The Captioned Life Show

Comic Watch contributor Seth Adrian Romo joins Sean in discussing Boom! Studios series The Many Deaths Of Laila Starr by Ram V., Filipe Andrade, Ines Amaro, and AndWorld Design. They do an overview of the series, their favorite key moments or aspects of the series, and what changes they would have liked to see. They touch on the themes of the dualism of life and death, the physical and spiritual, and Hindu principles.

They also chatted about how ChatGPT is not great for comic book summaries, the recent announcement on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Last Ronin video game development, and what comic books they and the listeners of the show are reading.

Seth Adrian Romo is a lifelong fan of comic books and believes there is a comic out there for everyone. He writes for Comic Watch, shares his comic book commentary on Substack, and does his best to get through his ever-growing comic book “to read” pile. His current goal is to read every issue of Detective Comics starting with Issue #27.

He's a Husband, new Dad, Pet Parent, and so-so toy photographer.

• Episode Page - “#93 ‘The Many Deaths Of Laila Starr’ with Seth Adrian Romo”
• “The Many Deaths Of Laila Starr” Comic Information
• Seth Adrian Romo’s Social Media Accounts
• Our Blog of Comics, Movies, & Series Reviews, Top 5 Lists, and Announcements
• Comic Watch
• Apply To Be A Reviewer For Comic Watch
• Join The Illuminicasters’ Discord
• The Captioned Life Show website

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Podcaster Derek Hoskins of “Paperweight Entertainment” joins Sean in reviewing the latest Warner Brothers and DC Comics movie, “Shazam!: Fury Of The Gods.” They discuss the theme of family, who stole the show, the Shazam suit design, the problem with villains and monsters’ limited powers in movies, and THAT mid-credits scene.

They also touch on how men are kids inside adult bodies, the latest news in digital comics reading, dungeons and dragons, and what comic books they are reading.

Derek Hoskins is the Co-Founder of Paperweight Entertainment, along with Ian Torrance and Colonel Bob Tingle. He is the co-host of the Paperweight Entertainment Podcast, a lifelong fan of comic books and comic-related media, and a firm believer that, in the words of Qui-Gon Jinn, “Your focus determines your reality.”

• Episode Page - “#92 “Shazam! Fury Of The Gods” With Derek Hoskins”
• The Paperweight Entertainment Podcast
• Comic Book Keeper’s Podcast Episode, “Shazam” (Spotify)
• Our Blog of Comics, Movies, & Series Reviews, Top 5 Lists, and Announcements
• Comic Watch
• Apply To Be A Reviewer For Comic Watch
• Join The Illuminicasters’ Discord
• The Captioned Life Show website

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Social media director Jon-Stephen Stansel joins Sean to discuss the “behind the scenes” with superhero social media accounts. They discuss the mindset and strategies of superhero accounts, why a company may want to have a character-specific account, and how they create a voice for that hero’s social media profile.

They also touch on Jon-Stephen’s work on the Invincible social media account, their love for the Harley Quinn show and X-Men, and what comic books they and the listeners of the show are reading.

Jon-Stephen Stansel is an award-winning social media professional with over a decade of experience managing, building, and creating content for brand social media accounts. He has run social media accounts for Amazon Prime's Invincible animated series, Hyper RPG, Black Market Narrative and their series Radiant Black, Rogue Sun, and other comics in the Massive-verse, the University of Central Arkansas, Texas State University, the Texas Department of Transportation, as well as consulting for many television series, films, and small businesses. He is currently the Director of Social Media at Chaotic Good Studios.

• Episode Page - “#91 Superheroes & Social Media With Jon-Stephen Stansel”
• Jon-Stephen Stansel’s Website
• Jon-Stephen Stansel’s Twitter
• Jon-Stephen Stansel’s LinkedIn
• Jon-Stephen Stansel’s Instagram
• Our Blog of Comics, Movies, & Series Reviews, Top 5 Lists, and Announcements
• Apply To Be A Reviewer For Comic Watch
• Join The Illuminicasters’ Discord
• The Captioned Life Show website

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Comic Watch contributor Anthony Bergamini joins Sean in discussing the latest limited series from DC Comics, The Human Target, by Tom King and Greg Smallwood. They discuss the writing and artwork of the series, the highlights of the Justice League International characters, the theme of death, and what they hope to see for the future of The Human Target, Christopher Chance. 

They also touch on Anthony’s background in film, their experience with Comic Watch, Sean’s experience at Geek Meet Indy, and what comic books they and the listeners of the show are reading.

Anthony Bergamini is a writer for Comic Watch, he has a BA in Film from SFSU and he is a fan of all things comics, movies, and TV. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram under the username @ antman0052 

• Episode Page - “#90 The Human Target With Anthony Bergamini”
• Anthony’s Twitter @antman0052
• Anthony’s Instagram @antman0052
• Anthony Bergamini’s work for Comic Watch
• The Human Target Comic Series
• Our Blog of Comics, Movies, & Series Reviews, Top 5 Lists, and Announcements
• Comic Watch
• Apply To Be A Reviewer For Comic Watch
• Join The Illuminicasters’ Discord
• The Captioned Life Show website

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Cultural historian and professor David Hajdu joins Sean in discussing the history of the Comics Code Authority. They discuss how the organization was formed, what were some of the first rules that were included from the Comics Code Authority, why it was decided to self-regulate rather than an outside body, and what lasting effects the formation of the Comics Code Authority has today. 

They also talk about the upcoming film in development that’s based on David’s book The Ten-Cent Plague, David’s own comic book origin story, and what comics Sean and the listeners are reading. 

David Hajdu is an award-winning cultural historian, critic, and novelist. His books include The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America and A Revolution in Three Acts, a work of graphic nonfiction with art by John Carey. He is a professor at Columbia University and a member of the National Council on the Humanities. His first published work was an original comic strip, The Endless Odyssey of Skip Toomaloo, published in his high-school newspaper.

• Episode Page - “#89 Comics Code Authority With David Hajdu”
• David Hajdu’s website
• David Hajdu’s Twitter - @davidhajdu_
• David Hajdu’s Instagram - @davidhajdu_
• Join The Illuminicasters’ Discord
• Our Blog of Comics, Movies, & Series Reviews, Top 5 Lists, and Announcements
• Comic Watch
• The Captioned Life Show website

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Writer and movie critic Ashley Saunders joins Sean in reviewing the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. They discuss their MCU origin story, their overall thoughts about the film as well as the best and weakest moments, the Ant-Family dynamic, MODOK and Kang, and what the future holds for the MCU. 

They also touch on how movie critics review movies vs. audience, and comic book moments from the movie.

Ashley Saunders is a movie critic, writer, podcaster, and gamer from the Washington DC area who is always ready to travel. Her family consists of her husband, two children, one husky, and two ginger cats, Loki and Bucky. She was born and raised in the DC Metro area, and still calls it home. But if she could, she would probably live at Disney World and spend her days eating Dole Whips with the main Mouse.

She co-hosts the Geek Girls' Universe podcast with one of her closest friends. Their weekly episodes share the latest in entertainment news. You can find her and her family on YouTube sharing reaction videos, celebrity interviews, unboxing videos, and more. Ashley also co-hosts a weekly Twitter chat, #MarvelMondays, that brings Marvel fans from all over together to share their love and thoughts on the fandom. Her creative side has led to partnerships with brands like Marvel Studios and Nickelodeon.

Ashley's vast knowledge of Marvel, Star Wars, and other geeky topics led her to join CBR.com as a contributor. There she breaks down theories, trailers, and more as a film and tv writer. She is also part of the International Film Society Critics and the Online Association of Female Film Critics. 

In her free time, she loves to read, have lightsaber battles, and talk about all things Marvel. 

• Episode Page - “#88 Movie Review: Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania With Ashley Saunders”
• Ashley Saunders’ website
• Official Website of Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania
• Join The Illuminicasters’ Discord
• Our Blog of Comics, Movies, & Series Reviews, Top 5 Lists, and Announcements
• Comic Watch
• The Captioned Life Show website

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Former co-host Kevin Stahlecker joins Sean in talking about movies that are based on video games. They discuss why it’s so hard for these movies to be successful, what their favorite and least favorite movies are in this genre, their disdain for the Mortal Kombat (2021) movie, and what games they want to see turn into a movie. 

They also touch on Tom Cruise as Crash Bandicoot, their favorite video games growing up, and why Street Fighter shouldn’t have been called Street Fighter.

Kevin Stahlecker is a long-time comic book and superhero fan, and as a public educator, he is constantly finding new ways to weave his love of pop culture into the classroom. He's also a co-founder and former cohost of the Captioned Life Podcast.

• Episode Page - “#87 Video Game Movies With Kevin Stahlecker”
• List of movies based on video games
• Our Review of Mortal Kombat (2021)
• Join The Illuminicasters’ Discord
• Our Blog of Comics, Movies, & Series Reviews, Top 5 Lists, and Announcements
• Comic Watch
• The Captioned Life Show website

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Author, editor, & historian Danny Fingeroth joins Sean to talk about Will Eisner Week. They discuss who Will Eisner is, what happens during Will Eisner Week, how people can participate in it, and the upcoming books that Danny is currently working on. 

Danny Fingeroth is a popular-culture critic and historian. His most recent book is 2019’s A Marvelous Life: The Amazing Story of Stan Lee, published by St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan, a well-reviewed biography of the controversial, pioneering Lee, the Jewish co-creator of Marvel’s most famous characters. The book—the first biography of Lee to appear after his death— was a Times of London and SyFy Book of the Year. 

A longtime executive editor and writer at Marvel Comics, where he ran the company’s Spider-Man line, Fingeroth is the author of other books including Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us About Ourselves and Our Society and Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews Comics and the Creation of the Superhero. All three books are available as audiobooks read by the author.

Fingeroth has spoken on comics-related topics at Columbia University, the Smithsonian Institution, the Metropolitan Museum, the San Diego Comic-Con, and many other venues. 

He is currently at work on books about iconic 20th Century figures Bob Dylan and Jack Ruby. The Ruby book will be published in the fall of 2023 by Chicago Review Press.

• Episode Page - “#86 Will Eisner Week With Danny Fingeroth”
• Will Eisner Week
• Danny Fingeroth’s Website
• BOOK - A Contract With God and Other Stories of Dropsie Avenue
• Join The Illuminicasters’ Discord
• Our Blog of Comics, Movies, & Series Reviews, Top 5 Lists, and Announcements
• Comic Watch
• The Captioned Life Show website

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Comic book historian, pop culture commentator, and Comic Watch contributor Sasha Kaplan joins Sean in discussing Jewish representation in comics. They touch on the current issues, great and not-so-great examples of Jewish representation, and how this also translates on the big screen with films and series.

They also touch on faith in comics, Tom & Jerry comics, and what comic books they and the listeners of the show are reading.

Sasha Kaplan is a comic book historian and pop culture commentator, having recently completed her Master's degree in History. Sasha often speaks on Jewish representation and the comic book industry at comic book conventions and private events, including synagogues, universities, and high schools.

• Episode Page - “#85 Jewish Representation In Comics With Sasha Kaplan”
• Sasha Kaplan’s Work For Comic Watch
• Sasha Kaplan’s Instagram - @GeekyKaplan
• Sasha Kaplan’s Twitter - @GeekyKaplan
• “Check, Please!” Comic
• Join The Illuminicasters’ Discord
• Our Blog of Comics, Movies, & Series Reviews, Top 5 Lists, and Announcements
• Comic Watch
• The Captioned Life Show website

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Author and Comics Watch contributor Bethany W Pope joins Sean in a review and discussion about the DC Comics series run, Superman: Son Of Kal-El written by Tom Taylor. They discuss how Jon Kent’s humanity in the comics is designed to be aspirational, his relationship with his parents and loved ones, and LGBTQ representation in the comics.

They also touch on what comic books they and the listeners of the show are reading.

Bethany W. Pope is a bisexual, non-binary writer. Bethany has won a variety of literary awards and published several novels and collections of poetry. Their most recent books include Silage (poetry, Indigo Dreams), Masque (novel, Seren), and The Hungry And The Lost (novel, Parthian). Nicholas Lezard, writing for The Guardian, described Bethany’s latest book as 'poetry as salvation'.....'This harrowing collection drawn from a youth spent in an orphanage delights in language as a place of private escape.' Bethany has been writing for Comic Watch for four years. They are a lifelong comics fan. They currently live and work in China with their two-year-old son, their spouse, and their bizarre little dog. 

• Episode Page - “#84 Superman Son Of Kal-El With Bethany Pope”
• Sean's Review Of "Superman: Son Of Kal-El"
• Bethany Pope’s reviews for Comic Watch
• “Masque” by Bethany W. Pope
• “The Hungry And The Lost” by Bethany W. Pope
• Join The Illuminicasters’ Discord
• Our Blog of Comics, Movies, & Series Reviews, Top 5 Lists, and Announcements
• Comic Watch
• The Captioned Life Show website

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