Screw It, We're Just Gonna Talk About Comics
290 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 252 ratingsCOMIC BOOKS! Join Kevin and Will Hines — two brothers, lifelong comics fans and kind of comedians — as they discuss the comics they have loved their whole lives! What we lack in accuracy we make up for in enthusiasm!
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Episodes
Master Planner Saga Part 1 | The Amazing Spider-Man #31
August 22, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 97.2 MBThis is it: One of the best stories in the history of Marvel Comics -- maybe ALL comics. It’s a three part story we call “The Master Planner Saga” and it starts here with issue 31 - “If This Be My Destiny.” We get fully into it: what made this trilogy so moving as a story, how it was right before writer/illustrator Steve Ditko left Marvel comics and started to fully enter obscurity and how writer/editor Stan Lee still nails it despite being almost totally left out by his collaborator.
The Claws of the Cat | The Amazing Spider-Man #30
August 15, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 86.6 MBA decent issue with a huge continuity error: the gang of uniformed thieves that show up periodically are ACTUALLY a foreshadowing of next issue! DO YOU FIND THIS FASCINATING? Co hosts Will and Kevin do! Plus: Ned Leeds PROPOSES to Betty Brant!
The Scorpion Returns w/ Mark David Christenson & Kait Thompson | The Amazing Spider-Man #29
August 08, 2018 17:33 - 1 hour - 84.5 MBKevin and Will welcome guests Kait Thompson and Mark David Christenson, the co-hosts of “Aw Crap, A Hellboy Podcast!” We get into: how Ditko makes a great action story out of a not-that-great villain! How JJJ’s cowardice is ratcheted up to farcial levels, and how Peter’s got sexy new duds!
Doctor Strange and Spidey | The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2
August 01, 2018 18:33 - 58 minutes - 81.5 MBSpidey teams up with Doctor Strange, who happens to be the other big co-creation of Spidey artist Steve Ditko. There’s very little Peter Parker as the two Ditko superheroes battle a pleasantly very evil wizard named Xandu! Ah, HERE’S the great Ditko art we were missing a bit in the last regular issue!
The Menace of the Molten Man! | The Amazing Spider-Man #28
July 25, 2018 07:00 - 54 minutes - 76.3 MBSure there’s a golden man who can punch like a wrecking ball but also: PETER PARKER GRADUATES HIGH SCHOOL! Kevin and Will get into this momentous event. We also talk about how Ditko’s plotting seems to focus way more on Peter’s civilian life than his super-hero exploits as Spidey and how that’s cool. Also this issue features some very rare bad Ditko art! Relatively speaking since, no surprise, we still love it.
Bring Back My Goblin To Me! | The Amazing Spider-Man #27
July 18, 2018 07:00 - 49 minutes - 69.7 MBWe are well into the era where artist Steve Ditko had stopped talking to writer/editor Stan Lee, and it’s making for stories with very unique structures! For example, in this issue -- the battle is over at the halfway point, and then there’s about 10 pages of wrapping everything up! It’s… not bad! But it feels different than most super-hero books! Listen to hosts Kevin and Will talk about it forever!
The Man In The Crime-Master's Mask | The Amazing Spider-Man #26
July 11, 2018 07:00 - 57 minutes - 79.9 MBSpidey fights not ONE but TWO villains with secret identities: The Green Goblin and also -- THE CRIME MASTER! It’s yet another guy who’s plan is to unite all the crime syndicates in NYC! Will the fact that Spidey-Man has to use a cheap rented costume slow him down! Hint: yes! Kevin and Will like this issue as they realize that they had underestimated this particular era of the Ditko-Lee partnership.
Eulogy: Steve Ditko (1927 - 2018)
July 08, 2018 00:45 - 42 minutes - 60.5 MBSteve Ditko passed away this week at the age of 90. We recorded this episode the morning after the news broke. As listeners know, he is the artist and co-creator of Spider-Man. Hosts Kevin and Will give him a special eulogy episode where we talk about what made Ditko so special, about how big his impact was on Marvel in particular and comics in general. We get into this feud with Marvel, his eccentric reclusivity, his non-Marvel comics. RIP Steve Ditko, one of the giants of comics!
Emergency Episode: Instant Classics! Vol. 1
July 04, 2018 07:00 - 58 minutes - 82.2 MBWe interrupt our flow of doing the Ditko issues to talk about two brand-new issues of Spider-Man, because they are so good! Instant Classics. One is Dan Slott’s final issue -- Amazing Spider-Man #801. And the other, Chip Szdarsky’s Spectacular Spider-Man Annual with a JJJ story. They both broke our hearts and we had to talk about it!
The Spider-Slayers | The Amazing Spider-Man #25
June 27, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 84.3 MBFirst appearance of the Spider-Slayer robot, back when it was just the Spider-capturing robot! Also, Kevin and Will realize every teenager on Peter Parker’s block is a nephew/niece with no parents in sight. Weird, right? And we catch up reader mail, which leads to Will pitching an impressively detailed vision for an Enforcers television show.
Best Non-Ditko Spidey Stories: Part 1
June 20, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 91.5 MBKevin and Will break from the format of the podcast to talk about Spidey stories from after the original Steve Ditko era! They talk about two in this episode: The Kid Who Collected Spider-Man and Kraven’s Last Hunt! Both are so cool!
Spider-Man Goes Mad! w/ Joe Quinones and Jordan Gibson (Penciller/Colorist: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man) | The Amazing Spider-Man #24
June 13, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 93.4 MBThe current penciller (Joe Quinones) and colorist (Jordan Gibson) for “Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man” join Kevin and Will to talk about the psychological drama that is issue 24 -- Spider-Man Goes Mad! We get into: Ditko hands! Gangster Faces! European Therapists! And how a villain really gives away his guilt when he instantly tries to run away at the first accusation! We also talk about Joe and Jordan’s recent issues, which had modern Spidey meet Ditko Spidey! This is a CAN’T MISS...
The Goblin and the Gangsters w/ Chip Zdarsky (Writer: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man) | The Amazing Spider-Man #23
June 06, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 85.9 MBKevin and Will are joined by Chip Zdarsky, current writer for the Marvel Comic “Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man.” We talk about his recent story in which 2018 Spider-Man time-travels to… the Spider-Man of THIS EPISODE’S ISSUE! So cool! We get into: What exactly is the Green Goblin’s concept? Do all newspaper publishers micro-manage as much as JJJ? Is Betty Brant a robot? And why does gangster Lucky Lobo snap his cigar?
The Clown and His Masters of Menace | The Amazing Spider-Man #22
May 30, 2018 07:00 - 46 minutes - 65.4 MBStep right up and see… the silliest heroes yet! A group of circus performers kick out the one member of their group with actual powers (The hypnotist Ringmaster) and try to get Spidey with their ability to… Run at him fast! This ish also features a record high number uses of the word “female!” Check it out!
Spider-Man and the Human Torch Vs. the Beetle | The Amazing Spider-Man #21
May 23, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 86.4 MBSpider-Man and the Human Torch have two problems: their emotionally fragile girlfriends, and a guy with an armored flying suit who calls himself the Beetle. Guess which one is portrayed more realistically!
Spider-Man Vs. the Scorpion | The Amazing Spider-Man #20
May 16, 2018 07:00 - 50 minutes - 71.4 MBCo-hosts Kevin and Will discuss the debut of the probably-not-that-great-villain The Scorpion! He can punch! He can also...well, he can punch pretty hard. Plus a boatload of reader mail!
Spidey Strikes Back! | The Amazing Spider-Man #19
May 09, 2018 07:00 - 52 minutes - 74.2 MBAfter a whole issue of doubt, Spider-Man is back into action! For the first time in the comic’s run we have a whole issue where Spider-Man is joyously being Spider-Man, and it is FUN! Your hosts love this issue, which is zero surprise.
The End of Spider-Man! | The Amazing Spider-Man #18
May 02, 2018 07:00 - 53 minutes - 74.8 MBOne of the best issues of the original run, according to your co-hosts Will and Kevin! There is no villain for this issue as Peter deals with the fallout of his decision to quit being Spider-Man as he cares for his Aunt May. Co-creators Steve Ditko and Stan Lee pull off a masterful buildup of tension to one of the Hines’ favorite endings to a Spider-Man ish ever! Check it out!
The Return of the Green Goblin | The Amazing Spider-Man #17
April 25, 2018 07:00 - 54 minutes - 76 MBThe Green Goblin is back and he’s meaner and smarter. Pete’s love life is once again falling apart as he can’t convince working girl Betty that popular rich girl Liz means nothing to him. Everyone loves the Human Torch more than Spidey. And then: a twist near the end that ups the drama and leaves this issue as the start of one of the best Spidey stories of the original era, at least according to your hosts Kevin and Will!
Spidey Battles Daredevil; The Eerie Menace of the Ringmaster | The Amazing Spider-Man #16
April 18, 2018 07:00 - 43 minutes - 61.1 MBCo-hosts Kevin and Will Hines ask: If you’ve got a top hat that can hypnotize anyone -- why not open a circus? Well, that’s the apparent decision by this issue’s villain; The Ringmaster! Previously appearing in The Hulk, this actually-twirling-an-evil-mustache villain is BACK, and this time he’s got a whole circus of weirdly-shaped crime thugs!
Analyzing the Spider-Man Movies
April 11, 2018 07:00 - 55 minutes - 76.3 MBWe take a break from analyzing the old comics to discuss: Spider-Man movies! Kevin and Will talk about their lifelong dream to see a good Spider-Man movie, and what it felt like to see it realized in the original (2001) Spider-Man! We talk about what we like and didn’t like about each of the big movies. We talk about the movie WE’D make given unlimited budget and power (in other words, as if we were the Green Goblin in issue 14!).
The Sinister Six! | The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1
April 04, 2018 07:00 - 56 minutes - 77.4 MBFor the first-ever Spider-Man annual, there’s a special event: six of Spidey’s worst baddies team up to try and defeat him together…. By fighting him ONE AT A TIME! Also, most of Marvel’s other heroes casually walk in and out of the story, doing very little but plugging their own comics! And Spidey loses his powers for almost four pages! AND … the art is amazing, the dialogue very truly funny and this is a fun fun ride.
Kraven the Hunter! | The Amazing Spider-Man #15
March 28, 2018 07:00 - 52 minutes - 73.1 MBHe’s a hunter and you know that because he is wearing a vest made out of a LION. He’s KRAVEN the HUNTER, and he debuts in this issue, Amazing Spider-Man 15. Kevin and Will -- er, no surprise -- love the issue, though they also admit it has the usual number of insane moments -- like Kraven winning over NYC by wrestling to the ground dangerous animals which he had just brought into the country himself! Oh yeah, and The Chameleon is back, due to zero popular demand!
Spider-Man Vs. the Green Goblin w/ Scott Aukerman (Comedy Bang Bang: The Podcast) | The Amazing Spider-Man #14
March 21, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 112 MBScott Aukerman (Comedy Bang! Bang!, Are You Talking REM Re: Me?) is our guest to talk about this issue of Spidey which features the debut of The Green Goblin! It is also inspired a Marvel comic which Scott wrote (Spider-Man/Deadpool #6), which is really cool! Kevin and Will talk about stuff too!
The Menace of Mysterio | The Amazing Spider-Man #13
March 14, 2018 07:00 - 56 minutes - 79.4 MBThe probably-quickly-named villain MYSTERIO is the bag guy of issue 13, and hosts Kevin and Will … no mystery here … like him a lot! He has a whole bag of tricks designed to scare Spidey which end up sending our hero to a psychiatrist! This series is turning into Mad Men, if Don Draper wore a mask and saved people (which of course, he kind of did). CHECK IT OUT!
Unmasked by Doctor Octopus! | The Amazing Spider-Man #12
March 07, 2018 08:00 - 51 minutes - 71.8 MBMaybe our favorite issue yet! Action, drama, humor and as always amazing Steve Ditko art! Doc Ock unmasks Spidey! He really does it, but there’s a TWIST that helps Spidey protect his identity. Plus Will bought comics this week and Kevin loves when Loki and Thor are nice to each other.
The Return of Doctor Octopus | The Amazing Spider-Man #11
February 28, 2018 08:00 - 53 minutes - 75.5 MBIt’s the return of premier Spidey villain Doctor Octopus, and this issue sizzles! We’ve got melodrama in Peter’s growing love affair with Betty Brant! A new troubled character who threatens to destroy the people he loves with his gambling addiction! A climactic battle! And a bunch of times Doc Ock calls people FOOLS! WE LOVE THIS ISSUE!
The Enforcers! | The Amazing Spider-Man #10
February 21, 2018 19:19 - 1 hour - 88.9 MBThe best worst villains in the Spider-Man universe: it’s the Enforcers! Ox! Montana! And the even more insanely-named Fancy Dan! Artist Steve Ditko really seems to be following a “make ‘em fun-to-draw first, worry about the story second” rule with these guys, and your co-hosts Kevin and Will couldn’t be happier. These villains, led by the almost-but-not-quite-as silly “Big Man” are some our favorite villains. Honestly the story is pretty fun. Come on in and get ENFORCED!
The Man Called Electro | The Amazing Spider-Man #9
February 14, 2018 08:00 - 50 minutes - 71.3 MBOne of the coolest powers yet most desperate costumes ever, Electro is the villain for this issue. He’s got lightning bolts on his wrists, ankles and face, and he’s called Electro. Now, what do you think his powers revolve around? But despite this costume, this issue has some of the most moving and affecting storytelling yet in the series! Co-hosts/brothers Kevin and Will freak out about it!
The Terrible Threat of the Living Brain; Spider-Man Tackles the Human Torch w/ Alex Fernie | The Amazing Spider-Man #8
February 07, 2018 08:00 - 58 minutes - 81.8 MBAlex Fernie (UCB, Bajillion Dollar Properties, Do You Want To See A Dead Body?) is our first ever guest as we go over Issue 8, the oddly subtitled “Tribute To Teenagers” issue. A tribute in that there are teenagers IN the story, and that might be the total tribute that happens. Also there’s a huge killer robot, Peter punches Flash and Peter is a straight-up bully to the Human Torch in the backup story. All right!
The Return of The Vulture | The Amazing Spider-Man #7
January 31, 2018 08:00 - 47 minutes - 67 MBOur first return villain and it’s our favorite winged septuagenarian (assuming) The Vulture! Peter Parker’s brilliant “Anti magnetic inverter” (?) no longer stops bird-brain, so how will Spider-Man beat this weird old man who flies? Other questions: why do Parker’s classmates stay so caught up on crime news? How far will JJJ go to save a buck? Are Peter and Betty crushing (yes)? Kevin and Will loves this issue. The sense of humor is coming through more, while the action stays great.
Face-To-Face with The Lizard | The Amazing Spider-Man #6
January 24, 2018 08:00 - 48 minutes - 67.6 MBThis issue introduces what will be another classic Spidey villain: The Lizard! Spider-Man travels to the swamps of Florida to battle this tragic scientist-turned-lizard-man! And JJJ is along for the ride. Kevin is moved by The Lizard’s tears! Will realizes that he might like JJJ as much as if not more than Spider-Man!
Marked For Destruction By Dr. Doom | The Amazing Spider-Man #5
January 17, 2018 08:00 - 52 minutes - 73.4 MBSpidey meets Marvel’s most notorious villain --- the very unsubtly named Doctor Doom! An exciting idea that leads to a just okay story! But even a sub-par Doom story has all that great/ridiculous Doctor Doom dialogue! Never has a villain referred to himself in the third person like Doctor Doom! The issues also features a favorite trope: bully Flash Thompson getting humiliated!
Nothing Can Stop The Sandman | The Amazing Spider-Man #4
January 10, 2018 08:00 - 46 minutes - 65.4 MBAnother major villain debuts: The Sandman! A man gets the power to separate himself into millions of tiny sentient beings and he uses it to…. Get big bags of money! Come on, Spidey still specializes in THUGS, no matter how powerful! Also: Spidey shows off in front of his high school classmates! Peter almost gets a date! Sandman can’t stop saying his own name! And MORE!
Spider-Man Vs. Doctor Octopus | The Amazing Spider-Man #3
January 03, 2018 08:00 - 44 minutes - 62.5 MBThe debut of Doctor Octopus, one of the greatest Spidey villains of all time! Fittingly, this is the first truly great issue of Spider-Man! Great characters, moody beautiful art, terrific action and a great story! We can’t stop raving about this one!
Duel To The Death With The Vulture; The Uncanny Threat Of The Terrible Tinkerer | The Amazing Spider-Man #2
December 20, 2017 08:00 - 44 minutes - 62.9 MBWe meet the first classic Spider-Man villain: The Vulture. Like all great Ditko villains, he seems created just for the cool visuals. He looks distinct and cool (or at least intriguingly odd), he's smart, he's mean, and he will be back. And... there's also a second story! The tale of the Tinkerer. It is... an ungood story. Seems left over from the old Amazing Fantasy bin. But the art is great, and it gave future writers a good challenge to try to retroactively make this story fit into the u...
Spider-Man Vs. The Chameleon | The Amazing Spider-Man #1
December 13, 2017 08:00 - 43 minutes - 61.8 MBFor his second appearance, Spider-Man gets his own comic that contains two -- really THREE -- stories! He meets J. Jonah Jameson, the perpetually angry newspaper publisher who uses his media empire to paint Spider-Man as a MENACE! He meets the FF, who reject him as a member, for many reasons including that he basically breaks in to their headquarters and tries to show off! He meets the Chameleon, one of the dumbest villains in all comicdom!
Introducing Spider-Man | Amazing Fantasy #15
December 06, 2017 08:00 - 58 minutes - 82.1 MBAmazing Adult Fantasy was an anthology comics series that featured stand-alone sci-fi and fantasy stories. They were short, dark, weird and often had twist endings. Think Twilight Zone, but five page comics stories. But this issue -- the series' last issue -- broke from its pattern in a few important ways. One, it changed its title to just "Amazing Fantasy." And two, it introduced Spider-Man.
Season One Trailer | Spider-Man
November 22, 2017 08:00 - 56 minutes - 77.9 MBIn this podcast, we will discuss all 41 of the original Spider-Man comics done by the original creative team of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko! But before we do, we wanted to give a background on both the character and us! So we talk about the history behind the creation of Spider-Man, and what he came to mean to the world of comics and beyond.
The Origin Story | Introducing Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and Spider-Man
November 22, 2017 08:00 - 56 minutes - 77.9 MBIn this podcast, we will discuss all 41 of the original Spider-Man comics done by the original creative team of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko! But before we do, we wanted to give a background on both the character and us! So we talk about the history behind the creation of Spider-Man, and what he came to mean to the world of comics and beyond.