/
RSS Feed
In this episode, Rob and Don sit down with comedian Kevin Doak to discuss comedy and the nerdly arts. The trio debate which superhero you want to have over for dinner, why the Walking Dead needs more laughs, and the depressed turnout of Batman v. Superman. All this, and why Shawn of the Dead is the most realistic zombie movie ever, is waiting for you in this, the 25th episode of the Department of Nerdly Affairs.
- Closing Music:
Ode to Joy performed by Oliver Eckelt
Things discussed:
Don Rickles
Honest Trailers Batman v. Superman
Shawn of the Dead
Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon
The Dresden Files
Terry Prachett
Piers Anthony
While I appreciate the information on comedy, you guys were just making me cringe in the conversation at the end about Superheroes.
No no no no no no no!
Bad DNAgents!
Marvel is not the funny one.
First of all if you need a comparison. DC is Star Wars and Marvel is Star Trek. As Frank Miller said, there are three gods in the DC universe- Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Everyone else is a demigod.
I’m going to have to write a blog post about the Flat Hero and why he/she is so compelling because after constant “Superman is boring” posts. People don’t get it.
Anyway, Superman is full of comedy.
The unquestioned king of Superhero movies “Superman” Donner film from the seventies had a ton of comedy. Remember?
– Clark Kent desperate to change sees one of the modern little phone kiosks instead of a phone booth
– A pile of accidents including a baby buggy goes knocking a pile of things over creating a number of quirky things that Clark ends up fixing
– “What colour is my underwear?” Sequence with Lois is awkwardly funny.
Second, I’m glad you brought up Ambush Bug the ORIGINAL Deadpool, and as Don said, the first character who knew he was in a superhero comic book.
But what about other comic gems like?
The after Crisis reboot of the Justice League? With Blue Beetle and Booster Gold constantly wisecracking jokes? Who could forget Batman knocking out Green Lantern Gardner in one punch? And having him knocked out through a book and a half?
How about the Creeper?
Or Blue Devil?
OR some of the weird crossovers like Captain Carrot and Superman?
Or the Batman 60’s television show?
Or Flash in the Justice League cartoon series?
There’s a ton of humour in the DC universe. I dare say more so than in the comics in Marvel other than Spider-man
It’s only the Joss Whedon and Ant Man influences in the movies that added humour. It’s Joss Whedon, he’s going to put humour in everything.
>you guys were just making me cringe in the conversation at the end about Superheroes.
Then my work here is done….
>Marvel is not the funny one.
Y’know…. I don’t think this is wrong. DC has been around almost twice as long as Marvel, and they have a HUGE catalog of characters from numerous eras, styles, genres…. I think part of the problem is that, since “Watchmen, “The Dark Knight Returns,” and the popularity of the Batman movies (since 1989!) DC has slowly been sliding down the Dark road to Darktown. Batman is their quintessential moneymaker, so they keep trying to refine the Bat-formula, and applying it to everything else.
>As Frank Miller said, there are three gods in the DC universe- Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Everyone else is a demigod.
….which is part of the problem with writing DC stuff. I think their slide to Darktown cripples their chances of making characters who aren’t Batman popular (or more accurately: getting a fair shake from the producers) because they lose the comedy, and like Doak said; the ability to be relatable.
>Anyway, Superman is full of comedy.
Like that. Even into the early 80’s comics, Supes was always goofing around. That was part of being the perennial “gooder than good” guy; nothing got him down. He always saw the bright side, he never gave up and he always hoped for the best.
But that’s something the execs seem leery of. You don’t get a lot of that in the newer films. And it’s a shame, ‘cos Superman should come across as the “big brother” type, I think.
>I’m glad you brought up Ambush Bug the ORIGINAL Deadpool, and as Don said, the first character who knew he was in a superhero comic book.
Funny thing there; for a while in the early 90’s they did the same schtick with She-Hulk.
>But what about other comic gems like?
Major Bummer?
Super-Hip? (Which is just SCREAMING for an Austin Powers style comeback….)
Angel O’Day and Sam Simeon? (Especially if they make the Foglio version cannon.)
Foglio’s Stanley and His Monster? (Which even ties into the Vertigo line.)
The Inferior Five?
Brother Power?
Prez? (THIS one seems timely, given the US political clime, and the spate of “plucky teenager saves the world” books and films recently.)
>The after Crisis reboot of the Justice League? With Blue Beetle and Booster Gold constantly wisecracking jokes? Who could forget Batman knocking out Green Lantern Gardner in one punch? And having him knocked out through a book and a half?
I think that series demonstrates Doak’s point about camaraderie, since that seemed to be the whole point. It was a fantastic run, although you can see how by the 90’s they’d tried to make it more Dark McGrimdark.
>How about the Creeper?
>Or Blue Devil?
These two kinda fit the goofy hero schtick, and yeah; they were both popular for a wile, and I could see either of them masking a comeback. I’d add the JL cartoon version of the Question to the mix.
>OR some of the weird crossovers like Captain Carrot and Superman?
DC has so many weird corners I’d like to see explored. I think part of the problem with a Captain Carrot anything is that it’d be seen as a parody…. which it IS, but for the stories to work it has to exist as it’s own continuity. Still; Marvel brought Spider Ham back for the cartoon, so it’s possible.
*sigh* So many lost classics. Stalker, the original Starfire (who seems to have a fairly loyal fanbase out there,) most of the stuff I mentioned earlier….
>Or the Batman 60’s television show?
THIS one still has TONS of fans. I think part of the problem with bringing it back is copyright, and part is the execs being terrified to lighten Batman up; since that’s their winning formula.
>Or Flash in the Justice League cartoon series?
They seem to always dance around some of the lighter aspects of the Flash in every incarnation. I gotta wonder if it’s not the battle between the light and dark camps happening behind the scenes….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvUXbzxxdo0
>There’s a ton of humour in the DC universe.
There’s a ton of EVERYTHING in the DC universe, it’s just a shame they seldom capitalize on it.
>I dare say more so than in the comics in Marvel other than Spider-man
Maybe; but Marvel has their forgotten corners too. They just seem a little more willing to dig around in them than DC. At least for now….
>It’s only the Joss Whedon and Ant Man influences in the movies that added humour. It’s Joss Whedon, he’s going to put humour in everything.
….and that’s possibly why. The JW humor became THE Marvel formula, sorta how the GrimDark Batman one became the DC formula. Neither is immutable. Marvel just lucked out that the Giffen Justice League formula became the one their films followed, as opposed to the Romita era Spiderman one.
I would love to see a “Revenge of Vera Gemini” era Defenders movie…. but who could do the soundtrack?
Don C.