Different distributors in the 1980s means different release dates for comics means that I’m putting this episode out two days before the last one. This time around, I take a look at The Adventures of Superman #429 by Marv Wolfman and Jerry Ordway, which puts the spotlight on Cat Grant in a sense, or at least gives us more insight into her relationship with her son Adam and his father. Plus, I walk down WWF memory lane by talking about Wrestlemania III and the legendary match between Randy “Macho Man” Savage and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat.
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And as promised in the show, here is a link to ESPN’s “Oral History” of the Macho Man-Steamboat match: “Oral History: Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat, 30 Years Later”
In this episode of Origin Story, Bumblebee and Blaster head to Arizona and wind up victims of The Scraplets. Plus, I manage to make an Office Space joke at the expense of the Decepticons! It’s all in Transformers #29. Plus, I ramble about Top Gun even more, complete with Diet Pepsi commercial!
The finale of the second three-part “Punisher Invades The ‘Nam” and Chuck Dixon’s last issue of the series takes us through the end of Iceman’s story about Frank Castle’s time in country, with plenty of action, as Frank defends a firebase and confronts the colonel who may or may not know about the shady things that have led to his fellow soldiers’ deaths. It’s “Down to the Ground” by Chuck Dixon, Kevin Kobasic, adn Jimmy Palmiotti in The ‘Nam #69.
So no one told you this podcast was gonna be this way … although someone told me and Stella when we sat down to dinner to talk about the iconic 1990s sitcom Friends. We spend a couple of hours talking about the show, its characters, and our favorite moments. Plus, there are tons of clips for your ears and Stella sings “Smelly Cat.” Repeatedly. But don’t worry, dear listener, because we’ll be there for you when the rain starts to pour.
In the seventh episode of Origin Story, I delve into my first of several regular series Transformers comics from 1987, starting with issue #27, where in the recently departed Optimus Prime’s absence, Grimlock seizes command of the Autobots. Plus, I talk a little about my kind of sort of discovering music on the radio in January 1987, which means Bruce Hornsby and the Range.
Frank Castle is back in the second “Punisher in ‘The ‘Nam'” storyline! This time around, I take a look at The ‘Nam #67, the first of a three-parter starring the Marvel vigilante who was so popular in the early 1990s that he got a book about his weapons. But at this point, he’s not The Punisher yet, although he does … punish. It’s brought to you by Chuck Dixon, Kevin Kobasic, and Jimmy Palmiotti. In addition to the issue, I’ll also be covering the historical context for the summer of 1971.
In the sixth episode of Origin Story, I wrap up my coverage of the ultimate Hasbro crossover by taking a look at G.I. Joe and the Transformers #4. Do the Joes and Cobras save the world with the help of the Autobots? Will Hawk and Barbara get back together? Does anyone care about the Anthony storyline? Plus, Bumblebee becomes Goldbug! And I ponder the nature of nostalgia.
Many Christmases ago, Frank Costanza, fed up with the commercialism of Christmas and upset at how it caused him to reign blows upon another man who also wanted the same doll he was about to buy for his son, decided to create a new holiday–a Festivus for the rest of us. In the spirit of Frank and this holiday, Michael Bailey joins me for a very special Festivus episode.
It’s our 75th episode and that means it’s time for another look at another movie about the Vietnam War. This time around, I’m joined by fellow TTF podcaster Luke Jaconetti (Earth Destruction Directive) to talk about the 1982 Sylvester Stallone movie First Blood as well as its 1985 sequel, Rambo: First Blood Part II. We talk about each movie’s plot and characters as well as the novel First Blood by David Morell, and then talk about the pop culture phenomenon that was Rambo in the mid-1980s.
Shockwave tries to destroy the world! It’s time for another look at G.I. Joe and the Transformers and this time around, I’m looking at issue #3 of the series, which raises the stakes as Cobra has to ally with G.I. Joe and the Autobots. I also share some memories of Christmas 1986.
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