Happy New Year! And what better way to ring in 2026 than to thrill to some classic yarns featuring some of DC’s vilest villains? Join Paul Kien and his guest Peter Watson as they discuss DC Special #14 – Wanted! The World’s Most Dangerous Villains! Listen as they discuss tales starring the Penguin, Toyman, Captain Cold and the debut of Heatwave!
This month’s instocktrades.com selections:
https://www.instocktrades.com/products/dec237190/absolute-all-star-superman-hc-(2024-edition)
https://www.instocktrades.com/products/nov237828/all-star-superman-tp-(dc-compact-comics-edition)
Martin Gray’s review of the Wanted Hardcover:
https://dangermart.blog/2020/04/05/dcs-wanted-the-worlds-most-dangerous-super-villains-review/
Some info on William Woolfolk:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Woolfolk
https://www.mikesamazingworld.com/main/features/creator.php?creatorid=216
https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_55&products_id=1406
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“Cloud Dancer ” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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Loved the issue – There’s something about having some Golden Age in the mix that made it special.
I liked the Calculator story and look forward to the next issues (even though I never really understood the Atom’s powers). I paused the cast and got the Tec book out to quickly read it once I heard Paul and Sean were going to cover it. Haven’t read the other 5 Calculator issues.. but if I had to describe him, I’d say he’s basically the Mad Thinker who fought the FF – he was always calculating upcoming events based on his mastery of probabilities (without the calculator glued to his chest).
I agree with Sean – the costume is something else. He has a readout display on his forehead… but he can’t see what it says?
One nit – someone (Paul?) said as an aside that the Infantino price increase letter was in response for going from 15 to 20 cents… but I think it was for them going from 15 to 25 cents (and going giant size for about a year) – and, believe it or not… I THINK I remember reading this letter as a kid – that move to 25 cents was a big event to little kids.
Keep up the great work!
And, thanks for the heads up on next month’s cast – I will do my Calculator homework – but there’s a limit… I’m not getting any Love comics!
This was a fun show. I don’t really remember this issue, but I must have seen it. I read just about everything back then. I do remember the back-up series with the Calculator. I also remember how it ended. I recall reading the letter columns, and how some of the fans were able to predict who the next guest star would be before it was even announced. It did make sense at the end.
The screen on top of the Calculator’s head was probably a way to let the readers know what was going on without having the writer use a lot of text making explanations.
Great show fellas! I love the art in this era of Superman in the Golden Age. A certain very friendly podcaster recently sent me a pair of Alter Ego issues spotlighting the folks who worked “ghosted” for Joe Shuster during this period, and it’s fascinating stuff! I often forget how nuts some of the Silver Age Flash stories are! I don’t think I ever knew Heat Wave’s gun was called a “hot rod” but it makes sense! So thanks for that enlightenment, Peter! The late Golden/early Silver Age Batman stories really do prove the 60s TV series may be the most faithful comic adaptation EVER, like it or not!
Loved the discussion on the first chapter of the Calculator story. I re-read this series a few years back, and yeah, it makes absolutely NO logical sense…even within comic logic! But it’s fun, and the art looks nice. When I was a kid, I thought Calculator’s suit was cool, but now he looks like he should be shooting out PEZ from the top of his cowl!
Yet again, a great show. I particularly enjoyed Peter’s dramatic readings.
On Infantino’s art – I’m one of those Bronze Age guys who really didn’t like his work in the ’70s and after, but very much like everything I’ve seen from earlier, esp. his work on the Flash, Adam Strange and various SF stories from the 1950s/’60s. And yes, his portrayals of women were quite lovely.
As usual, I enjoyed the creator-focus segment; I know a little about Woolfolk, and I’m glad you mentioned the Mad Hatter. I read both issues featuring that odd, short-lived superhero (they’re public domain and available at the Digital Comic Museum and Comic Book Plus) and they’re honestly not bad. Not great, but really interesting and also a bit puzzling, in that nowhere is it even explained why the hero even calls himself the Mad Hatter – he doesn’t even wear a hat!
Here’s a question when was maxi Zeus created?
I was reading Dc showcase presents Martin manhunter almost finished it . And the story from detective comics #302 from April 1962 : the crime king of mount Olympus . The villain could have bin a proto type for maxi Zeus . This story could have bin remade for wanted a Maxi Zeus used . What you think would you read maxi Zeus vs the Martian man hunter . In retold version of classic story maybe written by Roy Thomas . (That was the only written I could think of maybe you know of better one .)
Great show, Paul and co. I never had this book, but it does represent the three top Rogues Galleries at DC: Batman, Flash, and Superman. This is the Toyman that I prefer, even though I probably encountered the Jack B. Nimball version via Super Friends at the same time. It never really worked when they tried to make him “edgy” and “darker” IMO. And I had forgotten that he was another villain who had a heroic legacy in the Japanese Toyman, Hiro Okamura, from the early 2000s.
Heat Wave sticks out in my mind as having one of the most memorable origin stories of any villain: getting accidentally locked in a freezer as a child gave him an obsession with heat and warmth. And he always makes up one of the best villainous double acts w/ Captain Cold. Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell were particularly good in the Legends of Tomorrow TV series.
Last but certainly least is the Penguin. Burgess Meredith will always be the definitive version for me as he is for so many of us who grew up watching him on television. Danny DeVito was quite good as the movie version. The “modern” take on him as a mob boss of sorts headquartered at the Iceberg Lounge works perfectly.
“See You Later, Calculator” is a nice addition to the show. I remember encountering the Calculator around this time (that costume is burned into my memory), but I can’t recall anything about the stories in which I saw him.
This show is always a good listen. I don’t know that I have ever read a romance comic, but I will be here next month for the next episode anyway. And I have sampled the Earth 2 podcast, particularly the episodes on the Secret Society of Super-Villains.
Great show! Peter brought some great energy to the guest slot and was a lot of fun. I liked his “American guy” voice, too,
With all the various features the show now has–main guest segment, creator bio, Calculator w/Shawn, feedback–DC SpecialCast is like a DC Dollar Comic, with all its varied features. That can’t be a coincidence!
DC got a lot of use of that wanted poster art template–this comic, the WANTED reprint series, and in the bonus features of various villain-based treasury editions. I hope whoever drew it (Nick Cardy?) got thrown an extra few hundred bucks for the trouble. (Probably not)
Oh, BTW–re: The Calculator. Why do I think he finally had to install a passcode on his chest after all the other villains in Belle Reve kept typing “80085” on it while he was asleep?
Ah, a new DC SpecialCast, what a treat for the new year. And what a comic, what a guest!
What, a host? Yes, a great one, special thanks for the lovely plug for my review of the Wanted hardback. I hadn’t even known about the two special comics that preceded the regular series. Yes, why aren’t they in with the rest of the reprinted reprints?
Looking at at the top right of the cover, by the price tag, I mistook the pins for the Gentleman Ghost’s hat and the Fiddler’s fiddle… actually, wouldn’t that have been cool? Do you see it?
That detail in the Batman story in which he says the marble has saved him and Robin many times, that is just bizarre. Was there ever a story called ‘The many marble-ous saves of the Batman’? Maybe a giant, Batman’s Greatest Games Gimmicks.
The Toyman never had a castle outside of this story, as I recall; and it’s weird that I recall this story at all as I didn’t think I had this comic, but I’ve read everything in it, and the Superman story has only been reprinted here and in an Omnibus I definitely don’t have. I’m going to have to check the comic cupboard next time I’m at the family home.
Peter was great, I hope we get to hear you over on Earth 2 soon. Happy New Year, Paul!
PS, I loved the Calculator segment, it’s so odd the whole saga has never been collected. I mean, we got The Search For Jean Loring and who cares about her? The only issue of the serial I had before the big conclusion was the Green Arrow story, which was called ‘Take Me Out To The Ballgame’ but didn’t feature Gene Kelly. So it’ll be great to hear you chaps going through and giving us your special brand of commentary.
Impressive podcast most impressive. Sorry I don’t see the toy man is scary here. He looks like one of my exes or one of the guys who wanted to be my ex anyway the only time I saw the toy man as scary is when he was in the Superman cartoon cause that was freaky. Other than that nope. Hated him as a child killer and the bald trench edge lord but was meh to me. The super man jack in the box was fun. Next
Ah Flash vs Captain Cold and heat wave, I can see them in my head how they were on the WB show in this. Then Captain Cold was a ladies man. Here the words sure Jane comes to mind when it’s said about him. The art is good . I liked carmine on the Flash but that was my era for his art style. Iriss looks great. And Barry is well … Barry. The story is well a silver age story I will give it that.
Ah speed force bits with powers cool. Though yeah I like Wally more Barry was fine here. Ah Dream Girl she’s ok. Though why is she warring orange pants ? The outfit is of its time but the orange pants? Why just why? Is she a fan of ECW’s Tazz? Geez . Did she raid Babs Gordan’s closet?
Next the penguin story is…. Fine. Not my fav villain didn’t like him till Secret origins. Yep that’s all I got on it. Next
Ah it’s Shawn and Paul together on another podcast cool. Ah yeah the Calculator. A village that didn’t work till Brad Melzer. But ok an Atom story. You’re arguing about the physics for something in an Atom story? The man got his power by caring a dwarf star home in a truck…. Genial man . Physics waved bye bye along time ago on this man.
Anyway can’t wait for the next podcast.
I also had a set of those demolition derby cars you mentioned. I think they came out around the time Pinky Tuscadero showed up on “Happy Days” and she and Fonzie competed in a demolition derby.
How the h*** do I remember this stuff?
But what did you have for breakfast yesterday, right?
I thoroughly enjoyed the coverage of DC Special #14 – Wanted. I was recently looking through my collection for a different back issue and it turns out I own this. Sweet!
But, I really wanted to comment on the first installment of “Catch You Later, Calculator.” Detective Comics #463 (The “Socko Slugfest of ’76”) was most likely the FIRST solo Batman comic I ever bought at roughly the age of 8 in the summer of 1976. I must confess, however, I bought it because it looked to young me like that was Spider-Man on the cover kicking Batman in the face!
I have always loved the Calculator as a “memorable” villain from my youth and I also have been a Ray “Atom” Palmer fan for as long as I’ve read comics. I wonder if both of those things are due to the fact that I bought and read and re-read this issue many, many times as a fledgling comic book fan. Regardless, I think this is going to be a fun feature. I will enjoy following along with you and Sean as this feature continues since I don’t know if I’ve ever actually read any of the other parts of it. Thanks for a fun show, as always!
I meant, “Shawn,” not “Sean.” Sorry about that.