Originally posted at PrimeTimeGeek.com.

PTG Episode 77 is brought to you by the wonderful world of audio editing. Yes, through the miracle that is Adobe Audition 3, we here at PTG can bring to you 1) a version of Episode 77 that is not only 7 minutes shorter than the original broadcast version (much closer to the 1 hour that we should be clocking in at every week); 2) an episode highlighted by music from guitar god Joe Satriani, specifically selections from his 2nd and 3rd studio albums, Surfing with the Alien (1987) and Flying in a Blue Dream (1989), respectively; and 3) an episode free of the host’s breaking of the fourth wall and actually stopping the show and getting up from the host’s chair to see what could possibly have agitated the dogs at the SomaCow compound (one dog in particular whose name starts with a ‘C’) to such an extent that she sounded hoarse from barking. If you listen closely to this podcast, you can probably still hear the barking during the first ten minutes of the show during moments while I’m talking, however–the software is good, but it’s not THAT good. Ah, well.

So in this episode we talk about some of the major announcements that came out of DC Entertainment last week. As promised, here are links to the announcements themselves at DC Universe: The Source:

• DCU in 2010: “The Return of Bruce Wayne” hits in April
• DCU in 2010: Welcome to Earth-One
• DCU in 2010: The “War of the Supermen” Begins

There were quite a few more stories posted that week in The Source that we didn’t cover in the broadcast that you might want to check out, including the announcement of noted TV writer Marc Guggenheim, most recently of FlashForward, taking over as the full-time writer of Action Comics, and Wonder Woman renumbering to celebrate her 600th issue. The cover to what will be Wonder Woman #600, provided by none other than George Perez, is the definition of “classic”-head over to the story and check it out!

Also in this episode we continue our 3-part “Best of 2009″ series with what were, in our somewhat-less-than-humble-opinions, the Top 5 New Comic Series of 2009. Now once again, we limited our consideration to titles we reviewed during our broadcasts and to titles that specifically started in 2009, whether they were limited series or ongoing series. All five of our choices are pictured in the image below:

Agree? Disagree? Know a title that would have made our list had we actually read it? Leave your comments and your feedback in comments, please–look forward to reading them!

Originally posted at PrimeTimeGeek.com.

PTG Episode 76 is brought to you by my iPod touch. Well, not literally, like I’m not uploading this via the iPod Touch or anything like that. I haven’t figured out how to do that, assuming I even can. What I have learned about this little gizmo is that it’s a pain in the ass to take just ONE song from iTunes on my computer and export it to the iPod Touch, and that the Genius Playlist option is actually pretty cool and useful. Select “Send Her My Love” from Journey and get a 25-song list composed of 80’s schmaltz, 90’s brood music, and the occasional adjective-defying tune from whatever we’re supposed to call this past decade. Of course, anyone who’s had an iPod for the last 3-4 years already KNOWS about this feature and might be thinking, “Yeah, and?” but this is all new to me, so allow me a “golly gee whiz” moment, please.

So in this episode I talk about the new toy and seek suggestions for what exactly to DO with it aside from playing music. After all, the iPod has become almost a mandatory accessory in American culture: when you leave home, you make sure you have your wallet/purse, keys, phone, and iPod (unless you have an iPhone, in which case your phone IS your iPod), and now that I actually have one I need to know how best to make use of it aside from its most obvious applications. Also in this episode we bring you reviews of that LAST new Heroes and FlashForward episodes of 2009, along with the latest from Fringe, and PTG Top Comic Picks focuses on Marvel Comics‘ set-up for next year’s big “Siege” event. Thor #604 and Siege: The Cabal are but the opening shots in what will bring about yet another huge shift in power in the Marvel U, except maybe, just maybe, this time the good guys might be on the better end of things. After Civil War, Secret Invasion, and Dark Reign, the heroes are due for the pendulum to swing back their way, wouldn’t you say?

Oh, and speaking of Marvel, have you seen the new teaser posters for Iron Man 2 that have hit the web the past two weeks? Just in case you haven’t, here they are. I can already tell that 2010 is going to be a VERY good year for us geeks once again!

PTG Episode 39 is brought to you by Anime Festival Orlando 10, coming up this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 31st-Aug. 2nd at the Wyndham Orlando Resort. PTG will be there on Saturday morning to cover its first ever anime-themed event, and we’re looking to spread the word about the show while checking out some panels and getting an idea of what’s going on in the anime world. Hoping to run into Gary Holmes from Just Push Play, as he’s actively involved in the Swords of Orlandia role-playing game that has become a signature event at AFO, but Gary’s a busy guy and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he turned up later in the weekend. Anyway, should be good times for anime fans and cosplayers, so I’m looking forward to it!

Speaking of big events, just want to follow up on a few items relating to PTG 38 and the great job that James Wright, a.k.a. “Chuck Spear”, did for us reporting on his unique San Diego Comic-Con experience. During his report, he mentioned that he and some friends had gone to the show equipped with some custom-designed t-shirts that sounded very cool, so after obtaining his blessing I have those designs for you right here–check these out:

The images are linked to Geoffrey’s Comics Shop in Gardena, CA, who provided the shirts and is selling them … for now. There MIGHT be a licensing issue with using Marvel properties in this fashion, but until the cease and desist comes down, no reason why you can have a cool shirt, right? Right! Once again, many thanks to James–there’s a chance he’ll be attending Wonder Con in San Francisco this February, and he’s offered to represent PTG out there at that show, so you can look forward to more Chuck Spear bringing West Coast ‘flava’ to the show in the months to come!

You the Man, “Chuck”!

One last note: Don’t forget, PTG/SomaCow Karaoke Tweetup Part Deux is TOMORROW night at Colonial Lanes in Orlando, off SR 50 (Colonial Dr.) and Primrose Ave. If you’re local to Orlando and you’re a fan of Orlando podcasting in general (not just SomaCow!), come out and join us for a drink and some singing! It all starts at 11PM (though we’re likely to be there “warming up” (drinking) at closer to 10PM. Hope to see you!

PTG Episode 37 is brought to you by George Carlin: At Carnegie Hall, one of my all-time favorite stand-up performances from the late, great George Carlin. If you’re wondering how or why George Carlin’s observations about the worst thing that can happen to you while cleaning out the refrigerator has any connection to this episode’s content, be sure to listen to the entire podcast. Trust me, it’s in there. And afterward, if you are familiar with this particular Carlin performance, order the DVD from Amazon using the link above, or just watch it on YouTube, as you can find the entire performance there, separated into seven separate videos.

Episode 37 begins with me screaming at the rain, so to speak. As with many a ‘Felix is Fuming’ segment, there’s not much point to railing against the perceived (at least by me) bias the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences carries towards sci-fi and fantasy genre television, aside from it being somewhat cathartic. (It also proved to be a great warm-up for singing at the Karaoke-Tweetup later in the evening.) After all, nothing short of EVERY prime time television comedy and drama having some sort of sci-fi or fantasy hook or premise will really change anything. But I said my peace, it’s out there, and you’re certainly welcome to debate or disagree with my conclusions. I may actually concede to watching this year’s Emmy Awards when they air, just because there were a good number of genre shows nominated for awards, including Battlestar Galactica, and it would be a pleasant surprise to see one or two of those nominations actually turn into wins. Time will tell.

Looking ahead to this weekend, many a geek will be a-twitter (literally) over the many panels, presentations, and signings happening at San Diego Comic-Con, which is without a doubt the biggest pop-culture event of the summer. Though I cannot be there personally, our good friend James Wright, a.k.a. ‘Chuck Spear’, will be calling into PTG during the first hour to talk news and highlights. James is an aspiring comic book writer himself, and hopefully in addition to filling us in on everything he will have seen and heard up until Saturday afternoon, he’ll talk to us about the project he’s currently working on and pitching to publishers. We thank James in advance for taking the time to contribute to PTG this week, and look forward to the chat!

Hour 2 of Prime Time Geek Episode 21 is brought to you by one of Bill Paxton’s most memorable cinematic turns, playing “Chet” in Weird Science. Yeah, maybe Pvt. Hudson in Aliens (”Game over, man!”) or Simon in True Lies are more readily remembered because those were bigger films (and both James Cameron films), but for those of us who grew up watching ‘Brat Pack’ movies, it was THIS role that forever cemented Paxton as an actor who could play a truly ’serious idiot.’ Semi- interesting bit of trivia: Paxton has the unique distinction of being the only actor to have been ‘killed’ by an Alien (in Aliens), a Predator (in Predator 2), and a Terminator (in the original Terminator film).

You may be wondering what the heck Kenny Rogers is doing in this hour’s episode image, scrunched there in between Bullseye having an identity crisis on the left and a can of Jolt Wild Grape (which tastes GREAT, just so you know–just imagine carbonated Dimetapp, and I mean that as a compliment, no joke!) on the right. The “Rock Band” logo below his face is a clue, but only tells half the story. You see, in addition to this hour’s Marvel Comics Spotlight focusing on Dark Reign: Hawkeye #2 and our second Eat More Geek segment, this one focused on the joy that is Jolt’s selection of caffeine-crazy beverages, there’s also a ‘Felix is Fuming’ segment that talks in part about the recent release of the Kenny Rogers classic “The Gambler” as DLC for Rock Band 2.

Let me be clear, in case it isn’t clear in the episode: I have nothing against Kenny Rogers or the millions of people out there who love his music. He’s a living legend whose appeal and influence transcends the boundaries of country music and will continue to do so for a long time to come. In that sense, perhaps it’s no surprise that one of his songs would make it to the world of music video games. My point is simply that I don’t see the great majority of active Rock Band addicts and would-be virtuosos out there chomping at the bit for the opportunity to download and play “The Gambler”. Maybe it’s me, but I can’t see teens and twenty-somethings sitting around on a Saturday night, scrolling through the song selections, deciding who’s going to play drums and sing, and saying, “Hey, let’s do some Kenny!” Maybe I’m limited that way, but hey, we all have our limits.

Hour 2 of Prime Time Geek Episode 20 is brought to you by the final moments of Star Trek VI – The Undiscovered Country, the final screen voyage of the entire original cast of Star Trek: The Original Series. As the new Star Trek warps into theaters and introduces a cast of new faces bringing to life the roles of Captain Kirk and his intrepid crew, we should also keep in mind those wonderful people who originally brought those roles to life, and their final adventure aboard the Enterprise. Aside from an occasionally grating performance from from a pre-Sex-in-the-City Kim Cattrall, this film was a great ride, continuing the tradition of even-numbered Trek films not sucking.

Most of Hour 2 is spent talking about the Marvel Comics character Deadpool, and trust me, I’m just as surprised about it as you are. You see, prior to last week I’d never read a single comic featuring the character–I knew of him from reading Marvel Comics solicitations, seen the covers of comics where he’d appeared, but since I don’t follow the mutant books, I never had a reason to learn more.

Then I saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and heard from many sources that the character had been butchered by the film’s writers, almost as much as he’s mutilated on screen. Of course, controversy peaks interest, so curiosity plus the fact that Deadpool #10 features an appearance by Hawkeye a.k.a Bullseye drove me to pick up the issue and spend some time with ol’ Wade Wilson.

Turns out the ‘Merc with a Mouth’ IS a fun a character to follow in a wacked-out crazy kind of way. But is the character leading man material for a film. In my opinion, HELL NO, and thus the prospect of a Deadpool spin-off film starring Ryan Reynolds ended up being the subject of this week’s ‘Felix is Fuming’ segment. Be sure and turn down your sound a little bit for that segment at the end of the hour.

This year’s FX International Show, in addition to being the 20th anniversary show, also featured another milestone: it was the first time that Marvel Comics has sent down such a large group of its current writers to present panels over all three days of the show. Shepherding this collective effort to promote Marvel’s hottest titles was writer Jim McCann, currently the mind and heart behind the New Avengers/Dark Reign tie-in limited series, New Avengers: The Reunion.

Marvel Comics’ Jim McCann (photo courtesy of MySpace)

In our exclusive interview, Jim shares his thoughts about the heroes at the center of the story, Clint Barton and Bobbi Morse, better known as Hawkeye/Ronin and Mockingbird; specifically, he addresses the challenge of creating interest in Mockingbird, a character who has been gone from comics for 15 real-time years, and the possible perception that Mockingbird and Hawkeye were simply Marvel’s Black Canary and Green Arrow. Truth be told, he talks about a lot of things, and they were all too fun to edit out, so rather than cut it down to the size I could use during a live show, here’s the interview in its entirety. Enjoy! (and yes, this interview was also shot on video, so watch for the video version of this interview in the coming weeks, right here at Prime Time Geek!)

Yup, I’m a dumbass. (Note that when something GOOD happens here at PTG, it is written up in the blog with the ‘royal’ WE. But when something bad happens, it’s all on me. Thus it has been, thus it shall ever be.)

Many thank-yous to those who attended the live broadcast of PTG last Saturday night, and to Mad Mario for his great segment recommending great DLC for console systems that’s out there for purchase through NXE for XBOX players or Playstation Network for PS3 users. It was a great hour, and I lament that I can’t bring it to you downloaders because, well, because I didn’t hit the record button until the break between Hour 1 and Hour 2. Stop by the Prime Time Geek Message Board over at http://somacow.net/forum and feel free to make fun of me for the flub. Might just be the motivation I need to not make the same mental mistake again.

That said, Episode 15, Hour 2 of Prime Time Geek has MUCH for your listening pleasure as well. Our special guest on the phone, Shawn Schinault of Bad Apple Comics, had great things to say about the new Marvel MAX title “Destroyer”, written by Robert Kirkman (Marvel Zombies 1 & 2, Invincible, The Walking Dead) and illustrated by Cory Walker (Invincible), as well as a number of titles on his recommended reading shelf at the store, including trade paperback compilations of Marvel MAX’s Alias, Invincible Iron Man, Daredevil-Lady Bullseye, Pt. 1, and a few others that you’ll have to stop into the S. Orange Blossom Trail store to check out. Talking comics with Shawn was great fun and we hope to have him back on the show soon to provide more reviews and recommendations.

Speaking of the South Orange Blossom Trail store, the Car Meet co-sponsored by Lollicup to promote the new film Fast and Furious was a great success in terms of traffic to the store, so thanks to everyone who came out with their cars to be a part of the show. And a special thank you to everyone who took part in the video PTG shot while out there that day, particularly Mike Garcia, who earlier in the day took 1st Prize at the 25th Annual All British Car Show at Mead Gardens out in Winter Park. His MINI Cooper S is truly a delight to check out for car enthusiasts and gamers alike, considering the XBOX 360 system he’s got built into the trunk of the car! Keep checking back here at http://primetimegeek.com for the interview with Mike about his car, as well as all the other great footage we got from the day.

I began Hour 2 with a clip from Star Trek IV – The Voyage Home, thinking I would have a chance to talk about that film’s blu-ray release (along with the other “Original Crew” films and Season One of the Original Series) on May 12th, but alas, the time got away from me and I didn’t get to it. This clip loses a little something when you can’t SEE what’s happening, but Bones’ line about “the bureaucratic mentality” and Kirk’s “Let’s see what she’s got,” are well worth it. And even though we only got to see it for about 5 seconds, that was always my favorite Enterprise bridge–the gleaming white with blue chairs and glossy black control surfaces. One of my biggest gripes about Trek V (and I have MANY) was the Enterprise bridge redesign for that film. Bleagh.

Hour 2 features some praise for Marvel’s resident evil genius, Brian Michael Bendis, as he weaves a deliciously wicked web for the ‘real’ heroes of the Marvel U to find themselves out of, complicated mightily by Norman Osborn’s team of ‘Avengers’, currently starring in their own Avengers book, Dark Avengers. Bendis must simply be having a blast writing this, taking all the ‘wrongness’ of villains pretending to be good guys that he worked so well in Thunderbolts and kicking it up a notch with villains pretending to be our favorite good guys, good guys like Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hawkeye, and Ms. Marvel, and dressing up once-and-soon-to-be-nutcase-again Norman Osborn in Iron Man armor painted like the American flag. So, SO wrong, and yet still SO entertaining.

Due to confusion over the different time slot for Episode 9, JC did not make his planned appearance, so the second block focused on more upcoming DC fodder, with particular emphasis on Battle For the Cowl. My one fear about this book is the length of time they’re going to drag things out with Dick Grayson resisting taking on the mantle of the Bat, the mantle everyone ELSE whose opinion matters KNOWS is one only he is deserving of. Others involved in the storyline, most notably Jason Todd, will certainly disagree with that conclusion, and will no doubt step up to fill Batman’s cape and cowl before Dick can get over his reservations, or at least that’s how it would go in a very conventional, predictable, boring kind of way. Please, Tony Daniel: surprise us.

The hour wraps some talking up of MegaCon this upcoming weekend and the BSG after-action report on “Deadlock”, last Friday night’s rather lackluster entry into Season 4.5. Easily the weakest of this half-season’s episodes, it serves the purpose of moving pieces into place for the final run of four episodes, as well as showing us something surprising. Before, while Ellen Tigh (Kate Vernon) was alive and in the fleet, before her death on New Caprica, it always seemed like there was NOTHING redeeming about her character, and she just served to bring out the worst in Saul (Michael Hogan). Now we see the truth: Saul and Ellen bring out the worst in EACH OTHER–it wasn’t all Ellen after all. On the Basestar in “No Exit”, Ellen is thoughtful, intelligent, maternal, sympathetic. Get her onboard Galactica and with Saul and she’s the bitchy, spiteful, manipulative harpy we were happy to see poisoned at the start of Season 3.