Join married couple Brad and Lisa as they explore the various dynamics of comic book relationships throughout pop culture and publishing history.
Episodes
Wednesday Aug 19, 2020
Wednesday Aug 19, 2020
Norrin Radd & Dawn Greenwood! The most anticipated couple ever tackled on the podcast. Strap in cuz we're hitting the cosmic skyways for our most epic 50th episode, and we begin our journey into the wild world of Dan Slott & Michael Allred's "Silver Surfer."
The romantic saga of Norrin & Dawn is one with deep roots to our hearts, and we've avoided covering them in the past for fear of not living up to their beautiful story. All good things come to those that wait! It's time to break down one of the most passionate comic storylines ever committed.
To help us on this trip across eternity is love guru Stephanie Barron Hall and her book "The Enneagram in Love." With her guidance, we attempt to type their personalities and highlight what each character brings to the relationship table. Of course, we turn Hall's book upon ourselves as well.
If you want to share your Eneagram types with us, don't forget to use #SurfAndTypes.
Issues covered in this episode: "Silver Surfer" Volume 7, numbers 1 - 5, plus "All-New Marvel Now Point One" No. 1, written by Dan Slott, illustrated by Michael Allred, colored by Laura Allred, and lettered by Clayton Cowles.
We also sneak in a little love for the new indies series "Adam & Eternity," written by Robert DeShaies II and illustrated by Dominic Pinto. You can purchase the first issue HERE.
Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.
Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner & the Epic 50th Poster art by @Karen_XmenFan.
Friday Aug 07, 2020
Friday Aug 07, 2020
Mariko Tamaki & Rosemary Valero-O'Connell tear through our emotions as we tackle their Eisner Award-winning "Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me." Their high school romance offers an authentically painful insight into young love with all its beauty and tragedy. It's impossible to come away from the reading experience without some sense of relatability and hope that those that read this graphic novel won't make the same mistakes you did in your formative years.
In this episode, Brad & Lisa describe their own relationships with advice columns and how Freddy's isolation leaves few options other than her anonymous emails to self-help guru Anna Vice. Sometimes, when we're in the thick of romantic despair, we don't recognize the support system already surrounding us.
This week's comic: "Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me," written by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, and published by First Second Books.
Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.
Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art @Karen_XmenFan.
Friday Jul 31, 2020
Friday Jul 31, 2020
Awesome Con refuses to let lockdown get in the way of community. The best damn comic book convention from the nation's capital invited us to lead a conversation surrounding "The Umbrella Academy," and we were happy to bring our recent "Extraordinary Relationships" insights to the table. Thank you, Dr. Roberta M. Gilbert.
We're also thrilled to have Liz Reed of Cuddles & Rage return to the podcast to aid in the discussion. We breakdown the first two volumes of Gerard Way & Gabriel Bá's comic book series using Gilbert's "Postures of Overwhelmedness," but don't worry, we get a little Netflix talk in there too.
This panel discussion is also available to watch through Leftfield Media's YouTube channel and Awesome Con's Facebook page. Give them a little love if you can. They're doing great geek work during this time of weirdness.
Be sure to follow Liz on most social medias @cuddlesandrage, and you can find "Bites of Terror" for purchase just by clicking HERE. You can also follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.
Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art @Karen_XmenFan.
Tuesday Jul 21, 2020
Tuesday Jul 21, 2020
The Dick Grayson & Barbara Gordon will-they/won't-they relationship ends here, and it only took another DC Crisis, sorry, we meant Convergence to make it happen. This week concludes our series on Dick & Babs by tackling the two-issue "Birds of Rage" mini-series written by Gail Simone. These conversations were a typical whirlwind of emotions, but we can happily report that we're leaving them as passionate fans of Dick & Babs romance.
Nightwing & Oracle are left to defend their Gotham City from two encroaching Thanagarian warlords. Still, if they're to have any chance at defeating the enemy, the two lovers have to come together once and for all. There is nothing like a multiverse to make our dreams come true.
Issues covered in this episode: "Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle 1 - 2, written by Gail Simone, penciled by Jan Duursema, inked by Dan Parsons, colored by Wes Dzioba, and lettered by Carlos M. Mangual. Featuring covers by Jill Thompson.
Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.
Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art @Karen_XmenFan.
Tuesday Jul 14, 2020
Tuesday Jul 14, 2020
Dick Grayson & Barbara Gordon are all grown up. The flirtations are over. It's time to get serious with the romance.
The kids they once knew are gone. Batgirl & Robin the Boy Wonder are no more. In their place are Oracle & Nightwing. Can they get over years of almosts and shouldas to reach a partnership more meaningful than friends or sidekicks? It's going to take a lot of work.
Thankfully, we have Dr. Roberta M. Gilbert aiding us as our love guru with her book "Extraordinary Relationships: A New Way of Thinking About Human Interactions." Dick & Babs have to get right with themselves if they are ever to mean anything to another person. There must be pain before there is joy.
Issues covered in this episode: "Oracle: Year One - Born of Hope" from "The Batman Chronicles" No. 5 written by John Ostrander & Kim Yale, penciled by the brilliant Brian Stelfreeze, inked by Karl Story, colored by Mark Chiarello, and lettered by John Costanza. Also, "Nightwing" Vol. 2 Annual No. 2 written by Marc Andreyko, penciled by Joe Bennett, inked by Jack Jadson, colored by Jason Wright, and lettered by Phil Balsman.
P.S. if you're curious about further exploring Kim Yale's tremendous impact on comics, please listen to her piece on NPR from 2016 by clicking HERE.
Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
Tuesday Jul 07, 2020
Tom Scioli has spent his entire career cracking the Kirby code, and his latest book is his masterpiece. "Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics" is the single most magnificent celebration of the artist who revolutionized an industry and forever altered our pop culture landscape. We're beyond thrilled to have Scioli on the show this week, discussing in great enthusiastic detail the challenges and wonders of adapting a life as immense as Jack Kirby.
Of course, we dig into the complicated relationship between Kirby and Stan Lee, but we also marvel at his romance with Roz Kirby and the many other necessary courtships made along the way. For Scioli, tackling such an icon and an idol was a glorious burden and pleasure, marking a massive turning point in his career.
Where does Scioli go from here? He's not sure, but he does offer us some tantalizing morsels that we would love to see transformed into graphic reality. Tom Scioli's Star Wars? Um, yes, please.
"Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics" is currently available for pre-order HERE or wherever fine books are sold. Be sure to follow Scioli on Instagram and Twitter, and you can find us at our usual social media haunts: @CBCCPodcast, @MouthDork & @sidewalksiren.
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
Robin & Batgirl are The Dynamite Duo!! We travel back into the Bronze Age to explore the early flirtations between Batman's most magnificent sidekicks. Was it love at first sight? Were Dick Grayson & Barbara Gordon destined to end up together? We answer these questions by exploring four specific issues within the mondo bizarro anthology series "Batman Family."
We certainly could not make heads or tails out of this romance without the help of Dr. Roberta M. Gilbert and her self-help guide, "Extraordinary Relationships: A New Way of Thinking About Human Interactions." We all need to recognize the hot emotions bubbling beneath our surfaces, but maybe none more so than the Boy Wonder - scratch that - the Teen Wonder.
Issues covered in this episode: "Batman Family" #1, #11, #13, & #15. These comics were published between 1975 - 1978 and were written by Elliot S. Maggin & Bob Rozakis, penciled by Mike Grell, Don Newton, Marshall Rogers, & Lee Elias, and inked by Bob Wiacek & Joe Giella.
Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow the hosts @MouthDork & @sidewalksiren.
Sunday Jun 21, 2020
Sunday Jun 21, 2020
We're absolutely shell-shocked to have Kevin Eastman, the co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, on the show this week. Learning from the lessons of Jack Kirby, Eastman and Peter Laird were determined to do right by their creations where they could, and in the process, bring on other astonishing talents to contribute to the character, vibe, and mythology of TMNT. This spirit of evolution and reinvention is not only what propelled their Turtles into mass popularity but guaranteed their longevity throughout their endless incarnations.
In this latest Creator Corner episode, we discuss Kevin's desire to have others play in his sandbox, and the core characteristics of his universe that cannot be broken when his toys are in the hands of others. Also, we get in a little chatter regarding the 30th anniversary of the 1990 movie, and how that small indie film grew out of the same unique atmosphere that birthed the original comic book.
Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow the hosts @MouthDork & @sidewalksiren. You can also find Kevin on Twitter @kevineastman86, and keep your eyes peeled for "The Last Ronin," the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series from IDW Publishing.
Saturday Jun 13, 2020
Saturday Jun 13, 2020
We return to Gotham City with Batgirl & Robin! While we weren't expecting to stick with DC Comics for another round of episodes, this month, we allowed our listeners to pick our couple, and Dick & Babs were the chosen winners. What separates these two on-again/off-again lovers from most comic book couples is how they've been allowed to grow beyond their initial appearances, and as we see in "Batgirl: Year One," who they were when they first met is not who they are in today's continuity. There is great excitement in going back to their earliest days and watching their awkward relationship bloom under the gaze of their Batman daddy.
To guide our hands with Dick & Babs, we're turning to Dr. Roberta M. Gilbert and her book "Extraordinary Relationships: A New Way of Thinking About Human Interactions." We don't live our lives alone. We're surrounded by others who shape our destiny. Don't turn from them! Embrace your Bat-family!
Issues covered in this episode: "Batgirl: Year One" No. 1 - 9, written by Scott Beatty & Chuck Dixon, penciled by Marcos Martin, inked by Alvaro Lopez, lettered by Willie Schubert, and colored by Javier Rodríguez.
Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow the hosts @MouthDork & @sidewalksiren.
Monday May 25, 2020
Monday May 25, 2020
Is this the end of Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy? It's certainly our final conversation discussing the two love birds for a bit, and we're sad to see them go as we've fallen hard for them over these last four episodes. Have no fear though, we go out with a bang, diving deep into the controversial comics that dared to put #HarlIvy on the backburner.
The 2019/2020 mini-series, written by Jody Houser and illustrated by Adriana Melo, wreaks havoc with our emotions. One minute, we've never been happier with this ship, and the next, we're screaming in frustration and anger. That's some damn good comic book storytelling.
Thankfully, we have Lindsay King-Miller's "Ask A Queer Chick" to aid in our discussion as well as the emotional turmoil sparked by this particular mini-series. As far as couple journeys go, the trip from "Batman: The Animated Series" to these six issues was absolutely wild, and we're excited to see what's on the horizon for Harley & Ivy, and yeah, there is still a future there, folks.
Issues covered in this episode: "Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy" No. 1 - 6, written by Jody Houser, penciled by Adriana Melo, inked by Mark Morales and Wade Von Grawbadger, lettered by Gabriela Downie, and colored by Hi-Fi.
Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow the hosts @MouthDork & @sidewalksiren.