Episode 87: The Why-Men (Lesser Known X-Men; Mimic, Changeling and Havok)

May 06, 2021 by Kurt Onstad

If you ask people to name X-Men, basically everyone can come up with Wolverine, and most will be able to remember Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm and maybe a few others. However, who are the X-Men that nobody talks about? In the first of this new recurring series, Kurt dives into the history of the mutant team to find the lesser-known characters that deserve some additional attention.

Mimic could actually control his optic beams, but wore the red shades anyways. Calvin Rankin: Fashion icon.

Changeling’s original appearance. You can see why he…changed it.

Wolverine’s claws with Colossus’s strength behind them. A one-man Fastball Special.

How’d he recognize him without that helmet?

Morph…the sacrificial lamb of the X-Men cartoon.

Finally, the Morph of Age of Apocalypse/Exiles. Just a little shift in appearance here.

I am…Magnetrix! No, wait, I changed my mind…No, stop calling me that!

With her multiple times being mind-controlled/possessed, she has some issues about people “getting in her head,” among others…

Episode 86: Familial Power Immunity and Is the Winter Soldier also Super?

April 22, 2021 by Kurt Onstad

Two questions being asked this week. One is about what causes certain heroes to be immune to each other’s powers when they are on the same family tree. The other question is about the MCU version of Bucky, and if and when he got powers.

You can keep blasting…it’s not going to do anything.

The “s” that launched a thousand characters…(Okay, just two)

“Zzark” and “Fzzshak” just don’t have the resonance of “Bamf” and “Snikt” when it comes to X-Men power noises.

The (slightly) more serious Summers brother.

The moment Bucky becomes a Super Soldier, even if he doesn’t realize it.

Episode 85: Who is Taskmaster (aka Tony Masters)?

April 08, 2021 by Kurt Onstad

We’ll be seeing him join the MCU soon in Black Widow, but who is Taskmaster in Marvel Comics? That is the question being asked this week by one of the younger listeners of Welcome to Geektown, and so we explain the history and powers of the skull-masked villain, to see what makes him so special.

Tasky as he first appears in the comics…

in the Marvel Villainous game that partially inspired the question…

and the upcoming Black Widow movie. Which is your favorite?

Episode 84: Who Else Are The New Warriors? (Volume 1)

March 25, 2021 by Kurt Onstad

For the first anniversary of the podcast’s release, Kurt’s favorite hero Speedball was introduced. In the 2nd-Anniversary episode, he introduced the rest of his teammates in the New Warriors, or at least the members of the team when it was first formed. For year 3, it’s time to look at the other heroes who joined the roster sometime after the first issue, but still in the original 75-issue run.

Editors Note: I say in this episode “Helix’s first appearance was in Spider-Man: Maximum Clonage Alpha #1 (yes, that’s the full title), and so his creator credits have been listed as the writer/artist team of that book, which is Tom DeFalco, Todd DeZago, and Ron Lim. However, in Episode 55, Evan Skolnick seems to state that he and New Warriors penciler Patrick Zircher came up with the idea and look originally. I’ve reached out to Evan for further elaboration on that, but as of this recording have not heard back.”
I have now heard back from Evan, and he and Patrick did co-create Helix, but that credit was mistakenly left off the title page of the book, so it has been assumed that the creative team of that one-shot are the ones that created the character. Thank you to Evan for getting back to me as quickly as he could (I gave very little notice due to catching this discrepancy late in the process).

Sil’s original costume (that actually traveled with her…originally when she used her powers, she left her clothes behind)

And her most recent costume (not sure why she’s hiding her face now)

Rage’s first costume. Not the greatest sartorial choice.

Not that it got a whole lot better when he joined the New Warriors…

Hindsight Lad. Exactly as insufferable as he looks.

Hindsight. Yes, that’s the same guy as the last picture.

Alex (and Friday’s) first appearance. Alex is the blond.

As he appeared with the New Warriors. Someone grew up!

Scarlet Spider and Rage obviously went to the same tailor for their collars.

I’m honestly not sure how much of that is costume, and how much is skin…

How does she make her word balloon do that?

Episode 83: WandaVision - A Deep Dive Finale (Ep 9)

March 11, 2021 by Kurt Onstad

Completing our look at the new MCU show starring Elizabeth Olson and Paul Bettany on Disney+, Kurt is joined by personal friend and frequent question asker Joel L. (an MCU fan, but not a regular comic reader) in order to see the show from all sides, theorize about the mysteries, and discuss the connections to the comics that inspired the series.

Round one: Physical combat. Round two: Philosophy debate. Round 3: Swimsuit competition?

Episode 82: WandaVision - A Deep Dive (Ep 8)

March 04, 2021 by Kurt Onstad

Continuing our look at the new MCU show starring Elizabeth Olson and Paul Bettany on Disney+, Kurt is joined by personal friend and frequent question asker Joel L. (an MCU fan, but not a regular comic reader) in order to see the show from all sides, theorize about the mysteries, and discuss the connections to the comics that inspired the series.

We’re nearly to the end! Please let me know what you think by emailing welcometogeektown@gmail.com or clicking the “Submit a Question” link at the top of the page!

If you have to ask, the answer is probably “No.”

Episode 81: WandaVision - A Deep Dive (Ep 7)

February 25, 2021 by Kurt Onstad

Obviously: the perfect babysitter. Not obviously: Kathryn Hahn.

Episode 80: WandaVision - A Deep Dive (Ep 6)

February 18, 2021 by Kurt Onstad

The two intros fit so well together, many fans made edits like this. This is my personal favorite.

Episode 79: WandaVision - A Deep Dive (Ep 5)

February 11, 2021 by Kurt Onstad

The most important doorbell ring in the MCU.

Episode 78: WandaVision - A Deep Dive (Ep 4)

February 04, 2021 by Kurt Onstad

Yes, we’re now theorizing about a show we’re watching where people are watching a show and theorizing.

We discuss or have discussed all of these so far. Take a listen to the first two episodes in this run if you missed anything!

Episode 77: WandaVision - A Deep Dive (Ep 3)

January 28, 2021 by Kurt Onstad

There are a couple of pictures of other characters mentioned in this episode that could have gone here, but if I use an image from the comics, it could be considered spoilers.

Episode 76: WandaVision - A Deep Dive (Ep 1 & 2)

January 21, 2021 by Kurt Onstad

The new MCU show starring Elizabeth Olson and Paul Bettany is out on Disney+, and is so unusual that we decided to examine the show as closely as possible, discussing the connections between it and the Marvel Comics starring these characters. Kurt is joined by personal friend and frequent question asker Joel L. (an MCU fan, but not a regular comic reader) in order to see the show from all sides.

Everyone who wrongly believes they’re Wanda and Pietro’s father, please fly towards the camera…

Unfortunately, it turns out to be a lot more complicated than that…

Episode 75: Who is Kamala Khan (aka Ms. Marvel)?

January 07, 2021 by Kurt Onstad

Not counting the ones I’ve already talked about, of the upcoming Marvel TV shows, the one I’m most excited for is Ms. Marvel. But, who is this young woman and how has she become so popular so quickly? We dive into her history as well as what makes her unique in this episode.

She’s here to kick ass and chew bubblegum…and she’s still got some bubblegum left.

Our live action Ms. Marvel, Iman Vellani (looks about right to me)!

Ms. Marvel as seen in the recent Avengers video game.

This is probably not going to end happily for Kamala…

Episode 74: Santa Claus in Comics - DC Edition

December 24, 2020 by Kurt Onstad

Happy Holidays, everyone! As this releases on Christmas Eve, I thought it fitting to go over some of Santa’s appearances in various comic books, this time focusing on DC Comics (other companies may be featured in future years). Three team-ups with Superman and two other special Christmas stories are discussed. Warning: Ironically and unfortunately, this episode may not be suitable for kids. (Mostly due to the topic. Language-wise, it’s safe)

The lower right area is where the various stores were able to put their logo.

Presents and elves flying off the back. Santa really needs to watch his sleigh driving…

Black Adam is in the book (unlike some of the others here), but sadly didn’t make the cover…

Episode 73: How Does a Comic Book Get Made?

December 10, 2020 by Kurt Onstad

You see the names and titles in the opening credits of every book: Writer, Penciler, Inker, Letterer, Colorist, Editor. But, what does each of these people do specifically, and in what order? In other words, where do comics come from? Kurt goes over each role and what they contribute to this art form we all love.

As mentioned in the episode, Kurt got a chance to play Editor of the Spider-Man books in a Simulation run by long-time Marvel Editor Tom Brevoort. You can see the results at The Tom Brevoort Experience.

Pencils, then inks, then colors and letters (note the sound effect added by the letterer).

An image of the Hulk drawn by the same penciler, but inked by a few different artists. Which is your favorite?

A more recent example of multiple inkers giving their take on the same pencils, most obvious in the background.

Episode 72: The Justice Society of America (and Thanksgiving)

November 26, 2020 by Kurt Onstad

With this episode being released on Thanksgiving day (in America), I wanted to touch on the heroes that I most associate with the holiday, and that is DC’s first super team: the Justice Society of America. From the Golden Age up to today, we go over how they’ve changed over the years, while keeping true to their original vision, and touch on the two Thanksgiving stories that inspired this particular topic to come out today.

Poor Johnny Thunder gets left out of the picture, even though he’s mentioned on the cover.

They seem to be happy to see the Justice League holding hands.

Things do not go well for the team in the 80s.

Home Again…but not for long. Sorry guys, the early 90s were even less kind.

Episode 71: Death Becomes You - Alex DeWitt (from Green Lantern)

November 12, 2020 by Kurt Onstad

Continuing a recurring feature, “Death Becomes You” looks at some of the more unusual deaths in comic books. This time, we look closer at the unfortunate demise of Alex DeWitt, a brief supporting cast member in the Green Lantern title in the 90s. While her death hasn’t had much in the way of repercussions in the DCU, it has led to a new term in this one, and helped bring a new professional comic book writer into the fold. How did that happen? Take a listen and find out!

As promised in the episode, here is a link to the original Women in Refrigerators site inspired by Alex’s death, which helped lead to Gail Simone’s comic book career.

And her last…(Thankfully, the colorists helped keep this from being too grotesque)

Episode 70: Vampire: The Masquerade Clan Primer

October 29, 2020 by Kurt Onstad

Vampire: The Masquerade is one of the most popular role-playing systems ever, outside of D&D and its clones. However, if you’re just getting into it, there’s a lot of choices you have to make and a lot of lore to sift through. Probably the most important option is your clan, and Kurt is here to sum them up for you to make deciding easier.

“Now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the grey” (They actually use this quote in the book)

The game inspired a one-season show called “Kindred: The Embraced.” It was…not great.

Episode 69: Video Games to Movies and Vice Versa - What Goes Wrong?

October 15, 2020 by Kurt Onstad

Since the early 90s, video games have been fodder for movie studios, but few of those adaptations seem to be successful. Why is that? Kurt goes over some of the possible reasons for that, as well as looking the other direction, and why few video games based around movies have been well-received.

I usually try to keep positive on the show, but you can’t improve until you confront your mistakes, so hopefully this can steer future video game adapters away from some of the pitfalls, and help make upcoming movies better!

Well, the costumes are on point, except for those boots…

Ryan Reynolds just doesn’t want people to see his face anymore, does he?

Help! We’re trapped in an Uwe Boll movie, and can’t get out!

Episode 68: The Replacements - Batman

October 01, 2020 by Kurt Onstad

Last time we did a “Replacements” episode, we looked at the various Robins. This time, we dive deep in on his mentor, and look at all the people who have been the official Batman in the regular DCU. There’s a little crossover between the two, so if you haven’t listened to Episode 58, I recommend doing so first.

The one true original Batman. (Almost) never replaceable!

The CCO of Marvel probably still gets character payments for this DC character. I’m betting someone is annoyed at that.

It was the 90s. The thigh belt was apparently mandatory then.

How did he stuff that mullet under the cowl without it bugging him?

Nananananananana…Bunnyman! (Even Gordon himself commented on this in the comics)