Checkered Past Episode 5: Detective Comics 348!

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Are you ready? Yeah. Are you with it? [00:00:02] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:00:02] Speaker A: Okay, let's go. You know what to do. The whole world's watching and counting on you. And all you people listening out there. Everybody everywhere. [00:00:13] Speaker B: Hang on, hang on, hang on. Welcome to Checkered Past, a loving postmodern examination of the. Go. Go. Check branded comic magazines published by DC Comics between February 1966 and August 1967. I'm Dr. Bob and each week I'll be your guide on this trippy tour through 535 mid century masterpieces of graphic noveldom. This week. Detective Comics 348 cover date February 1966 cover price $0.12. Cover artist Joe Cooper and Ira Schnapp Edited by Julius Schwartz Featuring Birdmaster of Bedlam Written by Robert Kanagara. Art by Sheldon Moldoff and Joe Giella. In which Batman and his buddy battle a b turbaned bird brain and my wife the witch. Writer Gardner Fox, artist Carmine Infantino and Sid Green. In which the stretchable sleuth and his sexy sidekick sidle up to Salem. Er, I mean Malem. Are you ready? Are you with it? Then away we go. When a plane carrying Miss USA crash lands after it is attacked by wild birds, killing Miss USA in the process, Batman and Robin soon become aware of a sinister plot by a criminal known as the Birdmaster who plans to hold the world ransom by sending out armies of trained birds to attack any planes in the sky. Traveling to the Birdmaster's castle base, the Dynamic Duo battle the Birdmaster and his minions fellow, forcing the Birdmaster to flee. In a stroke of irony, Birdmaster escapes in a plane that's attacked by his own birds, forcing a crash land and causing the criminal's death. Meanwhile, when Ralph and Sue Dibney arrive at the Pine Beach Hotel in the town of Malem, they find their reservations have been lost. The only room the hotel has available is said to be haunted, but the Dibneys take it anyway. The next day sue finds a book of spells, and when she tries the first two, the magic works. She then sends Ralph to the store for the materials she needs. For the third and final spell, Ralph arrives at the store and stumbles upon a robbery. He apprehends the gang, but not the gang boss who planned the crime. Ralph suspects the hotel manager and tricks the man into a panic. When the manager flees, Ralph catches him. The manager used the phony magic story to trick Ralph into capturing his gang so that he could keep the loot for himself. Confused? Not me, but I'll be back anyway to explain everything right after this message from the public service announcement. Players. [00:02:59] Speaker A: Public Service announcement Theater presents. [00:03:01] Speaker B: Buzzy says old folks are people too. [00:03:06] Speaker A: Come on, Hank, we're counting on you to pitch today. [00:03:10] Speaker B: But gosh, Buzzy, my mother had to go out and I don't feel right leaving Grandpop here all alone. He's just moved in with us and, well, you know how old folks are. [00:03:23] Speaker A: You just run along, Hank. Don't worry about me. I'm not exactly helpless, old as I am. [00:03:31] Speaker B: Golly, I didn't mean. You're sure? Gosh, that's swell, Gramps. Thanks a lot. [00:03:40] Speaker A: Later. [00:03:43] Speaker B: Well, we're all set to play, but Mr. Slade just sent word he can't umpire the game. I guess we'll have to get one of the spectators. [00:03:53] Speaker A: Say, I see just the right person. Wait a minute. [00:03:57] Speaker B: Grandpop. [00:03:58] Speaker A: Sure, he decided to come down to watch the game and he's agreed to be the ump. [00:04:04] Speaker B: But. But Grandpop, he. [00:04:08] Speaker A: Well, I used to play baseball, Hank, and I'm still a baseball fan. Come on, play ball. Trouble with you, Hank, and with most of us, is that we don't figure old folks are regular people, too. [00:04:26] Speaker B: Presented as a public service in cooperation with the National Social Welfare Assembly Coordinating Organization for National Health, Welfare and Recreation agencies in the USA. We're back. [00:04:37] Speaker A: Hello. [00:04:38] Speaker B: Hey. So, detective comics number 348. [00:04:41] Speaker A: And the month Febru. [00:04:44] Speaker B: February. [00:04:45] Speaker A: February. [00:04:45] Speaker B: February. [00:04:46] Speaker A: February. [00:04:47] Speaker B: February. [00:04:48] Speaker A: February. [00:04:49] Speaker B: February. I don't like the second R. I'm just gonna say February. [00:04:52] Speaker A: Okay. [00:04:53] Speaker B: Detective Comics number 348. Give me your thumbnail review. [00:04:57] Speaker A: Insipid waste of a story. [00:05:00] Speaker B: Good throw. [00:05:01] Speaker A: Batman and Robin in a cage with a bunch of birds. [00:05:04] Speaker B: Right? [00:05:04] Speaker A: Yep. [00:05:05] Speaker B: I have to agree, but a very. [00:05:08] Speaker A: Touching moment in the jet. [00:05:10] Speaker B: Oh, I'll say. I know. We'll get to that. So you were asking me why is this Detective Comics, not Batman Comics? Since it stars Batman. [00:05:19] Speaker A: Right. Batman. Robin. [00:05:20] Speaker B: Well, I'm about to tell you. [00:05:21] Speaker A: Okay. [00:05:21] Speaker B: Detective Comics was the third and final publication of the Entrepreneur. Entrepreneur. Maybe I just can't say words with Rs in them. Entrepreneur Major Malcolm Wheeler Nicholson, who founded the National Allied Publications comics company. [00:05:39] Speaker A: National Allied. Public Nap. [00:05:42] Speaker B: No, it was just called National Allied Publications. So Detective comics premiered in 1937. [00:05:49] Speaker A: Okay. [00:05:49] Speaker B: Batman, as you may know, premiered in 1939. [00:05:53] Speaker A: Two years later. [00:05:53] Speaker B: Two years later in issue 27 of Detective Comics. Oh, so before that time, Detective had been, you know, an anthology series with many different characters. [00:06:03] Speaker A: Sure. [00:06:03] Speaker B: All doing detective y things. [00:06:05] Speaker A: Right. [00:06:06] Speaker B: Where was I? Detective Comics. So back in the day, they would have these flagship titles for Instance Detective Comics. Action Comics, where Superman premiered. Sensation Comics, where Wonder Woman premiered. All right. Those big flagship titles would published monthly. [00:06:24] Speaker A: Okay. [00:06:24] Speaker B: And then if the character proved popular enough, they'd get their own cover, they'd get their own title, which would be. Title. Yes. Which would be quarterly. [00:06:33] Speaker A: Okay. [00:06:34] Speaker B: So when we get to Batman, it will be a much lower number than one or then 348. [00:06:39] Speaker A: Okay. [00:06:40] Speaker B: Because Detective had been published monthly since the 30s. [00:06:43] Speaker A: Oh. So characters could appear not only in their own comics. [00:06:48] Speaker B: Sure. [00:06:48] Speaker A: But in. In anthology series. [00:06:52] Speaker B: Sure. [00:06:52] Speaker A: Kind of like when Laverne and Shirley appeared on Happy Days and they got their own series. [00:06:57] Speaker B: It's exactly like that. [00:06:58] Speaker A: Is it really? And then when they appear once in a while on Happy Days, you're like, oh, wait a second. Yeah, they're on the other show. Wow. [00:07:05] Speaker B: Well, not quite. So Detective would continue to feature Batman and other characters, whereas Batman comics would only feature stories of Batman and Robin. [00:07:15] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. Okay, so question, I forgot to tell you. [00:07:19] Speaker B: Yes. [00:07:20] Speaker A: How many Chrissy's were there on Three's Company? [00:07:23] Speaker B: Just one Chrissy. But there was a Jenny. [00:07:25] Speaker A: Oh, Jenny. And there were three blondes. [00:07:28] Speaker B: There was another one. Yeah. I don't remember the third one. [00:07:31] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:07:32] Speaker B: And wait till we get to how many Robins there were. Oh. So Detective Comics, dc. That's how DC became DC Comics. Its name from Detective Comics. [00:07:43] Speaker A: Know that. [00:07:43] Speaker B: Well, now you do. [00:07:46] Speaker A: And our. Our fans who are listening, who also know about as much about comics as I do, just learned something very useful. So D.C. stands for detective Comics. [00:07:55] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:07:56] Speaker A: Okay. [00:07:56] Speaker B: I'm not sure how useful that is. Anyway, let's flash Forward to the 1960s. [00:08:02] Speaker A: Yes. Okay, let's flash forward using air quotes. [00:08:04] Speaker B: Batman had become kind of a. A silly character. [00:08:11] Speaker A: Oh. [00:08:11] Speaker B: Throughout the 1950s, he was going into outer space. He wasn't doing very much detective work. [00:08:17] Speaker A: Okay. [00:08:20] Speaker B: He had a whole family. Batwoman and Batgirl and Bat Hound in outer space. And Bat Mite. Well, they would go to outer space occasionally. Yes. [00:08:28] Speaker A: Bat Mite. What's a mite? [00:08:30] Speaker B: Bat Mite. You know, Bat Mite from the cartoon, remember? [00:08:33] Speaker A: No. Is it like Schmoo? [00:08:35] Speaker B: Yeah, it's kind of. Yeah. [00:08:36] Speaker A: Like Martin. Like the Martian. Who was Martian on Fred Flintstone. [00:08:40] Speaker B: The Great Kazoo. It's exactly like Great Kazoo. [00:08:42] Speaker A: Okay. All right. [00:08:44] Speaker B: Bat Mite was a little magical creature. [00:08:46] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:08:47] Speaker B: And he talked. They talk like this. Hey, Batman, I know how to help you. [00:08:50] Speaker A: Was it M I T e or M I G H T M I T E. Okay, so are we. We're not going to look at Those are we. [00:08:56] Speaker B: No, we're past that point. Although they're awesome. We should go back and do a 50s series once we're done with this. [00:09:02] Speaker A: Maybe when we're retired. Yeah. [00:09:04] Speaker B: So in the 1960s, Julius Schwartz, who was a big editor at DC Comics, he took over the Batman line, including Detective Comics. And he decided that Batman was gonna get a little sleeker, more serious kind of look. [00:09:23] Speaker A: Okay. [00:09:23] Speaker B: So that's when we got the bat symbol with the yellow circle on his chest. [00:09:27] Speaker A: Oh, okay. [00:09:28] Speaker B: Before that point, he just had kind of a magic marker scrawl across his chest. Kind of looked like a bat. [00:09:34] Speaker A: Like he made it himself. [00:09:36] Speaker B: Yeah, but. [00:09:38] Speaker A: Well, actually, he does make his own costumes. [00:09:40] Speaker B: Well, yeah, Alfred, I'm sure sews for him. He might design it, but I'm sure. [00:09:45] Speaker A: Alfred does a cleanup work. Probably. [00:09:47] Speaker B: Yeah. The fine detailing. So in 1964, this is when the new look, quote unquote, Batman came around. And Carmine Infantano was assigned to draw every other issue of Detective Comics. [00:10:03] Speaker A: Okay. [00:10:04] Speaker B: Employing the sleek style he had employed on Flash comics. We'll get to the importance of Flash when we get to an issue of the Flash in a couple of weeks. But it was a very sort of mid century, sleek, modern look that he brought over to Batman. [00:10:21] Speaker A: Good. [00:10:23] Speaker B: Now, because there was no way that fans would not recognize the art style of Carmine and Fantenow, he became the first Batman artist not to sign Bob Kane's name to the work. Bob Kane was a creator of Batman. [00:10:39] Speaker A: Okay. [00:10:39] Speaker B: You'll notice on the splash page of this issue of Detective Comics, it says Bob Kane at the bottom. [00:10:44] Speaker A: I see that. [00:10:45] Speaker B: As if Bob Kane had drawn it. [00:10:47] Speaker A: Yes. [00:10:47] Speaker B: He didn't. [00:10:48] Speaker A: Okay. [00:10:48] Speaker B: This was drawn by Sheldon Moldoff. [00:10:52] Speaker A: Okay. So why does Joe Kubert have a name on the. On the COVID He drew the COVID Okay. [00:10:59] Speaker B: He drew the COVID And he's also very instrumental artist in this period. We'll get to him when we get to some of the war comics. [00:11:07] Speaker A: Okay. Anyway, let's move on. [00:11:10] Speaker B: Yes. So sales of Batman titles were getting low, and so they needed this new look to revitalize thing. Everything. [00:11:18] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:11:21] Speaker B: Carmine and Fantano came in, turned everything around, yellow oval. The rest is history. Now, I'm also going to place this in a little bit of historical context. This is from COVID date February 1966. That means it was on sale in December 1965. Oh, the Batman TV show. [00:11:40] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:11:41] Speaker B: Premiered in January 1966. [00:11:44] Speaker A: Okay. [00:11:45] Speaker B: So this issue is coming out right before the TV show. [00:11:49] Speaker A: Okay. [00:11:50] Speaker B: Which might explain a little bit of its lackluster character I think this might have been kind of an inventory story they had in the back drawer. [00:11:59] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:12:00] Speaker B: That once the TV show came out, the popularity of the comic went up a little bit. [00:12:05] Speaker A: Okay. [00:12:05] Speaker B: As well as the quality I would want. [00:12:09] Speaker A: Yes. This is ridiculous. [00:12:11] Speaker B: So here we are, the Birdmaster of Bedlam. [00:12:15] Speaker A: Yes. [00:12:16] Speaker B: This is not a villain that ever appeared before or since. Cuz he dies. [00:12:20] Speaker A: Because he dies. Yeah. Thank God. Oh, that's terrible. I'm sorry. The poor guy dies. [00:12:25] Speaker B: Yeah. It's not entirely clear to me why he's wearing a turban and hoop earrings and has big long fingernails. Is that ever explained in the text? [00:12:37] Speaker A: No, no. [00:12:38] Speaker B: He's dressed as a. And he. [00:12:40] Speaker A: And he lives in a castle of sorts. Yes, yes. [00:12:45] Speaker B: There's a description of him on the splash page. The Birdmaster, the most fantastic collector of all times, lacks only two prizes to complete his unique collection of rare one of a kind winged creatures, Batman and Robin. [00:13:00] Speaker A: Yes. [00:13:01] Speaker B: Can the acrobatic aces escape the incredible traps whose sole purpose is to mount them like stuffed birds on a wall? [00:13:09] Speaker A: So we're introduced to the concept that this Mr. Birdmaster. [00:13:13] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:13:13] Speaker A: Is going to capture. [00:13:15] Speaker B: Capture Batman and Robin. [00:13:17] Speaker A: Kill, kill, Gut. [00:13:20] Speaker B: Taxidermy and stuff them. Yeah. We open our story. Millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne is at the Gotham City airport bidding goodbye to Miss usa. Mona is her name. [00:13:33] Speaker A: Is that what her name is? I'm looking for it. [00:13:37] Speaker B: It's in here someplace. [00:13:38] Speaker A: Okay. Mona. There she goes. [00:13:41] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:13:41] Speaker A: Mona. [00:13:43] Speaker B: Poor little Dick Grayson wishes he were old enough to rate a blast off farewell like that. [00:13:49] Speaker A: Yeah. Because. Because Bruce Wayne is holding Mona, the Miss USA and they're in a firm embrace. And she's kissing him and they're talking. [00:13:57] Speaker B: Well, she comes over and kisses him. You didn't think I'd forget you? He said, yow. [00:14:03] Speaker A: All systems are go, go, go. [00:14:05] Speaker B: Well, who could forget Dick? [00:14:07] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:09] Speaker B: That would get a laugh. Sorry. They're driving off from the airport, right? [00:14:16] Speaker A: And they see the plane. [00:14:17] Speaker B: They see the plane crash. [00:14:19] Speaker A: No way. I can. Have to. So this is one of the first lines that made me go. Oh, what this insipid episode. [00:14:26] Speaker B: What? [00:14:28] Speaker A: It goes when Dick says to. So Bruce says to Dick, there goes Mona, all wrapped up in dreams. I bet we'll be seeing her on movie screens soon. And theaters everywhere. And he says, think she'll wave back at us if we sit in the front row? [00:14:45] Speaker B: As if that would make the director's cut. Well, her wave at the camera. Hi, Dave. [00:14:54] Speaker A: Hi, Bruce. I'm a big movie star now. [00:14:58] Speaker B: Anyway, the plane crashes and she dies. [00:15:00] Speaker A: He's an acrobat. [00:15:01] Speaker B: No, it's not the end. I'm sorry. [00:15:03] Speaker A: No, no. [00:15:03] Speaker B: The plane crashes. Batman and Rob and race to the scene of the crash. [00:15:07] Speaker A: By the way, did you happen to see how many different ways they. The words they use to describe the plane. No, they use the words jetliner. [00:15:14] Speaker B: Yes. [00:15:15] Speaker A: Plane, plane, plane, plane, plane. And ship. Not airship. Ship. [00:15:22] Speaker B: Okay. [00:15:24] Speaker A: Anyway, I just thought it was funny as I saw the different words, I thought, oh, they're not calling it a plane. [00:15:30] Speaker B: Well, somebody had their thesaurus out. So Batman and Robin come upon the crash. They beat the flames of jet fuel. Jet fuel out with their capes by whipping the flames away from the plane. That's not how that works. No, especially no. Yeah, it doesn't happen, nor would the plane probably be completely intact as it is. [00:15:57] Speaker A: Yes. As it does it. Well, if you notice that the plane is at different angles, but apparently at one point the plane is on its nose. [00:16:07] Speaker B: Nose down. [00:16:07] Speaker A: Nose down. And then another point, it's not on nose down. It's. It's sort of, you know, at an angle. Like a 35 degree angle. Right, yeah. [00:16:17] Speaker B: So the plane is full of injured and possibly dead people. And Robin says, it worked. Batman. Now we can rescue Mona and get another one of those blast off kisses. [00:16:28] Speaker A: He's. Well, he's gonna beat that out later on. Can we say cursing? Sure. [00:16:32] Speaker B: We have an explicit warning. [00:16:34] Speaker A: Oh, good, he's fucking beating the flames out on this plane. [00:16:37] Speaker B: Yeah, right. [00:16:38] Speaker A: That's just crashed. He's in his costume and he's saying, hopefully we can get her to kiss us again when we rescue her. [00:16:45] Speaker B: You know how teenage boys are. That's all they think about. Batman and Robin are rescuing people from the wing of the plane and floating them down to the ground, using their capes as parachutes, which they're holding in one hand and rescued passengers in the other. That's also not how that works. [00:17:04] Speaker A: No. And they must be so strong. [00:17:05] Speaker B: Well, they're very strong, but they're not super strong. They don't have powers. [00:17:09] Speaker A: At least it might slow them down maybe a fraction of a second. [00:17:14] Speaker B: No, it wouldn't. It's two people with a piece of. It's like taking a sheet off the bed, jumping out the second story window while holding someone we learned about as. [00:17:23] Speaker A: Children not to do. [00:17:26] Speaker B: I mean, physics worked the same in 1966, didn't it? [00:17:29] Speaker A: These guys are about to be attacked by birds who apparently can fly into aircraft and not be hurt. [00:17:35] Speaker B: Right. Or killed. Well, Mona's dead. [00:17:37] Speaker A: She's dead. [00:17:38] Speaker B: She's apparently the only one that died. [00:17:41] Speaker A: She's got her face shoved in his armpit. [00:17:43] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, it was probably bloody or something. [00:17:45] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. He's sparing us code of ethics. [00:17:48] Speaker B: The captain of the plane says that the plane was attacked by birds. Well, the ship. [00:17:53] Speaker A: The ship was attacked by. Sorry, birds, Batman. [00:17:56] Speaker B: That's Navy lingo. [00:17:58] Speaker A: He meant the airship. [00:17:59] Speaker B: Yeah, I know what he meant. Batman sees no evidence of birds. He's a detective after all. No feathers, no dead birds, nothing. [00:18:07] Speaker A: Smashing my windshield, dropping the air pressure, fouling the afterburners, crossing the controls. Okay, that's what he says in the second panel. So what bothers me is that there are absolutely no evidence of birds. Right, I know. Why? Because it's explained on the next page. But it's stupid. I mean, the birds have crashed into a moving jetliner and killed people. [00:18:31] Speaker B: Right. [00:18:31] Speaker A: And there's no evidence of the birds. [00:18:33] Speaker B: There's none. But there's a reason. We'll get to it. Batman, the famed detective heads to the air traffic control tower to give his report to the authorities. [00:18:45] Speaker A: So much stress in the air traffic control tower. [00:18:47] Speaker B: Yeah, because all these maydays are coming in now. Birds forcing me down. Outbounds being attacked by savage birds. Flight 451, attacked by birds, going down without power. Birds. Birds. Birds. And finally, can you hear Butler over there? I certainly can. It's loud as. [00:19:04] Speaker A: Can you cut out dog? Thank you. [00:19:08] Speaker B: The dog's on the bed, folks. Licking himself. [00:19:12] Speaker A: Okay, so birds. [00:19:13] Speaker B: Birds. [00:19:13] Speaker A: Flight 117, inbound to Gotham City, attacking birds. [00:19:17] Speaker B: So finally, the voice of the Bird Master comes from. [00:19:22] Speaker A: Apparently, from where? [00:19:23] Speaker B: I don't. [00:19:24] Speaker A: Speakers on all the birds flying. I don't know, maybe they're. They. They got Bose speakers from the future which are battery powered and can project really loudly but. [00:19:32] Speaker B: Right. [00:19:32] Speaker A: Because they're all saying, attention, this is the Bird Master. The sounds of falling aircraft prove that I control the airways. I warn you, my Flux will destroy anyone daring to trespass in my realm. Attention. Looping. This is the Bird Master from the birds just circling over the airport. [00:19:53] Speaker B: Right. All aircraft are ordered to land immediately. Then what does Batman do? Goes right to the Bat Cave and gets the Bat Jet and soars into the silent skies. Where he's also attacked by birds. [00:20:07] Speaker A: Yes, but let's back up to that. That one touching moment as the Bat Jet soars into the silent skies. We're up against a monstrous menace, Robin. This may be our last flight. If we don't come out of it, I want you to know I'd rather Have you by my side than a whole army Batman. [00:20:22] Speaker B: S. Stop making my head so b big or I'll bust through the ceiling. God, why don't you get a room? [00:20:33] Speaker A: So he flies in his jet. [00:20:34] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:20:35] Speaker A: Up to the skies. [00:20:36] Speaker B: Birds are attacking. [00:20:37] Speaker A: Suddenly, a sinister flock arrows into the. [00:20:40] Speaker B: Deserted airways, shooting bat rockets at the birds. [00:20:44] Speaker A: Which apparently, the birds take into their mouths. Yeah, they're swallowing rockets. [00:20:49] Speaker B: Right. The injured birds are carried off by other birds. That's why there is no evidence of bird attack on any of these airplanes. [00:20:58] Speaker A: Yeah. Okay, so if a bird just swallowed a rocket, I don't think there'd be anything left to take home. [00:21:04] Speaker B: Listen, we've already shown that physics works differently, apparently, in the 60s. So maybe the birds have some kind of absorbent. [00:21:13] Speaker A: So he's flying into these. Into the sky, surrounded by these massive birds. We're talking vultures, condors, raptors. [00:21:21] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, Batman. [00:21:24] Speaker A: Which, you know, gum up your engines. [00:21:27] Speaker B: Well, yeah, but they're gonna carry the. Well, they'll carry the bird's way. If they get gummed up. They just. The healthy birds carry them away. [00:21:34] Speaker A: Carry whatever they can get in their claws. [00:21:37] Speaker B: The bat jet's going into a deep. No, what do we say? A steep dive. [00:21:42] Speaker A: A steep dive. Oh, did you. Are you. [00:21:44] Speaker B: I'm in part two. I can't take it anymore. [00:21:46] Speaker A: Okay, I'm with you. I'm with you. [00:21:47] Speaker B: Robin's face turns green. [00:21:49] Speaker A: Like, literally green. Like lime green. So while Batman's doing this, the steep dive, he turns around to look at Robin. He says, you look strange, Robin. You're not getting sick because of all this vertical. Because of this vertical dive, are you? No. No, Batman. I always look green when I stand on my nose. [00:22:13] Speaker B: Bat jet flies over a canopy of trees. And here they go, parachuting out of the plane with just their capes. [00:22:20] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:22:20] Speaker B: Apparently, they're going to both. [00:22:22] Speaker A: They put the jet on automatic pilot. [00:22:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:22:24] Speaker A: And jump out of the jet, hoping that the birds will be like, oh, let's just follow the jet. [00:22:28] Speaker B: Yep. [00:22:28] Speaker A: Nope. But they get to show off their awesome skills, right? And he says, allez. Oop. I'd never seen. I'd heard that in. In pop culture. [00:22:38] Speaker B: Alley. Oop. The caveman. [00:22:39] Speaker A: Right? But I didn't have. I never heard this. Alle. [00:22:41] Speaker B: Oop. [00:22:42] Speaker A: Alle, of course, means let's go. [00:22:43] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:22:44] Speaker A: Oop. I'm not sure what that's meaning, but. [00:22:47] Speaker B: I'm googling it right now. [00:22:49] Speaker A: And Robin says, so. So Batman says, allez oop. And then Robin says, but I wish someone would tell Me just what that means. [00:22:58] Speaker B: Ah, I've got it, please. Borrowing from French. Allez houpe H o u p cry of circus acrobat about to leap. [00:23:08] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness. [00:23:10] Speaker B: From allez, which means go, go and hoop of unknown origin. Possibly an onomatopoeia. [00:23:19] Speaker A: Well, of course we do know that Robin is. He comes from a gymnastic family. [00:23:24] Speaker B: A circus family. [00:23:25] Speaker A: Yes, yes. [00:23:26] Speaker B: Also, Alley oop is a play in basketball in which one player passes the ball to another who catches it while airborne and dunks or lays it up before landing. Is basketball the one with the. When they wear the deep V neck tees. Is that that game? [00:23:43] Speaker A: Yes, it's the one that keeps moving constantly. [00:23:46] Speaker B: Well, that. You could say that about anything. [00:23:48] Speaker A: No, you cannot. You can't say that about American football, but you can say it about soccer. [00:23:54] Speaker B: Or those different things. [00:23:55] Speaker A: Football as they call it everywhere else but America. [00:23:58] Speaker B: I don't know what you're talking about. [00:24:00] Speaker A: Let's move on. [00:24:01] Speaker B: All right, all right. [00:24:02] Speaker A: The birds. [00:24:03] Speaker B: The birds chasing them. [00:24:04] Speaker A: They're swooping and spinning and swishing on their way down through the canopy of trees. And they hit the ground where they encount counter men dressed as birds. What? I don't understand this at all. I don't understand the costume. [00:24:17] Speaker B: The men are wearing long sleeve jerseys with wings, with bikini shorts and nothing wrong with that. No footies, something wrong with that. And bird shaped helmets and wings stitched onto the arms of the jerseys. [00:24:33] Speaker A: It kind of looks what a Native American sort of. Yes. You know, ceremonial dress would look like a fancy dance. I have no idea where you're going with that. [00:24:43] Speaker B: It's an American Indian thing. A fancy dance where they wear feathers and they dance around. Not fancy dance, the disco song that you know about fancy dance. Let's take a break and play a little bit of fancy dance. [00:25:13] Speaker A: I draw the line at making fun of Native American traditional dances or celebratory dances by calling them fancy dances. [00:25:23] Speaker B: No, that's literally what it's called. Google it right now. Yes. [00:25:27] Speaker A: I'm not gonna Google it. I'll look it up. [00:25:29] Speaker B: Just trust me. [00:25:29] Speaker A: All right, well, if anyone is listening to this and is offended by it, it's not. [00:25:35] Speaker B: That's what it's called. If you go to YouTube and put fancy dance, as I tried to do, to find that disco song for you for years and years, that's all that comes up, is American. [00:25:43] Speaker A: Are you going to play fancy dance? [00:25:45] Speaker B: Yes. Okay, so Batman and Robin are captured by these men in. Are you looking up fancy dance right now? [00:25:55] Speaker A: You told Me to. [00:25:56] Speaker B: I didn't tell you to do it right now. [00:25:57] Speaker A: All right, go back. [00:26:00] Speaker B: Batman and Robin are captured by the birdmen who have gas nozzles in the noses of their bird masks. Yes, that doesn't seem very practical because the gas would get right in your own face if you shot it out from your head. [00:26:13] Speaker A: Exactly. I thank you. Insipid point number two. [00:26:22] Speaker B: Giant vultures come, swoop them up in a net, take them to this castle, which is in the middle of America. I guess because they haven't. [00:26:28] Speaker A: So why don't the birdman, the bird henchmen take Batman and Robin to the castle? [00:26:33] Speaker B: Well, I guess they're dressed as birds for no reason because they can't fly. Only the actual birds can fly. [00:26:38] Speaker A: Yeah, I don't understand that. [00:26:40] Speaker B: Batman and Robin are deposited into a giant cage where the bird master is sitting on his master throne. [00:26:49] Speaker A: And he has. He has one birdman on each side. [00:26:52] Speaker B: He looks like Jafar, doesn't he? [00:26:54] Speaker A: Yes, he does. He's. I think, you know, I think perhaps he's supposed to be sort of a suggestion of the Middle Eastern falconers. Perhaps. Oh. [00:27:08] Speaker B: Tell me more. [00:27:10] Speaker A: I'm no expert on this whatsoever, but I do know that there's a tradition of using birds of prey for hunting purposes in the Middle East. [00:27:22] Speaker B: Well, luckily, the cage has trapezes in it so the Batman and Robin can flip around and evade the birds that are trying to kill them. [00:27:31] Speaker A: So I just had a little bit of regret in this story, which is we didn't get. We didn't get to see them actually spending more time in the cage. Like, what he would feed them if he gave them a cuttlebone. You know what a cuddle bone is for them to gnaw on, to have water. [00:27:45] Speaker B: They don't have a water bottle. [00:27:46] Speaker A: They have no water. They're like, what do they. Do they. Do they have paper in the cage? Does he. Does Deuce Birdman change the paper? Does Batman sleep upside down? You know, I mean, he really missed an opportunity. [00:28:00] Speaker B: So Batman's wearing, you know, those undershorts over his costume. Is that a one piece leotard underneath, do you think? Or is it a two piece? Because how would he go. [00:28:10] Speaker A: How would he go to the bathroom? [00:28:11] Speaker B: Oh, that's all I think about. That's my first thought I would. I mean, Robin's easy. He's just got those bikini shorts on. But. [00:28:18] Speaker A: Right, let's think about this. [00:28:19] Speaker B: Practically. [00:28:20] Speaker A: That has to be a two piece. [00:28:22] Speaker B: Unless it's like long johns. It's got a flap in the back. [00:28:26] Speaker A: That wouldn't be very practical for all the gymnastic things that he does. [00:28:29] Speaker B: Well, maybe that's why he has to wear the shorts over top, because it's got a flap in the back. [00:28:35] Speaker A: I'm not going to argue that there's a flap in the back or not. [00:28:38] Speaker B: Right. [00:28:39] Speaker A: I don't think it's very practical. You see the buttons? [00:28:41] Speaker B: Superman can hold it for eternity. I think it's got a. [00:28:45] Speaker A: There's probably. It's two pieces. It's an upright and a lower piece. And the seam is hidden by the utility belt. [00:28:50] Speaker B: Okay, we'll go with that. [00:28:53] Speaker A: Okay. [00:28:55] Speaker B: Batman and Robin. The cage has no top, so they are able to escape easily because they have trapezes that they can flip up to the top and flip over the edge. [00:29:03] Speaker A: Yes. And they're scree. Pow. Vroosh. They're being attacked by vultures and birds of raptors. And I think those are the. Well, I think vulture. Vultures are part of the raptor family. Aren't they not. [00:29:15] Speaker B: No, vultures are carrion eaters. Raptors hunt vultures. What's the other word? That's the opposite of hunt? [00:29:27] Speaker A: They. They feed off of. [00:29:29] Speaker B: Yeah, but there's a word for it. I'm thinking. I'm thinking scavengers. [00:29:35] Speaker A: Well done. [00:29:36] Speaker B: Thank you. You know, they think that Tyrannosaurus rex may have been a scavenging creature. [00:29:42] Speaker A: Really? [00:29:42] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:29:44] Speaker A: Why? [00:29:44] Speaker B: Well, they just. I don't know. You know scientists, they're always coming up with crazy ideas. [00:29:49] Speaker A: We're almost to the end of this, please. [00:29:51] Speaker B: Thank God. Punch. Punch. Punch. Hiss. Crack. Sock. [00:29:56] Speaker A: So I. So. So a couple of the. The bird henchmen attack Batman and Robin when they escape from the giant cage. Because they were only in there for like 15 seconds, right? [00:30:05] Speaker B: Yes. [00:30:05] Speaker A: And so they. Of course they know Batman and Robin know about the potential gas being projected out of the beaks. So they hold their breath while they're punching them. And you can tell that Robin's holding his breath because he looks a little pudgy cheeked in that. In that combat sequence. [00:30:20] Speaker B: Yeah. The bird master escapes into a plane. [00:30:26] Speaker A: This is so stupid. [00:30:31] Speaker B: The Birdmaster has trained his birds to attack. Attack all. All planes, including the Birdmaster Zone. [00:30:41] Speaker A: So he dies by his own instrument of destruction. [00:30:45] Speaker B: You know what this is like. Spoiler alert, everyone. Ramsay Bolton, eaten by his own dogs in Game of Thrones. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do we call that. Is that ironic? Let's call Alanis Morissette and find out. Oh, here Batman says, what an ironic fate. [00:31:07] Speaker A: It is ironic. [00:31:07] Speaker B: Well, Batman would know. [00:31:08] Speaker A: Yes. So I just, you know, what was his plan? What was the bird master's plan? [00:31:14] Speaker B: Well, he was collecting winged creatures. [00:31:17] Speaker A: No, I mean, if he trained his birds to destroy all aircraft. Yeah, they're so clever. The birds will actually pick up injured birds and take them back. They were trained to corral Batman and Robin to this palace to be deposited in the cage. [00:31:33] Speaker B: Right. [00:31:34] Speaker A: And yet he forgot to train them. Hey, by the way, if I get up in this little. This little airplane, this little Cessna, this yellow Cessna, leave it alone. [00:31:46] Speaker B: I mean, you can't think of everything. He had to build the castle and the giant cage. [00:31:50] Speaker A: He had to make those costumes probably for the. For the birdman. [00:31:53] Speaker B: For the birdman to fill the nose beaks with gas. [00:31:56] Speaker A: But the gas inside. Well, how many guys. [00:32:00] Speaker B: Goodbye, birdmaster. It's too bad Batman didn't have a more famous bird themed villain that could have been in this story. And live like Penguin. [00:32:09] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, the Penguin. [00:32:11] Speaker B: The Penguin. I'm not sure Penguin has come back yet. Penguin was made popular by the TV show which we discussed has not started yet. [00:32:19] Speaker A: Who was the guy who played Penguin on television? [00:32:20] Speaker B: Burgess Meredith. [00:32:21] Speaker A: Burgess Meredith. I was thinking it was Cecil B. [00:32:26] Speaker B: I'm gonna give this issue one star out of 25. [00:32:32] Speaker A: Thank you. Thank you. [00:32:34] Speaker B: Not a very. Not a great story. [00:32:35] Speaker A: I enjoyed the Metalman more than I enjoyed this. [00:32:37] Speaker B: Wow, that is saying something. [00:32:39] Speaker A: Well, it was. Now we come to the next one. [00:32:44] Speaker B: Now, just be careful because Elongated man was the star of the very first superhero comic I ever read in my life. He saved the entire universe from Chronal Disaster. [00:33:00] Speaker A: Okay. [00:33:01] Speaker B: Against the Time Lord. Lord of Time. Sorry. [00:33:05] Speaker A: I actually like this story. And I like that it actually has layers to it. [00:33:09] Speaker B: Yes. [00:33:10] Speaker A: And. And we don't get the reveal until the end. [00:33:12] Speaker B: Right. [00:33:13] Speaker A: I do not like the way that they treat his wife. [00:33:17] Speaker B: Well, I. [00:33:17] Speaker A: And the things that they say about women. [00:33:20] Speaker B: Let's just do our standard apology to all women in all time. [00:33:24] Speaker A: I guess we're going to get this from all the comics. [00:33:26] Speaker B: We'll see. We have. We'll have Wonder Woman coming up, so. [00:33:29] Speaker A: God. [00:33:30] Speaker B: What? [00:33:31] Speaker A: Well, come on. I'm just. Don't you get a little tired of the same things over and over again? I mean. I mean, the idea like, oh, women are stupid. Oh, well, all women react this way. All women do this. Let's slap her on the behind. [00:33:43] Speaker B: I didn't write it. Now, Elongated man, are you familiar with him? [00:33:48] Speaker A: Well, I. You know when you said we're going to be reading about Elongated man, of course, I thought about Plasticman. [00:33:53] Speaker B: Well, it's funny you should say that. [00:33:55] Speaker A: Yes. [00:33:55] Speaker B: Rumor has it that Carmine Infantino wanted to use Plastic man in the pages of the Flash. [00:34:05] Speaker A: Okay. [00:34:07] Speaker B: He was unaware that DC Comics owned Plastic man because Plastic man began in the Quality comics company. [00:34:15] Speaker A: Okay. [00:34:16] Speaker B: DC Comics bought all the quality characters in the 1950s after quality went out of business. But apparently nobody hipped Carmine to that. [00:34:25] Speaker A: Okay. [00:34:26] Speaker B: So he wanted a character like Plastic man, but he thought Plastic man was unavailable, so he created Elongated Man. [00:34:32] Speaker A: No one told him. [00:34:34] Speaker B: Well, I guess nobody knew. I don't know. And I don't know that that story is even true. That's just been the rumor. [00:34:39] Speaker A: They didn't have email back then. [00:34:41] Speaker B: No. Nor Wikipedia, so. [00:34:43] Speaker A: But they probably didn't have mail tubes. [00:34:46] Speaker B: No. Right. That comes in the far future when the hipsters take over. [00:34:50] Speaker A: Right. [00:34:51] Speaker B: So Elongated man was created by writer John Broom and penciler Carmine Infantineau, with significant input from editor Julia Schwartz, who wanted this new supporting character for the Flash. [00:35:03] Speaker A: You said Julius Schwartz? [00:35:05] Speaker B: Julius Schwartz. Yes. [00:35:06] Speaker A: Julia or Julius. Okay. [00:35:08] Speaker B: They called him Julie around the office. [00:35:10] Speaker A: Okay. [00:35:13] Speaker B: So Elongated man then received this solo backup feature. [00:35:17] Speaker A: Scotch in the office? [00:35:18] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. [00:35:19] Speaker A: Like four. [00:35:19] Speaker B: You read that story that we just finished, didn't you? Yeah, they were drinking something. Elongated man got the solo backup feature in Detective Comics, where he was redefined as a detective who loves odd mysteries and travels the United States in a convertible with his wife, Sue. [00:35:37] Speaker A: I'm waiting here for Sioux. [00:35:39] Speaker B: Sioux was a debutante who fell in love with the Elongated Man. [00:35:45] Speaker A: She's beautiful. [00:35:47] Speaker B: She is lovely. [00:35:48] Speaker A: I like her haircut. [00:35:49] Speaker B: She's a very popular character. [00:35:51] Speaker A: Is she? [00:35:51] Speaker B: It's too bad they murdered her in the 90s. [00:35:55] Speaker A: Okay. [00:35:56] Speaker B: No, actually, in the 2000s, we will get to that. So. [00:36:00] Speaker A: So can we look at the splash page for a second? [00:36:02] Speaker B: I'm not done talking about Elongated Man. [00:36:03] Speaker A: Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. Go ahead. [00:36:04] Speaker B: Elongated man, real named Ralph Dibney. As a teenager was fascinated by contortionists at the circus. So he learned that all of the contortionists that he talked to in the circus, they all drank the same soda pop called Gingold, like Hermione, the actress. So he learned chemistry and developed a super concentrated extract of the rare gingo fruit from the Yucatan, which gave him his elasticity. [00:36:38] Speaker A: Is it permanent? [00:36:40] Speaker B: That's what I'm not clear on. I seem to think that he has to drink it at a regular interval in order to maintain his plastic elastic powers. I shouldn't say plastic, because Plastic man can make his body into different shapes and disguise himself Elongated Man. You just stretch. [00:36:57] Speaker A: Okay. [00:36:58] Speaker B: He can stretch any part of his. [00:37:00] Speaker A: Body and make it as big or. [00:37:02] Speaker B: Yes. Or as. [00:37:04] Speaker A: Lucky guy, Lucky wife. [00:37:09] Speaker B: He's one of the first superheroes to reveal his secret, secret identity to the public. And also one of the first to marry his love interest. So very unusual at this time to have a married superhero, much less one whose identity is public to the world. Currently, Elongated man appears on the Flash television program. Perfectly cast. [00:37:31] Speaker A: Yes. [00:37:32] Speaker B: By Sawyer Hartley. You say yes like you watch Flash. You don't. [00:37:35] Speaker A: I know exactly what you're talking about. I saw him recently on the episode and I thought, oh, that's interesting. A very funny character. [00:37:42] Speaker B: Yes. Very delightful. Very thin and wiry. So here we have the splash page. This is drawn by Carmine Infantineau. [00:37:53] Speaker A: Okay. [00:37:55] Speaker B: So you can see how it's a very different style. [00:37:57] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. Nothing static about it. [00:38:00] Speaker B: Nothing static. No extraneous background work. That's what I like. It's very clean. [00:38:06] Speaker A: Now on the splash page. [00:38:07] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:38:07] Speaker A: Apparently the guy who's punching him is. Is grabbing him by the testicles. Elongated man by the testicles and holding him by his groin and then punches him while his upper half goes across the room. [00:38:19] Speaker B: Huh. [00:38:20] Speaker A: Yeah. That would really hurt. [00:38:22] Speaker B: Well, yes. I mean, I've never had that happen to me, but I'll put that in the show notes. Everyone could take a look at what you're looking at. Boy, that is. I didn't notice that. [00:38:35] Speaker A: Yeah, I notice things. [00:38:37] Speaker B: Maybe he's grabbing his thigh. [00:38:40] Speaker A: I don't really know what he's grabbing, but it's clearly meant to inflict pain. [00:38:46] Speaker B: So here we are. Elongated man and his wife are seeking shelter at the Pine Beach Hotel in Malem. It's supposed to be Salem. Why can't they just say Salem? [00:38:56] Speaker A: I don't know. [00:38:58] Speaker B: I don't either. It's pouring down rain. They get to the hotel. The only room left is room 13, which is. [00:39:05] Speaker A: Ha ha ha, Ghost. [00:39:10] Speaker B: They go to the room. Next morning, Elongated man comes down in a very dashing turtleneck. White pants, black turtleneck and white pants. He's ready for these fingers up in the air like. Yeah, you know, sue is laying in bed now. Also, I found this a little shocking. She's wearing black bra and panties under a see through negligee. [00:39:35] Speaker A: Yeah. With a nicely upturned collar. [00:39:37] Speaker B: I don't know that that's proper for the Comics Code Authority. Did they approve this, I wonder? It's a very. [00:39:47] Speaker A: She's adorable. [00:39:47] Speaker B: Well, it's an Attractive outfit, isn't it? [00:39:49] Speaker A: Yes. She. She looks like she's, you know, she's so beautifully drawn, unlike any of the characters I've seen so far in our exploration of comics. She just got these gorgeous eyes, these big full lips. [00:40:02] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:40:02] Speaker A: Cute little nose. [00:40:04] Speaker B: You know what? It's funny. [00:40:05] Speaker A: The artist is really good. [00:40:07] Speaker B: He is now. He returned to drawing flash comics in the 1980s, and I hated it. But when I look at this early stuff, it's fantastic, huh? Don't you think? Yeah. [00:40:18] Speaker A: Oh, I love it. What I really like about this is I, of course, I took a figure drawing class one summer, and I was not anywhere near as good as this or as good as you are. But he is able to capture them in such a way that you actually think that they're moving. [00:40:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:40:37] Speaker A: You know, he incorporates movement. [00:40:39] Speaker B: That's a sign of true quality. [00:40:40] Speaker A: I'll say. [00:40:42] Speaker B: So sue reads this magic spell from a book that she found in the hotel room. And a lamp floats across the room. [00:40:52] Speaker A: It's been damaged by fire and water. And there are only a few spells that are. That are readable. [00:40:57] Speaker B: Right. They used to leave bibles in rooms. I guess they're leaving magic spell books now. [00:41:02] Speaker A: Right. Well, this. This book was not placed by the Gideons. [00:41:06] Speaker B: She's astonished. That spell worked, she says, Just like for that gal in that Bewitched TV program. We know all about that show, don't we? [00:41:14] Speaker A: Yes, we do. [00:41:15] Speaker B: Dr. Husband and I once took a trip across America specifically to visit the graves of Bewitched cast members. [00:41:22] Speaker A: We saw Agnes Moorhead. [00:41:24] Speaker B: Agnes Moorhead and Paul Lyn. Well, that was it. Because the only ones that. [00:41:27] Speaker A: It was on Americana vacation. [00:41:28] Speaker B: Yes. [00:41:30] Speaker A: We also saw James Dean's grave. [00:41:32] Speaker B: Well, he wasn't Bewitched. [00:41:34] Speaker A: No. [00:41:35] Speaker B: And who's the last one? Oh, Annie Oakley. She was also not in Bewitched. I bet she did appear as a character on Bewitched. I'll have to look at my archives. [00:41:44] Speaker A: Back to the story. [00:41:45] Speaker B: Back to the story. Sue's casting a second spell, and it works also. [00:41:53] Speaker A: So her first spell is that she's allowed to. She can get a lamp to levitate across the room. The second spell is to turn the lights on and off. [00:42:00] Speaker B: Yeah, amazing. [00:42:02] Speaker A: Wow. But here is where we really see her. Black undergarments against that see through negligee. [00:42:12] Speaker B: So Ralph has gone to the garage to get his car serviced. She catches up with him by phone at the garage and says, you've got to bring home a witch's pin straw from a witch's broomstick. The wing Of a bat and hair from a black cat's tail. Because she needs these ingredients for the third spell that she found in the book. Where is he going to find those sorts of things? In a town like Maleme. [00:42:43] Speaker A: At the Malem Witch museum. [00:42:47] Speaker B: Good thing they're in a town famous for witchcraft. He's at the museum store. And what do you think happens? [00:42:56] Speaker A: There's a hold up. The guy comes in. Yeah. And wants to take all their jewelry and their money. So guys come in. [00:43:06] Speaker B: Yeah. Use guys. Ralph uses his elasticity to start fighting the crooks. He's then knocked out by gas. [00:43:18] Speaker A: Yes. [00:43:19] Speaker B: Punched by a crook who, as on the splash page, knocks him clear across the room. [00:43:26] Speaker A: Right. [00:43:27] Speaker B: Luckily, Ralph can stretch every part of his body. As I said, he stretches his nose out the window. Clear of the gas. [00:43:36] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:43:37] Speaker B: And remains conscious and defeats the crooks. [00:43:41] Speaker A: Yes. [00:43:43] Speaker B: Back to the room. Back to the room where Sue's lying in bed waiting for him to arrive. [00:43:48] Speaker A: She looks like she's crying. [00:43:50] Speaker B: She does? A little bit. [00:43:51] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, shading. [00:43:54] Speaker B: She is upset that he did not bring the ingredients to her. [00:44:00] Speaker A: She says, I want, you know, I saved the special spell of the heart's desire in which I get any wish I want for last. And he says, my wife, the witch. That's a laugh. Now that I know. You know, Nice. [00:44:12] Speaker B: But look how sweet. Sue, honey, the only witchcraft you ever worked was when you got me to propose to you. [00:44:18] Speaker A: Oh, that's actually sweet. [00:44:19] Speaker B: It really is. Oh, look at this. Ralph's nose is wiggling. That means there's a mystery afoot. [00:44:25] Speaker A: Oh, is. So that's a thing for him. [00:44:29] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:44:29] Speaker A: Oh, okay. [00:44:30] Speaker B: His nose twitches whenever he smells a mystery. [00:44:33] Speaker A: Yeah. Then it grows. Look at that. That's kind of gross. Looks like he's turning into a wing. [00:44:38] Speaker B: Well, you've got to indicate somehow that his nose is continuously twitching. [00:44:43] Speaker A: I got it. [00:44:45] Speaker B: So he's got an idea. He thinks that whoever is in charge of this gang of crooks, set them up, knew that he was going to be at the museum store, Set up the crooks to get captured so that the boss wouldn't have to share the loot with them. Keep it all for himself. [00:45:05] Speaker A: Right? Well, I mean, yeah, yeah. He knows that something's up. He doesn't know why. What happened? [00:45:11] Speaker B: Right, right. [00:45:13] Speaker A: Sorry, I zoned out for a second. [00:45:15] Speaker B: That's okay. It happens. [00:45:16] Speaker A: I was looking at the art. I really like it. [00:45:19] Speaker B: It's beautiful. [00:45:19] Speaker A: It's beautiful. [00:45:22] Speaker B: So anyway, we don't have to go through all of this. It's the Hotel manager. [00:45:28] Speaker A: It's the hotel manager. Yeah. So I just have to say I'm. I'm really. Like how. How he's drawn in this little panel right here. [00:45:37] Speaker B: Yeah. That's fantastic. When he's leaning against the wall. [00:45:39] Speaker A: Yeah. Great haircut. [00:45:40] Speaker B: Yep. [00:45:40] Speaker A: Yep. [00:45:41] Speaker B: I'd like my hair to look like that. [00:45:42] Speaker A: We all would like our hair to look like that. [00:45:46] Speaker B: He tries to beat the Elongated man again with briefcase gas. [00:45:51] Speaker A: And a briefcase. [00:45:52] Speaker B: And a briefcase. But then he gases him so that he can't see. But Ralph just stretches every part of his body all around the whole room. [00:46:00] Speaker A: So that if the guy touches him as he's trying to get out of the room. [00:46:03] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:46:03] Speaker A: He springs a trap. [00:46:04] Speaker B: Yeah. Captures him. Coils around him like a snake. The end. [00:46:11] Speaker A: Oh, hold on a second. [00:46:14] Speaker B: What? [00:46:15] Speaker A: Where do we get where. He talks about how all the women are. Want to be involved in. [00:46:21] Speaker B: Oh, the crook. The crook master. [00:46:26] Speaker A: Okay, he's talking. It's several pages back, and he says, as I anticipated, she was convinced her spells worked. [00:46:35] Speaker B: I figured no woman could resist trying her hand at magic spells, especially to get a wish come true. Well, you know what? He's evil. I think we can excuse this as an evil person thinking evil thoughts about women, because Ralph is not treating her as a ditzy. Right. Not like Lucy and Ricky. [00:46:59] Speaker A: Yeah, I see what you're. I see what you're saying. [00:47:04] Speaker B: Oh, this last panel, silly. Last two panels. Tell me, honey, if your spell really worked, what would you have wished for? To be the most beautiful girl in the world. For you, Ralph. So that you'd always be proud of me. Silly girl. Okay, that is a little condescending. [00:47:20] Speaker A: Yeah, it is. [00:47:21] Speaker B: How could you ever be more beautiful than you are right now? [00:47:24] Speaker A: So that you'd always be proud of me. To be the most beautiful girl in the world so that you'd always be proud of me. Her clever conversational skills, her ability to help solve mysteries. Nothing about that. She just wants to be. And she is so beautifully drawn. [00:47:39] Speaker B: She really is. [00:47:40] Speaker A: How could she be more beautiful? [00:47:41] Speaker B: Little pixie haircut. [00:47:42] Speaker A: Yeah. Great. [00:47:43] Speaker B: Capri pants. [00:47:45] Speaker A: Upturned collar. [00:47:47] Speaker B: Little upturned nose. Well, we're gonna have more Elongated man stories as we go forward, and I'm looking forward to that. [00:47:54] Speaker A: I really am. I think I found my first character that I really like. [00:47:58] Speaker B: Hooray. [00:47:59] Speaker A: No, seriously. You know, this is our fifth comic that we've been. We've been exploring. This is episode five, and I have to tell you, I wouldn't mind visiting another metalman story. [00:48:09] Speaker B: Really? [00:48:10] Speaker A: Just for Its ridiculous. [00:48:12] Speaker B: You guys, guess what? [00:48:13] Speaker A: What? [00:48:14] Speaker B: I know a government expert on metals and he's going to be our guest on the next time we come up to the Metal Man. [00:48:19] Speaker A: Are you kidding? [00:48:20] Speaker B: I'm not kidding. [00:48:21] Speaker A: Oh my gosh. [00:48:23] Speaker B: Also, I know a journalist. She's going to be our guest when we do Lois Lane comics in two weeks. [00:48:30] Speaker A: Oh, cool. [00:48:32] Speaker B: So listen, if you're an expert on something, let me know. You can be a guest host as long as you. Oh, I guess you don't have to live nearby these days. We can do it all electronically. Wowee. Hey, that's all I have for this week. Next week you have another chance to fall in love with a unique character. Who? Metamorpho. Metamorpho? The Element Man. There's a theme song we'll play next week. [00:49:00] Speaker A: Oh, I can't wait. [00:49:02] Speaker B: Also. [00:49:03] Speaker A: What? [00:49:03] Speaker B: Another war comic featuring Steve Savage. Balloon buster. [00:49:08] Speaker A: Balloon buster? [00:49:09] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:49:10] Speaker A: What does he punch women? [00:49:11] Speaker B: Well, no, I guess it's like I don't. I haven't read it yet. I think it's like World War I when they had dirigibles. And he's a fighter pilot or biplane pilot. [00:49:22] Speaker A: Pilot. Okay, I can't do my s like that. [00:49:25] Speaker B: I could die. Steve. But you can say February. I'll do February. Steve. [00:49:31] Speaker A: Such a loud ass like that Steve. [00:49:34] Speaker B: Well, I've had a few more years of practice than you. Hey. [00:49:39] Speaker A: Yes. [00:49:40] Speaker B: Visit us all over the Internet. You can go to Instagram or Twitter or Facebook. I don't search for GoGoTech pod. [00:49:48] Speaker A: Okay, Instagram or Twitter or what? [00:49:51] Speaker B: Or Facebook. Also, I'm working on a dedicated website. As soon as I figure out how to do it. [00:50:04] Speaker A: Oh, you. I can show you. Actually, it's one of the things I can show you how to do. [00:50:07] Speaker B: Okay, you're hired. [00:50:09] Speaker A: Thanks. [00:50:09] Speaker B: I like your initiative, young man. You can go directly to our podcast website, CheckeredPass Potty co. You can also find us on itunes or wherever you download your podcasts. Please do rate and review if you have a chance. [00:50:27] Speaker A: It helps other people find us. [00:50:29] Speaker B: That's right. [00:50:30] Speaker A: That's true, actually. [00:50:31] Speaker B: And it makes us feel good about ourselves. So buy more comics and here's a little fancy dance to play us out. [00:50:48] Speaker A: She can turn the heads of all the men within her sight Slick and smooth she glides out on the dance. [00:50:55] Speaker B: Floor but she's hot she can move. [00:50:57] Speaker A: Just right to show you everything she's got sa.