Funny Book Forensics 372 Chance and the Brain

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Yeah, you successfully. I did. I flicked right on. It's always a positive start to the podcast. [00:00:08] Speaker B: I'm trying my best, putting my best foot forward and my best face forward into the microphone. [00:00:17] Speaker A: Your best foot forward? Yeah. [00:00:18] Speaker B: Well, you know, I mean, that's what you have to do. Put 1ft in front of the other and, you know, you gotta walk on towards through. You want to get to the Midnight Express? [00:00:35] Speaker A: Yeah, I showed you a picture. You never, you say, I never say what I want, but. [00:00:39] Speaker B: Oh, that's what you want, huh? Well, you can. [00:00:44] Speaker A: Well, maybe the. Maybe one of our podcast partners wants this. [00:00:48] Speaker B: Maybe. Maybe they do. [00:00:51] Speaker A: It's possible. Well, this is the start to funny book forensics. As always, it's a fine start. We're coherent and we are presenting things to you. [00:01:04] Speaker B: Yes. [00:01:08] Speaker A: I was referring to spandex standups. That's at Project Dash nerd.com. [00:01:15] Speaker B: That they might want the Midnight Express. [00:01:19] Speaker A: Oh, they might want the Midnight Express. [00:01:21] Speaker B: Might. [00:01:21] Speaker A: Yeah, it's possible. [00:01:23] Speaker B: It's very possible they might want it. [00:01:25] Speaker A: They may want the midnight express box. [00:01:27] Speaker B: Set package because who wouldn't want it? [00:01:31] Speaker A: I don't know. Who wouldn't want it? It is kind of pricey, but maybe. [00:01:35] Speaker B: They'D want to get it and share it with us. [00:01:39] Speaker A: It's not the kind of thing you share. [00:01:41] Speaker B: Gifted to us. [00:01:43] Speaker A: Ah, there we go. It's a thing. So. Yeah. Well, anyway, project Dash nerd.com, home of all sorts of cool things, like stuff like the four. [00:02:03] Speaker B: The four, yeah. [00:02:04] Speaker A: A new comic book series coming soon because Project Dash Nerd is relaunching their comic book line and we will have to get a hold of it. Our podcast is on Project dash nerd.com. but your comics are published through a different publisher. [00:02:20] Speaker B: Yes. [00:02:22] Speaker A: So does that mean we can't advertise for both? [00:02:24] Speaker B: We can. Of course we can. We can advertise for whatever we want to advertise for. No one is holding us back and no one is holding us down. [00:02:33] Speaker A: And nobody really wants my advertisements, though. [00:02:36] Speaker B: They do, Dan. They want all the advertisements. [00:02:40] Speaker A: I don't think so. [00:02:41] Speaker B: Oh, yes, they do. [00:02:42] Speaker A: Even. Do you know what this book is about? [00:02:43] Speaker B: What, the four? Yeah, it's about four. It's. It's. It's one less than five. [00:02:52] Speaker A: I see. Yes, I see. You're very informed. So, like, when I toss to you because you've read the write up on it and I haven't, you just say it's about four. [00:03:00] Speaker B: It's about four. [00:03:00] Speaker A: Right. [00:03:02] Speaker B: It's. It's a super book about four. [00:03:05] Speaker A: That's the, that's. That's the level of advertising that iggy wanted right there. [00:03:10] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:03:11] Speaker A: That's why he keeps us around. [00:03:12] Speaker B: We want you to go find out for yourself if the four is for you. Is the four for you? Are you for the four? [00:03:20] Speaker A: Is the four the four, or is it four? [00:03:22] Speaker B: It's the four. [00:03:24] Speaker A: Are you sure it's the four, or is it just. Oh, it is the four. It's the. [00:03:27] Speaker B: The four. Is the four. [00:03:28] Speaker A: For the four. All right. It's the four. You got it. [00:03:32] Speaker B: If it's for you, then you should go back and on Kickstarter when it launches. You should go to kickstarter right now and save the four in your save. [00:03:41] Speaker A: How do you not know it's. How. How do you not know it's not for them? [00:03:45] Speaker B: How do I know it's not for the listeners that are listening right now? Well, that's the thing, is everyone has different tastes and different things that they like now. [00:03:53] Speaker A: Well, the. The problem is you told them to go wait for it on Kickstarter, but you forgot how time works. [00:03:58] Speaker B: Yes. [00:04:00] Speaker A: And so when they listen to this podcast, it will have relaunched on September 27. Drag. So they need to go find it. [00:04:05] Speaker B: Find it now. [00:04:07] Speaker A: I can't believe you don't understand. [00:04:09] Speaker B: I don't know how time works. I don't know. [00:04:11] Speaker A: You've been a writer for a long time. [00:04:13] Speaker B: Time's a funny thing. It's timey wimey. It. It bends and it bounces. [00:04:19] Speaker A: Well, in this time, in this universe, this podcast, this Kickstarter, will be launched when people are listening to this podcast. So, yeah, I know. It's an amazing thing, right? Yes. That's what's happening. [00:04:32] Speaker B: It's happening right now. Oh, my gosh. Right now, people. [00:04:37] Speaker A: Well, those are our sponsors, so we're done with that. Okay. [00:04:41] Speaker B: We're done with it. I was getting excited. I was getting jazz and Dan's, like, done. It's over. No more. [00:04:47] Speaker A: I don't know what you're. It takes too long for you to get excited about anything. Whatever. [00:04:52] Speaker B: Push. [00:04:52] Speaker A: Uh, I heard it's a major problem in life. [00:04:55] Speaker B: It is. I get excited about stuff, and it's too late. I was like, all right, let's go. I'm watching the new show on whatever, and everyone's like, it's old. It's been canceled. [00:05:11] Speaker A: Well, I don't watch any shows. [00:05:13] Speaker B: I don't. I don't even know what I'm talking about. [00:05:16] Speaker A: What am I watching right now? What are you watching? [00:05:18] Speaker B: What am I watching? [00:05:19] Speaker A: I don't want to spend too long on this because we're going to cover two books. But what are you. [00:05:22] Speaker B: What am I currently watching? I'm rewatching two old shows. I'm watching. I'm rewatching the Goldbergs and how I met your mother. Timely classics. [00:05:33] Speaker A: Yeah. Okay. I'm watching Brooklyn nine nine. [00:05:35] Speaker B: Okay. And I'm also watching the new season of Bel Air. [00:05:39] Speaker A: But, yeah, I'm also during workouts at home, getting around to finishing the flash because I froze in the season where they had the forces, like the Sage force and the still force and the Speed force, which is always there, theoretically. And the strength force. Yes, those are the forces. And I thought the storyline was really bad, so I stopped watching, and then I. I went ahead, and that storyline, thankfully, only made it to the halfway season point, and then they maybe switched to a worse storyline. [00:06:15] Speaker B: Oh, boy. It's always fun. [00:06:17] Speaker A: Yeah. And they got rid of. They got rid of vibe. Like, spoiler. [00:06:24] Speaker B: Haven't you got there yet? [00:06:25] Speaker A: Vibe leaves in the middle of the season. I'm like, what? [00:06:28] Speaker B: Onto another show? It's just gone. [00:06:30] Speaker A: No, he just. Well, he may. The actor may have went to another show. I don't know. But he just leaves. [00:06:36] Speaker B: Just gone missing. [00:06:38] Speaker A: I don't know. I don't know if he went to legends of tomorrow or something like that. Cause I'm not caught up on that. [00:06:43] Speaker B: Well, it'll be a good. [00:06:45] Speaker A: I decided to get through. I decided to get through the end of the arrowverse. I had to quit trying to watch them sequentially. Cause I did have a giant list that was in a spreadsheet. I know this is gonna shock anyone. [00:06:58] Speaker B: What a spreadsheet of. [00:07:00] Speaker A: I didn't make it. I was using someone else's. But it told me what order to watch all the arrowverse shows. Yeah. But then I decided, since I wasn't watching them enough, and now I'm just watching them when I work out at home, which is only a couple times a week because usually I work out at jiu jitsu lawyer Paul Boudreau's gym. [00:07:17] Speaker B: I've heard of that place. [00:07:18] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah. Isn't that over on certified martial arts? Yeah. [00:07:23] Speaker B: Where's it at? [00:07:24] Speaker A: It is. It's. Well, it's Bridgeport in 27th in university Place. Yeah. That's Tacoma. Tacoma, Washington. If you ever come here, you should go see it now. If you're like some of our friends that come here, then you don't go see anyone. But others might want to go there. Yeah. [00:07:50] Speaker B: I don't know who you're talking about. [00:07:53] Speaker A: There you go. So it's good. So veiled threats at our friends. Strike one. Yeah. So anyway, you've got that going on. You could do that. But when I do train here, I watch an episode while I'm training. [00:08:10] Speaker B: Nice. [00:08:11] Speaker A: So it's not so great now. They're going to have a baby on the show. Yeah. Oh, and you know, when shows have babies, that's the end of the shows. [00:08:24] Speaker B: The end of the show. [00:08:26] Speaker A: It almost always is the end of a sitcom. [00:08:28] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:08:28] Speaker A: When they have a baby. [00:08:29] Speaker B: Have a baby. The child grows up really fast, goes up the stairs and never seen again. [00:08:36] Speaker A: No, that child was adopted on the show. [00:08:39] Speaker B: They disappeared. [00:08:40] Speaker A: The married or children child you're referring to was adopted. Yes. [00:08:43] Speaker B: No, no, no. I'm talking. [00:08:45] Speaker A: His name was seven and he was adopted from Bobcat Goldwaith and never seen again. And he walked up the stairs and was never seen again. You were probably referring to the child on family matters, never seen again, which was a different not baby child. But that is probably the more, I think the more salient example of it is, of course, for marriage to children. For some reason. The more famous example is from family matters. [00:09:17] Speaker B: True. [00:09:19] Speaker A: But yes, in that case, on married to children, it was not a baby, but they introduced a new child character, and they just wrote the child character off the show by having it walk up the stairs and never reappearing again. [00:09:32] Speaker B: It's gone. The child is gone. [00:09:34] Speaker A: I think that's where Peggy's mom was, too. [00:09:36] Speaker B: Just upstairs. [00:09:38] Speaker A: Yeah. You never saw her, right? [00:09:39] Speaker B: No. [00:09:41] Speaker A: And of course, you know, big bang theory, which ripped off everything. And don't get me wrong, I enjoyed big bang theory. So don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to pick on it, but had Wolowitz's mom. Right off panel. [00:09:50] Speaker B: Yeah, off panel, off screen. Always yelling, down the stairs, not upstairs. [00:09:55] Speaker A: It was a one story house. Come on. [00:09:59] Speaker B: Was it a one story house? I thought it was two stories. [00:10:02] Speaker A: Wallowitz's house is one story. [00:10:03] Speaker B: I'm gonna go back and watch and I'm gonna find out. Listeners, write in, tell us what you think. [00:10:10] Speaker A: I don't care what they think. They're wrong. I don't care about their opinion. This is like at work. When somebody asks an opinion about something, that's a fact. [00:10:19] Speaker B: Hmm. Is it? [00:10:20] Speaker A: It's a one story house. [00:10:21] Speaker B: Is it? [00:10:22] Speaker A: Yes. [00:10:22] Speaker B: I don't know. [00:10:24] Speaker A: Well, it may have a basement or something, but, like, we'll find out. [00:10:29] Speaker B: Listeners, we're gonna dig in. Just like on eerie, Indiana. [00:10:36] Speaker A: We're not gonna dig in. This is silly. [00:10:41] Speaker B: I know. [00:10:41] Speaker A: Why don't you ask them an opinion based question? [00:10:43] Speaker B: An opinion based question? Yeah, I'm afraid of those. [00:10:51] Speaker A: But you asked them their opinion on a fact. [00:10:54] Speaker B: I did. [00:10:56] Speaker A: That's stupid. [00:10:57] Speaker B: I asked for them to tell us what if they thought that you were right or wrong, and. Yeah, and now you're looking to find out if you're right or wrong. [00:11:10] Speaker A: I know that I'm right. [00:11:11] Speaker B: Are you, though? [00:11:13] Speaker A: And I'm just putting this to bed right now because that's wrong. [00:11:19] Speaker B: Two stories? [00:11:20] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:11:21] Speaker B: There's a stair set. [00:11:24] Speaker A: There is no stairs in the house. What are you talking about? No, there's not. No, it is not a two story house. [00:11:40] Speaker B: Are you looking for pictures? Are you looking for. [00:11:42] Speaker A: Have you even watched the show? I don't believe I've seen it. If you think it's a two story house, you've not watched the show. [00:11:52] Speaker B: Hmm. Hmm. [00:11:55] Speaker A: Like, the Wallowitz house has its own entry on multiple wikis. [00:12:00] Speaker B: Okay. [00:12:02] Speaker A: And nothing refers to it being two story. And you knew I would look it up just to prove myself. You know what? We're gonna talk about the comic they're supposed to fucking talk about. [00:12:22] Speaker B: Oh, Dan. [00:12:27] Speaker A: I don't. Yes. [00:12:28] Speaker B: This is ridiculous. [00:12:31] Speaker A: You know, it's a one story house. You're doing stupid things. [00:12:34] Speaker B: I don't know. It's a one story house. I think it's a two story house. [00:12:37] Speaker A: It is not a two story house. [00:12:39] Speaker B: But we should talk about human target, book five. That's one more than four. The four on Project Dash nerd.com. we're talking about the human target, book five. Tom King. [00:12:51] Speaker A: Now we're segwaying. Now we're segwaying to bad commercials. [00:12:55] Speaker B: That's right. [00:12:56] Speaker A: It's good. [00:12:57] Speaker B: Okay, we're moving on from the story house debacle. [00:13:01] Speaker A: Well, this amazing cover, which I really, really like. [00:13:05] Speaker B: Yeah. It's. [00:13:06] Speaker A: Because it's so good. [00:13:06] Speaker B: Good cover. It's a great cover. There's. [00:13:09] Speaker A: It has the martian manhunter on it. [00:13:12] Speaker B: And a death scene at the bottom. [00:13:15] Speaker A: It has a Batman holding his dad. [00:13:20] Speaker B: Has a Batman holding his dad. Is that a Batman holding his dad, or. I mean, it. [00:13:24] Speaker A: No, but I mean, it's DC comics. When there's a little kid holding a dad that's been shot, it's always Bruce Wayne. Right? [00:13:32] Speaker B: Is it? It could be. [00:13:35] Speaker A: Apparently not. Now. He could be. Well, we already know it's. This book is called the human target. [00:13:39] Speaker B: So, I mean, probably. [00:13:44] Speaker A: It's probably. Little chance. [00:13:45] Speaker B: Little chance. I know it's little chance. [00:13:50] Speaker A: There'S a chance it could be your kid die. And then we've got a woman who I assume is fire based on context from the last issue, smoking a cigarette in a trench coat. [00:14:01] Speaker B: Could be. [00:14:03] Speaker A: So we've got film noir. This is an interesting cover because there's, like, three different styles on the COVID but it's all painted. [00:14:12] Speaker B: Yeah, it looks pretty cool. [00:14:13] Speaker A: And we got a different new human target logo here. And we get advertisement for the war for Earth three, which I haven't read yet, even though it's like a year old. And of course, mine popped up in stupid panel order instead of page order. Oh, Mandy, some people like reading it in panel order. [00:14:36] Speaker B: I mean, I could see that because it looks cool. You get that cool pop, pop, pop, pop. [00:14:42] Speaker A: I mean, if you're on, like a. I think if you're on a phone, maybe. [00:14:47] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:14:48] Speaker A: But on the tablet screen or on the computer screen, I mean, I don't know. Some people say they like it, and I just can't. I can't give it to pass that. I feel like a comic page should be readdez as a page. [00:15:03] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:15:04] Speaker A: But I'm also, if I'm reading on the tablet, which I am right now, instead of my actual hard copy books of this, also, I'm only reading one page at a time instead of a two page spread, so that's not authentic either. So I don't know. Well, anyway, they are talking. They. They are talking. Who is talking here? [00:15:31] Speaker B: Looks like we got a really cool. [00:15:33] Speaker A: First page, by the way, with Tom King and Greg Smallwood. And we find about Clayton Caller Letterer and Ben Abernathy, the editor, and Ben Oliver, who did a variant cover, though. No offense, Ben Oliver, but I'm not buying the variant covers of this series because these ones are, the Greg smallwoods are amazing. [00:15:55] Speaker B: They're eating at a place called. [00:15:57] Speaker A: And we find out. Yeah, we find out the human target was created by Len Wein in Carmine Infantino, Len Wein, who created no other superheroes, and Carmen Infantino, who created no superheroes in his career. That was such a flash in the pan. [00:16:12] Speaker B: A flash in the pan. Jeez, I feel like we talked about flash earlier, too. [00:16:17] Speaker A: A flash. A flash. That's pretty flash. [00:16:20] Speaker B: Pretty quick. [00:16:22] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm pretty quick seeing. See what I did there? [00:16:24] Speaker B: See what you did there? [00:16:25] Speaker A: Yeah. Carmen Infantino. Flash. A flash. [00:16:32] Speaker B: Well, super fast. [00:16:34] Speaker A: What if they'd called him the streak? [00:16:36] Speaker B: If they called him the streak? [00:16:38] Speaker A: Look at that. Look at that. Look at that. Yep. I knew you'd know. That's the, that's the best part. Nobody knows, like, well, probably the age group listened to our podcast. Probably knows what that is. [00:16:49] Speaker B: They probably would. I mean, they, that have been like, oh, man, Ray Stevens. I love, I love all his music. [00:17:00] Speaker A: I mean, the Mississippi scroll song is one of the best songs ever. [00:17:03] Speaker B: It is pretty good. It is pretty good. I mean, he's got, he's got a lot of good, good music. Good music. [00:17:10] Speaker A: Isn't it the Mississippi Squirrel revival, I believe song? [00:17:14] Speaker B: It's all about going to church in a squirrel. Just tearing it up, running up pant legs and getting in the pews. [00:17:23] Speaker A: Had them screaming hallelujah, you know. Well, uh, we have, uh. Is that Ted? Where are they back talking to? Let's see. [00:17:37] Speaker B: No, it's not. [00:17:38] Speaker A: Mister chance, will you please pass assault? Um, I don't know who that is. That guy? [00:17:42] Speaker B: No, it's somebody. [00:17:46] Speaker A: It's a guy with blonde, short, blonde hair. Well, we're gonna find out. He says, I spent the night in bed with ice then. And I spent the minute in bed, spent the bed the morning with ice, then we flew back to the west coast. Oh, and I spent the bed in the afternoon with ice. Okay, so we're away from Ted, I hope. I mean, it could have been ice. [00:18:09] Speaker B: Maybe it is. [00:18:11] Speaker A: Well, he says, five days back, I found out that I had twelve days to live. And hell, if you're gonna go out, you might as well go all out. All right, so we get a recap about the fact that he's dying because Lex Luthor poisoned him. It reminds us about the unique component of the poison. They've tracked back to booster Gold, who had a mystery partner, and the blue Beetle, Ted Gord. Let them know that Martian Manhunter was the mystery partner. We get a little recap of that. I do appreciate these recaps, especially, like, if you were reading this as a monthly book, which it is. [00:18:52] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:54] Speaker A: I hate when monthly books are distributed monthly, but don't do this for the reader. [00:18:58] Speaker B: Do the recap. [00:19:01] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, at least in some form. Right? It is a little bit frustrating now. They write so many books now to go to be graphic novels. And I get the recaps in a graphic novel are redundant. But when you're reading them month to month, the recaps are almost necessary. I mean, if I'm reading 20 books a month, which I realize not everybody's reading 20 books a month, so that could be my problem. But it's a lot to keep track of storyline wise. [00:19:24] Speaker B: True, true. [00:19:27] Speaker A: And so a nice just reminder. Oh, hey, that's right. When I read this. When I read this a month ago, and then I went to work and read 20 other books and did the podcast. Read more books. Did things. Read more books. Oh, yeah. That's what was happening in this book. [00:19:43] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:19:44] Speaker A: It's nice. I mean, I don't know. Maybe you feel differently. You're acting like. [00:19:48] Speaker B: No, no. I'm thinking back to when Travis and I were writing starlight, and the first. The first pass of starlight, when I got it from him, actually was done in that form. And. But it was like, the. The kind of. The way that it was done, it was almost like five pages of. Of this, as opposed to, like, four dialogue boxes, if that makes sense. So. And we don't really do a lot of recapping in starlight, so very, like, minimal or none, because it was. We cut all that out because of the fact that it was so heavy that first pass. It was like every issue had five pages of recaps, and I was like, we can't do that because it's almost like a third of the book anyways. Yep. So now I just. I was just thinking, like, you asked if I. If I liked it, and I was like, yes, in some. In some cases, yes. If it's a. If it's a minimalized recap, yes. [00:21:10] Speaker A: Well, it's. It's. It's weaved into the story style in my mind, too here, because this is a film noir like type comic book. Right. So it makes sense to have the recap. I feel like you'd have that often, and that's type of medium, too, so it's not forced in. Yes. I mean, if you had done a recap at the start of book five, I might have punched you in the face. I mean, I'm referring to starlight, and I would not ever punch greg in the face, but that would have been frustrating. [00:21:38] Speaker B: Two second star. [00:21:39] Speaker A: But it can also. And I get the writing techniques, but also, I mean, you have to know, you're a month to month comic, too, right. And you have to play to that strengthen. If you're doing a graphic novel, that's a different. Well, anyway, we meet emra. Emra from titan. Now, a crappy write up would tell you that this is saturn girl, whose name is imra. I m r a, ardine, not emraheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh uh huh. But I believe that tom king probably made it that close for a reason. [00:22:20] Speaker B: I see. [00:22:22] Speaker A: What do you think? Possibly saturn girl of the legion of superheroes for those aren't following along. And she is a telepath from Titan, Saturn's moon. So where you find out immediately. Anyway, this is somebody from Titan, Saturn's moon. And so it wasn't fire on the COVID It was a telepath. [00:22:43] Speaker B: A different person. [00:22:44] Speaker A: I thought for sure that'd be fire on the COVID Yep. I should have got that. It wasn't Beatrice Dacosta. Instead, it's Emra. [00:22:53] Speaker B: Emra. [00:22:55] Speaker A: So. And she's explaining that she's from Titan. He's like, I don't know where that is. And she's like, that's a moon near Saturn. He's like, oh. And he said his own fear. He's remembering his dad's death, holds him to the spot. We catch him back. Now he's back with ice, and she's asking him, was it okay? He's like, don't say it. He said it was lovely, like you. And he said, I told you it would get a little cold. I did warn you. And he's like, I liked it. So they're in bed together, and then we get this really creepy situation where chance is apparently at that restaurant, but the martian manhunter is laying there next to ice. [00:24:04] Speaker B: Yeah, it's weird. I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure everything will be revealed at some point. [00:24:14] Speaker A: Yeah, it's gross. Okay. I mean, if this is intentional, it seems. Well, anyway, it seems a little rapeye. [00:24:28] Speaker B: It is very odd. [00:24:32] Speaker A: It's. It's baby, it's cold outside type thing. [00:24:35] Speaker B: Very, very odd. [00:24:39] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, anyway, we get. Now chance is walking down a path with Emra, the telepath. [00:24:46] Speaker B: Telepath on a path. [00:24:49] Speaker A: Thanks for that strong contribution. [00:24:51] Speaker B: You're welcome. So they do. [00:24:53] Speaker A: I appreciate that. You know, when it's one of those days when you just have. You either have no f's to give, or you have all the f's to give. And I'm not sure what kind of day it is today. [00:25:04] Speaker B: It's one of those days. [00:25:06] Speaker A: I'm just feeling salty, man. [00:25:07] Speaker B: You want to get a chainsaw? [00:25:10] Speaker A: For what? [00:25:11] Speaker B: I don't know, Fred Durst. [00:25:17] Speaker A: I have no idea what you're talking about. Well, anyway, I. I'm sure the rest of you are, like, making fun of me right now. I have no idea what Greg's talking about. What are you doing? [00:25:30] Speaker B: Who, me? [00:25:32] Speaker A: Yes. [00:25:32] Speaker B: Getting a phone call. [00:25:35] Speaker A: Okay. Well, anyway, it's what happens every time we get bored. [00:25:39] Speaker B: Don't you know? No. It's probably a phone call from my grandma. [00:25:41] Speaker A: So that's exciting. Are you gonna get the phone call? [00:25:47] Speaker B: No, get a voicemail. [00:25:52] Speaker A: Well, listeners, that was should Greg get the phone cast? And we are back to our regular, scheduled podcast. So anyway, Emra says she's enlightened and doesn't judge people by skin and hair and bones in their cheeks. It's about how your mind works. Also, they judge people by their mind. Okay, and I guess this is chance thinking, right? For five years now, I've been on the road training with Ra's man, going through one trial after another, and I still don't know a damn thing. Wait, is this her thinking or is this him thinking? I think it must be him thinking. Or her thing. Wait, is it her? [00:26:39] Speaker B: I. [00:26:40] Speaker A: That doesn't sound like his story. He likes to talk about whiskey and all sorts of things. [00:26:46] Speaker B: I don't know. Let's turn the page and find out. [00:26:49] Speaker A: Okay. Okay. Well, his dad's begging again. Please, mister, I'll do anything. And we get the sobs like you do from the sixties comics. [00:26:59] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:27:01] Speaker A: It's very silver age of him. Very silver age. Legion of superheroes. The teenagers said sob a lot. [00:27:08] Speaker B: Sob. [00:27:10] Speaker A: Well, there it is. The first thing to go after is whatever you're hiding them. Okay, so it is her. Wow, so his mind's getting fully invaded by this terrible telepath. [00:27:23] Speaker B: She's just talking to him through his brain. [00:27:26] Speaker A: Well, and I know this wouldn't be Saturn girl because Saturn girl would not do this. Emra would, but Imra would not. Emra, just to be clear. Yeah. This unnamed Emra. Well, now it says the first thing to go after is whatever you're hiding. The most interesting. It's nice to know that on telepathy now they're out in a field again. It looks like a cialis commercial or something. No, that's not the right. That's when they're in the bathtubs. [00:27:59] Speaker B: Right in one of those, like, I'm feeling like I can walk around in a field and not get allergies. [00:28:06] Speaker A: Oh, I was thinking now it does make sense that I would relate cialis to antidepressant. [00:28:14] Speaker B: Okay. [00:28:16] Speaker A: I mean, the things do seem to go together, right? [00:28:19] Speaker B: Yes. [00:28:21] Speaker A: I mean, but no, I was thinking like one of those pills where the little, like, ha. There was one where like that happy ball thing was bouncing through the field. [00:28:29] Speaker B: Oh, maybe, I don't know. [00:28:33] Speaker A: Yeah, maybe it was one of those, like the happy ball that leads you when you're singing the songs, bounces through the field. I want one of those. [00:28:43] Speaker B: They got a lot of those commercials now where everybody's singing and dancing. And then they're like, I'm taking this to get better. What kind of better is it? It's a better that makes your bottom bleed if you take too much of it, or all of a sudden now you have a rash all over your body. If you're allergic, please don't take this medication anymore. See a doctor if you have these symptoms. That's right. [00:29:07] Speaker A: You know. [00:29:08] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:29:09] Speaker A: You know. You know where to find out more about these medications. Project dash, nerd.com. [00:29:14] Speaker B: That'S right. Boom. There you go. Got them. All. [00:29:22] Speaker A: Right. That's exactly where they are. Well, anyway, project ashner.com, your source for updated prescription and medical news. [00:29:32] Speaker B: All the. All the medication news, all of it. [00:29:38] Speaker A: Anything we say that's there is there. So we are back into the story. And golly, we're never going to get through the story. [00:29:50] Speaker B: Okay, so we're back at the story. They're back in the field. They're talking. They're actually talking. Not using their minds, but they're talking, talking. [00:29:58] Speaker A: We don't necessarily know that. She's talking tomatoes, and she's just going on and on and on and on and on about. He's got to let go of this one thing, one thing, two super, deepest, darkest secret. And she does sound like one of those commercials. Toward the end of her monologue, she said, they skip happily past you and grab it, and all you've ever had in your head there is there. Forever and ever and ever. The end. Okay, well, that sounds depressing, actually. [00:30:29] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:30:32] Speaker A: And now ice is laying down again and says, what are you talking? And now she's like, I see my father on my knees, and there's a killer with his gun. Okay, now chance is speaking. It's confusing. You know, if there was only a coloring sort of device that could color those boxes to let you know which speaker is speaking. [00:30:55] Speaker B: These are my thoughts now. These are my thoughts then. Yes, that would make a lot more sense. But that's not happening now. We don't get that. No, no. [00:31:03] Speaker A: If only. [00:31:04] Speaker B: If only not today, not now, not ever. [00:31:07] Speaker A: Yeah, well, anyway, Chance is stressing out because he's thinking about his dad again. It's being pried out of his mind by Emra, and he's recounting his eyes going wide as the killer murdered his father. And ice is still talking to the person in bed, who it's presumably not Christopher Chance. Except then we flip the page, and. [00:31:40] Speaker B: It is Christopher Chance. [00:31:42] Speaker A: Wait. Frost settles on my back. It's like I'm thinking about you. Then he says everything starts melting and then fire is there, telling him she can hurt him. [00:31:56] Speaker B: Oh, Lord. [00:31:59] Speaker A: And he says he can't breathe in the steam. Oh, wow. Okay, this is all a dream sequence, right? [00:32:05] Speaker B: It's gotta be. [00:32:08] Speaker A: I don't know. Well, anyway, now he's talking. He's like, how long does it take one of these attacks when they get in your head, try to get it all. How long is that? Ah, okay, so now he's talking to his attacker, presumably, or her projection. He said, well, let's say you and I were at dinner and I asked you to pass the salt. Before I'd get the salt, I'd get you. So that's what happened. So she had dinner with him and tapped his mind. Okay. And then we get to find out more about his mom. Very little. He doesn't remember his mom. And then he sees his dad coming home and telling him to do his homework. [00:33:01] Speaker B: Do his homework and be a good boy. [00:33:04] Speaker A: Yep. All along he's thinking about his dad, and now it's chance thinking again. So the attack's still happening. So he's being attacked by the telepath. If we didn't. If he didn't. If we didn't convey that clearly. [00:33:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:33:24] Speaker A: And he grabs a drink and asks his kid to not drink when he gets older, which he does not follow. [00:33:32] Speaker B: He does not follow that advice. [00:33:35] Speaker A: Yeah. And now we have. Wait, now we have a dark haired woman. Is this fire now sitting on the edge of the bed? [00:33:52] Speaker B: I'm not sure if it's fire or if it's Emra. [00:33:55] Speaker A: Hmm. Well, he apparently has been with her a few times. [00:34:05] Speaker B: Yeah, sounds like it. Yeah, it's emera. [00:34:09] Speaker A: Yeah. So, yeah, well, that's fair. That's. I was just about to tell listeners we're back because I needed some food, because I tried to do, like, a Terry Cruz on Brooklyn nine nine. [00:34:26] Speaker B: Yes. I almost got to watch Dan do a full well dunk, bump into the microphone. It would have been one of those things where it's the microphone falling on Dan. Dan falls into the microphone. [00:34:40] Speaker A: Yes, friends, if you walk for. And if you walk 5 miles with your dog and go up a giant hill on the way back, make sure you eat and drink. [00:34:49] Speaker B: Yes. [00:34:50] Speaker A: Yes. Before doing podcasts, fair podcast warning, one. [00:34:54] Speaker B: Needs to have sustenance. [00:34:58] Speaker A: Well, we're back, and chance is lying down now, who we thought was fire. But that looks like Emrah now. Or is that fire? [00:35:08] Speaker B: He says. He says. [00:35:11] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, right there. [00:35:12] Speaker B: Yeah, last panel. He's rested. [00:35:15] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:35:15] Speaker B: Let's try again. Just like us. [00:35:18] Speaker A: Yep. Yes. [00:35:23] Speaker B: That chance. Oh. What? What's going on? [00:35:27] Speaker A: Wait. Then we flip the page, and fire is there. It's the martian manhunter saying, that's not me. I'm someone else. [00:35:37] Speaker B: So weird. I don't know what's going on. Some weird stuff, dude. [00:35:44] Speaker A: Okay, well, now we got chance, I think. Saying my own fear holds me rooted to the spot, unable to move. So I watched my father. Okay, so there's got to be chance. He's recounting now his father dying, and he actually stands in front of his father and says, leave him alone. If you want to kill someone, shoot me. And the. The hitman, the other hitman. Not the hitman, but a hitman. Not to be confusing. A hitman. Yeah, not the hitman that I kept confusing with human target. [00:36:26] Speaker B: The hitman does not want to. [00:36:27] Speaker A: This is just a hitman. [00:36:28] Speaker B: He has a different human target. It just happens to be Chance's dad. [00:36:32] Speaker A: Yeah, and he murders him point blank. [00:36:35] Speaker B: Blam. [00:36:39] Speaker A: And then he said, something snaps inside my head at the sound of the shot. All the fear and the panic replace. I don't know if this really happened or it's just how he wants it to happen, but he starts calling him an animal, and he jumps. Little kid chance jumps on the guy, the hitman, and starts, like, grabbing him by the neck. And the guy's like, you're choking me. [00:37:04] Speaker B: Of course. [00:37:05] Speaker A: Now we get back to, like. It looks like a. It looks like they're in a hallway on the. The Enterprise D, except it's orange, and fire's like, are you sure? And Martian Manhunter is like, yes, you may come over tonight. And fire's like, last time, you said it would be the last time. And Manhunter's like, I will disengage the security system. You may let yourself in at your. And then they kissed, and she's like, okay, tonight, but cut out the crying afterwards. Remember, you're a goddamn manhunter. Jesus. Well, also like Martian Manhunter's weaknesses. Fire. Oh, good one, Tom King. Good one. I thought it was chocolate. Well, it is chocos, too. But the martian manhunters traditional weakness has been fire. And I didn't know it was also fire. [00:38:16] Speaker B: It makes sense. [00:38:17] Speaker A: Ha. Yeah, it's hot. Well, now we're back in the field. Man, this one is a lot. This one's really hard to explain on a podcast. We're trying our best. [00:38:29] Speaker B: It's a very deep and emotionally scarring issue. [00:38:33] Speaker A: It's. Yes. [00:38:34] Speaker B: It's a. It's a. If you're reading this by yourself? It's a really good read. It's a hard one to talk about, in fact. [00:38:41] Speaker A: In fact, Greg and I at the break said we're probably only covering this. Yeah. So we'll kick up six in whatever we get next time. But this is just a lot a back and forth, and we're both exhausted, so we're. You're getting. You're getting five tonight. [00:38:55] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:38:56] Speaker A: Sorry. Friends we talked about before. I'm not sure why we're sorry. Yeah, sometimes we're just tired boys. Tired boys. [00:39:05] Speaker B: That's all we are. [00:39:05] Speaker A: Yep. Need more stuff. Wow. Anyway, now we get another flashback to that memory. She really wants him to share that murder over and over again. [00:39:20] Speaker B: She really wants to dig in on it. [00:39:23] Speaker A: And she's like, if you don't need a memory, let it go. It's not important. Find what is and put your strength there. You're doing so well. She's trying to, like, erase his memories. This is weird. And he says, but there's someone, like someone crawling in your brain, scratching at the worst of you. So I assume that's him thinking now. And she's saying, my own fear holds me rooted. Oh, she's repeating what he says now as I watch. Wow. Okay, this telepath lady is. Is good and creepy. [00:39:56] Speaker B: Yeah, she's really getting in to chances deep, dark thoughts. [00:40:04] Speaker A: I also just don't think this would be, I mean, somebody said, like, it's supposed to be Saturn girl, and it's just not like Saturn girl doesn't act this way. Not the version, you know, like in her entire history. I mean, not the version I know, but I mean, there was. Okay, there was, like one retcon where she sort of did something wrong once and then was in trouble for it. But I. I don't know. I just. This doesn't seem. I don't know. There are multiple universes and multiple writers, and so they can all write a character a different way. But I feel like Tom King knows enough about the legion of superheroes and knows enough about DC comics and the depth in which he approaches his work that if he wanted her to be Saturn girl, he would have named her Imra, not Emra, perhaps. Perhaps. Thanks. Thanks. Well, anyway, now she's back on him again. She's like, you just have to let go of that one memory so you can fight for the others. Your father begged. So what? I've been in the heads of the top killers in the world. I trained them all. Everyone begs for something, and he's cussing by the way all the sex and everything in this book, and you still can't say the f word, which is just hilarious. And it's rated, what, 18 or older or whatever, and you still can't. [00:41:25] Speaker B: Can't say the f word. [00:41:29] Speaker A: Well, he gets. He mentions that he can't let it go because it's his memory. It's the one thing. It's everything to him. He's like, I've spent the. I need to learn how to. How not to beg. When my time comes, the target will be on me. I will be fucking fine versus bleeped out. And she says, okay, I believe you. You can't win, but maybe I can teach you how to lose. Don't dodge the bullet. Oh, shit. Okay. And now we get ice saying, you're going to like John or, no, like is the wrong word. You're going to really respect him. And this chance is shaving. So it looks like we have a flashback, or this was all done in a moment, like she said, or it's a flash forward. I can't really tell. [00:42:26] Speaker B: It's just a moment. [00:42:28] Speaker A: And then we have fire and saying, I need something to Jaune. And we have Emra saying, remember, don't dodge the bullet. Take it. And now we get the commentary. Dying men clutch at straws, it said. But he finds more than that in the form of a milk crate. And he hits. So the hitman grabbed the milk crate and knocked little chance off him. And the cops come. He runs away, and here comes the cops to rescue his dad. But his dad's like, no, it's too late. Just listen to me, Chris. I want you to promise you'll make something of yourself. Be successful so you don't end up like me. That's what he's holding on to. And my father doesn't hear my promise. And he says, I swear, dad, that as long as I live, nobody will ever have to live with the kind of fear you knew or faced that humiliation. I tried to be a target for you, dad, and failed. I swear, I'll never fail again. Okay, so we've got the origin of the human target right in the middle of the series, and then he's back talking to the telepath. And she's like, if you let someone all the way in, if you give them everything. And now she's talking to a bald person. Is that Luthor? And he says, stop whining. You know the deal. You train one more and I'll give you back your magic little key to your magic little rocket ship. And then you can fly all the way home, and she's like, one more. It's always one more. It's been years. Ah, God. Luthor's everywhere in this book. Don't talk back, please. You know, I hate hurting you. Emrained. I don't like the way you scream. And she says, fuck you. It's nice try, alien girl, but you're not getting in here. I know all the tricks to keep you out. And thank you for that, by the way. And so now she's back with chance. He's like, without resistance, the attacker who is charging, expecting walls, falls into mind, lost control. But then, while they stumble forward, overwhelming by all, you are giving them the small secrets. And the big ones, they leave themselves vulnerable. You can start talking. It's another strategy. They get all of you, but you get all of them. I see. Okay. And so we get fire. He's thinking. And now the manhunter is saying, I've got the money. Ah. To get it to you tonight, if. Tonight. Ah. And she's like, tonight's dandy. So she manipulated John through sex into giving her money, the money for booster Gold's business. Ah. Okay. Whew. Okay. Now, Luther. Now we're deeper in. She's such a good teacher. You learn what she knows, you learn. So, that is Luther, right? Or is that Raj? [00:45:49] Speaker B: I'm not sure. [00:45:52] Speaker A: A few days later, I'm sitting down with a ra. Okay, so it's. It's an agent of Raj al Ghul, I guess. Okay, sure looks like Luther, but. Okay, that's fine. For five years, he trained in testing, okay? Under his teeth, I learned how to fight, all right. And then he murdered him. Wow. This book is dark. [00:46:22] Speaker B: Wow, it is dark. [00:46:29] Speaker A: He's. He just. He just shot him. Shot the mentor, right? Did he think he knew? Do you think he knew he was manipulating Emrah, though? [00:46:43] Speaker B: I don't know. [00:46:46] Speaker A: Well, I guess we'll find out. So. [00:46:47] Speaker B: Oh, maybe Luther, that was Ra. [00:46:52] Speaker A: That was Ra's agent. Because it says at the top, he had. [00:46:54] Speaker B: So. Okay, but no, maybe it wasn't Luthor that was holding Emrah hostage. [00:47:00] Speaker A: It was. Yeah, it was Raj al Ghul. Yeah, which sort of makes more sense. Like, I guess an immortal would know about the other planets and peoples. [00:47:16] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:47:16] Speaker A: Okay, well, we get to the next page, and it looks like chance is saying it was all about this, wasn't it? From the first moment you got into my mind, you knew I could do this for you, that I would do it for you. Aha. Yeah. That's what it is. And all I want to do is put myself in danger for others. And you had a danger in mind. He was prepared for your anger. He wasn't prepared for mine. So I could get the gun near him, use my hands to shoot him. Oh, you wore me like a fucking disguise. And then she says, you're a good kid, Christopher. I enjoyed our time together. Wow. It's got some graduate vibes to it, too, doesn't it? Okay. Misses Emma Robinson. Wow. I enjoyed our time together. I hope you learned something. Damn. So, yeah, this whole time, you couldn't really figure out who was manipulating who, even. Right. Like, it's like she was manipulating him, but you couldn't really tell. And then at the end, you may think it's him, but then it's actually okay. So she used mind control to control him to do it. Wow. [00:48:30] Speaker B: Yeah. To get close. [00:48:33] Speaker A: Well, now they. Now they get back together. He says, I've learned quite a bit. The Martian was scared enough. He tried to get in my head, and I let him right in where he could see everything. The gun, Lex dying. And while he was looking, I got his dirty little secret. So that was the other scenes. Okay, so chance was using his training to get what he wanted from the other telepath. His affair with fire and her ask for money. So he. Okay, so that. That makes sense. He's recounting. He's share. Okay, man, this is meta. So he's. She taught him to share the things that are important, to let other people get distracted by his story so he could rip things out of their head. Okay, it makes sense. It's kind of like. It's kind of like the scammer. Payback people online. I feel like I mentioned them a couple times ago. Like, they'll get you into a story. Think you're thinking you're getting the juicy bits, but they're all back behind hacking your computer and getting it from you. They're hacking the hacker's computer, so they're giving the hacker what they think they want. Yeah. Okay. It's kind of what it's like. Well, fire knew Luthor had killed her best friend, and Manhunter had given her the means to poison him. All right. [00:49:49] Speaker B: I passed the salt, and it's just like. It begins. [00:49:54] Speaker A: Wow. I know. This is a really good issue. It is. [00:50:00] Speaker B: It's very deep. It's very dark. It's very. It's very hard to talk about in the sense that, like, it's not a. It's. It's definitely like, we did not do it as much justice as we could have, because it's not. It's one to read, not. And to discuss after the fact. But, like, in this. [00:50:18] Speaker A: Well, there's. There's. Yes, yes. [00:50:22] Speaker B: Instead of, like, running over it. [00:50:26] Speaker A: Well, there's also some implied scenes in there that are really dark and disturbing. If you think. If it's what you think is happening, because it does look like rape is of happening, potentially. And that's just weird. Like, whether it's mental rape or real lit rape. Right. Like, I mean, they did that in the Grant Morrison X Men, and I hated it. Right. The whole, like, Scott Summers and Emma frost sleeping together in her mind through. But I still felt like it was still infidelity, in a sense. Right. Like, it's very difficult. Yeah. Yeah. It was not. It was not enjoyable either. In fact, Gail Simone makes fun of it in her first issue of uncanny. Takes a jab at it. By the way. By the way, if you didn't grab Gail Simone's first issue of the relaunch of Uncanny X Men, it's the first X Men book I've read in years. I know some of the Jonathan Hickman stuff is really good. People talk about it. I just wasn't buying it, admittedly, because I wasn't buying any marvel. So, you know, I know, I know. Somebody will come back on me and be like, oh, the Krakow age was good, and this was good, and the Jonathan Hickman stuff was good. Just, you know, if you tell me that, you just have to realize I haven't picked up an X Men book probably since, like, 2008. Okay? So just know that Gail's book is fantastic. [00:51:51] Speaker B: I'm just gonna nod my head in agreements. No one can see this, but I'm gonna say yes. I. [00:51:58] Speaker A: You're shocked to find out a Gail Simone book is fantastic. [00:52:01] Speaker B: I'm besides myself. What do you mean? Yeah, no, yeah, of course, yes. I couldn't. I'd be surprised that. That it wouldn't be. [00:52:13] Speaker A: Also, Gail discloses in they ask the creators, right, what was the first X Men book they readdez. And, like, our first exposure to the X Men. And, like, younger creators, like Mark Russell, remember, we read his snaggle piss stuff. He said he's writing one of the books, and he said, like, it was one of the movies, you know, and others are saying different. One said it was like the X Men number one with Jim Lee and Chris Claremont, right? Like that era. And Gale is like, I found a copy of giant size X Men number one at a garage sale as a kid. And read it over and over again and took it from near mint to poor. [00:52:59] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. That's fantastic. [00:53:02] Speaker A: And I'm like, how perfect. Yeah, I mean, it just, I mean, as a kid just wandering around freaking Oregon, how cool is it to find that? And then that be your exposure to comics? Of course. No wonder she loves comics so much. [00:53:17] Speaker B: Yeah, that's. [00:53:20] Speaker A: I mean, duh. Like, well, anyway, I thought that was really neat. I didn't want to get distracted with Gail Simone, but the reason I brought it up, I did intend to get distracted with Gail Simone. Is it kind of the comparison here, too, in looking at that first book that she's doing in this book? It shouldn't shock you that Gail Simone really tries to get in the heads of the characters and start to, you know, it's, she gets a chance at a number one book. So she just takes Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine and Nightcrawler. We don't get as much as the Nightcrawler yet, but she's really digging into Rogue's psyche and a little bit of gambits and a little bit of wolverines, but much she kind of takes off, you know, first after Rogue and, like, what is her existence? Like, why did. Why is she in the X Men? Like, why is she there? Why is she like. And maybe not even in the X Men, but this whole kind of exploration of why does she do it? Why does she continue to do what she does? And I feel like this book was doing the same thing. [00:54:32] Speaker B: Makes sense, right. It really, like, gives you a. A real good idea as to who Christopher Chance is and why he is what he is and why he's doing exactly what he's doing before this book and through this book, why he's the man that he is. [00:54:52] Speaker A: Yeah, that's what I was saying. Both, right? Like, why he's been so stubborn about finding his own murderer versus getting help, why he is the way he is, about living the life the way he is. Right. Like, his. If his whole purpose is to be a human target, then he actually fulfilled his mission. So what's left but to whine, dine, and have sex, right, and die? But if that's not his mission, and it was a flawed one, then he's got to find his murderer. And you have those two themes going against each other in the book, right? Is he there to solve the mystery or is he there to die? [00:55:33] Speaker B: Well, the. I think. I think Emra told him, taught him that lesson in the field. Sometimes when it's your time, you have to take the bullet. [00:55:47] Speaker A: So is he taking the bullet in the story, though, or is he trying to solve his own murder? [00:55:52] Speaker B: I think he's learning to take the bulletin. [00:55:55] Speaker A: He's sure. He's sure fighting against that. [00:55:57] Speaker B: Fighting against it. But maybe. Maybe we'll see he's taking the bullet. [00:56:04] Speaker A: Or maybe it's just more important that he knows what happens before he takes. [00:56:08] Speaker B: The bullet, why he's taking the bullet. [00:56:11] Speaker A: Yeah, because he doesn't want to be scared. Right. Like, that was the other thing, too. He doesn't want to live in fear. That was the whole nature of the human target. And you're right. This is one to talk about after you read it, because, like, okay. And we're at. I mean, we're not quite the halfway point. Book six is the next one. It'll be the halfway point. That's not quite the halfway point either, because there's a. An add in book, so there is actually 13. [00:56:33] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:56:37] Speaker A: Spicy. They stuck a tails of the human target in there, which is cool. I like that, too. It gives you a little bit more background on some of the characters in the middle of the story, so that's fine. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that approach to storytelling, but, yeah, this is really good. And we can't, it's hard to do this one through in a walkthrough. Maybe we should have just started out with a summary. Maybe you should have said, dan, like, let's not go through this page by page. Let's summarize it. But you can struggle with us through the page by page and feel it. I also feel like that struggle, though, that we're having is the struggle you have as the reader the first time, too, trying to make sense of it in your brain as you go through. [00:57:16] Speaker B: It really does mess with you. Like, you're, you're like, who's saying this? What's going on? I mean, if we're having, we're, we are seasoned readers of comics, enjoyers of the medium, and we're, and we're like, who is it? Who's the voice? Who's this attached to? I don't know what's going on? What. And you got two of us, and we're fighting about it. Like, not fighting about it, but struggling. Struggling with the, with the pain. And it's, it's, it's not that it's difficult. It's just that it's, it's. It's a lot to process, so. Process. [00:57:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:57:52] Speaker B: Enjoy it with us. Feel the pain with us. [00:57:58] Speaker A: Well, and enjoy it yeah. Like, I think that's, that's the thing. If you're, if you're reading this stuff. [00:58:06] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:58:07] Speaker A: I mean, if you're reading this stuff, uh, please read it. It's just, it's, it's good and very good. Yeah, pretty much. I can't, uh. Yeah, I mean, that's just it, it's just, it's just a good story. Right? Like, and you can't, I don't know what to say. I don't know what I'm trying to say. Right. Like, I know some people don't like Tom King, and that's fine. Sometimes I feel like when you win enough awards, people don't like you anymore. That's fine. [00:58:43] Speaker B: Don't read it for time. Smallwood. [00:58:47] Speaker A: Yeah. Read it for Greg Smallwood. It's, it's a fantastic story, and you're missing, you're, you're missing out if you're, if you're not reading it. And so read along with us and, and dig in and then we'll go from there. [00:59:04] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:59:04] Speaker A: So good luck. I say good luck. [00:59:07] Speaker B: We say yes. Come back for next issue. [00:59:13] Speaker A: Yeah. You have, let's see. Do you have anything else you want to share? [00:59:17] Speaker B: Well, I will say this, probably by the time this, by the time this podcast is released, absolute Zeros camp launch pad, written by myself and Mike Tanner and art by Gabriel Gomez, will be a steam, it'll be a one of the books chosen by the an S. [00:59:41] Speaker A: Team and s team. Like, no, I don't want to talk about, no, the S team. No, I don't want to talk about the senior team. [00:59:48] Speaker B: It's going to be a steam reader challenge book 00000. [00:59:53] Speaker A: It's like the senior team. Like Joe Biden. [00:59:56] Speaker B: No, no. The science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics reading challenge. It's been chosen. [01:00:08] Speaker A: Science, technology, engineering, mathematics. [01:00:12] Speaker B: It's been chosen. [01:00:13] Speaker A: Arts. [01:00:14] Speaker B: Arts. That's where Mike, myself and Gabrielle come into the fold. [01:00:20] Speaker A: Arts. [01:00:21] Speaker B: Yes, with arts. [01:00:22] Speaker A: How does arts fit with all those cool things? [01:00:24] Speaker B: Without the arts, you don't get the creative aspect to make all those things pull together. And that's how engineers get their dreams put into space, because without the arts, you don't get things designed. See? [01:00:39] Speaker A: I see. Oh, oh. So, so like, like the first legion clubhouse. That's like an upside down rocket ship with the fins. [01:00:48] Speaker B: Exactly. [01:00:48] Speaker A: If you don't have the arts, you don't get the fins. [01:00:52] Speaker B: Just that. But we're asking you to come along with us and reach for the stars. Just like the first Legion clubhouse. That is a rocket ship. You, too, can go to space. But reading. [01:01:05] Speaker A: Well, the first legion clubhouse was either, as you'll recall, a guy that turns into a clubhouse or an upside down rocket ship that crashed into the earth. [01:01:14] Speaker B: Well, one of those things, either of them, great choices design wise, fantastic climb inside a giant person that turned himself into a clubhouse or an upside down rocket ship that's crashed into the earth. They're both great for the imagination and fun and fantastic, whimsical ideas. [01:01:37] Speaker A: Whimsical? [01:01:38] Speaker B: Whimsical? Whimsy. [01:01:40] Speaker A: Wow. [01:01:41] Speaker B: Delightful. [01:01:42] Speaker A: Whimsical. [01:01:43] Speaker B: No, I mean, we're pretty excited. [01:01:45] Speaker A: What are. What are you, Willy Wonka? [01:01:48] Speaker B: Come with me, and you'll see a world of imagination. No, we're just super excited because this is. This is something that we didn't expect to be part of, and we're really glad to be part of it. I got asked to be part of this along with, like, if you take a look at the list of people that are. That are part of this, they're astronauts or scientists, robot engineers, and other people that ilk, and then there's us. So it's kind of like, wow. Okay, yeah, cool. We'll go on this journey with you all. So it's pretty cool. [01:02:29] Speaker A: Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. [01:02:42] Speaker B: So you can go to steamreadingchallenge.org and go and find out all the cool things about the steam reading challenge. [01:02:52] Speaker A: Well, that's very exciting. [01:02:53] Speaker B: Super exciting. That's the only thing. [01:03:00] Speaker A: I'm just like, okay, that's cool. Well, you, too, can be a steam reader. [01:03:08] Speaker B: Yeah. Steam reader. [01:03:10] Speaker A: I don't want to be on the S team. Yes. [01:03:12] Speaker B: Nobody. Oh, my dogs are barking. [01:03:15] Speaker A: All right, well, it's time to end the podcast. The dogs are barking, so that means time to end the podcast. So that's it. So I'm Dan, and that's Greg, and this was funny. Book forensics. Go buy the book. If you want a Steve Reeder book, we're out of here.