Time for another round of podcast reviewing with a superhero flair to it. I generally listen to about 13 hours of podcasts a week, and often I like to fit in podcasts that talk superhero and comic book movies since I’d say I’m fairly knowledgeable about that topic. So each week I’ll be taking a closer look at some of those podcasts that I have been listening to, and once I run out of those I will be looking at some new podcasts every other week. If you know of or run one of those new-to-me podcasts, give me a shout in the comments or on Twitter and I’ll add you to the list.

24 Panels Per Second

The Basics

Website: 24PanelsPerSecond.com
Episode count (as of 6/4/16): 81 + many bonus episodes
Episodes listened to: 25+
Release schedule: Monthly on the 24th, plus bonuses on new releases
Episode Length: newer episodes: around 1:00, older episodes 1:30-2:00
Audio Quality: Clear
Language rating: generally PG, PG-13 at worst
Spoilers: Yes
Production format: 1-4 conversational segments with multiple rotating hosts and music cues in between, occasional comedy segments.

The Format

Each episode has 1 to 4 segments more or less with a rotating panel of regular guests generally led by at least one of the two main hosts: David Babbitt and Dru Jeffries. They had grown into a longer episode format where they would cover at least a couple movies and also have a segment on something movie or comics related like a discussion on the Marvel Live or a Turtles documentary or a comedy bit called Anderviews where Andrew will “interview” a famous comic creator. A few months back they have scaled back to shorter episodes clocking in closer to one hour or less where they generally just focus on a single movie and will possibly have an additional segment. Each movie discussion is also tied in with discussion on the comic book or comic strip that the film was based on. While there are some funny moments here or there, the discussion is usually more centered on looking at the film or comic from an academic standpoint while also leaving room for more gut feelings like “was it fun” or any nostalgic memories that came with it.

Comics vs Movies vs TV

While the show doesn’t quite give equal weight towards the comics and the movies, it comes pretty close. There’s ample discussion given towards the comics and they often stray away from the typical Marvel & DC films for more atypical comics like the Addams Family, Tamara Drewe, or Alien vs. Predator. But more than half of the podcast is still dedicated to dissecting the film. They also don’t shy away from the bad films, giving a fairly equal mix between the good and the bad covering everything from Elektra and the Spirit to Snowpiercer and Sin City. And while their main focus tends towards theatrical releases, they do occasionally dip into TV shows, TV movies, and direct to video releases. They also occasionally have written articles on their main site that covers all sorts of topics from the Power Rangers to fan films. When they dip into comedy bits it can be hit or miss, their holiday Hot Toddy Talk can be quite fun, but I’m not quite as sold on their Anderviews that are just a little bit too silly for my tastes, but those bits tend to be few and far between in favor of their regular segments.

The Verdict

While this podcast has a smaller number of episodes than the last podcast I covered, Hero Movie Podcast, they have actually been around much longer, even longer than this site with their first episode on Steel of all movies going back to 2011. I haven’t listened to their entire back catalogue, but I have listened to a few older episodes, typically on some of the more obscure comic book movies after I had discovered them myself, but I do listen to every one of their regular episodes since discovering them a couple years ago or so now. I’ve also had both of their main hosts Dru and Dave on my own Filmwhys podcast as guests. I quite enjoy their discussions and often learn something new about the comics or the movies after listening to them. It’s not all handled dryly either, there are moments of humor laced throughout the discussion but it never feels like they’re just trying to make a joke, it’s more of a casual discussion between two (or more) friends.

24 Panels Per Second: Subscribed