Subscribe Feed (RSS)Comic Book Noise No. 40 is now online
May 2nd, 2006 by Administrator | Filed under Comic Book Noise, Episodes.Podcast: Play in new window | Download
A recommendation for a GREAT podiobook, my Top Five Favorite Speedsters featuring comments by Peter Rios, Bruce Rosenberger and special guest extraordinaire David A Price. 38 minutes.
Here is the direct link for the podcast: Download Here
Links mentioned:
The Seventh Son podiobook podcast
Comic Geek Speak podcast
Bruce Rosenberger’s Komicskast podcast
The online home of David A Price (“special guest star extraordinaire”)
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Derek,
Thanks again for letting me chat on your show. This might ease your Barry vs Wally dilemma concerning my list; my nod to Wally was for his Kid Flash days, not his Flash days. I don’t want to see Wally go back to being Kid Flash, but it was the Wolfman/Perez Kid Flash that I remember fondly.
Hope that helps!
You are not alone when it comes to enjoying the Waid run of Fantastic Four. I picked it back up with the nine cent issue, dropped it after JMS’s third issue I think….
Still listening, so I’ll be back with any additional thoughts.
And my birthday is 9.9.72
Great show, even if I thought it was a little short.
Great lists from everyone. I was waiting for the Fastback shoutout from Peter.
I want to point out that I was born slightly before the dawn of the silver age, lest anyone think I was reading comics in the 40′s and 50′s! I’m not THAT old! LOL! But also recall that Jay Garrick was reintroduced in the mid 60′s, when I was first discovering comics. There was just some attraction for me about this character in the old fashioned costume, all the GA charaters for that matter.
So did you say that my buddy Aaron had some remarks? Cool! I’m guessing that’s the next show?
Derek, we need to get you a forum!
Oh, and David and I were just chatting on IM and we both think the new microphone sounds great. Makes me think about getting an actual mic instead of the headset thing.
Peter, I thought Wally was better as Kid Flash, but I still didn’t think he had much of a personality. Marv Wolfman was the only person who didn’t write a Flash comic who tried to do a lot with him, but I thought that he completely nailed personalities for all of the other Titans, but when it came to Wally, he was pretty generic when he wasn’t obsessing over Raven.
David, I have heard people who absolutely hated Waid’s FF. I’m not sure why. I thought his take on the family element of the team was very well done.
Bruce, I didn’t mean to imply that you were THAT old, but there is a definite age thing when it came to our Flash picks. I agree about those old costumes. My favorites were Starman’s fin and Green Lantern’s high collar. I have the same affection for the older Legion costumes (as well as the Mike Grell mutton chop and bell bottoms Legion). Yes, Aaron’s comments will be on the next show (which was recorded right after 40, so all I have to do is upload it).
As for a forum, I don’t think I have the temperament for it. The first time someone called me a hypocrite for something I said on the show or tried to spam my forums with porno crap then complained when I banned them, I would just go ballistic and get rid of the whole thing, probably once a week.
Thanks, I like the new microphone too. I still want the compressor to come in.
Derek
Just a quick shout out to appreciate your show. Turning 40 and parenting a 7 & a 2 year old helps me relate to many of your comemnts and topics. I liked show 40 enough to write. The Flash was one of my favorites growing up, and I must have read the death of Iris issues until the pages came apart. Barry Allen tops the list for me without a close second. Thanks, and keep up the good shows. (We’ll be watching out for your forum.)
I have to say I disagree with you on the Flash. I am a Wally West Fan. Don’t get me wrong, I love Barry Allen as well but when I think of Flash I think of Wally. I believe I am close to your generation Derek, but I am one of the few that prefer Wally’s Flash to Barry’s Flash. PS. I also am one of the few that prefer Kyle ro Hal. I really enjoyed Waid’s run and also John’s run. Of everyone’s choices I liked Peters. Keep up the good work. I sure hope you have more frequent podcasts.
I have to agree with you Mike, that Wally is a better character than Barry. At least all those Giffen JLA stories he was in were great. I like the wisecracking speedster and apparently I’m not alone, cause if you watch the JLU cartoons they used the same character. I do suspect however that getting married and having kids makes Wally a dull boy? Maybe not, I can’t say as I haven’t read it in a long time. Nothing against the institution of marriage mind you, heaven knows I’ve been married 26 years now, but writers never seem to know how to handle it, with the possible exception of the 60′s Archie Superhero the Web, whose wife and mother-in-law were always nagging him to quit being a superhero. That was a lot of fun.
Wally under Mike Baron and William Messner-Loebs (and possibly Geoff Johns, I don’t know I haven’t really read much of his Flash) had a personality. In the JL-whatevers, he had a personality. Up until Crisis, he was boRing (with a capital R).
Barry at least had the excuse that most of his run was during the era of wacky plots and one part stories. Wally was a great KID Flash, but he’s not THE Flash, he’s just a guy in a Flash costume who can run really fast.
I also prefer Kyle to Hal, Dick Grayson to Jason Todd, Tim Drake to Dick Grayson, Stephanie Brown to Tim Drake, Carrie Kelly to Stephanie Brown, (but oddly enough, Dick Grayson to Carrie Kelly), Hector Hall to Kent Nelson, Barbara Gordon to Cassandra Cain, Ted Kord to Dan Garrett, and most of all, Jim Rhodes to Tony Stark.
You prefer Rhodey to Tony Stark? WHAT? Tony Stark is suave, cool, debonaire. He’s a self made man who runs a billion dollar tech company and created the iron man technology. Rhodey is a 1 dimensional average blue collar type….”comic book black”. Rhodey and the comic book John version of Stewart are interchangeable to me. Scabs who got there jobs due to some kind of ‘affirmative action’. If they were unique in some kind of way, then fine, but I don’t think they were. I bought many issues of the Jim Rhodes Iron Man run in the 80s, and he seemed like a boring scab who was never comfortable in the armor. I couldn’t wait for Tony Stark to return. (To be fair, though I did not read ‘War machine’.)
Well, like the old saying goes, one man’s ‘suave, cool, debonair, self made man who runs a billion dollar tech company and created the Iron Man technology’ is another man’s ‘drunken fool with an obvious deathwish or else why would he keep flying around in a form fitting metal coffin instead of just hiring someone else to do the heavy lifting’…
The reason I liked Rhodey is because he felt uncomfortable in the suit (which all sane people would) but like so many other average blue collar types, he did his job because it was his job.
Unfortunately a lot of other people (including I’m assuming some of the Marvel bigwigs) shared your opinion that he got his job due to creative affirmative action and never really tried to connect with the character. There was more support for Kyle Rayner and Wally West taking over than Rhodey and I always hated that because it didn’t make sense. Spoiler alert from 15 years ago: Hal Jordan went insane and killed a bunch of his “brothers in arms”, it makes sense to replace him. Another spoiler from about 20 years ago: Barry Allen died, perfect time for a replacement. Yet another spoiler: Tony Stark was a raging alcoholic who enjoyed his disease and could not do the job anymore. Are you telling me that he shouldn’t have been replaced? Sounds like the perfect time to me.
What I liked about Rhodey also was that he wasn’t a foreign ruler (like Black Panther), a mutant (like Falcon or Storm), or a…um…uh…um, I can’t really think of any other major black Marvel superheroes right now, but I know there are more. He was just a normal guy who got caught up in something not so normal.
Plus Tony Stark is a prick. He’s really never been portrayed as anything but a prick. Look at how many of the alternate Marvel Universes deal with Tony Stark trying to take over the world or doing something else just as prickish. And I haven’t even started reading Civil War yet, but I’ll bet he comes out looking like a prick.
The Marvel War Machine series was typical 90s storytelling if the story was about a guy in an armor, you know what I mean. The Marvel MAX War Machine series was actually pretty good.
Wow, this was a long comment.
Tim,
I think John Stewart is a great character. Green Lantern Mosiac was one of my favorite Green Lantern runs. While he might have orginated the from what you state, I think they have made him a really strong character even in the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited cartoon. I think you stated the comic version because you realized he was a good character in the cartoon. He also played a major role in Cosmic Odeyssy.
I did enjoy the black and white War Machine but I like Tony Stark much better. Sometimes he can be a prick but that is what makes him different and not one dimensional.
The otehr thing that I had to let my two-cents on this episode is how can Flash be a Flash clone. I think if you picked a character you should not include any of the heroes that had the mantle. You could include Kid-Flash but not Barry Allen, Jay Garrick, or Wally West. If I had interpreted the question the way most have my number 1 choice would have been Wally.
Thanks…
Mike, this particular list for Top Five Speedsters. I didn’t want to make it Flash “clones” because there have been a lot of Flashes and all have been distinct enough to warrant their own fanbases, unlike Superman or Batman because even with the many versions (PreCrisis Earth-1 and Earth-2, Post-Crisis, New-Earth and all their Elseworlds parallels) they are still Superman and Batman. I couldn’t say the same about the Flash and that’s why I wanted to include them.
OK, my last comment may have been a little harsh about Tony Stark, but it was before the one cup of coffee that I’m allowed a week and after a long night with the other Detroit Comic Podcasters (Chris CCL, Mikel OD and Jasper from the Plan Nine Rock Show), so I was a little cranky.
That said, I still think it’s ridiculous that Tony Stark hasn’t gotten someone else to be Iron Man.
Derek says:
“The reason I liked Rhodey is because he felt uncomfortable in the suit (which all sane people would) but like so many other average blue collar types, he did his job because it was his job.”
I knew you were gonna say that.
“I still think it’s ridiculous that Tony Stark hasn’t gotten someone else to be Iron Man.”
I have to admit…I was reading New Avengers and thinking “how does this man find the time to run (I assume) a fortune 500 company, design(?) and master new technology AND do this superhero stuff And why would he want to?”
But there are people like that. Richard Branson, the CEO of Virgin Records is always doing daredevil stuff. And Trump is a mega-rich CEO, but he still hosts his own TV show and does commercials too. They could stay out of the limelight, but they choose not to. These things make them stand out. Just like Tony Stark. What could break the stagnation of the boardroom and the lab? Why, the thrill of flying through the air and being an A-list superhero. And hanging out with Spidey, Wolvie, Cap. And Mary Jane.
“Tony Stark is a prick.”
Oh yeah, if you are a billionaire(?)CEO/playboy, and the leader of an elite team of superheroes, not to mention a tech genuis in the mold of Bill Gates…you’re gonna be a prick. But that is what makes Tony Stark unique, as opposed to Peter Parker (who is a husband/everyman, smartass and the greatest superhero ever. F— Superman*) and Steve Rogers (overgrown boyscout).
Mike Myers on John Stewart:
“I think you stated the comic version because you realized he was a good character in the cartoon.”
That’s true.
In a related note, I recently I found out that as Green Lantern, JS destroyed Fatality’s home planet. How can you get your superhero license back after you’ve destroyed billions of lives? GLC and Justice League sure have some lax regulations for their roster. Marvel made sure to make the separate distintion between Jean Grey from the Phoenix after she destroyed all those lives. Jean may have returned at some point, but the Pheonix had to die. But John Stewart is John Stewart. A mass murderer with GLC and Justice League memberships.
Derek said:
“Mike, this particular list for Top Five Speedsters. I didn’t want to make it Flash “clones” because there have been a lot of Flashes and all have been distinct enough to warrant their own fanbases..”
Or really because there are barely any flash clones in other comic universes.
Mike I thought it was a clones thing, too, until I heard the show. That is why I didn’t do a top five. I thought my comic knowledge wasn’t extensive enough, but just like I thought the DCU has a lockdown on speedsters. Most speedsters in comics are in the “Flash Family”. If I’d known this was a general speedster list, I would’ve handed in this top five:
1.) Blur (of DP7) Derek said he’s gone, but didn’t they just release a new DP7 series?
2)Wally West Flash (overall, he’s been through more in his life than Barry. He has more life and superhero experience. He was a teen hero with the titans, no less, then did twenty years (okay, not in DCU time) as “The Flash”. And he’s funny, too.)
3.) Quicksilver (he’s marvel’s only “hero” speedster and he’s conflicted.)
4.)Barry Allen Flash
5.)Whirlwind. He’s a D-list baddie in the Marvel U. I enjoyed reading his battles with the west coast avengers as a kid.
I haven’t read any Impulse.
Derek said:
“What I liked about Rhodey also was that he wasn’t a foreign ruler (like Black Panther), a mutant (like Falcon or Storm), or a…um…uh…um, I can’t really think of any other major black Marvel superheroes right now, but I know there are more.”
Not much. The only other major black heroes in Marvel: Luke Cage and Blade. Then there are D-Listers like Deathlok (just like spawn, his face is FUBAR, so you wouldn’t know he’s a brother unless you really read the comic), Black Goliath, Captian Marvel (the sister version with the jheri curl), Rage and that brother on a skateboard (the last two are WTF characters).
But anyway, I wouldn’t have had as much a problem with Rhodey if:
1) he had a personality and
2) he was at least distinguishable in facial features from Luke Cage and T’Challa (and Black Lighting and John Stewart). They could’ve said, “let’s make him bald or give him a mustache or something” Blade was always lighter in complexion, even when he debuted in the 70s (and he wore those cool tinted goggles), so you could tell him apart from Luke Cage and the other black heroes in comics. (That is until he was popularized in the movies by Wesley Snipes, then they made him darker in the comics and therefore the same shade as comic book black, but he has vampire teeth to set him apart so it’s okay.)
Peace
* Editor’s Note: Why is Superman called the greatest superhero of all time and why is SUperman Returns getting more props and hype than “Batman Begins” or even X3? Superman is a bland character and he’s a bore. it looks like they are gonna rehash the same ol’ Smallville People are wetting themselves over the preview, but if you look at it, there really is nothing there. Nothing’s going on. I predict the movie will be boRing. With a captial “R”.
And this movie takes place after the events of Superman 2, but why do Clark and Lois look college student ages? That’s not Lois! Lois is a wordly chick, not a fresh faced young girl.
Also, Brandon Routh/Superman is the same age as Tom Welling/Superboy!
Great to have you back, Tim.
I take it you’ve been drinking Fatality’s Kool-Aid. Or rather subscribe to her newsletter. In Cosmic Odyssey, John Stewart didn’t destroy the planet, through his overconfidence, he didn’t SAVE the planet from being blown up. Of course, having one of the most powerful weapons in the universe means that he had to be hobbled in some way and John’s case, it was an overwhelming sense of guilt which caused him to almost commit suicide if I recall correctly. Blaming him for what happened there would be like calling Superman a mass murderer because he didn’t stop the destruction of all the people in the Pocket Universe or blaming Batman for all of the people that the Joker killed.
Richard Branson may do daredevil stuff, but there’s a big difference between flying in a balloon across the Atlantic and climbing into a flying metal coffin and fighting alien invasions, demi-gods and The Hulk.
i don’t know if you read the New Universe: DP7 story that they came out with a few months ago, but it wasn’t a “new” story. It was am untold flashback story from before the second White Event, when the seven were still on the run from the Clinic.
You know, the whole series of shows that I did was a good concept, but I didn’t exactly describe it properly, there were a lot of people who were unclear about what I meant by clone and I obviously didn’t get the whole Speedsters thing out there correctly. All my fault. That said, I think these were some of the best shows I’ve had so far.
By brother on the skateboard, do you mean Night Thrasher? I liked the first few issues of New Warriors and I actually have the first issue of his own series, but I could just tell that they were going to ruin the character, so I dropped both titles pretty quickly. What did they ever do with him?
Around the time that Rhodey took over for Stark, Blade had either been in limbo for a while or was just so far off the radar that he might as well have been in limbo. When the movie came out, I was surprised that they would pick such a nobody character to spotlight. Of course, after the movie, he became more of a player, but I wouldn’t consider him a major hero.
I always forget about Luke Cage because of that horrid 70s Power Man series that everybody seems to be enamored with (“Merry Christmas”, yeah sure buddy whatever you say). I liked the miniseries that Azarrello and Corben(?) did. He was still a stereotype, but at least it was done with a sense of style.
Are you going to see the Superman Returns movie or are you going to just wait until it comes on HBO or something? I’ll probably go see it, but like you I think it is going to be a train wreck. I remember a few years ago that Brandon Routh was a bad actor on a soap opera who used his website to flame the producers who fired him. And now he’s supposed to be the most iconic hero of all time? The only thing I can say is, it sounds like a better idea than Nicolas Cage in the cape and tights.
I think Luke Cage said “Sweat Christmas”. Initially Luke was a sterotyped character but there were some really strong stories in Powerman and Iron Fist. The concept of Heroes for Hire has always interested me and I am really disappointed to see the new Heroes for Hire lineup. I will try it out though because I like the creative team.
I have the Night Thrasher series but I don’t remember it. I think I liked it or I would have stopped collecting it. I think it was a 4 issue mini series followed by another ongoing.
oh yeah…Falcon is a MUTIE?
“I always forget about Luke Cage because of that horrid 70s Power Man series that everybody seems to be enamored with (”Merry Christmas”, yeah sure buddy whatever you say).”
“I think Luke Cage said “Sweat Christmas”. ”
Sweet Christmas
Falcon is a mutant, that’s how he has such a connection with Redwing.
Derek,
I just started listening to your podcast last week through the recommendation of Chris at Collected Comics Library. I have to admit that after the first six episodes I wasn’t sure about it. I did skip ahead to #27 and have just finished listening to #36 on the way home from work.
Wow, much better! You seem much more relaxed or maybe it just finally clicked with me. I was sorry to hear the creator spotlight has been dropped since I thought it was a great idea. Doing the random comic review I like, it brings up some issues which you don’t think about i.e. West Coast Avengers #1. Long time since I read that, I’ll have to dig it out.
Anyways thanks and keep it up.
Thanks John. The way I see it, Bruce Rosenberger is the Dean of comics podcasting, and I’m the anchovy of comics podcasting. I’m either an acquired taste or just something that smells fishy. It’s all subjective.