Episode 470 & 530: Spotlight on Superman in the Bronze / Byrne / Jurgens ~ response

bralinator

CGS Presents Classic Geek Speak: Spotlight on Superman in the Bronze Age - Listen Here!

CGS Presents Classic Geek Speak: Spotlight on Superman in the Byrne/Jurgens Years - Listen Here!

Those were both very good episodes when they came out, and still are, but in my mind the back-to-back Superman Spotlight podcast re-runs only serve to remind me that Brian Christman has left the building. And while I'm sure that hearing Deemer and Rios in the mix was probably a welcome reminisce for many of us here (it is for me), I just listened to these as recently as September, when the silver-age Superman spotlight was re-released.

So, that's all, just being a geek curmudgeon... and anxiously awaiting your next ALL-NEW episode... any idea on an ETA for that?

gothamkid

I hope this is taken as constructive criticism, but this really highlighted for me the upswing in quality in the Spotlights, especially when Mr. Eberle is part of the proceedings. While they haven't been a review of every issue ever, the recent Spotlights have been very focused walkthrus with looks at important arcs, creative teams, etc. Imagine a Superman Byrne/Jurgens walk-thru that looked like this:
- Brief description of revamp politics and the differing teams at play.
- Man of Steel
- Key changes to existing characters as they're introduced
- The Phantom Zone Villain Arc
- Gangbuster
- The Exile
- Times Past
- Krisis of the the Krimson Kryptonie
- Panic in the Sky
- The Death of Luthor
- Doomsday/Funeral for a Friend
- Reign of the Supermen

I hope the team does more Spotlights in the vein they've done recently, I hope the Mr. Eberle would consent to some non-Marvel Spotlights, and I hope the team considers revisiting some of their former Spotlights and give them a more thorough review in the spirit of the more recent ones.

Peter

I'm pretty sure this ep had a good chunk of recording lost. So there's that.

Also, as lead man on most of the older spotlights, the focus point for the spotlights was NOT a walkthru as mentioned, but rather a PERSONAL look at the character/team/publisher based on our collective experiences (or lack thereof). It was a touch on the era, the highlights, major creators or what spoke to us constructed to be less Wikipedia info dump and more the CGS trademark: hanging around and talking. I've heard a few of the early newer spotlights and they are enjoyable and well researched. But the group discussion on a topic is more the draw.

I mean Gangbuster? Really? :P (that's a joke, folks)

John_Steed

Peter said:

... less Wikipedia info dump and more the CGS trademark: hanging around and talking. I've heard a few of the early newer spotlights and they are enjoyable and well researched. But the group discussion on a topic is more the draw. ..

:)>-

100% agreed

bralinator

gothamkid said:

this really highlighted for me the upswing in quality in the Spotlights, especially when Mr. Eberle is part of the proceedings. While they haven't been a review of every issue ever, the recent Spotlights have been very focused walkthrus with looks at important arcs, creative teams, etc...

I completely agree that the Eberle element is a welcome addition to the newer Spotlights and I for one hope he continues to be willing and available to add his expertise to future Spotlights. He is a joy to listen to and has a real passion for the material and is a wealth of information. His banter with @Adam_Murdough is top-shelf.

Peter said:

I'm pretty sure this ep had a good chunk of recording lost. So there's that.

Peter said:

...the group discussion on a topic is more the draw.

Yeah, I could tell near the end that some audio had been lost and the attempt to go over what had been lost was kind of a futile effort. It's too bad. I really enjoyed the discussion. I still appreciate how detail oriented Murd can be. I hope @JamieD's cynicism will continue to figure into things as well. And as for the group discussion being the best part ~ I agree - for all of the podcasts. That's probably why the solo podcasts seem to lose their luster for me when they have no guests (imho).

@Peter, does your participation in this discussion mean that you may be planning to be a part of the CGS podcast again or is the Daily Rios taking up all of your free time? These re-runs were a good reminder of your vast knowledge of comics and chemistry with the guys.

Peter

No motives. I lurk the forum and pop in here and there. Especially if I'm able to drop CGS history for the newcomers. That's why I bumped the CGS stories thread when the Pants ep aired. Helps to give perspective on how much history the first 8 hosts have with each other, the podcast, and most importantly the listeners.

bralinator

It's a welcome addition to the discussions sir. CGS has a rich history I've only begun to mine.

SolitaireRose

I think it has been long enough and people might talk, but I would LOVE to hear what people at DC thought when Byrne stomped off the book int he middle of a VERY controversial story, and they had to pick up the pieces.

In many ways, Byrne was given carte-blanche on Superman (which was one of his demands on the book, according to people at the time) and as they moved toward the Pocket Universe story, he used that control to throw a monkey wrench into the Legion (which never regained sales afterward) and left DC in the lurch. The fact that the new creative did was able to turn the book around and make it one of DC's strongest franchises within a year or so was pretty amazing, IMHO.

For all of the attention to the Death of Superman recieved, the two years leading up to it were among my favorite Superman stories and really made me enjoy a character that can be pretty hard for creators to craft good stories with.