Many have stated, "I don't know how you guys continue to keep The Big Monkey Podcast staying so damned awesome! God, I want to have my funny babies with you."

I have miraculously made 21 kids in the past 6 months.

Scip? None.

Now it can be told: what it takes to put together a Big Monkey Podcast.

Like The Justice League, we all don't live in the city. Many of us live on palacial estates overlooking the poverty, crime-stricken cities. At least I do.

Every other Thursday the call goes out. The red phone rings. It's Scip's manservant Paco, telling us it's time to assemble. I remove my smoking jacket and kiss my new wife good-bye, heading to the elevator, leading to my personal underground subway car which leads to Big Monkey Comics, various archery ranges & strip clubs.

Ben, resplendent in jodphurs and after spending the day perusing his steam-powered Information-Scope 20001, is the first to arrive at the store. Ben, having bathed in lilac-scented water and having read a stack of "girl comics" is prepared to moderate that which no sane man would.

Jon Brooks is next to arrive by a dune buggy powered by the sound of a million "Excelsiors!" Brooks is the hardest to corral as his day job as a world renowned voice coach/cicada specialist keeps him busy around the world.

Jon Carey is next, swooping through the window on a silken line, disheveled, gun at the ready. Ben, who has become expert at this point, patches him up, hands him his "medicine," props him in front of a mike and awaits "magic time."

Scip, as always arrives via golden spaceship, fashionably late (tipsy) and complaining of exhaustion, having freshly returned from spending too much time hanging out in various Macy's with new best friend, Tim Gunn. Scip is then led to his special chamber where he is bombarded with his essential "re-vita rays," which we don't have the heart to tell him, is actually just a buffet table with extra heating lamps.

Soon, I arrive. Before the podcast can begin, we lay hands upon a stack of Hot Stuff comics and pledge to uphold "The Blogger's Code," which basically says we'll use spel-chek whenever possible.

Next, the roast pig is brought out and they sup upon its flesh. I don't eat meat. I draw sustenance from the love of my many, many female admirers.

Next, the table is cleared of all debris, the lights are lowered and we sit at our chairs emblazoned with our unique symbols and attuned to our individual bio-rhythms.

Our golden cups raised, we let out a yell.

We are ready...

Labels: Big Monkey Podcast

The eleventy-billionth Big Monkey Podcast is, much like Ben Hatton, up and running.

Thrill to the adventures of everyone explaining to Scip that Iron Fist is just a comic.

Swoon as we all get the Blues.

Listen in shock and awe as we show you that five men can talk for one hour without cussin'.

Labels: Big Monkey Podcast

Last week, after much discussion and shooting down of things, we chose not to discuss Marvel's "event," Annihilation on last week's Big Monkey Podcast.

The reason why we chose not to do so were simple.

Only two of us (Ben & Jon B.) had even bothered to follow it. Why is that, I wonder?

Traditionally, space adventure is often thought of very highly. No one need look no further than "The Kree-Skrull War Saga." DC's criminally never reprinted 1988 event "Invasion." Those fond feelings often don't translate into blockbuster sales figures, at least where space opera is concerned.

For example, let's take Rann-Thanagar War. Of the four "big event books" (The OMAC Project, Villains United & Days of Vengeance) that led up to Infinite Crisis, R-T War was Big Monkey Comics' hardest sell.

I've always wondered why. Was it that, of the four, it had the least "star power?"

Villains United featured writing by fan-fave writer Gail Simone, ass-kicking art by Dale Eaglesham, telling the story of six villains vs. a secret society of super-villains numbering in the hundreds.

Days of Vengeance worked on the premise of a few C-list magic based heroes proving what it is to be a hero in a futile attempt to contain DC mainstay, The Spectre.

The OMAC Project had strong ties to Batman and served as a launch point for a future Checkmate series.

Written by Dave Gibbons and drawn (most of the time) by future Green Lantern artist Ivan Reis, Rann-Thanagar War mainly focused on the conflict as seen through the eyes of Rann's Adam Strange and Thanagar's Hawkman.

Of the four R-T War was the least well-received. As I remember it, the blogosphere's reactions to it all were more interesting than the actual war, with various blogs declaring war upon one another in the name of the hated Rann or our beloved Thanagar.

(Guess which side I came down upon.)

But I digress, we left Annihilation exactly where we left it... nowhere. What is it about "space adventure" that seems to only translate to critical acclaim and not "fan favorite" status?

Is it that the Big Two of DC & Marvel's sole focus seems to be on superhero fare?

Are the events of Countdown or World War Hulk just that more interesting?

Is it that space opera ain't very good for the bottom line?

Is something like Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Corps an anomaly, an exception rather than the rule?

What do YOU think?

Labels: Big Monkey Podcast, Green Lantern

The one in which I speak of John Deere and Oprah in the same sentence.

The one in which I, a realist, have no faith in a Wizard.

The one in which I give Teens the rub.

(That sounded bad.)

Labels: Big Monkey Podcast

Labels: Big Monkey Podcast

I'd had massive amounts of blood drawn from me.

Jon Carey was hopped up on cold medicine.

Ben was sleep deprived and jittery from Red Bull.

Then, Jon Brooks amputated his left hand and replaced it with a mystical healing water hand.

Scip was...

Scip.

Labels: Big Monkey Podcast

Fellers and ladies, this podcast is the one in which the wonderful Tori Tyree, head of Big Monkey Comics' Women Group, joins us to talk about comics.

Listen in awe as The Amazing Tori talks about her love for all things Black Canary, fishnets and Kung Fu included!

Listen in amazement as two of comics' greatest minds, myself and writer Mike Carey (The Devil You Know, Lucifer, X-Men) discuss comics!

No ferrets were harmed in the making of this podcast.

Labels: Big Monkey Podcast

This is the one in which I attack Ben, Skrulls, a Scot and a Queen all in the same breath and find a new use for Plastic Man.

Of, yeah. These people were there, too.

This is also the podcast in which Jon Carey waved sausage around and dared a man not to laugh.

Labels: Big Monkey Podcast

Labels: Big Monkey Podcast

The first Big Monkey Comics Podcast is up featuring myself*, Ben of Those Wednesdays, Jon Hex of Jon Hex Lives, Jon of Facedown In The Gutters and Scipio of The Absorbascon.

Thrill to my Orson Welles-like portrayal of Black Manta!

Shudder at the thought of Jon Carey podcasting, semi-drunk!

Listen to me tell Scip to shut up!

Be the first to listen to comics bloggings first super-group! We're like The Power Station and Jon is that dude on the drums.

*I can't be held responsible for what happens to you after listening to the amount of "kick-ass" running through your speakers.

Labels: Big Monkey Podcast