Podcast Introduction
00:00:00
Speaker
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Speaker
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00:00:28
Speaker
 Glad to start with you.
What is the 'Every Story Ever' List?
00:00:35
Speaker
 We have a list on our website, warrockandajax.com, called Every Story Ever. What we're doing is we're taking lists from our listeners of three comic book stories, and then we are placing those stories on the list from best to worst comic book stories of all time.
00:01:01
Speaker
 Welcome! Welcome! Children of the night!
October 2025 Special Episode
00:01:09
Speaker
 To the Every Story Ever Special for October 2025!
00:01:20
Speaker
 My name is Matt Wilson. Chris Sims is here as well. Matt, can I tell you that I know it's not what you were going for, ah but that was an uncanny Count Donut.
00:01:39
Speaker
 like That was so much like Justin McElroy doing Dracula. It was. Well, I think Justin McElroy doing Dracula is very similar to Joe Flaherty doing Dracula. And so like it was basically Count Floyd, which I don't mind. I don't mind being Count Floyd in any capacity.
00:02:03
Speaker
 Well, we are we're back here, Matt, at the ah at the Haunted Amusement
Ranking Spooky Comic Book Stories
00:02:09
Speaker
 Park. I don't even know why we came back here. Benito's not even working tonight. Yeah, I mean, well, it was a good place. It was a good place to record. The acoustics are really good.
00:02:19
Speaker
 They're really good out here, and it's kind of upsetting how good they are. ah We came back to record our October Every Story Ever special. ah As I'm sure everyone listening knows, what we do on these specials is We rank comic book stories on a big list from worst to best.
00:02:38
Speaker
 And in October, we specifically rank spooky comic book stories that our listeners send in. And so that's what we're going to be doing on this episode.
History and Highlights of the 'Every Story Ever' List
00:02:51
Speaker
 Chris, before we get into some spooky stories, would you like to give our listeners a quick rundown of the state of the Every Story Ever list?
00:03:01
Speaker
 I sure can, Matt. Uh... As listeners know, we've been working on this list for...
00:03:10
Speaker
 twenty since 2014? Yeah, i think that's right. Since 2014, we've been working on this list. So this over 10 years of this, which is wild to think about.
00:03:24
Speaker
 ah And so we have 1,658 the list. um at the top of course Amazing Spider-Man number 33, the final chapter, that's the one where Spider-Man does thing, at the absolute bottom, we got Identity Crisis.
Identity Crisis and Doomsday Clock Discussion
00:03:43
Speaker
 That ain't gonna change. Probably. yep Because it's still... I was just thinking about how bad it was like a couple days ago.
00:03:55
Speaker
 it's It's still the champion. It's so bad that sometimes we so we think about it. Yeah, and that book's 20 years old. like It got a 20th anniversary edition.
00:04:08
Speaker
 Doomsday Clock is third from the bottom. And I don't think about that book anymore, ever. I do i do think about that book a lot, actually. butd But you know what?
00:04:21
Speaker
 i Usually when I think about that book, I'm thinking about the mime and the marionette, which are the good parts. And Mary Marvel seeing Doctor Ben. No, that's not the good part. that' No, I'm saying, you bring that up all the time, though. Oh, well, yeah. Yeah.
00:04:37
Speaker
 Because it sucked. um So in the dead center of the list, at 829 and 830, we have... I feel like these were also our middle-of-the-road comics not too long ago.
00:04:55
Speaker
 like Maybe last month, even. So maybe we're adding evenly to the list. But it's a Spidey Super Stories, Doctor Doom meets Prince Namor. ah And ah The Adventures of Superman, Only Child by Ron Mars and Doc Shanner.
00:05:09
Speaker
 Two comics I would absolutely enjoy reading again, because it's a top-heavy list, but that's what's in the middle. Yeah, it the the middle is not mediocre or average.
00:05:24
Speaker
 The middle is still pretty good, because there's more good than bad on this list. Yeah, I would say there's probably more good than bad comics. Yeah, probably.
00:05:37
Speaker
 ah Although a lot of the worst comics, we remain unranked, because we never read them. But... And we've read some stinkers.
Ranking Listener-Submitted Stories
00:05:47
Speaker
 and are We sure have. we Boy, have we.
00:05:49
Speaker
 Is it comforting to you, Matt, as like a human being, to know that you've probably read more good comics than bad comics? Yes, I think that's what the list bears out, is that we've read more good stuff than bad stuff.
00:06:07
Speaker
 Which is is pretty comforting, I do have to say.
00:06:14
Speaker
 All right, Chris, you want to get into our first list? I mean, kind of. I don't think we really have a choice at this point, because we already found out what the deal is with Dawn. So, until we figure out the next thing that we're going to talk about.
00:06:30
Speaker
 Yeah, I guess ah that that's that's looming for the November catch-up, so... Oh, right. I forgot that I insisted we do that. You absolutely and harshly insisted that we do Dawn for the November catch-up.
00:06:46
Speaker
 Matt, sometimes I say and do things that I then immediately forget about. all right. This list is โ this Every Spooky Ever list is from David Austin.
Tarantula Storyline Analysis
00:07:01
Speaker
 And it is ah two genuinely disturbing stories and one goofy one. Okay. We're starting with Amazing Spider-Man Volume 1, Numbers 234-236, in which Tarantula turns into a horror horrifying spider monster and commits suicide by cop, a comic that will absolutely that absolutely freaked me the hell out when I was a kid. What number is that?
00:07:25
Speaker
 It is Numbers It three-issue story written Roger Stern... ah three-issue story written by roger stern from 1982. That sounds wild.
00:07:36
Speaker
 It also prominently features Will-O'-The-Wisp. Uh-huh. it is It is, in fact, a story where Will-O'-The-Wisp and Tarantula are at odds with each other, and Tarantula is made into a spider monster by the Brand Corporation,
00:07:54
Speaker
 a subsidiary of Roxxon. Which is... Fucking Roxanne. This is a Roxanne story. Now, Tarantino... Now, Matt, I don't know that I've read this before. i mean, this is a Roger Stern story.
00:08:08
Speaker
 This is Roger Stern and John Amita Jr. So, yeah i bet it's pretty good. it ah it's It's fine. I mean, it's it's very much an early 80s Spider-Man comic.
00:08:21
Speaker
 um In that... it's kind of treading water a little bit. Like it's, it's, it's, it's keeping the IP alive, you know, um and, and bringing in will of the wisp and tarantula.
00:08:38
Speaker
 um But like, it's fine. Like it's, it's a perfectly readable, perfectly decent story. It's, it's a little bit of a Robbie Robertson story.
00:08:49
Speaker
 um I wouldn't say it's like, the top of my list for that somebody needs to read. But um it's it's perfectly readable and good, yeah.
00:09:02
Speaker
 I mean, it's pretty weird that Tarantula, who, despite the name, is not a spider person. Tarantula is a guy who has knives on his shoes.
00:09:13
Speaker
 That's his deal. He's basically just a gangster. Yeah. he's basically just like a gangster um Yeah, he's one of Batrox boys, right? it's it's No, he's not, because it's Zoran and Machete, or Batrox Brigade.
00:09:33
Speaker
 Tarantula's just a different guy. to ah Tarantula, oh, I remember. he was He's like a South American revolutionary. ah that's That's his whole deal. Yeah.
00:09:46
Speaker
 I thought he had some like ties to organized crime as well, but um nonetheless. It's kind of wild that if that dude had not called himself Tarantula, that he would not be in this situation.
00:10:01
Speaker
 That, and he he wouldn't be a Spider-Man villain. well He wouldn't be fighting Spider-Man. he He just happens to wear ah costume with a spider on it, and so...
00:10:13
Speaker
 I gotta say, like the the looking at this story now, the way John Romita Jr. draws Tarantula's spider form is like, really, like if I was a kid, I think I would be scared by this.
00:10:29
Speaker
 it's It's visceral looking. Yeah, he because looks sad. He looks yeah upset about it. he He definitely doesn't like being what he is, I don't think. Whomst among us, Matt?
00:10:41
Speaker
 Whomst among us. Uh, and sometimes he's got like big sharp spider teeth and sometimes he's just got like a kind of like a gaping maw of a mouth.
00:10:53
Speaker
 Um, it's, it is a pretty, like, if, if you were a kid reading this, uh, it would be pretty scary. And like, as I said, he does not, uh, like being this.
One Piece Thriller Bark Arc
00:11:05
Speaker
 Um, and so when Spider-Man escape or willowthewisp escapes escapes, um in the end, um he does insist on ah being killed and ah goes and,
00:11:24
Speaker
 as as was stated, commits suicide by cop. like He jumps in front of a bunch of cops demanding that they shoot him, and they do. ah it's So that part is a pretty huge bummer. Yeah, I hope this isn't the goofy one.
00:11:42
Speaker
 Yeah, yeah. um I don't think it is. Because seems awful grim. I don't think it is the goofy one. um But to just to note, Tarantula did not remain dead. um yeah He came back. He came back.
00:11:55
Speaker
 Do you feel like you have to say that about, honestly, literally anyone in a Spider-Man comic? That's true. Like, in a Spider-Man comic especially?
00:12:07
Speaker
 I mean, I guess Uncle Ben. Yeah. Ed, Gwen Stacy, but aside from that. we've We've all read stories. Sure, we've all read stories. ah I don't know. I think this story's fine.
00:12:22
Speaker
 um I don't think it's better than The Beard Hunter, which we have at number 1000. Yeah, I mean, that's a pretty good story for, like that again, shows you how top-heavy the list is.
00:12:33
Speaker
 yeah ah this one's This was kind of all you, bud. I've read the first 200 issues of Amazing Spider-Man, but like I haven't read as much after. Yeah. this the early eighty As I said, the early 80s in Spider-Man are when
00:12:49
Speaker
 like the book is really kind of spinning its wheels. like i mean Roger Stern is a great writer, and and i I don't mind reading anything by Roger Stern, but I don't think the early 80s are a time of ah a lot of great momentum.
00:13:03
Speaker
 yeah I mean, it's surprising to hear you say that, Matt, because 238 Hobgoblin stuff. I don't really like that Hobgoblin stuff all that much. Really? I thought you did.
00:13:15
Speaker
 No. I find that Hobgoblin stuff like overly complicated. Well, it's weird that it finishes three times. Yeah. And only once for real.
00:13:25
Speaker
 And like all the retcons of... like Oh, you thought it was this guy, but it was really this guy? Fuck off with and't like i like pick Pick a guy for him to be, and they'll just keep him that.
00:13:38
Speaker
 ah Yeah. Anyway. Because what? It was ned And then it was retconned to be Roderick Kingsley, if I remember right. yeah and the and And the retcon, I believe, happens like ten years later.
00:13:55
Speaker
 ah lot later, yeah. When Roger Stern like is like, actually, this is how I wanted to end the story. Yeah. Hey, speaking of, Matt, this ah this is not going to be a Dawn-level...
00:14:07
Speaker
 oh divergence but I do think it is worth mentioning, and we probably won't have an occasion to mention it on the regular main show. Do you see they're publishing the ah Rick Veach Swamp Thing story?
00:14:19
Speaker
 I did see that, yeah.
00:14:22
Speaker
 That's going to be wild. That is going to be wild. That is one of the great lost stories. Or... or I guess it was never lost, but it was certainly not published.
00:14:34
Speaker
 Unpublished, for sure, yeah yeah. Folks, I've been waiting a while to see Swamp Thing meet Jesus. Well, we're all going to see it. We're all going to finally see it. And I mean that in a literal sense. I'm not out here doing an altar call for Swamp
One Piece Arc Ranking Methodology
00:14:47
Speaker
 Thing, trying to get him to come up and accept Christ into his heart.
00:14:51
Speaker
 Swamp Thing's going to meet Jesus. All right, at 1050 is Gambit vs. Bishop, Nuff Said. i like that more than this. That's pretty good. ah At 1100 Return of Dark Phoenix.
00:15:08
Speaker
 That's probably better, too. Another John Romita Jr. story? Yep.
00:15:15
Speaker
 Okay, at 1150 Phoenix Rising slash Leprechauns. We're in the neighborhood. We're in the neighborhood. Okay. All right. Listen, if you want to have the Dark Phoenix saga, you also gotta have the Leprechauns.
00:15:30
Speaker
 Yep. Yep. Let's see. I, okay. 1137 is Fast Lane, which I will read at the drop of a hat. and Correct. It's, I like probably more.
00:15:43
Speaker
 I like this better than Superman Red Son, which is 1147.
00:15:49
Speaker
 i think it's probably, I think I like it more than Justice League versus Suicide Squad. It's probably better than, than all of Big Time. Oh, I don't know, though. Big Time is so i'm pretty good.
00:16:05
Speaker
 Okay, i how about this is at the new 1146 between Flash Christmas Rush and Justice League vs. Suicide Squad. Alright.
00:16:16
Speaker
 And what is the title of oh the title of the first story is Now Shall Will-O-The-Wisp Have His Revenge. It's gotta be a better title for than that.
00:16:29
Speaker
 ah The second issue is called Look Out, There's a Monster Coming. And the last one is called Death Knell. I'm just going to put Amazing Spider-Man 234 to 236 Monster Tarantula.
00:16:48
Speaker
 Because, I mean, Death Knell is a pretty good title, but it doesn't really tell you what the story is at all. Yes. See, that's why that's why I got that spreadsheet with the notes column. Yeah. ah Next on David's list is The Nesting Place by Emily Carroll.
00:17:04
Speaker
 ah Collected in Through the Woods, a girl visits her brother and his fiancรฉe who has something odd inside of her. I've read some Emily Carroll horror comics, but I don't think I've read that one.
00:17:17
Speaker
 ah I have definitely not read this. I read one very recent Emily Carroll ah horror story that was great.
00:17:33
Speaker
 um But it was not this one, and I don't think we can rank this one, unfortunately. yeah I've read a couple of of these, and they're all, all the ones that I've read are like really good. like Even if it's just like a like folktale with which I am already familiar.
00:17:57
Speaker
 um Like his face all red is, is in this. And I, I have definitely read that one. And that's a, that's a fucking banger dude. Yeah. But the way it is, like the way these are drawn and presented in like the page layouts are pretty phenomenally good.
00:18:14
Speaker
 So I would not be surprised if this is a great comic. Yeah, i I would not mind going back to read it, ah but I just have not at this point.
Introduction to Judge Dredd's 'Judge Death'
00:18:26
Speaker
 Next on David's list is One Piece Thriller Bark, chapters 442 to 489. right, this is the most recent One Piece story I've read. Okay.
00:18:37
Speaker
 Because I was going to read all of it this year. I tried. And clearly you stopped. And i was good at I was going to read 100 chapters a month. Yeah. And catch up. And i i ah had to stop, because I just couldn't anymore.
00:18:56
Speaker
 However, Thriller Bark was not what broke me. Thriller Bark was what made me want to come back. Because Thriller Bark kind of rules, actually. Now, is it what it sounds like, and it's about, like, a spooky dog?
00:19:16
Speaker
 ah I mean, there's a spooky dog in it, but no. ah not Nothing in One Piece is named what it should be. Like, nothing in One Piece is named anything that makes sense.
00:19:32
Speaker
 ah Thriller Bark, after the ah the the the old Straw Hat Pirates... get through a bunch of shit that's honestly so fucking boring and doesn't make any sense.
00:19:46
Speaker
 And i was reading a lot of like I was reading a lot of One Piece and I was reading a lot Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and those books I found very heartening because I was like, wow, you can be an international success without it making any sense.
00:20:00
Speaker
 like You do not have to make things work. you can just You can just cruise on in oh But the they find themselves on what is basically a haunted island ah with a mad scientist who is stealing people's souls, which also steals their shadows.
00:20:24
Speaker
 And ah like some of the ah crew of the... some of the Straw Hats get their souls stolen. and If they don't get them back by time, like, they can never go into the sunlight again, or they will, or they will like, explode.
00:20:47
Speaker
 So, the whole thing is the Straw Hat Pirates fighting a bunch of, um like, horror monsters. And occasionally, like, this this guy's making, like, Frankensteins and then putting people's souls in them.
00:21:04
Speaker
 So... The thing about having your soul stolen is that doesn't really change you at all. So, like, everybody's just acting like they would normally act. And then also, there are monsters that are also acting like they would normally act.
00:21:20
Speaker
 So, ah Luffy gets his soul stolen and put into this giant, like, kaiju-sized Frankenstein. Right? And ah whose name is like, oh, man, what's his name?
00:21:33
Speaker
 i got i i took a lot of screenshots of this as I was reading it, because it did kind of rule. oh But his name is like Odds, or something.
00:21:49
Speaker
 like Also, ah one point, the doctor says, I'm surprised you made it here in one piece. And I took a screenshot of that, and I sent it to my wife, and I said, that's the name of the manga. Yeah, you pointed at it.
00:22:02
Speaker
 And held your hand up to your mouth like... There it is. yeah its That's the name of the manga. Ors. Ors is the name of the the monster. O-A-R-S.
00:22:15
Speaker
 okay ah The Berserker Warrior, who is like 50 feet tall. So they they've put Luffy's soul in it. And so things are looking pretty bad. And then a couple of great things happen.
00:22:27
Speaker
 For one thing, there's a running gag... ah About zombies coming out of the ground. And Luffy, like, everyone going, oh no, zombies! And then Luffy going, oh no, an old man with severe injuries!
00:22:43
Speaker
 Which is pretty funny. ah There's also the gag where he, a zombie's getting out of the grave, and he just kind of like, leans over and pushes him back in. Which is extremely good.
00:22:56
Speaker
 um Because it is, like, silent panels. of him just kind of shoving him back down. That's great. ah The, there's a fight but that involves ah negativity and lying that Usopp gets into.
00:23:17
Speaker
 And cause, cause there's a, ah there's a monster that just makes you feel bad about yourself and it has no effect on Usopp because he has depression.
00:23:29
Speaker
 And ah he says he says, when it comes to thinking about things pessimistically, no one can beat me. And then the next panel is a reaction shot from all the monsters going, he's so confident about his terrible character trait. Which is pretty good.
00:23:45
Speaker
 oh But the best thing is that there's a bunch of people on this island that have had their souls and shadows stolen. And they meet Luffy.
00:23:57
Speaker
 And they're like, hey, we found out that you can actually put two so like two souls back into someone's body, which makes them twice as strong.
00:24:08
Speaker
 But like if it's not the right soul, they won't stay long. And so Luffy stretches, but then they figure out that he can stretch metaphysically, and so they put a hundred souls in him to make him a hundred times stronger?
00:24:27
Speaker
 And then he fights the giant monster that has his own soul.
00:24:33
Speaker
 And that shit fucking rips, actually.
00:24:40
Speaker
 It's pretty fucking good. Where does it go on the list?
00:24:45
Speaker
 A hundred souls, man. This one's got to be all you, because I haven't read a word of this. You should read the first hundred.
00:24:57
Speaker
 And then you should stop, I think.
00:25:01
Speaker
 Because the the next couple hundred, it's rough. It's a trial. We currently have two One Piece stories on the list.
00:25:14
Speaker
 The first one is the Arlong Park Saga, which is at 129. Which is fucking great! And then we have Romance Dawn at number 496. Which also enjoyable. which is which
00:25:29
Speaker
 I don't think this is as good as either of those, but I do think it's closer to those than anything else I've read. but fucking Skypie story would be... like We couldn't put it with the offensive comics, but it would be about as low as things get without being offensive.
00:25:49
Speaker
 It's so boring and so long. ah I would say...
00:25:57
Speaker
 I mean, I just saw his face all red by Emily Carroll at 755. It's not that good. Okay. It's not that good. ah
00:26:09
Speaker
 It is better than... its it's it's Matt, I'm sorry. It's not as good as Amazing Spider-Man number 300.
00:26:20
Speaker
 But I do think it is better than Generation Hex.
00:26:26
Speaker
 Alright, what number is... Where's that one? That's an 825. Okay. okay So, are you saying this is the new number, 825? I am saying...
00:26:42
Speaker
 i mean, it it's probably better than that first Punisher story, because that you know who's in that. that That nasty freak. That nasty-ass freak, the Jackal.
00:26:53
Speaker
 Yes. And also... Frank is not quite Frank yet. Yeah, man. Fucking number one nasty boy. i would say it goes between those two Amazing Spider-Man stories at the new 824.
00:27:07
Speaker
 Okay. Under Spider-Mobile, above First Punch. Yes. So that's One Piece. The Thriller Bark. It's not called This Something Saga.
00:27:20
Speaker
 No, it's called Thriller Bark. Okay. Okay.
00:27:25
Speaker
 Back up from David is Judge Dread Prog Judge Death, the first appearance of Judge Death. Do we not have that already? I feel like we have raked that already, yeah. We've got Judge Death Lives at 598. I don't think we have the first story.
00:27:43
Speaker
 Oh, we must not. Yeah, it appears that we don't.
00:27:47
Speaker
 Let's see, yeah. Amazing. Ash is pretty good. It's pretty good, yeah.
00:27:55
Speaker
 I don't think it's as good as Judge Death Lips. it's It's not as good as Judge Death Lips. But it is pretty good. Judge Death Lips is at $5.98. Yeah.
00:28:13
Speaker
 Boy, judge Judge Death Wild. Judge Death is, in fact, Buck Wild. Yeah, man. judge Judge Death...
00:28:25
Speaker
 Judge Death about ah as weird as they get, man.
00:28:30
Speaker
 i mean, you know, considering what kind of stories Judge Dredd tells and has told up to that point, that there's just a spooky, like, kind of zombie version of him but that shows up.
00:28:51
Speaker
 It's a turn. It is a turn. Yeah. um It's wild that this story also introduces Judge Anderson. And then is clearly intended to be like a one-shot, because Judge Death and Judge Anderson are essentially, like, they're not killed at the end, but they're trapped Boing forever. Yeah.
00:29:17
Speaker
 trapped in boeing ah forever and Until they get out later. Until they're not. Until Judge Death lives. But yeah, it's it's wild to think of a world where like... to Judge Anderson and Judge Death are just a weird one-off.
00:29:37
Speaker
 Which, yeah you know, i get at that point in Judge Dredd, anything could have been. Anything could have been. Like, the stories were...
00:29:47
Speaker
 It's not that they weren't serialized, but they were definitely...
00:29:52
Speaker
 Not as connected as I think we anticipate comics would be โ would tend to be. you know like It's a different approach. It's more episodic.
00:30:04
Speaker
 Yeah. Yeah. They do โ the thing about those Judge Dredd stories is they build on each other so much that like anything could be a weird one-off, and also anything could be the most important thing in the world.
00:30:21
Speaker
 but Yeah, anything could be picked up on. yeah it's You really didn't know. Yeah. yeah Hey, I don't think I need to say this, really.
Judge Dredd Artwork Praises
00:30:31
Speaker
 um Brian Boland draws the shit out of this. Yeah, dawg. Yeah, dawg. I got that. ah ah our Our buddy and old Comics Alliance colleague, Steve Morris, ah is working for 2018 these days and sent me ah the the Brian Boland. like it's not It's not like a big artist's edition, but it is like it's got Boland's pencils in it. It's like an art showcase of Boland's work on 2018. Boy, let me tell you, that guy?
00:31:04
Speaker
 Buddy, he had it. Slash has it. yeah he's like he's He's about pretty good. I'd say he probably still has it. um Not everybody still has it, but I think that guy does.
00:31:17
Speaker
 It's so weird to look at guys like Brian Boland, and I would put Adam Hughes in this category too, of like people who just wound up doing covers, and then you go back to the like stuff that they were doing Before someone said, oh, just put this guy on all the covers.
00:31:38
Speaker
 And their sequentials are so fucking good that it makes you mad. Yeah. Like, Boland is like that. Hughes is like that. If you go back and and read any early Adam Hughes stuff, like, that that dude fucking whips, dude.
00:31:54
Speaker
 there's There's more to him than than what Wizard Magazine wanted to show you. Than Killing Joke? Yeah. Well, I mean, yeah, I was talking about Adam Hughes, but... Oh, right, okay, yeah. Yeah. um So, yeah, but it's pretty good, pretty good.
00:32:13
Speaker
 Pretty good. Not as good as Judge Death Lives, but I mean... i also like that it's ah a spooky story with a silly ending. Like, that's very Judge Dredd.
00:32:24
Speaker
 Like, a silly ending that is presented as extremely serious. Yeah, it's... I feel like that's more something you'll find in the early-ish Judge Dredd stories than in lighter ones.
00:32:40
Speaker
 You know what I mean? like Yeah. it
00:32:46
Speaker
 I feel like this there's less just going like full silly later on. Yeah, but that stays... I mean, you know think about Cursed Earth.
00:32:57
Speaker
 Sure. Which is fairly... like relatively early since Judge Dredd's been coming out for 40 years. 50 years. But yeah.
00:33:13
Speaker
 It's pretty good. I don't think it's that far below ah Judge Death Lives. Okay, that's at number 598. At number Sambiche. Okay.
00:33:24
Speaker
 fifty is akewood lay on some bo some bit a Oh, you're talking about Brian Wheat, who changed his name on a Christian dare? As has been proven.
00:33:35
Speaker
 Yes. I was actually looking at... ah We have Frankencastle at like 638. And I think it's better than that, but I don't think it's better than Leon Sumbiche.
00:33:49
Speaker
 Okay, well, it's got a That's a mistake of the past. That's not a mistake. It's exactly what... Not a mistake. It's exactly what it should be. Yep. the The list is is law.
Frankencastle vs. Judge Death
00:34:02
Speaker
 There are two Usagi Ojimbo stories right below Leon Sombiche. Man, we must have really liked Frank and Castle. I do really like Frank and Castle.
00:34:13
Speaker
 We did, yeah. I do like it. But man, right let's be real here. Frank and Castle ain't as good as A Town Called Hell. that is That's just true.
00:34:27
Speaker
 ah I would say Batman The Lazarus Affair is pretty good. Legend of the Dark Knight Prey is pretty good. It does have a real freak in it.
00:34:40
Speaker
 It's got a huge freak in there. It's got a nasty freak-o.
00:34:46
Speaker
 got a real nasty freak-o in it. ah ah just a judge What does is Judge Death but ah but the nastiest freak-o? he he's up but like he he goes in our nasty freak collection, I'm pretty sure.
00:34:59
Speaker
 He's a pretty nasty boy. if we were making ah Mount Rushmore of nasty freaks, I think he might go on there.
00:35:10
Speaker
 Okay. Miles Warren the Jackal. Miles Warren the Jackal. ah ah Dr. Hugo Strange. right Dr. Hugo Strange.
00:35:21
Speaker
 And Judge Death. Who's number four, Matt? Who's number four? that's That's still a journey we have to undertake to find that fourth nasty freak. Can can i can I throw some out there for you?
00:35:35
Speaker
 Yeah, let's hear it. You know how um like creators sometimes show up in the Marvel Universe? Like like ah like you know Stan and Jack getting turned away from Fantastic Four's wedding? Yeah.
00:35:49
Speaker
 Yeah, yeah, yeah. What we throw John Byrne on there? He he could qualify. John Byrne has made enough comics where, like, superheroes get get put in a porno that he could be number four on the Nasty Freaks' Mel Rushmore.
00:36:11
Speaker
 John Byrne made some questionable choices, just narratively. Yes. I would say. John Byrne's made a lot of Not as many as he would have in a world where he wasn't lost in the Bermuda Triangle 1993.
00:36:25
Speaker
 But like imagine a world where he did Superman and Batman Generations 3.
00:36:32
Speaker
 and and that just imagine that world. i I would prefer not to. yeah um Okay, where are we putting this? ah
00:36:44
Speaker
 Is it as good as ah This is Fine from Gun Show at $6.59? I think that's up to you. Because that that's a comic that kind of transcends being a comic.
00:36:59
Speaker
 Okay, I would put it below that. I would also pull it put it below the case of the mystery story, which is like one of my favorite Akewood stories. know you really like it, yeah. um I think it probably goes above Superman's Secret Origin. and yeah I think it goes above Must There Be a Superman? Yeah.
00:37:20
Speaker
 I think it goes above Multiversity 1 and 2. I could put it above Skrull Kill Crew 2. Yeah. I i think
00:37:35
Speaker
 i think it goes right below Philippe in the case of the mystery story, and above the Larry Williams, Carlos Gomez ah Exterminators. Alright, that makes it the new number 661. Oh, it should 666! ah it should be six sixty six well It'll have go lower.
00:37:53
Speaker
 If we put some more stuff above it, it'll come down to 666. That's true. hope We get exactly five good comics. All right. Our next list, Chris, comes from Greg Paknet, who gave us two lists to choose from.
00:38:09
Speaker
 Serious vampires or silly vampires? Silly vampires, Matt. All right. I don't know how many of these we have read Well, one of them is Exterminators, Volume 2, Number 1 through 5, which we just talked about.
00:38:24
Speaker
 Yeah. Which did have vampires in it. which we Which we covered one year ago this very night, except it was actually November's episode. And it was like it was a catch-up, yeah. Not October's, yeah.
00:38:37
Speaker
 um All right. So that's number one on Silly Vampires. Number two is Little Boxes, which is from Wonder Twins number two. Now, is that Wonder Twins story, is that not one whole story?
00:38:56
Speaker
 That's, I think, a good question. because like That Mark Russell Wonder Twins book was a 12-issue series. It kind of feels like that whole series is just one story, probably.
00:39:10
Speaker
 Yeah. Yeah, I feel like it is. that That issue is great, though. Yes, yes.
00:39:23
Speaker
 like ah Like, Mark Russell... was like, how does that guy keep doing the same story over and over, and yet it's always good?
00:39:34
Speaker
 it's all it's Yes, it's often very funny. that that That Wonder Twin story has Druncula in it. Yes. he's he's He's an alcoholic and a vampire.
00:39:46
Speaker
 Yeah. Barad Nightblood is his real name, but he's he's repeatedly referred to as Druncula. Yeah. And he ends up being... being put in the drunk tank and drinking the blood of everybody in the drunk tank.
00:40:00
Speaker
 It's... It's... It's... It's sad for him, but also but very funny. Yes.
00:40:11
Speaker
 Yes. the the The perfect sweet spot of a Mark Russell story. Yeah. Yeah. Funny and a little bit sad. Yeah.
00:40:22
Speaker
 i i don't I feel like we would have to rank this entire Wonder Twins series as one, because i I feel like it tells a single story.
00:40:34
Speaker
 Okay, so do we want to just do that?
00:40:38
Speaker
 Like right here and now? Yeah. Alright, yeah. Sure, let's do it. I mean, it's not a spooky, but we got submitted the one kind of funny, spooky, silly vampire.
00:40:51
Speaker
 Which is thus leading us to rank the whole series.
00:40:57
Speaker
 which is Which is a consistently funny, fun, I think kind of overlooked book of its time, which was not that long ago.
00:41:09
Speaker
 No, what was this, like 2022? Yeah, i think that it's I think that's about right. Yeah, it was probably 2022, would say. yeah ah It's good, man.
00:41:23
Speaker
 Like, it's, it' I mean, if we're going to compare it to other Mark Russell books, I think it is probably,
00:41:44
Speaker
 it's it's, it's probably the worst of Of a bunch of very, very, very good comics. Because I don't think it's as good as Prez. I don't think it's as good as One Star Squadron. I don't think it's as good as ah ah ah the Hanna-Barbera books.
00:42:07
Speaker
 That Flintstones book, man. That Flintstones book.
00:42:13
Speaker
 Yeah. That Flintstones book. That fucking Flintstones book.
00:42:22
Speaker
 i I wish we could go back and let's reinvent Google Reader and go back and restart comics blogging.
00:42:34
Speaker
 ah her So that in 15 years, the kids can discover this Flintstones book once everybody's forgotten about it.
00:42:51
Speaker
 And just be like, I can't believe this happened. ah Quick correction. This Wonder Twins book was from 2019. okay. It's basically the same year as 2022.
00:43:03
Speaker
 Yeah, definite yeah it might as well think of it as the same year. Yeah. oh So yeah, i think it's I think it's probably the worst of this roster of extremely good comics.
00:43:21
Speaker
 well let's see what Maybe it might be better than Billionaire Island. but i like But again, it's it's maybe an A and and not an A+. plus Billionaire Island, Volume 1, we have at $5.78. Where do we have Second Coming?
00:43:42
Speaker
 Second Coming is at $4.90. I think Billionaire Island, we probably have the lowest. Yeah. ah
00:43:55
Speaker
 Yeah, man, it's but it's but again, pretty good. Pretty good. ah I love how at the end of it, they ah the Wonder Twins go work for um for asked Asterisk, which is ah assessing strategic threats requiring innovative skills and knowledge. Mm-hmm.
00:44:21
Speaker
 Asterisk. It's an acronym. And a comic book joke about ah editor's notes. And a comic book joke about editor's notes. Yeah. That's clutch, dude. That's very clutch.
00:44:33
Speaker
 but That's what it is. Mark Russell. F-H-O. i don't i don't know I don't know how the normies out there feel about him, but the heads?
00:44:49
Speaker
 Real ones know. Real ones know. oh
00:45:00
Speaker
 Is it as good as Judge Death Lives? Which is at $5.98. I um i i think Judge Death Lives is probably better. I think you're right.
00:45:16
Speaker
 I'll go back to Leon
00:45:21
Speaker
 You know, if we put it below 661, we're one step closer to getting that book on 666.
00:45:30
Speaker
 I mean, no, we have to put it above 661. Yeah, that's what I mean. That's what I mean. Yeah, yeah, yeah. At 660... That should not influence our choice here.
00:45:41
Speaker
 No, it i is it as good as Philippe in the case of the mystery story? i don't think so. Probably not, yeah. So, yeah. Uh...
00:45:52
Speaker
 But it's better than Avengers the Kang Dynasty. Here's a very comparable comic, up with man, by Michael Kupperman.
00:46:06
Speaker
 Yes. Yes. I think this is better. I'm surprised to hear you say that. I mean, I love that Namor story, but it's like, you know.
00:46:20
Speaker
 It's it's a gag. It's a gag, yeah. Yeah. and And Wonder Twins is multiple gags. Right. At once. And a real story.
00:46:32
Speaker
 we We have referred to Mark Russell before as a satire with a shotgun. it is It's going to hit something. Very accurate. I mean, it's a very accurate description of...
00:46:46
Speaker
 You know, ah the us a spray approach to satire, yes. Yeah. um
00:46:55
Speaker
 I don't think it's as good as the first appearance of Alicia Masters. I do think it's better than the first appearance of Loki. Okay, great. So that makes it the new number 694? Yes. Okay. Wonder
00:47:11
Speaker
 twenty nineteen mark russell
00:47:17
Speaker
 Perfect. and I guess I'll say Wonder Twins 1 through 12.
00:47:23
Speaker
 I believe that is the only Wonder Twins solo book at this point. It sure is, bud. That could change. At any moment.
Wonder Twins and Star Trek Comics
00:47:32
Speaker
 Man, I feel like the Wonder Twins
00:47:36
Speaker
 as characters are only on this list twice and have a pretty big spread. Well, that makes sense. Yeah. Because the other story that they're in is is in like the 1600s. Yeah.
00:47:57
Speaker
 Finally on Greg's silly vampires list is All in a Sea of Wonders from Star Trek Lower Decks numbers 1 through 3. Oh, that's such a good story. That's such a good story.
00:48:11
Speaker
 Yeah. That's Ryan a North, great writer.
00:48:17
Speaker
 You've never said anything different. I've never said anything different. Sometimes Ryan North, I think, like we all do, misuses his imagination.
00:48:29
Speaker
 And imagines some things that that I don't think should we should consider.
00:48:38
Speaker
 Like, for instance, what if there was a sad dog? That's a ridiculous thing to ask.
00:48:47
Speaker
 ah But this story, the way that it's set up with the phrase,
00:49:00
Speaker
 god oh ah with Mariner explaining that the ship has safeguards in place to prevent the holodeck from creating life accidentally again,
00:49:13
Speaker
 By saying, computer, give me another public domain adversary capable of defeating Data. Right. which Which is what happened with Moriarty. Which is what happened with Moriarty?
00:49:24
Speaker
 Yeah. And I love this because it is another great example of the fact that Dracula is in the public domain. So any story that could have Dracula probably should have Dracula.
00:49:43
Speaker
 And so you get Dracula. Dracula terrorizes the Cerritos. But then they solve it in a very Star Trek way.
00:49:55
Speaker
 Yes. but look Like Moriarty, they make Dracula on the holodeck. Yeah. yeah And yes, he he takes it over and he transforms or he he traps everybody in Castle Dracula on board um in the holodeck.
00:50:13
Speaker
 um And eventually escapes at one point. like He he like gets off the ship. But but yes, then they then they do solve it in an extremely Star Trek-y way.
00:50:27
Speaker
 Yeah. Because it turns out that... A thing that I really like about Ryan North Comics is that there is this underlining ah underlying idea of how
00:50:44
Speaker
 empathy can be learned. And this is like, this seems like a very heady topic to talk about when it comes to Star Trek Lower Decks.
00:50:56
Speaker
 But in a very Star Trek way, that's a theme that runs through a lot of Ryan North comics. Like, it shows up in Squirrel Girl. It shows up in Dinosaur Comics. And this idea that, like, the more...
00:51:14
Speaker
 Dracula learns and becomes self-aware, the more he's like, well, wait, I don't actually want to like drink blood and and murder people.
00:51:29
Speaker
 like i think that's a like I think that's a really good thing. That is something that I could never write. Not because I don't believe that it's true.
00:51:41
Speaker
 Because I do. But because my mind does not work that way when writing stories. i I... meet Me and Chad Bowers famously... Well, not as famously as we would like, but famously wrote a story where...
00:51:55
Speaker
 ah a That culminates in just a guy beating the shit out of his dad.
00:52:03
Speaker
 You know? yeah like we We're working out our own things. And i think that's beautiful and also extremely funny.
00:52:14
Speaker
 This is a great story. This is a great comic. It's it's perfectly Lower Decks. It's perfectly Star Trek. It's perfectly Ryan North. ah it's It's absolutely extremely well-drawn by Chris Fenoglio.
00:52:30
Speaker
 oh I just wish Jodie would have let it in.
00:52:35
Speaker
 that's the ah That's the only thing it needed, yeah. It's the only thing it needed. And you know what? The lettering is not bad. just But yes, it it it ends up with Dracula
00:52:46
Speaker
 teaming up with the crew of the Cerritos to take on the real villains. yeah And then going off to an academy for other fictional characters made in holodecks.
00:53:01
Speaker
 Pretty good. Yes.
00:53:06
Speaker
 Alright, let's find a number for it.
00:53:10
Speaker
 I saw Sherlock Holmes kiss a Cthulhu on my call, Captain. I want that for me. Yes. That's very good. Uh, yeah. Good stuff, man.
00:53:22
Speaker
 but don wouldn't One of my favorite Draculas in comics.
00:53:28
Speaker
 Uh... How high can it go? Well, let's see. oh Just looking at at other comics about Dracula, Dracula Motherfuckers at 97. That comic owns.
00:53:40
Speaker
 That comic whips, yeah. Yeah. Friend of the show, Eric Henderson. Friend the show, Alex DeCampy. um Final Frontier by Tom Scioli is at 235. Also has it has robot Dracula in it.
00:53:54
Speaker
 True. At 334, a fairly comparable ah The Adventures of Dr. McNinja. I told you that story so I could tell you this one. Spooky stuff. Punch Dracula.
00:54:06
Speaker
 ah That's pretty good. I do think this is better than that. Okay.
00:54:15
Speaker
 Let's see. Is it better than Klaus the Crying Snowman? Klaus. Klaus. Klaus.
00:54:26
Speaker
 Is it better than that?
00:54:30
Speaker
 Yes. Okay. Is it better than why I hate Saturn? Why I hate Saturn really good. Boy, why I hate Saturn is morally not the opposite, but it is not ah like it is on a different moral axis.
00:54:48
Speaker
 That's true. That's true. dont I don't identify with why hate Saturn as much as I used to in my younger days when I was estranged from my sister.
00:55:01
Speaker
 I'll you what, it ain't as good as the Ballad of Beta Ray Bill at 322. I don't think it's better than that, no. um It might be better than that Thor Galactus story, though. That Thor Galactus story pretty fucking good.
00:55:14
Speaker
 Yeah. And below that we have Captain America 110-114.
00:55:20
Speaker
 Also very good. That's the Steranko. The Steranko stuff. yeah Yeah. I think maybe right above Why I Hate Saturn. Okay, that would make this the number 325. Yeah, that's a good it's a good comic, and everyone should read it, and everyone should watch Lower Ducks.
00:55:34
Speaker
 And we're saying it's 1 through 3, but it is like it is the entire series. Wait, do we have this already? No. Or did we? Yes, we have it at 425. Okay.
00:55:46
Speaker
 Well, we were about to rank it much higher. I guess we'll give it the higher ranking. We should give it the higher ranking. I'll just copy it over. Anytime we rank something twice, we give it the higher ranking. so right ah so Lower decks number one through three, all in a sea of wonders.
00:56:04
Speaker
 ah And we'll delete the lower ranking.
00:56:11
Speaker
 Huh. Go figure. We ranked it right to twice. So... so In fact,
00:56:20
Speaker
 ah it does the the the Judge Death comic does not move closer to 666, after all.
00:56:29
Speaker
 um Okay. Our next list is from Jolene. It is one comic. It is Carmilla the First Vampire by Amy Chu and Sue Lee. I have not read it, but that sounds good.
00:56:44
Speaker
 Yeah. I do love Carmilla. Same.
00:56:50
Speaker
 i I definitely wouldn't mind reading that. God almighty, this looks good. Beautiful art. Beautiful looking art. Jeepers Christmas.
00:57:03
Speaker
 I might read this this week. um I might read this tomorrow.
00:57:11
Speaker
 It's on Bad Book website for fair pretty cheap. i had no aware I didn't even really know that this existed. It came out in 2023.
00:57:22
Speaker
 Yeah, this this this came out from ah like a book publisher. Yeah. Okay. Oh, no, it's ah it's a Burger Book. It's ah ah the Dark Horse comic that Karen berger does yeah kieran Burger yeah
00:57:38
Speaker
 does. Yeah. Let me know if you read it, and then we'll rank it. Alright, that was the entire list from Jolene. This list is from Sam Rutzik.
00:57:50
Speaker
 First on the list, if this is an all Dracula list. First on the list is Ms. Marvel 1977 number 14, which has a Dracula cameo. What issue?
00:58:03
Speaker
 Number 14. 14? A Dracula cameo. Yeah. I don't know if that counts as Dracula comic. let's Let's see what happens in this issue where Ms. Marvel fights Steeplejack.
00:58:18
Speaker
 That story is called Fear Stalks Floor 40. Oh, that's right. That's right, because ah Dracula is all about to...
00:58:31
Speaker
 ah Like, Carol Danvers is walking home at night, and it's all foggy, and Dracula is about to...
00:58:42
Speaker
 to go get her when she turns into, uh, Ms. Marvel. And there's just one panel of Dracula going,
00:58:53
Speaker
 like, like, what, a what, a what an annoyance that is, you know?
00:59:03
Speaker
 Cause obviously this is because like, you know, it's, it's Claremont and Claremont likes to like likes to tie in the ah the threads of the Marvel Universe. Claremont and Carmine Infantino. Yeah.
00:59:16
Speaker
 And so it's like, yeah, you know, Dracula's in Boston, Ms. Marvel's in Boston right now. That's what's going Dracula and Ms. Marvel. And you get a thing where it's like, it's a rare woman indeed who escapes the vampire lord with her life.
00:59:28
Speaker
 But like, I guarantee you this issue would be better if like, Dracula tried to bite Ms. Marvel and Ms. Marvel beat the shit out of Dracula. Or like if he tried to bite her and then like her Kree blood fucked him up or something. Yeah. like don't know. Chris, you're giving us you're giving us a better story than you're giving us.
00:59:51
Speaker
 Right. like The rest of the issue is like just a fight on some scaffolding
00:59:59
Speaker
 that is much less interesting than if Ms. Marvel fought Dracula. Yeah, instead, Ms. Marvel fights Steeplejack. And yeah you might be asking yourself, Steeplejack? don't remember that guy.
01:00:12
Speaker
 Well, what's that tell you, bud? He's a bad guy who wears a hard hat. he He works on the high steel. Yeah. He looks ah a little bit like the Trapster.
01:00:26
Speaker
 looks a lot He did put a kicky scarf on.
01:00:31
Speaker
 True. but This is a dude who was wronged exactly once, and like decided to become a supervillain about it.
01:00:44
Speaker
 But, it's it yes, it's pretty fucked that it that's what this issue is about, and not about an encounter between Ms. Marvel and Dracula anymore.
01:00:55
Speaker
 Because like there's there's just there's that one panel of Dracula going, but then the page before that, he does appear as a bat as well. And so she's like, fuck, I feel something weird. That that might be Dracula.
01:01:11
Speaker
 And so she like runs away.
01:01:19
Speaker
 I need some open space. Some fighting room. Yeah. Oh, and he also takes the form of a policeman for a second. ah No, that's a different cop. That cop is also there.
01:01:31
Speaker
 So it's a jump scare fake out that is then revealed to have been real. Okay. Yeah. I don't know, man. I know we can only judge the comic that we have and not the comic we want, but Claremont, you gave us the setup for the comic we want.
01:01:49
Speaker
 Yeah, it's it's very disappointing. This is a very disappointing so issue where it's like, hey, here what here's here's what would have been set up for a cool story, but instead, Steeplejack is mad about
01:02:09
Speaker
 to I don't know, something? Yeah, you know, she you
01:02:19
Speaker
 He's mad about, don't know, a building? i think he got fired, maybe. got fired from building? From from like his construction shop?
01:02:31
Speaker
 I hope he... Steeplejack probably found religion in the raft, you know? Steeplejack probably like goes and talks to so like schools now.
01:02:46
Speaker
 Oh, he goes after um Carol's dad. Yeah. Who has something to do with the construction project. And so Carol has to save her dad from sepaljack. She karate chopped the shit out of her dad to knock him out.
01:03:04
Speaker
 Sorry, Dad, but that's something you've had coming for a long time anyway. Again, working out on the page, huh, Chris? and then And then her dad is not even grateful for it.
01:03:16
Speaker
 I mean, with I guess I probably would be grateful if Ms. Marvel saved me from being blown up with dynamite. But then I would be a little pissed off if she then karate chopped the shit out of my neck. She's very strong.
01:03:28
Speaker
 Listen, I mean, if she had to do it to save me, I'd be like, I know you had to do it to save me. Yeah, but from from his perspective, she karate chops him and puts him under ah tarp.
01:03:43
Speaker
 Yeah. She could just, like... Man, you're just like... Otherwise, Steeplejack was going to shoot him. Yeah, but she... Matt, she's so fast.
01:03:58
Speaker
 I'd be like, hey, why don't you just drop me off outside of this fucking construction zone? But...
01:04:07
Speaker
 she She saves him, and he says, I said, put me down. I can fight my own battles, woman. And I can handle punks like Steeplejack without your help. Oh, yeah, he he does say that before she she karate chops him. so yeah Well, yeah you know what, ah Mr. Danvers?
01:04:24
Speaker
 You were not doing that before she showed up. Just be like, alright, go for it. Alright, fine. Take your chances with Seeplejack. I'm just saying, I don't think i don't think Superman would like pull you out of a ah burning building and then like karate chop the shit out of your neck.
01:04:42
Speaker
 I mean, fair, but... I don't know. um I think this issue kind of sucks. Yeah, I think it kind of sucks, man. The Dracula cameo is just frustrating.
01:04:57
Speaker
 Yeah, man. It's not like offensive or anything, but it's not good.
01:05:02
Speaker
 I mean, I don't care, but it's not good.
01:05:06
Speaker
 Do whatever you want, but it's it does make you a good person. Yeah. Let's see. um'm i'm looking down here and at like number 1200. Oh, i mean I'm already into the 1300s.
01:05:20
Speaker
 Really? Because 1200's kind of where it starts to get bad. 1200 is Punisher Kites is what we have at 1200.
01:05:31
Speaker
 yeah But like Harry Osborn did a drug is better than this. Yeah, that's true.
01:05:39
Speaker
 Like... what about what about What about Robin 3, Cry of the Huntress by Chuck Dixon and Tom Lyle?
01:05:47
Speaker
 We have that at 1307. We sure do.
01:05:52
Speaker
 I mean... ah Death of Gene DeWolf is at 1306. Like, I don't know that this is that actively bad.
01:06:04
Speaker
 mean, I don't think it's as good as the Death of Gene DeWolf. Yeah, maybe not.
01:06:15
Speaker
 1310 is Lois Lane, the Devil's Bride. I'd rather read that, because you because you know what happens in that? The Devil doesn't just show up in one panel that. That's true. That's a good point. The Devil's in that comic.
01:06:29
Speaker
 Let's see. Life Theft, is it 1316?
01:06:34
Speaker
 Olsen the Roughneck, that one is...
01:06:40
Speaker
 That's a problematic comic book. Also, 1320 is a problematic comic book. It's the lowest lane. Yeah. Blackford issue. think we've got to put it above those.
01:06:53
Speaker
 I think it's probably below Life Theft. Is it better or worse than the first appearance of Multiple Man? I do not like that comic.
01:07:04
Speaker
 Alright, let's put it above that then. Let's make this the new 1317. Okay.
01:07:11
Speaker
 Ms. Marble number 14. The story is called Fear Stalks 440.
01:07:22
Speaker
 and i'll put And I'll say Dracula Cameo.
01:07:26
Speaker
 C, Dracula. Yeah. All right. Next on the list from Sam is Thor, numbers 332 to 333. Hang second. entering the datum.
01:07:39
Speaker
 which hang i know second i got i'm i'm entering i'm entering the datum Okay, enter ah enter the datum. What? Ms. Marvel number 14? It's number 14, yeah.
01:07:51
Speaker
 And I guess you should specify it's Ms. Marvel 1977.
01:07:58
Speaker
 ah so well If showed up in ah in a Kamala Khan book, he'd be Legacy of Kain's Soul Reaver Dracula.
Thor vs. Dracula Analysis
01:08:07
Speaker
 He would, unfortunately.
01:08:11
Speaker
 Alright, next is Thor numbers 332 to 333. Which is... This is... i think right before Simonson.
01:08:25
Speaker
 This is the Alan Zelenitz and Don Perlin run on Thor. Ah, yes. ah The one no one's read.
01:08:37
Speaker
 Oh, but it is Thor vs. Dracula. this is This is a Thor vs. Dracula story.
01:08:45
Speaker
 I guess I gotta to go look. What was 3.30... 3.32 to 3.33.
01:08:55
Speaker
 three thirty two to three thirty three so so close so the sim's run
01:09:05
Speaker
 Oh, okay, so Dracula takes control of Sif in this. And the art changes between from one issue to another. The first issue is a Don Perlin issue, and I gotta admit, it looks pretty bad. oh I have read these.
01:09:24
Speaker
 I have read these specifically because it's a Dracula story, and yeah, but it's it is some rough art. The second issue is by ah Mark Bright, though, and it's much better.
01:09:40
Speaker
 I mean, it would have it would have a hard time being worse while still being like perfectly legible. But yeah, boy, you gotta get Doc Bright in there. Yeah. That dude draws the shit out of comics.
01:09:53
Speaker
 Dracula looks much better in 333. three thirty three but Yeah, he's got you've got a real ruffly shirt. He's got a ruffly shirt. He's got a nice crisp... crisp Dracula beard.
01:10:05
Speaker
 Whereas, like, Dracula in 332 looks like a guy who just bought a motorcycle. Like, he's he's just a dude with a goatee. You know what i absolutely never want to see in a comic book?
01:10:22
Speaker
 But what's that? Thor walking into a police station being like, hey, I need some help with with a crime. Oh yeah, he definitely does that in 333. Yeah. I don't want to see Thor walking around.
01:10:36
Speaker
 And I certainly don't want to see him, like, you know... Like... He, like, roughs a guy up. Like, he roughs up a Renfield.
01:10:50
Speaker
 And... Like... There's a lot of Thor just, like, walking around. and Like... like
01:11:00
Speaker
 Thor stories, i don't think, there are not usually detective stories. There's not a lot of, you know, wearing down the shoe leather for Thor, the God of Thunder.
01:11:14
Speaker
 And I don't necessarily think there should be. I do like it when Thor shows up at the opera and he's just like, Dracula, where the fuck are you?
01:11:29
Speaker
 and And then they they just they fight in the rain for a little while, and Dracula attacks Thor with some rats. And then it's quickly over. and like it's it like it it's it's the The match has to quickly um go home after that.
01:11:48
Speaker
 Yeah, because here's the thing. I'm a... Matt, I'm a... I'm a bit of a Dracula guy myself. ah And I like Dracula, and I like it when Dracula has weird powers, and like it when Dracula fights superheroes.
01:12:02
Speaker
 And this is Marvel Dracula. He fought all the X-Men. He fought the whole team. He fought them all, Matt.
01:12:10
Speaker
 I don't think Dracula versus Thor should take up more than one panel.
01:12:20
Speaker
 I think Dracula gets his shit wrecked immediately. just what Thor needs to be like Goldberg in 97.
01:12:32
Speaker
 Right, yeah. Undefeated. Streak. Yeah, boom. Spear, jackhammer, one, two, three. Over. And and like look, maybe he fights a Steven Riegel every once in a while, who like gives him a hard time.
01:12:48
Speaker
 but But not against Dracula. But not against Dracula, yeah. that that Look, we all like it when there's kind of like an unexpected guy. You know, an unexpected a victory.
01:13:01
Speaker
 Like when when someone's clever about it. when When someone can make you believe that maybe the White Rabbit's got it this time. You know? right yeah yeah But if you want to do that, put Dracula against Spider-Man.
01:13:12
Speaker
 Put Dracula against Moon Knight. Put Dracula against ah the X-Men.
01:13:31
Speaker
 I don't think this story is very good. but this This is so resolutely an immediately pre-Wall Simonson story. Yes. it's like This is why Wall Simonson's like, I'm to fuck up that logo.
01:13:44
Speaker
 We are leaving it all behind.
01:13:51
Speaker
 Alright, where do you want to put this one?
01:13:56
Speaker
 it I feel like it's not as bad as that issue of Ms. Marvel. Because it is Thor vs. Dracula. Like, we were just saying that would be like that would be the the preferable thing.
01:14:08
Speaker
 right Right? Yes. At least, you know, it is a story about a superhero vs. Dracula. And not a tease of that, and then not doing that.
01:14:20
Speaker
 Like, I would have i would have thought very differently of that Ms. Marvel issue. and Instead of just being like, like and making a face, so there was a panel of Draghid going, oh shit, almost attacked Ms. Marvel. almost got the, like, she got alien blood.
01:14:40
Speaker
 She could fuck me up. Yeah, she got cosmic blood. what What's she gonna do to me? You know, but narrowly missed that one. Yeah. but Like,
01:14:52
Speaker
 but But, man, early 80s Dracula versus early 80s Thor.
01:14:58
Speaker
 This ain't it, chief. Do kids still say that? um ah You know what? I don't know. that i I only today learned about 6'7". o And so, I'm i'm way behind. Mm-hmm.
01:15:15
Speaker
 This ain't that much higher, though. No, don't think it's that much higher. it i mean, is it better or worse than the JMS run on Thor?
01:15:25
Speaker
 Ugh, that's a tough question. Well, do we have, yeah, Thor JMS Volume 1 is at 1302. Yeah. those are Those are... Those comics are readable.
01:15:39
Speaker
 yeah Readable enough. I mean, in hindsight, like... Again, i said this when after we finished the Jurgies.
01:15:50
Speaker
 it I guess it seemed like a fresh idea to a lot of people when those Thor comics started, those JMS Thor comics started, that it was like, oh look, Asgard is in America, in in Oklahoma.
01:16:03
Speaker
 But literally, last Dan Juergen story just before that had been Asgard- being floating above New York and then taking over Earth.
01:16:18
Speaker
 It's really weird. It's really weird. Because you know Strzycki didn't read that shit. You know he didn't read it, yeah. like And Tom Brevoort was probably like, yeah, great. Great idea. the brand new. Well, you know, Strzycki talked about how he had that contract where it's like, where it's like, you can't change my words.
01:16:42
Speaker
 You come and talk to me about it, but no editor is allowed to change anything I write.
01:16:50
Speaker
 And it's like, does that extend to bad ideas? I mean, it must. like it seems like it must.
01:17:03
Speaker
 What do I gotta do to get one of those contracts where it's just... Do you publish whatever I give you? i don't know. I'd be a famous TV guy, I guess.
01:17:14
Speaker
 Tell you what, there would be a lot of comics about Bam Tam. If that was the case. As much as I type that word, you you'd think I would be able to get it every time.
01:17:29
Speaker
 yeah man, I don't know. This is just, it's just nothing. Yeah, I mean, it ain't better than Death of Gene DeWolf. No, it's not. um
01:17:42
Speaker
 I would say Punisher the Tiger is better than this. Punisher the Tiger is not great, but it's it's more than competently done. i mean, Hobgoblin Lives is like more interesting.
01:17:57
Speaker
 Back to life theft, man. Maybe it's just right above that Ms. Marvel comic. it. That's it. 1317. yeah i think i think we're i think that's it but's it thirteen seventeen Alright, so... Thor, numbers 333... Or 332 to 333. What are the titles of those stories? The second one's called Like a Bat Out of Heaven, which is pretty funny.
01:18:23
Speaker
 But not good. Like... no it's not like... it's it's not good. It's not actually clever. First one is called Blood of a Goddess. I'm just gonna say Thor vs. Dracula.
01:18:36
Speaker
 I almost wrote that Rick Rubin drew this. That's not right. Don Perlin. I would love to read a comic Rick Rubin drew. i yeah I don't know that you would. um
01:18:49
Speaker
 Yeah, Don Perlin did 332, and Mark Bright did 333.
01:18:56
Speaker
 Man, sorry, sorry Don Perlin.
01:19:01
Speaker
 Yeah, I mean, nothing against you personally, Don Perlin, but...
01:19:07
Speaker
 Dracula looks like a guy in 332 who has his kids every other weekend. That's all I can tell you. It's like his hat isn't, his hat is floating on his head.
01:19:26
Speaker
 it's like It's not like at the wrong angle or anything, but every shot of Thor is like, they had to go in and paste a picture of the hat on after it was drawn.
01:19:37
Speaker
 it's just It's just Dracula just looks like a guy with a goatee. ah Yeah, dr Dracula. It's weird how like it looks like a lot of this was photo referenced.
01:19:52
Speaker
 Possible. but it But if it was photo referenced, I feel like it would be better. Yeah. I don't know. It's a tough one to figure out.
01:20:04
Speaker
 Sorry, I'm growing. Our next list is from Daniel Sylvester.
01:20:10
Speaker
 um The first one on that list is Dragon Ball Chapters ninety seven to one ah eight The Fortune Teller Baba Saga, where Goku fights the universal monsters and the ghosts of his grandpa.
01:20:25
Speaker
 I mean, Matt, what do I need to add to that? yeah mean Maybe nothing. That is what happens. Yeah. oh listen,
01:20:37
Speaker
 it's pretty good. It's not, but it is. Okay. So,
01:20:47
Speaker
 so it's very, it's very much in the, like still in like the gag manga mode, right? Like it hasn't quite become the the full shounen,
01:21:04
Speaker
 Everything is tournaments. Action comic, yeah. Yeah. That it's gonna get. So it's goofy. And it's silly. But it is Goku fighting Dracula and Frankenstein and the Wolfman.
01:21:20
Speaker
 And... Even, like... The part where the ghost of his grandpa comes back... Because you don't know it's the ghost of his grandpa, right? Well, I should say, Goku doesn't know it's the ghost of his grandpa.
01:21:34
Speaker
 ah Because... Goku's... Dumb.
01:21:43
Speaker
 You know? it's That has been proven, yeah. As has been proven. um But it seems... I forget whether it's made like explicit, or if it's just like kind of obvious that it's Grandpa Gohan.
01:21:57
Speaker
 um Because he's wearing a mask. And he also has a Like a halo. Which I love, because that has remained an element of Dragon Ball.
01:22:11
Speaker
 That if you're dead, but you come back to Earth, you have a halo, even if you were literally pulled out of literal hell. Like Christian hell.
01:22:23
Speaker
 Like Frieza. When they go get Frieza out of hell, and he comes back, he's got a halo. Because he's dead. Which is very funny. um I think it's worth noting that when Goku fights the Universal Monsters, it is to it is in a Dragon Ball tournament setting, like with a big ring.
01:22:48
Speaker
 And Dracula's wearing boxing gloves. Yeah. Yeah, Dracula is dressed like a Muay Thai fighter, like a kickboxer.
01:22:59
Speaker
 um He is called Fangs the Vampire in America, but in Japan is Dracula Man. That makes sense. So yeah. which is I don't know why they felt like they had to change that.
01:23:14
Speaker
 Fuck. I just got to a part of this story that's like what we don't like about fucking Dragon Ball. Oh, is there something i forgot? Is there something forgot? There's a part where, I guess, Krillin accidentally pulls down Bulma's shirt. Right.
01:23:35
Speaker
 And Master Roshi is really not normal about it. Yeah. ah That's unfortunate. That is unfortunate that that is in the comic.
01:23:50
Speaker
 Yeah. I know. I forgot about that. It is...
01:24:01
Speaker
 Oh, yes. ah Daniel does say it it does have some not great Bulma stuff, but hopefully doesn't totally tank the story. I mean, it's going to take the story a little bit, dude. like It's going to take a little bit.
01:24:14
Speaker
 yeah But I will say, the actual reunion where Grandpa Gohan comes back and fights... Goku as like, cause they're getting ready to go into the, the, uh, Tenkaichi Budokai, the 22nd world martial arts tournament.
01:24:31
Speaker
 Um, and so like he gets his, like, he gets his dead grandfather's approval. Uh, and I think this is where you find out that like, uh, grandpa Gohan and, all and master Roshi were friends. Um,
01:24:52
Speaker
 uh or i think you maybe you know that before but like you get you get like good reunion stuff with that and also there's a little bit of setup for stuff because like master roshi's like hey why is goku so fucking strong and grab a gun's like don't fucking know i found this kid in the woods
01:25:17
Speaker
 Which is pretty funny. It's pretty good. But it does, like, you know, that's not going to pay off for another, like, like four arcs until we get to the Saiyan Saga. So...
01:25:31
Speaker
 it it does It does have some good stuff in it, and a lot of the the fighting with... ah ah The monster guys. I mean, it's like it's full comedy.
01:25:45
Speaker
 like Yeah, I mean, the the mummy is like a big old dude. And then there's like Satan, who looks like a guy in a costume. Yeah. um And I guess Frankenstein's in here too, somewhere.
01:26:01
Speaker
 Yeah, and the and the invisible man who gets nose blood on him, because Master Roshi's a... That's number four. how did we How did we forget? He's the fourth one on on Mount Purvmore.
01:26:14
Speaker
 Master Roshi. Master Roshi. Yeah, he's he is an absolute nasty freak. He's a real nasty boy, but I will say, of of the four, Master Roshi is the one who does eventually like try to try to train his way out of it.
01:26:32
Speaker
 Right, yeah. Do you know about gi ah this, Matt? Yeah, because you read read the... ah yeah The big tournament arc where Master Roshi stops being a pervert and channels all that energy into ah ah his martial arts and becomes exponentially stronger.
01:26:56
Speaker
 Yes, I do remember that. yeah are Our buddy Annie Creighton refers to that as perfect Volsel.
01:27:07
Speaker
 I don't know, man. I have fond memories of this story, but I clearly did not remember certain parts of it. I mean, i that is that is what you would put out of your memory.
01:27:17
Speaker
 Yeah. the the The little bit of gross perv stuff that's in here. Yeah, man. Nasty freak.
01:27:29
Speaker
 and master That's why he's got to live on that island. Yeah.
01:27:34
Speaker
 Why is he so fucking weird? Give me a rating for this. i I haven't read this bit of Dragon Ball, so this is all you. I've read it all, man. I know you did.
01:27:47
Speaker
 I've read it all.
01:27:58
Speaker
 Similarly to Night Business...
01:28:02
Speaker
 I don't know if I could recommend it. Good, but hard to recommend? Yeah. Highly, like, I enjoyed it. Hard to recommend. Like, the first, it seems like the first, like, maybe 150 chapters of Dragon Ball are, it's not that you gotta get through them, but, like, there's stuff in there you're not gonna wanna have to think about and live with.
01:28:28
Speaker
 It's tough. Yeah. it It is tough to get through.
01:28:38
Speaker
 In many ways. Alright, so where's Night Business? Night Business is at 1235. Okay, so this is probably around that. Yeah.
01:28:51
Speaker
 It's probably better than Night Business. Okay. Okay. and right I'm going to put it right above Night Business. The new number 1235? Yeah. Okay, so this is Dragon Ball.
Dragon Ball's Fortune Teller Baba Saga
01:29:09
Speaker
 It's the Fortune Teller Baba Saga. Fortune Teller Baba Saga, Okay.
01:29:17
Speaker
 If it didn't have the Gross Perf stuff, it would definitely be higher. but yeah skip it Skip the Gross Perf stuff and just just think about the Grandpa Gohan stuff.
01:29:27
Speaker
 yeah In fact, don't even read it. Just imagine Grandpa Gohan saying, don't fucking know, I found this kid in the woods. yeah
01:29:36
Speaker
 So is that like the start of the build toward toward the Saiyan saga then? Do you think Toriyama will Like, knew that's where he was going at that point.
01:29:49
Speaker
 I don't... It's hard to tell
01:29:55
Speaker
 if at any point in that in that entire saga, in the entirety of Dragon Ball, if Toriyama knew where he was going. Yeah, yeah. It's really tough.
01:30:06
Speaker
 But it does help that Grandpa's like, oh, I don't know, i just found him. Yeah. it does It does definitely establish that there is something...
01:30:19
Speaker
 more unusual with Goku. But I mean, that's that's the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, the 22nd World Tournament. It's the 24th where he fights Piccolo Jr. So, like, again, it's like four more arcs until we get to Dragon Ball Z. Yeah.
01:30:48
Speaker
 Okay, next on Daniel's list is Roxxon Presents Thor number one. And Daniel says, the monster is capitalism. Yeah, I was going to say, it that is that spooky?
01:31:00
Speaker
 It's not spooky. It's not spooky at all. It's not spooky. It is great. It is great. And it is, like, I mean, that is a monster that ah oppresses us all.
01:31:13
Speaker
 um i I don't I think we can rank this. I don't want to rank it during every spooky ever.
01:31:26
Speaker
 Well, I mean, i it's on the list, so I think we have to, but... But, mean, Matt, we don't have to do anything. i do want to i do want to make clear that I don't think this really fits in every spooky ever. um I mean, unless you want to say Dario Agur is like a spooky, scary monster.
01:31:46
Speaker
 um With his... with his you know, cow skull head. um But this comic is mostly just funny. It's funny and also like funny in a way that turns sinister.
01:32:02
Speaker
 Yes. its I mean, we reviewed this not too long ago. It's so fucking good. Yeah. It's, it's like if Al Ewing was doing a Mark Russell, it's like if, yeah, it's, it's Al Ewing.
01:32:16
Speaker
 I don't want to say he's aping Mark Russell, but it's, It's very much in the vein of Mark Russell shotgun satire. Yeah. I like to think of it as if um the Grant Morrison who wrote JLA and the Grant Morrison who wrote Doom Patrol and the Grant Morrison who wrote Doom Force were all the same person.
01:32:35
Speaker
 Yeah, it is kind of like that. Yeah. It is kind of like that. Yeah. all All apologies to to everybody. All apologies to ah to Steve Orlando, ah to Scott Snyder.
01:32:50
Speaker
 Al Ewing's the new Grant Morrison. Apologies to Al Ewing for comparing him to another writer, but Al Ewing's the new Grant Morrison. that's that's just Apologies to Jonathan Hickman. ah i mean I think it's you know if if there's one writer who absorbed the most Grant Morrison...
01:33:12
Speaker
 It is Al Ewing. What if Grant... Did Grant die fighting Doomsday? And now we have... It's kind of like that, isn't it?
01:33:25
Speaker
 Yeah. It's kind of like that. One of them's got to be evil. So who's the evil Grant Morrison?
01:33:34
Speaker
 That's a tough one. Because most of the writers who seem like really influenced by... Oh! It's Mark Miller!
01:33:43
Speaker
 But Mark Miller is not actually influenced by Grant. la I think Mark Miller is influenced by Grant. I think i think there might be a wizard hex coming at me for saying that.
01:33:58
Speaker
 But I do think he is. So you're saying Mark Miller's like the Eradicator? but Well, Mark Miller I was good thinking is the Cyborg. guess the Eradicator was evil.
01:34:13
Speaker
 The Eradicator was evil. but Yeah.
01:34:17
Speaker
 So it gets tough, but like um certainly you've got Ewing, you've got Steve Orlando, you've got Snyder. like There's more than four.
01:34:29
Speaker
 There's certainly more than four. There's ah there's a lot of us out up there.
01:34:34
Speaker
 ah But yeah, this this single issue um whips and is like...
01:34:43
Speaker
 Just the thing with Thor's truck is incredibly good. Thor's truck's very good. Yeah. It's so rectangular. So rectangular. God, that's so funny.
01:34:58
Speaker
 ah Yeah, it's it's one of my favorite single issues in or and ah in a long time. The the the ads for Roxxon in it. um Like...
01:35:13
Speaker
 the The real Thor not being able to express why he's mad about it. Yeah. um Like, up and down, the best.
01:35:24
Speaker
 Like, just great. Yeah. um Dario Agur showing up and being like, yeah, it's parody. ah But, yeah, it's supposed to be funny.
01:35:37
Speaker
 But that just gets you used to it. Like... you know if if If we're in on the joke, then we can control the joke. Right. like it's it's got some It's got a little bit of ultra comics in it, man.
01:35:53
Speaker
 It definitely does. like it's got ah like There's some multiversity that's kind of self-paradising like this is, too.
01:36:05
Speaker
 God, Ultra Comics is so fucking good. like I'm not the biggest fan of Masterman. It's not my favorite multiversity one-shot by any stretch.
01:36:16
Speaker
 But it does boldly open with Hitler reading the comic on the toilet. Yeah. ah Which, you know, that's that's pretty pretty bold.
01:36:31
Speaker
 not like Yeah, Dario Agger saying, a brand that mocks itself has free reign, a free pass into every consumer's head.
01:36:40
Speaker
 like Accurate, true. The longer we go, the more I think Ultra Comics might be the best comic of all time. Best single issue. The more I think Ultra Comics might need to be at the top of the list.
01:36:56
Speaker
 It's... it's I mean, it's in a good spot. but It's in a good spot. i don't have like I don't think about it.
01:37:05
Speaker
 I personally don't think about Ultra Comics as much as I think about ah Jim Gordon getting Flass the baseball bat, something that I think about every single day of my life. I think about Ultra Comics probably more than you do. I think about Ultra Comics all the time. yeah If I was a better person, I would think about Ultra Comics more.
01:37:27
Speaker
 And I truly believe that. Like, we have a couple of single issues above it. um i mean, it's at number 22. It's in a very good spot. but Yeah, man. It is one of the single issues I think about the most.
01:37:45
Speaker
 The list is sacred and inviolable, except for the times that we change it. Correct. um But yeah, man, i just the more I think about it, the more i'm like, fuck, man, it might be the best one ever.
01:37:59
Speaker
 The problem is, you have to have read 1600 comics. True. I would be willing to put Roxxon Presents Thor at, like, number 100.
01:38:14
Speaker
 It's really good, and it's like... It's the best use of Greg Land as an artist. It's the of Greg Land. Like, the thing. But it doesn't... It simultaneously seems mean-spirited and not.
01:38:29
Speaker
 Sure. Like, in the way in the way that Dario Agar is craig land also in on the joke, on the joke? And if Greg Land's in on the joke, does that mean that we kind of have to give it to Greg Land?
01:38:46
Speaker
 I mean, well, Greg Land is like clearly drawing this to be funny. like He's in on the joke to a point, at least. Yeah, I mean, like that that page of Enchantress on the beach saying, I'm too distracted to reply, for I am lost in thoughts of Hunky Thor.
01:39:06
Speaker
 Like... Craig Land absolutely knows what he's doing. Yes. There. yeah and and ah And then the next page where Thor is like in a bodysuit and holding a Roxxon surfboard. like That's funny. That's just funny to look at.
01:39:23
Speaker
 It is. And it's like... i would love to know how this was... like How this was pitched...
01:39:36
Speaker
 To everyone involved. And especially how it was pitched to Greg Land. yeah Because like. This. Comic doesn't work.
01:39:48
Speaker
 If. Pepe LaRoz draws it. You know. it it It doesn't work the same way. At least. yeah like i I think it would be a funny good comic. If Pepe LaRoz drew it. But it would not be the comic that it is.
01:40:04
Speaker
 like the only other person who could have drawn this comic is Rob.
01:40:10
Speaker
 And I don't think i think... And I think that would have been too mean.
01:40:18
Speaker
 i look i don't think... like I think if you pitched it to Rob, he'd be like, that is insulting. And like he would be right. Well, I... I kind of feel like Rob...
01:40:32
Speaker
 i don't know I don't know Rob. ah You know Rob better way better than me. I don't know Rob that well. Worked with Rob on a very fun graphic novel. Had a great time. I like Rob. do Do you think Rob would like
01:40:47
Speaker
 totally get what this was trying to do? I think Rob, as a thing that I learned about Rob while we were doing, Chad Bowers and I worked with Rob Liefeld on Deadpool Batblood, available now in softcover and hardcover.
01:41:07
Speaker
 And there's a sequel that I did not write, but Chad did, oh that you should also read.
01:41:14
Speaker
 Rob's a lot smarter than people give him credit for. And Rob's more self-aware than people give him credit for. Yeah. Well, I think this the same could probably be be said of Greg Land. like I don't think Greg Land would continue to get work the way he continues to get work if he didn't have a pretty good idea of what his strengths are, what his weaknesses are, and was not pretty easy to work with.
01:41:42
Speaker
 Yeah. I just don't know how you pitch this to Greg Land without him being insulted. Unless he is like, yeah, I know.
01:41:53
Speaker
 I know what they do. I think he totally knows what he does. like Like, you know, people point out that he like traces screenshots from pornos.
01:42:06
Speaker
 He knows he does that. Yeah.
01:42:11
Speaker
 I mean, like, it's fucking nice work for you can get it, I guess. Yeah. Uh... Or maybe, I mean, I don't know. I don't know if they're from pornos, but that's what like people have always said.
01:42:23
Speaker
 It's definitely, like, he definitely does, like... God, like, I feel like I'm 1,000 years old, but it's, like, do they still call them girly magazines? ah It's, like, yeah he's done, like, he's done, like, swimsuit, like, Sports l Illustrated swimsuit stuff and, like, modeling shots, for sure.
01:42:42
Speaker
 Probably Playboy and stuff like that. Yeah. Yeah. But anyway, like yeah, I think Greg Land is very aware of that. i mean, i hope so. But again like I got to know how it was pitched.
01:42:54
Speaker
 cause Because he has to be in on it, or else it doesn't work. Yeah. i mean And he clearly is, and it clearly does. Yeah. um At number 100 currently is He'll Never Make Me Cry, which is the Colossus-Juggernaut bar fight.
01:43:11
Speaker
 That's a good-ass comic, Matt. That is a good-ass comic. That's a good-ass comic, though.
01:43:20
Speaker
 So do you think this has to go below that? I mean, we've got that above Welcome Back, Frank. Yeah. ah The Dark Phoenix Saga. Like, is this better than Welcome Back, Frank, The Dark Phoenix Saga, ah Batman R.I.P.? It's not better than Batman R.I.P.
01:43:35
Speaker
 Okay. I do think it's better than the Choose Your Own Xmas story we have at number 111. That's because you read that story like an absolute maniac.
01:43:51
Speaker
 i Even if I had read it not in in direct chronological order, I think this would be better than that. They're both funny.
01:44:03
Speaker
 I think this is funnier. Okay. And they're both Al Ewing stories, right? Yeah. yeah Yeah, I don't think it's as good as as Orion Fights for Earth, either, from New Gods number one.
01:44:17
Speaker
 okay so i would be I would honestly... i don't know how adamant you are about that, because I don't know if I would put this above Milner's song.
01:44:30
Speaker
 I don't know if I would put it above The Laughing Fish. ah But I do feel like it is comparable to Fraction in Labor's Jimmy Olsen.
01:44:41
Speaker
 Okay. Which I know is above is above The Laughing Fish. but Yeah. It is a โ look, it's a โ it's collaboration.
01:44:54
Speaker
 We've got to come to a meeting place. You tell me where it goes. If if it were up to me, I'd slot it in it you know at the at number 111. i I think i I could put it at 113.
01:45:07
Speaker
 Okay. I could put it above Jim Eielsen. All right. Then it's the new number 113. Because, look, gotta you don't got to try to make Steve Lieber work. Steve Lee, we're going to draw you a good-ass comic no matter what.
01:45:25
Speaker
 Uh, alright. Finally, on the list Daniel... this the highest Greg Land is going to go on the list ever? Probably.
01:45:37
Speaker
 Probably. Uh, finally, Dragon Ball Super Chapters 14 through 26, the Goku Black Saga.
Goku Black Saga in Dragon Ball Super
01:45:48
Speaker
 where Daniel is counting evil gods as spooky. um Featuring the moment where Vegeta tells Goku to go wild till you die. That shit owns.
01:45:59
Speaker
 That shit fucking owns.
01:46:04
Speaker
 Now Matt, you got me for Christmas last year. I believe. It was either Christmas last year or my birthday last year. I think it was... Actually, I think it might been birthday.
01:46:15
Speaker
 You got me a Goku black action figure. I did. I did, in fact, do that. Not knowing about Goku Black. i I had heard you mention go wild until you die, but I... Yes.
01:46:29
Speaker
 Yeah, um... I fucking love when Dragon Ball gets... When Dragon Ball gets that Marvel Comics bullshit, that's as good as comics get. Because, see, you know Trunks is Cable.
01:46:47
Speaker
 Correct, yes. Three words that anyone can understand exactly what I mean. Trunks is Cable.
01:46:55
Speaker
 ah So, it turns out that Dragon Ball works like the Marvel Universe in that when you go back in time, it doesn't actually change your future.
01:47:07
Speaker
 It just creates a split timeline. But their Dragon Ball multiverse is 14...
01:47:17
Speaker
 multiverses, 14 universes, but because there's a split timeline, now there's a second set of Universe 7s?
01:47:28
Speaker
 Because Universe 7, that's where Goku lives. And so, because Trunks created ah new timeline when he came back and ah cut Frieza in half in front of his own fucking dad, in one of the hardest moments that's ever happened...
01:47:47
Speaker
 oh you get a god of destruction who who takes over the dead Goku body of the Goku that died of heart disease in the Trunks future and then uses his god powers to team up with the god of destruction from the real universe 7 and then
01:48:12
Speaker
 and then they So you've got like an evil god of destruction, and an evil god of destruction who's also Goku. and is ah And is as strong as Goku.
01:48:23
Speaker
 Because Goku's body is even stronger than god bodies. Or goddies.
01:48:31
Speaker
 And then they fight.
01:48:35
Speaker
 it's It's great. It's fucking... it's It is...
01:48:44
Speaker
 It might be my favorite Dragon Ball story.
01:48:49
Speaker
 Because it is so... It's so Marvel Comics. It's... An alternate future... Goku's dead body possessed by a god... Who is destroying... who Who's... A perfect universe is one in which mortals do not exist...
01:49:10
Speaker
 Because mortals are violent and destructive. So he's creating the perfect universe because he's a a god of destruction. no, he's a supreme kai in training. That's what it is.
01:49:22
Speaker
 So he's not a god of destruction, he's a supreme kai. all And when he um when he powers up, his hair turns pink.
01:49:33
Speaker
 ah Which he calls Super Saiyan Rosรฉ.
01:49:44
Speaker
 Alright, where do you think it goes? where Place it.
01:49:49
Speaker
 Matt, I don't know if you heard me. He calls it Super Saiyan Rose. i i I was aware of Super Saiyan Rose. Oh, it's so good. And yeah, at one point at one point he's fighting ah like he gets all his boys because Goku can't beat him. Because he's a supreme guy.
01:50:11
Speaker
 And so Goku and Vegeta are facing him down and there's like
01:50:16
Speaker
 They're outnumbered, and they're going to about to get fucked up. And... ah Goku goes, alright, Vegeta. Any plans?
01:50:28
Speaker
 And Vegeta goes, same plan as always. Go wild until you die. Matt, I matt i put the shit down. i stood up.
01:50:38
Speaker
 I had to move. I had to move around. As you do. I gotta move around. talking I feel like I'm getting the spirit.
01:50:52
Speaker
 Man, but that's that's the story where you gotta go Super Saiyan God.
01:50:58
Speaker
 love it when they go Super Saiyan God.
01:51:02
Speaker
 love it when they go Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan. Actually, that's that's my favorite. um I don't know if it is as objectively good as the Frieza Saga. Because the Frieza Saga, like... When...
01:51:18
Speaker
 The first time Goku goes Super Saiyan is one of the best moments in comics. In all of comics. I believe that firmly. I think Goku going Ultra Instinct narratively is better.
01:51:35
Speaker
 Because it is a culmination of like 30 years of storytelling. that People think I am insane for saying that. But I... would remind them I have won 14th of an Eisner award for criticism, so they should listen to me.
01:51:53
Speaker
 This might be just my favorite pure like Dragon Ball story, because it's it has wild twists and turns and a bunch of comic book bullshit. ah I love it.
01:52:05
Speaker
 Where are we on the list here? Turn of the powers at 128. Turn of the powers fucking good. It was very good, yes. It's... Man, he when he goes Ultra Instinct, I watch i was the anime, and fucking Master Roshi is like like, each of you has made him stronger.
01:52:29
Speaker
 Because you've been his friends, and you've been there beside him. And in fighting you, he became stronger. And in fighting him, you became stronger. And it's like, like hell yes, love fighting.
01:52:43
Speaker
 like That shit got me.
01:52:46
Speaker
 I think the Goku Black Saga is... It's more pure comics. It's more pure comics.
01:52:57
Speaker
 I... I don't know if it's as good as Spider-Man Life Story. I don't know if it's as good as Gwenpool. I don't know if it's good as Damage Control.
01:53:06
Speaker
 i do kind of want to put it above that Astro City story about the dog, which is at 124 on the list, even though it's like the worst story ever. Like, it should be at, like, $1,700.
01:53:19
Speaker
 A number that's not even on this list.
01:53:24
Speaker
 kind of want to put up above that just to make a point. Alright.
01:53:30
Speaker
 It's your call, my man. Again, i like I'm looking at all of these. It has not been that long since I've read... Like, it hasn't been that long since I've read The Life and Times of Joe Christmas or... or the first damage control story.
01:53:47
Speaker
 It's been like maybe six months since the last time I read There's No Hope in Crime Alley. i would I would read the Goku Black Saga again before any of them. okay I don't think it's as good as Clause Volume 1.
01:54:03
Speaker
 Alright, so what's the number? 120. Damn. It's Alright. damn it's good all right So the new number 120 is Dragon Ball Super.
01:54:18
Speaker
 The Goku Black Saga? Mm-hmm.
01:54:24
Speaker
 Okay. I gotta say we've talked about how Steve Ditko has like... i think it's I think it's actually Frank who has the biggest spread on the list, right? Yeah.
01:54:39
Speaker
 Yeah. Because he's he's ah the he's at number two, and he's at 1666 right now, the the penultimate. So he's got the... Second from the top, second from the bottom. Second from the top, second from the bottom. Frank frank Miller has the the biggest spread.
01:54:56
Speaker
 I think Dragon Ball might have the biggest variation in quality in a single comic series primarily by one person.
01:55:11
Speaker
 Like throw Toyotaro in there for Dragon Ball Super, but man, Kira Toriyama is, I would, I don't know if I'd call it inconsistent, but boy, there's some good ones and there's some bad ones.
01:55:28
Speaker
 All right. We're almost out of time. And i am still on every spooky ever list from last year. i want you to know. I did read one from this year at the start of this episode.
01:55:40
Speaker
 Uh, on accident. So, uh, that one got in a little early, but all the rest of them are still lists from last year. And we still have some to get to, of last year's submissions. So if you, if you haven't heard yours, that's, that's why.
01:55:57
Speaker
 um but this one is from Sean Bell. We'll get through as much of it as we can. Uh, Sean's first submission is detective comics. Number five Oh five werewolf moon written by Jerry Conway.
01:56:08
Speaker
 ah Art by Don Newton and Dan Adkins. It's from 1981.
01:56:14
Speaker
 ah Well, Jay Conway, friend of the show. Yes. Long time financial friend of the show. Batman, friend of the show.
01:56:25
Speaker
 You talked about the early 80s not being like primetime for Spider-Man.
01:56:31
Speaker
 The early 80s were not primetime for Batman. The early eighty s Like, who was who was doing great in the early 80s? X-Men, Daredevil.
01:56:44
Speaker
 Was that maybe it? That might have been it. You might have named them all. but Late Bronze Age is... Late Bronze Age comics are challenging.
01:56:55
Speaker
 They are, yeah. Um... this You might think that this comic is like, oh, is that what that one episode of Batman e Animated Series is based on with the werewolf where Catwoman gets turned into a woman cat?
01:57:12
Speaker
 No. and um And it it definitely made not Chris and probably not Matt. I don't know. I don't know, Matt, but it definitely made some people horny. Yeah.
01:57:30
Speaker
 No. This is a different story where Batman fights a werewolf. And it's not as good as that episode of Batman the Animated Series.
01:57:41
Speaker
 By the Alaskan oil pipeline. Yeah, man. Batman's gotta go defend that oil pipeline. because That's pretty much what happens. Gerald!
01:57:52
Speaker
 What are we doing, bud?
01:57:57
Speaker
 Oh. ah I think the the connective tissue is that ah
01:58:07
Speaker
 ah Anthony Lupus, I think, is also the guy in the Batman The Animated Series episode. Don't quote me on that. I don't know. I haven't looked it up.
01:58:15
Speaker
 I don't know, man. This is It's some comics. It's three... two It's two-thirds of an issue of comics, because Batgirl back up where she fights Quasimodo.
01:58:30
Speaker
 The 80s are a rough time for Batman. Till about 1986. Calvin gets
01:58:40
Speaker
 how long gets you beaten by Quasimodo. Yes. Batgirl loses a fight to Quasimodo. Anthony Lupus was a former Olympic decathlete.
01:58:54
Speaker
 Uh-huh. That's him. who um had bad headaches, so professor Professor Milo made him a werewolf.
01:59:03
Speaker
 that's That's pretty much the origin of um Anthony Lupus' werewolf. Yeah, man.
01:59:16
Speaker
 she needs a bone... Anthony Lupus' sister needs a bone marrow transplant because she's got leukemia. Yeah.
01:59:25
Speaker
 i would say i I would say being a werewolf will probably disqualify you from being a donor, right? i would I would guess so. ah Like, that's got to be on the form and in the hospitals in the DC universe.
01:59:40
Speaker
 Anthony Lupus had four appearances ah pre-crisis, and he has had one appearance, or ah sorry, ah two appearances post New 52.
01:59:55
Speaker
 Incredible. yep You
Batman vs. Werewolf and Crossover Comics
01:59:58
Speaker
 know what? Good for him for doing it. You know, ah he's out he's out there. He's doing it. i i I looked him up to try to verify if he's in the Batman the Animated Series episode, and I have no... i you know Professor Milo's in that episode. No?
02:00:13
Speaker
 Professor Milo's in that episode? milah in that episode
02:00:20
Speaker
 ah Maybe. i I could not tell you. Moon and the He was in Batman the Animated Series. Yes. He was. he was yes yeah ah Anthony Romulus is his name.
02:00:34
Speaker
 Which is actually a better name than Anthony Lupus.
02:00:39
Speaker
 Okay. okay It is. I mean, Lupus is like you know a direct...
02:00:49
Speaker
 ah allusion to the French word for wolf. Well, so is Romulus. Romulus and Remus were raised by a wolf. Raised by a wolf, yeah.
02:01:00
Speaker
 so so So yeah, it works either way. It works. either way it's Lupus is really on the nose. It's very on the nose, that's true. His name might as well be Anthony Wolf.
02:01:15
Speaker
 It's, I mean, it's look, it is it is a
02:01:22
Speaker
 It is a perfectly acceptable Batman comic where he fights a werewolf. Don Newton, pretty good. Jerry Conway. jerry jerry Jerry Conway, at worst, is a good hand.
02:01:36
Speaker
 Alright, so what's the what's the part of the list where it's just, so you know, it's alright?
02:01:43
Speaker
 ah It's nothing to crazy over, but yeah, probably twelve hundred s I gotta scroll way down from that fucking Dragon Ball story. God, I want to read that again, too.
02:01:54
Speaker
 want to read that. 1200, we have Tales the Pet Avengers. Which is... Yeah, it ain't that good. You're right. 1250 X-Men... Yeah, 1260 and we have Garfield ah from May 20th, 1990, where ah John drinks Dogsemen.
02:02:12
Speaker
 yeah ah And that comic's great, actually. Yeah. 1250 is X-Men The Phalanx Covenant. Oof.
02:02:24
Speaker
 I would rather read that Batman story than The Phalanx Covenant. Okay. What about... Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe, which we have at 1246. Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe is like... Do you remember that scene in the movie So I Married an Axe Murderer?
02:02:46
Speaker
 Starring Michael Myers. Michael Myers, yeah. ooh Michael Myers. ah ah ah comedian who never shied away from doing brownface.
02:03:02
Speaker
 And also with Shrek. Yeah. don't Don't know why liked doing that so much, but he did. um There's a bit in that movie where, I think it's Debbie Mazar, is that they're on a double date, and they're playing like a Would You Rather game.
02:03:21
Speaker
 And it's like, oh, would you rather, you know, ah you're stuck in traffic, and you just had two cups of coffee and a Bram Muffin. And then it's Debbie Mazar's turn, and she's like, and they're like, or And she's like, ah or would you rather um be electrocuted?
02:03:39
Speaker
 Because I was electrocuted once, and it was terrible.
02:03:44
Speaker
 That's what Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe is.
02:03:49
Speaker
 It's like, oh, it you're about to tell a joke, right? And it's like, yeah, kinda. But mostly it's just like, this is well this is a bad series of bad events. Yeah. It does have that one good part where he kills Dr. Doom.
02:04:04
Speaker
 It does have that one good part where kills Dr. Doom. Also the part where kills the X-Men is pretty funny. um But again...
02:04:15
Speaker
 ah This is tough, Matt.
02:04:22
Speaker
 Yeah, it's... it's God...
02:04:27
Speaker
 I think it's probably better than Devil's Advocate, the Chuck Dixon, Graham Nolan, Joker story, where Joker didn't kill one guy. Yeah, right. Okay.
02:04:40
Speaker
 And it's honestly exactly as good as that first Archie story.
02:04:46
Speaker
 I think for historical value, let's put Archie above and make this the new number 1248. Sounds good. sounds good Alright, so that's Detective Comics number 505.
02:05:00
Speaker
 Werewolf Moon. Werewolf Moon. Boy, Jerry, you kind of phoned in that title. Okay. Let's... i we're We're over two hours now, but I think we should try to finish this list.
02:05:13
Speaker
 Okay. um So next on Sean's list is BPRD 1946, written by Mike Mignola and Joshua Dysart, with art by Paul Azaceta.
02:05:26
Speaker
 Uh... I read that. I don't remember anything about it other than i really liked it. Yeah. Which is weird, because I do remember specific lines from the film, So I Married an Axe Murderer.
02:05:40
Speaker
 do Do you feel comfortable rating it? Ranking it? No, but I would like to read it again. Okay. Okay. Maybe we can do that. um Next is a comic that I have recently reread.
02:05:54
Speaker
 Okay. Marvel Zombies vs. the Army of Darkness, written by John Lehman, pencils five by Fabiano Neves, 2007.
02:06:03
Speaker
 ah It is not the comic you want from either Army of Darkness or Marvel Zombies. they They never can be. Yeah. It came immediately after the first Marvel Zombies miniseries.
02:06:25
Speaker
 Okay, interesting. Yeah. That's an interesting time for this book to come out. Yes. And like the notion is that Ash shows up in the Marvel Universe
02:06:40
Speaker
 trying to stop the Marvel zombie plague from happening. So it's like a prequel to the first Marvel Zombies miniseries. Okay. Yeah. And um he fails to do it. And it ends up being that the Marvel zombies were created by um the Necronomicon, which he has to find and like try to recite the words and everything.
02:07:03
Speaker
 He ends up working with Doctor Doom to try to stop the zombies, um but fails. And so um he goes through a portal to a world where are all the Marvel characters are werewolves instead. That's how it ends.
02:07:20
Speaker
 and's So it's like, there are parts of it that are funny. Yeah. I mean, John, John Lemon's pretty funny. God, it's there. It's, it's, it's, it's funny in places, but like it is immediately retconned.
02:07:33
Speaker
 Like everything in it is immediately retconned away in Marvel zombies too, as you might suspect. um Or Marvel zombies dead days, which actually does tell the, so sorta kinda tells the origin story of the zombies. Yeah.
02:07:49
Speaker
 um But not really. It just kind of says it was Magneto's fault um in Dead Days. i Did you recently reread all the Marvel Zombies books, Matt? Buddy, I sure did.
02:08:02
Speaker
 Why? my job. Okay. I had to recap like all of the Marvel Zombies comics because of the new Marvel Zombies animated show.
02:08:14
Speaker
 Ah, right, right, right. um So yes, I have recently reread all of the Marvel Zombies comics. um Marvel Zombies 3 is still the best one, which is the Fred Van Linty one with Machine Man.
02:08:28
Speaker
 Hell yeah. That one's great. ah that's That's still my favorite one by a long shot. um But, ah Army of Darkness vs. Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness is fine, perfectly entertaining...
02:08:44
Speaker
 um The art is not... like After um the Sean Phillips establishment of what the Marvel zombies look like, the art's not like not quite on model.
02:09:02
Speaker
 You know what I'm saying? um But and like it's ah it's a perfectly fine story. I think it goes above that Batman werewolf story.
02:09:15
Speaker
 Uh, but like, is it better than pizza hut? X-Men? No.
02:09:24
Speaker
 Is it better than
02:09:29
Speaker
 the fortune teller Baba saga? No.
02:09:37
Speaker
 You got a pretty narrow, I know. Um, i think I think I'd put it right below Five Fists of Science, which would put it the new number 1240.
02:09:52
Speaker
 Okay. that's what that's That's what I'm going to say. It's at the new number 1240. Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness.
02:10:05
Speaker
 Because, like, you know, it tries to make it so that the Marvel Zombies are essentially deadites. and Yeah, which is what you have to do with that story. Which is what you have to do with that story, but like does not fit with any of the rest of the Marvel zombie stuff.
02:10:22
Speaker
 so yeah So, Matt, your big issue with this cannot be that it's non-canon. No, it's not that it's non-canon. It's also just like, i but but like I said, it's not what you want from either.
02:10:36
Speaker
 like By putting them together, you get not what you want from either one. yeah Yeah, okay. that That's my complaint, really, more than anything. um Okay.
02:10:49
Speaker
 We got some backups from Sean. I'm just going to read them out. You pick one. Garfield in Disguise by Jim Davis, 1985. I
02:11:02
Speaker
 i don't know what that is. I definitely read that. i Is it a comic? Is it a book? It's a book. like I remember getting it from the library.
02:11:12
Speaker
 Is it like a ah collection of strips? I don't think so. I think it's it's like... Oh, is it the one that the Halloween special is based on? The animated Halloween special? Maybe. I think it is.
02:11:25
Speaker
 Yeah, it's the one that the the Halloween special is based on. Okay. Do you feel comfortable rating it? or No, because I haven't read it since I was like eight.
02:11:36
Speaker
 Okay. I have strong memories. Next is All Hallows' Eve by Bruce Jones, Twisted Tales No. 1, 1982. I haven't read it. And then Swamp Thing, Volume 2, No. The Nukeface Papers by Alan Moore.
02:11:53
Speaker
 have read that. unfortunate Unfortunately, I have read that. Okay. Uh... I mean, that not but unfortunately because we're over two hours and I want to go to bed.
02:12:06
Speaker
 Yeah. ah But I mean. i think we can rate it break it pretty quick. Maybe, hopefully. Yeah, man. Yeah,
02:12:18
Speaker
 yeah it's, you know.
02:12:21
Speaker
 Swamp What's the issue number again? 35 and 36. Is this the one with, like. thirty five and thirty six is this the one with like
02:12:36
Speaker
 this is not the one where he fights Batman. And it's not the one where he goes to space. ah And it's not the one where he gives Abby a sex potato. um it is where he It's where he goes to like a nuclear wasteland.
02:12:52
Speaker
 Yeah, it's the one where they're dumping toxic waste in the swamp. And I'm not saying it wasn't a problem. Because I think probably, you know, in in the same way that there was like a hole in the ozone layer, but like we, we did a lot of action to deal with that and got rid of like CFCs and, and that kind of aerosolized thing.
02:13:17
Speaker
 like you know it worked and we fixed it. Much like why two the Y2K bug was a problem that a lot of people worked really hard to fix. It wasn't like a non-issue. It was a success story of people working fixing.
02:13:28
Speaker
 right But boy, I'm sure that it was a big problem because we do get like a montage of like headlines in this issue.
02:13:40
Speaker
 But comics from the 80s will have you thinking that toxic waste is everywhere.
02:13:47
Speaker
 they're like you can't You can't swing a sex tuber without running into a barrel full of toxic waste. It it was it was not just in comics. It was like everywhere in the 80s.
02:13:59
Speaker
 Yeah. And um and like again, I'm sure it was a problem, because I know how corporations work. Correct. But I feel like I very rarely encountered toxic waste.
02:14:13
Speaker
 And I lived in South Carolina for a significant portion of my life.
02:14:20
Speaker
 ah it it's ah It's a Swamp Thing story that is not very much about Swamp Thing. It's more about Swamp Things. Correct. Yes. So, toxic waste is bad.
02:14:32
Speaker
 Yep. um And you shouldn't put it in the swamp, because that's where Swamp Thing lives. Although... I guess it was a biomedical experiment and not toxic waste that turned him into swamp thing.
02:14:46
Speaker
 True. But like this is mostly... like I guess it's about toxic waste being in the swamp, but it's ah mostly about like this town that has been like devastated by dumping of toxic waste. And I think there's like a nuclear part of it as well.
02:15:00
Speaker
 um Yeah. It's like nuclear waste in Pennsylvania. Nuclear waste, yeah. And so it's like... The the second issue is like just a bunch of like stories about people who whose lives got fucked up by this thing.
02:15:14
Speaker
 Yeah. Which bad. Yeah. but i I'm sure it's it's inspired by Three Mile Island, which is directly mentioned at one point in here.
02:15:26
Speaker
 Oh, yeah. ah Yeah.
02:15:32
Speaker
 Yeah, it's not my favorite part this one thing. I mean, it's good. It's just like, you know.
02:15:39
Speaker
 It's not necessarily what we are here for. It's good. it It's probably ah hundred times better than a story from 1985 about a guy named Nukeface should have been.
02:15:56
Speaker
 Absolutely. Absolutely. yeah so Yes. And again, I want to make it clear. I'm not saying that Toxic Waste is not a problem. I'm saying like the John Mulaney bit about quicksand.
02:16:13
Speaker
 or Or the fact that Venus flytraps are indigenous to like 14 square miles of North Carolina. Correct, yes. It's like, I'm sure that we we had regulated at some point we have regulations in place. I don't know if they exist anymore.
02:16:31
Speaker
 Do we still have any PA? I don't think we do. Yeah.
02:16:37
Speaker
 Jury's out. As of this recording, I know we don't. eight If we do, they're not helping anymore. ah Yeah. yeah um But yeah, it's, you the story's fine. The story's like pretty good.
02:16:51
Speaker
 Just not necessarily
02:16:56
Speaker
 the thing we're looking for from Swamp Thing always. um Let's see. Swamp Thing number 32 is at 1077. Yeah.
02:17:06
Speaker
 Okay. I think this is probably pretty comparable to that. 32 has Swamp Thing Wrestling a Crocodile on the cover, so it's automatically better. Oh, 32 is the Pogo one.
02:17:19
Speaker
 It's the Pogo one, yeah. It's the Pogo one that people a million years old like.
02:17:29
Speaker
 Not for me, bud. Not for me. Alright, so I think this is somewhere around that, probably. Yeah, you said that was 1032? 1077. 1077, okay.
02:17:49
Speaker
 Is it better than Panic in the Sky at 1098, if we're being honest with each other?
02:18:00
Speaker
 Similar? I would say similar. Yeah, yeah. it's I'll tell you what, 1104 we have the Brood Saga. It's not as good as the Brood Saga. Okay.
02:18:12
Speaker
 Because but the Brood Saga is almost as good as the movie Alien.
02:18:25
Speaker
 It's better than Fantastic Four number 275.
02:18:31
Speaker
 Which is the the the naked truth, She-Hulk. that's It's a John Byrne... Now, I will say, here get naked in the things that comics from the 80s warned you about, that I do encounter quite frequently, nudes.
02:18:48
Speaker
 Nude superheroes? Those are everywhere. People being really thirsty for superheroes. i video Buddy, I accidentally saw Blastoise's hog today.
02:19:00
Speaker
 so We don't have time. We don't have time. Okay. Uh... say We'll talk about all the regular show. ah I think this is the new number 1110. Alright, I can live with that.
02:19:15
Speaker
 Okay. So that's Swamp Thing. Numbers... What is it? 30... 35 to papers. Alright. Alright. the newke face papers
02:19:34
Speaker
 all right And we now have to be done. This comic was written by a guy who didn't vote.
02:19:44
Speaker
 We know for sure that Alan Moore didn't vote? He said he didn't vote? Yeah. He said, I didn't vote. He didn't vote until 2016.
02:19:57
Speaker
 Well. and that And that made me furious at Alan Moore. Yeah.
02:20:04
Speaker
 I don't know. If I lived in the UK and I had those UK elections, I... I mean, look, yeah, they're bad.
02:20:11
Speaker
 But, like, you you're going to write V for Vendetta but not vote against Margaret Thatcher? I mean, that is a great one. Really? That is a great one. It may be furious.
02:20:23
Speaker
 I do think that if you live in the UK, you don't actually vote for the Prime Minister. You just vote for your MP. And...
02:20:34
Speaker
 And hope that you're the party you vote for wins a majority of seats in Parliament. Yeah, look, it's you know my feelings.
02:20:46
Speaker
 Staunch monarchist.
02:20:53
Speaker
 We did it, Matt. Alright, let's get out of this haunted amusement park. Do you remember how that's the premise? Yeah. ah yes Of this episode? Yes, that's where we are. That's where we are and what we're doing.
02:21:04
Speaker
 ah If you would like to send us an Every Story Ever list, you can email us at our email address, such as warrocketpodcast gmail.com. If you want to help ah make these shows happen and be two hours, sometimes a good bit longer than two hours, um you can do it ah by contributing to our Patreon, patreon.com slash warrocketajax.
02:21:25
Speaker
 um Please do that. um That would be a big help to us. Our website is warrocketajax.com. It is every episode of the show that we've ever done. We're on blue sky, warrocketajax.com there. We're on Tumblr, warrocketpodcast.tumblr.com.
02:21:39
Speaker
 Join our Discord. Ask us for an invitation on any of the places I just mentioned, and we will ah shoot you a Discord invitation, and you can join over there if you're nice. um Please don't do it if you're not nice.
02:21:54
Speaker
 If you want to find me and my stuff, go to mattdwilson.net to find links to all my stuff. Chris, where can people find you? Everybody can find me by going to the-isb.com. My website.
02:22:07
Speaker
 Bye, everybody. Bye, everybody. Happy Halloween. Happy Halloween. but Forever, forever, forever, ever, ever, ever. Yes!
02:22:18
Speaker
 From this day on, let every breed monger live together.