Tower of Babble

While first impressions of the Joker movie sound promising, the jury is still out on the Gotham City story that will follow it. The guys discuss both the critical success Joker has seen so far, and a recent interview with Robert Pattinson detailing his role in the upcoming Matt Reeves Batman film. Some recent remarks from J.J. Abrams spark debate over episode IX and how it will be affected by what came before it. In trailers we have: The King; a period piece emphasizing practical effects and historical accuracy, and Primal; an stylized, prehistoric cartoon with no regard for historical accuracy and a focus on primal violence.

A slow news week usually means a more casual show, which gives us more time to engage a live audience! Starting with the unprecedented, and last-minute, addition of a Periscope video to the podcast.

Stay tuned to the ToB Twitter for more info on upcoming video content.

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The news train just never stops. Coming off the heels of last week’s Spider-Man bombshell is Disney’s annual D23 Expo that brought with it even more Marvel news, plus a lot more! From a dark version of Rey in the Star Wars Episode IX footage (never mind the incredible The Mandalorian trailer) to the deluge of new shows coming to Disney+ just from Marvel alone, there was a lot to discuss as Julian, Dan, and Jeremy got together to break down the biggest stories out of the Disney convention and the rest of the entertainment world this week.

It seems as though you can’t throw a rock without hitting a streaming service these days. If you’re Amazon Prime, it’s quickly becoming a crowded market, never mind the difficulties in keeping up with the likes of Netflix, and with Disney+ arriving this fall, things will only get tougher. Amazon may already have an Oscar under their belt, but to separate themselves from the pack they needed something big. What’s the big dog in entertainment these days you ask? Superheros of course. So in comes “The Boys”, a show based on a comic book mini-series, that oozes style and plays off the superhero genre in a refreshing, if somewhat graphic, way to great effect. Julian and Dan discuss how the critically acclaimed Amazon Prime series is able to walk the line between satire and drama, explore it’s roots in DC archetypes, and then dive deep into each of the main story threads. Beware of spoilers!

What. A. Day! It’s not often this much jaw dropping news hits all at once. Even more rare, is having a podcast scheduled to record that same day. Luckily all those stars aligned for Julian, Dan, and Jeremy to get behind the misc and discuss the breaking news. The most pressing of which being a dispute between Disney and Sony that has Spider-Man hanging in the balance. Early reports were suggesting that Spider-Man was on his way out of the MCU as the two giant movie studios couldn’t come to terms on a new co-financing deal. If that wasn’t enough, mere moments later, Warner Brothers announced that they were bringing the gang back together for a new Matrix sequel that would include the return of Keanu Reaves and Carrie-Anne Moss, with Lana Wachowski directing! Plus, there’s news about a potential Obi-Wan Kenobi series at Disney+ and a new title for Bond 25. All that, and so much more on this weeks Tower of Babble Podcast!

Being asked to guest host on another podcast is always a privilege, and that’s just what happened when Axel Foley of the Daily DVR Podcast asked Julian to drop in and discuss the latest season of Stranger Things. Axel and Julian are joined by Youtuber Fandom D. Saint to break down what has become Netflix’s biggest hit show. They were kind enough to share the full episode with us for your enjoyment, but make sure to head over to dvrpodcast.com to help support our podcasting friends.

The guys sit down to discuss the latest in DC’s Animated Movie Universe; Batman:Hush. Another in a long list of adaptations Batman:Hush is based on the iconic 2003 run of the same name, written by Jeph Loeb with art by Jim Lee. Batman has, arguably, the greatest rogues gallery in comic books, and it can be nearly impossible to introduce interesting villains to the pantheon, yet this story succeeds in creating one of the more memorable contemporary Batman villains (while still including many of the classics). This is a pure detective story and, while the art cannot possibly be fully translated from the page, the mystery components are in full effect; so the guys were only able to spend a brief period avoiding the story elements. Strongly recommend reading the comics, watching the movie, or, ideally, both before listening.

It’s Christmas in July! Nerd Christmas that is. San Diego Comic-Con is upon us once again and Julian, Dan, and Jeremy are here to unpack all the major news from this year’s con. Including, but not limited to: Star Trek: Picard, new Superman DC animated movies, Top Gun: Maverick, and The Witcher! Then the guys dive deep into the what became THE story from this year’s show; Marvel Studios’ Phase Four slate. From Doctor Strange to Black Widow, and The Mighty Thor to an Oscar winning Blade announcement, Marvel held little back as it revealed it’s plans for the next 2 years. All this and so much more (including a heated Funko Pop debate) on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast!

With another Disney remake dropping this week the guys sit down to reminisce and talk Lion King, Mulan teaser, and Little Mermaid casting news. After Disney the show naturally segues into an R-rated Mortal Kombat adaptation (with an emphasis on Fatalities), Joker movie news, and a rumoured villain for the third Spider-Man movie rounding out the movies segment.

Plus Mandalorian Season 2 information, Zack Snyder and Jay Oliva teaming up for an anime Norse mythology series, and brief impression of Stranger Things Season 3.

P.S. If you’re looking for more Stranger Things check out Julian’s guest spot on the DVR Podcast Network with Axel Foley.

I can’t imagine it being easy having to follow in the footsteps of Avengers: Endgame. It made more money than any Marvel film (more than basically every movie ever), and left a cultural footprint that will be felt for decades. All that being said, something had to come after Endgame, and that was the task asked of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Labelled as the final film of the MCU’s “phase three”, the story picks up not long after the events of Endgame, and throws Spidey into a whole new adventure that takes him out of his element (again). With a lot of emotional heavy lifting to do, Far From Home manages to nail the humour and action elements that are now staples of the Marvel formula perfectly, while at the same time leaving room for a lot of fun new surprises. Julian, Dan, and Jeremy break it all down and give their take on what looks to be another massive hit for Marvel.

30 years ago the first modern Batman film opened in theatres, while this was also the year the ToB creators were born the film eventually made a huge impact on all our lives. The guys sit down to discuss a post-Adam West, pre-Christopher Nolan Batman, and the series that evolved from the 1989 classic. Followed by: Andy Serkis being rumoured for a potential role in the upcoming Batman film by Matt Reeves; Danny Boyle and Alex Garland considering a return to the 28-days later franchise; trailers for Stranger Things, Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans, and Midsommer; and, sadly, DC announcing and end to the Vertigo line of comics, to be re-branded into DC Black Label.