 From our great friends, Keith and John!Top 3 Cartoon Sidekicks: Fresh from the Boston Comic Con, The Swass-Cast returns with a brand new episode featuring our good buddies from the Secret Identity Podcast.
Matman and Brian join us to discuss the top 3 cartoon sidekicks of all time and some of the choices will surprise you. From the funtastic to the fantastic, the lists are sure to entertain. We also do one of our very funny mailbag segments where we read a lot of our hate mail. Some people like to read their good comments, we like to read our negative ones. This episode features lots of cartoon talk between friends.
Please join in the fun and download this episode now. Always remember the episodes are available in Video and Audio format on Itunes and you can always enjoy on You Tube.http://www.youtube.com/TommySwass
It's that time again! Time for you to vote for the Summer Reading and Watching Projects. We've got a lot of great candidates this year, and we are planning on starting at the beginning of June. For those that don't know, each year we pick a comic limited series as well as a season of a TV show and discuss the issues and episodes weekly on the podcast.
Without further ado, here are your Summer Reading Project candidates:
Liberty Meadows--Book 1
Sgt. Rock--The Prophecy
The Infinity Gautlet
Immortal Iron Fist--Book 2: Seven Capital Cities of Heaven
Incredible Hulk: Planet Hulk
Hellboy: Darkness Calls
Infinite Kung Fu Your Summer Watching Project candidates are:
The Middleman
The Dresden Files
Birds of Prey
Kingdom Hospital
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
Dollhouose (Seasons 1&2)
Terriers
American Gothic Now it's up to you to vote on which Reading and Watching Project you want! Head over to our forum for the official poll, which will be up for the next week or so. Once the votes are tallied, we'll pick a start date and dive in. Go vote!
 It's that time again!
We are getting ready to embark on our Summer Reading and Watching Projects. Every summer, we read a comic series and watch a season of a TV show together, and now's the time for you to nominate your picks for this year.
Head over to the forum and give us one Reading Project and one Watching Project nomination. We'll be putting a poll up on the site in the next week or so, and then we'll start the projects by the end of May.
Let us know what you want to read and watch!
Perhaps a little Automan? (Too bad it's not on Netflix)
by Brian LeTendreAfter missing the premiere on April 1st, I finally got a chance to sit down and watch the first two episodes of the new Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon series. If they’re any indication, then I would say we have the new incarnation of the Teen Titans cartoon on our hands, and I mean that in the best way possible.
When you see the list of creators involved in this project, the formula for the show makes perfect sense. You have the Man of Action Team (Ben 10), Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series), Jeph Loeb (Batman: The Long Halloween, Hulk, Ultimates 3, Lost, etc.) and Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers), among others. All of those influences can be felt in Ultimate Spider-Man, but I think Teen Titans, and to a lesser degree Ben 10 are the primary ones.
The premise of Ultimate Spider-Man is that Peter Parker has been Spidey for about a year now, and he’s still figuring out how to be an effective superhero. SHIELD Director Nick Fury offers to train Peter to be the “Ultimate” Spider-Man, and Peter realizes he could use the help. His training involves teaming up with a group of Fury-recruited heroes--Luke Cage, Iron Fist (aka Danny Rand), White Tiger and Nova, all of whom are younger-teenaged versions of their comic-based counterparts. The first episode of the series catches everyone up on Spidey and his immediate supporting cast (Harry, MJ, Aunt May, Norman Osborne, etc.), while episode two brings in the new SHIELD team. Together, the episodes do a nice job of setting the landscape the new series will be taking place in.
The show is fast paced and action packed, and the animation is general is excellent. Spidey performs amazing, acrobatic feats on a regular basis, and he looks smooth doing it. The Teen Titans influence is most heavily felt when it comes to the animation, both in the pace of the action on screen, and the way it’s presented. There are times where Peter breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the viewer. There are also anime-inspired cutaways when Spidey is explaining things like his spider-sense, and in general, the facial expressions are over the top. However, it stops short of going too much in the anime direction, a lesson I think the creators learned from the balance the Teen Titans eventually struck in its later seasons.
The voice acting overall is really good and features an all-star cast. Drake Bell (Drake and Josh) does a nice job with Spidey, and both JK Simmons (JJJ) and Glark Gregg (Agent Coulson) reprising their movie roles for the animated series. Steven Webber (Wings) is great as Norman Osborne, and Teen Titans alum Greg Cipes voices Iron Fist. Chi McBride (Human Target) is a perfect Nick Fury and to top it off, the legendary Tom Kenny (Spongebob, Adventure Time) plays Dr. Octopus.
All in all, I am very excited about the new Ultimate Spider-Man series. Like Teen Titans, this is a show that caters to both younger audiences and longtime Spidey fans. And like Teen Titans, I expect this show to get even better as it goes on, because the creative team behind it are some of the best in the business. Enjoy this one with your kids.
4 out of 5 Ultimate Spideys--Go!
You can watch the first two episodes of Ultimate Spider-Man right now over on Marvel Kids.
 At WonderCon last weekend, Felicia Day (The Guild, BTVS) announced the upcoming launch of Geek & Sundry, a YouTube channel dedicated to "indie geek culture." Starting April 2nd, six original series will debut on the channel, which will also feature episodes of The Guild. Here'e an overview of the content that will be featured on the site:
The Flog (Premiering April 2nd, new episodes every Monday)Join Geek Goddess Felicia Day in a whimsical vlog show, as she explores quirky new hobbies and shares experiences that connect her with her favorite people – her fans – in person as well as across the web.
Dark Horse Motion Comics (Premiering April 2nd, new episodes every Wednesday)
America’s largest indie comic-book publisher Dark Horse Comics brings some of their much-loved franchises such as Hellboy, The Goon and The Umbrella Academy onto the screen in a unique presentation for their web series. Combining never-before-seen motion graphic techniques and compelling storytelling, fans of these iconic characters will devour each episode.
TableTop (Premiering April 2nd, new episodes every other Friday)
Think “Celebrity Poker” meets “Dinner for Five” and you’re ready to experience the quick-witted camaraderie that pairs notable celebs with must-play tabletop games. Hosted by actor, co-creator and fan favorite Wil Wheaton, this lively show brings together notable geek celebrities from Film, TV and YouTube to showcase the best in tabletop gaming from Settlers of Catan to card games like Fluxx and even RPGs like Dragon Age.
The Guild Season 5 (Airing April 10th, episodes every Tuesday)
The widely popular award-winning web series that’s topped 150 million views comes to YouTube! Chronicling the adventures of online gamers Cyd Sherman (Codex), Vincent Caso (Bladezz), Jeff Lewis (Vork), Amy Okuda (Tink), Sandeep Parikh (Zaboo) and Robin Thorsen (Clara), the fifth season follows the gang to a fan convention with new discoveries and celebrity encounters. Plus every Thursday check out never-before-seen behind the scenes content.
Sword & Laser (Premiering April 13th, new episodes every other Friday)
Popular book club podcast, Sword & Laser, comes to life with an irreverent show hosted by Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt. The show features interviews with top authors, reviews of the hottest science fiction and fantasy books, discussion of the essential news of the week, and lots of participation from the vibrant Sword & Laser community.
Written By A Kid (Premiering July 18th, new episodes every Wednesday)Original sci-fi, fantasy and horror stories by real kids are transformed into stunning shorts by some of today’s coolest directors. These original live-action and animated pieces truly capture the madness and magic of the 4-to-9-year old mindset.
Learning Town (Coming Fall 2012)In this smart, offbeat musical, nerd music duo Paul & Storm blend vocal harmonies with comedic scenarios as they are tasked with reviving the flagging educational show of their childhoods. In the face of adversity from villainous hipsters, cantankerous ghosts and flammable puppets, Learning Town is one show that has to been seen to be believed.
You can check out a trailer below, and find out more at www.geekandsundry.com.
by Brian LeTendre
I love Bob Odenkirk. Mr. Show with Bob and David is my favorite sketch comedy show of all time, and I pretty much love anything that Odenkirk or David Cross does. So is should come as no surprise that I love Odenkirk's latet project. Entitled Let's Do This!, the 15-minute show is about a washed-up movie exec who is trying to get his studio back on track. He owes a movie to some financeers, and when he meets a strange man named Harry Podder, he is struck with what he thinks is the perfect premise for a movie.
I laughed out loud pretty much the whole time watching this. I really hope it's the first of a new series and not just a one-shot deal. The full episode is over on Adult Swim right now, and throught he magic of the interwebs, you can watch it right here.
Tim Daly and his son Sam Daly have a show on YouTube called The Daly Show. Their latest episode involves Tim's work as the voice of Superman in the animated DC series. It's hysterical and has a couple of great cameos. Check it out below.
This may be the closest we ever get to Matthew Broderick reprising his Ferris Bueller role.
 I love Christmas traditions! But one of my favorites is sitting around a warm ‘telly’ to watch the Doctor Who Christmas Special.
For me it will be hard to pass last years tear jerker, but y’know what… they did!
‘The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe’ finds the Doctor hiding out from a universe that thinks he’s dead. As he finds his way to England duting World War Two, we meet a woman who has just found out her RAF husband has been killed in action. To avoid German bombs, she takes her children in country where she plans on telling them about their father’s death. And this is where the Doctor gets involved.
In the fine tradition of ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’ the Doctor plans to let the children have one last happy day of innocence before they find out the news. Unfortunately this place is a planet that is about to be whipped out.
Written by the great Steven Moffat, this Christmas special is brilliant. Great story, crazy aliens, and unsolvable predicaments make this episode an incredible all ages ride. Following the heaviness of the last season, this is a great pallet cleanser to get us ready for the next one.
As always, Matt Smith is fantastic! He has not only proven he is a capable Doctor, he is the Doctor. Playing the widow is Claire Skinner who is no stranger to British television (I loved her on the much loved series Chef). She seems to be a little scatter brained but when she needs to save a planet of trees or be strong for her family, she is amazing.
An incredible episode that didn’t disappoint and stands up incredibly well with such amazing and must see Christmas specials like (in order of my favorites down) ‘A Christmas Carol’, ‘Voyage of the Damned’, and the ‘Next Doctor’.
Matman Rating – 4.5 out of 5 cool tree people
The Walking Dead returned to television last night, and despite the behind-the-scenes drama that has gone this past year, the show felt consistent with last season in every way. Of course, that’s not always a good thing.
Warning--Spoilers Ahead!
Season two of The Walking Dead picks up right where last season left off and has the survivors leaving the CDC and heading toward Fort Worth. In the first act of the 90-minute premiere, the big scene involves the group stopping on a stretch of highway to repair the Winnebago, only to encounter a herd of zombies shambling through. There are some really tense moments here, as the group is separated from one another, and it culminates when 12-year old Sophia gets discovered by the zombies and runs off into the woods. Rick heads in after her, but as he leads the zombies away from her, he loses Sophia in the forest, setting the stage for the rest of the episode. It’s a great first 30 minutes of television. Sadly, it’s also the remaining 60 minutes are pretty much downhill from there.
The search for Sophia is the backdrop for the rest of the episode, which is spent mostly catching up with each survivor and their current state of mind. The events at the CDC have changed the dynamics of the group. and as this season begins, things are starting to fall apart already.
It’s no secret that The Walking Dead is not primarily about zombies. Like the comic, it focuses on the people that are left, how they treat each other, and how they survive. Unfortunately for the TV show, that has often translated into really slow stretches that are just long conversations between characters with nothing much else going on. Such is the case with this episode, which would have played a lot better had it been cut to an hour. At 90 minutes, it feels bloated and slow. After the first act, things pretty much grind to a halt until the last 30 seconds of the episode, which ratchets things up for next week.
All in all, I was a little disappointed by the season premiere. There were some great moments, but the pacing is uneven and it’s 30 minutes too long.
3 out of 5 Zombies Shamble Faster Than The Pace Of This Show
|
RSS Feed