Dear Watchers: an omniversal comic book podcast

Showtime Synergy! We throw on our holographic micro-projector earring for a celebration of all things Jem & the Holograms! First we explore the 5-episode beginning to the iconic 80s series by Christy Marx...which Guido loves and Rob has just discovered. Then it's off to one of the wildest multiverses ever that sees Jem team up with such properties at GI Joe, Transformers, Micronauts, Stretch Armstrong, MASK, Action Man, Magic or Dungeons and Dragons, and more to create a shared Hasbro universe that only exists in a super rare 2011 New York Comic Con exclusive issue. We wrap up by chatting about IDW's 2015 Jem comic book series from Kelly Thompson and Sophie Campbell and what could be next for the band! 

Ep. 110 What if Jem & the Holograms were heroes in the Hasbro multiverse alongside Micronauts, Transformers, GI Joe, MASK, Candyland, Inhumanoids, Stretch Armstrong, and others? (from Unit-E comic book)
From Hasbro's multiversal earth in Unit-E #1
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Throw this episode on your tape deck, it's time for Dear Watchers' exploration of the iconic girl group Jem and the Holographs across TV and comics! We kick off with a brief history of Jem as toys and on TV before we dive into the first five episodes of the 80s animated show. Next up, we travel to a bizarre multiverse that sees Jem's Synergy putting together a super-team of Hasbro heroes including Jem herself! This never fully realized mashup only appears in a super rare New York Comic Con exclusive comic from 2011. We ponder what could have come next for this never realized story by Andy Schmidt (that also includes art by Art Adams and others). We wrap up by jumping into Jem's 2015 ongoing comic book series from Kelly Thompson and Sophie Campbell that reimagines the Holograms story for modern times. Of course, we also ponder some possibilities about what's next for this iconic band. 

We’ll be back next week with part three of our coverage of Age of Apocalypse on episode 111 including the conclusion of the story and the future legacy!

Reading List:

• Jem & The Holograms, Episodes 1 to 5 (TV show 1985)
• Unit-E #1 (Hasbro comic book 2011)
• Jem & The Holograms #1 (IDW comic book 2015)

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It was the best of times, it was the...Age of Apocalypse! We are back for part two of our three part coverage of the mega comics event in X-Men and Marvel history! We start off by exploring how Age of Apocalypse played out on X-Men: The Animated Series with the two-part "One Man's Worth". Then we head back to the comics to discuss the four months of material across multiple X-titles that also shows what happens to Tony Stark, the Fantastic Four, Bruce Banner, Gwen Stacy and more in this darkest timeline. 

Ep. 109 What if the Age of Apocalypse continued in X-Men books for four months? (Part 2 of our X-Men AOA coverage)
From Marvel's Earth-295 in various comics before and after X-Men: Alpha #1
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It’s the second of our three part Age of Apocalypse deep dive! We start out by discuss how X-Men: The Animated Series and the comics worked together to develop their versions of the Age of Apocalypse story only on the tv show, there is no Apocalypse. Instead, we see Bishop, Shard, Wolverine and Storm team up to take down Fitzroy, Nimrod and the Sentinels across multiple timelines. Then we dive into the 20 (!!!) books across four months of AOA stories from writers including Howard Mackie, Fabian Nicieza, John Francis Moore, Larry Hama, Warren Ellis, Scott Lobdell, Jeph Loeb, and Terry Kavanagh including the fracturing relationship of Logan and Jean, Summers brother vs. Summers brother, Nightcrawler teaming with mom Mystique, Gambit in space, and whatever is happening in Generation Next. Plus, Guido tries to explain what the M'kraan crystal is! 

We’ll be back then in two weeks with part three of our coverage on episode 111 including the conclusion of the story and the future legacy!

Reading List:

• X-Men: The Animated Series - One Man's Worth Part 1 & 2 (TV show 1995)
• Age of Apocalypse: X-Men Chronicles 1-2, Amazing X-Men 2-3, Factor X 2-3, Weapon X 2-3, Gambit & The X-Ternals 2-3, X-Calibre 2-3, Astonishing X-Men 2-3, Generation Next 2-3, X-Man 2-3, X-Universe 1-2 (Marvel comics 1995)

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Hello fellow "humans"! Your two hosts Guido and Rob - who are certainly and 100% real human beings - are taking you through a Secret Invasion! We start with the landmark 8-issue mega event from Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu before heading to our alternate universe for What If? Secret Invasion to ponder What if the Skrulls succeeded in their secret invasion? We wrap up by sharing our thoughts on the new Disney+ MCU tv show. 

Ep. 108 What if the Skrulls succeeded in their Secret Invasion?
From Marvel's Earth-10021 in What If: Secret Invasion #1
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We are invading your speakers with our coverage of all things Secret Invasion! Your definitely 100% genuine human hosts kick off their coverage with the 8-part comic book event Secret Invasion from Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu that sees Earth's Mightiest Heroes face off against versions of themselves. Then we head to our alternate universe with What If? Secret Invasion from Underworld creator Kevin Grevioux, Karl Bollers, Pow Rodrix, and Frank Martin to ask the question What if the Skrulls succeeded in their secret invasion? This story sees Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Ms. Marvel battling for humanities freedom, but is humanity actually better off under Skrull rule? We wrap up by sharing our thoughts on the new Disney+ / MCU Secret Invasion tv show from Kyle Bradstreet, Brian Tucker and Ali Selim and the many, many ways it is different from the comics. Plus, news about our next giveaway contest! 

Reading List:

• Secret Invasion #1-8 (Marvel comics 2008-2009)
• What If? Secret Invasion #1 (Marvel comics 2009)
• Secret Invasion (Marvel TV show on Disney Plus 2023)

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Attention X-Fans! For the first of three episodes, we are tackling one of the major Marvel multiversal storylines: Age of Apocalypse! We start with an extensive history of X-Men comics in the 90s and how the event was created. Then we discuss the prequel series LegionQuest that sees Legion kill his father Professor X and finally we tackle the first nine (!) issues of AOA. It’s the darkest timeline but a great episode!

Ep. 107 What if Legion killed Professor Xavier in the past, triggering the Age of Apocalypse? (Part 1 of our X-Men AOA coverage)
From Marvel's Earth-295 in various comics before and after X-Men: Alpha #1
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It’s the first of our three part Age of Apocalypse deep dive! We give a thorough recap of where the wildly popular X-Men comics were in the 90s before diving more into the genesis of AOA from the minds of editor Bob Harras and writers Scott Lobdell and Fabian Nicieza. We kick off our coverage with the six issue LegionQuest that sees Charles Xavier’s unstable son accidentally kill him, setting off a universe ending moment. We then head to the bleak multiverse with the first nine issues of AOA from writers Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, Warren Ellis, Fabian Nicieza, Larry Hama, John Francis Moore, and Jeph Loeb plus artists Roger Cruz, Steve Epting, Chris Bachalo, Joe Madureira, Ken Lashley, Tony Daniel, Adam Kubert, Andy Kubert, Steve Epting, and Steve Skroce. We see Magneto, Gambit, Forge, X-Man and more face off against Havok, Beast, and the big man himself. Meanwhile Mr. Sinister, Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey and Angel have their own plans brewing. 

We’ll be back then in two weeks with part two of our coverage on episode 109 including our discussion of AOA on X-Men: The Animated Series, stay tuned for another multiversal episode next week!

Reading List:

• LegionQuest: X-Factor #190, Uncanny X-Men #320-321, X-Men #40-41, Cable #20 (Marvel Comics 1994-1995)
• Age of Apocalypse (First Wave): X-Men Alpha #1, Generation Next #1, Astonishing X-Men #1, X-Calibre #1, Gambit and the X-Ternals #1, Weapon X #1, Amazing X-Men #1, Factor X #1, X-Man #1 (Marvel Comics 1995)

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It's Riverdale by way of Gotham City as Archie Comics' Betty & Veronica meet Batman's Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy! We're thrilled to be joined by returning guest Tim Hanley to discuss Betty as a superhero, the 2017 crossover series and Tim's book Betty & Veronica: The Leading Ladies of Riverdale, now available as an audiobook! Grab a chock'lit malted and listen! 

Ep. 106 What if Betty + Veronica (Archie Comics) met Harley Quinn + Poison Ivy (DC Comics)?
With special returning guest author, comic book expert & historian Tim Hanley
From an Archie Comics / DC Comics mash-up Earth of an unknown designation as seen in Harley and Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica #1
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Archie Comics and Batman don't seem to have much in common but on this week's episode we discuss the 2017 miniseries Harley & Ivy Meet Betty & Veronica by Marc Andreyko & Paul Dini and illustrated by Laura Braga. We also go back to 1966 to see Betty Cooper as Superteen, share a brief history of Archie Comics and talk to returning guest Tim Hanley about his comprehensive book Betty & Veronica: The Leading Ladies of Riverdale, now available as an audiobook. Plus, more stories from Rob when he worked on the Archie Comics Broadway Musical! 

Reading List:

• Betty & Me #3 (Archie Comics 1966)
• Harley & Ivy Meet Betty & Veronica (Archie Comics & DC Comics 2017)
• Betty & Veronica: The Leading Ladies of Riverdale by Tim Hanley (Roman & Littlefield 2020 book & 2023 audiobook)

Find Tim at HERE & Find Tim's audiobook HERE

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On this week's groovy podcast, we explore the twin worlds of Xena Warrior Princess and The Evil Dead / Army of Darkness! We start with the backstories behind Xena Warrior Princess and The Evil Dead and their shared co-creators of Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi. Then we dive into the 2008 Dynamite comic book series that sees Ash (as portrayed by Bruce Campbell) landing in the world of Xena (as played by Lucy Lawless). We wrap up by discussing the future of these franchises. 

Ep. 105 What if Xena Warrior Princess met Ash of Evil Dead to fight the Army of Darkness?
From Dynamite Comics Earth of an unknown designation as seen in Xena Warrior Princess Vs Army of Darkness #1
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On this episode, we not only discuss comic books but also the Book of the Dead! It's Xena Warrior Princess vs. Ash and the Army of Darkness. We discuss the 1992 film Army of Darkness, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell along with the introduction of Xena in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess from 1995. Next up is the 2008 Dynamite comic book series that sees Ash meet up with Xena and Gabrielle from John Layman & Brandon Jerwa and artist Miguel Montenegro. We wrap up by speculating on what's next for these series and could they continue without Bruce and Lucy Lawless. Grab your S-Mart snacks and join us! 

Reading List:

• Army of Darkness (Universal Pictures movie 1992)
• Hercules: The Legendary Journeys & Xena: Warrior Princess (TV show 1995)
• Xena Warrior Princess vs Army of Darkness (Dynamite comic book 2008)

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"Oh say can you see... Captain America in the Civil War... and throughout US history?" We head back to 1976 with Jack Kirby's Captain America's Bicentennial Battles where Cap is annoyed by Ben Franklin, meets Geronimo in the Old West and witnesses the creation of the atom bomb. We then tackle an interesting if problematic modern What If and the United States of Captain America which both feature Indigenous versions of Cap. All this plus a quick history lesson on the US bicentennial! 

Ep. 104 What if Captain America fought in the Civil War (the one from US history) and other tales of Cap in American History?
Plus a history of bicentennial comics!
From Marvel Earth-717 as seen in What If: Captain America #1
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Just in time for the 4th of July - Independence Day in the US - we follow Steve Rogers throughout history! We start in 1976 with a special issue written, drawn and edited by Jack Kirby that sees Cap in the 1700s, the Old West, WWII, classic Hollywood and much more (plus he beats up Hitler!). Then we ask the question what if Captain America fought in the Civil War courtesy of Tony Bedard and Carmine Di Giandomenico which includes and evil Bucky Barnes and some misplaced Native mysticism. We wrap up with an issue of United States of Captain America with stories by Christopher Cantwell and Darcie Little Badger featuring Joe Gomez as Captain America of the Kickapoo Tribe. 

Reading List:

• Captain America's Bicentennial Battles (Marvel comics 1976)
• What If: Captain America #1 (Marvel comics 2005)
• United States of Captain America #3 (Marvel comics 2021)

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Hope this episode scratches your Poison Ivy itch! This Pride month, we are diving into how Poison Ivy became a genuine queer icon and had the sweetest relationship ever with the "Cupid of Crime", Harley Quinn. We cover Poison Ivy's first appearance in 1966, the start of her partnership with Harley on Batman: The Animated Series, and chat about her 2023 solo series. 

Ep. 103 What if Batman villain Poison Ivy became a queer icon (and had the sweetest relationship ever with Harley Quinn)?
From the DCAU aka Earth-12, the DC Animated Universe, as seen in Batman: The Animated Series

The Batsignal is rainbow colored this episode as we cover the history of Poison Ivy and her emergence as a queer icon alongside her main squeeze Harley Quinn. We start back in 1966 with the creation of Poison Ivy in the pages of Batman and her connection to the Batman 66 tv show in which she never appeared. We then watch Ivy and Harley's first outing as partners courtesy Paul Dini on Batman: The Animated Series in 1993 and we wrap up by cultivating the seeds in Ivy's 2023 solo series from G. Willow Wilson and team. Plus, we discuss the Harley Quinn animated series, the future of these characters on screen and even Uma Thurman's vampy performance in Batman & Robin. 

Reading List:

• Batman #181 (DC Comics 1966)
• Batman: The Animated Series "Harley and Ivy" (TV show 1993)
• Poison Ivy #9 (DC Comics 2023)

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You want to get nuts? Let's get nuts! We are telling the story of DC Comics in film from Christopher Reeve's Superman to Michael Keaton's Batman through the Synderverse, all leading up to our coverage of 2023's The Flash and its take on the multiverse alongside a brief recap of the film's messy production history. Plus we speculate as to what's next for DC on film. 

Ep. 102 What if the DC superhero movie universes were a bowl of spaghetti?
Including Michael Keaton’s Batman, resurrecting DC film worlds lost or only imagined, and our review of The Flash (2023)
From Infinite earths as seen in dozens of DC comic book based films

Holy film studies Batman! We explore DC Comics on film starting with Superman: The Movie through to the original Batman quartet to the Nolan trilogy and into the DC Extended Universe. Guido and Rob share childhood recollections of the first time they saw some of these films, personal favorites, and early examples of requels (hello, Superman Returns!). Plus your hosts share their differing opinions on 2023's The Flash alongside a brief and tangled history of this character coming to the screen in his own solo movie. To wrap up, we debate what is next for DC on screen, whether we will see more multiversal stories and whether that multiverse is really a big bowl of spaghetti. 

Reading List:

• Superman (movie 1978)
• Superman II (movie 1980) 
• Superman III (movie 1983)
• Supergirl (movie 1984)
• Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (movie 1987)
• Batman (movie 1989)
• Batman Returns (movie 1992)
• Batman Forever (movie 1995)
• Batman & Robin (movie 1997)
• Batman Begins (movie 2005)
• The Dark Knight (movie 2008)
• The Dark Knight Rises (movie 2012)
• Superman Returns (movie 2006)
• Green Lantern (movie 2011)
• Man of Steel (movie 2013)
• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (movie 2016)
• Suicide Squad (movie 2016)
• Wonder Woman (movie 2017)
• Justice League (movie 2017)
• Aquaman (movie 2018)
• Shazam! (movie 2019)
• Joker (movie 2019)
• Birds of Prey (movie 2020)
• Wonder Woman 1984 (movie 2020)
• The Suicide Squad (movie 2021)
• The Batman (movie 2022)
• Black Adam (movie 2022)
• Shazam! Fury of the Gods (movie 2023)
• The Flash (movie 2023)

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For episode 101, we explore the history of the multiverse in DC comics...and it's not what you think! We provide a (brief) overview of the first examples of multiversal theory in fiction and science before discussing the first multiverse story in DC comics (which is NOT The Flash but rather in the pages of Wonder Woman)! We then discuss the iconic and meta Flash of Two Worlds and the first use of the term "multiverse" from an All-Star Squadron story by Roy Thomas. 

Ep. 101 What if the Flash of Two Worlds was incorrectly identified as the origin of the DC Multiverse?
Infinite earths as seen in hundreds of DC comic books

For the start of our NEXT 100 episodes, we travel to the beginning of the multiverse in DC comics when Wonder Woman encounters an alternate universe version of herself back in 1953! We then tackle the iconic and super meta Flash story "Flash of Two Worlds" from Carmine Infantino and multiversal godfather Gardner Fox which brings together Barry Allen and Jay Garrick for the first time! We wrap up in the pages of All-Star Squadron which sees the Justice Society of America (or more preciously Doctor Fate) travel to a very Ditko-esque universe to battle The Spectre and to utter the word "multiverse" for the first time in DC comics courtesy of the legendary Roy Thomas. Plus Michael Moorcock, William James, Spider-Verse the upcoming Flash DCU film and much more. 

Reading List:

• Wonder Woman #59 (1953)
• The Flash #123 (1961)
• All-Star Squadron #27 (1983)

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