Penny Men

Penny Men
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Penny Men is the podcast starring Ben, Tom, and Gregory: three experts on cartooning, storytelling, and having a good time! We give a penny for our thoughts, and throw in our two cents, as we tackle new topics and writing pitches every week!

  1. 4d ago

    #129 - Rogues' Gallery Roll Call: Iron Man (Part 1)

    This week's Rogues' Gallery Roll Call crashes into the armored world of Iron Man, and the Penny Men immediately derail into catchphrases, Smurf psychology, Rankin-Bass discourse, and the eternal mystery of why Tony Stark ever needed a nose! Ben, Gregory, and Tom dig through the tangled continuity of 90s Marvel cartoons, debate whether the Spider-Man Unlimited future counts as “the future,” and somehow connect MODOK to a floating science war against communism! Along the way: The tragic emotional life of Pepper PottsThe rise of War MachineWhy the Mandarin is basically “Chinese Doctor Doom”And a surprisingly detailed breakdown of how the original Smurfette comic handled bullying, gaslighting, and makeover culture!Also discussed: The SilmarillionSwamp ThingThe Clone SagaBriefcase armor toysForce WorksBlackest NightAnd the realization that every Marvel hero eventually becomes a guy introspectively brooding about his situation!A Penny Man saved is a Penny Man earned...probably!

    #129 - Rogues' Gallery Roll Call: Iron Man (Part 1)

  2. Aug 10

    #128 - Rogues' Gallery Roll Call: X-Men (Part 2)

    In the second hour of Rogues Gallery Roll Call, the Penny Men descend even deeper into the X-Men villain ecosystem—where powers are less “cool super abilities” and more “how annoying would this be in a fight if you actually had to animate it properly”! We return to the Mystique-era Brotherhood of Evil Mutants: Re-evaluating Pyro’s extremely conditional fire management jobAvalanche’s controversial “I guess I cause earthquakes?” combat philosophyBlob’s unsettling status as either an immovable man or a walking physics problem depending on which comic you read lastAnd Destiny is remembered, briefly, emotionally, and then immediately dismissed again, as is tradition!From there, the episode fractures into a full mutant taxonomy seminar: Why writers love laser beams but hate earthquakesHow “absolute defense” powers like Eunice the Untouchable break storytelling mathAnd why certain villains feel less like characters and more like walking encounter design!Then things spiral—intentionally—into Mojo’s dystopian TV universe, where reality is just content, suffering is ratings-driven, and X-Men are basically unionized reality show contestants trapped in a cosmic Vince McMahon experiment! Naturally, this leads to: The Brood (space horror bugs that politely interrupt your main plot)Apocalypse (evolutionary ideology with a gym membership),And Mr. Sinister (doing science crimes because it’s Tuesday)!The conversation then folds time in on itself with Age of Apocalypse, where one teenager’s psychic breakdown accidentally deletes Professor X and reorganizes reality into competing mutant philosophies: Magneto’s rebelsSinister’s experimentsAnd Apocalypse’s “survival is a group project” curriculum!By the end, the Penny Men are no longer ranking villains so much as stress-testing the entire concept of superhero storytelling under the weight of too many teleporters, too many psychic teenagers, and at least one man who is literally just television! It’s X-Men lore, but filtered through three guys trying to decide if earthquake powers are narratively lazy or just spiritually offensive!

    #128 - Rogues' Gallery Roll Call: X-Men (Part 2)

  3. Aug 3

    #127 - Rogues' Gallery Roll Call: X-Men (Part 1)

    Welcome to The Penny Men: Cracking open the adamantium vault and immediately getting sidetracked inside it! In this episode, Ben, Gregory, and Tom kick off a “Rogues Gallery Roll Call” focusing on the world of the X-Men—specifically the villains who define the franchise as much as the heroes do! What starts as a structured breakdown of iconic antagonists quickly turns into a free-associative mutant philosophy seminar with jokes, detours, and occasional comic book accuracy! The crew dives deep into Magneto as both ideological foil and recurring almost-hero, unpacking his shifting portrayals from world-conquering villain to Holocaust survivor shaped by trauma, mutant separatist, reluctant ally, and occasional full-on war criminal depending on the writer’s mood! Along the way, they: Debate Professor X’s moral gray zonesThe MLK/Malcolm X parallels in mutant ideologyAnd the X-Men’s infamous tendency to turn every villain into a future teammate!From there, things escalate in classic Penny Men fashion: The unstoppable force of Juggernaut enters the chat (and cannot jump, canonically)Black Tom becomes part plantAnd Sentinels loom as the towering symbol of humanity’s robotic fear response to mutants!The discussion frames them not just as enemies, but as reflections of the same core question: what happens when groups decide the only solution is control? Also featuring: X-Men lineup confusionBrotherhood of Mutants relationship mapsMarvel vs. Capcom triviaExistential toy nostalgia (yes, the Sentinel action figure with flying limbs gets its flowers)And at least one moment where the podcast threatens to become an architecture podcast again!It’s part character study, part comic book archaeology, part late-night “wait, does Juggernaut have knees?” energy—and entirely The Penny Men!

    #127 - Rogues' Gallery Roll Call: X-Men (Part 1)

  4. Jul 27

    #126 - Rogues' Gallery Roll Call: Superman (Part 2)

    The Penny Men continue their journey through the bizarre depths of Superman’s rogues gallery, leaving behind the famous villains and diving headfirst into radioactive weirdos, magical nuisances, and whatever exactly Lobo is supposed to be! This episode covers the physical powerhouse villains like Parasite, Metallo, and Doomsday, while also somehow finding time to discuss evil Phantom Zone cats, a kryptonite-powered dog, and a cowboy outlaw with a robot horse and alien laser guns! The gang breaks down; Why Parasite is one of Superman’s most dangerous enemiesHow Metallo keeps reinventing himself every decadeAnd why the famous “Death of Superman” storyline mostly boils down to two guys punching each other until editorial says stop!Along the way they explore: Silver Age oddities like magical books from spaceSuperman revenge clubsAnd villains whose entire motivation is “your existence is medically inconvenient for me”!Meanwhile, the animated series gets a surprising amount of love with discussions of: LivewireVolcanaAnd how the 1990s cartoons quietly created some of Superman’s best modern supporting villains!Also featured: Malcolm McDowell robot body horrorThe strange appeal of MaximaAnd why James Gunn apparently dug deep enough into Superman lore to resurrect Lex Luthor’s horrifying protoplasm experiment!Additional topics include: Why every alternate dimension conveniently weakens SupermanThe tragedy of being a supervillain named “Master Jailer”Comparisons to Rogue and Multiple ManThe merits of Black AdamAnd the realization that Silver Age Superman comics may have contained every possible idea anyone could ever have!Equal parts comic book history lecture and three friends desperately trying to remember obscure alien names from 1978 comics!

    #126 - Rogues' Gallery Roll Call: Superman (Part 2)

  5. Jul 20

    #125 - Rogues' Gallery Roll Call: Superman (Part 1)

    The Penny Men finally tackle the impossible question: does Superman actually have a good rogues gallery, or are people just thinking of Lex Luthor and calling it a day? Ben, Gregory, and Tom spiral through decades of comic history discussing why Batman and Spider-Man villains get all the love while Superman’s enemies quietly hide giant robot skull ships in the background! Topics include: The psychology of Lex LuthorWhy baldness is the ultimate comic book evilThe Silver Age tendency to solve emotional trauma with psychic powersWhether Brainiac is secretly scarier than every movie villain combinedAnd the tragic destruction of Planet Lexor because Lex absolutely could not stop hating Superman for five minutes!Also discussed: Monkey sidekicksPlanet of the Apes crossoversRichard Pryor accidentally replacing Brainiac in Superman IIIWhy nobody in comics can recognize Clark KentAnd the continuing search for the exact number of iconic Flash villains before you hit Rainbow Raider territory!A surprisingly thoughtful discussion about ego, morality, and power occasionally interrupts the important business of yelling about bottled cities and “space cancer”! Then your Penny People hosts move beyond the household names into the strange wasteland of: Phantom Zone criminalsForgotten Silver Age weirdosAnd characters who sound intimidating mostly because they have short, easy-to-pronounce names!Tom attempts to explain why General Zod became Superman’s third most famous villain despite barely doing anything in many of the comics, while the group debates the difference between loving comic Zod and loving the movie version from Superman II! Along the way they stumble into discussions about: Evil Kryptonian cousinsIncomprehensible alien namesAnd how every Superman adaptation quietly rewrites the mythology!The episode also wanders into broader comic book territory, including why some eras of DC continuity fit together like puzzle pieces while others feel like three different people trying to explain a dream they barely remember! Expect side tangents about: Bronze Age comicsObscure supervillainsComic book power scalingAnd the eternal comic reader struggle of remembering whether a villain was genuinely important or just appeared in a cartoon once!Equal parts comic scholarship and complete derailment, this episode asks the important questions: how many Superman villains are actually iconic, and how many are just bald guys from space yelling at each other?

    #125 - Rogues' Gallery Roll Call: Superman (Part 1)

  6. Jul 13

    #124 - You Can't Have These Comics (Part 9) [Classic Children's Comics]

    The Penny Men return from the wilderness to discuss comics... probably! Along the way they: Uncover the TRUE meaning of the Larry Bird RulePitch a McDonaldland battle tournamentAccidentally map the multiverse of Captain N (again!)And contemplate the psychological damage required to watch every single Looney Tunes cartoon in chronological order!Eventually, the conversation actually reaches its intended destination: a deep dive into The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics — the massive collection of Golden Age kids comics edited by Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly, featuring forgotten classics from the 1940s through early 1960s by legends like Carl Barks, John Stanley, Sheldon Mayer, Walt Kelly, and Basil Wolverton! Also discussed: Smurf lorePublic domain superheroesMuppet archival projectsHerman’s HermitsDead MilkmenJimmy DeanWolfman JackThe Fox and the CrowAnd the existential horror of committing your life to cataloging obscure media!Featuring: Ronald McDonald power scalingThe Larry Bird Paradox“You can’t have these comics”Why Sugar and Spike deserve respectThe secret history of Red TornadoA thousand Looney Tunes and no escapeThe Smurf cinematic universeSeveral things that may not be true!The Penny Men: preserving pop culture continuity one derailed conversation at a time!

    #124 - You Can't Have These Comics (Part 9) [Classic Children's Comics]

  7. Jul 6

    #123 - Fantasy Draft Lineup: Saturday Morning Cartoon Blocks (Part 3)

    The Penny Men continue their Saturday morning cartoon programming war—and Ben unveils the full master plan behind his Alien Animal ‘90s Alternative Action Block! 🛸🐭🦈 Starting with a lineup of deep cuts and cult favorites like: Men in BlackRude Dog and the DweebsSpace GhostBanana SplitsWildcatsSheep in the Big CityBiker Mice from MarsAnd Wacky Races!Ben doesn’t just program a single morning—he engineers a six-season broadcast strategy! Shows rotate in and out as their runs end, bringing in replacements like: Eek the CatStreet SharksCowboys of Moo MesaTime SquadWhatever Happened to Robot Jones?And the under-the-radar gem Mad Jack the Pirate!Along the way, the guys dive into: The long legacy of Ninja Turtles-inspired animal action showsWhy Biker Mice from Mars might secretly be a comedyCartoon Network’s weirdly high-brow late Cartoon CartoonsThe strange fate of Fox Kids shows during the Pokémon eraAnd whether kids in the ‘90s had to make impossible choices between shows like Batman: The Animated Series, Tiny Toon Adventures, and Transformers!Finally, the hosts start comparing their dream TV blocks head-to-head to determine the ultimate channel lineup! Would you stick with Felix the Cat, flip to Masters of the Universe, or stay loyal to the Alien Animal ‘90s Alternative Action Block? Grab your bowl of cereal and start channel surfing!

    #123 - Fantasy Draft Lineup: Saturday Morning Cartoon Blocks (Part 3)

  8. Jun 29

    #122 - Fantasy Draft Lineup: Saturday Morning Cartoon Blocks (Part 2)

    Welcome back to The Penny Men’s Saturday Morning Cartoon Programming War! 📺🥣 Last week Tom threw down the gauntlet with his dream cartoon lineup—but now Ben and Greg step up to the network executive desk to pitch their own blocks of animated glory! Greg spins up “Gumby’s Wheel of Cartoons,” a four-hour journey through animation history hosted by Gumby and Pokey themselves! The wheel lands on everything from early theatrical classics like Out of the Inkwell to Jay Ward favorites, Hanna-Barbera mysteries, the bizarre Skatebirds, and a run of ‘90s cartoon brilliance! Along the way the guys debate the philosophy of cartoon scheduling, the importance of wraparound hosts, and whether Sky Commanders can survive going head-to-head with X-Men! Then Ben unveils his contender: The Alien & Animal ‘90s Alternative Action Block—a lineup packed with strange creatures, cult-favorite series, and the weird energy that made ‘90s action cartoons unforgettable! Also in this episode: • A deep dive into cereal lore (Golden Grahams vs. Trix vs. Captain Crunch) 🥣 • The surprising horror elements of The Real Ghostbusters 👻 • Why Tiny Toon Adventures might secretly be college-level comedy • The strange world of live-action Saturday morning hosts like Banana Splits and Skatebirds! Three hosts! Three networks! Only one Saturday morning survives! Which block would YOU watch? #Cartoons #SaturdayMorning #Animation #90sCartoons #Podcast

    #122 - Fantasy Draft Lineup: Saturday Morning Cartoon Blocks (Part 2)
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About

Penny Men is the podcast starring Ben, Tom, and Gregory: three experts on cartooning, storytelling, and having a good time! We give a penny for our thoughts, and throw in our two cents, as we tackle new topics and writing pitches every week!

Information

  • Creator
    Penny Men
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    129
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Penny Men
  • Show Website
    Penny Men