Zero Issues Comic Podcast

In the ongoing spirit of March Madness, and August Audness, it’s time to make eight comic characters battle in a tournament we’re calling… The September Spat! Eight contestants enter, but only one can win! And this time, it’s “back to school” themed, meaning the contestants are all students or teachers!

The New Mutants’ omnilingual self-soul-friend Doug “Cypher” Ramsey vs. Deathlocket, the teen girl Deathlok! The Legion mechanic “Bouncing Boy” vs. former Marine and current Riverdale High Principal Waldo Weatherbee! The extremely flammable wax mutant Glob Herman vs. Daniel “Oz” Osbourne, who is both a werewolf AND Seth Green! Generation X’s skin-shedding Paige “Husk” Guthrie vs. the Baltimore school board’s favourite teacher, Guy “Green Lantern” “Warrior” Gardner! The winners proceed along the bracket until only one is crowned the champion!

Who will conquer all foes and win this tournament of champions? Who will end up in detention with Reggie Mantle? Does Doug Ramsey have what could be called “Ohio rizz”? What happens when you put Seth Green inside a wax mutant like a Jello mould? Can Guy Gardner possibly survive an onslaught of Kentucky corn? All this and many other very important questions, answered once and for all — in the ring!

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Be our guest, be our guest, Brandon Ingram is our guest!

Indie comic creator/writer Brandon is on the show once again, discussing his awesome new kickstarter for his indie creation, THE GALLOWS MAN! He describes it as Adam West Batman meets Inglorious Basterds. And he is absolutely correct. It’s a bundle of fun, violence and quirky humour. Definitely worth checking out. But don’t take OUR word for it, listen to our chat with Brandon and hear about the genesis of Gallows Man, the bundle of spin offs he’s made or is planning, the joys and challenges of indie comic work and the amazing things you can get from his kickstarter running from Sept 10-Oct 11. Perk up your ears, chum, and take a listen!

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This week, we’re spending most of the episode playing Battle Holes, the card game that uses comic book trading cards from the ’90s. You could always play it yourself using, oh, some cards that are readily being given away from certain Canadian monopolistic, price-gouging grocery stores, as well, but Merk owns a bunch of trading cards from the ’90s, so we’re doing that. Can Polaris beat Spider-Man? Can Spider-Man beat Magneto? Can Silvermane do anything other than scoot around, his head bolted to the top of an RC car?

All that, and we also rank every Batman cartoon, so nobody else has to, because we’ve already done it.

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Batman: Caped Crusader is here, we’ve all seen it, so we’re gonna talk all about it, see? And just upfront, we really liked it! We dig into the 1939-ish time period and all the trappings that come with it, share our favourite episodes, discuss the creators and their influences and of course the inevitable Batman the Animated Series comparisons, the performances of the cast (Minnie Driver’s in this??), share thoughts on the various (and sometimes fiercely controversial?) changes to classic villains, and dig into the many potential influences that give this show its distinct flavour. Spoilers a-plenty, and maybe an actual Spoiler, who knows!

But first, we imagine similar animated approaches to other comics characters, if they were set in a specific era or with a specific stylistic approach! Like a very ’70s comic-horror Swamp Thing show! Or the “new class” X-Men in individual animation styles representing their cultural backgrounds! Perhaps a swingin’ ’60s animated series of the Fantastic Four! Hey, let Daredevil get ’80s gritty in animated form, willya? Or let’s see Wonder Woman in the same WWII era as Caped Crusader! And howzabout a “Blue-Eyed Samurai”-style Conan the Barbarian? All this and more!

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The Trailer for Venom 3 has come out and 5 minutes have gone by since we’ve seen a symbiote centered comic event, so let’s talk SYMBIOTES!

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The news flashes once more as San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC if you’re nasty) strikes, and we’ve gotta talk all about it!

Kang’s dynasty is over before it began! Doctor Doom conquers Avengers 5 and renames it: DOOMSDAY! The Russos are back, and certain Man of Iron returns to claim another metal mask. Is this going to work, or is Marvel leaning too hard on old tricks? We have mixed feelings!

The Fantastic Four take their first steps! Is the Fantasticar going to look like a blue jet or a floating bathtub? We vote bathtub. Obviously.

DC Studios gets a new, old logo! The classic “DC bullet” returns! Oh, and speaking of ’90s throwbacks, Superboy is joining the cast of “My Adventures With Superman”! Radical!

The JSA returns with creators Jeff Lemire and Diego Orlotegui! But Lemire ain’t done, as he will also launch “Absolute Flash” with Nick Robles. And Ram V and Evan Cagle will create some new legends for the New Gods!

All this and we talk for a bit about a certain sequence in “Deadpool & Wolverine”! But don’t worry, there’s a spoiler warning, it’s cool. Eyy.

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Class warfare! In this time of inequality and ever-rising costs of living, it’s time to take a look at superheroes living on very different sides of the class divide! The working class heroes with day jobs and the upper iron crust who can afford to be as relaxed as Robert Downey Jr.!

We dig into many questions: Should Peter Parker even be able to afford rent in Manhattan? Is Tony Stark a nepo baby? Is there a better use for the many wings of Wayne Manor that Batman probably never sets foot in? Are there any actual “self-made” superhero billionaires? Is it even possible for telapaths like Emma Frost to make their riches ethically (no, and she doesn’t care)? Is Matt Murdock in the 1%? What are the ethics of a superhero owning a corporation or being a landlord? And why do so many mutants come from old money, anyway?

But first! We make up new heroes and villains on the spot in a new Character Storm! this time inspired by… targeted ads!? About time they were good for something. Prepare for the sensational character finds of 2024: Black Silk! Muscle Duck! And Creatino, the Cowboy Cat! All this and superhero science, sort of? So much value in this episode!

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It’s alternate ending week on Zero Issues as the boys take well known comic storylines and do a little ‘tweaking’ of the story…. sometimes for good…. sometimes for evil.

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This week, our city screams (not unlike a certain Robot Cop screaming for Oreos) that it wants us to talk about Frank Miller, and we, our city’s, uh, lover, are honour-bound to oblige it! What was our first exposure to the guy’s work? What do we like about him, and what do we hate almost as much as Holy Terror? Have any of us even read Ronin? Could a certain seldom-read Frank Miller book that isn’t Sin City replace The Boys when it ends?

All that, and a very special Frank Miller-themed Characterstorm!

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