Season 2 of The CW show “Superman & Lois” premiered on January 11, 2022. Showrunner Todd Helbing joined the show this week to talk about the series, the plans for Season 2, and the legacy of working on Superman.Helbing has worked on shows such as Melrose Place, Entourage, and Smallville. He and his brother Aaron were showrunners of the Flash from Seasons 1 through 5.In this episode, Helbing addresses the evolution of Superman & Lois, including its connectivity in the “Arrowverse,” and the parameters this show was given as compared to other Superman properties. Helbing also discusses how the series does cover political issues, such as conservative small-town views vs. liberal big-city viewpoints. He also addresses the idea that Superman pledges to help the world and not necessarily put America first.

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The CW “Arrowverse” show Superman & Lois premieres its 2nd season on January 11, 2022. Erik Valdez plays Kyle Cushing a Smallville fireman married to Lana Lang, played by Emmanuelle Chriqui. Cushing's character has an interesting arc in Season 1. Kyle is also the father of Sarah, played by Inde Navarrette.Valdez was born in Texas, and previously starred on Graceland, and appeared on Gilmore Girls and 90210. He was also a regular on General Hospital.In this episode, Valdez discusses the political undertones and compelling story arcs for this series. He also talks about how unique it is to be in a Superman project and not play a character with a comic book backstory.Follow Erik Valdez on social media @erikvaldez.

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Warning: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2021 Marvel Studios' Disney+ series "Hawkeye" or do not mind hearing key plot points.Hawkeye takes place in a post-Endgame Marvel Cinematic Universe. Clint Barton has to deal with issues that arise as he tries to get back to home for Christmas with his family, who recently returned after the events of Endgame. Barton meets the young Kate Bishop who is tied into the issues that transpire. There are many twists and turns as well as tie-ins to other MCU properties.Comedian and podcaster Eddie Pence rejoins the show to review Hawkeye. They discuss the 4th live-action Disney+ show, and its impact on the larger MCU. They also compare this to the recently released Spider-Man: No Way Home.

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Warning: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2021 Marvel Studios' film "Spider-Man: No Way Home" or do not mind hearing key plot points.Spider-Man: No Way Home is the 3rd Spider-Man film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is Tom Holland's sixth appearance in MCU movies, including Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. The movie is high on fan service, as characters from previous Spider-Man movies set outside the MCU make appearances.This episode asks the following questions: Are the fan service moments what makes it a great film? Is the story consistent with MCU Spidey movies? What about the ramifications that this film leaves on the state of the MCU?Marshall Harris of CBS Chicago joins the show for this review.

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On October 1, 2021, Netflix debuted the 9 seasons of the hit sitcom Seinfeld. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos stated in the press release, “This is the first time we've taken a risk of this nature, going all-in on 9 seasons at the jump. But Jerry has created something special with this sitcom that nobody has ever done. I truly think he and Mr. David have enormous futures ahead of them and I'm thrilled Netflix could be the home for them to grow their fanbases.”This episode features a roundtable discussion of not just the series, but the series arrival on Netflix. Chris Pollone, a reporter for NBC News, Sylvia Lind, former MLB executive turned player agent, and TJ Roche, DJ for the New Jersey Devils, all joined the podcast to discuss the hit series that ran on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998.

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Dan Jurgens is a longtime writer and penciler who has written for iconic characters and created many of his own. He is perhaps best known for his work on the iconic DC storyline “The Death of Superman.” He is credited with creating Doomsday, Hank Henshaw, and Booster Gold. He wrote for many other DC and Marvel characters throughout his incredible career.In this episode, Jurgens retells the story of how he and the Superman writers/artists conceptualized the Death of Superman, the Funeral for a Friend, and the Reign of the Supermen storylines. He also details comics writing after the Death of and gives his thoughts on comic writers seeing their work adapted in live-action or animated shows & films.Follow Dan Jurgens on Twitter @thedanjurgens. And visit www.danjurgens.com.

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Longtime animation writer Ernie Altbacker joined the show to talk about his long body of work. He recently wrote for the 2021 DC film "Injustice." He also wrote four other films in the DC Universe series of animated films "Justice League Dark," "Teen Titans: The Judas Contract," "Batman: Hush," and "Justice League Dark: Apokolips War."He's also written for many animated series including "Spider-Man – The Animated Series," "Green Lantern," "Static Shock," and "Justice League Action."In this episode, he talks about the dark nature of Injustice and Apokolips War and the challenges of writing classic characters in more adult plots. Also, he addressed how Superman's powers make plots around him particularly difficult.Follow Ernie on social media @ejaltbacker.

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Acclaimed writer/artist Judd Winick joined the show to cover a bevy of topics.Winick has written for DC Comics characters including popular runs on Batman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, and The Outsiders. He created the Red Hood character from the legacy of Jason Todd, including writing the screenplay for the DC Universe animated feature Batman: Under the Red Hood.In this episode, Winick discusses his iconic comics run, and the issues facing creators when their work gets turned into a movie or television series.Judd Winick rose to national attention when he appeared on MTV's The Real World: San Francisco. He discusses how he met his wife on the show, and his close friend Pedro Zamora, who died shortly after the show was filmed. Zamora was also the subject of Winick's graphic novel Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned.He is the author of the acclaimed book series Hilo, with a new novel coming in 2022.Follow Judd Winick on social media @juddwinick.

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Warning: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2021 Marvel Studios' film "Eternals" or do not mind hearing key plot points.The latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the subject of this review. Dr. Kendall Phillips returns to the podcast to discuss the film about the alien race that came to Earth thousands of years ago. The movie discusses the Eternals fight with the deviants, and them staying out of the battles that do not involve them, including the Avengers' recent fight against Thanos.Dr. Phillips is a Professor of Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Syracuse University and Co-director of The Lender Center for Social Justice. He recently authored the book “A Cinema of Hopelessness: The Rhetoric of Rage in 21st Century Popular Culture (Rhetoric, Politics, and Society)” and hosts the NPR/WAER podcast “Pop Life.”Phillips has taught a course on the Marvel Cinematic Universe and discussed the course in Episode 150 and his class appeared on Episode 158.

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Warning: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2021 Sony/Marvel film "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" or do not mind hearing key plot points.This is the 2nd installment of the Venom film series, and this episode reviews the film. In it, Woody Harrelson plays Cletus Kassidy/Carnage and Tom Hardy returns as Eddie Brock/Venom. Acclaimed content creator Brian Tong returns to the podcast (his first review was Episode 250 Shang-Chi) to talk about this film.While there is praise for the performances, the plot and writing come under scrutiny. The issues in the film also are compared to the original comic book storyline and the absence of Spider-Man as Venom/Carnage's main protagonist.Still, there is a discussion of that post-credit scene and its impact on future Spider-films and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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