Warning, this podcast contains light spoilers for Futurama first couple of episodes and some heavier spoilers for the Adam Eves special episode of Invincible. Hello, my name is Jason Stepcio and I'm Rosey Night and welcome to x ray Vision, the Crooked media podcast where we've dived deep in your favorite shows, movies, comics, and pop culture.
In this episode, in the previously on, we are talking about Loki season two's trailer from the Struck Disney Corporation.
Save us Loki, your only hope.
There are any hope in the airlock. It's animated TV time, including the surprise Invincible season two zero episode about Atamy which was delightful, and the amazing Futurama season eleven with cody'sig Zigla Drama's back, It's back baby in that out a comics recommendation question.
And as I mentioned, we are joined today by Cody A.
I am good.
I am fresh off of picking this Struck Company Disney this afternoon, and even though the humidity is out, everyone is also still loud. It was this is the first time I've been there since Sag has joined the fold. Not unlike the rest of the Avengers are joining. Uh, Captain America on your left, don your left, Yeah, I am. I am so glad that new blood is out there because I was so drained after only their being there for like forty minutes in the heat. So it is
definitely nice seeing some like young enthusiastic faces. Also, uh, I forget how many children are actually in SAG. So I was out there there like there are a lot of kids. I was like, I forget that there are legitimately a lot of children in this union because I was like, man, these people really brought all their children out. Then I'm like, oh wait, these are actual union members of SAG. So that explains why they are like eight year olds on the line. That makes a lot more sense.
Dude.
How evil do you have to be as in a corporation that you have an eight year old picket in the year that's so sick at your children of the future?
Baby?
Yea.
Let me just say I was at I was picketing Universal last week in the heat, in the in the extreme heat of the valley. For the event was just a normal picnic, but it was all comics writers or friend zeb Wells was there. Our friend Andrew t was there. Other people were there, lots of folks. But one thing I found out at this particular picket on Lancashire Boulevard in the Valley is that SAG is not allowed to picket there because it's literally too dangerous.
Yeah.
Really they were afraid that, like a note, some notable actor could get smushed. And it's true because you're crossing a lot of roads. Also, they've like done you know, this is the place where they cut the trees, and it's also the place where I guess they had to do some construction on the sidewalk. Yeah, so you have to walk in the street.
Yeah, I think I just saw today.
I think somebody shed that maybe they've made they've now made a new gate to make it safe for people to pick it there, which is something SAG has been asking for for a long time because as you mentioned, like with the cut trees, which was done against the city regulations, they've definitely been making that as hard a place as possible for people to pick it, just the nuts.
It's also the place where apparently people have been intentionally hit by cars, cars trying to hit people over there.
I think it's also funny that they were like, you know, this is where the combook creators can go.
They've went to them. There they'll go.
They don't have a union.
Does the world need another Wally West story? We don't know. Send them there.
You know.
Well, let's get into it. Coming up next. Previously on first up in the previously on the Loki season two trailer, which came out today. We're taping this on a Monday, and uh the trailer appeared this morning with a wonderful surprise the appearance of Ki Kwan as Orobaros and folks, let's hope that this is the is the show that can swing things back to good feelings for the MCU on television, because it looked fun and it was great to be to spend time with some old favorites. Your thoughts, Yeah.
I think it's very interesting.
I think they're in a tough situation because it is very Kang focused as much as they kind of.
Only appears his face. This only appears for like half a second.
It feels like out of the threat I do.
I will, I will say I have a piece coming out, which was my theory all along, which I'm sticking to now, which is I hope there is an easy fix for this entire situation, which is Ravona Renslayer was Kang in the comics during the Terminatrix objective, and it would be really easy to just make Ravona Kang and.
Let Google have her moment in the Sun. I think it.
I think it's really smart. Yeah, it looks fun. Disney, pay your writers, like pay some actors too, Like sounds like they're they're also strong.
Interesting.
I didn't know it was like co directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead who are like really weird in the horror guys who've made a lot of like cosmic horror. So that was interesting when I found that out.
Yeah, any thoughts, you know, I will say it. I did watch the trailer today. I will say the thing that I've always been drawn to most about the Loki series that it seems like the most outside of gardens of the Galaxy, the most tapped into, like how fun the cosmic side of.
Like Marvel could be.
Yeah, and like even with this trailer, like it seemed fun, it seemed like the most comic bookie. It seems like it's the most it's the series that gels together the most.
I think consistently, Like I think, like with one division, like those first six or seven episodes when it was just a TV episode from a different decade, like they sort of like lean into like the medium, which is like this, this is like a fun like almost like Quantum leap Rick and Morty type of like yeah, TV show, And like I'm gonna be optimistic, Like I enjoyed the trailer owhen Wilson looks like he's having like a lot
of fun in this. Yeah, So like I'm I'm remaining optimistic and I am very curious to see like how the Kang of it all is one of sort of like sort itself out.
Yeah, yes, that is the question.
That's the big question.
I think. Here's my Well, I guess this is a prediction. I think you're right, Rosie in that they'll There was probably some last minute tweaking, but they will. I'm assuming let this series run as it was intended to run, and that poosts this they'll move on from. Certainly Jonathan Major's as Kang, and maybe Kang in general is like the focus. But I also feel like the flash probably gave them some cover. Weirdly in a terrible way to think about it the Flash gone away, I keep running.
I think I think that was definitely influential. I think because the Flash didn't make a lot of money, that also probably impacted the way they decided to go forward, Like it was released, but it wasn't a hit, you know, So I'm interested to see how that influences them. Also, I do need to say something I find very interesting about this is like, so that this is very like you're saying, like the Rick and Morty of it all.
So Loki seems to be in this situation.
Where he's like time slipping they call it, where he kind of can't control where he's going. Yeah, that's very similar to the conceit of the Marvels where they keep switching between time and space. I am unsure whether that is going to be connected or whether it's just a total coincidence, because this I would have before been like this is obviously there's some kind of cosmic entanglement, But nowadays I'm just interested to see how that plays out because it seems very similar.
But it looks fun. I like that kind of stuff.
Yeah, yeah, I like that.
Also, you know, the conceit of Marvels that they are not afraid to recast anyone, no matter how many movies you've been in, so like, yeah, also what the added benefit of like you know, there's an infinite number of kings, so like you know, all of a sudden, we're going to go to a king exactly thirty seven QB. It's like a little different than than maybe the other kings we've seen, so like, yeah, and there's.
Time there's times in the comment where Kang is like more of a mantle like that, different people from different earths have you know, So I think, yeah, there's lots of space that will be very interesting. Only six episodes, so that will be interesting to see how it goes down. It's yeah, I think what is it October? Some good yeah, some good chill in time from now to then, and hopefully it can come in with a bang and hopefully
everyone who worked on it got paid on time. We know that didn't happen with some of the Secret Invasion folks, as we heard cat Vasco saying on the picket line, so oh my god, yeah we've paid.
Hold on, let's talk about this, okay.
So essentially cat Vasco, who was a co producer I believe and a writer on Secret invasion said that Disney thought that if they paid people on time to work on MCU shows, they wouldn't be as eager to like work hard.
I'm going to read I'm going to read the quote here it is. So this is again from cat Vasco as told to the rap uh and here is the quote quote. Their explanation was, and this is about writers getting paid on time, which is a continual issue, whether it's the w G A SAG, getting your money is a multi week, multi month process. There are there are things in the contracts that say that stipulate you have
to be paid according to a certain timetable. And honestly, the a mt PTP in the studio is just ignoring.
It, and they ignore it.
Braz keep ignoring it.
We're going to keep ignoring it. Yeah. Yeah, they've been very, very very straightforward about the fact that they are not going to adhere to any kind of payment deadlines. Anyway, here is cat mascow to the rap quote. Their explanation the AMPTP was, then we wouldn't be incentivized to work
as hard. It's insulting to hear with the amount of work that we're already that we already do for free, so Kat essentially saying that what she got from a conversation one would one would surmise from some Disney exec was that, Uh, the reason we can't pay you is because then you guys are just gonna go and play Fortnite and I'm just gonna buy some relaxing Yeah, and listen, I'm suretranged if you I'm sure that if you could get this exec on the record, it was not what
I meant at all. I just meant it. Yeah, I don't mean that at.
Taking out of context.
Yeah, yeah, I was.
Trying to say, I understand how much the writers love the work. They do it to the passion of the work.
You understand it. They creativity, Like David Saslov said, we all love it. That's why we'll get back to work for the love of making things.
I love being in a room for eight to ten hours a day not getting paid.
I love wondering where the money is coming from, saying you're emailing you're rep saying hey, can you bug them again? Yeah?
I ran I'm like, this is one of the reasons I was happy to see the comic book writers picket, because like, this is a similar thing in comics. I love to write a script to a specific commission and then be told that the commission has changed and have to rewrite it for free.
And that happens a lot.
Oh actually, now this character can't be involved or this character can't do that, so can you rewrite it? And know you're your contract that you signed does not a work via contract give you money for rewrites?
Like the amount of free work people.
Are already doing in creative industries is like people don't even realize how much of.
What you do is free.
Yeah, yeah, another think, I think it. I think it took me a month to get my first Sheehawk paycheck now that I think about it, Like, I just went back to my emails to look when my starting was and when my first actual check was and it was thirty days to the actual time that I started.
So continues.
Yes, up next Futurama and Adam Eve. Let's talk about something much more fun, and that is Futurama on Hulu, or at least on the Struck Company Hulu that is owned by multiple Struck companies. But one of one of the writers on that particular series is Cody zig Ziggler, who has once again managed to sneak himself into a frame of a television program.
Making yourself canon in every series.
Yes, tell us about futur On returning to the screen.
It's a I'm not sure Like most people, actually, I'm sure, Like both of you are huge fans of The Simpsons and Futuruma growing up.
Yeah.
Yeah, When I, you know, got the call that I was coming back and I could be a part of it, it was a dream come true. I am a huge
fan of that series and the Simpsons. Like you know, I probably I've seen every episode of The Simpsons from season one to at least nine, at least five times, if I had to guess, Yeah, and you know, as someone you know, you guys have sort of been with me as my director of my career has continued on from like you know, she hoped to Rick and Morty to this, so like you can look at my resume and see what kind of stuff I'm into, which is like the sci fi stuff of it all.
But like one thing that I thought really sort of stuck.
Out with the Futurama writers in particular, show ran by David Exco one super super super funny talented guys.
That they really are like a NERD's nerd.
Like, this is the only show I've worked on where like multiple people in the room had PhDs and they would spend thirty to forty minutes a day trying to make a joke about a very specific math theorem that would be on the back of a chalkboard that I just couldn't understand.
They were really passionate about.
This is like you in the Sheehock room, Yeah, telling people about dead about like quantum physics.
Yeah, exactly, this is me.
Pulling up my Daredevil comic, but it's them talking about like what how many angles are in an actual triangle? But that triangle now is going to be whatever that there's a very specific geometry drink in the first episode that when they spent twenty minutes trying to figure out
how exactly this shape would form. And that was very much every episode of that show was like the two or three PhD guys, you know, trying to get their very very niche jokes while everyone else is like, yeah, but would have been just slipped on like a space space banana like stuff like that.
It was.
It was very fun and it was also it's it was just so cool, you know, seeing how the soup is made, how the sausage is Like, you know, we were lucky in that half the room where sort of like these old school o G guys and like the other half where people our ah, so like you know,
we get we got to. I mean, as you'll see in later episodes, really add like sort of our perspective on things and seeing how you know, sort of like you know, it's such a fun mass mash thing, like here's a reference to like a sixties like bubblegum commercial and now we're going to have a reference to black mirror, Like that's basically yeah, scary mirror. Yeah, there's a lot of fun stuff like that.
One of the things that I found really interesting about this and Sheeholk can obviously reckon more hears in this space too, but like you know, the Sheahowk finale and then the opening of Futurama, it's like super meta TV about TV and TV writing. What is it about those stories?
Like you're always kind of in that space and in that mindset, and it's like a very new not a lot of TV is doing it, even though Futurama and Simpsons have always been self referential, so could you talk a little bit about that, because I thought it was crazy, like just how many thematic and like humor similarities it shared with the Sahok finale.
Oh that's funny.
I haven't actually thought about it, but I think, you know, I think all that stuff to be traced back to even like the Simpsons, Like that was the first time I ever remember as a kid watching a show of being like, oh, people write this, like people, like not
even like just one person, it's like multiple people. Like I just I think there's actually like an early Simpsons episode where Bart and Lisa become like a writing team and they they they write for like Itchy and Scratchy and they make Grandpa's Grandpa Simpson be the actual adult. But like there's even like a running riff in that between like Harvard writers and like Yell writers and like a beef.
That I know, those things that existed, so like I definitely think that was.
Like sort of the early like the older like genesis of that is like seeing these sort of behind the scenes, very very very niche jokes for like a very for a job, for a job where even now they're only like what ten thousand members of the WJ. Yeah, something like that, like as a joke for not a lot of people, but like that's the first That was the first show I remember watching and being like, oh, writers
are like things that exist. And also the Simpsons make a point of, like at least once the season making fun of television writers.
Yeah, you know.
Yeah, Futurama was was lucky in that we had you know, Patrick Verone, who was who was like the previous WJ president, so like he's the one that actually has the line in the show that like I died, I do it, died doing what I hated. Like I think that's just like a time model of traditionion that I was lucky enough to stumble onto.
You know.
How, like how far into the process would you be before you'd start to see like visuals you start to see any kind of you know, generated stuff to let you know like what the scenes might be looking like.
This is uh, I will say future. First of all, it's all we we had there.
So we had a cast and crew screening like maybe two weeks ago, and one of the animation directors gave a really lovely speech, but at the end of it he was like, our job is to see a script and be like, this is impossible, and then I had a conversation with David going to be like is it that impossible? And then we have to make it possible. So we honestly saw no visuals. It was pretty much everything that we wrote was like, Bestley, what would make it into it? And there was another running joke that
that they would always have. It was like the four worst wards you never wanted to hear, which is we need sign jokes. So like anytime you see like a product or like a sign or a billboard, we would spend half a day making like fifteen different alts of what that joke could be, and then we email them
and then they would pick the best one. So like it truly was like you'd read a script and like they would be like there's a tumbleweed that blows by and on the backgrounds a sign that says like this, So like it truly is like you see how much work the writers put into it. But then also how it's sort of hand in hand with like the animation team Roughhouse or rough Raft with the animation studio, and they did They've been an animation studio for a Futurama
for forever. But like a lot of it is just like off the dome from like that writers, and then you'll sort of get like some more funds up when you get like animatics back, like you'll see sort of like the art the artistry that the artists bring to it, as far as like jokes, like I, well, this episode hasn't come out, so I can't say it, but like there's just some some stuff that they add to it that's like you never it was not a joke, but that was written down, but they added like a nice
fun visual joke, so it was it was, it was really, it was really cool seeing the stages from like the animatics, like the colored version to like the stick version versions and seeing like it actually comes like a full fledged thing. And now watching it on on you know, on the Struck Company Hulu, who will not say the writers decent wages, but they should.
You posted two screenshots recently on your account on the social media platform now called x and we see from these screenshots that you've done it again. You've managed to get yourself into a frame of futurare much as you appeared on screen, and the she y' all tell me, how how do you do it? How do you keep doing it, and how did you do it this time?
I completely lucked out?
And that you know the finale for she opened, she comes to the writer's room and Jessica Guy the show runner, was like, hey, do you want to come on set? The only we can come on set because the regular middle of COVID is you'd be an extra. I was like, yeah, I can send the background. It's like, who do I got to play? Is like, well, you got to play yourself? I was like, well I can do that all day long.
So it's great. But for this, like the pilot episode originally, like they go to the writer's room and it's Patrick and there's another guy head in the jar.
His name is Eric. He's like another old school writer. But that was really it.
And then you know, we were like we had we had got like an animatic version in like with is like the black and white version. And then David was like, hey, new writers, can you just like send a couple of pictures of yourself to the staff and if you guys want to be in the TV show, If not, you don't have to. They like immediately I made like a folder with like all my records and stuff, like if you notice like if you I'm sure Jason has seen it. But like the blue sweatshirt I have is just my
La sweatshirt that I wear all the time. Like there's a gold chain, like that's my that's it's like people at home can't see it, but it's my black panther chain. It's exact same chain I wear, and she whole episode like it's truly just like, hey, just send a bunch of pictures and like you will make a Simpsons slash Futurama version of you, which is like honestly, like that was the dream, Like I've always wanted to be like
in like one of these cartoons. So like getting that, sitting that off, and like like a month later I got back like a little picture of me next to Fry is like a scale thing, and like my note was like can you make me taller than Fry?
That's all. That's the only.
So like I would like to get a three peet after the after the strike is settled and we're paid some lievable wages, Like I would love to continue the the the trend of sneaking of weasling my way into a cameo into his shows that I'm working on.
Yeah, that's also so are you now ready to be killed off in a future show? Because that's like the joy of I always think about Girl Morrison, who obviously famously put themselves into Animal Man and then like as someone in DC universe. But just like we're killing him, Gron exists in this universe, so now we can there a character. So are you ready for your likeness to be used in nefarious ways?
I welcome, I welcome my animated death. Please let it be a swift death. I would love nothing more than be like blown up by like bender in like an episode of Futura.
So you have managed to slip yourself through the fourth wall into the scenes of both She Hulk and Futurama.
And I can't help but notice, as a as a a reader of your fine work in the comic book pages, that it appears that you've also slipped your good friend Jessica Goal into the pages of Miles Morales as a police officer, as the police police officer, Agent Gal, who's out here just trying to rain in Miles Morales's shine and give an opportunity trying to you know, is it always like one inch from bringing him in in cuffs.
Yeah, it's it's it's becoming like a running jock at this point, where she's always like I'm about to bust your ass, but somehow she gets out of it. You know, it really wasn't too disclimbered from our relationship in the Shiyoak room. She's like, I'm about to I need to keep on the straight and narrow Zigler and I would say I'd use all my way out of it. You know, I need I need this outline now. It's like, yeah, totally got it to you. Did I get to do
like a day late? Like, yeah, I have a fun running theme where like I like to put my friends in my comic books. And it's going to be what better way to like have a nice insult jab at my good friend Gavin making her a cough that's trying to take down the hero of the book, and it's constantly going to be a thorn in his side.
That's extremely shady. It's good. And what's what's like this to be?
We've been talking to about like struck companies and the strikes and how you're picking and stuff. What's it like to like walk on a show like this that's basically like a dream gig or something that you love and then launch it and then have it come out like during the strike, Like, what's that kind of duale you've been.
Like, it's a very I don't know. I don't know if Jason, I don't know if you had another show. I don't know if your shit came out pre strike.
Yeah, I came out, came out, w GA strike was on it like a week before the WGA strike really hit, and we couldn't go to our premiere, for instance, because the action had started.
Yeah.
Yeah, So I mean I'm sorry you sort of feel the same similar way, where like you put Yeah, for me, literally like fifty six weeks a year plus worth of work into a project. So like you know, we're supposed to have to supposed to go to Comic Contact a big launch where I saw pictures that seemed like the launch was still there.
We obviously couldn't go.
It.
It's sort of twofold. Like one, it's a bummer that like I can't post more and share more, but also like you know, I not sharing a tweet or a text or a or an IG post is like small potatoes compared to like what you're actually fighting for. Like and also the WJA they did carve out, Like yes, you can post stuff, but you can't do it directly under the the permission of a struck company, which is like why I could like post those things or come on this show, Like I wasn't asked by like Disney
to come on or anything like that. But it, you know, it sucks for like especially like the actors and stuff who like you know, they came back after twenty years to do this stuff, but they can't promote it and they did fantastic work, and like the cast and crew who you know, for their unions, like they can't post about it. Like it definitely definitely is like a huge bummer because like you know, again we did have a premiere, We had like a cast and crew screening, which was
you know, definitely more intimate. It was cool in that regard, but like you know, for for Shield, they had like you know, the fucking theater roped out and they're like cameras everywhere, and like, oh, I understand why these things exist, Like yes, is to like roll out this big thing and like blah blah blah, but also it is to celebrate the yeah, the hundreds and sometimes thousands of people that work on these projects, so you know, it's it's
a bittersweet, like I'm bummed that we can't enjoy it more. But I also you know, I I that's part of the the handshake agreement when you enter tune union, is that like for solidarity, Like we can't do these things. So like that's why me and Jason are out here on the lines at ninety degree eighty or forty percent humidity.
You know.
Yeah.
With Primo, you know, obviously Ceaz for you know, most of the writers to just not tweet not Yeah, that's that's fine.
Also that writers aren't really putting butts and seeds, you know, no one's coming from exactly, like what's Cody Zigger got.
To say about the Futurama, you know.
And with Primo was interesting because you know, the writers went on strike and SAG was still negotiating at that time, so the writers got to do the promo. But who I really felt bad for was Shay who created the show and it's based on his life and he put a ton of heart into it. It not to mention you know, it's his family members or represented there in the show. And then so to not be able to
promote it. I felt bad for him. That was that that I felt badly about because so much work and heart went into that and to not be able to be like, hey, we really, we really brought you something here, We really tried to make something special. And to not be able to do that when you know you're so attached to it created it, et cetera. That made me feel badly. But otherwise it's been very easy to not tweet about stuff.
Yeah, and also the claimed Primo like the reviews did it themselves.
The reviews have been promoting the show.
Been very fortunate that way.
Yeah, Yeah, I guess to echo Jason's it's as it's It's never been an easier time not to want to use Twitter than the past thirteen weeks.
Like the perfect time.
Yeah, thank you, thank you elon something we never say. I appreciate it.
And I just know right now Linda Yakarino, who was recently in Los Angeles doing like a charm offensive and all the big agencies trying to get you know, celebs to x about X or to say anything about X
and be like X is so cool. You just know that Linda was talking to to whoever would be able to give them, allow them to say X Gonna give it to you and use a snippet of the song promote they wish you just know that that was how can we get X Gonna give It to you as part of our promo for the social media platform X.
Formerly, I think people would have bought the head like the luve, but that you just couldn't do it, Like no, I'm are glad that she failed that that.
I mean, does anyone even call it X? I don't have a Twitter account anymore, so I don't know, but people still calling it Twitter. I'd be proud if I say it.
Believe it's still it's still early days. But let the brand brand give X a chance, given a chance, let cook folks, let it give it a shot.
I mean, I mean, this is not I'm sure someone plenty of people have had this take already, but like it just seems it's so comic, Like it's just like where is Charles Xavier at? Like this is like it's such an easy one to one with, like comic book and like like the reality of like this does not make sense in like reality, like naming a company actually seems so cartooniously nefarious that I it's hard to like defy thee.
Must be so bad.
I can't even imagine how much money they had to pay on the SEO to make that even come up on the page.
Well, yeah, when you when you search, when you search Twitter, X comes up, so they've somehow they paid a lot. But listen, this is why you and I are not business geniuses. When you have a brand that is instantly recognizable to billions, what you want to do, actually is you want to change it. You want to change it to something completely different. It's not synonymous with what you do right, and you want to just switch it up
that way. And you will never understand that. I will never understand that.
Forty so many five D chests, five double D chest, Solve for X.
How about that?
You can use that use that one for free, Use.
That one for free. Solve for X. Can use Solve for X. I can see it on the bus stop right now.
X marks the spot. It's like a little Pirates.
Guys. Guys, you're meant to be, You're meant to be on strike. Free free gems say, guys, let me give a free.
X ray Vision will be back.
And we're back.
Let's talk about the surprise drop of the Invincible season two episode Adam Eve Special Episode prequel episode The Origin Story of Adam Eve on the Struck Amazon Prime Struck Strong Network. I was shocked to see this pop up in my in my feet. I immediately watched it, and I gotta tell you, folks, Invincible still got it.
It's great.
The way that the animation team make this show look instantly familiar to people who watch like anime, but also like completely different.
Like that fight scene with Adam Eve and.
The kind of the big fight at the end, so I won't spoil kind of who she's fighting with, but like the way they use camera moved mom in that it feels like a danger Like it's like so different, very animal, and there's all this this camera movement, the sweeps, Like the action in this show is just unreal, and
it's nice to see them. You know, she still has a very invincible backstory, very depressing and violent, because that's the nature of Invincible, but it's nice to see her get a little bit of character work here, Like I could see them do this for most of the characters Invincible, and I would love to see it.
Yeah, I kept thinking that, like I could just watch a series of just these off characters that, yeah, I guess Adam Adam Eve gets a little bit because he gets more work than a lot of them. But like I could watch like a Monster Girl like exactly or whatever.
You know, I could watch Rex Bludes, like Origin Story, I can watch any of those or even like I don't want to sport it, but like, you know, the the like I'm really excited to see, Like for those who've read the Invincible comics, like for me, for my money, like the ending coda for like the ending like twenty thirty pages of Invincible were like to me, is like probably the best in the indy superhero comic I've ever read ever.
Yes, Like I could fully just.
Watch the best Kirkman.
Yeah, it's absolutely the best.
It's the absolute best Kirkman.
It's it's like you just like you can't be like I could watch fully just two hours of that code, Like I could just watch that.
In forever, but I think that one.
Yeah, it's like one of the craziest things too, is like you know you have two iconic you have Corey Walker, you have Ryan Otley. Yeah, and like the way that they translate like this looks like it, but it doesn't look like.
But it also looks like the best of the DCAU, but it also looks like anime or like especially it's so visually pleasing, Like I understand why when they surprise dropped this, like everyone lost their ship, because it also is like it still has all the things people like about Invincible. It's by the time you get to the end,
there's some really horrific shit going down. Yeah, and they really do some grotesque stuff, but it has that hard it has that punch, and then you get this really fun like what's Mark been up to?
Sting and that.
Also somehow manages to really hit even though it's just like it's mostly a bit, but the end has this like little heft.
Yeah.
I just thought this was so good and obviously Surprise dropping it probably because of the strike.
Just to bring it up.
Again, like let's people really couldn't have people out there promoting this, but like, it was really good and I hope people got paid. I mean, that first Invincible season blew my mind because if I'm not mistaken, that was
Amazon and Skybound essentially creating like an animation studio. Like I think that it was like more like produced by them, and the idea was to keep making other animated stuff, and it's just like so good visually, like there's no one else right now is making superhero animation that compares to this.
Yeah, it does something really great, which is and The Boys does this too, And I think you know, whether consciously or unconsciously, struck company, Amazon Prime Studios has kind of backed into a brand with regards to its superhero stuff, which is this kind of deconstruction of Superman of superheroes.
And the great thing about Invincible what I loved about season one and it's right there front and center and the Adam Eve prequel is that on the one hand, they are deconstructing the myths right and showing you the kind of like brutality and the very creaky like moral standing of superheroes, but also they're giving you the magic of what is great about like keeps it in general also like it's like, I mean, this prequel is all about a girl wanting to be special, wanting to find
that thing that is special about her, and then that classic comic book thing of you get the thing that makes you special and then you are rejected for it, and that is just it is, and it is endlessly emotionally impactful. For at least for me, that is the thing that keeps me coming back to comic Like when I get a whiff of that, when I get like a hint of that kind of friction, that emotional like impact and a story, I'm like, oh, yeah, this is this is what I felt like, you know, originally reading
comics as a kid. And this prequel does it. And it does it on multiple levels too. It's not just like Adam Eve getting rejected when she shows a friend like what is special artists spoil ler light spoiler. But then you also get that that that dichotomy of of what happens when the power the hero is aesthetically beautiful as compared to the kind of more monstrous villain, and what happens when that villain is warped by the fact that they are rejected by society because they don't look
like everybody else. It's just like really good, just really good comic book stuff. Even though they are tearing it's simultaneously like tearing apart the troops of comic book stuff. They're also giving you the tropes in equal measure, and it just is really good yeah.
I think something they did really well in the first season that they echo here in like a different way is kind of like the relationship between like Mark and his dad is revealed to be like a very abusive relationship in like its own way, and that was really interestingly done in the first season. But the way they dealt with that here with like Eve Adams's dad and the way he's like kind of emotionally abusive and neglect kill there are like these moments that just absolutely broke me.
Like there's a moment where she's late for her own birthday and he's already eaten a slice of her cake.
And that bit like she just says it. She's like, you ate my cake and she and it just it says so much.
And they do such a good job of bothering to add nuance and detail and emotional backstory in a way that a lot of other supero TV doesn't get the time to but we do get the time to do in comics, like Invincible is so big, it went on for so long, so there's lots of space for nuance and conversation about emotions. We often don't get that when
you're stripping it down for TV. But I feel like in this special, especially, they expanded on something they were already doing really well in the first season with these tiny moments that just hit like super hard.
Yeah, this show's really cracked the balance between the superhero big punching people through wall stuff, but like you really care about the family dynamics. Like anytime you go you see nick tier of her house and you go on your side, you know you're about to have your fucking heart Listen.
Oh, that's a great point. It is not you would think, oh, I just watched someone get their head torn off in a cree fight scene, and now we're heading to the to the you know, a scene of domestic quietude. That's not it. Like I almost clench up more when I see the exterior of the house because you just know it's going to be an emotional battlefield with me.
Absolutely as a scene where where Eve.
Shows her powers to her friend and then her friend is just like so freaked out, was just so sad to me, so sad.
Uh.
It's just like they've done it again, folks, They've really done it again. And then the action is unbelievable, Like.
That's the wildest thing to have, Like action that feels groundbreaking and different for Western animation, but also to have emotional have to actually makes you care about the characters is very impressive.
Yeah. Yeah.
The fight scene between they call it Guarding the Globes that that the Invincible, Yeah.
The Guardians of the Globe and the and the lizards to Quadron.
The Squadrat and like you know that scene is like I've seen that fight a thousand times, and like marm and like the animated versions of Superman and all that stuff. But like even having the added edge of like at any moment, Omniman could just fucking snap whoever, this queen lizard, whoever.
Tatiana Maslani plays a character like any moment, he could like just snapper at half And like seeing that subdued like quiet rage, knowing that he could do that at any moment added such an extra texture of like fear and like stakes to these fights when normally you'd be like, yeah, right, we called the robbers, we saved the day. But like having that little bit of edge that the Invincible Universe brings, I think also adds like a sort of like subtle tension to all these fight scenes.
Now that's such a good point because like, by the end of Invincible season one, you know the truth about Omni Man, but when we start this, because it's a prequel, he is still in that like Superman esque role. Yeah, so you have that dramatic irony of knowing who he really is, but seeing him positioned as like the hero in this fire, and then learning that he is directly connected to the the origins of atam Eve in some
strange ways. Like it's really smartly done, and you're right, it does add this level of like fear as you the viewer knowing what he can really do, whereas the wild Girl thinks he's you know, the.
Hero, just an incredible and absolutely terrifying villain. Omniman and I will say, you know, in our in our discord, there was kind of a conversation going the last couple of days about why can't people get Superman right, why
can't they figure out the tone? And just listening to this conversation right now, I think part of it is that if you're not a fan of Superman and you're not reading the Superman comics on the daily, it is a lot easier to engage with this, with the potential scariness of a Superman figure through Omniman, through the Boys right of this character insanely powerful, but like you're wondering,
what if he just decides to not be a good guy? Yeah, I mean this is the this is the genesis of so many dec stories.
James Gun movie. It's like, yes, Superman was evil, you know, and.
With Superman there's never even that question, like you never That's the thing about Superman is no one ever wonders, oh fuck, what if he what if he goes back? Because you just he would never happen with him. But I think that's what makes it kind of hard, is that we're just primed, like as a culture now to be like, there's got to be something else with that guy. There's gotta be a dark side, you know, with a
character like that. And that's what makes Omneymn so fucking scary is he seems like the perfect dad, the perfect hero, the hero that Earth needs, and really he's like a fucking genocidal mass murror. Yeah uh, and is just barely keeping his rage under control. And it's terrifying, shit, terrifying.
Yeah. I think it makes such a good point too. It's almost like the eighty you know, the eight decade plus of like Superman stories and superhero stories, we are living with all of the ripple effects of all the different versions.
So for every like All.
Star Superman, you have that dark fear version, or the Elseworld's version, or the what if another he landed in another country, you know, like the red Sun version. Like there's all these different ideas of the fear of him. But I do think you're right. I still truly believe like Superman, he has a good mom, a good dad. They raised him right, they loved him, and he's just
a really good person. Because of that, And also, can we give mar Kent the props that she deserves because she is comic's most powerful graphic designer.
Shit in her house and that became like the iconography in.
The world, you know, Like I know, I know, means hope it's from Crimpton Shore. But I believe Marken is the world's greatest graphic designer.
I agree with you.
That to me is like I hope that whatever version of Superman we get understands that because his inherent goodness is actually the most exciting thing.
But I think because of like besive, yeah, yeah, to be character agree good.
Yeah, I would love to see it.
Well blown away. Can't wait for the next season of Invincible. Up next nerd Out.
In today's nerd Out, where you asked tell us what you love them? Why e theory, you're excited to share a quick question we can answer. Andrew asked for a little comic book wreck, and I believe that this is the perfect time for ZIG from it, like if we can finally try and promote our manga and anime agenda onto So, Andrew asks, Hi, Jason and Rosie, and I will add zig I am a big fan of your podcast, currently burning through your stuff to get caught up to
most recent episodes. As a newbie to comics, do you have a comic or two that you would recommend me? And then he says this, I'm a big fan of anime if it helps color my palette. Most recently, I've been into Demon Slayer, Haiku and the Slice of Life anime Katara Lives Alone. Based on those, is they're a
comic you would recommend? I will say yes, because you are talking about anime, which means they're based on manga and mango is one of the longest running forms of comics in the whole world, and I would say I Love Mason a Cuckoo by Remiko Takahashi visits doing like an unbelievable re release of those right now. It's one of the best Slice of Life comics ever. It's much funnier than Katara Lives Alone, which is incredible but very sad.
It's very wacky. It's quite raunchy because that was Ramiko's whole vibe, and it's about a woman who is a young widow who takes over a boarding house and it's about her and like her eclectic group of friends.
I love that.
I would also say, like, if you like Haiku, probably you should be reading Ping Kong, which is like one of the greatest manga series of all time by Tayo Matsimoto, who's like really great and the title will give you a hint of what it's about, but it's about like a table tennis league in high school and it's so good and it's like one of the best sportsman I've ever read. So I would say those are like the two that I would really go for.
Off those, zig I want to say based off this, this is mainly coming from The Demon Slayer and the Qatara Lives at Home. I think for a simple this is like more visas, definitely an order on order one. But I think if you're looking for something in the line of Demon Slayer, I think definitely think the original U Hockey show. Yeah, manga and even the anime would
be a great a great through line for that. Even maybe even and Chainsaw Man, Like it's not Demon say it, but there's a bunch of fun, fun, high octavee action and actually even Jiujitsu k Those are probably three that I would recommend if you're looking for like supernatural stuff, I think some fun like like sort of elevated slights of life stuff is I think spy families are very fun when to get into. Yes, family in soccer Moto Days is another fun like sliced of life, like a
little bit of action added into it. Like uh, I think those like we're pretty good, pretty good places to start.
Yeah, and you know what, we always talk about this one, like we've talked about it a lots is so great. But I think if you're looking for something that's like not anime or manga in that space, we talk a lot about Fantasy Sports by Sam Bosma, which is like so amazing, and that's definitely in that sports manga influenced space, but it's like a really different style, and the comics are beautiful.
They're kind of.
Huge, beautiful hard cover, like they're really nice to just have a your house. I will also say Akira Dark Horses re release them all. I'm rereading it from the beginning and that is just like every page you're just like, what the fuck was the como on?
This is like one of the best. This is like one of the best things that's ever been made.
So yeah, lots and lots of recommendations, Jason is anything immediately jumped to mind.
I am just happy to be taking all of this in. I have just recently chinished Secure, which I and I absolutely love it. I echo the Sam Bosma drop and I'm just taking notes just like Andrew hopefully I would imagine, is Andrew what a what a perfect episode? Your question as.
Yeah, yes, please always this is a comic book that is very heavily influenced by manga. But do a power bomb, yes, Johnson. It's such a fun It's just it's just like pro wrestling and like another dimension, and everyone in that dimension doesn't know that wrestling is fake on Earth, so it's just it's.
Just that it's very very fun have recent eyes and the winner, yeah won the eyes and this year also, I will say, Jason, you are probably one of only like five percent of people on earth who've actually read all of Akira, So congratulations to you.
I'm hoping to be now. I have all the books I'm rereading, and.
I never had like the last sixteen issues, because I have all the collected, I have all the colored ones, so I'm like very excited to finally be able to fully read it all in order.
So well done to you five percent. Thank you Andrew so much.
If you have any theories, fashions or quick questions you want to share, hit us up extra at cricket dot com.
Instructions in the show notes.
That's it for us.
Rosesig any plugs, zige, anything to plug.
You know, pay writers what they owe ye that I guess if you've seen in the pickle line and say what's up?
Mm hmm, yes, remember we say every week. But you can go to the picket lines.
You can follow WGA in east or you can follow WGA West and you can see where the picket lines are. You can go and support, you can take people food and Water and you can donate to the Entertainment Community Fund.
Also, I will say I do have a book.
That is that you can pre order now. I did not write the whole book, but I wrote some entries in it. It's called The Screen Traveler's Guide, and it is very fun. It's like a travel guide for people who love movies, and it features all different kinds of incredible facts and stories about movies that you love. I got to cover some of my all time favorite movies and The Dragon and Crashing Tigerhead and Dragon and North
By Northwest. I also got paid for the first time to write about Twilight, so I'm incredibly proud of that and happy. But it covers everything from like Star Wars to superheroes, to classic movies to like Pray. I wrote about like the Predator franchise and Pray and where they filmed that, so it's really cool. There's a bunch of brilliant writers like Ty Goodin involved, so that's really fun and if you love movies, that'll probably be a great thing.
So you can pre order that now.
Catch the next episode of X ray Vision Friday, August fourth for a mail bag episode. Send those questions and send us the questions.
And you can watch for episodes of the podcast on YouTube.
Also check out our Twitter at xov pod and on discord to hang out with loads of cool fans and talk about cool stuff like how they could get Superman.
Bright five star ratings, five star reviews. We need them, we gotta have you, gotta get them to us. Here's one from EW seven to one three five stars for Jason and Rosie. I discovered Jason through the official House of the Dragon podcast and want more. This podcast has been such a delight. Jason and Rosie expertly follow expander and complete so many of the TV series and movies in my family and I watch together. I love all the excitement and discussion they bring to each episode. Thank
you so much you. X ray Vision is a Crooked Media production. The show is produced by Chris Lord and Saul Rubin and executive produced by me Jason SEPs You and are editing at. Sound design is by Facilis Phatopoulos. Video production by Delon Villanueva and Rachel Gayeski. Social media by Awa Oklatti and Caroline Dunfe. Thank you to Brian Basquez for our theme music. See you next time, Are you down for finding out the best news and entertainment.
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