Episodes

  • Episode 14: The Ray Emerges

    Episode 14: The Ray Emerges
    May 15 2026
    Simon Carver and Robert Reed explore the debut of The Ray, from his cosmic projector origin to the striking yellow-and-black design that makes him feel like light turned into a hero. They also trace how the feature mixes science, spectacle, and wartime symbolism as it evolves across Smash Comics issues 14 through 17.
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    22 mins
  • Episode 13: Batman Gets Strange: Hugo Strange and Robin Arrive

    Episode 13: Batman Gets Strange: Hugo Strange and Robin Arrive
    May 12 2026
    Simon Carver and George Wilson dive into Batman’s 1940 Detective Comics run, tracing how the Dark Knight grows from a hard-edged crime fighter into something larger and more mythic. They explore the debut of Hugo Strange, the arrival of Robin, and why Batman’s shadowy style feels especially charged in wartime.
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    28 mins
  • Episode 12: Doll Man: Tiny Hero, Big Stakes

    Episode 12: Doll Man: Tiny Hero, Big Stakes
    May 5 2026
    Simon and Robert dig into Quality Comics’ oddball crime-fighter Doll Man, exploring how Darrell Dane’s six-inch size turns murder cases, gang plots, and trapdoor chases into fast-moving Golden Age adventure. They also weigh the character’s strange name, secret identity problems, and the surprisingly elegant storytelling that makes the gimmick work.
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    19 mins
  • Episode 11: Early Near-Misses Before the Icons

    Episode 11: Early Near-Misses Before the Icons
    May 1 2026
    An offbeat tour through pre-superhero DC strips that never quite became stars, from time-traveling kids and spy thrillers to masked adventurers and short-lived mystery men. The hosts connect these forgotten comics to the tense atmosphere of 1940, when wartime fears and newspaper-page experimentation made every near-miss feel newly alive.
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    24 mins
  • Episode 10: Superman’s 1940 Surge and the First Luthor

    Episode 10: Superman’s 1940 Surge and the First Luthor
    Apr 28 2026
    Simon Carver and Robert Reed kick off their 1940 Superman coverage with a sprawling orphanage exposé, a blazing rescue, and the way Clark Kent’s reporting turns heroics into public accountability. They also dig into Action Comics continuity, a Lois-like femme fatale, and the debut of Luthor as Superman’s world grows bigger and sharper.
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    20 mins
  • Episode 9: Dizzys Night: Superman, Batman, and Comics’ First Awards

    Episode 9: Dizzys Night: Superman, Batman, and Comics’ First Awards
    Apr 21 2026
    The hosts step away from the usual reading order to hand out the first Distinguished Comics Radio honors, debating the best writer, artist, hero, supporting character, and story across their early comics lineup. Along the way, they revisit Superman, Batman, Doctor Occult, Slam Bradley, Sandman, and the era’s uneasy backdrop of war news and political change.
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    51 mins
  • Episode 8: Sandy Keane, More Fun and Adventure Before the Golden Age

    Episode 8: Sandy Keane, More Fun and Adventure Before the Golden Age
    Apr 14 2026
    A listener-requested deep dive into early DC-era anthology comics, airing as a mid-1940 look back at More Fun Comics and Adventure Comics before Superman and Batman took over the line. Simon Carver and Robert Reed trace the publishing shifts, the art styles, the paper quality, and the recurring characters that helped shape the future of the company.Listener-requested coverage of early anthology issues and creator historyDiscussion of paper quality, art style, and evolving storytellingFeatures a deep dive on select stories, plus a look ahead to the awards-show episode
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    18 mins
  • Episode 7- Sandman in the Shadows

    Episode 7- Sandman in the Shadows
    Apr 7 2026
    Airing as though it were May 26, 1940, this episode of Distinguished Comics Radio follows Wesley Dodds through Adventure Comics #40–45 and New York World’s Fair Comics, with a deep dive into the eerie first Sandman tales and the strange mood they brought to early DC.Robert Reed returns to the microphone alongside George Wilson as the hosts explore Sandman’s gas mask, fedora, sleep gun, pulp-noir atmosphere, and the way Gardner Fox, Bert Christman, and early DC shaped one of the line’s great mystery men against the anxious backdrop of 1939 and spring 1940.The episode also touches on Vincent Sullivan’s editorial hand, gives a brisk tour through issues #41–45, and closes like an old radio sign-off with reading assignments, mailbag directions, and the promised split between the short-band exclusive and the standard broadcast.
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    19 mins