The DC Bloodlines Podcast: Milestone Worlds Collide

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Julia Raul returns to join Diabolu Frank for the finale of our JLMay 2023 / Milestone Media trilogy of episodes. Since the previous shows tended toward paired character spotlights, we have to take a kitchen sink approach now, looking at the first year-plus of the series Blood Syndicate & Icon and the earliest Shadow Cabinet, including its launch event "Shadow War." We also return to Hardware and Static through to the intracompany event "Worlds Collide," restoring our theme and mandate by mingling in with DC's Superman Family of titles (well, the creative teams that aren't afraid to drive through the dark side of town, anyway.) Along the way, we talk Vixen, Black Canary, Green Lantern John Stewart, Steel, and more. In case you missed it, these episodes have covered every story from the trade paperback The Brave and the Bold: Milestone, which means it's time to visit the early issues of Xombi, including David Kim's team-up with the Crispus Allen incarnation of The Spectre from The Brave and the Bold #25 in the story "Annihilating Angel" by John Rozum & Scott Hampton.

JLMay 2023 will cover the third volume of DC Comics' The Brave and the Bold (2007-2010), which ran 35 issues. There's only 31 days in the month, so we'll run a list of all the issues with links to the podcasts intent on covering them until the actual shows turn up, individual or in groups...

1. Batman & Green Lantern on The Overlooked Dark Knight ep 76
2. Green Lantern & Supergirl on Dial F For Flanger ep 19
   
3. Batman & Blue Beetle on The Bat-Pod ep # 111
4. Supergirl & Lobo on L.E.G.I.O.N.P.O.D.Cast Episode 141
5. Batman & the Legion of Super Heroes on Tales of the Legion Project
6. Green Lantern & Batman on The Newsprint Commando
7. Wonder Woman & Power Girl on The Wright On Network Presents
8. The Flash & Doom Patrol on Fanholes Podcast ep 105
9. Star-Studded Spectacular on The JusticeTrek JT0008
10. Superman/Silent Knight & Aquaman/Teen Titans! on Pop Culture Affidavit Episode 143
11. Superman & Ultraman @ Fortress of Baileytude
12. Everybody on Longbox Crusade - Episode 038
13. Batman & Jay Garrick on Resurrections- An Adam Warlock and Thanos Podcast ep 175
14. Deadman & Green Arrow on The Coffee & Comics Podcast ep. 84
15. Nightwing & Hawkman on Married With Comics
16. Superman & Catwoman on Superman in Crisis
17. Supergirl & Raven on Dial F For Flanger ep 20
18. Raven & Supergirl on Dial F For Flanger ep 20
19. Green Lantern & Phantom Stranger on The LanternCast #516
20. Green Lantern & Phantom Stranger on The LanternCast #516
21. Green Lantern & Green Arrow on The Podcast of Oa Episode 224
22. Green Lantern & Green Arrow on The Podcast of Oa Episode 224
23. Booster Gold & Magog on Justice League International: Bwah-Ha-Ha Podcast ep 53
24. Black Lightning & Static on DC Bloodlines ep 18
25. Hardware & Blue Beetle on DC Bloodlines ep 19
26. Xombi & The Spectre @ DC Bloodlines
27. Batman & Dial H For Hero on The Bat-Pod ep # 113
28. Blackhawk & The Flash on Weird Warriors Podcast Ep. 48
29. Batman & Brother Power The Geek on The Brave and the Bob!
30. Green Lantern & Doctor Fate on Once Upon A Geek 11
31. The Joker and The Atom on The Head Speaks Episode 70
32. Aquaman & The Demon on The Fire and Water Podcast ep. 254
33. Wonder Woman, Zatanna, & Batgirl on The Wright On Network Presents
34. The Doom Patrol & Legion of Super-Heroes on Waiting for Doom Podcast Episode 184
35. The Inferior Five & Legion of Substitute Heroes on Waiting for Doom Podcast Episode 184

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• #JLMay2023

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DC Special Podcast: DK Encyclopedia Diaries 12

Volume XII
The Drunken Guide To The Characters Of The DC Universe

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DC Special Podcast: DK Encyclopedia Diaries 10

Volume X
The Drunken Guide To The Characters Of The DC Universe

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Rolled Spine Podcasts are on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, ShoutEngine and the Internet Archive.

Coarse Language: Listener Discretion is Advised


A
Azrael 1
Aztek 10

H
Harvest 9

L
Legion Lost (New 52) 9

R
The Ravagers 16

S
Superboy (Conner "Kon-El" Kent) 12

T
Teen Titans 7
Teen Titans (New 52) 22


We Think You're Special!

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DC Comics Encyclopedia,Podcast,Legion of Super-Heroes,Superboy,DC Special Podcast,Teen Titans,Azrael,Aztek

DC Special Podcast: DK Encyclopedia Diaries 9

Volume VIII
The Drunken Guide To The Characters Of The DC Universe

Download MP3

Rolled Spine Podcasts are on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, ShoutEngine and the Internet Archive.

Coarse Language: Listener Discretion is Advised


A
Asmodel 26

L
Legion of Super-Heroes 1


S
Superboy 0


We Think You're Special!

• Hashtag us as #RSPDCS
• Friend us on Facebook
• Email us at rolledspinepodcasts@gmail.com
• Tweet us as a group @rolledspine, or individually as Diabolu Frank & Illegal Machine. Fixit don't tweet.
• If the main DC Bloodlines blog isn't your thing, try the umbrella Rolled Spine Podcasts.

DC Comics Encyclopedia, DC Special Podcast, Asmodel, JLA, Justice League, Legion of Super-Heroes, Superboy, Superman

The DC Bloodlines Podcast: Edge of Steel

Look for us on iTunes, ShoutEngine or directly download an art-tagged MP3 from the Internet Archive

STEEL YOURSELF! Here is the first in what will become a recurring instance of bifurcated broadcasting, as we not only look at the prickly New Blood known as Edge, but also the rookie super-hero who hosted Tom O'Brien's debut in Superman: The Man of Steel Annual #2, Iron John! Well, you might not remember that short lived moniker, but surely you know Dr. John Henry Irons, the armored engineer who stood as part of the titular quartet from the epic storyline "Reign of the Supermen" who briefly replaced the Last Son of Krypton following his presumed death at the bony hands of Doomsday. We'll cover Steel's earliest career from his cameo in Adventures of Superman #500 through his star turn in Superman: The Man of Steel #22-24, as well as an overview of his role in the DC Universe. You can follow along with our reading of the annual at Scans Daily.



This episodes non-paying advertisers:

• The Man of Screen Podcast
• Listen To The Prophets - A Star Trek Deep Space Nine Podcast
• From Crisis To Crisis Podcast

Spill Some Blood!!!* *across social media only.

• Tweet host Diabolu Frank directly, or probe @rolledspine as a group.
• Email Diabolu
• If the main DC Bloodlines blog isn't your thing, try the umbrella Rolled Spine Podcasts.

IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time: 100-81

In 2009 or so, the comics department of the popular video game website IGN.com put together a list of their Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time, and have finally followed up with the vastly less well considered Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time. There is much here to mock and debate (in that order,) so I'll have to do it on an installment plan. Watch the video if you like, but expect a poverty of speech content...

More IGN Videos

100) Groo

I've never been that big on Groo, having read him in short burst here and there, but he's long-lived and somewhat iconic.

99) Wasp

I've always found Janet Van Dyne to be one of the least impressive or progressive super-heroines around. She shops, she sidekicks, she gets slapped, and she virtually never works solo.

98) Nova

This puts the "no" in "Nova." A Bronze Age Green Lantern knock-off who has not been redeemed to the point of inclusion.

97) Adam Strange

This also puts the "no" in "Nova," as the model for '50s sci-fi heroes should never be close enough to Richard Rider to smell his stink.

96) The Falcon

Despite my love for Cap, I have never been a fan of Sam Wilson. The guy is the official "safe, clean, well-spoken" token black sidekick of your Uncle Tom. Weak powers, skeevy backstory, bland animal-themed name, and utterly dependent on the contributions of other heroes. With heroes like the Falcon, African-American youths aspire to be Spider-Man.

95) The Savage Dragon
Surely a controversial choice, but he's an entirely solo-creator-generated hero with nearly twenty years of continuous publication and a universe of characters built around him. Also, stuff happens in his book, and his son may well become one of the great black heroes the Falcon will never be.

94) Supergirl

This strikes me as a major snub. Supergirl is a world recognized brand with strong multimedia penetration. Her identity may be vague within comics, due to massively contradictory interpretations, but this low ranking is horsepucky.

93) Donna Troy

Placing Donna Troy ahead of Supergirl is such a colossal blunder that it derails any credibility the list could have ever had. Every flaw Supergirl has is compounded by a factor of ten by Donna Troy, with infinitesimal relative recognition. She's such a dire Jean Grey clone, she even wants for a proper codename. Try asking for a Donna Troy Halloween costume. Name five Donna Troy villains. She literally has the single most convoluted origin in the history of comics, and one of her greatest claims to fame was marrying among the sleaziest supporting characters in the medium and battling their infant offspring. I personally kind of like Troy, but she could be nominated as one of our worst heroes ever... and yet, still better than Nova.

92) Usagi Yojimbo

I'm not into anthropomorphics, but I respect the longevity and regard afforded to Stan Sakai's creation.

91) Cerebus

Usagi Yojimbo is to Cerebus as Captain Marvel is to Superman. Afford respect to both, but Cerebus is one of the titans of independent comics.

90) Ghost Rider

The cool biker icon, and central figure of one of Marvel's best-selling '90s franchises. Still, his best comics are kind of embarrassing to actually read, and he's no Supergirl.

89) Moon Knight

Screw to the U. I have an inexplicable fondness for Marc Specter for the exact same reason everyone else does: he has a cool costume. Ghost Rider looks cooler, and has a far more substantial mythology (re: any.) Moon Knight is a couple or three tiers below being the poor man's Batman. He never rocked a mullet like Nova to the best of my recollection, but he's no Wasp, either.

88) She-Hulk

Shulkie is actually pretty great-- one of the most successful and distinctive "girl versions" of a name brand super-hero. I don't complain about her rank in general, but the order of super-heroines on this thing is wack.

87) Renee Montoya

She's a lesbian and a Latina, both rarities in mainstream comics, and about the only example to appear in cartoons. Still, I resent the hell out of her for taking over the role of the Question, and she's never carried more than a mini-series.

86) Michonne

At this point, Michonne is probably my favorite The Walking Dead character, and the closest thing to a hero (or rather, anti-hero) the book has. Still, it's an ensemble cast, and in any other context, Michonne would reek of cliche.

85) Black Lightning

What is it with bunching up like characters? Space dudes, kewl doods, heroines, unfunny animals, and now the negro couple. While he will never live down the Afro-mask or being replaced by Black Vulcan, Jefferson Pierce will always be DC's first (and still the go-to) lackluster bid at multicultural sensitivity. Watch the video commentary on IGN, and the two white guys acknowledge by omission that even they only threw him in out of guilt.

84) Ka-Zar

This one is Carrot Top plastic surgery level cringe-inducing. A sorry Tarzan rip-off from the the Golden Age (swing a dead cat...) who has had several cult favorite welcomed series that died early deaths, and a lot of unwanted guest appearances. A good guy to help cheer the Falcon up.

83) Superboy

This would be okay if they were acknowledging the whole Superboy legacy, but applied specifically to "Connor Kent," it stings. Thanks undeservedly good creative teams and close ties to the Superman family of comics when they mattered, the Vanilla Ice of comics managed a 100 issue run before Geoff Johns finally managed to do something with the character that didn't elicit a response of "ew."

82) Eric O'Grady (Ant-Man)

The Irredeemable Ant-Man was awesome, but also short-lived with negligible impact.

81) Black Canary

Respect. One of DC's earliest and undeniably their best Golden Age heroine, Dinah Lance managed to kick the star of the strip she debuted in out and take over from Johnny "Footnote" Thunder. The Silver and Bronze Ages were far less kind, turning her into a victim and accessory for Green Arrow. However, she now stars in the longest lasting super-heroine franchise comic of all time not called Wonder Woman.