Recently, I had the mixed fortune to witness a fascinating ritual, albeit in less-than-pleasing circumstances, reminding me of the existence of Secret Societies, even in the futuristic world of 2012. Sure, I used to drive past the Eagles lodge on my way to work, but it had literally never occurred to me that these things still existed. My own favorite take on the dark, shadowy organization manipulating from the shadows is still in Steve Englehart’s legendary run on Captain America in the early 1970s, leading to a tense confrontation between Steve Rogers and a “high-ranking government official” within the oval…
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There are times when I feel like a bad comic book fan. (Mostly, these have to do with conversations about Wolverine’s status as comic-book poster boy or the wonderfulness that is Batman.) The most recent discussion that left me feeling like a bad fanboy addressed the subject of what real-life personages would make for good superheroes, with name-checks for Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale and Jillian “I’m Mean Because Fat People Deserve It” Michaels. The entire time, I was thinking how those pretty boys (and girl) would totally wilt under the pressure of AIM, Hydra or Cobra, and probably soil themselves…
This episode of Critical Hit: It’s time to do a quick level up for Orem, plus we dive into the mailbag and answer listener mail, including an answer to the question, “What is the worst gaming experience ever?” [podcast]http://traffic.libsyn.com/majorspoilers/critical_hit_173.mp3[/podcast] Direct Download RSS Feed Subscribe via iTunes Contact us at podcast@majorspoilers.com A big Thank You goes out to everyone who downloads, subscribes, listens, and supports this show. We really appreciate you taking the time to listen to our ramblings each week. Tell your friends about the podcast, get them to subscribe and, be sure to visit the Major Spoilers site and…
When I was younger, I managed to get my hands on a leather-bound copy of Jeff Rovin’s ‘Encyclopedia of Super-Heroes,’ a totally priceless source of information on the history of superhumans ranging from the obvious (Superman) to the inexplicable (Fruitman) to the utterly ludicrous (Richard Pryor’s NSFW superhero identity from his 1983 stand-up album.) The book contains an explanation/justification of what Rovin’s criteria for super-herodom was during the writing, but makes a point of excluding characters like Indiana Jones and James Bond, while including Tarzan, Conan The Barbarian and Doc Savage. In my mind, the differences between Indiana Jones and…
In this issue: Your hosts answer the question, “What is your favorite comic book event,” and discuss the issues of future stories that are now past their future date. [podcast]http://traffic.libsyn.com/majorspoilers/msp-466.mp3[/podcast] Direct Download (Right Click+Save As) Subscribe via iTunes RSS Feed A big Thank You goes out to everyone who downloads, subscribes, listens, and supports this show. We really appreciate you taking the time to listen to our ramblings each week. Tell your friends about the podcast, get them to subscribe and, be sure to visit the Major Spoilers site and forums.
First of all, I can’t help but wonder what has got Bulletman and Bulletgirl so spooked. Probably something involving wire hangers or some such… Either way, a recent viewing of the Batman: Brave & The Bold episode entitled “Joker: Vile & The Villainous” got me to thinking about the nature of what I call “The Conceptual Hero.” For example, Spider-Man’s combo platter of powers don’t really make sense unless you’re trying to roughly emulate the abilities of a spider who happens to be a low-grade psychic. Most of Superman’s power-set makes sense as an extrapolation of the physical abilities of…
In this issue: This week, Stephen and Matthew take a look at 47 Ronin #1 from Dark Horse Comics. Among the best-known tales in Japanese history, the legend of the 47 Ronin and their epic mission to avenge their disgraced master epitomizes the samurai code of honor. It has been said, “To know the story of the 47 Ronin is to know Japan.” Retold through the ages, the legend at last comes to comics in a meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated miniseries from Mike Richardson, Stan Sakai, and editorial consultant Kazuo Koike! Recounting this sweeping tale of honor and violence…
During the recording of this week’s Major Spoilers Podcast, a debate erupted between myself and Stephen, which he then coerced the third and fourth members of team into, which basically concluded with the three of ’em ganging up on me. (I’m just sayin’, Young Zack knows which side his bread is buttered on, is all.) Our discussion started with our news story, wherein we discussed a possible Benecio Guilllermo Del Toro-helmed adaptation of ‘Justice League Dark,’ leading to my rather controversial thoughts on the role of the director in the modern, ‘every-movie-is-painstakingly-designed-to-look-alike’ digital era. That discussion led to a challenge,…
In this issue: Zach and Rodrigo return! Del Toro wants to do a Justice League Dark movie? A look at American Vampire by Scott Snyder and Stephen King. [podcast]http://traffic.libsyn.com/majorspoilers/msp464.mp3[/podcast] Direct Download Subscribe via iTunes RSS Feed Show Notes after the Jump!
DC Comics has announced it will release Justice League of America with 52 variant covers. With the flood of variants on the way this February, we want to know if you are on board with the idea. [poll id=”259″]
It’s another week, and that means even more comics are arriving in a store near you. Major Spoilers runs down the comics they are looking forward to this week.
Munchkin is a dedicated deck card game by Steve Jackson Games, written by Steve Jackson and illustrated by John Kovalic, that has a humorous take on role-playing games. In this Munchkin Minute: The players talk about expansion packs for Munchkin Fu, and a listener wants to know about the holiday expansion packs. [podcast]http://traffic.libsyn.com/majorspoilers/munchkin-land-13.mp3[/podcast] Direct Download You can subscribe to the RSS feed here. Subscribe via iTunes The material presented here is Major Spoilers’ original creation, intended for use with the Munchkin system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games. Contact…
I am a follower of many people on the Twitter, ranging from wrestler Kevin Nash to Sixth Doctor Colin Baker and back, but one of the most fascinating feeds comes from comic genius Gail Simone. Recently, she asked her Twitter followers a very pointed question, one that set the gears in my head a’rolling. It was a very comic-fan kind of query, the kind of discussion that comes up once you’ve exhausted the Ginger/Mary Ann Paradox and the endless permutations of “Who’d win?” Before I tell you Gail’s brilliantly simple question, I’m going to go against usual MS-QOTD protocol and…
I am, thanks partly to an early exposure to the works of George Carlin, a total lenguaphile, someone who revels in languages, plays with words, and has been known to make up $#!+ like “lenguaphile” on the fly, in mid-sentence. As such, I have occasionally dabbled in punnery, but have a special place in my heart for the double entendre, occasionally reviled as the lowest form of humor. (I giggled for days upon hearing of the 14th century origins of the word ‘quaint.’) Sadly, though, this type of humor is pretty specialized, requiring a little bit too much knowledge of…