THE FANTASTIC POUR
Brett welcomes FW Godfather Rob Kelly to the Fantasti-Lounge for a very special holiday edition of the Fantastic Pour as we talk Santa Claus! We enjoy a Yoo-Hoo holiday cocktail and read Justice League of America #110. Join us in the Fantasti-Lounge as we discuss: How much nutmeg is too much? Death by Christmas ornament. The Phantom Stranger in a Hallmark movie. And much, much more!
Secret Pour-igins: Drinking at Christmas
Cocktail: Yoo-Hoo-ltide
Ingredients
- 2 oz Baileys Irish Cream
- 1 oz vodka
- 4 to 5 oz Yoo Hoo
- 1 candy cane
- Chocolate syrup
- Nutmeg
Instructions
- Crush candy cane and put pieces on a small plate
- Pour chocolate syrup on separate small plate
- Rim your cocktail glass with chocolate syrup
- Then roll rim of glass into crushed candy cane and set aside
- Pour Baileys, Vodka, Yoo Hoo into a shaker with ice
- Shake for 10-20 seconds
- Strain into rimmed cocktail glass neat or on the rocks
- Sprinkle nutmeg on top and be merry!
Comic: Justice League of America #110, DC Comics, 1974
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Play out music: Tony Bennett performing “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”
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Best episode ever.
Definitely the best episode of a podcast featuring a Yoo-Hoo based cocktail. It’s up for a Peabody.
A fine holiday episode, with a fine guest, discussing a fine comic and drinking a fine (?) beverage – actually on the latter, I’m thinking hot cocoa with a little nutmeg might be a better way to go.
Although I haven’t read this particular issue of JLA, I have read some of Len Wein’s run on the title, as well as his excellent Phantom Stranger stories (I totally agree with Rob on that mark), so I’m sure this is an entertaining story. And yes, Dillin is a, well, fine artist – I’ve always liked his work and when I was a kid, he was ‘Mr. JLA’ to me. I couldn’t believe it later, when I started frequenting comics blogs and forums and listening to podcasts, that he has so many detractors.
By the way, I love Rob’s idea for turning that tired Hallmark holiday movie formula on its head, i.e., having someone from a small town come to the big city. My suggestion is having some country bumpkin fall for an Uber or Lyft driver or street food vendor who’s an immigrant from one of those so-called s-hole countries (sorry, if that’s too political, it must be all of the Yoo-Hoo I’ve been drinking while listening to your episode… 😛 ).
Love the idea, Edo. No notes
The taxi driver would inevitably turn out to be a prince break.
A prince ON a break, rather.
Great episode gents, and great kick off to the holiday season! I appreciated the toy talk at the end, and Brett’s offer for the Super Powers figures…but I have those. If you come across a Cyborg, keep me in mind! And I’ve never bought a carded Cyborg for $3,000 either, because I too think it’s a bit nuts to pay that for it. I hope the fantasy JLA pinball game has an action that makes the satellit spin around when the ball drops into the hole beneath it!
This is a favorite story of mine as well, and I first encountered it in that same Best of DC Digest #22. This was my first introduction to John Stewart (and it’s actually only his second appearance after Green Lantern/Green Arrow #87), and quite possibly the Phantom Stranger. It was reprinted in Christmas with the Super Heroes #1 from 1988, and that’s the version I re-read to my kids over and over every Christmas for many years.
I used to wonder about how John’s refurbished buildings would stay intact longer than the usual constructs, and in fact my son Andrew asked me how this worked one time when I read it to him. I think Wein’s reasoning is he used the ring as a tool to reconstruct the materials and the buildings. So there’s not any ring construct nails in the the structures, for instance. It’s a flimsy no-prize, but I think it can work.
I enjoyed the spotlight on Dick Dillin. One thing I really appreciated about his art is that he adapted to the current way the characters were being drawn in their titles. His work took on a more Neal Adams-like look once that became the DC house style, for instance. He probably tops almost any comic artist for the number of lead characters drawn monthly for an extended amount of time, between JLA, and his runs on Blackhawk, World’s Finest, and even DC Comics Presents shortly before his death.
Again, great show fellas!
Thanks, Chris. 100% agree on Dick Dillin. Maybe next season we can cut open a blow mold and drink some Kentucky whiskey out of the head!
Outstanding episode Brett, as usual! And the guest was ok, too.
Seriously this was a great discussion. I’m not much for Yoo-Hoo but I love me some Bronze Age JLA. This was one of the earliest JLAs I bought (I think I started around 105 or so) and was blown away (no pun intended). I love these 100 page super spectaculars. That was how I learned about DC Comics History.
Chris stole my thunder about this being John Stewart’s 2nd only appearance – I remember thinking as a kid how cool that was. And what a boss move at the end, reconstructing the houses. I also agree with Chris in that I never thought the houses were ring constructs, but that he somehow took all the raw material that was blown up and rebuilt the actual houses. Thinking about it as an adult, it doesnt make much sense, but I wish more heroes did real heroic stuff like that! It did make me a big John Stewart fan. The heroes sacrificing themselves was always just a great part of the story too. Just awesome.
This is just one of those stories that I re-read almost every year. It is just a classic. You guys did it proud.
Oh – and Dick Dillin? Awesome artist, my JLA in my head is his. Not the flashiest, and agree some of the poses can be wonky sometimes, but just an amazing body of work. I knew he had also drawn Blackhawk before JLA, but to find out that his Blackhawk run (over 2 companies!) was actually longer than his JLA run – blew my mind.
Thanks, Paul. Everyone has such love for this story, I’m so glad we covered it.
Happy Holidays gents!
First off, who would ever pick Yoo Hoo out of the 7-11 drinks when Strawberry Quik was right there next to it. Strawberry Quik for the win!
Never quite understood how the Key was such a threat. He seems like a complete mort. The headpiece doesn’t help. It’s a keyhole shape. Surely that opens him up to quips about people putting things into the hole, no? Morrison did give him an upgrade in his JLA run.
Dick Dillin was one of the first artists whose style I could recognize and associate with a name before I began routinely looking at credits. Loved his time on JLA so much that when I opened up JLA #184 (before I knew Dillin had passed) I was jarred by the style of the new artist. “Who is this poser taking over for my boy Dillin?’ I asked. It was George Perez. LOL.
As for secret questions.
1) JLA Pinball machine – for sure the splash from JLA #200 is there but i think on the side of the body. It is really landscape. I think the cover of Morrison’s JLA #1 would be the top portion, where the score is. And I think the pieces of a blown up Red Tornado have to be down by where the hole is that your ball goes down when you lose.
2) Hallmark movie – I want there to be a super couple – Supergirl and Brainiac 5 come to mind – who are tossed through time, one in the distant past, one in the distant future. As the each battle to return to their proper time, we see flashbacks of them loving and supporting each other through life. When they finally both succeed, they both re-appear on Christmas eve just before midnight, and under mistletoe. They say something corny like ‘what took you so long’ or ‘your are the best ‘present’ – pun intended – i could ever get’. Kiss. Credits.
It’s a FANTASTI-question, Anj! But I’ll let it slide since it’s the holidays. I like your Christmas movie idea with Supergirl and brainy, the only problem is with a Hallmark movie, you need the two stars to be constantly interacting to build the romance. But maybe a departure is just what the doctor ordered.. no pun intended
I am always to drunk listening to the show to remember it is a Fantasti-question!
at SF STATE bookstore there was half a bottle of youhoo on the counter for NINE YEARS nobody drank it. Nobody moved it nobody even seemed to know who’s it was
I think that makes it a national landmark
At one workplace, we had an empty non-fizzy orange juice can on my computer display and when people walked past they’d say, ‘still orange?’ and I’d reply, ‘yes, still orange’. Oh how we laughed.
I Wont lie when I FINALLY graduated I Thought about drinking it there was no time.
For my next intro : how about saying : I’m the guy on the floor playing with Frankenstein and Shazam mego dolls (I have modern versions of both of them .)
Here’s a fantastic question: if you could have some custom art for the lounge with Santa teaming up with who like a brave and bold style cover who would choose ? And what would the cover look. Like .
Me I’d have Santa and Johnny storm team up to save Christmas.
Thanks, Bucky. I’d have Santa teaming up with my kids, of course!
So Santa and the x-babies and power pack justice league style running at the camera
With a tag line “ it up to Santa a these kids to save Christmas and the very universe it self !”
Always good to hear Rob Kelly talking comics again on the network. I don’t think I have ever had a Yoo-Hoo since I had an actual allergy to chocolate as a kid, which did go away as I got older. My wife, a noted chocoholic, claims that marrying her provided the cure.
For me this story is always, “the one where Green Lantern slips in the shower and knocks himself unconscious”. One of those great “that really happened” moments in comics history. Alan Scott’s weakness may be a wooden stick, but Hall Jordan’s is a bar of soap. Forget all that “yellow impurity” business.
Great show as always, Brett! Happy holidays!
Thanks Super Captain! The Hal Jordan/soap thing is what I always think of first as well!
I really loved this episode! way to go to get the Godfather on the podcast to wrap up the year! I was surprised Rob didn’t select Aquaman and went with Saint Nick as a character to base a drink off of. Although a fish-like cocktail might be a bit bleghhh . I also liked the yoohoo ingredient being used. I would never have guessed that it would work. Justice League of America (1960) #110 is a great issue as well. Excellent choice. I listened to this while driving from Brooklyn-Staten Island to do errands and this helped pass the time as I was stuck on the highway traffic for a long time . so thank you!
So, I have to admit I steered Rob in the holiday direction a bit, so I’ll be sure to have him on again to talk Aquaman. That makes me so happy to hear I was able to help with your commute. Many a podcast has gotten me through bad traffic and I always appreciate it, so it warms my heart to know I was able to help a little bit
Ah, yes, the issue where Hal Jordan had Peter Parker level luck. I bet it was YELLOW SOAP. You know I always thought of Phantom Stranger as the guy who had to save the JLA’s butts when they were really in trouble. I guess you could add John Stewart to that. Yes Dick Dillin was underappreciated like Jim Aparo, and Don Newton, All those characters.
You actually could do an Aquaman Hallmark movie. He has to choose between Mera and say a hot blonde normal girl from the land. Never had Yoo Hoo either.
Looking forward to Rob’s Aquaman episode and maybe A Legion Girls one.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Thanks, Nate. It was definitely evil yellow soap.
Fun episode. I expected more out of Santa but I guess he served his purpose for the story.
I always wondered about GLs using their ring to fix stuff. Like Hal recreating Coast City, how long did those constructs last? While I live the JSA, their back up story was just a lil too vintage for me.
Keep up the great work. Looking forward to more great shows and great drink recipes!
Thanks, Chris! Happy holidays
I enjoyed the history of Yuletide drinking, but the actual Cocktail of the Month, while cleverly named, sounds awful – candy cane. Mind, it’s already starting at a low point as every time ‘Yoo-Hoo’ is mentioned I heat ‘Uhu’, a British brand of glue.
It’s always fun when the podcast goes totally Miss Othmar with sports talk, then you shout out my name, thank you so much!
Cartoon cartoon CARTOON! Ha ha, those people who insist on ‘animated series’ are the kind who want to call comics ‘graphic novels’. They were cartoons and comic books when we came to love these things, why be ashamed now?
I love Dick Dillin, when I was a kid I couldn’t understand why he didn’t get the same amount of praise as Neil Adams, with the finishes by Frank McLaughlin they looked as good to me.
Anyway, this JLA issue is so great, and the Dead Santa story is part of that greatness. I wish Len Wein had enjoyed a longer run as writer.
The Demons Three were mentioned in passing on the show, check out last week’s Justice League Unlimited, they’re actually dawned impressive for possibility the first time ever.
So, a superhero Hallmark movie. How about Big Barda IS Mrs Miracle, and she poses as Darkseid’s nanny to ensure he grows up nice. Granny Goodness would be played by Candace Cameron Bure. I love Hallmark and the like, the festive film to avoid is Disney’s One Magic Christmas, it’ll have you booking that one-way ticket to a Swiss clinic after ten minutes, and it just gets ever more depressing.
I think the cover illo from JLA 170 would do nicely for a pinball machine image, with everyone flying outwards in relation to the sun. Or the logo infinity cover, 217.
Thanks for the Tony Bennett at the end, what a guy! Can the ‘Velvet Fog’ be far behind?
Thanks, Martin. I love Tony Bennet. His Christmas album plays loud and often in our home around the holidays. Regarding a Hallmark movie with Barda. I see her as the Female Fury leader who never has time for love. Between the hustle and bustle of the fire pits and splitting skulls in battle, she can’t worry about a relationship. Until she has to take a business trip to rural America to kill Mister Miracle. But instead, she finds love, gives up her career, and settles down to run Scott Free’s Country Inn and Escape Room. The End.
Great episode, Brett and Rob! I love this issue for two main reasons: John Stewart interacting with the JLA and Red Tornado’s new costume.
It was always a treat when Hal Jordan would be unavailable due to slipping on soap in the shower or standing in line at the free clinic. I love getting to see John in action in those early days before he became an A-lister.
My big question about Reddy’s new costume design is the arrow pointing down on his head. I call it the “My eyes are up here” arrow.