Tom King Tags Into a Steel Cage Match Interview

It’s been a minute since we were joined by Tom King on the show. If you checked the length of this episode then you know we had a LOT to catch up on. Between the last interview and now, Tom has been pretty busy making comics. Not only has he had all of his work at DC but is back to the creator owned world as well. Plus he’s a big wig in Hollywood now too so he has been a bit busy.  On the episode, Dan and Tom King catch up on all the projects he’s had. Our main focuses of the episode are the new series Black Canary: Best of the Best and Archie. But Dan makes sure to try to pull a little bit of everything into the interview with Tom as much as he can. With the focus of Tom King’s new Black Canary series, Dan gets to ask about wrestling. Tom drops some wrestling lingo and gets into the face and heel discussion about Canary and Lady Shiva. If you weren’t already excited for this upcoming series, then you’re going to walk away from this interview ready to pre-order it from your LCS or Tom and I’s shop, Third Eye Comics! They also get the chance to talk about Tom’s recent one shot at Archie. Tom talks about the impact of Archie Comics on his children, him, and how one of the internets favorite members of the King family, Roxy, got a starring role. We talk about getting to work with the incredible Dan Parent in the Archie style.  And if you thought this interview would end without us talking about Trinity and those Super Sons then you’d be dead wrong. We talk a bit about legacy in the DCU universe before focusing on these three. We talk about Damian’s Taylor Swift/Black Canary crush, how the reference image for the stadium might be Lincoln Finacial Field in Philly (go birds), and the evolving nature of this new trios dynamic in the DC Universe. 

Pornsak Pichetshote is one of the most creative powerhouses in comics who's work never misses. That may be a bold statement to make but Pornsak has backed it with citations galore. From his Eisner and Harvey Award-winning The Good Asian to his prolific horror debut as a writer, Pornsak's work has taken a 360 approach to the perspective on the themes his work explores. Now, along with an absolute cornucopia of talented creators, he is helping bring The Horizon Experiment to shelves. I personally am asking you to support this line of 5 one shots because each is a unique genre story from perspectives we don't see in comics. The Horizon Experiment is just that, an experiment. 5 creative teams are putting out 5 one-shots that can continue into a series if there is demand. The challenge for each team was to create a protagonist from a marginalized background set in a popular genre where if the background of your character was changed so would the story. I have had the please of reading Pornsak and the Dodsons' The Manchurian (sexy bombastic Chinese James Bond super spy) and The Sacred Damned (a Muslim John Constantine that flips the script on what you typically see with demonology) from Sabir Pirzada and Micheal Walsh. Both stories blew me away to the point that I have already read both multiple times. Pornsak Pichetshote goes through the creative teams to explain why each was built for each book to bring authenticity unlike anything I have seen before. Typically for interviews and podcasts, writing this portion is always the hardest part because it's hard to summarize a conversation to demonstrate how much goes on. But this one came easy because nothing excites me like going against the grain to create something unique. Pornsak Pichetshote and his whole crew are bringing five one shots that you need to pre-order so we can get more of them. These are the comics we need to see more of in the industry. They don't read like they were built to become IP, they read like they are artistic teams that want to show that there is so much more outside your own experiences in only a way comics can do it. Pre-order these books. All of them.

I have never been shy about how much I love Solar Opposites. Season 5 is no exception to that rule. It is another installment in the Opposites families' mission to terraform Earth but more importantly to have wacky sci-fi adventures on Earth with the Pupa. I was lucky enough to chat with the cast and producers of the show about this season and what makes them laugh still after so much time in comedy. This season of Solar Opposites continues to build on the stories and world of the Opposites after the wedding of Terry and Korvo in the Valentine's Day Special. The show has embraced their relationship a lot more in the later seasons but this one really gives a few spotlight episodes on it that really highlights why I keep coming back to my favorite family of aliens on Hulu. Dan Stevens and Thomas Middleditch play off one another very well as the two parents of the family unit. Terry also has some of the best shirts of the series in this season as well. Solar Opposites is a show that every single television fan should watch because of how well they balance their stories while having two nearly full other shows going on inside their own. The Wall storyline has been going on for years with full eras of storytelling that we get a refresher on in this season in a very fun way. But The Wall gets a soft reboot into The Backyard this year with a fresh story with Clancy Brown at the helm. It's something you do not want to miss because it's such a great bit of storytelling that lampoons what it could have been while still being an original storyline going on alongside Opposites B plots. But there is the Green Lanterns Silver Cops storyline going on at the same time as well which gets it's own incredible opening and theme song. There are Starship Trooper elements this season while dealing with the idea that the military may also be the baddies. It's a very funny and surprisingly action-packed storyline this season. There is also a few moments I felt myself feeling a bit sad for the characters which I was not expecting when this absolutely bonkers storyline began. Solar Opposites cannot be contained to genre. 40 more seasons of Solar.

WELCOME BACK THE ANNUAL ANIME AUGUST! This year’s theme is Blonde Boy Summer! Listen as today Jake and Ethan take on the viking epic, Vinland Saga! Jake gets to nerd out about the beloved seinen series and Ethan and his homeland of Wales get prominently featured in the tales of Thorfinn and Askeladd! Join as they look at the story of Thorfinn as he begins his journey to avenge his unjustly slain father and how that leads him down a dark path of a warrior. Is it possible for Thorfinn to turn back to the kind soul he was before he watched a viking chief kill his father or will the young man be forced to live with the consequences of his actions? The answer can totally be both after his revenge is stripped from him. Will Askeladd live up to the legends of his forefathers or will he be a casualty of the Norse and Dane political theater in the viking quest for the treasure of England? Who knows but we do that Ethan is happy to see Wales in something that isn’t just Doctor Who! Not only that to properly see King Arthur mentioned as a figure not of British legends but specifically Welsh! Totally watch as Thorfinn begins to understand his father’s words as he tears across the English country side in Askeladd’s band of warriors. A series filled with bloodshed, tears, hope and eventually farming. The early quest to the new world is right on the horizon for young Thorfinn! All aboard with Thorfinn, Leif, and Askeladd in the most complicated coming of age story to ever be ripped from old legendary viking tales! Huzzah have a nice Blonde Boy Summer! Ramble ramble ramble ramble. I wonder if I, the marvelous Jake, have hit enough words yet! Anime anime anime. Manga manga manga.

I have been following Matthew Erman's comic career for a while and watching it evolve over time. The themes that have been explored in each of his stories have related in one way or another in some ways but they all feel like they were leading up to Loving, Ohio. I was lucky enough to read the comic last year and have not been able to stop thinking about it since. It's a beautiful horror graphic novel dealing with family, belonging, and understanding the systems on which you can rely. The story itself deals a lot with a cult and such which the author Matthew Erman was in for a bit of his life. We don't get into that too much into this interview because to be honest, I felt it wasn't a topic I felt relevant to our VERY open and honest discussion. We talk about so many things in this interview. Matthew talks very openly about the comics industry in ways that I had never even fathomed to think of point of view wise before. It's a very in depth conversation about shelf space, belonging, and chances. It's an interview that I am very proud of presenting to you that was inspired by a book that I have been comfortable calling the horror comic of the year since year. I can firmly say that Loving, Ohio is still my favorite horror comic of 2024 and on my must-read list for anyone looking for a story if they've ever deal with any feelings of loneliness, depression, or not belonging. The art and letters by Sam Beck synchronize so perfectly with the themes and feelings that it seems Matthew Erman was going for to elevate it to an instant classic in my book. I do not do ratings but if I did, this would be a 5 star book. I hope you pick it up and listen to this interview.

Welcome back to Super Crash Bros! This is a podcast series dedicated to kicking open the door to your next favorite Nintendo series! At last we reach the finale of Super Crash Bros with the ultimate crossover fighting gam franchise, Super Smash Bros! Jon and Amanda reunite once again to discuss the madness of Masahiro “Daddy” Sakurai’s ultimate creation. They discuss the game’s wild origins, starting in 1999 on the Nintendo 64. The game first started as a prototype that Sakurai and future Nintendo president Satoru Iwata worked on. However, they decided to add Nintendo characters for funsies. The duo then discuss the meteoric rise of the series, continuing with Super Smash Bros Melee for the GameCube, Super Smash Bros Brawl for the Wii (along with one of the best story modes for a fighting game ever, The Subspace Emissary),  Super Smash Bros for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and, finally, Super Smash Bros Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch. Finally, the duo also talk about their favorite weapons and items to use in the game, as well as their favorite characters. Kinda wild Nintendo got away with a lightsaber by calling it a Beam Sword. Come on, come all, for the grand finale of Super Crash Bros!!

Welcome back to Super Crash Bros! This is a podcast series dedicated to kicking open the door to your next favorite Nintendo series! In the third episode, Jon and Amanda hop on the Warp Star to talk about everyone’s favorite adorable pink puffball god killer, Kirby! Kirby began life as the creation of one Masahiro Sakurai, who would eventually go on to create the world-renowned Super Smash Bros franchise. But more on that game soon enough… Anyways, both Jon and Amanda R discuss how the simplistic nature of the series has kept people coming back for over 30 years at this point. They also talk about how Kirby is possibly the strongest, most OP character in the Nintendo universe. The dude kills gods like he’s collecting Pokemon cards, the mad lad. Also, the topic of Kirby being people’s instance of “My First Vore” may or may not be brought up at some point. Though, to be honest, are you really shocked? The duo also mention Kirby’s other ventures outside of video games. This includes the Kirby anime, Kirby Right Back at Ya!, which aired on the FoxBox back in the 00s. They discuss how much it absolutely rules and how it might have been the intro for one of them to Kirby’s world. Also, shoutout to Meta Knight. Bro absolutely RULES.

Welcome back to Super Crash Bros! This is a new season of GateCrashers dedicated to kicking open the door to your next favorite Nintendo series! In the second episode, Jon and RJ venture to the land of Hyrule to discuss one of their favorite video games series of all time, The Legend of Zelda. They are joined, for the very first time in her podcast debut, by Jon’s girlfriend Amanda! Amanda experienced the Zelda series for the very first time when she borrowed Jon’s copy of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to see why her boyfriend kept hyping this series up. She immediately fell for the open world of Hyrule and this game and the fact that you are able to do ANYTHING. She found the gateway to her new favorite world, and since that’s the whole essence of GateCrashers is about, she was the perfect guest for this episode. The three adventurers also discuss how Jon and RJ got into the series, how they all played Breath of the Wild in vastly different ways (hint: Amanda really likes apples in this game), the absolutely wild and what makes this series so enjoyable nearly 40 years after the original game in the series was released for the NES. It also wouldn’t be a GateCrashers episode without the trio bringing some kind of chaotic energy to the mix and boy howdy do they. They talk about how Link and the Zora….well, just listen to the episode to find out. Also, be sure to peep the site to check out the Zelda music ranking list Jon created last year when the sequel to Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, was coming out! It’s a completely normal list that definitely isn’t the most insane thing he’s ever written. No sireee Bob just a regular music ranking!

Welcome to Super Crash Bros! This season takes a look at our favorite Nintendo franchises before culminating in the ultimate discussion of the ultimate fighting game, Super Smash Bros! In this inaugural episode, Jon and Dan kick off the season by getting sucked into a parallel dimension ruled by evolved dinosaurs turned into humans….I mean get sucked into a warp pipe and discuss everyone’s favorite Italian plumber created by the Japanese, Mario! Mario is well known today since getting his big start in 1985’s Super Mario Bros, released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. But back then, he was just known as Jumpman, the biggest pain in Donkey Kong’s ass in the game Donkey Kong. The game was Nintendo’s first big hit. Honestly, Mario’s kind of a dick in this one. Just let the dude live life, you know? Anyway, Dan and Jon discuss the character’s origins (including the wild reason behind his name), the series’ enduring legacy and why people keep coming back to it time and time again. The Super Duo also discusses the numerous spin offs Mario and friends received (shoutout to the RPG side of things), his reach beyond video games (theme parks, films, television, cereal, etc)., and what’s the perfect game to get into the series. Plus, Dan talks about why he believes in AMAB (All Marios Are Bastards) and how Mario’s a huge boot licker to royalty. Super Mario Bros? More like Super Bowser Bros amirite!

Today is a very special episode! Dan gets the chance to interview another one of his favorite artists in comics, Sway! Joshua Swaby stops by to chat about their new art book that is currently crowd funding on Zoop. Make sure you check out the Zoop campaign here and get your copy before the campaign ends! Dan and Joshua talk about a wide arrange of things from a truly wholesome real life interaction to art. They take some time to chat about Joshua's cover art work and how the approach creating each one. We talk about the development of their most recent Wonder Woman cover to show how they are approaching posing and dynamics that go into each of their covers. Sway and Dan also discuss the design elements that go into all of Joshua's work with every character. We talk about their approach to super suits and redesigning things for commissions. They also get into some of the sketches that are included in the book. Dan talks about his appreciation for Josh drawing different body types which they talk about for a bit as well! Joshua Sway also talks about the future and what it would take for them to do interiors for a comic! Make sure you are supporting the Zoop campaign and buying all of Joshua's covers!