Mr. K’s Super Show

We're back with a Very Special Episode of The Pod Remains The Same! This time, we tackle the new documentary, Becoming Led Zeppelin.  This long awaited documentary delves into the origins of the band, from their upbringings in England, to how they came to be musicians, and finally, how they...became Led Zeppelin. The documentary is chock full of new interviews with John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and...

This time, we tackle the solo works of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen (aka Steely Dan), and to do that, I brought on someone new to talk about them, Mr. Andy Schaal. Andy and me discussed Fagen's The NIghtfly, Kamakiriad, Morph The Cat, and Sunken Condos, as well as Becker's 11 Tracks Of Whack and Circus Money.  A lot of fun was had as we discussed the musical and lyrical quirkiness of the solo wo...

Once again, we go back to the 1970s for an obscure DC hero named...Manhunter! Manhunter (aka Paul Kirk) plays the world's most dangerous game  -- hunting criminals -- amid international intrigue and machinations with all the twists and turns that you might see in a classic James Bond film.  With the exception that Manhunter dies and is resurrected, but with a major twist...he goes up against an ar...

We celebrate the 40th anniversary  of KISS's Asylum album by taking a look at the Bruce Kulick era of KISS. In 1984, after a series of revolving door guitarists came and went, Bruce Kulick became the permanent lead guitarist for the band during their non-makeup era and brought some stability to the veteran band.  He also helped bridge the gap between the group's classic sound and the 80s "hair met...

Once again, we delve into the JLI universe for a series of stories where the JLI (that's Justice League International, friends) faces off against the nefarious Manga Khan with their usual blend of comedy, action, and a Green Lantern who goes by the name of...G'nort! Well, at least they've got a Green Lantern who's become the nicest GL in the universe -- Guy Gardner  -- but he'll face off against t...

We're heading Southbound on this episode and talking about one of the greatest bands of all time, The Allman Brothers Band. Craig Cohen (The G.O.A.T - A Brian DePalma fan podcast) and me go back to the beginnings of this legendary Southern band  (just don't call them a Southern Rock band) and how Duane Allman cobbled together a diverse group of musicians whose common cause was to blend, rock, r&am...

It's time once again for our annual ho-ho-holiday episode and this year, we're talking about the classic first issue of Marvel Team-Up #1 from 1972, in which Spider-Man and The Human Torch go up against -- who else -- the Sandman, in the aptly titled "Have Yourself A Sandman Little Christmas." It's a fun story, set against the backdrop of Christmas in New York City in the early 70s, written by  Ro...

We're taking another look at that rock and roll chameleon, David Bowie. And this time, Brad Page (I'm In Love With That Song podcast) and me picked five of our favorite David Bowie albums and talked about why we like them so much.  With a catalog as vast as Bowie's, five albums only scratch the surface of what made him great, but if we discussed every album he made, this podcast would go on foreve...

Here at Back Issue Banter, we try to come up with answers as to why we love classic comics, but this time we're examining The Question. We're taking a look at DC Comics' 1987 revival of The Question and to help us unravel this, we brought on a guest.  Brian Linnen (Permanent Record Podcast) chose this month's topic, so it's only fitting that he chatted with us about this enigmatic character create...

With the recent announcement that Aerosmith will no longer be touring, we decided it was time to assess Aerosmith and their considerable legacy as one of America's greatest rock and roll bands. Julian Gill (KISS FAQ podcast) and me discuss Aerosmith, what they mean to us, and how we think Aerosmith will be remembered by rock fans.  We also discuss  some stuff we forgot to mention on our two previo...

Journey back with us into Jack Kirby's Fourth World as we examine the first four issues of...The Forever People! See what sci-fi teenagers from a different universe say when their dialogue is written by a middle aged man!  Groove to the strains of Glorious Godfrey as he preaches doom and gloom and the gospel according to Darkseid!  Check out the far out character names such as Beautiful Dreamer, B...

In this episode, Chris Czynszak (Decibel Geek Podcast) and me celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of KISS"s most over-the-top albums, Animalize.  We also explore a related album also celebrating a 40th anniversary; the first solo album by Wendy O. Williams of The Plasmatics, titled W.O.W.  These two albums have more in common that you might think. We'll get into the trivia, the drama, and of cou...

True believers, once again, we're going back to the 70s and the Marvel Age of Comics with an Avengers saga that spans nine-issues (#89 - 97) with the epic "Kree-Skrull War." You'll get whiplash trying to read this saga, so fear not, because we did it for you.  All the crazy plot twists, and stuff that could only have happened in a 70s Marvel comic (brainwashed cows are not a joke when it comes to...

In this episode, Brian Linnen (Permanent Record Podcast) and me delve into the 1970s catalog of Queen, one of our favourite groups of all-time. Listen as we discuss the albums from Queen's first decade.  A decade where Queen not only found their sound, but refined it over a series of over the top classic albums that built the Queen legacy as we know it today.  If you're Lazing on a Sunday Afternoo...

In this episode, we take a look at the groundbreaking first company crossover by DC and Marvel, 1976's Superman Vs. The Amazing Spider-Man.  This oversized tabloid edition clocked in at well over 90 pages and was truly an epic! We discuss all aspects of the delightfully over the top plot (t was the 70s, after all) and associated trivia, as these two heroic titans from two different companies (and...

In this episode, we chronicle one of the most successful American bands of all time, Journey. Specifically, the period where Steve Perry took the reins as Journey's singer and frontman with 1978's Infinity, through their seeming 1986 finale, Raised On Radio, with one final reprise a decade later with 1996's Trial By Fire. We go through the group's history, with an album-by-album discussion.  Retur...

A nation in turmoil!  A hero questioning his relevance in an age where being an American is being redefined!  The values of a nation coming under fire! Sound familiar?   In this episode, we examine Captain America and The Falcon #153-156, in which not only do Cap and his sidekick The Falcon face off against the usual super-foes, but they also come up against...Captain America and Bucky from the 19...

This time, we're talking about one of the biggest bands of the '80s and of all-time, The Police! Author Pete Braidis discusses his book, The Police: On Track, as we delve into the five studio albums released by this legendary band. It's not "just the facts" as we also discuss the musical aspects of these albums and songs.  Pete spent a couple of years researching and writing his book, and it shows...

In 1986, DC Comics did something pretty radical for that time. -- they rebooted Superman.  In the wake of the landmark mini-series Crisis On Infinite Earths, DC was relaunching its universe and they went back to the hero that started it all for them. This time, fan favorite writer and artist John Byrne was lured from Marvel Comics to redefine  DC's flagship hero for a new generation. And Byrne was...

It's 5150 time, y'all! This episode, Alex Alt (Slydog Music Cast) and me delve into the Sammy Hagar era of Van Halen.  While it's an era that divides some fans, it's also an era that produced some great, enduring music and we had a lot of fun going into the band's four studio albums as well as their one "live" album. Although a lot of people call them "Van Hagar,"we're gonna call 'em "Sam Halen." ...

Once again, we go back to the Marvel age of comics, a swingin' time when the cold war was hot and spies were everywhere...even Marvel Comics!  We look at the comics Strange Tales #166 & 167 and Nick Fury, Agent Of SHIELD #1-3, & 5. Nick Fury, once the leader of a group of commandos during World War II, had been refashioned as a 1960s spy as the leader of an organization named S.H.I.E.L.D. ...

In this episode, guest co-host Jeff Harris (Behind The Grooves) and me explore the musical enigma known as Steely Dan!  And for the record, Steely Dan is a group, not just one guy. A group that defies easy categorization, as they mix rock, jazz, pop, funk, and lyrics that are sometimes inscrutable, but always interesting.  Donald Fagen and Walter Becker were two friends who met in college and set...

We take a soujourn to the Hyborian age of sword and sorcery with a young barbarian known as...Conan! In this episode, we take a look at Conan's comic roots, beginning in 1970 with the classic Conan The Barbarian series written by Roy Thomas and drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith.  We not only talk about the stories and art, but also how Marvel Comics came to be the first publisher to adapt the classic c...

50 years ago, the music world got its' first KISS, in the form a debut album by four young men who not only played hard and heavy rock, but had the audacity to wear makeup, over the top costumes, and platform shoes that made them seem bigger than life. 1974's self titled debut album by Gene, Paul, Ace, and Peter fired the first shot of KISS's kinetic sound and it was a mission statement that their...

In this episode, we tackle one of the Marvel Universe's most epic anti-heroes, the mutant known as...Wolverine! More specifically, we tackle 1982's Wolverine mini-series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller as well as X-Men #172 and 173 by Chris Claremont and Paul Smith.  To do this, we needed some help doing the heavy lifting, so we brought on our first ever guest star: Eric Miller (Pods and Sods)...