Goodbye, Hello: Part 2

Welcome back to the list of things I will and won’t miss about Superman in the New 52. After last week’s looks at the various origins for Superman, this week, I’ll be focusing on two important parts of Superman’s extended family.

The Second Thing I’m Going To Miss About Superman In The New 52:

Ma and Pa Kent

I’ve never really understood why Superman needs to have lost one or both of his parents. My first introduction to Superman’s parents was through the series Lois and Clark (or The New Adventures of Superman, as it was titled in the UK). Whilst there was a large element of comic relief to their role in the series, they were a valuable part of Superman’s support network. They provided Clark with a refuge from Metropolis and being Superman.

When I first discovered that the Kents were not traditionally a huge part of Superman’s adult life, I couldn’t understand it. Having a place to go home to seemed so important, and having the Ma and Pa still alive gave Superman a reason to go home to Smallville regularly, allowing for greater variety in Superman’s life and his adventures.

They also added another emotional string to the books. In Superman #75, the page that tugs most on the heartstrings is the one showing Ma and Pa watching Superman in the final throes of his fight with Doomsday, unable to be with their son. It was a very small and human moment amongst the bombast and destruction.

In the back of the recent Action Comics #2, a reference was made to Superman being free from his parents as a reason for his hard-edged campaigns in Metropolis early on in his career. Whilst I’m sure this will lead to some interesting stories, I can only think of how this goes against everything we’ve read in the last 25 years, about a Superman whose loving parents helped him to learn to control his powers and to respect life above all else.

The Second Thing I’m Not Going To Miss About Superman In The New 52

Supergirl

(The Kara Zor-El incarnation.)

Supergirl was a mess. Introduced in a best-selling arc in Superman/Batman, the character’s solo title launched a few months before Infinite Crisis, and boy, it was not good. With Superman fans already upset at the cancellation of the Peter David-written Supergirl series to make way for a confusing and character-less plot device that bore almost no resemblance to anything that could have taken the name ‘Supergirl’ (Yes, Cir-El, I’m looking at you), DC then spectacularly dropped the ball by being unable to provide a purpose or direction for her across well over three years of books.

Was she an assassin sent from Krypton to kill Superman? A misguided super-powered teenager trying to cope with an entirely new society? What about being a hero-within-a-hero, protecting the bottle city of Kandor? No? OK, we can try Supergirl as a legend of the 21^st century marooned in the 31^st? (Actually, Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes was pretty damn good, one of the best uses of the One Year Later device. It was so good that it was barely mentioned again in Supergirl’s core title). What exactly was Superman’s relationship with her? Protecting uncle, concerned elder, or just plain embarrassed by this inconsistent, rebellious teen that burst out from a ship contained in a lump of kryptonite? Constantly rotating creative teams, barely hanging around for an entire story arc didn’t help either.

It wasn’t until Sterling Gates arrived on the book that Supergirl actually had something approaching a status quo, a supporting cast and a character. Taking underused elements of Superman’s supporting cast and using them to create a cast for Supergirl was a great move (yes, even Cat Grant, as the explanation for her behaviour, when it came, worked well). Supergirl also had a consistent relationship with Superman and, even better, a relationship-of-sorts with Lois. Best of all, Gates laid to one side the ‘dark Supergirl’ plots and worked hard to bring Supergirl into direct continuity with the core Superman books, continuing in this vein after New Krypton had ended.

Of course, as soon as he was gone, this was all undone. We were back to the rotating creative teams, and in Justice League of America, the dark Supergirl was back.

Supergirl #1 was too much of a setup issue to see which way the new creative team will take the character. I know I never want to see Supergirl in a black costume again, and I don’t want to see a character who is as painfully naïve as she was when she decided she was going to cure cancer. I want to see a strong but flawed character who not only justifies her own existence beyond ‘hey, we need to have Supergirl around’ but also who affects Superman. If the relaunched title can deliver this, then I see no reason why Kara Zor-El can’t become as strong a character as Matrix/Linda was in her own title.

Next on World of Superman: A change to our next issue, thanks to an editorial snafu (read: I counted wrong). Instead of seeing Superman fight a giant mummy, we’ll be meeting Jerry White, Jose Garcia and Bibbo Bibbowski for the first time! Hurrah! And next week, we’ll be back for the third instalment in this series of articles. See you then!

Goodbye, Hello: Part One

Let's be clear here: This is not a fill-in post because I haven't yet written anything for the next issue. Against all expectations (including mine!) I'm three issues ahead, eager to build a backlog of material before my awful retail-career eats up my life at some point in the next three months!


So, I don't know if you've heard, but DC have been having some changes lately. And by some changes, I mean throwing everything out of the window (unless you're Batman or a Green Lantern) and starting again from scratch. Being fans of Superman, we're pretty accustomed to this, having had, on average, a new origin or retelling every two years for the past decade. However, unlike those, this one is total and absolute, wiping out everything that has come before (including record breaking numbering) and starting fresh and anew.

So, as the second month of the relaunch kicks into gear (I've just finished reading Action Comics #2, and don't get me started on the story finishing just over halfway through the issue), I think that it's an appropriate moment to mourn the passing of five things that have made the last 25 years worth of Superman such a great read. Oh, and because it was never all great, we'll also wave goodbye to five turds that are finally being flushed into the sewers of hypertime.

So, without further ado, let's start at the very beginning,

Literally.

The First Thing I’m Going To Miss About Superman In The New 52

The Man Of Steel

I think, considering the raison d’etre for this blog, you could probably have guessed this one. For nearly 20 years, these six issues were the seed from which Superman and his comics grew. So much of what is now accepted as the standard Superman status quo was established here, from the Last Son of Krypton (no exceptions) to Superman’s shaky relationships with other heroes. But most of all, coming from an idea by Marv Wolfman, John Byrne gave us the ruthless businessman Lex Luthor, as seen in Smallville, Lois and Clark, and Superman: The Animated Series.

The structure of the series took us from before Kal-El’s birth to six years into his career when he discovered his origins. The statement at the very end of the series, where Superman reconciles his Kryptonian birth with his human upbringings is the most succinct and accurate summation of who Superman is. For years afterwards, writers would intertwine their stories involving Superman’s youth with these six issues. And whilst the name may have come from a Batman story, some of the most successful 1995 Year One annuals were carefully structured to occur in an around the events of this series.

As we’ll see below, the strength of the writing and the iconic nature of what was presented within was such that it took three attempts over nearly 10 years to establish a new origin for Superman, and not long after that series was completed, DC hit the big red button and started everything all over again. Officially, the Superman in Action Comics #904 and Superman #714 came from Secret Origin, but for most of us, he was the same person who landed the space-plane, who fought Bizarro and unexpectedly restored Lucy Lane’s sight, and who brought public embarrassment upon Lex Luthor when he frogmarched him to a police cell. He was our Superman, and we’ll miss him.

The First Thing I’m Not Going To Miss About Superman In The New 52

Birthright's Canonicity

Let’s be clear on one thing before we get going, as it’ll be many years before this appears in the blog. Birthright was not a bad series at all. In fact, faked-Kryptonian attack aside, it was pretty good. Mark Waid eschewed much of what is considered to be normal for a Superman origin story – Krypton’s destruction, growing up in Smallville, etc. – opting instead to start with Clark trying to make his way in the world, and bringing these elements in as the story progressed. Leinil Yu’s artwork was also noteworthy, strengthening as the series progressed and his style asserted itself.

No, what I have an issue with is DC’s reluctance to take a stand on wether or not we were reading the official new origin for Superman, even for years after the series had wrapped up.

If you were reading Superman comics at the time, then you’ll remember that it wasn’t until after the series had begun that DC first began talking about Birthright as a replacement origin for The Man of Steel. But they decided to be uncertain about this, stopping short of definitively stating this fact, despite elements of Birthright starting to appear in the comics. As Superman vol. 2 rolled towards #200, noise was made about the anniversary issue making a firm statement as to Birthright’s canonicity. At the end of that issue, following a fight with Braniac, Superman found himself journeying back to reality, but got distracted along the way when he saw Krypton. This was the moment that things changed, but the issue stopped short of saying that he was now attached to a new origin. Only the meagre back-matter, highlighting some of Leinil Yu’s Birthright designs, mentioned the series by name.

As a result, readers were left to wonder as to which origin would stand. The next two story arcs, Strange New Visitor and Godfall, wouldn’t involve the origin at all, and the next set of creative teams on the titles would again craft stories that took Superman forward, not looking back. Even when the multiverse returned and New Earth was formed, hints were given as to a new origin, but it took nearly four years for that origin to be presented to the readers.

There are plenty of things to argue about with Superman, but arguing which origin applies to him from 2003 onwards is an argument we shouldn’t have had to have. I’m very happy to finally not have this be an issue, and whatever changes come to Superman’s origin in the new 52, my only wish is that there is consistency.

Next on World of Superman: Come back Sunday for the continuing coverage of the post-Crisis Superman's life, and at some point in the middle of next week, we'll be taking a look at number two on both lists.

And don't forget to check out the latest episode of the 20 Minute Longbox, taking a look at Superman/Shazam: First Thunder #2!

Status Update

Evening all.

This is just a fast post to establish where I've been for a little while, and to set out where we'll be going over the next few weeks.

As I've hinted at before, December was a challenging month to find the time to sit down and work through comics. As well as being the busiest month of the year for work, the start of the month saw the release of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the latest installment of my one and only gaming love.As sitting at a computer, working on my character whilst chatting with friends is generally an easier way to unwind than focusing on writing 1000+ word posts, it became easier to push the blog to one side and focus on getting from day to day without going mad.

Christmas came, and whilst I spent a couple of days with my parents in Gloucestershire with no comics or internet, my internet at home in London decided to die. And it's only come back today, about 9 hours ago. So that made it hard to get any post uploaded.

I used my offline time wisely, though. Thanks to my girlfriend's trip to Israel, I've had access to a laptop (my computer is a desktop), which has come with me to work where I've used my lunchtimes to get synopses written and read and re-read issues without the distractions of twitter, podcasts and the like.

I have the next few posts fully written and raring to be published, and as soon as I can get blogger to upload the panel scans correctly without garbling the images, I will do. I suspect my still-healing internet connection may have something to do with this. Expect a look at Adventures of Superman #424 within the next day or so.

Finally, I want to take the space here and list my three comic-related New Year's Resolutions.

1. At least one post a week here at World of Superman. Even if I have dry spells (late March/early April will be a challenge as I'm on holiday in Los Angeles), I want enough posts published to have an average of one a week, and at least two in every calendar month.
2. To be better at writing e-mails. I listen to a lot of podcasts. I like a lot of what I listen to. Sometimes I have things I want to say to the people who make the podcasts, wether it's to provide information, constructive feedback, or simply to tell people what a good job they are doing. Unfortunately, I tend to listen to podcasts on the go, or at lunch on work. By the time I get home, I've forgotten the need to write an e-mail, or the detail of the e-mail. Well, no more. If you produce a podcast that I listen to, expect something from me down the line.
3. Read more Vertigo. I feel like my comics reading has become to blinkered towards DC, Marvel and heroes. There's nothing wrong with this, but it's a bit like dining out at McDonalds every day, then hearing your friends talk about a great Indian restaurant they went to. So many titles that have been lauded have come out of Vertigo in the last year, and I feel like I've been missing out. So I'll be directing some of my buying money away from titles that I feel like I'm being to be a completist (why excatly is Titans on my pull list?) and into titles and creators who work outside of my comfort zone. I'll let you know how I get on.

As I said, a new, proper post will be up tomorrow. Don't forget to follow me on twitter - @quizlacey -  and you can always e-mail me as well. See you tomorrow!

A brief update

Shock! Horror! This is not an imaginary post!

So, I've not been around for a couple of weeks. I've been feeling a lot of stress and pressure at work, which has made my non-work life, such as it is, feel very awkward. I've not been getting pleasure from the things that normally help me relax and unwind, and I've spent the last couple of weeks in a state of near perma-tension. All of which has made sitting down to read comics, analyse them, and write about them on this blog a task that has felt like an unnecessary chore, rather than a welcome pleasure.

The good news is that things have quietened down , and I can feel my life returning to normal. I've got a long weekend off ahead of me that I intend to spend geeking out in the most fantastic way. I'll be attending my first ever comics convention, the London MCMExpo, which takes place in a building about 10 minutes walk away from my front door. I'm looking forward to meeting the cream of British comic creators, including the wonderful Mr Tony Lee, Kieron Gillen, current Action Comics writer Paul Cornell, and the legendary Chris Claremont. I'm hoping to get in on the Paul exclusive footage (I'm a big Simon Pegg fan), attend the Eagles awards, and hunt down Lying In The Gutters and bleedingcool.com writer Rich Johnston.


In short, I'm looking to have a great weekend re-connecting with my inner (and outer) geek. And when it's all over, I'm gonna open up my longboxes, pull out my copy of Booster Gold #7 and get some thoughts posted here.

Next on World of Superman: Comics'n'stuff. Honest.

I'm Proud Of The BBC

No posts for a few more days, as I'm pretty horribly ill and can't really focus on much at the moment. But to tide you over, a ratehr wonderful song and video from a comedian I've been following for years. I'm proud of the BBC, and here are a few reasons why...



See you in a few days!

World's Finest #6. Or not, as the case may be.

A few hours before getting home and sitting down to write this, a tweet from bleedingcool caught my eye. It was announcing a new article, entitled Why Do People Hate Azazal Anyway - Blast From The Past By Paul O'Brien. Now, the article was basically an excuse to reprint one of Paul's best ever review from the sadly offline thexaxis.com (now incorporated into housetoastonish.com), blasting Chuck Austen's The Draco storyline from a few years back, but it did get my brain's nostalgia centre a-buzzin'.

The X-Axis was a review site that ran from 1999 to 2006 before the regular updates shifted to a blog format, before its current incarnation. Written by British X-Men fan Paul O'Brien, it set itself the not-so-modest task of reviewing, in full, every X-Book that was released on a weekly basis, as well as dives into the history of the X-Men. It was a tremendously fun site. I don't remember how I discovered it, but once I did I was hooked, looking forward to its weekly updates with glee. One of its many strengths was Paul's ability to puncture pomposity and pretension whilst making you laugh and despair at the state of Marvel comics (but only a little bit), which considering he was looking at the X-Men books, he was able to do on a regular basis. To this day, I can only look at a week when Marvel backends an entire line of books or a ridiculous amount of crossover titles into one release and think of Paul's many tirades against such practices.

I miss the X-Axis. Reading Paul's brilliant one-line decimation of the entire Draco storyline makes me want to go back and randomly dip into his previous reviews. But I can't, as the site has long-since expired. Thankfully this Saturday is a podcast Saturday for the House to Astonish team, and when I get home from work there will be another episode of House to Astonish waiting for me in my itunes. If you haven't already listened to this great podcast, go on and give it a try. I think you'll like it.

And here's what you won't like. I made a mistake and was trying to force World's Finest #6 into the Man of Steel timeline like a round peg into a four-dimensional hole.

Confused? Not as much as I am!

Here's the rundown of the situation. World's Finest takes as its conceit the fact that each issue takes place a year apart, on the anniversary of Harrison Grey's death, with the time just after the first meeting of Superman and Batman in Man of Steel #3 as its starting point. Man of Steel covers six years in Superman's life, from his public debut to the discovery of his origins, and my eagerness to chronicle this era of Superman's history led me to... well... be lazy. As with each issue of World's Finest, #6 is subtitled 'Year Six', and knowing that Man of Steel #6 effectively concluded the sixth year of Superman's career, I quickly filed this issue away under pre Man of Steel #5-6 (I have reason to conclude that a sizeable gap exists between Man of Steel #4 and 5 - just take a look at Luthor's hairline! - and tend to view the final two parts of the series as being almost continuous.).

Of course, several months after my poor piece of filing, I come to read the issue for the first time in a few years. And stuff just doesn't add up. How can Batman and Superman know each other's civilian identities and openly display this knowledge before Adventures of Superman #440? What about Mr Mxyptlk? Superman seems awfully familiar with his modus operandi, despite the fact that they have yet to meet. The Daily Planet newsroom seems awfully familiar if you were reading comics in 1988 (look, there's Allie), but seems like  avery different place to the newsroom we see in Man of Steel #5.

I could have attempted to write a lovely snarky review pointing out the cockups in continuity, but the error is mine. Six years on from the first meeting of Superman and Batman (there is no hard evidence to suggest how much time has passed between Man of Steel #3 and World's Finest #1) puts us at least several months after Man of Steel #6, and with the vagiaries of comic book dating, this issue fits in very nicely post Adventures #440, more than likely between Action Comics #600 and the start of the Return to Krypton storyline that started in Action #601 Superman #18.

So, my apologies for my mistake and for the wall of text that comprised this post.

Next of World of Superman: We get back on track and check up with Lex Luthor's first attack against the Justice League in Justice League: Incarnations #3

Teenage Wasteland: A British Spider-Man Podcast

Did ya see what I did there?

Just a quick note to say that Teenage Wasteland: An Ultimate Spider-Man Podcast episode 37, focusing on the first half of the Hobgoblin story arc and featuring... well... me... is now available to download. Find the podcast here or on iTunes.

I'll see you all in a couple of days for the final part of Superman/Shazam!: First Thunder.

Spidey Podcasts

A big hello to you all. I'm currently in the very unusual position of listening to myself in podcast form on Amazing Spider-Man Classics Episode 13. Due to recording difficulties, the first twenty or so minutes were recorded a month before the rest of the episode, so I have little to no memory of what was discussed. And you'll be pleased to hear that when we remounted the recording, it started at about 10pm, not 3am. Although listening to the next three episodes, the record time gets later and later, and my fragile sanity very audibly starts to crumble...

This is actually my second podcast, although release schedules have made it my official podcasting debut. Later this week, probably Thursday or Friday, you'll be able to hear my debut on Teenage Wasteland: An Ultimate Spider-Man Podcast. That was a real blast to record, partially because it started at a very sensible time for myself, and also because I really put some effort into a couple of bits from my recap/summary for USM #75. Thanks to the hosts of both podcasts for letting play with their toys, and I hope you enjoy the results.

So, welcome to those new readers who have stopped by after hearing me on Amazing Spider-Man Classics. I hope you'll stick around.

The World of Podcasts, part deux

So, despite some pretty awesome promotion across the internet recently, posts have kind of dried up here. Rest assured, faithful reader, for I have not abandoned this project. Far from it - the next installment, featuring JLA Incarnations #2 by John Ostrander and Val Semeiks is almost ready to go.

It's just that I've been a little distracted by Spider-Man over the past week. Last weekend I received an invite from a good friend of this blog, Jon M. Wilson, to be a guest host on Teenage Wasteland: An Ultimate Spider-Man Podcast. I said yes, and then spent the next few nights reading, re-reading, recapping, note-taking. re-compressing and rhyming my way through the Hobgoblin storyarc. We recorded last night, a monster four hour session covering the entire arc and the following issue, Dumped, and you'll be able to hear the fruits of our labour in a few weeks, once they've removed the babbling, swearing, dribbling, and general unbroadcastable craziness from the show.

Having completed that, I vowed to sit down tonight after dinner and finish up the post, scan in some artwork (something I've been slacking on recently), and get the post up. But the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley.



(Skip to four minutes in to find out more about that weird saying)

So, in five hours time, I'm going to be stepping in as a last minute replacement for the absolutely awesome Amazing Spider-Man Classics, which gives me 5 comics to reread and take notes on. I'll be recording from about 2am to 6am UK time, which means that by the end of it, I'll either be insane from the lack of sleep, or my bladder, stuffed to the brim with strong coffee, will have handed in it's notice and be clearing out it's desk.

So, Superman gets delayed by another day. But fear not, a new post will appear very soon, and something approaching a reasonable schedule shall be resumed.

Excelsior!

er...

Up, up, and away!

The World of Podcasts

It's been a very long week at work, a week which has seen me working for over 12 hours each day for the best part of two weeks. Just about everything in my life has ground to a halt, whilst this happens. I've got a massive stack of new comics just waiting to be read (including the finale to War of the Supermen), and unofrtunately, work on World of Superman also got placed onto the back burner. I'm finally getting back on track, working on my review of World's Finest #2, which should be up sometime over the weekend, but for now, in the spirit of whichever Kubert brother worked on the Richard Donner co-written run on Action Comics, here comes a fill-in post.

Today, I'm gonna trawl through my iTunes feed and have a look at the podcasts I listen to on a regular basis, some comics-based, others not, and share them with the wider world.

From Crisis To Crisis: A Superman Podcast

My first, and favourite, podcast. Michael Bailey and Jeffrey O'Brien tackle every issue of Superman published between The Man of Steel #1 in 1986 and Adventure of Superman #649 in 2006. They're currently sitting in early 1990, Day of the Krypton Man, and it's been a blast going through nearly five years worth of comics with them in just over a year's worth of podcasts. Along the way, they've stopped off for interviews with Marv Wolfman and Jerry Ordway, and my personal hope is that they will be able to sit down with other creators from this era before the podcast runs its course. As I wrote back here, this podcast is the inspiration for this project, although we have attacked the same material from two very different approaches.

Amazing Spider-Man Classics

A great podcast, only in its third month of operation. Takes a look at all Spider-Man appearances, starring, guest-starring and cameoing, from Amazing Fantasy #15 onwards. The regular presenting team (including Jon M. Wilson, who will pop up again before we're done with this list) have a great chemistry, and are joined for each batch of episodes by a special guest from the world of comics podcasting, including most recently by Jeffrey "Pants" O'Brien.

Teenage Wasteland: An Ultimate Spider-Man Podcast

Oh, we've already hit Jon M. Wilson again! Teenage Wasteland takes a look at the decade-long Ultimate Spider-Man series, examining the Ultimate mythology and its connections, homages and deviations from mainstream Marvel continuity. There have extensive side-trips into Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Six, and guest-starring spots for the Ultimate Spider-Man in other Ultimate books, meaning that nearly 30 podcasts later the hosts are approximately one third of the way through the run. Definately a podcast with legs, and one which has grown stronger by standing apart from the From Crisis To Crisis formula.

House to Astonish

No image, as they don't have one. Paul O'Brien, formerly of thexaxis, and Al Kennedy, of various internet comics journalism, team up to record their news, views and reviews every two weeks. A great podcast, and one that I suspect is not listened to by nearly as many people as it should be. They have a wonderful feature at the end of each episode called The Official Handbook Of The Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe, where they dig into Marvel's list of disused characters and try and update one for the present day, with always interesting results.
 
Views From The Longbox

A great podcast, even though it is irregularly updated. Michael Bailey (of From Crisis To Crisis) is a great host, and his topics for each episode are always interesting. I'm kind of grateful about the irregular nature of this podcast, as episodes have been known to approach the three-hour mark, which can be a strain on the ears, even though Michael keeps things on topic and interesting. However, it's been a few weeks since the last one, and I'm starting to get hungry for the next.


Outside of comics, my other passion is for Doctor Who, a show I have loved since the early 1990s, when I chances upon the first published novel by Paul Cornell (soon to be of Action Comics fame), Timewyrm: Revelation. I have a few Doctor Who podcasts in my feed, all of which are working overtime at the moment as the 5th series heads into its final weeks.

The Doctor Who Podcast

Trev, James and Tom, formerly of the WhoCast (see below) produce their own podcast which is very much in the vein of their era on the WhoCast. A great listen, with 2-3 episodes a week at the moment. No image as I can't get it easily from their homepage!

The Oodcast

One of the best new Doctor Who podcasts going. The Oodcast is a wekly review of Doctor Who, supplemented by songs, sketches, and general mirth and merriment. The team have a great chemistry, very high production values, and talent by the bucketload. They even made Chip of the wonderful Two Minute Time Lord (see below) jealous of their talent!








Two Minute Time Lord

One of my favourite podcasts. Chip cuts the waffle out of everything he says, presenting great capsule reviews and commentary on Doctor Who. Love everything about this podcast, and it's a delight to listen to each episode.


The Doctor Who WhoCast

Original hosts Paul and Seb have returned to the Whocast to take it into the Steven Moffat era and beyond. Being produced by DWO Online, they get advance copies of the episodes, resulting in a rapid reaction to the week's episode, often up within hours of broadcast.







The final thing I like to do with my podcasts is to laugh, something I do regularly with the three below. The humour is very British, and reliant on events in the British media, so a warning to anyone outside the UK who wants to give these a go.

As It Occurs To Me

The groundbreaking free to listen live sketch and standup show, nominated for a Sony award, absolutely brilliant. Created, written, and performed by one of my favourite stand-ups, Richard Herring. A shaky first few episodes of the first season gave way to some inspired comedy later on in that season, and the second season is striding forward with confidence and support. You should be listening to this, or paying to see it live. I will be, this coming Monday, to celebrate my 27th birthday.


The Collings and Herrin Podcast

I've been a fan of Richard Herring since the days of This Morning With Richard, Not Judy way back in the late 1990s. Although he doesn't appear on TV so much anymore, he is forging a career not only as a pretty impressive standup comedian, but also at the forefront of the podcast as a means of releasing new material. This one is his regular team-up with broadcaster Andrew Collins, where they simply get together and riff off of each other for just over an hour. Sometimes the standard episodes can be a bit 'meh' (sorry Richard!), but the occasional live podcasts in front of an audience are fantastic.


 
The Friday Night Comedy Podcast

Depending on what's broadcasting on Radio 4, either the latest episode of The Now Show or The News Quiz, both of which are longtime favourites of mine. In fact, it is this podcast that has given me a backlog of podcasts to listen to, as during the recent UK elections, as well as an episode of The News Quiz, I was getting 3 episodes of The Vote Now Show every week, thanks to The Now Show's creative team going overboard in their election coverage.



Anyway, that's what's on my feed right about now. If you have any suggestions as to any other podcasts I might like to add, please let me know. Otherwise, I'll be back from this unscheduled interruption in my posting with a look at World's Finest #2 at some point this weekend.