But for the second of three such episodes, at least they’re concentrating on Abraham, who might be our favourite character at the moment.

Then we watched the retooled pilot after hearing that there were a load of changes…wish we’d have realised we could just rewatch the last ten minutes.

Finally, since Episode 1 did nothing but set up and then immediately knock down a status quo, it was actually Episode 2 that would act as a pilot for what the show would be moving forward.

We give our opinions on all three.

Sigh…

Big shout out to Antonio of torgos.deviantart.com for providing the original pencils used in my Constantine slide for this weeks video.

Check out the slide below

It’s already messing with Jon’s head, as he seems to make the same “joke” about the comic being haunted in both reviews…cue spooky music.

Plus! Our initial thoughts on the MCU Phase 3 news!

So we’re hoping for something funnier, cooler, darker and just a bit more engaging with Season 2. Does the first episode show promise?

Previous Babylon 5 Podcasts:

– Season 1: Signs and Portents

– Season 2: The Coming of Shadows Part 1

– Season 2: The Coming of Shadows Part 2

So Simon checks it out, despite an admitted dislike of animated fantasy.

Then the guys both have their first experience of The Last Unicorn, another highly-regarded Rankin Bass film often seen as a superb companion piece…

Enjoy!

Previous Babylon 5 Podcasts:

– Season 1: Signs and Portents

– Season 2: The Coming of Shadows Part 1

Also: Is this Shadow-tech?

If you haven’t listened to the Season 1 Podcast, then get thee over there and do that by jove!

If you have, then join us for the first half of Season 2, which begins with Simon’s reactions to the Sinclair-Sheridan swap, after a somewhat awkward confession…

PS. GOJIRA!

He’s walked with giants, gods, 5th dimensional beings and aliens from every corner of time and space. He’s fought and conquered evil from the darkest reaches of the universe and the deepest recesses of his own soul. He’s an insane old bastard who delights in taking you on crazy adventures you never believed you could experience. And now, finally, his long-awaited DC Comics project The Multiversity is here.

Plus, we review the new Doctor Who!

A few weeks ago we published our thoughts on Avengers Forever, a title we were initially stoked to read. Unfortunately that excitement seemed to turn out unwarranted as we struggled not only to enjoy it, but to grasp what was going on.

Now, finally, we have completed this epic undertaking. Does the second half of the story turn things around and help us comprehend the love this story receives?

PS. Here is the link Simon mentions…what do you think?

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/07/29/back-to-marvels-future/

I am Groot I am Groot

I am Groot

If we dismiss Firefly, for the obvious reasons, then there’s only one real contender for the crown of best Sci-Fi show ever as far as I’m concerned – the epic Babylon 5.

The problem is, I’ve had very few people to discuss it with, because nobody will give it the chance it deserves, which is something I understand only too well, as I was that guy once. The frustration of telling people “I was the same as you – and I was wrong too” year after year has taken its toll, but I’ll never stop trying, because if any show both needs and deserves champions, it is this one.

My co-host Simon is as big a Babylon 5 cynic as they come, even going as far as having watched and disliked Season 1 once before, so I can barely contain my excitement that after 12 years’ worth of almost-constant harassment from me, he’s finally (FINALLY!) giving it another chance…

PS. Derek, I feel you man.

If you’ve got any comments, email thwippingboys@gmail.com

Jon

“JMS is awesome!” he said.

“I’ve heard it’s a really awesome twist on the Marvel Universe!” he said.

The boys take a look at Bullet Points, the Marvel miniseries with the slightly-more-complicated-than-it-should-be high concept of: “What would happen if Captain America never existed and for some reason Ben Parker was also killed”.

So the first canon post-Serenity story, written by *cough* Whedon no less, should be a thing of beauty, right? Right?

BWAH!

PS. Before you Browncoats get all shirty (or…coat-y?) Jon realised as soon as we’d recorded that Mal’s line in Serenity is “No more running” rather than “We’re not running”.

Before we undertook this in-depth look at Busiek and Pacheco’s Avengers Forever we were bright-eyed young podcasters, optimistic about a future filled with awesome stories like this one, which we’d been led to believe was one of the great standalone Marvel tales.

By the end of this podcast we are somewhat different…men who have stared too long into the abyss perhaps.

And we’re only halfway there…

Important Notice:

If you heard our review of the first issue in the preview we did and can’t face listening to it again, then skip forward to 26:15!

An in-depth discussion on the Season 4 finale, with a few rambling discussions and out-there theories about ASoIaF in general thrown in for good measure.

Loads to talk about this week so probably best just to let you get on with it!

PS. Since recording Jon’s handed in his nerd-card after referring to Qyburn as Harwin. Any idiot knows that Harwin was a former member of the Stark household guard who joined the Brotherhood Without Banners, while one Maester Harwin only featured in the Xbox 360 game. What a loser.

PPS. A bird, yesterday.

Because we only cover the most recent events in comics, we decided to return to the New 52 and take a look at Death of the Family.

What we have here is a fine example of how one carries a podcast when 50% of your presenting team seems to have nothing to say. To be fair, Jon does admit this pretty early on but his struggle to get through this is both obvious and pretty funny.

It shouldn’t be a struggle for you though dear listeners, because of Simon’s herculean efforts – he’s like the Shawn Michaels of podcasting, carrying a useless lump to something much greater than he deserves to be involved in.

]]> https://thwippingboys.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/death-of-the-family/feed/ 3 1453 thwippingboys Death of the Family Jokerface Listen Now! thwippingboys@gmail.com (Thwipping Boys - Comics | WWE Wrestling | Sci-Fi | Fantasy | Film | TV | Videogames | Game of Thrones | Babylon 5)yesPodcast: Batman #13 – 17 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo and a whole bunch of other fine folk. Because we only cover the most recent events in comics, we decided to return to the New 52 and take a look at Death of the Family. What we have here is a fine example of how […]Thwipping Boys - Comics | WWE Wrestling | Sci-Fi | Fantasy | Film | TV | Videogames | Game of Thrones | Babylon 5Podcast: Batman #13 – 17 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo and a whole bunch of other fine folk. Because we only cover the most recent events in comics, we decided to return to the New 52 and take a look at Death of the Family. What we have here is a fine example of how […]Marvel,DC,comics,comic,comicbooks,graphic,novels,Babylon5,movie,tv,television,batman,superman,comedy,books,flash,green,lantern,marvel,avengers,funny,game,of,thrones,wrestling,avengers,whedon,xmen,geek,sci,fi,hulk,spiderman,ifanboy,walkingdead,nerd,nerdy https://thwippingboys.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/a-song-of-arse-on-fire/ https://thwippingboys.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/a-song-of-arse-on-fire/#respond Tue, 10 Jun 2014 13:15:57 +0000 http://thwippingboys.wordpress.com/?p=1442 Podcast – Game of Thrones Season 4 Episode 9: The Watchers on the Wall.

We were led to believe this week’s battle would pitch a Wildling army of 100,000 against our tiny band of 102 plucky crows…and that’s not really what we got.

However what we did get was another awesome hour-long battle set-piece to match up to Season 2’s “Blackwater” – directed by that episode’s Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent). Join Simon and Jon for a brief discussion on this mostly excellent penultimate episode of Season 4.

Come on, let’s all say it together…”In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight!” waitaminute, no, “I stand between the candle and the star. We stand between the darkness and the light!” no…dammit…”I AM THE SWORD IN THE DARKNESS! I AM THE WATCHER ON THE WALLS! I AM THE SHIELD THAT GUARDS THE REALMS OF MEN!”

Jon and Simon return to the world of comics with a preview of their in-depth look at Busiek and Pacheco’s Avengers Forever!

Plus at the halfway point of 24: Live Another Day, the boys wonder if Jack Bauer still has a valid place in today’s post-Homeland world, as well as making some predictions for how the rest of the series will play out.

Show notes for Fingers in Everyone
00:00 – Avengers Forever Chapter 1
30:20 – 24: Live Another Day

]]> https://thwippingboys.wordpress.com/2014/06/05/fingers-in-everyone/feed/ 1 1427 thwippingboys Listen Now! 24 Die Another Day and Avengers Forever thwippingboys@gmail.com (Thwipping Boys - Comics | WWE Wrestling | Sci-Fi | Fantasy | Film | TV | Videogames | Game of Thrones | Babylon 5)yesPodcast: Avengers Forever and 24:Live Another Day Jon and Simon return to the world of comics with a preview of their in-depth look at Busiek and Pacheco’s Avengers Forever! Plus at the halfway point of 24: Live Another Day, the boys wonder if Jack Bauer still has a valid place in today’s post-Homeland world, as well […]Thwipping Boys - Comics | WWE Wrestling | Sci-Fi | Fantasy | Film | TV | Videogames | Game of Thrones | Babylon 5Podcast: Avengers Forever and 24:Live Another Day Jon and Simon return to the world of comics with a preview of their in-depth look at Busiek and Pacheco’s Avengers Forever! Plus at the halfway point of 24: Live Another Day, the boys wonder if Jack Bauer still has a valid place in today’s post-Homeland world, as well […]Marvel,DC,comics,comic,comicbooks,graphic,novels,Babylon5,movie,tv,television,batman,superman,comedy,books,flash,green,lantern,marvel,avengers,funny,game,of,thrones,wrestling,avengers,whedon,xmen,geek,sci,fi,hulk,spiderman,ifanboy,walkingdead,nerd,nerdy https://thwippingboys.wordpress.com/2014/06/04/the-irish-whipping-boys-wwe-payback-thoughts-and-feels/ https://thwippingboys.wordpress.com/2014/06/04/the-irish-whipping-boys-wwe-payback-thoughts-and-feels/#respond Wed, 04 Jun 2014 07:27:55 +0000 http://thwippingboys.wordpress.com/?p=1420 In the second edition of our spinoff show, The Irish Whipping Boys, Simon gives an in depth review of the recent WWE PPV, Payback. What did he like? What did he hate? Make sure you give us a watch/listen to find out.

As always, you can download the podcast in the handy link just below this paragraph. You can listen on itunes or watch via the embedded Youtube video, and make sure you subscribe!

Hope you enjoy and see you at Money in the Bank!

The Red Viper by Zippo514

Way back in October 2011 for Episode 6 – Disco Badger, back when we were mere podcasting babes, we covered a series of internet videos called People Just Do Nothing, following the ups and downs of MC Sniper, DJ Beats and the rest of the Kurupt FM pirate radio crew in their struggle to wrest control of the airwaves from that total wanker DJ Funky, to provide the best in UK Garage and Drum & Bass to the Brentford area…and to stamp out the evil that is dubstep (and paedos…and spiders).

Almost three years on and now the BBC has got in on the act (a little behind the curve of trend-setters like us but they do get there eventually), following our favourite MC (now known as Grindah), Beats, Decoy, Steves and the rest of the crew, with four half-hour documentaries now available exclusively on BBC iPlayer. Basically, there probably isn’t a funnier British show around right now. And we knew about it first because WE ARE COOL, KNOW WHAT I MEAN? Innit.

People Just Do Nothing – Decoy, Grindah and Beats…doing reasonably little.

Following that we talk about this year’s most shocking Game of Thrones episode…to date at any rate…there’s still two left! The Red Viper of Dorne (or…Doom?) takes on The Mountain That Rides to avenge his sister, embarrass Tywin Lannister and save the life of everybody’s favourite dwarf! What could possibly go wrong?! Apart from Jon’s audio being a little undefined for this segment?! Apologies!

Show notes for A little bit Junkion

00:00 – People Just Do Nothing
19:18 – Game of Thrones: The Mountain and The Viper

Thanks to the guys at @KuruptFM for saying we could use some of their early interview material in our show.

– BBC Three Series
– Original Youtube Series
– Kurupt FM on Twitter

When Jon and I decided to bring the podcast back we wanted to do things just a little bit different. We decided not to be so strict in what we talk about, how long we talk and when we talk about it. We want to cover things we’re passionate about and we’re pretty happy with going it alone if need be.

That’s where we are now, because this is episode one of THE IRISH WHIPPING BOYS, my Thwipping Boys spinoff show dedicated to the world of wrestling. The episodes will mostly consist of me giving my opinions on the latest PPV or “special event” as they’re now known and just chatting to myself about wrestling. Every so often Jon may join me as he’s an old man when it comes to wrestling fans and he hasn’t consistently watched for quite a while. When it’s appropriate others may pop in for a few words as well, but it’ll mostly be me.

With that, I hope you enjoy my thoughts on last night’s NXT Takeover event. As always you can download here, subscribe on iTunes or subscribe on Youtube, where the show will be posted within the next few hours.

As an additional note, as some may know we lost our audio magician and so there may be teething problems at first when it comes to getting the audio levels correct. If you listen to any of our stuff and you couldn’t hear or it annihilated your ear drums then let us know.

For those who are listening, here is the promised youtube video to what the much discussed botched move SHOULD have looked like.

Peace out thweeple.

Heeeeeey!

So, we’re back. Kind of.

After bursting onto the scene with nine months of podcasting GENIUS back in 2011/12, we had to jack it in to deal with myriad issues – addiction, anger, alcoholism, you name it. But we fought our way out of the black pit of despair for one reason and one reason only – the letters we received from YOU every damn day asking when we were returning to the podcasting game. Your undying support means more to us than we can ever put into words, and is the only reason the two of us are still alive today.

So, let’s do what responsible adults do, sweep all that shit under the rug, and talk about some superheroes, with the fantastic news that Thwipping Boys has been renewed for a Season 2 with an all new whenever-the-fuck-we-feel-like-it format! Which means more of the awesome comics, movie and film chat (and now with added wrestling coverage)…but less of the original music, because Chris made all of our music…and sadly, he died.*

We kick off with a double-header on Amazing Spider-Man 2 and X-Men: Days of Future Past. You’ll find us on iTunes (old listeners will need to reactivate their feeds) and from now on, Youtube as well. Choom!

Show notes for WOW. Quicksilver looks like a c*nt…
00:00 – Simon’s thoughts on Amazing Spider-Man 2
14:00 – Jon and Simon begin their X-Men: Days of Future Past review with an insight into their private lives that shows just how excited they were leading up to the release of this film…

Jon and Simon

PS. For anyone who was disappointed with the Green Goblin’s make-up, this is for you.

*He didn’t die.**

**He really did actually. We’re sorry, we shouldn’t joke about that stuff.

This week’s comic books discussion covers topics as diverse as the origin of King Arthur and whether Adrian Veidt is f*cking that weird cat thing of his.

We also have some fun with Rob Liefeld’s first issue of Deathstroke, catch up with those Demon Knights, come close to an argument while discussing Rupert Giles and have quite a long chat about the awesomeness that is the Rock of Ages arc from Grant Morrison’s JLA.

Show Notes for Ep. 35 – Bubastiality
00:00 – We start off with a discussion about Free Comic Book Week and some of the revelations therein before chatting about Game of Thrones S2E06.
16:52 – A couple of us weren’t too keen on SUICIDE SQUAD #9.
22:24 – But it wasn’t half as bad as DEATHSTROKE #9…oh dear.
28:42 – Looks like we had a handover issue with ULTIMATES #10 and it has left us tentatively optimistic for the future of this comic book.
37:28 – It’s one of the most consistently brilliant books around so the quality of DEMON KNIGHTS  #9 should come as no surprise.
48:02 – BATMAN #9 brings us back to our theories about Alfred masterminding the Court of Owls (we called it first yo). Thankfully it seems like we’ll know one way or the other next month!
57:11 – We also disagreed on the quality of BATMAN AND ROBIN #9.
63:03 – Larold Hama wrote this week’s classic issue of BATMAN #578.
75:42 – It’s WATCHMEN CHAPTER X and the story is hurtling towards its dramatic conclusion. Chris has no idea what’s coming – this is going to mess with his mind!
86:36 – We read the awesome Darkseid storyline Rock of Ages from Grant Morrison’s legendary JLA run.

Then after catching up with the Game of Thrones chat it’s onto the week’s comic books, including a different type of Justice League Dark in Action Comics; more contrived, out-of-character punching in Avengers Vs. X-Men; and disappointing issues of Stormwatch and Swamp Thing.

We also continue to enjoy Ultimate Spider-Man and Animal Man, check out another classic Batman title, read Watchmen’s depressing ninth chapter and check out two completely new comics – Dial H by China Mieville and James Robinson’s Earth 2.

Show Notes for Ep. 34 – Too Few Drugs
00:00 – We voice our displeasure at Mark Millar’s manipulative douchebaggery and catch up with Game of Thrones.
14:15 – After our hard fought match against the Grant Morrison comic book last month we give it another round with ACTION COMICS #9.
22:16 – AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #3 doesn’t show any signs that this is improving.
30:15 – We enjoyed DIAL H #1 but we are hoping for more from it.
34:00 – Chris was so annoyed by EARTH 2 #1 that he didn’t even finish it and therefore kinda missed the point.
39:16 – BATMAN #566 from June 1999 is the next to get the flashback treatment in our 24 year retrospective.
57:55 – Peter Milligan doesn’t get off to the greatest start with STORMWATCH #9.
63:29 – After a masterful build up for the first half dozen issues, SWAMP THING #9 continues its trend of fizzling out.
66:09 – David Marquez continues to knock our socks clean off with ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #10.
74:13 – WATCHMEN CHAPTER 9 sees us questioning the point of life.
81:03 – Jeff Lemire and Steve Pugh continue to impress with ANIMAL MAN #9.

The DC comics disappointed somewhat this week and we’re still not loving anything AvX related, so thank heavens we had another fun arc from Grant Morrison’s JLA, an interesting chapter of Dan Abnett’s The New Deadwardians and a bittersweet end to Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimates run.

Show Notes for Ep.33 – 45 mph
07:35 – THE NEW DEADWARDIANS #2
11:00 – AQUAMAN #8
13:45 – JLA #8/9
29:30 – JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #8
33:49 – I,VAMPIRE #8
36:52 – BATMAN #555 from June 1998
39:32 – AVENGERS vs X-MEN: VERSUS #1
48:44 – ULTIMATES #9

We check out the week’s ongoing sci-fi awesomeness and insanity from Image Comics with Prophet and Manhatten Projects.

Simon reads another classic Batman comic and we cover the sad eighth chapter of Watchmen. Finally we enjoy Diana fighting demons and – along with the Justice League of America – angels in Wonder Woman #8 and the American Dreams arc of Grant Morrison’s JLA respectively.

Show notes for Ep. 32 – Batman and Rubbin:
00:00 – We talk some C2E2 news and catch up with GAME OF THRONES. 
12:16 – AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #2 shows that even at this early stage, this event has become a clusterfuck.
24:21 – We go on a slight tangent about the charming town of Bracknell despite the awesomeness of WONDER WOMAN #8.
31:30 – It’s all change in PROPHET #4 – but does this make it any less incredible/weird?
41:53 – Faceless attacks in BATMAN #543 from June 1997!
58:07 – It’s not kicking our asses yet but MANHATTEN PROJECTS #2 is exceptionally well-written and illustrated.
65:25 – BATMAN #8 is probably the first time this comic has had anything other that unreserved praise on the show. But still…
75:25 – We picked up NIGHTWING #8 to see some owl action and find out if it’s improved since we dropped it at issue 3.
81:15 – WATCHMEN CHAPTER 8 ends on a really sad note as yet another owl gets in the fight of his life.
94:58 – Superman and his lieutenants take on the cherubim hordes of Heaven in the AMERICAN DREAMS arc of Grant Morrison’s JLA.

We also take a look at two new creator-owned books in the form of Jonathan Hickman’s Secret and America’s Got Powers by Jonathan Ross and Bryan Hitch. We continue to enjoy Watchmen and JLA, say good-bye to Kyle Higgins on Deathstroke and enjoy some fine sci-fi with Paul Cornell’s Saucer Country and BKV’s Saga.

01:00 – THE SHADE #7
05:13 – JLA – THE WOMAN OF TOMORROW
14:51 – AMERICA’S GOT POWERS #1
26:10 – SUICIDE SQUAD #8
31:20 – SECRET#1
34:30 – WATCHMEN CHAPTER 7
40:11 – BATMAN & BATMAN #8
47:04 – BATMAN #531 – June 1996
52:42 – SAUCER COUNTRY #2
59:45 – DEATHSTROKE #8
62:32 – DEMON KNIGHTS #8
69:00 – SAGA #1

Question: How can you be the future of a category you don’t even qualify for?

Also in this week’s packed show, we finally get around to something we’ve been threatening since Episode 1 – Grant Morrison’s JLA! We check out Game of Thrones Season 2, Ultimate Spider-Man, the next chapter of Watchmen, another classic Batman story and the best of the week’s DCnU titles.

And of course we get in the ring with Grant Morrison’s Action Comics. This is the first week it has become eligible for The Drop. Can we land our patented finisher?

Show Notes for Ep. 30 – Thwipping Boys Vs. Action Comics
10:39 – There were some twists and turns in the pages of STORMWATCH #8!
18:46 – We check out the start of the year’s big event with AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1 and follow it up by looking at AVENGERS VS. X-MEN: INFINITE #1.
31:01 – BATMAN #519 from June 1995 was the subject of this week’s 24 year retrospective.
45:50 – We gazed at WATCHMEN CHAPTER 6 and hoped it wasn’t gazing back at us.
54:59 – ANIMAL MAN #8 was brilliant and horrible. As usual.
61:31 – Can SWAMP THING #8 match up to the brilliance of last month?
67:21 – We owe an apology to the guy who provided the stunning art in ULTIMATE-SPIDER MAN #9 – that idiot Jon thought it was Pichelli! David Marquez we are sorry – also: you are awesome.
73:02 – We check out NEW WORLD ORDER, the first arc of Grant Morrison’s JLA. Chris has had this in his pile for months, but the podcast got in the way…now there’s no excuse!
98:23 – It’s the main event! Thwipping Boys Vs. Action Comics as we take on ACTION COMICS #8.

We continue our retrospective looks back at Watchmen, Batman and Identity Crisis, check out the horror side of the DCU with Justice League Dark & I,Vampire and get ready for Avengers Vs X-Men with #0. It ain’t off to a good start folks.

Show Notes for Ep. 29 – The Order of Dumbass
00:33 – Comixology were giving it away for free, so we checked out the first part of THE CURSE OF SHAZAM BACKUP.
05:15 – From Vertigo and Dan Abnett comes THE NEW DEADWARDIANS #1. Socio-political commentary featuring the undead? Yes please.
12:27 – We weren’t sure what the point of an Issue Zero was before this week. Reading AVENGERS Vs. X-MEN #0 didn’t really change that.
25:21 – Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic continue to wow with ULTIMATE ULTIMATES #8.
36:35 – If AQUAMAN #7 is any indication this series is on something of a slide.
42:24 – BATMAN #508 from June 1994 featured Azrael.
51:25 – We thought reviewing Alan Moore’s masterpiece might be hard work and WATCHMEN CHAPTER V is where we start to be proved right.
63:42 – JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #7 started the first part of a crossover with a certain DC title.
71:01 – I,VAMPIRE #7 features an appearance with a certain “Dark Team”…who could that be?
81:07 – As Jon has said before, he knew who killed Sue Dibney despite never having read IDENTITY CRISIS #7. Or did he?

Originally featured in Episodes 10 to 13 of our show, we now present the review as one single piece.

But that is not all! Oh no it most certainly is not! Because this time we have also included an exclusive companion piece that never featured on our show…we try to make sense of Warren Ellis’ Ruins!

Misunderstood genius? A brilliant joke? A terrible joke? Or just offensive and insulting for the sake of it?

– Don’t forget you can also check out our Special Edition on Kingdom Come.

Batman #7 shows that Greg Capullo and Scott Snyder are just taking the piss now.

Plus, there’s droppage this week. It’s positively droppy, in fact.

Show Notes for Ep.28 –
07:07 – In WATCHMEN CHAPTER 4 Simon references Doktor Mandrake from Spaced to make a point about Dr. Manhatten.
12:42 – MANHATTEN PROJECTS #1 was what we have come to expect from Jonathan Hickman, which suits us just fine.
18:13 – Having followed Buffy like a religion from Season 1, the Thwipping Boys reaction to BUFFY SEASON 9 #7 is a bit of a shocker.
23:44 – We keep expecting the series to fall but SUPERGIRL #7 shows that hasn’t happened yet.
31:40 – WONDER WOMAN #7 leads us onto a story about Fishing Spider-Man, and the funniest article any of us have ever read courtesy of Cracked.com.
40:24 – Chris finds the sad story in GREEN LANTERN CORPS #7 quite funny.
44:34 – PROPHET #23 proves that this series is one of the best we’re reading.
53:57 – We are ready for this excellent series to give us its secrets after IDENTITY CRISIS #6.
63:01 – The two jokers behind BATMAN #7 are just taking things way too far now.

Show Notes for Ep. 27 – Whining Little B-tch
10:27 – Morgan turning into such a whining little bitch in BATMAN AND ROBIN #7 took some of the shine off this series.
15:29 – Grant turning into such a whining little bitch in DEATHSTROKE #7  took some of the shine off this series.
20:27 – SUICIDE SQUAD #7 was crazy, sexy and cool. As usual!
26:44 – RESURRECTION MAN #7 cements our opinion that this series needs to step up.
35:31 – The first arc comes to a spectacular end in DEMON KNIGHTS #7.
45:30 – SAUCER COUNTRY #1 gave us something a little different to anything else we’re reading.
62:22 – Every James Robinson comic we read makes us a bit smarter, and THE SHADE #6 is no exception.
65:13 – Due to poor communication Chris didn’t remember to buy GREEN LANTERN #7 but doesn’t seem to mind.
69:51 – SAGA #1 was funnier and more light-hearted than we were expecting.

Grant Morrison seems to have pissed off Chris something chronic with the quality of Action Comics. Our favourite comics writer has one issue left to please us, or we’re off! We also check out Stormwatch, Swamp Thing and Animal Man from the DCnU titles and catch up with Ultimate Spidey.

By the way, if you’re a new listener and you don’t understand our references to Pripyat, check out our Halloween Special.

Show Notes for Ep. 26 – Trashcan Edition
07:45 – We thought STORMWATCH #7 was the weakest issue to date – we’re just itching for Peter Milligan to get started.
14:24 – Chris has a rant about the “utter shit” ACTION COMICS #7.
23:40 – ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #8 was cool but we’re desperately waiting for this to kick-off.
30:05 – Was Firestorm’s death in IDENTITY CRISIS #5 supposed to be funny? Well it most certainly was.
40:16 – Simon’s Batman retrospective covers 1993’s BATMAN #495.
48:36 – Our Underground Comics Challenge returns as we take a look at ZOMBIE OUTLAW.
64:40 – ANIMAL MAN #7 proves that while we will miss Travel Foreman, this book is not in trouble with Steve Pugh on art.
71:59 – Masterful, that’s the only way we can describe SWAMP THING #7.
81:47 – Oh Hello! It’s WATCHMEN CHAPTER 3 and we talk penis.

There’s no New 52 books this week…what are we gonna do? Last time we were so confused we took the week off. So we thought we’d catch up with six issues Buffy Season 9 as well as featuring the return of Simon’s Batman retrospective and the next chapters of Identity Crisis, Ultimates, The Shade and course, Watchmen.

Show Notes for Ep. 25 – Randy Macho
06:44 – We take advantage of the lack of DCnU releases to catch up with BUFFY SEASON 9.
20:09 – We thought THE SHADE #5 was just wonderful. That’s 5 for 5 so far then. Simon’s opinion is rendered null and void as per his terms of employment.
24:30 – IDENTITY CRISIS #4 shows Superman and The Justice League in a more terrifying light than we’re used to.
37:24 – Rorschach has one of his finest moments in WATCHMEN CHAPTER 2.
59:02 – BATMAN #480 from June 1992 is discussed this week after a short break from Simon’s Batman retrospective.
71:33 – When discussing ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #7 we talk about how long a story Jonathan Hickman must be weaving with this – about an hour before learning he’s leaving the book soon. D’oh.

We also drop a book we were loving not so long ago – it’s not an easy choice by any means.

Oh, plus we start reading Watchmen.

Show Notes for Ep. 24 – No More Death!
01:40 – Jon clearly wants to like THE FLASH #6 but doesn’t, and this seems to confuse him.
08:13 – IDENTITY CRISIS #3 proves something to us that Simon has been trying to tell us since our earliest episodes.
17:58 – You would have been screwed if you read JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #6 before the following book on the show.
22:59 – I, VAMPIRE #6 was a series of genuine Holy Shit! moments. Jon’s actually rendered speechless at one point.
32:49 – With AQUAMAN #6 you get a comedy left-turn issue that doesn’t quite work out.
38:09 – PROPHET #22 proves that this series is developing into one of the best comics around right now.
44:46 – Like everyone else we’ve never read an issue of Ultimate Spidey we didn’t like. ULTIMATE COMICS: SPIDER-MAN #7 isn’t going to be the one that changes that.
53:27 – We take the plunge and dive into WATCHMEN CHAPTER 1, learning a shocking truth about Chris’ history with the book in the process.

Jon also puts the guys on the spot and asks them to take up the Paul Cornell Doctor Who challenge.

Show Notes for Ep. 23 – Shut Up Stupid!
07:16 – Green Lantern Corps #6
17:47 – Dr Who #14
22:26 – Identity Crisis Part #2
32:50 – Batman #6
41:01 – Supergirl #6
49:45 – Wonder Woman #6

Simon continues his Batman restropective, and we delve into another DC classic by checking out Identity Crisis #1.

Plus! Jonny has a bit of a mishap!

Show Notes for Ep. 22 – Batman’s Fridge
10:50 – An absolute treat for horror and comedy fans alike with the little-known film TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL. Our spoiler-free review.
17:50 – After our reviews for Kingdom Come and Marvels went down so well we decided to read another classic and pipped for IDENTITY CRISIS!
36:10 – DEATHSTROKE #6 sidetracks us into a conversation about how much it sucks that we’ve come to like this character, since his time is nearly up.
44:28 – DEMON KNIGHTS #6 makes us ponder the question: What is a horse?
53:47 – We have to wonder when reading RESURRECTION MAN #6 why the doctors at Arkham allow the inmates to keep their costumes and other various accoutrements.
60:53 – We enjoyed GREEN LANTERN #6 but we’re only interested while Sinestro remains the main character.
69:50 – Simon continues his retrospective with June 1990’s BATMAN #449.
80:20 – BATMAN AND ROBIN #6 leaves us a bit disappointed about Batman’s terrible revelation. Turns out he once beat someone up.
94:37 – SUICIDE SQUAD #6 had us laughing from the first panel. We keep saying this but if any of you aren’t reading this yet you’re only depriving yourselves!

To make a hot toddy in the traditional Thwipping Boys way:

– Squeeze the juices from two lemons. Put aside.
– Grab cafetiere (or alternative infusing method), realise as usual that you forgot to wash it after your last coffee. Wash.
– Place a teaspoon of cinnamon powder and a small handful of cloves into the cafetiere.
– Place in required amount of boiling water (get a grown up for that bit) for whatever mug you are using.
– Place 1-2 teaspoons of Manuka Honey (minimum 10+ activity rating) into the mug.
– After 5 minutes or so, pour the hot water from the cafetiere into the mug. Stir until you are certain the honey has melted.
– Add the lemon juice.
– Add 1-2 shots of whiskey, to taste.
– Stir, and sip while it’s still warm. 

Show Notes for Ep. 21 – Chas and Dave
21:13 – One of us thought ACTION COMICS #6 was Grant Morrison finally kicking into gear.  The others were not convinced.
32:15 – Another Image #1? Yes please.  But can ALPHA GIRL #1 compare to the brilliance of Prophet #21?
37:10 – STORMWATCH #6 was a strong farewell from Paul Cornell which left us wanting more.
45:50 – BATMAN #434 featured an inept Jim Gordon, for some reason.
55:00 – We got something a little bit different with ANIMAL MAN #6.
62:50 – While Animal Man was a bit of a lighter diversion, SWAMP THING #6 threw us deep into the nasty muck headfirst.

Finally we jump onto Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimate Comics Ultimate Avenging Ultimates #6, just because of the cover. Nobody said we ain’t easily swayed.

Please note: Chris suffers from some minor sound issues this week, don’t worry it’s not you, it’s us.

Show Notes for Episode 20: AAAIIIEEEEE!!  to follow
03:18 – ULTIMATE COMICS: ULTIMATES #6
29:04 – JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #5
35:43 – I,VAMPIRE #5
50:18 – BATMAN #420
62:28 – THE FLASH #5
72:27 – AQUAMAN #5

We check in with the DCnU titles Wonder Woman #5, Supergirl #5, Green Lantern Corps #5 and the sublime Batman #5.

Finally, Simon learns he shares a very important link with his favourite character Nightwing, and Chris pushes things a step too far…

Show Notes for Episode 19: Segue Police!
06:24 – We take a look at ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1-6 and shock! Horror! Jonny comes to the defence of Ultimatum.
29:49 – WONDER WOMAN #5 was great but we ended up digressing into the awesomeness that Chris is capable of frying up for breakfast.
38:37 – DR. WHO #13 turned out to be a little disappointing.
46:44 – Have we mentioned we love Guy Gardner? As usual he’s awesome in GREEN LANTERN CORPS #5.
54:40 – PROPHET #21 is actually really damn cool.
64:54 – Our Underground Comics Challenge returns with intriguing steampunk indie book RED ANGEL #1.
85:16 – We randomly check out BATMAN #408 and Simon learns something quite sweet. Awww.
93:48 – Jon was “floored” by how good SUPERGIRL #5 was. It’s about time he caught up!
100:40 – BATMAN #5. Well, what can we say? Devastingly good would only begin to describe it.

So grab a cuppa and relax as we review Batman and Robin #5, Deathstroke #5, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #5, Demon Knights #5, Suicide Squad #5, Green Lantern #5, Resurrection Man #5 and The Shade #4 with that unique Thwipping Boys mixture of nonsense chat and erudite insight.

Show notes for Episode 18: Hump the Bunk
09:58 – DEMON KNIGHTS has been a brilliant series so far, if you aren’t reading it WHY NOT?!
19:28 – Sinestrooooo! We think GREEN LANTERN is about the wrong character.
29:45 – FRANKENSTEIN is growing on us, but the art is still causing trouble.
41:21 – Darwyn Cooke was on THE SHADE! How did we not know this?
56:21 – I’m trying to summon up the enthusiasm for DEATHSTROKE but I just heard today that there’s an creative team change approaching and that make me a sad panda.
63:45 – Mitch Shelly was an utter shit?! Whowouldathunkit!?!?
71:17 – Tomasi and Gleason continue to provide us one of our favourite comics with BATMAN & ROBIN.
78:41 – The fact that The Rot is confusing us doesn’t stop SUICIDE SQUAD being its usual fucking-awesome self.

Show Notes for Ep. 17 – Timeslide!
14:14  – About the most interesting thing we discovered about AVENGERS: X-SANCTION #1 was that it looked like it had been drawn by Beryl Cook.
30:46 – After dropping the book with issue 3 we decided we missed Slade Wilson, so we picked up DEATHSTROKE #4.
42:07 – The story is finally starting to come together with STORMWATCH #5.
58:36 – SWAMP THING #5 continues to be an excellent series, despite some uncharachteristically clunky dialogue.
70:53 – ANIMAL MAN #5 sees the first arc of Jeff Lemire’s run come to a spectacular end.
84:45 – After reading ACTION COMICS #5 we’re still not completely convinced of why we’re hanging around.

Originally released as five acts in our Christmas Special, we now present our radio play “A Marvelous Christmas” as one piece.

If you enjoy this, check out The Horror in Pripyat

Plus, we lose two more books!

Show Notes for Episode 16 – Ramming Speed!
02:40 – What does Aquaman discover at the bottom of the trench in AQUAMAN #4? Indistinct pencilling and predictable plotting, that’s what!
11:11 – THE FLASH #4 doesn’t tell us anything new and doesn’t contain enough Flash for us, but when it finally does, it explodes into life.
22:50 – John Constantine turns up in I,VAMPIRE #4, and it’s every bit as awesome as you’d expect.
30:40 – Jon proves in JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #4 that he doesn’t have a clue what is going on in this book. Who the heck is Madame Xatanna?
43:30 – We dropped Justice League in our issue 3 knockout round, but Simon saved it with his veto. Does JUSTICE LEAGUE #4 redeem the series?
52:10 – RED HOOD & THE OUTLAWS #4 was Jon’s veto, maybe he should have saved Deathstroke instead.

What happens when a once powerful force for good turns evil and tries to spoil Christmas for everyone? We also catch up with The Shade, review a Christmas-flavoured Finnish horror adventure and Chris provides his own spin on some classic tunes.

Plus we open our presents, recorded live on Christmas Day 2011 (today!).

Show Notes: Thwipping Boys Christmas Special
00:00 – A MARVELOUS CHRISTMAS, PART 1
01:49  – Join us for a very special occasion as WE OPEN OUR PRESENTS, PART 1, as recorded live on Christmas Day 2011. At the time of writing, about two hours ago!
09.00  – A MARVELOUS CHRISTMAS, PART 2
11.29  – Join us around the Christmas Tree in Thwipping Boys Towers as WE OPEN OUR PRESENTS, PART 2
15.04 – A MARVELOUS CHRISTMAS, PART 3
17.28 – After missing it at the time we take the opportunity to catch up with THE SHADE #2 and #3.
25.28  – A MARVELOUS CHRISTMAS, PART 4
27.03  – Bored of the same old Christmas movies? We talk about RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE, and our usual spoiler warning rules apply!
35.52  – A MARVELOUS CHRISTMAS, PART 5

Also – shock of shocks! We drop a book!

Show Notes for Episode 14: The Sacrifice of Steve Guttenberg
01:00 – We don’t agree whether Episode 2 of BLACK MIRROR (“15 Million Merits”) was better than Episode 1, but we do agree that you must be watching this series.
09:10 – After reading BATMAN AND ROBIN #4 we have our theories on where the awesome series is heading.
18:00 – DEMON KNIGHTS #4 has us desperate to see just how badass Sir Ystin The Shining Knight is capable of being.
27:45 – FRANKENTEIN: AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #4 sees the end of the Monster Planet arc where they travel to the Monster Planet and fight a big gorram bunch of Monsters.
35:15 – We learn in GREEN LANTERN #4 that Geoff Johns doesn’t have balls of steel. And the book also reiterates that as good as he can be, he’s a damned inconsistent writer.
43:50 – RESURRECTION MAN #4 sees this series pretty much developing as we’ve predicted since the first issue, but we still kinda like it.
53:30 – Quite a few comics in the DC relaunch surprised us with the #1 issues, but SUICIDE SQUAD #4 shows that this series is the only one to have kept it up ever since.
60:00 – We were so psyched up for the Superboy / Teen Titans crossover when this whole shebang started, but how do we feel about it after SUPERBOY #4?

Show Notes for Episode 13: Hiccups!
01:35 – We meant to simply mention Charlie Brooker’s BLACK MIRROR and tell you to watch it, but we ended up reviewing it in depth and [almost] spoiling it.
09:40 – We review THE SHADE #1 to appease one of our listeners, and are glad we did!
21:22 – ACTION COMICS #4 sees us starting to sour on this series. Grant Morrison’s name alone has kept us on this so far, so we’re hoping it pays off at some point…soon.
39:45 – ANIMAL MAN #4 is so good it’s just ridiculous.
57:57 – We dropped the book after issue 3 but a veto from Chris bought OMAC #4 back into contention. Plus! We get sidetracked by the difference between US and UK sewer systems.
67:10 – STORMWATCH #4 still sees us confused by this series, and despite the team’s continuing insistence that they’re not just superheroes we’re not quite sure what separates them from the Justice League.
84:20 – While we review SWAMP THING #4 we discover a horrifying truth – Chris is not of the opinion that anything can be improved by simply adding dinosaurs.
102:10 – We desperately need a title for this feature about whether Chris thinks we should bring back classic characters to the DCnU or leave them buried forever. This week we discuss GLORIOUS GODFREY.
116:50 – Not even the hurricane raging outside can distract us from Chris’ take of the final chapter of the wonderful MARVELS.

What did he make of this incredible work from Alex Ross and Mark Waid?

Or get it on iTunes!

Postscript: Chris has admitted that he has grown to like the idea of super heroes not being killers, since the discussion we had about this book. Bravo!

Headphones are recommended if possible, and we dare you to listen in the dark!

Or get it on iTunes!

Due to technical issues, our hosting is currently down, which means only the latest episode will be accessible through Soundcloud. You can direct download from the Soundcloud player, but this does unfortunately mean  that no episodes, including the latest, will be available on iTunes at the moment!

Sorry about the inconvenience, and we will keep you posted.

Show Notes for Episode 11: I AM PERLMON
09:00 – We might be way off base, but BATMAN #3 gives us the impression that Alfred might be up to something.
18:40 – Dissenting opinions abound among the Thwipping Boys when it comes to GUY GARDNER BEING A BADASS #3.
24:14 – I,VAMPIRE #3 was in the podcast plan, but since DC can’t seem to put accurate information on its website (or indeed IN the comics) we decided to randomly try MUDMAN #1 from Image Comics instead.
31:55 – We get our Casting Caps on and try to pick an actor to play the perfect DOCTOR STRANGE.
53:30 – JUSTICE LEAGUE #3 causes us to ask what the hell is going on with this book? Is Geoff Johns trying to illustrate Bipolar Disorder by way of a superhero team comic or something?
62:25 – NIGHTWING #3 wins some respect by featuring a bearded lady, but Simon senses this one is in trouble before we even start talking about it.
69:30 – The best bit of RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #3 featured neither The Outlaws nor Red Hood (not specifically), so where does that leave this book?
77:40 – SUPERGIRL #3 has glacial plot progression, but it turns out that’s fashionable, so that’s OK then.
86:55 – WONDER WOMAN #3 ruins her origin story for our friends in the Young Republican Society, but we quite like it.
96:25 – Chris is loving MARVELS #2 but asks the question we’ve all asked at one point or another, why hasn’t Alex Ross been more prolific, dammit!?

Show Notes For Episode 10: Beyond Thunderdome
02:30 – BATMAN & ROBIN #3 has us thinking this might even surpass Grant Morrison’s original run and Scott Snyder’s Batman title.
13:30 – The storyline in DEATHSTROKE #3 seems to consist of little more than one decapitation after another, and somehow this is way more entertaining than it sounds.
20:40 – DEMON KNIGHTS #3 continues to gather steam, as the forces of darkness close their grip on our ragtag band of Dark Ages characters.
26:25 – With FRANKENSTEIN #3 this series is starting to grow on us, but it pales next to Animal Man. Are we going to give Jeff Lemire another chance?
34:35 – GREEN LANTERN #3 continues to give us the impression that despite what we may have previously thought, Geoff Johns has certainly not done everything he can with these characters.
44:45 – GRIFTER #3 was forged in fire, but is it good enough to survive a roasting under our new knockout rules? Simon might know his DC but he proves he doesn’t know much about Will Eisner.
51:50 – RESURRECTION MAN #3 is continuing to impress, we love The Transhuman and even quite like The Body Doubles.
59:30 – SUICIDE SQUAD #3 causes us to go on a Google Image Search for pictures of Captain Boomerang, and we are not disappointed.
71:05 – Jonny needs some convincing after SUPERBOY #3 that the title deserves a place in our pile next time.
79:45 – We “cross the street” for the first time ever on the podcast and check out Marvel’s MARVELS. Marvelous.

Keep an eye out on the blog for the Casting Couch poll, which will be added shortly!!

Show Notes For Episode 9: Animal Manimal
02:10 – We thought ACTION COMICS #3 was a bit of a let-down, but does it give us enough to get through this knockout stage?
10:30 – ANIMAL MAN #3 shows Lemire and Foreman getting better and better. And much more horrific. Wasn’t last week’s show horrifying enough?
18:05 – We lounge back on the Thwipping Boys Casting Couch and try to work out who we would cast as THE FLASH: BARRY ALLEN.
37:30 – DETECTIVE COMICS #3 was a step up for the series, but this Batman has been on the ropes since issue 1 for some of us.
41:47 – Is OMAC #3 living up to the high opinions two of us have had of the series so far?
51:35 – STORMWATCH # 3 has various Thwipping Boys confused about the plot or the weird conceptual powers but how much did this taint a book we’ve all been enjoying so far?
56:50 – Scott Snyder seems to be playing one-upmanship with Jeff Lemire in the gross-out horror stakes, if SWAMP THING #3 is anything to go by.
62:00 – We finish our in-depth look at KINGDOM COME. It’s been a powerful journey!

WARNING: FOR OPTIMUM LISTENING PLEASURE OF THIS EPISODE, HEADPHONES ARE ADVISED!!

Show Notes for Episode 8: Halloween Special
00:00 – THE HORROR IN PRIPYAT PART 1
05.00 – Has ALL STAR WESTERN shot its load too early?
09:30 – AQUAMAN left Simon feeling cheated.
16:30 – The boys discuss the first trade of THE WALKING DEAD and compare it to the first season of the TV Show.
44:50 – THE HORROR IN PRIPYAT PART 2
47:45 – Continuing the horror / Kirkman theme, the boys have a quick look at new Skybound series WITCH DOCTOR.
53:30 – THE FLASH continues to impress.
61:12 – Why does IVAMPIRE have such awful covers?
67:30 – We check out ODDFELLOWS SERENADE in our Underground Comics Challenge.
76:40 – THE HORROR IN PRIPYAT PART 3
82:00 – There were plenty of funny supernatural shenanigans in JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK.
89:00 – I/We didn’t love TEEN TITANS, but it’s a fun book to rip into.
100:30 – THE HORROR IN PRIPYAT PART 4
104:00 – The Thwipping Boys engage in a 35-minute-plus conversation about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the geekiness goes right off the charts!
140:30 – THE HORROR IN PRIPYAT PART 5

Right click on the link below to download.

Show Notes for Episode 7: Us Classy Types
1:10 – Marvel Studios’ THOR almost causes the boys to come to blows discussing the motivations of Loki. Jonny starts off certain it makes sense, but isn’t so convinced by the end.
27:05 – The Dickhanger from BATMAN’s last issue was quickly forgotten, but it didn’t take much away from this excellent issue.
34:26 – GREEN LANTERN CORPS continues this hugely promising run from Peter Tomasi and team in style.
43:36 – JUSTICE LEAGUE features a proper superhero punch up, causing Jonny to make an apology to Mr. Jim Lee.
54:03 – The featured character in this month’s Thwipping Boys Casting Couch is the very tough-to-cast SPIDER JERUSALEM.
73:24 – Simon’s still a fan of his poster boy NIGHTWING’s relaunch.
80:16 – We weigh in on the whole Starfire controversy when discussing RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS. Did we say controversy? Sorry, we meant total fucking non-issue.
92:30 – We check out the underground comic BARBARIAN in the Underground Comics Challenge.
107:55 – It was just a bunch of punching, but SUPERGIRL was still pretty cool.
113:54 – WONDER WOMAN is making us wonder why so many writers have had trouble getting her right in the past.
123:10 – We discuss KINGDOM COME issue 3 and Chris continues to find this a powerful emotional rollercoaster.

Show Notes for Episode 6: Disco Badger
5:17 –The boys are keen to find out what sort of riches are offered by the underground comics scene.
7:40 –BATMAN AND ROBIN’s baticide incident leads to a bit of a tangent and a heartfelt admission from Chris.
15:11 –What’s in the briefcase? DEATHSTROKE is still proving a surprisingly fun read but if we stick around for the reveal it had better be worth it.
21:14 –Vandal Savage continues to be one of many highlights in the brilliant DEMON KNIGHTS.
27:05 –It’s the debut of a new feature as the boys discuss The Martian Manhunter J’onn J’onzz on the THWIPPING BOYS CASTING COUCH.
39:48 –Disagreements over the art in FRANKENSTEIN: AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. aren’t enough to stop us liking this intriguing monster mashup.
47:11 –Geoff Johns has tapped into a fascinating new dynamic in GREEN LANTERN but new comics reader Chris falls afoul of that whole “cover not representative of the contents” thing.
62:02 –Simon does some ill-advised googling on the subject of explosives during our conversation about GRIFTER. We think it might be about a grifter, who does lots of grifting.
71:36 –We’ve got a brilliant idea for a future RESURRECTION MAN arc.
85:54 –SUICIDE SQUAD is gory, twisty, fun of the highest order.
98:25 –SUPERBOY was reasonably enjoyable despite lots of confusion about what actually happened in the issue.
115:00 –We check in with Chris and find out how he got on with the second chapter of KINGDOM COME.

Show Notes:
1:44 There is dissention in the Thwipping Boys ranks as the movie ATTACK THE BLOCK, by writer / debut director Dr. Scornballs, is described as both an amazing debut, and totally mediocre.
26:30 – We might love the old “BBS” Superman but we’re really warming to this guy in ACTION COMICS.
36:00 – ANIMAL MAN was horrific, moving, funny and weird. We like.
42:30 – Only one of us liked DETECTIVE COMICS last month. But Tony S. Daniel is employing the last page cliffhanger tactic and so far it’s working. The scoundrel!
49:20 – OMAC still can’t convince one of the boys of its genius (he’s a maniac). If Chris and Jon have to read Detective, Simon has to read this.
57:35 – STORMWATCH continues to confuzzulate the Thwipping Boys, but this number two contains perhaps the funniest moments of the new DCU to date.
70:00 – Scott Snyder explained complex ideas with elegance in the very impressive SWAMP THING.
79:00 – Simon sorta apologies to JT Krul after reading some of his TEEN TITANS run. Kinda. Almost.
83:00 – There have been some sleepless nights at TB HQ but don’t feel guilty or anything.
84:30 – Chris took up the challenge of reading KINGDOM COME and we check in to see how he’s getting on with that.
98:00 – Who wrote SWAMP THING? The ever-professional Thwipping Boys make a disastrous error. Yes, we are including the outtake after the credits in the Show Notes. Mentile.

Show Notes

15:40 – ALL-STAR WESTERN kicked off with a speech about this DC relaunch, but two of the Thwipping Boys appear to need schooling in subtext.
22:15 – AQUAMAN from Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis was a far superior first issue, and indeed comic, than the disappointing Justice League was.
30:40 – BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT was the worst of the Batman books, only redeemed by a completely out-of-place piece of Jamaican slang.
35:45 – The most disappointing book of the week? BLACKHAWKS could have been brilliant, but really kinda wasn’t.
41:05 – Francis Manapul impresses with both art and writing in THE FLASH, but we’re disappointed that they didn’t take the opportunity to ditch the completely pointless ring.
42:25 – THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MAN was a touching tale of a nerd and a jock falling for each other. We’re just not sure it was meant to be.
66:15 – Chris thought that the flashback in GREEN LANTERN: THE NEW GUARDIANS was a flash forward. And why wouldn’t he? In fact, this lost us all a bit.
74:30 – I,VAMPIRE wasn’t going for the Twilight crowd like we thought, but the cover was still pretty shitty.
81:45 – The Justice League looked plain daft when they turned up in JUSTICE LEAGUE: DARK. Also, Chris spots something amusing in the pile of bodies.
91:10 – We’re sure the Hawkman character could still be salvaged but THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN sure wasn’t the way to do it.
96:10 – One of the Thwipping Boys really enjoyed SUPERMAN, the others…not so much.
106:00 – Chris has been laying into THE TEEN TITANS with prejudice in every episode so far, but what did he actually make of the book?
116:15 – VOODOO was another book that was all about boobies. This time it was acceptable. But why was that exactly?

Show Notes

10.50 – BATMAN by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo was arguably the best title of the relaunch to date. Greg where have you been all our lives?
25.12 – BIRDS OF PREY causes mainstream comics newbie Chris to ask the question: Why don’t Superheroes kill?
34.48 – BLUE BEETLE went for USM-esque decompressed origin storytelling, but it couldn’t have been too gripping, since the boys seem to spend more time discussing Guyver and Transformers: The Movie.
44.23 – CAPTAIN ATOM is a little bit of a redemption for JT Krul, but Freddie Williams II was the real star of the book.
52.40 – At least two of the Thwipping Boys attempt to tear CATWOMAN a new arsehole. Unfortunately Batman might have beaten them to it.
57.50 – And then they read DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS. And then they read this other book. And then they read that book. And then…yeah this one went on a bit.
66.12 – GREEN LANTERN CORPS makes it clear that Peter Tomasi is one of the stars of the DCnU so far.
72.54 – THE LEGION OF SUPERHEROES is more palatable than LEGION LOST was. But not by very much. Colossal Boy, your Giant Growth is needed on Rimbor!
82.14 – NIGHTWING makes massive Dick fan Simon very happy. And makes Chris wish he had a billy club.
89.00 – RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS gets a thumbs up for great artwork and for its awful, completely unfunny, pathetic sense of humour. Which was hilarious.
102.30 – We’re impressed with the art and storytelling in SUPERGIRL. Chris applauds a different type of take on a female character but struggles to understand the whole cape situation and the monotard and that.
111.10 – Two books in a row with two positive female role models! WONDER WOMAN had wonderful artwork and great storytelling from Cliff Chiang while Brian Azzarello proves that in terms of script, less can definitely be more.

Show Notes

3.55 – Batman & Robin: A return to form for the title, thanks to Tomasi and Gleason. Buddabuddabuddabuddabuddabuddabudda.
13.15 – Batwoman by Sir Jarvis Hunter Williams the Third and Lord Winthrop Haden Blackman has been very highly acclaimed, but only connected with 33.3% of the Thwipping Boys.
25.25 – Everyone was pleasantly surprised by Deathstroke, but the boys aren’t sure how long this can be entertaining – despite the character’s taste in baby names.
36.50 – My cods say that Paul Cornell’s Demon Knights was clearly one of the best books of the week!
53.45 – Once you see what is on the final page of Jeff Lemire’s Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. you will never un-see it.
61.55 – Jon knew that Simon was pronouncing Green Lantern artist Doug Mahnke’s name wrong but didn’t bother to correct him.
68.00 – Grifter was pretty cool but we were confused about the timeline of this issue, while Simon has a theory about who the bad guys are. Also: What the fuck is that noise?
76.15 – The worst segue ever takes us into what might possibly be the worst comic ever – Legion Lost.
83.00 – He might be the third most intelligent person on the planet but we’re guessing the writer isn’t, and we could do without the clunky, borderline racist dialogue too thanks very much. Mr. Terrific joins Green Arrow in the list of characters who were fine before the reboot, and already need a reboot again.
92.25 – Simon has a convincing theory for why Lord Evillo – sorry, Atrocitus, was naked in the flashback in Red Lanterns.
100.45 – Who else noticed that the monster involved in yet another rumble on a ‘plane during Resurrection Man was obviously an angel? At least one of the Thwipping Boys didn’t.
112.00 – Suicide Squad proved you can make a character likeable with a vocabularly of one word. Also, Simon has perhaps the most insightful reaction to Wallergate we have yet heard.
122.00 – As the drinking really starts to kick in, Chris liked Superboy but has some trouble getting his head around the concept of stupid teen versions of marquee heroes. He also asks the eternal question – are the Teen Titans…fools?