Sidebar Forever

On this week's pod, we build an unofficial hall of fame to one of the greatest to ever do it — Walt Simonson. We include seminal works like his run on The Mighty Thor from the 1980s, his Manhunter backup stories from Detective Comics, and his art for one of the first Marvel-DC crossovers, The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans. Our discussion also gets into his unforgettably unique signature (i...

In filmmaking, surprise endings and quests for mysterious objects can derail your movie entirely if not handled well. Today, we take on the best (and worst) plot twists and MacGuffins in cinematic history. We're talkin' final reveals in Psycho and The Sixth Sense, Marcellus Wallace's briefcase in Pulp Fiction, the "one ring to rule them all," and many more. We also discuss the careers of such dire...

We're back with another installment in this award-winning series. Up for crapnalysis, The Substitute from 1996 starring Tom Berenger and The Chronicles of Riddick from 2004 featuring Vin Diesel. In our conversation, we discuss Tom Berenger's less than believable martial arts skills, which role is Vin Diesel's true breakout: Dominic Torreto or Riddick, what these two films got right versus what the...

Everyone's a critic nowadays, especially the hosts of this podcast. But when Rotten Tomatoes launched in 1998, it quickly became the recognized standard of cinematic good taste for a generation. In today's conversation, we debate the accuracy of the fans vs. critics rating system on Rotten Tomatoes, the site's ownership by Comcast-Universal and Warner Bros, and whether or not Rotten Tomatoes is st...

Which actors have appeared in more sci-fi, fantasy, and comic book movies than any other? Which ones will dominate with fans at pop culture conventions over the next decade? On today’s pod, we run down actors with the most “geek credibility.” Names that are synonymous with far-flung futures, magic wands, and caped crusading such as Samuel Jackson, Sigourney Weaver, Karl Urban, Hugo Weaving, Zoe Sa...

Today's pod is the conclusion of our 2-part Classic episode with legendary artist/illustrator Brian Stelfreeze! 'The Sensei' continues the discussion with his working process, the science of cover art for comics and more!

Today's pod is part 1 of our Classic episode with legendary artist/illustrator Brian Stelfreeze! Known throughout the industry for his nigh-cinematic comic storytelling and lush coloring, Stelfreeze discusses his first art gig, his incredible run as cover artist on Batman: Shadow of The Bat series and the (then) state of the comic biz. Part 2 will be dropping later this week! Thanks!

Today, we name-check five comics that will tell you what the 1970s were all about. Books that feature adaptations of toys like Micronauts and Shogun Warriors, characters with occult backgrounds such as Ghost Rider and the Demon, and heroes who were influenced by the martial arts craze of the '70s like Shang Chi and the Sons of the Tiger. We also give credit to Bronze Age creators like Denny O'Neil...

From 2010, we present our Classic interview with comics legend Whilce Portacio. With a career spanning close to four decades, Portacio's kinetic and stylized artwork has graced the pages of Uncanny X-Men, The Punisher, Iron Man (Heroes Reborn) and many more! He is the creator of X-Men character 'Bishop' and one of the seven original founders of Image Comics; under which he published his creator-ow...

In the halcyon days of the early 1990s, Jim Lee's Wildstorm Studios boasted an amazing crop of young talent, but one would rise meteorically to the heights of the industry — Travis Charest. On the pod, we discuss Charest's beginnings on DC's Darkstars, his run on WildCATs with writer Alan Moore, as well as the book that cemented him one of the comic art greats, WildCATs/X-Men: The Golden Age. We e...

Director Steven Soderbergh says his 1998 film Out of Sight saved his career. After the success of his debut, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Soderbergh went through a drought and needed a hit. This week, we discuss the terrifically entertaining Out of Sight including its cast led by George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, screenwriter Scott Frank's adaptation of the original Elmore Leonard novel, and the mov...

Original films featuring superheroes have been around for decades and show no signs of stopping. On this week’s pod, we run down hits like Darkman, Unbreakable, and Chronicle, as well as a few misses such as The Toxic Avenger, The Meteor Man, and Hancock. Where did Hollywood's fascination with original superhero concepts come from? Because these films aren’t adaptations, are they freer to subvert...

It’s been 15 years since the first Iron Man movie officially launched Marvel Studios. In that time, Marvel has done billion dollar business at the box office, and Hollywood became obsessed with all things superhero. But nothing lasts forever. Despite still getting butts in seats and eyeballs on screens, superhero movies and TV shows are not the pop culture touchstones they once were. Are we at a s...

Cartoonist or comic artist? TV or film? Rock, hip-hop or jazz? In the podversation, we debate the importance and relevance of categories. Do they help an audience find what they’re looking for, or do they put creative types in a box? Are categories mostly in service to companies who want to sell us things? In nerd circles, categorization definitely matters. Try calling Star Wars an action movie or...

Here is our classic interview from the 'Barchives' with comic book writer/artist Howard V. Chaykin (1970-2022). Chaykin is known for his creator-owned American Flagg and TIME2; in addition to his reinventions of The Shadow and Blackhawk for DC Comics. Chaykin has worked in the comics industry for over 50 years and has no intent of slowing down.  This episode continues our re-presentation of classi...

In 1992, the Hong Kong crime-thriller Hard Boiled was released internationally and blew the minds of audiences everywhere. The film established actor Chow Yun-Fat as a worldwide star and director John Woo as an absolute master of cinematic action. We discuss Hard Boiled’s influence on American moviemakers, the electric performance by Fat playing a Dirty Harry-styled cop, the film's somewhat fraugh...

Our Bad Boys episode was so much fun that we decided to keep chatting about prison movies. Covered in the conversation are prison movie themes like revenge and redemption, tropes such as the guy who can get anything or the inevitable shower scene, and how great prison films like The Longest Yard, The Shawshank Redemption, and Starred Up have more to say about the human condition. We also chop up f...

Sean Penn, Esai Morales, and Clancy Brown are amazing in the 1983 prison film, Bad Boys. In our playback review, we discuss the rest of the cast including Ally Sheedy, Jim Moody, and Reni Santoni, the movie's gritty portrayal of prison culture, and how this film established Penn as a serious young actor in Hollywood. We close it out by ranking Bad Boys against other prison movies like Escape from...

Who are the four most influential artists in your life? The four names that could be carved into a memorial that would represent your birth, growth, and continued development as a creative? As tough as it was to break it down to just four, we did it. So many to consider: N.C. Wyeth, Frank Frazetta, Mary Cassatt, Bob Peak, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Leiji Matsumoto, Jeffrey Jones, Jack Kirby, Neal Adams...

Here is our classic interview from our 'Barchives' with comic book artist, the late Jason Pearson (1970-2022). Pearson was known for his dynamic linework and coloring on Legion of Super-Heroes, Dragon: Blood and Guts and his creator-owned work Body Bags. He was also a member of the Atlanta-based art collective Gaijin Studios. This episode continues our re-presentation of classic interviews and rou...

Here is our classic interview from our 'Barchives' with illustrator/animator Eric Canete. This episode continues our re-presentation of classic interviews and roundtables from our previous incarnation as SiDEBAR: The Pop Culture Podcast into our podcast feed. We hope that our listeners, both new and old, will enjoy these vintage back episodes and follow us here for new episodes of Sidebar Forever!...

"You're gonna need a good supply of body bags" for this playback review of the 1982 action classic First Blood. On the pod, we discuss the ten years this film spent in Development Hell, why Sylvester Stallone was against releasing it, casting alternatives including Steve McQueen as Rambo and Kirk Douglas as Trautman, and where does First Blood fall among other Vietnam vet movies like The Deer Hunt...

With the holidays here and nostalgia in the air, the last episode of the year is on the topic of why we collect things. Do we do it because of perceived value or investment purposes? Are we holding on to a memory from the past? Is there a difference between collecting and hoarding? Items covered on the pod are comics, toys, G.I. Joe figures, baseball cards, Archie digests, discs, photos, conventio...

Grab your popcorn and take a seat as we pay tribute to the greatest director in the history of Hollywood. Steven Spielberg's filmography is undeniable: Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan... Hell, even Catch Me If You Can and Munich are pretty entertaining in their own way. Plus his newest film, The Fabelmans...

Doesn't matter if you're talking Justice League, Avengers, or X-Men, superhero teams are one of the cornerstones of comics. Our conversation covers why teams form in the first place, classic team tropes, and which headquarters would make the coolest hangout spot. We also discuss comic creators like Chris Claremont, John Byrne, and Joe Madureira who all made their superstar reputations telling stor...