark. Yeah. Um so that would be really cool if that's if that's happening.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, I'm I'm down for it. There's characters in there that I really like. Um if they're gonna bring back Ghost Rider though, yeah, I want him to be played by he plays Troy McClure.

SPEAKER_07

I was bored to play this part.

SPEAKER_10

Real helpful is I I I I was um pleading for my life, and then you just I just remember his I I just remember his um character name.

SPEAKER_07

Wasn't it Ronnie Ramus or wasn't that wasn't that his his name in the in the in the comic?

SPEAKER_10

Uh Robbie Rayers?

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, I think so. Robbie Rayers, yeah, in the in the comic. I that's all I remember him.

SPEAKER_10

Played by Gabriel Luna. Oh, okay. Um who plays Tommy in The Last of Us.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_10

And in Agents of Shield, there was this storyline where he came. It was a rich it was a really good uh telling of Robbie Raids.

SPEAKER_07

That was towards the end of the season uh of the series, uh I remember, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, I want to say maybe second last season. Yeah. Um because the last one was I think it was all in space and stuff.

SPEAKER_07

Yes, and time hopping and all things, yeah.

SPEAKER_10

But uh but um I really liked that um incarnation of of of Ghost Rider. Yeah. Um I'd love to see the Johnny Blaze version again, not Nicolas Cage perhaps. No, nothing against the movies, no, but um I think they can probably do a bit younger at least. Yeah, um but yeah, I'd be happy to see Johnny Blaze. But if they're gonna bring back uh Robbie Reyes and I'd love to see Gabriel Luna um play play that character.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, yeah, I agree. I I think it'd be it'd be really good. And I mean I I would probably see this probably being more of a streaming, you know, series.

SPEAKER_10

It'd be great if they got Cumberbatch.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, be great.

SPEAKER_10

Yep. Yeah, like uh Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, Moon Knight, Evigne.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, be a great introductory to Blade to then make it a movie.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah. Do you reckon it'd still be Maherschalar Harley?

SPEAKER_07

No, I reckon it's done. It's done. It's absolutely it's cooked.

SPEAKER_10

I'm still holding out hope.

SPEAKER_07

I I would like to see him in it, but I think it's cooked. I I think it's gone far too long. I think he's got other projects. I think to you know, as with Jurassic Park and its and its um popularity, he's gonna be in the next one. I think his scheduling is gonna be just too tight and he would just won't be available.

SPEAKER_10

So I'm holding on to hope, but I still think it'll be him.

SPEAKER_07

Yep, scheduling. Won't happen. Um moving on. Uh time will tell. Avengers talking about time. Uh Avengers Secret Wars. Uh uh, it looks like Marvel have learnt their lesson with timing uh when it comes to uh booking IMAX cinemas. Yeah, they have already booked in advance uh for December 2027 all IMAX cinemas for but they don't need it for secret wars.

SPEAKER_10

Haven't they got Marvel Vision or whatever it is?

SPEAKER_07

Well that's what they're talking about, but nobody knows exactly what Marvel uh what in Infinity Vision is. Infinity vision, that's nobody nobody knows what it is. So everybody's talking about this new proprietary, you know, um whatever whatever it is.

SPEAKER_10

Sounds it sounds a bit like those invisibility clubs.

SPEAKER_07

Don't you reckon? You're definitely gonna go back and listen to that episode, all right?

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, it doesn't on the weird files. Yeah, it reminds me of that.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, but uh yeah, so they've totally booked out all IMAX cinemas uh for their release. Uh and for the first I think it's four weeks of of uh of that run in uh in IMAX. Very sensible, very, very sensible um on their behalf.

SPEAKER_10

They do look a bit like silly goose goose.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, for sure. At this time, this this time around, absolutely for sure.

SPEAKER_10

I know it's geese words word nerds. No, no, geese, goose is fine. Don't at me.

SPEAKER_07

Uh DC. Oh, here's some good news you you'll be which I think you'll be um pretty excited about because we we love these, the DC animated uh films. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh so uh we're getting uh the the next one in line is Batman Nightfall. Yes, but we're not getting one movie, we're getting four movies. Yeah, I saw that. Yeah, this is wild. I'm I'm really excited about this. This is scheduled, uh the first one is scheduled for later in the year.

SPEAKER_08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um, and it's really funny, like DC Animator, they don't necessarily give us a date. It kind of just comes out of the blue weeks prior and says, Oh, our release date is this, and then two weeks passes and it's there.

SPEAKER_10

Well, when did you when did you say the first one's coming?

SPEAKER_07

Uh later in the year. So so I think uh Aztec Batman dropped sort of around uh September, October last year.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

And I think it'll be about the s I'd be guessing it'd be about the same.

SPEAKER_10

I'm really excited about this because I I love these uh DC animated universe films. Yeah, I've I've got a big collection of them. I love that they're all, you know, not all of them, but most of them are on HBO Max. I think they're a really good addition to the the um the the the catalogue.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Um and Nightfall's a great story. Um and if you're gonna do a four film um uh story, then Nightfall's a really one good one to draw from because it really does have a lot of different story phases. Oh, absolutely. Um what is there? There's uh you know, there's there's Nightfall itself where you know Batman uh encounters Bane and then there's you know the rise of Azrael, and there's the battle for the cowl as well that follows it. Um yeah, I think it's a great idea.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, and and um for those that The Dark Knight Returns was based on Nightfall. So um, you know, very loosely on Nightfall with Bane. So um so yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Oh the Dark Knight Rises.

SPEAKER_07

The Dark Knight Rises might I said the Dark Knight Returns. Yeah, wrong wrong one. Yeah, yeah. Wrong property. They're gonna they're coming, they're gonna come and Frank Miller me.

SPEAKER_10

Don't get don't get mad, Benji.

SPEAKER_07

Sorry, sorry everyone, sorry, apologies. Uh but yeah, that's that's that's really exciting. I mean, there there was a time when we were getting um great Marvel contact when it came to live action, and the only thing that was sort of keeping DC alive when it came to streaming or to to to um to anything that was being represented was was DC animated um films.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, well, uh I mean the DC animated films were before the Aeroverse.

SPEAKER_07

Before the Aeroverse, yeah.

SPEAKER_10

And then and then we had the Aeroverse, but yeah, I mean the Aeroverse wasn't everybody's cup of tea.

SPEAKER_07

No, it was YA.

SPEAKER_10

So I mean, you know, it was designed for that. We we loved it, and I continue to to love you know most aspects of the Aero Aeroverse, but um the the animated films were a more uh faithful adaptation. And before the Aeroverse was brave enough to bring in um some of the more, I guess, outlandish um, you know, uh supporting characters, the animated stuff um you know was bringing in uh characters that we'd perhaps never thought we'd see in animation. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or in uh entertainment. So um yeah, it's uh yeah, I I think that's great. I'm really excited that they're they're gonna keep going because I wasn't sure whether that was gonna happen under the the gun saffron regime.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, it's I mean it I I it sounds like to me like they're they're they've pretty much got it in the can, all of them. So I think it's just releasing, I think they've just done it all together and then just chopped it up into four.

SPEAKER_10

No, gimme please.

SPEAKER_07

I'm looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, I'm down.

SPEAKER_07

Uh keeping on with animation, my adventures with Superman season three. Yes, we've got a uh teaser image.

SPEAKER_10

We've got a villain, uh Cyborg Super Cyborg Superman. Like as far as I can remember, uh and correct me if I'm wrong, but I I don't know whether I've seen him in animation before.

SPEAKER_07

Uh he was in uh he was in one of the movies. Uh he was in one of the movies where he popped up. Of course, yeah, yeah. It was the uh the Rise of the Superman.

SPEAKER_10

Of course, yeah, yeah, he of course he was. He was crucial in that. Yeah, yeah. But I I think um I think I was thinking more sort of animated TV episodes.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, no, I don't think he's popular. But no, you're right.

SPEAKER_10

Um but but I'm really excited about that because uh it's uh not a not a character we've seen heaps of in um uh you know TV and film animation, yeah. Uh uh entertainment. The words are all over the place tonight. I need another lolly, that's what it is.

SPEAKER_07

Oh right. Well, I mean, the good the other than that, we also got an an image of uh of of the team flying with uh Green Lantern Jessica Cruz. Yes, which is really cool because we've been talking about um you know my adventures with Green Lantern, yeah. Um, and who's gonna be in that, what's that look like, all that sort of stuff. And I think that this is gonna be their way of doing like a backdoor pilot to um to to sort of lead you into that series.

SPEAKER_10

Yep, I'm fine with that.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, so I reckon that's really cool. Want to be a nice representation for Green Lantern, yeah. Um, with having Jessica Cruz, she's a she's a great character to have in that that mix.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, especially if she's not a character that I mean we don't we don't know whether it's the case or not, but it's if she's one that they're not gonna use yet in lanterns on HBO, yeah, um then I think this is a really good uh place to to introduce her to a broader audience. Again, we've had her in animation before in some of the DC animated films. Um but yeah, I think that I think that this is a really good thing.

SPEAKER_07

The um while we're talking about lanterns, there's there's still this, you know, we we still haven't seen anything with with lanterns. They're posting some some stills of them sitting at a bar and you know, walking on the highway and um but those trailers are still gone. There's nothing to be seen about them.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um it's it's it's really quite I mean, and considering that we're we're only, what is it, August that we're getting the new series, I would have thought that we would have had something back sooner rather than later.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah. Um I saw something on socials earlier today and it was I think it was i uh uh one of the show writers, um Chris I think it's Chris Mundy.

SPEAKER_07

Oh well they're do they're sort of just um they're sort of rolling back on why they're going to be doing it not not so galactic and more about earth-based. Is that what you're talking about?

SPEAKER_10

Well I think they're yeah, sort of responding to the um the noise? The noise surrounding it, which I'm not always sure that's a great idea. Um but I think maybe just sort of have faith in the product that you've created and the decisions that you made at the start and just sort of put it out there.

SPEAKER_07

But yeah, again, right watch this space. I I I'm just a little bit nervous because by the time this rolls around, it'll be nearly two years since they actually filmed it. Um and so it is really dragging now. Um and I just really want to see something to make me feel more uh confident in what's happening with the show.

SPEAKER_10

I still think it's gonna be great.

SPEAKER_07

I think it's gonna be great, but I I I just you know I get nervous when things start to to drag down and trailers get pulled and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_10

I think it's I think it's possible that it, you know, it's not gonna be everybody's cup of tea taste. But yeah, you know, uh Green Lantern stories, you know, there's a lot of people saying, you know, that Green Lantern stories always take place in space. They don't.

SPEAKER_07

No, that's not true.

SPEAKER_10

And and and and so, you know, w whether this one does or not, and I still believe that that's where we'll end up. Like I I still believe that these lanterns played by these characters will end up in space.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_10

But whether it's in this season or whether it's um much in this season, or whether it's in another movie like Man of Tomorrow or a Green Lantern movie that's on the big screen, I don't know. Yeah, but um I I still have faith in these creators. Yeah, um, I think that their um output previously and their their their pedigree is is such that I I've got no reason to to doubt that they're producing something positive. Um I'm just looking forward to it. So uh yeah, but we'll we'll wait and see.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, uh bring it on. Yeah, just just just do something about it. Thanks. That's all I that's my note.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, yeah, put it put it on, show it to us.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, absolutely. Well, I mean they heard us about scrubs, so listen to us now about this.

SPEAKER_10

Well, they're not gonna give it to us any quicker.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, okay. No? No. Okay, all right, well, we'll we we try it anyway. They might give us screeners. We try. Ooh. Yes, please, thank you. Oh, we accept that and review positively. Uh talking about positive, talking about positive. Yes. Let's get into the weird files.

SPEAKER_10

Yes. Let's do that.

SPEAKER_07

Alright, you've got two to choose from today.

SPEAKER_10

Okay.

SPEAKER_07

We've got unlicensed wrestling or Kanye Concert Air.

SPEAKER_10

Uh, I want unlicensed wrestling.

SPEAKER_07

I knew you would, so I've already got it prepared. Excellent. Alright, just the line that you love to hear the most.

SPEAKER_10

Yes.

SPEAKER_07

Florida Man.

SPEAKER_10

Florida Man, he's back.

SPEAKER_07

Florida Man arrested for running unlicensed Friday Night Wrestling League in a golden coral. Now, golden coral is I think is like a like a store or a you know, uh, like a some type of restaurant or something. Okay. Parking lot for four months. Oh, in the parking lot? In the parking lot. Okay. For four months. He had a ring, a roster, and a shirt that said grapple squad. Alright, here we go. Pensacola, Florida. Uh the uh the deputies uh shut down the fifth consecutive Friday night throw-down event in the Golden Coral car park. Do we know what Golden Coral is, yeah?

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, it's an all-you-can-eat buffet.

SPEAKER_07

Right, there you go. So you you get you get dinner and a show with uh this Golden Coral parking lot on Davis Highway last weekend, after what Officer Craig Simmons described the most structurally complete, unlicensed athletic operation I have encountered in 11 years, including two underground poker rooms.

SPEAKER_10

I'm sorry, but that sounds great.

SPEAKER_07

Terry Buller, 52, had constructed a fully a full wrestling ring using PVC pipe, plywood, foam padding, and red rope he had uh secured uh across three Home Depot trips.

SPEAKER_10

Nice.

SPEAKER_07

Erecting it in the same 14 parking spaces every Friday at 6 p.m. And promoted the event on Facebook page called GC Friday Fights that had uh accumulated 1,400 followers before deputies arrived for the fifth and final time. That's a lot of people. Right. Here's the interesting stats. The league had eight uh registered wrestlers with ring name, uh, with ring names, records, and a championship belt he had fabricated from a trophy store buckle and a leather strap. Current champion was a man named Dale who uh competed under the name the accountant. He he he he gave them what their number was up. So um uh entry fee was five dollars per spectator. He was actually charging this, uh collected uh collected in a coffee can by a volunteer he called the box office. Uh the box office had collected $340 on the night of the arrest, and the league's highest grossing event.

SPEAKER_10

The box office sounds more like a wrestler than the accountant does.

SPEAKER_07

It really does, doesn't it? Um the thing that amazes me is that with every event it got bigger and bigger and bigger.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

So, you know, $340 for the night at $5.

SPEAKER_10

That's that's a no wonder they shut it down. It was it was becoming successful.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, it was a big turnout.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Uh Golden Coral Management confirmed that they had asked him to uh to stop twice, and both times he had moved the four ring, uh, the four the the ring four feet uh and restarted. So he just moved a couple of spaces down away from them. Uh the uh the uh Bullock told uh Deputy Simmons the parking lot was public adjacent and he had researched this. So he actually done his research to make sure that well, he thought he was in the right. Uh was uh he was wearing uh his shirt that that that was reading Grappling Squad at the time of the arrest and confirmed that he had printed um them himself and sold 14 of these at $12 each.

SPEAKER_10

$14 at $12 each.

SPEAKER_07

$12 each. That's nice. He's doing it, he's doing a nice trade there, isn't he?

SPEAKER_10

That sounds fantastic.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah. Um so Deputy Simmons noted that the event had a referee, a timekeeper, and a ring announcer with a wireless microphone who introduced each wrestler by name and record. Bullock was charged with unlawful assembly and operating without an event permit. Oh, come on, man. The belt was confiscated. Oh the accountant remains the title uh pending uh a venue decision. Uh and uh Golden Uh Coral uh Friday Fights uh has 1,400 followers and nowhere to go.

SPEAKER_10

Right.

SPEAKER_07

And that's it for the Weird Foss. Wasn't that great?

SPEAKER_10

It was great. That's a good one. The first of all, I think it's Golden Corral. Oh, but more than that. Tomato Tomato. They confiscated the belt. They confiscated the belt. That belongs in a museum.

SPEAKER_07

Might go in the WWF Hall of Fame.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, or WWE Hall of Fame. I have a feeling that um the reason this was shut down was probably because of WWE.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, for sure.

SPEAKER_10

That's a that's that feels like W something WWE would do, wouldn't it?

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, triple H triple H spending this.

SPEAKER_10

This guy is he's shown some initiative. Yep, he's established this wrestling community, he's given them a run for their money. He's starting to have some success. He's sold 14 t-shirts, and so WWE have jumped and have got the the popo on them.

SPEAKER_07

Yep, absolutely.

SPEAKER_10

You know, it's it makes me mad that story. Plus, I want one of those I want one of those t-shirts. I I want to see a movie of this now, and I want to see the belt on the shelf of that golden corral.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, I want to see the movie. Yeah, I I I I I I think that it this would be a great film thing.

SPEAKER_10

I reckon we need to get on to Jay Kennedy to do a comic comic series. He's a wrestling fan.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, get on that. Get on that good thing. Talking about wrestling, I'll tell you what I'm obsessed with at the moment is a character that's um just started in the WWE. Now, I was a wrestling fan back in the day in the 80s and um sort of you know the late 90s to 2000s, and I sort of dropped off because you know, a lot of my favorite characters were or wrestlers were gone um by then. Yeah. Um and you know, we're talking about Stone Cold Steve Austen and The Rock and you know um that that that type of caliber. Yeah. Um but there's this new character that's come in from um uh AWE and he AW and and uh A is AW. A W. A W.

SPEAKER_10

I don't know much about wrestling, but I do know what it's called.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, my apologies. And his name is Danhausen.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

This guy, I don't know if you've seen him, but he's uh he he's actually been on uh Conan O'Brien's podcast. Okay. Um and the reason that he was on Conan O'Brien's podcast is because uh he mimicked himself on Conan O'Brien. He thought, you know, if if Conan O'Brien was going to be a crazy wrestler, then this is what his persona would be like. Now he's got uh he's got a um uh a painted face, a white face with um with uh sort of you know sort of red face paint on over his eyes and uh and around and black sort of around his sort of the the outside of his face.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, it sort of looks like bad kiss cod cosplay.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah yeah. He wears his he and he and he's uh I'm googling him just for reference. And and his uh and his saying is very nice, very evil. Um and the reason that he's very nice and very evil is because he wants to appeal to everybody. So if he says he's very evil, then he's gonna be perceived as a heel. But if he says he's very nice, then he can be perceived as as a hero.

SPEAKER_10

Now, for those of us that are not too much into wrestling, I've learned recently a heel is a bad guy. He's a bad guy. Is a bad guy.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, that's right. Okay, um, and so this downhausen guy kind of looks a little bit like Count Chocular from the serial um mixed with Conan O'Brien. Um, and he puts curses on people. Uh well, wrestlers.

SPEAKER_10

I can't, other than the maniacal grin, I can't really see the Conan O'Brien resemblance.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, so uh well I I think it's the attitude that he has, you know, you know, when he gets up to mischief, it's what you would expect from the wheel.

SPEAKER_10

You've got me wanting to watch wrestling now.

SPEAKER_07

And uh just watch the shorts on Instagram, it's it's the best. Um, and uh, but I I don't think I've seen um, and I mean this is obviously pop culture, I don't think I've seen a wrestler who has come into the WWE and just grab it, it grabbed an audience so quickly and so hard that that they are you know that they are just like getting this merchandising, they had to get this merchandise out not fast enough for WrestleMania. Okay. He was only introduced like two weeks prior to WrestleMania, and they had to get this merchandise out for WrestleMania because it was such a high demand.

SPEAKER_10

How have I not heard of this guy?

SPEAKER_07

Uh he's so he's he's relatively new. This is what I'm saying. Um, wrestling fans, help us out, let us know. What's your thoughts on Dan Hauser? Um, but everything he uh or he refers to everything as so if he was talking to you, he'd call you Mark Hausen. So everything has Hausen at the end of it as well. I don't hate that. Um, which is what Conan did. Um, you know, he would he would Oh yeah, of course he did.

SPEAKER_10

When he did yeah, he does the the um the the German voice.

SPEAKER_07

Yes, that's right. So this is where he gets these sort of you know tropes from.

SPEAKER_10

Oh man, Conan must love this.

SPEAKER_07

Um and yeah, he does. He and he's he's uh he's totally supporting him. And um uh so so yeah, this is like I said, this is just something that's that's that's sort of come across uh in the last sort of month for me, and I I I'm just absolutely loving it. I think he's uh he's a great breath of fresh air, he's a he's a great performer, all right. Um and he's got the audience um you know in the palm of his hand.

SPEAKER_10

Wow, so wouldn't wouldn't this be something if at the age of 51 I got into wrestling because of Conan O'Brien?

SPEAKER_07

I'll tell you what, he's great. Anyway, all right.

SPEAKER_10

Uh it's I'm making a note and I'm gonna explore that.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, we've done some wrestling talk tonight, so there's there's we've helped out some listeners.

SPEAKER_10

Wow, that's awesome. Get excited. Yeah, can't can't wait. We've we've we've had two wrestling stories.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, we have had two wrestling stories, yeah. Well that's why I talked about it, because we we talked about golden coral.

SPEAKER_10

So, there's a wrestling podcast now, people.

SPEAKER_07

Yep, yep, absolutely. Or our ratings will go through the roof.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

So anyway, uh maybe we should get into the aisle.

SPEAKER_04

When you're looking for action, it's been great. Mark the spot. Everyone's been marvelous comments. Mark the spot.

SPEAKER_03

Incredible action. That's great.

SPEAKER_07

Alright, do you want me to go first?

SPEAKER_10

Well, what did you get?

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, I okay, so I got three books.

SPEAKER_10

Yep.

SPEAKER_07

Thank you, MJ.

SPEAKER_10

No problem.

SPEAKER_07

I got uh Masters of the Universe. I got Energon Universe.

SPEAKER_10

Yes.

SPEAKER_07

Very universe.

SPEAKER_10

I've read uh the Energon Universe.

SPEAKER_07

And I got the Greatest American Hero Universe. Oh no, that's just greatest American Hero.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, yeah. Eyeing that one off for months.

SPEAKER_07

I have been eyeing that one off for months. And uh you know what's really cool about this book? We uh posted this on our socials, um, and um uh Alpa uh who is the uh the artist, I'm gonna get um MJ to pronounce his surname.

SPEAKER_10

Right. Question without notice. Yeah, Alpa. Uh uh he's gonna be Turkish or something, isn't he? I'm not too sure. Alpa Gelkel. Okay, I'm sure that's pronouncing it wrong, but it's well it's better than what I would have pronounced it. Um I would say Gelkel, it might be Gelchel, um yeah, but Alpa Gel Alpa Gelchel, I'm gonna go for.

SPEAKER_07

So he uh liked our post and also uh reposted our post. Oh good, so he's listening, so he is listening to thank you, thank you, Alpa.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, thank you, Alpa, and apologies if I'm getting it wrong. Um yeah, please.

SPEAKER_07

So he's the he's the artist of the Greatest American Hero. Um I uh we had the Greatest American Hero fan page also uh post uh about it, and they were really excited that we were promoting it. Okay um and I put in there that uh it would be exciting if this was going to be a series. Uh and uh Elpa uh came back and gave us an exclusive that it's gonna be launched in July.

SPEAKER_10

Oh, fantastic. Yeah, well, I mean you're a huge fan of Greatest American Heroes.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, I'm a I'm a huge fan of back in the eighties. Um so this this is a series that was uh back in the 80s, it was uh about a uh you know a just a bumbling uh English teacher uh who uh by accident discovers a uh a briefcase um that has been um given to him by aliens um and it contains a suit which gives him superpowers. Yeah, the only problem is he's lost the instruction manual for it. And uh he teams up with an FBI agent who happens to have no partner. I don't know how that happened in the 80s, nobody knew how to partner in the 80s. Um they were always uh civilians in the 80s, I think. Um and uh and uh so they sort of go on these adventures each week where they're tackling bad guys um and uh and saving the day.

SPEAKER_10

So this is like a modern day reboot.

SPEAKER_07

This is a modern day reboot, and this is where I was getting to. This is a modern day reboot. So um at the end of the uh of the TV series back in the 80s, yeah um uh Ralph, who is the character um who was uh played by William Kat, uh he is uh he disappears, and so this is what happens, this is and it got cancelled, so we never actually got to see what actually happened to him.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Well, this book is picking up right uh where it left off. Wonderful, I love that stuff. And this is this is now um where he has been he's come back from the aliens.

SPEAKER_10

It looks great with the suit.

SPEAKER_07

I'm just having a look through it um now for for reference, and visiting his now grown son, who has now a daughter, yeah, yeah. And this is going to be uh a really interesting book because he's now old, he's now in you know, same age as probably what William Kitt is uh cat is, which is you know in his 70s.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um so how do you be a superhero when you're when you've aged?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um, and um I kind of get the feeling that this is going to be a legacy that'll be handed over from father to son.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um, but yeah, I'm really looking forward to this this book. It's no, it's really exciting. It's it's great, it's great reading. Um, it's probably one of the more comprehensive uh books uh that that that was part of Free Comic Book Day.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, this is a full issue. I was gonna say it's it's a full issue from start to finish, isn't it?

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, yeah, it's a it's a it's a 20-page book. Yeah. Um and the artwork is great. It's spectacular. Yeah, tones are tones are really awesome. Yeah. Um, who was the writer on the on the book again? Sorry.

SPEAKER_10

I I I uh the writer on the book is Don Hanfield.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, Don Hanfield did a did an amazing job with this.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, and I think I was I was right about Alper as well. It looks like Alba's originally from from Turkey and now but possibly based in Japan.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, so really nice, really, really good book. Um, highly recommend it. It's from a um from a a company that I haven't heard of before, which is AMP Comics. AMP Comics. Yeah. Um, and um so I'm I really hope that this is where they're going. I I really hope that this is their their launch into other properties. Yeah. I would love to see like an A-Team or a Night Rider or you know, like these types of um other sort of properties.

SPEAKER_10

Well, this is um uh an aspect of what comics do best, isn't it? Yeah, you know, they're pick picking up series that you know they're never gonna get picked up on television again. It's been decades since it finished.

SPEAKER_07

Or they've tried and failed, like Night Rider, for instance, had two inclination uh incarnations after the original, yeah, and it just doesn't land.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, but even I mean, even if it's just exploring stuff outside of um you know the stories that we know and love like like this is um I I I think it's one of the best things uh that about about comics is the potential to tell these sorts of stories. It's usually um just a matter of getting the the licensing issues sorted out.

SPEAKER_07

And and a good team, like this is a good team behind this book.

SPEAKER_10

Uh it has to be said the cover is stunning, yeah.

SPEAKER_07

It's magical.

SPEAKER_10

Um but but I'm not disappointed by the art on the inside either. It looks as you say, the the colours are um uh beautiful and atmospheric, they've got a realistic um uh sort of tone to them. Yeah. Um yeah, Alpa's facial expressions are uh uh are beautiful and expressive, which is what you need in a comic that's got a lot of um obviously conversation in it like this, that um is is no doubt sort of getting the story uh back on track after many decades away.

SPEAKER_07

I think he I think he does a good job of of um also you know you were talking about facial expressions. I think he does a good job with ages as well. Yeah, yeah. You know, sometimes sometimes when when artists sort of draw older people, they they look like they've been pickled for like you know 50 years.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07

And then they're brought out and they're just all wrinkly and old and you know, but I I I think what you know, from my understanding of what William Cat um or Ralph's character, if it was was at this time, then he does look the age, right?

SPEAKER_10

Well, uh it was uh I mean it was noticeable when I opened it up, like I could see I could see that it was the same character, yeah, but that he it that they'd age him. Like, I mean, I I I'm not as big a fan of the show as as you were. I I I I remember it being on, but I never watched it uh to the extent that you did, but I still recognize the character straight away. Um yeah, it's really exciting.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, yeah. So um that's that that was that that was a highlight in in my pile.

SPEAKER_10

Um the other way so we certainly gave away a lot of free comic book day of of that uh particular issue. Yeah, there was there was some buzz around it.

SPEAKER_07

So Dungeon Dungeon Crawler Carl was the was the big one, I I believe. That that sort of was gone in most places. Do you know I've seen it online for a hundred and fifty bucks?

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Which I think is wrong. I really do. It's of course it is. It was free, you know, like you got it for free and now you're flogging it off for 150 bucks.

SPEAKER_10

Of course it is, but I mean if the demands there, the demand.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, I don't know. I just I just think free comic book day, you should just be sharing it. Well, I wouldn't do it. No, I wouldn't do it either. Um tell us what you think, listeners. Hit us up, Bob Cults Bud on socials. Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Um do you want me to keep going with mine and then we'll go on to the I honestly didn't grab all that many, so Master of the Universe.

SPEAKER_07

Uh, but it's actually not Master of the Universe. This is uh a little bit of a sneaky because it says also featuring Dungeons and Dragons on the bottom. So we've got a bit of a barbarian theme going on here.

SPEAKER_10

That's not an uncommon thing for free comic book day comics to.

SPEAKER_07

And I'm okay with that because that's half the book, right?

SPEAKER_10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Right, right in the middle where the where the staple is. Right. Um, so the original um look, I I I didn't mind this. Um stories done by Tim Seely. Tim Seely's done some really great stuff.

SPEAKER_10

This is the Masters of the Universe story.

SPEAKER_07

The Masters of the Universe story. Yeah. Um, and um and we've also got um uh Andrew Crank uh Cranky, I think his name is. Okay. Uh yeah, I will just go with that.

SPEAKER_10

Um and I can't see it, so I'm gonna I'm gonna go with that.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, so I I it looks like Andrew Cranky, so uh I'm gonna say Crunky. Okay, we'll go with Crunky.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Doesn't sound so so upset. Um with my pronunciation. Um this is this is this this is okay. I mean it uh what this is doing is this is an introduction to He-Man and the Masters Universe. So if you've never read a book or know about the property, this is a new Where have you been? Yeah, this is a new launch point.

SPEAKER_10

No, I'm kidding.

SPEAKER_07

This is um uh this is uh Adam sort of hanging out with common folk, um if you want to call it that, um, outside the palace.

SPEAKER_10

Plebs.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, the plebs. Um, and he's kind of telling stories of old, like, you know, he-man stories. Um of you talking himself up to the plebs. He is, uh, but he's Adam. He's not he's not he-man, he's he's Adam telling stories of He-Man.

SPEAKER_09

We see we see you, Adam.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, we we I can see he's like cracking onto this. He's he's he's literally like cracking onto this chick, and she and she's loving it, and then in typical Adam fashion, he ruins it for himself.

SPEAKER_10

Well, we shouldn't judge too much. We we talk ourselves up on the socials quite a bit.

SPEAKER_07

Absolutely. It's the same imposter syndrome.

SPEAKER_10

It's the same thing, yeah.

SPEAKER_07

But Adam's not imposter syndrome, right? He is he-man.

SPEAKER_10

He's well, yeah, we're the he's he's the OG. We're the he-Men of podcasting.

SPEAKER_07

We didn't get that for a t-shirt, I like that. Um this is this is sort of telling the the story of Skeletor and then Hordak um and um and then the snake men. So this is sort of telling all in half an issue. All in half an issue.

SPEAKER_10

So it's it's it's it's pretty jam-packed. I've I've I confess I have got this one, but I haven't read it yet.

SPEAKER_07

The art well, the artwork's good. Um it's um, but yeah, I it was just it's it's more of a jump-on point for for a fan like I am, it's probably probably not my bag um uh as much as it would be for somebody who knows that the movie's coming out, wants to know more about it. This is a great opportunity.

SPEAKER_10

Well, I mean, let's be real, like there'd be a lot of people grabbing a hold of this at Free Comic Book Day, knowing that it's a movie coming out, yeah. And it's a it's a really good opportunity for Mattel and um the people behind the property to to give people a bit of a crash course so that um you know people who aren't as you know steeped in the law that that are going to see the film are gonna have some sort of an idea of of what it is that they're getting into. Um so I think that's a good thing.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, absolutely. The the next book um which is which is really cool, um This is the D book. D book. Um now I'm not a D D person.

SPEAKER_09

No.

SPEAKER_07

So I don't recognise these characters at all. Yeah, but what I can tell you is that the artwork in this is great. Yeah, it's called Mar uh Mage Fall.

SPEAKER_09

Yep.

SPEAKER_07

Um uh and uh it's it's it's essentially about two Jewing mages and sort of you know trying to combat against each other. Okay. Um we got dragons, we got sorcery, we've got they're in the snow. Um it's it's beautiful looking. I mean the artwork is fantastic. Who who was the uh hardest in this?

SPEAKER_10

Alejandro Miracolo. Yeah, um, and um writing is just as good from uh it's Jackson Lansing and Colin Kelly, so um they've they've definitely written a lot of stuff in the comics.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, so so this is a this is a great um second half of the book um for someone that isn't into D. Yep. Um and um yeah, I I I really was glad I picked it up for Masters, but even happier when I found out that the DD was the second half of the book.

SPEAKER_10

I'm really looking forward to having a read of both of those because I mean you know I love Masters of the Universe, but I quite like DD as well. I've not played heaps and heaps in my life, I wouldn't call myself a DD um person, but I always enjoy um an opportunity to, you know, I like I watched the movie and loved it when it came out a few years ago.

SPEAKER_06

Yep.

SPEAKER_10

Um and yeah, I always like it when the Stranger Things comics crossed over with DD. Yep. Um so yeah, I'm looking forward to having a read of that.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, I think it'll be fun. Um the last one on my list is the Energon Universe 2026 special. Yeah. What a chunky boy for a free comic book day. It was really good. This is have you read it?

SPEAKER_10

I have, yeah. I've only read a couple of my free comic book day comics. Um uh, but but this one I I did read.

SPEAKER_07

We've got four stories in this one, and it's they're really good. They are really good.

SPEAKER_10

Uh Jay at the store and I were looking at it and we were sort of marvelling over the quality of the art in all of them. Um like they they all look great. It's a a sampling of of the four the four books from the Energon universe. So it's Transformers, G.I. Joe, Void Rivals, and it gives us a glimpse into the new uh mask book.

SPEAKER_07

Oh that that is, you know, if I if someone was to ask me what my uh anticipated book of this year of 2026 is, yeah, it's mask. Yeah, that's what I think that's what I'm looking forward to the most.

SPEAKER_10

And based on this little preview, fair enough. Like um the the the writing from Dan Waters, who's writing writing um Nightwing at the at the moment. Yeah. Um and Pie Par, who's an artist that I am not super familiar with.

SPEAKER_07

Well, I'm not familiar with him either, but I uh you know what it has done, it's it's made me want to go and find what other work he has done.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, I feel like I've read maybe some Batman stories or something by Pie Par, or um, if not, it's very reminiscent of some other art that I've seen before. It's it's stunning. Yeah. Like and dynamic, like it's a really action-packed introduction introduction to it felt very theatrical to me.

SPEAKER_07

Uh it was really up there. I could see this as a as a another, you know, animated series or um, you know, a TV series based on the way that these panels are done.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

I you know, I'm a massive Mars fan um from back in the day, had the figures, you know, watched the cartoon.

SPEAKER_10

I don't think I've ever had any of the figures, but I I had a mate who had them, and I was always fascinated with the because they had helmets and stuff.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, they had they had helmets that that gave them um you know sort of an ability to do things like fly or blast or whatever. Yeah, yeah. You know, transforming vehicles that that you know it was a car and then it became a uh, you know, and then it flew or a bike and it became a helicopter.

SPEAKER_10

And that's that's really showcased in this short story as well.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, absolutely. And and the great thing about um the about this, you know, the Yenergon universe is it's giving us a really good glimpse of what's to come next.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um the thing that I found really, really fascinating about um one of the stories was and and it was it was quick. It was how many pages was it? It was one it was four pages. Yeah. The Transformers um uh story, yeah, yeah. Which really isn't a story, it's it's it's well, there's no dialogue in this at all, right? There's no speech bubbles. We're seeing some type of um person that looks like appears to be on a um remote area.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, it's like Skull Island or uh the Savage Land or something, or some dystopian, you know, you know, future earth of that's what I kind of imagine. It has to be said, like it's a it's a really short story, and as you say, with no words, but it looks amazing.

SPEAKER_07

It's it looks amazing. Um and then we get that sort of cliffhanger at the end there, and I'm like, what's going on there?

SPEAKER_10

So like she she's sort of camped inside the chest cavity of a uh presumably a dead Autobot.

SPEAKER_07

It looks like to me, if it's red and it's an Autobot, yeah, that looks like Ironhide to me. Okay. Um, so yeah, I'm kind of interested as to know maybe it's a future story or something. Yeah, that's what I'm wondering too. Um maybe this will sort of cross over with Void Rivals, because Void Rivals are set hundred years in the future.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um, so yeah, maybe that's that's what it is. Um Void Rivals, we're sort of getting a sub we're sort of getting a side story about some of the um, you know, more devious evil characters in the series.

SPEAKER_08

Yep.

SPEAKER_07

Um and then we're getting a um a great side story um of uh about for for G.I. Joe um about Zartan and how he became who he was. Is that who that character is? Yeah, so that's Zartan, um, who is sort of the master of disguise. Okay. Um and it's a very cool little story. Yeah, it's an amazing story. Um and and a and a great retelling of how he became who he is. Okay. Um, and just how flawed of a person he is as well.

SPEAKER_10

Um he's been through some stuff.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, absolutely. And I mean, this is the thing about G.I. Joe, and what they're great at telling is that everybody's been through some stuff. Yeah, it just depends on how you deal with it, depends on what side of the fence you're on, whether you're on the good or the bad side.

SPEAKER_10

Um it's interesting that this theme of trauma that goes through these energonics, stories, yeah. Because it's not just the G.I. Joe characters, no, definitely not. The the Transformers as well.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, um Transformers.

SPEAKER_10

I'm not, no, no, but uh, but I've it's one of the things that I've really enjoyed is um yeah the the uh analysis of of trauma through these stories about toys, basically. Yeah, um the storytelling in this energy on stuff is amazing.

SPEAKER_07

Well it's given it, it's given a a realistic approach, right? I mean, you know, the G.I. Joe comic series that's been running for over you know 300 issues now, yeah, they're telling stories of missions, but they're not really telling stories of the after effect of those missions. Yeah, you know, they're those those stories that and uh don't get me wrong, I love that series. It's one of my favorite series of all time. Yeah, yeah. Um you know, Larry Hammer does a great job of writing mission stories. Yeah, it's legendary. Um but it's not a it's it definitely doesn't sort of you know touch on the trauma of of real you know, we lose somebody and then it's a bit like it's a bit you know normal of comics that that you know no one's really dead, you know, none of your favourite characters are dead, they bring them back some way. Yeah, um, and so they're only dealing for with trauma for a very short, very short, finite period of time.

SPEAKER_10

And in and and in in some, if not most comics, that's what we we want. Well, that's what we want too. That's what people want. You know, it's it's you know, you don't you don't want that sort of real world stuff.

SPEAKER_07

But um Kirkman, on the other hand, he is like all in on trauma. He is not um backing away from it at all.

SPEAKER_10

Well that's I mean, that's what he's always written though, isn't it? It's like from whether it's the Walking Dead, Invincible, you know, he he he gets into the the the um emotional and psychological effects of I mean that's the great fascination of Walking Dead for me, yeah, is you know, what would you do in this situation? What would you do in that situation?

SPEAKER_07

Um And as he said, the Walking Dead was never about zombies, it was about the people who are the Walking Dead, right?

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, completely like for the longest time, like I never watched stuff with zombies, it always grossed me out. Like I've uh it's well established on here that I don't like horror as it is. Zombies were the worst, yeah, because they were gross. I couldn't get over how gross they were, how disgusting, I could never stop thinking about how they must smell. It was just bad. And then I used to do school drop-off at when my boys were in primary school, and I used to say stuff like what I just said then, and and when m the mums were talking about the Walking Dead, and they'd all say to me, You've gotta watch it. Like you would just you would love it. They'd say, You would love The Walking Dead. And eventually I said, Alright, I'll give it a crack. And I got the first two um series on Blu-ray and I felt so hard. And now I'm completely into the zombie genre.

SPEAKER_08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Um and it's all because of the it's not so much the zombies, although I have become more comfortable and I enjoy the the the gory aspect of the zombie genre, but it's mostly about the things that people will do when put in extreme circumstances. It's about how people treat each other, it's about how people look after each other, it's about how people hate and love each other. Um and yeah, it's about trauma. And and that's where Kirkman excels, and that's what he's brought into this Energon universe. He's he's he's brought a really uh nuanced analysis of what. uh what we go through and how we handle it but in a a medium that is really accessible I would suggest to everybody. Yeah absolutely and that's wonderful.

SPEAKER_07

Absolutely so I mean I I would even say that this is um you know images absolute you know like this is their their version of absolute when it comes to transformers mask um you know void rivals is is a new property yeah um but any of those sort of older properties GI Joe yeah this is their absolute version well I've I mean I've I've said before that that we've been selling a lot of the energon stuff yeah in in the shop yeah and I don't know at what stage if any we're gonna talk about I mean we're gonna talk about free comic book day all the way through this yeah on free comic book day my job was uh running the floor um sort of did a great job I was there thank you very much uh basically looking after everybody and you know directing people to stuff and even chatting with customers and you were no I'm not even I don't even work there your checks in the um I got I got free comic I got free comic books I'm okay with that okay yeah no payment yeah no cheap cheap and easy that's our name um uh so the but but the Energon comics yeah like we we were selling heaps and heaps of comics as well as giving out free comics because we had a special on we were we were selling loads of comics and the Energon stuff just as you know a regular day were were red hot.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah um you know we sold heaps of Transformers lots of G.I. Joe void rivals a lot of it and there's lots of uh there was lots of um people looking for this uh anaton universe special yeah um so now that there's been lots of people reading it and and I suspect that uh post this free comic book day that's gonna be an even bigger thing in comics than it has been yeah look I I I totally agree and I mean again chunky boy it was really I mean it's it's it's really good bigger than the other I was gonna say it's good value it was free but yeah it it really is um well if you're gonna pay 150 bucks online it's good value yeah no don't do that don't do that please don't encourage don't do that people you can borrow mine don't encourage um uh yes no it's it it it's a really um good get yeah absolutely yeah if we 100 if it was part of your chosen books then you've done well it was part of my chosen books yeah what about you uh well I grabbed a couple afterwards like I did I honestly uh I was so focused on my role on free comic book day I I hadn't even looked at the the list um I know that uh uh Cam Ashley who who um does work for the for All Star had put out reviews of all of the books um which people were really pumped up about and ra raving about uh producer Kim included um and so I knew that was out there but I'd been working so I hadn't had a lot of time to have uh much of a look. I decided to uh see what was left afterwards. Yep um so I did get uh the Energon Universe one I got the Aliens and Predator one which I haven't read yet and another one I got um which I I quite enjoyed was um I I've forgotten the name of the publisher but it's the the Ultimate Oz universe.

SPEAKER_07

Oh I didn't I didn't see that one season two I I like uh different adaptations of of uh already existing IP I suppose for that one of a better expression um and I was interested to see what they were doing with uh Dorothy and the scarecrow and all that sort of stuff in that um and so I had a bit of a read of that and it had the desired effect and I've actually uh ordered myself a copy of the Ultimate Universe Volume 1 which was the book that had already come out so um I'm gonna have a bit of a look at that um we um we I mean we would probably talk about this on the shout but while we're talking about comics we might as well just keep going with free comic book day one of the things that I I did um on the day is uh I I grabbed the mic and uh had a chat with people on l who were lining up. You did um it was a great day well done All-Star comics not because um we you worked there and uh uh you know I've known them for for a long period of time it's it's because they actually did a really good job of managing such a large crowd. They did um it was around the block and around the corner of the block. Yeah it was humongous three hours some people waiting in line just to get free comics um and then coming upstairs to buy more yeah um so it was a really good nerd out day um I believe it was very successful at other local comic stores too like it sound the people that had been to the Minotaur one sounds like they had a great time as well. Yeah and and others around around Australia as well like Impact Comics.

SPEAKER_10

Yes we saw their lines um and uh and and and also uh ones in South Australia so we so you know seeing those online and it was it's amazing to see that we've got a a a huge turnout of people who are interested in comics yep um even if it is just for free um and and see that translation right yeah and but it and that's the thing it wasn't like it wasn't just for free like we were flat out selling comics the whole day as well like um you know it was huge we I mean we were open for what was seven hours yeah um is that right yeah yeah seven hours um and the whole time our our registers were constant which was wonderful um because uh yeah it was great to see all of these people getting books that they were gonna take home and read discover something new um you know continue stories that they'd already begun um the excitement was palpable it was it was it was really wonderful so and and and obviously that's good for not just our comic shop but for all of them um it's it's good for the the comic community in general um I think it was a real shot in the arm.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah well you can you can hear about some of this um on our next uh Pulp Culture Plus um we would normally do a creative um but thought that we'd just try this um instead no I think it's a great idea and just talk to the talk to the public and and find out you know what they were lining up for when it came to free comic book day and then going up uh upstairs uh onto the shop floor and talking with those that were not only got their free comic books but what they were actually looking to purchase now after the fact yeah um and it's really fascinating you know we've got very uh varying degrees of um of of uh collectors from those that have only just started yeah um to those that are have been you know collecting for a long period of time yeah um and it was it was actually fascinating to to have these interviews and talking with these people for a short period of time yeah um one thing that that that resonated across all of them was that if if it wasn't for absolute then it they wouldn't be collecting it's amazing um so it is really is a phenomenon yeah um uh and uh you know uh they DC have um got a lot to be congratulated about with um you know helping that that comic scene you know thrive and with I also think with just letting it rip when it it it's exploded too like you know they've they've really um uh ridden the wave yeah um you know I don't think they could possibly have imagined how big it was going to become and they really do seem to be just sort of letting it um tell its own story yeah um and evolve in directions that um it it it just naturally seems but evolving in directions uh where people's interests uh are are are naturally aligned.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Um you know they're they're really listening to to what it is that is resonating with the fans yeah and they're just letting it unfold um from there.

SPEAKER_07

It's it it's interesting too because I mean we we've we've we've talked about this crossover that's coming. There was obviously more news that sort of came out over the last week about what that is going to look like as a crossover. Exciting news Marsha Manhunter is finishing at issue 12. Yep um and then uh we're going to later in the year get this crossover where Marsha Manhunter is bringing the absolute um characters together. Yeah so the series might not be done but the character sure isn't definitely not you know he's playing a very pinnacle role in bringing together the the what makes this interesting is an spoiler alert spoiler alert that the you've got villains who are already starting to create their own group um called the Justice League of all things. Yeah but this all happened at ab in absolute evil absolute evil um so what are what is this new group of people going to call themselves are they you know are they the doom of justice or what are you know the Legion of Doom um because they're gonna bring doom to the to the Justice League I mean it's gonna be really interesting right my tip is um in Justice League in Justice League yeah okay all right I like that yeah let's see what happens um uh but yeah that that I'm really excited to see what this crossover is going to look like as well yeah and it's um gonna be fascinating to bring it on and how they bring them together yeah because they we've had very we yeah and why but we haven't had really a lot of that crossover happening in the books. No we've had Batman and Wonder Wonder Woman twice twice yeah um but we haven't had Superman sort of crossover with anybody as of yet as well as Green Lantern or Flash. Yeah um so I'm really interested to see where that's all going to sort of play out.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah I'm I'm fascinated too and again it's a bit like we were talking about the Energon universe with trauma it's like the that one of the things that these characters have in common is that they've all got a lot going on. They've got issues and and because they've all got a lot going on what is it that's going to unite um you know what what what's what's the the one the reason for them all getting together. And I'm sure that whatever it is that you know Martian Manhunter has identified as as as you know need to be critical a critical issue will will be uh significant and it'll make sense but I'm just dying to see what it is.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah absolutely I love it.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Anything else for you?

SPEAKER_10

Uh not as far as free comic book day comics go. No but I but I have still been reading this week. Yeah. I read uh another uh DC issue that came out which um was getting a lot of attention which was uh Batman Wonder Woman Truth um from uh writer Jeff Loeb and artist Jim Chung now is that a one shot it's a one shot yeah um I I didn't look it up but I believe it's set between Hush and Hush 2.

SPEAKER_07

No I heard that when I was doing interviews that they they had mentioned that I thought this was an ongoing series so I was I was a little bit unsure as to the book. I knew I knew that I knew what it was about.

SPEAKER_10

I have to admit I'd thought that it was an ongoing series as well but it reads as a a one shot a single one shot story. So if I'm if I'm wrong I apologise yeah but um no it's it's it's I'm gonna say it's it's a one shot until proven otherwise yeah um but it was really good yeah um I haven't read it yet no it was really good I mean there's no spoilers or anything like that it's it's just a yeah a Batman story that takes place between um yeah Hush and Hush 2 apparently and and it's it's about um Batman and Diana getting to know each other um uh and also the the the title of the book Truth has multiple meanings throughout the the story as well many of them most of them um uh focused on uh Diana's lasso of truth which has been stolen uh it does get stolen during the story yeah um by uh other characters which a bit like the hush story themselves you know that this story brings in a whole lot of uh other different DC characters to support the story which is really fun um but but yeah it's basically um exploring uh you know what is what is Batman's truth what is Wonder Woman's truth right what are other characters' truth it's it's it's really well I mean it's Jeff Lowe. Yeah um so it it's a really well well told story and the art from Jim Chung um you know he draws everything wonderfully um uh particularly Wonder Woman I think um but in this you know he's great line work oh amazing um you know the w the way that he draws uh Gotham and Batman and and everything in this story um and also some of the supporting characters again who I will not will not name um it's it's a beautiful read. So I really enjoyed that. Yeah nice. I read some old stuff as well in addition to another issue of uh further adventures of Indiana Jones which I'm still chipping away at um I I read uh an old Judge Dredd story oh um every once in a while I feel like a bit of 2000 AD um uh Judge Dredd so I got uh one one of the volumes that I haven't read through out of my pile and I read uh story called Justice Lee uh Justice League Judge Dredd America oh um which is a pretty famous story from I think it's from the late 80s. Sounds familiar. Yeah I I I actually in reading it I think I might have read some of it before.

SPEAKER_07

Has that got Judge Death in it?

SPEAKER_10

No no that's another one that I've I'm thinking of something else. Yeah still got that in my reading pile but yeah this one's really interesting. It's an anal analysis of um uh uh d uh democracy in the world of 2000 AD and the concept of wanting um democracy in in a well under a fascist regime basically because that's you know what Judge Dredd uh works for and represents um and it's about this character called America um who's um it's amazing how relevant this story story is to to our our situations today. Right. Um America's the daughter of an immigrant um and she uh becomes involved in protesting against the the fascist state of megacity one yeah um and yeah it's it's a really interesting story about her and a childhood friend who um loves her um uh and wants her to to be safe um but um uh America is willing to sacrifice more than he is um in term in in in the pursuit of uh justice I guess yeah um and it's just about the the unfolding story of their lives as they grow into adults it's got a really messed up ending like a a really twisted sci-fi ending that I did not see coming which I'm not exactly sure sure how I feel. Still processing it was wild um uh but uh the the the story itself like the artwork from uh Colin McNeil is amazing it's written by um comics legend John Wagner um it was stunning um yeah so a really good read um and just a bit of a shout out there to to 2000 AD Comics and Judge Dredd and old comics in general um you know we talk a lot about uh new comics on here but um you know it it's it's fun to go back and read some of the old stuff too so nice um have you been reading anything else no that's it for me for this week I did say that I was gonna get back into Batman yeah um but that'll be next week. It's been a busy week it has been busy I've got one more that I'll I'll talk about just just quickly before we um wrap up the aisle but um uh All Stars got uh famously um a bunch of uh bins or they're actually suitcases yeah um at the front of the store which have uh 50% off uh trade paperbacks and stuff um uh a couple of the guys at the the shop were directing my attention towards a Jessica Jones book which is a fairly recent release but um alias book is that what it is it's not alias it's called um Jessica Jones Blind Spot that's a collection of stories uh two two different stories uh the second one which I've I've forgotten the name but the the the the headline story is um Blind Spot it's uh from Kelly Thompson who we know from writing Absolute Wonder Woman at the moment and um art by um Mattia de Ulis um uh Diulis yes I'm gonna go with that um and and the guys were encouraging me to read it because I I hadn't read any Jessica Jones. I love the show I love Kristen Ridder I love Kristen Ridder's imperson uh impersonation interpretation of of Jessica Jones in that show and now in Dead Evil Born again um but I hadn't actually read any Jessica Jones. I'd seen this blind spot story and I knew that it was very popular but I hadn't uh read any because I I think the completionist in me had thought if I'm gonna read any Jessica Jones I'll go to the sets at the start and read read the Bendis stuff. This is the first stuff apparently that isn't hasn't been written by Brian Michael Bendis who created the character. Yeah um and because the guys were you know encouraged me encouraging me to read it I I grabbed it. I don't need much of an excuse to you know grab new comics um especially at 50% off yeah um but it's amazing yeah the art's beautiful the storytelling not surprisingly from Kelly Thompson is is is uh fantastic and compelling and funny and dramatic um yeah so I've I've only read the first two chapters of of Jessica Jones Blind Spot but um I just wanted to mention it because chances are I'll mention it in a few future episodes of the five because yeah it's a really really good raid that's awesome so that's pretty much it for uh for the aisle yes shall we get into the review yeah now text tax with a new kind of evil brave starwalker skullwalker 3030 brave star attack next door 30 30 on transform skullwalker and attack from the air use the blast again to stop at 30 30 skullwalker at 3030 from the world of brave star other action that's all seven go from brainstorming I need to help my heart backman I can help this is the physical tabletop version of midway packet and it plays the same monster power score and that's all it's one or two players the arcade game you can take home with you from Polico.

SPEAKER_12

Indy over here Indiana Jones and you service toad Indiana Jones and other action figures new from Raiders of the Lost Ark Collection each sold separately watching Cairo Swordsman yeah watch my swing nice all downhill from here swordsman you'll be sorry Jones tricky again so Indiana Jones Toad and Cairo Swordsman action figures each sold separately from Raiders of the Lost Ark Collection new from Kenner sweet for TV it has holy cow what do you want to talk about first uh do you want to leave Mole Shadow Lord to the end?

SPEAKER_07

Yes because that's a that's a big one. That is as they say a doozy it it's huge and and we talked in previous episodes about where could they possibly go we don't know we now we do um so we'll get to that in a sec. That sounds like we're talking about it already I know it was so good you did you want to talk about it now. But let's talk about some other things what else have you been watching? Uh nothing oh okay well then I'll I'll kick off yes uh I've I've just had a really busy week yeah you have you you you you have but had a busy week I'm I'm surprised we're actually doing the show um tonight I would have thought that you would have been sleeping for 24 hours but uh this is what heroes do congrat I was about to say congratulations I withdraw uh fair uh I've I I caught the first two episodes of Man on Fire oh yes with our uh with our uh with our mate Yeah uh yep Yeah Abdul Mateen the second um this is really good this is a different interpretation from the film you enjoyed it um yeah it's it's really good this is gritty and it's very raw um he's he's an amazing actor he really is he does such a good job of I told you like you can't you can't see him as Wonder Man no you see him as um as Creasy um the character um this is is is a really yeah I I really enjoyed it because I I I think we we spoke about this a couple episodes ago how I wasn't sure how they were going to sort of transfer this from a movie to a T V series and being so close I mean it's not I mean it it's it's older it's an older film um it's because it's like 15, 20 years old now at least but but the the it's it's great. It really is great. The performances are good um the action is is is awesome it's realistic which is which is great um but the acting is is is superb in this.

SPEAKER_10

Um so he he he really is a great actor like The one of the things that gets me about him and the stuff that I've seen, and I haven't seen Man on Fire, obviously, is he's so versatile. Yeah. Like as Black Manta, he's so angry and intense and um driven. Um, you know, in in Watchmen, which was another great character that I really enjoyed him as. He was he was effectively a cop wife. Yes. Like he was sort of a stay-at-home husband um type character, initially at least, no spoilers. Um and and and he was great in that role. And then yes, Wonderman, I mean, it speaks for itself, like it was just uh an amazing role of a an actor and a person in crisis and someone dealing with powers and so complex. Um yeah, I'm I'm looking forward to checking this out.

SPEAKER_07

This is on Netflix. Do yourself a favor. Um, if you want to watch a real solid, gritty, well-acted, awesome story, Man on Fire is is is your is your hot one for a binge weekend or something like that.

SPEAKER_10

And being on Netflix, they've dropped the whole series. They've dropped the whole series.

SPEAKER_07

It's there, it's there for you. Um beautiful. Uh digest it at your leisure.

SPEAKER_10

Yes. Like a bowl of pasta.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, enjoy. Um the other the other one I wanted to talk about, and this has got a lot of buzz. This feels like severance, like the the buzz of severance, right? Okay. Um, this one is called Widow's Bay. Now, have you heard anything about Widows Bay?

SPEAKER_10

Uh I feel like I've heard of Widow's Bay, but I've This had zero, zero promotion.

SPEAKER_07

I didn't see a trailer for this, I didn't see any talk of it. This is an Apple TV um production.

SPEAKER_10

Oh, that's uh that's Apple to a T though, isn't it?

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, right. I'll I'll give you the overview. It's a New England mayor, so he's brand new to being a mayor, but he knows the town really well of Widows Bait.

SPEAKER_10

Oh, this is uh Matthew Reese.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, he's trying to boost tourism on an island that must navigate through strange events, suggesting that it might be cursed.

SPEAKER_10

Okay.

SPEAKER_07

Now, I've seen two episodes. The third episode is about to drop um in our time. This is an awesome show. It's got comedy, it's got um horror, and I wouldn't say horror is the right word, it comes under comedy horror. I would say more thriller.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um this has got levels of kooky that you just don't understand. The um he plays a really interesting character. Again, you know, he was in um The Americans, he uh did um uh Perry Mason. Have you watched Perry Mason?

SPEAKER_10

I haven't watched Perry Mason, I would like to watch Perry Mason.

SPEAKER_07

Highly recommend Perry Mason. He is fantastic in Perry Mason. Um and um, you know, we're talking about Reese here.

SPEAKER_10

Matthew Reese.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, Matthew Reese, sorry, my mistake.

SPEAKER_10

Mr. Kerry Russell.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, Mr. Kerry Russell, yeah. Um and uh and but he is fantastic in this role, yeah. Um and he's trying to get his town back on the map to be like Martha's Vineyard, um, which is which is obviously a town or like a winery, right?

SPEAKER_09

Yep, yep, yep.

SPEAKER_07

And so he's got uh someone to do a review on the island, American Barossa, and everything is going crazy weird, yeah, right? Um, where people are talking, and and this is the thing, the whole town knows that there's something not right about the town, and you hear these little whispers about things that are happening, and it's absurd, and you're like, this possibly couldn't be happening. Is it like Fargo? No, this is more like Twin Peaks. It's it like I said, this is off the wall.

SPEAKER_10

It sounds a bit like Welcome to Dairy, too.

SPEAKER_07

No, but it's not horror. There's no it's not horror horror-related, it's a thriller. Twin Peaks? Twin Peaks, yeah.

SPEAKER_10

All right, I'll I'll stop throwing out shows. Flint's no, not Flintstones.

SPEAKER_07

But it's got a comedy element to it, yeah, and this is what makes it really engaging. Um, I don't think I've been excited about a show for quite a while now, okay, but uh I I think it's because I because it's the unknown. Yeah, I know nothing about this show. I knew nothing about it from a trailer. Isn't that fun though? And and it is, it's super fun, yeah. And I'm really excited to see where this ride takes. Yeah. Critics are raving about it. Like it is on podcasts, it is, you know, making headlines um from critics. Um it's got an amazing score from uh I think it's I I mean, I know that you don't hold rotten tomatoes very, very high. Um, it's got uh 90 96% rotten tomatoes.

SPEAKER_10

I say I don't give them a very high tomato rating.

SPEAKER_07

Oh. Tin.

SPEAKER_10

Tomato rating. Tin.

SPEAKER_07

Um uh tomato tin. It's got an eight out of ten on IMDB.

SPEAKER_10

Don't we all?

SPEAKER_07

Um and uh AV forums, which is pretty reputable. Yeah, that's got an eight out of ten as well.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah. Well, I mean, d that don't mean nothing, these ratings. It's just you know.

SPEAKER_07

But it's it's sort of a combo of critics and you know fans um when it comes to Rotten Tomatoes, and you know, Rotten Tomatoes is a bit rigged from our inside.

SPEAKER_10

I'm just always wary of review bombs, but that's more of the negative side of things.

SPEAKER_07

So but this is this is getting all the positive buzz that it should. Yeah. Um great cast, yep, great, great, and again, all very kooky in their own rights.

SPEAKER_10

It's got Stephen Root in it.

SPEAKER_07

It's got it, it does have Stephen Root, and he plays ex-Mayor. He's the ex-Mair. Okay, and he's got his own issues going on, and trying to convince um the new mayor, um uh whose name is uh what's his name?

SPEAKER_10

Um Stephen Root's always really fun in stuff, playing characters in crisis. Yeah, um I really loved him in Barry, like when he was playing Barry's uh manager. And of course, in office space, he was in crisis there because someone took his staple.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, so Tom, so he is um you know, the new mayor, Tom Loftus. Um, and so the old mayor is trying to convince the new mayor that it's a bad idea to bring tourists to the island. Okay because of what's going but because of what's going down. But nobody's talking about what's going down. You only hear whispers of different unbelievable things that are happening on the island. This is X-Files meets Yeah, this this is what it is. It's X-Files meets the um Twin Peaks with a comedy spin on it. Okay. So again, I can't talk about this show highly enough. Highly recommend it. Tell us listeners, have you started watching uh Widows Bay? And if you have, let us know what your thoughts are on all our socials under Pop Culture Pod.

SPEAKER_10

Um I'm just having a look uh a bit of an IMDB dive through this as well. And um you're talking about how it sort of you don't know where it came from and all that sort of stuff. Um it's the showrunner, by the looks of it, is uh a lady by the name of Katie Dippold.

SPEAKER_07

Why does that name seem familiar?

SPEAKER_10

Um she was a writer on parks and recreation.

SPEAKER_07

Uh that's where the comedy element comes into play, right?

SPEAKER_10

Um so so uh she is sort of credited as the creator and one of the one of the writers. Um but yeah, she's her pedigree is um Parks and Rec.

SPEAKER_07

This is one of these shows that I don't want to wait until the next week. I'm excited to wait for the next week. It's a it's a week. Because it's dropping on a weekly release. It's not it's not coming on a it's not coming as a stream. So we've only got one so far. So we've got two. I've got two. Two, and by the time this episode drops, it'll be three um and four on the way. So um, so you get it on a weekly on on that weekly cycle, but I actually want it all now. Uh that's what that's what I'm excited about.

SPEAKER_10

How long are the episodes?

SPEAKER_07

Um they're a normal standard uh hour, well 40 minute, 45 minute um series. Um so so yeah, it's great. Super fun. Highly recommend.

SPEAKER_10

I I I keep making commitments, so I'm not gonna do that, but I'm gonna try and watch it before next week.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, even if it's the first episode. Well, you you want to see both episodes.

SPEAKER_10

So I would highly recommend seeing both. Um I will I'll I'll try and watch it.

SPEAKER_07

Because the first one you you the first the first one you've this this series feels like. The first one you're approaching the pool and you're putting your toe in to see what the temperature's like.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

And then and then by the second episode, you're just gonna just jump in. Okay. Regardless of whether it's cold or warm, you're gonna jump in regardless, right?

SPEAKER_06

Right.

SPEAKER_07

You're ready to go. Okay. Um that's that's that that's my that's my review that can be printed on you know their poster.

SPEAKER_10

That's gonna be fascinating if I start watching it and I go, Crocky, he was right.

SPEAKER_07

Of course I'm right. Well, I'm pretty right when it comes to TV. Yeah, okay. Well we'll see.

SPEAKER_10

Maybe you should just start a blog instead of having a podcast.

SPEAKER_07

That's that sounds so 2000s. Yeah, it does.

SPEAKER_10

Um, yeah, no, I I haven't watched anything else this week. The only thing I'm gonna say is that um uh I'm I'm getting back into going to the movies. So with my new job, it's been a bit difficult. I haven't been going to the cinemas as much. I'm going tomorrow night. Oh. Um, me and producer Kim and one of the boys, we're going to see uh documentary. Um we're going to see um It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley. So biographical documentary on the musician Jeff Jeff Buckley.

SPEAKER_07

We're a big fan.

SPEAKER_10

Love Jeff Buckley. Yep. Um so I'm really looking forward to that. We're going to see that at the the Leto in Hawthorne.

SPEAKER_07

Yep. Um and I thought you were going to see the Troy McClure story, but you know.

SPEAKER_10

Oh, look, I'd watch the the jiggies out of that. Is it on? No. Oh, come on, man.

SPEAKER_07

When you said documentary, that's the first thing that went to mine.

SPEAKER_10

Make it happen. Um, and the other thing is that we've got Mando tickets.

SPEAKER_07

We have two weeks.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah. We're gonna go see Mandalorian and Grogu at in IMAX.

SPEAKER_07

Luckily, I'm sitting beside you and not sitting behind you, otherwise I wouldn't be able to see the screen from the 600-foot atat popcorn bottle.

SPEAKER_10

That was I was thinking of that before. I was thinking I should have booked two rows, like one behind the other.

SPEAKER_07

Well, my 11-year-old's coming, so she might be able just to sit on that while we're watching.

SPEAKER_10

Or she can she can sit with with me and producer Kim, because producer Kim's not very tall. I'll be in the kids' row, and and we can I'll hide my atat so that you it'll be sitting in front of them, yeah, and they can just sit just they can see just over it. No, no, I'd be sitting in front of you. They can sit down the front with me so they can sit so they can see properly. And that way they can reach the pop corners.

SPEAKER_07

It's not happening.

SPEAKER_10

No, but it's exciting. Yeah, but we've got we're uh we've got tickets, we're locked in.

SPEAKER_07

We're gonna do uh just to give you a sneak peek, we're gonna do a pop culture plus straight after the um straight after the film. Yeah. So we're gonna do a review, we're gonna chat to producer Mandy and producer Kim and the kids.

SPEAKER_10

And he's gonna buy me a burger and chips with his with his with his own money. Yeah, with my own money, yeah. And we'll we'll do a little breakdown.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, that's that's exactly what we're gonna do. So we're really excited about about Mando and Grogu. And a soda. Oh, I'm just making sure. Oh, I thought you were like referring to Ahsoka. But a soda.

SPEAKER_10

Oh, imagine if a soaker's in it.

SPEAKER_07

Uh well, uh, we are getting uh what's his name? Uh Zeb Boneska. Yeah, we're getting Zeb Boneska in it. I can't wait. And that's uh the first sort of live action that we're gonna get really of Zeb. We saw a little bit of a glimpse uh in in one of the other shows, wasn't it? That we saw Zeb at the end. It was in Mando Mando.

SPEAKER_10

I think it was Mando season three.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, so we just sort of got a short glimpse of him, but not not in action the way that he is.

SPEAKER_10

I can't wait.

SPEAKER_07

And apparently this is going to tie uh Mando to Ahsoka. Yes, which is really exciting.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, no, bring it. Um so I'm really really happy about that. Yeah, no, I'm I'm pumped about seeing uh Mando and Grogu. Everybody go out and get your tickets if you haven't already.

SPEAKER_07

Absolutely. Please go and go and see them.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um it's Star Wars on the big screen. It's Star Wars on the big screen. It's back. Go and see it. Yeah, give it a crack. Um let's while we're talking about Star Wars, let's talk about the event that we both watched, uh, Maul Shadow Lord.

SPEAKER_09

Yes.

SPEAKER_07

Um now if you don't know much about it, you can go on to our socials. Uh I posted a review of the entire series. It's spoiler-free.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, he syscalled and eBooted.

SPEAKER_07

Yes, both. Um and uh and and uh so yeah, we it's it's it's right up there with one of our favourite um animated series, I would say.

SPEAKER_10

It was amazing.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah. That that last those last two episodes. Yeah, I had no idea where this was gonna land. I kind of had some ideas about some of the characters. Yeah. Um that I did not know. Oh, really? I I kind of predicted a couple of characters.

SPEAKER_10

Look, one of them, yeah, maybe, yeah, but not I didn't know that what was gonna happen to all of them. Yeah. Um, I was genuinely shook.

SPEAKER_07

But the these this series has done something that um I I've never seen in another animated series. They're they're really playing with different mediums. So we get a uh a flashback in in uh I think it's uh episode eight where we're seeing uh more young.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah, seven or eight.

SPEAKER_07

Seven or eight. Do you know how that was done? No. That was a smoke machine that was projecting the uh the animated uh take of him as a younger really, and then they're putting that into the that that shot. I thought they've used the mixed mediums.

SPEAKER_10

So it's effectively using some live action live action sort of mediums. Yeah. Ah, fascinating.

SPEAKER_07

Um we have lightsabers that are uh using you know um human sounds. Yes. Um there some of the animation in this is wild. That last battle that we saw between four individuals, yeah. And and all of them coming together. I don't know if you you noticed that, that point, that that sort of turning point when they're all together and all lightsabers. I I've never seen anything like that in Star Wars before. We've always seen a battle between two and one or you know, one and one, yeah, but we've never actually seen a battle of of multiple um Jedi and Sith together, yeah, like we have with that. That was phenomenal.

SPEAKER_10

I have to admit, one of the things that I've been thinking about with you know 24 hours between me and watching the episodes is the the power of some of that lightsaber stuff. Oh like I like I felt like I was being hit.

SPEAKER_07

I was exhausted. Yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_10

It's like some of the some of the some of the hits in it just really um had such impact even even as a viewer.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Um it was amazing. Yeah, like uh again, we don't we don't want to spoil the last two episodes. We're really trying them to yeah, they've only been out for a day, yeah, so we're not gonna we're not gonna spoil them, but um yeah, do yourself a favour and check it out because it really was top-tier Star Wars television.

SPEAKER_07

Hands down, and we get we we get this massive reveal. I did not know how they were gonna get away from that reveal, um and it paid off in spades, like it was actually believable. Yeah, and so that's what I loved about it. It leaves us on a it's not a cliffhanger, it just leaves us um very nicely on what to expect for season two.

SPEAKER_10

It's pretty amazing how um they're still able to add to and advance uh aspects of Star Wars that have now been around for 49 years.

SPEAKER_07

I I would call this series a surprise and delight.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

That's what I would say say it is. It really is.

SPEAKER_10

I I think one of the most delightful things for me is what we have in store for us in season two. Season two is gonna be very different to this one. Like it it would appear, like it's it's gonna be um it's uh almost like real chapter storytelling. Like the first uh season was about what what it was about. The second one is gonna be uh effectively about a completely different chapter in um Moore's life and the other characters that that um surround him.

SPEAKER_07

Do you think, and I mean, this is not giving anything away. Do you think that we might have a bit of a crossover with Solo? Um I I hope so. Yeah? Yeah. Do you think that we might get some characters from Solo? I as in like the girlfriend what's her name? Kira. Kira. So I I I'm wondering whether we could.

SPEAKER_10

I honestly can't see how we wouldn't.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, I know, right? It's it's I mean, that's not giving anything away.

SPEAKER_10

It's just it it it it it's it sort of is, it's it's pointing a direction, but I mean it's one we've discussed previously.

SPEAKER_07

We've we've we've discussed Crimson Dorm before.

SPEAKER_10

We have, yeah. Um, but I I really um I I I can't see how the story's not going to go in that direction. Yeah, I just wonder whether we're whether it's unless it takes like a you know a left turn for this next season and then gives us another one. But I think that would be a real missed opportunity. Yeah. Like um, ever since we had solo of Star Wars story come out, I've always wanted solo too. I still want solo two. Yeah. Um but one of the one of the gaps that uh in the story that that has certainly stood out like a sore thumb is the appearance of Maul at the end.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

And so if they're able to fill in Maul's side of that story and Kira's side of that story, um then then I think that would be wonderful. A lot of Kira's stuff post-Solo has has been explored in comic books. Um so whether they decide to sort of do away with some of that canon, I don't think that they would do that, but but I don't think we've seen too much about um for want of another expression, the rise of Kira through Crimson Dawn.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Um so yeah, if if they're able to fill in that sorts aspect of the story, I think that would be wonderful. Um, and then um hashtag make solo2 happen.

SPEAKER_07

Well, the interesting thing is I think now that Dave Faloni is, you know, at the helm, yeah, um, one of the things that I have heard him say is that he wants to connect the disconnect. Yeah, and I think that this is a great way of doing that. Um, you know, solo is very disconnected from the Star Wars sort of franchise based on its, you know, for for for the un for the unreasonable thought that it it it was a it was a bad film, which it isn't.

SPEAKER_10

No, it wasn't.

SPEAKER_07

And and it was just it just was poor timing and it had some issues with directors and and it wasn't promoted well by the by the um by the studio.

SPEAKER_08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um but it is a great film. It's an it is an excellent film. It's a great film, yeah. But it's disconnected from the franchise, right? For for whatever reason, it it is disconnected.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, I think it's only disconnected until they're connected.

SPEAKER_07

That's right, and that's what I'm saying. Like, he wants to connect the disconnected, and I think that's a great way of doing it.

SPEAKER_10

And I want them to do that as well.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, um because there's all there's still talk of a so uh a Lando film.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, well look, I this could be I would I I would absolutely love more stuff that follows on from solo two. From solo.

SPEAKER_07

Um that could be our solo two with Lando in it, right?

SPEAKER_10

I don't care if it's not solo two. Yeah, give it give us a a a post-solo uh animated series. Yeah, yeah, featuring uh Han and Lando and and other characters. Um, you know, fill it in in animation. Like, I mean, that's one of the things that we've seen, particularly with Maul, but even with the bad batch before it, yeah, and even with the final episodes of the Clone Wars. Like the the Star Wars animation is peak Star Wars.

SPEAKER_08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Um it's it's it's wonderful, it's beautiful, the storytelling's great, music's great, the the the you know, the battles are are fantastic, voice acting is is awesome. It is it is in in all the ways that count as good as any other Star Wars. In and in some ways it's better. Um just on the whole like connecting things, um if that's true, because I haven't heard much about um Feloni saying that. Yeah, it i if that's true, um give us more the acolyte and tell us what happens with those those characters afterwards. Preferably give us season two of Acolyte because that's old republic, isn't it? It is it's the the High uh High Republic era or or High Republic era adjacent. There's there's characters in that that are from the High Republic stuff.

SPEAKER_07

Now now just going back, um we talked about I think it was last week we were talking about one of the Inquisitors, and you said what's his name?

SPEAKER_10

Yes, yeah, we we did find out.

SPEAKER_07

Crow. They they they refer to him as crow. Uh the crow. And and so I was right.

SPEAKER_10

Well I think he's also called the eleventh brother.

SPEAKER_07

He's the eleventh brother, but yeah, they referred to him as the crow. As the crow. So even though I was joking, I was right.

SPEAKER_10

So well the eleventh brother's a cool name, but the crow's even cooler.

SPEAKER_07

The crow's even cooler based on his mask.

SPEAKER_10

He was creepy though.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, he's rad. I I love him. And he's got his like, you know, um sort of talonly hands as well. Did you notice that? He's like he's got sharp fingers. Yeah. So cool. And that Marok guy's a creep. Yeah, he really is, isn't he? Yeah. But great. They're all great characters. I love them. Yeah, I don't know, he's just a creep. Yeah. I I I I just love them all. Yeah. It there's something really special about this this series. Um, I'm really excited to see where season two. And apparently Dave Foiney said um don't hold back. That was the other quote that I've heard him say about two.

SPEAKER_10

They're not so far.

SPEAKER_07

But but season two. Yeah. So don't hold back on season two.

SPEAKER_10

Okay.

SPEAKER_07

So if they haven't held back on season one, um, can you imagine what they're going to do for season two?

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, wow.

SPEAKER_07

Um, definitely get onto it. If you're a Star Wars fan, get onto it. If you're not a Star Wars fan, find out what what we're talking about because it it will it it will change your mind, it'll change your world. And it's more than worth a watch. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. And just the descent of you know, one character going from one one side to the other, and it's just awesome.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, it'll even make you feel better about yourself. You think you've got problems, yeah.

SPEAKER_07

You got you got no problems.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, you haven't got more problems.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, yeah. Find out what the underworld's like in the in the Star Wars universe, yeah.

SPEAKER_10

It's and then you'll know it is not a safe space.

SPEAKER_07

I couldn't, I could not, I could not live in that world, like in the in the underworld where I'm forever like I'd never sleep because I'd be too afraid that someone's gonna kill me in my sleep. It'd be Star Wars though. No, I know it'd be Star Wars. I'd be excited about that part, but uh yeah, I just I don't think I'd like the underworld being a character in the underworld.

SPEAKER_10

No.

SPEAKER_07

Because you you you can't trust anyone.

SPEAKER_10

No.

SPEAKER_07

No one is trustworthy in that. No, you know, no one's loyal.

SPEAKER_10

No, it's not no, it's not safe.

SPEAKER_07

You know, they even you know, even one of the even one of the loyalist of them all even said that you know, um uh, you know something about a price, you know, that that uh eventually that you know that price goes away and you know uh loyalty has its price, but even even that you know has an expiry date, you know. That's Star Wars though. But it is Star Wars and I'd love that part of it. I'd but I'd like the nice shiny part, you know, not maybe not so much the the underworld part. So you um Padme or Defnoid I don't think I'd look good in any of her outfits somehow.

SPEAKER_10

You'd be like Mod Mothman's daughter.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah again, I don't think I look any any any good in uh any of those those outfits. Okay.

SPEAKER_10

Well maybe just put in an admin in the Nabu Royal Palace.

SPEAKER_07

I'll just live on the outer rim on a on a on a moisture farm or something, right? No, boring.

SPEAKER_10

I'm I want to be chased by bounty hunters at least there's at least there's blasters and laser swords.

SPEAKER_07

Hey, while we're talking about Star Wars, maybe let's get into the Moss Isley mailbag. Let's get into the mailbag. Backed by popular demand. Yes. People are loving the Moss Isley mailbag. Are they? Yeah. I know I am. Yeah, there's two people that have said that they enjoy it. So me and me.

SPEAKER_10

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_07

Alright.

SPEAKER_10

No worries.

SPEAKER_07

No, no, no. Definitely getting some traction.

SPEAKER_10

Okay, so no worries. Well, uh yeah, we've got another instalment.

SPEAKER_07

Um people are talking about the prediction too. They I I when I was at the comic shop on um Saturday, yeah, there was a couple of people who already listened to the show.

SPEAKER_10

Oh really?

SPEAKER_07

And they couldn't believe the prediction of uh It was Peter or something. Uh of Peter's, yeah, Nostradamus of Star Wars.

SPEAKER_10

That's pretty amazing.

SPEAKER_07

That was an amazing prediction. Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Like I I I mean, if you'd asked me as a kid back then what was what I thought was going to happen, I don't think I would have said any of that.

SPEAKER_07

Definitely not. I I I don't I don't even think I had a an inkling or an idea of what was going to happen after Return to the Jedi because it kind of just rounded everything off.

SPEAKER_10

My well, yeah. I I mean my imagination always sort of went into the future, you know, what happened with hand and layer and all that sort of stuff. And and I still I mean I would have liked to have seen those stories and maybe we will in animation or something one day. Yeah. Um well there is talk.

SPEAKER_07

There is talk about it.

SPEAKER_10

There is, but I mean, you know, we've had some amazing comics, like some of the Marvel comics and stuff, but that that was where my imagination went. But yeah, some of the predictions in that letter were pretty outstanding.

SPEAKER_07

So what do we got this this this time round?

SPEAKER_10

Um well there I I've picked out another issue with a pretty spectacular cover. This one's Return of the Jedi magazine number 87 from the 16th of February 1985. Still only 27p.

SPEAKER_01

Oh.

SPEAKER_10

Uh it's got some amazing, albeit um sort of disconnected artwork on the front of um Oh yeah, Han Solo and that exploding building behind him, the Millennium Falcon flying over the top of him, and then there's like another panel in a different I don't know. I'll post it on our socials anyway.

SPEAKER_07

What is that panel?

SPEAKER_10

I don't even know. It's it's Lando, Luke, and someone else.

SPEAKER_07

I thought it was Optimus Prime.

SPEAKER_10

Really?

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, just well from the glance, that's all.

SPEAKER_10

Whose glasses are you wearing?

SPEAKER_07

Probably probably looking through my cataract eye.

SPEAKER_10

It must be. Um just briefly, like this magazine. I haven't looked through the whole thing, but one of the things that I love about this is that it's got like a uh crossword in the front page, and someone's done it. Oh, come on. No, come on. What's wrong with you? That was 27p back in the day. Is that the group Aha in the middle? That's not. Again, it's like that. I think it's the same dude wearing a scarf from the front cover and Leia looking like she smelled something bad.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, okay. Um but yeah, it's that's four down.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

That's four that that's that's uh four uh three down as three down, yeah.

SPEAKER_10

But it's got its the same, you know, collection of like random sort of comics. It's got a power pack story. Um another power pack story. Yeah. Uh some photos. Well, like I said, it it sort of everything features a bit of other Marvel stuff as well as the Star Wars um stories. Yep. Um and before I get into the letters, yeah. So I just wanted to point out on the back cover is an ad. Um I'll give you a look and then I'll describe it because it's not a visual medium.

SPEAKER_07

I ain't afraid of that that ad.

SPEAKER_10

No, it says uh Ghostbusters certified, wanted to save the world. Oh, join the International Ghostbusters Club and receive a personal membership card, the official Ghostbuster Metal Badge, a certificate of anti-paranormal proficiency. Okay. That'd be handy on resume and stuff.

SPEAKER_07

I was gonna say could I could I use that when I was at a GameStop, you know? Oh god. For the Tupperware Ghost. No.

SPEAKER_10

A one year subscription to the quarterly newsletter uh for this property protected by Ghostbusters colour stickers. So yeah, it's an application form for the International Ghostbusters Club.

SPEAKER_07

Do you get a signed copy of one of the actors from the from the secretary? No, you don't. Oh that I'm not joining.

unknown

No.

SPEAKER_07

I'm not interested. Back in 85, I mean, like, fan clubs were all the rage, weren't they? So you know you could you could be a fan, you could join the fan club of anything, really, back in the day.

SPEAKER_10

We know it's fun about this one too, though. You know how I said the crossword on the inside was already filled out.

SPEAKER_07

Oh yeah. Somebody's filled in the back.

SPEAKER_10

They have.

SPEAKER_07

Get out. What's their name?

SPEAKER_10

Andrew M. Logan.

SPEAKER_07

Okay, thank you, Andrew Logan.

SPEAKER_10

Um but it it shows how far these magazines have have come because he he was f he's from Manchester.

SPEAKER_07

Right.

SPEAKER_10

So it says I can't quite make a lot of it out, and some of it's crossed out, but he's from Yeah, uh what something something row Day Hume Manchester, age eleven.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_10

And I just thought that was really cute.

SPEAKER_07

It's a great time capsule, really, isn't it?

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, it's the best.

SPEAKER_07

It's that's awesome.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, but I just thought that was really cute. Because like that would have I I would have been down with that as well.

SPEAKER_07

Bring back the fan clubs. Yeah. Oh, bring back the fan clubs. Yeah. Hey, maybe that's a thing we should start. I'll join. My goodness.

SPEAKER_10

Um we read some letters.

SPEAKER_07

Let's go.

SPEAKER_10

Moss Isley mailbag. Um okay, we're gonna read a couple uh here tonight just because there's a few beauties in there. Oh, excellent. Uh the first one is titled Cyril. Is it Cyril? Yeah, yeah. Cyril's taking the letters. He still looks like a deformed. No, he doesn't. He does. In this photo, actually, he looks like he looks like a um a chicken McNugget box addressed as Jimmy Olson.

SPEAKER_07

What is going on there now? Like he's wearing clothes, human clothes. I don't know. Yeah. There's something really dis I I really don't want Dave Faloni to connect the disconnect of this dude. That's for sure. Bring back Cyril. Definitely not. You can join his fan club to be the number one fan.

SPEAKER_10

Uh right, our first letter. Yep. Uh, it's titled An Evil Plot. Oh. This is pretty dark. Oh.

SPEAKER_07

Like Darth Maul, Shadow Shadow Lord.

SPEAKER_10

Just about. If you want me to if you want me to stop at any point during this, you just let me know. They all die. Well, that's my prediction. Just I'll read it and you can tell me what you think.

SPEAKER_07

I'm gonna I'm gonna eat a red snake while you uh tell me this story. Okay, well you may well throw it up. I'll try not to eat in the uh microphone, sorry.

SPEAKER_10

Uh no, that's my jam. Um I am being paid by someone we all know well. He looks like an 18-foot slug. I don't know who that can be. I'm I am being paid by someone we all know well to do away with you. So death threat.

SPEAKER_01

Well.

SPEAKER_10

Uh I know what you were going to say. Jabba is dead. I'd take you to Jabba now. Well, clever clogs. Oh. I'm taking orders from his secretary while he is in intensive care.

SPEAKER_07

Another secretary.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, but he's also saying that Jabba's not dead. Yes, it's true. Jabba is alive. Anyway, back to this assassination plot.

SPEAKER_07

He looks pretty dead to me.

SPEAKER_10

I could be Will you In return the Jedi. Let me read this threatening letter. Down in front. Okay, go. Anyway, back to this assassination plot. I could be in your staff, or I could even be a droid like you, if that's what you call yourself, you rusty old Mikano set. Oh, wow. Burn. Wow. Uh may the force be with you, because you are going to need it. From David Parker. Why does he put his name on? How old is he? It doesn't say. I I I think David's got some issues. He really needs some um well he's uh he probably had the Rosses going over to his house after this.

SPEAKER_07

Oh that's some serious some serious heat that he's uh he's putting on poor Cyril.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

I mean I understand because Cyril does look like he needs some, but yeah, seriously, like that's how did that get into the mailbag?

SPEAKER_10

I know that I said he looked like a nugget box, but how did that get into the mailbag? I don't know. It's pretty dark. Yeah, I suppose they figured figured they'd shine a spotlight on What was his name again? David.

SPEAKER_07

I'm sure I'm sure he turned up as one of the henchmen in Mall Shadow Lord. Maybe David. Who's that guy in the background uh with the mask on?

SPEAKER_10

Well, we saw what happened to him, didn't we? Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

All right, insert Willem Scream here.

SPEAKER_10

Letter number two. Yep. Um Dear Cyril, I have a few things to say about issue 83 of Return of the Jedi magazine.

SPEAKER_01

Oh.

SPEAKER_10

Oh. Firstly, critic. I think the cover is fantastic, the best to date. Secondly, Boba Fett is dead. Oh. Thirdly, wasn't he wrong? I think that you should call the comic Star Wars Weekly. Star Wars is the original film. This is from Penny.

SPEAKER_07

Oh.

SPEAKER_10

From Fife.

SPEAKER_07

What's going on? They're all attacking. It's like attack, attack.

SPEAKER_10

Well, they've probably been listening to the podcast. Attack of the clones. Picking up on your Cyril hate.

SPEAKER_07

Oh, come.

SPEAKER_10

What back in time. Come on. It's your imagination. It's like frequency. Yeah, so Boba Fett's dead, according to Penny. She's wrong. She is wrong.

SPEAKER_07

Sorry about your prediction.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, they're balancing out.

SPEAKER_07

He he crawled out.

SPEAKER_10

Yep.

SPEAKER_07

Yep. That's what the fans wanted.

SPEAKER_10

Last letter for the for this week. Dear Cyril, I have a great idea. I like this one because this is a new crafting idea.

SPEAKER_07

Okay. Oh, because we've had crafting in the in the last issue.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, what was that? That was Jubba's Palace. Yeah, Jubas. Yeah, this is another way to f sort of flesh out your um uh Tatooine landscape. Okay. Uh dear Cyril. I have a great idea for a new sarlac pit. Unlike the other good idea that was published. Oh this model is not restricted to use in the garden.

SPEAKER_07

Wow. Some shade going on, isn't there? From other other writers.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, I know. It's a wild place to be, this Cyril's pen pals.

SPEAKER_07

This is this is the underworld right here.

SPEAKER_10

Uh all you have to do is get a box and cut out some flaps in the bottom, then draw some teeth around the inside of the box. That's pretty good. After doing this, cut out some tentacles and put them through some holes in your box. Now your sarlac pit is ready for use and you can hover your mini skiff over the top of it.

SPEAKER_06

Nice.

SPEAKER_10

Uh this advice is from Andrew Bennett in Oxfordshire. Thanks, Andrew. Great idea. Yeah, I like these. I'm this close to making these things.

SPEAKER_07

Crafting with MJ.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, I'm I'm I'm I'm this close.

SPEAKER_07

Our new set new uh bonus segment that you'll get every Thursday.

SPEAKER_10

I've been encouraged by some of my workmates to work on my uh Instagram editing skills. Right. So maybe I'll do some process videos.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, okay, I'd love to see this.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, we're making a sarlac pit in the backyard.

SPEAKER_07

Wow, there's a lot of shade being being uh being covered in this in this one.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, no, I mean hopefully the letter column I find next week will be in a more positive spirit.

SPEAKER_07

Even even though uh even though Cyril looks like a deformed toaster wearing Pee Wee Herman's outfit. No, um I I do feel sorry for him in this in this issue.

SPEAKER_10

He looks uh he looks like a quarter pounder box dressed as an accountant.

SPEAKER_07

I think I just said the same thing, didn't I? You just put a positive spit on it. Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_10

Stick with me, you'll learn some stuff.

SPEAKER_07

Oh great. Well, that's it for another uh Moss Isley mailbag. We'll be uh we'll be back next week uh for another another episode of that.

SPEAKER_10

Who needs the tomb or the weird files?

SPEAKER_07

We definitely need the weird files. How could you not have loved the weird files this week?

SPEAKER_10

It was fun.

SPEAKER_07

It was good. Yeah, it was a good one. Well, we talked about wrestling. You laughed. Yeah, I did. You enjoyed it. It was very funny. It was a good one. Yeah, I just I don't unlike the previous week, that was a bit dark.

SPEAKER_10

It was.

SPEAKER_07

It was a bit dark. Sorry for bringing that down, everyone.

SPEAKER_10

Um you're not sorry.

SPEAKER_07

But I'll try and bring some better ones uh in coming weeks.

SPEAKER_10

That would be great.

SPEAKER_07

We've got we've got Kanye concert air, and it's not what you think it is. You'll be quite surprised.

SPEAKER_10

I don't even know what I think it is.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's it's it's got the word Kogne and the connotations are wrong, but honestly, it's a good one. I I but I'll bring two extras next week just in case you want to pick from those ones. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_10

Um I'll be the judge of whether it's any good.

SPEAKER_07

Deal with choice. Uh let's uh let's get into the shout.

SPEAKER_10

All right, what do you got? Uh I just wanted to shout out um everybody that participated in Free Comic Book Day.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, nice, nice work, everyone.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, all of the people that um that worked and all the people that that turned up. Um I uh the yeah the general vibe and spirit around our free comic book day I thought was really positive um and exciting and it was fun seeing all of the um the different types of people there, families, people by themselves, people meeting people, um, and just uh circulating the in the community. Yeah, just everyone that took part in Free Comic Book Day. I thought it was real, it was real a vibe.

SPEAKER_07

It's a great initiative. It really is a great initiative. Yeah. Um and uh yeah, you'll be able to hear you know some of the reactions uh from that day on um Pop Culture Plus uh that will be uh it'll actually be out by the time you um by the time you listen to this episode. Yeah, so if you haven't listened go back and go back and have a listen now. Yeah. You'll see why. Yeah. Um yeah, that's it. No, it's a great shout-out. Love it. What about you? Yeah, well, um for me, um I I actually want to uh first of all just give a uh a shout out to um at Pop Culture Plus. Um the last uh episode uh before the one that we were just talking about um was with uh Levi Cleman.

SPEAKER_10

It was a good one.

SPEAKER_07

Um and it was really great to talk to him uh and talk to talk about his Kickstarter, which is which is currently out at the moment, uh, which is uh Death Roll.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um it's a anthropom anthropomorphic uh story uh set in Miami um uh about a uh a uh a bulldog um and uh how it feels very Miami vice to me. Yeah, um high action here. Um but it was great to to talk to Lee Vi about his um his process and what he does and how he how he achieves it. Yeah um and um the huge undertaking that he took to do this book, it's 180 pages. It's amazing. Um and um the artwork is is is is is awesome.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um so if you wanted to you know get into the mind of a creative and see what makes them tick, I'd highly recommend um going back and listening to all four um episodes um so far of uh pop culture plus.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_07

Um because if you want to get into comics or you want to know how to be a writer or an artist or whatever, um definitely give those a crack. There may be some nuggets of wisdom in there that uh you can take and um and put into your own process.

SPEAKER_10

I would uh definitely not even say maybe. Um there there are like it's it's some there's some really good advice from all of our creators that you've had on um Pulp Culture Plus. Yeah and and yeah, if if you're in any way inclined to to get into uh creating your own comics, I I'd encourage you to listen as well.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, and and look, it's it's a um it's definitely one of uh one of those ones that the gift keeps on giving.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

The other shout-out I wanted to give, um, it's actually a twofold shout-out. Um this is coming from uh friend of the show, Darryl Leach. Hey Daryl from Jump Punch. Yep. Uh and he wanted to give a shout out to uh a uh a great initiative uh which is um which is called uh Write the World Notebooks. Okay uh now this is uh this is a really great initiative and and and I know that you're uh you're a huge notebook person. Yes. Um so I know that you're gonna be right on this. Um so it's fundraising for effective charities um uh tackling global poverty. Um and this is a uh what they do is on a monthly basis, they do a uh a new uh unique notebook design um for a better world. They're ten dollars for a notebook, um, which is going straight to charity. There's no um middle person uh involved in this.

SPEAKER_09

Yep.

SPEAKER_07

Um so this initiative uh you can jump on uh their Instagram page, which is uh comes under write uh underscore the underscore world underscore notebooks.

SPEAKER_09

Yep.

SPEAKER_07

Or you can check out uh their page where you can buy uh the notebooks, which is uh write the world notebook uh all one word. Um and uh this month in particular, and the reason that uh that that that Daryl uh mentioned it was that uh he's uh done the uh covers for uh this particular notebook in the front and the back.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, they look amazing. So you can see Yeah, I saw these on Instagram earlier today.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, so um so yeah, so he's he's done this this this particular month, um, which is kind of like a a a Gundams sort of style-ish uh star blazers, I would say. No, they look beautiful, and they're rad. Um yeah, amazing. They're they're really, really rad. So you can you can grab uh uh a uh a copy of that um uh for ten dollars, yeah. Um which is which is amazing. Um one of the things he did say is is that uh that it's uh it's actually a friend of his. She runs it on her own Steam and she's raised over a hundred and sixty thousand dollars over the last five years. It's been going for quite a while. That's amazing. Yeah, it's so um so really well done. Um check out the uh check it out. Um, you know, it's a charity helping charities essentially.

SPEAKER_09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07

Um so uh yeah give that give that a a a definitely a look in um it's called write the world notebooks I will absolutely be doing that yeah as you as you said I love loves me a notebook yeah so um so that's that's that's my um my uh shout out for the week yeah awesome yeah write the world notebooks.org yeah give it a give it a crack yeah fantastic give it a check uh well it's been a big episode huge episode yes so much to talk about free coming book day Shadow Lord TV goodness I will not apologise neither will I and we hope that you've enjoyed uh this this very long lengthy episode um we hope that you were able to sit down with your six foot at uh um popcorn bucket and enjoy um just as much as we did or maybe two of them they can have battles now you're getting ridiculous this is gonna look like a Christmas scene out the front of your house soon there's a good idea maybe I've ha found the solution for the larger popcorn buckets no I love it can be a be a Christmas scene on the front of the reindeer antlers on there you go right we've solved we've solved all the problems I like it well thanks for your company we uh we look forward to your company next week when you'll hear MJ say I can bring you in warm or I can bring you in cold thanks very much stay fresh yeah yeah stay fresh stay stale whatever works thanks for listening everyone bye bye like what you're hearing tell your friends follow us on socials at Pulp CulturePod and if you're feeling generous drop us a five star review on your favorite podcast button treat her right treat your mother right treat her right treat her right treat her right treat your mother right treat her right treat her right mother there is no other I mother so treat her right mother I'm always love her I'm a mother go treat her right treat her right for the moan that there is the bull grow from the pain that you fell with I was almost always for the oven with the burning heat what she doing making sure I had something to eat is for the time that you stayed up at night and told my temperature when I wasn't feeling right for the hard earned money to fit clothes on my back and try to fade the rent every wrinkled I put on a face and every word that I caught when I stayed out late the last rather hard that she taught me respect for the rule I've been having that I know you'll get mother that is no other like mother so treat her right mother I'll always love her I'm mother so treat her right treat her right treat her right treat her mother right treat her right treat her right I'm mother so treat her right treat her right

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