JSA #56 (2004)

Welcome to #JSApril! Worst Collection Ever is proud to participate in this celebration of JSA content by delivering our wicked takes on Geoff Johns’s “Black Reign” saga!

This issue plays out more like the first act of a promsing action flick, with Black Adam recruiting a crew of disenchanted, mayhem-seeking folks to help him liberate his home country of Kahndaq. We got the assassin Nemesis, a tatted-up Eclipso, a freshly-mutated Northwind, a conflicted Atom Smasher and Chester Bennington of Linkin Park aka Brainwave aka Robert Englund from the V mini-series. The scene gets bloody and emotional and there are cooling brains all over the place.

We also spend a bit of time parsing out Northwind’s creation so, if you new to the podcast, put a fun movie on for the kids and then hide under a blanket while you listen to this.

All this plus Jen and Shawn buy a bunch of cheap trades, new DC Absolute offerings and the Hawk Tuah Girl runs afoul of the Dark Knight!

[NOTE — we (or specifically Shawn) refers to Northwind a bunch as “Hawkwind.” Hawkwind was a band that Lemmy was in before Motörhead - we are aware of this. We will most likely screw this up again, so there you go]

*** PROPER COMIC BOOK DISCUSSION STARTS AT 00:22:14 ***

Promo: #JSAPRIL (https://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/jsapril/)

Continue the conversation with Shawn and Jen on Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / Threads / Bluesky or email the show at [email protected]

Also, get hip to all of our episodes on YouTube in its own playlist! https://bit.ly/WorstCollectionEverYT

Download the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your favorite shows. Please rate, review, subscribe and tell a friend!

GUY GARDNER: WARRIOR #0 (1994)

It is our first podcast guest in a LONG time as Shawn's brother -- the mighty Brian Marek -- joins us to talk about pivotal (to Shawn and Brian at least) 90’s comic GUY GARDNER: WARRIOR. It is the Zero Hour issue that reboots Guy as a descendant of a race of peace-keeping aliens who have been traveling the cosmos in a quest to create the perfect, well, warrior. This all gets SUPER body horror pretty quick, with veiny cannon arms and flesh syringes. For the most part, we put this over pretty strongly because the Guy Gardner aesthetic from his era is totally 90s and totally pro wrestling and it’s the best.

All this plus we chat about the Ultimate Warrior’s corpse running amok in the DC Comics offices, Power Girl’s forgotten baby, Guy’s Irish heritage and which foods you should NOT bring to an orgy.

[ONE MORE THING — this podcast was recorded using Streamyard and may eventually come out as video on our YT channel. That being said, the audio does have some aberrations and skips that were unavoidable or skipped over so please bear with us. It was our first time recording the podcast in this format and will need to fine-tuned. Thanks!]

*** PROPER COMIC BOOK DISCUSSION STARTS AT 00:16:24 ***

Promo: #JSAPRIL (https://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/jsapril/)

Follow Brian on Instagram for dog pics and pierogi stuff (https://www.instagram.com/pieroguy/)

Continue the conversation with Shawn and Jen on Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / Threads / Bluesky or email the show at [email protected]

Also, get hip to all of our episodes on YouTube in its own playlist! https://bit.ly/WorstCollectionEverYT

Download the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your favorite shows. Please rate, review, subscribe and tell a friend!

DIAL H FOR HERO from Superboy #39 (1983)

Something a bit different this week as we revisit a backup story from Superboy [vol 2] featuring the Dial H For Hero crew! The Dial H stuff is pretty boring and lame to be honest but there’s some fun stuff to talk about. We got lead boy Chris’s dad living in an Al Bundy simulacrum, Turkish cigarette preferences, larceny and ill-advised attempts at bus magic.

*** PROPER COMIC BOOK DISCUSSION STARTS AT 00:02:03 ***

Promo: #JSAPRIL (https://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/jsapril/)

Continue the conversation with Shawn and Jen on Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / Threads / Bluesky or email the show at [email protected]

Also, get hip to all of our episodes on YouTube in its own playlist! https://bit.ly/WorstCollectionEverYT

Download the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your favorite shows. Please rate, review, subscribe and tell a friend!

It is time to return to our rewatch of SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES!! This time out, we are covering:

• Ep9 / 10: THE MAIN MAN — PARTS 1 & 2 (Airdates: 11/9/96 & 11/16/96)

Join us as we discuss topics such as:

• Is it Speweege or Spooj?
• Clark is a sick man
• Lobo eats rebar the long way
• The origins of Superman’s alien menagerie/zoo
• Gas Babes Gone Wild!

*** EPISODE DISCUSSION STARTS AT 00:06:54 ***

Plus, we do some follow-up from last week’s DEFENDERS finale pertaining to the Hulk’s physical stats and why the hell RUSH was involved!

Promo: #JSAPRIL (https://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/jsapril/)

Continue the conversation with Shawn and Jen on Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / Threads / Bluesky or email the show at [email protected]

Also, get hip to all of our episodes on YouTube in its own playlist! https://bit.ly/WorstCollectionEverYT

Download the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your favorite shows. Please rate, review, subscribe and tell a friend!

Defenders #45 (1977)

It’s a Defenders Gender Battle as the Red Rajah saga comes to close! Doctor Strange, all red-gemmed up as the Red Rajah, wants mankind as his universal think tank and he’s starting with Manhattan. He’s got the boy Defenders under his control so its up to the girl Defenders to save NYC (and humanity pretty much).

Also, Red Guardian goes full Gwen Stefani with her outfit, Hellcat and Valkyrie dish about communism, the Hulk rocks out to Pearl Jam and the Marvel editors shout out 2112-era Rush!

All this plus Jen and Shawn chat haphazardly about the Oscars and review the 1986 sleepy monkey thriller LINK.

*** PROPER COMIC BOOK DISCUSSION STARTS AT 00:10:21 ***

Promo: #JSAPRIL (https://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/jsapril/)

Continue the conversation with Shawn and Jen on Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / Threads / Bluesky or email the show at [email protected]

Also, get hip to all of our episodes on YouTube in its own playlist! https://bit.ly/WorstCollectionEverYT

Download the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your favorite shows. Please rate, review, subscribe and tell a friend!

Defenders #44 (1977)

Man, the Incredible Hulk can be an incredible pain in the ass sometimes. Presently apoplectic that Doctor Strange, the only solution is for the rest of the Defenders to track him down. Unbeknownst to them, Doctor Strange is now the Red Rajah, an entity focused on bringing Manhattan together as one big think tank whether they want to or not!

We also got Valkyrie’s ex-husband stumbling into the Sanctorum, Russia telling Red Guardian to get her ass back home and Patsy Walker aka Hellcat interjecting herself into the team dynamic after a peyote quest on Titan.

All this plus Jen and Shawn visit a 90’s museum exhibit and feel really ancient afterwards.

*** PROPER COMIC BOOK DISCUSSION STARTS AT 00:09:44 ***

Promo: #JSAPRIL (https://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/jsapril/)

Continue the conversation with Shawn and Jen on Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / Threads / Bluesky or email the show at [email protected]

Also, get hip to all of our episodes on YouTube in its own playlist! https://bit.ly/WorstCollectionEverYT

Download the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your favorite shows. Please rate, review, subscribe and tell a friend!

Defenders #43 (1977)

The fun times keep rolling along for Marvel’s favorite non-team as the Cobalt Man’s about to explode and all the Hulk wants to do is punch the radioactive villain in the face. Thankfully, Knighthawk (who is still shirtless) has a better solution. 

We also have Egghead unleashing his lethal egg-based offense with surprisingly efficient results, Luke Cage yeeting an agitated George Lucas, Rhino busting out a pre-Nicholson THE SHINING bit and the debut of Dr. Strange as the slightly problematic (but admittedly well-dressed) Red Rajah!

All this plus we chat about Hellstorm from the 90s and the new, underwhelming THUNDERBOLTS trailer.

*** PROPER COMIC BOOK DISCUSSION STARTS AT 00:10:42 ***

Promo: #JSAPRIL (https://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/jsapril/)

Continue the conversation with Shawn and Jen on Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / Threads / Bluesky or email the show at [email protected]

Also, get hip to all of our episodes on YouTube in its own playlist! https://bit.ly/WorstCollectionEverYT

Download the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your favorite shows. Please rate, review, subscribe and tell a friend!

Taking a deviation in our Defenders coverage to bring you a [R]OHOTMU featuring one of the prominent villains, Solarr!

Solarr, as discussed last week, is a mutant with the power to harness energy from the sun and use it for crime and other stuff. Plus, he’s gotten a few upgrades over the years thanks to Egghead. Oh, and he’s also died twice. His first death comes at the hands of El Segundo’s hottest new dad band, “Drew” Bres and the FOMO(R). His second demise involves the Goblin Queen but it’s not as goofy.

Be here next week as we continue with the Defenders and the Capistan Ruby!

Promo: #JSAPRIL (https://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/jsapril/)

Continue the conversation with Shawn and Jen on Twitter (X) @angryheroshawn and @JenStansfield and email the show at [email protected]

Also, get hip to all of our episodes on YouTube in its own playlist! https://bit.ly/WorstCollectionEverYT

Download the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your favorite shows. Please rate, review, subscribe and tell a friend! Please rate, review, subscribe and tell a friend!

Defenders #42 (1976)

Oh man….the Defenders are back on WCE, baby! This is a wacky arc (as most Defenders books tend to feature) where Doctor Strange gets transfixed by a mystical ruby like he’s Kevin Garnett in UNCUT GEMS. He also gets super ageist towards his friend’s courier and skips out on the Defenders while they fend off Cobalt Man.

We also got Egghead stealing an ENTIRE NASA space station, Nighthawk spontaneously combusting like he’s Brad Dourif or something and Hulk dressing up as an incognito Ninja Turtle.

All this plus we chat about the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble, picture puzzles and the dog from MARRIED WITH CHILDREN.

*** PROPER COMIC BOOK DISCUSSION STARTS AT 00:18:45 ***

Promo: MOVING KRYPTONIAN IMAGES (https://www.fortressofbaileytude.com/) 

Continue the conversation with Shawn and Jen on Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / Threads / Bluesky or email the show at [email protected]

Also, get hip to all of our episodes on YouTube in its own playlist! https://bit.ly/WorstCollectionEverYT

Download the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your favorite shows. Please rate, review, subscribe and tell a friend!

It is time to return to our rewatch of SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES!! This time out, we are covering:

• STOLEN MEMORIES (Airdate: 11/2/96)

Join us as we discuss topics such as:

• Lois Lane doppelgängers
• Lex’s DUKES OF HAZZARD DVD collection
• Old Man levitation
• Leftover BvS rage (there’s always more)
• Superman Hates Robots Part 1,000,000

*** EPISODE DISCUSSION STARTS AT 00:17:12 ***

Also, we comment on the recent RetroMania event here in town, Jen’s new BatCat aspirations and some of the stranger highlights of Kenner’s Legends of the Dark Knight action figure line.

Promo: THE MONITOR TAPES: A CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS PODCAST (https://brickcrisis.com/show/the-monitor-tapes/)

Continue the conversation with Shawn and Jen on Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / Threads / Bluesky or email the show at [email protected]

Also, get hip to all of our episodes on YouTube in its own playlist! https://bit.ly/WorstCollectionEverYT

Download the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your favorite shows. Please rate, review, subscribe and tell a friend! Please rate, review, subscribe and tell a friend!