Capes and Japes

Today we talk about Flint Marko, or William Baker, but mostly Sandman, seeing as he's a man made of sand. Some times he fights Spider-Man, and sometimes he helps Spider-Man, and sometimes he just turns into a pile of sand on the beach. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #4 - Sandman 1981 cartoon - The Sandman is Coming - Fantastic Four (1961) #36 - Incredible H...

Today we talk about a man who has been called many things over the eons--Morpheus, Dream, The Sandman. He's an incredibly powerful entity but also kind of just a guy who looks kinda goth. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Golden Age Sandman - The Sandman by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon (1940's-1970's) - The Sandman (1989) - Sandman reading order - Tis the Season to be Freezin' (2021) - The Bat...

Today we talk about Lucas Carr, introduced and best known as Snapper, a cool teen who became an honorary member of the Justice League, betrayed them, got kidnapped into space, got superpowers, joined a superhero team, lost his powers, joined an evil organization.... Today's mentioned & relevant media: - The Brave and the Bold (1955) #28 - Justice League of America (1960) #77 - Justice League o...

Today we mostly talk about Dan Richards and Mark Shaw in this roundup of the rest of the Manhunters (NOT the robots, though some of them were recruited by the robots) who are not Kate Spencer, Paul Kirk, or a version of Paul Kirk. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - All-Star Squadron (1981) #31 - Millennium (1988) reading order - Manhunter (2004) #7 - 1st Issue Special (1975) #5 - Manhunter...

Today we talk about Paul Kirk, and also Paul Kirk, and Paul Kirk, and Paul Kirk.... there's a lot of this guy, and only partly because of all his clones, but he's been known through his many incarnations as Manhunter. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - All-Star Squadron (1981) #31 - Manhunter Detective Comics backups (1973) - Millennium (1988) reading order - The Human Target (2021) #2 - Sp...

Today we talk about Kate Spencer, one of many vigilantes to call themselves Manhunter. She's been a lawyer, a vigilante, a member of the Birds of Prey, and a lawyer for superheroes, all while raising her son. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Manhunter (2004) - Birds of Prey (1999) #100 - Batman: Streets of Gotham (2009) - Justice Society of America (2007) #47 - Green Arrow (2016) #33 - Th...

Today we talk about Quentin Quire, whose X-Men codename is Kid Omega, but everyone just calls him Quentin. He's an extremely powerful telepath, telekinetic, and disaster. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - New X-Men (2001) #134 - X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong (2005) - Nation X (2009) #2 - X-Men: Schism (2011) #1 - Wolverine and the X-Men (2011) - Wolverine and the X-Men (2014) - Generation X (20...

Today we talk about Joshua Foley, also known as Elixir, who went from hating mutants to discovering he was one, and from a natural healer to a guy who can kill and resurrect a man repeatedly in the name of revenge. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - New Mutants (2003) - New X-Men (2004) - X-Force (2008) - Uncanny X-Men (2016) #2 - Uncanny X-Men Annual (2016) #1 - House of X/Powers of X (201...

Today we talk about the Stepford Cuckoos, a group of psychically linked sisters, also known as The Five-In-One or The Three-In-One depending on if Sophie and Esme are alive or not! Today's mentioned & relevant media: - The Stepford Wives - The Midwich Cuckoos - New X-Men (2001) #118 - New X-Men (2004) - X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong (2005) - X-Men: Phoenix - Warsong (2006) - Nation X (2009) #4 - Ch...

Today we talk about the X-Men, which is a bit of a daunting task because you could have an entire podcast dedicated to talking about the X-Men because there's so much that happens, but! Here is an overview, if you will. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - X-Men/Uncanny X-Men (1963) - Giant-Size X-Men (1975) #1 - Dark Phoenix Saga (1980) event - Days of Future Past (1981) event - God Loves, M...

Today we talk about Floyd Lawton—best known as Deadshot—a Batman villain and Suicide Squad member who is extremely good at two things: 1) shooting guns, and 2) lying to his therapist. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Batman (1940) #59 - Detective Comics (1937) #474 - Detective Comics (1937) #518 - Crisis on Infinite Earths (1986) reading order - Legends (1986) - Suicide Squad (1987) - Ide...

Today we talk about Brainiac, a villain who was once just a guy who shrunk and stole cities, and through comics evolution became a sapient supercomputer who also sometimes shrinks and steals cities. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Holy Musical B@man "You ever hear of Mr. Mxyzptlk?" - Showcase Presents: Superman - Crisis on Infinite Earths (1986) reading order - Adventures of Superman (19...

Today we talk about Max Lord, a businessman who pulled together the Justice League International, got mind-control powers, died, came back, and was apparently evil all along? Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Justice League International (1987) - Invasion! reading order - Formerly Known as the Justice League (2003) - JLA Classified (2004): I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League - Coun...

Today we talk about Black Manta, whose quest to kill Aquaman is his main character trait, and in trying to determine why that is, he has gotten some truly weird backstories, until they came upon a very normal one. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Aquaman (1962) #35 - Aquaman (1991) #6 - Aquaman (2002) #8 - Black Manta (2021) #1 - Superboy (1993) #20 - Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis (2006) #52...

Today we talk about Nathaniel Richards, probably best known as Kang the Conqueror, Iron Lad, or Immortus, though through time travel (his whole Thing) and alternate universe versions, he's been a lot of different guys. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Avengers (1963) #8 - Fantastic Four (1961) #19 - Avengers Annual (1967) #2 - Avengers (1963) #10 - Giant-Size Avengers (1974) #3 - Young Av...

Today we talk about The Eternals, who are a group of people who were experimented on by Celestials and now they have powers. Some of them are on Uranus, some on Titan, and some on Earth. The ones on Earth do some superhero team stuff sometimes! Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Eternals (1976) - Thor Annual (1966) #7 - The Eternals (1985) - The New Eternals: Apocalypse Now (2000) - The Ete...

Today we talk about the various Heralds of Galactus, because he's had so many more than just the Silver Surfer! Some of them get fired, some of them die, some of them quit, and some of them turn into androids. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Fantastic Four (1961) #120 - Thor (1966) #305 - Thor (1966) #225 - Silver Surfer (1987) #81 - Thanos (2003) #11 - Fantastic Four (1961) #211 - Fanta...

Today we talk about Norrid Radd, best known as the Silver Surfer, a sad space man from a flawed utopian planet who became the herald of Galactus to save his planet, betrayed him with the Fantastic Four, and still kicks it around the universe. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Fantastic Four (1961) #48 - Silver Surfer (1968) - Sub-Mariner (1968) #34 - Silver Surfer (1987) - Skaar: Son of Hu...

Today we talk about Mephisto, who is basically the devil except the devil also exists in Marvel canon. He tempts people with their greatest desire and then either makes a deal with a Dire Price or gives you unforeseen negative consequences! Media specifically mentioned in today's episode: - Faust - Silver Surfer (1968) #3 - Ghost Rider (1973) #68 - Fantastic Four (1961) #277 - West Coast Avengers...

Today we talk about Shang-Chi, a character who was originally conceived as the son of racist caricature villain Fu Manchu (which has since been ret-conned). He is very good at martial arts and fighting his evil half-siblings! Media specifically mentioned in today's episode: - An interesting post about Shang-Chi, Fu Manchu, and what marvel could do about it - Special Marvel Edition (1971) #15 - Mas...

Today we talk about several people who have gone by Atom. One of them is short but doesn't get small, one of them was on the Suicide Squad, one of them can split into a bunch of little guys, and one of them was secretly a triple agent. Media specifically mentioned in today's episode: - All-Star Comics archives - The Last Days of the Justice Society of America (1986) - Justice Society of America (1...

Today we talk about Ryan Choi, another prominent Atom who got tricked by a future version of an ex-girlfriend into becoming the Atom, realized he was good at it, and continued to fight crime and get very small once the plot was revealed. Media specifically mentioned in today's episode: - Identity Crisis (2004) , tie-ins &reading order - DCU: Brave New World (2006) #1 - The All-New Atom (20...

Today we talk about Ray Palmer, the second Atom but the first one who could get very small. He is a scientist, a superhero, and a man who can apparently call you on the phone then travel through the phone lines! Media specifically mentioned in today's episode: - The Atom archive editions - All Star Comics archive editions - Sword of the Atom (1983) - Power of the Atom (1988) - Zero Hour: Crisis in...

Today we talk about Shiera Hall, Shayera Hol, and Kendra Saunders, three women who have either been Hawkgirl or Hawkwoman, and all share the same soul... kinda.... Media specifically mentioned in today's episode: - Justice League (2001 cartoon) - All-Star Comics (1941) #5 - Silver Age Hawkman archive collection - Justice League of America (1960) #146 - Hawkworld (1989) - Hawkworld (1989b) - JSA: S...

Today we talk about Carter Hall and Katar Hol, both of them are Hawkman, and sometimes they're the same person. The Hawkman backstory is full of things such as: reincarnation, aliens, a hawk god, and questionable story choices by the DC creative team. Media specifically mentioned in today's episode: - Excerpt from Flash Comics (1940) #1 - All-Star Comics (1941) - Silver Age Hawkman archive collect...