Opinions May Vary

A few years ago we had the pleasure of at length about the massive project he was producing at the time, The Tellos Tribute books.  It was during this episode that we really got a feel for how much of an impact the late Mike Wieringo had on so many different artists and creators. The outpouring of support and creativity that resulted in those books is a true testament to how much Mike meant to his friends and colleagues. Just a few months after we talked with Todd, The Baltimore Comic Con hosted the inaugural "Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards" aka "The Ringo Awards". Known as "", The Ringo Awards honor creators with categories that span the entire spectrum of comics both in print and digital format. This year is going to mark the 3rd annual event and the ceremony is set to take place during the 2019 Baltimore Comic Con in October. Our guest this week, Randy Tischler, is a representative of the Baltimore Comic Con and is a crucial player in the setup and production of The Ringo Awards. He gave us an i

If I'm not mistaken, I believe ConnectiCon is the current record holder for "That convention that we've had the pleasure of covering the most times as a media outlet". This year's show makes it the SEVENTH consecutive time we've made the trip down to Hartford and after all the great times we've had in the past, it has some big shoes to fill. Joining us for this year's recap is a longtime friend of the show and multi-time guest host Jess! Seeing as she's and she's been to almost every version of ConnectiCon that has existed, we figured this would be the perfect opportunity to take full advantage of Jess' knowledge and expertise. Plus, her and her friends put together a baller cosplay group: So check out this week's jam as we desperately try to recap everything we saw, played, and experienced during one of the most exhausting 10+ hour days of the year. Will year 7 live up to the hype of previous festivities? Was the back breaking 10 minute trip to Hartford really worth it?? Tune in and find out! Enjoy! -Jr.

It's getting more and more difficult to come up with new ways of saying "our guest this week is a super talented artist and Alex and I are envious of them and their ability to create art, so we asked them to come and chat with us on our podcast". So far I have been able to manage, but I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel if you hadn't already noticed. So anyway, our guest this week is a super talented cosplayer/designer who specializes in 3D modeling and prop making. He goes by the handle "Rocket Props" and in just a few days he's going to be taking the stage as a panelist at this year's ConnectiCon! After successful panels at previous PAX East and ConnectiCon events, Rocket is headed back to Hartford alongside and to present their panel: Tune in for some cosplay and design talk as well as come pre-ConnectiCon hype as we gear up for another year of anime, videogames, tabletop, and so much more. Be sure to follow Rocket on all his and if you're in the Hartford area this coming weekend for the show you sh

We've discussed The Walking Dead quite a bit over the last 380 episodes. So much that you could probably piece together at least a couple of complete episodes consisting only of Walking Dead talk and still have some material left over. Whether it's the latest issue of the comic or the recent crazy event that happened on the TV show, it's one of those things that has consistently merited discussion. Admittedly, it's been some time since we last did a deep dive into the TV show. Alex still keeps up with the latest bits via Netflix but I dropped off 3 or 4 seasons ago. Turns out not having access to cable can really kill one's motivation to watch something on a consistent basis. It also doesn't help when that person is very lazy. But. The comic still makes an appearance on our show every so often, usually either in passing or because I can't keep my "holy sh!t" moments to myself. And this is where I get sad (and to the point) because after the issue that came out this week, an enormous double sized #193, The Wal

Alright. It has been a few weeks since we've had a new guest. Alex and I have (mostly) recovered from our respective vacations. It's time to get talkin' with rad people again. This week we had the absolute pleasure of being joined by Eisner winning artist ! With over 20 years in the industry, Georges' work can been seen in various titles such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Eight, The American Way, and Serenity: Leaves on the Wind just to name a few. In addition to his previous works, he recently ran his first which was successfully funded not more than 24 hours ago! We knew right from the start that we were going to have a blast talking with Georges and we hope you enjoy our chat with him. Be sure to check him out at a convention near you, keep an eye out for future Kickstarted works, and give him a follow on the various social medias! Enjoy! -Jr.

It's Saturday Night. Alex and I are both in post-vacation stupors. It's time to talk about a headline or two in the world of comic books. Specifically one that involves someone we've never heard of getting the gig of a lifetime writing Spider-Man at the ripe old age of 20. When I think back to being 20 my memories just consist of eating lots of Spaghetti-O's while watching an uncomfortable amount of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law. So yeah, pretty much the same thing as writing comics featuring one of the most recognizable figures in entertainment history. Now I'm just bummed out. Enjoy! -Jr.

The last week has been one of seclusion and happiness as I was wayyy up in Northern Vermont staying in a cabin on one of my favorite lakes. It was....very needed. My wife and I pulled into our driveway just a few hours ago and the post-vacation blues are hitting me real hard. But. We have a rad episode for you this week as Brett Kelley is in the studio for one of those rare back-to-back episode jams. We're taking a dive into the land of YouTube and what currently has our attention on that god forsaken yet sometimes beautiful website. Check it out and drop us some recommendations of your own in the comments below! Enjoy! -Jr.

Up until last week I had never been to Brooklyn, I had never been to a designer toy convention, and I had never seen 9 inch resin figures valued in quadruple digits. I had never seen live graffiti competitions, overweight versions of my favorite childhood cereal mascots, nor had I ever eaten a slice of pizza named after Hellboy. But after attending the 2019 Five Points Festival...I can now say I've done all of those things. And more. So much more. It had been far too long since we last covered a show with our very best friend Brett Kelley. So the three of us (along with ace photographer Babs Who Takes Pictures) traveled down to Five Points and scoped out the latest in designer toys, craft beers, kaiju figures, and enamel pins. Oh lord the pins. So many pins. Check out this week's episode with Brett in the guest seat as we recap our experiences and expenditures at what could easily be considered one of the most unique and potentially expensive shows we've ever covered. Photos can be found Enjoy! -Jr

Five Points Fest is but mere days away and with it being my first year attending, I think it goes without saying that I'm pretty excited to be completely clueless as to what is going on. I'm still pretty new to the designer toy scene but after , I've been looking to this upcoming weekend for some time now. While researching and hashtag-jumping in preparation for the show, Alex came across a toy designer by the name of 3D Hero. We were both impressed with his work and seeing as he's going to be tabling front-and-center at the show this weekend, we thought it would be fun to talk with him, learn about his characters and designs, and generate a little hype for Five Points Fest. You can check out his work and plus if you're going to be in Brooklyn over the next 48-60ish hours, you'll be able to see him and his work in-person at the show! Huge thanks to Hero for making time for us despite his insanely busy pre-con schedule. This year's Five Points Fest is shaping up to be a rad show and I can't wait to spend too

Our guest this week is fellow podcaster, filmmaker, and documentarian Anthony Desiato. As the owner and founder of Flat Squirrel Productions, Anthony acts as host of the podcast and has numerous directing credits to his name. His most recent endeavor, the documentary had Anthony traveling across the US visiting comic shops in 9 different states to give an in-depth look at the business, fandom, and community of comic book stores across America. Tune in this week for a behind the scenes look into Anthony's journey and learn about his process, his experiences, and his thoughts on the current state of the American Comic Shop! As always, be sure to and so you can get updates on "My Comic Shop Country" and where you might be able to see it at a location near you! Enjoy! -Jr.

We have two returning guests this week; one from a little while ago and one from a littler while ago. Both, however, are most assuredly rad. First up is author David (D.W.) Kann and he's here to talk about the latest volume in his "Lovecraft P.I." graphic novel series. , "The Curious Case of ReAnimator" takes another dive into the world of Supernatural Detective Agencies as Detective Ward Lovecraft tries to solve the mystery of a VooDoo cult deep within the infamous Black Swamp... Spooky, right? If you're reading this early enough, you might still have some time to check out the Kickstarter. Click the link above for more details! Closing out the 2nd half of our show this week is Ellie Hillis because good lord did we have a great time talking with her . It seems our "Because Comics" topic couldn't be contained by a single hour-ish long episode so we took some extra time this week to put that metaphorical bow on some of the most insane moments in comics history. (For first time listeners, click the link above a

We haven't talked with writer/artist Rich Woodall in and that's just a travesty. If you were to grab a dictionary and look up "damn that guy is so f**king cool, talented, and insanely humble" you probably wouldn't find anything because that's more than one word. But in the OMV dictionary, you'd see a picture of Rich. Probably holding a raygun or something. Being a creator of fantastical things, Rich is currently and if you're reading this within the next 20 days or so, you still have time to get your money in. This project is a little special, too because Rich has two separate books he's looking to print and there's a good chance at least one of them might be your brand. Looking for a legendary team-up between a raygun wielding superhero and a Dragon of the Savage variety? Or how about some creepy WWII horror featuring an enlisted werewolf? If any or all of that sounds great, Rich has got you covered.  Check out our chat with Rich, click the links above for our previous chats and also for some info on his K

With the annual Free Comic Book Day quite literally upon us (like, it's today. Go out and get your books and support your LCS if you haven't already) we figured it was the perfect opportunity to talk comics. Now, this isn't the standard "Alex and Jayare talk about the same books they've been gushing about for the last 7 years." No, friends. This is much better. This week we had the pleasure of chatting with . A graduate of Smith College, Ellie is a co-editor at , an essayist, and a comics historian who recently gave a talk at our local Nerd Nite called "That's CAPTAIN to You: The Evolution of Carol Danvers". It was at this talk that Ellie dropped the phrase "because comics" while trying to recap some of the more....problematic story lines of Captain Marvel's past. And that got us thinking. What are some other moments that are just so wacky the only way you can describe them is with a "because comics"? With the long and somewhat turbulent history of comics, surely there must be more, right? So we reached out t

It's been a minute since we last had the opportunity to cover Anime Boston so when Vicky came to us asking if she could go on assignment and get all the juicy anime details straight out of the heart of New England- It was an easy "hell yes." After a few hiccups with trains and hotels, Vicky was finally able to make her grand return to the Hynes Convention Center where she joined up with OMV fan favorite Colin for a weekend jam packed with cosplay, panels, and wig styling competitions. If you're not doing so already: Be sure to give Vicky a follow on all of her . Her cosplays are top tier and you'd be hard pressed to find a better person to attend a convention with. Big thanks to her and Colin for representing OMV once again. Maybe someday Alex and I will get our amateur asses out to AB. Until then it's a comfort knowing we're being represented by some of the best people out there. Enjoy! -Jr.

Last night we got together with some friends and played board games for like, many hours. While exchanging pleasantries over various drinks and snacks, I boasted to Colin that we, and I quote, "recorded a bomb ass episode this week" and proceed to feed him teasers of what we had in store. Now I can stop teasing my friends because we did, in fact, record a bomb ass episode this week and now we get to release it to the world. This week we were joined by Jason Langston aka . A veteran of the toy industry, Jason has worked for major toy companies (like Mattel) and and currently provides freelance work for those in need of his expertise. Due to Jason's vast knowledge of toys both new and old, it was just a matter of time until we dove down the rabbit hole of nostalgia and within minutes I was already making plans to rummage through my parent's storage to find my old Ninja Turtles. Check out this week's episode for insights, stories, and behind the scenes info on Jason's time in the toy industry. We won't blame you

There's just something amazing about talking with people at length regarding the things they love. It can be fascinating when someone has a near encyclopedic knowledge of something. Weather it's Ken with fighting games, Colin with Spider-Man, or Matthew with wrestling; I could truly sit for hours and just fire off question after question while desperately trying to keep up. Luckily for me, I have a podcast that affords me the ability to do this with these people very frequently. Hopefully they don't catch on to my ruse because I have no plans of stopping any time soon. So anyways, WrestleMania was last weekend. And WrestleMania just isn't WrestleMania unless we talk with Matthew James about it and what do you know? He just happened to be in our studio this week. Oh, and if it wasn't clear by now or from past episodes, huuuge WrestleMania spoilers ahead. Beware. Enjoy! -Jr.

It has been a full week since we got home from the latest iteration of PAX East and I still don't feel like I have fully recovered yet. I'm not sure if it's because I'm getting old and these shows are taking a greater toll on my mind/body than they used to...or if it's just because we managed to make this one of the most eventful PAX-es in recent memory. Since I'm in the mood to deny I'm getting any older and I'm still as young and spry as I ever was, I'm going to go with the latter. All joking aside, we did have one hell of a PAX this year. It was a record setting event in terms of both panels and games and we still managed to squeeze it all into a span of two days. Joe is back in the studio with us this time for our annual recap and I'm just going to warn you now: it's a doozy. We managed to jam an insane amount of content into a massive, 2 hour marathon of an episode and we're pumped for you to check it out! Pictures can be found . (Shoutouts to our man Bob from Dead Henchmen Productions for the camera hoo

First off, let us apologize for the late episode. There are a number of excuses we could throw at you such as: We were at PAX? PAX is in Boston. And Boston is far away from our studio? um I'm out of excuses. So yeah. We're a little late with last week's jam but we're going to make it up to you with another episode later on this week. And then another one next week, and maybe even one more the week after that. Who knows, we might be able to keep that going for 7 years or something. Anyway. We had some fun recording this episode for you and we hope you have fun listening to it. It's full of stories, tidbits, and histories all related to what some might call "Oh my god I f***ing hate this stupid day I need to just stay off the internet until tomorrow". Enjoy! -Jr.

Another revolution around the Sun. Another 52 episodes in the bank. 7 years later this damn podcast just refuses to quit. No anniversary episode would be complete unless I get really sappy and say thank you to everyone. To all the guests, listeners, and friends we've made along the way: thank you all so much. I say it every year but this show would absolutely 100% not go on without all of you. You're the best and we hope we're able to find new people and things to talk to/about for years to come. Per usual, Alex spent the last few weeks throwing together another amazing montage of our "best-of" moments from the last year and after getting to hear it a few hours ago I'm excited to say he killed it yet again. I don't deserve this man. Enjoy! -Jr. Song Credits: Exit the Premises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Getting it Done Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License "Mechanical Steed" by Steampianist

This week's episode is the direct result of a simple conversation at a convention almost 7 years ago. Flash back to 2012 to the Hynes Convention Center at a show formerly known as "The Boston Comic Con". While wandering around looking for excuses to spend money I didn't have, I noticed Alex chatting with an artist and decided I'd go over and partake in some not-so-subtle eavesdropping. About 30 minutes later we walked away from this table, both with pages of original art in our hands and both of our wallets a little bit lighter. And both with huge smiles on our faces.  We didn't quite know it at the time, but the two of us had just experienced one of the most memorable moments we'd ever have at a convention. And it was all because of this week's guest: the incredibly talented Jim Calafiore. For those unaware, Jim is an artist who has worked on books like Leaving Megalopolis/Surviving Megalopolis, Secret Six, Red Lanterns, Exiles, and many more. A true veteran of the industry, Jim is as humble as he is talente