OFF THE PANEL #14 - Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

In the series' fourteenth installment, The Sloth (Alex Koch) is once again joined by The Sissy (James Lewis) and a returning fixture of the show, The Satanist (Mike Napier), to discuss Frank Miller's last great superhero story and the definitive portrayal of the origin story that mythologizes one of Marvel's most underrated superheroes. Listen as three podcasters without fear discuss in detail what makes Matt Murdock tick, how cinematic fiction can be achieved in the pages of a comic, and most importantly, the lengths a blind man will go to in order to eventually beat up Stilt-Man. This is Frank Miller and John Romita Jr.'s Daredevil: The Man Without Fear.

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Episode 104

In which The Off-Panelists journey to Vegas and party all night long, throwing out their backs to bring in the latest from the comics' world! Join the Sloth, the Skirt, and the Sphinx as they try and unravel the mystery of the changing release date of Zack Snyder's Man of Steel follow-up, what a twist in Marvel's 'Agents of SHIELD' could mean for a Marvel Universe character's debut, who has the worst work related woes, and what really happened between Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Answer: read a book, dummy! Following that, the three delve into such favorite titles as Brian Azzarello's Wonder Woman, Scott Snyder's Batman, a gasp-inducing chapter of Mark Waid's Daredevil, and more! Damn it, Waid, you're gonna give us a heart attack!


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Episode 101

 
In which The Off-Panelists get back in the saddle and ride out. They kick off a new epoch (era) or whatever you want to call it in an extra-long episode. Sloth Alex and Southerner Matt are joined by a new panelist... the Sphinxlike wiegabo. 

After attempts to enforce Hickman goodness on the rookie, the trio catch up on news missed over the break, including two big movie adaptations, before getting into comics. From the strut of Matt Murdock's walk in Daredevil, to the Dude in alienform in The Manhattan Projects, to the new rock 'n roll of science to Nowhere Men, before the true villain of OPP makes his return: Coffee Mug Bane!


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Episode 99

In which the Off-Panelists ring in the holiday season with cheer and glad tidings, trampling all over their fellow man to get cheap stuff in the process. On this Thanksmas Eve special and the penultimate episode to the big 100th Off-Panel Podcast Spectacular, join The Scotsman and the Southerner as they dissect funny accents, stuff turkeys, and remember to react to news about comic related headlines, including Alan Moore's latest shenannigans, Apple's decision to ban Sex Criminals from their Comixology app, America's horror at their own penis, and that one time Magneto assassinated John F. Kennedy. Featured reviews - primarily from Image - include a lengthy review of Brian K. Vaughn's Saga #16, Rick Remender's Black Science #1, Kelly Sue DeConnick's Pretty Deadly #2, Charles Soule's Letter 44 #2, and Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead #117. We're one episode away, people....

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Episode 97

In which the ghost of Uncle Ben rises from Hell! Join the Scot, Southerner, and Sloth for the latest episode of the Off-Panel Podcast. After discussing the strangest episode of Spider-Man ever, the Panelist get into the news items. Everything from PC "run amok", to the DCU moving at the speed of retcon, to the most heartwarming story ever made. Then they shift away from that into this week's book. A general wears an ear necklace in the latest Manhattan Projects, Lewis and Clack fight the bull man in Manifest Destiny, the bull man is made love to in Superior Foes of Spider-Man, and Batman is Batman in Batman,

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Episode 96

In which The Off-Panelists' welcome a very special guest --- Nick Pitarra, artist of Image Comics' THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS! After going over this week's news topics, the Scot and Sloth get into it with Nick. They learn about how he was plucked from the internet by the mad writer Jonathan Hickman, how Frank Quitely shaped his world, the benefits of shirtless bowel movements, and what is indeed the tightest of buttholes.

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OFF THE PANEL #7 - Origin

In the seventh installment of the series, the Sloth (Alex Koch) is joined by two members of The Off-Panel Podcast's sister network, James Lewis (Below The Bible Belt) and Mike Napier (Pulp Nightmare), to talk about an often overlooked but fascinatingly rich chapter of the extensive Marvel catalog that once threatened to tell the tale that could have unraveled one of comics' most beloved characters. From his humble beginnings playing hoop and stick, to his tragic and often disturbing turn into the animal he was always destined to become, discover the origin story of The X-Men's Wolverine for the very first time in the controversial 2001 graphic novel simply titled, Origin.

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Episode 82

In which The Off-Panelists have hot bodies and are creepy about it, breaking out their old micromachines as they fatefully choose who to marry, who to hump, and who to kill! Discover that having a beard helps whilst you join the Sloth, the Spaniard, and the Skirt on yet another rousing set of back-and-forths, dealing with being caught in the middle of Comic-Con week before going onto reviews of books including a look at the NEW New Genesis in Brian Azzarello's Wonder Woman, the penultimate issue of Jason Aaron's Godkiller arc in Thor: God of Thunder, the first print installment of Jeff Parker's Batman '66, and more! It's "who would you rather", taken to an extreme. A very gay extreme.

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Links of the Week
None for this week.
Due to it being Comic-Con at the time, the news mostly ran together. 
Stay tuned for new headlines next week!

Review: Punishermax, Volume 2 - Bullseye

More than most, The Punisher is an incredibly divisive figure in comics. For those who prefer the more traditional superhero fiction, he can easily be a character to hate as a murderous vigilante who manages to stand side-by-side with some of Marvel's greats as an iconic character. For those who love anti-heroes like Wolverine, or even the heroes that tend to deal with darker subject material such as Batman or Ghost Rider, The Punisher is a compelling addition to a trove of comic book characters who aren't as morally sound as Superman or Captain America, instead thriving on psychological problems that dictate their sense of right and wrong. Started by Garth Ennis in the early 2000's, the Punisher: MAX stories traditionally bump everything associated with Frank Castle and his one-man war on crime up to eleven. The violence, the psychosis, the disturbing subject matter, language, and even the sheer insanity aren't censored down by traditional comic standards, left to be brought to the forefront. Like the character's inherent nature, it's a bleak ride made bleaker.

"Read This, You %&*#!": Hawkeye

Only eleven issues into its ongoing run, and Hawkeye has already become something of a divisive book in the comic world. You either think it's a fun and silly book that's refreshing, or you think it's stupid, fratboy humor that makes no sense. To those who support the latter, all I have to say is...

Review: Fury MAX #13

With the last issue of their maxi-series, FURY MAX: My War Gone By, the creative team of Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov stick the landing to a bleak and depressing issue that highlights the cost and futility of war. This series needs to be cherished, it'll probably be a long time before we see something like this ever come from the "Big 2" again.

OFF THE PANEL #3 - Spider-Man: Blue

In the third installment of the series, join the Sloth (Alex Koch) once again as he's accompanied by the Skirt (Merce Mueller) while they spin a web of their own on one of the seminal works by the dream team of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, examining the love lost of everyone's favorite webslinger: a classic entry of the Marvel "color" series, Spider-Man: Blue.

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Episode 71

In which The Off-Panelists experience pain of a whole new measure as two of the three in attendence tell tales of woe, from the sleep-deprived to a vicious pain that oddly makes for a more interesting tale than usual. Using the podcast to recover, join The Sloth, the Scotsman, and the Spaniard as they go about recounting the aquatic tales of this month's Aquaman, wrap their heads around an unexpected return in Fairest, discover more about how a Marvel baddie got the 'mad' in 'mad titan' in Thanos Rising, mull over The Movement, and give Swamp Thing and Animal Man status updates. Following a brief one-man bout of the Lightning Round, they also discover what it takes to get on DC's bad side, an itty-bitty new book from the Tiny Titans creative team, the end of X-Factor, and the most important question ever asked by listeners... why the *hell* should anyone care about Aquaman?

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DC Entertainment begins blacklisting negative press
Dark Horse Comics launches 'Itty-Bitty Hellboy' from DC duo
Peter David's 11-year 'X-Factor' run coming to a close
Greg Rucka reviews MPPA rating for 'Man of Steel': Agree or disagree?
Entertainment Weekly previews 'Marvel: Phase 2'
WonderSuperwoman: 2012-2013

Episode 69

In which The Off-Panelists find themselves in the throws of passion and spoil other people's stories, as the Sloth and the Spaniard delve into a light week of books while the Scot, having read nothing for the week, looks on from afar. Following several attempts to move onto the book reviews, they finally succeed with talk of the month's dosage of The Man Without Fear in Waid's Daredevil, the realization that books can be read for the sake of reading with Justice League, artistry abound and talk of iconic runs to accompany Wonder Woman, and a lightning round that seems less like a dash and more like a crawl. Following this, the trio of triumphant failure embark on an extensive look at the 2013 Eisner Award nominees, Man of Steel trailer reactions, and the most important question of all - can a drunk girl find love in the crotch of another?

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Links of the Week
2013 Eisner Award Nominees Announced
New Man of Steel Trailer
Cast Revealed for Justice League: Flashpoint DTV FIlm
Manapul & Buccellato Talk Reverse Flash

Episode 64

In which The Off-Panelists elect a new Pope of pull-lists and struggle to spell out the podcast's name, as a surprise guest joins the show in mid-session! Following the discovery of a conspiracy to exploit one man's love of shrimp, join the Southerner, the Sloth, and the Scotsman as they delve into the week's books and review some standout favorites, including the "Requiem" issue of Batman & Robin, perhaps the craziest installment of The Manhattan Projects yet, a baffling choice in the pages of Batman, the return of a long-forgotten character in the pages of Wolverine And The X-Men, and the introduction of a historical figure with a twist in the pages of Fantastic Four. Plus, a one-man lightning round, discussion of the Comixology implosion, and at the end, a theory about the one appendage Bruce Banner retains consciousness in when becoming The Hulk. One hint: It's not his brain.

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Links of the Week
Comixology launches self-publishing platform
Then... nearly implodes with sale on Marvel Comics #1's
Snyder and Capullo to begin "Year Zero" arc in the pages of Batman

Episode 44

In which The Off-Panelists highlight one member of the cast's affinity for a certain appendage, as two talking heads and the guy that never does anything go about mending fences in lieu of a week old conflict. Afterwards, they embark on the weekly book discussion, highlighting everything from the new and improved Detective Comics to the continuing adventures of Earth's newest Green Lantern, and unfortunately, the book that everyone's going to be talking about: the conclusion of Marvel's latest event. Listen in and pick your poison for that one, it'll be a long one. Plus, news of sorts! A very special OPP-related guest is attending the 2012 New York Comic Con. Will it be worth it to find out who? Eh, maybe.

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Links of the week

Come to The New York Comic Con! Held this week in NYC, The 11-14th
Brian Michael Bendis to write Guardians of The Galaxy relaunch?
DC's new Man of Steel series closer to announcement?

Episode 42

In which the Unholy Fivumvirate is finally reunited... at least for a little while. Listen as they belittle each other, make lame jokes, and finally remember to talk about this week's slate of comics.

SPOILER ALERT: The Joker was behind it all!

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Links of the Week
The Standard & Comixtribe at New York Comic-Con
DC Retconns Teen Titans' History
Marvel Edits Avengers UK DVD Relase
Ruka Leaves "Big Two" Behind
100 Greatest Movie Insults (video)

Episode 36

 

In which The Off-Panelists entertain a guest host who isn't really a guest, as Mercé Mueller makes her short-lived return to the inner-circle of sad geekery abound! But if you think that's the biggest surprise of the episode, you'd be wrong - very, very wrong - because one of the panelists reveals a secret so shocking, so life-changing and unexpected that it leaves the group speechless. Which is saying something. Following discussions of some DC hits and misses, debate over a regular Vertigo title, and a few other choice mentions, the four struggle to get to the week's topics amid call dropouts, leading to some awkward mid-conversation returns including what would happen if a "Justice League" movie were done in the style of Se7en, one crippling announcement from Marvel NOW, two consecutive questions from a reviled listener, and plenty of Aquaman jokes. In short: Damn Muties!

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Warner Bros. Offers Ben Affleck Directorial Duties For "Justice League"
Matt Fraction Takes Over Fantastic Four & FF, Reinvents The Latter
In Other Marvel Now News, Waid & Francis Yu Discuss Plans For Hulk
And At Long Last, Photographic Evidence Of Sergio Martinez' Heritage

Episode 14

In which the crew welcomes special guest and comedian Ashley Storrie, who delights the crew with tales of what unfortunate body parts can get stuck in a door as they try and delve into the week's comics while fighting one of the crew's increasingly bad call connection. Discover what makes one of England's top television talent tick as they settle debates on women's status in the industry, whether or not logos should be taken out of commissions, and who among the crew would make a better supervillain. It may or may not end up being Lieutenant Uhura.

Featured in this week's episode: Short reviews of DC's flagship title, a less-than-classy ongoing, and a graphic "novelle", followed by talk of recent discussions in the comic book world about female characters, the cost of the ongoing fued between Marvel and the creator of Ghost Rider, and the graceful answering of the most live questions yet.

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The following links are assorted:

Janey Godley's Podcast - Co-hosted by Ashley Storrie

Sean Murphy's Deviantart - No More Unauthorized Artwork

Paul Cornell - Panel Parity

Kapow! - Where The Women At?

Marvel's Buckley and Quesada speak on Gary Friedrich and Ghost Rider

Episode 9

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In which the crew unfortunately suffers a setback, only to rise like the phoenix and begin anew! In this special edition episode, OPP is led by a crew of two who go onto plug other podcasts before remembering what the podcast is actually about. Following that, the two rummage through the week's picks and ponder what it'd be like to have a DC: MAX line, the perks of being a pizza guy, one company's perceived failure on a level of Liefeldian proportions, and continually insult the other absent members of the crew for no apparent reason.

Featured in this week's episode: Reviews of DC's latest, one of Marvel's newest releases, the penultimate issue of a secondary volume run, the annual weekly shoutout to Jason Aaron's Scalped, and discussions revolving around the "Second Wave" and one creator's three-way... promotions.

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And don't forget to also subscribe to OPP's sister podcast, The Dork Knights!