Guys Of A Certain Age

On this episode, Robbie and Art welcome fellow geek and children's book author Bill Sugg to the Guys' studio.

Taking Jay's place at his microphone (but never the place in the heart of Jay's fan) Bill, aka Cad E. Wampus, talks about the inspiration for and the process of creating and publishing his hand-illustrated book, Gibble the Goblin Has a Problem. It's the story of a goblin who learns an important lesson in asking for things. Visit the Book Baby link below to buy a copy! 

Geeks of the Week include a look a incredible prop maker's website, news of a new Super Highlander, a review of the new Babylon 5 animated movie, and thoughts on the trailer for Apple TV+'s new series about Godzilla and his pals.

https://store.bookbaby.com/book/gibble-the-goblin-has-a-problem1

They’re not quite American Promethei, nor are they Gaia’s of a Certain Age, but they do know a few Greek letters, enjoy a good gyro, and some say this podcast is the bomb.  Yes, this is the Oppenheimer episode and the only difference is the length.  No way Jay could make it through a 3 hour podcast (though rumor has it he kept his seat the entire movie.)  

Art is out this week because he’s waiting for the movie to stream on VHS, but the remaining Guys talk favorite characters, Oscar possibilities, star appearances, and a brief foray into the use of color and graphics in the epic-length Christopher Nolan film.  

Robbie also brings more details of the Dune 2 Delay, and as college football season begins, tells how a once-powerful conference imploded.  Meanwhile, Jay learns who G’nort the Green Lantern is, but wonders aloud why he’s hosting a special edition DC comic involving beach volleyball.  Listen to this one - it’s a blast.  

It seems Robbie thought Jay and Art were Ken-ough to handle this episode on the Barbie movie.  So what are Guys of a Certain Age doing at the Barbie movie, anyway?  

Was it nostalgia for other action figures back in the day that hung out with Barbie on toy store shelves?  Was it the inclusion of actors from the superhero multiverse? Or was it just a curiosity to see what all the hype was about?  Because they were already at the theater to see Oppenheimer, right?  Yes.  All that and more.  

And it seems the Barbie-Heimer double feature release may have been one of the last blockbuster movie duos to not be delayed further by the ongoing strikes and other unknown studio shenanigans.  That’s right - sorry, Robbie - Art announced that Dune 2’s release date has been delayed for mysterious reasons.  [ROBBIE NOTE: Like I listen to ether of you anyway.] But Jay has an answer to how to fill all the extra time that would have been spent watching new releases at the theater: read a book.  Specifically, read Scott Lang’s in-MCUniverse autobiography, soon to be released in full by Marvel.  

Plus, there’s all that content already online that Jay, for one, can’t seem to keep up with.  Art and Jay recommend The Beanie Bubble, which has less superhero crossover, but just as much nostalgia.  Listen to this one in pink, if you’re Guy enough.

Jay's out this week, so Robbie and Art fire up the Way Back machine for a look back at the comic books and graphic novels that made 1986 a Renaissance year. Hard to believe but that year saw the release of The Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, and John Byrne's Man of Steel. Listen as the Guys wax (and sometimes wane) nostalgic about these and other literary masterpieces that still influence modern comics and the movies inspired by them.

It’s a strange, new world - you don’t need The Guys to tell you that.  But when it gets too crazy out there, we can always hunker down, row our remotes, and go gently down to stream...and go where no show has gone before. Except where the other dozen or so series and movies that make the Star Trek Universe have gone. Before.  

But could it be that the best of all those shows is the one that recently dropped the Season 2 Finale?  Well, Robbie thinks so.  And he even got Jay to watch Strange New Worlds, the latest iteration of the Star Trek genre.  Listen as Jay is exposed to Season 2 spoilers (with his permission, by the way) and Robbie and Art drop a duet from the musical episode.  Maybe.  

And in the Geeks of the Week segment, Art has more casting and anti-casting news, Jay tries to figure out how to get to McDonald’s in Brooklyn, and Robbie heard he was invited to the House of Usher, and wanted to know if he should bring Suits.  It may be hot outside, but this episode is cool.   

The strikes continue, and this time it’s Art who’s out.  He called it “sabbatical” but the remaining Guys think he was just playing around in Seatticle.  But the show must go on, and this week it’s Jay and Robbie in the studio with fresh geek news to lead off an encore edition featuring the interview with author Zac Ashmore.  

Robbie’s Geek of the Week makes Jay jealous knowing someone else got ahold of the rarest Magic the Gathering card in the world.  And he doesn’t even play.  The big news, however, was a shared Geek: the new trailer for Loki season 2, which scored the most views ever for a Disney+ series.  In perhaps less momentous but still interesting bits and bytes from the geek-web, another Zack (this time Snyder) is hinting at another “cut” that may or may not need to be made, and Gal Gadot is Gunn-ing for another turn to wield the golden lasso.  

Come for the geeks, stay for a writer who’s not on strike.  

It’s summertime, and the living is lazy.  Or is it easy?  Either way, The Guys aren’t exactly on strike, but the Mississippi is sending them to all kinds of cool places - except the studio, it seems.  But those days are good days to do rewinds of episodes with old friends who deserve to be heard again.  

This week it’s their interview with Stan Brown, a local author with feet (or fingers, more accurately) in a variety of genres that geeks like The Guys like to read.  Jay and Robbie did manage to make it in to update the listeners with literally up-to-the-minute news of the latest shoe drop that’s almost like collecting rare trading cards, only much more expensive.  

Robbie confirms suspicions discussed in the last episode: the Emmys are not imminent.  We may hear about the winners of the 22-23 TV season sometime in 2024 if we’re lucky.  Real luck, though, is getting a chance to listen to this interview again without having to dig through the archives.  You’re welcome!  And happy summer.  

It’s time for this year’s Emmy Awards…or at least the nominations.  

Who knows if the show will actually air.  But that didn’t stop The Guys from talking about them.  The big questions: will they watch the awards show?  Have they even watched the shows that were nominated?  It’s not many shows, actually, and the big nominees were mostly streamers, which confirmed Jay’s decision to cut the cable cord at long last.  But there are some geek nods (and not just in costume and makeup categories) and perhaps a record number of nominations for Robbie’s current favorite show that doesn’t involve a mysterious Dr. in a flying phone booth.  

In other important news (it’s all about perspective), Art shares more casting decisions for Superman Legacy’s superhero cadre, Jay finds a fascinating tidbit about the financial side of motion pictures, and Robbie helps explain the intricacies of the actor’s strike.  So listen to this episode, watch all the shows you haven’t seen, and stay tuned for updates on whether or not we’ll ever know the winners!

The Guy Band is back together - it’s like a boy band, but much, much older.  

Apparently Jay is not on strike any more, though it’s uncertain if he was part of the rider’s strike or the sad actors.  In fact, he’s hoping to get the Guys invited to the 2025 Comic-Con Cruise, since nobody else seems to be scheduled yet.  Art the Birthday Guy brings news of Aquaman 2’s reshoots, rewrites, and disappearance of a famous bat.  And Robbie quotes James Cameron in the wake of all the chatter regarding AI, CGPT, and LMNOP. 

No doubt, listeners are hungry to resist part two of Robbie’s interview with Roland Mann.  

Mr. Mann takes the true believer through his Silverline journey with slight detours through fairy tales and classic American literature all the way up to his latest Kickstarter.  And his inside connections on how to get a comic printed quickly. (NOTE: The Kickstarter mentioned int his interview finished. there are ongoing at Silverline.)

The Guys dust off a oldie but goody as they bring back an interview with Roland Mann, comic book writer/editor/publisher of Silverline comics. Roland talks about his career in the comic book industry that started in a grocery story somewhere in 1970's Mississippi and took him to Marvel comics.

But first, Robbie and Art hit with some Geeks of the Week that involve more Superman: Legacy casting, a sneak peek at Ashoka and talk of Jay's stand in solidarity with the various parties in Hollywood by boycotting the podcast.  But someone forgot to tell him, he's not a union member or is getting paid....