Episode 23: Batman Begins

Batman

Every story has a beginning and an ending, and this week on the podcast, I am doing both. This is the podcast’s season finale: Christopher Nolan’s extremely silly superhero reboot Batman Begins!

It’s the story of an irresponsible young man who falls down a well and never really gets back up. He spends most of act 1 in an exploding ninja factory, then goes home and discovers that somebody’s been inventing Batman stuff the whole time he was away. Listen to the show and find out how it all comes out!

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Audible and lots of other places.

Like I said, I’m taking a season break after this week’s show. If you want to be notified when I’m back, either with blog posts or podcast episodes, then you should sign up for the mailing list here, follow Superheroes Every Day on X/Twitter or Facebook, or subscribe to the podcast on Spotify!

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Episode 22: X-Men: The Last Stand

X-Men

This week on the podcast, author Laramie Dean joins me to talk about the 2006 mixed metaphor X-Men: The Last Stand! It’s the third effort in the X-Men film series, and it’s the story of what happens when the studio wants to make one movie, and the director and screenwriter want to make a different one.

As two plotlines collide, we ask the important questions: Why are powerful women always out of control? Can you actually tell the “Dark Phoenix” story in a movie? Is this a decent metaphor for queerness? and most importantly, What’s up with the kid who can change TV channels with his eyes?

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Audible and lots of other places. Come check it out!

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Episode 21: Justice League

Batman, Justice League

Well, it had to happen eventually. This week on the podcast, I’m talking with movie and arts critic Robert Faires about Joss Whedon’s Justice League, the 2017 Frankenstein creation that merged Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon’s sensibilities to the satisfaction of no one.

The first act’s a little longer than usual, because we have so much to talk about: the parademon scratch-off game, terrorists with a vague agenda, fish with fomo, the fruit-kicking crime spree, and the blind spot that both Zack and Joss seem to have when it comes to the definition of “heroes”. Join us on this journey, as we try to make sense of it all.

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Audible and lots of other places. Come check it out!

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Episode 20: Batman & Robin

Batman

Well, we all knew it would happen eventually — if I kept on doing the podcast, I would inevitably end up discussing the unappreciated 1997 Ice Capades show, Batman & Robin. Fortunately, I found a great partner for the adventure: graphic designer, author and publisher Stuart Manning, who unironically loves this not-actually-worst movie, and was willing to dig into the good (Mr. Freeze) and the terrible (oh, lots of things) to figure out what makes this eccentric and toyetic film such a pleasantly bewildering experience.

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Audible and lots of other places. Come check it out!

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Episode 19: The New Mutants

The New Mutants, X-Men,

There’s an old Native American proverb that says: inside every person, there are two bears forever locked in combat for your soul. That doesn’t sound very likely, though, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

This week on the podcast, Becca Petunia from the Muppet fansite Tough Pigs joins me to talk about The New Mutants, the 2020 haunted hospital pic about five teenage supermutants who find themselves on the wrong end of a horror movie.

Now, making a horror movie about these X-babies is an extremely peculiar thing to do, because the protagonists can teleport, burst into flames, summon a magic sword and turn into a werewolf, which means they’re automatically the scariest thing in the room. But the film tries to make it happen, with spectacularly weird results. Come join me and Becca as we attempt to comprehend this mutant misfire.

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Audible and lots of other places. Come check it out!

A note for listeners: I’m now releasing new episodes every two weeks, instead of every week. That’s your chance to get caught up!

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Blue Beetle 104.1: What Your Family Makes You

Blue Beetle, ,

“The love that you feel for your family makes you weak!” the villain tells Jaime. And later on, he repeats, “I told you, the love that you feel for your family makes you weak!”

So I guess that’s what the love that Jaime feels for his family makes him, unless there’s any late-breaking reports.

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Episode 18: Iron Man

Iron Man,

This week on the podcast, guest Ryan Steans and I find ourselves in a novel situation: talking about a movie that we actually like! We’re visiting the dawn of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, to see how Iron Man turned a promising young indie studio into a world-conquering money-spinner that’s become synonymous with the superhero genre.

Tune in to find out how Iron Man gets us to like the unlikeable, believe the unbelievable, and give in to the irresistible appeal of a character who shows up late for his own movie.

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Audible and lots of other places. Come check it out!

A note for listeners: Following this chapter, I’ll be releasing new episodes every two weeks, instead of every week. Now you’ll have time to catch up on all the previous episodes!

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Episode 17: X2: X-Men United

X-Men,

In a world where mainstream superhero movies are less political than films based on fashion dolls, it’s natural to wonder whether the genre has lost its edge. But back in the early 2000s, Fox’s X-Men series struck a blow for freedom, proudly standing up to defend the rights of the most dangerous people on the planet. Whether you can whip up devastating tornadoes, blow up police cars with an unending stream of fire, or suck the life out of everyone you touch — you deserve a place in society, without criticism or complaint.

That’s what we’re talking about this week on the Superheroes Every Day podcast, with the hilarious Stuart Gipp from the retro video games podcast Retronauts talking with me about Fox’s 2003 political thriller, X2: X-Men United! Join us as we discuss evolution, beehives and the importance of caution when you tattoo your own face.

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Audible and lots of other places. Come check it out!

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Episode 16: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,

Knock knock, you about to get shell shocked! The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in theaters this summer, and to celebrate, I’ve decided to talk to a TMNT megafan about one of the worst possible iterations of the Turtles saga — Michael Bay’s 2014 toy-store tentpole (teenage mutant) NINJA TURTLES!

I’m joined again by Sloane, illustrator and creator of the Hauntwares clothing line, who loves the Turtles and does not love this movie. This action figure playset comes complete with nonsensical backstory, a ninja clan that drives sport utility vehicles, an utterly unconvincing gal reporter, and a villain that’s been split into two characters at the very last minute of production. Join us as we try to puzzle out what this movie is trying to get across!

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Audible and lots of other places. Come check it out!

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Episode 15: Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad,

Suicide Squad is an epic story of delusion, mania and loss, featuring lunatic characters unleashed on society and sent sprinting in all directions. Naturally, I’m referring to the behind the scenes story of how they made the film, rather than the film itself, which sucks.

The director wanted to make a film that was “methodical, layered, beautiful and sad,” which is fine as a concept but probably shouldn’t involve cartoon characters. One of the stars was a dangerous, feral Method actor who terrorized the cast and crew. The rehearsals involved intrusive personal questions, physical fights, tattoo guns and dead pigs stuffed with bullets.

And then Deadpool came out, and Warner Bros realized that what they really wanted was an anti-hero comedy, so they wrenched it away from the director, reshot a significant fraction of the movie and then edited it together at random.

It’s a mess of a movie that’s fun to talk about, and this week Evan Brady joins me on the podcast to dig into what the hell happened to Suicide Squad.

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Audible and lots of other places. Come check it out!

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