GEEK THIS!

My loathing for DC Comics has been brought up a couple of times with friends and I’ve never truly been able to explain why I might hate them. So, on this episode I want to explain my point of view and how I’m going to remedy the issue.

If you’ve listened to Geek This since the podcast started in 2012, you may have noticed a trend: we have rarely talked about DC Comics and DC Entertainment. It’s been brought to my attention by myself that maybe, just maybe I hate them. In fact, my loathing for DC has been brought up a couple of times with friends and I’ve never truly been able to explain why I might hate them. So, on this episode I want to explain my point of view and how I’m going to remedy the issue.

I was born in 1987, so my childhood took place in the 1990s. What I find wild about this era is that when it came to comics themselves, while I wasn’t very interested, there was a boom going on. With it, though, came the rise of comic book cartoons. These were my jam. Since that was the case, it was easy for me to become familiar with characters like Spider-Man, the X-Men, Hulk, and the Fantastic Four. Marvel cartoons were just more prevalent, which meant the superhero toys I had were primarily Marvel.

I had watched and re-watched the Michael Keaton Batman films a lot of times, but any other character outside of those I was oblivious to. It wasn’t until sometime later that I discovered Batman: The Animated Series. Still, I didn’t understand the concept of a shared comic book universe, so I had no idea Superman, The Flash, or any other DC Comics character outside of that particular show even existed. Once Superman: The Animated Series was on, I watched it, but not with the interest that I did Batman. (Still, to this day, Superman isn’t as interesting as Batman to me. But that’s another episode.)

As I grew older, comic book characters and superheroes faded away. They didn’t hold much value to me once I became interested in books, music, video games, and movies. When I was a teenager, the only person I knew that liked comics was my older cousin. Then, in 2002, a certain web-headed hero was brought to theaters. After that, I started to read some comics, namely Ultimate Spider-Man. In 2007, after another Spider-Man movie, I stumbled upon the Civil War event. It pulled me in, leading me to today, where I still love everything Marvel.

As you can see, I didn’t have a lot of exposure to DC Comics outside of Batman. My parents didn’t have an opinion one way or another when it came to comics. In fact, the only ones they ever bought me were a Marvel Comics adaptation of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and two issues of a Christian series called Archangels: The Saga, which I liked enough to spend my hard-earned money to buy every single issue until it was discontinued. (I still have them, by the way.)

So it isn’t that I hate DC Comics, I’ve just never given them an honest chance outside of Batman. Here’s the deal, though. In an effort to become a more well-rounded person, I’m going to start reading a non-Batman DC Comics series. I want suggestions from you, though. What is a good series to start with if I’m just dipping my toe into the latest books? And, yes, I’ll even read a Superman book, but I still need someone to help me understand the appeal.

All of this is in my quest to understand the world of comics and truly appreciate what’s out there, even if it is unfamiliar.

Thanks for your podcast review!

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* Subscribe to Geek This! on Apple Podcasts or Android

If you’ve listened to Geek This since the podcast started in 2012, you may have noticed a trend: we have rarely talked about DC Comics and DC Entertainment. It’s been brought to my attention by myself that maybe, just maybe I hate them. In fact, my loathing for DC has been brought up a couple of times with friends and I’ve never truly been able to explain why I might hate them. So, on this episode I want to explain my point of view and how I’m going to remedy the issue.

I was born in 1987, so my childhood took place in the 1990s. What I find wild about this era is that when it came to comics themselves, while I wasn’t very interested, there was a boom going on. With it, though, came the rise of comic book cartoons. These were my jam. Since that was the case, it was easy for me to become familiar with characters like Spider-Man, the X-Men, Hulk, and the Fantastic Four. Marvel cartoons were just more prevalent, which meant the superhero toys I had were primarily Marvel.

I had watched and re-watched the Michael Keaton Batman films a lot of times, but any other character outside of those I was oblivious to. It wasn’t until sometime later that I discovered Batman: The Animated Series. Still, I didn’t understand the concept of a shared comic book universe, so I had no idea Superman, The Flash, or any other DC Comics character outside of that particular show even existed. Once Superman: The Animated Series was on, I watched it, but not with the interest that I did Batman. (Still, to this day, Superman isn’t as interesting as Batman to me. But that’s another episode.)

As I grew older, comic book characters and superheroes faded away. They didn’t hold much value to me once I became interested in books, music, video games, and movies. When I was a teenager, the only person I knew that liked comics was my older cousin. Then, in 2002, a certain web-headed hero was brought to theaters. After that, I started to read some comics, namely Ultimate Spider-Man. In 2007, after another Spider-Man movie, I stumbled upon the Civil War event. It pulled me in, leading me to today, where I still love everything Marvel.

As you can see, I didn’t have a lot of exposure to DC Comics outside of Batman. My parents didn’t have an opinion one way or another when it came to comics. In fact, the only ones they ever bought me were a Marvel Comics adaptation of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress and two issues of a Christian series called Archangels: The Saga, which I liked enough to spend my hard-earned money to buy every single issue until it was discontinued. (I still have them, by the way.)

So it isn’t that I hate DC Comics, I’ve just never given them an honest chance outside of Batman. Here’s the deal, though. In an effort to become a more well-rounded person, I’m going to start reading a non-Batman DC Comics series. I want suggestions from you, though. What is a good series to start with if I’m just dipping my toe into the latest books? And, yes, I’ll even read a Superman book, but I still need someone to help me understand the appeal.

All of this is in my quest to understand the world of comics and truly appreciate what’s out there, even if it is unfamiliar.

Thanks for your podcast review!

* None for this episode

Announcements

* None for this episode

Share Feedback

* Comment on the show notes

* Email [email protected] (audio files welcome)

Connect

* Subscribe to Geek This! on Apple Podcasts or Android

* Like the Facebook Page and join a community of other geeks

*

Today I’m covering Paper Girls by Brian K Vaughan. This series (which is still ongoing at the time of this recording) debuted in October 2015, so I am absolutely late to the party here and I’m so sorry that I am.

Previously, in episode 77, I made a list of 12 pop culture things I wanted to check out in 2018. One item on that list was to read more comics that were not part of Marvel or DC. I was given several suggestions from you and I’m taking the time to dig into these books.

Reviewing comics is one of the hardest thing for me on the podcast because, generally, people don’t have the access to comics the way they might a big-budget movie. I actually have to get my comics digitally because the closest comic shop is nearly an hour away from me and, sadly, they don’t always carry everything. That said, there are going to spoilers. There’s really no other way around it, especially for this series. Sorry.

Today I’m covering Paper Girls by Brian K Vaughan. This series (which is still ongoing at the time of this recording) debuted in October 2015, so I am absolutely late to the party here and I’m so sorry that I am.

The first issue begins on Halloween 1988, where four 12-year old girls meet each other on their paper route and get sucked into a plot that is so much bigger and twisted than they (or the reader) realize. The vibe has been called “Stand By Me” meets “War of the Worlds” and I think it deserves that comparison. When it was recommended to me, it was along the lines of “Stranger Things,” which is also a good comparison.

When I started reading this series, I had no idea what I was walking into. I didn’t read any of the plot or even a summary of that first issue. I just picked it up and ran with it. The 80’s feel was spot on and that is really what sucked me in at first. And then all of the weird sci-fi stuff started.

But let’s back up.

Our protagonists are, like I said, four 12-year old girls doing their early-morning newspaper deliveries. They’re spunky. They have attitudes. They aren’t the typical girls written in comics and that makes them more special and more interesting. Erin is the newcomer to the group and bumps into Mackenzie (the tough leader), Lindsey (the tough girl’s best friend) and KJ (the tomboy). Vaughan makes it plainly clear that the 80s were tougher than we would like to believe.

Unlike a lot of female protagonists, these girls are capable of handling things themselves. That’s shown at the beginning of the first issue, when Erin has to deal with a dirtbag teenager harassing her. Mackenzie, Lindsey, and KJ roll up to stop him, regardless of them knowing this new girl. Vaughan doesn’t mess with cliches here.

In addition to the Paper Girls meeting each other, they get sucked into a weird sci-fi adventure when someone steals one of Lindsey’s prized walkie-talkies. They decide to chase him down, which leads them to an abandoned house, where they find what looks like a lunar module in the basement.

After a flash of light and a loud hum, the girls return outside to see that the sky looks different and things just don’t feel right. They find the walkie-talkie thief, who is revealed to be someone from the future. It’s also revealed that the girls are in 2016, not 1988.

This is where things get weird. This is also where we are constantly reminded that we aren’t in a time-travel story. But maybe we are? (As I’m recording this, I’ve not read the most-recent issue, so things are still developing and still a little foggy.)

At the end of the first volume, the girls run into Erin… as a 40-year old woman. Later we meet another version of Erin that is from the future, but is still 12 and speaks the same language as the Elders, who seem to be the antagonists in the story. And they ride these pterodactyls who fly in the sky. When Erin shows up from the supposed alternate universe, she brings back giant tardigrades who start fighting Godzilla...

Previously, in episode 77, I made a list of 12 pop culture things I wanted to check out in 2018. One item on that list was to read more comics that were not part of Marvel or DC. I was given several suggestions from you and I’m taking the time to dig into these books.

Reviewing comics is one of the hardest thing for me on the podcast because, generally, people don’t have the access to comics the way they might a big-budget movie. I actually have to get my comics digitally because the closest comic shop is nearly an hour away from me and, sadly, they don’t always carry everything. That said, there are going to spoilers. There’s really no other way around it, especially for this series. Sorry.

Today I’m covering Paper Girls by Brian K Vaughan. This series (which is still ongoing at the time of this recording) debuted in October 2015, so I am absolutely late to the party here and I’m so sorry that I am.

The first issue begins on Halloween 1988, where four 12-year old girls meet each other on their paper route and get sucked into a plot that is so much bigger and twisted than they (or the reader) realize. The vibe has been called “Stand By Me” meets “War of the Worlds” and I think it deserves that comparison. When it was recommended to me, it was along the lines of “Stranger Things,” which is also a good comparison.

When I started reading this series, I had no idea what I was walking into. I didn’t read any of the plot or even a summary of that first issue. I just picked it up and ran with it. The 80’s feel was spot on and that is really what sucked me in at first. And then all of the weird sci-fi stuff started.

But let’s back up.

Our protagonists are, like I said, four 12-year old girls doing their early-morning newspaper deliveries. They’re spunky. They have attitudes. They aren’t the typical girls written in comics and that makes them more special and more interesting. Erin is the newcomer to the group and bumps into Mackenzie (the tough leader), Lindsey (the tough girl’s best friend) and KJ (the tomboy). Vaughan makes it plainly clear that the 80s were tougher than we would like to believe.

Unlike a lot of female protagonists, these girls are capable of handling things themselves. That’s shown at the beginning of the first issue, when Erin has to deal with a dirtbag teenager harassing her. Mackenzie, Lindsey, and KJ roll up to stop him, regardless of them knowing this new girl. Vaughan doesn’t mess with cliches here.

In addition to the Paper Girls meeting each other, they get sucked into a weird sci-fi adventure when someone steals one of Lindsey’s prized walkie-talkies. They decide to chase him down, which leads them to an abandoned house, where they find what looks like a lunar module in the basement.

After a flash of light and a loud hum, the girls return outside to see that the sky looks different and things just don’t feel right. They find the walkie-talkie thief, who is revealed to be someone from the future. It’s also revealed that the girls are in 2016, not 1988.

This is where things get weird. This is also where we are constantly reminded that we aren’t in a time-travel story. But maybe we are? (As I’m recording this, I’ve not read the most-recent issue, so things are still developing and still a little foggy.)

At the end of the first volume, the girls run into Erin… as a 40-year old woman. Later we meet another version of Erin that is from the future, but is still 12 and speaks the same language as the Elders, who seem to be the antagonists in the story. And they ride these pterodactyls who fly in the sky. When Erin shows up from the supposed alternate universe, she brings back giant tardigrades who start fighting Godzilla style in a lake.

Like I said, things are weird the further you get in Paper Girls. But that just makes it more fun.

Back in episode 59 I gave my initial impression of YouTube’s premium “YouTube Red” service. Overall, I wasn’t impressed, but after a year and 20 episodes – and getting access to a new 3-month trial – I wanted to revisit the service and see what had changed and if it would become a regular part of my cord-cutting utilities.

Back in episode 59 I gave my initial impression of YouTube’s premium “YouTube Red” service. Overall, I wasn’t impressed, but after a year and 20 episodes - and getting access to a new 3-month trial - I wanted to revisit the service and see what had changed and if it would become a regular part of my cord-cutting utilities.

What is YouTube Red?

To put it simply, Red is a premium service created by YouTube in order for them to do more specialized content with some of the top creators on the platform. It costs $10 per month. With that $10 per month, you get benefits, like absolutely no advertisements, access to their Red Originals programming (which I’ll touch on more later), total access to Google Play Music - which is on par with Spotify Premium, and the ability to download videos and playlists.

Ad-Free Watching

We watch a lot of YouTube in my house. In fact, I think I personally watch more YouTube than I do Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Video. It’s the first thing I turn on when I want to watch TV at the end of the day or on the weekend. When you watch that much, ads can be frustrating. That’s why I love the idea of cord-cutting and pay extra for Hulu’s Commercial-Free package. (Although that’s not 100% accurate. Thanks, ABC…) Netflix doesn’t have ads, either.

The problem with YouTube ads is that there is one in front of every single video you watch unless it’s one that is not being monetized, which, if we’re honest, is a rare thing. Having YouTube ad-free is a fantastic perk, but I’m not sure if it’s worth $10 per month.

Let’s continue and see if this pans out.

YouTube Red Originals

I love seeing creators get the chance to make something they’ve always wanted to make. This is the idea behind Red Originals. From what I understand, the way it works is YouTube selects several of the top creators on the site and given them an injection of money to make “that thing”. For instance, when Red launched in October of 2016, PewDiePie, Rhett & Link, Lilly Singh (AKA Superwoman), and Joey Graceffa, among others, released new premium shows. These were only accessible behind the Red paywall, but the first episode was free as a teaser.

When I originally looked at YouTube Red, there wasn’t a lot of content there. There was even less that I felt deserved my time or money. In the end, that was the number one thing that made the service unappealing.

A year or so later, there have been additions to what is available and some of it is definitely worth your time. My favorite shows have to be Rhett & Link’s Buddy System and Mind Field by vsauce. One of the hardest parts about the Red Originals is that I don’t know a lot of those creators. That didn’t stop me from checking out some of the shows.

I watched both seasons of Joey Graceffa’s Escape the Night, a murder mystery reality show, which has some good ideas, but overall fails in its “reality show” style. They were obviously acting…

Anyway, there is much more to sink your teeth into here. In addition to the YouTube creator programming, the service is bringing in other talent and trying to position itself as a competitor to Netflix and Hulu. This time around, there is plenty to choose from.

One nit to pick: it’s hard to find the Red Originals unless you’re using a mobile device. At least that’s my experience. Unless you’re subscribed to a YouTube channel with Red content, you’ll have to hunt it down through searching for “YouTube Red Originals”. I think there should be a button in your Subscriptions that will take you right there. Just a thought.

Google Play Music

This is an underutilized feature of my subscription. I don’t listen to a lot of music unless I’m working on something that needs my full focus and I can...

Back in episode 59 I gave my initial impression of YouTube’s premium “YouTube Red” service. Overall, I wasn’t impressed, but after a year and 20 episodes - and getting access to a new 3-month trial - I wanted to revisit the service and see what had changed and if it would become a regular part of my cord-cutting utilities.

What is YouTube Red?

To put it simply, Red is a premium service created by YouTube in order for them to do more specialized content with some of the top creators on the platform. It costs $10 per month. With that $10 per month, you get benefits, like absolutely no advertisements, access to their Red Originals programming (which I’ll touch on more later), total access to Google Play Music - which is on par with Spotify Premium, and the ability to download videos and playlists.

Ad-Free Watching

We watch a lot of YouTube in my house. In fact, I think I personally watch more YouTube than I do Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Video. It’s the first thing I turn on when I want to watch TV at the end of the day or on the weekend. When you watch that much, ads can be frustrating. That’s why I love the idea of cord-cutting and pay extra for Hulu’s Commercial-Free package. (Although that’s not 100% accurate. Thanks, ABC…) Netflix doesn’t have ads, either.

The problem with YouTube ads is that there is one in front of every single video you watch unless it’s one that is not being monetized, which, if we’re honest, is a rare thing. Having YouTube ad-free is a fantastic perk, but I’m not sure if it’s worth $10 per month.

Let’s continue and see if this pans out.

YouTube Red Originals

I love seeing creators get the chance to make something they’ve always wanted to make. This is the idea behind Red Originals. From what I understand, the way it works is YouTube selects several of the top creators on the site and given them an injection of money to make “that thing”. For instance, when Red launched in October of 2016, PewDiePie, Rhett & Link, Lilly Singh (AKA Superwoman), and Joey Graceffa, among others, released new premium shows. These were only accessible behind the Red paywall, but the first episode was free as a teaser.

When I originally looked at YouTube Red, there wasn’t a lot of content there. There was even less that I felt deserved my time or money. In the end, that was the number one thing that made the service unappealing.

A year or so later, there have been additions to what is available and some of it is definitely worth your time. My favorite shows have to be Rhett & Link’s Buddy System and Mind Field by vsauce. One of the hardest parts about the Red Originals is that I don’t know a lot of those creators. That didn’t stop me from checking out some of the shows.

I watched both seasons of Joey Graceffa’s Escape the Night, a murder mystery reality show, which has some good ideas, but overall fails in its “reality show” style. They were obviously acting…

Anyway, there is much more to sink your teeth into here. In addition to the YouTube creator programming, the service is bringing in other talent and trying to position itself as a competitor to Netflix and Hulu. This time around, there is plenty to choose from.

One nit to pick: it’s hard to find the Red Originals unless you’re using a mobile device. At least that’s my experience. Unless you’re subscribed to a YouTube channel with Red content, you’ll have to hunt it down through searching for “YouTube Red Originals”. I think there should be a button in your Subscriptions that will take you right there. Just a thought.

Google Play Music

This is an underutilized feature of my subscription. I don’t listen to a lot of music unless I’m working on something that needs my full focus and I can’t listen to a podcast. From what I understand, though, with your YouTube Red subscription,

NBC's Hannibal is available on Amazon Prime Video and made quite the impact on Dave.