Our first thematic episode focuses on minor sidekicks to adult heroes! What would convince a teenager to endanger themselves to join an adult? Anthony & Doc break down several famous pairings and how they work (or don’t)! Listen now!

SHOW NOTES:

• Intro

  • Shoutout to new Patron Salvador

  • Adventures in Poor Taste plug for Doc’s column

  • Episode 50 – Mailbag

• Background (5:24)

  • First teenage sidekick was Robin, the Boy Wonder, introduced in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940)

  • Numerous teen sidekicks followed: Bucky (Captain America), Toro (Human Torch), Speedy (Green Arrow)

  • 1954, Frederic Wertham published Seduction of the Innocent, claiming comic books were corrupting America’s youth – pointed out potential homosexual subtexts, along with graphic imagery, in several comic books – the Comics Code Authority was created to let the industry self-regulate rather than have Congress do it for them

  • Later comics explore the role sidekicks have, and retcon the justification for the sidekick accompanying the hero (Bucky became an assassin, for example)

  • Many sidekicks become adult heroes in their own right, several even becoming legacy versions of the hero they helped

• Discussion of several hero/sidekick pairings

  • Batman/Robin – Batman has series of Robins, all of whom have different personalities, and Bruce’s relationship with each is different

    • Various Robins kept at arm’s length at first to prevent Bruce from getting too close, especially after Dick left and Jason died

  • Cap/Bucky – Bucky started off as mere teen sidekick, then retconned to be dangerous assassin as part of Winter Soldier reveal (31:25)

  • Barry Allen/Wally West – Wally started off as Kid Flash, then became the third Flash after Barry’s death – becomes more powerful than even Barry (38:33)

  • Wolverine/Kitty Pryde/Jubilee/X-23 – we discussed this in the Wolverine episode – Wolverine takes young girls under his wing (44:55)

  • Big Daddy/Hit-Girl – Mindy raised by her father to be brutal assassin, doesn’t know anything outside of survival & killing (49:14)

  • Superman/Jimmy Olsen – never gets superpowers of his own (outside of wacky 50s/60s stories), but is a staunch ally of Man of Steel (53:04)

  • Rick Jones – sidekick to several heroes: Captain America, Captain Marvel, Hulk (58:24)

• Real-life examples

  • Matt’s suggestion of John Allen Mohammed/Lee Boyd Malvo (62:45)

  • Joe Montana/Steve Young (69:00)

  • Doc’s mentor

• Treatment?

• End

References:

• “6 in the Mornin’” – Ice-T – Anthony – 3:34
• Sancho Panza – Anthony – 6:58
• Jack Thompson – Anthony – 12:32
• Beavis & Butt-Head – Doc – 12:50
• Ren & Stimpy – Doc – 12:54
• Superdickery – Anthony – 58:15
• Beltway sniper – Anthony – 63:00
• Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi & Tahl Raz – Doc – 88:10

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