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I have an addiction. Beyond the comics, the horror and the Kirby, I mean. I have an unending appetite for hunting down and devouring issues of DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest, which reprint stories from the 1970s and 80s. It was these that cut my teeth on DC's massive bank of continuity and introduced a very young Desmond Reddick to characters and properties like Jonah Hex, Haunted Tank and The Demon. The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/columns/reddick/the-king-and-i-11

As James and Mike review the next batch of episodes from The Zeta Project ("Ro's Reunion," "Kid Genius," "Absolute Zero," "Wired" and "Resume Mission"), they give both the highest and lowest scores for the show thus far. [ 1:03:19 || 29.1 MB ] The above is from: http://www.worldsfinestpodcast.com/episodes/wfp_054.mp3

Flying solo this week, drqshadow looks at Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance #1 and Killapalooza #1. The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/reviews/c/iiwy/iiwy-091

In this comedy-horror themed episode of Dread Media, Desmond Reddick interviews the comedy-horror author Jeff Strand, and then goes on to review his comedy-horror novel Benjamin's Parasite. Then, Darryll and Des sit down to review the romantic comedy-horror film Shaun of the Dead before checking out some feedback on listeners' favorite comedy-horrors. Plus, listen to these comedy-horror tracks: "Funny" by Scars on Broadway, "Parasite" by KISS, "Mister Mental" by Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, "White Lines (Don't Do It)" by Grandmaster Flash, and "Death Bed" by Patton Oswalt. Comedy-horror. [ 1:35:18 || 43.8 MB ] The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/podcasts/dreadmedia...admedia_091.mp3

May 1984 saw the release of Secrect Wars #1, the first chapter in what would become the 12-part series that defined comic book events. Now, 25 years later, Dan Toland and Michael Sims discuss the impact the limited series had on superhero comic books. (Oh, and they also discuss the less successful and totally abysmal follow-up, Secrect Wars II.) [ 55:50 || 26.0 MB ] The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/theshow/episodes/e2ts_318.mp3

Scott doesn't have to worry about much in life. At 23 years old he's perfectly happy to spend his days lounging around, living off his roommate and friends. Without a job or any long-term goals, he pretty much drifts through each day. His only real motivation is Sex Bob-Omb, the rock band he plays in. Of course, that doesn't stop him from charming the naive Knives Chau, a high schooler who quickly becomes Scott's biggest fan. But Scott's life goes through a bit of a shake up when an American delivery girl named Ramona Flowers starts showing up in his dreams. After a chance encounter with Ramona leads to an awkward but fun date, things start to look up. Of course, dating Ramona will take more than a bit of work on Scott's behalf. Not only does he already have a teenage girlfriend in tow, he'll have to defeat Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends in order to continue dating her, and they aren't going down without a fight. The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/reviews/c/indy/scott-pilgrim-01

Eventually death catches up with everyone, even superheroes. But in comic books, death isn't always permanent. Today, Des and Mike discuss the impact death has on comic book characters and the superhero genre. [ 1:36:14 || 44.4 MB ] The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/theshow/episodes/e2ts_317.mp3

Thrills! Action! Romance! Everything you would expect when Batman encounters Catwoman. Alas, in this issue of The Batman Adventures, all we have is royal scandal, character assassination and disappearing make-up. All equally amusing and will be talked about thoroughly in this review, but not even these entertaining topics can save this issue. Strap yourselves in folks; this might be a bumpy ride. The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/reviews/c/dc/dcau/b...n-adventures-02

Mike has a thing or two to say about a play he recently suffered through, then he and Jenny read through the May Previews catalog. After that, Ian Wilson pops by with his thoughts about X-Men Origins: Wolverine. [ 1:07:41 || 31.3 MB ] The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/theshow/episodes/e2ts_316.mp3

In this slashertastic episode of Dread Media, Desmond Reddick sits down with Darryll to review the downbeat and dark Dead Man's Shoes before going solo on three more slasher films: Laid to Rest, Spiker and Secrets of the Clown. Then he reviews the long-awaited graphic novel adaptation of Clive Barker's short story Age of Desire from Desperado Publishing. There's feedback and more as we start the countdown to episode 100! Tunes included: "Afterlight" by Clayhill, "Dead Man" by M. Ward, "We Call This Mutha Revenge" by Suicidal Tendencies, "The Spike" by Moistboyz, "Clown" by Korn, "Desire" by Life of Agony, and "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow?" by Suicidal Tendencies. [ 1:20:49 || 37.2 MB ] The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/podcasts/dreadmedia...admedia_090.mp3

Great characterization, wonderful pacing, solid acting, the painful deaths of not one but three companions, the awesomeness of the Daleks and the unexpected return of an old foe come together to make "The Dalek's Master Plan" one of the best Doctor Who stories to date. [ 59:44 || 27.4 MB ] The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/podcasts/biggeronth.../bigger_013.mp3

It occurred to me about an hour into MadWorld that I've probably never played a game as violent as this. Sure, I've seen some pretty gruesome things in video games. I've hacked off limbs, exploded creatures into meaty chunks, impaled people on spikes and watched as others were eaten alive. MadWorld finds a way to incorporate all of that, and more. In MadWorld, it's not enough to stab a man with a spike and then throw him into a dumpster that slices people in half. In order to get the big points you need to encase someone in a flaming bin, stab them with as many sharp objects as you can find, then throw them into a moving turbine. Yep. MadWorld is all class. The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/reviews/v/madworld

Break out the bubbly! It's the one-year anniversary of For Your Ears Only, and in this extended episode, featuring a walkthrough of Roger Moore's penultimate 007 outing Octopussy, Ian and Adham celebrate with a return appearance from Pandy, a full-length preview of Adham's Mothers' Day tracks (to coincide with North America's own weekend holiday) and a tribute rap made in honor of the Better in the Dark podcast. The rap artist in question is unlikely to ever live it down. [ 3:28:43 || 95.5 MB ] The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/podcasts/foryourear...arsonly_013.mp3

This week, Agent West nearly redeems himself ("Westbound"), Ro attempts to impress her first foster family ("Hicksburg"), Zeta has to fend off Infiltration Unit 7 and Batman ("Shadows"), the duo gets mixed up in a kidnapping ("Crime Waves") and then they have to escape both the NSA and a bounty hunter ("Taffy Time"). [ 59:06 || 27.2 MB ] The above is from: http://www.worldsfinestpodcast.com/episodes/wfp_053.mp3

In this special edition of Is It Wednesday Yet?, only one comic book is reviewed, and it's a big one! Preston sinks his teeth into The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century: 1910, and comes up with a bitter taste in his mouth. The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/reviews/c/iiwy/iiwy-090

Now, I've never been called sentimental, but over the past few days I have been editing home movies in order to provide my wife with a Mother's Day gift more meaningful than a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of Scotch — though Father's Day is just around the corner and poppa's thirsty. And, since I'm a true geek, after hours of looking at my lovely wife play with my awesome sons, only one thing came to mind: Fantastic Four Annual #6! The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/columns/reddick/the-king-and-i-10

In an episode of Dread Media that is as confused about itself as the films it covers, Desmond Reddick praises his new favorite film JCVD before sitting down with Darryll to analyze David Fincher's Zodiac. Then he champions the independent supernatural Native American thriller Imprint. Check out these three reviews and listen to the following tunes: "I'm Gonna Kick Your Ass" by The Moistboyz, "Zodiac Lung" by Monster Magnet, "Zodiac" by The Melvins, "Ghost Dance" by Tomahawk and "Kickin'" by Mike Patton. [ 58:06 || 26.8 MB ] The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/podcasts/dreadmedia...admedia_089.mp3

Dan and Mike present another installment of Waiting for the Trade, and this time they discuss world-destroying monsters (Hulk: World War Hulk), vampire-slaying vampire slayers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Time of Your Life) and Nazi-punching robots (Atomic Robo: Dogs of War). [ 45:29 || 21.2 MB ] The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/theshow/episodes/e2ts_315.mp3

When I heard about the release of a direct-to-DVD animated film called Hulk Vs., I thought to myself, "That sounds about right." But, after hearing of all the good Marvel Animation has been doing with properties like Next Avengers and Doctor Strange, I was more than interested. And the inclusion of Wolverine and Thor on the other side of the abbreviated "versus" in the title promised carnage. The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/reviews/m/hulk-vs

When I picked up the first issue of The Batman Adventures — the tie-in comic to the beloved Batman: The Animated Series — at my local comic shop I was surprised to see The Penguin as the villain. I stared at it for a moment, thinking, "This can't be right. Why chose Penguin for the first issue?" In hindsight, the choice might have been made to ride on the back of Batman Returns, which debuted a few months earlier. Despite not particularly caring for the character, I bought the book anyway — deciding to give it the benefit of the doubt. The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/reviews/c/dc/dcau/b...n-adventures-01

Buck Rogers #0, Fantastic Force #1, Skrull Kill Krew #1 and Viking #1 are reviewed this week by drqshadow and Preston. The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/reviews/c/iiwy/iiwy-089

In this huge episode of Dread Media, Desmond and Darryll take a look at the recent Blu Ray release of Hellraiser as part of the Anchor Bay Lament Configuration Box Set before Desmond does a track-by-track review of the new album by Heaven and Hell, The Devil You Know. Desmond comes back to talk about a bunch of comics including Simon Dark, Captain Britain and MI-13, Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum and a bunch of spoils from Free Comic Book Day. Tunes included: "Hellraiser" by Christopher Young, "I Don't Mind the Pain" by Danzig, "Eating the Cannibals" by Heaven and Hell, "Sanity" by Bad Religion and "Oblivion" by Mastodon. [ 1:38:33 || 45.3 MB ] The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/podcasts/dreadmedia...admedia_088.mp3

As a planet is set to die, the Doctor discovers that he shouldn't judge races by beauty ("Galaxy 4"). The crew then takes a week off as hapless humans are exterminated by the Daleks ("Mission to the Unknown"). And lastly, the Doctor influences the outcome of the Trojan War ("The Myth Makers"). [ 56:25 || 25.9 MB ] The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/podcasts/biggeronth.../bigger_012.mp3

Today you'll hear the last two episodes of the Fantastic Four radio show: "In the Clutches of Doctor Doom" and "A Super-Skrull Walks Among Us." [ 48:35 || 22.4 MB ] The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/theshow/episodes/e2ts_314.mp3

By the early 1990s we were already a few years into the age of the deconstruction of superheroes. Green Lantern and Green Arrow were dealing with social issues two decades earlier, and Miracleman, Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns would soon follow. But when they were being released, I was six; I was interested in figuring out who Wolverine was going to fillet, not digging into the dark underbelly of our brightly colored heroes. The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/reviews/c/indy/harb...r-the-beginning