The Audio File: Live From Mount Olympus: Season 1

The various mythologies of the world are some of the oldest inspirations for works of art. These timeless tales of gods and heroes invite themselves to reinterpretation and reimagining. Often, these retellings allow us to examine the original tales in a new light. There's still plenty of room for innovation and putting your own mark, even when you stay faithful to the plot of the myths. Yes, this is leading into the audio drama we're reviewing today. We're taking a look at Live From Mount Olympus.

Perhaps you have heard of the Ancient Greek hero Perseus. The slayer of Medusa, the one who saved Princess Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus, the one who defeated the tyrants Polydectes and Acrisius. Before of that, however, he was just a fisherman's apprentice with big dreams. Perseus never knew or suspected that he was a son of Zeus. However, when the tyrannical King Polydectes challenges Perseus to bring him the head of the gorgon Medusa, Perseus will rise to the occasion. Polydectes will marry Perseus’ mom, Danae, if Perseus doesn’t make it back. Thankfully, Perseus is not on his own. He will receive help from his siblings, the gods Hermes and Athena. One thing is for sure, Perseus is in for an adventure of Olympic proportions.

I first became aware of Live From Mount Olympus when I was scrolling through Twitter one day. Timestorm had retweeted about a new podcast that was coming soon named Live From Mount Olympus. It looked cool, and I made a not to check back on it. So, a month or so later, I checked back, and Live From Mount Olympus was putting out episodes. The whole series is now available, and so here we are. Timestorm and Live From Mount Olympus are both part of TRAX, a subsidiary of PRX, which focuses on making quality podcasts from listeners between the ages of nine and thirteen. TRAX is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, whom you may have heard of if you've ever watched PBS.

Live From Mount Olympus is created by the Onassis Foundation. They’re an organization founded by Aristotle Onassis to promote arts, culture, and community. Particularly, they focus on the arts and culture as they relate to Greece. The Onassis Foundation is headquartered in Athens, but also has offices in New York City as well.

Okay, so enough preamble, let's dive into the audio drama itself. Like I said, Live From Mount Olympus is a retelling of the myth of Perseus. It is incredibly faithful to the original myth. The biggest deviation is when Perseus meets the titan Atlas after slaying Medusa. In the original myth, Perseus used Medusa's head to turn Atlas to stone for refusing him hospitality. Atlas did this because he feared Perseus might steal his golden apples. In the audio drama, Perseus offers to turn Atlas to stone to help ease his burden of holding up the sky. However, Atlas refuses, but he does offer Perseus some words of advice.

Of course, the myths are hardly consistent on this point. One of Heracles' famous twelve labors was retrieving golden apples from Atlas. In that myth, Atlas was very much not turned to stone. For reference, Heracles was Perseus' great-grandson. Though, they were both sons of Zeus, so technically they were also half-brothers, and Zeus was thus Heracles' father and great-great-grandfather at the same time. The family trees of Greek Mythology can get a bit twisted at times. The point is, even the mythology is inconsistent on this point, and it is only a minor pit stop to the main plot.

The other main difference is that Hermes has much larger role in the story. In the original myth, he gave Perseus his winged sandals...and that was pretty much it. Here, Hermes acts as the narrator of the series. The series is part of his gods podcast, a godcast, if you will. Athena still acts a Perseus' primary mentor, as in the original myth, but Hermes is along for the ride too. He also provides bits of advice to Perseus along the way.

Now, just because the plot sticks closest to the original myth doesn’t mean there isn’t room for innovation. Nor does it mean the writers can't leave their own mark. The myths tell us what Perseus and company did, but not how they'd felt, or what was going on in their heads. Live From Mount Olympus thrives by filling in these gaps. Perseus starts off full of doubt and unsure of himself. He still takes a while, even after he's revealed as a son of Zeus, to fully accept that someone like him could be the son of a god. Over the course of the series, he learns to overcome these doubts, gains confidence in himself, and becomes a hero.

I really liked what Live From Mount Olympus did with Andromeda's character. She isn't some doe-eyed damsel in distress. She willingly offered herself up as a sacrifice to Cetus for the good the sake of her people. She also helps Perseus defeat Cetus...well, sort of. She throws rocks at the sea monsters, which is like trying to shoot Godzilla with a BB-gun, but hey, it's the thought the counts. She does shout some instructions to Perseus as he's fighting Cetus. She initially scoffs at the idea of marrying Perseus, but after accompanying him on some adventures, she warms up to it.

I also really like what they did with Danae. She might not be a physical fighter, but she has a lot of emotional strength. Remember, she had to raise Perseus pretty all on her own, barring a bit of help from Dictys. She's the one who instilled in him a sense of right and wrong. She's also the one who helps him through his dark times. For example, in the original myth, after Perseus accidentally kills his grandfather Acrisius, as foretold in the prophecy, he doesn’t think much of it. In the audio drama, however, Perseus feels an immense guilt and is completely torn-ups about it. Danae, along with Andromeda, Athena, and Hermes, help him put things into perspective. They remind him it was destined by fate to happen, and it doesn't mean he's a bad person.

This moment also provides great emotional whiplash, as just before all of that, the discus toss was portrayed like a modern-day baseball game. It has announcers, music, and everything. Perseus being a wise-cracking hero, plus his close relationship with his mom, brings to mind a certain other demigod named Perseus. Of course, that guy is a son of Poseidon from New York City, not a son of Zeus from Ancient Greece.

Though the series is primarily focused on the myth of Perseus, we do get mentions of others myths as well. We get a bonus episode where Hermes recounts the story of his birth, and how he invented the lyre after stealing Apollo's cattle. The episode where Perseus first meets Athena gives us a flashback to Perseus' childhood. Danae tells him various stories about Athena, such as her birth, and her contest against Arachne. Athena is Danae's favorite goddess, so you can imagine how excited she is when she finally gets to meet Athena.

If you're wondering, yes, Perseus does slay Medusa, just as in the original myth. It happens halfway through the series, and is over surprisingly quickly. Granted, this is true to the myth, but I had to reminded myself of that. Sometimes, the best-known parts of Greek myths don't last as long as you might think. For example, the parts of The Odyssey where Odysseus fights the monsters, travels to strange lands, and deals with Circe and Calypso, only lasts about four books of the epic poem. For reference, The Odyssey is composed of twenty-four books total. Well, they're called books, but they aren't as long as you might think. Point is, the most famous parts are only a small portion of it. Most of the epic poem is focused on Odysseus trying to reclaim Ithaca from the suitors.

Now I'd like to take a moment to talk about the cast. The production team went with colorblind casting, and the cast is racially diverse. I think that this is really great. Greek Mythology is for everyone. It isn't just for Greek people, it isn't just for white people, people of all races can enjoy and utilize Greek Mythology. I also appreciate that they didn't race-flip one or two major characters and then leave the rest of the cast white. They were consistent with their diversification of the cast across the entire cast, and I appreciate that consistency.

The cast are all professional theatre actors from a group called The TEAM. They're a Brooklyn based theatre ensemble who typically make works focusing on the experience of living in America today. Most notably, we have André De Shields as Hermes. You may remember him from the musical Hadestown, where he also played Hermes. Divine Garland gives an absolutely outstanding performance as Perseus. He captures the wise-cracking and confident side of Perseus, but also his more vulnerable and contemplative side. I'll add that I liked how Live From Mount Olympus emphasized how young Perseus was. At lot of the major heroes from Greek Mythology were, by modern standards, pretty much just kids when they accomplished their great deeds.

Jillian Walker gives an excellent performance as Danae. She reminded me a bit of Carrie Compere's performance as Mrs. Jackson in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. Chalk another one up for the parallels with Percy Jackson. Just to be clear, the fact that there were elements that reminded me of Percy Jackson is not a bad thing. If anything, it is a major net positive, given how much I love Percy Jackson. And hey, if you need another reason to listen to this audio drama, Becky Riordan, wife of Rick Riordan himself, recommends it. I think it's safe to say Rick gives Live From Mount Olympus his seal of approval.

Christina Liberus did pretty well as Andromeda, though at times she sounded a bit older than Perseus, not that there's anything wrong with that. Really, the entire cast gave phenomenal performances, and I hope I hear more from The TEAM in the future.

I really hope that Live From Mount Olympus comes back for a second season. And a third, and a fourth, and...well, you get the idea. There's plenty of other stories from Greek Mythology to adapt. Though, most would probably, at best, end on a bittersweet note. Perseus is notable for being one of the only Greek heroes to get an unanimously happy ending. Hermes does hint, at the end of the last episode, that he has more stories to tell in the future. I certainly hope that this isn't the last we've heard of Live From Mount Olympus.

So, there you have it. Live From Mount Olympus retells the myth of Perseus as an adventure of Olympic proportions. It is aimed at kids, but can be enjoyed by listeners of all ages. You do not want to miss this audio drama is you love Greek Mythology, or mythology in general. Do yourself a favor and listen today. You'll be glad that you did.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

The Audio File: Carcerem: Season 1

I have reviewed quite a few audio dramas by now. I'm also more than willing to take requests to reviews from anyone who asks me. Today, however, is something a bit different. This is the first time I've been asked to review an audio drama that has major Hollywood voice actors attached to it. So, without further ado, let's get into it. We're taking a look at season one of Carcerem.

Carcerem takes place in the land of Aaru. It was once a land full of magic and mighty heroes, but those days are long past. The people chaff under the oppressive rule of the Vigils. In theory, they protect the people from evil magic users and fearsome monsters called Lusus Naturae. In practice, however, the Vigils murder anyone who even slightly deviates from their definition of normal. The people long for the return of the great heroes of the past. The prophecy speaks who will bring liberation to the land.

Enter a girl named Ora and her childhood friend Godric. Ora believes that Godric is the one spoken of in the prophecy. Or rather, she did before Godric was promptly killed in a horse-related accident. Still, while life may have thrown her a curveball, Ora is determined to follow the prophecy to find the chosen one. To this end, she recruits the help of a blacksmith named Kevin, along with a colorful cast of other characters they meet along the way. They will follow the prophecy, and outwit the vigils, for the good of Aaru.

I was first approached to review Carcerem by series creator, and the voice of Kevin, Shane Salk. I said yes, but my policy with serialized shows is that I need at least one complete season before I commit to a review. Season one of Carcerem is out in full, and so here we are. Shane is also the creators of the popular zombie apocalypse audio drama We're Alive. I know that We're Alive was a lot of people's introduction to the world do audio drama, but I am not one of those people. For me, it was Twilight Histories, The Truth, and 1865 that got me into audio drama. Haven't listen to We're Alive, mainly because of the length. To be fair, that's also why I have listen to Wolf 359. But hey, maybe someday I'll get around to it.

Let's start by with the strongest aspect of Carcerem: the all-star cast. There are a lot of professional actors, voice actors and screen actors, in the cast. We've got Grey Griffin, Rob Paulson, Maurice LaMarche, Jane Lynch, and Neil Flynn. Admittedly, I didn't spot most of them, despite them all having rather distinctive voices. Perhaps I should have been paying closer attention. Well, I noticed Neil right away, but I'll discuss his performance when we talk about the characters in just a bit. In hindsight, I do realize that I did recognize Maurice as the tournament announcer.

Okay, all well and good, but why am I bringing this up? Oh, these aren't just any voice actors. These are top-of-the-line voice actors. Grey Griffin has been in a bunch of stuff, but is most famous as Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender and Vicky from Fairly Odd Parents. Have you seen any American cartoon ever in the past twenty-odd years? Rob Paulson was probably in it. Among other things, he was Carl Wheezer from Jimmy Neutron, Pinky from Pinky and The Brain, Mark Chang from Fairly Odd Parents, and Donatello from the 2016 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. Among other things, Maurice was the other half of Pinky and The Brain, Father on Kids Next Door, and his Orson Well impression is so good he dubbed over the actor who played Wells in Ed Wood.

Jane Lynch was in Glee, a show I'm aware of but never watched. She's been in other things, but I know her as Sargent Calhoun from Wreck-It-Ralph. Neil Flynn has had plenty of live action roles; he was Mike Heck on The Middle, the janitor on Scrubs, and Cady's dad in Mean Girls. However, he has done some voice work as well. Off the top of my head, he was one of the actors who voiced X-R on Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and he cameo as the janitor on Clone High.

Of course, the other voice actors in Carcerem aren't slouches either. Dana Power voices our lead character Ora. She really captures Ora's character development quite well. Ora goes from a wide-eyed idealist to someone more ground down world weary, but ultimately still willing to fight for what is right. Even Shane gets in on the fun by voicing Kevin. Kevin starts off as the somewhat bumbling comic relief sidekick to Ora, but as the series goes on, we see a different side of him. He becomes to rock Ora relies upon, and we learn that life has dealt him some blows as well.

I'd also like to take a moment to talk about the music. The soundtrack for the series largely consists of pseudo-medieval sounding music. Lots of flutes, trumpets and other woodworks, a heavy drumbeat, and the like. I particularly love the music that plays at the end of each episode over the credits. It is the sound of adventure in a fantasy land distilled, and I adore it. Of course, I also love the softer of flute music that play during more serious scenes. The music is very well composed.

Okay, so we've got a talent team of voice actors, and excellent music, so how is the writing and worldbuilding? When Shane first described Carcerem to me, he pitched it as The Princess Bride meets Game of Thrones. At the risk of sounding harsh, it failed to live up to that lofty pedigree by at least a mile. Now, in fairness, I wouldn’t say that the writing was terrible, I've certainly seen far worse. That having been said, it didn't exactly blow me away, or do anything that hasn't been done a hundred times before.

Aaru is a typical pseudo-medieval fantasy world. The history and culture aren't really dwelled upon for very long. It primarily just there as a place for adventures and quests to happen. We do at one point encounter a nomadic people that are vaguely similar to the Romany, but otherwise, the setting is just another vaguely medieval fantasy world. So, not much to write home about in that regard. Also, Aaru is the name of the afterlife in Egyptian Mythology, and as a mythology enthusiast, I'm of the opinion that maybe a better name could have been picked. Though, to be perfectly frank, I wonder if perhaps Generica would have been a better name.

It appeared that humans were the only sentient creatures for a while, but then we finally meet a gnome, so at least there's that. There are technically a few other sentient creatures, but we'll discuss that in a bit. Besides the Lusus Naturae, the primary monsters are the Risen, which are zombies in all but name. Well, Shane did make We're Alive, so I guess he's got to stay on-brand. Hey, I'm not complaining, I thought the zombies were a nice touch. We also encounter forest spirits called Wisps, which can be quite dangerous if you make them angry. And...that's about it as far as magical creatures go.

Now, strictly speaking you don't absolutely have to have meticulously detailed worldbuilding or a fully stocked menagerie when crafting a work of fantasy. However, you have to have something else to compensate for that. I'll give an example using three of my favorite fantasy audio dramas: The Two Princes, Absolutely No Adventures, and Alba Salix, Royal Physician. They all have worldbuilding very similar to that of Carcerem, but they also both have strong tongue-in-cheek elements, plenty of humor and irony, and don't play their premises completely straight. Carcerem plays it premise completely and utter straight almost to a fault. For a series that claims to be drawing inspiration from The Princess Bride, there is a distinct lack of self-awareness and wit. The dialogue isn’t bad, I've certainly seen worse, but it's not particularly snappy or witty either.

Well, the first couple episodes seemed to promise something along the lines of The Princess Bride. There's a fair bit of humor and sarcasm, and I especially loved the use of the narrator. After Godric kicked the bucket, however, these elements were promptly dropped, and the series became, to quote Sir Terry Pratchett, just another Standard Fantasy Product. I know Shane and the gang were going for the Game of Thrones feel, but they also failed at that. Carcerem is fairly tame compared to Game of Thrones. There is violence, as to be expected, but nothing particularly egregious. There also isn't much in the way of sexy stuff. Not that you need sex to be a good fantasy story, but if you compare yourself to Game of Thrones, that creates certain expectations.

Granted you don't have to be completely humorous or ironic. For example, Spice & Wolf, one of my favorite animes, is set in a world not too dissimilar to our world during the Late Medieval/Early Renaissance era. It's also a world with little to no magic. Its unique angle is that it focuses on the economics of the era, especially as they pertain to traveling merchants. The relationship between the two leads is very sweet, and the slower pace, compared to other fantasy anime, is actually quite refreshing at times. It also helps that one of the two leads is a very cute wolf goddess.

Okay, so let's talk characters. They are, let's be honest here, really more archetypes than proper characters. Ora is the wide-eyed sword-fighting hero girl who must confront a harsh world, and struggle to hold onto her ideals. Kevin is the emotionally supportive, but not very competent at fighting, sidekick. They meet a badass warrior woman named Formosa. Around the same time, they meet Isten, who presents himself as a great warrior, but is rather shifty and unscrupulous. He has his right-hand man Karras, who is loyal to a fault.

I kept thinking there was something familiar about Ora's name, but I couldn't think what. True, it does sound like the word aura, but no that wasn't it. Then I realized it. I had recently finished JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders when I first started listening to Carcerem. As such, I remembered how Jotaro's Stand, Star Platinum, always shouts "Ora! Ora! Ora!" whenever it fights. So, whenever anyone said Ora's name, I was always very tempted to shout "Ora! Ora! Ora!" because it was amusing to me.

I'd like to take this moment to say that I am very, very sorry for all the hordes of JoJo fans who will probably be descending on Carcerem after they see this. Seriously, I love JoJo, but the fans can get a little crazy sometimes. Seriously, they're like sharks in the water; they can smell a single mention of JoJo from a mile away. Okay, that was really more of a me think. However, I do have to ask, why named a character Formosa? Seriously, out of all the names, you pick the archaic name for Taiwan?

Anyway, let's talk about Vorlauf. He's the head of the Vigils. I must say, Neil Flynn gave an absolutely spectacular performance. Vorlauf starts of as a grumpy Mike Heck-esque character who just wants to do his job. Then comes the scene at the pub. Ora and the gang has just escaped, and Vorlauf is pumping the patrons for information. He corners one patron and slowly breaks the man's fingers one-by-one. To hear Neil speaking that Mike Heck voice, but as a cold blooded and sadistic torturer, made for quite the jarring contrast. And that's why the scene worked so well; it the first time we see Vorlauf's darker side.

Later in the series we get insight into why Vorlauf became a Vigil. Turns out, he was once like Ora, and believed in the prophecies. He even had a girlfriend who believed that he was the chosen one. However, she messed with magic too much and became corrupted. So, he had to kill her, and from that day forward he swore an oath against all things magic. In a way, he's a shadow archetype to Ora, showing what she might become if she makes the wrong choices. I guess what I liked about Vorlauf was that he felt like a fully realized character, rather than a cookie-cutter archetype.

In other particularly notable characters, there is Galan, one of the guardians of Carcerem. Magic can cause the physical forms of those who wield it to change. A tail here, a pair of wings there. As such, he's looks kind of like a monster, but he's a fairly friendly guy. He's in good spirits despite it all, though he is a bit scatterbrained at times. I really loved his dorky, somewhat socially awkward, but still endearing, personality.

Okay, so what is this Carcerem place exactly? Well, we don't find out til late in the first season. It was a city of magic users and heroes. Or rather it was. You see, I haven't been totally honest with you about the Lusus Naturae. There will be spoilers, so just down a couple paragraph if you don't want that.

Everyone who wants out gone? Then let's continue. So, what happens when you use too much magic at once? Why, you become a Lusus Naturae, of course! See, they weren't just random monsters, they were corrupted magic users. Okay, credit where it is due, I did not see that one coming. We started making unintentional JoJo references, and now we turned into Madoka Magica. And for Carcerem's third anime trick, it features a multi-episode tournament arc, just like any good shounen anime.

Okay, so clever twist there, but pity it was one of the few twists that caught me genuinely by surprise. The only other one was when Godric died. I mean, it was just so out of the blue, and was sudden, it caught me off guard. Though, that almost made it comical in a way.

Other than those two, however, the major twists and plot beats were incredibly predictable. Early into the season I reason that one of two things was going to happen. One, it would turn out that Ora was actually the chosen one, and that she had magic powers. Or two, it would turn out that the prophecy was wrong and that there was no chosen one. This would lead to a moral about working in the here and now to solve your problems, rather than waiting for all power men to descend from the sky and fix them for you. Wouldn't you know it, I was right on both counts.

And therein lies the central problem I have with Carcerem. If you’ve read any high fantasy novel ever, you’ve probably encountered the plot and characters of Carcerem in some form or another. It packed itself with some many tropes and archetypes it came across as downright cliché at times. It was billed as bold new step in the world of audio drama, but that billing turned out to be aspirational at absolute best.

The main selling point of Carcerem, besides the cast, seems to be the cinematic audio. While this is commendable, Carcerem is hardly unique in this regard. Just to name a few other audio dramas with cinematic audio we've got 1865, The Truth, Prototype World of Tomorrow, Timestorm, Moonface, The Two Princes, and pretty much everything Gen-Z Media makes.

A lot of people tell me that a We're Alive was pretty groundbreaking when it first came out. I don't know if that's true, but I'll give the benefit of the doubt and assume so. Unfortunately, the audio drama landscape has changed quite a bit since then. What worked back then isn't necessarily going to work now. I can't help but feel that Shane rested on his laurels here. That, or he didn't read enough fantasy books to realize the plot wasn't that unique.

Now, having said that, and despite its many flaws, I don't hate Carcerem. Maybe it's because I had to keep listening to it for this review, but it kind of grew on me. Granted, if I hadn't been doing this for a review, I probably would have dropped it like a hot potato after only a few episodes. Still, there's something undeniably charming about the performances of all the actors, and the sheer earnestness of it all. I always looked forward to Tuesday, because it meant a new episode of Carcerem. Not sure if I'm willing to stick with it for season two, but hey, at least there's that.

Also, though I don't understand it, there are plenty of people who greatly enjoy the Standard Fantasy Product type shows like Carcerem. They revel in all the tropes and archetypes. Like I said, I don't get it, but different strokes for different folks. Perhaps you are one of those people.

So, I think I've given you enough information to decide if Carcerem is something you'd be intersted in. If you're looking for something that breaks the mold, and does new stuff with high fantasy, then it's best to skip this one. If you're looking for fantasy not set in a pseudo-medieval world, also skip. But if you don't mind trope and archetypes, don't flinch at clichés, and perhaps are looking for something a bit more familiar, then Carcerem is the show for you. You know your tastes better than I do, so decide for yourself.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

The Audio File: King Kirby

In many ways, comic books and audio dramas aren't as different as they might seem. Sure, comic books are very much a visual medium, whereas audio dramas are auditory oriented. However, both mediums are very much team efforts. Oh, you can make a comic or an audio drama all on your own. However, more often than not you get by with a little help from your friends. Sometimes that means that the real hard works, and the real movers and shakers, might not get as much credit or attention as they deserve. This ties into the audio drama we'll be reviewing today. We're taking a look at King Kirby.

You may not have heard of Jack Kirby, but you're probably familiar with his work. Pretty much every major Marvel Comics character ever, besides Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, was first dreamed up Jack Kirby. But before he was the king of comics, he was just a kid from Brooklyn with big dreams. King Kirby follows the life and career of Jack Kirby, from his humble beginnings, to time serving in World War II, to his time at Marvel, and everything that followed.

I first became aware of this audio drama when I was perusing the r/audiodrama subreddit. They have a weekly thread about newly released audio dramas, complete with brief descriptions of each show. King Kirby looked promising, and now here we are.

King Kirby started life as a stage play, created by Crystal Skillman and Fred Van Lente, for a theatre festival. It did fairly well, and it even became a New York Times Critic's Choice Pick, but the team wanted to bring it to a wider audience. The play was funded via Kickstarter, and as a reward to the backers, the team recorded a reading of the play at Midtown Comics in Manhattan. So, they had the initial audio sitting around for a while before they got the idea to make it into an audio drama. So, Crystal and Fred hired Bobby Cronin to compose some music for the podcast. And thus, an audio drama was born.

I suppose it's rather fitting that things worked out this way. Fred Van Lente has world on several comics including The Incredible Hercules and Action Philosophers. Crystal Skillman has written plays such as Rain and Zoe Save the World, Open, and Cut. By the way, that's three plays; Open and Cut are two separate plays. I got confused on this point when I was researching for this review, so I'm just putting that as a point of clarification. Also, the Marvel Comics version of Hercules is yet another Jack Kirby creation. He premiered in The Mighty Thor, also a Kirby creation.

Anyway, it was only natural that Fred and Crystal, who are a married couple, would combine their skill to make an excellent audio drama. This does provide an amusing parallel to the life of Jack Kirby, who famously never made any creative decisions without input from his wife Roz.

Speaking of which, let's talk about the man himself. Jack Kirby came from humble working-class origins in Brooklyn. Yet he always dreamed big and loved to draw. His favorite was always stuff with spaceship and larger than life heroes. He didn't go to college, but that was hardly unusual for the time he lived. One new thing I learned from this audio drama is that one of Kirby's earliest jobs was in animation. He helped to animated Popeye the Sailor Man cartoons. Specifically, he was the guy who draw the transition frames. They're the frames that are necessary to make the characters move around. Unsurprisingly, this is fairly tedious work, and he quickly grew to despite Popeye. It was never outright stated, but we should probably assume his opinion of spinach was also severely soured by the experience. I knew that Kirby did animation work on The Super Friends at Hanna-Barbera later in his life, but I wasn't aware I did work on Popeye.

Another thing I found interesting is that this audio drama really empathized Kirby's relationship with Joe Simon. Usually, it's Kirby's relationship with Stan Lee that gets emphasized. Now, we do eventually get to that, but not til episode four. For reference, the podcast in only four episodes long. It was with Simon that Kirby created the first of his many great superheroes: Captain America. That first iconic cover of Captain America socking Hitler came out in March of 1941, a good nine months before America officially entered World War II. Of course, once America entered the war, Kirby did not hesitate to enlist. But before he did, he left a mass backlog of comics just so that things wouldn't fall behind in his absence. Seriously, the man was a comic book drawing machine. Kirby fought the forces of evil both in the pages of comic books and on the battlefield. It is safe to say that the man lived a life.

Of course, once the war is over, it is time for the Marvel Age to begin. When we first meet Stan Lee, he's a sweet, if slightly quirky, teenager. By the fourth episode, however, he's metamorphosed into a far more familiar, if rather sleazy, form. I would say that, overall, King Kirby's depiction of Stan Lee was reasonably fair. The famous Marvel Method was where Stan came out with an outline, sometimes merely an idea, for a story and had Jack draw art based around that. After that, Stan came up with the dialogue and filled-in the word balloons. In practice, however, this meant Kirby did most of the heavy lifting in terms of storytelling. Many times, Kirby would even write suggested dialogue on the sides of the page. There were also times when the "outline" was pretty much just a single sentence. The famous Galactus trilogy of The Fantastic Four came from Stan going "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if the Fantastic Four fought God?" As such, Kirby wrote the whole thing, plot and dialogue, all by himself. An unofficial part of the Marvel Method was that Stan always wrote his name first and biggest on the cover.

Jack Kirby made Marvel Comics as in the characters, but Stan Lee made Marvel Comics the company. Stan's real strength wasn't in his storytelling, but in his ability as a businessman. Well, that's not completely true; he was a slick talker, and he was very good had crafting a public persona. He was also young, hip, and photogenic. Kirby, by contrast, looked like a longshoreman. This often caused the media to assume that Kirby was dumber than he actually was. That really was unfair of them; as I said, Kirby only had a high school education, but he wasn't stupid. In fact, he was quite intelligent and well-read on numerous subjects such as history, mythology, religion, and science. Stan did try to correct the media on this point, but many argue he didn't do it as much as he could and/or should have.

Stan also took the lion's share of the money earned from the comics, while Kirby and the other artists only got pennies by comparison. Unsparingly, Kirby eventually reached his breaking point and went to work for the Distinguished Competition. Of course, much as Kirby would hate to admit it, he needed someone like Stan to convince editors that his ideas could work. The fact that most of Kirby's work at DC Comics got canceled after only a few issues does lend support to this. The main exception being Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth. Kirby's work at DC does, I think, show that he was the main creative driver at Marvel. I've read his DC work, and I can easily see it being published at Marvel.

Anyway, getting back on track, episode four really climaxes with Kirby deciding to leave Marvel after Stan Lee screws him over. We do get glimpses into Kirby's post-Marvel life, but they're fairly brief, as the show needed to wrap things up. As previously mentioned, the original stage play was part of a theatre festival. The festival rules stated that all entries must be no longer than seventy-five minutes. This necessitated that certain aspects of the story being condensed for the sake of time. And to be fair, it is possible that a lot of Kirby's post-Marvel life wouldn't translate very well onto stage.

That having been said, I still found the ending to be a bit rushed. I also think there was still plenty of interesting material that could be mined. You can talk in-depth about Kirby jumping ship to DC Comics, and how he eventually had to come back to Marvel. You can talk about the time he worked at Hanna-Barbera, or the time he cameoed on The Incredible Hulk television show. Yeah, Stan Lee wasn't the first to make cameos in Marvel adaptions. Specifically, Kirby played a police sketch artist, who drew a picture of Hulk in the style of the comics. You could talk about his participation in the Iranian Hostage Crisis. And you can talk about how, towards the end of his life, he kick-started the creator-owned comics movement with his work at Pacific Comics.

I don't want to sound overly negative here. It was clear to me, from that very first episode, that a lot of love and dedication went into King Kirby. They referenced more than just the typical well-known Marvel stuff Kirby worked on. For example, at one point they mention Tiger 21. He was an idea Kirby worked on, but never got around to publishing. Not too many people, outside of hardcore Kirby fans, tend to know that one. I only knew that because I read the comic Kirby: Genesis. Excellent comic; a true love letter to the works of Jack Kirby. I will have to review it sometime. There was also brief mention of New Gods, and how it didn't sell as well as Kirby hoped. I always thought that was a damn shame, because New Gods is excellent. The point is, Fred and Crystal clearly knew their Kirby history.

An audio drama is nothing without a talented team of voice actors. I once looked up a news clip of Jack Kirby from the 1980s out of curiosity. I don't know what I was expecting. I guess I maybe expected him to have a deep authoritative voice. Instead, he just sounded like a regular guy. In fact, he kind of reminded me of Martin Crain from Frasier. I really felt that Steven Rattazzi captured Kirby's personality. He doesn't try to do an impression of Kirby, but he was reasonably close. He captures the essence of who Kirby was as a person. Likewise, Nat Cassidy doesn't sound quite like Stan Lee, but he was at least ballpark correct. He really nailed the sleazy businessman depiction the play was going for. And sounding a little off kind of worked out. It, if unintentionally, hints that Stan's publish persona is a sham, and not reflective of who he truly is.

Amy Lee Pearsall voices Roz Kirby with almost stereotypically Jewish New Yorker accent. But again, she really captures Roz's stand-willed and independent personality. And hey, for all I know, Roz Kirby really did sound like that. Really, all the actors did an excellent job bringing the characters to life. I also really appreciated that the team added music and sound effects to the audio drama. I always appreciate those who go the extra mile to create a truly immersive audio experience.

I concede that a play has to end somewhere. Ending the audio drama where it does ties into the themes and framing device. I should have mentioned this earlier, but the show begins with a framing device of an auction of Kirby's original drawings. The sounds of the auction fade away and we get a monologue from Kirby himself, presumable from beyond the grave. He muses on the nature of legacy, and about his life, and what it all means in the end. By the end of the last episode, we return to the auction and Kirby's musings. As Roz notes, Kirby is everywhere. His art is on lunch boxes, backpacks, and of course on the newsstands. And yet he is also nowhere, because he receives no credit, and hardly any payment.

Sadly, it really wasn't until relatively recent times that Jack Kirby received the recognition that he rightful deserves. Well, outside of diehard comics fans, that is. Jack Kirby was officially declared a Disney Legend, alongside Stan Lee, in 2017. Fittingly enough, this would have been Kirby's 100th birthday. People have also slowly begun to reassess both the founding myth of Marvel Comics, and of Stan Lee's more questionable business practices. This is especially true now that Stan Lee is dead, and isn't around to defend himself.

I always founded it sad that Jack Kirby never lived to see the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And yet the legacy of Jack Kirby, and his work, surrounds us. So, here's to Jack Kirby. One of the few people who can truly be called a Renaissance Man, and one who will hopefully get more of the credit he deserves someday.

And here's to everyone who worked to make King Kirby possible. It was an absolute joy to listen to from start to finish, and I loved every minute of it. Give it a listen today, you'll be very glad that you did.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

The Audio File: Hell Gate City Companion

You guys probably know, by now, how it goes when I'm asked to review an audio drama. I'm more than happy to review an audio drama that is asked of me. However, I also don't hesitate to critique anything I find to be lacking. So, with all that in mind, let's get into the podcast we'll be reviewing today. We're taking a look at Hell Gate City Companion.

Hell Gate City Companion is set in Neo Amsterdam. It's a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk future version of New York City. There's a portal that leads straight to Hell in the heart of the city, and demons run wild in the streets. The city is also under the iron grip of an authoritarian government. But radio host Kirby Bevins doesn't let it get him down. He runs a semi-illegal public radio show dedicated to informing and entertaining the people of Neo Amsterdam. Each episode delves into a different topic about life in Neo Amsterdam.

I was first made aware of Hell Gate City Companion when series creator Kevin Berrey. He'd seen my review of We Fix Space Junk. I'm always happy to help those who ask me to listen and review there shows, and so here we are.

Upon listening to Hell Gate City Companion, I was struck by how similar it is to Welcome to Night Vale. We've got a quirky community radio host, in a place where strange and unusual things regularly happen, and with a shadowy oppressive government, but the hosts remain cheery and upbeat despite it all. I should add that Kevin is an excellent narrator, but it was pretty clear to me that he was trying to channel Cecil Baldwin.

Don't get me wrong, I used to love Welcome to Night Vale. I listened to over 100 episodes, but after I got to...was it episode 112 or 120? Anyway, point is, eventually I got tired of it and noped out of it. I didn't like the fact that it was just going on and on, with no end in sight, and doing pretty much the same thing for episode after episode. As such, the last thing I want in an audio drama is something that reminds me of Welcome to Night Vale. So, Hell Gate City Companion was pretty much doomed from the start with me. I tried to give it a chance, but after the first few episodes it was clear that things weren't going to improve in that regard. Also, and this really is a minor point, it's billed a cyberpunk, but I find it to be more supernatural post-apocalyptic.

Ultimately, whether or not you enjoy Hell Gate City Companion will come down to whether you enjoyed Welcome to Night Vale, and you want more of the same. If so, then you'll probably enjoy Hell Gate City Companion quite a lot. If not, then you're better of skipping this one. There really is no getting around this point.

To be perfectly frank, I'm surprised that Kevin hasn't been sued for copyright infringement. Granted, I think there's probably enough differences to keep him out of legal trouble, but the influences from Welcome to Night Vale are pretty obvious. The biggest difference is that Hell Gate City Companion has a tendency to play Current Events Mad Libs. For example, one episode's main story was pretty obviously about the Capitol Riot, but with some of the names switched around. The other difference is that Hell Gate City Companion does not feature any guest music like Welcome to Night Vale does.

Well, I really don't think I can add much more. I didn't care for Hell Gate City Companion, but perhaps you will. I've given you all the information you need to make an informed decision, so decide for yourself.

I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

My First Publication with The Journey Into Podcast

As per usual, I'm late to announce this on this blog, but I have exciting news. My short story "Chain Reaction" won third place in the Journey Into Journey short story writing contest from the Journey Into Podcast. Twelve people entered, but only six people, counting me, submitted stories. We were each assigned a different song from the band Journey. The title of the song would be the title of our story, and we build the story around the title. We also had to include at least two phrases from the song, of at least four words each somewhere in story. The story could be about whatever we wanted.

Third, second, and first place included monetary prizes plus getting your story produced on the podcast. Third place is $5, second place is $10, and first place is $25. Of course, publication order is, third, second, then first. I won third place, and as far as I’m concerned, I got the best deal, since that meant I was first to get my story produced. The true reward, for me, was always to hear my story produced in full cast audio.

My story is called "Chain Reaction." And it’s a full cast production with all sorts of talented voice actors. Nick Griffalco and Arthur Hikma have entered a contest to win $100,000. They must be the final ones to get off a roller coaster. However, one night Nick hears the roller coaster talking to him. It wants him to be the prophet of a new religion based around roller coasters. Arthur thinks Nick has completely lost it. He is determined to get Nick to snap out it before he goes completely off the rails. It’s sure to be one wild ride.

We’ve got Norm Sherman from The Drabblecast as our main character Nick, and he nails the role so well. Well, this story probably wouldn’t be out of place at The Drabblecast. Dave Robison uses his deep authoritative voice to great effect as the Rollar Coster God, and Marshall Latham himself gives a surprisingly spot-on performance as Arthur. There were many other characters with minor roles, but voice actors who gave exception performances. For example, Rish Outfeild gives a surprisingly fun performance as minor character Sean. His right hand man Big Anklevich cameos as AJ, another minor character. Tena Kolakowski Actually sounds pretty close to how I imagine Gwen sounding. Meanwhile, Bria Burton does a respectable job as Arthur’s girlfriend Molly. Great performances all around.

Normally, I'd take this opportunity to tell you more about the behind the scenes aspects, but Marshall already took care of that. He read and recorded those bits himself as an author's note. He intended to include it with the story, but he forgot in his rush to get the story out. In hindsight, if I'd been smart, I'd have called the Journey Into Podcast voice mail number and left a message of myself reading the author's note, but it is what it is. 

However, I will include some bit I forgot to put in the author's note. For those wondering, no, Arthur and Molly's names aren't a Harry Potter reference. Molly was originally named Holly, after an internet friend I used to have. However, said friend and I had a bit of a falling out, and I liked the name Molly, so I made the somewhat lazy switch of name. I didn't remember what Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's names were until after the story had been published. 

One the flipside, however, the part where Nick says that all is one, and one is all, was indeed a reference to Fullmetal Alchemist. When it comes to how I imagined Nick sounding, I wrote his lines with Gray, from the Let's Play channel GrayStillPlays, in mind. However, I was still pleasantly surprised by Norm's narration. And hey, it's not every day that Norm Sherman himself narrates your story. Hmm, I wonder if that makes "Chain Reaction" and honorary Drabblecast story. It certainly wouldn't have been out of place at The Drabblecast. 

On a similar note, Arthur's last name was going to be Drakoni originally. However, I decided to change it at the absolute last minute. My twitter handle, as you might be aware, is ArthurDrakoni, and I was worried people might assume that Arthur was meant to be a stand-in for me. 

Also, there was one minor error. During the part where Nick says "I'll give three truths..." that was suppose to be Arthur's line. It my fault for not making that more clear, and I don't gold it against Marshall and the gang. 

But enough of all that. Go give it a listen now, and be sure to listen to the author's note too. This is very exciting progress, and I'm very pleased with the final result.