Since I’ve finished up my classwork for my grad program, I’ve been relaxing a little by delving back into comics. Incredibly nerdy, I know, but I’m unapologetic about it at this point in life. I like comics. There it is.
I still don’t have the budget to start buying comics weekly, and don’t know what I books I would commit to buying if I did. For a while now, I’ve been following comic book storylines on Wikipedia, and staying up to date that way, although it’s not entirely satisfying. Recently, though, I’ve found some solid podcasts that I really enjoy.*
The first podcast to mention is Around Comics, which is recorded and produced by fellow Chicagoans. This is a roundtable format show where a group of guys get together and talk about comics together. It’s solid (although none of them give Cubs fans a fair shake), and very entertaining.
Another one I’ve listened to a few times is 11 o’clock comics. This is a more rambling podcast with less structure, probably because there is more alcohol involved. Aside from some overly verbose diatribes into manga, it’s also pretty solid. Some of their plot summaries could be a little shorter, though.
There’s also Word Balloon, where another Chicagoan interviews comic book writers. I’ve only downloaded a few, but they were good. I liked the one with Geoff Johns. Since I’ve listened to less of these, I don’t feel qualified to say much more, but it’s worth checking out.
Finally, there’s Tom vs. the Flash. This is a different type of podcast altogether than the others I’ve described. It involves Tom Katers (who is also a part of the Around Comics podcast) narrating and commenting on old Silver Age Flash comics. They’re about 15 minutes long on average, and very entertaining. He pokes fun at absurd plot holes, provides some hilarious social commentary, and turns out to be an unannoying continuity nerd.
I recommend checking all of these out if you’re into comics. And on another note, I’m proud of Chicago for being such a treasure trove of quality podcasters.
*I’ve linked to each podcast’s website, but all of these are easily accessible and searchable through iTunes.
Posted by theshortestverse 
