Dear Watchers: an omniversal comic book podcast

It’s our 100th episode and we’re celebrating! Guido and Rob count down the 10 most listened to episodes while sharing alternate universe characters they want to see on screen, favorite episodes, what they’ve learned about themselves hosting the podcast and more. Plus we announced an exciting summer long giveaway! 

Ep. 100 What if to celebrate 100 episodes we counted down multiversal things (plus had a bunch of comic book giveaways)?

To celebrate our 100th episode, it’s lists and lists and lists! Your Council of Watchers share the 10 most listened to episodes (by people like YOU) including interviews and stories focused on Superman, Namor and Hulk. We also talk stories and characters we want to see on screen like Darkclaw and Age of Apocalypse, favorite alternate universe stories like RoboCop and His Dark Materials, favorite episodes, least listened to episodes, what we’ve learned doing the podcast, and our favorite things about doing the podcast. Plus we share details about our upcoming summer giveaway contests including signed comics! 

Find us & support us at https://linktr.ee/dearwatchers
Email [email protected]

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Hey ho, let's go! As we prepare for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, let's visit the introduction of Hobie Brown aka Spider-Punk in comics! We start with his first appearances in The Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Verse before unleashing the power (chords) of his five-part mini-series by Cody Ziglar and Justin Mason. Plus we share a Ramones song (meaning it is very short) size history of punk rock and speculate on what's next for the Spider-Verse on screen. 

Ep. 99 What if Spider-Man was in a punk band aka what if Spider-Punk formed the Spider-Band to take on fascists?
Plus previewing Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Earth-138 as seen in Spider-Punk #1-5

Grab your safety pins and leather jacket, it's time to enter the Spider-Verse with our exploration of Hobie Brown aka Spider-Punk! We kick things off with Hobie's first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man by Dan Slott and Olivier Coipel plus his origin story by Jed MacKay and Sheldon Vella. Then we head to his five-part mini-series by Cody Ziglar and Justin Mason co-starring Captain Anarchist, Riotheart, a Latine rock drummer Daredevil and a Misfits-inspired Taskmaster. We wrap up by speculating on what's to come in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and beyond. Plus, Rob gives a bite-size history of punk rock and Guido takes us into the twisted web of history for the Spider-Verse. 

Reading List:

• Amazing Spider-Man #10 (Marvel Comics 2015)
• Spider-Verse #2 (Marvel Comics 2015)
• Spider-Punk #1-5 (Marvel Comics 2022)
• Sony & Marvel Films Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse & Across The Spider-Verse (spoiler-free!)

Find us at https://linktr.ee/dearwatchers
Email [email protected]

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We return to the worlds of What If as we wonder what if Spider-Man had remained possessed by the evil alien symbiote suit? We discuss the unusual story behind the suit’s creation by fan Randy Schueller to its introduction in both The Amazing Spider-Man 252 AND Secret Wars 8. We dive into this week's What If that sees both a Venom-ized Hulk and Thor plus an awesome turn for Black Cat before diving into a recently Venom-ized Hulk in Absolute Carnage. All of this plus special guest Joey Vazquez from Midtown Comics. 

Ep. 98 What if the alien costume had possessed Spider-Man? With SPECIAL GUEST Joey of Midtown Comics
Plus a HISTORY of Spider-Man's black costume that becomes the symbiote Venom
Earth-1089 as seen in What If Vol. 2 #4

On this week's episode we kick off with the strange history of the black symbiote suit from fan Randy Schueller to it's introduction in both Amazing Spider-Man 252 and of course Marvel's Secret Wars 8 by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck. We then head to the world of What If to ask the question what if Spider-Man remained possessed by the black costume. Oh, and what if The Hulk and Thor were too. This issue by Danny Fingeroth and Mark Bailey also features some great scenes for the Black Cat too. Then we wrap up by seeing the return of Venom-ized Hulk in 2019's Absolute Carnage by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman. We conclude with our special guest Joey Vazquez from Midtown Comics by speculating what's next for Venom, Spider-Man and the symbiote on screen. Also in this episode: A brief background of Secret Wars, the eventual realization of Randy's dream in Sensational Spider-Man: Self-Improvement, and much more. 

Reading List:

• Secret Wars #8 (Marvel Comics 1984)
• What If #4 (Marvel Comics 1989)
• Absolute Carnage #3 (Marvel Comics 2019)

Find us at https://linktr.ee/dearwatchers
Email [email protected]

Following Joey on Twitter and listen to Dear Watcher's interview with him here. 

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It’s Sore vs Superbman, I mean…what the?! Yes exactly! We cover Marvel’s humor book What The—?! featuring The Avengers (The Revengers) vs the Justice League of America (Just-Us League) years before this battle became official. We discuss a history of both parody books and the “big two” crossovers plus speculate if we will ever see Marvel and DC team up in print or on screen again. 

Ep. 97 What if the Avengers fought the Justice League in a parody spoof before it happened for real?
Plus a HISTORY of Marvel/DC Crossovers
Earth-89923 as seen in What The--?! #7

It’s all your favorite characters: Charlie America, Black & Blue Panther, The Least and more from the house of Marble vs. Hawk-mensch, Mr. Bat-mom, Doctor Face and other members of the Just-A-League in this Marvel vs. DC crossover in the pages of What The—?! Brought to the page by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Rurik Tyler plus work from Tom DeFalco, Terry Kavanagh and more, this skirmish (organized by Kranky the Master of Time and the Poker) comes years before the official Big Two battled it out. On this episode, we discuss the history of both parody comics (including Not Brand Echh and more) and comic crossovers from the beginning to today. We also wonder if thanks to folks like James Gunn and Jim Lee we could see a Marvel and DC crossover on the page or screen again soon. 

Reading List:

• What The--?! #7

Find us at https://linktr.ee/dearwatchers
Email [email protected]

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We have another One Bad Day as we head to Hollywood with Batman's shapeshifting foe, Clayface! We go back to 1940 for the first appearance of Basil Karlo aka Clayface then to James Tynion IV's revamp of his origin story (with a nod to Batman: The Animated Series). And we trade gloomy Gotham for sunny LA as Basil leaves a muddy trail of destruction through Tinsel Town in the truly amazing take from Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Xermánico in the One Bad Day series. We wrap up by speculating what is next for Clay including a potential role in The Batman 2. 

Ep. 96 What if Batman's villain Clayface had one bad day in Hollywood?
Earth of an unknown designation as seen in Batman - One Bad Day: Clayface #1

We have another One Bad Day, this time with Batman's shapeshifting foe Clayface! We provide backstories to the four primary Clayfaces (there are over eight of them in total including Clownface!) before diving into the initial appearance of the first Clayface (aka Basil Karlo) before he even had powers, back in 1940 from the minds of Bill Finger and Bob Kane. We jump to 2018 to see the current DC Universe's origin story for Basil/Clayface with Detective Comics Annual #1 from James Tynion IV and Eddy Barrows. We then center our conversation around the truly stellar multiverse story in One Bad Day that sees Basil travel to Los Angeles for a one day homicidal stroll in the sun from the minds of writers Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing and artist Xermánico. But what's next for Clayface? We chat about Alan Tudyk's hilarious turn on Harley Quinn and whether Clayface will turn up in The Batman 2 from Matt Reeves. We also chat about the connections to Boris Karloff and Mike Flanagan's would-be take on this iconic character(s). 

Reading List:

• Detective Comics #40 (1940 DC Comics)
• Detective Comics Annual #1 (2018 DC Comics)
• Batman - One Bad Day: Clayface #1 (2023 DC Comics)

Find us at https://linktr.ee/dearwatchers
Email [email protected]

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We got the band back together and we are heading to Riverdale to discuss Josie and the Pussycats from Archie Comics. We cover a brief history of Archie Comics and Josie, the band’s first appearance in the 1960s, the 2016 reboot, their role on Riverdale and especially the 2001 film which is much more satirical and meta you might remember. Plus Rob discusses his experience working on the Archie Comics Musical! We are joined by resident Josie expert and superfan Ethan from MakeMineAmalgam who literally watched the film every day for a year. 

Ep. 95 What if Josie and the Pussycats saved the world from being destroyed by teenagers turned into capitalist zombies?
With Special Guest Ethan of MakeMineAmalgam
Earth of an unknown designation as seen in the Josie & The Pussycats (2001) Film

We take our first trip to Riverdale to cover everyone’s favorite all girl band, Josie and the Pussycats! We share a quick background on Archie Comics and Josie co-creator Dan DiCarlo and how it is still a family business. Rob shares his experience working on the Archie Broadway Musical and how he played a small role in bringing current Archie mastermind Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa into Riverdale. We start off with early Josie in the 1960s before jumping ahead to discuss special guest Ethan from MakeMineAmalgam’s favorite film, Josie and the Pussycats from 2001 starring Rachel Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson, Tara Reid, Alan Cumming, Gabriel Mann, Paulo Costanzo, Missi Pyle and Parker Posey and written and directed by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan (plus the great soundtrack by Adam Schlesinger, Adam Duritz, Jane Wiedlin, Anna Waronker, Babyface and more). In the very meta and satirical film, Josie and the Pusscats find themselves part of a global conspiracy to brainwash teens and turn them into consumerist zombies! We head back to comics with Josie’s short lived revival in 2016 by Marguerite Bennett, Cameron DeOrdio, and Audrey Mok. We wrap up with some mixed reactions to an episode of Riverdale (directed by Robin Givens) that sees the return of the Pussycats. We also chat while Alexandra Cabot is the true start of the Josie-verse and could we possibly one day see a return of the Rachel Leigh Cook led version of the band.

Follow Ethan at MakeMineAmalgam on Twitter and Instagram. 

Reading List:

• Josie & The Pussycats #45 (Archie Comics 1969)
• Josie & The Pussycats (Film 2001)
• Josie & The Pussycats #1 (Archie Comics 2016)
• Riverdale Season 5 Episode 15 (TV show 2021)

Find us at https://linktr.ee/dearwatchers
Email [email protected]

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Hey Girls and Boys, Lads and Lasses, the biggest superhero team on any Earth, The Legion of Super-Heroes, tangles with the villainous Time Trapper as he turns their former ally Superboy against them. It’s an ambitious story in the post-Crisis world that serves as a template for DC storytelling to this day. We discuss this all with Legion super-fan and "DC Book of Lists" author Randall Lotowycz!

Ep. 94 What If the Time Trapper created a pocket universe to turn Superboy against the Legion of Super-Heroes?
With Special Guest author and editor Randall Lotowycz
Earth of an unknown designation as seen in the Superman & Legion of Super-Heroes crossover

The Legion of Super-Heroes can seem intimidating with their 20+ members from the traditional members like Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, and Mon-El to the wacky powered beings like Matter Eating Lad, Shrinking Violet, and Bouncing Boy, which is why we break down this team from the 60s through their major turning point post crisis in the 1980s. We travel through a multi issue arc constructed by major architects Paul Levitz and John Byrne that sees the Legion and Superman battle their old friend Superboy in a pocket universe, all controlled by the mysterious cloaked Time Trapper. We also discuss Time Trapper co-creator and Weird Tales writer Edmund Hamilton and how we are still seeing the reverberations of this story in DC’s current multiverse and alternate Earth storytelling on film and TV - including the upcoming Flash film from 2023 and more! Finally, we speculate what’s next for the Time Trapper and whether Marvel’s Kang stole his onscreen...time. We are joined by special returning guest, author and editor Randall Lotowycz.

Follow Randall on his website or on Twitter or Instagram. Purchase "The DC Book of Lists" here & watch for The Flash (2023 film) Visual Companion coming this June!

Reading List:

• Adventure Comics #318 (DC Comics 1964)
• Adventure Comics #321 (DC Comics 1964)
• Legion of Super-Heroes #37 (DC Comics 1987)
• Superman #8 (DC Comics 1987)
• Action Comics #591 (DC Comics 1987)
• Legion of Super-Heroes #38 (DC Comics 1987)
• Predictions on 2023's DCU Flash film, plus references to Infinite Crisis, Final Crisis, and more!

Find us at https://linktr.ee/dearwatchers
Email [email protected]

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ThunderCats hooooo! Or should we say, By the Power of Grayskull! Two 1980s icons join forces in He-Man / ThunderCats as the Masters of the Universe pair up with Lion-O and team to battle the combine forces of Skeletor and Mumm-Ra in this six-part comic book series from DC Comics. And speaking of joining forces, we are joined in this conversation by special guest Mike from Multiverse of Badness.

Ep. 93 What if He-Man teamed up with the Thundercats?
With Special Guest Mike of the Multiverse of Badness Podcast
Earth of an unknown designation as seen in He-Man / Thundercats #1-6

It’s all 80s as we explore the crossover between Lion-O and the ThunderCats and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in their six part comic book series from DC Comics and writers Rob David & Lloyd Goldfine (from Mattel) and Freddie E. Williams II (Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). We discuss the origins of both properties including their iconic tv shows, dive into the the long comic book roots of ThunderCats head writer Leonard Starr, wonder if Cats the musical influenced ThunderCats and speculate what could be next for these two franchises. All this plus what happens when these characters get amalgamated with Superman and each other in our conversation with Mike from Multiverse of Badness. 

Reading List:

• He-Man & The Masters of the Universe (TV Show 1983)
• Thundercats (TV Show 1985)
• He-Man / Thundercats #1-6 (DC Comics 2016-17)

Follow Mike & Multiverse of Badness on Mastodon, email him at [email protected] or listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Find us at https://linktr.ee/dearwatchers
Email [email protected]

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This episode is as big as Lex Luthor's ego! We finally cover the legendary Elseworlds story Kingdom Come that sees DC Comics' holy trinity of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman battling a new generation of meta humans, aging super villians, the United Nations and each other in Alex Ross and Mark Waid's epic tale of visions and visionaries. We talk through all four parts with special guest and Superman super fan Elliot from ElliotComicArt.

Ep. 92 What if we covered Elseworlds legendary tale KINGDOM COME from DC Comics?
With Special Guest Elliot of ElliotComicArt
Earth-22 as seen in Kingdom Come #1-4

On this jumbo size Dear Watchers we are covering one of the most iconic of all Elseworlds tales, Kingdom Come from writer/artist Alex Ross and writer Mark Waid. On this alternate Earth, a new generation of so-called heroes battle each other and the full villains that are left as the original JLA retreat into their later years. This all changes when a long absent Superman returns to reshape the planet but is he doing it for the better? The allstar comic cast also includes Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Lex Luthor, Captain Marvel, Green Arrow, Black Canary, The Spectre, The Sandman, Hawkman, Aquaman, Magog (in his debut) and so many others. We hear first-time reader Rob's reactions along with long time fan Guido as they cover all four parts of this epic story while also extensively covering the background behind this story and the histories of its two primary creators. We also speculate when we could see a Kingdom Come live-action or animated version in the future DCU. 

Reading List:

• Kingdom Come #1-4 (DC Comics 1996)

Follow Elliot on Twitter and Instagram or visit his store.

Find us at https://linktr.ee/dearwatchers
Email [email protected]

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You've heard her name mentioned in countless past Dear Watchers episodes so we were thrilled to sit down with legendary comic book letterer Janice Chiang to discuss her amazing life and career including her activist beginnings, her long tenure at Marvel, the role of a letterer and how it has changed in the digital age, breaking ground as a woman and Chinese-American in the comic book industry, how to stay current 40 years into a career and her current work with Sandy King and John Carpenter's Storm King Productions.

Ep. 91 Creator Interview with Janice Chiang (*this version corrected the audio issue the first download had)

Janice has over 40 years in the comic business, and has certainly had a significant impact on our listeners  through her work on over 2000 books. Janice is a letterer and sometimes colorist who has worked primarily at Marvel starting in the early 1980s. She has worked on thousands of issues, including for Marvel: Iron Man, Ghost Rider, Alpha Flight, Conan, Defenders, Ka-Zar, Rom, Thor, Shang-Chi, Quasar, and of course the book that was an inspiration for us - What If. She has also worked with Stan Lee’s Pow Entertainment, Dark Horse, TokyoPop, Archie, plus a lot of work with Storm King, and for DC the Super Hero Girls book series, some early Milestone books, Batman, Impulse, Superman, and the recent Lazarus Planet one-shots. Two graphic novels she worked on were in the Four-Word Indie Awards chosen out of 2500 submissions, so Janice is on a hit streak! And wait that’s not all: she has been a community organizer!

Janice Chiang on Instagram & Twitter
Storm King Comics

Find us at https://linktr.ee/dearwatchers
Email [email protected]

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