Dear Watchers: an omniversal comic book podcast

It's our sesquicentennial! We are joined by frequent guest Elliot from ElliotComicArt as we celebrate our 150th episode! We are going back to our roots with a conversation about the third & final season of What If plus a look back at some of our favorite past episodes and a glance forward at what's coming in the future.

Ep. 150 What if we celebrated our 150th episode with a review of the What If TV series, plus our favorite alternate universes & hopes for the future?

from our back catalog of episodes & "What If" Marvel TV series
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To celebrate 150 episodes of Dear Watchers, we are looking at the past, present and future! We kick things off by sharing our thoughts (both spoiler free and spoiler-rific) on the new and final season of Marvel's What If on DisneyPlus and share our "Dear Watchers" cut of all three seasons. Then, we look back as Guido, Rob and guest Elliot from ElliotComicArt share some of our favorite past episodes of the podcast covering such characters & storylines as Superman, Age of Apocalypse, Josie & the Pussycats, the Absolute Universe and more. We wrap up by sharing ideas for future episodes from silver age deep dives to tie-in comics. 

Reading / Watch List:

• Every episode of Dear Watchers
• Marvel's What If...? (MCU TV series 2024)

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Santa Claus is coming to town...or a comic book near you! We are talking a history of Santa Claus in comics plus Marvel & DC holiday specials. We start way back in 1947 with Action Comics that sees a real Scrooge try to ruin Christmas by causing Santa to gain a massive amount of weight from tainted chocolate. It's up to Superman to get St. Nick back to fighting weight and save the holiday. Then, we jump to What The in 1991 where Santa is again sidelined and Doctor Doom has to take over, much to the chagrin of the Avengers and Fantastic Four. We wrap up by talking about who else we'd like to see Santa meet.

Ep. 149 What if Santa Claus and Christmas were saved by Superman and Doctor Doom?

from Action Comics #105 & What The #10
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It's the holiday season so we are doing our first deep dive into the world of Christmas comics. We give a quick history of Santa in comics as well as background on comic book holiday specials. Then we see Superman rescue Santa from a few extra pounds in a 1947 Action Comics from Siegel, Shuster and John Sikela. Next, we jump to 1991 as Doctor Doom covers for Santa in a rhyming issue from powerhouses Scott Lobdell & John Byrne. We wrap up by pondering who else Santa should tangle with in pop culture. All this plus a (very brief) review of the new Creature Commandos tv series.

Reading / Watch List:

• Action Comics #105 (DC Comics 1947)
• What The #10 (Marvel Comics 1991)

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Vampires, Werewolves and Monsters...oh my! In honor of James Gunn's new DC / Max TV show which is officially kicking off the new DCU, we are talking the history of the Creature Commandos! We go back to their first 1980 appearance in Weird War Tales plus the sporadic attempts to revive the team from the 00s until today. Plus we talk the (Universal) monsters, dinosaurs, mutant children and so much more. 

Ep. 148 What if classic horror movie monster tropes like Frankenstein, Wolfman, Dracula were turned into a Nazi-fighting group of soldiers?

from various appearances of Creature Commandos (from DC Comics)
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The Creature Commandos are back, back, back again...this time on television! In honor of the brand new DC / Max TV show from the mind of James Gunn, we are talking all things Creature Commandos starting with their first appearance in 1980 from the minds of J.M. DeMatteis and Pat Broderick (plus successors Robert Kanigher and Fred Carillo) that see vampire Vincent Velcro, werewolf Warren Griffith, Frankenstein Monster Lucky Taylor plus robot JAKE, Dr. Medusa and tough as nails Lt. Matthew Shrieve battle dinosaurs, mutant children, and occult leaders during WWII. We also explore the Commandos' appearances from the minds of such creators as Geoff Johns, Jeff Lemire and, currently, monster kid David Dastmalchian. (Plus this is 100% spoiler free for the new TV show!)

Reading / Watch List:

• Weird War Tales #93 (1980 DC Comics)
• Action Comics #872 (2009 DC Comics)
• Justice League Generation Lost #16 (2011 DC Comics)
• Frankenstein Agent of SHADE #1 (2011 DC Comics)
• DC Horror Presents Creature Commandos #1 (2024 DC Comics)

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We are All-In on the Absolute Universe! We talk the brand new Absolute stories featuring Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman. These new stories explore Batman if he wasn't born into wealth, Wonder Woman if she was born in hell and Superman if...well, you'll need to listen to the podcast to learn more. 

Ep. 147 What if Batman had no money, Superman no family, and Wonder Woman was from hell?

from Absolute Batman #1, Absolute Wonder Woman #1, & Absolute Superman #1 (from DC Comics)
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We talk the brand-new Absolute Universe! We kick off with the All-In Special from Joshua Williamson, Scott Snyder, Daniel Sampere, and Dan Mora. Then we talk Absolute Batman from Snyder & Nick Dragotta, Wonder Woman from Kelly Thompson & Hayden Sherman, and Superman from Jason Aaron & Rafa Sandoval. We also talk about why the DC Trinity resonates so much with fans and what's next for the Absolute Universe.

Reading / Watch List:

• DC Comics All-In Special #1 (2024 DC Comics)
• Absolute Batman #1 (2024 DC Comics)
• Absolute Wonder Woman #1 (2024 DC Comics)
• Absolute Superman #1 (2024 DC Comics)

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Young Avengers assemble! We join Wiccan, Hulkling and the gang as they battle an inter-dimensional parasite controlling their parents in Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's run from 2013 & 2014. We walk you though the entire story plus discuss when we might see the Young Avengers together in the MCU. 

Ep. 146 What if multiversal Wiccans / Billy Kaplans (and the rest of the Young Avengers) were pulled in to fight one mega battle to prevent a dimensional takeover?

from Young Avengers #1-15 (from Marvel Comics)
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It's our second ever episode discussing the Young Avengers! When a spell goes wrong, Wiccan and Hulkling have to put the band back together with America Chavez, Kid Loki, Prodigy, Kate Bishop and Marvel Boy as they battle an evil entity known as Mother that has taken control of their parents. From the minds of Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie and Mike Norton, we talk this 15 issue series and when we might see the Young Avengers together on screen (plus a big of the Agatha All Along finale too). 

Reading / Watch List:

• Marvel Now Point One #1 (2012 Marvel Comics)
• Young Avengers Volume 2 #1-15 (2013-2014 Marvel Comics)

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It's the most wonderful time of the year...New York Comic Con! Guido & Rob are joined by Elliot from ElliotComicArt to discuss some of their amazing experiences, pick ups and memories from NYCC 2024. The gang discuss meeting leading figures in comics like James Tynion IV and Pepe Larraz, hearing about upcoming projects from directors James Gunn & Mike Flanagan, revisiting NYCC traditions, meeting up with fellow podcasters and so much more. Relive the con with us! 

Ep. 145 What if we brought you a rundown of New York Comic Con 2024?

from New York Comic Con 2024, October 2024 - New York City
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Guido, Rob and returning guest Elliot from ElliotComicArt walk you through their 2024 New York Comic Con experience. The gang discusses meeting comics pros James Tynion IV, Scott McCloud, Pepe Larraz, Clayton Henry, Greg Capullo and writer/director Ti West plus panels with DC head honcho James Gunn and horror master Mike Flanagan. All this plus what we are looking forward to at future cons.

Reading / Watch List:

• Nothing!

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Are you ready for the ULTIMATE episode? Marvel's Ultimate Universe that is! We take our first trip to this polarizing run tackling yet another witchy episode with Agatha Harkness and the Salem Seven! We kick off with the Seven's first appearance in the 616 back in 1977 (appropriately enough) before seeing their reboot in 2008. We wrap up by talking the Salem Seven on Agatha All Along and the legacy of the Ultimate universe on the MCU. 

Ep. 144 What if Salem’s Seven and Agatha Harkness were one being?

from Ultimate Fantastic Four #54-57 (from Marvel Comics)
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It may feel like our seventh witchy episode in a row but it's only our third as we tackle the Salem Seven and, of course, Agatha Harkness. We talk the Seven's premiere in Fantastic Four back in 1977 from the legendary team of Len Wein, George Perez and Joe Sinnott - from snake lady to robot man. Then we see their rebirth in 2008 from Mike Carey and Tyler Kirkham in our first look at the Marvel Ultimate Universe. We wrap up by talking about Okwui Okpokwasili and company's appearance on Agatha All Along and how in many ways the Marvel's Ultimate Universe (MUU?) paved the way for the MCU.

Reading / Watch List:

• Fantastic Four, Vol. 1 #186 (Marvel Comics, 1977)
• Ultimate Fantastic Four, #54-57 (Marvel Comics, 2008)
• Agatha All Along, Episode 2 (Disney+/Marvel Television, 2024)

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Grab your broomstick or in this case, fishnet stockings, we are talking DC Comics' number one witch: Zatanna. We talk Zatanna's first appearance in 1964, her solo book in 1987 and her appearance on Batman: The Animated Series. Plus, we discuss the unfortunately never realized Zatanna projects and what we'd like to see from her on the big screen. Bonus: We discuss our spoiler-free correct predictions for Agatha All Along. 

Ep. 143 What if Zatanna was one of the first on-screen featured heroic witches from either DC or Marvel? 

from Batman: The Animated Series Episode "Zatanna"
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This week, we chat all things Zatanna starting with her first appearance in Hackman from 1964 courtesy Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson. Then, we talk Zatanna's 1987 solo book from the pens of Gerry Conway and Gray Morrow. Then we explore Zatanna's appearance as the first on-screen featured heroic witch with her appearance on Batman: The Animated Series, voiced by Julie Brown. We wrap up by discussing what we'd like to see from Zatanna on screen. We also talk her legendary costume and a bit of another witch, Agatha Harkness and Agatha All Along.

Reading / Watch List:

• Hawkman Vol 1 Issue 4 (DC, November 1964)
• Zatanna Special 1 (DC, May 1987)
• Batman: The Animated Series, Season 1 Ep 54 "Zatanna" (February 1993)

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It's almost the witching hour so we are talking Agatha Harkness! We kick off by walking you through Agatha's history in comics, video games and of course, television in preparation for Kathryn Hahn's return in Agatha All Along on Disney+. We walk you through Agatha's debut at the hands of no less than Stan Lee and Jack Kirby that sees our beloved witch defend the Fantastic Four from the Frightful Four. We then enter the multiverse as once again, Marvel mashes up with the Wizard of Oz with Agatha as Glinda the Good Witch and She-Hulk in Dorothy mode. We wrap up by recapping what made WandaVision so successful and sharing our hopes for Agatha All Along. Hop on your broom and come along. 

Ep. 142 What if Agatha Harkness was Glinda the Good Witch of the North in the Wizard of Oz?

from Avengers Fairy Tales #4
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In anticipation for Kathryn Hahn's return in Agatha All Along, we are talking all things Agatha Harkness! We talk about her 1970 debut issue from the dream team of Stan Lee & Jack Kirby and for this week's multiversal story, he had to 2008's Avengers Fairy Tales #4 from C.B. Cebulski and Ricardo Tercio that takes us to the land of Oz via Marvel. It's She-Hulk as Dorothy, Wanda as the Wicked Witch, Magneto as the Wizard and Agatha as the Good Witch. We wrap up by speculating on what's to come from Agatha All Along. All just in time for spooky season!

Reading / Watch List:

• Fantastic Four 94 (Marvel, January 1970)
• Avengers Fairy Tales 4 (Marvel, December 2008)
• WandaVision (Disney+, 2021)

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In brightest day, in blackest night, Dear Watchers is here to set things right! We are back with 11-time returning guest Ethan from MakeMineAmalgam as we talk the Green Lantern / Iron Man hybrid: Iron Lantern! We talk the first appearances of Hal Jordan's Green Lantern and Tony Stark's Iron Man plus the villains Star Sapphire and Madame Masque before diving into this DC meets Marvel mashup and chatting the future for both Iron Lantern and Amalgam Comics. 

Ep. 141 What if Iron Man and Green Lantern amalgamated to become Iron Lantern?

from Iron Lantern #1 (Marvel & DC Amalgam Comics 1996)
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We return to the world of Amalgam Comics as we discuss Iron Lantern from Kurt Busiek, Paul Smith and 7 inkers! We also chat about the first appearances of Hal Jordan and Tony Stark, plus Star Sapphire and Madam Masque, discuss the upcoming Amalgam Comics omnibus, and special guest Ethan from MakeMineAmalgam shares Kurt Busiek's vision for an Iron Lantern 2 that never was to be (for now)

Reading / Watch List:

• Showcase #22 (DC Comics, October 1959)
• Tales of Suspense #39 (Marvel, March 1963)
• Green Lantern #16 (DC Comics, October 1962)
• Iron Man #17-18 (Marvel, September & October 1969)
• Iron Lantern #1 (Amalgam Comics, June 1997)

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Find us & support us at https://linktr.ee/dearwatchers

Theme music is Space Heroes by MaxKoMusic (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0)