Checkered Past is the #1 Edmonton-based Ska History podcast. Every two (tone) weeks siblings Celine and Rob dig in on a different ska band covering their history, impact and catalogue. Expect a lot of jokes, culture discussions and of course, ska-based puns. Great for new, lapsed and casual listeners of the genre as well as fellow Skaficianados!
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From February, 1966 through August, 1967, DC Comics branded all their publications with a checkerboard masthead, lovingly known as "Go-Go Checks". Because, you know, the 60s. With the help of his husband and intrepid friends, Dr. Bobb will examine each of these issues in depth and tell you what you need to know!
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Brothers in Arms (Capt. Storm 17/Our Fighting Forces 105)
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Capt. Hunter finds his brother at last! Oh wait, no, that's Lu Lin's brothjer, and he's a dirty traitor to all that's decent! PLUS Capt. Storm dabbles in necromancy! It's Capt. Storm #17 and Our Fighting Forces #105!By Bobb Robinson
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Heptember 2024 - The Reel Big Skirm-ish Round 1 Part 1
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It's the debut of the annual Heptember bracket! This year, CP/SC is on the hunt to determine the greatest Reel Big Fish cover of all time, pitting 32 songs in mortal combat. In Part 1 of Round 1, it's just the Checkered Past Crew as they run through 1/3 of the bracket, eliminating tracks as they go. They also discuss the Heptember Miracle, lay the …
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The Patriarchy Deserves to Die (Wonder Woman 167)
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Wonder Woman's Magic Lasso get's a whole issue to itself! What happens when Wonder Woman gets bound by her own magic rope? NOTHING GOOD, FRIEND. And speaking of nothing good, STEVE TREVOR is involved. PLUS the return of Irene Vartanoff and Time Machine Mailbag! It's Wonder Woman #167!By Bobb Robinson
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If you're still walking on sunshine then this episode is for you! Rob and Engineer Joey sit down to do a full blind listen of the first two albums by modern metallers Ice Nine Kills! Both have only heard the Reel Big Fish song and are going in completely unaware as they listen to the entire Pop-Punk-Ska years compilation and INK's official debut, L…
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Tomahawk’s out! The Rangers get a new commanding officer just in time to make a daring raid on a British POW camp. Oh and they fight a sea monster! It's Tomahawk #108!By Bobb Robinson
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61. Voodoo Glow Skulls - Part 2 (w/ Joystick!)
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Hot off their Top 10 episode of 2023, Joystick returns to continue chatting about the one and only Voodoo Glow Skulls! From the airport on their way to a tour of the UK, Bex and Duck share their thoughts on the crowdstrike crash, mall shopping and bad tattoos before diving into VGS for a second time. They discuss the bands next era from their funk …
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Alas, Poor Lois (Superman 192 & 194)
1:05:17
1:05:17
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In what turns out to be a REALLY bad stroke of luck, Superman loses his powers and then forgets that he was ever Superman! Luckily plain old Clark Kent is up to the task of wearing down a mournful Lois until she consents to marry him. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! It's Superman 192 and 194, and don't panic, it's an imaginary story (BUT AR…
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Heptember is BACK for 2024! Rob, Celine and Joey sit down to prepare for another month long bracket to determine the best song by a band! In the pre-show they go through this year's band's side projects, other bands and the songs that didn't make the cut to mentally prepare themselves for the upcoming challenge. Which band will it be? Which guests …
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Christmas in July (Sugar & Spike 68/Aquaman 31)
1:08:41
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Aquaman aka Agent Double-0 7 Seas (get it?) battles O.G.R.E. for the collective lives of the United Nations, while Sugar and Spike battle capitalism to save Christmas! (Not sure which is more important tbh). It's Aquaman #31 and Sugar & Spike #68!By Bobb Robinson
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TromBonus - 60 - In Defense Of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
1:12:38
1:12:38
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Don't be scared by the title! In light of the controversies surrounding Bosstones singer Dicky, Rob makes an impassioned plea to reconsider the scene contributions of the bands legacy. First, Rob and Engineer Joey pick it up with a conversation about he carnival and IMAX movies before doing a shallow dive on the Coles Notes history of MMB from thei…
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CP/SC Presents - The Real Banana Man H
1:17:22
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It's a very special episode of Checkered Past! On this episode we invite in the man who was the first ever to wear the famed Banana Suit and dance at Ska shows: The Real Banana Man H! He walks through the early days of the scene, his business making banana juice cleanses for celebrities and his tragic relationship with Jackfruit. Then, he brings wi…
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Love and Marriage (Our Army at War 175/Swing with Scooter 4)
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Sgt Rock - jilted! If only he could've gotten some love advice from Scooter and his juvenile delinquent friends! PLUS love advice for the mod girl! It's Swing with Scooter #4 and Our Army at War #175!By Bobb Robinson
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What is Post-Third Wave you ask? Why it's a subgenre coined by Checkered Rob of course! It's a regional Ska-Punk boom that existed between 1999 and 2005 after the death of mainstream Ska and before the advent of the true Dark Ages. It consisted of bands that were in high school or college, made rough studio recordings and were highly influenced by …
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Hey remember that three weeks in the 1990s when Magic Eye Pictures were all the rage? Well Spellbinder is here to remind you, and hypnotize Batman in the process! And if THAT wasn't enough art to satisfy you, Sue Dibny's got a big exhibition that's right up your alley! It's Detective Comics #358!By Bobb Robinson
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60. Big D and the Kids Table - Part 1 (w/ Runaway Ricochet)
1:48:33
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Hey elitists from the internet! Checkered Past is finally tackling one of the most requested subject bands: Big D and the Kids Table! To help with the discussion, Rob, Celine and Joey welcome Saxton of Prog Ska Midwesterners, Runaway Ricochet! They dig into Saxtons history with Ska, the evolution leading to their new record Diminishing Returns and …
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This week's HOA drama pales in comparison to Superman's troubled nightmares, all tying in to a mystery which we, the reader, are expected to solve despite being given none of the clues. That won't stop the author from gaslighting us, though! PLUS: Dr. Bobb dives into his origin story! And...President SUPERGIRL?!? It's all right here in Action Comic…
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Take a deep breath, cause we are heading to the Mile High City to drink, fight and play the bagpipes! That's right CP/SC is talking about Dark Ages Ska-Punksters, The Potato Pirates! Rob and Engineer Joey kick off the episode with a rare sports talk and the hockey atmosphere of Edmonton. Then, they dig in on the Potato Pirates' ska discography from…
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Enid Blyton is Rolling in Her Grave (Adventure Comics 352/353)
1:11:02
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It's our 250th Episode! That means a new theme song, more boring stories of our week, dog interruptions - oh yes and the death of a Legionnaire! Join us for Adventure Comics #s 352 and 353 and the death of [name redacted] !By Bobb Robinson
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SPI Fest 2024 - Back Alley Interviews
1:10:46
1:10:46
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It's the third part of a three part series detailing Checkered Past's trip to SPI Fest 2024! On the third episode, it's a return of the fan favorite back alley interviews from SPI Fest 2023. This year the featured interviews include The Marijuana Brass, Bad Mary, The Ska Mailman, PWRUP and The Best of the Worst plus some very special drop in guests…
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We Who Are About to Die (World's Finest 163/Lois Lane 71)
1:04:32
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Superman and Batman are kidnapped to another dimension and forced to battle to the death for the entertaiment of the masses! And poor Lois stuck on earth trying despertely to cover up for Superman's sins. It's World's Finest and Lois Lane, right here and right now!By Bobb Robinson
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It's the second part of a three part series detailing Checkered Past's trip to SPI Fest 2024! On the second episode we play our Day 2 Live performance featuring The Ska Mailman and Mega Infinity along with a Getting Witchy with Michi, games and some audience questions! Then we move to the studio where Rob and Engineer Joey discuss the second day of…
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Ballad of the Green Beret (Justice League of America 50)
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We're back from vacation and ready to go-go! But first we have to deal with this Lord of Time nonsense. First order of business, find him a sensible yet attractive helmet! It's Jutice League of America #50, right here, right now!By Bobb Robinson
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It's the first part of a three part series detailing Checkered Past's trip to SPI Fest 2024! On the first episode we play our Day 1 Live performance featuring The Skabadook and Common Sense Kid along with banter, games and some audience questions! Then we move to the studio where Rob and Engineer Joey discuss the lead up to the festival, the trip f…
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TromBonus - 57 - Reggae Rock Primer
1:14:11
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Things are about to get irie as CP/SC tackles the low energy vibes of Reggae Rock! Rob and Joey do a quick pick it up on bicycles before going through the mainstream rock meets reggae scene from its creation in the early 80s to the wide spanning influence of Sublime to its surprisingly vast fanbase in the modern era. All the way they play a game to…
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59. Three Year Anniversary Special - KMoy & The Marijuana Brass
1:14:04
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It's the leather year of Checkered Past: The Ska'd Cast! For this very special episode, Celine, Rob and Joey welcomes long time guest Kayleigh of KMoy and first timer Javi of The Marijuana Brass for a long form interview. They cover a range of topics such as the state of New Tone, their individual journeys in a DIY scene and the culmination of hard…
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We're on vacation, what a perfect opportunity to check out the premiere episode of our sister podcast Nerd Orchestra! Uncle Chuck reviews the very best soundtracks from the very best nerd genre movies with a little help from us! Like, subscribe and review on your favorite platform! In our debut episode, we have a listen to the magnificent John Will…
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TromBonus - 56 - Japanese Ska Punk Primer
1:00:42
1:00:42
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Things are about to get hyper as CP/SC tackles the high energy mania of Japanese Ska Punk! Rob and Engineer Joey do a pick it up about pinball before diving into the world of J-Ska from the mid-90's to the modern day. They go through its Third Wave influenced beginnings to its proliferation on MySpace to its penetration into the Japanese mainstream…
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Whirly-Bats! Medieval torture devices! Scientific gobbledegook! Gay Batman and hipster Green Lantern! What more could you ask for? It's The Brave and the Bold #69!!!By Bobb Robinson
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Ska'd-venturer's Guild - 2 - This Band Sucks
1:33:49
1:33:49
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CP/SC concludes its thrilling Ska-ified Dungeons and Dragons real play with this the final episode! Large-oh Hotstepper, Xena Stefani and Whydthey Clocksard face their final challenges to save their idol from the clutches of a devious fiend. A Battle of the Bands! A Final Boss! Bathrooms! It's truly a finale to remember! Go back and listen to episo…
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Flash has an uncontrollable urge to do something he should have done WAY before he walked down the aisle...and a bum ankle to boot! Plus Dr. Bobb's wilderness nightmare, the Silurian hypothesis, and more! It's Flash #166!By Bobb Robinson
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Do the Pod Kung Fu Checkerheads! Checkered Past is diving into dark ages Canadian Ska darlings, The Salads! Rob and Engineer Joey kick off with a quick talk on video games and U-hauls before digging deep on this fascinating success story of a musical group from their funk-metal-ska beginnings to their crunchy party records to their final, laid-back…
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Pee-King-Eeez (Doom Patrol 109/Fox and Crow 101)
1:04:25
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Don't panic, the Doom Patrol isn't dead after all (yet) but they do have to put a beat down on a giant plastic barbarian. Plus Beast Boy's adorable boy-sized space suit, Miss Young America, and Thtanley's Monthter gets a real name at last! It's Doom Patrol 109 and Fox and Crow 101!By Bobb Robinson
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Ska'd-venturer's Guild - 1 - Look For The Weird Fiends
1:29:59
1:29:59
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The Ska'd-venture begins on another CPSC Dungeons and Dragons Realplay! Rob, Celine and Joey take their erstwhile band and characters to see their favourite musician perform when something unexpected thrusts them into adventure. There's flying imps, devils and maybe even a bong. How will Whydthey, Large-oh and Xena ever survive? Go back and listen …
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Mento gets small and rescues Elasti-Girl from a bizzare microscopic world - and that's just the first three pages! The Brotherhood of Evil reveal themselves at last, and Beast Boy cheats at sprinting! All this and more in Doom Patrol 108!By Bobb Robinson
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58. OreSkaBand (w/ Ska Punk International)
1:36:58
1:36:58
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Anata mo watashi mo POCKY! Checkered Past is digging in on the international Dark Ages Ska hit, OreSkaBand! To help, they welcome their Skassociate Producer and label magnate, Chris Reeves of Ska Punk International! Chris talks a bit about sports before going through whats new with the label and what people can expect from SPI Fest 2. Then, Rob, Ce…
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Batman faces a dappily-dressed menace from his past - apparently not dapper enough to be on Gotham's Ten Best-Dressed List, but that's another story! (Literally. It's another story right in this very same issue.) PLUS learning to shave, the return of Irene Vartanoff, and so much more!By Bobb Robinson
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Ska'd-venturer's Guild - 0 - Three Orcs Down
1:13:02
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CP/SC is selling out! Rob, Celine and Joey do a Dungeons and Dragons real play with friend and theme song creator, Keelan as Dungeon Master. In this, the session 0, the CP/SC crew craft their characters, delve into the world and do a first draft encounter in preparation for their first full adventure! It's DnD with a Ska twist! Tune in April 30 and…
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I'm Sure Secrets Die on Other Islands, Too (Strange Adventures 195/Star-Spangled War Stories 130)
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Animal-Man moves his super-hero career into high gear and gets the jump (pun intended) on a gang of nogoodniks! PLUS a little bit of WWII espionge plays out on Dinosaur Island! It's Strange Adventures and Star-Spangled War Stories all rolled into one!By Bobb Robinson
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57. The Flaming Tsunamis (w/ Mutiny)
1:39:14
1:39:14
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Hope you didn't skip leg day cause its about to get heavy! CP/SC heads to the clam pizza capital of the world to dig in on cult darlings, The Flaming Tsunamis. To help discuss, they welcome back third timer Chris Ruckus and to talk about his new anime/ska/metal group Mutiny. First they catch up with a discussion on The Jinx, the Station Fire and wh…
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A short and sweet episode today, Dr. Husband has me on a VERY tight schedule. But not so tight that I can't wax eloquently about what an awful misogynistic pig Doc Magnius is! It's Metal Men #23! (continuing a story from Metal Men 22, covered on this podcast [checks notes] OVER A YEAR AGO: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/checkered-past/id1350…
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TromBonus - 54 - Crack Rock Steady Primer
1:20:19
1:20:19
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Gay Rude Boys Unite as CP/SC digs in on the impassioned micro-genre of Crack Rock Steady. Rob, Engineer Joey and Editor Arianne open up the episode with a quick check in before diving in to the scene thats all about ACAB, recreational drug use, mental health and communal living. They go through the genres history from its origins with Choking Victi…
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Madness March 2024 - The Two Tone-ament Finals (w/ Eevie Echoes)
1:40:33
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The Two Tone-ament concludes with the semi-finals and finals! The greatest Two Tone records single is crowned with Rob, Engineer Joey and first time guest Eevie Echoes! First, Eevie recounts her Checkered Past, the impetus of her new band The Locations and her history with Two Tone Ska. Then, the trio eliminate songs until they crown the ultimate v…
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Take Your Stinking Paws Off Me, You Damned Dirty Jimmy! (Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen 98)
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Jimmy's got trouble AND HOW, betrothed to a lady gorilla and even his signal watch is no help! Luckily his inability to calculate time zones has saved the earth from an explosive destruction. Catch up with all the fun in Jimmy Olsen #98!By Bobb Robinson
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Madness March 2024 - The Two Tone-ament Round 3 (w/ Andy B)
1:35:54
1:35:54
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The Two Tone-ament nears its inevitable conclusion with the penultimate episode! This week we invite Andy B of Andy B and the World (plus so many other UK Ska-Punk projects). Andy talks about his Checkered Past, skate punk and morning routines before digging into the next 4 matchups. The CP/SC crew advances the quarterfinals before capping off with…
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Hawkman goes opinion to pinion with The Raven, a nogoodnik from the back alleys of Midway City! Plus the Hawks reveal their dirty secret, that they're just out here destroying ancient relics and replacing them with high0-tech forgeries. PLUS Quoth Irene Vartanoff - nevermore!By Bobb Robinson
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Madness March 2024 - The Two Tone-ament Round 2 (w/ Esteban Flores)
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The Two Tone-ament continues as the CPSC progresses the second round of the bracket to determine the greatest 2 Tone Single of all time! To help, they bring along fan favourite guest Esteban Flores of Matamoska, Catbite and Out of Control Army! Esteban catches the crew up on what he's been working on, new fatherhood and upcoming festivals before di…
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Give 'Em the Ole Razzle Dazzle (Green Lantern 49)
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Green Lantern faces the Dazzler! (not that Dazzler). Carol Ferris marries the man of her dreams! (not that man). And Hal Jordan makes a fateful decision! All right here in Green Lantern #49!By Bobb Robinson
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Madness March 2024 - The Two Tone-ament Round 1 Part 2
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The Two Tone-ament continues with the second half of Part 1! In this episode the CP/SC crew eliminate another 8 songs from the bracket in an effort to crown the greatest Two Tone Single of all time! First they do more BookTalk before delving into the match-ups all while discussing whether or not the winning song need to be Ska at all! Tune in on al…
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Dubya Dubya One, the BIG One! (GI Combat 121/Tales of the Unexpected 98)
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Jeb and the Haunted Tank Crew (minus General Stuart, who I guess couldn't be bothered) travel through a time warp to World War I, where they meet none other than Sgt. Rock! (no, not THAT Sgt. Rock, but close!) PLUS the Green Glob spreads his gassy joy over the world once again! It's GI Combat #121 and Tales of the Unexpected #98, right here and rig…
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Madness March 2024 - The Two Tone-ament Round 1 Part 1
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Madness March is BACK and this time CP/SC is going to determine the greatest Two Tone Records single of all time! In Round 1 Part 1, Robby Radiation, Celynval Golding and Joey Dammers pit the first 16 singles in head to head battle to lead into Round 2. They also ask the immortal question... does it have to be Ska to win? Tune in all March long to …
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