Prodigious Saps

By Chad Smalley & Brendan Jones

Chad Smalley and Brendan Jones (friends for more than 30 years) reflect on movies, TV, music and comics… with a special focus on their shared love of Superman.... more

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FAQs about Prodigious Saps:

How many episodes does Prodigious Saps have?

The podcast currently has 74 episodes available.

Prodigious Saps episodes:

April 21, 2026 Episode 69: Let's talk about BATMAN RETURNS (1992)
In this episode, we revisit BATMAN RETURNS, one of the strangest major comic-book movies ever made. We talk Tim Burton’s over-the-top visual style, the movie’s tangled plot, Michael Keaton’s sidelined Batman, Michelle Pfeiffer’s unforgettable Catwoman, Danny DeVito’s grotesque Penguin, and Christopher Walken stealing scenes as Max Shreck. Messy, kinky, funny, stylish, and very Burton.
Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of @Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla Ciity Stories (@theteslacitystories7337).
https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps
RELATED LINKS:
Blaggards
https://blaggards.com/
SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:
https://linktr.ee/slappercast
Tesla City Stories
https://www.teslacitystories.com
Breakfast of the Gods
https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods
Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters
https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/
...more
53min
April 18, 2026Episode 68: Daredevil Born Again S2, Wonder Woman casting rumors, and more
This might be the best DAREDEVIL has ever been on screen!
PATREON : https://www.patreon.com/ProdigiousSaps
JOIN: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJaU6rw754l-Z0HQ4SB3gwA/join
SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/@prodigioussaps?sub_confirmation=1
PODCAST: https://prodigioussaps.fireside.fm/
Daredevil: Born Again S2 is REALLY getting good.This might be the best these characters have ever been on screen.
ALSO:
P-Saps podcast and Patreon updates
rumored WONDER WOMAN/MAXIMA casting
comic accuracy debates and why casting—and how these characters look—still matters more than people want to admit.
Special guest caller: Brendan's older brother ROBIN JONES
an update on the possible buckyball-Supergirl escape pod connection
Supergirl & Star Wars concept artist Vincent Jenkins
STAR WARS: MAUL – SHADOW LORD
00:00:00 — Podcast updates
00:03:25 — WONDER WOMAN/MAXIMA casting rumors
00:19:45 — Brendan's brother Robin calls in
00:27:13 — DAREDEVIL BORN AGAIN
00:51:33 — WEREWOLF BY NIGHT sequel?
00:52:55 — SUPERGIRL/buckyball update
00:57:42 — Vincent Jenkins - Supergirl and Star Wars concept artist
01:01:31 — MAUL - SHADOW LORD
Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of @Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla Ciity Stories (@theteslacitystories7337).
https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps
RELATED LINKS:
Blaggards
https://blaggards.com/
SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:
https://linktr.ee/slappercast
Tesla City Stories
https://www.teslacitystories.com
Breakfast of the Gods
https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods
Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters
https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/
...more
1h 5min
April 16, 2026 Episode 67: Following up on SUPERMAN (2025) with DC Comic artist CHRISTOPHER JONES
The podcast is BACK! Today we're talking comics and SUPERMAN with CHRISTOPHER JONES.
PATREON : https://www.patreon.com/ProdigiousSaps
JOIN: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJaU6rw754l-Z0HQ4SB3gwA/join
SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/@prodigioussaps?sub_confirmation=1
PODCAST: https://prodigioussaps.fireside.fm/
Our friend DC Comics artist CHRISTOPHER JONES returns for a wide-ranging comic book conversation that starts with the strange logic of superhero storytelling and eventually circles back to one of our favorite recent topics: SUPERMAN (2025). Along the way we get into awkward sidekick tropes, why all-ages comics still matter, and what makes Superman’s moral core so enduring.
ALSO: LANTERNS, THE BATMAN PART II, SPIDER-MAN, FANTASTIC FOUR, and the broader challenge of making comic book worlds feel emotionally grounded without sanding off everything that makes them weird.
Check out Christopher Jones online:
https://blog.christopherjonesart.com/
https://instagram.com/chrisjonesart/
00:00:00 — Welcome back CHRISTOPHER JONES
00:06:05 — The awkward trope of young sidekicks
00:09:12 — Comic book logic is WEIRD
00:15:59 — Why all-ages comics still matter
00:23:59 — Revisiting SUPERMAN (2025)
00:25:20 — Superman's moral core
00:50:52 — THE BATMAN 2, SPIDER-MAN & FANTASTIC FOUR
Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.
https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps
RELATED LINKS:
Blaggards
https://blaggards.com/
SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:
https://linktr.ee/slappercast
Tesla City Stories
https://www.teslacitystories.com
Breakfast of the Gods
https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods
Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters
https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/
...more
1h 10min
January 20, 2026 Episode 66: FULL breakdown of BATMAN v SUPERMAN (Ultimate Edition)
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_OESPuVsBqg
Three years ago, when we first started doing this show, Brendan admitted that he'd never seen BATMAN v SUPERMAN. Well, our brothers and sisters in nerddom... now he has.
Chad requested that we review the Ultimate Edition, because he believes it is a better movie than the theatrical cut... for whatever that's worth.
So what do you think of this movie? Good? Bad? Somewhere in-between?
Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.
https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps
RELATED LINKS:
Blaggards
https://blaggards.com/
SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:
https://linktr.ee/slappercast
Tesla City Stories
https://www.teslacitystories.com
Breakfast of the Gods
https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods
Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters
https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/
...more
2h 9min
December 18, 2025 Episode 65: FULL breakdown of MAN OF STEEL
By popular demand, we have rewatched Zack Snyder's MAN OF STEEL. And yes, we have notes
Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/l01ixMUodkw
We both have a LOT to say about MAN OF STEEL because we care about the character of Superman so much... and of course, because this film has been such a remarkably divisive force in the fandom AND the industry ever since it came out.
What do YOU think?
00:00:00 - Overview
00:16:02 - Breakdown
Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.
https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps
RELATED LINKS:
Blaggards
https://blaggards.com/
SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:
https://linktr.ee/slappercast
Tesla City Stories
https://www.teslacitystories.com
Breakfast of the Gods
https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods
Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters
https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/
...more
2h 20min
September 13, 2025 Episode 64: FULL breakdown of BATMAN (1989)
Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ohr1sdxvBvw
This week, P-Saps dive into Tim Burton’s BATMAN (1989). We revisit the movie’s cultural earthquake—how it reshaped the superhero genre, influenced blockbuster marketing, and gave us a darker Gotham than audiences had ever seen.
We unpack Michael Keaton’s unlikely casting and why it works, Jack Nicholson’s show-stealing Joker, Danny Elfman’s now-iconic score, and the film’s role in paving the way for modern superhero epics. Along the way, we share personal memories of first encounters with the movie, highlight its strengths and quirks, and reflect on how Burton’s gothic style still stands apart decades later.
Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.
https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps
RELATED LINKS:
Blaggards
https://blaggards.com/
SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:
https://linktr.ee/slappercast
Tesla City Stories
https://www.teslacitystories.com
Breakfast of the Gods
https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods
Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters
https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/
...more
2h 34min
August 28, 2025 Episode 63: FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS Review
Here's our review of FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS
Brendan LOVED it immediately, while Chad had to chew on it for awhile... but we're pretty much in full agreement about this one: it's pretty damn great.
SPOILERS ABOUND... so proceed with caution.
Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/1pXIVbAJ80U
Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.
https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps
RELATED LINKS:
Blaggards
https://blaggards.com/
SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:
https://linktr.ee/slappercast
Tesla City Stories
https://www.teslacitystories.com
Breakfast of the Gods
https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods
Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters
https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/
...more
1h 4min
August 19, 2025 Episode 62: Full breakdown of SUPERMAN RETURNS
We are currently on a brief hiatus as Chad is on tour with his band, Blaggards... so in the meantime we're putting out this audio-only version of our long-awaited SUPERMAN RETURNS breakdown. The final YouTube edit will likely wind up being somewhat shorter.
ENJOY, P-Saps!
Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.
https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps
RELATED LINKS:
Blaggards
https://blaggards.com/
SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:
https://linktr.ee/slappercast
Tesla City Stories
https://www.teslacitystories.com
Breakfast of the Gods
https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods
Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters
https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/
...more
2h 6min
July 24, 2025 Episode 61: SUPERMAN (2025): Our FULL Review
Here's our FULL review of James Gunn's SUPERMAN, starting with a non-spoiler segment.
FULL SPOILERS start at 15:15.
Watch on YouTube:
Non-Spoiler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqA1mtbsh-s
Spoiler Discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymXSlCxH1qk&t=63s
Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.
https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps
RELATED LINKS:
Blaggards
https://blaggards.com/
SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:
https://linktr.ee/slappercast
Tesla City Stories
https://www.teslacitystories.com
Breakfast of the Gods
https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods
Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters
https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/
...more
1h 16min
June 27, 2025 Episode 60: The Day Superman Kissed the World (with CHRISTOPHER JONES)
Prodigious Saps No. 60: "The Day Superman Kissed the World"
Our friend DC comics artist CHRISTOPHER JONES (perhaps most famous for his work on Young Justice) joins us again for a GREAT conversation about the upcoming SUPERMAN and James Gunn's vision for the DCU.
We talk about all the stuff we're excited for, take some wild guesses at what's coming next, take a look back at past SUPERMAN films and tv shows, and geek out about stuff we'd love to see in the new DCU.
CHRISTOPHER JONES is perhaps most well-know for his work on YOUNG JUSTICE, but he's also done BATMAN STRIKES!, AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES, and DOCTOR WHO, among many, many other titles.
https://blog.christopherjonesart.com/
https://www.instagram.com/chrisjonesart
https://bsky.app/profile/christopherjonesart.com
Prodigious Saps: profusive nerdery from Chad Smalley of Blaggards and Brendan Jones of Tesla City Stories.
https://linktr.ee/prodigioussaps
RELATED LINKS:
Blaggards
https://blaggards.com/
SlapperCast: a weekly podcast/road diary from Blaggards:
https://linktr.ee/slappercast
Tesla City Stories
https://www.teslacitystories.com
Breakfast of the Gods
https://www.indyplanet.com/breakfast-of-the-gods
Campbell & Jones Meet the Monsters
https://meetthemonsters.podbean.com/
...more
1h 6min

FAQs about Prodigious Saps:

How many episodes does Prodigious Saps have?

The podcast currently has 74 episodes available.