NoScans - Favourite Podcasts?

[icon_uk]

Now whilst, obviously, scans_daily is THE place to be on the web for comic related awesomeness, it seems only fair to acknowledge that there are other forms of comic fan media out there.

In the past I've made no secret of my liking for Rachel and Miles X-plain the X-Men, which has J.Rachel Edidin and Miles Stoke take us through a fun examination of, well, basically all the X-titles since 1963 in order. They're a nice combination of enthusiasm and trenchant analysis, particularly in terms of context and identity.

They also share my particular affection for Doug Ramsey and Warlock (We've just reached the start of The Fall of the Mutants, so this is not going to be a fun few weeks) which give them extra points from me), and they led me indirectly to this fascinating episode of The Uncanny X-Cast, where Louise Simonson speaks very entertainignly of her work in the X-Verse and WHY the New Mutants changed so much under her writing. I still can't entirely forgive her for New Mutants 60, but at least I understand more of the "Why".)

They are also taking part in the massive (in podcast terms) crossover which has become known as



THE SECRET CONVERGENCE ON INFINITE PODCASTS!

Thanks to the intervention of the Beyonder (Who sounds suspiciously like Greg Rucka) nine podcasts are been transported to Battlepod in order to explain the last great mystery to the mighty Beyonder; What ARE the secrets of comics?

Each episode has at least one host from the podcast with guests from one or more of the other eight. Each takes a different theme/question and there's some terrific discussions resulting.




There's a sort of order to them, but it's really not important if you don't listen to them in order (except perhaps the first and last) and you can skip a couple of you don't think they'd interest you, but I would recommend trying them all.

So we have (and I freely admit I cribbed this from the website;

The Fan Bros Show is the “Voice of the Urban Geek”. Fan Bros discusses the week in geek while keeping an ear to the street for the topics and controversies that affect the world of fandom. Hosted by DJ BenHameen, Chico Leo and Tatiana King-Jones.
Topic - Who Would Win In A Fight?

Into It with Elle Collins is a weekly podcast about pop culture by Elle Collins. In each episode, Elle talks to a guest about their pop culture obsession.
Topic - The best of Comic Book Movies

SILENCE! is a podcast featuring cosmic comic book discussion and songs from Gary Lactus and The Beast Must Die of Mindlessones.com.
Topic - Are Things Better Or Worse?

Less Than Live with Kate or Die is a bi-weekly podcast about comics from all angles, hosted by New York Times best-selling comic creator Kate Leth.
Topic - The Comics We Share

Wait, What? is a podcast ostensibly about comic books and graphic novels, in which hosts Graeme McMillan and Jeff Lester swap stories, theories, and jokes about all aspects of pop culture…but especially comics.
Topic - Favourite D-List Heroes and Villains

Journey into Misery is a podcast that seeks to unravel the continuity mess that comics have wrought upon themselves, with Kieran Shiach explaining the worst offenders to comics beginner Helena Hart.
Topic - Characters We Used To Love (Or Hate)

House to Astonish is a bi-weekly podcast about comics hosted by Al Kennedy and Paul O’Brien, covering super-hero and non-super-hero books alike, with a round-up of comics news, reviews of new books and the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, which is where things get silly. (Note: I've been a fan of Paul O'Brien's X-reviews since usenet days, so it's great to find a podcast he's a part of)
Topic - Comic book Guilty Pleasures

War Rocket Ajax is a podcast about comics and pop culture, destructive in its awesomeness, hosted by Chris Sims and Matt Wilson.
Topic - Comics Characters We Identify With

Rachel & Miles X-Plain the X-Men is a weekly podcast where hosts Rachel Edidin and Miles Stokes walk you through the convoluted continuity of our favorite superhero soap opera (because it’s about time someone did). It was recently named “The One Podcast To Start With” for comic books by Vulture.com
Topic - Complex Continuity

The last chapter is out tomorrow (or today US time I suppose) and I've thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, and have picked up at least two podcasts I plan on getting into regularly (And some Christmas present ideas too!)

So, do you have any comics related podcasts you'd recommend to other... scans_dailians? scans_daily-ites?

Where possible, please include links to the relevant web-page or means of listening to them.

Recommendations for non-English language podcasts are particularly welcome, as we do have a wide-ranging membership here.

Comments

[doodleboy]

Inkpulp - I recommend cautiously, because there was one segment that got particularly odious. But Shawn Crystal's interviews are good at cutting deep. And the non-interview segments are a good look into the hyper-competitive and often-anxiety producing nature of trying to break-in and stay-in the mainstream comics business.

http://inksplatter.tv/inkpulp/

Decompressed - Kieron Gillen with another writer/artist taking apart an issue they've written. Like Kieron's writers notes but with other people. Wished he did more episodes, but he's busy as it is.

http://gillen.cream.org/wordpress_html/category/decompressed/

Inkstuds - A comics podcast leaning indie. Once and a while they get a great guest on. One of the older podcasts on the scene. Robin is a good host, although his taste in comics lean differently then most of the people here (dislikes supeheroes and sci-fi), Brandon Graham is the co-host in the recent episodes and he's always insightful.

http://www.inkstuds.org/

Make it and Tell Everybody - Another indie-leaning podcasts. Dan Berry is an self-published comic artist himself so this leans more craft oriented.

http://makeitthentelleverybody.com/

Society of Illustrators - More of a video lecture series then a podcast. But they have great guests and host MOCCA lectures. You can find their videos here http://www.societyillustrators.org/VideoArchive.aspx and https://www.youtube.com/user/SocietyIllustrators. Recommend the Brandon Graham talk, the Jillian Tamaki with Ryan Sands talk, and the Isreali comics talk.

Off-Panel - A new podcast, leans on industry and business talk with it's interviews.

http://sktchd.com/

We Should be Friends - A group of indie artists who talk about a single indie comic artist they want to be friends with and their work. Good if you want to expand your taste, they have good taste in comics.

http://wsbfpodcast.tumblr.com/

[skjam]

"Raging Bullets" is a DC-focused podcast that is (or at least was) relentlessly positive. I can only take it in small doses, but when I'm feeling down, it perks me up considerably.

[freezer]

I've been meaning to do a NoScans post on this very subject.

Character Corner: Host Kriss (an admitted and unashamed comics fanboy) and one or more co-host (usually his frequent cohort, DPalm) spotlight a particular . The current episode is the first time they've tackled a villain: Black Adam. Previous episodes have featured Jessica Jones, Tim Drake, Sam Wilson, Scott Lang and Wally West. Kriss has other (highly recommended) podcasts, both free and behind a subscription pay wall, including Comic Book Book Club, which reviews comic books one large run at a time (they've hit Fables and Saga several times)

Be warned that, depending on the guest host (especially if it's Sterling from Gaming And Then Some), N-Word Privileges are in full effect.

Gaming And Then Some , The Nerd Off and We Nerd Hard All three shows are more about general nerd culture (from a Black POV) but will hit comics and comics-related media frequently. We Nerd Hard is currently on hiatus, but host Elon James White has promised it's going to return (any day now). Nerd Off is behind a subscription pay wall, but Rod will occasionally throw out a free episode with his main podcast, The Black Guy Who Tips

[informationgeek]

I don't listen to any comic book podcasts in particular, BUT I do listen to a podcast called Weekly Manga Recap.

Two guys from Channel Awesome, Y Ruler of Time and RolloT, do a weekly podcast where they discuss manga. Most of the time, they recap and discuss the current chapters in Weekly Shonen Jump, like with My Hero Academia & Food Wars, and also Fairy Tail. However, bimonthly they will discuss a manga series in general, whether it is complete or not. They recently finished doing a podcast on GTO and earlier this year they discussed Shaman King. If you guys like manga or Weekly Shonen Jump, they are pretty good to listen to.

Here's a visual edition someone did of their discussion on 70's Japanese Spider-Man, which is easily one of the worst Spider-Man series/runs I've ever seen.

[starwolf_oakley]

Now Playing is a great podcast about a trio of friends (sometimes joined by a guest) that discuss various movie franchises at length.

Awesomed by Comics is a podcast that ended at the start of 2014 but did some great episodes. Evey and Aaron were a married couple that discussed comics and other things. Two things I remember:

1. Evey didn't like "Inception," because in dreams anything can happen, and Christopher Nolan wanted to do a snowmobile chase.

2. They were annoyed by "The Return of Bruce Wayne," especially the idea of Bruce leaving clues in Wayne family portraits for Alfred and Tim to find. "Bruce Wayne is not the #%#$%ing Riddler!"
http://awesomedbycomics.blogspot.com/

Comic Geek Speak is great all around.

[laughing_tree]

Scans-daliens.

[captainbellman]

The Thrilling Adventure Hour - only recently finished, alas, but they have a long and glorious archive for you to thumb through. Officially billed as "America's favourite new-time podcast in the style of old-time radio", the concept was that a troupe of actors would get together (with some fantastic guest-stars) every month and do an hour's worth of segments lightly parodying classic radio shows like "The Lone Ranger" or "Superman". Each segment would then be serialised on a weekly basis. Among their most beloved segments were "Sparks Nevada, Marshal on Mars", a future-western; "Beyond Belief", about a ghost-detecting high-society couple who love nothing more than booze and each other; "Captain Laserbeam", about the relationship troubles of an Adam-West-style superhero; "Philip Fathom The Deep-Sea Detective", who's basically Aquaman in the heavily parodied style of Chris Nolan's Batman; "Amelia Earheart, Fearless Flier", in which Amelia defeats Nazis by travelling through time; and many more.

Wits - also recently finished (alas), a kind of mix between interview and sketch show, featuring talented guests such as George Takei, Danny Pudi, Jean Grae, "Weird Al" Yankovic and John Hodgman. Presented by the delightfully genial John Moe. Features segments such as "Amazon Review Theatre", where a voice actor dramatises real one-star reviews of beloved books and films, or "Pop Song Correspondence", where the lyrics of a famous song are taken to be one half of a confusing dialogue - e.g. "Stairway to Heaven" and a frustrated building contractor.

Spontaneanation with Paul F Tompkins - still going strong! Every week Paul has a guest-star come in for an interview based on a question left by the last guest-star. Then, after a break, the episode's guest-star leaves a prompt for a location and Paul and three "Pals from the World of Make-Pretend" improvise a story based vaguely on the interview. It's a fun time for all involved, and the live shows are spectacular.

Sawbones - every week a trained medical professional and her inexperienced, screwball husband have a humorous chat about medical history and the weird case studies found therein. Their profile of Phineas Gage was particularly illuminating.

The Blacklist Table Reads - a cast of talented actors get around a table and voice-act a script from the fabled blacklist of "Best Scripts Hollywood Ever Rejected". Quite honestly there's a reason a lot of them were rejected (the first, "Balls Out", is a generic bro-comedy with very nasty stereotypes of the mentally ill), but it's a fun time to be had anyhow. A particularly good one recently was "Chrome Noir", a pulpy detective drama with robots, starring Colin Hanks.

[icon_uk]

I didn't think to mention Thrilling Adventure Hour because it's not quite comics realted, but I should have (since it has spin off comics). I find TAH a mixed bag (Which I think is sort of the point); Sparks Nevada has never really clicked for me and I can quite like Phil Fathom and Colonel Tick Tock, but only in small doses.

On the other hand I found "Beyond Belief" to be an unmitigated JOY! Frank and Sadie are wonderful creations, played to perfection (and the most delightfully devoted fantasy couple this side of Gomez and Morticia Addams). I'm sad it's finished, but can respect they finished whilst still on a high.

Right, time to dig out those TAH comics I have around the place, I keep meaning to post them, but never got around to it.

Welcome to Night Vale probably deserves and honorary mention though, personally, I think it's lost something of it's sheen as it's become bigger.

[captainbellman]

I don't know, I found a lot of the time TAH (and Wits, which has one of the same writers, Ben Blacker) did a lot to poke at some of the logical inconsistencies with archetypal comic heroes - they did an ep. of "Captain Laserbeam" starring Kegan-Michael Key in the title role where, because the Captain has a secret identity, everyone is suddenly confused that he's now black with no explanation but are too awkward and polite to point it out. I feel like this was probably inspired by the recent drive towards diversity within Marvel.

(Also, Acker & Blacker have both written for Marvel recently, for instance in "Thunderbolts". I can't read their run anymore without hearing Deadpool's lines in one of the sillier voices of Paul F Tompkins, which...is a good thing?)

Yeah...I did avoid WTNV since it's peaked. It still has a few good eps now and then, but the mystique has kind of worn off. It's not unlike the latter seasons of LOST, except they've always been completely open about their lack of commitment to providing satisfying explanations, and also minus the extensive Daddy-Issues and scathing contempt for their audience.

[reddomagpie]

The Red Panda Adventures- basically they're new (though set in the 1930s/40s) superhero stories told like the old Batman serials. I'm recommending them here because I got a lot of fun out of them, and because SUPERHERO STORIES but the internalised misogyny kind of got me down in the end. That said- if you're okay with 90s style feminism (aka 'special' tough women who hate/distrust all other more feminine women) then you should really listen to them. There's also an accompanying comic series which has been pretty fun.

The Horror! from Relic Radio- it actually IS old radio stories being rebroadcast, they range from ridiculous and hilariously offensive to genuinely creepy.

Lore- informative podcast exploring urban legends, mythology and folktales. It's really interesting.

[deh_tommy]

While not necessarily comics-related, I'm quite fond of listening to 'Film Brits' and the morning/afternoon radio.

[kates]

The only comics podcasts I listen to are Less than Live with Kate or Die and Rachel and Miles X-Plain the X-Men. As for other non-comics podcasts,

Switched on Pop: a top 40 music podcast, where musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding dive into top 40 music, explaining what makes them super catchy. They don't take things seriously, but still manage to teach you things. If you're starting with them, start with the Justin Bieber episode.

Can I Pet Your Dog: Dog owner Allegra Ringo, dog wanter Renee Colvert, and producer Travis McElroy spend half an hour talking about dogs. Segments include Dogs We Met This Week (where they talk about that), Mutt Minute (where they talk about different breeds of dogs), and interviewing various people about their dogs. If you're starting with them, start with the Asterios Kokkinos episode if only to hear everybody lose their mind with regards to the pug version of Hamlet.

Doctor Who: Verity: a rotating panel of women talk about Doctor Who, examine Doctor Who, and are just all so happy about Doctor Who. The podcasts tend to be a bit long and a bit free-form, but I usually listen to them while commuteing or cleaning. Topics include What's Making Us Happy This Week, where they do just that. If you're going to start with them, start with the Black Orchid episode because it is HILARIOUS.

The Worst Bestsellers: Kait, Renata, and one or two special guests read a terrible book each week. Regular segments include candy pairings, better books that you should read instead of this book, and Duarte's corner where Renata's cat offers his opinion on the book. If you're going to start with them, start with the Flowers in the Attic episode or The Christmas Shoes.

I've also got to shout out to Big Finish Productions, an audio drama company that produces stories of pretty much every low-budget show from the 1960s to 1980s: Dark Shadows, The Prisoner, The Avengers (the Steed and Peel one), and SO MUCH DOCTOR WHO AND DOCTOR WHO SPINOFFS. like seriously, if there's a Classic Who companion/Doctor you like (or even some New Who characters), there will be an audio drama of them. I'm currently digging their Confessions of Dorian Gray series which the premise is basically "Dorian Gray is real, still alive, and gets into so much trouble." It's absolutely grand and absolutely bonkers.

[icon_uk]

Big Finish produce two of my favourite "Who" spinoffs -
"Jago and Lightfoot", the continuing adventures of the theatre impressario Henry Gordon Jago, and Forensic surgeon Dr Lightfoot who were introduced in "The Talons of Weng Chiang". More than thirty years later the original actors returned to fill the roles again, and like Liz Sladen as Sarah-Jane Smith, do a magnificent job,

"Counter-Strike" covers the adventures of three characters introduced in the 25th Anniversary story "Remembrance fo the Daleks"; Group Captain Gilmore, Dr Rachel Jensen and Dr Allison Williams. Set in the mid 60's they reunite to deal with the odd, the strange and the downright disruptive , working, in effect as a sort of a proto-U.N.I.T. except working only for the British side of things.

So in effect they are Torchwood, except they don't suck (Sorry for any fans, but I loathe what Torchwood did with a potentially rich concept, whereas Counter-Measures does it with style)

[astrakhan42]

One that's kind of comics related: How Did This Get Made? (http://www.earwolf.com/show/how-did-this-get-made/). It's a movie podcast that's taken on Catwoman, Daredevil, Barb Wire and Green Lantern as far as comic book movies go. They're just a lot of fun to listen to in general, especially when they have a guest that really clicks. If you've never listened to it before, try the episode on "From Justin to Kelly" featuring Nick Kroll.

My other favorite is The Dollop (http://thedollop.libsyn.com/), wherein Dave Anthony reads a ridiculous but true historical story to his friend Gary "That's Gareth" Williams. It's a simple premise that leads to a lot of comedy. The most recent episode is about Count Dante, so I guess they do have a comic book link. For a starter, try the episode on "The Cereal Men" featuring Patton Oswalt.

[stubbleupdate]

I'll recommend most of Plumbing the Death Star, an Aussie nerd podcast. They've covered topics such as "Is Daredevil a better Batman than Batman?" (Answer: Yes. He's blind and has a sonar sense) and "Is Hawkeye the worst Avenger?"

I used to listen to a load of comics podcasts but dropped them because
IGN podcasters couldn't speak using proper words good
Comicbookqueers had terrible sound quality
War Rocket Ajax has Chris Sims and he rubs me up the wrong way
whatever it is that has John Siuntres (Word Balloon?) has John Siuntres trying very, very hard with his guest. He's definitely a man to invite to a dinner party, because everybody would think you were the funniest man in the world.
Journey into Misery felt like it was just a guy reading an Official Handbook entry while his girlfriend made amusing reaction noises
I'm not enough of an X-fan to enjoy Rachel and Miles
Awesomed by comics felt self-consciously wacky

This leaves me with just iFanboy and House to Astonish.

I'll also recommend as non-comics podcasts Answer Me This with Helen And Olly, RHLSTP (or as some of the cooler kids are calling it Ruh-Huh-Luh-Stuh-Pup for interviews with comedians. If you want to cry for half an hour, listen to Short Cuts. The Hush episode has the most intimate moment I've ever heard on the radio, as we hear a mute woman's mother talking about her, then her words read by an actor, then the woman speaking herself in a closed room. It's astonishing.

[freezer]

Offering up some non-comics podcasts.

Sklarbro Country: If you were a fan of Cheap Seats, check out the Sklar brothers' podcast. A "comedians interviewing comedians" podcast with the Sklars' personal twist towards sports fandom and pop culture.

Last Podcast On The Left: Think the Sword & Scale podcast, if it were produced by Cracked. True crime, the paranormal and horror, covered with equal parts seriousness, skepticism and goofiness.

This Week In Blackness: Don't let the name throw you. This isn't some dashiki-wearing, black power fist waving, blackedy-black-black-black (y'all) podcast. It's a progressive news podcast, reported from a black POV. What sets it apart from the other left-leaning podcasts is that it's actually, intentionally funny. What sets it apart for me personally, aside from having the sense of humor sadly missing from all political talk, left and right, is the lack of shoehorning pet causes at every opportunity (Looking at you, Citizen Radio). Real talk, it's my favorite podcast.

Where's My 40 Acres: "Hip-hip minus the bullshit, ratchetry, fuckery, etc." My go-to source for rap/hip-hop news and opinions. Be prepared for liberal N-Word use, and not just from the music covered.

Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor of All Time Period: I haven't actually listened to enough episodes to recommend it on it's own merits, but the name alone says "Give it a shot."

[thespis]

A few of my non-comics podcast favourites:

TOFOP - Aussie comedian Wil Anderson and actor Charlie Clausen talk about nonsense and it's glorious and wonderful.

Wilosophy with Wil Anderson - Wil's other podcast, where he talks to talented people about their philosophies on life.

The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds - Each week, Dave reads a story from American history to Gareth, who knows nothing about it. Glorious chaos ensues. I recommend starting with episode #12 (The Rube), #23 (The Willie Dee), #46 (The Cereal Men, live with Patton Oswalt), #48 (Charlies Guiteau, live with Wil Anderson) or #51 (Michael Malloy).