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Capes and Japes

a casual comics podcast

#446 – Frederick Myers

Boomerang/Outback/Comeback

Today we talk about Fred Myers, who was a baseball player before getting hired to do crime as Boomerang, which led him to trying to kill Spider-Man, befriending Spider-Man, and even befriending a Symbiote!

What we were up to this week:

  • Briar didn't read anything but did pick up Marvel Mangaverse: Arcane Avengers (2026) #1
  • Olivia didn't read anything either but kept up on announcements such as new New Gods in January and the next set of Critical Role liveshows 
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#445 – MacDonald Gargan

Scorpion/Venom

Today we talk about Mac Gargan, who was a regular private investigator until he let J Jonah Jameson convince him to get experimented on and became the Scorpion, which goes about as well as you might think, and leads him to a revenge quest again Jameson (and Spider-man, even though he wasn't even really involved). 

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#444 – Aleksei Sytsevich

Rhino

Today we talk about Aleksei Sytsevich, best known as the Spider-man antagonist The Rhino, whose main motivations are getting stronger, making money, and being mad at guys who prevent either of the first two things.

What we were up to this week: 

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#443 – Iris West

Iris West-Allen

Today we talk about Iris West, who was sent to the past as a baby, ended up marrying Barry Allen, got sent to the future again where Barry ended up finding her and starting a family before he went back to the past and died, so Iris traveled back to the past with her grandson before everything got retconned and then kind of done all over again! 

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#442 – Linda Park

Linda Park-West

Today we talk about Linda Park, who is a reporter and kept running into Wally West on the job before they ended up falling in love, starting a family, forgetting the family existed multiple times, and remembering multiple times.

What we were up to this week: 

(excerpt)

#441 – Victoria Vale

Vicki Vale

Today we talk about Vicki Vale, an intrepid Gotham reporter who is going to get to the bottom of this "Is Bruce Wayne Batman?" mystery if it kills her.

What we were up to this week:

  • Briar read some poetry, namely The Dream of a Common Language by Adrienne Rich and There
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#440 – Porcupine Roundup

Alexander Gentry, Roger Gocking

Today we talk about the two men who have been known as Porcupine: Alex Gentry who made the spiky suit (and decided to use it for crime), and Roger Gocking who purchased the suit (and decided to use it for crime, and later not-crime). But we mostly talk about Roger.

What we were up to this week: 

(excerpt)

#439 – Thomas Fireheart

Puma/Riot

Today we talk about Thomas Fireheart, who was raised to fight a prophesized threat with shapeshifting Puma powers, ends up starting a business and becoming a mercenary, and being generally in Spider-man's way.

What we were up to this week: 

(excerpt)

#438 – Randolph Robertson

Randy Robertson

Today we talk about Randy Robertson, civil rights activist, friend and roommate to Peter Parker, son of Robbie Robertson, and one half of a beautiful Romeo and Juliet story.

What we were up to this week:

  • Briar shifted out of Check Please mode to read Project Hail Mary, then immediately
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#437 – Joseph Robertson

Robbie Robertson

Today we talk about Joseph "Robbie" Robertson, a journalist with the Daily Bugle who has a very complicated relationship with the villain Tombstone....

What we were up to this week:

  • Briar mostly read a lot of fanfiction to contend with The Horrors (being very tired) 
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#436 – Ben Urich

Today we talk about Ben Urich, who is a regular guy with a regular journalism job and he's so good at it that superheroes just seem to trust his integrity, y'know?

What we were up to this week:

  • Briar picked up Batman/Superman Worlds Finest 2026 Annual and Monsters in Love and has
(excerpt)