Girls Interrupting

Our love of Wakanda continues with a viewing of the first three episodes of the 2010 BET cartoon BLACK PANTHER! In this short series, we see how T’Challa gained the throne, as well as some previous Wakandan monarchs who have held the mantle of the Black Panther, and the battles they fought against everyone from racist colonizers to a young Captain America. Tune in and join us as we discuss the animated BLACK PANTHER!

The Girls are back at the movies with week, along with special guest Kenneth from NOTLG's Bam!Pow!TV in the co-host chair! We're on an extended trip to Wakanda this month, and this was the highlight of our vacation. Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael B. Jordan, and Danai Gurira lead a fantastic ensemble cast in one of the best Marvel Studios ventures to date. We discuss the reactions, the money, and most of all, our joy at seeing the world of Wakanda finally brought to the big screen. Let us know your favorite character, your favorite line, and how many times you've gone to see it! We can't wait to go back. :heart:

With the release of Marvel's "Black Panther" only TWO DAYS AWAY, we're spending as much time as we can in Wakanda! WORLD OF WAKANDA is an offshoot of Ta-nehisi Coates' main BLACK PANTHER run, and it provides a look into the heart of Wakanda, separate from what King T'Challa may experience. We see the training of the Dora Milaje, the history of Wakanda itself, but most of all, the evolution of Aneka and Ayo's love story. A story focused around a queer black romance, brought to us by the amazingly talented Roxane Gay, feels like a gift, and it was a joy to read. We can't wait to see more from WORLD OF WAKANDA!

This week we’re talking about violence, about glitter, about roller skates - that’s right, it’s roller derby time! We’re discussing the first two issues of SLAM! by Pamela Ribon and Veronica Fish. We follow Jen and Maisie as they become fast friends while developing a love of roller derby side-by-side, and see how the intensity of derby can completely take over your life, for better or for worse. Forget the blood, forget the bruises, but don’t forget to come up with a kickass derby name! We’ll see you on the track, jammers.

Inspired by Netflix’s recent Punisher show, we’ve picked up Vol 9 of Marvel’s THE PUNISHER by podcast favorite Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto. This volume introduces the character of Rachel Cole-Alves, a woman after Frank Castle’s own mission. After her entire family is gunned down at her wedding reception, Rachel Alves (she took her husband’s name has some decisions to make about what to do next with her life. Meanwhile, we see the effects the Punisher has on reporters, cops, and the city at large as he moves through New York more like an unstoppable force of nature than a solitary person. Also, he fights a giant bird. Pack the bandages and the bullets, kids, it’s time to talk about THE PUNISHER!

It's Rex Manning Day! Just kidding, this isn't Empire Records, but we're pretty sure it bought the soundtrack. Carly Usdin and Nina Vakueva's HEAVY VINYL is a love letter to 90s romcoms, and is a nostalgia trip for those of us who were around for the age of the Walkman. These first two issues are full of teen angst, musical references, and silly drama that seems made for teens and pre-teens. Let's talk record stores, first crushes, and fighting the patriarchy with your best friends! And yeah, we're open 'til midnight.

It’s 2018, and we’re back to business! This time we’re talking about Grace Ellis and Shae Beagle’s adorable coffee shop bestiary known as MOONSTRUCK! Weird is the watchword in a universe full to bursting with every kind of supernatural creature you’ve ever heard of, with nary a boring, vanilla human in sight. Julie, our favorite werewolf barista, is uneasy with her status as a semi-regular canine, but her new girlfriend Selena seems much more at peace with her lupine nature. Julie’s coworker Chet, the genderqueer centaur, just wants to score a date with Manuel, the cute minotaur with the manbun. But suddenly there are prophecies, ominous magic shows with sketchy magicians, and potentially evil snacks. Grab your lattes and tuck your tails in y’all, let’s talk MOONSTRUCK!

Doesn't everyone secretly fantasize about going back to high school for one last party? Uhh, as if! But we're following our nostalgia train anyway, all the way back to 1995 when Cher Hororwitz first stole our hearts and changed our vocabulary forever. This journey through Cher, Dionne, and Tai's senior year is brought to us by Amber Benson, Sarah Kuhn, and Siobhan Keenan. The original Clueless is a cultural touchstone for our age bracket, but reading this book had us totally buggin'. Were we possibly not the Bettys this book was made for? It felt like we'd been here before, and not in a time loop kind of way. What. Ever. We're always here for a fun story about girls and friendship, even if we can't see eye-to-eye with high school kids anymore!

When Carol Danvers got her promotion from "Ms" to "Captain" back in 2014, all of us were immediately drawn to this new version of a classic character. She was brave, she was smart, she was reckless, and she was brilliant. It’s been a few years, and Carol’s put some mileage on her new boots. In the uncertain days after the events of CIVIL WAR II, how is Carol coping? What are her next steps? And will we want to walk them with her anymore? It’s never easy to follow a big act, and the version of Carol Danvers put forth by Kelly Sue DeConnick and David Lopez changed how the entire world viewed Carol Danvers, and earned a permanent place in our fangirl hearts. Can this new version in the pages of Margaret Stohl and Ramon Rosanas’ MIGHTY CAPTAIN MARVEL fly out of the long shadow cast by her predecessor? What do you think, listeners? Are you still proud members of the Carol Corps? As always, we welcome your thoughts. Please send them care of Alpha Flight Space Station, where we’ll be setting up our new recording

It may be his town, but this is Olive's school and Batman is not welcome here. This week we’re back in moody, spooky Gotham with Becky Cloonan & Brenden Fletcher‘s GOTHAM ACADEMY! Olive Silverlock had a rough summer (she thinks) and the fall semester hasn't been easier since her best friend is also her estranged BF’s little sister. Between the teachers lurking, neighbors summoning the dead, and mysterious noises in the walls, Olive struggles to figure out the weirdness surrounding her. What really happened to her mother? Who’s the hottie with the Man-Bat problem? And what is Damien Wayne doing there?

It's time for the number one team-up of the summer! No, not that one. Nope, not that one either. Okay fine, maybe they're not the number one team-up, but they're definitely number one in our hearts! This week we're reading issues #1-4 of the newest run of DEFENDERS by Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez! We see the four main characters from the Netflix show in their 616 incarnations joining forces once again when formerly dead bad guy Diamondback shows up to start trouble. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Danny Rand, and Matt Murdock are each targeted individually, but quickly join forces when they realize the attacks are connected. We were charmed by the cameos (OMG BLADE) and the effortless way these four seem to work together, depend on each other, and care about each other. We highly recommend this one, whether or not you were a fan of the show!

If you're headed to Purgatory, you better be ready for a fight! This week we're reading the newest run of WYNONNA EARP, the comic that inspired one our favorite (and queerest!) current TV shows. Written and created by Beau Smith with art by Lora Innes & color by Jay Fotos, WYNONNA EARP is the story of the secret, supernatural-focused division of the US Marshals service, Black Badge. Leading our secret team are Agent Xavier Dolls and Wynonna Earp, the great-great-great-etc., granddaughter of famous Lawman, Wyatt Earp. They're supported (or betrayed) by mysterious cowboy "John Henry" and are currently attempting to bust a cartel of Chupacabra Cannibals operating out of the south west United States.

What's hiding behind the scenes of your local high school's theater department? It is just dusty set pieces, paint cans, and splintery old boards? Or is it something more mysterious? In James Tynion IV and Rian Sygh's BACKSTAGERS #1-4, we follow Jory on his quest to join an extracurricular activity at his new school, both to make new friends and to placate his mom. Drama club's a bust, but the flurry of activity and unbelievable weirdness Jory finds when he seeks out the stage crew tells him he's found the right fit. There are monsters, mysteries, and most of all - new friends! If you love the way LUMBERJANES feels young, fun, and effortlessly queer, we think you'll like BACKSTAGERS, too!

The Girls are headed back into the dark and deeply twisted world of CLEAN ROOM, created by Gail Simone and Jon Davis-Hunt... As Chloe continues to pull at the threads tying her fiancee's suicide to Astrid Mueller and her group of followers, Astrid has sequestered herself within the walls of the clean room itself, face to face with a creature hiding inside a dead man's skin. While it's obvious Astrid and these beings are opposing forces, what their motivations might be, and what either side's victory might eventually mean for the future of the rest of humanity, remains to be seen. What are those creatures? Aliens? Demons? Xenomorphs? What was really on that tape Phillip watched? And would you watch it? Join us as we discuss all of those things, and whether or not Monica is 1/16th of a doctor, on this week's Previously On!

Summertime is movie time, and this week we're talking about Charlize Theron's new spy thriller, ATOMIC BLONDE! She plays Lorraine Broughton, an MI6 agent sent to investigate another agent's murder in Berlin during the final days before the Wall falls. There are the usual spy machinations, but let's talk about what really makes this movie special: the fight scenes, the fashion, and the soundtrack. All three are fantastic! Earlier this month we covered THE COLDEST CITY, which was the inspiration for this film. How does the movie compare to the book, and how did they expand a 176-page graphic novel into a two-hour movie? And does the old age of the book always being better than the movie hold true?

Grab a parka big enough to hide your shoulder holster, because we're headed to Berlin, circa 1989! This week we read THE COLDEST CITY by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart, a black and white graphic novel about the Cold War that inspired the new Charlize Theron spy thriller Atomic Blonde! The Berlin Wall may soon topple, and Lorraine Broughton is tasked by MI6 to investigate the mysterious death of a coworker who was chasing a secret list filled with the names of spies on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Obviously we're going to compare a story about a lady spy with podcast favorite comics like QUEEN & COUNTRY and VELVET, as well as movies like SALT. How will COLDEST CITY stack up? And how does it compare with the trailer for Atomic Blonde? Be sure to keep an eye out for an upcoming special episode reviewing the movie! Join us as we discuss all of them, along with Jacque's visit to SDCC and her nearly close encounter with GAL GADOT! This week's GameBangers features B and Jacque doing their best to get on the boar

Get ready to leave those boys in the dust, listeners, because today we're talking about MOTOR CRUSH! It's an enging-revving good time in the semi-futuristic world of Nova Honda, where Dominio Swift just wants to win the World Grand Prix but weird chemicals, sexy exes, and mysterious secrets keep making her life more interesting than she might like. Brought to you by the BATGIRL team of Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, and Babs Tarr, it's a gorgeously animated world filled with women who define the life goals/wife goals challenge. We've got questions, such as: What's Domino's real backstory? Where does the Crush come from? How does Lola get her hair to look like that? And when does the next issue come out already? Helmets on, listeners! We'll see you at the finish line.

It's a special CROSSOVER EPISODE this week as we form a superhero podcast team-up with Ashford and Mark of the excellent Birds of Prey podcast, FEATHERS AND FOES! We're discussing the classic BATMAN/HUNTRESS: CRY FOR BLOOD by Greg Rucka and Rick Burchett. Several favorite characters pop up, including Oracle, the original Question, and other members of the Bat Family that may not have earned the title "favorite." In CRY FOR BLOOD, we get to see the rise and fall of the Bertinelli family, Helena's early training, and her first encounter with Batman (MERRY CHRISTMAS!!). We also get to see Helena stand her ground and defend her methodology against basically every dude in Gotham who thinks they know the best way to superhero. Join us as we debate the ethics of murder-by-proxy, breaking and entering (with the best of intentions), and how Nightwing earned the title "Most Lovable Sociopath."

Hello Listeners!! The Girls are pretty excited to bring you two books starring the indomitable and charmingly annoying Kate Bishop, Marvel's Other (Better) Hawkeye! We meet her first in Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie's YOUNG AVENGERS where she teams up with Wiccan, Hulkling, Kid Loki, and new friends Marvel Boy & Ms America to fight against evil versions of their own parents!! A few Comic Book Years later, we follow Kate to the Best Coast as she becomes Venice Beach's newest private investigator. What seems to be a routine stalking case suddenly involves a dive off the Venice Pier, way too many weirdos in masks, and a fight with the MRA Hulk. But true love (and plenty of arrows) saves the day, and while it's no West Coast Avengers, Hawkeye finds a new crew to call her own.

The Girls return to Greg Rucka & Nicola Scott's magical world of BLACK MAGICK. Issues 4 & 5 continue Rowan and Morgan's investigation into the murder of a murderer and Rowan attempts to quietly figure out how magic is involved. Magic has brought a strange European man to town, Rowan has to argue with a house, Morgan DEFINITELY knows something is up between Ro and that Alex woman, and Ro may have involved Alex in a magical fight for her life. As for us, we cannot get over the art of this book and just want to send Nicola and Greg mini muffin baskets on the weekly!