Talking in Circles

The hosts dive into the flood of superhero news from New York Comic Con and beyond, covering DC's movie slate announcements, Marvel casting rumors, and TV updates. They discuss the Flash pilot and whether Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is worth revisiting after a rough start, plus Greg shares highlights from his October Loot Crate and Dan describes a wild Netflix documentary.

Matt Voss from Charm City Games joins us as Talking in Circles's first guest. He discusses the creation of his debut game Cockfight, a vulgar card game about roosters in a fighting ring, and shares his experience running a successful Kickstarter campaign that delivered product to backers in just two and a half months. Matt also talks about his other projects in development, including RuneCast, a co-op dice game set in Norse mythology, and Crime Lords, a European-style resource management game.

The hosts debate which movie franchises deserve a spot on a Mount Rushmore of cinema. They evaluate franchises based on quality, longevity, and cultural impact, discussing candidates like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Rocky, James Bond, Indiana Jones, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Die Hard. Before diving into the main debate, they share what they've been watching: Dan's thoughts on The League, Chuck's enthusiasm for Scorpion, and Greg's reading of The Manhattan Projects graphic novel.

Greg unboxes his first Loot Crate delivery, featuring Star Trek Tribbles, Alien action figures, and Firefly collectibles. The hosts also discuss their first impressions of the Gotham pilot episode, weighing in on the show's tone, setting ambiguity, young Bruce Wayne's characterization, and Alfred's unexpected personality. Chuck shares a review of the comic "The Lamb and the Furor" by Ravi Zacharias and Kingstone Comics.

The hosts debut a new segment called Geek Power Rankings, modeled after NFL power rankings but for geek culture. They debate and rank the biggest topics currently trending in comics, TV, movies, video games, and more—determining what's hot in geek culture right now, from Guardians of the Galaxy to Batman to Funko Pop Vinyl figures and the video game Destiny.

Greg, Chuck, and Dan dive into their picks for the most underappreciated comic book characters who deserve more panel time. Their lists span Marvel mainstays like Black Panther, Taskmaster, and Squirrel Girl, to deeper cuts like Exodus, Morph from the Exiles, and even a Star Wars character. The hosts also discuss comic book reviews from Baltimore Comic Con, including Scott Snyder's American Vampire, and touch on their weeks including NFL updates.

The hosts attended Baltimore Comic Con and share their full experience: meeting comic creators like Jim Starlin, Ron Mars, Lee Weeks, and Frank Cho; hunting for back issues and spotting high-end collectibles like massive Apocalypse and Planet Hulk statues; discovering indie games like Alien Entity and Cockfight; and discussing the Hacktivist graphic novel created by Alyssa Milano. They also discuss sore feet, memorable cosplay moments (including a notably scanty Tarzan costume), and why the con offers a great mix of comics and creators for all experience levels.

The hosts explore why geeks should embrace sports, despite the apparent disconnect between gaming culture and football fandom. They discuss their personal paths into football, break down the appeal of fantasy football as a role-playing game for non-sports fans, and offer practical tips for first-time fantasy players—from respecting bye weeks and schedule volatility to leveraging the waiver wire and avoiding fandom bias in drafts. The episode wraps with Super Bowl predictions and commentary on rookie quarterbacks like Johnny Manziel.

The crew dives into Michael Bay's latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adaptation, discussing the movie's flaws including its bloated plot, excessive sound design, wasted character development, and over-reliance on April O'Neill. They also share their favorite turtles from childhood and compare it to the original 1990 film.

The Talking in Circles crew holds their first-ever action hero draft, building teams of movie and TV action characters to construct their own Expendables-style films. Greg picks Frank Martin, James Bond, and Frank Bullitt; Chuck selects John Rambo, Martin Riggs, and Chance Bodreau; Dan drafts Tony Jaa, Jason Bourne, Snake Plissken, and Jack Bauer. Each host creates a movie concept around their team and pitches it to listeners for voting. The episode also features a tribute to Robin Williams following his recent passing.