0:01-02:38: Greetings from Graeme “Technically, I’m Sick?” McMillan and Jeff “Techncally I’m Sick, Too!!” Lester, where we both feel like a pair of draggy, draggy asses.
02:38-9:12: But don’t worry, we don’t let the dragginess carry over to our discussions, we move right into a discussion of the film Shazam!, which Graeme has seen opening weekend (while Jeff still hasn’t seen the other Captain Marvel film.) We talk a little about the film in a way that you should consider spoilers at least in regards to one scene with Dr. Sivana (around 4:46 to 5:36) but is just a general overview, otherwise.
9:12-49:11: We both also saw “Us,” and since it’s relatively rare for both of us to see the same movie within a week of each other (much less a horror movie) we talk about Jordan Peele’s overstuffed sophomore film. We talk about how we admired it more than we loved it but both ended up haunted by it in different ways—Graeme by the Minnie Riperton song (see above), and Jeff by one of the theories about the metaphor of The Tethered. There’s a lot to unpack, and a lot to appreciate, but we still get squirmy about saying we loved it. You should consider this discussion one big spoiler pretty much, so pass it on by if you haven’t seen the film yet. Also discussed: The Blair Witch Project; Stephen King’s Silver Bullet; the new Twilight Zone and CBS All Access; the preshow experience; Graeme’s new hero, and more.
49:11-1:05:31: Next week is a skip week because Graeme is attending Star Wars Celebration. We talk a bit about what Graeme is looking forward to attending, what he’s dreading, and more. Discussed: Jeff’s love of failed immersion; the amazing Buck Rogers Burger Station in Glasgow; Tom Sawyer’s Island; The Wizarding World of Harvey Porter; and more.
1:05:31-1:20:49: I’m too embarrassed to tell you how we got from those topics to discussing The New Gods movie vs. The Eternals movie—I’ll let you listen and figure it out for youself—but we did and since Graeme has read a terrifying amount of New Gods, we discuss the top three pitfalls to avoid when doing a New Gods comic. But before we that, we discuss recent news about DC’s upcoming DCeased.
1:20:49-1:58:10: You probably heard the news about the DC Universe app deciding to go full “Marvel Unlimited” with their comics selection and make a total of 20,000 comics available, supposedly by the end of this month. Jeff signed up for DC Universe app after hearing the news. Here, we talk about his experiences with the app (and the only thing he’s bothered to watch with the app so far), what it might mean for DC Universe to add that many comics at once, the difference between having a curated collection and having curators; peak streaming; and more.
1:58:10-2:03:33: Comics! Or, well, a comic. But a very good one, according to Jeff! It’s The Secret Voice, Vol. 1 by Zack Soto, and it’s the indy cartoonist epic fantasy you didn’t know you needed. Jeff throws around a lot of descriptions to try and capture this very unique volume, but maybe he gets closest when he describes it as being like “Michel Fiffe’s Bone”? (Although thanks to an awesome Twitter thread of Zack’s
2:03:33-2:12:05: Jeff also read (while high as a kite) half of vol. 2 of Batman and the Outsiders by Mike W. Barr, Jim Aparo, Trevor Von Eeden, Bill Willingham. Also discussed: JLA Detroit; Sgt. Rock; DC Universe wishlist items again; Al Ewing and the latest issue of The Immortal Hulk; and more.
2:12:05-end: Closing comments? Yes, because Graeme has, for the first time in a while, transformed once again into The Lord of the Flies! Look for us on Stitcher! Itunes! Instagram! Twitter together and separately: Graeme and Jeff! Matt! Tumblr, and on Patreon where a wonderful group of people make this all possible, including Empress Audrey, Queen of the Galaxy, to whom we are especially grateful for her continuing support of this podcast. (Also, don’t forget about Spotify!)
NEXT WEEK: Skip week! Imagine Graeme being trapped inside the Darth Vader VR Experience while you peruse vol. 3 of Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files! (I know I will…)
Need that cut & paste hubba-hubba? Here it is!
http://theworkingdraft.com/media/podcasts3/WaitWhat268.mp3
That DC Universe news was new to me, and really is a dream come true. Very smart move to put the subscription up for 89 cents for a month and then add a load of comics the next month. I’ll have to relisten to you guys’ tips about how best to use the ap.
As a grandpa, I was planning to run a bit of the old passive aggression, but then I watched the Buck Roger’s Burger Station footage and my heart melted. Anyway, I want to take advantage of Graeme’s comprehensive New Gods read through to ask who is Scott’s mum? Given my reading of Kirby’s books it doesn’t seem likely it’s Avia, but then, who?
Your discussion of unfortunate takes on Captain Marvel/Shazam brought to mind the Alan Weiss drawing of the Marvels on the cover of Amazing World of DC Comics #17. There’s stuff Weiss drew I enjoyed, but that picture looks so creepy to me, it’s easier to think it’s intended as satire rather than artistic misjudgement.
Michel Fiffe’s Bone – how could I resist that?
I’m torn on the new DC service. I already have so much to read than I have time for on Comixology and MU, I don’t really want to add another service and spread my attention even thinner. I’m having the same issue with video and the new Criterion service and Shudder – I already have heaps that I want to watch on the services I have already. It’s always a time issue.
Jeff: “The Games of Triskelion” and Quatloos, fyi. The only thing I feel bad about is having to look up spelling.
Funnily enough, Jordan Peele days Us was inspired by the first season Twilight Zone episode Mirror Image, which is a good ‘un!
If you get a chance, listen to the BBC’s Kermode & Mayo’s Film Review Podcast from last weekend, there’s a great discussion in the last 15 or so mins about the mythology as ‘explained’ by Red.
You folks might have seen this already but here’s a list of some titles hitting DC Universe soonish. https://www.dcuniverse.com/community/boards/watchtower/coming-next-week-to-dc-univ
I hadn’t, so thanks for this link, John! That’s a pretty impressive preliminary pile of content!
You’re welcome! I’m pretty tempted by some of it.
The DCU releases have already been very good to me. I’ve gotten to read some old Aparo drawn Aquaman, some Firestorm, some Blue Devil and have even poked around Batman Family. I was a Marvel reader for much of the 80s so I haven’t read so much of this stuff. It’s great to be able to dive into it.
I also saw Shazam! last night and really enjoyed it. I think if I were a teenager, it would probably be the greatest movie ever made.
I supported the Kickstarter for Volume 1 of The Secret Voice and I was able to read it last year. I was very impressed with the book and I would like to comment on the colouring and art of the book, which I feel gives it a unique flavour that differentiates it from the bulk of other fantasy based comics currently on the shelves.
The fantastical world of The Secret Voice is brought to life by the unique way that Soto colors it. Instantly noticeable in the early portion of the book is Soto’s use of a contrasting purple and yellow palette that not only casts Doctor Galapagos as an atypical hero, but does much to make as well worn a fantasy landscape as underground troll caves feel distinct.
Soto later introduces a shade of magenta that better separates out objects within the frame as well as adding a greater texture of lighting. Though only in the conclusion do we see a tiny patch of green on the face of a mysterious agent and few splashes of otherworldly blue that highlight the biological horror of the fungal colossi. This decision to eschew the earthier tones typical of medial fantasy makes Soto’s world feel wholly its own rather than borrowed piecemeal from other works.
The other unique element Soto brings to The Secret Voice is his visual mix of pulpy action comics and art comics. His panels are just as often densely packed with movement as they are with detail. Actions happening in rapid-fire small panels while silent vistas are given half a page to breath; Soto taking no shortcuts when it comes to drawing out the clash of massive armies or the intricate curved architecture of a Red College temple. When he draws physical and magical conflict it feels believable and consequential. Yet the way his crisp line work on the characters contrasts with the frantic scribbled nature of the colored cross-hatching on their bodies imbues them with a strange energy befitting the magical proceedings.
At times Soto goes so far as to compose elements within the composition entirely out of thick crayon like lines that recall mid-2000s art brut comics, but rather than abstract the image they give life to the metaphysical portions of Galapagos’ quest. As with his other artistic choices, by taking the lush way that fantasy genre comics are frequently drawn and giving it an idiosyncratic spin Soto showcases a stunning synchronicity of craft and vision.
The Secret Voice stands out when compared with other modern fantasy comics in terms of its visual storytelling. I can only hope that we do not have to wait years for volume 2 to arrive.
I’m months behind on podcast listening, as well as reading comics, but I’m strangely excited about DC expanding their digital comics library. Marvel U showed me that I really can wait a few or more months for new releases, as long as I avoid spoilers on the internet.
Hoping eventually they offer curated artist and/or writer showcases available in the service, with offerings not financially feasible for print. So much Jack Cole, Joe Kubert, Mort Meskin, Alex Toth, Sheldon Mayer etc. works never reprinted before.
On a side-note: thanks very much for starting the Dredd readings. He’s one of those characters I’ve never been able to find an “in” on, but this gives me a good excuse to try again.
Are you familiar with the Big Finish audio productions? They recently produced a full-cast audio adaptation of two Mills and Wagner Dr. Who comic strip serials, featuring the 4th Doctor. The series stars Tom Baker and it’s wonderful, but the readings of Dredd definitely added to my enjoyment.
Keep up the good work!