Penny Men

Penny Men

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

    6일 전

    #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

    45분
  2. #118 - The History of Comics (Part 1) [The Ages]

    6월 1일

    #118 - The History of Comics (Part 1) [The Ages]

    It starts with a gripe! Ben doesn’t like variant covers—but connected covers? Those he can get behind! That complaint spirals into a full-blown comics epic as Tom, Greg, and Ben crack open Justice League Spectacular #1 (1992), debate the morality of selling the same issue five times, and relive the excesses of foil covers, second printings, randomized posters, and peak-’90s X-Men nonsense! From there, the conversation swerves into: Robins! Tim Drake vs. Dick GraysonTraining with Lady ShivaMiniseries confusionAnimated series betrayalsBatman’s ever-expanding familyCorporate mandatesWarner Bros. trademarksWhy Robin has to exist, who he’s really for, and whether Batman works better alone!Strong opinions are expressed! Damien is politely rejected! Then the scope widens—a lot! This is the Justice Society / Justice League / All-Star Squadron episode… but not the one you already heard! The Penny Men dig deep into the Golden Age origins of superhero teams, tracing DC’s lineage back through: PulpsRadio dramasDime novelsWartime paper shortagesAnd the accidental invention of the shared universe!They break down the original Justice Society lineup: Why some heroes were “honorary members” How multiple publishers shared characters before DC even existedAnd how kids writing letters helped shape comic book history!Along the way: Why the Justice Society is the blueprint for all superhero teamsHow archetypes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman emergedThe evolution of comic book “Ages” (Golden, Silver, Bronze, Dark, Modern… whatever we’re calling this now)The rise and fall of genres like horror, romance, and WesternsThe Comics Code Authority and how censorship reshaped the industry foreverAnd why comics have always been “dying,” yet somehow keep surviving!It’s a sprawling, funny, occasionally argumentative tour through comic book history—from cheap pulp paper to mythological superhero pantheons—told the only way The Penny Men know how: loosely structured, wildly informed, and powered entirely by love for the medium! Connected covers optional! Deep lore mandatory!

    46분

소개

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!