Podcasts in Review

September 24, 2015 at 12:00 am | Posted in Books, Comic Books, Interview, Marvel, Podcasts, Podcasts in Review, Regular Feature, Reviews, Star Wars, Star Wars Books, Toys & Collectibles | Leave a comment
Tags: aftermath, brian rood, chuck wendig, john jackson miller, mark dodson, michael kogge, Peter Mayhew, vanessa marshall

Here is this week’s Podcasts in Review. Lot of great interviews this week.

BNN: Episode 9.14.2015 is something a little different from the folks of Bombad Radio as they try a shorter, news focused podcast that’s actually pretty useful. They bring the news with a touch of humor, touching on not just Star Wars, but other topics like Batman v. Superman, Jurassic World, upcoming movies, home releases, video games, comics, webshows, etc. If you’re wondering what’s coming out now, or what news came out this week, then this is a great way to catch up. Best of all, they pack it all in under 30 minutes. I really like the short format and I think it works great for news. It’s very convenient for sliding the episodes in between your normal podcasts on your playlist, thus allowing you to get the news and not fall behind, but also not get stuck with a one to two hour show. The one drawback I noticed in this episode, however, is that the rundown on new comic releases was really long, big info dump, and that’s kind of hard to get away from as a lot of comics come out every week. They might need to work on that a little (either just highlighting the popular titles or some choice picks), otherwise it’s pretty solid. Keep in mind this is their inaugural episode for BNN.

Collectors Cast: Episode 11 is their Force Friday episode with them giving their thoughts on the new collectibles, LEGO, the packaging, the new Falcon, Black Series, Disney Elite Series, talking figures and masks, BB-8 and some live reporting from the UK. They talk at length with fellow collectors Duncan Jenkins and with Steve Sansweet which rounds out the episode.

Comics With Kenobi: Episode #6 covers Shattered Empire #1, which they loved, and Darth Vader #9, which they didn’t love. Lots of spoilers, so if you haven’t read the issues, be sure to read them first before listening. They have some great discussion covering the artwork as much as the writing. Personally I was of an opposite opinion of the hosts, as I rather liked Darth Vader #9 and thought Shattered Empire #1 fell kind of flat. If you’re into the comics, give these guys a listen.

Fly Casual: Episode 56 covers Force Friday, some of Anthony Daniels recent comments, a small Phantom Menace discussion (fair warning, they bash it), they talk about the UK getting The Force Awakens a day early, soundtrack preorder, bird issue on Skellig Michael, Benicio Del Toro news, a new J.J. Abrams interview, and then their Force Friday experience. There’s a lot packed into this one and quite a bit of toy coverage.

Full of Sith: Episode CXXXI is hosted by Bryan, Bobby and Amy as they touch on their Force Friday purchases and experiences. They also mention a Forbes article that said Disney made 1 billion dollars off of Force Friday. Wow. Afterwards, Brian has audio from the Barnes & Noble book event that featured Aftermath author Chuck Wendig. It’s spoiler free, setting the expectations for the story, the feel of it, and touching a little on the interludes and Mr. Bones. If you’re soaking up all the Chuck Wendig interviews, add this to the list.

Full of Sith: Episode CXXXII features audio from the Dragon Con panels Bryan hosted with Star Wars celebs Peter Mayhew and Vanessa Marshall. There were two panels and this episode covers both, each featuring different questions and topics. Typically panels either have one celebrity or a whole cast of celebs, so having just two created a very interesting dynamic, especially with Peter and Vanessa. It means you get both OT questions and Star Wars Rebels questions, questions regarding film acting, and questions regarding voice acting, it’s a great mix and two awesome panels. Make sure to add this one to your playlist.

Geek Out Loud: Episode 156 is Steve’s post-Force Friday episode covering all the things he got, shirt offerings from the GOLiverse, listener emails, and a little discussion on actors playing roles to provide diversity.

RebelForce Radio: Episode 9.11.2015 is their Force Friday after action report from a weekend of shopping. They have Sheldon on who shares a great little story about the significance of the number 2187 in Star Wars (seriously, this is a story you’ll want to hear), they have part two of their interview with Dave Filoni, cover some TFA news regarding Mads Mikkelsen’s character name, Hogsuattle’s real name, and early release dates overseas. Plus they cover a recent interview Anthony Daniels did. Good episode. I have to admit, the Sheldon story about 2187 was the highlight as that kind of blew my mind, but throw in a Filoni interview and this one earns a spot on any playlist.

RebelForce Radio: Episode 9.18.2015 includes an interview with Star Wars author Michael Kogge covering his latest book Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, as well as his previous work including a project with George Lucas and his upcoming book, the junior novelization for The Force Awakens. Afterwards, Jimmy talks about a White Sox Star Wars event he went to, they have an investigative report on Star Wars weekends going away, there’s a Benicio Del Toro update and other news. Later on, they talk with Star Wars artist Brian Rood about all the artwork he did for the recently released The Force Awakens merchandise and what that project was like, and capping off the episode, they talk with Din and play the new RebelForce Radio song.

Round 3: Episode #85 hits some Force Friday as they share their purchases. They also talk about which person in history they would take with them to an amusement park, and guilty song pleasures.

Skywalking Through Neverland: Episode 93 has a fantastic interview with voice actor Mark Dodson who is most famously known for his work as Salacious Crumb and the gremlins. Mark talks about working for Lucasfilm, auditioning for Ben Burt, getting the gig for Gremlins, being inspired by Disneyland and how it all came full circle, and much more. I had no idea he did voices for the Ewoks movie Battle for Endor (he voice Ewoks, marauders and Teek!). Plus Mark does lots of laughs and cackles throughout the interview, showing off his gremlins voices, doing some Salacious, and they even challenge him to interpret what his characters said in the films. It’s great stuff. I’ve heard a couple interview with Mark, but this is by far the best one yet. Afterwards, the show goes on as they cover a few things, and then wrap the episode up with their usual Marvel comics discussion with artist Randy Martinez which is great as always. Top notch show.

Star Wars Report: Episode #184 is their Force Friday episode. Riley talks about his Dragon Con experience and shares some nice audio highlights from the panels with Peter Mayhew. They have an interview with Mark Von Ohlen of Topps Trading Cards. They talk about Anthony Daniels recent comments, speculate on the audio revealed by the TFA toys/masks, and Mark shares his Force Friday experiences. Good episode.

Tosche Station Radio: Aftermath with Chuck Wendig is their audio from the Dragon Con panel which feature author Chuck Wendig talking about his Star Wars novel Aftermath. Now while I didn’t like the book, I actually really enjoyed the panel. Chuck talks about the project came about, what it was like working on it, how the interludes came about, the nature of Ewoks, how he tried to get HK-47 into the novel, the inclusion of diversity, a little bit about Mr. Bones, and there’s a lot of humor. Chuck is very funny, which makes the panel a lot of fun to listen to, whether you liked the book or not.

Who Shot First: Episode 4 pits John Jackson Miller against Keith Kappel in game of Star Wars trivia. With both of them being longtime writers for Star Wars, it’s close competition. Plus, as usual, there’s little interview bits in between the trivia. Lots of fun and definitely worth a listen.