You should be listening to this: Kevin Smith’s Fatman on Batman
Published: 1/3/2013 9:00 AM
Last Modified: 1/2/2013 1:18 PM
Most nerds who know who Kevin Smith is either love him or hate him. There are very few who don’t have an opinion either way. He’s either a nerd icon, the voice of a generation of comics loving movie goers who point to the success of his films, comics, television shows and podcasts, as proof of his reach into nerd culture. They consider him on a lot of levels a local, average fanboy who made it big. On the other hand, his detractors consider him a talentless moocher who hasn’t earned a single thing on his own. Regardless of which side of the isle you fall on, one cannot deny the man’s influence on the nerd world.
Myself, I like Kevin Smith. When “Clerks.” came out in 1994, I was but a year out of high school, ignoring college, and spending most of my time in coffee shops, consuming massive amounts of caffeine and drawing comics that would never see print. I worked at an artsy movie theatre for minimum wage, and spent what little money I had on comics and action figures and collectable card games. I was smack dab in the middle of Kevin's target audience. I enjoyed “Clerks.” Immensely, and have been a fan of Kevin’s ever since, through thick and thin.
I understand why people don’t like him. I really do. He can be crass and heavy handed, and at times seems only to love the sound of his own voice. This is why I never really defend him when the inevitable arguments on his merits come up during nerd throw-downs. It’s like when nuts are in brownies. I understand why you like them, but I personally find it disgusting. I’m not going to cause a stink about it, I’m just not going to eat the brownie.
The thing about Kevin Smith is that he actually does love the sound of his own voice. However, he also loves the sound of other people’s voices, which is why he has spent the last several years building up a podcast network of epic proportions. What started as a goof where he and one of his best friends, Scott Mosier, realized that the often hilarious conversations they had in private might be interesting to others as well, decided to try out this new-fangled podcast thing, back in 2007 when it was still in its infancy. The following 6 years have seen the idea grow into a network of podcasts, touring live shows, books, a TV show on AMC , and an Internet radio station. All of which have been successful and personally fulfilling enough for Kevin Smith that he plans on hanging up his film directing hat once and for all after he finishes his hockey project “Hit Somebody”, which may or may not be a TV mini-series.
Within this podcast network sits a wonderful series called "Fatman on Batman", which should be a must-listen to all Batman fans. In this, Kevin, armed with his lifelong love of the Caped Crusader sits down with heavy-hitters of the Batman universe for conversations on their craft. With over 20 episodes so far, he’s had stellar conversations the likes of Mark Hammil and Arleen Sorkin, who have been voicing The Joker and Harley Quinn respectively in animation and video games since 1992, to Scott Snyder, the mastermind of the New 52’s "Batman" re-launch. The conversations are often funny, occasionally off-color, and always informative, spinning off into tangents covering all areas of both the world of comics and of entertainment, including the fall-out of the deadly shooting in Aurora, Colorado the night “The Dark Knight Rises” premiered in theaters. Smith’s everyman, laid-back attitude and sense of humor combined with his own vast knowledge of Batman’s mythos make the podcasts fun for just about anybody, not just the fanboys.
Episode Highlights:
Episode 9: Ralph Garman: Bat-Fan Forever
Actor Ralph Garman discusses his lifelong love of the 1960’s TV Batman and his crusade to get Adam West a star on Hollywood’s walk of fame.
Episode 7: Bruce Timm
The Oklahoma boy creates the industry standard for the entire DC Animated Universe purely by chance.
Episode 19: Scott Snyder
The New 52 “Batman” writer shares his thoughts on the future of the Dark Knight.
(Please keep in mind that all podcasts are NSFW, due to language)
Do you have a topic you would like the Prairie Nerds to address? Let us know at PrairieNerds@tulsaworld.com
Written by
Jason Powers
Scene Writer
