Episode 117: Free Comic Book Day 2009

Free Comic Book DayGeek Christmas comes once again, as the Showcase boys go to Free Comic Book Day 2009! The guys camped out at BSI Comics in Metairie, Louisiana for the day, talking to the fans, handing out free comics, and generally having a blast! In this episode, the guys manage to find time to talk about Blackest Night #0 and this week’s Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #4, they go through a few more of this year’s free samplings, and host the first-ever live Ask Chase Anything Challenge! Listen as fans of all ages try to summon a question Chase can’t answer, hear the one question that succeeded, and witness the beginning of Chase’s potential intellectual property lawsuit when a bad joke goes horribly awry! And if that wasn’t enough, the guys find time to talk to Kurt Amacker, writer of the new Seraphemera Books horror comic Dead Souls! How good is Dead Souls? It’s Alan Moore-approved!

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Episode 107: Final Crisis Retrospective

It’s been a few weeks, the dust has settled, and the guys are ready to pick into DC’s Final Crisis. Chase tells us what he didn’t like, Blake tries to explain the ending, they give their thoughts about the future of Batman and the Multiverse, and talk about the state of “The Crossover” in comics in general. In the picks this week, Geoff Johns dominates, as Chase selects Green Lantern #37 and Blake gushes like a schoolgirl over Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #3.

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Episode 99: 2008-The Year in Review

2008 ends in just days, folks, so let’s go out with a Showcase blowout! Joined by back-up geeks Mike and Kenny, the boys announce the winners of the Best of 2008 awards, as voted on by you! Then, it’s a long talk about everything that happened in comics in 2008! The Dark Knight, the rise of Marvel Studios, Diamond refuses to distribute Hack/Slash, Archie goes back to ninth grade, and a heck of a lot more. This double-sized episode is the longest Showcase ever (we promise we won’t make a habit of it)! And instead of our usual picks of the week, stay tuned as our four guys pick their favorite comic books of the entire year! Next week will be the 100th Episode Spectacular! If you’ll be in the New Orleans area on Friday, Jan. 2 at about 4:30 p.m., stop in at BSI Comics to join the guys as they record their centennial episode!

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Episode 84: Geoff Johns

He seems to win a pick of the week every other episode, so Blake and Chase finally devote an entire hour to the amazing Geoff Johns. From his groundbreaking work on Green Lantern to his upcoming revamp of the Flash to the totally brilliant revitalization of the Legion of Super-Heroes, the guys discuss why they like his work, what makes him so darn good, and whether or not Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds will be as awesome as Blackest Night. In the picks, Blake goes with the first issue of the new Vertigo series, Air, while Chase is blown away by The Walking Dead #51. Please stay tuned after the theme music for a quick message from Blake about the Showcase crew’s efforts to dodge Hurricane Gustav. Keep us in your prayers, friends.

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Episode 80: Malibu’s Ultraverse

Prime 1Because YOU demanded it! We got so many requests after our Valiant Comics retrospective, that we simply had to delve into another lost universe of the 90s, the Malibu Comics Ultraverse! The Showcase boys talk about their favorite Ultraverse titles and stories, what made the Ultraverse such an innovative experiment, and how the line of comics died out. Also this week: Blake hits three comic shops on his recent trip to Las Vegas — are any of them better than BSI? And with Chase still absent from the comic shop, Blake doubles up on his picks of the week: Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge #1 and Hack/Slash Annual #1.

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Episode 68: Justice Society of America

All Star Comics 3Our big May spectacular continues as Blake and Chase (along with back-up geeks Mike and Kenny) delve into the world’s first superhero team, and one of the best monthly comics currently on the stands: Justice Society of America. The guys pick their favorite JSA stories, talk about the past, present and future of the team, discuss the strength of Legacy heroes, and show their excitement over the upcoming Power Girl series! Next, the guys update their Final Crisis discussion from Episode 64, and in the picks this week, Blake loves Noble Causes and Perhapanauts, while Chase goes for Star Trek: Year Four. (Mike enjoys Batman Confidential and Green Lantern Corps.)

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Episode 64: Crisis on Infinite Earths

Crisis on Infinite Earths 1It’s time for a new feature on the Showcase — 2 in 1 Retrospectives! With a Final Crisis brewing for the DC Universe, Blake and Chase dive into DC’s past to discuss the history of, high points from and ultimate ramifications of one of the greatest crossovers ever, the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. The guys talk about everything that led into the first Crisis, everything that happened to the story, and how its effects are still felt in the DCU’s stories today. In the pics, Chase pulls Sub-Mariner #6 from his pile of recent releases, while Blake finds himself a fan of the Young X-Men.

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