All Episodes (62)

1. 1. Issue 51: Spanner’s Galaxy

   Pull on your pirate boots and ready your sheks, because it's time to talk about one of DC's strangest, least-known comic series from the 1980s: Spanner's Galaxy! 

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   Get hyped! Our new site is almost done and we'll have which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

   Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /TencenttakesMastodon: retro.pizza/@tencenttakesHive: Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)Instagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /TencenttakesMastodon: retro.pizza/@tencenttakesHive: Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah

   Jan 26,2023 01:19:33
2. 2. Dollar Bin Discoveries: Orphan and the Five Beasts & Terminator vs Transformers

   Mike and Jessika's latest discoveries show the dollar bins continue to bear fruit! This week, we're talking about Orphan and the Five Beasts from Dark Horse, as well as IDW's recent Terminator vs Transformers comic. 

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   Get hyped! Our new site is almost done and we'll have which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

   Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /TencenttakesMastodon: retro.pizza/@tencenttakesOur banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)Hive: Tencenttakes

   Jan 19,2023 13:38
3. 3. Issue 50: DC’s Super Powers

   We're revisiting Mike's childhood to take a long look at DC's Super Powers Collection, the action figures that inspired all sorts of tie-in products like puffy stickers, Play-Doh sets, and multiple comic book series from Jack Kirby. 

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   Get hyped! Our new site is almost done and we'll have which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

   Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /TencenttakesMastodon: retro.pizza/@tencenttakesHive: Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)Instagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /TencenttakesMastodon: retro.pizza/@tencenttakesHive: Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

   Jan 12,2023 01:07:47
4. 4. Dollar Bin Discoveries: The Heathens & St. Swithin’s Day

   Welcome back to another episode of Dollar Bin Discoveries! This time, Mike and Jessika found some cool finds from legendary writers Grant Morrison and Cullen Bunn: St. Swithin's Day and The Heathens. 

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   Get hyped! Our new site is almost done and we'll have which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

   Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /TencenttakesMastodon: retro.pizza/@tencenttakesHive: Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)Instagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /TencenttakesMastodon: retro.pizza/@tencenttakesHive: Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

   Jan 05,2023 12:29
5. 5. Issue 49: Firestar

   Another dollar bin find pays off! Jessika's discovery of the complete 1980s Firestar miniseries sent us down a rabbit hole complete with the realization that we're going to need to return to the character at some point in order to talk about another series. 

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   Get hyped! Our new site is almost done and we'll have which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

   Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /TencenttakesMastodon: retro.pizza/@tencenttakesHive: Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)Instagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /TencenttakesMastodon: retro.pizza/@tencenttakesHive: Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

   Dec 29,2022 01:01:02
6. 6. Dollar Bin Discoveries: Spectacular Spider-Man 53 and The Darkness/Superman

   We're back for another Dollar Bin Discovery! Today, we're looking at Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #53 (and how strangely problematic it is), as well as the first issue of The Darkness/Superman crossover miniseries. 

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   Get hyped! Our new site is almost done and we'll have which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

   Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /TencenttakesMastodon: retro.pizza/@tencenttakesHive: Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)Instagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /TencenttakesMastodon: retro.pizza/@tencenttakesHive: Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

   Dec 22,2022 22:35
7. 7. Issue 48: DC’s Super-Star Holiday Special

   It's that time of year! Time for friends, time for joy, and time for weird comics! This year, we're checking out the Superstar Holiday Special which is one of the wildest anthology issues we've ever come across. 

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   Get hyped! Our new site is almost done and we'll have which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

   Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /TencenttakesMastodon: retro.pizza/@tencenttakesHive: Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

   Dec 15,2022 01:06:27
8. 8. Dollar Bin Discoveries: Alf #48 and Hero: Warrior of the Mystic Realm

   Today we're discussing two early 90s Marvel comics we found in the dollar bins. One of them is a series most people never heard of, the other is... um... mildly upsetting because of its cover content. 

   ----more----Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

   Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

   Dec 08,2022 13:50
9. 9. Issue 47: Fish Police

   What happens when you mix pulp noire narrative devices, anthropomorphic fish, and the male gaze? You get Fish Police, one of the strangest indy comics to ever hit the 1980s. 

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   Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

   Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    

   Dec 01,2022 50:27
10. 10. Dollar Bin Discoveries: Rain & The Sword of Sorcery

    This week, we've got a broad spectrum of dollar bin comics: Jessika found a copy of the excellent Rain (released earlier this year) and Mike wound up picking up The Sword of Sorcery from 1973. 

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    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

     

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    Nov 24,2022 12:38
11. 11. Issue 46: Marvel and DC’s Famine Relief Comics

    Today we're talking about how  –during the early 80s– some of the top creators in comics came together to help raise money for famine relief in Africa. The results are... wild, to say the least. 

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    To find a local foodbank, check out Feeding America's website: https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank 

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

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    Nov 17,2022 01:06:22
12. 12. Dollar Bin Discoveries: The Last Session & Hellcop

    Welcome back to Dollar Bin Discoveries! We had a ton of fun reading this week's selections: Jessika brought a DND-inspired series called The Last Session (ahem) to the table and Mike discovered a late 90s dark fantasy series called... wait for it... Hellcop. 

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    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Nov 10,2022 10:08
13. 13. Issue 45: The Gargoyle

    No, it doesn't have anything to do with the incredible 1994 animated series. Yes, we wish we'd focused on those comics instead. 

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    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Nov 03,2022 01:00:46
14. 14. Dollar Bin Discoveries: Captain Nauticus and Animal Castle

    Welcome back to Dollar Bin Discoveries! We had a ton of fun reading this week's selections: Jessika found the recent series Animal Castle and Mike discovered... a superhero created by the National Maritime Center. Strap in, everyone. 

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    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Oct 27,2022 15:30
15. 15. Issue 44: The Saga of Crystar

    Did you know that Marvel created a comic in the 1980s with the express purpose of licensing it into a line of action figures? Or that some of its art became a central piece of a musician's iconography? Buckle up, everyone. It's time to talk about The Saga of Crystar: Crystal Warrior. 

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    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Oct 20,2022 01:06:22
16. 16. Dollar Bin Discoveries with Special Guest Sarah Cooke

    Welcome back to Dollar Bin Discoveries, the sub-series where we talk about interesting comics we've come across while digging through dollar bins. This week, we're joined by comics writer Sarah Cooke to talk about her first comic Kickstarter and discuss Mercury Heat, Batman: Shadow of the Bat 28, and the first issue of the strange 90s series Poe!

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    Special thanks to Sarah Cooke for coming on the episode to talk about all her amazing projects (and dollar bin issues)! If you want to check out her stuff, here are all the relevant links: No Spell Lasts Forever: 

    • Kickstarter: tiny.cc/nospell
    • Aimee's site: https://www.aimeedrawsstuff.com/

    My Human Experience

    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHESeries

    Sarah's Links:

    • Instagram: @sarahcookewriter and @nospellcomic
    • Twitter: @sarahcookewrite
    • Substack: https://sarahlindseycooke.substack.com/

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Oct 13,2022 21:24
17. 17. Issue 43: Clive Barker’s Hellraiser (w/D.G. Chichester!)

    What's your pleasure, sir?

    Today we're talking about Clive Barker's Hellraiser, the first comic to... embrace... the iconic horror franchise. We were incredibly lucky to talk about this Epic Comics series with none other than D.G. Chichester, who Clive Barker described as the "Godfather" of Hellraiser and served as both an editor and writer on the book!----more----

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Special thanks to DG Chichester for joining us on this episode! You can connect with him at https://storymaze.substack.com/ and can find him on Twitter: @dgchichester. 

    Ten Cent Takes contact info:

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Oct 06,2022 01:28:20
18. 18. Dollar Bin Discoveries: Action Comics & Instruction for Making a Proper Offering to Forgotten Gods

    Welcome back to Dollar Bin Discoveries, the sub-series where we talk about interesting comics we've come across while digging through dollar bins. This week, we're talking about Action Comics 645 and Instruction for Making a Proper Offering to Forgotten Gods.

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    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Sep 29,2022 16:38
19. 19. Issue 42: Bats, Cats & Cadillacs

    Hello, all you ghouls and goblins! We're kicking off Spooky Season (as is our godless-given right) and talking about the short-lived 1990 series Bats, Cats & Cadillacs. It might not have lasted long, but it certainly made an impression on us!

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    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Sep 22,2022 49:40
20. 20. Issue 41: The Star Trek/X-Men Crossovers

    In honor of Star Trek Day 2022, we're taking a look at the Star Trek/X-Men crossovers of the 1990s. 

    BUT! Because we're discussing two socially progressive properties crossing over, we've invited the amazing hosts from the SJW Comic Book Club onto our show! So sit back, relax, and make it so. 

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    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Special thanks to Veronica, Melissa, and Monte from SJW Comic Book Club for joining us on this episode! You can find them on every podcast platform, or head over to https://sjwcomicspodcast.buzzsprout.com/ and check out all their episodes. 

    Twitter: @sjwcomicscastInstagram: @sjwcomicscast

    Ten Cent Takes contact info:

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Sep 08,2022 01:48:44
21. 21. Dollar Bin Discoveries: AniMax and Lenore

    We're officially a weekly show! Welcome to our first (mini) episode of Dollar Bin Discoveries, the show where we talk about interesting issues we come across while looking for episode topics. In this episode, we discuss AniMax #1 and Lenore, the Cute Little Dead Girl (v2) #1. ----more----

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Sep 01,2022 20:35
22. 22. Dollar Bin Discoveries: Wild Thing and Lola XOXO

    Welcome back to Dollar Bin Discoveries, the sub-series where we talk about interesting comics we've come across while digging through dollar bins. This week, we're talking about Marvel UK's WildThing (or Nikki Doyle: WildThing, it's a little unclear) and Lola XOXO.

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    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Sep 15,2022 14:40
23. 23. Issue 40: Machine Teen

    It's time to boot up our robot brains and talk about Marvel's least-memorable android: The Machine Teen!----more----

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Aug 18,2022 54:54
24. 24. Issue 39: Crazyman

    This episode, we're traveling back to the early 90s to discuss a nuanced and empathetic look at mental health. 

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    Thanks again to Mike from Multiverse of Badness! You can check out that show here: MultiverseOfBadness.com, so head on over and smash that subscribe button! Sources Cited: 

    • DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle by Alan Cowsill and Alex Irvine
    • Ron Goulart’s Great History of Comic Books
    • Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide to Lost Universes

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Aug 04,2022 58:11
25. 25. Issue 38: Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa

    Howdy, pardner! This week, it's time to saddle up and embrace the Code of the West as we talk with Alphabet Flight about the cult 90s cartoon Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa!

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    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Special thanks to Art from Alphabet Flight for joining us on this episode! You can find him on every podcast platform, or head over to https://anchor.fm/s/9161a01c/podcast/rss and copy/paste that RSS feed into your favorite podcast player. 

    Twitter: @AlphabetFlightInstagram: @alphabetflightPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/alphabetflight

     

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Jul 21,2022 01:30:45
26. 26. Issue 37: Abortion Eve

    We'll get back to doing funny episodes about goofy moments in comic history in two weeks, but we decided to adjust our schedule. Today, we're talking about Abortion Eve, an underground feminist comic that came out shortly after Roe v Wade was decided, and what's happening now that the Supreme Court has overturned that case. ----more----

    Sources Cited: 

    • The Bust: Orange County’s War on Underground Comix http://cbldf.org/2016/09/the-bust-orange-countys-war-on-underground-comix/ 
    • Women in Underground Comix
    • http://cbldf.org/2019/03/women-in-underground-comix/
    • The Comic Book That Guided Women Through Abortion Months After ‘Roe’
    • https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2016/06/08/comic-book-abortion-after-roe/ 
    • Roe v. Wade Comics (Ohio State University’s  Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum)
    • https://library.osu.edu/site/40stories/2020/01/06/roe-v-wade-comics/ 
    • Abortion Eve comic: ​​https://www.ep.tc/eve/
    • Who Killed Junior comic: https://www.ep.tc/junior/ 

    (Both of these comics are hosted on the personal site of Ethan Persoff, who archives and shares rare and unusual comics)

    If you'd like to learn more about the Comic Book Legal Defense fund –or donate to them– head on over to their site: http://cbldf.org/ 

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

     

    Jul 07,2022 30:30
27. 27. Issue 36: The Punisher (1989 movie)

    Let's go back, BACK, BACK(!) to the 80s and talk about one of the first Marvel superhero movies to ever come out: The Punisher starring Dolph Lundgren! And –because we're talking about a classic 80s movie– we brought in some experts: Santos and Freddy from the incredible podcast 88 Miles Per Hour. So sit back, relax, and get ready to murder some criminals... 80s style. 

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    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    The guys from the 88 Miles Per Hour Podcast were so generous with their time. Special thank you to both Freddy and Santos. You can find them on every podcast platform, or head over to https://eightyeightmphpodcast.podbean.com/ and smash that subscribe button. 

    Twitter: @88mphPodInstagram: @88mphpodcastLinktree: https://linktr.ee/BrothersBearNetwork 

     

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Jun 23,2022 01:26:36
28. 28. Issue 35: Queer Kissing in Comics

    Hello, everyone, and Happy Pride! 

    In honor of Pride 2022, we're doing a mini-episode to talk about a little queer history in the four-color realm. Today, we're discussing the first same-sex kisses in mainstream comics. 

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    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    If you'd like to learn more about queer history in comics, you should check out the LGBT Comics Timeline over at Gay League: https://gayleague.com/lgbt-comics-timeline/ 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Jun 16,2022 21:24
29. 29. Issue 34: The Spider-Verse Films

    It's time to get bit by a suspicious spider and slip into some spandex! This week we're joined by our Podcast BFFs Dear Watchers for a roundtable discussion about the various Spider-Man films and how they're all connected. ----more----

     

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

     

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank  (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Jun 09,2022 02:05:52
30. 30. Issue 33: DC’s Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (History of DND, Part 3)

    Alright, nerds! Today we're talking about the 1988 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons from DC Comics.  Important topics covered: How DC and TSR started working together, which god would serve the best drinks in Waterdeep, and what's the cringiest spell to cast. 

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    *****CORRECTION: We learned after this episode dropped that Advanced Dungeons & Dragons *was* collected and reprinted in trades about a decade ago by IDW. Those trades are titled "Dungeons and Dragons: Classics" and have since gone out of print. You can buy physical copies (but they're getting pretty expensive) or you can purchase digital copies from IDW: https://www.idwpublishing.com/product/dungeons-dragons-classics-vol-1-tpb/ 

    This collection unfortunately isn't available on Hoopla (nor are the republished Dragonlance Classics), but the reprinted Forgotten realms are available there: https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/11712476 Anyway, sorry about that!

    ***** 

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    If you want to listen to more DND content, check out Last Tavern on the Left: https://.com/us/podcast/last-tavern-on-the-left/id1624361631 

     

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes

    May 26,2022 58:52
31. 31. Issue 32: The Dragonlance Saga (History of DND, Part 2)

    Roll for initiative, players! We're onto part two of our look into the early history of Dungeons and Dragons in comic books. This episode, we're checking out The Dragonlance Saga, the first official DND comic books, which were eventually published by DC Comics.----more----

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Sources cited: 

    • SF Crows Nest interview with Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman: https://web.archive.org/web/20080211083438/http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/sfnews/newsd0102.htm
    • Shannon Applecline, "DESIGNERS & DRAGONS: THE COLUMN #5: DUNGEONS, DRAGONS, AND COMICS, PART ONE: 1979-1991," RPG.net: https://www.rpg.net/columns/designers-and-dragons/designers-and-dragons5.phtml 
    •  

     

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    May 12,2022 53:46
32. 32. Issue 31: The Realm (History of DND, Part 1)

    Make a history check, players! Today we're kicking off a three-part look at the early history of Dungeons and Dragons in comic books. This episode we're talking about The Realm, a 1980s fantasy series from Arrow Comics that managed to deliver a DND-esque story about before the official brand hit comic shops. Joining us is Kelly Galten of the award-winning game shop Goblin Bros.

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    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Sources cited: 

    • William Blanc, “Fantasy Invades Comics," The National Library of France: https://fantasy.bnf.fr/en/understand/fantasy-invades-comics/ 
    • Mark Thompson's summary of the black-and-white comic implosion: https://www.prismnet.com/~patman/posts/thompson.txt
    • Tim Dzon's Hero Initiative profile: https://www.heroinitiative.org/29447-2/

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Apr 28,2022 01:24:39
33. 33. Issue 30: Aquaman (vol. 2)

    Are you ready to emerge from the depths of comics history as we finish Jessika's recent finds from a shop in Massachusetts? This week we're coasting the currents via Aquaman's second volume, a 1980s miniseries that wound up providing a soft reboot to the character and setting him up with the origin story that's pretty much been canon ever since. 

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    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Apr 14,2022 01:01:37
34. 34. Issue 29: The Saga of the Sub-Mariner

    It's time to dive into the depths of comic book history as we check out Jessika's recent finds from a shop in Massachusetts. This week we're checking out Saga of the Sub-Mariner, the 1988 series that re-introduced Marvel audiences to the long, long, looooooong history of Marvel's First Mutant. 

    ----more----

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Mar 31,2022 01:13:41
35. 35. Issue 28: Debbie Does Dallas

    Alright, everybody. Let's get weird. This episode, we’re talking about Debbie Does Dallas: The movie, the comic, and the mysteries surrounding both. 

    ----more----

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Our friend Dale Lazarov of Sticky Graphic Novels has a Kickstarter! Go back it: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/comicmix/tapstuds-the-latest-project-from-sticky-graphic-novels 

    Ron Johnson’s “The Butterfly Effect” can be found here: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Butterfly-Effect-Podcast/B08DDD6299

     

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank (https://www.lookmomdraws.com/)

    Mar 17,2022 01:00:08
36. 36. Issue 27: Chuck Norris’s Karate Kommandos

    Come for the badly-animated action scenes, stay for Chuck's bizarrely-read moral "lessons" delivered in a crop top and short shorts. 

    ----more----

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

     

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original work by Sarah Frank

    Mar 03,2022 01:09:30
37. 37. Issue 26: NFL SuperPro

    Just in time to take advantage of Superbowl hysteria, we're talking about NFL SuperPro!

    ----more----

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Special thanks to Lance from Comic Book Keepers for hanging out with us and lending his wit and charm expertise. Head over to Apple Podcasts and smash that subscribe button! The show's also on Twitter, so be sure to give it a follow: https://twitter.com/cbkcast 

     

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original art by @Lookmomdraws

    Feb 17,2022 01:06:38
38. 38. Issue 25: The Sandman Book Club (Part 6)

    Welp. This is it. The final episode of our Sandman Book Club. We're discussing Volume 10: The Wake, as well as our final thoughts on the series overall. 

    ----more----

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

     

     

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original art by @Lookmomdraws

    Feb 03,2022 43:50
39. 39. Issue 24: Marvel’s Alterniverse (w/special guests Dear Watchers!)

    It's time to discuss the Alterniverse, Marvel's short-lived imprint that ran alternate-world stories (which included What If...? issues). As such, the hosts of Dear Watchers were gracious enough to cross over onto our show and fill in the gaps of our Marvel Multiverse knowledge. 

    ----more----

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Special thanks to Rob and Guido from Dear Watchers for hanging out with us and lending their expertise. Head over to https://dearwatchers.transistor.fm/ and smash that subscribe button! They're also on Twitter, so be sure to give them a follow: https://twitter.com/dearwatchers 

     

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original art by @Lookmomdraws

    Jan 20,2022 01:13:45
40. 40. Issue 23: The Sandman Book Club (Part 5)

    This week, we discuss our thoughts on The Sandman Vol 9: The Kindly Ones. There was a lot we liked, as well as a lot we could've done without. 

    ----more----

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

     

     

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original art by @Lookmomdraws

    Jan 06,2022 01:33:50
41. 41. Issue 22: The Marvel Holiday Specials

    'Tis the season to discuss the Holidays and their role in comic books. We take a look at the history of holiday comics in general, as well as the 1990s Marvel Holiday Specials in particular. ----more----

    Transcripts are coming soon! We're in the process of putting together a new site, which will have a dedicated transcripts section. 

    Sources Cited:

    Marvel blog entry: "A Journey Through Marvel Holiday Specials Past"

    • https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/a-journey-through-marvel-holiday-specials-past

    Den of Geek: "How Marvel Went From Bankruptcy to Billions"

    • https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/how-marvel-went-from-bankruptcy-to-billions/

     

    Email: [email protected]Twitter: @TencenttakesInstagram: @TencenttakesFacebook: /Tencenttakes Our banner art is original art by @Lookmomdraws

    Dec 23,2021 01:24:24
42. 42. Issue 21: The Sandman Book Club (Part 4)

    Things are starting to come to a head in our penultimate episode for The Sandman Book Club! Brief Lives follows the story of Dream and Delirium as they search the world for Destruction, their missing brother. Meanwhile, the next volume (The World's End) brings us another anthology with hints at what to expect in the final two volumes of the series. 

    ----more----

    Jessika: I feel like I'm very straight passing recently. So I went out and ordered by self some doc Martins, just work there. These are my doc Martins. I am bisexual. *laughs* 

    Hello! Welcome to Ten Cent Takes, the podcast where we seek to find Destruction one issue at a time. My name is Jessika Frasier, and I'm joined by my cohost, the fountain of facts, Mike Thompson. 

    Mike: Hello. Hello. Hello.

    Jessika: Hello, Mike. And if you, listener, are new around here, the purpose of this podcast is to study comic books in ways that are both fun and informative. We want to look at their coolest, weirdest and silliest moments, as well as examine how they're woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history. 

    This episode, we're continuing on with the fourth episode of our book club as we discuss volume seven and eight of the Sandman series, if you haven't already listened to our previous episodes on the Sandman and want to catch up, which by the way, we highly recommend we're discussing two volumes at a time.

    So go check out episode 15 for volumes one and two episode 17 for volumes three and four, and episode 19 for volumes five and a six, 

    And if you're thinking "These guys are great. I would love to show my support for this amazing podcast, but how?" Well friends I'll tell you. It really helps us. If you rate and review us on the platform you're listening through, especially apple pod pass and pod chaser, it really helps with discoverability and in helping us reach other nerdlings that just might enjoy the show.

    Plus it gives us that validation boost that Mike and I both being generally anxious, so need. So show us some love wherever you listen, please. And thank you. You can also tell your friends how awesome we are so they can join in on this fun. 

    Mike: Yeah. Uh, I definitely thrive on words of affirmation as pointed out by Comic Book Couples Counseling in our last episode.

    Jessika: Yes, please give us all the affirmation. But before we jump into our main conversation about volume seven and eight of the same. what is one cool thing you've read or watched lately? 

    Mike: I recently learned that the Books of Magic, which is a bit of a spin-off to the Sandman and a bit of sequel and a bit of something totally original, is getting the omnibus treatment. So this was actually really exciting for me because I read all the trades when I was in high school and college. And I was disappointed at how it felt like the series ended halfway through the story.

    And then I learned way later that DC only collected the first 50 of like 75 total issues into trades, which is why the series felt like it ended the way it did, I guess. Didn't sell that well. And so DC stopped putting them out, but DC put out an omnibus late last year, and then they're going to release another one in a couple of months.

    And it's going to contain the rest of the series as well as all of the different tie in books. And I wound up getting it for over half off from Target during this big deal they had on books where it was like, buy two, get one free. And they also weirdly had it for over half off. So yeah, I snapped that fucker up.

    Jessika: Hey hey tar-get. 

    Mike: I know. Right. It was great. but yeah, we've been having a lot of rainstorms here in the bay area lately, and it's kind of the perfect weather to read an oversized book, featuring the adventures of Tim hunter, who is this British teenager who's due to become the most powerful magician in the current age of man and...It's a really good read still.

    Dec 09,2021 01:19:46
43. 43. Issue 20: Deathmate (w/special guests Comic Book Couples Counseling!)

    What better way to talk about Deathmate then to do a crossover with another podcast? In this episode, we talk about the infamous 90s event with Brad and Lisa Gullickson (the hosts of Comic Book Couples Counseling)! 

    ----more----

    Transcript forthcoming

    Nov 25,2021 02:04:14
44. 44. Issue 19: The Sandman Book Club (part 3)

    Once again, we're walking the moonlit path of dreams and discussing The Sandman. In this episode, we're talking about the fifth and sixth volumes: A Game of You and Fables & Reflections. 

    ----more----

    Mike: I don't think I'm getting a birthday present. I am relatively certain that they want to fire me out of a cannon into the sun

    Jessika: Hello. And welcome to Ten cent takes the podcast where we cause whiplash from rapid time leaps, one issue at a time. My name is Jessica Frasier and I'm joined by my cohost, the curious collector, Mike Thompson.

    Mike: Man, my collection has been growing by leaps And bounds lately.

    Yeah. COVID has not been kind to my closet free space. 

    Jessika: Oh, well, and you recently gave me my first short box, So 

    thing.

    So 

    Mike: I'm not sorry. 

    Jessika: no, don't be, I needed a place for the, my, I looked over at my, at my bookshelf one day and went, oh no, I have a lot of single issues that are just kind of sitting on a shelf.

    Mike: you know, you're a collector when you just have the random piles of single issues hanging out, 

    Jessika: I just have random piles of trade paperbacks. And just like, my counter is literally covered. Not only do I have every one of the Sandman series, just like chilling on my counter. I got, um, moon girl and, uh, 

    um, devil devil dinosaur, and that's just chilling. So I've just got all this stuff, like all over.

    Mike: Yeah, it's a, it's insidious. It takes over.

    your life. One issue at a time. 

    Jessika: Well, what better way to fill a tiny house shaped like a pirate ship than with comics.

    Mike: Hm. Fair. 

    Jessika: If you haven't listened before the purpose of our podcast is to study comic books in ways that are both fun and informative. We want to look at their coolest weirdness and silliest moments, as well as examine how they're woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history. This episode, we are returning to our book club and we will be looking at volumes five and six of the Sandman series.

    If you haven't checked out the first couple episodes of the series, I highly recommend you go back and take a lesson. It's episodes 15 and 17.

    Mike: Yeah. And we're covering two volumes at a time. 

    Jessika: Yes, we are. So 15 was one and two and 17 was three and four. So you're joining us for five and six. So welcome aboard.

    Mike: Welcome to the deep end of the pool children. you don't get an inner tube and we don't have any water wings. Sorry. 

    Jessika: There's absolutely no lifeguard on duty. We are not responsible Dulce at this time.

    Mike: If You are enjoying our podcast, please go ahead and rate and review on whatever platform you're listening on. If that's an option it's especially helpful. If you can rate us on apple podcasts, there's a lot of discoverability, , or if you have overcast, you can always do a star for the episode and that'll push promotion as well.

    Or if you're a comic fan and you're liking what we're talking about, and you've got some friends who you think would actually enjoy it?

    as Well, please let them know any little bit helps. We really appreciate all of you who are spending your time with us.

    Jessika Audio: We also want to support other podcasts that we really like in this space. So this week spotlight is on the last comic shop podcast. Here's a quick review of what to expect from them. If you want us to feature your show, go ahead and drop us off.

     

    Jessika: 

    before we leave into our main main topic, Mike, what is one cool thing you've read or watched?

    Mike: I was on hooplah the other day and I came across a new series by Jeff Lemire, who is the guy who wrote Sweet Tooth along with a bunch of other excellent. But it's called Gideon Falls and they have the first five volumes on there. it's a really interesting series. It starts off feeling kind of like a h

    Nov 11,2021 01:17:52
45. 45. Issue 18: Horror Comics & Terror, Inc.

    Happy Halloween! We're joined by comics scribe Daniel "D.G." Chichester to talk about the history of horror comics, Marvel's return to the genre in the early 1990s, and the macabre anti-hero Terror (whom Chichester co-created). 

    ----more----

    Issue 18 Transcript

     

    Mike: [00:00:00] It's small, but feisty, Mike: Welcome to Tencent Takes, the podcast where we dig up comic book characters’ graves and misappropriate the bodies, one issue at a time. My name is Mike Thompson, and I am joined by my cohost, the Titan of terror herself, Jessika Frazer. Jessika: It is I. Mike: Today, we are extremely fortunate to have comics writer, Daniel, DG Chichester. Dan: Nice to see you both. Mike: Thank you so much for taking the time. You're actually our first official guest on the podcast. Dan: Wow. Okay. I'm going to take that as a good thing. That's great. Mike: Yeah. Well, if you're new to the show, the purpose of our [00:01:00] podcast as always is to look at the weirdest, silliest, coolest moments of comic books, and talk about them in ways that are fun and informative. In this case, we looking at also the spookiest moments, and how they're woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history. Today, we're going to be talking about horror comics. We're looking at their overall history as well as their resurrection at Marvel in the early 1990s, and how it helped give birth to one of my favorite comic characters, an undead anti-hero who went by the name of Terror. Dan, before we started going down this road, could you tell us a little bit about your history in the comic book industry, and also where people can find you if they want to learn more about you and your work? Dan: Absolutely. At this point, people may not even know I had a history in comic books, but that's not true. Uh, I began at Marvel as an assistant in the mid-eighties while I was still going to film school and, semi quickly kind of graduated up, to a more official, [00:02:00] assistant editor position. Worked my way up through editorial, and then, segued into freelance writing primarily for, but also for DC and Dark Horse and worked on a lot of, semi-permanent titles, Daredevil’s probably the best known of them. But I think I was right in the thick of a lot of what you're going to be talking about today in terms of horror comics, especially at Marvel, where I was fiercely interested in kind of getting that going. And I think pushed for certain things, and certainly pushed to be involved in those such as the Hellraiser and Nightbreed Clive Barker projects and Night Stalkers and, uh, and Terror Incorporated, which we're going to talk about. And wherever else I could get some spooky stuff going. And I continued on in that, heavily until about 96 / 97, when the big crash kind of happened, continued on through about 99 and then have not really been that actively involved since then. But folks can find out what I'm doing now, if they go to story maze.substack.com, where I have a weekly newsletter, which features [00:03:00] new fiction and some things that I think are pretty cool that are going on in storytelling, and also a bit of a retrospective of looking back at a lot of the work that I did. Mike: Awesome. Before we actually get started talking about horror comics, normally we talk about one cool thing that we have read or watched recently, but because this episode is going to be dropping right before Halloween, what is your favorite Halloween movie or comic book? Dan: I mean, movies are just terrific. And there's so many when I saw that question, especially in terms of horror and a lot of things immediately jumped to mind. The movie It Follows, the recent It movie, The Mist, Reanimator, are all big favorites. I like horror movies that really kind of get under your skin and horrify you, not just rack up a body count. But what I finally settled on as a favorite is probably John Carpenter's the Thing, which I just think is one of the gruesomest what is going

    Oct 28,2021 01:35:44
46. 46. Issue 16: Superman and RadioShack

    What happens when you combine two of the biggest brands of the early 1980s? You get RadioShack's TRS-80 Whiz Kids comics, with special guest stars from the DC Universe. Marvel at snarky teens sassing the Man of Steel, then laugh at how he makes them perform complex math with mediocre computers!

    ----more----

    Episode 16 Transcript

    Mike: [00:00:00] I used to go into an office, and when I did that, I had a dog that everybody loved and I baked cookies every day.

    Hello, hello, hello, welcome to Ten Cent Takes, the podcast where we sell out as superheroes, one issue at a time. My name is Mike Thompson and I am joined by my co-host, the talk show host of terror, Jessika Frazer.

    Jessika: Bwahahaha! I like when you give me nicknames that are a little mischievous and/or villainous, by the way.

    Mike: I mean, villains are always the most fun.

    Jessika: They really are. They get to do all the cool shit. 

    Mike: Yeah. You need a strong villain in order to have a good story.

    Jessika: Absolutely. 

    Mike: The purpose of this podcast is to look at notable moments in comic book history. [00:01:00] They can be big or they can be small, but we always hope that they're interesting, and we like to talk about them in ways that are both fun and informative.

    Today, we are going to be going back back back to the eighties and talking about the time that Superman sold computers for Radio Shack.

    Jessika: Fucking sellout. 

    Mike: Man, I don't. Can you blame him though? I mean, he was a reporter, like he needed the extra cash.

    Jessika: That's true. That does not pay all that much, from my understanding 

    Mike: Uh, speaking as someone who worked as a journalist for a decade, I can tell you it does not. 

    Jessika: Confirmed, everyone. 

    Mike: Confirmed. Before you freak out and think that you've missed an episode or that things are airing out of order, we are actually still doing the Sandman book club series, but we have decided to break it up, so it's not just one giant slog for people who aren't interested in Sandman. So that way there's a little something for [00:02:00] everybody, even as we're doing that prolonged experience.

    So every other episode will be the Sandman book club. Before we get to that though. What is one cool thing that you have read or watched recently?

    Jessika: Just last night, I watched the first episode of the Amazon Prime, let me just say it's 18+, animated series, Invincible. 

    Mike: Hmm. 

    Jessika: Have you seen that yet? 

    Mike: I haven't, I read the comic for a while and I really liked it, but then it just kind of felt very repetitive. And also, I didn't like how the comic got very women in refrigerator-y.

    Jessika: Oh, okay, fair enough. 

    Mike: Like yeah. Um, I hear it's great. I just, it's kind of, it's kind of like The Boys where like, I read the comic and, and then when they announced they were making a TV [00:03:00] show, I went, eh don't know. I like, I'm not sure. I really want to see that translated to the screen and then it was great. And so I'm sure that Invisible will be great.

    Jessika: I will be talking about The Boys later, in fact. 

    Mike: Oh okay. Well, then.

    Jessika: But for now, yeah, I know, spoilers. So for those of you who hadn't seen it yet, it's about a teenage boy whose father is a famous superhero and the kid himself has also potentially expected to get powers, which he, not spoiling anything, he does, and very early on in this episode.

    And when this happens, his father starts teaching them how to use them properly, even though he seems a little disappointed, even, that his really did have powers, which was kind of strange, but we'll see where that goes. But what I really liked about this series, is that they make fun of our well-known superheroes with a character like Batman and one that's very much like Wonder Woman, et cet

    Sep 30,2021 01:05:03
47. 47. Issue 17: The Sandman Book Club (part 2)

    It's time to return to The Dreaming! This week, we're discussing the third and fourth volumes of Neil Gaiman's celebrated series. Come for the one-off stories of Dream Country, and give the devil his due when we cheer Lucifer's epic trolling of Dream in Season of the Mists. 

    ----more----

    Episode 17 Transcript

    Jessika: [00:00:00] I just, I like have had five sets of teeth in my life. They just keep growing bigger and bigger each set I got, 

     Hello, and welcome to Ten Cent Takes, the podcasts where we morph from delight to delirium one issue at a time. My name is Jessica Frazier and I'm joined by my cohost, the blasphemous baker, Mike Thompson. 

    Mike: I am full of carbs and caffeine. How are you doing?

    Jessika: Oh, I am somewhat of both as well. Could use a little more sleep, but I have a day off tomorrow, so I will be doing that, 

    Mike: I'm jealous. 

    Jessika: Dude. I work nine hours a day. Don't be too jealous. It's those nine hours that get me that day off. 

    Mike: Oh man. I've been pulling [00:01:00] like 10 to 12 hour days for a couple of months and I'm just, 

    Jessika: Oh shit. Nevermind. Goodness. Well, the purpose of this podcast is to study comic books in ways that are both fun and informative. We want to look at their coolest, weirdest and silliest moments, as well as examine how they're woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history. If you'd like to support us, be sure to download rate and review on Apple podcasts or wherever you live. 

    Mike: Yeah, that really helps with discoverability. We know that we are not a large podcast, but the support that we've gotten from everybody has meant a lot to us. And we're hoping that we can continue to reach more people. If you like, what you're hearing, do us a favor and invite your friends to like our pages, every little bit helps. 

    Jessika: Yeah, well, today we're continuing on. with the second episode of our book.

    As we discuss volumes three and four of the Sandman series. But before we jump into [00:02:00] that, Mike, what is one cool thing that you've read or watched lately? 

    Mike: Something actually that you mentioned on the last book club episode that we did was that there is a Sandman Audible book right now. As much as I don't like giving Amazon my money, if I don't have to, I've had an Audible membership for like a decade. And that means I have access to their Audible originals, which is what this audio book is.

    And then one of my friends, hi, Darren, also recommended that I listen to the audio book after I told them that we were doing a Sandman book. So I finally downloaded the audio book and started listening while I walked the dogs. And it's legit incredible, like all-star cast. It feels like an audio play complete with like all these incredible production values.

    Neil Gaiman is serving as the narrator and then they have all of these incredible actors voicing characters and it actually, you know, Neil [00:03:00] Gaiman rewrote it. And so it feels like what he wanted the Sandman, the first volume Preludes and Nocturnes to be, with the hindsight of 30 plus years.

    Jessika: Nice. 

    Mike: Yeah, it's great. 

    Jessika: And he's such a good orator. 

    Mike: he is he's done a couple of his other audio books that I've listened to over the years. He did The Graveyard Book, which was The only way I can describe it as a Victorian Gothic version of the Jungle Book. And then he also did Coraline. I think he did Coraline.

    I'm pretty sure he did, but every time that I've listened to him, narrate stuff, it's always been just fantastic, 

    But, yeah.

    Jessika: Great. 

    Mike: How about you?

    Jessika: Well, I grabbed another $1 image teaser comic. , this time it was Kill or Be Killed by Ed Brubaker. Sean Phillips and Elizabeth Breittwiser. It was okay. 

    It didn't grow. It followed the first person account of

    Oct 14,2021 01:08:04
48. 48. Issue 15: The Sandman Book Club (part 1)

    It's time for our first graphic novel book club. Starting this week, we're reading and discussing Neil Gaiman's celebrated work: The Sandman. Each book club episode will examine two volumes of the core Sandman series. Given the length of the overall series, the book club will be every other episode.  

    ----more----

    Sep 16,2021 01:01:37
49. 49. Issue 14: The New Guardians

    This week, we're taking a look at The New Guardians! DC's short-lived attempt at a topical superhero comic is... look. Just strap in. This is one of the wildest comic rides you'll ever go on. 

    ----more----

    Episode 14 Transcript

     

    Mike: [00:00:00] Y'all need Satan.

    Mike: Welcome to Ten Cent Takes, the podcast where we cringe at cursed comics, one issue at a time. My name is Mike Thompson, and I am joined by my cohost, the taskmaster of trivia herself, Jessika Frazer.

    Jessika: Ooh, it is I. 

    Mike: How are you doing tonight?

    Jessika: Oh, pretty good. How are you? 

    Mike: Uh, you know, I, I can't complain the week is coming to an end, so it's, something I'm looking forward to is this weekend and just chillin’ out.

    Jessika: Thank goodness. Yes, my BFF is in town, so that's, I'm very excited. She lives in Maine, so it's like very, very exciting that she is here. She's from around here, but just like visiting right now. So yes, I’m excited. 

    Mike: That's rad. If you're [00:01:00] new to the show, the purpose of this podcast is to study comic books in ways that are both fun and informative, hopefully. What we like to do is we like to look at some of the weirdest, strangest, silliest, or coolest moments in comic books, and then talk about how they are woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history.

    Today, we are going to be looking at the New Guardians, one of DC's stranger and more interesting maxi series that they produced from the 1980s. All right.

    Jessika: I’m vigorously shaking my head, as you were saying. And I'm just like, here we go.

    Mike: That was not a face that said my body is ready.

    Jessika: No, it's, it's not ready. Like, I mean, there's no lie. 

    Mike: I, I don't know. I, I don't know if anybody can truly be ready to talk about the New Guardians.[00:02:00] 

    Jessika: Are we going to have to put some sort of a warning? We're absolutely gonna have to put a warning on this episode. Like if you have little ears, please, I don't care what other episode, like we throw the F bomb around if that's your thing. That's fine. Most episodes are probably okay for that. But this one, please put the little ears away. Because I’m not holding back.

    Mike: We're going to have to do an extra swearing warning is what you're saying. 

    Jessika: Yeah. Like we'll have almost a content warning. I mean, we're getting into some, some heavy content this episode. 

    Mike: All right. Before we do that, though, we should talk about one cool thing that we've read or watched recently. So why don't you take it?

    Jessika: So knowing full well that I'm very behind in my media consumption. I watched the first episode of Star Wars’ the Bad Batch. 

    Mike: Oh, nice. Yeah, that looks like a really cool show. 

    Jessika: It's really good. Yes. I [00:03:00] really, really liked it. The first episode was legit, almost movie length. It's 70 minutes long. 

    Mike: Wow.

    Jessika: And I wasn't really expecting that. So I was, as I was watching it I'm like how long if I've been watching this show? Like, I mean, it was really good. I was involved and everything, but at one point I was just like, how long has this been?

    And I did the little button and I was like, oh, that makes sense. So it just was kind of. 

    Mike: Yeah. 

    Jessika: I love how the show is recreating the bits that we don't get to see about the rise of the empire and what that looked like from the inside of like the empire itself, which is so fascinating. And the computer animation is really neat. The 3d appearance gives it like some realism and depth. 

    Mike: Yeah. And from what I've seen is that animation style that they kind of started with 15 years ago with the clone wars series. That's kind of continued on, right? Yeah. I've only [00:04:00] watched a little of that, but that stuff has gotten so cool with all t

    Sep 02,2021 57:08
50. 50. Issue 13: Superboy

    Today we're checking out a couple of Jessika's latest estate sale finds: Superboy 109 & 110. We discuss the history of the character and how he's evolved, as well as these two issues in particular. Are these swingin' sixties stories about the Boy of Steel any good? Well, no. Not really. But they certainly gave us something to talk about!

    ----more----

    Episode 13 Transcript

    Jessika: [00:00:00] Dude. It's always fucking Florida,

    Mike: I can't think of anything that comes out of Florida that's good.

    Jessika: Hello. Welcome to Ten Cent Takes, the podcast where we traverse tumultuous time continuities, one issue at a time. My name is Jessika Frazier and I am joined by my cohost, the dastardly dog dad, Mike Thompson. 

    Mike: That's a fair description. 

    Jessika: That was a segue. We need to talk about your newest acquisition. 

    Mike: What, Mo? 

    Jessika: No. We've talked about Mo. What was your newest acquisition in relation to the squad? 

    Mike: Oh, right. We bought a dog wagon over the weekend. 

    Jessika: Yeah, you did!

    Mike: And then, uh, already busted it out and taking them all over the neighborhood [00:01:00] and to the beach. I think it was proven to be a wise investment when this neighbor who we'd never seen before stopped his car in the middle of the road and yelled at us about how cute he thought it was.

    He was like, “that's the cutest thing I've ever seen!” He was this big old dude. I'm like, alright, I'm on board with this. All right. Success. 

    Jessika: Amazing. 

    Mike: It was very wholesome. 

    Jessika: Well, I think Mike'll have to post at least one or two pictures of the dogs  in this week’s transcript.

    Mike: Yeah, no, we  can absolutely post photos of the dogs in this episode’s transcript. 

    Jessika: Yes.

    Mike: Yeah. 

    Jessika: Well, the purpose of this podcast is to study comic books in ways that are both fun and informative. We want to look at their coolest, weirdest and silliest moments, as well as examine how they're woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history. Today we'll be discussing the boy of steel, Superboy. While there are many variations of this character, we are going to be focusing on the OG [00:02:00] comics from 1944 to 69 as the ones that we talk about, but we will also just briefly touch upon the other comics, TV shows, and movies sporting the same character, as well as touch upon the absolute nightmare that is the timeline continuity, or lack thereof, that is Superman's life story. But before we do that, what is one cool thing that you've read or watched lately? 

    Mike: Sarah and I have been watching a show called Motherland: Fort Salem. Have you heard of this? 

    Jessika: I have, I was interested. Should I start it? 

    Mike: Yeah, we really dig it. It's on FreeForm, but it's streaming on Hulu. It takes place in this world where the United States stopped hunting witches 300 years ago and there was something called the Salem Accords signed. So now we have a world that's dominated by the USA and witches make up, as far as I can tell, the entirety of its armed forces.

    Jessika: [00:03:00] Oh, snap. 

    Mike: It's really cool. And the whole thing is magic is based on sound and resonance. And it's really a unique spin on things, but the show follows these three young witches who are recruited into the army and then start navigating their way through it. And the larger society, that's a part of the military and it's very comic book-y in terms of its plotting and character development and then the meta narrative as well. It's really cool. And it's really diverse in

    Aug 19,2021 01:02:33
51. 51. Issue 12: U.S. 1

    Hop into your big rigs and get ready for a wild ride! In this episode, we're going to be talking about U.S. 1, Marvel's licensed series about a long-haul trucker who also happened to be a superhero.----more----

    Episode 12 Transcript

    [00:00:00] Mike: If you're a middle-aged white guy, maybe trying to sit there and write about the troubles that indigenous people from other countries face, maybe don't do that. Just my ten cents.

    Welcome to Ten Cent Takes, the podcast where we hand-wave plot holes like it's nobody's business, one issue at a time. My name is Mike Thompson and I am joined by my cohost of chaos, Jessika Frazer.

    Jessika: Well, hello. 

    Mike: Hello.

    Jessika: How are you doing? 

    Mike: Uh, I am doing a lot better now that I am not on jury duty anymore. So.

    Jessika: Woo. 

    Mike: I mean, don't get me wrong. It's a [00:01:00] civic duty that we should all be happy to perform, but it's really nice when you don't have to do it.

    Jessika: I've been on a jury before. 

    Mike: Was it, a cool case?

    Jessika: No, it was a disturbing, unsettling case, but it was still a civic case? It was just, Yeah.

    It was, it was not great. And I couldn't talk about it. So let's just say I, I took out a lot of my angst with a tennis racket against the wall. Not, not the racket itself, but hitting the ball against the wall a lot.

    Mike: Yeah, 

    Jessika: But, civic, duty, it is. So I was 19 at the time. 

    Mike: I think the last time I had to report for jury duty in person I was 25, give or take.

    Jessika: Mm. 

    Mike: And then I got dismissed because they asked me if I would believe a teenager's word over a cop, and at the time I was like, hell no. And these days.

    Jessika: Yeah. Different opinions now. 

    Mike: Yeah. [00:02:00]

    Tangent aside, the reason that we're here on this podcast is because we like to look at and talk about comic books in ways that are both fun and informative. We like to look at the weirdest, silliest, strangest, and coolest moments, and examine how they have been woven into pop culture and history in general. 

    In this episode, we're hitting the open road of the Marvel Universe and looking at U.S. 1, a 1980s maxi-series about a superhero big rig trucker. But before we go down that road, what is one cool thing that you have read or watched lately?

    Jessika: So, I had a suggestion made to me by Lauren, from Outer Planes in Santa Rosa. Hey Lauren. And she told me about a comic that is set in the same universe as the Alice in Leatherland that I started reading and I've had on my pull list now. 

    Mike: Yeah, the one that you mentioned a couple episodes ago? 

    [00:03:00] Jessika: Yeah.

    Yeah, exactly. And so it was also from Black Mask and it's called Destiny, NY.  I'm on issue one, which is a veritable chonker,  it's absolutely awesome. There are two girls kissing in a closet within the first three pages, so you know I'm already in. And it's cool because it's set in a version of New York where magic exists, and follows a school for kids that have been told by one seer or another that they have a destiny or a prophecy to fulfill. And the students have different abilities and visual characteristics, like one has a third eye and she's supposed to like, see the greatest lie out of the truths or something like that.

    And she's like, but I don't even know what that is.  It's all super vague, like these poor kids. And I've grabbed the first five issues, and I will be tearing through these and no [00:04:00] time. I'm sure, cause it's already super fun. 

    Mike: Yeah, that sounds fantastic, to be completely honest. There was a book that I read about a year ago called Magic for Liars, which is a boarding school for magic users. And then the sister of, one of the faculty is called in to investigate a death, and it's really cool because she's not a magic user, but he

    Aug 05,2021 47:06
52. 52. Issue 11: The Ninja Turtles' Comic Evolution

    Hey, there, fellow heroes in a half-shell!

    This week, we're examining how the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles evolved across approximately 30 years and four comic book series. 

    In this episode, we're looking at: 

    • The original Mirage series
    • TMNT Adventures from Archie Comics
    • The short-lived Image Comics series from the 90s
    • IDW's 2011 series

    ----more----

    Episode 11 Transcript

    [00:00:00] Jessika: You're going to cut all this bullshit, 

    Mike: Oh yeah, of course. 

    Jessika: Okay.  

    Hello? Hello. Welcome to Ten Cent Takes, the podcast where we share hot and delicious slices of comic-flavored facts, one issue at a time. My name is Jessika Frazer and I am joined by my co-host, the man of mystery himself, Mike Thompson.

    Mike: Ooh. I like that. 

    Jessika: You're mysterious. 

    Mike: I'm really not. 

    Jessika: You're just a voice to these people. 

    Mike: That is true. 

    Jessika: Let this parasocial relationship happen for them.

    Mike: Fine. 

    Jessika: So, Mike, do you want to tell our listeners what this here podcast is about?

    Mike: This is payback for last week, isn't it? 

    Jessika: Certainly is.

    Mike: Yeah, [00:01:00] fine. So here at Ten Cent Takes, we like to talk about comics and we like to talk about how they are interwoven with history and pop culture. Sometimes our conversations are weird, sometimes they're funny, but hopefully they are always interesting. Come for the deep dives, stay for the swearing. 

    Jessika: Fuck yes.

    Mike: Yeah. 

    Jessika: Well, today we're going to be taking a deep dive into the comics of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, how they got their start, the people and the publishers involved, and some information and opinions about the different iterations of this beloved comic. 

    But before we go any further, we have corrections and announcements. Mike, you want to start us off?

    Mike: Yeah, sorry. So I realized after the episode about the ninja turtles movies that I said, Howard the Duck was done by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, but it was George Lucas. Spielberg and Lucas worked together on some other major projects in the eighties, but not Howard the [00:02:00] Duck. You will be pleased to know that I was correct about Corey Feldman being a generally terrible human being. So, no apologies there. 

    Also, we are going to continue our giveaway raffle in exchange for sending us a screenshot of a review that you leave for us on Apple podcasts.

    It doesn't matter what the rating is, we love five stars, but we'll take anything. We will enter you into a drawing for a $25 gift certificate to NewKadia. If you can get your review in before August 5th, that will be roughly a month from when we first announced the giveaway, that would be great. And then we will contact the winner directly. just take a screenshot of your review, email it to [email protected], and that's all you have to do. 

    Jessika: Go get you some prizes.

    Mike: Yeah. 

     Jessika: All right. So good news, everyone. We now have both an Instagram and a Facebook account, so we will be posting episode updates and potentially bonus posts related to the [00:03:00] episode. So feel free to follow us. We're at Ten Cent Takes at both of those places.

    All right. So, Mike, do you want to mosey along to one cool thing that you have read or watched lately?

    Mike: Yeah, I guess I can be tempted to go that route. so I've been actually reading a lot of cool stuff lately. I actually just did a big run to Brian’s Comics in Petaluma, and, and had a huge haul of stuff on my pull list, cause it had been about a month since I was there and I'd added some stuff to it. But, something I picked up just this week from Brian's is this new book called the Nice House on the Lake.

    It's published by DC un

    Jul 22,2021 57:29
53. 53. Issue 10: Judge Dredd in Film

    Freeze, creep! This week, we're checking out the 1995 and 2012 attempts to bring Judge Dredd to American movie audiences. Spoiler alert: It didn't work out like the studios hoped. 

    ----more----

    [00:00:00] Mike: That's a little too thirsty, I think. Welcome to Tencent takes the podcast where we violate Mega City One’s judicial codes, one issue at a time. Coming at you live from the hot box of my closet; I have not showered in 24-hours, and I smell fantastic. I'm Mike Thompson and I am joined by my co-host, the princess of pain, Jessika Frazer. Jessika: Yaar! I’m also - Mike: How are you smelling? Jessika: God, I'm in a hotbox of pain at the very least, I had to go to work like physically into the office today. So I actually, you know, had to be decent enough to be around people that are masked, so the deodorant had to at least be applied, but. Mike: No hard pass. I work out of my bedroom now, you’re lucky if you get pants. Jessika: Well, that's nice. [00:01:00] Mike: Would you like to explain why we are here? Jessika: You know, we're here because we love comics. Mike, Mike: True. Jessika: We love comics. We want to talk about all the comics. We want to do deep dives about our favorite comics and their heroes, and where they came from. And wild little stories that we find out about them and bringing in nefarious characters like Eric Estrada. He's not a nefarious. Mike: He's a little nefarious. He was involved in a really weird kind of scammy land sale thing. He did also endorse Trump on Twitter. Remember that where he was like - Jessika: Oh God. He is nefarious. Gosh, darn I, why do I always want to give Eric Estrada so much credit? I'm like way too nice to the guy. I don't even know him. I do follow him on Twitter now, but. Mike: No. He literally told Donald Trump on Twitter that he should run for president because he tells it like it is. So thanks, Eric. Thanks. Appreciate that. Jessika: No. That was a bad idea. Like, for [00:02:00] the record, I don't know if anyone else knows that. Everyone else knows that, every other country knows that. Mike: They do now. Jessika: Oh man, we're going to get into some hot topics today, too. This is already a good start. Mike: Yeah. So before I interrupted you, is there anything else that we'd like to cover or talk about or look at? Jessika: Oh, their video games, all the related media movies. Everything, everything comics related, we want to talk about it. Mike: Fair. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: Well, today we are going to hop on our Law Masters and cruise the Cursed Earth as we check out both the cinematic adaptations of Judge Dredd. But, before we do that, before we dive into this episode, we'd like to acknowledge a small milestone because this is our 10th episode and we've received over 500 downloads. So, you know, that may not sound like anything major compared to a lot of podcasts out there, but we're incredibly proud of what we've been able to achieve and how far we've gotten so far. And if you're listening to us, we're super [00:03:00] grateful that you've just given us your time. We really appreciate it. So to celebrate, we're going to do a giveaway. If you go to our page on Apple Podcast and leave a rating, and then email us a screenshot of said rating and a review, but that's only if you're inclined, really, we just care about the rating. We’ll enter you to win a $25 gift card from NewKadia. NewKadia actually offers international shipping too. So, even listeners outside of the continental us are eligible. Jessika: That's super exciting! Mike: Yeah. Jessika: So Yeah. Rate us, review us. We appreciate you all. Mike: Even you. Yeah. So I'm talking to you right through your car stereo right now. Jessika: We're there with you driving along. Hey, watch the road. Mike: All right. We're at the point of the episode where we like to start off with one cool thing that we've read or watched lately, do you want to start off? Jessika: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So I needed a little

    Jul 08,2021 01:21:07
54. 54. Issue 09: The (original) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies

    Join us as Jessika takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of the 1990s Ninja Turtle movies. Come for the stories about Jim Henson, stay for the ragging on Corey Feldman.

    We will not be discussing the Michael Bay abominations.

    ----more----

    Episode 9 Transcription

    [00:00:00] Jessika: God, am I wheezy on my microphone right now?Hello. Welcome to Ten Cent Takes the podcast where we serve comics knowledge on the half shell, one issue at a time. My name is Jessika Frazier and I'm joined by my cohost, the righteous reader, Mike Thompson.Hello? Mike: Hello.Jessika: Well, the purpose of our podcast is to study comic books in ways that are both fun and informative. We want to look at their coolest, weirdest and silliest moments, as well as examine how they're woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history. Today, we're going to be discussing movies from a genre that is very near and dear to my heart, the Teenage Mutant Ninja [00:01:00] Turtles.Now we won’t be doing a deep dive into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, but stay tuned for a future episode. We are going to be talking about the live action, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle films from the nineties, the drama leading up to the making of the films, the ingenuity, and detailed involved in the filming itself, along with the casting crew and some of their recollections and anecdotes.But before we do Mike, what is a one cool thing you've read or watched lately?Mike: well, I know what we have both been watching actually. And I feel like, uh, maybe you need to start off this conversation. Jessika: So, yeah, cause I, I see that you have written the same thing as I, as we do have a shared file here. Well, I watched the first few episodes of MODOK, which just came out this year and it is witty and wonderful. Mike: I think it came out like a week ago. Jessika: Oh, sweet.Mike: Yeah, like it's real [00:02:00] fresh. Jessika: Well, thank you to my friend who was like, we need to watch this because you'll really enjoy it. And in fact I did. So, and now that I have my head sort of out of turtle world, I'll be able to watch a little bit more. But for those of you who haven't seen it yet, it follows a blundering Marvel villain with a big head and a super tiny body named MODOK. He flies around on this little hover in this little hover situation. It's very funny. And it follows his evil ventures and how they bleed into his family life in the suburbs, and it is produced by a variety of people. One of whom is Seth green and the show does have a very, a robot chicken vibe to it. It's done in Claymation and can get pretty violent and graphic,  in a Claymation kind of way. But I wouldn't say it's a kid show. I also got a star-studded cast Patton Oswalt is in it. Amy Garcia, Ben Schwartz -whom I loved in Parks and Rec- John Hamm, Nathan Fillion, Whoopie shows up. There's a ton of people.I'm only four episodes in out [00:03:00] of the ten, that comprise season one, but I'm super looking forward to laughing my way through the remaining six potentially tonight.Mike: I'm not going to spoil it for you, but Alan Tudyk shows up in a role where he sounds almost exactly like Joker from Harley Quinn. It’s great.Jessika: Oh, I'm so excited.  So what did you think about it?Mike: We loved it. So Sarah and I wound up bingeing it last Friday when we didn't have the kids, because we knew it was not a friendly show,  as you get the warning at the very beginning, talking about how this is a mature show and it is not, not for small children. I think we binged all of it in one night because you know, it was only 10 episodes and they're half hour.  So we didn't know  much about it. Other than I'd seen a promo image for it. I had seen a bunch of nerds getting mad about it online, but I also knew that Patton Oswalt was involved. So I was already sold because anything that man touches I will consume. We wound up just being blown out of the water. And it's so funny while also [0

    Jun 24,2021 01:10:09
55. 55. Issue 08: Marvel's Christian Comics (Part 2)

    Picking up where we last left off, it's time to learn about Marvel's second attempt at comics for Christian audiences. Highlights include comic adaptations of "classic" Christian stories and the creation of an evangelical superhero, but the results were decidedly less impressive than the "Saint Series" from the early 80s. 

    ----more----

    Episode 8 Transcription

    [00:00:00] Jessika: Good, I can see, perfect. No sneaking up on me, Jesus. 

    Mike: Welcome to Ten Cent Takes, the podcast where we partake in comics’ forbidden fruit, one issue at a time. My name is Mike Thompson and I'm joined by my cohost, the muffin of mayhem herself, Jessika Frazer.

    Jessika: Hello. 

    Mike: How's it going?

    Jessika: Oh, pretty good. Even better, now that you're calling me a muffin. I love it.

    Mike: I mean, it was either that or the scone of scorn and I liked muffin of mayhem better.

    Jessika: Oh, either way. I mean, it's very close. I do have a cupcake on my shoulder as you know.

    Mike: Yes.  [00:01:00] Well, as always, the purpose of this podcast is to perform deep dives on comic books in ways that are both fun and informative. We want to look at their coolest, weirdest and silliest moments, as well as examine how they're woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history. Today, we're picking up where we left off with our last episode and concluding our look at Marvel's short-lived run of Christian comics.

    Are you ready?

    Jessika: Yeehaw. 

    Mike: Well, I'm going to give you a quick break before we actually get into that. What is one cool thing that you have read or watched since we last recorded?

    Jessika: I started reading the Princeless series by Jeremy Whitley. 

    Mike: Nice.

    Jessika: Yeah. The art for the first book was by M Goodwin, but there are other artists involved, including Emily Martin, who is local to our area, which is super neat.

    Mike: Yeah. I met her at Luma [00:02:00] Con a couple of years ago. 

    Jessika: Oh, that's rad as heck. Nice, nice. 

    So, the story follows a princess, Adrienne, who from a young age, is not at all on board with the conventional helpless role she's expected to take as a princess, and is not happy about being locked in a tower alone. So she decides that she doesn't need to continue this path that has been chosen for her and escapes to help others.

    She's also a person of color and her hair care routines and style reflect that, which is wonderful. And I'm only one issue into the first book, but I'm so excited to see what destiny Adrienne writes for herself. 

    Mike: I think I read the first volume a couple of years ago and I really enjoyed it. It was a really fresh feeling story.

    Jessika: That's how I felt about it, it was very refreshing. 

    Well, what about [00:03:00] you? Whatcha been reading? 

    Mike: So, one of the series that I have on my pull list at Brian's comics up in Petaluma is We Only Find Them When They're Dead from Boom. It’s about six issues. And now it's this really cool sci-fi fantasy sort of series by Al Ewing who has really gotten big while he's been writing the Immortal Hulk, which I also highly recommend because that takes the incredible Hulk storyline and turns it into pretty much a horror story.

    Jessika: Oh, cool. 

    Mike: It's really neat. And it's really unnerving and, he’s been writing it for over 30 issues now, I think, but it's really solid. And the whole idea is that the Hulk is effectively an immortal being and he can't die. But how that comes into play is genuinely terrifying at times.

    But Al Ewing did this new series called We Only Find Them When They're Dead. The series is just incredible. And it's set in this weird dystopian future where [00:04:00] the bodies of these giant space gods, for lack of a better term appear out of nowhere. And then humanity is so stretched thin for resources that, that w

    Jun 09,2021 58:00
56. 56. Issue 07: Marvel's Christian Comics (Part 1)

    Alright, everybody. Gather round. It's time we talked about how Marvel tried to get right with Jesus. Twice. 

    ----more----

    Episode 7 Transcription

    [00:00:00] Mike: is there anything more offensive than lazy comic books?

     

    Welcome to Tencent takes the podcast where we apologize for comic books ends one issue at a time. My name is Mike Thompson and I am joined as always by my co-host, the celebrated comedian, Jessika Frazer.

    Jessika: Hello. Hello.

    Mike: How are you doing?

    Jessika: Oh, I'm pretty good, wild week, but I mean, we have comics to go with.

    Mike: Comics make everything better.

    Jessika: It's true.

    Mike: If you're new to the show, the purpose of this podcast is to look at comics in ways that are both fun and informative. We want to look at their coolest, weirdest and silliest moments, as well as examine how they're [00:01:00] woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history.

    Today, we’re venturing out of our fool's paradise and checking out how Marvel tried to get right with Jesus through not one, but two runs of Christian comics.

    Jessika: Gawd, you almost wished they had stopped. 

    Mike: It’s a ride.

    Jessika: It's such a ride.

    Mike: Before we get started though, Jess, what is one cool thing that you've read or watched lately?

    Jessika: Well, I am very excited about what I'm about to share. And I was recently at my local comic shop and grabbed the first copy and started a subscription for the comic Alice in Leatherland by Iolanda Zanfardino and Elisa Romboli and published through Black Mask Entertainment.

    Mike: Oh, Black Mask is awesome. They're a smaller imprint, but they were super supportive of local shops when the lockdown happened.

    Jessika: Oh, that's lovely. I'm really glad I supported them then.

    Mike: Yeah. I, if I remember right, Brian’s, our [00:02:00] local shop in Petaluma, they did a deal where Brian's was talking about it, and basically they had, if you did a direct order from them, they would split the revenue 50, 50, as long as you provided the name of the local shop.

    Jessika: Oh, that's so nice.

    Mike: Yeah, they're rad. I really liked them a lot.

    Jessika: I already really liked this comic. I mean, I'm one issue in. 

    Mike: Yeah. I haven't heard of it.

    Jessika: Oh, it's amazing. It's queer. You know, I love me some queer content. It's emotional. The animation style right now is monochromatic and detailed. So I'm interested to see if the color vibe continues that way, or if it goes in another direction, kind of, as the story continues.

    Mike: Okay.

    Jessika: The storyline seems like it's going to take us on a really fun sex and kink positive adventure, and I'm excited to see what the next issue brings us.

    Mike: That sounds really cool.

    Jessika: Yeah. What about you?

    Mike: Well, I have not been reading new comics, it’s kind of the opposite of [00:03:00] that. I finally got my old comic collection from my parents' house and I've been digging through it for the past couple of days. 

    Jessika: Nice. 

    Mike: Yeah, it's, it's a time capsule.  And it's also, it's, it's a lot of fun to see what I was reading and also cringe a little bit, but also see that in some cases I had really good taste and that collection is appreciated better than some people's stock portfolios, I’m sure. So that was kind of cool to find the first appearance of Bain in the middle of the box.

    Jessika: Oh, that's cool. So you curated that collection, it wasn't like things that were kind of given to you or was it a combination?

    Mike: It was a little bit of both. But I mean, I started, I started really collecting comics when I was about nine or 10, and so it was, it was several long boxes. So, you know, the first appearance of He-Man was in there as well. And then, one of the things  that I actively collected was a comic series called X, and it wa

    May 27,2021 46:12
57. 57. Issue 06: Spire Christian Comics

    What do Archie, Biblical Apocalypse fiction, and Erik Estrada all have in common? It turns out each of these appeared in stories published by Spire Christian Comics. 

    Join us as we journey through history to learn about and cringe at one of the craziest publishers to come out of the 1970s.

    ----more----

    Episode 6 Transcription

    [00:00:00] Jessika: Yeah. How are you going to display your deceased cult leader's body if you don't have a Tik Tok?

    Welcome to Ten Cent Takes, the podcast where we predict the coming of the end of days. One issue at a time. My name is Jessika Frazer and I am joined by my cohost, the savior of sweets, Mike Thompson.

    Mike: Eeeeeey.

    Jessika: The purpose of our podcast is to study comic books in ways that are both fun and informative.

    We want to look at their coolest, weirdest and silliest moments, as well as examine how they're woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history. Today, we're taking a turn for the religious as we look at  Spire Christian Comics. We'll look at the [00:01:00] history behind the publication, the comics and the books they were based upon and discuss how Archie played a role in trying to educate the youths about Jesus.

    Mike: What.

    Jessika: Yeah, that's happening. Okay. I know we say this every week, but this was once again a rabbit hole filled episode. So buckle up, friends.

    Mike: It's almost like we're developing a theme.

    Jessika: Oh no. Yes. I like it though.

    Mike: They're worse themes to have.

    Jessika: There are. There are. Before we get to our main topic and the one cool thing we've read and talked about lately, let's call upon the fact that it is May 4th and May the Fourth be with you, Mike.

    Mike: And May the Fourth be with you.

    Jessika: Well, I thank you. For the record: Let it be known that I am wearing an R2D2 printed dress and I have Leia buns. So I am dressed appropriately and I saw that your household was also celebrating.

    [00:02:00] Mike: Yeah. We festooned everything, but we didn't have any Star Wars outfits to wear, unfortunately. So we just threw up  Star Wars comics around the household in front of our Vader poster and other things that we have. But I have a couple of the really old Dark Horse comics that I absolutely love and adore.

    Jessika: That's so fun. I love it. Well, we like to do something each week called One Cool Thing You've Read or Watched Lately. Mike, why don't you start us off?

    Mike:  Sure. So this weekend I wound up reading through DC’s Doomsday Clock collection on Hoopla.  It's basically the official comic book sequel to Watchmen.  It finally delivers the payoff that DC set up back in 2017 when they revealed Dr. Manhattan was involved in the creation of both the New 52 and Rebirth universes.

    Have you read Watchman? 

    Jessika: I haven’t read it, no.

    Mike: Okay.  It's one of those iconic series that everybody loves to talk about. [00:03:00] And to be honest, it's one that I never really enjoyed because I felt that I had a pretty nihilistic tone. But I've read it. I appreciate what it did for comics in the era. It was interesting. I read this and I actually was pretty sour at the start, mainly because I wasn't sure that I liked the story because again, it felt pretty nihilistic and ugly. That said, I actually really enjoyed the way that everything paid off at the end. Primarily the idea that there's now a quote unquote metaverse in the DC continuity, which feels like honestly the best response to all the different universe resets that they've been doing since the 80s   it wound up being  hopeful with a surprisingly sweet ending. I mean, it's not as good as the HBO

    May 13,2021 55:35
58. 58. Issue 05: Highlander

    There can be only one, but Highlander's had a surprising number of media adaptations and spin-offs over the years. We take a look at all of them and even get some behind-the-scenes gossip about the infamous comic book tie-in: Highlander 3030. ----more----

    Episode Transcript

     

    Episode 05 [00:00:00] Mike: It's fine. It's fine. I'm not bitter. Mike: Welcome to Tencent Takes, the podcast where we make comics trivia rain like dollar bills on Magic Mike night. My name is Mike Thompson and I am joined by my cohost, the mistress of mayhem herself, Jessika Frazer. Jessika: Muahahaha! It is I hello, Mike. Mike: Hello. If you're new to the podcast, we like to look at comic books in ways that are both fun and informative. We want to check out their coolest, weirdest and silliest moments, as well as examine how they've been woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history. Today, we are traveling through time and talking about the 35 year legacy of one of the strongest cult franchises around, Highlander. But [00:01:00] before we do that, Jessika, what is one cool thing that you've watched or read lately? Jessika: My brother has some copies of classic Peanuts Comics, and it's so much fun. It's good, wholesome, fun. And Snoopy- related media always makes me nostalgic. And Mike you've mentioned before that we're in California in the San Francisco Bay area, but fun fact, I live right near Santa Rosa, which is the home of the Peanuts creator Charles Schultz when he was alive. So there's a museum there and an ice skating rink. Mike: Yeah. Jessika: Which is super awesome And Snoopy on ice was huge when I was a kid. And that is definitely the place I also learned to ice skate. By the way, they throw a mean birthday party, just saying, not right this second. Not this second. [00:02:00] We should do it is what I'm saying. Mike: We should do it for ourselves. Jessika: No, that's what I'm saying. Oh, I don't have children. Mike: But we do. Jessika: Yes, they can come with us, like they're invited. Mike: I mean, are they? Jessika: Look at you hesitating. Mike: We took the kids to the Peanuts museum right before the lockdowns happened. that really Jessika: That's really lovely that's nice got to do that. Mike: There’s a lot of cool stuff to do. It's really interactive. It's also just a really fascinating experience because there's so much about the Peanuts during their, what 50 year run give or take. It may not have been that long. It may have been 30 or 40, but it was a long time, and I really dug it, like there was a lot of cool stuff, so yeah . And also the cool thing about Santa Rosa is they've also got all those Snoopy statues all over town too. Jessika: They do. Yeah. All the [00:03:00] Peanuts characters actually. Cause they, the Charlie Browns and the Lucy's now and the Woodstocks. Yeah they're all over the place. But that used to be something fun we could do as a scavenger hunt, and actually that's something you guys could still do even with the lockdown. Cause most of them are outside is just find that list of where all the Snoopy's or whatever character is and go find them all. Cause we did that at one point, like as an adult, obviously. Well, what about you, Mike? Mike: The complete opposite of something wholesome. Jessika: Perfect. Mike: We didn't actually have the kids for a few days. They were with their dad and we couldn't find anything new to watch. So, we wound up bingeing the entire series of Harley Quinn on HBO Max. Jessika: Oh, you’re ahead of me then. Damn you. Mike: This is my third time going through the series. We've just gotten to the point where we turned it on when we want to watch something that's kind of soothing in a way, even though it is not a soothing TV show. But I still am [00:04:00] having these full on belly laughs where I'm breathless at the end and it's just, it's so smart and funny and absolutely filthy with the violence. And then there are these moments of sweetness or genuine reflec

    Apr 29,2021 01:36:50
59. 59. Issue 04: Wonder Woman Outside the DCEU

    "March" Movie Madness part 3 (of 3)! For our final Justice League movie discussion, we go outside the DCEU and discuss two movies dealing with Wonder Woman's origins in very different ways. 

    Professor Marston and the Wonder Women tells the story of Wonder Woman's creation and also looks at the unconventional lives of her creators. Meanwhile, the 2009 animated film provides a more modern take with an all-star vocal cast. 

    Join us as we go down the rabbit hole that is Wonder Woman's history and discuss kink, polyamory, and BDSM. And -per usual- we swear a lot, too.

    Have questions/comments/concerns? Hit us up: [email protected]

    ----more----

     

    Jessika: I hope you realize what extremely heavy California accents we have. I hope you understand when the feedback comes in, that will be part of it! Hello and welcome to Ten Cent Takes, the podcast where we correct your comic misconceptions. One issue at a time. My name is Jessika Frazier and I am joined by my cohost, the royal robot, Mike Thompson. Mike: That's right. All my circuits are platinum or I don't know. Gold, gold plated, something. Jessika: Oh, gold plated. You've got like diamond and crusted things. They also serve a purpose being one of the sharpest items or Mike: Yeah I it. Thank you for that intro. Jessika: Of course. Well, the purpose of this podcast is to study comic books in ways that are both fun and informative. We want to look at their coolest, weirdest and silliest moments, as well as examine how they're woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history. Now, today we're discussing the final installment of our "March" movie madness. Now I'm throwing heavy quotes around March movie madness because it is actually April. Mike: It's almost tax day at this point. Jessika: It's almost tax day. So we bled out a little bit, but we're trying to do these bi-weekly we got a little ahead of ourselves because we got so excited just to be talking about these things that we did a few more than we really anticipated in March, I would say to our listeners benefit. Mike: Yeah, sure. I concur. Jessika: So we are doing a deep dive into Wonder Woman's origins today. Now I'm not just talking about the origins of the character, but also of their creator and the reasons and motivations that drove this comic into existence. I'm excited about this. Mike: I am too. These movies were really pleasant surprises for different reasons. Jessika: I will agree with that wholeheartedly. Now, before we get into that, though. We love to do that whole one cool thing you've read or watched lately. And Mike, let's go ahead and start with you. Mike: Yeah. So I've been consuming a lot of Star Trek lately. I really enjoy the franchise in general, but I have this deep abiding passion for Deep Space Nine because my great uncle who was essentially my grandfather when I was growing up , we used to watch the show together every Sunday when we would go over to their house for dinner. So like, that was just this wonderful bonding activity with this guy who used to be a dive bomber in World War II and his very nerdy little 11-year-old nephew. I have these very treasured memories and I have the entire series on DVD of Deep Space Nine, which I will be buried with by the way. But both the entire series and the recent documentary about the show is on Amazon Prime. So I've been rewatching all of that, and I've been actually rereading some of the comics and then last week Star Trek Legends came out on a Apple Arcade and... it's fine. It's nothing special, but it's a fun distraction if you're a Trekkie who wants to just mash it up all the various characters from the different series together. So I currently have a away team with characters from the Next Generation and then Discovery and then the original series all together. And it's dumb, but it's fun. But this has led me down this rabbit hole, and I think that we should probably wind up doing an episode on Star Trek histo

    Apr 15,2021 01:23:09
60. 60. Issue 03: (Sigh) The Snyder Cut

    March Movie Madness Part 2 (of 3). Welp. It's here. We watched it. Is it better than the theatrical version? How did it get here? Did we like it? Tune in for all these answers, plus a lot of swearing.

    Also! Come back in a couple of weeks for our final "March" movie episode! 

    Have questions/comments/concerns? Shoot us an email: [email protected]

    ----more----

    Episode Transcript

    Mike: Ancient Lamentation is my new favorite type of music.

    Jessika: Warning: this is a spoiler full episode, discussing Zack Snyder's newly released Cut of DC's Justice League. If you haven't already seen this film and don't want to be completely spoiled, we'd recommend you check that out before joining us. You can't say we didn't warn you.

    Mike: Hello. This is Ten Cent Takes, the podcast where we ruin your favorite fandoms one issue at a time. My name is Mike Thompson. I am joined by my cohost of chaos, Jessika Frazier.

    Jessika: Hey, Mike.

    No I'm. That was hysterical. I did. Yeah, I know. Did you see my face? I was like, okay, don't breathe in too heavily. You're being recorded. 

    Mike: Yeah. Everything is forever on a podcast. If you're joining us for the first time, the purpose of this podcast is to talk about comic books and the things that connect to them in ways that are fun and informative.

    We want to look at the coolest, weirdest and silliest moments as well as examine how they are woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history. Today, we are going to continue our run of March movie madness and talk about. Dun dun duh, the Snyder Cut, which just dropped a few days ago. Before we get to that topic though: Jess, what is one cool thing that you've read or watched recently? 

    Jessika: I grabbed some original print used comics from an absolute time capsule of an estate sale. I went to recently -masked of course- I hope everyone is staying safe. We are still mid- pandemic. So I didn't even look at the comics prior to purchasing them.

    But ooh boy, I found some treasures and we will talk about a couple of them later in a, probably a couple of upcoming episodes. But the one I looked through this week was an issue of Archie and friends from 1975. And this one just has this awful one- pager that it took me a really long time to get what it meant.

    I'm going to send it to you. 

    Mike: Okay. 

    Jessika: And then I'll tell you why I didn't understand it at first. 

    Mike: W- what? 

    Jessika: That was my reaction. 

    Mike: Huh? Okay. Should I describe this? 

    Jessika: Yeah, absolutely. Please. I've given you the worst thing. 

    Mike: This is a, a one-page comic call called little jinx, you know, L I apostrophe L jinx with an X and then "Weak End" as in W-E-A-K as in not strong end.

    So it's this little blonde girl in floral print bell-bottoms running up to her dad who is apparently painting a cupboard or something in the garage. And she says, "daddy, it hurts when I swallow." And the dad -who I guess is a relative of Archie based on his hair color and style- he says, come on little jinx," we'll get, we'll let our doctor look at it."

    And she goes, "er... Do I have to?" "Don't you want him to fix up your sore throat? "And then she says, "sure. But when he fixes this end" and she points at her throat, she then is like gesturing at her butt in the final panel. And she goes, "I have trouble with my other end when I sit down," which raises so many questions.

    Why namely, why would you take your child to the proctologist for a sore throat? 

    Jessika: I don't think that, yeah, well that too. I, you know, and I was trying to figure out, okay, wait, first of a

    Mar 25,2021 01:10:57
61. 61. Issue 02: Wonder Woman/Wonder Woman 1984

    March Movie Madness Part 1 (of 3)! March is National Women’s Month, so -ahead of the Snyder Cut- we’re talking about Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984. What did we like? What would we change? What would we throw out altogether? 

     

    Tune in next week for our thoughts on the Snyder Cut!

    Have questions/comments/concerns? Shoot us an email: [email protected]

    ----more----

    Transcript of Episode:

    [00:00:00] Jessika: Do you, you can be, you know what, honestly, you can bitch about Snyder again,

    Hello, hello and welcome to Ten Cent Takes the podcast where we rip into the comic books and characters you know and love, one issue at a time. My name is Jessica Frazier and I'm joined by my cohost, the Bitchin' Baker Mike Thompson.

    Mike: Hello. 

    Jessika: Well, if you're new here, the purpose of this podcast is to take a closer look at comic books and comic related media and how it's affected pop culture and our collective consciousness shaping how we view the world around us. Our topic for today is actually a deep dive into the recent [00:01:00] iterations of the Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 84 films.

    What do you think Mike? 

    Mike: I'm excited? Uh, I really, I really enjoyed the first Wonder Woman movie when I saw it in theaters. I haven't seen it since then. So it was really just a fun trip down memory lane to sit and watch it with my partner. And then. Kind of tear it apart a little bit, but yeah, we, you know, the, the Wonder Woman, the Wonder Woman, movies, I think are a bright spot and the DC extended universe.

    And so I'm genuinely jazzed to talk about it with someone else. Like this is kind of like, based on our, our plans for the next couple of episodes, I guess it's almost like March movie madness. 

    Jessika: Yeah. I was thinking that I was, I was getting myself very mentally prepared for a lot of. Sitting and watching movies with my dog.

    So I'm excited. So is he, Carl's stoked. 

    Mike: What's his favorite movie [00:02:00] snack? 

    Jessika: You know, he just watches me eat movies, snacks, because he doesn't eat people, food. Whoops. I'm not owner where I'm like stuff feeding my dog eat. This is the reason he does not bag. He's such a good boy.

    Mike: Yeah. Meanwhile, my dogs are all over me as soon as I'm eating lunch,

    Jessika:  Your dogs are like tiny spiders. I don't know how they climb up so high. 

    Mike: I don't know either, man. It's weird. All right. So, uh, you are leading this episode, so let's get started.

    Jessika:  The thing we like to do each week is talk about one cool thing that you have read or watched recently, like right.

    You take it away. 

    Mike: Yeah. So the memorable thing that I have been consuming media wise over the past week or so has been a TV show called Resident Alien, which is a new show on the scifi network. Sarah and I were watching it and it's it's it's okay. At [00:03:00] first it's about this alien who crashed lands on earth, kills a human, takes his form, and then has to assume the identity of a small town doctor.

    It's kind of a, a sci-fi comedy drama, but it stars Alan Tudyk, who if you've watched over the past 20 years he shows up in and he is, I think one of the most underrated actors, he really is just so wonderful at playing weird roles. And so he plays this character who is an alien, trying to blend in badly with humans in a small town in Colorado.

    And he is so funny and you watch it and you're. You can understand how people kind of write them off as just, "Oh, this is a guy who is somewhere on the spectrum," bu

    Mar 18,2021 49:14
62. 62. Issue 01: Saturday Morning Cartoons

    What do the 1980s, children's programming, and unbridled capitalism have in common?

    In our first episode, we talk about the history of children's programming, what led to the Saturday Morning Cartoons so many of us grew up with, and how comic books helped created some of the biggest brands of the decade. ----more----

    Have questions/comments/concerns? Shoot us an email: [email protected]

     

    Mar 11,2021 01:18:55