EpisodesRegular Episodes
By:
On:

Welcome to another episode of Play Comics, where we volley between the pixelated world of video games and the ink-stained pages of comic strips! This week, we’re serving up a nostalgic slice of handheld gaming with Snoopy Tennis for the Game Boy Color—a game that lets you smash tennis balls as Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the gang while channeling the quirky humor of the Peanuts comic strip. But don’t let Snoopy’s “World Famous Tennis Player” persona fool you; his skills might be as questionable as his geography knowledge (Wimbledon in Kansas City, anyone?).

Joining us on this court-side adventure is Bill Pepper, host of It’s a Podcast, Charlie Brown and Atari Bytes. Bill brings his expertise in all things Peanuts and retro gaming to help us dissect whether Snoopy’s racket-wielding antics are a grand slam or just another double fault. Expect witty banter, deep dives into Snoopy’s many alter egos, and maybe even some tales about Crybaby Boobie or Molly Volley from the comic strip lore.

So grab your sweatbands, dodge those bugs mistaking the tennis court for a highway, and prepare for an episode that’s more fun than Snoopy getting tangled in the net. Game on!Continue Reading

EpisodesRegular Episodes
By:
On:

Attention, space cadets and retro gamers! Prepare to blast off into a pixelated adventure as Play Comics takes on Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom. We’re zooming through the 25th century faster than you can say “bidi-bidi-bidi,” exploring this cosmic classic that graced the Atari 2600, ColecoVision, Atari 5200, and Intellivision.

Joining us on this retro romp is none other than Andy Larson, one of the amazing hosts of The Last Comic Shop podcast. Together, we’ll navigate through space battles, questionable physics, and more bleeps and bloops than you can shake a joystick at.

So strap in, adjust your antenna, and get ready to explore whether this game does justice to the Buck Rogers comics and serialized adventures. Will it be a direct hit or a galactic miss? Tune in to find out if Buck’s digital escapades are as timeless as his 500-year nap!Continue Reading

EpisodesRegular Episodes
By:
On:

Greetings, cave dwellers and retro gaming enthusiasts! Prepare to be transported back to a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth and pixelated graphics were cutting-edge technology. This episode of Play Comics is about to take you on a wild ride through the prehistoric world of BC’s Quest for Tires and its bone-rattling sequel, BC II: Grog’s Revenge. These ColecoVision gems, inspired by Johnny Hart’s iconic newspaper strip BC, will have you pedaling your stone-wheeled unicycle faster than a Brontosaurus can say “Bronto-burger!”

But wait, don’t touch that dial (or scroll away from that podcast app)! We’ve got a special guest joining us on this Paleolithic adventure. It’s none other than DC Dave from The Monitor Tapes, who’s temporarily abandoned his own era to help us navigate through these Stone Age sidescrollers. Will we uncover the secrets of fire? Invent the wheel? Or just end up with calluses from furiously mashing those ColecoVision controller buttons?

From dodging lava pits to outsmarting saber-toothed tigers, we’ll explore every crevice and cave of these classic games. We might even answer burning questions like: “How does one steer a unicycle with square wheels?” and “Is collecting clams really the best use of a caveman’s time?” So grab your club, don your finest animal print, and join us for an episode that’s guaranteed to rock your world more than the invention of sliced mammoth!Continue Reading

EpisodesRegular Episodes
By:
On:

Ahoy, landlubbers! Prepare to set sail on a high-seas adventure through the annals of gaming history, as we dive into the depths of the 1992 Game Boy classic, Popeye 2. This episode we’ve got a special guest aboard – Matt Storm from the podcasts “Fun” and Games and Screen Snark. They’re a veritable treasure trove of knowledge when it comes to all things retro gaming, so batten down the hatches and get ready for a wild ride!

In this episode we’ll explore the pixelated world of Popeye, the legendary sailor man who’s always ready to dish out a can of spinach-fueled justice. From navigating treacherous levels to battling Bluto’s dastardly schemes, we’ll uncover the secrets behind this beloved game that captured the hearts of gamers and comic book fans alike.

But that’s not all, me hearties! We’ll also delve into the rich history of the Popeye comics, tracing their roots back to the early 20th century and exploring how they’ve influenced pop culture over the decades. Prepare to be regaled with tales of Olive Oyl’s escapades, Wimpy’s insatiable hunger for hamburgers, and Popeye’s iconic catchphrases that have become part of the cultural lexicon.

So grab your Game Boy, load up on spinach, and get ready to set sail on an adventure that will have you laughing, reminiscing, and maybe even singing a few sea shanties along the way. Anchors aweigh, mateys!Continue Reading

EpisodesRegular Episodes
By:
On:

Welcome to another spine-tingling, joystick-wiggling episode of Play Comics, where the pixels meet the page and the game controllers are always at risk of being thrown in excitement or frustration. This week we’re diving into the dark cobwebbed corners of the gaming world to unearth the 1992 classic The Addams Family, a game that dared to ask “What if we took a beloved, macabre family and turned their life into a platforming adventure?” Based on the 1991 film of the same name, this game sprawled across the NES, SNES, Genesis, Master System, Game Gear, and Game Boy, proving that no console was safe from its kooky, spooky charm.

In this episode we’re thrilled to welcome back the illustrious Adam Williamson, a man whose knowledge of games is only rivaled by his ability to survive encounters with the supernatural—or at least supernatural-themed video games. Adam, who last graced us with his presence in a bodyslammin’ discussion on WWF No Mercy, returns from the depths of the gaming archives to help us navigate the twisted halls of the Addams’ mansion.

Prepare for a journey where every jump is a leap of faith (into a pit of who-knows-what), every enemy is as bizarre as an Addams family member, and the only thing scarier than the game’s difficulty is the thought of turning it off before finishing. Will Gomez find his beloved family members, or will he be doomed to wander the pixelated corridors forever? Join us as we explore the mystery, the humor, and the sheer Addams-ness of The Addams Family game.

So tighten your seatbelts, adjust your monocles, and make sure your hand (Thing, is that you?) is firmly attached to your wrist. It’s going to be a wild ride through the Addams Family estate, where the only guarantee is laughter, nostalgia, and maybe, just maybe, a newfound appreciation for games that make you want to pull your hair out—in the most delightful way possible.Continue Reading

EpisodesRegular Episodes
By:
On:

Everyone that I know who knows who The Addams family is knows them from the 1960s TV show or the 90s movies. A few people from this game. But basically nobody that I know knew that The Addams Family was a comic. For real, do you know anybody who knew that? I sure didn’t.

Neither did this week’s guest Michael Bivens from Silent Journeys. But he very much did know about the old TV show. I’m really glad I had someone for this episode that grew up with the show a lot more than I did.Continue Reading

EpisodesRegular Episodes
By:
On:

Every super hero story has to eventually end. Maybe not in our world, but in the comic world as long as timelines don’t get reset or just stop progressing then all the heroes will eventually get old. Except The Phantom, who just straight up hasn’t died. Because he can’t.

Listen in as Karrington Martin from Real Dudes Podcast comes to talk about Phantom 2040 and how it relates to the Phantom comics, and of course the SNES and Genesis games that came out with it.Continue Reading

EpisodesRegular Episodes
By:
On:

Garfield is everywhere and there’s nothing we can do about it. From toys to newspapers to school book fairs there’s no escaping the universe tat Jim Davis has brought upon us with this pesky feline and all of his other animal friends.But what happens when he and Odie accidentally create a robot monster? Listen in as Jessie Cooper from the Alphabet Flight and Creepy Critters podcasts comes to talk about this lasagna eating and marketing juggernaut.Continue Reading