Capes and Japes

Today we talk about Charles Xavier, also known as Professor X, the most-often leader of the X-Men and a man with... questionable ethics. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - X-Men (1963) - Giant-Size X-Men (1975) #1 - Bizarre Adventures (1981) #27 - The New Mutants Marvel Graphic Novel (1982) - New Mutants (1983) - X-Men: Spotlight on Starjammers (1990) - X-Men (1991) - X-Treme X-Men (2001) -...

Today we talk about Herbert Edgar Wyndham, best known as the High Evolutionary, a guy whose whole thing is just ethics violations and making animals and people """more evolved""" while wearing a silver exoskeleton. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Thor (1966) #134 -135 - Tales to Astonish (1959) #94 -96 - Marvel Premiere (1972) #1 -2 - Warlock (1972) - Fantastic Four (1961) #172 -175 - Av...

Today we talk about Michael Moran, who has a bit of a convoluted publishing history, but is recently back in the saddle as Miracleman. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Marvelman (1954) Mick Anglo - Marvelman's Family Finest (2010 collection) - Young Marvelman Classic (2011 collection) - Miracleman (2014 reprint) Alan Moore - All-New Miracleman Annual (2014) #1 - Miracleman (2015 reprint)...

Today we talk about Boston Brand, best known as Deadman, who was an acrobat but then he died and became a ghost who helps to fight crime by possessing people. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Deadman Collection (1960's-1980's) - Deadman (1985) - Deadman (1986) - Deadman: Love After Death (1989) - Deadman: Exorcism (1992) - Deadman (2001) - Deadman: Dead Again (2001) - Deadman (2006) - Bla...

Today we talk about Madame Xanadu, who has also been known as Nimue Inwudu. She's a psychic and a magic user who frequently helps people solve supernatural problems. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Doorway to Nightmare (1978) - DC Comics Presents (1978) #65 - The Spectre (1987) - Suicide Squad (1987) #8 - Hellblazer (1988): The Devil You Know (contains Annual #1) - The War of the Gods (1...

Today we talk about Vic Sage, best known as The Question, a guy who covers his face with fake skin who has followed wildly differing philosophies over his iterations, but over all of them he does a lot of violence. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Watchmen (1986) - Blue Beetle (1986) #5 -7 - The Question (1986) - L.A.W. Living Assault Weapons (1999) - Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood (2000)...

Today we talk about The Spectre, who, despite starting as the ghost of Jim Corrigan, has been several different human men possessed by the spirit of (the christian god's) holy vengeance, as well as a pretty literal deus ex machina. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Golden Age Spectre Archives vol. 1 - Showcase Presents: The Spectre - All-Star Comics Archives Collections - The Spectre (1967...

Today we talk about The Phantom Stranger, who has many possible identities and backstories, but he's been cursed, somehow, to walk the Earth and cryptically help solve problems without getting fully involved. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Phantom Stranger Omnibus - The Phantom Stranger (1969) - Justice League of America (1960) #103 - The Brave and the Bold (1955) #89 - Secret Origins (...

Today we talk about Bizarro, who is usually a failed clone of Superman who always says and does the opposite of what he means. He's made his own Bizarro World, been a nuisance to multiple heroes, and joined Red Hood's Outlaws. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Superman in the Fifties (Includes Action Comics (1938) #254-255) - Showcase Presents: Superman vol. 2 (Includes Action Comics (1938...

Today we talk about Starro, a big starfish-shaped creature from outer space who keeps trying to take over Earth. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - The Brave and the Bold (1955) #28 - Justice League of America (1960) #189 -190 - JLA (1996) #22 -23 - Teen Titans (2003) #51 -54 - Booster Gold (2007) #14 -15 - R.E.B.E.L.S. (2009) - Justice League: No Justice (2018) - Justice League (2018) #10...

Today we talk about Quentin Beck, best known as Mysterio, who is a guy with a lot of skills that make him very good at gaslighting Spider-Man, and Daredevil that one time. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #13 - Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1964) #1 - The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #24 - The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #66 -67 - The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #141 -...

Today we talk about Eclipso, who has gone from a scientist who accidentally became evil for a bit, to a manifestation of the Wrath of Christian God, to a powerful being from Gem World. He possesses people with black diamonds and anger. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - House of Secrets (1956) #61-80 - Eclipso: The Darkness Within (1992) reading order - Eclipso (1992) - Spectre (1992) #14 -...

Today we talk about Abigail Brand, the morally-grey half-unknown alien-half-human mutant pyrokinetic commander of S.W.O.R.D. who is truly a woman of many mysteries. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Astonishing X-Men (2004) - Secret Invasion (2008) - Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust? (2008) #1 - S.W.O.R.D. (2009) - Spider-Woman (2009) #1 - Uncanny X-Men (2011) #1 - Avengers vs X-Men: Cons...

Today we talk about the Bloodstone family, started by Ulysses Bloodstone who was an immortal monster hunter until he died and was succeeded by his daughter Elsa, who found her lost brother Cullen in another dimension, and then they discovered their sister Lyra! Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Marvel Presents (1975) #1 - #2 - Bloodstone (2001) - Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses...

Today we talk about Ted Sallis, most commonly known as Man-Thing, who accidentally super soldier serum-ed himself into becoming a magic swamp creature. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Song for Ted Sallis by The Mountain Goats - Savage Tales (1971) #1 - Adventure into Fear (1970) #10 - Man-Thing (1974) - Giant-Size Man-Thing (1974) - Man-Thing (1979) - Infernal Man Thing (2012) - Man-Thin...

Today we talk about Rac Shade, a guy who originally came to Earth to clear his name in his own dimension but was turned into a poet tasked with astral projecting to Earth to discover a cure to a problem on his own plant. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Steve Ditko Omnibus starring Shade the Changing Man - Suicide Squad (1987) #16 - Shade the Changing Man (1990) - Hellblazer (1988) #268 -...

Today we talk about Perry White, who is (and has been for a while) the Editor of the Metropolis newspaper The Daily Planet, and also Clark Kent's boss. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - The Adventures of Superman (1940) Episode 2 radio show - Superman (1939) #7 - World's Finest Comics (1941) #80 - Superman (1939) #233 - The Man of Steel (1986) - World of Metropolis (1988) #1 - Adventures o...

Today we talk about all the people and combinations of people that have made up the nuclear powered (but fire-themed) superhero Firestorm, but mostly Ronnie Raymond, Martin Stein, and Jason Rusch. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Firestorm: The Nuclear Man (1978) - The Fury of Firestorm (1982) - JLA (1996) #69 - Identity Crisis (2004) - Firestorm (2004) - Infinite Crisis (2005) - 52 (2006...

Today we talk about the Red Tornado, who is an android who has 1) had the memories of Ma Hunkel the golden age Red Tornado, 2) been possessed by the spirit of a sentient tornado from Rann, 3) been transformed, briefly, into a human man. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Justice League of America (1960) #64 - Red Tornado (1985) - Crisis on Infinite Earths reading order - Firestorm: The Nucl...

Today we talk about Alec Holland, who was Swamp Thing for a long time, and a few other Swamp Things including his daughter, who is kind of his wife and John Constantine's daughter? Things get weird when you're made of plants. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Swamp Thing (1982 film) - The Return of Swamp Thing (1989 film) - Swamp Thing (2019 series trailer) - House of Secrets (1956) #92 -...

Today we talk about Bernhard "Buddy" Baker, best known as Animal Man, who is a wife guy, an animal lover, and sometimes an avatar of the energy field that connects every animal on earth. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Strange Adventures (1950) #180 - Action Comics (1938) #552 - DC Comics Presents (1978) #77 - Crisis on Infinite Earths (1988) reading order - Animal Man (1988) -Buddy turn...

Today we continue to talk about Hawk and Dove, with more focus on the Hawks. This episode is mostly about Hank Hall because he... made some Choices, but we also discuss Holly Granger and mention the 1997 Hawk and Dove duo Sasha Martens and Wiley Wolverton. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Showcase #75, Hawk and Dove (1968) 1-6, Teen Titans #21 - Teen Titans (1966) #25 - Crisis on Infinite...

Today we talk about the superheroes Hawk and Dove, with the main focus on the Dove half of the duo, Don Hall who was succeeded by Dawn Granger. It doesn't get confusing at all in an audio medium. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - Showcase #75, Hawk and Dove (1968) 1-6, Teen Titans #21 - Teen Titans (1966) #25 - Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985) #12 - Hawk and Dove (1988) - Hawk and Dove (19...

Today we talk about Amara Aquilla, known in X-Men circles as Magma, who has a... very weird introduction to the New Mutants, and a questionable dating history. Today's mentioned & relevant media: - New Mutants (1983) - New Warriors (1990) #31 - Uncanny X-Men (1963) #423 - New Mutants (2003) - X-Treme X-Men (2001) #34 - X-Men: The 198 (2006) - Young X-Men (2008) - New Mutants (2009) - X-Necrosh...

Today we're doing something a little different due to scheduling issues, please enjoy this patreon-bonus-episode-made-public in lieu of a new episode, we'll return to our regular schedule next week! From Patreon : We do a throwback movie review in honor of the Thor: Love and Thunder teaser trailer! We only get distracted a little. Thanks to Victoria Watkins for our icon! Support Capes and Japes by...