9 comments on “Tape #16: Crisis Memories”

1. Frank says:

   May 3, 2026 at 12:51 am

   I wanted to leave a comment on the past couple of episodes, but whatever specific points that I wanted to address have been lost over the course of listening. I think I’ve mentioned that I initially had trouble getting a handle on what this podcast was about, and I still have an easier time dialing-in to particular topics, rather than the more amorphous episodes. It’s easier to latch onto elements when there are other comments as a guide, but I seem to be the first here, and I’m filling time while listening through a chunk of recording to make sure there’s nothing I need to pluck out for the podcast I’m working on right now. Alright, enough excuses…

   Sandboxers vs Canonizers: As someone who has had a religious zeal for comic book canon in the past, age has made me a lot more sanguine on the matter. Too many crossovers that “matter” to canon (say Zero Hour) are a turd sandwich to consume. One of my favorites remains Underworld Unleashed, which gave us Citrus Mephisto and other modest enhancements for the DC super-villain scene, but doesn’t amount to much in terms of lore. It just indulges my interest in combining super-heroes with horror, had a pretty swell creative team, some quite enjoyable tie-ins, and I even dug the fluorescent fifth color gimmick (a pox on its absence in the recent trade collection.) Yeah, it’s a bonus if an event pivots around some scintillating development that “changes everything,” and some events seem to be be of such low stakes that they don’t get the chance to impress me as a read, but I’ll typically take a ripping yarn over a very serious development for DC editorial objectives. While very pretty to look at and momentous, there are few DC events that I want to read less that COIE. Having read Secret Wars a few times, it’s mostly a sandboxer and a rotten read, so that’s another one to appreciate for the art and iconography over a dismal script.

   Bloodlines is an easy target, but it was also more important to my investing in DC than COIE, and also benefited from the heroes/horror hybrid. I’ll be the one guy who’ll commit to buying the, yes, inevitable omnibus, and it will be pretty valuable after it gets under-ordered, besides.

   What DC has needed since 1986 is a pure, clear reboot. The point of the Crisis was to remove the point of the Crisis from the conversation, which would have worked with a clean break. It’s supposed to be the end of fifty(ish) years of (quasi-) shared continuities that integrated multiple incarnations of the featured heroes (and I guess villains.) It’s perhaps the most important piece of canon for a continuity meant to be sent to the sandbox. Under those terms, Barry Allen could have been Reborn’d right then, and there needn’t be a Supergirl until after John Byrne leaves, if he felt so strongly against it. Everybody knows Dick Grayson was Robin. Great– he’s the one Robin again, but he’s a Robin starting his career in the ’80s. He can functionally be Tim Drake, since that character doesn’t have to be conceived, because we’re Robin Year One in real time. And yeah, somehow, Power Girl was also crushed under a wall next to Earth-2 Dick & Helena. 99 problems but P.G. ain’t one. COIE isn’t the canon– History of the DC Universe is.

   I did listen to the first episode of Infinite Earths: A Guide to the DC Multiverse. The PBS qualities amused me, and the short length is helpful. Unfortunately, I simply have no interest in the multiverse, and thanks to my New 52 research for Who’s Editing, especially Perpetua’s Multiverse. Regardless of the production quality, I’m just not the target demographic, so don’t feel bad if I don’t dip in there very often.

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   1. Doug Adamson says:

      May 3, 2026 at 2:52 pm

      I had forgotten you liked Bloodlines. Sorry if it seems we are targeting you with the whole Wonder Woman and now Bloodlines

      I appreciate that the IE:AGTTDCM might not be your thing but don’t worry you can listen to Doug2Doug coming soon to the network!

      Reply
      1. Doug 2 says:

         May 3, 2026 at 2:55 pm

         I thought we said it was to be Doug2/Doug ? After you ruled out Doug Squared and Doug II Doug since you said it folks would think it sounded like Dougie.

         Reply
2. Bucky749 says:

   May 3, 2026 at 1:10 am

   First of happy birthday to Doug and Doug 2.
   Wasn’t there a Monty python skit about world being taking over by Scott’s men ??.

   And now for something completely different.
   I’ve only read infinite crisis in a trade I can only imagine how stress full it was to come in at issue 4 .
   Here’s a secret question since we have facsimile’s
   Of treasury comics what if we got some of digest
   And if so which would like to get reprinted
   And here’s here an another what digest would like to see dc comics do .
   Here’s mine
   I’d like to see them reprint best of dc vol.4
   And for new ones it would be called JSA presents
   Super dads : it would start with the boom arguing with Johnny thunders adopted daughters about who’s dad is the best then we would get peachy and her sister (Johnny adopted a another daughter in 90’s JSA series ) telling about Jonny’s first adventure with peachy . The. Boom would tell about an adventure with her and her dad (this would brand new story done in style of the golden age flash comics , then you would have brain wave jr coming and saying there all wrong and his mom is the best then we get a Mary of 1000 gimmick’s story and then we would have a star girl word search then enter jade with Alan Scott story . Then it ends with lady bug and Michael coming in and telling a brand new red bee story and every in agreement that all there mentors and parents are
   Great. All the kids end by doing the classic JLA internal from issue moving day . What do you think would you read or buy this issue ?

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3. Doug 2 / Doug says:

   May 3, 2026 at 2:48 pm

   We’ve debated this and we think that technically we now have two birthdays – The original birthday and now the 28th of April when this (un) fortunate incident occurred.

   This means we think we’ve gone from 1 present per person for the birthday to 4 presents per year.

   Please send them to the Monitor’s Satellite , if we aren’t in just leave them in orbit and let us know where in Florida they are in geosynchronous orbit above.

   Reply
   1. Bucky749 says:

      May 6, 2026 at 12:34 am

      Groovy . Well now the big question what kind of cake do guys get the same or different?
      And if so what kind ?
      And also who did the kids act now having two dads and do clones have to have passports on planes or can you both use the same one .
      Also do either have string desire to watch the parent trap movies or the sister sister tv series ?
      (I have a lot of questions)

      Reply
      1. Doug 2 & Doug says:

         May 6, 2026 at 4:46 am

         I can’t speak for the other Doug but since we have twins at home already they haven’t noticed but lets be honest they are teenagers they barely notice anything. As for travel we’ve decided that one of us will be Decoy Doug while the other travels. This should confuse the aliens who are still trying to rent out that section of the satellite. We’ve also considered interstellar holidays and visit Cargg (which by the way DC should have been called Carggg) as we think we’d fit in there.

         We have no desire to watch the Parent Trap movies but we have discovered that our script called “Parent Trap Double reverse” has been rejected AGAIN. We’ve also been double banned from singing the song from Liv and Maddie – seems our singing voices are even WORSE when in attempted harmony than if it was just two bad singers.

         And to wrap this up – and believe me we don’t have time for more questions due to Edinbrick this weekend, we get two cakes and have half each it’s only fair.

         Reply
      2. Martin Gray says:

         May 11, 2026 at 3:49 pm

         Hey, it’s The Monitor Tapes with our very special guest star, Matt Yeo! Great job, the three of you (I disavow Doug 2).

         Thank you for giving a mention to The Scotsman newspaper, Doug, it keeps me in a job.

         I don’t think we can safely say that The Legend of Wonder Woman featured the Silver Age Diana because yes, it had a blonde Hippolyta but the art style and the approach to the characters were totally Golden Age – I think it was more a fun tribute than a definite plug-in to the Crisis, despite the Crisis Wave bit. Certainly it was there to fulfil the Marston Estate contractual obligation for DC to publish a certain number of Wondy comics per year.

         Doug, that aborted Power Girl miniseries you mentioned, isn’t that what Geoff Johns eventually did in JSA Classified? Psycho Pirate was messing with her head, having the Legion claim she was Andromeda from the 30th century or the cousin of the Earth 3 Ultraman, and teasing the Arion connection again?

         There are so many terrible Crisis patches, as you discussed, I’m surprised DC hasn’t done a hardback, Crisis of Infinite Patches.

         OK, what’s with the Lady Quark obsession, there’s no massive riddle, after Crisis she’s just one more last survivor of a lost world? Simples.

         Reply
         1. Matt Yeo says:

            May 12, 2026 at 3:37 am

            Thanks for the kind words, Martin!

            Yep, agreed regarding The Legend of Wonder Woman series. Definitely felt like more of a Golden Age story to me.

            Good call on Power Girl/JSA Classified too. I’ve just re-read the 2006 TPB which also collects issues of DC Showcase Presents and Secret Origins # 11, with the latter being published in 1987 and still containing references to Kara’s Earth-2 origin and the multiverse. Even then, there’s a mention of a ‘handful of heroes’ who remember that the Crisis even happened…

            Reply