WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2024 Sony/Marvel release "Venom: The Last Dance" or do not mind hearing key plot points. Venom: The Last Dance is the 3rd movie in the Venom franchise, adjacent to the Spider-Man movie lore. Venom was a huge hit in 2018, and this movie tells the story of Eddie Brock and his symbiote who are on the run and being chased by an alien menace with ties to the symbiotes. Veteran guest on the podcast Marshall Harris joined the show to discuss this latest film. The discussion stems from the issues with this story, and how questionable the direction it takes throughout the film. Also covered is the original comics history of Venom, and how it ties into Spider-Man, focusing on the future of Tom Holland's character. Speculation as to what role Venom will have in future Marvel and Sony projects.

Iconic voice actors Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt joined the show to discuss their newest venture. They co-wrote a graphic novel, entitled, “Topsy McGee and the Scarab of Solomon.” Platt has provided voices for dozens of English-language versions of Japanese anime films, television series, and video games including Naruto, Rave Master, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Lowenthal is a voice actor also known for his work in cartoons, anime, and video games, including Ben 10, Naruto, and Peter Parker/Spider-Man. He voiced young Superman in the 2006 DC series Legion of Superheroes. In this episode, the married couple discussed the creation of their graphic novel, and what they took from their voice acting that helped them design the story. They also talk about the current state of superhero animation, and how streaming has impacted the way fans consume media. They also talk about how an American viewer can introduce themselves to anime, which is more available with streaming services. Get Topsy McGee and the Scarab of Solomon here: https://a.co/d/i6ZP8iL.

WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2024 Warner Bros./DC Comics release " Joker: Folie à Deux" or do not mind hearing key plot points. Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to the 2019 film Joker. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, Lady Gaga as Harleen "Lee" Quinzel, and was directed by Todd Phillips. The film takes place directly after the events of the first Joker film. Arthur Fleck is set to stand trial for murders he committed in the first movie. The film is promoted as a musical and features performances from Lady Gaga and Phoenix. Syracuse University Professor Kendall R. Phillips rejoins the podcast to review the Joker sequel. As someone who really understood and applauded the first film, Joker: Folie à Deux misses its mark. He explains what worked in the first movie that didn't carry through to this movie.

Acclaimed actor and voice actor Diedrich Bader returns to the podcast to commemorate the show's 400th episode. Bader was a guest on Episode 177 while promoting the animated film Superman: Red Son. Bader is in the midst of an accomplished career both as an on-screen performer and a voice actor. Most notably, Bader starred in the Drew Carey Show, American Housewife, and Outsourced. Recently, he appeared in the recently completed show Better Things. In animation, Bader is widely known as Batman from both the classic “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” and more recently “Harley Quinn.” He has also been in Masters of the Universe, Transformers, The Zeta Project, and countless others. Most recently he is playing Harvey Dent/Two-Face in the new animated Batman series, “Batman: Caped Crusader.” In this episode, Bader talks about the state of the superhero genre. He also comments on the difference in Batman characters in Harley Quinn as opposed to Brave and the Bold. He also commented on the fact that this podcast has 400 episodes.

WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2024 Hasbro/Paramount release "Transformers One " or do not mind hearing key plot points. Transformers One is an animated feature based on Hasbro's Transformers Toy Line. It is set on Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers and depicts the origins and early relationship of Optimus Prime and Megatron. It is not specific to any movie or TV series continuity, but rather the franchise as a whole. It stars Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm. The story depicts Orion Pax and his miner friend D-16. Through a series of events both characters evolve into the Autobot and Decepticon leaders. Anthony Brucale hosts a Transformers fan site and hosts a popular Transformers podcast. His work can be found at TFU.info and includes articles and podcasts. In this episode, Brucale joins the review of this release, and compares it to previous Transformers stories. He also discusses the film's place in the timeline of the franchise.

WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2024 Netflix release "The Umbrella Academy (Season 4) " or do not mind hearing key plot points. The Umbrella Academy is based on a Dark Horse comic book of the same name. The premise of the comic and show revolves around 43 women spontaneously giving birth to a child without showing any signs of pregnancy before labor. Sir Reginald Hargreaves adopts seven of the children who have special powers. He trains them and names them the Umbrella Academy and they are put to work fighting crime. After Season 3, they split up, lose their powers, and begin separate non-crime fighting lives. An event known as the Cleanse forces the group to band together for Season 4. Noted reporter, critic, and podcaster Swara Salih rejoins the show to discuss Season 4. In this episode, they review the storyline behind Season 4 and how it ties up the plot points for the series finale. Salih also addresses the difference between the excitement brought forth from the first three seasons, and how this shorter season differs.

If you are a fan of the superhero genre (and if you are listening to this podcast you might be), you have most likely seen Tiffany Smith either acting or hosting a genre-centric show. She was a host of DC Universe's "DC Daily," The CW's Fan Talk: The Flash and Fan Feast, AMC's Geeking Out (alongside Kevin Smith and Greg Grunberg), Fandango's Movie 3-Some, and IGN's Live at San Diego Comic-Con coverage for Disney XD. As an actor, she's been in countless shows and movies including The CW's Supernatural, The CW's Jane The Virgin, Netflix's Masters of the Universe – Revelation/Revolution, and much more. She appeared in Marc Bernardin's short film Splinter, and is set to star in the follow-up feature film “Deepest, Darkest.” She is also the voice director and star of a dramatic podcast entitled “Curious Matter Anthology,” which can be found here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/curious-matter-anthology/id1483545385. That link for Deepest Darkest can be found here: http://kck.st/3YZVeaO.

Marc Bernardin is the co-host of a popular podcast with filmmaker Kevin Smith entitled “Fatman Beyond.” He spent 13 years as a journalist for Entertainment Weekly and worked for other publications before and after. He then boldly transitioned from covering the entertainment industry to being part of it. He is now a TV/film/comic book writer who has written on shows such as Castle Rock, Treadstone, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, and many more. In 2023, he released his first short film, Splinter. His appearance on the Hall of Justice coincides with a new fundraising project to raise money to make a feature-length film entitled “Deepest, Darkest,” which takes place in the “Splinter-Universe.” In this episode, Bernardin explains the evolution of his entertainment career, and how he got connected with Smith to do their podcast. He also discussed some key topics in the superhero genre including superhero fatigue, criticizing story, and when political issues intercede with superhero content. Bernardin has launched a Kickstarter to raise funds for Deepest, Darkest. That link can be found here: http://kck.st/3YZVeaO.

Acclaimed television and film writer Ken Levine has had a successful writing career that consisted of Cheers, Frasier, M*A*S*H, Everybody Loves Raymond, and countless others. He is also an accomplished Major League baseball announcer. He shared an Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy award in 1983 for his work on Cheers. He recently stopped producing his own podcast, Hollywood and Levine, and his own blog. In this episode, Levine talks about getting his start in a golden age of television. He discussed at length his work on Cheers and Frasier. Furthermore, he comments on the transition from network television to streaming services and how smaller episode totals are a challenge for writers. As for his baseball experience, that conversation will be continued on a future episode of a podcast called Sports with Friends.

This is a new adaptation of the classic 1986 comic book, so while the plot points of this film are openly discussed, it can hardly be called SPOILERS. Watchmen Chapter 1 is DC's newest full-length animated film, kicking off a two-part adaptation of the acclaimed 1986 Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons comic book. The movie was directed by Brandon Vietti, who joined this episode to discuss Watchmen Chapter 1. Vietti is a longtime DC animator known for his work on Young Justice, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and Batman: Under the Red Hood. In this episode, Vietti discusses the process for adapting the storyline. He also discusses the other media adaptations, including a 2008 Motion Comic, the 2009 live-action Zack Snyder film, and the 2019 HBO Watchmen sequel/spin-off series. For Watchmen, Vietti had to walk a difficult line, staying faithful to the comic while making the story work in an animated format. Watchmen Chapter 1 is out on digital and will be released on Blu-Ray/DVD.

WARNING: Do not listen to this episode unless you have seen the 2024 WBD/DC Universe release "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part 3" or do not mind hearing key plot points. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part 3 is the newest WBD/DC Universe release and the first of a trilogy that concludes the “Tomorrowverse” cluster of films. That continuity began in 2020 with Superman: Man of Tomorrow. Crisis is based on the 1985-1986 epic crossover from DC Comics. It is not to be confused with the Crisis crossover in the “Arrowverse” that aired on the CW. All three films were written by Jim Krieg, who joined the show. He's agreed to review all three parts here on the podcast. In this episode, Krieg talks about the conclusion of the epic trilogy. He also talked about the cameos and the differences in the conclusion from the original source material. He also talks about the future of DC animation regarding the new DC Studios.