King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun Episode 006 1964 Rudolph TV Special

Join me, your host Kyle Benning, as I take a special look at the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer TV Special that is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. The Rankin & Bass television special originally aired on December 6th 1964 and has aired every year since, making it the longest running Christmas Television Special in history. This episode is a movie commentary dedicated to the history of the movie and the character of Rudolph since his creation in 1939.

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, just search for "King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun" or you can download the episode directly here:King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun Episode 006

Feedback for the episode can be left by commenting on the blog post here, sending an email to kylebenning41@yahoo.com, or leaving a review on iTunes.

Thank you so much for listening, and come back for Episode 007 of King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun for my coverage of Marvel's first over-sized holiday treasury comic, Marvel Treasury Special #1: Superhero Holiday Grab-Bag.

King-Size Comics Giants-Size Fun Episode 005 Rudolph Treasury Comic C-20

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer #C-20 the first of DC’s Treasury Editions!

Welcome to the 5th Episode of King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun. Today I'll be covering the first of DC's Treasury Edition Comics, #C-20. The Episode can be download directly here: King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun Episode 006

Released October 24, 1972

Cover Artist unknown

Editor: Sol Harrison

Despite the cover that states “New Giant Adventures of Rudolph” this issue appears to reprint stories from DC’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer #2, 4, and 6.

DC released a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer starting in 1950, the series ran for 13 years, releasing one seasonal issue in October of each year. The final issue, #13 released in 1962, was renamed “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Annual” and was one of the 80 page DC Giant Annuals that DC put out during the early 60’s. This final issue even adopted the annual format of reprinting past stories, instead of printing all new stories like the prior 12 issues. The issue did however have a single new story, which would later be reprinted in the second DC Rudolph Treasury comic, #C-24, which was released in 1973.

 

After this annual, Rudolph saw a publishing hiatus, as far as I can tell from my research, he did not appear again in comic form until this first DC Treasury comic. Which is odd, as you would think that the character would have a surge in popularity following the Rankin & Bass Rudolph Claymation TV special which hit in 1964, 2 years after the final issue of his own series, and 8 years before he’d star in another comic.

DC Released 7 Rudolph Treasuries (that’s

1)      The issue I’ll be covering today, which retroactively was number #C-20, which reprints stories from #2, 4, and 6 of the 1950’s Rudolph series. (1972)

2)      #C-24 reprinting stories from #3, 5, and 13 of DC’s Rudolph series (1973)

3)      #C-33 which appears had 2 new Rudolph stories (1974)

4)      #C-42 which also had 2 new Rudolph Stories (1975)

5)      #C-50 had 3 new Rudolph Stories (1976)

6)      #C-53 which had 2 new stories (1977)

7)      And the last Rudolph Treasury was All-New Collectors’ Edition #C-60 (1976) which was released in May and titled Rudolph’s Summer Fun, so I would not really classify that as a Christmas Comic.

After these Treasury appearance, Rudolph showed up in a few DC digests, but never again had his own series or a constant publishing presence at DC. 

WORLD AT A GLANCE

Sunday October 22 1972

-The Oakland A’s beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 in Game 7 of the 1972 World Series

-Henry Kissinger and the South Vietnamese President met to discuss a cease-fire in the Vietnam War

Monday October 23 1972

-The US halted bombing of North Vietnam above the 20^th parallel, ending Operation Linebacker

-The Musical Pippin began its run of 1944 performances at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway

Tuesday October 24 1972 (the day this issue went on sale)

-Sadly Jackie Robinson, the first African-American ballplayer to break the color barrier in the major leagues died at the age of 53

-The various crime leaders of the Yakuza gangs had a meeting and setup peace agreement and distinct area of control for their organized crime organization.

Wednesday October 25 1972

-The Washington Post reported that White House Chief of Staff Haldeman was the 5^th person to control a secret cash fund designed to finance illegal political sabotage and espionage in the Watergate scandal during the 1972 presidential election.

Thursday October 26 1972

-In West Africa General Mathieu Kerekou staged a coup in a country named Dahomey, overthrowing the government that had been in place in 1972, and renamed the country The People’s Republic of Benin

-Igor Sikorsky, an aviation engineer credited with developing the helicopter dies at the age of 83

-Kissinger makes an unauthorized speech promising that peace is at hand in Vietnam, the final cease fire agreement with North-Vietnam would not be signed until early 1973

Friday October 27 1972

-The Consumer Product Safety Act, which setup the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and gave it authority to develop safety standards and issue recalls on products determined unsafe, was signed into law

-The Space Probe “Mariner 9” which had been orbiting Mars and transmitted over 7,000 image of the Red Planet, was shut-off.

-Elton John’s Crocodile Rock single was released, months later the song would become Elton’s first single to top the charts

Saturday October 28 1972

-Country Singer Brad Paisley and NFL superstar Terrell Davis were both born

-North Yemen (aka the Yemen Arab Republic) and South Yemen (People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen) signed a cease-fire agreement in Egypt.

The Top 10 Songs on October 28^th 1972 were:

1)      Nights in White Satin by the Moody Blues

2)      Burning Love by Elvis Presley

3)      Ben by Michael Jackson

4)      Garden party by Rick Nelson & the Stone Canyon Band

5)      I’ll be Around by the Spinners

6)      I can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash

7)      Everybody Plays the Fool by The Main Ingredient

8)      My Ding-A-Ling by Chuck Berry

9)      If you Don’t Know Me by Now by Harold Melvin and the Blues Notes

10)   Freddie’s Dead (The Theme From Superfly) by Curtis Mayfield

Other Comics on sale the week of October 22-October 28 1972

From DC: Action Comics #419, Adventure Comics #425, Jack Kirby’s the Demon #4, Detective Comics #430, Superboy #192, Tarzan #215

From Marvel: Captain Marvel #24, The Cat #2, Creatures   on the Loose #21, Fantastic Four #130, The Monster of Frankenstein #1, Kull the Conqueror #6,     Lil’ Pals #3, marvel Premiere #6, Sgt. Fury #106, Tomb of Dracula #6, Werewolf by Night #3 

Feedback can be left here on the blog, emailed to me directly at kylebenning41@yahoo.com, or left via an iTunes review.

Thank you for listening, I hope you come back for Episode 006 where I take a special look at the Rankin and Bass Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Claymation special that is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. 

King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun Episode 004 The Legion!!!

Join your host Kyle Benning for Episode #4 of the King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun Podcast as he takes a look at the return of the Legion of Super-Heroes to the New 52 DC Universe in the pages of the Justice League United Annual #1 and Justice League United #6, parts 1 and 2 of the Infinitus Saga.

You can download the episode directly: King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun Episode 004

Or subscribe via iTunes, just search for the King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun Podcast!

Justice League United Annual #1
"The Infinitus Saga Part 1 of 5"
Written by Jeff Lemire
Pencilled by Neil Edwards
Inked by Jay Leisten
Colored by Jeromy Cox
Lettered by Dezi Sienty & Taylor Esposito

Justice League United #6

"The Infinitus Saga Part 2 of 5"

Written by Jeff Lemire

Pencilled by Neil Edwards

Inked by Jay Leisten

Colored by Jeromy Cox

Lettered by Travis Lanham

Cover by Andrew Robinson

Feedback can be left here on the blog, email me directly at kylebenning41@yahoo.com, or leave a review in iTunes. And finally, 'tis the season for giving, and so I'd like to give a huge shout-out to many of the fine podcasts I listen to and blogs I visit. So check out the fine comic-related links below. Do you know of a podcast worth checking out that I and other listeners may enjoy? Then please feel free to leave a recommendation below in the comments!

The Two True Freaks Podcast Network
They have a ton of podcasts out there, with shows on everything under the sun. Star Wars, Star Trek, Comics, Music, Movies, Video Games, Garage Saling and more. So be sure to listen to their fine podcasts hosted by the likes of Scott Gardner, Chris Honeywell, Scott Ryfun, Michael Bailey, Paul Spataro, Bill Robinson, Andrew & Michael Leyland, Luke Jaconetti, Scott McGregor, Gene Hendricks, Tom Panarese, and more! I am constantly downloading and binge listening to new shows and working my way through their backlog of episodes, and be reference and mentioning shows and topics fairly recently during my episodes. You can find their fine shows on iTunes, at their website, and join the discussion on their Facebook a Group 

Two True Freaks Website
TTF Facebook Group

The Fire and Water Family of Podcasts
What started out as a co-op weekly podcast by Firestorm Fan and the Aquamanshrine devoted to Firestorm and Aquaman has grown to span multiple shows, including a show devoted to DC's Who's Who series, DC role playing games, and the Peter Pan Power Records comic and record sets. They even do the occasional "Geek Talk" or Star Wars episode. Join the shows main hosts Rob Kelly & Shag Matthews every week for some awesome audio gold. Other members of the network include Chris Franklin on the Power Records Podcast, and Michael Siskoid on the Hero Points podcast. Shag Matthews also is involved in a Malibu Ultraverse Podcast and Siskoid runs his own daily blog Siskoid's Blog of Geekery. Both join me as members of the Legion of Super-Bloggers. Rob Kelly has a number of blogs, include the Treasury and Digest blogs that I will reference pretty regularly throughout the show. Chris Franklin also does a comic podcast called Super Mates with his wife Cindy.

Rob can be found at:
The Aquaman Shrine
Digest Comics Blog
Treasury Comics Blog
Power Records Blog
JLA Satellite

Shag can be found at:
Firestorm Fan
The Ultraverse Network
Legion of Super-Bloggers

Siskoid can be found at:
Siskoid's Blog of Geekery
Legion of Super-Bloggers

Chris Franklin can be found at:
Super Mates Podcast

Professor Alan Middleton and his daughter Emily and their Podcasts the Quarterbin Podcast, Uncovering The Bronze Age, and Shortbox Showcase can all be found at The Relatively Geeky Network

Russell Burbage
Friends of Justice
Legion of Super-Bloggers
Aquaman & Aqualad Facebook Page

J David Weter, a fellow Legion of Super-Blogger as well as the man behind Dave's Daredevil Podcast
Dave's Daredevil Podcast
Legion of Super-Bloggers

Tim Wallace
Legion of Super-Bloggers
Kord Industries a Blue Beetle Blog

Anj
Legion of Super-Bloggers
Supergirl Comic Box Commentary

David Sopko
Legion of Super-Bloggers

Mike Voiles has an incredible Podcast on the History of DC Comics in the Golden Age that is available at the Two True Freaks Network linked above, but he also runs the absolutely best comic database site out there on the web, Mike's Amazing World of Comics complete with creator credits and on-sale dates. You can't do a podcast without the aid of Mike's absolutely incredible site!

The Marvel Super-Heroes Podcast, featuring the talents of Diabolu Frank, a literal comic encyclopedia & his friends Mack and Fix It. You can find their blog & podcast @Marvel Super-Heroes Podcast

And finally, the new podcast I've been binge-listening to, Resurrections an Adam Warlock Podcast by Al Sedano.

I'm constantly diving into new podcasts and I'm sure I forgot to mention a few (sorry about that!) so I'll be reposting this list with updates every few episodes. So check out these fine podcasts, and tune back in later this week for Episode 005 of the King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun Podcast, where I'll be discussing the first Treasury comic DC released, the infamous Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer #C-20.

Marvel & DC's Over-Sized Comics Timeline from the 1960's through 1980's

Over-Sized Comics can mean a couple of things, extra-long issues that had more pages than a normal comic book at the time, whether that was a “Double-Sized” issue, a “King-Size Special,” an 80 Page Giant, 100 Page Super Spectacular, or any of the other iterations like Marvel’s Giant-Size books or DC’s Dollar Comics that flourished in the Bronze Age, the result was the same, more bang for your buck! The books had higher page count, at a higher price, but still a bargain when comparing the total page count for the cover price. Typically it would break down to getting something like the page count of 3 regular comics for the price of 2, or 4 for the price of 5, however it broke down, you were getting a deal by buying in bulk when you went the route of the larger page format. Some of these over-sized issues had all-new content, some were strictly reprinting older material, and others were a mixture of both. But DC and Marvel also literally had Over-Sized comics in the Treasury Format, where the pages were actually much larger! These Treasury Comics also varied in content, from the all new, to the strictly reprint, as well as the combination of both. And then there were the Digest Size comics, the “Biggest Little Buy in Comics” as DC liked to tout on their Digest Covers, 100 Pages for $1 or less, almost strictly reprinting past material, on a smaller page size and wrapped in a typically all-new original cover. So regardless how you personally classify the “Over-Sized Comics” from Marvel and DC throughout the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and yes even the 1990’s and 2000’s, whether that is an extended page count or actually larger print format, you can find their coverage here, on the King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun blog and podcast. And as the heading to this post promises, here is a timeline of what Over-Sized series Marvel and DC have published, and when they were hitting newsstands and spinner racks around the country.

-DC ANNUALS 1960-

The first foray into over-sized comics goes to DC Comics, which began the concept of the 80 page Annual in 1960, even though they printed these ‘Annuals’ twice a year for characters like Superman. From 1960 to 1964 DC released 22 Annualswhich consisted of reprinted material starring characters like Superman, Batman, Flash, Rudolph, Sgt. Rock, and Lois Lane.

-MARVEL ANNUALS 1962-1964-

Meanwhile, after the success of Fantastic Four #1, Marvel Comics exploded onto the Silver Age Super-Hero comics scene, rising from the ashes of Atlas & Timely comics. They entered into the over-sized Annual publishing in 1962, with the first Strange Tales annual, a 72 page ‘Triple Value’ comic. Marvel steadily added to their Annual offering each year, with Fantastic Four annuals starting in 1963 and Amazing Spider-Man annuals a year later. Marvel released 6 Annuals over this 2 year stretch spanning July 1962 through July 1964.

-DC 80 PAGE GIANTS 1964-1971-

DC dropped the Annual title but kept the 80 Page Reprint formatthey started 4 years earlier. In fact 80 Page Giant #1 was originally solicited as Superman Annual #9 in DC House Ads, but DC decided to switch things up and release a new series. And thus came the 80 Page Giant Series, which was designated by the letter G and the issue number, so the first 80 Page Giant issue, starring Superman, was G01. This series ran for 15 issues, but the format then continued into the pages of several DC Ongoing series. The covers still carried the 80 Page Giant heading and also kept the G style numbering in addition to the Ongoing Series numbering. For example, Justice League of America #39 also carried the G16 designation on the cover. Eventually the 80 Page format was dropped, but the series continued with the G numbering scheme and the word “Giant” on the cover. The series spanned 93 issues and ended in August of 1971.

-MARVEL KING SIZE ANNUALS & SPECIALS 1965-1982-

In 1965, Marvel continued to publish and increasing amount of Annuals every summer, but each cover now touted “King-Size Annual.” June of 1965 saw the release of Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2, Fantastic Four Annual #3, and Sgt. Fury Annual #1 all sporting this “King-Size Annual” heading. In 1966 that heading became “King-Size Special.” They would keep this designation until the mid-1970’s when they all once again touted the heading “King-Size Annual.” Slowly the Marvel Annuals began to drop the “King-Size” heading all together, with the last annuals to carry this title being published in August of 1982. During this lengthy 18 year span, Marvel published 133 Annuals with either the King-Size Annual or King-Size Special designation.

-MARVEL COLLECTORS' ITEM CLASSIC 1965-
In October 1965 Marvel launched their first series focused on reprinting the hit superhero comics that had quickly thrust them into one of the top comic publishers in the country 4 years prior. They introduced the anthology reprint series Marvel Collectors' Item Classic, which reprinted some of what are still considered Marvel's most iconic and important comic stories today, for the very first time. These jumbo 64 page reprint issues typically reprinted four full length comic stories from the very early stages of the "Marvel Age of Comics" featuring the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Dr. Strange, and more. The series would be appropriately renamed Marvel's Greatest Comics with issue #23 in July of 1969, but keep the over-sized 64 page format until issue #35, which hit stands in October of 1971, where the comic became solely a Fantastic Four reprint series and reduced its page count to 48 pages, and then dropping another 16 pages with issue #36. 

-MARVEL FANTASY MASTERPIECES 1966-1972-

With the success of Collectors' Item Classic, Marvel sought to further capitalize on the reprint market, and soon introduced a new reprint comic series, Fantasy Masterpieces, which first hit stands in December of 1965. The first 2 issues were 32 pages and reprinted short stories from Marvel's very popular anthology comic series like Strange Tales and Tales to Astonish. With issue #3 which hit stands in April of 1966, the series doubled in page count to 64 pages and began incorporating comics that were originally published by Marvel's predecessors Timely and Atlas in comics from the 1940's. The series would take on a new format and name with issue #12, which also marked the first appearance of Marvel's Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), and feature a mixture of reprinted material and new stories under the new name Marvel Super-Heroes. The series would maintain the 64 page count until issue #32 in June of 1972, which returned to the 32 page count that the series launched with.

-DC 100 Page Super Spectacular 1971-1975-

Like the 80 Page Giant series before it, the 100 Page Super Spectacular started off as its own ongoing series (curiously with issue # DC-3 nonetheless) and run another 18 issues before the series ended but the format continued over into other ongoing series currently being published. What was originally planned to be released as 100 Page Super Spectacular issue #DC-23 was instead released as Shazam! #8. DC would publish 95 issues running through other ongoing series, for a total of 114 100-Pagers.

-DC Treasuries 1972-1981-

54 Treasury Editions in this time frame.

-Marvel Treasuries 1974-1983-

48 Treasury Editions

-Marvel Giant-Size 1974-1975-

69 Giant-Size Comics during 74 and 75, including the infamous Giant-Size X-MEN #1. 

-Other DC Over-Sized Books from the 1970’s-

This heading serves as a catch-all for the number of other over-sized comics DC published throughout the 70’s, whether that was the short-lived DC Super-Giant series, or just the occasional “Giant” issue of a regular ongoing series. 

-DC Dollar Comics 1976-1983-

DC Published a grand total of 217 issues across a wide array of genres in the extended page format. The books launched with an 80 Page count (including the covers and no ads), a distinguished trade dress, and were a ¼” taller than the rest of the comics they published. At the time (late 1976) most comics cost 35 cents, so with the Dollar Comics, you got roughly the same number of pages as 4 regular comics for a little less than the price of 3. Following the DC Implosion in 1978, the page counts were reduced and ads re-introduced back into the books, however they would become ad-free again in 1980.

-Marvel Special Edition Reprints 1982-1985

Starting in 1982, Marvel released a couple of Special Edition one-shots and mini-series which reprinted acclaimed runs on characters in special over-sized comics. These reprints typically contained 2-3 issues wrapped in a new original cover and sometimes contained additional new material, such as a pin-ups or new 8-page story. Marvel released around 30 of these over-sized Special Edition comics on Baxter paper over during the first half of the 1980's.

-Marvel Double-Sized Annuals 1984-1986-

Marvel would once again return to a size designation on their annuals. After a couple of years of being called just annual, Double-Size Annual graced the covers in a distinguished Trade Dress for 3 summers in the mid 1980’s. Starting in 1988 Marvel would make their summer annuals part of a crossover event. 

1980 Marvel Subscription Ad

I absolutely love comic ads. I truly believe that comics serve as little time capsules of American culture. Comics from the Bronze age typically referenced parts of pop culture and big moments in history as they transpired, and then further context is added by the letters and the advertisement. It really is too bad that most comics published nowadays are almost completely void of all three elements. References to what's happening in the real world are almost completely removed from comics to prevent the comics from feeling "dated," letters columns are no gone completely or available only online, and advertisements are reserved almost solely for whole page ads only for other titles being published.

My favorite ads from the Bronze Age are definitely the ones that themselves are little miniature comics. The Hostess Ads are definitely the most famous and memorable, but many other products like the Charles Atlas body building ad, Spalding Tennis Shoes, and gems like the below subscription ad, still made the rounds. This is a Marvel subscription ad featuring a fireside Hulk from 1980!

King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun Episode 003 Marvel 75th Anniversary Part 3

Join host Kyle Benning as he wraps up his trilogy of episodes dedicated to Marvel's 75th Anniversary. In this episode Kyle discusses the Marvel 75th Anniversary Over-Sized Issue which features stories by James Robinson & Chris Samnee, Stan Lee & Bruce Timm, Brian Michael Bendis & Paul Gulacy, Tom DeFalco & Stan Goldberg, and Len Wein & Michael Gaydos. The show is available for download and subscription on iTunes, or you can download the episode directly here:

King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun Episode 003

Feedback for the show can be left here at the blog, on iTunes via a review, or sent to my email kylebenning41@yahoo.com. Please put KSC GSF in the subject line.

And finally, throughout the first 3 Episodes of the show, I have mentioned a number of blogs, podcasts, and websites that have inspired me or provided information I've used along the way, so be sure to check out the great comic content provided at the sites below. 'Tis the season for giving, so let me give a shout out to some awesome podcasters and bloggers out there!

The Two True Freaks Podcast Network
They have a ton of podcasts out there, with shows on everything under the sun. Star Wars, Star Trek, Comics, Music, Movies, Video Games, Garage Saling and more. So be sure to listen to their fine podcasts hosted by the likes of Scott Gardner, Chris Honeywell, Scott Ryfun, Michael Bailey, Paul Spataro, Bill Robinson, Andrew & Michael Leyland, Luke Jaconetti, Scott McGregor, Gene Hendricks, Tom Panarese, and more! I am constantly downloading and binge listening to new shows and working my way through their backlog of episodes, and be reference and mentioning shows and topics fairly recently during my episodes. You can find their fine shows on iTunes, at their website, and join the discussion on their Facebook a Group Two True Freaks Website
TTF Facebook Group

The Fire and Water Family of Podcasts
What started out as a co-op weekly podcast by Firestorm Fan and the Aquamanshrine devoted to Firestorm and Aquaman has grown to span multiple shows, including a show devoted to DC's Who's Who series, DC role playing games, and the Peter Pan Power Records comic and record sets. They even do the occasional "Geek Talk" or Star Wars episode. Join the shows main hosts Rob Kelly & Shag Matthews every week for some awesome audio gold. Other members of the network include Chris Franklin on the Power Records Podcast, and Michael Siskoid on the Hero Points podcast. Shag Matthews also is involved in a Malibu Ultraverse Podcast and Siskoid runs his own daily blog Siskoid's Blog of Geekery. Both join me as members of the Legion of Super-Bloggers. Rob Kelly has a number of blogs, include the Treasury and Digest blogs that I will reference pretty regularly throughout the show. Chris Franklin also does a comic podcast called Super Mates with his wife Cindy.

Rob can be found at:
The Aquaman Shrine
Digest Comics Blog
Treasury Comics Blog
Power Records Blog
JLA Satellite

Shag can be found at:
Firestorm Fan
The Ultraverse Network
Legion of Super-Bloggers

Siskoid can be found at:
Siskoid's Blog of Geekery
Legion of Super-Bloggers

Chris Franklin can be found at:
Super Mates Podcast

Professor Alan Middleton and his daughter Emily and their Podcasts the Quarterbin Podcast, Uncovering The Bronze Age, and Shortbox Showcase can all be found at The Relatively Geeky Network

Russell Burbage
Friends of Justice
Legion of Super-Bloggers
Aquaman & Aqualad Facebook Page

J David Weter, a fellow Legion of Super-Blogger as well as the man behind Dave's Daredevil Podcast
Dave's Daredevil Podcast
Legion of Super-Bloggers

Tim Wallace
Legion of Super-Bloggers
Kord Industries a Blue Beetle Blog

Anj
Legion of Super-Bloggers
Supergirl Comic Box Commentary

David Sopko
Legion of Super-Bloggers

Mike Voiles has an incredible Podcast on the History of DC Comics in the Golden Age that is available at the Two True Freaks Network linked above, but he also runs the absolutely best comic database site out there on the web, Mike's Amazing World of Comics complete with creator credits and on-sale dates. You can't do a podcast without the aid of Mike's absolutely incredible site!

The Marvel Super-Heroes Podcast, featuring the talents of Diabolu Frank, a literal comic encyclopedia & his friends Mack and Fix It. You can find their blog & podcast @Marvel Super-Heroes Podcast

And finally, the new podcast I've been binge-listening to, Resurrections an Adam Warlock Podcast by Al Sedano.

I'm constantly diving into new podcasts and I'm sure I forgot to mention a few (sorry about that!) so I'll be reposting this list with updates every few episodes. So check out these fine podcasts, and tune back in later this week for Episode 004 of the King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun Podcast, where I'll be discussing the Legion of Super-Heroes!

King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun Episode 002 Marvel 75th Anniversary

Join your host Kyle Benning in the 2nd episode of the King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun podcast as he unveils his Top 75 issues, runs, and story arcs from Marvel's rich history. Once again Kyle records in his car, braving the 27 degree Iowa winter weather and watching two construction workers nearly kill each other as they try to install light poles into a parking lot.

You can download the episode directly here:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/kingsizecomicsgiantsizefun/Rec_001-Ep_2.aif

The Podcast is available for subscription on iTunes! Simply search for "King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun" and subscribe is you feel so inclined! Feedback for the show can be left here on the blog, on iTunes via a review, or emailed to kylebenning41@yahoo.com. When emailing me, please put KSC GSF in the subject heading. Thank you for tuning in!

Be sure to check back at the blog tomorrow for a posting of my Top 75 list, as well as a brief summary and publishing timeline breakdown of the over-sized series discussed in the first episode.

King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun Episode 001 Marvel 75th Anniversary Part One!

Join your host Kyle Benning as he introduces the premise of the show, briefly talks about the publishing history of over-sized comics from DC and Marvel and then takes a look at the Free Marvel 75th Anniversary Magazine and their list of their top 75 stories and issues.

The Marvel 75th Anniversary Magazine was a free Magazine that Marvel released earlier this fall for customers. Above is the standard cover by Greg Land, below are the Alex Ross painted variant covers for the 3 premiere Marvel Super-Teams. All 3 of these paintings are currently available as 24" x 36" posters at your local comic shop.

The Podcast Can Be Directly Downloaded Here:
 http://traffic.libsyn.com/kingsizecomicsgiantsizefun/Episode_001_Marvel_75th_Pt_1.aif

Or subscribe to the feed on iTunes. Feedback can be left on iTunes, this blog post here, or at our audio hosting site www.kingsizecomicsgiantsizefun.libsyn.com

Welcome to the Blog!

Welcome to my little project called King-Size Comics Giant-Size Fun! I am your host, Kyle Benning. If you followed the Outhousers website when they were relatively new to the comic media coverage game, I wrote a regular feature titled "Retro Reviews" where I took a look at comic runs or story arcs from the past that I was going back and revisiting. I, like so many others, am a little disenfranchised with the majority of comics being published by the "Big 2" currently, and have turned most of my comic budget towards tracking down back issues from the Silver and Bronze Ages. At the heart of those eras are books that I like to call over-sized comics.

Now what actually constitutes as an "Over-Sized Comic?" Well by my definition (and since this is my blog and podcast, that's all that really matters :P) it can mean any issue that contains an extended page count, such as annuals, like DC's 80 Page Annuals from the early 1960's or Marvel's King-Size Annuals from the Bronze and Silver-Age and then Double-Size annuals that replaced them in the 1980's; the Silver and Bronze Age DC reprints that had 80 or 100 page counts; extra long anniversary issues like the DC "Giants" or Marvel "Double-Size Anniversary" issues; the Marvel Giant-Size specials from 1974 and 1975; Marvel's Special Edition reprint mini's on Baxter Paper from the early 1980's; prestige format books from more recent years; and finally the actually physically larger Treasury Editions that both Marvel and DC published in the 1970's and 1980's. You can expect all of those and more to be covered on the blog and in the podcast. Of course like any podcast out there, I will have the occasional break in format, where I cover something else, such as Star Wars (have a few of those episodes being planned already), or take a look at an extended run or series of normal length issues.

To save on time (both yours and mine) I'm not going to be regurgitating the same information on the blog and podcast; they will very much be companion pieces, my analysis of issues are going to be confined mostly to the podcast, and the extensive history and publishing specifics for a series or run of issues will be reserved to an essay on the blog. I will most likely be posting my story synopses from the issues I cover in the episodes on the blog, so that piece of information will be in both sources. Episodes will drop regularly, and by regularly I mean between 6-10 times a month. I'll try to get out at least an episode a week, but with a newborn and some of my coaching obligations, some weeks may be more hectic than others, so there may be a week without an episode, followed by a week with 3-4 episodes.

So stay tuned, and be sure to tune it regularly. And of course be sure to check out my other work, The Legion of Super-Bloggers, where I am just one small part of this fantastic cast of bloggers and Legion enthusiasts who talk about all eras of the Legion. Other bloggers include Russell Burbage, Michael Siskoid, Shag Mathews, Tim Wallace, J David Weter, David Sopko, and Anj. So be sure to check out the Legion of Super-Bloggers, which has new posts daily over at http://legionofsuperbloggers.blogspot.com