Screw It, We're Just Gonna Talk About Spider-man

The Milksops get their first returning guest: podcast novice Scott Aukerman, creator and host of Comedy Bang-Bang as well as the writer / actor / producer of many other comedy projects. This time around, we discuss Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #6, the debut of Spidey's sidekick Spider-Bite. Well, sort of sidekick. I mean, YES sidekick, but also... well, whatever, you'll see. We also talk about Scott's history as a fan of comics and how he got into writing a few himself. -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

While the Milksops have been talking to all these guests, the mail has piled up so we catch up! We cover: superheroes in cabinet positions, the question of whether flying takes effort, and how Will's Stan Lee impression is starting to lean a bit Gilbert Gottfried. -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

We are joined by Jordan White, who is Marvel Comics Senior Editor that oversees the "X books." Damn, pretty cool, right? Jordan talks about Amazing Spider-Man #334-339, which is the "Return of the Sinister Six" by David Michelinie and Erik Larsen. This arc which came out in 1990 is a long-overdue homage to the first Spider-Man annual that came out in 1963. We talk about Erik's terrific arc, the very fun story, the entertainingly insane reasons that these 6 villains need any help at all, and how everyone in Manhattan seems to place bets on whether or not hit men will murder their targets! -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

We are so legitiamately thrilled to announced our guest for this episode: Chris Gethard. In addition to being an author, comedian, creator of the hit podcast Beautiful/Anonymous and host of the third biggest show on his own twitch network Planet Scum, Chris did improv with the Milksops at the UCB Theater for like 100 years. So we talk forever. Also, by the way, Gethard comes onto the podcast to talk about the ingenious, delightful, thrilling arc: FROG THOR. In the middle of Walt Simonson's legendary run on Thor in the mid-1980s, the Thunder God gets turned into a frog, a storyline that polarized readers who either loved it or hated it. Put us in the "loved it" camp. We get into many topics with Gethard: how he's a fan of this podcast, his love of Mark Gruenwald Captain America run, why the X-Men resonate so much, our mutual friend Jesse Falcon's apartment, the death of the Executioner and you know we get a little improv talk in there, too. This is a long one, and we were restraining ourselves to only talk for

Multi-genre master Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT, Red Handed, Beserker, Bang and a million more) comes on to wax nostalgic about the late 1980s indie favorite Concrete. We hear what Kindt loves about the thoughtful, lonely, beautiful comics series by Paul Chadwick. We get into why he refuses to re-read it! And plenty of talk about all the amazin comics that came out in the 1980s - A Milksops favorite topic! -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

Longtime Marvel (and ToyBiz and Disney) Toy Designer Jesse Falcon joins us. Jesse is both a comics professional and a comedian friend of the Milksops as they all performed together at the UCB Theatre for years. Jesse talks about his lifelong obsession with making comics gear, insanely strange movies and TV shows he somehow knows about it, that Will and Kevin were wrong for years to assume he was the guy who invented Hulk Hands, and that Steve Ditko once gave someone homemade pretzels. This ep is an instant classic! -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

Jeff Smith, the creator of the insanely great series Bone, joins the Milksops to geek out about Batman #232 by Denny O'Neill and Neal Adams. And we do mean geek out. We get an awesome panel-by-panel breakdown of Neal Adams' storytelling might by one of our favorite comics artists of all time. A joy. -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

The Milksops take a break from their season of guests (already? sure) to catch up on email. Turns out our Secret Wars episodes really got you listeners working at the 'ol email machines. We go over: another casting assignment, questions about spoilers, Stan vs Jack vs Steve, and dealing with the challenge that the Secret Wars did not have enough secrets! -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

We begin our Season of Guests with a bang: Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort (editor of Thunderbolts, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, Civil War, Winter Soldier) joins us to talk about why he loved the 1970s mini-arc of the FF vs the Frightful Four (Three). We've got auditions for super-villains, Evil Reed, crazy big fan machines and The Impossible Man watching TV! We also geek out about Tom's excellent blog tombrevoort.com which is a must-read for any Marvel-head! -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

The Secret Wars comes to an abrupt end, but not before Doom becomes a god, then not, then inbewteen, then... nothing. Also the heros all die and then don't. Except Szaji who really did? And Spidey is pretty chill about realizing that his costume is maybe kinda... alive? But in the end, the Brothers Milksop declare that this is a VERY fun book and deserved its success. -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

These issues showcase the super-villain Doctor Doom, and he emerges as the main character of this story. Will loves Secret Wars and respect Jim Shooter's work on it, and Kevin brings him down to earth with some stories about Jim's behind the scenes arrogance or at least tone-deaf office humor. Still, these issues are fun. -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

A lot of stuff happens in these two issues but maybe the most significant is the arrival of Spider-Man's black costume, which eventually becomes the super-villain Venom. But no one making Secret Wars had any idea that would happen! Isn't that weird? -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

More fun issues, though there is a lot of recapping, even for Secret Wars. In one issue we have both Doom and Professor X checking in with everyone, and maybe Reed Richards too? It's hard to keep track. Also: the Lizard shows up, and the Milksops think that maybe Shooter had simply forgotten to include him up until now. -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

The Milksops talk about one of their favorite moments of the Secret Wars story: the Hulk holds up a mountain. Will is suprised how much he's enjoying this re-read. Kevin is not surprised. We get into more of Shooter's unsubtle dialogue, the Molecule Man's truly unreasonably powerful powers and if the X-Men are being treated unfairly by the story! -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

Secret Wars is a fun-first, subtle dialogue far far last type of story, and for the Milksops (and the tens of thousands who bought these issues) it works. Other fun things: the heroes are impressed with each other. Doom flips the script on Beyonder (or tries) and oh yeah, the bad guy's name is "Beyonder." -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

The Milksops talk about the original Marvel Superhero's Secret Wars. Commercially successful, critically tolerated, and fascinating! We ponder what the arrogant / influential editor-in-chief Jim Shooter must have been like. We remember what it was like reading this story as kids. Kevin gets into some behind-the-scenes stories he knows. And we read 100 pieces of reader email! -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

We continue going over Kevin's recommendations as we go over the very cool series Black Hammer, specifically issue #2. A group of superhumans are stuck in a small town, which is... not a small town. In these early issues we are learning the back stories of our main characters, each of which is part fun part mystery! -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

We go over the action movie homage Bang #02, written by Matt Kindt. It stars an action hero that is part Die Hard, part Doc Savage and all fun. It's also a mind trip, as the characters seem to exist in books written by another character from a higher dimension? It's weird. And fun! The Milksops dissect! -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

We begin a short series of Will reading some comics Kevin tells him to. We start with the commercially successful and critically acclaimed IMMORTAL HULK. The mystery, the philosophy, the character, the darkness, the... fun? We get into it. Next epsiode: BANG #2. -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify

Milksops Will and Kevin wrap up their season of discussing Sandman comics. Somehow Will talks for 45 minutes and they're not even going over another issue. Plus email! -- SHOW INFORMATION Twitter: @ScrewItComics Instagram: @ScrewItComics Email: ScrewItSpidey@gmail.com Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Subscribe: Spotify