KA-POW! The Pop Cultured Podcast

The countdown we've been wanting to do for ages has finally arrived, as we each unveil our Top Ten Favorite Comic Book Covers of all time!  We had to call in help for a task this monumental, so we welcome back special guest, The OJ - Mr. Jesse Starcher of the Source Material Comics Podcast.  You can listen to Part One of this episode, counting down picks #10-6, here like usual, but we suggest the far superior video version available on Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast's YouTube page.

Length - 01:14:18

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

It's the review everyone's been waiting for, as Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast does a deep dive into the dark, brutal, senses-shattering experience known as The Little Caesars Batman Calzony!  Oh, and we also have a few things to say about the movie that inspired it.  We get a little bit SPOILER-y, so beware.  This episode is not for weak stomachs.

Length - 00:38:27

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

It's been too long since we've had an all-comics episode, so Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast spends this week catching up on our favorite medium.  We start with a recurring game usually only Patrons have access to, trying to suss out the veracity of some Japanese books with unbelievable titles, then we cover recent news including a legendary creator's battle with cancer, banned books, bisexuality and everything we've been reading held together with two staples!

Length - 01:08:57

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:05:20 - FAKE NOODLES

Sample one of our Patron-only segments as we try to guess whether ten out-there titles are the names of real Japanese manga or if they are made up.

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0:23:30 - COMIC BOOK NEWS

Revisiting the previous year's industry shakeups and the introduction of multiple distributors, Diamond acquires authentication company CGA, legendary artist George Perez diagnosed with inoperable cancer while charity reprints a limited number of "JLA / Avengers," rereading some classic "G.I. Joe" as Larry Hama approaches issue #300, 90s slacker indie "Box Office Poison," masterpiece "Maus" banned by Tennessee school board, Tim Drake and Jonathan Kent come out as bisexual, Jim Lee appears on "Sesame Street" celebrating Asian heritage, Grant Morrison reveals behind-the-scenes drama during his final days at DC, "Fortnite" crosses over with Marvel in upcoming mini-series, the return of Image's "Saga" after a three year hiatus and some reading recommendations for books currently on the shelf.

After sharing our summer plans (and dreaming of blasting off aboard the Galactic Starcruiser), Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast peeps through our portholes once again at all of the content whizzing by this week.  So tune in as we wrap up seasons of shows we enjoyed, sample some new ones with potential and recommend a number of recent films you should check out.

Length - 01:12:43

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:08:38 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

James Gunn's "Peacemaker" concludes its first season with a bang, workplace sci-fi series "Severance" stars Adam Scott, "This Is Us" winding down its run with fewer surprises, "The Walking Dead" makes one more leap forward in time before the end, "Euphoria" brings its A-game every week, reliving some scandalous recent history with Hulu's "Pam & Tommy" and an anticlimactic ending to an underwhelming "Celebrity Big Brother."

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0:51:16 - MOVIE NEWS

The action-adventure "Uncharted" defies expectations for video game adaptations, Ryan Reynolds' comedic "Free Guy" drops on HBO Max, "Kimi" an of-the-moment thriller about technology and privacy and "Summer of Soul" documentary unearths lost footage of fabled music festival.

The always-unpredectible Riverdale returns for its sixth season with a special 5-episode foray into the spooky alternate reality known as "Rivervale," and Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast is eating up every twist and turn like cold pancakes and sin pie.  So lay down your hammers, pop a toad in your mouth and join us as we delve into Chapter 96 "Welcome to Rivervale" and Chapter 97 "Ghost Stories."

Length - 01:01:26

Language - PG-13. (Contains mild adult language.)

Not even the zombiefied remains of MoviePass crawling back into our lives could dampen our spirits this week, because Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast has lots of exciting content on our slate.  Hear which Academy Award nominations we agree with (and which ones we don't), along with some explosive new documentaries, a celebrity version of our favorite reality show and more!

Length - 01:08:27

Language - PG-13.  (Contains adult language.)

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0:09:55 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

Police procedural meets improv comedy in Netflix's inventive "Murderville," another batch of B-list stars assemble for a new edition of "Celebrity Big Brother," "The Righteous Gemstones" continues to add layers to its insane characters, Showtime's "Yellowjackets" a buzzworthy female-centric mystery, the documentaries "We Need to Talk About Cosby" and "Secrets of Playboy" try to reckon with dark sides of two famous men, "Euphoria" remains exceptional despite being hard to watch and the twenty-fifth season of "South Park" debuts.

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0:56:40 - MOVIE NEWS

Spoiler-free thoughts on Guillermo del Toro's "Nightmare Alley" as it arrives on HBO and some unexpected names on this year's list of Oscar nominations.

The finale to "The Book of Boba Fett" has arrived on Disney+, so Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast dedicates an entire episode to what we think worked, what didn't and what we hope to see next from the galaxy of Star Wars spinoffs headed our way.  So tune in for our take on Episodes 6 and 7 of the divisive series.

Length - 01:01:32

Language - PG-13. (Contains mild adult language.)

Hollywood may have the glitz and glamour of the Oscars, but Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast recognizes our favorite films of the year with The Poobah Awards!  So look back with us at all the best cinema had to offer in 2021 as we recognize an eclectic Top Eleven list of indie darlings and fan favorites both on the big screen and streaming in our living rooms.

Length - 01:58:20

Language - PG-13. (Contains adult language.)

The old men of Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast have so many clouds to yell at this week that we ALMOST forget about all the amazing television at our disposal.  But we eventually get into our regular deep dive of the latest "Star Wars" series, review some brand new streaming series and catch up on some old favorites.

Length - 01:37:30

Language - PG-13.  (Contains adult language.)

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0:13:44 - THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT

One Mandalorian gets his old ship back and one gets a new ride in our in-depth discussion of Episodes 4 and 5 of the Disney+ series "The Book of Boba Fett."

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0:57:40 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

"Peacemaker" gelling into another fanboy feather in James Gunn's cap, the first half of the final season of "Ozark" amps up the family drama, the insanity of "Euphoria" keeps us tuning in, the Bridget Everett dramedy "Somebody Somewhere" debuts on HBO, "The Gilded Age" doesn't live up to its "Downton Abbey" pedigree, a killer lineup of comedians star in "The Afterparty" on Apple TV+, Prime's animated adaptation of the tabletop gamers of "The Legend of Vox Machina," the sitcom "American Auto" hitting its comedic stride and a surprise villain arrives on "Superman & Lois."

Baby, it's cold outside, so Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast is staying in and catching up on the best television this winter has to offer.  Coach Mayor Jared Lowe joins us around the cooking fire once more to tell tall tales of over-the-top superhero action, blasphemous comedies, karate-kicking teenagers and more!

Length - 01:05:17

Language - PG-13.  (Contains some adult language.)

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0:02:05 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

Danny McBride's megachurch comedy "The Righteous Gemstones" back for more, "The Suicide Squad" spinoff "Peacemaker" from James Gunn arrives on HBO Max, new episodes of CW superhero shows with "Superman & Lois" and the debut of "Naomi," Johnny and Daniel join forces in fantastic fourth season of "Cobra Kai," "Station Eleven" a post-apocalyptic story about the importance of pop culture and the return of "Justified" confirmed.

Our holiday hiatus is over and Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast is back to full speed.  Coach Mayor Jared Lowe sticks around to help us catch up on three huge releases from Disney+, including the last episode of a furiously fun Marvel series, the start of a new Star Wars chapter and a future-classic of an animated film.

Length - 01:31:04

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:02:40 - HAWKEYE

Our SPOILER-filled take on episode 6 of the Marvel superhero series, as all the lingering threads get pulled together for the explosive finale.

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0:23:02 - CROSSING THE STREAMS

The first three installments of the Star Wars solo adventure "The Book of Boba Fett" debut to mixed fan reaction and the magical family film "Encanto" finds an even bigger streaming audience.

Happy New Year!  After a couple years of uncertainty in Hollywood, Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast - and our guest Coach Mayor Jared Lowe - return to one of our longest running traditions and preview all of the movies scheduled to arrive in 2022.  We go month by month, revealing all the major motion pictures hitting theaters and streaming services in the coming year, then compile a list of our Top Ten most anticipated films.

Length - 01:46:03

Language - PG-13.  (Contains some adult language.)

Happy New Year!  For our final episode of 2021 Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast catches up on some of the television and film that has been entertaining us this holiday season, including another in-depth discussion of Marvel's festive limited series "Hawkeye."

Length - 01:26:37

Language - PG-13.  (Contains adult language.)

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0:03:18 - MOVIE NEWS

The star-studded biopic "House of Gucci" from Ridley Scott, a modern take on the classic musical "West Side Story" and "Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street" sheds light on the creation of the revolutionary children's show.

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0:34:50 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

"Live in Front of a Studio Audience" restages vintage episodes of "The Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes," sitcom "American Auto" from the creator of "Superstore," the second and final season of "Pen15," an in-season version of HBO's "Hard Knocks," "Succession" continues its masterful run, working-class story "Maid" connects with viewers and historical drama about famed Russian ruler "The Great."

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1:01:55 - HAWKEYE

Our final thoughts and predictions before the finale of the Christmas-themed Marvel series includes SPOILERS for episodes 4 and 5.

The biggest movie in the multiverse has arrived and Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast is here with our review of "Spider-Man: No Way Home."  It's not possible to discuss the plot of Marvel's latest blockbuster without massive SPOILERS, so beware, but those who have seen the film already can relive it with us as we talk about whether it lived up to high fan expectations, where the franchise may go from here and where it ranks in the history of Spider-movies.

Length - 01:17:56

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

As the year winds down, the quality of movies goes up and Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast has been catching as many fantastic films as possible.  Both at the cinemas and streaming at home, we have reviews and recommendations on ways to spend your upcoming winter nights.

Length - 01:26:50

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:06:50 - MOVIE NEWS

Family film "8-Bit Christmas" adds 80s nostalgia to the holidays, Will Smith's "King Richard" a tennis biopic about the legendary Williams family, two new HBO "Music Box" documentaries "DMX: Don't Try to Understand" and "Listening to Kenny G," Paramount+'s "South Park: Post COVID" flashes forward to the kids' future, Nicolas Cage drama "Pig" arrives on Hulu, "Tick, Tick... Boom!" a celebration of Broadway dreams from Lin-Manuel Miranda, arthouse Western "The Power of the Dog" features a bravura performance from Benedict Cumberbatch, a trip to Columbus to catch Wes Anderson's "The French Dispatch," SPOILER-y reactions to that unexpected cameo in "The Eternals," Netflix drops part two of "Masters of the Universe: Revelation" and the video game adaptation "Arcane: League of Legends" and a Youtube personality creates a real-life Squid Game.

It's Christmas time, bro!  Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast has decked our halls with some new IKEA bookshelves, taken our long winter's naps and now we're ready for some festive TV to get us in the holiday spirit.  Luckily we've got "Hawkeye," an animated superhero spinoff, the worst people in Philadelphia and The Beatles to give us hours and hours and hours and hours (and hours) of joy.

Length - 01:09:18

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:14:30 - HAWKEYE

Our SPOILER-ific reactions to the first three episodes of the latest Marvel TV series on Disney+, we're talking Hawkguy, bro!

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0:42:20 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

Spending several candid hours with the lads in "The Beatles: Get Back" documentary, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" breaks the record for television's longest running live-action comedy and the CW-verse's "Beebo Saves Christmas" becomes the most confounding holiday special of the season.

The bizarre and befuddling fifth season of Riverdale concludes, and like a crew of off-duty firemen digging for palladium, Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast continues to mine every nook and cranny of this show for its most precious elements.  So stick with us for the final three installments, as we discuss Chapter 93 "Dance of Death," Chapter 94 "Next to Normal" and Chapter 95 "Riverdale: RIP (?)."

Length - 01:09:50

Language - PG-13. (Contains adult language.)

Good news!  Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast has a lot of entertaining stuff to talk about this week, including a field trip to Columbus to a retro toy Mecca, new movies both streaming and on the big screen, a stack of essential reading to add to your library and some recent television worth getting excited about.  You can Book It!

Length - 01:25:58

Language - PG-13.  (Contains some adult language.)

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0:15:40 - MOVIE NEWS

A few further non-spoilery thoughts on Marvel's "Eternals," "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" a fun nostalgic experience, the star-studded "Red Notice" a globe-trotting Netflix adventure, "Music Box: Jagged" documentary takes a closer look at Alanis Morissette's breakout album, Tom Hanks in the post-apocalyptic drama "Finch" for Apple TV+, "Jungle Cruise" arrives on Disney+ and avoiding the "Spider-Man: No Way Home" trailer.

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0:48:25 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

Reading "The Wheel of Time" to prep for the new Amazon Prime series, grown-up kid detectives star in Ed Brubaker and Marcos Martin's "Friday" graphic novel, Matt Fraction and David Aja's definitive "Hawkeye" tale influences the new show, "All of the Marvels" provides a road map to the entire history of a comic universe, "Young Justice: Phantoms" tackles real-world issues, a Taco Bell commercial features two "Saga" cosplayers for some reason, series finale of "Supergirl" makes a bold statement about becoming your authentic self and a second season of "Tiger King" is not what the world needs right now.

We kick things off this week with the tale of Seth commemorating a milestone by getting his first tattoo, then we explore some promising recent television that's just getting started (and one already canceled), catch up on a few old favorites and then dissect how an expertly crafted horror story can affect us by pushing the right deep-seated psychological buttons.  So enjoy a little Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast now, before we get too popular and inevitably K-P-Peter out.

Length - 01:33:53

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:17:33 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

A year late to "The Haunting of Bly Manor," the second season of Netflix's "Locke & Key," "Y the Last Man" canceled on the verge of becoming interesting, "Maid" shines the spotlight on America's underclass, more "The Righteous Gemstones" on the way, "Awkwafina is Nora From Queens" grows more sure of itself as a sitcom, some bold moves leading up to the season finale of "What We Do in the Shadows," a new cast adds a different flavor to "Love Life," Eclipso and The Shade stir up trouble in "Stargirl: Summer School" and "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" brings back classic cast members for its 100th episode.

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1:04:50 - MIDNIGHT MASS

A SPOILER-steeped discussion digging into Mike Flanagan's incredible religion-infused limited horror series, "Midnight Mass" and what it might be trying to say about our current existence.

Cliff is back from Disney World (reluctantly), and has a trip report on what's happening during the 50th anniversary of the park.  And visits to the movie theater are finally happening on a more regular basis, so we have reviews and recommendations on what we've seen recently, both streaming and on the silver screen.  So keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times, because Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast is ready for takeoff!

Length - 01:05:28

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:24:30 - MOVIE NEWS

Initial thoughts on Marvel's cosmic-scale ensemble piece "Eternals," the long-awaited adaptation of sci-fi classic "Dune," "Last Night in Soho" presents the dark shadows behind the swinging sixties, Daniel Craig's final outing as Bond in "No Time to Die," watching the film version after reading Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House," the Netflix western "The Harder They Fall" has an all-star cast and DC Fandome event drops new trailers, teasers and concept art.

It's time for another Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast Countdown!  With Cliff away at Disney World, we invited Coach Mayor Jared Lowe to join us in choosing the greatest Western movies of all time.  Featuring a nice mix of classic cowboy flicks and more modern revisionist takes, we circle the wagons and use our "competitive collaboration" method to muster up our Top 17 favorites from the genre.  And don't worry... all the mustaches are real.

Length - 02:42:16

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

We've been derelict in our duty lately, failing to squeeze every last drop of joy out of every precious minute of Riverdale.  So we play catch-up in this episode of Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast, bending a knee to the King of the Rats and the Queen of the Bees and hitting all the half-remembered highlights in the back half of season five with Chapter 87 "Strange Bedfellows," Chapter 88 "Citizen Lodge," Chapter 89 "Reservoir Dogs," Chapter 90 "The Night Gallery," Chapter 91 "The Return of the Pussycats" and Chapter 92 "Band of Brothers."

Length - 01:14:44

Language - PG-13. (Contains mild adult language.)

Finally on the other side of three hundred, Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast begins our next era catching up on all the fun fall television we haven't talked about in a while. 

And be sure to check out our brand new Patreon page at www.patreon.com/youdownwithkpp.  We have revamped our whole Patron system to offer more choices and more rewards.  A small monthly contribution to this labor of love gets you access to fun Patron exclusives from a vote in our polls to early access, special bonus episodes and more!

Length - 01:21:07

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:02:46 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

"Brooklyn Nine-Nine" ends their run with a satisfyingly silly conclusion, struggling to get on the same wavelength as "Y the Last Man," AMC's Fear Fest brings back "Eli Roth's History of Horror" docuseries and more episodes of the "Creepshow" anthology, "Muppets Haunted Mansion" adds classic Muppet humor to the Halloween season, putting an anime spin on a galaxy far, far away in "Star Wars: Visions," the first batch of Marvel's "What If...?" end with a cosmic team-up, the Pixar "Dug Days" shorts on Disney+ exude charm, season two of "Ted Lasso" avoids the sophomore slump, the Netflix phenomenon "Squid Game" mixes class struggle into a familiar horror setup, "Titans" adapts Red Hood's origin for its third season and new episodes of "Love on the Spectrum" full of heartwarming positivity.

Welcome to Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast's super-duper-sized Three Hundredth Episode milestone annivers-a-ganza!  And just like we did when we hit #100 and #200, we are celebrating with a carefully curated look back at an array of our favorite moments.  Hear some of our funniest pre-planned bits, spontaneous moments that went off the rails, the debuts of several long-running segments, the origins of a couple inside jokes and much more.  So whether you've been down with KPP since the old days or are just tuning in for a sample of the nonsense we get up to on a weekly basis, thanks a million and we love you 300!

Length - 02:25:58

Language - PG-13. (Contains mild adult language.)

As Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast preps for our 300th episode, we decided to make this previously "Patron Only" bonus show available to all our listeners.  In it, we experiment with a new way of creating a Top Ten list, stress testing our recent brand of "competitive collaboration" list-making for the first time.  So listen in as Cliff and Jordan work together (and against each other!) to compile KPP's picks for the all-time best third entries in our favorite film franchises.

Length - 01:02:50

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

We've had a busy couple of weekends lately, with festivals, fairs, homecomings and work, work, work, but Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast couldn't let a Marvel blockbuster go by without sharing our review!  So after Cliff lets us know how he did in a bout of toy trivia against some podcasting pals and we cover a couple of recent documentaries, it's on to "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."

Length - 01:23:53

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:12:22 - MOVIE NEWS

"Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed" explores the life of the beloved artist and the corporate maneuverings that stole his name, the earliest days of Music Television discussed in Biography's "I Want My MTV" and a biopic about a comic book creator's unconventional romance, "Professor Marston and the Wonder Women."

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0:41:43 - SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS

Marvel Studios' 25th film had another record-breaking release and we share our SPOILER-filled opinions about the mashup of martial arts fantasy and superhero origin story.

With many of our favorite summer series concluding and brand new fall premiers dropping, it's a busy time of year for television.  So trust Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast with recommendations and reviews of nothing but the best of the bunch.  We put on pants for this!

Length - 01:38:16

Language - PG-13.  (Contains adult language.)

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0:12:20 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

Native cast and crew capture a specific slice of life in Hulu's "Reservation Dogs," second season of "Dave" ends on a triumphant high, "Ted Lasso" doesn't suffer the sophomore slump we feared, Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as public school teacher "Mr. Corman," "Brooklyn 99" tackles policing problems in final episodes, nobody learns any lessons on "The White Lotus," NFL football means more "Hard Knocks," an uneven third season of "Titans" features the Scarecrow, outlandish dating show "FBoy Island," "Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes" docuseries chronicles the journalism behind the Harvey Weinstein scandal, Mindy Kaling mines the immigrant experience for laughs in "Never Have I Ever," "Untold: Malice at the Palace" a sports documentary about the infamous basketball brawl, "Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian" spills details about that surprise cameo, animated "What If?" tests the limits of Marvel movie continuity in fun ways, answers revealed as "Star Wars: The Bad Batch" comes to a close, The Cookout whittles down house members on "Big Brother," the final stretch of episodes begin the end of "The Walking Dead" and new entries in the Prime anthology "Modern Love."

The countdown to #300 begins with this episode of Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast featuring a thorough review of "The Suicide Squad" and recaps of our trip out to the ol' ball yard and this year's Free Comic Book Day festivities.  Then we wrap it all up with an unexpectedly deep Yeah You Know Me segment about the family keepsakes we hold most dear.

Length - 01:03:18

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:15:35 - THE SUICIDE SQUAD

Deciding whether James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad" improves on the original's expendable supervillain formula in this SPOILER-packed review.

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0:32:22 - MOVIE NEWS

Hugh Jackman explores dangerous memories in Lisa Joy's sci-fi romance "Reminiscence," the struggles of a child with deaf parents in the weepy Apple TV+ film "CODA" and Kevin Bacon still holding out hope for more "Tremors."

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0:41:15 - YEAH YOU KNOW ME

What one heirloom would we save from our houses in the event of an emergency?

We are back to "The Crossroads," celebrating the most entertaining and unexpected crossovers between well-known properties in comics, TV or movies.  This time out it's just a single episode of ALF (Season 2, Episode 2) called "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island" where the alien refugee dreams of a visit with the famous TV castaways.  So sit right back and you'll hear a tale, here on Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast!

Length - 00:42:28

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

The Olympics didn't manage to preempt ALL of our favorite shows the past few weeks, so Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast is back with a TV-themed episode reviewing what's new and exciting.  From a stellar year so far from a reality-show favorite to the animated adventures of He-Man to a captivating musical documentary to bucket hats and "Beastmaster," we've got it covered!

Length - 01:14:20

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:01:28 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

Getting invested in the latest season of "Big Brother," "Masters of the Universe: Revelation" warms our toy-loving hearts but divides fans, Hanna-Barbera characters updated for HBO Max series "Jellystone," "The Prince" mocks the British royal family, the present and future clash in "Transformers: War for Cybertron - Kingdom," a magical world of musical theater in "Schmigadoon!," "Kevin Can **** Himself" takes more chances as it ends its first season, "Mrs. Fletcher" a showcase for Kathryn Hahn, "Workin' Moms" still has something to say about juggling kids and career and the "Music Box" documentary "Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage" a fascinating time capsule of recent American history.

Free Comic Book Day is almost here, and Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast takes our annual look at all the goodies you can expect to find at your friendly neighborhood comic shop on August 14th.  Then stick around as we jump into the hot-button issues of the moment, from Disney lawsuits to insensitive sports mascots to the politicization of our favorite comic book characters!

Length - 00:58:56

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:13:28 - COMIC BOOK NEWS

A sneak peek at this year's Free Comic Book Day releases, a new mascot for the baseball team in Cleveland, Frank Miller's controversial canceled con appearance, calls for Captain America to be "less political," the comic logos appropriated by Capitol rioters on January 6th and DC releasing books aimed at kids in Walmarts nationwide.

Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast is talking television this week, with the late-summer returns of some of our favorite shows and the debuts of some intriguing new ones.  We also wrap up our discussion of the inaugural season of Marvel's "Loki" and celebrate the Daniel Day Lewis of Dragon Age: the incomparable Klempt Klatenberg!

Length - 01:09:11

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:09:09 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

More "Big Brother" access than ever before thanks to Paramount+ and Whitney's blouse, "Miracle Workers: Oregon Trail" sends its ensemble cast to the Old West, season two of subversive sketch comedy "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson," "What We Do in the Shadows" spin-off "Wellington Paranormal" finds offbeat humor in the haunted corners of New Zealand, dark vacation comedy "The White Lotus" debuts on HBO, season five of "Rick and Morty" starts strong, more new episodes of game show "The Hustler," "Kevin Can F*** Himself" still searching for the right tone, CNN's docuseries "History of the Sitcom," "Monsters at Work" continues story beyond the beloved films and a rewatch of "Rescue Me."

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0:52:05 - LOKI

Season One of the Disney+ drama concludes with a few big moments and a lot of talking across desks.

Things start off strong in this movie-themed episode of Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast, with plenty of positive things to say about Marvel's return to the big screen with "Black Widow," but by the end we almost end up crowning "The Beastmaster" as our favorite Richard Donner film.  Listen in to hear how it all goes wrong!

Length - 01:17:19

Language - PG-13.  (Contains adult language.)

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0:06:58 - BLACK WIDOW

Our SPOILERY review of what may be many people's first trip back to theaters for Scarlett Johansson's long-delayed Marvel solo movie.

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0:36:10 - MOVIE NEWS

Over-the-top female-led action film "Gunpowder Milkshake" arrives on Netflix, a family of sea monsters star in Pixar's latest "Luca," some blunt political satire from horror film "The Hunt" and Steven Soderbergh's clever historical crime drama "No Sudden Move."

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0:50:44 - ONE JOB

As requested, we reminisce over the iconic films of director Richard Donner.

In our latest trip to "The Crossroads," a segment celebrating the most entertaining and unexpected crossovers between well-known properties in comics, TV or movies, Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast spotlights a primetime murder mystery from November of 1986 between Magnum, P.I. (Season 7, Episode 9 "Novel Connection") and Murder, She Wrote (Season 3, Episode 8 "Magnum on Ice").

Length - 00:36:20

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

Whether you're listening to this episode of Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast in the past, present or future, there is plenty of fun to be had.  From the long-awaited return of Klemt Klatanberg to a doozy of a One Job to more Marvel-ous superhero TV from Disney+, you'll feel like it's your fake birthday.

And support the Illustrious Michael K. Easton's Kickstarter for issue #1 of "Insectakid," an all-new story from So Pro Comics co-starring our very own Ronald P. Tramp!

Length - 01:21:55

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:15:53 - ONE JOB

Narrowing down the incomparable career of Bill Murray to a single defining role.

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0:48:18 - CROSSING THE STREAMS

New trailers have us excited for Kevin Smith's animated "Masters of the Universe: Revelation," Amazon Prime's big budget sci-fi feature "The Tomorrow War," a gem from the archives of "The Chris Gethard Show" and "Conan" ends his TBS talk show after eleven years.

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1:06:58 - LOKI

Deciding whether episodes Three and Four of Marvel's "Loki" change our initial lukewarm opinions about the Disney+ series.

It's a jam-packed episode of Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast this week.  Not only does it contain reviews for the latest Marvel phenomenon "Loki" and the feel-good musical "In the Heights," but there are several other debuts to discuss, from all-ages animation to more decidedly adult fare, plus Nicolas Cage loses his pig, we solve our computer problems and more!

Length - 01:08:19

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:11:05 - LOKI

Our first impressions of the time travel shenanigans found in episodes One and Two of the latest live-action Marvel series, "Loki."

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0:30:33 - CROSSING THE STREAMS

"The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers" reboots the kid-friendly franchise, a dark spin on sitcom spouses on AMC's "Kevin Can F*** Himself," giving "The Sopranos" a rewatch in conjunction with a thorough episode guide, season two finally arrives for our favorite current comedy "Dave," comic book adaptation "Sweet Tooth" arrives on Netflix, "Raya and the Last Dragon" moves to the basic tier of Disney+ and HBO Max premiers Lin-Manuel Miranda's "In the Heights."

After all the fun we had debating the best superhero costumes (Part 1 and Part 2, in case you missed it!), Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast turns to the dark side.  Using our "competitive collaboration" method where we each jockey for position to try getting our favorites on the list, we narrow down the Top Twelve best supervillain costumes in the history of comic books.  Bring on the Bad Guys... and Make.  It.  Work.

Length - 01:46:55

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

Welcome back to award-losing podcast, Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast, a long-form discussion of pointless and superficial topics which advance society in no perceptible way.  But at least we make each other laugh.  In this unnoteworthy episode, we preview the new Marvel attractions at Disneyland, review some recent movies and tackle none of the ills currently plaguing small town America.

Length - 01:27:35

Language - PG-13.  (Contains adult language.)

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0:06:25 - DISNEY DOINGS

The long-awaited Avengers Campus opens in Disneyland and Bob Iger sells his shares of stock before leaving the company.

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0:21:50 - CROSSING THE STREAMS

Zack Snyder returns to the zombie genre with "Army of the Dead," disaster movie "Greenland" is throwback-style fun, Taylor Sheridan's "Those Who Wish Me Dead" on HBO Max, cross-country prank film "Bad Trip," "The Woman in the Window" severely disappoints, animated anthology "Love, Death + Robots" gets a second season, Amazon Prime adds three new "Borat" specials, "Mythic Quest" succeeds when it breaks its format, "Star Wars: The Bad Batch" not the episodic format we're used to, more "Lego Masters" ups the competition, Fox's new cartoon sitcom "Housebroken," a comedic take on the Marvel U in Hulu's "M.O.D.O.K.," season five of "This is Us" continues to land powerful twists, a change in perspective for new chapter of "Master of None," AMC's "Soulmates" an overlooked gem of romantic sci-fi and the addictive reality shows "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" and "The Circle."

It's a mixed bag of television content this week, from the outstanding heights of a comedic one-man show like you've never seen before to the lifeless lows of sub-par superheroics you definitely have.  So leave it to Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast to sort through the good and the bad!  (You can totally trust our taste by our impeccable collection of vinyl records and which Smallville gal we're pretty sure would choose us over Superman.)

Length - 01:17:25

Language - PG-13.  (Contains adult language.)

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0:11:46 - GAMING

Getting back to the table for the first "Dragon Age" session in a year and enjoying the remastered and improved version of "Mass Effect Legendary Edition."

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0:18:40 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

A slew of "Star Trek" properties filling up Paramount+, "Friends: The Reunion" reassembles the cast of the beloved sitcom, "Mare of Easttown" wraps up its stellar season, Jean Smart picks another winner with "Hacks," century-spanning superhero drama "Jupiter's Legacy" dropped by Netflix, catching up to the current episodes of "The Handmaid's Tale," "Sweet Tooth" introduces a promising fantasy world, the mid-season finale of "The Nevers" takes a daring twist, "The Flash" continues to flounder while "Superman & Lois" flies high, CNN documents "The Story of Late Night" and comedian Bo Burnham's "Inside" presents a fantastic time capsule of the past year's anxieties and absurdities.

Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast finally returns to "The Crossroads," our occasional segment on the most entertaining and unexpected crossovers between well-known properties in comics, TV or movies.  This time around, we tackle the trippy anti-drug PSA "Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue," a half-hour special starring all your favorite Saturday morning favorites from 1990 that Senator Joe Biden called "the single most ambitious and important drug education program ever attempted anywhere."

Length - 00:51:30

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

It's the conclusion to our collaborative countdown of our all-time favorite superhero costumes!  After an exhaustive (and exhausting) Part One, Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast returns to unveil picks #6 through 1 of our Top Twelve list of the best costumes in the history of comic books.  Some surprising characters get the spotlight, some obvious ones get left out, but no fashionable superheroic stone gets left unturned.

Length - 01:05:23

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

In our latest collaborative countdown, your friends at Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast attempt the daunting task of deciding our all-time favorite superhero costumes.  We consider a wide array of contenders, from Golden Age classics to today's best looks, relying on our own personal senses of style, artistic preferences and nostalgic touchstones to compile a list of the Top Twelve best costumes in the history of comic books.  Part One covers choices #12 through 7, with the finale in Part Two coming soon!

Length - 01:11:37

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

Like our blurb says:  "Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast is a lively discussion about comics, television, film and everything else making waves this week inside fan culture."  This week's waves include a deluge of streaming content headlined by a brand new Star Wars animated series and a downpour of comic book goodness, including more "Fortnite" fallout!

Length - 01:04:40

Language - PG-13.  (Contains adult language.)

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0:03:27 - COMIC BOOK NEWS

"Fortnite" continues to complicate the lives of comic shop owners, McFarlane promises new titles and a shared universe for "The Year of Spawn," "All of the Marvels" book on the way from author who read every Marvel comic ever published, Kurt Busiek's "The Marvels" delves into past, present and future of comic continuity and reviews of recent releases "Locke & Key / Sandman: Hell & Gone," James Patrick's "Prison Earth," "Heroes Reborn" and "Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters."

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0:30:32 - CROSSING THE STREAMS

Animated series "Star Wars: The Bad Batch" launches along with lots of new content on Disney+, "Couples Therapy" finds drama in intimate conversations, "Friday Night Lights" hasn't aged particularly well, reading Elmore Leonard to prep for upcoming "City Primeval" show, Peacock's "Girls5eva" comedy about a pop girl group, ready for the return of "Dave," John Hodgman's cartoon "Dicktown" shares similarities with "The Kid Detective" and the final season of "Shrill" on Hulu.

We're the tower of power, too sweet to be sour.  Ohhh yeah... snap into a brand new Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast!  The anecdotes are flyin'.  The fish is fryin'.  Our hair is cut and styled and the electric lines are down, brother.  We're talking movies here.  The silver screen, yeeeah.  So step into the podcast circle with us... if you dare!

Length - 01:12:09

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:11:44 - YEAH YOU KNOW ME

We reveal some of the nicknames we've each had stick throughout the years.

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0:23:53 - MOVIE NEWS

New details revealed by Marvel's "Phase Four" trailer, DC announces second online FanDome event, family fun found in "The Mitchells vs. the Machines," space drama "Stowaway" from Netflix, Bob Odenkirk becomes an action star for "Nobody," not much more to say about "Mortal Kombat," "The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story" on Hulu traces history of the beloved network and A&E Biography profiles WWE Legends including "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

Awards season just officially ended with last weekend's Oscars, but Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast can't say goodbye to 2020 without our own annual Poobah Awards.  And a strange, truncated year deserves a strange, truncated countdown, so we'll be using our new system of "competitive collaboration" where Seth and Jordan work together to compile a list that encompasses a variety of our favorites into a Top Seven Movies of the Year!

Length - 01:12:12

Language - PG-13. (Contains mild adult language.)

All right, stop what you're doing, because Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast is about to ruin the image and the style that you're used to.  (R.I.P. Shock G aka Humpty Hump)  The main focus this time is on the powerful conclusion to "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," but we also have our first gaming segment in a while, the premiers of two new HBO dramas and more.  The beats are funky and the oatmeal's lumpy, so let your stereo's pump KPP!

Length - 01:28:00

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:04:46 - GAMING

"Before Your Eyes" is an innovative game played entirely by blinking, the "Mortal Kombat" adaptation arrives on HBO Max and demand is sky high for DC's "Batman / Fortnite: Zero Point" comic.

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0:30:15 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

Wrapping up the final episodes of Marvel's "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," "Invincible" nears the end of its outstanding first season, spotting stars in old episodes of "The Shield," Kate Winslet crime story "Mare of Easttown" debuts, the steampunk superheros of "The Nevers" and dark comedy "Made for Love" concludes its first run of episodes.

Riverdale reaches its mid-season finale with Chapter 85 "Destroyer" and Chapter 86 "The Pincushion Man."  The maple trees are tapped out, the pancakes are dry, the drama teacher is husky and the prison is empty, but the mushroom burgers are mouthwatering, so join Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast as we catch up on The 'Dale before summer vacation!

Length - 01:16:00

Language - PG-13. (Contains some adult language.)

The focus this time around is on comic book-related shows, as Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast dives into the most recent Marvel streaming phenomenon, praises a super animated series, gripes about some of DC's small-screen offerings and discusses a few other things we happen to be vibing with this week!

Length - 00:53:05

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:02:08 - DISNEY DOINGS

Disney seems to have invented lightsaber technology and Disney+ adds vintage Ewok content.

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0:12:44 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

Zemo steals the show and John Walker takes a heel turn in episodes 3 & 4 of "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," Amazon Prime's "Invincible" continues its impressive modern superhero adaptation, CW series "Supergirl" and "The Flash" scramble to maintain storytelling after Covid-shortened seasons and hilarious sci-fi show "Resident Alien" a winner.

It's Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast's fifth anniversary!  And since none of us realized it, we have nothing special up our sleeves, just a review of monster mash-up "Godzilla vs. Kong," thoughts on a slew of fun-ass documentaries, Netflix losing clout in the streaming wars and more.  Cowabunga!

Length - 01:13:39

Language - PG-13.  (Contains mild adult language.)

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0:06:02 - MOVIE NEWS

"Godzilla vs. Kong" makes the first box office splash of the year, Netflix lost 31% of U.S. market share in 2020 but makes a deal with Sony to stream their latest films and lays out funding for "Knives Out" sequels, behind-the-scenes documentary "Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry" on Apple TV+, Eric Andre's prank comedy "Bad Trip" and more thoughts on the nostalgic "Kid 90."

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0:35:54 - TV RECAPS & REVIEWS

"Allen v. Farrow" documents history of abuse from a Hollywood icon, "Q: Into the Storm" explores how internet culture influenced a powerful political conspiracy, dark relationship comedy "Made for Love," discovering early prestige drama "The Shield" and the series finale of "Superstore" wraps up the workplace sitcom in satisfying fashion.

How did our favorite high camp comic book soap opera make it more than five seasons before throwing an anything-goes key party?  Well, Riverdale finally goes there with Chapter 84 "Lock & Key," and Ka-Pow the Pop Cultured Podcast has your invitation.  And just like Reggie, we make no promises... but we'll see what happens, stud.

Length - 00:40:51

Language - PG-13. (Contains some adult language.)