Talking in Circles

The hosts play a game inspired by the classic clay animation show Celebrity Deathmatch, squaring off famous people to decide whose careers should end and who should keep going. Match-ups include Justin Bieber vs. Miley Cyrus, Kanye West vs. Kim Kardashian, Tom Brady vs. Alex Rodriguez, Chris Pratt vs. Robert Downey Jr., LeBron James vs. Johnny Manziel, and Neil deGrasse Tyson vs. Bill Nye. The hosts also discuss their weeks, including collectible Marvel Legends figures, Silicon Valley, Batman vs. Robin, and rewatching Heroes.

The hosts wrap up Marvel's Phase 2 by discussing Ant-Man, which they found to be an unexpectedly entertaining heist-comedy that serves as a perfect palette cleanser after Age of Ultron. They praise the performances across the board, particularly Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas, and appreciate how the film balances humor with genuine character relationships—especially the parallel arcs of Scott Lang and Hank Pym both trying to redeem themselves in their daughters' eyes. While they acknowledge the villain Darren Cross is underdeveloped, they argue the film works better as a heist story than a traditional superhero narrative, and they rank it solidly in the middle of Phase 2's offerings.

The hosts dive into Comic-Con announcements and newly released footage, discussing X-Men: Apocalypse's character designs, the Batman v Superman trailer, Suicide Squad, Deadpool, Ash vs Evil Dead, and Fear the Walking Dead. They also cover Marvel's Star Wars comic crossover and share personal stories about Comic-Con merchandise and collectibles.

The hosts dive into a grab bag of pop culture news and trailers: Jason Pierre-Paul's firework incident, Marisa Tomei cast as Aunt May in the new Spider-Man films, the Creed and Goosebumps movie trailers, and more. Then they play their favorite game, Sequel, Reboot, or Destroy, debating the fates of True Lies, Escape from New York and Escape from L.A., Dinosaurs, The Matrix and Tron Legacy, and more. The episode wraps with a letter from a listener about San Diego Comic-Con and the evolution of the event.

For the podcast's 75th episode, Chuck, Greg, and Dan each bring their own independent top five lists to celebrate. Dan shares his top five foreign films, Greg counts down his favorite comic strips, and Chuck covers his top five comedy movies. The hosts discuss everything from Dutch cinema and classic newspaper comics to beloved comedy classics.

The hosts explore some of the wildest foods and food challenges from around the country, including stadium offerings and restaurant creations like the hot beef sundae, fried s'mores, massive challenge burgers, and pizza with hot dog-stuffed crust. They discuss which items they'd actually eat and share their own extreme food experiences, from ghost pepper burgers to experimental brews.

The hosts revisit their list of geek properties they hadn't watched or read to see which ones they've caught up on and whether the hyped classics lived up to expectations. Greg finally watches Alien and Aliens, Chuck tackles the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic in color, and they discuss their thoughts on these iconic properties. The episode also includes a tribute to Christopher Lee, who passed away during the recording.

The hosts dive into a collection of interesting trivia and facts they've discovered, covering everything from George Lucas and Steve Jobs, to Pope Francis's unexpected past as a nightclub bouncer, to the origins of Comic Sans font in the Watchmen comic. They also discuss the cafeteria scene from Spider-Man (2002) that was performed practically by Tobey Maguire, the cost of being Batman in real life, and Deadpool #27 holding the Guinness World Record for most characters on a comic book cover. Plus, Dan reviews The Valiant mini-series and Chuck shares his thoughts on the animated film Wreck-It Ralph.

The crew debuts a new game called "Either Or" — basically "Would You Rather" with a new name — and works through questions about comic art versus story, iconic vehicles, beach versus city trips, and more. Chuck shares his surprising enjoyment of Big Hero 6 despite initial skepticism, Dan recommends a character-driven drama comic as a gateway for new readers, and Greg discusses his potential X-Men tattoo. The episode wraps with Dan reading from a humorous journal about his first day as a new father.

The hosts return after a two-week absence to share what they've been up to. Dan tells the story of becoming a new father, including details about an unexpected C-section delivery. The group also discusses the Supergirl preview that recently aired, sharing mixed reactions to its tone and target demographic. This leads into a broader conversation about the representation of women in comic book movies and TV shows, including discussions of upcoming projects like Captain Marvel, Black Widow, and Legends of Tomorrow.