Across the Omniverse

Latest Episodes:

SECRET WARS II #1: "Earthfall" Aug 04, 2023

Show notes

This week we're doing a big pivot. Now that Secret Invasion has finished we have decided to not return to X-Men: The Animated Series just yet. Instead we're going to spend the next few weeks reading Secret Wars II and all of the associate crossovers. Yes, it's a trip back to 1985 to talk about the granddaddy of all crossover event series. Secret Wars II is weird and shaggy and an awful lot of fun, even if it isn't exactly one of the great comic book storylines.
This week we cover:
Secret Wars II #1
New Mutants #30
Captain America #308
Uncanny X-Men #196
Iron Man #197
All of these are available on Marvel Unlimited with a subscription.
These crossovers really run the gamut from making Secret Wars II the main focus to almost totally ignoring the events of the comic. And they run the gamut from great to kind of dull, and also Kitty Pryde says the N word. Seriously.
Thanks for listening! Join the Patreon at www.patreon.com/cinemasangha to get access to our Discord; at the $5 level you'll get our Watch Men podcast - this month we will have two episodes, one about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and one about Blue Beetle. Don't miss them!

SECRET INVASION: "Home" Jul 28, 2023

Show notes

Well that's a let down.
The Secret Invasion series wraps up with a whimper, and it didn't have to be this way. There is stuff that happens in this episode that, had it happened in episode three, would have made this series an all-timer. After this episode the hierarchy of power in the MCU is changed, but will anyone care or ever reference it?
Next week we begin a new project here: a weekly read-along of Secret Wars II, the 1985 comic book miniseries and all of the tie-in comics. That's nine weeks, which should bring us pretty much up to the debut of Gen V, the spin-off of The Boys, which we will tackle next. X-Men: The Animated Series will return... someday.
Until then, thanks for listening and consider becoming a $5 patron at www.patreon.com/cinemasangha as we will be doing two episodes of our $5 and above exclusive podcast, Watch Men: one about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and one about Blue Beetle!

SECRET INVASION: "Harvest" Jul 21, 2023

Show notes

Things start coming to a head this week on Secret Invasion, but they also kind of stop making sense. Lotta plans that aren't very coherent and some weird decisions and just some other things that don't hold up under too much scrutiny. But we also get a pretty good shoot-em-up, so maybe it all evens out. Then again, there is also a cameo that absolutely no one on Earth cared about, which isn't a great sign.
Heads up: after Secret Invasion we are not returning to X-Men: The Animated Series. Not right away, at least. We're going to bridge the gap between now and the debut of Gen V (the spin-off of The Boys) with a new concept: we're going to read Secret Wars II. Yes, the sequel crossover miniseries featuring The Beyonder done up like a disco dude. And we're going to be reading all the tie-in issues as well!
You can follow along by reading on the Marvel Unlimited app, which is well worth a subscription, or by finding it elsewhere or don't read along and just listen to us talk about it. This is not an ironic bit! We love Secret Wars II and will try and make a case for it over the next few weeks. So next week we wrap Secret Invasion and then after that you'll want to read the following comics:
Secret Wars II #1
New Mutants #30
Captain America #306
Uncanny X-Men #198
Iron Man #197
The numbering on Marvel comics is a nightmare now, but all of these are 1985 comics and should be volume 1 of each individual series. Get reading and meet us back here in two weeks for that new series!

SECRET INVASION: "Beloved" Jul 14, 2023

Show notes

It's strike time, baby. Hollywood is shutting down and we spend a little bit of time talking about this, and about Disney's Bob Iger and his big fat mouth. We also have some (limited) news, including intriguing casting on James Gunn's Superman: Legacy. If you don't care about all that good stuff skip to
This week's Secret Invasionhas good booze and a middling firefight, but once again we get a bunch of scenes where good actors get to go for it. Plus: are supposed to give a single damn about Emilia Clarke's character?
We shall be back next week as Secret Invasion heads into the homestretch and we are really wondering how the heck they're wrapping this one up.

SECRET INVASION: "Betrayal" Jul 07, 2023

Show notes

Let's get one thing out of the way: my audio isn't great this episode. I tried to adjust it best as possible, but I'm not a podcast engineer. I'm taking steps to make the next episode sound better.
On to the show - the third episode of Secret Invasion gives us more spy tropes as well as what feels like an honest to God romance between Nick Fury and Talos. Am I shipping them? I'm shipping them!
In the intro we talk about Star Trek for a minute, as well as the low-level news that has been hitting the transom. If you don't care about that stuff, skip to 35:39.
See you next week!

SECRET INVASION: "Promises" Jun 29, 2023

Show notes

Do you like dialogue scenes? Because this episode has some good dialogue scenes, including what could be Nick Fury's best scene and best line.
Before we get to the big reveals about the Skrull invasion, we spend a little time talking about blinds (you know, on windows), the Superman: Legacy casting, and we have some truly bad trivia. Then it's time to argue endlessly about whether or not 2000 could have been killed in the explosions we saw last week. If you want to waste no time getting to the body count argument, skip to 30: 13.
We shall return next week!

SECRET INVASION: "Resurrection" Jun 23, 2023

Show notes

We've been away for a bit but we have returned with the latest Disney+ MCU show, Secret Invasion. Loosely based on a comic book event, this show finds an old and decrepit Nick Fury dealing with a Skrull invasion of Earth. But what are we dealing with? Is it a gripping spy drama or kind of a boring slog?
Before that we have some news, and we argue vociferously about the state of the studios, we talk about the controversial AI opening of the show and we discuss the latest Marvel Comics event, Ultimate Invasion. If you don't care about any of that stuff and just want to get to the Skrulls, skip to 48:00.
We will be back next week! In the meantime, please consider joining us at the Patreon: www.patreon.com/cinemasangha. You can get more podcasts - hours and hours a month! - but also access to our great and wonderful and growing Discord community. It's a non-toxic space online, believe it or not.

A Eulogy For My Wife, Brittany Knupper Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

If you've noticed this podcast being non-existent for the past few weeks it's because my beautiful, beloved wife was in the hospital and then, on June 9th, passed away. I was there with her as she drew her last breath and I held her and loved her as she left us.
Last week we buried her, and I delivered a eulogy. Before we get back to our regularly scheduled programming I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge her, and the loss, and to share with you the words I said that day. This is a sad episode, and if you're not up for that please feel free to skip it. We will be back with our usual bullshit later this week, as we talk about Secret Invasion.

Let's Catch Up May 17, 2023

Show notes

Hey, this podcast hasn't happened in a minute. What's going on? Well, I'll tell you. This episode is just a catch up, where I talk about some of the very heavy updates in my life over the past two weeks - as well as the beautiful and uplifting updates. We also cover some of the more interesting news that we missed over the past couple of weeks, everything from Marvel to DC to Star Wars. It's not Marvelvision, it's not The Bad Batch, it's just sort of an opportunity for us to reconnect with you.
Because of the nature of my situation right now - listen to the episode for more detail - I can't promise you we will be back next week. I can only promise you that we will be back, not only because I know you want us back but because I love doing these shows and they're healing and helpful for me.
Thanks for still being here, and we will see you when we see you.

X-MEN TAS: "A Rogue's Tale" May 01, 2023

Show notes

This week the trivia questions almost kill me. They're funnier than the jokes on The Bad Batch! We also talk about a whole bunch of news, including some wild Fantastic Four rumors that people are straight making up. Just pulling right from their bholes.
All of that goes until 40:03, and then we get to the meat of the X-Men episode, which sees Wolverine getting out of a car in a way no person ever has before. More than that, this episode brings in complicated elements of Marvel Comics continuity related to Rogue's origin that it didn't have to, and you gotta respect that.
Thank you for listening! We shall return next week!

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