All New Showcase

With the girl of steel joining the cast of Smallville this season, Blake and Chase decided to use this week to talk about their favorite Supergirl stories, the many incarnations of the character, and whether or not she makes sense in the current DC Universe. Star Wars: Legacy and Wrath of the Titans join the ranks of Showcase Picks this week, and the guys continue their plea for theme song suggestions and your favorite "cult" comics, team-up stories, and tales of the mighty Thor! Send your choices to Showcase@comixtreme.com!

With a new Flash Gordon show on TV, the guys take this week to talk about classic old-school adventure strip heroes. Buck Rogers! Dick Tracy! Doc Savage! The Phantom! And, of course, when they came together as the Defenders of the Earth! They talk about the new Flash Gordon (or perhaps "rant" would be more appropriate") and finish off the discussion by lamenting their lack of a theme song. Then, this week's pick of the week completely takes over the second half of the show, as the guys gush like giddy schoolgirls over the sheer awesomeness that was Booster Gold #1. Hit us up at Showcase@comixtreme.com with your comments and your picks for your favorite "cult" comics, team-up stories, and Thor adventures!

Before launching this week's episode, the guys take a few minutes to pay tribute to the late Mike Wieringo. Then it's time to tackle the best of Marvel's premiere heroes, the Mighty Avengers! The guys dish on their all-time favorite Avengers stories, share some of your choices and talk about the current state of the three (or is it five?) Avengers titles. In the picks section, Blake sings the praises of Hack/Slash, while Chase bids a fond farewell to Peter David's Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. It'll be time to record again before you know it, folks, so e-mail Showcase@comixtreme.com with your favorite cult comics, team-up stories and Thor adventures!

Following up on this week's main episode, Blake chimes in with his mini-review of the new motion picture Stardust. Was it worth the trip to the theater? Does it live up to the Gaiman/Vess original? Just click, listen and find out.

There's one last comic book movie closing out the summer, friends, and so this week Chase and Blake turn their focus on Stardust writer Neil Gaiman. Listen as the guys discuss their favorite Gaiman stories, both in comics and prose, as Chase continues to confuse "the Dream King" with Gaiman himself, and as Blake explains what's really good about his work once you get past the pretentious goths who have attempted to co-opt it as their own. For this week's picks, Blake brings us Doug TenNapel's Black Cherry, and Chase cheats and slips in two -- Tek Jansen and Star Trek: Year Four. Be sure to come back later this weekend for Blake's special Stardust mini-review, and you can join in on the show now by e-mailing Showcase@comixtreme.com with your favorite Avengers, Adventure Strip heroes, and Supergirl stories for use in future episodes!

After an unplanned absence from the net (and your hearts), Blake and Chase are back with the new and improved 2 in 1 Showcase, now featuring even more interaction! This week, the guys talk about the long legacy of the Teen Titans, discuss how the book has become the core of the DC Universe, tell their favorite stories, and then share some of the best Titans stories as selected by the listeners. And the picks section is back too! This week: The Weapon and Army @ Love. Want to have your picks included in the show? E-mail your choices for future topics, including the Avengers, Adventure Strip Heroes (like Flash Gordon and The Phantom) and Supergirl to Showcase@comixtreme.com .

Why no new episodes lately? Where have the guys gone? Blake steps up to the mic just for a moment to set your mind at ease... and to tell YOU how you can join in the fun for the next few episodes. Keep listening, friends, because 2 in 1 Showcase will be back before you know it!

Chase is sitting out this week, so Blake and guest host Mark Blicharz spend this week's show talking about some of the big events hitting comics right now -- The Sinestro Corps War, World War Hulk, Annihilaton: Conquest, Countdown and more. The guys mention some surprise hits at their respective comic shops, Mark shares a little insider gossip, and they dish out picks including Madame Mirage and JSA Presents Stars and STRIPE. Next week: Teen Titans!

Challenged by a listener, this week Blake and Chase attempt to tackle one of the most complicated issues ever -- women in comics. How have female characters evolved? Are female creators becoming more prominent? And is it true that a male writer can't write a convincing female character? Once the guys get deep, they have some brain candy for this week's picks -- World War Hulk: X-Men and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight.

This week's Showcase is -- say it with us, folks -- more than meets the eye! Delving into the depths of their childhood, Blake and Chase celebrate the new TransFormers movie by talking about their all-time favorite TransFormers comics, just why it was that some kids preferred G.I. Joe to the Robots in Disguise, how much they love the classic movie, and just what it is they expect from Michael Bay's film. Then they get offbeat with this week's picks, Black Summer and Gutsville. Don't forget to join the conversation at the Comixtreme forum or the Myspace page, and leave us reviews all over the net!

In times of crisis, things always go into chaos for DC's scarlet speedster, the Flash! And if there's one thing Chase and Blake know, it's that chaos makes for good podcasting. This week the guys discuss their all-time favorite Flash stories, what they think really happened in Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13 and Justice League of America #10, the future of the Flash legacy, and the impact of time-travel jet lag on the human body. Stick around for this week's picks: Nova and TransFormers: Megatron, and help spread the word about the show with reviews at iTunes and all over the web.

In this special bonus episode of 2 in 1 Showcase, Blake takes to the road for Philadelphia for the Wizard World 2007 convention. Joined by Showcase Emergency Backup Geek Mike Bellamy, Mike's wife Kim and Blake's girlfriend Erin Blash, the Quixotic Quartet brings you news from the con, tales from the convention floor, recommendations for new comics and a lot of fun.

In the second part of their two-part look at Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Blake and Chase discuss their favorite stories starring the sentinel of the spaceways. Heavy on Infinity Gauntlet and Annihilation, the guys also find time to recommend two upcoming reprint collections, Showcase Presents Captain Carrot and the resurrection of the Valiant Universe in Harbinger. Don't forget to check in at the MySpace page, leave us reviews all over the Internet, and check in later this week for Blake's special report from Wizard World Philadelphia!

With Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer about to hit your movie theaters, Blake and Chase bring you the first of a special two part episode! This week, the guys talk about their favorite stories starring Marvel Comics' first family, the Fantastic Four -- the all-time classics, the "new" team, and their hopes for the new movie. And in this week's picks, the guys tackle a pair of lower-profile superheroes: Hero By Night and Madman Atomic Comics. Chat us up at the Comixtreme forum, visit the Myspace Page and be sure to come back next week for the second part of this series, focusing on the Silver Surfer!

There's something for the whole family in this week's 2 in 1 Showcase, when Chase and Blake turn their attention to America's favorite teenager and the rest of the gang at Archie Comics. Blake recalls his favorite titles, Chase ponders the cartoon show, and the guys talk about the "new look" of Betty and Veronica, the AWOL Archie superheroes, Sonic the Hedgehog and everything else Archie! This week's picks stay with the family-friendly theme, with Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man and Uncle Scrooge, plus a bonus discussion on various Disney projects. Gather the kids -- young and old -- and listen to this one together.

Blake and Chase are climbing into the time machine this week to bring you the adventures of the 31st Century's greatest protectors -- The Legion of Super-Heroes. Through three continuities and innumerable revamps, what are Blake and Chase's favorite Legion stories? How about the Legion these days? How do they fit in with the Justice Society and Justice League? And what about the new Legion television show? The guys cover them all. Stick around for this week's picks, including Ape Entertainment's White Picket Fences and Marvel's Sensational Spider-Man Annual, then visit the guys at Comixtreme.com or the new Myspace Page -- www.myspace.com/2in1showcase, and drop an e-mail to showcase@comixtreme.com. Don't forget about our ongoing contest, too -- listen to the show for details on how to enter.

It's a multi-fandom geekfest in this week's 2 in 1 Showcase. May is the 30th anniversary of the original Star Wars movie, and there's no way Chase and Blake could let such an occasion go by without notice. This week our boys spend time talking about their all-time favorite Star Wars comic books, talk about the comics being published by Dark Horse Comics these days, and tell you how to get your episode idea moved up on "The List." Then they think out of the box for this week's picks -- TwoMorrows Publishing's The Dark Age and Fantagraphics' The Complete Peanuts. And stay tuned later this week for Chase's special bonus report from Phoenix Rising, New Orleans' big Harry Potter convention!

Now that one of the most ambitious comic books in history is over, Blake and Chase have to take the time to explain their thoughts on 52 -- what were the good points? What were the bad points? What does it mean for the DC Universe? Plus, their thoughts on the first issue of Countdown, and a new set of comic picks from Free Comic Book Day -- Nexus and Astounding Wolf-Man! Next, e-mail the guys at Showcase@comiXtreme.com and join the discussion at the Comixtreme.com message board!

The sixth annual Free Comic Book Day has come and gone, friends, but the memories remain. Although Chase couldn't make it today, guest host Mike Bellamy joined Blake at BSI Comics for a special on-location episode to talk with the staff and customers of their local comic shop about FCBD, getting kids into comics, why Blake can't tell a Storm Trooper from a Snowtrooper, and everything to do with comics and movies. After the show, feel free to throw some reviews up at iTunes, Podcast Alley or Podcast Pickle, join the conversation at comiXtreme.com, and e-mail the guys at Showcase@comiXtreme.com!

With Spider-Man 3 hitting movie theaters next week, it's time for another movie-themed episode of 2 in 1 Showcase... but the guys talked about Spidey back in episode three! So this week, they're turning their attention to Spider-Man's greatest conflicts with one of his movie sparring partners, the slythering symbiotic villain called Venom. And since next week is Free Comic Book Day, the guys skip their usual picks to give you a rundown of the comics you can find at your local shop, and which ones they plan on picking up. Once the show is over, how about popping over to iTunes or Podcast Alley with a review? And as always, you can e-mail the guys at Showcase@comixtreme.com and join the discussion at the comiXtreme.com features section.