Podcasts Worth Checking Out, Part 2

Stewart here…

It’s been a while since I wrote about some of my favorite podcasts, and just to fan the flames of discussion, here’s some more entries in that list that might warrant your attention…

Welcome to Night Vale — A recent addition to my regular podcast queue, this is meant to be a community radio show in the fictional and very weird town of Night Vale. Besides the occasional musical interlude, you’ll hear stories of the paranormal, otherworldly, and just plain nuckin futs stuff. Since premiering in 2012, its been building up a serialized mythology that is both detailed and very funny to follow. Also, its expected to become a book soon, so check it out, and learn why the Night Vale dog park isn’t for dogs…or people…

Where you might want to start: This is one of those rare cases where a random episode doesn’t quite work in capturing what the show is about. Its best to start with the first episode, since later episodes build up from the groundwork set up here. However, if you’re one of those people who like to jump into the deep end, may I suggest the two-part “Sandstorm” episode, which takes some wonderfully twisted turns.

The Flop House — Another of the bad movie podcasts I listen to, this one has some writers of The Daily Show talking about a movie that failed to light up the box office (generally because said movie is bad). Besides tangents on pop culture, reading mail from listeners, and recommending movies that aren’t pieces of crap, this tends to be a lively hour dissecting a bad movie to find what it is that makes it bad to begin with. Also, a good amount of them involve current Nicolas Cage movies. Deservedly so, I might add.

Where you might want to start: I’d recommend going in through the worst of the worst movies talked about, with the episodes on The Oogieloves Movie, The Bratz Movie and Foodfight.

Thrilling Adventure Hour — This podcast is really an audio recording of the Thrilling Adventure Hour live show in L.A., which is appropriate as the show is performed like an old radio show. There are recurring segments that pop in from week to week, and occasional guest stars like Nathan Fillion, Joe Mantegna, and James Urbaniak, among others, but the reason to keep listening is the comical handling in each segment, which maintains a wonderful balance between ol’ timey radio and present day satire.

Where you might want to start: My personal pick would be with the Beyond Belief episodes, which feature Paul F. Tompkins and Paget Brewster as mediums that would rather get a drink than deal with the supernatural.

Fatman on Batman — A recent addition to the Kevin Smith podcast empire, Smith talks to key people involved in the lore of Batman. From interviews from writers of the comics like Scott Snyder and Grant Morrison, to the classic animated series with people like voice actor Kevin Conroy, there’s some wonderful tales dug out of the subjects. And like most Smith related interviews, they tend to be extensive and run multiple episodes, so there’s plenty (and in some cases, not enough) material to be great listening for Dark Knight fans.

Where you might want to start: The Grant Morrison episodes are worth a listen, as is a recent chat with Paul Dini, if more for the CW-worthy tangent both him and Smith take into brainstorming their own young Batman TV show.

Look, these are just a few more of the many podcasts I subscribe to, and some of them are not for everyone’s taste. But hey, what are your favorite podcasts? Do you have any podcasts you listen to not on this list worth recommending? Leave some thoughts in the comments below…