Billy Z, Bryan and Justin are joined by guest bear and fan of the show Steve Mowry!  Steve and Bryan recently attended HeroesCon where Bryan presented a panel about gay characters with Los Brothers Hernandez (Love and Rockets), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise, Echo, Rachel Rising) and Kate Leth (Kate or Die!, Bravest Warriors). Bryan covers how the panel was put together and how it went down coupled with other con stories from Bryan and Steve. Billy Z was also in attendance at the inaugural Special Edition NYC from Reed Pop as well as the latest AnimeNext convention.  In keeping with the subject matter of the latter, all four bears offer their recommendations of anime and manga that they like.  They round it out with a small splash of current comics talk and, best of all, we got hate mail!!! 

Billy Z, Bryan and Justin are back together in the comic bear den.  First up, a little X-Men: Days of Future Past talk.  Then it is a big 'ol helping of current comic book talk which includes Forever Evil, Teen Titans, Superman: Doomed, Batman/Superman, Earth 2, Future's End, Firestorm, The Wake, Secret Origins, Cyclops, Amazing Spider-Man, Afterlife with Archie, C.O.W.L., Prophet, Velvet and Thanos Annual #1 (sort of). Then the mega funny and uber sexy Brad Taylor of Warner Brothers Studios Tours joins in on the fun to discuss the Batman at 75 tour of the studio that Brad has initiated.  He talks with us about what you can expect to see if you go on the Batman tour, the Warners lot, the Conan and Ellen shows (both of which Brad also works for) and so much more! Let's just say the second half involves cameos from Madonna, Darla from The Little Rascals and Optimus Prime (sort of).

A final word about this episode.  We were dogged with technical issues left and right when we recorded.  There were a couple of dropouts. (Lying - MANY dropouts.) We edited all of it together but left a portion of the nods to the dropouts in for poops and giggles. Enjoy!

Intro - "Where You Get Love" - Matthew Sweet

1:06 - Days of Future Past

13:29 - Forever Evil Wrap-Up

25:23 - Teen Titans Annual #2

30:00 - Superman: Doomed

35:43 - Batman/Superman #10

37:41 - Earth 2

41:40 - DC Weekly Books and Firestorm

47:46 - The Wake

51:24 - Secret Origins #2

53:00 - Original Sin

1:00:46 - Cyclops and the other X books

1:08:00 - Amazing Spider-Man #2/Amazing Spider-Man: Learning to Crawl

1:10:02 - Thanos Annual #1 (sort of)

1:12:13 - Afterlife With Archie #5

1:14:31 - Image - Prophet, C.O.W.L. and Velvet

1:18:56 - We bring on special guest Brad Talylor

1:41:09 - The Woofs of the Week

Outro - "45" - Elvis Costello

As Brother Bryan is sequestered on the job, Billy Z and Justin start the show off with a terrific interview with writer Clifford Meth. Cliff has compiled a series of his past columns about the comic book industry into Comic Book Babylon, out now from Aardwolf Publishing. Cliff takes us through his history in comics and his advocacy for creators rights, why he decided to put together Comic Book Babylon and where he thinks the industry is at today.  Dave Cockrum, Gene Colan, Stan Lee, Neal Adams, Harlan Ellison and many other figures work their way in and out of our conversation. Cliff also discusses what's coming up from Aardwolf Publishing, the continuing sale of Dave Cockrum's comic book collection and hella more!

The show wraps up with a discussion about comic books that were cancelled before their time in light of the recent New 52 cancellations from DC. Listen in as the bear boys offer up their picks for brilliant-but-cancelled books which had the axe fall on them way too soon such as Captain Britain and MI-13, Agents of Atlas, Fearless Defenders, O.M.A.C., The Thing, The New Invaders and more.

Links to Clifford Meth's work

http://thecliffordmethod.blogspot.com/

http://aardwolfpublishing.com

And if when you buy Comic Book Babylon, make sure you purchase it directly from Aardwolf!

And because we love you, here is the full episode breakdown -

Intro - "Where You Get Love" - Matthew Sweet

1:11 - Introducing Clifford Meth and what Comic Book Babylon is all about

2:41 - Clifford's first comic book experiences

4:18 - Cliff's original art collection

5:19 - The inspiration behind putting together Comic Book Babylon and the pitfalls of creators from the Silver and Bronze Age

15:37 - Harlan Ellison and Neal Adams

18:53 - Dave Cockrum and Gene Colan

27:57 - Artists who have had 2nd or 3rd "acts"

31:43 - Where Clifford thinks the comic book market is at and how the industry has changed

36:90 - Aardwolf Publishing

41:29 - Selling Dave Cockrum's comic book collection

45:38 - Creator credits, Stan Lee and more

1:02:39 - DC Cancels six New 52 titles and comic books that died before their time

1:06:54 - Captain Britain and MI-13

1:09:13 - The New Invaders

1:12:00 - Agents of Atlas

1:16:03 - Justice Society of America (1992)

1:19:49 - Fearless Defenders 

1:23:05 - The Thing

1:24:10 - O.M.A.C.

1:27:40 - Man-Bat

1:34:01 - The Woofs of the Week

Outro - The Zombies - "Care of Cell 44"

Bill Zanowitz and Rob Staeger return to cover T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #2, cover dated February 1966.  Hear all about the terror that is Dynavac, a big reveal about The Warlord, Dynamo's love interest, Mr. Fong, the Junior T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, NoMan's cloak in Newfoundland, and the best mutated fish-man of all time! All that plus Thundercorn, Rob's wife Kathy makes a brief cameo appearance and we let you know what you should ask Rob Liefeld to sketch.

The Comic Book Bears are very pleased to welcome Kyle Schmidt to the show for the first time!  Kyle is the comic book editor at Milwaukee’s Crimespree Magazine. Both Kyle and Billy Z attended the C2E2 convention in Chicago recently and they both recount their con experiences.  Billy also talks about the Batman at 75 program at the Paley Center in NYC that he went to.  After that the bears all join in for some Free Comic Book Day and Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie talk. Then they shift over to current comics talk, hitting on DC’s Future’s End, Shutter from Image, Batman: Eternal, Southern Bastards #1, Cyclops #1, Amazing Spider-Man #s 1 and 1.1 and Dan Slott, Black Science, Rick Remender, Original Sin, Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man , Stormwatch #30, Secret Origins #1 and lots more.  The show is end capped as always with our Woofs of the Week.

Also this episode marks the first of our Semi-Annual Bob Joy Drinking Game episodes! Take a shot every time you hear us bring up Bob Joy. Follow this instruction and you will be hammered by the end of the ep!

Intro – Matthew Sweet – “Where You Get Love”

0:00:25 – Bears Intro and Welcome Guest Kyle Schmidt

0:03:53 – Kyle’s Experiences and Interviews at C2E2 and Crimespree Magazine

0:09:02 – Billy’s Experiences at C2E2

0:17:51 – Billy at the Batman at 75 Program at the Paley Center in NYC

0:20:26 – The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Movie Talk

0:37:40 – Free Comic Book Day

0:51:58 - DC’s Future’s End and other FCBD books

1:09:13 – New comic talk starts off with Shutter (Image), Rachel Rising/Strangers in Paradise, Ms. Marvel

1:16:04 – Batman: Eternal, Southern Bastards #1, Cyclops #1

1:26:00 - Amazing Spider-Man #s 1 and 1.1 and Dan Slott

1:36:00 – Black Science, Rick Remender, Uncanny Avengers

1:44:37 – Original Sin and Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #1

1:55:00 –Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

1:58:36 – Stormwatch #30 and Secret Origins #1

2:01:32 – The Woofs of the Week

Outro – Jethro Tull – “Hymn 43”

Justin, Bryan and Billy Z are back together in the bear den for the first time in a while! Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Marvel's Agents of SHIELD dominates the opening part of the cast, then they switch over to current comic talk, rapping about the current Cap books by Rick Remender, Uncanny Avengers, Magneto, All-New X-Men, Nightcrawler, All-New X-Factor, Inhuman, Daredevil, Action Comics, Supergirl, Batman and Wonder Woman, Batman: Eternal, Batgirl, Earth 2, The Wake, Trillium, Molly Danger by Jamal Igle, Iron Bound by Brendan Leach, curling, RuPaul's Drag Race and transphobia and much more.

Through the course of the episode we discover that Bryan has a thing for Lana Lang and that Justin is a Pumpkin Pounder. (If you don't know what that is, well you'll just have to listen in.)

Billy Z and past guest Bob Joy are joined by Chris Cummins for an Riverdale-riffic episode. Chris is a geek culture writer for Den of Geek US, Topless Robot and Geekadelphia and he also hosts the Nerd Nite Philadelphia events.  Chris has hosted a number of trivia events in the past.  He serves in the same function here with a trivia contest between Bob and Billy.  Chris is also an Archie Comics expert and the conversation turns to a lengthy discussion of all things Archie, past and present. Life with Archie, Sabrina, Jughead's Diner, The Fox, Kevin Keller, Cosmo the Merry Martian, Josie and the Pussycats, Afterlife with Archie - they're all in there and much, much more! Then we get into new comics talk including Animal Man, 50 Girls 50, Daredevil, The Joker: The Clown Prince of Crime, All-New Invaders, Silver Surfer, Justice League of America and more. The episode is closed out, as always, with our Woofs of the Week!

And Billy overuses the word "affection" - might make for a good drinking game!

Bill Zanowitz of the Comic Book Bears and Rob Staeger are the hosts for a new podcast about one of the coolest concepts from the Silver Age of Comics - The T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents!! Rob and Bill will be conducting an issue by issue examination covering the entire history of the super-heroic espionage team, from its beginnings in 1965 to the current book published by IDW. On this first episode, the spyglass is focused firmly on T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1, published by Tower Comics and cover dated November 1965. Hear all about how Dynamo, NoMan and Menthor came into being as we discuss tales crafted by such comic greats as Wally Wood, Reed Crandall, Gil Kane, George Tuska and Mike Sekowsky. 

This episodes T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Tracks -

The Blasters "Samson and Delilah"

Duran Duran - "Sound of Thunder"

Billy Z and Justin welcome the amazing Wendi Freeman to the Comic Book Bears Podcast for a rockin' crossover episode with Wendi's Double Page Spread podcast!!! In the first of a two episode crossover, Wendi and the bears talk about rock and roll related comics from the 50s to the 80s. On the turntable - The Beatles, The Originals, The Defenders, Korn, Wings, Matt Wagner, The Micronauts, The Archies, Josie and the Pussycats, Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space, the Josie and the Pussycats movie, Riot Grrrl Josie and the Pussycats (we wish), KISS, John Romita Jr., Teen Titans, Alice Cooper, rock stars who freaked us out as kids, Dazzler, more Dazzler, even more Dazzler, Shrapnel, Sonic Disruptors, Steeltown Rockers, Rock and Roll Comics, Todd Loren and Revolutionary Comics, The Plasmatics, Dan DiDio impressions, Undertow from Image, True Detective, Patrick Cox, Legands of the Knight and tangents galore!  And this is just the beginning - check out Wendi's Double Page Spread Podcast for the second part soon!

INTRO - Matthew Sweet - "Where You Get Love"

0:42 - Introducing Wendi

1:45 - The Boob Toob Podcast Promo

2:54 - Wendi tell us how she got into comics and her podcast

6:00 - Image to Grunge

7:13 - Early developments with rock and roll comics, Pat Boone and The Beatles

8:38 - Associating comics to rock performers

13:57 -The Archies and Josie and the Pussycats

19:14 - The 1970's - KISS, Alice Cooper, Teen Titans #46

26:46 - Dazzler

38:48 - The 1980's - Dave Wyndorf, Sonic Disruptors, Steeltown Rockers, The unauthorized and proud of it Rock and Roll Comics

49:05 - Woofs of the Week

Outro - U2 - "40"

Brother Bear Justin is still on the mend from his most recent surgery so filling his corner of the den this time around is James Figueiredo of the amazing Brazilian online community Bear Nerd! We start off with James taking us through the comic scene in Brazil, some of his all-time favorite books, Bear Nerd, Grizzly and the Bear Patrol (which weaves a little bit into the upcoming Crime Fighter Inquiry) and comic translations. Then it's a whole lotta comic book and comic creator talk with James, Bryan and Billy Z - The Trial of Jean Grey, Amazing X-Men, X-Factor, X-Force, the Avengers books, She-Hulk, Fantastic Four #1 and Leonard Kirk, James Robinson, Leave It To Chance, Miracleman #3, Forever Evil #6, Action Comics #29, the First Contact crossover, Forever Evil: Blight, Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Two, Wonder Woman, Starlight, Jupiter's Legacy, King's Watch, Mark Lanning, Archer and Armstrong, Loki: Ragnarock and Roll, classic Justice League International, The Wake, Zombie Killer Rex and much more!