019 - It's a Me, Painkiller Ice-cream

It’s a them, MJ & Nath celebrating a belated Mario Day by jumping into the Fandom Files with a stack of fun facts about the Super Mario Bros. universe.

They then take a deep dive into the new Lanterns teaser, where some fans are feeling a little sore, but don’t worry, the boys are dishing out painkiller ice-cream like it’s a 1-Up for your feelings.

There’s plenty of Zest to go around, including one very questionable Schwarzenegger impersonation from Nath.

So press start for power-ups, warp pipes and maximum chaos on the Pulp Culture Podcast

Socialise with Us

MJ - Host

Instagram  

Titans Tower Reading Nook Podcast

Nath - Host

Instagram

All content © 2026 Pulp Culture Productions

Transcript

SPEAKER_08 0:00

Everything sounds sarcastic when you say I'm like, does he have hot buttons on it?

SPEAKER_05 0:05

Maybe he doesn't.

SPEAKER_08 0:07

Maybe he does. Are we literally talking about hot buttons?

SPEAKER_03 0:10

Yeah. All the kids are doing it on TikTok. Hot buttons. I don't know. I don't know. That's so pandemic. That's like pandemic.

SPEAKER_04 0:44

Hey, welcome to the Pop Culture Podcast, your weekly dose of all things pop culture, freshly squeezed for you. I'm Nate. And I'm MJ. And welcome back for another episode. Welcome back. First of all, happy Mario Day for us. Yes. When you get this, it'll be obviously April. Yeah. It's not 1617. But uh yeah, for us it's uh it's March the 10th, which is uh when you put Ma and 10 together, that gives you Mario. So uh good old Nintendo and creating their own special day for themselves.

SPEAKER_08 1:25

This has been mansplainy with Pulp Culture Pulpture Podcast. I didn't I didn't know that that was a thing anyway.

SPEAKER_04 1:32

No, well, it luckily I needed it explained to me. Well, um uh listener Andrew actually gave us uh the uh the he said he he worked out when we were recording next.

SPEAKER_03 1:43

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:44

Um because we have sort of given away that we usually do it when we do. Yep. And uh and he said, Oh, if you're doing it on Mario Day, then and gave me uh gave me an idea for uh for our feature segment, which we'll talk about a little bit later. Well, thank you, Andrew. So um, yeah, thanks, listener Andrew. Um but we've got heaps to discuss, so let's get into the Zest. Let's do it. All right, Mr. Trailers, anything?

SPEAKER_08 2:18

Yeah, okay. Yeah, we haven't talked about the lantern's trailer that got the internet melting down.

SPEAKER_05 2:25

Oh the yeah, I've got some I've got some thoughts on this. Okay, well, this should be interesting.

SPEAKER_04 2:29

Yeah, okay. All right, let's go for it. So, trailer was um just for those of you who might not have seen it, this is the TV series that's coming from our friends at Pepsi Max. Yep. Uh or HBO Max. Yep. Uh, and I'll talk about HBO Max soon. That'll be a good segue. Okay. Uh we uh we saw uh Hal and uh John. Yep. So Hal Jordan, John Stewart, um both Green Lanterns, been working with each other for probably about two months. Um uh obviously one's the mentor, one's the mentee for training. Um and it looks like a very dark um series from from everything that we're seeing. Everything's very saturated. I don't know about you, but um there wasn't a lot of colour, and I mean, we'll talk about obviously the colour green that wasn't seen. Um, but the the actual saturation of the of the picture was very, very dark.

SPEAKER_08 3:29

Yeah. Um it looks like an HBO show.

SPEAKER_04 3:31

It it looks like true true detective. I mean, I know it's had a lot of comparisons to it, yeah, um, but I can definitely see that sort of the that how people could see that very much so.

SPEAKER_08 3:43

I mean, I haven't watched True Detective, but it looks like Breaking Bad or Yeah, um that that sort of look.

SPEAKER_04 3:49

Yeah, yeah. So uh so yeah, they're they're sort of um somehow they they they're in this town investigating uh supernatural event. That's what's that's what they're calling it a supernatural event. Yeah. Um but I would say that we'll probably get some something more intergalactic um uh in that in that phrase. So let um yeah, look, what was your thoughts on it?

SPEAKER_08 4:14

Uh I thought it looked great, but uh I didn't I I s a lot of the um negativity sort of went over my head until I left my house and then um started hearing other people's opinions about it and realized that there was a lot of negativity about it. Yeah, um and and I mean is it safe to say that the negativity that's around it is mostly because in this teaser, which it should be pointed out, it's a teaser, yeah, it's not even a trailer, no, um is not set in space. Like we don't see green lanterns in space, we don't see aliens, we don't see you know pink villains or um anything along those lines. So so there's is that is that where the negativity is coming from?

SPEAKER_04 4:54

Well it's it's there's a couple of things, right? So so we saw so there's a a couple of things in the trailer which we saw. We saw how Jordan fly, yeah, with no sort of you know, um construct or green aura around him.

SPEAKER_08 5:10

No.

SPEAKER_04 5:11

We saw how Jordan's well, what we assume to be Hal Jordan's uh Green Lantern outfit. Yes, which was a Green Lantern outfit. A Green Lantern outfit. I mean the the bow's been drawn that it's his, yeah. Um and again, it's not a construct, it's it's actually a physical suit. A physical suit. Yeah. Um and also too that we didn't see any green on screen.

SPEAKER_08 5:40

Um so those those and this like as we mentioned last week, I'm I'm colourblind. So green is a terrible colour for me. Yeah. Because when it comes to like particularly environments like what we see in the trailer, yeah, everything sort of looks brown, but to a colour blind person, brown could be green, could be right like I can't I struggle to tell when grass is alive or dead, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 6:01

Well, I mean, this trailer is is very brown, right?

SPEAKER_08 6:06

I just assumed that the suit was green.

SPEAKER_04 6:08

Everything is brown, everything is is the look it's the wicked witch of the west, the library. I I think I think this trailer has dropped and it's done exactly what they wanted it to do. They wanted to spark the conversation. If you remember, let's let's go back and look at a movie called Sonic the Hedgehog. Now, you remember when they first released the picture of Sonic the Hedgehog? Yes, the internet melted down. Yes, it did. Right. That was all done on purpose. They did they they they knew exactly what they were doing. It was all absolutely it is. Like they don't just do these things, that would mean that they would have to go back and they'd have to redo the entire show, the entire film, sorry, um, to change what Sonic was gonna look like. Why would they do that though?

SPEAKER_08 6:52

I think in the case of Sonic, like at least why why would they they say, Oh, look, here's crappy Sonic? Yeah, I I think they just do it because if you want good Sonic, you've all got to go berserk on the internet.

SPEAKER_04 7:02

And then and then what they do is they go, Okay, we listened to you, we did some fanfare, and here's because we listen to you, here's Sonic. I you know, the other the other comments that was that was made um about the lantern's trailer also was um that uh we didn't uh that that Hal Jordan said that that there's no other Green Lanterns, that they're all in space, except for a squirrel. I think he referred to um that. And that was no other humans. There's no other humans, but obviously we've just seen Superman and we had Guy Gardner.

SPEAKER_08 7:41

Yeah, but we don't know whether this is in the same timeline. Like I feel like I heard something in development as to when this takes place, but uh we don't know whether it takes place before Superman or after, do we?

SPEAKER_04 7:52

Well, you know, the interesting thing about Hart Hal in this, what and and again it's a teaser, yeah. But what we get from Hal is that he is he seems to have lost hope, right? In people, in things. He seems a little bit downtrodden, he doesn't he seems very sceptical and a bit mean spirited, and you know, this that's not the Hal Jordan that we're used to. Maybe he's just 50 like me. Well you know, and and that's what I'm kind of going with, you know. Like they're talking about there's not a lot of green. If it's not a lot of hope, then we're not gonna see a lot of green, right? No, this the the the suit, yes, it might be tinges of brown and and very dark green, but maybe that suit lights up, you know. We're not gonna get a Ryan Reynolds green lantern.

SPEAKER_08 8:42

This is totally off the top of my head.

SPEAKER_04 8:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 8:44

But do you think maybe what they're gonna do as part of the marketing campaign is like the marketing campaign itself is gonna start glowing? Like every time we see something new, it gets a little bit brighter. It gets greener.

SPEAKER_04 8:58

Yeah, it gets a little bit brighter. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_08 8:59

Yeah, like maybe it's gonna light up like the ring would. And maybe that's what they're doing. Like it's it's called lanterns, which for a a Green Lantern story is different. Like we've never never really had like we've we've never really had a comic called Lanterns.

SPEAKER_04 9:14

We've never we've never had a comic called Lanterns, we've never had a a TV series that's featured multiple Green Lanterns either.

SPEAKER_08 9:22

I suspect I mean maybe they're just really trying to separate it from the Ryan Reynolds movie.

SPEAKER_04 9:27

Green lantern. I and I definitely wouldn't separate myself as well. Well, maybe.

SPEAKER_08 9:32

I mean, I'm not as negative on the the Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern movie as some. I I really enjoyed it. Um, and it's one of the things that's been interesting this week working in the shop. I've heard a lot of opinions about this this show and the teaser, yeah, but also it's made a lot of people compare it to the Ryan Reynolds movies.

SPEAKER_04 9:53

And they're saying, Oh, it's such a better suit, and oh, the effects are so much better.

SPEAKER_08 9:57

And they're all like, Oh, well, the Ryan Reynolds movies in space, and the Ryan Reynolds, and so they're all alluding to all these positive aspects of the Ryan of the Ryan Reynolds movie, which funny, to be honest, I've been waiting since the movie came out for that to happen. Yeah, and it it's in a weird way, it's resulted in the movie getting a lot more love than I've ever heard it get.

SPEAKER_04 10:15

Better better the devil you know than the devil you don't, right?

SPEAKER_08 10:18

I think I mean my overall perspective on this is that this is a teaser.

SPEAKER_04 10:22

Yes. Um, I don't think it's giving us any and and and the one thing that I noticed in the trailer, and I've watched it a couple of times now, just based on what I've seen of you know other criticisms. Yeah, and so I've gone back and I've rewatched it. If you re-watch it now, knowing what I'm about to say, you might see the trailer very different. They are wearing the same clothes pretty much the entire trailer. Yeah. So that means that it's one day, one day out of the entire series that we are we are seeing. And that capture could be the first 20 minutes of the actual film TV series.

SPEAKER_08 11:01

And that's what happens with particularly with teasers, but even with trailers for stuff like this. And you've got to remember, like, I I don't know much as much about True Detective, and I don't I can't recall the name of the writer that's working on this. I please forgive me, that that is working on this that is from True Detective.

SPEAKER_04 11:18

We'll insert it here. Yeah. The showrunner and writer of True Detective is Nick Pizalato.

SPEAKER_08 11:26

But I do know um Damon Lindelof. Damon Lindelof's come from Watchmen, yes, and he's come from Lost. Yes. He's a JJ Abrams um uh collaborator. Yeah. Um he's all about like his stuff is all about the reveal. It's all about keeping secrets and um teasing things. And uh Tom King's a bit the same. Yeah, like Tom King's writing is a bit the same. Yeah, you know, he he he frequently features in his stories, um, not shocking reveals, but just he he he leaks little details along the way. They're gonna have a have had a hand in like a big hand in what's been revealed in this teaser, what's gonna be revealed in the in the trailer and what's gonna be revealed in the show. Um I'm sure they're just playing with us.

SPEAKER_04 12:13

Okay, here's my prediction. Okay. My prediction is uh, and we'll we'll revisit this when the show comes about, I think it's been it's called lanterns, not just because we've got two lanterns, yeah, but because we're going to see another lantern that's not necessarily green.

SPEAKER_08 12:31

I agree.

SPEAKER_04 12:32

I think we're gonna get like a Sinestro or someone along those lines, yeah, um, as this anomaly, this this this cosmic event, this supernatural event or whatever they're calling it, yeah. Uh I think it's gonna be caused by another lantern, and I think that that's the purpose of the investigation.

SPEAKER_08 12:52

I saw some stuff on the internet today, and I won't get too much into the details of it because I don't want to be, you know, uh contributing to spoilers or whatever. That guy it's not spoilers, no nobody knows. Yeah, but um it was basically alluding to uh one of the other figures that we see in the trailer, yes, and giving reasons as to why he might be playing right he he he he he pic he's pictured as a human in the trailer, yeah, but why in the actual show he might be a shape changer or alien and and also potentially a lantern of another colour, yes, which tends to back up what you're saying. Yeah there will be stuff in space, they're not meant it might not be heaps, yeah. Like this is meant to be, I think, a multi-season show. Yes, it is. Um it's not a one and done. No, so um whether we get uh how many episodes is it, eight? I think it I think it's eight maximum.

SPEAKER_04 13:45

It could be yeah, I'm pretty sure it's eight.

SPEAKER_08 13:47

Yeah, or six or eight or whatever it is. Yeah, but uh even if a lot of it is on Earth, it it is this show, a bit like a Green Lantern, yeah, is just taking off. Yeah. So if if the end of it is um in space, um that but the rest of it isn't, I I wouldn't be at all surprised. Yeah, um but uh the Green Lanterns in the DCU, James Gunn's DCU, they're gonna go to space. Yeah. Um we're gonna see aliens. Like they're not gonna leave out Killerwalk, they're not gonna leave out Sarlac, they're not gonna leave out um Chip and Aresia and Katma and all those. You know, we we're gonna see them.

SPEAKER_04 14:24

Yeah, um we're gonna see God Gardner again, too.

SPEAKER_08 14:26

But we sure as Snot are not gonna see them in a two-minute teaser six months from when the show comes out.

SPEAKER_04 14:34

Yeah, and and and again, you know, we go back to it's a teaser. Yeah, everyone just take a breath.

SPEAKER_08 14:40

Yeah, and so it's fine that everybody's got opinions on it, but I I think you know, condemning the whole thing don't lose your mind over it.

SPEAKER_04 14:47

No, it's not worth it.

SPEAKER_08 14:48

No, because you're just gonna feel like a goose afterwards.

SPEAKER_04 14:50

Yes, and I and I think Trust me, I've been there. I I and I'll be there again. And I think I think with the show, I think that this is a really clever marketing campaign. Yeah, I think they've taken the green out on purpose. Yeah, I don't think that we are seeing a finished product um with the visual effects in it.

SPEAKER_08 15:11

Well, it's it seems silly, but it's like, you know, we we particularly in in the old days, when you get a new superhero movie, how long would they wait before they showed you the dude in the suit?

SPEAKER_04 15:22

Yeah, it was always the last trailer, right? It's like Smallville. He was in what the last episode? It was the very last episode that we saw him. Well, I mean, there was always the a bit of a tease, but but we never actually got him, Tom Welling in a suit until the last uh season nine, I think it was.

SPEAKER_08 15:39

So basically so basically what I'm saying is is that we're not gonna they're not gonna show us the suit straight away. No, but a large part of what is Green Lantern is not one dude in a suit or two dudes in a suit. Yeah, it's the green energy, it's the energy of will. And so as silly as it might seem, they're not gonna show us the green straight away.

SPEAKER_04 15:58

And if and if not in all its glory, you know, if if Hal Jordan doesn't have the will, yeah, because obviously he's taking he's uh training John to take over. Yeah. So he seems a little bit bitter and twisted. Yeah. So if he doesn't have the same will, yeah, then from my understanding of you know, all the years of being a Green Lantern fan, he's not going to be shining very bright anyway.

SPEAKER_08 16:24

No. Right? Um it's maybe as as much as it's John's path to being becoming a Green Lantern, it's Hal's path to towards becoming a Green Lantern again.

SPEAKER_04 16:35

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So so I'm guessing that there's been an event that ha that's sort of turned Hal that way. Yeah. Um, obviously he's ready to give it up and hand over, you know, the lantern to somebody else.

SPEAKER_08 16:48

He's probably screwed up his relationship with Carol Ferris again.

SPEAKER_04 16:51

How many times has he done that? Yeah, exactly. How many times can she take him back?

SPEAKER_08 16:56

Yeah, no, she's a patient, patient woman.

SPEAKER_04 16:58

Yeah, well, anyway, um, so look, again, we go back to it, it's a teaser. Everyone hold five. Let's see what what the show's about. Yeah. Um, I'm I look from a from a from the other point of view, I'm actually really excited. The fact they are kind of doing a police, you know, they're still they might not be galactic police in this one.

SPEAKER_08 17:20

No.

SPEAKER_04 17:20

Um, but they are still doing it's it's a police procedural show. They are going to, you know, a crime site and investigate and to solve, right?

SPEAKER_08 17:31

The the Green Lanterns are space cops. That's right. John Stewart at one stage was was military. Military. Yeah. Um, it makes sense. It's the same, it's the same as like you know, what the Wonder Man show being about him being an actor. Like he is an actor. Yeah, that's right. So of course it's gonna be about you know being an actor with cops. Like Hal Jordan is not gonna drop in on any situation where something's where where an injustice is being done and not stick his nose in. Yeah, you know, whether it's in space or not. Like he's not gonna come across people in distress, whether wherever it is, yeah, and say, Oh, sorry, you're not spacey enough for me. Yep, I'm gonna sit this one out. Yeah. Um 100%. No, it's gonna be great. And I just uh more than anything, I just love that people are talking about it. Um, and I just hope people don't get too carried away because I think it's gonna be sick.

SPEAKER_04 18:18

Fully sick. Yeah, fully sick. And uh everyone's gonna be green with envy that they made made a mistake.

SPEAKER_08 18:26

Yeah, I think it's been great. New episode every week. We'll talk about it, we'll talk about it here, we'll talk about it everywhere. Yeah, um, I'm really excited. Uh I want to see uh a whole new corner of the DCU opening up.

SPEAKER_04 18:37

I would I would recommend that if you haven't watched the first season at least of True Detective, highly, highly recommend it though. Okay. I think you know that there's gonna be a lot of you know bows drawn in comparison. Um I can see that from the trailer that they are that that it could be seen as like a you know fourth season or fifth season of of uh of True Detective. Yeah, so um yeah, I would I would recommend it. Yeah, I'm totally down for that. Because what what have we got? July is August. July, August. Yeah, well, I mean it'll be US summer, so yeah, um, it'll be coming out in and can't wait for it.

SPEAKER_08 19:15

No, uh really, really pumped. I'm I'm I'm excited.

SPEAKER_04 19:18

Well, I'm glad we feel the same way about the trailer. Um yeah, I that's good. It's not that's that doesn't happen often. Um uh our friends who are listening in. Um so take it while you can.

SPEAKER_08 19:29

Yeah, yeah. Enjoy that while it lasted.

SPEAKER_05 19:31

What other trailers have we got?

SPEAKER_08 19:33

Uh we had a bit of a dead Deadevil teaser. There was like a 30-second um Deadevil teaser. Jessica Jones. Jessica Jones was in it, yeah. Um and I mean it was just, you know, obviously it was 30 seconds long, but um it was a really cool, nice little um sizzle, I guess.

SPEAKER_04 19:50

Yeah, between those two talking that banter was back from Jessica Jones that we absolutely loved.

SPEAKER_08 19:55

Yeah, and it gave us a glimpse of uh Bullseye was in a kitchen or new new outfit, yeah, which is good and some more fisk and stuff. Uh yeah, and just exciting to know that that's what a week or two away.

SPEAKER_04 20:07

Yeah, Mike Coulter was on a podcast um in the last week. Okay. Uh, and he was asked his what his involvement is with Daredevil 2. Okay. Um, he said he's got no involvement with Daredevil 2, yeah, but he has had discussions with Marvel to come back um in a capacity of Luke Cage. Okay. And he didn't al he didn't say that it was for Daredevil, no. He just said that he's had discussions with with Marvel.

SPEAKER_07 20:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 20:32

Um and um he is definitely uh coming back as Luke Cage in some capacity.

SPEAKER_08 20:37

I hope so, because like I mean the Avengers need Luke Cage. Yeah. And especially if Jessica Jones is around.

SPEAKER_09 20:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 20:44

Um, but uh I think you know Luke Luke Cage, if they don't bring him into the MCU proper at some stage, it's a big missing piece.

SPEAKER_04 20:53

Well, Shang Chi is going to be be a feature in Doomsday as well as Secret Wars. Yeah. Um why can't they bring you know Iron Fist back in? Why can't they bring you know Luke Cage into that you know universe?

SPEAKER_08 21:08

Well, Dead Evil season three, maybe.

SPEAKER_04 21:10

Yeah, I and and I'm I'm looking forward to it. I mean, I just recently did a rewatch of Defenders, and um you know, okay, there was a there was a couple of things in that, but overall, I mean it's still it was still a good production. Yeah, I enjoyed it. It was still a good production, yeah. And I th I you know what I think it is, I think maybe it was just ahead of its time. Yeah. Uh I think if they released Defenders now, yeah, um, and Luke Cage, Iron Fist, that type of thing, yeah. Um they may have done some tweaks and changes to sort of meet the meet the audience now. I need to do a rewatch of Defenders, but but it was really good. It was really I mean it was short and sharp, straight to the point, yeah. You know, gave all all four of them equal timing. Yeah. Um, you know, brought back some some uh other characters that we'd seen in dead. Daredevil in Iron Fist in Luke Cage, you know, it not only was it the four of them being brought together to work together, but it also gave us that small universe of Hell's Kitchen, yeah, that they had they had built, you know, and villains and and and you know, um assistants and stuff like that that they that they had. So yeah, I I I think I just think it was ahead of its time.

SPEAKER_08 22:25

And um it was a nice little mini, nice little miniseries.

SPEAKER_04 22:28

Yeah, yeah, it was great. It was absolutely great. Um, it's just a shame that it it didn't sort of get the traction that it probably deserved.

SPEAKER_08 22:36

From memory, it cut it sort of cop comparisons with the Avengers movies, and that's totally unfair. Yeah, it's like it's not the same. No, well, it's it's I mean the same universe, but it's not the same level of story, and that and nor should it be. Like even when the defenders have got more uh powerful characters like Hulk and Doctor Strange and stuff, they're a more grounded team. Yeah, um, like it's a street level type thing, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04 22:59

Yeah, well, yeah, I mean it it it's a it's it's pretty much street fighting, right? Yeah, um, you know, the other thing too is is that with the Avengers, the only real sort of um, you know, sort of uh force that we get of negativity is between Captain America and Iron Man. We really don't get that team kind of just works together. They're pretty cohesive. They're pretty cohesive, right?

SPEAKER_07 23:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 23:23

Whereas whereas the defenders nerds making fun of other nerds. Yeah, they are always on each other about abilities or about what they've just said or what they've you know what their what their powers are, or you know, it's so so it's very it's a very different dynamic of team.

SPEAKER_08 23:42

Yeah, it's fun.

SPEAKER_04 23:42

And then you've got so you know, then you've got the thunderbolts, which is probably somewhere square in the middle of that. Yeah, right. So it's it the the different teams obviously provide different dynamic. I did hear on a on a podcast, and I wanted to ask you this question. I mean, we know we're in the zest, but it's a really because we're talking about teams and stuff like that. What I've noticed is, and and this probably goes on from when we we had our conversation quite a number of episodes back where we were talking about leading stars in films.

SPEAKER_07 24:14

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 24:15

Somewhere in, you know, like in the early stages of comics and TV and film, yeah, we had a lead um that would go up against um multiple enemies. Yeah. So like Spider-Man, for instance, we would have, you know, those earlier films, we would have um him going up against multiple enemies and succeeding. And then somewhere, I would say, in you know, the 90s, late 90s, everything shifted. We then had teams of heroes going up against a villain. So if you look at Doomsday, for instance, yeah, at the moment what we're being alluded to is that it's going to be a gamut of heroes up against Doomsday, right?

SPEAKER_07 25:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:06

And you look at what's happening is, you know, like Defenders, perfect example. We had four of them going up against the hand. It was one particular person who had some assistance, but overall, it's a team of people going up against one big bad, one big villain. Whereas in the past, we had uh one hero going up against multiple villains.

SPEAKER_08 25:30

Video, oh yeah, yeah. Okay. You see what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 25:32

So we've kind of had this shift where where it's all about teamwork now and not so much about the individual.

SPEAKER_07 25:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:38

And I think what I'm excited to see, and and you know, I mean, we're still gonna have the punisher and we're still gonna have the Hulk in it, but I'm I'm hoping to see Spider-Man on his own working through a lot of this, yeah, you know, without Doctor Strange, without any assistance from you know, Mysterio, who ended up being the big bad anyway, but from Tony Stark. Or from Tony Stark before that, right? You know, so let's let I I'd like to see an individual hero sort of work on their own merits for a little while as well. Yeah, I don't know, what do you think? Um, I'm not sure. Um it's an interesting it's an interesting question that was posed, right?

SPEAKER_08 26:14

Yeah, it it is interesting. I I think I mean these days we seem to get sort of all sorts of different um storylines. Yeah, you know, we still do get uh sort of individual um uh you know superheroes or whatever uh going through their own uh adventures, yes, but we also get team ups like we get Wolverine and Deadpool, um, which comes with the banter and dialogue and stuff, and then we get great team stories like with Thunderbolts, aka the new Avengers, yeah. Um which was fantastic, which was great because it was there were all sorts of different dynamics um from uh between different characters, and it was telling a great story about uh trauma and um healing and uh basically the gist of it was that you can't do you know, you can't do anything worthwhile alone. Yeah. Um so yeah, I I I think it's I think it's great. We we you know we live in it, we we live in a reality now where we get all sorts of different types of stories.

SPEAKER_04 27:11

So um I don't have a problem with it, it's just an interesting observation that was that you know, back in the 60s and 70s and 80s, yeah, we sort of had this individual um that would that would you know be the force of justice and and right.

SPEAKER_08 27:26

But it was a store sort of the the style of um story that people were used to at that time, wasn't it? Like it was it came from the the westerns of the 1950s, yeah where it was you know the the loan. Eastwood against riding riding into town and and you know riding the wrongs of causing more trouble or cleaning up cleaning up a mess or or whatever. Um and it's it's evolved from then. And I guess you know we do, we live in a uh a different reality now where um the the um the cult of individualism and of enduring and um tackling problems by yourself is not so much of a thing.

SPEAKER_03 28:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 28:08

Um and I think that's probably probably a good thing. Yeah, um, you know, even characters like Batman who you know back in the early 2000s there was a shift in the Batman comics back to it was just Batman, you know, and his one man war on crime.

SPEAKER_03 28:21

And he couldn't do it. And he couldn't do it. He couldn't do it.

SPEAKER_04 28:23

No, and it was too big for him.

SPEAKER_08 28:25

Yeah, now it's you know, the emphasis like he still gets to to do stuff by himself, and that's one of the the uh benefits I think of or one of the appeals of Absolute Batman is that he is you know a young man still going through a lot of uh really complicated trauma and and mental stuff, yeah. Um largely by himself, you know, he's he's he's slowly developing a support team, but in the mainstream universe, yeah, um in the comics, you know, Batman is surrounded by people, you know, he's got multiple kids for for want of a better expression, yeah. Um, and his support crew is is um really admirable. So yeah, I think you know it's just uh an indicator of how we've changed.

SPEAKER_04 29:08

Yeah, that's a good call. That's a absolutely call. Um moving back to trailers as we digress.

SPEAKER_08 29:13

Yeah, we've got anything else? No, I didn't have any other trailers.

SPEAKER_04 29:16

The only uh the only other one I want to mention, and while we've been talking about Mario, there was a trailer in our time that was dropped today. Uh a new new trailer, um, a lot more detailed, gives us a lot more storyline. Oh, for Mario for Mario uh Super Mario Galaxy World, is that what it's called? Uh yeah, sounds good. Um yeah, we'll go with that. Yeah. Um we'll Mario 2, I keep thinking of it as. So uh so we did, so we get we got a longer trailer. Probably wasn't necessary to be honest. I think what they've sort of given us was probably enough. Um, but I think they just want to just you know hype it up a little bit more before it comes out in April. Yeah, uh, so um, yeah, we we we saw some extra villains, we saw some extra heroes, um, no sign of Donkey Kong, which is my I I I would say that we'll probably see a small cameo by Donkey Kong in this one. Okay. Um, there is talk of him getting his own um animated film.

SPEAKER_07 30:20

Yeah, bring it.

SPEAKER_04 30:21

So I think that this will probably be a good segue to bring him into it.

SPEAKER_07 30:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:26

Um, and that will be the next film that they will announce um after the fact.

SPEAKER_07 30:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:31

Uh so I'm I'm guessing that they'll we will see it somewhere along the line. I mean, it was a bit like Yoshi at the end of the first film, yeah. Um, where we got that small teaser of the egg, and obviously they'll go into a better explanation coming going forward. Yeah. Um, but yeah, I mean, overall it looks fantastic. I mean, it looks like it's going to be just as good as the first one. Yeah. Um, you know, the the the animation is amazing.

SPEAKER_08 30:59

Um that first one was a beautiful movie.

SPEAKER_04 31:01

Yeah, yeah. And and this one looks looks amazing. I mean, it's gonna be in space, so yeah, no Green Lanterns, but you know, it's gonna be in space. You don't know that. That's the crossover that we didn't really know we needed, right?

SPEAKER_08 31:15

Yeah, um I'm down.

SPEAKER_04 31:18

But uh, yeah, look, it's uh I I it was a great trailer. So um again, if you want to know more about the film before going to see it, watch the trailer. Yeah, if if you don't want to, then you don't need to, right? It's not a necessary one.

SPEAKER_08 31:34

I haven't seen it, and uh it's not to say that I'm not gonna watch it, but I'm not dying to see it. No, the tr the the trailer that is, yeah, but that's only because I've already made a decision to go and see it. Yeah, like I I I didn't see the first one on a big screen. I I watched it on television well after it had come out and I really loved it. Yeah, um, but but I saw enough to know that uh there's gonna be a great benefit to seeing this next one on a big screen, yeah, because as I said, it was beautiful. Yeah, so um yeah, I'm down. Um I've just got to decide whether I'm gonna get my Yoshi popcorn bucket. Have you seen it?

SPEAKER_04 32:08

Well, I mean, yeah, I mean it's in his uh in the egg.

SPEAKER_08 32:12

Yeah, popcorn comes out of the egg.

SPEAKER_04 32:14

Yeah, which is kind of cool. He's so cute. I I would have liked to have seen it in the saddle, but you know, like you just like reach it. But then again, that's a little bit unnerving, isn't it? You're reaching into his back and pulling out his innards.

SPEAKER_08 32:25

Well, it's one of the things that I like about the popcorn buckets is when they can serve as a popcorn bucket, but also as a nice ornament. Yes. You're not gonna be feeling like if you even if you're not collecting them, if you buy four or five of these popcorn buckets, you're gonna have them sitting around your house. Like it's nice if they can serve the purpose as just an ornament as well.

SPEAKER_04 32:44

You put lollies or or chocolate bars in it. You can put anything in there. Yeah, you put it anything. Yeah, but no, I just keys.

SPEAKER_08 32:50

Yeah, but it just it makes a really nice sort of figurine for um for afterwards. Yeah, exactly. But um, yeah, no, I'm down. I'm I'm gonna go see uh Mario Mario 2.

SPEAKER_04 33:00

Mario Mario 2 Galaxy World. I'm in. Um I think Super Mario Super Mario Brothers 2 Galaxy. Well, anyway, insert what it's called here.

SPEAKER_08 33:11

Super Mario Galaxy World. Is that correct? There you go. Uh it's called this I just looked it up. The Super Mario Galaxy movie.

SPEAKER_05 33:21

Right, there you go. It was close.

SPEAKER_08 33:23

Uh moving on.

SPEAKER_05 33:24

It was close. I had I added the world.

SPEAKER_04 33:26

You know, yeah. We all we always want the world, so you know, we'll we'll we'll get it eventually in Mario. Um but that's alright. What other what other news have you got?

SPEAKER_08 33:36

Uh my only other bit of news is um some comic news. Oh, yeah, yeah. Which I know we're talking about the zest, but it's it's news.

SPEAKER_04 33:43

Yeah, it's definitely news.

SPEAKER_08 33:44

Um we were talking about absolute Batman before.

SPEAKER_03 33:47

Yep.

SPEAKER_08 33:47

Um there's been reports that in Absolute Batman issue number 20, yeah, um, we're gonna get not just one Robin, five, but five. Five Robins. Did you see the lists? I did see the list. I sent you sent it to you today, didn't I?

SPEAKER_04 34:02

Uh no, but oh yeah, you did actually. Yeah, I apologize. Come on. Apologies, credit where it's due. Okay, yeah, you did send it to me. Um have you got the list of names? I do, yeah.

SPEAKER_08 34:12

So apparently we're getting um uh no, I've lost it. Uh it's going so great.

SPEAKER_05 34:21

This is great listening, everyone.

SPEAKER_08 34:22

Yeah, no, apparently we're getting uh no, I still can't find it. Let me see if I remember. Was it Tim? Yes. Duke? Yes, Dick? Yes, Stephanie? Yes. Who was the last one? I don't know. Uh Jason? Jason. Jason. Jason. Jason. Okay, so yeah, so some of the older ones. Yeah. How do you feel about that?

SPEAKER_04 34:45

Yeah, that's interesting. Look, I mean, everything in the absolute universe is always tipped on its head. Um it sounds like to me like they're a bit of a street gang by the sounds of it. Yeah. Um what I did find interesting is there's a and I mean we don't always trust covers, but there is a cover um that we posted on our socials, um, where we do have what maybe Dick wearing a suit with a with an R on it, like a Robin.

SPEAKER_07 35:12

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 35:12

Um, so whether they're like a a more sophisticated gang or not, I'm not too sure. Apparently they're riding bikes, they're a bike a biker gang. A bunch of rob snobs. Is that what you're suggesting? I don't know, I'm not too sure. Like, you know, apparently they're riding bikes as well. Like they've got like not push bikes, but motorcycles. Okay.

SPEAKER_08 35:34

Um, so if you actually look for four bikes and like uh little Damien in the basket.

SPEAKER_04 35:39

Yeah, that's right. Just under a towel. Yeah, over the over the moon. Yeah, yeah, it looks great. Um, so apparently they're right that apparently they have motorcycles, so it's a a bit like an Akira-esque, you know, sort of motorcycle game. Okay, that could work. So and and Dick is the leader. That's kind of what you know uh what's been sort of floating around.

SPEAKER_08 36:00

So I had an emotional response when I heard about this today.

SPEAKER_04 36:02

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_08 36:03

But that's this is just me as a Nightwing fan. Yeah, yeah. Like I Dick Grayson's my favourite. Yeah. Um we know that character, like out of all of the DC superheroes. Yeah. Um, and and and I was I had I had an emotional response feeling like, well, but Dick's gotta be special. Yeah, that's right. Like, so he's he better I mean he's gotta be the leader, yeah. Because like I just felt very defensive about him coming onto the scene at the same time as the others, as opposed to being the first, which is as gatekeeping. Am I gatekeeping? Yeah, I guess I am.

SPEAKER_04 36:37

Well, we we we gatekeep we gatekeep the the the the characters that we know and love, right?

SPEAKER_08 36:42

But I I think that was what it was, but I think I was just being, you know, sort of defensive from my boy. Yeah, but um, yeah, no, I'm I'm uh excited to see what what what comes. Um uh if it's five robins, then bring it on. And if they're on motorcycles, then that sounds really rad.

SPEAKER_04 36:57

Yeah, well, I mean it's it uh like I said, everything in the absolute universe is you know um it's tipped on its head, so what we what we think we know we don't know and what what will be revealed will be revealed and we'll be in awe and excitement. And I mean, to be honest, I trust what Scott Scientist doing at the moment, he doesn't seem to be stepping afoot wrong when it comes to this sort of new universe.

SPEAKER_08 37:24

I'm uh from from a I mean I'm enjoying it. Yeah, it's I'm not saying I'm not, but from another point of view, I'm just putting my own desires aside because because everybody seems to be enjoying Absolute so much.

SPEAKER_03 37:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 37:38

Um, you know, it's at the comic shop we're selling them hand over fist, we just can't get enough. People are so excited about it. Um, I'm kind of like just throwing my own desires to the wind because it doesn't matter what I want at the moment, it's kind of got an energy of its own.

SPEAKER_09 37:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 37:53

Um, so I'm just excited to see what happens and how people receive it because um, yeah, it's really fun. No, good stuff. Yeah. I got some news. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 38:02

Arnold Schwarzenegger news. Is he okay? He is, he's definitely okay. Okay, it's gonna do three new movies. Well, okay, I know, right? So Arnold Schwarzenald, our our our friend of the show, Arnold Schwarzenegger, he's uh come out and uh King Conan movie is officially in the works.

SPEAKER_08 38:22

Okay. Um is that like an old man Conan thing?

SPEAKER_04 38:25

Yeah, so King Conan. So so we had Conan the Barbarian, um, and uh I think it was Conan. It was two, it was two films. Yeah. Um Conan and then Conan the Barbarian. So he's coming back as Conan. So he's coming back as King Conan. So Conan ends up becoming King of the L. Um, so this is now him. Um Conan Conan Land. Is it Conan Land? Um look, I'm not a huge follower of the of the of the property. No. So please forgive me for you know any missteps that I'm saying about this. No. Um, but okay, thank you. Um, but he did go on the record as saying, you know, he's and I can't do an Arnold voice, so I'm sorry, I'd love to be able to do the impression. Yes, you can. I I can't. I can't. I see there it is. I still go in there and kick some ass, but it will be different, you know. So anyway, um you can do it about as well as anyone can. Yeah, yeah, terribly. Uh so so yeah, so he's he's he's uh he's getting involved with that. The interesting part about this though is who is going to be directing it.

SPEAKER_07 39:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 39:34

Uh we're getting uh Christopher Macquarie, who is writing and directing King Conan.

SPEAKER_08 39:39

So he of uh Mission Impossible.

SPEAKER_04 39:40

Mission Impossible, yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_08 39:43

So he is that seems like a I guess a logical place for him to go after um finishing up with that franchise.

SPEAKER_04 39:50

Yeah, yeah, so it'll be interesting to see where that goes. Uh I'm look, I I I love those kind of barbarian films anyway, and I think it'll be fun and silly, and I love that you know Arnold at his age is still doing films and still getting in there with action. I mean, obviously, we're not gonna see him in the same way that we saw him back in the 80s. Um, but again, it's it's really good. Now, I did mention that he's doing three films, it's not just Conan films that he's doing.

SPEAKER_07 40:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 40:22

So apparently uh we have a uh Commando 2 in the works. Okay. Um, now that's an interesting one. I don't know where they can go with Commando 2, um, because it was all about his daughter being kidnapped, and he went, you know, just to to get back at him. Um, and you know, that he was pretty much on screen for 95% of the time.

SPEAKER_08 40:47

Well, didn't Liam Neeson's daughter get kidnapped about six times?

SPEAKER_04 40:50

Well, this is true, but I think um Arnold's a little bit older than Liam Neeson somehow, and um I just can't see him doing the same action that he did in um Commando. So it's been called Command Don't. Commando uh but anyway, look, I'm I'm interested to see what happens, right? You know, again. Um And so what's the next one? Triplets? No, well there was a there was an idea for triplets.

SPEAKER_05 41:16

Retired kindergarten cop? No, there were the have you haven't you heard this story? No. So Eddie Murphy tells this story, yeah. And apparently Arnold went up to him because I've got this I've got this idea, we're gonna be triplets, Danny and me, and then we find out you are one of the triplets. And and Eddie Murphy just cracked up and he's like, Okay, man, let's do it. And what happened, right?

SPEAKER_08 41:40

That's that's terrible shame.

SPEAKER_05 41:42

It'd be wild, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:43

It'd be absolutely wild. But anyway, um the third film in the Arnold Schwarzenegger trilogy uh will be Predator, another Predator film.

SPEAKER_08 41:53

Oh, it's okay, so it is another sequel.

SPEAKER_04 41:56

Yeah, so another sequel.

SPEAKER_08 41:57

Yeah. Um look I think we might have talked about this one, yeah, but I think we might have heard something about this.

SPEAKER_04 42:02

Well, if you remember, was it Predator? No, it wasn't Predator Badlands, it was uh Killer, Killer of Killers. Yep. Uh we saw the and spoiler alert.

SPEAKER_02 42:13

Spoiler alert.

SPEAKER_04 42:17

Uh we saw at the very end where we saw Dutch on ice. Yes. So Dutch was the Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in Predator.

SPEAKER_07 42:25

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 42:25

We saw him on ice. Yeah. Uh so uh I I know um Danny Tretchenberg, is that is Tretchenberg?

SPEAKER_08 42:33

Is that how you pronounce his uh something like that, yeah. Yeah, we'll go with that. Close enough. Um director Danny.

SPEAKER_04 42:39

Yeah, he he um has wanted to bring Arnold Schwarzenegger back into the fold after doing Prey and Badlands, yeah. Uh, and I think that this is going to be the way to do it.

SPEAKER_07 42:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 42:52

Uh is he gonna be the lead in it? I think not. I think he's gonna be like the last couple of Terminator films where where he's there, he has a presence, he makes a point, um, and you know, handing over the reins, so to speak. Yeah. Um, but again, I love the Predator films, so I'm really excited to see you know one of my favourite characters, Dutch, um, back in back in the fault.

SPEAKER_08 43:17

I'm happy to see Arnold back in any of those three movies. Yeah, I I don't know whether I've seen the first commando, but maybe I have.

SPEAKER_04 43:24

Oh, it's great. It's it's silly fun, yeah. You know, and it's probably one of those films that's probably got more awesome puns in it than most of those 80s films combined.

SPEAKER_08 43:36

Do you know um if say Conan what is it, King Conan?

SPEAKER_04 43:42

King Conan.

SPEAKER_08 43:43

If that if that comes out, say it won't come out next year.

SPEAKER_04 43:46

Twenty eight. I reckon twenty twenty eight. Yeah. Yeah, if it's gonna come out.

SPEAKER_08 43:49

Do you know how long that it's been since uh Arnold was Conan in a movie? Oh, it would be in twenty twenty eight, do you know how long it'll have been?

SPEAKER_03 43:56

It'll be what, fifty, sixty years?

SPEAKER_08 44:00

44 years. Yeah, there you go. See? Since the last time he played Conan. Yeah. Because he did it twice.

SPEAKER_03 44:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 44:06

I think.

SPEAKER_04 44:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 44:08

But yeah, 44 years.

SPEAKER_04 44:09

Yeah. I know. Alright.

SPEAKER_08 44:10

It's amazing.

SPEAKER_04 44:11

It's amazing. One day, one day I'll tell the story of uh when I met Arnold Schwarzenegger, but I won't tell it for this show because we've because it'll go on forever. Okay. But I'll I'll name drop another time. So all right, stay tuned, listeners. Yeah. Um we're also getting we're talking about spin-offs and and and uh we're getting a monarch spin-off. So monarch leg legacy of monsters.

SPEAKER_08 44:34

Yeah, so this is with Wyatt Russell.

SPEAKER_04 44:36

Wyatt and Kurt Russell. Um both of them. Yeah, so so this is uh the spin-off is with that character who is Lee Shaw. Um for those of you who might not be watching the show, uh Wyatt and Kurt Russell are obviously father and son, yeah, uh playing the same character in different time periods. And uh I I'm I I loved this idea when I first started watching the uh TV series. It really works. And it works perfect, it absolutely works perfect in every way, shape, and form because they're both great actors, yeah. Um and they complement the character so well in their time periods, yeah, um, which is fantastic. Um so we are getting uh they they're sort of on a bit of a press junket at the moment talking about Monarch um the new season, yeah. And um, you know, they they sort of let it out that they are doing a new uh spin-off series.

SPEAKER_08 45:33

Well, the only thing that puzzles me about that, because I haven't I confess, yeah. I did say last week I was gonna have watched and you haven't no, I haven't let everyone down. I haven't apologies to everyone. No, well I'm coming clean, I'm not gonna pretend. So not good enough. Um but uh the how is Monarch not already a Lee Shaw show?

SPEAKER_04 45:52

Yeah, well, I mean Do you know what I mean? Yeah, I I I get what you're saying. I think that this is what this is going to do is this is the the and again um spoilers here. Spoiler alert it's the in-between of when he obviously finishes up with when he comes back um after being away.

SPEAKER_08 46:15

At the start of like in season one.

SPEAKER_04 46:17

Yeah, in season one, yeah, and when we first see him in detention, if you want to call it, you know. Um I think that this is what we're gonna see and why it led to him being where he is. Okay. I think that's what we're gonna get.

SPEAKER_08 46:32

So they're gonna go back and fill in the gap. More stuff that we haven't seen.

SPEAKER_04 46:36

Yeah, fill in the gap. And this might not necessarily be about the kaijus as much. Yeah. Um, this might be more about the Cold War cloak and dagger, you know, sort of uh spiralated part of Monarch that we've sort of got little bits of, you know, here and there. Interesting. Um so yeah, look, uh, Wyatt was sort of raving about how this is we we're seeing a completely um, you know, exciting and different Lee Shaw than what we've seen already.

SPEAKER_08 47:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 47:12

Um and they seem to be really pumped about doing it.

SPEAKER_08 47:14

So they must be having a ball if they're willing to be exploring these options.

SPEAKER_04 47:19

Yeah, yeah. What that says to me though is how much longer are we gonna see Lee Shaw in Monarch Legacy of Monsters?

SPEAKER_08 47:25

Oh, that's a good point.

SPEAKER_04 47:26

You know, uh are we sort of coming to the end of a storyline here? Yeah, and that's where they're now going to shift into another, you know, series.

SPEAKER_08 47:35

Is it gonna be the and or to monarchs rogue one?

SPEAKER_04 47:39

Yeah, that's right, right? So you can sort of see what I mean. Um however, we've got a good cast, yeah, right? We've got a good ensemble cast that can carry this over. Um, we're got we're definitely season two, we're definitely moving into uncharted waters that we which we didn't see in the first one. Yeah. Um, and there's definitely some divisions of authority and splits and all sorts of things that that that are happening right now. Um so it it'll be interesting to see where it where it sort of travels for the rest of the season. I mean, we've only had two episodes so far, yeah. Um, and both of them have been fantastic.

SPEAKER_08 48:17

So I will uh 100% have watched them by next week. Talking about I wouldn't just say that.

SPEAKER_04 48:26

Uh with the uh with uh Toy Story uh five obviously uh coming out later this year, uh we uh have now got news that uh a uh Monsters Inc. 3 is in the mix.

SPEAKER_08 48:42

Very excited about that.

SPEAKER_04 48:43

Very excited about that. Um Pixar seem to be on a roll at the moment. Um they've just had their new uh new film which dropped uh this week our time. Uh Hoppers. Uh Hoppers. Hoppers. Uh Hoppers. Hoppers. Okay. That's the sequel. Uh Hoppers, which uh has been released uh just just over the last week um and extremely successful. It's made two-thirds of its uh budget, its production budget within three days.

SPEAKER_08 49:13

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_04 49:14

So they are on fire and they are probably that I I don't know if they'll do a billion dollars, um, but it's one of their highest grossing uh yeah, it's it's in I think it's in their top three so far of highest grossing um uh outside of uh Coco. I think Coco was probably one of their biggest ones as well.

SPEAKER_08 49:35

So um so yeah. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing it, but I I just I don't know whether I'll get to the theatre or whether it will be Disney Plus for me.

SPEAKER_04 49:43

It'll be interesting, right? I mean, because we did have uh what was it, Monsters University um that they did as a series.

SPEAKER_08 49:49

Yes, we they we did.

SPEAKER_04 49:51

Yeah, that was so that was good. That was okay. Yeah, yeah, it sort of kept the kept the property alive, yeah. Which is great. Monsters at Work, it was called. Oh, Monsters at Work. Um so yeah, look, let's let's see what what happens from there. Uh in further sequel news, yeah, uh we are getting a Ghostbusters uh animated series. Excellent. I have I have some reservations about this. Why? Well from what it's been described as, yeah, that it's going to be from the perspective of a ghost, not of uh our Ghostbusters.

SPEAKER_08 50:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 50:34

Yeah, yeah. And this is a Netflix series, and yeah, um I look, we haven't seen any um imagery from this, we haven't seen any, you know, um who's attached for it, who's directing it, who's writing it, who's anything.

SPEAKER_08 50:50

Could uh d is it gonna be like a fly on the wall type thing or something?

SPEAKER_04 50:54

I don't know. I and and this is like from Slimer's point of view or well, I mean, for those of you who have seen Ghostbusters Afterlife, we we we did get a ghost return. Yes. Um who assisted but didn't uh assist, if you know what I mean. Yeah, yeah. Um look, it's it's gonna be an interesting one. I mean, I've got some some high reservations about this. I I just I think the property is so rich that we don't need to do too much of a crazy spin on on this. No. I I I think it would be great to see maybe an older set of Ghostbusters h handing it over to a new guard of of Ghostbusters and some really well that's what the last couple of movies have been like. Yeah, but let's let's do that as an animated series, right? Or let's continue that on.

SPEAKER_08 51:46

I don't mind them playing around with it because I one of the things about the the Ghostbusters world, especially as we've had more films over the last few years, to me is that um uh they have there's there's all sorts of different types of ghosts, right? Yeah, like in the original two movies you'd always hear you know Ray talking about uh this is that type of ghost, this is that type of ghost, these are different ones, these can do that, all that sort of thing. Yeah. So there's there's like a limitless amount of types of uh specters and ghosts.

SPEAKER_04 52:16

100%.

SPEAKER_08 52:16

Um so I'm open-minded about it. I I I think that that um if they decide to try and do something different, I think that's probably not a terrible idea.

SPEAKER_04 52:25

Yeah, I don't know. I mean, we we we got what was that, Ghostbusters one that wasn't so great. Which one? With Chris Hemsworth in it. Oh, I didn't hate that one. Yeah, well, you know, I mean I that that definitely isn't on my on my top list.

SPEAKER_08 52:40

No, I I mean I I know that it didn't hit the same with a lot of people, but I still thought it was.

SPEAKER_04 52:44

It's gonna be titled Ecto. Um and um yeah, it it's just saying that it's from the ghost's perspective. We're also getting an uh another um another film, another film or another TV series. I'm not too sure. It's it's a little bit vague at the moment, um, but essentially what it is, it's set in the 90s, and it's around the same time as so this is a separate thing, yeah. Okay, yeah, so this is separate. So we're getting a live action and we're getting an animated series. Yeah. Uh and so this is set um around the time of who was the environmental um guy, what was his name? Peck Peck, Walter Peck, that's his name. Uh Walter, yeah, we're a VPA dude. This is around Walter Peck becoming MEC.

SPEAKER_08 53:30

Um it's not a Walter Peck show, is it?

SPEAKER_04 53:33

Oh well, I don't know. Um again, set in the Ghostbusters universe, set in the 90s when Walter Peck was Met. Okay. So I'm not too sure what it well again, it's it's very vague news that's coming out of Netflix about this stuff.

SPEAKER_08 53:50

Um they definitely definitely trying some different stuff, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04 53:53

Yeah, and and and this is what what what concerns me. Sometimes you know, Netflix just grabs something, throws it on a wall, and hopes it sticks.

SPEAKER_08 54:01

To me, to me, this says that there's more Ghostbusters movies coming. Oh, look, I mean because because they might make a uh a a Ghostbusters TV series along the lines of the formula of the movies if they weren't going to be making more movies. Yes. But if they're trying different stuff like this, to me that says that the mainline movies are still gonna be being produced, which I'm fine with. Yeah. Um I think the Ghostbusters movies are great fun.

SPEAKER_03 54:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 54:28

Um, but yeah, no, I I'd say they're just trying some different experimental things around the edges just to flesh out the universe or whatever.

SPEAKER_04 54:36

Which I think they could do very easily with the characters that they already have. Oh, I'll check it out. Yeah. So anyway, it watch your space. We'll we'll bring you more when we when we find out. Um who are you gonna call? Uh I'm gonna call the regular show.

SPEAKER_08 54:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 54:50

Because new episodes will be dropping in May. Awesome. So for fans of the regular show, me. Uh me, uh raise your hand. Yep. Don't do it if you're driving.

SPEAKER_08 55:03

Um but uh recording a podcast because no one will see you.

SPEAKER_04 55:06

No one will see you. Um, but yeah, um we're getting uh Mordecai and Rigby are back with the rest of the team. Um it'll be really interesting to see how they're going to start the new series based on how it ended with the other one.

SPEAKER_08 55:23

I uh don't know whether I've seen the end of the other one.

SPEAKER_04 55:27

But you know, Ghostbusters are gonna call. They're gonna come back as ghosts. There it is. Uh there's the crossing of the streams. Um, but yeah, that'll be back in May. Yep. Um so really, really, really, really looking forward to that one.

SPEAKER_08 55:44

Bring it, because I've been I've been re-watching what regular show um pretty rapidly over the last couple of years, and and yeah, um, I love it.

SPEAKER_04 55:52

Yeah, I did a rewatch probably about six months ago. Yeah. Um and yeah, revisited it all. I need me some fresh pops. Yeah, absolutely. Um talking about other other uh animated series that's dropping uh shortly will be uh Invincible. Yep. Uh so that's dropping uh March 18th.

SPEAKER_08 56:11

There's lots of lots of excitement about this one.

SPEAKER_04 56:13

We're getting the first three episodes. Yeah. Um bit like they did with the with the previous season with season three. Yep. Um and then uh each one will drop uh a week after that. Yep. Uh so we'll get uh what is it, March 25 on uh episode four, April 1st for 5, April 8th for 6, April 15th for 7, and then April 22 for 8. Okay. So we're getting eight eight episodes again. Yep. Um it's all going to be wrapped up by the end of April, um, which is great. Yep. Um I don't know if it's gonna be great because I don't I think we've only got one left in us after that. Yeah. By how they're traveling at the moment. Um, I mean it is loosely based on the comic. There is lots of different liberties.

SPEAKER_08 57:03

I don't know if you've read the comic, but I I have I've started reading them, but I've I've very I've read very little.

SPEAKER_04 57:08

It is there there is a lot of change in the series.

SPEAKER_08 57:12

But I'm kind of I'm kind of not rushing my reading of the comics because I want to wait. Well, I want the show to because the show's really surprising. Yeah, yeah, um, and so I don't want it, I don't want to read in the comics to spoil the show for me.

SPEAKER_04 57:24

I think yeah, and and and look, there's I I think it's probably a good reason to, right? Yeah, um, so yeah, I I like I said I I'm I'm I'm excited to you know see it.

SPEAKER_08 57:36

There's lots of excitement around the place. Um it should be like uh we're selling heaps of invincible comics at the shop, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 57:42

Really, is that at all star comics? Yeah, excellent.

SPEAKER_08 57:44

And not just not just the like the normal trades, but like the big omni omnibus things. Oh, right. Like yeah, we're selling a lot of them at the moment. Yeah, wow, that's amazing. Yeah, people are pumped.

SPEAKER_04 57:54

That's that's that's so cool. Yeah. Um talking about being pumped, um, this is the last little bit that I've got um for news, and then we'll move on to something else. Um I just wanted to ask you how you felt about having painkillers in your ice cream.

SPEAKER_08 58:10

Who put who put painkillers in my ice cream?

SPEAKER_04 58:13

Uh yeah, this is an interesting run, right? Uh so um, you know, this is not normally something that we would talk about, but I think this is popcorn. I would say not. I think this is pop culture worthy, right? Okay. So a new ice cream, uh, unique ice cream has been created in the Netherlands to get the attention that, you know, uh based on this concept. Um and the idea is is that some of these specialty ice cream shops are experimenting by adding paracetamol into their ice cream um to get people to take. Um so when they've got a headache, so they're calling it the headache ice cream.

SPEAKER_09 58:52

Right.

SPEAKER_04 58:53

Um, and so they're saying that the idea plays on two things uh people already use for headaches, cold treats, and over-the-counter medication. And so they're roofing people's ice cream. Roofing people's ice cream just in case they've got a headache. Um, I I I want to know whether this also helps to like you know when you get the cold headache.

SPEAKER_08 59:19

I want to know how many painkillers they had when they came up with this idea.

SPEAKER_04 59:22

How do you measure, how do you measure, right? So some people might only take one tablet, some people might take two, you know, depending on the severity of pain, you may even, you know, want to overdose a little bit and take three. But you know, in your how do you measure?

SPEAKER_08 59:37

What if you just broke it up with your boyfriend or something? You're like big you're gonna sit and eat a whole punn of paracetamol ice cream all ice cream.

SPEAKER_04 59:47

Not a sponsor. Um yeah, so uh yeah, how's that?

SPEAKER_08 59:54

That's very random. It's random that it's random that they're doing it, it's random that you brought it up.

SPEAKER_05 59:59

I think it's fantastic. I I look, I love it just for the fact that it's out there and people are trying something, but Tylenol ice cream. And we get to talk about it.

SPEAKER_08 1:00:07

Okay, that's um that's a first for uh for our podcast.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:10

Yeah, so so watch this space. We'll probably see uh one of the big uh what big pharma companies opening their own ice cream store soon.

SPEAKER_08 1:00:18

It's related to pop culture. We talk about snacks, yeah. We talk about things like we talk about popcorn and burgers and all sorts of stuff that you eat when you're gaming, and yeah, yeah, no, that it makes sense.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:29

So maybe maybe you soon you'll be getting um you know uh no dose no dose chocolate.

SPEAKER_08 1:00:35

Yeah. Um you'll have to yeah. It's uh you're taking your panadol um by the scoop. Yeah, that's you're gonna measure measure it out by the scoop.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:43

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you want do you want one or two scoops? One scoop is gonna equal one tablet, so you'll need to get two scoops. Okay, no worries. But my my question to you is how does it work with a cold headache? So you know when you get the freeze brain, you know, freeze brain, does does that counteract that?

SPEAKER_08 1:01:01

No, I can't imagine it would.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:04

Well, I want my money back then.

SPEAKER_08 1:01:05

So we because then they would have just invented uh ice cream headache-free ice cream.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:11

Well, would you call that anti-freeze?

SPEAKER_03 1:01:15

I hope you did a drum effect there. Definitely did. All right, yeah, are we moving on?

SPEAKER_06 1:01:24

We are moving on to the tomb.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:34

All right, so really exciting news uh this week is that um coming up, we are getting a um a Rick O'Connell uh action figure. Oh, okay. Yeah, so who's doing this? Tomb related. Uh so this is actually coming out from uh from Factory Entertainment. Okay. Uh so the uh the the the look of him is fantastic. He looks really on point. Wow, that's amazing. He's wearing um the sculpting of his face is great. Um and uh so yeah, we're getting uh so so it's a uh one-sixth uh size figure. Um so one-sixth size is is obviously a little bit bigger. I'd say it's probably around about the black series Star Wars figure size. Um it looks great. This is gonna drop on um of all days too. It's uh Friday, March 13th. Um so Friday 13th. Uh and he's got the sexy Rick O'Connell scarf on. Yeah, in in there, he's fantastic. We'll we'll put a we'll put a a uh a post on our um on our socials so you can you can see him in all his glory. We will. I've just made a note. I I I liken this very much to the Indiana Jones figures that they did a couple of years back. Yeah, um, I think it's right on point to that. Yeah, he would actually go great with those figures as well.

SPEAKER_08 1:03:01

I got one of those Indiana Jones figures, and if he's anything like the right scale, yeah, I'd love to have Rick O'Connell next to him.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:07

Can you imagine those two back to back together?

SPEAKER_08 1:03:09

What a what a that's a dream come true.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:11

He really what a what a crossover movie that would be, right?

SPEAKER_08 1:03:14

I just need to throw it at Tin Tin and Snowy.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:19

But uh yeah, that's dropping uh on March 13. Uh there's no price at this stage. Um, you can check out um, and this is a bit of a shout for those guys, um, definitely not not paid to broadcast, but uh factoryent.com. So it's factory, the word factoryent uh.com. Okay. Um if you want to grab yourself a copy for that, uh a copy, grab yourself a figure. Um, I'll definitely be uh jumping on there and hoping that I can secure one. Uh yeah, he looks great. It doesn't say whether it's limited or not, it just says that that that's when it's going to be um coming out.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:54

Uh so that's it for the tomb.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:03

Um thank you for ice cream and all. Yes. That's good.

SPEAKER_08 1:04:08

That's got me too.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:09

Uh should we uh maybe uh do a little bit in the arts? Yeah, let's do that.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:44

All right. What have you been reading?

SPEAKER_08 1:04:46

Uh I've been reading a bit actually. Oh. Yeah, no, okay. Um I've I've I've done okay actually. Yeah, good. Um I have finished off the DCKO event. Yep. Uh I read issues four and five this week. Did someone get knocked out? Oh well, lots of people got knocked out. Okay. Yeah. That's the that's the way that a knockout tournament tournament works. Yeah, right, okay. But um yeah, no, I've read the finale. I won't spoil it for anyone that is reading it. Yeah. Um, yeah, well, it sort of was a bit of a fizzer in the end for me.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:15

Oh, yeah, well, it you've been a big supporter of this.

SPEAKER_08 1:05:19

I have, but I but I've also been, you know, just enjoying it for what it is, too. Like I I mean I've never had any real expectations that it was gonna um, you know, change the um whatever it is, the uh hierarchy of power in the DC universe or anything like that. But um uh it was yeah, it sort of got to what what a lot of these um big DC events it got to the same point where um in the end it basically just sort of sizzled that there was going to be another event down the track. Um so it I think they sort of basically, yeah, uh got again, I'm trying not to spoil it, but they they basically sort of uh set things up for stuff that might potentially come down the track, which yeah, is I guess a bit of an eye roll, but at the same time, you know, we've done this before. It's not the first, not our first crisis and it won't be our last.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:13

It definitely won't be our last comment.

SPEAKER_08 1:06:15

So yeah, no, it was it was good fun. But as I said, I always sort of took the whole event as as what it was what it was and that was, you know, a bit of um gratuitous fun. Right. But yeah, no, I finished those off. Another thing that I read this week that a lot of people have been talking about is um Batman number seven. Yep. Have you seen this one?

SPEAKER_04 1:06:34

I have seen this one.

SPEAKER_08 1:06:35

Yeah have you read it? No, not yet. Okay. You read them digitally, don't you? I do read them digitally.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:41

I'll be interested to see how Oh with the fold out the gate the gate fold. Yeah. It's a it's a massive splash page isn't it it's like four pages. It's four pages, yeah.

SPEAKER_08 1:06:50

So that that that's something that they advertised it's written on the cover so it's not like a spot.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:56

I have seen um a a quick snippet of it.

SPEAKER_08 1:06:59

I'll be interested to see how that works in a digital Yeah I can show you.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:05

Yeah that'll be good. I'll show you most likely it'll come out or it'll probably be like a big zoom. It'll just yeah it'll just be the whole page. Yeah. And then you've just got to zoom in to see everything. Okay. You know the good thing about Comixology is they've got this technology where you can tap and it will then zoom in on certain panels. Okay. So it's a it's a it's a little bit um yeah yeah it it really it's very intuitive to what you want to see.

SPEAKER_08 1:07:32

Yeah no I just I'm interested to see in this because I I I have read a bit of stuff on Comixology not heaps but um you know when I can't get physical stuff I do read stuff on there. Yeah. But I'm just curious about how this one will work. Yes um in the physical form it is really effective. Yeah like um I I I wasn't really cynical because that's not my nature but um I I I was hoping that it would land in a way that was effective in a as a storytelling device. Yep. And I really thought it did. So I'll be interested to hear what other people think. I think generally it's been received really really positively. Yep and it's been a a much sought after issue um as it should be it was a really great uh episode in um the the the ongoing Batman story from from Zdarsky and uh no is it Zdarski or Fraction? Fraction Matt Fraction apologies yeah Matt Fraction from yeah uh fraction and and from Jimenez yeah um so yeah I read that um I also read uh the Marvel team up facsimile edition of um the uh the the team up of Spider-Man and Invincible right yep um and I really enjoyed that I'd never read that before um so it was was fun to to have a read of that you know great artwork and great um uh dialogue back and forth between Mark Grayson and and Peter.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:57

Yep um so yeah that was a really fun issue that a lot of people were uh seeking after this week um how about yourself yeah look before I before I go on too much because I I have read other stuff but um I'll give you a word yeah no no I look the only one I really wanted to talk about uh for this uh this episode is um a new book that's out um from Mad Cave um I seem to be sort of gravitating towards some Mad Cave books at the moment um it just must be my bag um but uh Barbarian Behind Bars uh issue number one um not sure if you've heard about this this one or not um so it's it's written by uh Elliot Callum um and the artist is uh Andrea uh Mutti uh M U Double T I or probably Mooty Mooty um anyway either way uh potato tomato um uh barbarian behind bars uh is uh literally what it is uh so there has been an event uh where um our barbarian um his name is uh Darkor uh he uh is um uh battling a uh an enemy uh and takes his head off and gets and this is all in the middle of New York oh okay and after it's all over he then gets arrested and taken to prison to stand trial. Okay. And uh his court appointed attorney is trying to get out of him what has taken place. Yeah um but he doesn't speak English um and we get sort of a a a very basic background story of why he was battling and why he's a barbarian. Yeah um and then seeing some of his time in prison and you know um what we would normally see in TV shows and films when a new guy comes into prison and you know the argy bargy that sort of comes from from leadership.

SPEAKER_08 1:11:11

So walk up and punch the biggest guy in the nose.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:13

Yeah well um and then some um but oh okay this is really interesting it's it's it's it's it's a you know like I can imagine you know this being pitched and I I like what I love about Mad Cave is they're they're they're quite happy to to try something different and try something new.

SPEAKER_08 1:11:30

They are producing good some good stuff.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:32

Yeah something that's really off the wall yeah and this is really right in that that pocket um so the artwork's great storyline's interesting um you know we get some quieter moments because obviously he doesn't speak yeah um and when he does nobody understands him um and yeah I'm I'm really interested to see where this goes okay so I don't know if it's a limited series or not but um yeah Barbarian Behind Bars from Mad Cave highly recommend.

SPEAKER_08 1:12:00

Okay yeah and I'm really enjoying some of the stuff that Mad Cave's got going on at the moment because they're their our stained heart is Mad Cave. Yep which we're big fans of yeah um and they I have to say they they produce really uh nice physical books too um like the paper quality and stuff that they use I know it's not a big deal but to some people it is yeah um they're they're they're nice quality books.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:24

Yeah they uh it it feels like they really care about their properties yeah um and that that also it's a premium product yeah absolutely yeah so I'm I'm a big fan of what they're doing at the moment as well so so um yeah it seems to be you know there's a little bit of talk about it um which is great um I I really hope that that that people really sort of take up the mantle of um yeah barbarian behind bars okay no I'll have to have have to look out for that one yep um anything else what else you've been no no too busy no I've been too busy I've I've been too busy watching lantern's trailer over and over and over to see if I can see stuff.

SPEAKER_08 1:13:01

So you anything redeem see any redeeming qualities?

SPEAKER_04 1:13:04

No nothing nothing. It's a teaser and we're gonna tell you that we're gonna keep teasing you with the teaser. It's gonna be great.

SPEAKER_08 1:13:10

Yep looking forward to it. Anyway so um yeah and I've read read a few other bits and pieces so I'll quickly whip through them um I read uh the latest issue of Absolute Wonder Woman um this is the second part of Zatana uh Zatana so it the story's called Season of the Witch yep um that looks great it's really good I've seen some pages already I've yeah I've I've got it I haven't read it yet but I've seen the pages and I'm like that looks good. This is another issue that really lives um up to the the scale of Absolute Wonder Woman like I have said previously that I really enjoy Absolute Wonder Woman perhaps even more than absolute Batman and it's partly because of the large scale of it like there's a lot of um you know kaijus and stuff. Yep and as we see on the front cover of um this issue uh Giganta um who's uh traditional Wonder Woman villain yeah fantastic in it basically you know attack of the 50 foot woman in the DC universe um is she that size or does she grow in size like the the old Super Friends cartoon? Well I won't spoil too much of what happens in the comic but she does change size.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_08 1:14:20

And that's probably where I'll leave it because there's some really fun surprises in this issue. Yep but uh there's some great stuff with Giganta a little bit more stuff with I know quite a bit more stuff with Zatana that really pushes her story forward which is great. And also some interesting stuff with some of the other members of the um quote unquote suicide squad that we saw from the previous issue. Yep. Yeah it was a really uh great issue I really I really really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:48

Now I've got a question for you while we're talking about absolute universe in KO there was a there was a remark towards the end of the book that used the phrase absolute in it.

SPEAKER_08 1:15:01

Is that sort of leading us to a crossover do you think or a how far have you read into KO none well without spoilers I was thinking of you when I was reading this but if if if you want an absolute no you were saying you didn't need an absolute and regular DC U universe crossover. But we're gonna get one we've we'll we'll oh we get one we've we've we've had it we've had Batman and Batman together haven't we well spoilers spoiler alert yeah we if if if you uh read on in DCKO yeah we've had quite a bit more than that okay all right okay exciting so it's done okay it's done basically like um but didn't wasn't that wasn't that one of the last panels though where we where we were told we're getting in an absolute crisis or more than a more it was more than a panel. Well it was more than a panel yeah right okay like the the ending I think probably alludes to more but um yeah uh and that's probably where as far as the meeting of the two universes goes yeah like um you know in the style of the old Earth one earth two justice society justice league things which is what you were sort of alluding to a couple of episodes ago it's done yeah okay um and if you want to read it you've got to read the last uh at least the last issue um but I would suggest the last two issues of DCK is is that where Scott Snyder's comment in saying that we were going to have a big absolute crossover I don't know or do you think this is something different I don't know because I didn't I'd never really I never saw those um comments so I don't know whether this is what he was referring to or whether he was referring to something down the track. That's coming. But um it could be both. Yeah right um because yeah it's as I say it's not I mean it's I guess it's spoilers slightly but yeah there's you know the the characters are featured heavily in marketing for DCKO the last couple of issues um and there is there there is interactions between both universes. Yeah okay um uh so yeah it's done. Yeah okay interesting interesting okay I can lend you the issues if you want to have a look yeah yeah yeah good good what else you got uh well the the other only other things I know uh I've also got um I just wanted to uh give a brief shout out to something that came out in the shop this week and I'm trying really hard not to you know come across as like just yeah well I work in a comic book shop now so I'm gonna talk about stuff but um that comic book guy yeah worst cameo ever um yeah I'm really excited about this particular product because uh it's my favorite character it's Nightwing yep um and it's the DC Compact comics which we talked about previously this week um the la uh we had some new DC Combat comics come out and it was um Nightwing leaping into the light which is the Tom Taylor Bruno Redondo run.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:00

Yep um I actually think I might get some physical media so based on this.

SPEAKER_08 1:18:04

I mean this is uh you know in in Australian dollars yeah it's 1895 for the entire run. That's a bargain um and it's in a compact form you can hold it all in one in your hands all at once. And I just think that's delicious. Yep and well it is um right and it's also great because like for someone like me who's now in a position to be able to um enthusiast comics to people who want to get into comics to be able to hand them something like that featuring my favourite character featuring the in my opinion the best writing of that character that's ever been and some beautiful art all in the one volume for a great price is um just wonderful so I'm really excited about it so I just wanted to to mention that. Yeah because yeah the the compact comics are just going from strength to strength. You know we've got some great stories available for them um already and there's more planned down the track but um this is probably the one I'm the most excited about because yeah uh Nightwing's my boy um and yeah so I'm really pumped about that. And the other thing um this afternoon I I had I had today off so I sat and I read some comics. Yes um I read some more of my Indiana Jones comics from the 80s. I saw that still loving those yeah the last couple have been um drawn by Steve Ditko I should mention as well. Really? Yeah the the comics legend Steve Ditko did a lot of Spider-Man he does a yeah well he was co-creator wasn't he but um he uh draws a great Harrison Ford it's arguably some of the best Indiana Jones art that um I've seen okay um it sort of it it captures his likeness but with without overdoing it if you know what I mean yeah like sometimes you sometimes when they're trying to capture the likeness of the actors it is almost a bit too much. Yep.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:52

But no he does a really good job if you could own art if you could own art of an artist who would you own want to own art of oh just in general yeah George Perez.

SPEAKER_08 1:20:03

George Perez okay that's a good one he's Titans he's my goat yeah Titans yeah Titans or Superman yeah um or even Wonder Woman some of the the stuff he did for Wonder Woman in the 80s was beautiful. Yeah I want Darwin Cook Darwin Cook if I could own something both rest in peace if I could have four rest in peace gentlemen yeah um enjoy your drawing yeah um uh no I read uh another one of these Piao um comic books this afternoon um it's by the same author of uh uh Toad in the Fall um a frog in the fall I saw it I saw another video posted that and and um this one was one of her previous works called Stages of Rot um which is I didn't realise how science fiction y it was oh okay um it's it's about a uh uh it's it's about a whole lot of things but it's basically about a uh a giant whale that dies yeah and what happens with the um remains of its body um and how it affects the the world and worlds around it yeah um in the aftermath of it over a number of uh years and even centuries I think.

SPEAKER_09 1:21:16

Yep.

SPEAKER_08 1:21:17

But it was beautiful. Yeah it's just another like I like all these um Piao books it's it's just a really beautiful work of art um a nice object to hold in my hands um and just a really beautiful work of um visual science fiction so it's by yeah Lin Linneas Linnaeas Dirter I think is how her name is pronounced she's Swedish.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:37

Glad you're saying it not me.

SPEAKER_08 1:21:38

Uh yeah if I mean I'm hopefully I've got it close. But um no that was just a really beautiful book too so I wanted to mention that that that was something that I had a a flick through today.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:47

Now tell me have you read uh so I loaned your book which was Silver. I've started yes Silver of Treasures and Thieves yes yes um which is done by uh Stefan Frank yes I think that's how you pronounce his name I think so yeah um how are you finding it?

SPEAKER_08 1:22:02

Good yeah no I've only read I think um the first couple of chapters or issues um so I'm I'm still sort of getting into it yeah but it's yeah it's really good. It's fun isn't it yeah yeah I mean I it was always a going to be a bit of a slam dunk because it's you know that's set in the early 20th century yeah that's right um in the wake of uh um uh Jonathan Harker's uh funeral yep that's right um the Jonathan Harker from um uh Frank uh Dracula sorry yeah um and yeah no it's it it's really good so far I'm really enjoying it could you see how this could be a easily uh you know prestige TV series or or or a film like a franchise film. Yeah completely I would love to see this. Yeah the potential for spectacle and great costumes and yeah um you know uh the period type stuff is is great.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:56

And a heist set around vampires what a what a great concept this is.

SPEAKER_08 1:23:00

Yeah awesome yeah it it does it it really um sort of has that you know oceans 11 type heist feel but just in a in a in a a different really attractive um setting yeah but yeah no I have I've started it yeah and um I'm really enjoying it.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:14

One thing I didn't mention in the in the zest is um is Romania are building a uh a theme park around Dracula oh okay uh so I think they're like investing a billion dollars into it it's a massive it's gonna have three uh three hotels wow um a uh a big cathedral um and uh a ballroom like Dracula's ballroom and uh rides and you know you name it it's a theme park they're gonna really capitalise on getting people to embrace uh Dracula so interests me because um Romania even by itself um just the the architecture and the natural wilderness of of that country always looks um amazing uh yeah fascinating so um yeah so I'll I'll keep be keeping an eye on that yeah yeah so I I think that's it's quite a obviously a number of years away yeah um before it's um before it's available to visit but uh see 70 year old Mark on the on the Dracu coaster blood draining out of his face yeah and you you you get to suck into something you know it's uh red coloured so that pain relief ice cream yeah I'm there already yeah so um oh I'm glad you're enjoying silver I look forward to uh to when you finish it yep um no keep chicken away chipping away it's in uh well and truly in my reading rotation now volume two where that came from so uh awesome yeah it it leaves you on a on a on a definite cliffhanger for the first for the first volume that's one of the things I like about reading and comics in particular is always having things to look forward to yep absolutely 100% anything else you got going on no uh not in the reading sphere um that's been about it this week um that's that's all the news there is to report excellent well let's get into uh the review like oh my god go ahead make my day what have you been watching yeah uh I saw scream seven yes I was gonna ask you about that yeah because we mentioned it in the last in the last episode so you said you were gonna watch it by this episode I did say I was gonna watch it if you say you're gonna watch something I it would be absolutely reprehensible for you not to have watched it says you um but anyway I I will hold the mantle of of honesty here and say that I'm gonna go and see something I'm gonna go and see something. Welcome up onto the pedestal of piety and I'll take it while I can uh so yes I did see Scream 7 uh this is a revisit of characters of past uh where you are getting uh Sidney Prescott back in the fold which one that's Neve Campbell uh Neve Campbell and you're getting Gail Weathers uh which is uh Courtney Cox Courtney Cox thank you um I said Matthew Perry that would have been a bad yeah oh gee um uh so uh yeah we've got got the band back together of those two of the you know fan favourites yeah uh and we are definitely leaning into uh our sort of updated ai technology world yep um into this one um so I'm not gonna give anything away um there is definitely a a a spoiler that I could could mention another actor who um comes back into the fold oh I've done um but yeah look it's it's it's it it's interesting it's it's you know it's it's hard to I mean and they've done this with the um with the Halloween films where they've sort of brought back old characters so they they brought back um Jamie Lee Curtis oh yeah Jamie Lee Curtis uh where they brought her back um and sort of tried to sort of round it off and sort of hand it over to uh you know a new uh breed that was going to combat Michael My Yeah. And they're kind of sort of skirting around the edges of doing that here. Right. Look, pacing is good. Some interesting takes on Ghostbase and you know, again, you know, fandom and what where does that go and what does that mean for different people and that type of thing?

SPEAKER_08 1:28:24

You sound a little bit unimpressed.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:26

No, no, no, not unimpressed. I just, you know, maybe I'm maybe I'm getting old and and seeing things in a different perspective. You're definitely getting old. But then mentally I'm not. Um physically I am. But you know, I I think that's the fun part. I think that what they're trying to do is they're trying to build a bridge for new fans, right? Um, and they're trying to build a bridge to get people to um want to go back and re-watch the previous screen films to see what this one's all about.

SPEAKER_08 1:28:56

Listener Benji wasn't impressed.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:58

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_08 1:28:59

Because I I saw him, I I alluded to it last week, but I saw him in the shop and he was a bit disappointed.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:06

This is episode 17 that we're talking about here. Um, not episode 16.

SPEAKER_08 1:29:11

No. I wasn't going to mention that.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:14

Whole fiasco. So we're in we're in we're in the in in the correct time. We're through the looking glass. Yeah, we are. We definitely are. But um, yeah, okay. I I I I can see what he's referring to. Yeah. Um I I think that the payoff wasn't as big as the other the other um the other the other shows have been. Yeah. Right? I think that's what it is, is that that the the payoff it's really hard to talk about because you don't want to give it away. Yeah. Um you know, they they they did this sort of this big lead up, this big lead up, this big lead up. Um you know, definitely AI was a huge influence in this one. Um and then when we had the the curtain drawn, yeah, um, it was you know, this small little wizard behind a, you know, who wasn't the wizard of Oz after all, you know.

SPEAKER_08 1:30:08

I'm not gonna lie, I'm probably never gonna catch up on these.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:11

And so, but I don't want to, you know, spoil it for our listeners as well.

SPEAKER_08 1:30:14

No, no, no, I'm not I'm not I'm not saying that's hard part. So no, I'm not saying that.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:18

Um so so yeah, I think but again, what I what I think they're really pushing um the envelope on was um you know looks could be deceiving.

SPEAKER_07 1:30:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:31

The payoff might not be what you're expecting it to be, it could be in the next film. Um and so maybe there's that allusion to okay, this could be more than what it what it actually is. Um whether we sound more like a TV episode. Scream does feel a bit like a mashed up TV series all in one. Should it though? Um no, not necessarily. Um it look, I I I think I think they've got the their heart in the right place. Um did it did it land? It kind of crashed a little bit. Yeah. Um, you know, they lost some wheels and a and a and and a and a tail rudder.

SPEAKER_08 1:31:12

And yet it's you said it's made a fortune.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:14

And and that's done exceptionally well. Exceptionally well. So they'll make more. Horror, horror does well, like you know, yeah, whether it's B grade, C grade, D grade, or the new or A-grade? Um just the news. Just the news. That's a scream. Um but but uh you definitely need some ice cream with Panadol in that one. Yes. Um but at least, yeah, but you know, again, they're they're they're carrying the property forward, they're trying to bring a new a new audience to it. Is Listener Benji or myself going to you know be happy for the way it landed? Probably not. Is our new audience? Probably, because it's really catering to that that market. Um, and so yeah, I'll be interesting to see where Scream 8 sort of comes into play. Yeah. Um, you know, while we're talking about Scream, the scary movie hasn't landed as hard as they wanted it to. Um, it's doing okay.

SPEAKER_08 1:32:14

Or has it landed hard with a thud?

SPEAKER_04 1:32:16

Yeah, it's not doing as well as it should be doing.

SPEAKER_08 1:32:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:32:20

Will we be getting a you know, uh a seven out of scary movie? Probably not. Um, but they've tried to give it a go. And I and I commend them for you know bringing it into a into a new audience. Has it not made money or it's made money, but it hasn't made money, if you know what I mean? It's not it's not there yet, it's never going to be a billion dollar film. Is it going to make enough for them to want to make a second? Is it weird that it's out at the same time as Scream? Yeah, it's it's really interesting. I I don't know whether that was meant to be like a Barbenheimer or you know, where they have, you know, if you've seen Scream and you got scared of that, then you want to go and have a bit of a laugh at Go Space in um scary movie.

SPEAKER_08 1:33:06

I would think it would share audiences a bit.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:09

Um yes and no.

SPEAKER_08 1:33:10

Yes and Star Wars people are space balls people, aren't they?

SPEAKER_04 1:33:13

Yeah, well they are. Um but again, you know, I I think it's the type of humour, you know. Where does that land with a new audience? I I don't think it has. Um I think it's you know, sort of our age that's grown up with it that is maybe that you know lights those stoner films that will go and see it. Um crap comedy. Yeah, it really is crap comedy. Um and and not in a bad way, but that's that's part of its humour, right? Yeah, the cheesiness. Yeah, um and silliness. Um and and you know, they they wear that very very um uh vis visibly on their sleeve. Okay, right? So, um, but again, is it gonna is it gonna make enough to to go into a second? Well, to number seven, yeah. I would say probably not. You know, it might get a you know, a Netflix, you know, film version, you know, for seven.

SPEAKER_07 1:34:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:11

Um will it be theatrical? Probably not. No.

SPEAKER_08 1:34:15

So Netflix or something's probably a really good place for movies like that.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:18

Yeah, I think so. Paramount would do would do something like that.

SPEAKER_08 1:34:22

Yeah, but it's the sort of thing, like silly thing you'd put on, you know, uh one night after work during the week or something.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:28

Yeah, or a Saturday afternoon or something like that, you know. Um, so so yeah, uh look, I I I hope there's a future for them. I mean they've definitely put themselves out there for it.

SPEAKER_08 1:34:37

Yeah, I hope so, too. We need more silliness.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:38

Yeah, what have you been watching?

SPEAKER_08 1:34:40

Uh I've actually been re-watching a couple of movies. Okay. Um I rewatched Hamnet on the weekend. Okay. Um with uh producer Kim because she hadn't seen it. Um I went and saw it many, many months ago um at the Asta.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:57

Um is that why you were talking all old English this afternoon when I came in? Verily.

SPEAKER_08 1:35:03

Um yes, uh no, but uh uh producer Kim, I'd managed to persuade her to see it. Originally she was put off by the trailer because it was um I mean it it's got some fairly you know uh heavy themes in it. Yep um heart-wrenching type stuff, and and so I think originally she was like, oh no, I won't be watching that. But then with all the hype and it being nominated for um so many awards and Oscars and um and everything, I think she decided that that um she was.

SPEAKER_04 1:35:32

Probably worth a check check out.

SPEAKER_08 1:35:33

Yeah, be brave and give it a go. Yep. Um and so we re yeah, we uh watched it on uh streaming, yeah. Um and um she really loved it. Um you know she can speak for herself in regards to it, but she really enjoyed the movie. Um sort of hit in all the same ways um as it did with me. I really enjoyed watching it for a second time. Yep. Um I think originally when I fo when I first saw it on the big screen, I was a bit overwhelmed with the the visuals of it. It's a really it's it's a beautiful film.

SPEAKER_09 1:36:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 1:36:04

Um just yeah, the cinematography and the set design and everything is gorgeous. Yeah. Um, but it was nice just to sit back and watch it um and sort of uh absorb a bit more of the themes and the uh the dialogue and the screenwriting and stuff this time. Yep. Um uh and yeah, I I love it now more than I did before. Um yeah, it's just a a really great movie about grief, about life, about parenting, about art, about the power of art and about the power of story and how it's important to um individuals but also to societies. Um just a great film.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:42

Alright, it's on my list, I'll push it up.

SPEAKER_08 1:36:44

Yeah, don't do that. And the other movie that I watched, um I finally started my uh Avengers Doomsday Prep Watch.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:53

X-Men.

SPEAKER_08 1:36:54

X-Men. And this is this is why I haven't watched um Monarch Legacy of Monsters, because last night when I got home from work, I just wanted to sit and watch something. Yeah, and I was tossing up whether I was going to watch that or this.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:06

You wanted something that you didn't really have to think about.

SPEAKER_08 1:37:08

Exactly. Yep. Um and I've also been dying to get this re-watch started because I know once I get it started it'll pick up some momentum, and it's become a bit of a um, what is it, albatross over my monkey on my back? I don't know what it is. One of those albatross up my in my pants.

SPEAKER_05 1:37:27

Paracetamole in your eyes.

SPEAKER_08 1:37:28

Yeah, that's it's become a bit of an albatross in my ice cream. Okay, got it. Oh, oh yeah. Hopefully it's not vanilla. No. Um, so uh yeah, and I I re-watched um X-Men, the original movie from 2000. I watched um Disney Plus. Did it hold up? Uh yeah, completely. I mean, I don't know how many times I've seen it, yeah. Um but it's one of those movies that I've completely lost count of how many times I've seen it.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:53

It's been a it's been a while for me, I must admit, been a while.

SPEAKER_08 1:37:56

You know, um my impressions of it this time, um, you know, it's because it's been a few years. I think the last time I watched it was when my boys were a bit younger. Yeah. Um, so it must have been a few years ago. Yeah. Um, it's really great. Like it's not a super long movie, it's less than two hours. Yeah, it's like 90 minutes, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. And and one of the things that struck me about it, like a lot of the effects don't sort of hold up um uh when you compare them to modern superhero movies. But this movie was it wasn't an independent film by any means, but it wouldn't have been made on the budget of a an Avengers movie or a Star Wars movie or even a Superman James Gunn movie. Um, you know, it it it it aside from the the the the visual effects being very uh early 2000s, late 90s, I guess, um it's a really succinct, really well written um introduction to the world of the X-Men. Yeah because one of the things we have to remember now is that when a lot of people were watching this movie in 2000, many of them would never have heard of the X-Men. Yeah, they that a lot a lot of them wouldn't wouldn't have seen the animated show, they certainly wouldn't have read the comics. No, they wouldn't have um understood the concept of mutants.

SPEAKER_04 1:39:12

Um and well, that's probably why they took the liberties that they did too, right? I mean it's interesting you should say that it's a shorter film. I think X-Men was one of the first films to start doing a shorter format. Yeah, and and the reason for that was because they weren't sure whether it was gonna land, yeah. Um, based on you know comic films. Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 1:39:32

Um and yeah, well the the the genre was not even really a thing yet. Like the term superhero, like I mean superhero movies were a thing, but the term superhero movies as a genre, up alongside rom-coms or uh buddy cops or whatever, um it wasn't really a thing.

SPEAKER_04 1:39:50

It was first X-Men or Blade? Uh Blade.

SPEAKER_08 1:39:53

Yeah, Blade Blade was a big thing.

SPEAKER_04 1:39:55

Blade sort of started the started that paved the way for a superhero film, right?

SPEAKER_08 1:40:00

And they've got a very similar sort of vibe. Oh, absolutely. Um and and and I mean because the X-Men's quite a dark film, like it's it's shot mostly in the dark. Um, you know, wearing dark clothes, yeah. But there's some fairly graphic violence in it as well. Absolutely. Um but uh yeah, the one of the things that struck me is um why it's so great is that it's just a really succinct telling of uh introduction to the the world of not just the X-Men but the mutants, the world that mutants exist in, the world of uh humans versus X uh mutants, um the the whole uh concepts of you know anti-mutant hate and um uh it's yeah, it's just really great. And also the the introductions tool of the characters too, they're very short, very succinct, but very really effective. Um it's got some great writing in it.

SPEAKER_04 1:40:50

Yeah, yeah. Is it is it just me or has James Marsden not aged at all? Uh yeah, it seems that way. Um he he just seems to be because I'm watching uh Paradise. Yes. Um I'm into season two of Paradise now.

SPEAKER_07 1:41:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:41:05

Um and um I've I'll talk about that maybe next week's show. Yeah, but um he's definitely looked after himself. He he just doesn't look like he's aged much at all.

SPEAKER_08 1:41:15

Yeah, I thought that until I watched X-Men last week. Okay, maybe I'll watch it. He does look like a baby.

SPEAKER_04 1:41:21

Right, okay. He's got that face.

SPEAKER_08 1:41:23

Oh, he's so good. Yeah, like he it he's he's so good as Cyclops as Scott Summers. Some of the stuff between him and Hugh Jackman's Logan, um, I'd forgotten how good good it is. The you know, animosity and the back and forth um is just delicious. Like it's not a buddy movie, it's not a buddy, you know, it's not Depul and Wolverine, right? No, but no, but it's got it it's got the kernels of that in it. Yeah, um and and Marsden and Jackman, as even as young actors and largely unknown at that time, do a great job of um making it uh charming and appealing.

SPEAKER_04 1:41:57

I'm looking forward to seeing them together in Doomsday.

SPEAKER_08 1:42:01

Yeah, well, is Jackman in it?

SPEAKER_04 1:42:04

Uh he says he's not. I reckon he is.

SPEAKER_08 1:42:06

Yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 1:42:07

I reckon he is. I reckon he'll pop up.

SPEAKER_08 1:42:09

I reckon we're gonna see um Halle Berry is stormed too.

SPEAKER_04 1:42:12

Yeah, they keep saying that she's not, but I reckon she'll take it. They do too.

SPEAKER_08 1:42:15

But I mean, how are they gonna resist getting her and Chris Emsworth? Because they've just been in a movie together anyway, haven't they?

SPEAKER_04 1:42:21

Yeah, she is she's been voted as as the number one black superhero in the African American community. Well she's and and they like she is everybody, you know, whenever they do those, um, you know, this or that, you know, this this character or this character, Storm always is number one. Always number one. She deserves to be. So and 100%. I'm not I'm not I'm definitely agreeing with you. Um but her character is so rich and and it's got such a beautiful storytelling about her. And yeah, yet she I don't think that they are they really have explored her enough when it comes to the X-Men film.

SPEAKER_08 1:43:05

Now that's another thing that was interesting about watching this again last night is like she's largely a supporting character in this. Like she she gets her scenes most definitely, like she's got that one at the end where she comes in and kicks some ass that's amazing, and and definitely makes me want to see her and Thor either going at each other or teaming up together. Um because uh but but but in the original this original X-Men movie, she does a whole lot with not heaps, Halle Berry, if that makes sense. Like like she doesn't she doesn't have a heaps and heaps of dialogue, she's just got a few key scenes, but she does a really, really good um uh job with what she's what she's given. Um yeah, I I'm I'm not surprised that she's uh an inspiration.

SPEAKER_04 1:43:53

What's what's really interesting is that she was third billing, like she was very well established actor when she went into X-Men. She'd done a whole bunch of films prior to that that were successful for her. Yeah. Um, you know, she's she's um outside of Patrick Stewart and Ian McCallum, she's the next one in the billing.

SPEAKER_07 1:44:12

Yep, yep.

SPEAKER_04 1:44:13

Um, and yet her presence is very minimal, yeah. Um, which is really a really interesting take. But I don't know whether she ended up on the cutting room floor a lot of it, but I I I think that they knew that they were gonna make more.

SPEAKER_08 1:44:25

Yeah, like I I think they were fairly intent on making well they wanted to, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:44:30

Yeah, I mean the the studio definitely wasn't um convinced.

SPEAKER_08 1:44:34

No, but I think that's part of why they kept it sort of as a smaller production and and kept it short. Um they just wanted to get the franchise off the ground, yeah. Um like I think there was always an intention to tell more story and therefore more screen time for Halle Berry, which is what we get in the in the next one.

SPEAKER_04 1:44:50

Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing seeing those characters um you know brought brought into you know the new DC universe. Uh the MC oh the MC universe, my apologies. I mean look, hey, let's let's do a crossover. James.

SPEAKER_08 1:45:05

Yeah, do a crossover, mate. I think it's time. Yeah, but um, yeah, no, I'm I'm really looking forward to seeing more of them as well, and and I'm really glad to have gotten my rewatch started.

SPEAKER_04 1:45:14

And we will get more X-Men films independently of Doomsday in any way. Yeah, totally. Um, so I I I would I would anticipate that we'll get, you know, with all hopes that the world is still turning well, um, that we will get uh X-Men versus uh Avengers as well, which would be amazing.

SPEAKER_08 1:45:34

I think we'll get at least tastes of that in um the upcoming films.

SPEAKER_04 1:45:37

Yeah, have you got anything else that you've watched?

SPEAKER_08 1:45:39

No, no, that's about me for this week.

SPEAKER_04 1:45:41

Oh, well, I've got one other thing that I wanted to talk about, which was uh the Amazon Prime uh production of uh young Sherlock Holmes, oh yes, yeah, which is dropped. Yep. I binge watched this in a weekend, so we were lucky to have a long weekend, um uh our time just gone. Yep. Uh and uh just uh it's eight episodes and managed to sort of do three a day-ish. It's got Sean Bean in it, doesn't it? Um no, no, it doesn't. What am I thinking of? Um you're probably thinking of um uh Colin Firth. Oh, Colin Firth, yeah.

SPEAKER_08 1:46:19

Colin Firth is in it with a big mustache, yeah, with a very big mustache.

SPEAKER_04 1:46:24

Um so yeah, this is uh this is Guy Ritchie, this is a Guy Ritchie production. Yep. Um, so same values that you see in the Sherlock Holmes films, the Danny Jr. with Jude Law, yep, um, you're gonna get in this one. Um this is a real sort of setup to those films. Yep. Uh and what we're seeing, so uh the lead who's playing um Sherlock, I think anybody who steps into the the shoes of a Sherlock Holmes, it's either gonna be hit or miss. Yeah, and I I I can imagine it'd be very daunting, it'd be like taking on the mantle of like Superman or Batman or any sort of well-known established character in history like Sherlock Holmes.

SPEAKER_08 1:47:10

Well, they've like all those characters that's they've uh the character's got a really critical fan base, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 1:47:17

Um, and you know, uh he you know, Sherlock Holmes is now available in the public space, right? Um so you can sort of do any iteration that you want to do of that character.

SPEAKER_08 1:47:29

And they do.

SPEAKER_04 1:47:30

And and they do, right? Um, but I I really, really, really, really, really enjoyed this. How many episodes is it? Uh it's eight. You watched all of them. Yeah, watched all of them. So you just did three, three on the Friday, uh, three on the Friday night, three on Saturday, and I think we rolled it off on Monday. Or we did an episode on Sunday and a couple episodes on Monday, and it was fantastic. So, hero Phineas Tiffin, what a name for an actor. Amazing. Um, he is uh he's an up and comer. He is going to really do some great stuff. Um, and I really look forward to watching his career. Yeah. Um, he is he he is great as Sherlock Holmes, and then we have uh I think his name is Don Donald. Donald, I think his pronunciation. Donald Finn. Um he's playing James Moriarty. Donald Finn, yeah. Yeah, so um this is this is the telling of how Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty meet for the first time. Uh and I I think there's a bit of liberties here, it's a little bit different from what we would normally expect an older Holmes and uh and Moriarty to meet each other. Um, but this is about their relationship and how they meet and how they work really well together. Yeah, so this is um uh prior to uh Watson um when he teams up with Watson, this is them meeting very young, as in the name, young Sherlock Holmes, yeah, um, at Oxford University, and how they start their uh friendship together, and uh how we can see you know the cracks start to form in that relationship as we get to the end. Yeah, um the production value is fantastic, the um costume design, the set pieces, um, the sweeping landscapes of when they're outside are great. It's really deep rooted in that historical um uh you know uh purpose of Sherlock Holmes. Yeah. Uh and the fight scenes are fantastic. Um the the humor in it is is great, the acting is fantastic. I I can't rave on on enough about this series. Um and would highly recommend that if you I mean, and we do have a mystery, you know, there is a mystery to solve. You'd hope so. Um and and and And and it's done exceptionally well. There is so many great twists and turns as you would expect in a Guy Ritchie film. And you know, he wears his heart on his sleeve about loving Sherlock Holmes. Yeah. You know, he's done two films, he's done this. Um, you know, it's very much a Guy Ritchie production, um, with with a really sort of nice sort of spin on it. Um so if if you if you want to, you know, dedicate a weekend or you know, jump on for a couple of episodes um, you know, every every couple of weeks, I would highly recommend this film, uh this TV series, sorry. And looking forward to season two, I'm really crossing my fingers and toes on this that they're they're gonna go into a season two. Yeah. They're definitely left it open for one.

SPEAKER_08 1:50:50

I've just been having a look at um IMDB while you've been talking um because the name Donald Finn rang a bell. And I I've seen him in Wheel of Time, the Amazon series. Yeah. Um I think he took over a role that was filled by another actor in season two, and then it was in season two and three, and he's really good.

SPEAKER_04 1:51:10

Um he plays a really complex um James Moriarty, yeah, but you know nothing about his history, and that's what makes him really engaging.

SPEAKER_07 1:51:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:51:21

Um Hero plays that Sherlock Holmes, who is is he's not the he's not the Sherlock Holmes that we're used to because he hasn't had the life experience that that you know what we're used to of a you know 40, 50-year-old man that we would expect to see, right? Yeah. Where he's had all this experience and heartbreak and turmoil and you know addiction and all that sort of stuff. We're not seeing any of that yet.

SPEAKER_07 1:51:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:51:50

And so he plays a really interesting um, you know, character of Sherlock Holmes leading up to that, you know, horrible history that he that he goes through to be the person that he is. Yeah. Um, so yeah, great.

SPEAKER_08 1:52:05

Now it's um uh hero finds different.

SPEAKER_04 1:52:08

Again, I'm just reviewing he did the Wii series, um, so it was like we, and then it was like we are something. There were there a lot of love stories. He's done a lot of love story films.

SPEAKER_08 1:52:19

Well, he's um the nephew of uh Rafe and Joseph Finds. Oh right. I think he's the son of their tear star, right? That makes um perfect. And I think like because Joseph Finds is he is he's he's he the the father?

SPEAKER_04 1:52:35

He's the father, yeah. And and so yeah, it's um yeah, and we get to see the whole family. So Minecraft is in in the in the in the Minecraft. Minecraft. Minecroft. That's a that's a whole different crossing of streams, you know.

SPEAKER_08 1:52:50

The actor that plays um Mycroft is also uh he's the son of another famous British actor. Right, okay his name is Max Irons.

SPEAKER_04 1:53:00

Ah, not Jeremy's.

SPEAKER_08 1:53:02

It's Jeremy's son.

SPEAKER_04 1:53:03

Yeah, right, okay, there you go. So there's there's a lot of really great character actors in this. Yeah. Um, you know, great ensemble cast. Alright, it's on my list. Carries really well. Um again, I can't rave about it enough. Um tell us what you think. Uh hit us up on uh Pulp Culture Pod on all the socials, whether you think I'm right or wrong. Um it's on Amazon. And on Amazon Prime. Yep. Um, I think if you've got a Paramount, uh you can I think you can also watch it on Paramount. Yeah, it's it's all a bit yeah, it's all a bit timey whimey. The strip the streams. One thing that we didn't mention is that um uh in the Zest was that uh Paramount have come out, and I know we had our conversation last week about concerns. Apparently uh HBO Max and Paramount Plus will be merging once the merger is all completed and done. Oh, okay. So watch this space, we'll definitely talk about it more in length when we have more information. Watch what they do. Um yeah, watch what they do, not what they say. Watch, watch, watch what that what that other hand is doing, not the one that's flailing around in front of you. So um, so yeah, uh maybe we should get into our feature. Okay. Happy Mario Day to all who celebrate. Yeah, absolutely. And thank you to me again um uh to to one of our you know very faithful listeners. Andrew. Andrew, for um, you know, making this suggestion. Um so what I thought I'd do happy Mario to you, Andrew. Yeah, happy and he's a super super fan from my understanding. I'll stop now. So you got the drums. Um so uh so yeah, so I thought I might open a a new feature called the fandom files. Yeah, and um did you like the X File music in there? I just thought I'd put that in there. Yeah, but totally.

SPEAKER_08 1:55:11

Yeah, yeah, excellent. You better put it in there.

SPEAKER_04 1:55:13

So I thought I would go through and give you some some some fandom files um of um things that you might know and you might not know. Yeah. So let's go back to the oranges. So um uh, you know, I I've got about 30 items here, but I'll I'll be able to move through these relatively quickly, listeners. Um, and um definitely let us know what your thoughts on Mario are. And um um we've we've both obviously grown up with Mario when it when it when it was first released. Yeah, a little bit.

SPEAKER_08 1:55:40

Um I I I should from the outset I'll can I'll confess, like I'm not as much over Mario as you were.

SPEAKER_04 1:55:47

Well, do you remember the Mario? And this is where we get into the the the origins. Do you remember Mario on Donkey Kong? So on the Game and Watches that you used to get, you used to have the Mario uh Donkey Kong throwing the barrel. That was Mario.

SPEAKER_08 1:56:01

Mario was the villain or whatever.

SPEAKER_04 1:56:03

He was he was the guy that was gonna you know knock off Donkey Kong, right?

SPEAKER_08 1:56:08

Because I had one of those, I had a Game and Watch, but I never had like a Nintendo or any of that sort of stuff. It was only when I got into my like 20s, yeah, and I started hanging out with you guys, and you were all over it, and I'd try and play, and I just couldn't keep up. And I've I've never I've never gotten good at it. Yeah, but it's neither a vibe, but it's it's about the fun, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:56:25

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So so back in 1981, um uh Mario first appeared with Donkey Kong, which we were just talking about. Yeah, um, he actually wasn't referred to as Mario, and this is probably where that misconception comes in too, yeah, is he was actually referred to as Jump Man, um, because that's what he did. He jumped around and you know, jumped over barrels and um, you know, unlocked the keys and you know made Donkey Kong fall to his doom, right? I thought Jump Man was Michael Jordan. Well, he was the original jump man. So uh so um Mario was created by um uh Sigeri um Miyamoto um is his name. Um and uh the character's name was actually after um Mario Sergeale, um, who actually happened to be Nintendo's landlord. Okay. So he's he's based over he's named after their landlord. They obviously liked him um uh enough to to name him after the character. Yeah, so in Japan. And so the interesting part about this is that Mario's profession originally was a carpenter. So when he was when he was first introduced as jump man and then he became Mario, yeah, he was a carpenter. So when they did their first uh their first game, yeah, they had all these pipes, you know, that he was going up and down. Didn't make sense to have a carpenter, so they changed him into a plumber. Okay. So that's where Mario comes into being the backstory of being a plumber. Like Harrison Ford. Like Harrison Ford, uh, who was a carpenter, um, and then he became a scoundrel. So, you know. He did.

SPEAKER_08 1:58:06

Scruppy looking in twelve baskets.

SPEAKER_04 1:58:10

So um it's so the interesting part about Mario is when they were developing him as a character, you gotta remember that the graphics weren't as good as they were uh as they are now. No. So a lot of this was what they called 8-bit, um, which was everything was square. Yeah, uh, so the the hat, the mustache, uh, and the nose profile came from them. So the nose profile came because it was um easy to uh define the face. Yeah, the hat and the the mustache came from uh actually um them hiding hair and a mouth so that they didn't have to animate it. So he was pretty much a still character moving around the screen. Um so it was that that's where the mustache and the hat come from. Okay. Um, which is really, I mean, it's it's quite fascinating that they that that from early concept it was it was more of a cheat so that they didn't have to, you know, spend more work on it.

SPEAKER_08 1:59:09

And now it's an icon.

SPEAKER_04 1:59:09

And now it's an icon, right? Um so later on it was revealed that and and I didn't know this, this was uh you know, doing this research um for um Phantom Files was that um Mario and Luigi are actually twin brothers. Yep. Um it was mentioned in the film, um, but prior to that I I wasn't aware of that. Okay. Um and I thought that maybe they'd just done it for the film, but it is actually the case. Okay. Um, so Mario's girlfriend earlier on in the games, her name was Pauline, not Princess Peach. Okay. Um, and so we will see a Pauline in uh in a coming up. I was gonna say, I wonder where she is today. Yeah, so she will turn up. Yep. Um, so yeah, really interesting again. Um, but they wanted to bring the princess in because Disney was obviously popular, um, and so they brought their own princess into a universe. So that's where Prince Speech came into play.

unknown 2:00:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:00:03

Um, so Super Mario Bros. um helped to revive the um video game industry after the video game crash of 1983. Now I knew nothing about this video game crash, and this is another completely separate you know, topic that we can talk about. But essentially, what was happening is that was at the time of like ColecoVision, Activision, and um Atari, who were sort of bringing out these cartridge games. The market was absolutely saturated with this sort of home entertainment unit. Lots of different companies, lots of different games, competing consoles, consoles, lots of investment in these consoles. We had the debacle of the ET game that is you know synonymous with collectors and how badly that was, and how it they ended up, you know, uh I think they it all went into landfill. Um so if you've got one of those games now, it's worth like millions of dollars. Okay. Um, but yeah, so there was this actual crash based on saturation. Yeah, we also had arcades that were very, very popular at the time. Yeah, and so the arcades sort of shifted away from those as well. Yeah, um, and then obviously it shifted back. Um, so Mario Brothers helped to bring that Super Mario Brothers um game on the Nintendo, yeah um 60, no, yeah, just the Nintendo, um, the original. Um, and the game originally sold 40 million copies on the Super Nintendo, wow, which really brought that resurgence back, and then Super Mario 64 revolutionized like 3D platforming. Um, so Mario has been a very um key piece of um, you know, sort of in that gaming industry, yeah, and and really sort of pushed to the forefront of when it came to what to expect from games. Um and we've seen that time and time again when they've brought out new Mario um you know worlds and you know open worlding and you know, like Mario was the first one to do open world as well. Okay. Um so Mario's appeared in 200 plus games. Oh wow. So, you know, like he's he's done multiple genres. Okay. Um, you know, we've had Super Smash Brothers and you know things like that. Yeah. Um and so yeah, so interestingly enough, um the coin sounding effect um is one of the most recognizable sounds in gaming. Yeah, it's a bit like the Willem screen, right? Yeah, we know exactly where that's from. Um it's the same with the coin, you know. You hear the coin, you instantly turn around and you're like, oh, it's Mario.

SPEAKER_08 2:02:45

It is it is an iconic sound.

SPEAKER_04 2:02:47

It is an iconic sound. Um let's get into some villains and allies. Um so Bowser is also known as King Cooper, which is a little bit confusing, depending on what country you live in. Yeah, depends on whether you you refer to him as Bowser or King Cooper.

SPEAKER_08 2:03:02

I imagine there's lots of different translations of of many of the names and stuff.

SPEAKER_04 2:03:06

Yeah, exactly. And so, like um in Japan when Super Mario Brothers came out, he's not referred to as Bowser, he's referred to as King Cooper. Okay. Uh so Yoshi um debuted in Super Mario World. Yeah. Um, that was his his first. Um, and Toad was originally just one of many identical mushroom people. Okay. Um, but then they obviously you know extended that universe um and gave him sort of his own sort of personality and type. Um in the latest trailer, we see a lot of um the mushroom people. Yeah. Um, obviously, Toad's uh a bigger player in this um Super Mario galaxy. Can I make a confession? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:03:48

Toad sort of gives me the creeps because he's got that big hat. I don't know what it is. He's he's sort of deformed, no, I don't know. Deformed character.

SPEAKER_08 2:03:55

Yeah, no, he's just I don't know. Maybe it's the like the fungus that's progressed to the to the point where the evolutionary gain sentience. Yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 2:04:06

I mean nothing against him because he is, he's very cute, but I just he maybe he's had one too many paracetamol uh ice creams, right? I wish he's sort of got that overgrown head going on.

SPEAKER_08 2:04:17

Yeah, no, the toad gives me the crates.

SPEAKER_04 2:04:20

Yeah, well, the interesting part about and and and in the in the latest um film, we see a lot of those mushroom people. Yeah, um, they remind me of minions. Um I I I think I I think they're kind of giving you that minion feel. Um I'm sure that's not on purpose. Yeah, that and that's what I that's what I was leading to. But anyway, you know, we we we digress. Um Wario was created as Mario's evil rival.

SPEAKER_07 2:04:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:04:48

So sort of from another universe. You know, Mario was sort of battling all these characters, but he didn't really have other than Bowser, you know. So if he defeats Bowser, who's he gonna then defeat, right?

SPEAKER_08 2:05:01

So he's like Pete from um Mickey Mouse cartoons, yeah, exactly, right?

SPEAKER_04 2:05:06

Um, and um, so yeah, uh Donkey Kong started as Mario's enemy before he became uh one of the heroes.

SPEAKER_08 2:05:14

Yeah, Donkey Kong's my favorite.

SPEAKER_04 2:05:15

And Donkey Kong, you know, we're hoping to see in this film. Yeah. Um I I still think we'll get a cameo. I just it's just it's it's on the cards, right? Yeah. Um moving on to TV and comics, Mario started in um the cartoon, as he starred in the cartoon The Super Mario Brothers Super Show. Um, and I don't know if you remember that, um, but it was actually part live action, part cartoon. No, so we'd have an introduction of of of live um live actors, okay, and then they would sort of introduce the adventure that was going to come up in the cartoon. It was really short, it was like 15 minutes, I think it was. Okay. Um, so we sort of got a top and tail with live action, and then and then we got sort of a story in between. Sounds a bit um bonkers. Interestingly enough, um, Mario was played by, and I'm not too sure if you recognise the name, some of our wrestling um listeners will definitely get this, which was Captain Luo Bano. Um so Captain Luo Bano, you might recognise the name. I do. Um, he turned up in uh the uh as the father in Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Oh, yeah. Film clip of Cindy Warper. Oh yeah. And the link with Cindy Lauper is um with Captain Luo Bano is that she played his manager um back in the WWE time, which was to bring pop stars and wrestling together to sort of um push wrestling even further. I wonder if he was popularity change.

SPEAKER_08 2:06:44

I wonder if he was featured in the um Goonies Are Good Enough He was music video. Yeah, he was, yeah. Because there was a bunch of wrestlers in that, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04 2:06:52

Yeah, that's right. Um but there was that link with Cindy Lauper as well, who did the song.

SPEAKER_08 2:06:56

Awesome. Um so yeah, so that's one of my favourite music videos ever, by the way.

SPEAKER_04 2:07:00

Yeah, yeah, it's fantastic. Yeah, it's so much fun. Um, so so yeah, so there's a there's a link with wrestling, yeah, um, and a link with uh Pop Stars with the uh with the Super Mario uh Brothers uh was it the Super Mario Brothers Super Show? Wait, they couldn't make that any longer.

SPEAKER_08 2:07:18

Um the show's catchphrase was wait till the seventh movie in this series and they did annual season long time.

SPEAKER_04 2:07:24

Well they had a they had a song, they had a song which was uh do the Mario, which was their catchphrase. Of course. Yeah, I it was like do the Bartman, right? So um yeah, it kind of didn't didn't catch on. I think it's a me is probably the catchphrase for Mario. Um and Nintendo licensed Mario Comics through Valiant Comics uh in the early 90s. Um and they really did they went off script, they were all over the place.

SPEAKER_08 2:07:50

That's what comics are for.

SPEAKER_04 2:07:51

Yeah, well, yeah, absolutely. It was a bit like your Indiana Jones comics. I think they were right off script, but they were super fun to read, right?

SPEAKER_08 2:07:58

Yeah, exactly. It's more of the characters you you you want, and and if you want more, they they're gonna get into some pretty wild stories.

SPEAKER_04 2:08:06

Yeah. Um we had uh a live action movie, which was the Super Mario Brothers, which is that live action adaptation that you know everybody wants to forget, um, which had Bob Hoskins and Donald Leguizama in it, um, which was an interesting take um on a film.

SPEAKER_08 2:08:26

If you want to hear a fun podcast about that, by the way, just a plug for another podcast.

SPEAKER_04 2:08:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 2:08:30

Um uh Zachary Rouane and um Miss Witrip, uh they're Miss and Zach's Leguizama Rama podcast. Okay. I think it was one of their first episodes of that show. Right. Um, they do a uh comprehensive review of of the Mario movie, and it's it's a really, really good listen.

SPEAKER_04 2:08:49

Okay, I'll it's uh I'll put that on my list for sure. Um that'd be interesting. Yeah, um we we know that uh Chris Pratt is doing the voice of Mario, which was definitely received poorly when it was announced. It was, um, but I think that he's done a good job.

SPEAKER_08 2:09:06

Yeah, I think it was only received poorly just because he's done so much other stuff that wasn't related to voiceover work. Well, but also v voiceover work because he was the lead in the Lego movies.

SPEAKER_04 2:09:17

He was, yes.

SPEAKER_08 2:09:18

Um, I feel like there was something else too, but um, yeah, he just had sort of oversaturated a bit of that. Yeah, but but he did do a really good job. Yeah. Um the both the guys who did Luigi and them.

SPEAKER_04 2:09:31

Oh, good question. No, no, that's all right. Um you you you go you go fact checking.

SPEAKER_08 2:09:36

I will, I'll go deep deep diving.

SPEAKER_04 2:09:38

Yeah, but um and and obviously we had the original Mario Um the voice of Mario. Um he he was played Mario's dad. Yeah, in the in the end of the film. Okay, yep, yep. Um, and so we we we got to hear him. Um with regards to Charlie Day. Charlie Day, of course. Yeah. Um so yeah, Sunshine, um Always Sunny and Philadelphia Philadelphia, yeah.

SPEAKER_08 2:10:04

And also from the Lego movie.

SPEAKER_04 2:10:06

Yeah. Um so in 2023 we had the first Mario film. Um that uh scored over a billion dollars worldwide.

SPEAKER_08 2:10:15

Yeah, it was great fun.

SPEAKER_04 2:10:16

So let's go to a little bit, we talked about culturally how popular um Mario is.

SPEAKER_07 2:10:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:10:22

Um, so obviously Mario is the official mascot of Nintendo.

SPEAKER_07 2:10:27

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 2:10:28

Um, and um the Mario franchise is probably one of the best selling entertainment franchises in history.

SPEAKER_08 2:10:34

Yeah, that doesn't surprise me at all.

SPEAKER_04 2:10:36

Yeah, so that's that's our um Mario date, our um fandom files. Nice. Um some things that I didn't know that you know, being a being a fan of the Mario games, um uh I I didn't know some of that, but um, we'd love to hear your thoughts um on Mario. I'm sure listener Andrew will probably say, Yeah, I knew all that. No, he didn't. Um, but um uh but yeah, there's some some interesting fun facts in there, and um yeah, I I think it'd be great for us to you know from time to time sort of open the fandom files on some other characters.

SPEAKER_08 2:11:10

Yeah, no, we'll do multiple focuses on things.

SPEAKER_04 2:11:12

There's um an endless world of of subject matter, so yeah, and we don't talk about games a lot, so this is a great opportunity for us to um to include our um our gaming audience uh that we have.

SPEAKER_08 2:11:24

I'd definitely like to talk about them more because I like learning stuff and I don't know as much about games as as I do about other stuff.

SPEAKER_04 2:11:30

Yeah, and it and it encompasses all all sort of genres of of what we talk about too with movies and TV and comics and more and more, like the the crossover between the different forms of entertainment um is only increasing. Yeah, hundred percent. So um so yeah, so that's uh that's it for the fandom files. Um I think we're sort of getting towards the end of the show. Um I think we've just got the shout. Yeah, we do. Have anything to shout about this week? I do. In a nice way?

SPEAKER_08 2:12:08

Yeah, no, I do. I've uh got a really positive shout. Excellent. In the shop during the week, um I met someone that I hadn't met before by the name of Evan. Evan uh is uh the gentleman that runs the Geelong Comic and Toy Fair.

SPEAKER_04 2:12:25

Oh, wow, okay, cool.

SPEAKER_08 2:12:26

Um which is uh coming up in uh co less than two weeks. Um it's on uh Sunday, the 22nd of March, at the Norlane Um ARC Auditorium down in Geelong. Um and yeah, I had a bit of a chat with him at comic book shop. It was really nice to meet him. Um he's obviously very enthused about um pop culture and the community and uh comics and toys and all sorts of stuff. Um and yeah, I just said I'd uh give a shout out because um yeah, I've been aware of the the comic and toy fair um at Geelong for some time. And um, yeah, by the time this episode comes out, you'll still have time to get tickets. Yeah. Um yeah, there's uh I think early bird entries is something like uh$15. Um uh standard entries like five bucks. Um yeah, so you can either book online um at uh gctf.com.au um you can check out their Instagram, which is uh Geelong Comic and Toy Fair.

SPEAKER_03 2:13:26

Yep.

SPEAKER_08 2:13:27

Um we're definitely following them. Yeah, we are, yeah, and um and Evan follows us too. Um uh it it is a uh you know listening to the to the show. Yep. Um thanks for listening. Yeah, and and I really like the the motto of the um the comic and toy fair at Geelong as well, it's feed your feed your passion. Oh, that's good. Um and yeah, I think that really encapsulates basically what our podcast is about too. You know, it's it's about talking about the things that we love and the things that we enjoy. Um so yeah, no, um definitely if you're in the Geelong area or nearby, um get along to the um Geelong Comic and Toy Fair on Sunday, the 22nd of March.

SPEAKER_09 2:14:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 2:14:07

Um and if you do, yeah, let us know how you go and um who you meet, what you might uh buy and and the things that you see there. Um yeah, and we'd love to love to hear how it goes.

SPEAKER_04 2:14:18

Yeah, perfect. Yeah. Um I got uh I got uh well we got hit up this week um from uh one of our listeners um and um his name's Marcus. Um Marcus is doing something uh it's a little bit unique, and I thought it's um definitely worth a shout on the show. G'day, Marcus. Um and thanks for listening. Um Marcus is doing something called the barbershop comic stop. Um and so what he's doing is he's uh he's got uh a number of curated, uh specially curated comics um that he has on sale in a barbershop. Okay. So when you think about it, you're sitting there, you're waiting to get served. Yeah, um, and then you're essentially sitting there waiting for your hair to get cut, yeah. Um, or styled, or whatever you do when you go to a hairdresser. Totally shaved off. Um yeah, absolutely. Um, and so what a better way than to purchase a comic and sit there and read it um while you're either waiting or you're sitting in the chair. So did you say it's a swap? It's uh it's it's it's a it's actually uh he's opened a tiny little store um inside a barbershop. Just uh for the love of comics. For the love of comics. So he wants to do this more, he wants to get out to more and more uh comic, uh, sorry, to to either barber shops or house salons. Um where's he doing this? Yeah, so so he so he's got his first little little store um at uh called uh KS Barber Shop, um, which is uh in uh Mullaney um in Queensland. Um and uh so uh so they've uh they've given him a go, which I think is fantastic. Yeah, what a fun idea. Um comics start at$5. I mean, they're obviously um they're not they're not new, um they're they're they're pre-loved.

SPEAKER_08 2:16:05

Five bucks is really good for a comic these days.

SPEAKER_04 2:16:07

But but it ranges in in in genres, um in in age groups, um so there's something for everybody in there. Uh and and I think it's great, you know. He's it's it's a selection of uh about a hundred um comics that you can sort of sort of flick through the box and and purchase and and read. Yeah, nice. Um but I think this is a fantastic idea. Something that's a little bit off the wall, something a little bit different.

SPEAKER_08 2:16:31

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 2:16:31

Um, but it makes perfect sense.

SPEAKER_08 2:16:35

As far as I'm concerned, anything that gets comics in front of people, um because yeah, I I think um it's one one of the things that I'm very conscious about um is uh when I'm I I've been travelling to my new job uh on public transport. So I catch the the tram and sometimes the train and um I sit there and I read my comics. Um and I know that a lot of people have uh I g I guess apprehensions about doing that. Yeah. They feel like they're gonna be judged for reading kids' stuff or whatever. But um one thing that I've you know learned over the last few years is that comics are for everybody, um, and I think that the more that we get them out into public spaces and um people see other people uh reading with them and interacting with them, the better.

SPEAKER_04 2:17:22

Um so I think this is a great initiative. Well, it's seen as a formal literature now. I mean, we see it in public schools. I mean, I know in high schools they they have a uh a fairly large um you know Marvel DC range as well as some manga. Yeah, I mean, you know, not all manga can be put in a public school. Um, well not all comics can either, but um, it is seen as a formal literature, it is showing up in our libraries as well. Yeah, um, I I think there was a movement quite a number of years ago about reading comic comics in public. I I I remember something along those lines. Yeah, it rings a bell. Yeah, help us out, listeners. Um let us know, pop culture pod what that was.

SPEAKER_08 2:17:59

Yeah, I think it's I don't know whether it coincided with like my early days working in bookshops or early parenthood or whatever it was. But I I just I've always been very um uh conscious of you know, there there is a stigma about there's a stigma about reading in some circles, but there's a stigma about reading comic books that it's sort of low brow, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:18:22

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_08 2:18:23

Um but my take on it has always been that um any sort of reading is good f for for you. Like I mean if if if it if particularly kids, but not even just kids, adults, like it's a really good habit to be in. It's meditative, it's um relaxing, it's soothing, it's educational, yeah, um, and it's fun. Um and and my take has always been um uh you know, people that look down on people reading comics, um well they haven't given it a go. They haven't given it a go. Like chances are they're not reading anything themselves. Yeah, or they're not reading the right book. No, and so um, you know, um my level of confidence in reading comics in public is is quite high because I tend to think if anyone's gonna look down on me, well then frankly, screw those people.

SPEAKER_04 2:19:07

Well, I told you my story of losing those Nightwing books, you know, from from from and that was in public in a in a food court, you know, during my my lunch break.

SPEAKER_08 2:19:17

Uh listen get people scared about getting their comics stolen reading.

SPEAKER_04 2:19:22

No, they didn't get stolen. Well, they they well I I made the mistake of forgetting them and you know it's my own fault.

SPEAKER_08 2:19:28

And I but it's just I I'm I quite proudly fly the flag of reading comics in public and and a bit like this initiative from I'm sorry, I forgot from Marcus. From Marcus in Queensland, yeah. Um, you know, getting comics out into to spaces where you wouldn't necessarily expect to see them. Yeah. Um, I think is great because because comics are wonderful, um, and reading is wonderful, um, no matter how you do it, whether it's reading uh 800-page books or whether it's reading a comic book that takes you 15 minutes, um, reading is good for you, it's really fun, it's educational, um, and whatever form you're doing it in, um, you're doing something really good for yourself and for others.

SPEAKER_04 2:20:06

Well, I love what I love about this, and and and you'll definitely will too, um, is that he says, you know, he sort of gave me a bit of a blurb and he said instead of selling um a portion of my collection online to collectors and investors, yeah, he goes, I want it to reach mums and dads and kids and new fans um of the hobby, and uh that they and what a better way to start a micro business. How good is that? What a great, what a great sort of platform to have that foundation on.

SPEAKER_08 2:20:37

Yeah, what a great and what a what a great spirit to um to launch something from.

SPEAKER_04 2:20:41

Yeah, I I I think that's fantastic. So um, yeah, do yourself a favor, check him out on Instagram. Um, he's the barbershop comic stop. Okay. Um we're we're following him. Um and um we I think that's why he reached out to us because we were following him, we were liking his his posts, um, and I think he reached out and thought, oh, I you know, I'll ask these guys. Um if you're in Queensland in the uh Marle, uh what is it? Uh Millaney, Mulaney, um, which I'm guessing is a suburb of um somewhere in Queensland, um, you can check out KS. So we're giving a double plug here, uh KS Barber Shop in Mulaney, which is uh shop three, number one, Maple Street in Millaney, uh, Queensland. Um so if you're in that area, definitely check out um the barber shop first. Uh grab yourself a comic, sit down and enjoy that while you get your haircut. What's the um Instagram tag again, Nate? Uh it is the Barber Shop Comic Stop. Good ring. Yeah, definitely. A good ring to it. Um just make sure the only thing that I probably would suggest is make sure that you give um an accurate, don't be reading a Guy Gardner comic at the time and getting a Guy Gardner cut. Um you don't want that ball cut back. Um so make sure you give a an accurate sort of picture of as the don't point it to the page and go, I like this guy.

SPEAKER_08 2:22:03

Unless that's what you want. Unless that's what you want. Yeah, like I mean, you know, my confidence levels couldn't pull it off. Definitely not.

SPEAKER_04 2:22:08

Um Nathan Filion can, but yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_08 2:22:11

Yeah, totally, but he's Nathan Fillion. Yeah, that's right. Um, yeah, no, but uh yeah, no, what a great initiative. Um and yeah, thanks for reaching out, and we look forward to um keeping an eye on the progress of the the project.

SPEAKER_04 2:22:23

Yeah, 100%. And keep it keep us keep us up to date, Marcus. We love what you're doing, and we'll um uh if you've got anything else that you'd like us to shout about, whether it's a uh convention, an expo, um business like like the barber shop comic stop. Yeah, um whether you've theatre, music, yeah, theatre, music, yeah, visual arts, whatever you like. Yeah, if you're a nerd rock band, we'd love to hear um from you. That'd be sick. Yeah, so um let us know. Uh hit us up on Pop Culture Pod on all the socials, send us a DM. We'd be happy to uh talk about it. We talked about Aussie Comics last week, um, those two fantastic comics of Fortress and Smiling Dam. Yeah. Um and we'll do we'll talk about Aussie Comics again. And we will. So um, yeah, definitely let us know. Um this is this is what this uh this show is all about. So about building a community of positivity and um and uh you know sharing ideas and concepts and and and um you know celebrating uh those as well.

SPEAKER_08 2:23:22

Just this is a a bit without notice, Nate. Oh but I was thinking when I was listening, I was listening to the last episode and we were talking about the Aussie comics. Yes. And I was just thinking about how much fun. Thanks for listening, by the way. That's a pleasure. I didn't I haven't subscribed, but oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 2:23:38

Well we you you're you're on to a good thing. I'll just pop in and out. Yeah, okay, good.

SPEAKER_08 2:23:42

But um no, I was thinking I was thinking about that, and and I do. I love talking about Aussie comics, and we will continue to talk about Aussie comics, but it was also making me think about um I know we've got listeners overseas as well. I'd love if um if anyone's uh got out there doing like um um like a local comic in their area, yeah. Um it doesn't have to be in Australia, yeah, but just somewhere. Like if you're just producing a small scale comic in your area of the world, it doesn't have to be an Aussie one. You know, we're we're all one nerd world. Yeah, um, let us know because I I'd love to hear about what your local product is, you know, whether you're in you know the southern United States or you're in um the UK or um Scandinavia or Africa or wherever. Like if you're listening to um the podcast, first of all, thank you. And um, but if you're uh working on your own comic book on any sort of level, whether you're planning on getting it printed or on a platform, yeah, if if you want us to talk about it, you you know, you let us know because like yeah, we will as I said, we'll continue to talk about Aussie Comics, we're an Australian podcast. Um, but um, you know, we would love to that doesn't limit us, right?

SPEAKER_04 2:24:55

Not at all.

SPEAKER_08 2:24:56

We'd we'd love to champion you know your your work, whatever it is that you're working on. We know what it's like to be um you know sitting in your own space making this thing, thinking that no one's ever gonna see it. Um if you want to talk about it or if you want to let us um know what what what you're up to, what your progress is, yeah. Um give us a shout, you know. As Nay said, you know, hit us up on uh any of the socials on Pulp Culture Pod. Yeah, and um, you know, maybe we'll talk about your stuff as well. Because um, yeah, it it just made me think about you know some of our other enthusiasts out there and um they could be anywhere.

SPEAKER_04 2:25:31

And don't don't be afraid to to to to talk to us. We we are totally uh here with open arms. Let's uh let's let's let's build this uh community of positivity and um and uh celebrate uh celebrate the wins.

SPEAKER_08 2:25:44

Yeah, celebrate um small scale creativity wherever it is.

SPEAKER_04 2:25:48

Yeah, you know, uh if you're if you're creating anything, you know, you are a small majority of a large majority that's actually doing something about it, right? Yeah. So so rejoice in that. Know that you are creating something amazing that even if it's one person that loves it, that is one person that didn't know that that was something that they were going to love beforehand. Yeah. So do it. Do it, be creative, we'd love to hear about it. Um and on that note of positivity, it's the end of the show, which is now not so positive. I've enjoyed this one. It's been a bumper, it's been a bumper. Um we we we we do apologise for taking up more of your time than usual.

SPEAKER_08 2:26:30

No, we don't. No, he does. We I don't.

SPEAKER_04 2:26:34

Yeah, I'm the timekeeper.

SPEAKER_08 2:26:36

No, I just I want to spend as much time with you all as I can.

SPEAKER_04 2:26:39

Yeah, uh but we will be back next week, we promise. Um and and in in and in in perfect order. Um, but we hope that you've enjoyed um Mario Day as much as we've enjoyed bringing it to you. Um we hope that It was a fun. And we we hope that you didn't have too much paracetamol ice cream in this uh in this episode, um uh and that uh you were able to uh go on the journey for us. But um hook us up, Tyler No.

SPEAKER_08 2:27:11

Stay tuned next week when you'll hear MJ say uh in brightest day, in blackest night, let those who worship evils might beware my power. Green lantern's light.

SPEAKER_04 2:27:23

What a fantastic ending. Thanks, everybody. Only stuffed it up a little bit in the new. Stay fresh.

SPEAKER_07 2:27:30

So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:27:30

Like what you're hearing, tell your friends. Follow us on socials at Pulp Culture Pod. And if you're feeling generous, drop us a five-star review on your favourite podcast.