Titan Up The Defense

Cory got hit on the head and shrunk down to the size of an ant, so Hub is joined by his delightful guest host (and wife) Lisa! They take a look at Valkyrie's sojourn of self discovery which kicks off in Marvel Two-In-One #7. Topics of discussion include: 70's blues rock; Frasier's first album; the Thing is rad; Valkyrie's interesting armor choices; and we don't really know what destiny means, but that's okay because neither does this issue's author, Steve Gerber! Enjoy! Enjoy! And also...Wha hoppen?!

Like a good fight scene? Then Defenders #18 is the comic for you! Join our hosts take a look at this donnybrook of a periodical! Topics of discussion include: children are terrible at gambling; etymology (invented and otherwise); Aquaman's questionable fashion choices; only people get to wear hats; and clumsy animals! All this, plus a surprising amount of cobbler talk! By my father's beard, this is a great pointy stick!

In this panel discussion recorded live at Rose City Comic Convention, the hosts of Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-men and Titan Up the Defense team up to discuss: continuity based comic book podcasting, the brief wondrous life of Mike Murdock, Macho Man Randy Savage, and much more! Hope you survive the experience! Enjoy! Enjoy!

Our hosts take a look at New Teen Titans #24. Hoo boy. So, a whole bunch of stuff happened in this comic book, and maybe someday we'll figure out what! Pretty sure some of it included the Omega Men. Topics of discussion include: Lord Damyn makes us pretty uncomfortable, Robin doesn't actually know pig latin, the Sacramento Kings should have headbands that look like crowns, and if the Omega Men are from space, then where are their apostrophes?All this, plus a brief mention of Space Cabby! Enjoy! Enjoy!

Our hosts take a look at Defenders #17, which features the inimitable Luke Cage! Topics of discussion include: Luke Cage is the best; the classism inherent in the perceived nobility of amateurism; Nighthawk is the worst; the economics of mythical furniture purchasing; Len Wein might be cribbing his dialog from the wrong Blaxploitation films; and of course, double foot upside down dick kicks! Enjoy! Enjoy! So swears DOCTOR Mustache!

Our hosts take a look at New Teen Titans #23, featuring Starfire's evil sister Princess Komand'r (which is totally a name)! Topics of discussion include: Space Miata's, the Red Bee, performative eyebrows, living your life a syllable at a time, and the return of a familiar face! Enjoy! Enjoy!

It's a Giant-Size episode, as our hosts cover Giant-Size Defenders #1! The issue features four reprint stories, so Hub got the bright idea to pair each reprint with a different cocktail. Topics of discussion include: Four cocktails is a lot of cocktails, the Golden Girls, maybe we should have made those drinks a little smaller, comic book characters are terrible at bird recognition, Manhattans have a lot of alcohol in them, and never trust a teen to respect werewolf protocols! Oh, and I say a few times that the comic has 80 pages even though the cover clearly states it has 68. That's still a lot of pages! Enjoy! Enjoy!

Our hosts take a look at the terrific New Teen Titans #22, in which Brother Blood is a surprisingly efficient cult leader. Topics of discussion include: Spider abuse, Robin cosplaying as Namor, triple monkey punches, and how to appear non-threatening and rational while wearing a snake skull on your head. All this plus, Aqualad's musical misadventures in ferret adoption during the early 80's. Enjoy! Enjoy!

We take a look at Defenders #16. Okay, so Magneto and his new creation are trying to take over the world and blah, blah, blah...BUT the important thing is that Hub really wants to write a Brotherhood of Evil Mutant Babies/Muppet Babies crossover and why isn't that happening right now?! Topics of conversation include: the laws of physics, punching babies is wrong no matter what Steven Strange tells you, Radar Love, and...I don't know, probably some other stuff, but seriously, Brotherhood of Evil Mutant Babies is going to be so good you guys!!

We are introduced to an important new Titans' villain...Brother Blood! So naturally, Hub and Cory discuss: theology in a superhero universe, the perils of inter-league play, Mazes and Monsters, and the fact that trousers can really take you out of your empath game. All this, plus Aqualad's cocaine fueled trapeze misadventures! People, not cheese!

Hoo boy! The Defenders take on the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and our hosts take on a profound case of the sillies! Topics of discussion include: whether or not a well dressed billionaire should wear a jetpack to his masquerade sex party, Champagne room rules for Unus the untouchable, Namor as Henry Higgins, intentional shorts for the corpulent gentleman, warranties on magic swords, and is Matlock a wizard? Yep. It's one of those episodes. Oooooooooooooo!

This week our hosts take a look at New Teen Titans #20. The main story is a pretty fun epistolary yarn, but oh, you back up story! Topics of discussion include: signing a sheet cake, Beverley Cleary deep cuts, Cube Lube, George Brett's pine tar controversy, and whether or not you should ask zookeepers about penises (you should). Enjoy! Enjoy!

Hey, if you count the Teen Titan Wasteland episodes (which I do) it's our 100th episode! So, please cut us some slack if this one is a little unpolished, we are very old. Hub and Cory take a look at Defenders #14. It's good! Topics of discussion include: Elmer Fudd-ian SFX, Karate Hugs, time traveling' Cory, creepy doll shenanigans, and some more "The Whizzer" talk! All this, plus our hosts bid a tearful farewell to some beloved friends. Enjoy! Enjoy!

Cory is back from his quest through some sort of mystical realm...and just in time to join Hub in reading New Teen Titans #19!Our hosts discuss: Dr. Light as a "chickenshit heel," the return of Donna's cat injuring predilections, Vishnu shenanigans, Stomping Tom Conners, the frustration of aspirational Arby's hats, and much more! Bing Bong!

Cory looked too closely at a mysterious smoking brazier, so he's stuck in a mystical realm this week. I'm sure he's fine. In his absence, Hub is joined by tremendous guest co-host Miles Stokes (of Jay and Miles X-plain the X-Men and Thor: The Lightning and the Storm!) Hub and Miles take a look at the delightful Defenders #13 featuring the Squadron Sinister. Topics of discussion include: gongs, taking your magic sword to Home Depot, gongs, the evolution of raccoons in a universe conceived by stoned philosophy students, gongs, and The Whizzer(s)! All this, plus an extended Sartorially Speaking segment, Wong Story Short, and of course...gongs!Enjoy! Enjoy!

Cory is off babysitting Aquababy in Atlantis, but when the cat's away, the mouse will get a delightful guest co-host! This week, Hub is joined by Elisabeth Allie from the Thor: The Lightning and the Storm podcast. Hooray! Hub and Elisabeth take a look at New Teen Titans #18, and discuss: maybe spies should be allowed to lie, the continued character assassination of Wally West, the film You Got Served, implausible character names, Angela Lansbury, and the Titans are the Gwenyth Paltrows of the DCU! Join us as we examine, "The Mad Dog 20/20 of comic books." Enjoy! Enjoy!

Our hosts take a look at the totally delightful Defenders #12. Topics of discussion include: Three Men and a Baby ghost stories; happy flower smelling Hulk is the best Hulk; Dr. Strange is a poor listener; and Xemnu shenanigans and mnemonic devices! All this, plus some exciting upcoming guest host announcements! Enjoy! Enjoy!

Our hosts take a look at New Teen Titans #17. Topics of discussions include: anemia is like catnip to mythological kidnappers, People magazine in the DCU is an editorial minefield, Hub mixes up fricatives and plosives (again!), and Cory is an advertising wizard.All this, plus a Giant T-Rex takes a boat to the face! It's good!

Our hosts tackle the problematic Defenders #11. Topics include: 70's racism vs 80's racism vs today's racism, Steves being Steves, Chewbacca barflies, AV miscues fucking up Hub's first comedy sketch, partially M.O.D.O.K.ed Robert Blakes, and the true secret origin of Santa Clause! All this plus the sense shattering debut of "Wong Day's Journey Into Night"! It probably won't actually shatter any of your senses, but better safe than sorry! Alarm! Alarm!

Starfire Unleashed! Sort of! Kinda! Our hosts take a look at New Teen Titans #16. Topics of discussion include: The Last Dragon, is Azarath in New England?, the return of everyone's favorite caricature of an Italian stereotype, Starfire is not great at secret identities, and a surprising amount of J. Geils Band talk. All this, plus the return of a beloved segment, where we learn the whereabouts of a certain teen with sea strengthened limbs! Enjoy! Enjoy!