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CGS Presents: Murd's Time Bubble - The Twenty-Third Time Talkback

i_am_scifii_am_scifi Posts: 784
edited September 2014 in CGS Episodes & Spin-Offs
Get ready for fun a la 2001, as Murd introduces you to his fellow time-trekkers, Marvel's Exiles! Also, meet the 'new' X-Force (by Milligan and Allred), hear the first rumblings of 'Our Worlds at War' in the DC Universe, and enjoy some complimentary Quick Pops!

Listen to the show!

Comments

  • bralinatorbralinator Posts: 5,967
    Cool. Looking forward to seeing this in my feed. Not there yet.
  • Does anyone else think Murd probably wishes he could end up like the Burgess Meredith character in "The Twilight Zone"? But, you know, with better eyesight?

    image
  • Cool. Looking forward to seeing this in my feed. Not there yet.

    For what it's worth, as of this episode, the Time Bubble is now being released as a straight-up CGS episode.
  • luke52luke52 Posts: 1,392
    edited September 2014
    3 hours of Murdonian goodness!
  • bralinatorbralinator Posts: 5,967
    Oh I see it in my regular CGS feed instead of the previous Time Bubble feed.

    Thanks @Adam_Murdough‌ for keeping a consistent schedule. 3 months is great.
  • i_am_scifii_am_scifi Posts: 784
    edited September 2014
    As those of you who listened to Episode 150 of Comic Timing will know, I am a HUGE fan of the Exiles. There's multiple reasons why, and I'll do my best to express those reasons now:

    The show that first got me into the science fiction genre (outside of comics) was Sliders. Heck, I was so into Sliders that I joined the Sci-Fi channel forums, which I'm also pretty sure was the first or second time I ever did that. My username was sliderules. I know, I'm so clever. DOUBLE MEANING!

    Anyway, I was hooked on Sliders. I wrote fanfiction when the series concluded after Season 5, doing my best to fix the mess the series became after it left FOX in favor of Sci-Fi (although Season 5 was TONS better than the back half of Season 3 after they killed off Arturo, or Season 4, aka the season where Jerry O'Connell refused to sign a contract unless his brother Charlie got a starring role too). I tracked down the comics for Sliders, which were mostly drawn by a young Rags Morales. This was my JAM.

    I also watched the last season or two of Quantum Leap, and caught reruns whenever I could. Amusingly enough, they tried to cobble together a crossover between the two shows at one point, where Sam would have leapt into Quinn just as they were about to slide, but couldn't dot the I's and T's.

    Exiles was a perfect combination of everything I loved about the X-Men, everything I loved about Sliders, and everything I loved about Quantum Leap. A team of ragtag mutants jumping from universe to universe, trying to right what once went wrong, hoping to return to their home reality as the ultimate reward.

    Judd Winick wrote the hell out of this series, and Mike McKone was terrific. So were the other artists that drew it, including Clayton Henry, Kev Walker (for the "Evil Leaper" arc with Age of Apocalypse Sabretooth's team of rougher Exiles), and Jim Califiore. Jim is one of the artists that created alternate looks for characters just as good as anybody.

    I agree completely with @Adam_Murdough‌ about this series giving Mimic the time of day the character truly deserves. His leadership skills were quite necessary, and the limitation of five powers stopped Mimic from becoming too overly powerful. His relationship with Blink was dramatic, heart-wrenching at times, and powerful at others. Nocturne and Thunderbird's relationship was great as well.

    And let's talk about Blink. My oh my, what a character. Age of Apocalypse fleshed Clarice out, but Exiles made her a star. Period.

    As for the Chuck Austin arc with Hyperion, I would actually track that down if you could, Adam. It's shockingly good, as Hyperion is presented as a Superman gone horribly wrong. And next time I see you, which I assume will be New York Comic Con, I'll tell you a story about that I heard through the grapevine. You can skip their trip to Earth-616 though. That was rough.

    TLDR version: Exiles good. Me likey. And be sure to track down the third Exiles series written by Jeff Parker. It only lasted six issues before it was cancelled, but it was very much int he vein of Winick and Bedard's take on the team. A lot more than Claremont's Exiles or New Exiles was.
  • Fun Fact: I never heard of "The Exiles" until today. (Okay, it wasn't exactly *fun*)

    Murd mentioned that the earlier Red Skull oriented version first appeared in an issue featuring the subject of an upcoming spotlight. According to the inter-googles, it appears we can expect Iron Man to be popping up on a CGS episode in the near future. :-)
  • Evening639Evening639 Posts: 368
    edited September 2014
    First of all let me say that I love this forum! Because of it I am now aware of the existence of Sliders comics. I will be hunting for them in every cheap bin I see.
    Now, to address the Time Bubble. Outstanding job, as always, Murd. I must admit that I did not read Exiles when it was originally being published. My alternate dimension X-Title of choice prior to that had been Mutant X but Exiles managed to fly under my radar and I only just recently began picking up issues from back issue bins. What I've read I've enjoyed immensely and much of that I have to credit to Judd Winick's competent writing. I was first introduced to his work during his Green Lantern run and he has since become a favorite of mine.
    In regards to Milligan's take on X-Force, I remember having similar feelings to the ones you voiced, being put off by the sudden shift in style and tone. However, these days I look at Milligan's run as being poetic justice for the ruination of X-Force's precursor, The New Mutants, which happens to be my favorite comic series of all time. What Liefeld and his LMD masquerading as Fabian Nicieza did to that book is far more offensive than the thought-provoking storytelling of Milligan and Allred.
    Anyway, it's always a pleasure to sit down and listen to someone else's reminiscence of those years which contributed to the shaping of the comic reader I would one day become. I look forward to "the next time".
  • @Evening639‌, here's a great resource on the Sliders comics, whic also includes art from one that was never released, "Get A Life," due to Acclaim Comics' shutdown: http://earthprime.com/sliders-comics

    And yeah, not only Rags Morales on art, but also Dick Giordano, Bernard Chang, and Jackson Guice.
  • JaxUrJaxUr Posts: 547
    Very informative Adam! I learned much as I've been largely unaware of the Exiles. I'd be interested to know what you and Peter think if the Multiversity but I can't wait 12 years!
  • Thank you so much for putting this on the regular feed.
  • Mr_CosmicMr_Cosmic Posts: 3,200
    I hate not finishing a comic or TPB. There is one, and only one, TPB in my collection that I have not been able to finish and that's Our Worlds at War. I like most of the art and some of the cosmic stuff is cool..but yowza..what a clunker of a story.
  • CageNarleighCageNarleigh Posts: 729
    edited September 2014

    @Evening639‌, here's a great resource on the Sliders comics, whic also includes art from one that was never released, "Get A Life," due to Acclaim Comics' shutdown: http://earthprime.com/sliders-comics

    There's also the new podcast about Sliders: SlidersCast

    ^from the makers that brought you LanternCast!

    (in the interest of full disclosure, this isn't shameless self promotion, I'm not actually on this one. :) But gotta pimp my friends when the topic is relevant!)
  • The coolest thing about the Malibu Exiles series is that the next issue was falsely solicited to preserve the shock value of the death of practically the entire team. The creators made a deliberate decision to disregard the accepted comic-book trope that a group of random people, thrown together with new untested and untrained powers and told that they should join together to fight for justice and prevent disasters, would become an effective team/ It is Gerber and early Paul Pelletier ... need I say more?
  • @Evening639‌, here's a great resource on the Sliders comics, whic also includes art from one that was never released, "Get A Life," due to Acclaim Comics' shutdown: http://earthprime.com/sliders-comics

    There's also the new podcast about Sliders: SlidersCast

    ^from the makers that brought you LanternCast!

    (in the interest of full disclosure, this isn't shameless self promotion, I'm not actually on this one. :) But gotta pimp my friends when the topic is relevant!)
    Thanks to both of you. I'm always glad to meet other Sliders enthusiasts and these look like great resources.

  • BrackBrack Posts: 868
    Untethered in time and context, the Milligan/Allred X-Force might look like an odd move. In 2001, launching alongside Morrison's "New X-Men" after the previous decade's Harrasian editorial mediocrity, it made perfect sense.

    The year before, they'd tried a similar line relaunch, "Revolution/Counter-X" that was a bit of a damp squib. The "classic" X-Force had already had their ticket marked back then, the alternative to this second revamp was following the other two Counter-X titles, X-Man and Generation X, into oblivion.
  • bralinatorbralinator Posts: 5,967
    Never trust a comic book over 30... I love it. Great episode Mr. Murdo. I'm about halfway through it.
  • BionicDaveBionicDave Posts: 377
    edited September 2014
    There are only a handful of things in life which I truly do savor: quality time with family and close friends; a new issue of Saga; sex with someone other than myself; rewatching Blade Runner, Superman: The Movie, Star Wars Episodes 4 & 5, or Raiders of the Lost Ark; Reese's Peanut Butter Cups; and Murd's Time Bubble. Thank Moses that I was blessed with two of those this week!

    Murd, if you are reading this, please accept my highest compliments. You turned in yet another fantastic podcast in "The Twenty-Third Time."

    Your discussion about EXILES was fascinating for me, as I wasn't very familiar with the title, and now I am very much interested in checking it out.

    Your discussion about X-FORCE #116 was amusing to me, because I liked that title a lot way back when, and I was surprised to hear (though eventually understanding of) how it turned you off so quickly, despite Allred's luscious pop art and Milligan's attempt to break new ground.

    And your discussion about OUR WORLDS AT WAR especially had me on the edge of my car seat - and Stairmaster steps - and walking shoes (this podcast was such a long one! but don't get me wrong, I love that) - because I really remember loving the non-awful parts of that huge DC event, such as when...

    **** SPOILER! ****
    **** SPOILER! ****
    **** SPOILER! ****
    **** SPOILER! ****

    Superman comforted Wonder Woman after Hippolyta died in battle. Such a powerful, emotional moment… I can still recall the sequence of wordless panels, when Diana cradled her mother's lifeless body.

    **** END OF SPOILER! ****
    **** END OF SPOILER! ****
    **** END OF SPOILER! ****
    **** END OF SPOILER! ****

    Oh man, but now I'm also remembering Diana's crappy, chicken-like battle armor… so yeah. While I fully admit that OWAW was a flawed event, the good parts of it hold a special place in my heart. My favorite period of reading comics was 1995 - 2005, and that was right in the middle there. Which is yet another reason why I love The Time Bubble - you are unearthing titles from a period of my comics-reading life about which I will never tire to reminisce.

    (On the topic of Wonder Woman, I was also thrilled to hear your praise of that Jimenez/Kelly comic where Lois interviews Diana - it's been a favorite of mine, too.)

    Anyway - great work, oh wonderful wizard of Murd. You have once again informed and entertained.

    P.S. Will future episodes remain on the main CGS feed? Just wondering if I should delete my Time Bubble podcast icon, so as to stop iTunes from continuing to run checks for new eps everytime I update my others.
  • Oh man, this was right up my alley. 2001 was when I was getting back into comics in a big way... One of my favorites? EXILES!!! It's the only book I have in floppies that I've been also getting the "epic" collections of, just so I can read without digging through long boxes of disorganized comics. I didn't always love it, and I dropped it many times, but I always went back to it, which I can't say about any other comic. I only left completely when Claremont took over. Even then, when the Parker series started I immediately reupped.

    And I too was a huge Sliders fan.
  • I'm two hours into it and the two comic examinations were both right up my alley.

    I own Exiles #1 but have never read it.

    I own the X-Statix Omnibus (including the X-Force issues) but have never read it. (I purchased it for dirt cheap last Christmas season.)

    So, I've been looking for an excuse to maybe think about reading these comics. And your excellent podcast has given me an excuse to maybe think about reading them.

    Can't wait to hear what the Quick Pops will be. In my listening experience you just started talking about Our Worlds at War. I had a Harley Quinn issue of that and it was mostly awful. I sold the issue on eBay for like ten times what I paid for it.

    Still, you're informative and insightful as always. And Tammy's meowing was nice as well. Maybe you can interpret her noises in the same way that everyone around Doop seems to know what he's saying as well, or the way Rocket Raccoon can interpret Groot.

    A final note on the "feed": I just get my CGS episodes by checking this page every weekday:

    http://comicgeekspeak.com/episodes.php

    And I check the Time Bubble tab from time to time (dubious pun intended).

    But this time (groan) around the Time Bubble episode just showed up on the main page.

    So, yes, I like this better. Much easier.
  • Had a chuckle over Murd's description of the Time Bubble in the latest "Off the Racks" episode. Matter of fact, I think going forward the following should serve as the official Time Bubble tagline:

    "Murd's Time Bubble ... successfully milking @Adam_Murdough‌'s comics reading delinquency since 2009."

    :-)
  • Another fantastic episode. It's amazing to me how you always manage to discuss books that I have not read (yet).

    Encore! Encore!
  • CorwinCorwin Posts: 549
    edited October 2014
    Oh was I ever surprised to hear Murd talk about the Exiles! I used to LOVE this book. As of right now the only story that stands out in my mind is 'With an Iron Fist'. It was a Iron Man and Inhumans story...sooo good. I may have to go and re-read my trades. Coming out of Age of Apocalypse Blink was my favorite character. I felt weirdly satisfied when she showed up in the Days of Future Past movie...I used to have a Joe Mad Wizard mini poster of her up in my college dorm and used to have to explain to everyone who she was. I still like the character and the 616 version has since returned.

    I'm currently at work and Murd is working his way through X-Force. Keep reading Murd, the book gets so much better and eventually Xavier guest stars when the Orphan shows up. I don't know if it's nostalgia but I remember those being some great comics. You're really taking me back.

    ...I had something else to add but I can't remember...I'll be back.
  • alienalalienal Posts: 508
    Okay, the Exiles! Interesting to hear a CGSer's opinion about those heroes since this was long before the CGS show started. I was really addicted to this series even though it was sort of an alternate/parallel reality thing. Loved the artwork, and Winick's writing wasn't bad. McKone on Justice League United doesn't measure up to his artwork on this series. Maybe it's the inker? Hm...almost sounds like Murd is saying "X-Files" sometimes, not Exiles. As for 2001's X-Force, I just re-read most of the series, even into when it finally got a new number one with X-Statix. I remember being amused with it way back when. I guess I was amused by the media focus of the comic, sort of foreshadowing today's popularity of social networking and media "whoring" as Murd called it. I pretty much always liked Allred's artwork and so the transition from the old X-Force to the new one wasn't as jarring to me as it was to some fans, many of whom vociferously complained about both the story and the artwork. The pop art sensibility, maybe relating it to how reality TV and pop music, IS what they were going for, I think. Hey, you know, I read a lot of X-Men comics and I still don't know what Doop is! Haha! And "tmesis"! I must've missed that, or just assumed it was a misprint or typo. I'll have to go home and find it in #116. (As for Tabby, the Time Bubble Cat, I don't think the microphone is strong enough to quite pick up the sounds she makes as well as you can, Murd, but I think I did hear her once.) As for the rebranding or the stunt of changing the direction of the ongoing title, yeah...I can understand that. But since I had not been reading X-Force and had heard about the new direction in Previews, it didn't bother me. I do agree about the kinda disconnect in continuity (why haven't we heard of these characters before?). But, I kept reading, because I like trying new comics! Should Murd read more X-Force? Ah, overall I felt it was sort of like Morrison's New X-Men: Interesting, but not so incredible and as we've seen, results not carried over to today. As for DC: Wow, I don't think I read ANY of that Our World's at War stuff....I wonder why not? --- Oh, wow, I looked up Superman #171 and found that I have that issue. Oh, dear. Even when McGuinness art, it must not have been very memorable. And I didn't read any of the other issues.
    Wonder Woman 170: didn't get it. Sounds good.
    Tom Strong: Have it and it was good, I agree!
    Detective: Yes, I enjoyed this run! Especially the Slam Bradley stories.
    JLA Black Baptism: didn't read it.
    Punisher: Yep, I read this one after the maxi-series. Quite funny! I guess the most recent movie was based on this "2nd" series.
    Thanks for the look-back, Murd.
  • qayneqayne Posts: 8
    Great episode as always Murd! I have to be careful listening to your show because every episode you make my wishlist grow. :) Also, while listening to your quick pops/tiny bubbles, a different name kept buzzing around my brain: time baubles. Not as good as "tiny bubbles", but I wanted to pass that along anyway.
  • CorwinCorwin Posts: 549
    (Had this sitting in my drafts since 10/4/14...)

    Now I remember...

    Final Fantasy The Spirits Within: Each Final Fantasy game is completely different than the next (except for direct sequels...FF X 2, XIII 2 etc). Spirits Within was disappointing since it moved from the Action/Adventure Sword and Sorcery stuff to save the Earth Sci Fi.

    @Adam_Murdough‌ I can see how mutant X-Statix team's fame and fortune could frustrate you while other mutants were being persecuted. I think they do touch on that a little down the line. There is even a tangential cross reference with Frank Tieri's Weapon X series where a mutant is recruited after failing the X-Statix try outs.

    I think around this time is when Marvel was paring down the X Line and made sure each book was significantly different with all different team members. Something it might just be time for them to get back to.
  • @Adam_Murdough‌, have you considered or would you consider changing the name of "quick pops or tiny bubbles" to THE FIZZ!?!?
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