Superhero Smash Returns for Thanksgiving!
- Because listeners demanded it, Superhero Smash will be returning live for Big Heroes, Big Appetites–A Thanksgiving Superhero Smash Giant-Sized Special!
- Tune in to hear Gian live on Wednesday November 22nd from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
- This will be a super-sized episode of best superhero radio show in the MCU, the DCU, and our U too!
- Superhero Smash can be heard exclusively on WIUP 90.1 FM
- Stream Superhero Smash Live here!
Original Air Date
- November 22, 2023
Part 1 Begins
Hero Song (4:07)
- “Something Just Like This” by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
Superhero Smash: Season II (1:00)
- You’re listening to Superhero Smash: Season II!
- Featuring the best in Superhero Music and Comic Book Lore
- Focusing on current superhero movies and popular culture events
- I’m your host, Dr. Gian Pagnucci, a.k.a. The New Professor X
- Playing great music about superheroes as well as music that is featured in superhero movies and shows
- Also talking about comic book history and heroism
- But no matter what cool stuff I discuss, you don’t have to worry because this is a NO SPOILERS show!
- Contact me, the new Professor X, via email: SuperheroSmash2024@gmail.com
Audio Episode Theme: The 2024 Thanksgiving Superhero Smash Super-Sized Special (1:00)
- In honor of Thanksgiving, I’ll also be playing songs about food that tie to the heroes with the biggest appetites!
- Article: “Five Marvel Characters to Bring Home for Thanksgiving (And Five Not To)” by Benjamin Doyce
- Heroes that have to eat a lot, like The Flash who must keep his super fast metabolism fueled
- And heroes who can eat pretty much anything, like Dr. Bruce Banner when he becomes…
- Hulk Sound Effect
Instrumental Theme Music (1:14)
- Theme from The Incredible Hulk TV show
- The spectacular Bill Bixby played David Banner (for some reason his name was changed from the comic version Bruce) and Lou Ferringo played The Incredible Hulk in the 1978 series
Hulk’s Big Appetite! (5:00)
- Hulk is often shown eating food in the comics
- He especially loves beans
- In Avengers Endgame we get to see him eating a bowl of eggs and plate of sausages
- In this scene at a diner, 3 kids show up to get a picture with Hulk
It turns out that 2 of the kids are children of the Russo brothers who directed the film and one is the son of the brothers’ sister- See the article “There’s a Particular Avengers: Endgame Cameo That Meant a Lot to the Directors” by Rachel Leishman
- Video: “Hulk Eats Fruits and Vegetables–Learning Healthy Eating Habits”
- A particularly fun video that uses Hulk figures to teach kids about making healthy food choices
Hulk Song 1 (3:41)
- “Hulk Smash” by NerdOut
- Also of interest is “Nobody Likes the Hulk” by Nick Wolff
Hulk Song 2 (3:41)
- “Hulk Theme” by Craig Armstrong from The Incredible Hulk which starred Edward Norton
- That film is part of the MCU canon unlike Hulk which was directed by Ang Lee but suffered from too much CGI
Part 1 Ends (@20 minutes)
Part 2 Begins (@20 minutes)
Show ID: Superhero Smash (2:00)
- WIUP FM 90.1
- Alternative music for the MCU, the DCU, and our U too!
- Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
- Or email Professor X using the address superherosmash2023@gmail.com
- I love to get listener’s input
Collector’s Item Classic Comic Book (5:00)
- Normally, I feature a comic book
- But for Thanksgiving, I want to tell you about
- Stan Lee Presents The Mighty Marvel Superheroes Cookbook
- The wonderful website GeekPlate offers a great review of the book and includes a lot of the books classic artwork
- Includes how to make a Captain America’s Americana Hero sandwich
- But my favorite picture is Spidey having to use his spider-sense in the kitchen when he accidentally sets the oven on fire
- Publication Date: 1977
- Value on eBay today: You can get it for about $55. A real steal!
Spider-Man Song 1 (2:15)
- “More Spider-Man” by rapper Vinnie Chocha
- Talks about a bunch of Marvel superheroes, including one of my real favorites, Matt Murdock a.k.a. Daredevil
Spider-Man–A Thanksgiving Movie! (3:00)
- Since we’re talking about Thanksgiving, I certainly have to recommend that classic film Planes, Trains, and Automobiles staring Steve Martin and John Candy
- It’s easily the greatest Thanksgiving movie of all time
- But not far behind is the original Spider-Man movie from 2002 staring Tobey Maguire
- The film is set at Thanksgiving and Spidey and the Green Goblin, played with aplomb by William Dafoe, have a big fight and then both have to rush off to the same Thanksgiving dinner since the Green Goblin’s alter ego, Norman Osborne, is dating Peter’s Aunt May
- During the meal, Osborne comes to the realization that Peter is Spider-Man and so, as he carves the turkey for the meal, he grows increasingly sinster
- But the best laugh comes when Peter apologizes for being late to the meal by saying, “I had to beat an old lady with a stick to get these cranberries.”
- You can enjoy Dafoe and Maguire reprising their roles in Spider-Man: No Way Home which also stars Tom Holland as the MCU Spider-Man; the Maguire film was put out by Sony
- And, of course, that film also brings back another Spider-Man, the one played by Andrew Garfield
- Both Spider-Man and Spider-Man: No Way Home are great!
- But if you are looking for truly AMAZING Spider-Man movies, you need to check out the 2 animated films about the alternate universe Spider-Man Miles Morales
Spider-Man Song 2 (3:19)
- “Memories” by Thutmose from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
The Spider-Man Cake Theory (4:00)
- The Spider-Man Cake Theory
- “You can’t have your cake and eat it too,” says Miles’ high school guidance counselor
- “Unless you bake two cakes,” replies Miles
- Teamwork? Going it alone or together
- Responsibility? Bringing a birthday cake home for his dad’s party
- Our dual natures? Are we good or bad
- Or just that basic love humans have for cake?
- My theory is that Miles believes he can save everyone, so he will have his cake and eat it too
- Fun scene of Spider-Man trying to bring home a birthday cake for his dad
- Great movies to watch over the Thanksgiving holiday
Spider-Man Song 3 (2:04)
- “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” theme by Jared Moreno Luna and ORCH
Part 2 Ends (@45 minutes)
Part 3 Begins (@45 minutes)
Show ID: Superhero Smash (1:00)
- WIUP FM 90.1
- Alternative music for the MCU, the DCU, and our U too!
- Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
- Or email Professor X using the address superherosmash2023@gmail.com
Come Running for Thanksgiving Dinner (1:00)
- The Flash
- His super metabolism requires him to eat constantly to keep up his strength
- In the summer’s Flash movie, the Flash had to raid a vending machine to charge up and save a bunch of babies
- On the far better CW show The Flash, this issue of eating was constantly being referenced
- But even with his super speed, the Flash, a.k.a. Barry Allen, always seemed to be running late
Flash Music 1 (3:06)
- “The Fastest Man Alive (Always Late)” by Blake Neely
Make Sure You Get to Your Thanksgiving Meal Safely! (2:00)
- I met Grant Gustin, former star of the show, this past summer at Galaxy Con in Raleigh, NC
- Since I’m mentioning NC, I’ll give a quick shout out to my family who is on their way to NC to celebrate Thanksgiving with me in Indiana, PA
- Hope they and everyone else traveling have a safe journey
- There’s been a lot of rain, so take your time
- A little extra cooking won’t hurt that turkey, but we want you to arrive at your destination safely
- And in honor of that, here’s a perfect song about driving
Flash Music 2 (4:25)
- “Fast Car” by Luke Combs
- A fabulous remake of the Tracey Chapman original
Flash Music 3 (3:59)
- I love Combs’ slowed down version of “Fast Car,” but since we’re talking about the Flash, here, I guess I better speed things up with a faster song
- “Speed” by Montgomery Gentry
Part 3 Ends (@60 minutes)
Part 4 Begins (@1 hour/Noon)
Show ID: Superhero Smash (1:00)
- WIUP FM 90.1
- Alternative music for the MCU, the DCU, and our U too!
- Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
- Or email Professor X using the address superherosmash2023@gmail.com
Don’t Eat Too Fast (3:00)
- The Flash
- “O Come, All Ye Thankful” is the seventh episode of the fifth season of The Flash and the ninety-ninth episode overall
- The episode revolves around a fight against the Weather Wizard’s daughter Joss Jackam
- Joss has a staff that has been “tainted” with Dark Matter permitting her to control the climate
- In the DC Universe, superheroes and supervillains are known as meta-humans and Joss’ staff is considered a meta-tech item
- The Flash team also has a very nice Thanksgiving meal together, which leads to the episode’s Thankful title
- I was thankful to meet Gustin at Galaxy Con because he told me that Superhero Smash “sounds cool”
- So in Gustin’s honor, here he is singing a solo
- Gustin also starred on Glee, so he knows a little something about music!
Flash Music 4 (2:48)
- “Runnin’ Home to You” by Grant Gustin
- This summer in the Contest of Champions Superhero Smash episode, I played the guitar version of this song, so I thought for today I would share this alternate version from The Flash Musical Episode “Duet” (Season 3, Episode 17)
Thanksgiving Is a Time to Celebrate with Family and FRIENDS! (3:00)
- The Flash makes a really great comment in the “O Come, All Ye Thankful” episode
- Barry says, “I don’t choose being the Flash over being with my family. I’m the Flash for my family.”
- Again and again, he risks his own life to save the people he loves, although when he tries to do this by using his speed to reverse time, things pretty much never go as planned
- As my son Cormac once said with a perfect deadpan delivery: “If there’s one thing I learned from my time as a speedster, you don’t mess with timeline.”
- So, to make sure the Flash doesn’t forget that important lesson about the dangers of time travel, here’s a little song to remind him
Flash Music 5 (2:15)
- The “Super Friend” duet by Melissa Benois and Grant Gustin
- Yes, I played it in this summer “Flash” episode of Superhero Smash, but where else are you going to get to hear this incredible superhero song?
- You can only hear it EXCLUSIVELY on
Show ID: Superhero Smash (1:00)
- WIUP FM 90.1
- Alternative music for the MCU, the DCU, and our U too!
- Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
- Or email Professor X using the address superherosmash2023@gmail.com
Part 4 Ends (@ 1 hour 15 minutes)
Part 5 Begins (@1 hour 15 minutes)
A Super Thanksgiving (3:00)
- I hope all this super music is giving you a big appetite, just like our heroes
- I want to turn now to an actual Thanksgiving comic, JSA Issue #54
- In 2004, Geoff Johns wrote and Don Kramer inked a special comic that was deliberately upbeat
- Ashley Land provides a good review of the issue: “The Justice League/Justice Society Thanksgiving Comic Was Great – Without Being Dark and Gritty” (clearly titled to draw web traffic!)
- Land says the issue harkens back to the time when comics were simpler and aimed more for kids
- I remember loving these “filler” issues which tended to come in between story arcs and focused on the heroes ordinary lives
- These special issues often hit on holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the 4th of July
- Of course front and center in these episodes was the big red S, Superman, which leads to this next song
Superhero Music 1 (2:53)
- “Superman” by R.E.M.
The Two-Ton Man of Steel (3:00)
- Technically, Superman does not need to eat because he is fueled by our yellow son
- But in issue 221 of Superman, he was exposed to red kryptonite and suddenly became huge, two tons to be exact
- While green kryptonite could kill superman because it the rocks contained radiation from Superman’s exploded home world, red kryptonite had all sorts of strange effects on him, and gave early Superman writers lots of opportunities to tell humourous stories
- Superman did eventually return to his normal buff self, but you and I might not be so lucky if we eat too much at Thanksgiving
- So enjoy the meal, have seconds if you want, but try not to overdo it too much
- Remember, there will be plenty of leftovers which are great too
Superhero Music 3 (3:54)
- “Kryptonite” by 3 Doors Down
Players of Steel (2:00)
- After you do all that eating, I know you’ll just want to collapse onto the couch and watch a little football
- Since I’m from Wisconsin and a proud Green Bay Packers owner, I’m hoping Jordan Love plays like a superhero and beats the Lions on Thanksgiving Day
- But as loud as I’ll be cheering, there’s one super fan who cheers even louder, at least as far as the NFL’s hype machine would have us believe
- So, in honor of Jason Kelce’s brother’s girlfriend, here’s one more Superman song for you
Superhero Music 3 (4:36)
- “Superman” by Taylor Swift
- I’ll give Taylor Swift credit for each titling her song “Superman”
Show ID: Superhero Smash (1:00)
- Hey even people who traveled to Argentina to catch the Swift concert can still stream WIUP FM 90.1
- If you’re there and see Taylor, tell her she can listen to us too!
- Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
- Or email Professor X using the address superherosmash2023@gmail.com
Part 5 Ends (@1 hour 40 minutes)
Part 6 Begins (@1 hour 40 minutes)
Show ID: Superhero Smash (1:00)
- WIUP FM 90.1
- Alternative music for the MCU, the DCU, and our U too!
- Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
- Or email Professor X using the address superherosmash2023@gmail.com
Long Lost Hero: The Question
- First Appearance: Blue Beetle #1
- Yes, as in the awful Blue Beetle movie that came out in August of this year
- Publication Date: June 1967 (when Dr. Pagnucci was born!)
- Publisher: Charlton Comics
- Created by Steve Ditko
- Value: $299 on Ebay
- The Question believed that morality should be objective, based on the philosophy of Ayn Rand, and so he was an uncompromising and merciless vigilante
- Later, in the Justice League animated series, The Question was portrayed as slightly crazy and a believer in wild conspiracy theories
Romantic Interlude (5:00)
- The Question and The Huntress
- One of the greatest superhero romances ever can be found across multiple short scenes in the Justice League animated series
- The Huntress was originally Batman and Catwoman’s daughter, Helena Wayne, on the alternate Earth 2, though in Justice League her background is not explained
- When Huntress first meets The Question, she says, “You must be ugliest guy of all time hiding your face like that, Question” since he always wears a full face mask
- The Question tells her he is bored and to go away, but instead they team up to investigate 2 cases they ear each working on
- Later, as Question looks hacks into a computer system, Huntress fends of the guards
- Question gets the data he needs, but says it will take him days to analyze it
- Huntress scowls at him, so he says “Dinner and a movie?” and she replies, “It’s a start”
- Later, while on a double date with Green Arrow and Black Canary, The Question saves Huntress’ life
- Huntress then asks “why risk your life for me?”
- The Question replies only, “because I, (hesistates) like you”
- She pulls him by his necktie and kisses him
- Then he says, “Where are we going?” and Huntress replies “Don’t ask so many questions.”
- Huntress and Question keep a long distance relationship going by talking on the phone as they investigate different cases
- Question, or Q as Huntress calls him, announces a discovery, “Aha, as I suspected, 32 flavors” as he unveils a secret bin of Baskin Robin’s ice cream, the 32nd flavor
- Then Huntress says, “So, what are you wearing,” and Question replies “Blue overcoat, fedora” (his trademark uniform) which gets a “You really stink at this” comment from Huntress
- In their final episode together, Question’s life is on the line, but Huntress saves him
- He asks Huntress to remove his mask with an aerosol spray
- Question’s face is bruised and batter and he says, “You were right, I am the ugliest guy of all time” to which she simply replies, “Not in my eyes”
Romantic Interlude (2:36)
- To celebrate The Question and The Huntress’s romance
- And in honor of The Question’s discovery of Baskin Robbin’s 32nd flavor
- Here is “Ice Cream” by Sarah McLachlan
- And a little shout out to my old friend Jim Anderson who I traveled across Europe with when I was a junior in college
- He married Vanitha and they used “Ice Cream” as their song at their wedding
- I hope they are both doing as great as Question and Huntress
Part 6 Ends (@ 1 hour 52 minutes)
Part 7 Begins (@ 1 hour 52 minutes)
Show ID: Superhero Smash (1:00)
- WIUP FM 90.1
- Alternative music for the MCU, the DCU, and our U too!
- Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
- Or email Professor X using the address superherosmash2023@gmail.com
PSA (2:00)
- You may want to get out to the theater this holiday weekend to see The Marvels
- The film is supposed to be a lot of fun
- And Captain Marvel, in all her iterations, is a great character
End Credits Song (2:52)
- Remember…
- “You don’t need superpowers to be a hero. The only thing it takes to be a hero is the courage to do what’s right when someone needs your help.”–Gian Pagnucci
- I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with turkey and all the trimmings
- But, in case you don’t like turkey, then I recommend the first thing Tony Stark wanted after he escaped from three months of captivity in the first Iron Man movie: A cheesburger…now that makes paradise
- “Cheeseburger in Paradise” by the late, great Jimmy Buffett
Part 7 Ends (@2 hours/1 p.m.)