Entering it’s fifth-year of talking comics, the Worst. Comic. Podcast. EVER! is three life-long friends who are also comic book readers. As kids, we would race down to the local convenience store on Monday afternoons to see what new comics had been added to the spinner rack. A good week was convincing one of our parents to drive us to an honest-to-goodness comic book shop. Between us, we read and collected a lot of books over the years. Regardless of our ages, the love of comics remains true, even if we have new reading and collecting habits. But the highlight for all of us is getting together and just talking about comics. Hence the podcast! Sure, we want to put out something good, but let’s be honest – we’re not professional podcasters. So bear with us as we do our best each week to have fun and talk comics.

Contact us via Facebook (facebook.com/worstcomicpodcastever), Twitter or Instagram (@wcpEVER), or e-mail (worstcomicpodcastever@gmail.com)

Meet the guys responsible for the WCPE!

Cullen

Cullen pulled his first comic off a spinner rack in a QuikTrip in Shawnee, KS, in 1978 and spent the next few years casually reading books like Dazzler, Marvel Team-Up, Marvel Two-in-One, and She-Hulk purchased from gas station magazine stands on family vacations from around the country. Then he met John and Jerry in junior high and learned you could go to a store which sold nothing but comics and he lost his mind. Cullen is a homemaker and he has four children and a beautiful wife with whom he plays Gotham City Imposters with every chance he gets.  He’s a human.

First comic book: Godzilla #10 (Marvel) May 1978

All time favorite comic or story:  Alpha Flight #1 – #12

Last comic to make me cry: Daytripper by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon. It spoke to the power of intimacy with oneself and others while admitting all are at the mercy of chaos.

Comic that I am embarrassed to admit to owning: I’m not embarrassed by anything in my collection or I would have purged it long ago. Although I do occasionally get miffed at myself for spending money collecting all of the Topps Kirbyverse books.

Favorite comic creators: John Byrne, Jim Aparo, Bill Sienkiewicz, Mike Zeck, Alex Ross, Ron Lim, Kyle Baker, Jeff Smith, Scott McCloud, Mark Waid, Peter David, Paul Dini, Bob Layton, Art Spiegelman, Bill Mantlo, Marv Wolfman, Peter Kuper

Nerd cred: My friends and I have volunteered in Kansas City and Portland for the Hero Initiative for almost two decades.

Other projects: HAhahaHahaHahahhaHa.

Jerry

Suffering from severe asthma as a kid, Jerry found comics as a way to pass the time inside during the peak allergy seasons. Even though asthma and allergies faded over time, Jerry’s love for comics continued to grow. His parents didn’t mind, as they knew there were worst ways for Jerry to spend his allowance money each week. Today, Jerry enjoys sharing his love of comics with his children, sharing a mix of current comics and tales from long ago.

First comic book: Star Wars #1, July 1977

All time favorite comic or story: The Avengers

Last comic to make me cry: The Fifth Beatle – I knew how the story was going to end, but I still cried like a baby reading this!

Comic that I am embarrassed to admit to owning: All of Heroes Reborn

Favorite comic creators: George Perez, John Byrne, Neal Adams, Terry Moore

Nerd cred: My wedding was at night, allowing me to go to the big comic convention during the day.

Other projects: Come read my reviews at EssentialShowcase.com

John

During visits to his grandparents, John would hang out with his cool older cousin who collected comics. John didn’t have an easy place to get comics so his Mom offered to get him a subscription to a comic book and he chose Super Friends instead of something that looked weird like X-Men. He remembers the day in 1980 when he rode his bike to the EZ-Shop and picked up a copy of New Teen Titans #1. That book turned him from a kid that read comics into a collector. Comic books got John into science fiction which led to an interest in astronomy and physics. He lives and teaches physics in Overland Park, Kansas with his wife, daughter, two cats and a pooch.

First comic book: Super Friends #14, November 1978 (this is the first comic I remember getting in the mail but I’m sure I already had some)

All time favorite comic or story: The New Teen Titans

Last comic to make me cry: Y: The Last Man or Superman: Secret Identity

Comic that I am embarrassed to admit to owning: Any part of the Defiant Universe

Favorite comic creators: George Perez & Marv Wolfman together, Brian K. Vaughn, Alex Ross, Kurt Busiek, Curt Swan and so many others

Nerd cred: My physics classroom is covered in superhero posters and the walls of my basement are covered in original art by comic creators. I decoupaged a table and a bookshelf in old comic pages.

Other projects: Follow my Twitter feed – look for @comicconjohn.