My Favorite Non-Sports Podcasts

I'm sitting in a hospital.
No, not for me.
My dad appears to have suffered a stroke yesterday and we're still trying to see if it was of the mini variety or not, but he seems to be himself, so I'm hoping that this was a small issue that might give him a warning about keeping himself together a little better.
Please keep him in your thoughts.

Anyway, since I am without wi-fi at the moment, I thought I would knock out a nice easy column that finishes one from last month- My favorite podcasts, this time from the non-sports universe.

Let's start with one with a really basic title- New books in biography.
I must admit that I don't listen to every one of these because the subject range is so huge and wide and not everyone interests me, but some of these are just wonderful hour plus programs with various authors that are incredibly interesting.
When the topic is one that really grips me, this might be my favorite podcast around.

The Batcave podcast is one that deals with episodes of the classic Batman 1966 TV series, but also talks about the Filmation cartoons from the 60's (that I so loved in the early 70's in syndication) and the Batman comic book that has been created over the last few years that is based directly on the TV series.
If you are a Batman fan like me or if certain episodes just make you smile or laugh, they have episodes that deal with specific episodes and is well worth the listen.

More from the animation world with Limited Cel where a father and son duo (Nick and Mike Wood) look back and rewatch Hanna Barbara programs from the 1960's through the 1970's.
I would bet that the show will eventually lead to the H-B 1980's shows as well.
It's pretty entertaining and nostalgic and I do enjoy the father/son dynamic going back and forth over the merits of Quick Draw McGraw very much.

And even more from the comics world with Heroes and Villains.
This one generally selects a Hero or Villain (really?) from either the DC or Marvel universe and discusses in great detail that character's background, powers, weaknesses, appearances and about anything that you can think of about that particular character.
Bruce Leslie is about as comprehensive in covering the subject as one could find and trust me if you walk away from an episode with a question, you likely weren't paying attention!

The Watch Party is hosted by my friend Samantha Blinn with her friend Crystal and the premise of this podcast is films that Sam (a huge film buff) has seen many times, yet Crystal has never seen.
They do an introduction to the film and Sam asks Crystal her perception of the film before they view it.
The pair then talks about the film after watching. how close Crystal's preliminary thoughts were and what type of grade they would give.
Give it a listen and not just because Sam's a friend- it's very entertaining.

I also have in my queue, multi-part programs that I have listened to some episodes, but not the full series yet, that deal with Watergate, Chappaquiddick and the Robert Kennedy assassination from various podcast hosts.

Hope you give any of these of interest a listen and see what you think.

Podcast:DC Comics

We talk DC Comics from the 70's,80's and early 90's with Chris And Reggie from the Cosmic Treadmill and Weird Comic History Podcasts!!

Podcast-Peanuts,Comic Books and more!

A quick little podcast on a few different things...

A man named Floyd

Many of you know that the author has been a superhero fan since childhood of both major comic companies (DC and Marvel), collected figures, and comics for many years.
I quit collecting comics because they have gotten too expensive (4.00 and up) for too light of a read (24 pages usually), too many "crossover" stories (having to buy multiple books that I might not normally read to get the entire story) and constant revamps and changes to the heroes and villains that I like, but I still love the genre' and buy "graphic novels" still with reprints of classic comics and my comic collection of too many to count is still intact.

My favorite hero growing up was the Green Lantern, but GL's Rogues Gallery (comic book term for villains that tend to battle a particular hero often) was pretty weak, so I also loved the Flash and of course, Batman, who each had rich Rogues Galleries to mine often.
I read some Marvel comics, but I've always considered myself to be a "DC Guy" and my collection shows it.
I have tons of GL stuff, including a very cool statue that the lovely Cherie bought me for one anniversary, but GL might be my favorite hero and despite many villains fighting for my favors since childhood, the winner is someone that I didn't even hear about until 1987.

Deadshot was a one-note character that appeared once in 1950 as he tried to usurp Batman as a hero while committing crimes, after being defeated, Deadshot was forgotten about until 1977 when he was returned to action with a distinctive outfit and a nasty attitude as the worlds greatest marksman.
Deadshot still did not show up often, so I had no knowledge of him, which is understandable in those times as he wasn't kid-friendly enough to reach the toy lines and wasn't used enough to be known unless you had that comic he appeared in.

However, in 1987 things changed-Hagerstown got its first comics shop and I was a buyer of whatever Batman was on the cover of and he was on the cover of this book called The Suicide Squad.
I bought it and went back the following week to buy the issues that I missed.
As I read The Squad, Deadshot became my favorite and some research helped me find his Batman appearances as well.
Deadshot became so popular that he received his own four-issue "mini-series", which was just reprinted in novel format and is on my XMAS list at Amazon.com.
Deadshot would stay through another mini-series and other incarnations of the Squad, but nothing was ever going to live up to the classic first run of the Squad, which I'll get into down the road.
I have even thought of re-reading the Squad run (No novel reprint yet) and if I do -that will be the Squad post time.

Floyd Lawton was born of privilege and as noted originally wanted to "be" Batman.
The mini-series explains his family background and just how he became so bitter and hated life.
I'd tell you more, but you never know, Deadshot Beginnings might wind up on your Xmas list!
That is how interesting the character is in my opinion.
Floyd doesn't want to commit suicide, mind you, but he is not against death as he takes reckless chances that make many think he has a death wish.
The assassin for hire that never misses (except against Batman, who informed Floyd in the 1st book I saw him that he "Pulls his shots" is certainly multifaceted and far from a standard comic character.

I don't buy current comics for the above reasons, but I must admit if the cost fell (fat chance) I could get back into at least a few and I'm sure Deadshot would be right at the forefront.
Give Deadshot a try this Christmas, I bet you don't regret it!!