Podcast of the Month for November 2012 is:
Comic Geek Speak!
I've been listening to Comic Geek Speak for over a year
now and they are without a doubt the most informative and industrious podcast
about comic books. They regularly produce three to five podcasts a week and
every one of them is well worth listening to.
Once a month they go over the Previews magazine and each podcaster picks out comics,
trades and other items that they think will be worth buying. I find it is helpful in
finding out a few months in advance what may or may not be worth buying at the
comics shop that month.
Another monthly feature is Off the Racks, in which they
pick one DC, one Marvel and one or more Independent Comics to review as a
group. This past month they reviewed Joe Kubert Presents #1 from DC, Uncanny
Avengers #1 from Marvel, Multiple Warheads #1 from Image and Cyberforce #1 from
Top Cow. Their rating system is fun and unique: They rate them BUY, BORROW or
PANTS: Buy being great, Borrow being good and Pants being not so good. Pants
was used to substitute Pass at some point; possibly as a joke or mispronunciation
involving the moderator Brian "Pants" Christman.
Yet another regular feature is Comic Talk, which is a comics
news-based episode. They discuss the latest comic book-centric news and how
they think it will affect the industry. In the November 14th episode
of Comic Talk they discussed Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm and how it might
affect the Star Wars movies, comics and toys; DC's upcoming Katana, Vibe and
Justice League of America books; and some spoiler-filled TV talk on The Walking
Dead and Arrow.
They also do regular features on important events in
comics. They recently reviewed every single issue of Marvel X-men Vs. Avengers
12-issue event series; even going so far as to live stream a special podcast on
the twelfth and final issue. They are currently doing a series on Marvel Now,
with the latest podcast, Round Three, discussing All-New X-Men #1, Fantastic Four
#1, Thor: God of Thunder #1, X-Men Legacy #1 and Avengers Assemble #9.
There is too much for me to tell about these hard working
podcasters, so I’ll let them describe their podcast and themselves to you in
their own words:
Comic Geek Speak (CGS) was started in March, 2005 when
Bryan and Peter decided to try their hand at the then-new world of podcasting.
They quickly invited their friends to join them and then the show was complete.
CGS initially released one or two episodes a week, but before long they were
cranking out three. Nowadays, the CGS crew produces daily episodes (Monday
through Friday) ranging from regular episodes to more focused episodes, such as
Footnotes, World of Toys or Exploring Bede.
CGS is far more than just a few friends in a room with
microphones. CGS is now a worldwide community of comic fans that helps to
foster and grow the love of comics that is vital to the industry's success. Produced
by a group of life-long friends, Comic Geek Speak is a daily look at comic book
history, current comic news, and a general look at the industry. Experience all
the joys of a Wednesday afternoon at the comic shop, from the comfort of your
own headphones.
Here are some of the fine gentlemen that regularly speak
on Comics Geek Speak:
Bryan is the guy that decided to do this crazy podcast.
After reading an article about podcasting in Wired magazine in February, 2005,
Bryan recruited Peter to start CGS. Bryan started reading comics in 1985 after
getting a copy of Groo from his friend. It wasn't long before he was reading
everything in sight. He worked at his local comic shop, Golden Eagle, for a few
years in college, which is where he met and befriended most of the other geeks.
He's a man of many ideas, and never really knows when to quit. That's probably
a good thing for CGS.
Shane Kelly is a comic book, toy-loving, Sci-Fi fanatic!
Whose earliest memories are watching re-runs of the Batman 60's TV show, Star
Trek and Superfriends cartoons on Saturday mornings in the late 1970s. For 25
years Shane has been reading and collecting comics starting in 1984 with GI JOE:
A Real American Hero issue 21, quickly expanding to DC Comics with titles like
Batman and Justice League in 1987 and Marvel with The Amazing Spider-Man. Shane
has been friends with the rest of the Geeks for twelve years. When Bryan and
Peter asked if he would like to join them for some comic book and toy talk on a
new venture they were trying called a podcast, he jumped at the chance.
Anything to hang out with friends, talk toys and comics. It has been four years
of fun, opening up to new new comics that he would have never read and meeting
tons of new people Shane is proud to consider friends. All through Comic Geek
Speak! There is even a spin off show called World of Toys which Shane co-hosts
with fellow CGS member Brian (Pants) Christman.
Having read comics for over 30 of his 43 years on this
earth, Jamie is the elder statesman of the group. He is a Marvel boy at heart
but hasn't met a comic or comic company he wouldn't try at least once. He wears
his love of comics on his sleeve and champions the artform wherever and
whenever possible.
Confused with 24601, Number 6, or even being associated
with Comic Geek Speak at all, he's got the wit of a Web-Head and the skills,
cunning, and social skills of a Dark Knight. Matt has worn several hats since
he started on the show: A-Hole to some (though refreshingly honest to others),
Object of focus for the Church of Mattitude, Roast Master General, and Host of
alternate universe CGS (see episode 666). He's the first to add fuel to any
fire and the last to back down. Prefers the Dark Knight Detective (as opposed
to the Caped Crusader), the Shadow, and a feisty Black Cat. Blunt.
Unapologetic. Old School (power of Pulp Comics). Carries his backbone with him
at all times. Respects strength, privacy, and blunt honesty and abhors
coddling. Love him...hate him...have no idea who even is: Matt will be the one
giving you a back-handed compliment one minute, then watching your 6 o'clock
the next. When you have a problem, and no one else can help, and you realize
you're screwed either way, Matt's the guy to have at your side. Lock and load,
fanboy, wimps need not apply!!
Adam is perhaps the least talkative of the Geeks. He has
been reading comics since 1991, beginning with Marvel's Infinity War, but he
only recently became aware (thanks to CGS) of the benefits of discussing them
with groups of friends. He has a Master's degree in Popular Culture Studies
(yes, really), as part of which he wrote a thesis about Crisis on Infinite
Earths; he's proficient enough in comics trivia to keep up with the Rios; and,
as a distant cousin of Matt's, he can make with the witty comments sometimes.
Mostly, though, he prefers to sit quietly (especially during interviews) until
one of the other guys prods him to spit out some obscure fact or say something
intelligent. Turn-ons include parallel universe stories, Kitty Pryde, and long
walks on square planets; turn-offs include rude people and continuity
violations.
Brian Christman, perhaps better known as
"Pants", joined CGS in the fall of 2006. He is known for his
obsession with collecting - both comics (over 17,000 books - mostly DC - going
back as far as the 1950s) and comic book art (sketches of the original Batwoman
and original art pages from a certain weekly book). He's also a frequent
convention attendee, once going to two different shows in one day.
Comic Geek Speak’s motto is "We Are Uniting the
World's Mightiest Heroes One Listener at a Time", which they end every
podcast with. This speaks volumes for the energy and the positive focus they
put into each and every one of their podcasts. If you are a fan of comic books
or even just a casual fan of comic book based movies, you should definitely give
Comic Geek Speak a listen.
