Digging for Kryptonite: A Superman Fan Journey

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Shawn Hendricks ( Fat Moose Comics ) dig into SUPERMAN/SPIDER-MAN #1, the first of two 2026 crossover specials from DC & Marvel. They discuss the lead story by Mark Waid & Jorge Jiménez — pitting Superman & Spider-Man against Brainiac & Doctor Octopus — along with backups pairing Lois Lane & Mary Jane, Jonathan Kent & Ben Parker, Jimmy Olsen &...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Kara Szamborski ( I Read Comics Books ) dig into the basis for the forthcoming Supergirl movie — SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW by Tom King & Bilquis Evely. They discuss Kara Zor-El's characterization, Ruthye's POV, possible interpretations of the ending, how the project changed from its initial pitch, potential approaches to adapting the work, and more. Episode co...

Host Anthony Desiato begins a new fan journey in the series premiere of Lighting the Bat-Signal! In a wide-ranging conversation with comic book artist V Ken Marion (Battle Chronicle Sol-Stryker, Nightwing, & more), the duo shine a light on their respective Batman fan origins. Anthony & Ken share their first experiences with Batman, highlight the stories across media that most shaped their...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Tim Bruns dig into the various "final" Superman stories across time & media. Their survey covers "The Death of Superman" from SUPERMAN #149 (1961), "The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue" from SUPERMAN #162 (1963), "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?", KINGDOM COME, the Tom Welling Crisis scene, the series finale of SUPERMAN & LOIS, and m...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Justin De Voe ( @reallifelobo ) dig into the Scott Snyder-led DC K.O. crossover event, featuring the heroes and villains of the DC Universe in a tournament to become King Omega and take on Darkseid. Anthony and Justin discuss the core 5-issue miniseries (by Snyder & Javi Fernández) as well as key tie-ins, including the main SUPERMAN title (by Joshua Williamson an...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Mike Sangregorio dig into SUPERMAN: THE KRYPTONITE SPECTRUM, the 2025 Black Label miniseries from the creative team of ICE CREAM MAN (W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo, Chris O'Halloran, & Good Old Neon). Anthony and Mike discuss the new Kryptonite varieties & their effects on Superman, whether this work serves as a worthy successor to ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, the...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Lance Laster ( Always Hold On To Arrow ) dig into the character of John Henry Irons, aka STEEL, across time & media — including his "Reign of the Supermen" debut, 1994-1998 solo series, underrated film starring Shaq, recent supporting role on TV's SUPERMAN & LOIS, and more. Why has this character resonated for over 30 years? Which era of Steel served him best...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Ralph Puma ( Kill Me Kate ) dig into the red-hot ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN series by Jason Aaron & Rafa Sandoval. This episode covers issues 1-14 — aka the first two collected editions of the series — and contains SPOILERS! Anthony and Ralph discuss the popularity of the series & how it compares to past publishing initiatives, an inspired take on Krypton & the El...

Host Anthony Desiato welcomes back Superman Group Editor PAUL KAMINSKI to discuss the state of the Super-titles in 2026! Anthony and Paul discuss the upcoming "Reign of the Superboys," last year's launches of SUPERMAN UNLIMITED and Superboy in ACTION COMICS, the current DC K.O. event, recommended reading for the forthcoming LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES revival, and more. Support the show and receive exc...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Logan Crowley ( Single Bound ) dig into the "one, true Brainiac" introduced by Geoff Johns & Gary Frank in ACTION COMICS post-Infinite Crisis: the cold, Coluan collector of worlds who bottled Kandor and has appeared in many previous forms. Anthony & Logan discuss the original 2008 "Brainiac" comic book arc by Johns & Frank along with its 2013 animated ada...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Zach Moore ( Always Hold On To Smallville ) dig into the Kryptonian AI Brainiac as depicted in SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES and the DCAU, SMALLVILLE, and the recent MY ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN. Is this the best take on Brainiac yet, or is it one villain from Krypton too many? Anthony and Zach also compare notes on the notorious 2006 animated movie SUPERMAN: BRAINIAC A...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Sweet-Sweet Bernie Gerstmayr ( Aw Yeah Comics - Skokie ) dig into the Brainiac of the Post-Crisis era — in which the alien mind of Coluan scientist Vril Dox possesses the body of circus mentalist Milton Fine. Anthony and Bernie track this incarnation of Brainiac across his debut, physical rebirth in Roger Stern's "Brainiac Trilogy," starring turn in "Panic in the Sky...

Host Anthony Desiato kicks off 2026 with a multi-episode look at the villain Brainiac across time & media! In Part 1, Anthony and guest Daniel Sanchez ( @wearingthecape ) chart Brainiac's evolution in the Pre-Crisis era — including his Silver Age debut as an evil space alien, mid-1960s reinvention as a robot in humanoid form, late Bronze Age robotic redesign, and animated depictions in the Fil...

Host Anthony Desiato proudly introduces his forthcoming podcast series LIGHTING THE BAT-SIGNAL: A BATMAN FAN JOURNEY, which will examine Gotham City's Dark Knight across time and media — with analysis of the creative visions, character elements, eras, and individual stories that have shaped Batman since 1939. Lighting the Bat-Signal premieres on March 19, 2026! Subscribe now to automatically recei...

Host Anthony Desiato and the team behind FOLCs Forever (Molly, Julie, & Jenn) count down their TOP 10 episodes of LOIS & CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN in the grand finale of Digging for Kryptonite's L&C mixtape event! Did YOUR top picks make the cut? THANK YOU to all guests & audience members who made 2025 the biggest year in Digging for Kryptonite history! The podcast will...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Justin De Voe ( @reallifelobo ) dig into the just-released teaser trailer for SUPERGIRL — directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Milly Alcock — and its approach to adapting SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW by Tom King & Bilquis Evely. Support the show and receive exclusive podcast content at Patreon.com/AnthonyDesiato , including the spinoff podcasts BEYOND METROPO...

Host Anthony Desiato and guests Rob O'Connor ( All Star Superfan Podcast ) & Chris Fuchs ( Always Hold On To Star Wars ) "draft" their favorite villains from LOIS & CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN — including Tempus, Lord Nor, Jason Trask, and more — as they compete to form the best "Superman Revenge Squad." Listen to the draft, then be sure to head on over to social media to vote on...

Host Anthony Desiato presents a double feature celebrating the supporting cast of LOIS & CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN! First, Anthony and guest Duncan Bennett dig into the Kents (Eddie Jones & K Callan) and their understated, natural portrayal — which resulted in some of the show's most emotional and memorable moments. Then, Javi Trujillo ( The Comic Binge ) tags in for a discussi...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Zach Moore ( Always Hold On To Smallville ) dig into the character of Lex Luthor as portrayed by actor John Shea in Season 1 of LOIS & CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, as well as impactful return appearances in the following seasons. Anthony and Zach discuss the charisma and magnetism Shea imbued in his Lex; the character's Post-Crisis inspiration, worldvie...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Matt Truex ( Lois & Clark'd: The New Podcasts of Superman ) dig into the romance between the titular characters — portrayed by Teri Hatcher & Dean Cain — across four seasons of LOIS & CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN. As they chart the eras of the relationship and the series, Anthony and Matt discuss the charged banter and ineffable intimacy of Seaso...

Host Anthony Desiato presents an epic roundup of the past year's Superman comics with a trio of guests! In the main segment, Anthony and guest Jermaine "Lord Retail" Exum ( Acme Comics ) dig into ACTION COMICS #1087-1091 by Mark Waid & Skylar Patridge — aka the first arc featuring Clark as Superboy — as well as SUPERMAN UNLIMITED # 1-6 by Dan Slott & Raphael Albuquerque. Then, in the inter...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Tim Bruns dig into the second half of John Byrne's 2-year run on the Super-titles — culminating in "The Supergirl Saga," which saw the introduction of Matrix and Superman's cold execution of General Zod & his allies. But first, Anthony and Tim discuss Superman's team-ups with Batman, Booster Gold, and The Spectre; Lana & Smallville's baffling involvement in t...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Michael Bailey ( Fortress of Baileytude ) dig into the first half of John Byrne's 2-year run on the Super-titles, including: The flagship SUPERMAN series, written & drawn by Byrne, which saw the rebooted Man of Steel face off against Metallo, Bloodsport, Rampage, Joker, and Mister Mxyzptlk ACTION COMICS, also by Byrne, which depicted Superman's Post-Crisis DCU te...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Duncan Bennett dig into a trilogy of miniseries written by John Byrne and released across 1988: WORLD OF KRYPTON with Mike Mignola, which detailed Krypton's clone wars; WORLD OF SMALLVILLE with Kurt Schaffenberger, which revealed Martha Kent's first marriage and Lana Lang's manipulation by the Manhunters; and WORLD OF METROPOLIS with Win Mortimer, which showed the ea...

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Zach Moore ( Always Hold On To Smallville ) dig into Season 2 of James Gunn's PEACEMAKER television series starring John Cena — the next chapter in the DCU and precursor to 2027's MAN OF TOMORROW film. SPOILER WARNING! Anthony and Zach discuss that revisionist Season 1 recap, Season 2's slower, more character-driven approach, the alternate-Earth reveal, whether the f...