Nerd of Mouth

Summer is almost over which used to be mean 2 things: The start of school and a new season of Saturday morning cartoons. But hey, they were not all created equally. Some certainly had higher budgets than others, some stood the test of time and others starred Louie Anderson as a kid version of himself and his abusive dad. We rank a bunch of classic Saturday morning cartoons and learn a lot about each other in the process. You'll have to listen to see who liked the Beetlejuice cartoon, who defends Reboot to the grave, and who wishes they could...

From a gun toting glint in Ian Fleming's eye to a global box office sensation James Bond has been drinking vodka martinis and making bad puns for over 70 years. Mike is the M of the episode, explaining the origins of Bond, highlighting some of his best cinematic adventures throughout the decades and talks about the small family with the funny name that shepherded the whole franchise. You can expect us to talk, please don't expect us to die.

WATCHLIST
Goldfinger
The Spy Who Loved me
License to Kill
Goldeneye
Skyfall

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Crack open a bottle (over a dumb thugs head) and get yourself a whole steaming chicken from a barrel cause we're talking Beat 'em Up video games. There's just something special about stopping crime by walking around streets, beaches, and elevators punching and kicking the same few foes over and over again before running up against a much bigger foe that tries your patience and steals your quarters. This is a fun episode full of history and jokes, perfect to listen to while fending off some ladies with big whips.

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Jake leads us through a tribute to physical media! Memories of VHS horror box art! The heyday and resurgence of vinyl! The reliance (and obligation) of giving books as gifts! We cover it all and also share some stories from our listeners about the tangible, physical stuff that made them who they are. If you're old you can remember how it was with us and if you're young you can hear about the pure joy of going over to a friend's house and seeing that they also had a DVD copy of Stargate!

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In the wake of Sony saying physical games are DOA our hosts wonder if this is really that bad of a thing.Is this just the future of gaming and are we actually losing anything? Are you just the old man yelling at clouds (that are full of your game's download info) when you mourn that little box with an actual game inside of it? And what about Gamestop? Won't someone think of poor old Gamestop?! I can't trade in gigabytes, goddamnit!

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He's the best there is at what he does and what he does is stoically scold people while blasting people with his concussive eye beams! Cyclops is often portrayed in cartoons and movies as a big ol' dork and fuddy duddy rules follower but the guy has been through a lot in the comics and has a lot of emotional depth. Mike takes Jake and Holden through the history and this X-man's evolution as creators take him from a mopey loner to a strategic genius to an all powerful mutant zealot that even scares Magneto. And yeah, maybe he's...

Jake is our Qifrey as he takes Holden and Mike through the gorgeous world of Witch Hat Atelier, based on the manga by Kamome Shirahama. So many specific rules for magic! So many anxious schoolgirls! So many chibi designed panic attacks! And we discuss it all as we gush on and review this very recent and very fun anime show that we think you should check out. Lots of intro talk before going into spoilers in the second half.

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Independence Day just happened and what better way than to focus on those people who use their freedom to complain about lady characters in video games. The newest target is God of War Laufey and as Holden goes through the history of this topic we see this isn't the first time an announced game has been attacked for having a female protagonist and with a cottage industry that profits off the outrage it most likely won't be the last. Gamergate, Sweet Baby Inc.. and Samus bravely taking that helmet off in 1986 are just a few of the stops we...

Yeah, it's the wrestling episode of the year. The first one. And sure you may go into the comments and complain that there's a ton of wrestling episodes of this show from this year but the fact of the matter is your wrong and we're right to shine a spotlight on the voice of the voiceless, the man who turns a microphone into a pipe bomb and for a short period of time reignited the love of professional wrestling in many a lapsed fan. Every fan of every fandom chases those moments when the thing we love is as...

It's very appropriate that one of our cohosts has a show called Cartoon Dumpster cause boy did we pull some rotten stuff out of it this week. And Gargoyles. Gargoyles is cool. Maybe cause they're not animals. Cats, dogs, cows, dinosaurs, mice, ducks, dinosaurs again, sharks.. They gave every animal muscles and a 'tude but it wasn't enough. There really must be a secret in the ooze that makes the turtles work that no toy company was able to replicate including the guys that made the turtles! This show is one for the ages...specifically people who were the...

It's not in your head and yes inflation is real but ticket prices have indeed kept climbing for years. One company has a monopoly on the industry and doesn't even have the decency to wear a top hat and own hotels on Baltic Avenue. Holden charts the founding of Ticketmaster, how it won the war and now controls everything. But hey, we're not just about doom and gloom here so we're highlighting all the good folks that have fought for their fans and the fans themselves who are saying "We're Not Gonna Take It" in their best Dee Snider...

For about the majority of Reagan’s presidency He-Man was the master of the toy aisle. Concocted by Mattel, aided by the synergy of a cartoon, and ultimately undone by corporate greed and an underperforming movie (that one of our cohost loves) , take a journey with us to Eternia to see a musclebound hero who’s been killed and resurrected many times because you can’t keep a once successful IP down.

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Remember when you’d get a newspaper to feel smart and informed and just go straight to the funny pages to gab with Garfield, chat with Cathy, and umm, see whatever the heck Family Circus was up to? We remember! Reading these informed our future tastes and helped evolve our sense of humor before life got too grim (and stopped being so Mother Goose). Jake takes us on a walk through the history of newspaper comic strips and we all namedrop a ton of favorites and some real forgettable crap. Yeah, there’s a very obvious reason these things died...

Even a blind man can see that Daredevil has been one of the most consistently compelling heroes in the Marvel Universe despite going through more changes than the real life Hell’s Kitchen. But it took some time to get there. Mike takes the boys through his beginnings, the bad times, the weird bad times and the really good times when the fat guy Spider-man fought became the even fatter guy that hates Matt Murdock now. We stuff as much entertaining rope as you can into one 90 minute club!

Reading List:
60s Daredevil volume 1- Issue 1 (St...

This episode is made possible by listeners like you! You gave us some genuinely thoughtful questions about the future of video games, alternate realities, and whether or not life is too hard to enjoy Elden Ring. Lots of impassioned diatribes in this one folks. We love you all. Yes, even you.

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The boys head to the Outworld to rank every single fatality from the first two Mortal Kombat games in this spine ripping barnburner of an episode! We celebrate the truly gruesome and creative kills and uppercut ourselves in the face every time someone's head gets off in the second one. Some of these fatalities are iconic and still hold up and some just end with someone exploding in a pile of femurs. So many femurs.

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Noooooooo!!! Actually ,yes., We're re-examining the Star Wars prequels with their racist portrayals, wooden dialogue, and still kinda badass lightsaber fights. If you hate these movies Holden is your guy. If you think they're both ambitious and prescient, then Jake is your guy. If you're caught in the middle and just want your friends to hug it out and stop fighting about Jar Jar then you'll agree with Mike. It's a fun time racing through this pod about pod racing. Some would certainly say more fun than the movies themselves.

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We've talked about video games based on movies but this time we're going the other way and focusing on movies that are based on video games and why they usually suck. Holden guides through the dark ages of Mario and Street Fighter, the darker ages of anything Uwe Boll has done, the mostly forgettable 2010s (There was in fact no need for speed) and how a little electric Pokémon gave the genre the creative spark it desperately needed and how we're still benefiting from it. . I guarantee this will be the most memorable podcast of your life. For u...

In honor of 4/20 we're doing a movie length podcast blabbing about the man behind Silent Bob. Holden Mcneely (Who had that name before Chasing Amy came out!) guides us through his history, his filmography (Yes, all of it),, and oh yeah, Mike gives him some credit to the man behind the View Askewniverse for revitalizing the Marvel universe. Ultimately all three hosts lean on the side of celebrating a man who had the courage to bet on himself and his friends and make a thing and be a nerd ambassador at an important moment in our childhoods.. It's a...

Matt Dinniman was an aspiring author and lowly professional drawer of cats (as if there could be any other kind) who struck gold with an ambitious Lit RPG world of shoeless heroes, loquacious cats, biting social commentary. and some good old fashioned violence. Holden gives us the history of Dinniman and the series before we give our full thoughts on the first book and talk about the difficulties and rewards of crawling back into the dungeon that is reading an actual book.

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What do Sephiroth, Aunt May, the Daleks, and Leonardo the Ninja Turtle all have in common? They're now a part of the world of Magic: the Gathering which now with it's Secret Lairs and Universes Beyond sets have co opted a bunch of beloved IPs into the beloved card game to make a bunch of beloved money. Musician and Magic card expert Skulk the Hulking gives his thoughts on how this has been both good and bad for the community, how it affects things competitively and gives us his thoughts on where it goes next (Hint: Just more capitalism).<...

A boy named Jimmy studied internet algorithms instead of books and created a gigantic empire to become the most subscribed to YouTuber and is now a billionaire with multiple product lines and dealings with Saudi Arabia, cause hey why not?! Jake argues that he’s just a symptom of the world we live in and providing the entertainment we deserve while Mike thinks his popularity is bad for society, especially kids (Helen Lovejoy: Won’t someone think of the children?!) Holden is somewhere in the middle. You won’t get any money for listening to this whole episode, but hey yo...

Special guest Joel Kim Booster (Scrubs, Fire Island, K Pop Demon Hunters!!) joins our hosts to review and rank the first arc of every Absolute DC book, the line of comics that’s been a critical and sales darling. Is beefy poor Batman better than a Wonder Woman raised in hell?!! And wait, what’s different about Flash now? And is it a good idea to read Absolute Martian Manhunter on drugs? (Spoiler Alert: No.)

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Sonic refused to be contained in one episode very much like how continually refuses to be counted out. Holden runs the boys through all his failed video game comebacks (Especially 06)and talks about how and why new generation hitched their hearts to the furry blue speedster that always comes back to new frontiers. Oh and we roast Shadow, cause why not, it’s Shadow.

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We try to go fast through the history of Sonic the Hedgehog but there's too many spikes of random information that pop up and get in our way. Our three egg men answer questions like how did Sonic come to be? How was he marketed differently? How does one character get two simultaneous bipolar cartoons? Why are his silly comics mired by years of lawsuits? We get knuckles deep in this one, covering everything in the first 15 years of the little blue guy before calling an audible and realizing ironic masterpieces like Sonic 06 and genuine delights like Sonic Frontiers...

To paraphrase Tony Montana: First you come up with a mascot, then you make the platformer game, then you make the money. Yes, with the advent that little blue meth/ring imbued hedgehog had dozens of game publishers thought to themselves: Hey, that looks easy, I could also do that. And so we had a swarm of Bubsys, Gexs, and acrobatic bats flood the shelves in the hopes your grandma couldn't tell the difference between the game you wanted and Awesome Possum. Many companies tried to get their own platforming mascot star, most failed, and now Holden guides Jake...

It is the argument that has ended friendships, a debate that often leaves two people screaming at each other like Goku. But don't worry, we have a rather civilized discussion on the merits of both subtitled anime and dubbed anime. Jake explains how why the quality of dubbing has improved over the years and plays some pretty hilarious clips to show us just how many bumps along the road there were. We hope you enjoy this episode and don't worry, we do not care about how you listen to it!

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A whole episode on Steve Urkel? Yes we did do that. What happens when a one off guest star becomes the focus of a show and family no longer matters? What other examples are there of one character unexpectedly taking over an show?And just how did an audience full of frat bros and the promise of a Sega Genesis facilitate the birth of Urkel in the first place?

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Holden talks us through the ins and other ins and more ins of fantasy football and while he lays down the history, comedian Trae Crowder talks about the personal satisfaction and fun of being in a fantasy football league for 20 years, and how glorious but also humiliating that can be. Lots of glory and humiliation in this one! Yes we talk sports, but more importantly how a bunch of nerds took sports and made it into their own version of D and D with CTE.

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Peter Parker and Mary Jane had one of the most storied romances in comic book history and they even got married until their love was bitten by a radioactive editorial mandate and it all went away. Mike takes Jake and Holden through the whirlwind history and screwy destruction of Spider-man’s marriage, the real life wedding they staged to promote it, and Paul. Yeah, we talk about Paul, but not too much, we promise!

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Get ready for a hundred hand slap of knowledge as Holden takes the lead and describes the mechanics and aesthetics that make a great fighting game roster. He lists all the different types of characters from zoners to grapplers to puppets, why some characters get banned from tournaments, and then he, Jake, and Mike all take turns coming up with the dream property they want to see a fighting game based on. It gets very weird and saucy. But fun

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Avatar is the number one box office king of the world and yet it leaves no real cultural footprint despite being hella pretty to look at. You don't see cosplays, there aren't memorable quotes (unless angry hissing counts) and there's an almost naked boy named Spider that they reeeeeallly want to be a thing. Jake, flying in on a dragon connected to a braid in his hair flies in to defend the franchise, why these movies are important, why they're successful, and how there's a deeper meaning. Mike's the detractor here because of how long and boring he thinks...

Holden, Jake, and Mike try their best at predicting the future in the volatile world of nerdery. Will Avengers Doomsday just be financial Doomsday for Disney? Will GTA 6 close the door on open world games or be worth all the delays? Is this the year video game movies are finally as fun as the video games they're based on? And what anime has the chance to take the world by storm besides One Piece because yeah, this is definitely the year of One Piece. It's really the decade at this point. Listen now! We predict you'll enjoy this episode...

We ring in the new year by immediately reflecting on the old year. What were the best games, movies, comics, shows, and songs of 2025? We'll tell you and even read some of your picks. Then the boys reflect on the first year of the podcast's big new change and their favorite moments. THIS IS NOT A CLIP SHOW, WE RECORDED ALL NEW STUFF! BUT YES APRIL WILL PROBABLY HIT IT BECAUSE THAT BIT AINT GOING NOWHERE BABY!!! BESPOKE!

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Yes, we're a little late for Christmas but that's because we were busy watching Michael Caine act his ass off in front of a bunch of Muppets. Jake, Holden, and Mike talk about their favorite Christmas movies and TV specials, and unlike the Chanukah episode there isn't time to list them all. And yes Die Hard gets it due because we're not having that argument and if you try we're throwing you off Nakatomi Plaza. Holden talks us through the qualifications of what makes something Christmasy and yes, sometimes it involves Jimmy Stewart trying to off himself and Phoebe...

Get ready for the festival of lights that lasts eight nights with about half a dozen TV specials and movies that you can enjoy gelt free every Chanukah! Jake talks about growing up Jewish and celebrating a traditional Chanukah, Mike explains what it's like only be half Jewish and never more than half interested in Chanukah and Holden keeps talking about how Christmas is better even though we know it's better. What's nerdier than spinning a dreidel and eating bread the way you were supposed to thousands of years ago? Yes we gush over Rugrats but also talk about...

The Rock was on top of the world for years but now he's making moves that have raised everyone else's eyebrows but his own. In the past few years he's tried to lay the smackdown on Vin Diesel, the DC universe, and...Christmas? What happens when a manly man becomes more of a brandy brand? And is it possible to still call yourself the people's champion when the people have turned on you and no longer like the smell of what you're cooking? Is the most electrifying man in entertainment out of juice or is it possible for him...

Nintendo, the company we grew up with and loved for it's cute characters and intuitive gameplay will now tell you "Hey Nintendon't mod your system or we'll brick the damn thing". Has Nintendo gotten more litigious or is it baked into their DNA like mute protagonists and Italian Stereotypes? Holden is the prosecutor, Jake the defender (it is a Japanese company after all), and Mike the judge (sadly there is no Mike Judge in this episode) as we put Nintendo on trial to see whether this is a company that has turned on its fans or just protecting the...

We ranked the MCU Avengers and you seemed to like that enough to fill us with enough delusions of grandeur to rank the colorful (often green or gray) bad guys of the MCU. We're talking everyone from Abomination to Zemo! Every character is beloved by someone which is the only way you can justify Jake sticking up for Kaecilius, Mike rewatching Iron Man 2 repeatedly to slobber all over Justin's Hammer, and Holden's undying love of Norman Osborn. Actually that last one makes sense, it's Willem Dafoe. He rules. Agree with us or disagree with us on Ultron's eyes and...

With the holiday season upon us it's time to talk about some of the toys that break us! Mike, the one of the three who has not resisted the temptation of plastic crack makes more than a few articulated points on what it's like to be a modern action figure collector, when it feels fun and when it just feels like an episode of My Strange Addiction. What's a Build a figure or an army builder? What makes a chase variant worth tracking down? And of course, because it will excite one specifically weird person: action figure crotch talk!!<...