What A Cartoon!

This week we visit our friendly neighborhood web-swinger and we have our podcast buddy Gary Butterfield of Duckfeed to help us out! While Batman was getting all the accolades, Spider-Man got his own animated series in 1994, and while it may not have aged as well, Spidey still has great writing and voice acting when the animation budget is lacking. We check out the season one episode The Menace of Mysterio, as we explain a ton of Spider-History about this particular era in comic books. Hold on to your Spider-Blood! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

In one of our freshest podcasts ever, Bob and Henry dig into the third episode of Matt Groening's brand new Netflix series, Disenchantment! We go in-depth into the show's third episode, seeing how Lucy will save Bean, how Elfo properly makes daisy chains, how good Bean is at drunk driving, and we explore all three of the sciences, even smoke! Listen along and learn about how the series came to be and how much we're enjoying this new series from many of the folks who worked on Futurama and The Simpsons! Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and go to tiny.cc/tshulu to get a free 30-day trial of Hulu!

ONE PUNCH! What A Cartoon! takes another trip to Animeland (thanks to the generous donations of Patron David Whittington) as we explore the crossover hit, One-Punch Man! This adaptation of a manga that's an adaptation of a webcomic tells the story of Saitama, a thoroughly average man who worked out enough to become the strongest human being on earth. (Unfortunately, this also caused total hair loss.) And, given the title, he can defeat any opponent with just one punch. Though this premise may seem very limited at first glance, the amount of ways the series plays with it makes One-Punch Man one of the most hilarious--and impressively animated--shows in recent memory Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and go to tiny.cc/tshulu to get a 30-day free trial of Hulu!

Matthew Jay (of Cartoons101) joins us to talk about a superhero parody that was way ahead of its time: The Tick! We explore the 1994 Fox Kids original and one of its best episodes. Can Tick defeat Barry and protect his intellectual rights? Can ie Fledermaus find a new girlfriend? Will Arthur be stuck in the Sidekicks Lounge? And will The Midnight Bomber What Bombs At Midnight be able to bomb the superheroes at midnight? Listen and find out! Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and go to tiny.cc/tshulu to get a 30-day free trial of Hulu!

Matt Groening's first new show in almost two decades is just around the corner, and thanks to our generous friends at Netflix, we're here to tell you our thoughts on the first five episodes! And with no major spoilers! (We promise!) Listen in as we talk about the generalities of Disenchantment, including the cast, the staff, the writing, the tone, the humor, and just where we think the series is headed in its back half. And be sure to stay tuned to the What A Cartoon! feed--and the Talking Simpsons Patreon--since we'll be doing a traditional podcast about Disenchantment's first episode shortly after the premiere!

We're back to the land of MTV to revisit Daria, the sorta-spinoff of Beavis and Butt-Head that gave all of us smartass introverts a hero of the people. And with the recent announcement of a sequel series, our little podcast is jumping into one of the more pivotal moments of the series: season one's "The Misery Chick." Listen in as special guest Sam Leichtamer (of GameSpot) joins us to explore an episode that seriously studies Daria's character, and reveals her as much more flawed than the escapist hero the series initially intended her to be. Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and go to tiny.cc/tshulu to get a 30-day free trial of Hulu!

Cowboy Bebop isn't the only Western-influenced anime series to make waves on Cartoon Network in the early '00s. Just a few years before Spike Spiegel blew the minds of American cable viewers, The Big O emerged as an ultra-stylish and enigmatic series that blended the look of Batman: The Animated series and Japanese giant robot shows from the '60s and '70s. And, thanks to its infamous cliffhanger ending, Sunrise's series kickstarted a trend of Western funding that continues to this day. This week, Cartoons 101's Matthew Jay joins us to discuss the classic The Big O episode, "A Legacy of Amadeus."

Matthew Jay (Cartoons 101) joins us to jump into one of the most disturbing shows in Adult Swim history, PFFR's Xavier: Renegade Angel. From the creators of Wonder Showzen we dive into the lid-flipping mind-expander as we ramble along with Xavier as he helps people by making their lives much worse. We hear epic monologues and pan flute solos alike, so listen along and learn, younglings! Oh, frittata! Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and go to tiny.cc/tshulu to get a 30-day free trial of Hulu!

Steady on, listeners, because this week's episode is a deep dive into the iconic British adventures of Wallace & Gromit! Matthew Jay joins us to discuss the Oscar-winning short film, "The Wrong Trousers" as chosen by a premium Patreon supporter! We chat about Aardman Animations' history, the many contraptions of Wallace, Gromit's knack for silent comedy, obvious Hitchcock references, and so much more! We're just crackers about cheese in this podcast! Support us at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and go to tiny.cc/tshulu to get a free 30-day trial of Hulu!

We're returning once again to the world of Nicktoons with the first creation to follow the original three series, Rocko's Modern Life! Two years after launching Doug, Rugrats, and The Ren & Stimpy Show, cable network Nickelodeon realized adults made up a sizable chunk of their audience, and Joe Murray's edgy-yet-silly creation took full advantage of this fact with its tales of 20-somethings making it in the wild world of the go-go 90s. This week, cartoon expert Matthew Jay joins us to discuss "Wacky Delly," a superb episode of Rocko's Modern Life that digs deep into the hell of making animation, and one that reflects upon some of Murray's own personal struggles as a cartoon creator.

We had threatened to do it, and now Matthew Jay joins your Simpsons-loving pals to discuss a season three episode of Family Guy! It's one of the more heartfelt episodes of the show with some solid jokes in there, and we're pretty fair to the fricken sweet series about Quahog! Listen along and we promise you'll hear at least two minutes of Seth MacFarlane singing! Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and watch Family Guy on Hulu with a 30-day free trial at tiny.cc/tshulu!!!

After producing one of the most influential anime series ever—Neon Genesis Evangelion—animation studio GAINAX went from adapting a comic about high school relationships to something even more unexpected: a coming-of-age story about robots that come out of a young boy's head. Thanks to its sheer weirdness, amazing animation, surprising emotionality, and atypical (but awesome) music choices, FLCL emerged as a cult hit in the early '00s—one that just received an unexpected sequel some 18 years later. This week on What A Cartoon, real life rock and/or roller Alexi Belchere of The Y-Axes joins Bob and Henry to break down what makes these six odd little episodes so special.

Chosen by one of our premium Patreon supporters, we're doing one of the first season favorites of Kids WB's Freakazoid! Matthew Jay joins Bob and Henry to talk all about this episode as the pinnacle/end of an era for Steven Spielberg's TV toon empire! We cover the very insider episode, as well as explore how the concept of "nerd" has changed between 1996 and now! It's fun and a little sad, so listen in and freak out! Sign up at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons to support this podcast! And visit tiny.cc/tshulu for a free 30-day trial of Hulu's streaming service!

We're headed back into Adult Swim territory as we check out the UPN reject that helped kick off Cartoon Network's successful programming block and ultimately didn't find a great home there. But for four glorious seasons, Home Movies adapted the limited animation and naturalistic conversations of Dr. Katz to something with a little more ambition that wasn't necessarily tied to stand-up comedy bits. On this episode, join Bob, Henry, and Talking Futurama/What A Cartoon! artist Maddie Copp as your podcast friends explore season two's "The Party." And be sure to follow Maddie on Twitter and support her great Patreon!

This week Bob and Henry are joined by Matthew Jay of Cartoons 101 to dig into Space Ghost and his oddball show that would pave the way for Adult Swim. After digging into how Alex Toth's fantastical superhero became the face of Cartoon Network's dadaist comedy, we dig into a double-length episode from 1996 where Penn & Teller and Joel Hodgson of Mystery Science Theater 3000 join the show for a Kubrick-tribute. There's all you can eat birthday cake and illegal Ultra Seven all in this week's podcast, so strap on your powerbands and enjoy! Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and go to tiny.cc/tshulu to try a free 30 day trial of Hulu!

Two decades ago, Cowboy Bebop made its debut and the show feels just as cutting edge today as it did back then. Bob and Henry are joined by Nathan Ortega to discuss this special episode of Bebop as Ed gets her own adventure in "Mushroom Samba." Take a trip with us as Ed and Ein go searching for food and get ensnared in an action-packed tribute to blaxploitation. We explain history, the creators, and even compliment one of the best English dub in anime history. We'll see you space cowboys on this week's podcast!! Support this podcast on Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons! Go to tiny.cc/tshulu for a one month free trial of Hulu!

Our premium patron David Whittington returns for his second pick, the Cartoon Network cult classic Samurai Jack! We dig into the Spaghetti Western-style episode that barely even features the title character. It's one of the most interesting episodes in the series history and we dig into all five of the bounty hunters all trying to find the best way to capture Jack. Learn all about Genndy Tartakovsky's high watermark in American animation with us in this brand new podcast! Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons! Also, try a free 30 days of Hulu by signing up at tiny.cc/tshulu to check out the subject of this episode!!

We've finally reached our first Adult Swim series on What A Cartoon, and it's their longest-running one to date: The Venture Bros.! Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer's creation launched as a Johnny Quest spoof in 2004, but over the years, it's grown into something much more ambitious that somehow survived despite near-cancellations and years-long delays between seasons. This week's episode comes via the request of our VERY generous patron David Whittington, who joins the show to steer us through one of The Venture Bros.' earlier gems: Escape to the House of Mummies Part II.

Star Wars expert and cool person Kat Bailey joins us to dive deep into the CGI series that did the impossible: Making the Star Wars prequels good! We hop into the twentieth episode of season four (currently available on Netflix), and get some cool action as well as meeting some of Star Wars best bounty hunters. It's a deep dive into a show some grouchier Star Wars fans like Henry overlooked. Strap on your Mandalorian armor and listen now! Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons!

Buckle in, because it's gonna get stupid as we dive into Mike Judge's first TV series (and first massive success), Beavis and Butt-Head. While on the surface B&B might seem like a braindead, ugly cartoon, like any Judge project there's a whole lot more going on under the hood than you'd think, and we explore its many nuances as much as humanly possible! So grab some nachos and listen in as we discuss Beavis and Butt-Head tangling with a teacher who believes in them, and grappling with the miracle of life.