#3: Sublimations feat. Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, M.O.D.O.K. and The Far Side

Overflowing with enthusiasm/lacking in focus as we are wont to be, an outlet is needed to digress on those many compact cartoon curios that may not make their way to a full bore recording. Thus our Sublimations to that effect, including a catch-up with the cunning Kaguya-sama: Love Is War ahead of its third series; the rising fortunes of Youtube satirist Joel Haver; M.O.D.O.K. is A-OK; and a perilous journey over to The Far Side. My my, isn't that cute?

Listen up!

Show #177: Pilot Pot Luck - Coulda Been A Contender!

Unsatisfied with enjoying just the raw brutality contained within the next podcast topic we wildly speculate upon the action-packed vistas of violence that could've, should've or never will be!

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Not everybody can be champ, but as media production and distribution methods advance over time we're seeing a reasonable amount of weird new content that might never have had a shot otherwise. Taking Netflix's Grappler Baki as a starting point we wax lyrical about the future fighting chances of some conceptual cartoons that never took it all the way: Genndy Tartakovsky's cursed Popeye movie, Yoshiaki Kawajiri's similarly stymied sequel to Ninja Scroll, the hack & slash hero homage that was Korgoth Of Barbaria and the brief glimmer of greatness that were the Marvel Anime teaser trailers. Is this an exercise in futility? We ask ourselves that every day, but let's have fun finding out together!

Show #165: WildC.A.Ts

Back from a hiatus that totally involved a covert mission to bodyguard the president's space laser, Niall & Dwayne return with a new rude attitude that's a perfect fit for the WildC.A.Ts!

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After some upfront disclosure regarding where we've been and where we're going we dig into one of the products of the last era when superhero comics were a cultural juggernaut. But can WildC.A.Ts the TV show mirror the underdog success story of its printed counterpart? Bankrupt bad guys, pint-sized powerbrokers and an evolving mission statement await in this collector's edition episode!

THE SHORT VERSION

Wild AND covert

Complex characterisation

Anti-crime tactics

Show #147: ULTRAFORCE

Pouches? Ponytails? Shredded jeans? SLIME? The Nineties called and they want ULTRAFORCE back!

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Recent pop cultural trends have shown there exists a need out there amongst some audiences for their comic book media to be stern, mature and taken seriously. However history has proven that this is not a new occurrence and just like the early to mid 1990s this approach more often than not left them ripe for ridicule. Ultraforce is an exemplar of this heady period where common sense feared to tread and naturally we fall down a rabbit hole of questionable business practices, even more questionable fashion choices and a whole lot of weird ooze.

THE SHORT VERSION

Slimy supermen

Misunderstood monsters

Stealth saxophone

Show #123: GI Joe (1983 - 1985)

Honouring America's annual tradition of celebrating their independence by blowing things up, it's a sample party platter of the GI Joe miniseries!

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While we're not entire strangers to GI Joe we deemed a franchise as venerable as this one was worthy of a closer look, removed from the bizarre influence of secret snake people and back to good old fashioned red lasers vs blue lasers. The results surprise even us as we find both a fond portrayal of the American ideal embracing all cultures & backgrounds and even stranger goings on than a dozen GI Joe movies. All that plus sailor scam artists, impressions of famous actors and the subliminal message to kids with destructive younger siblings everywhere!

THE SHORT VERSION

Cartoon combat

The lighter side of the fight against international terrorism

Workplace romances

Show #119: Black Panther

We put the civil in Civil War as a minor difference of opinion erupts on the subject of mad motion comic Black Panther!

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Didn't intend on having two superhero themed shows come out one after another but these things keep getting made! Before that bandwagon though there was Black Panther, a TV adaptation of the comic recounting T'challa and his country's rise to prominence against all comers. Equal parts clumsy political allegory and groan inducing quip fest it remains notable for being an instance of placing an African hero at the fore, a trend we hope continues in the future.

THE SHORT VERSION

Black Panther beats up -everybody-

Peculiar prosthetics

Allegorical robo-zombies

Show #103: Kids Immolated In Classroom Inferno

Slightly regretting not putting this off til episode one-oh-FOUR, but we're just that excited to form a forum on The Fantastic Four!

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It's a game of two distinct halves with 1994's Fantastic Four TV show. Bundled in with the previously discussed Iron Man in the Marvel Action Hour both series had a campy and obnoxious first season before being drastically revamped in the second. It's that latter season of Fantastic Four that really gets down to the core of what makes these characters great, full of cosmic encounters and larger-than-life stories told in breathless comic book style, which unfortunately arrived too late to save the show but did plenty to make it linger in the memory for years to come.

THE SHORT VERSION

Fantastic foes

Nosy neighbours

Musical interludes!

Show #96: The President Wants To See You, WITH HIS ONE GOOD EYE

Woah woah woah, you can't just jump into that new Avengers movie right away! To avoid confusion you better catch up on all the exciting backstory of the woeful Avengers: United They Stand!

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Not everything can be a popular summer blockbuster. Heck, not everything can be a wonderfully bizarre, barely animated radio play. Such was the case with the Avengers once upon a time, long before their current worldwide popularity, when they served as disposal fodder for a toyline cartoon nobody wanted. Over-designed characters, terrible gimmicks, mediocre animation and sub-soap opera level drama converge into a perfect disaster that would best any superhero. On the plus side: SILLY VOICES.

THE SHORT VERSION

Snazzy armour

Maverick renegades

Emotional robots

Show #57: Wot A Noice Asgard You Got 'Ere

We journey into the mysterious realm of motion comics with the theatrical stylings of Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers!

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The 1966 Gantray-Lawrence Marvel Super-Heroes cartoons were a lesson in just how limited animation could get and still be able for worthwhile discussion here at SOTSM. Going off that we deemed motion comics as worthy topics for podcasting and thus we return to the Marvel universe and their Asgardian heroes.

Blood Brothers delivers Loki's perspective on the never-ending struggle against his sibling and adoptive parents, filled with pathos & tragedy and showing the complex motivations that led him down his villainous path. Esad Ribic's artwork is reverently handled with some subtle techniques employed to put it into motion while Robert Rodi's writing is brought to life by a talented cast of stage actors, David Blair as Loki being the standout performance. Warning: This podcast contains silly voices.

THE SHORT VERSION

Bullying

The ravages of villainy

THIS face

Show #51: The Not Catapult Gang

Niall and Dwayne fly into a berserker rage at the wasted opportunities presented by the Wolverine anime series.

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Part of a four series collaboration between Marvel and anime studio Madhouse, Wolverine made itself known to the world via an exquisitely animated trailer that looked to mark an excitingly different interpretation of the popular comic character. However the finished product was something else entirely; an incredibly bland action show with plodding direction, static set-pieces and a needlessly convoluted plot. This meeting of creative talents should have produced something of a far higher caliber and it is infuriating to see such potential wasted.

THE SHORT VERSION

Anime pretty boy Wolverine

Anime PRETTIER boy samurai Wolverine

Fallen on hard times

Show #40: Tony Stark's Cybernetic Long Johns

Greetings culture lovers! Imagine what would happen if Niall and D, better known as SOTSM, came face to face with the bizarre influence of Season 1 of Iron Man 1994? You don't have to imagine! It's coming up next!

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Iron Man 3 is in cinemas very soon so we thought we'd glance back at a less successful adaptation of old Shell Head and boy is it a doozy. Animation inconsistencies, characters fascinated with watching videos all the time, awkward attempts at humour and some particularly heinous CG sections add up to a not-so-spectacular package. Luckily the series found its feet (and a better production team) by Season 2 but that's a thrilling tale for another podcast. See ya!

THE SHORT VERSION

An improvement.

SEAMLESS.

More Comic Interludes!

Show #37: Stiffen The Snake

With the second live action film on everybody's minds right now it's as good a time as any to delve into the original feature length adventure of America's highly trained special mission force in G.I. Joe: The Movie!

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This is the biggest exposure that some of us here at SOTSM have had to the 1980s cartoon of the G.I. Joe toy franchise and boy does it throw you in at the deep end. Departing from the series' usual military hardware based firefights in favour of a battle against ancient serpent men from beneath the earth, this film isn't as fondly remembered as contemporaries such as the Transformers movie despite their similarities in introducing a plethora of new characters for the toyline and the dramatic (almost) death of a key figure.

At the very least it is an endearingly silly romp with animation that delivers on the promise of the show's intro, including a gorgeous opening action sequence that neatly sums up all the best points of G.I. Joe.

THE SHORT VERSION

'MURIKAW!

Drama

These snake men hate our lives and our freedoms!

Show #10: He Was A Good Actor, Before The Accident

Behold true believers! We aggressively assemble to dish out discussion and dialogue aplenty as we delve deeply into the cosmic core of comics cartoons with the 1966 Marvel Super Heroes! Now, stand back for your own safety!

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Man, what is with us and talking for so long about old badly made cartoons?  We should really be riding their asses hard and this time is no exception (up to a point). But just like Birdman the early animated incarnation of the Avengers has wormed its way into our hearts by sheer virtue of tripped out craziness, ham acting and killer theme tunes. Maybe that's the REAL Secret of the Sailor Madness (it's not). Enjoy in small doses, or better yet just listen to the audio. It works quite well!

THE SHORT VERSION

                                                   There's Something About Thor

                                                            New/Old Avengers!

                                         It's Iron Man! It's Big O! Tastes great together!