Fat Man Beyond - Podcast Rankings and reviews

It may sound dramatic to say this, but I don’t care.

I started listening to the podcast about seven years ago when I stumbled upon Kevin and Marc’s commentary tracks for the Burton/Schumacher Batman movies (totally worth your time, they’re available with a membership to ThatKevinSmithClub.com). I loved how they joked and made pointed comments that I’ve thought about those movies.

I kept listening over the years. It was great when they talked to high profile guests, like Marcus and McFeely (the writers of Infinity War and Endgame), but I mostly just enjoyed their friendship and how they talked about the things I wished I could talk about with old friends. Like, the conversations you had with friends in college when you both learned you loved obscure movies or comics. And their both hilarious to boot.

When the pandemic hit, and half the country was sent home to quarantine, and the news kept getting worse, I experienced my first panic attack. My anxiety around finances was so severe, I considered harming myself some days. Some nights, I thought, “Maybe it would be better if I didn’t wake up tomorrow.”

But I tell you what — when morning came, and I’d lie in bed, I’d think, “Why get up? Why bother?” And most mornings, here’s the answer I came to: “At the very least, why not start by brewing some coffee, scrambling some eggs, and listening to Fatman Beyond while you cook?”

And that got me out of bed.

There’s this quote from CS Lewis in the biopic movie “Shadowlands” where he says, “We read to know we’re not alone.” As in, the authors speak to us about things we’ve never communicated but always wanted to say, thoughts and feelings we’ve been too sheepish to share. That’s kind of the same reason I love this show.

So thank you Marc and Kevin for helping me get out of bed during a really rough year, and letting me know that none of us are alone.

Excelsior.

Very much enjoyable and I keep wanting to come back week after week. I love the dynamics that Kevin and Marc bring, with difference nerdy topics of what’s going on in the world of movies, TV shows and comic books. Love the interviews of all the guests that come on and Q&A from the audience/live feed listeners. You never know what story you will get but it is always good.

Kevin Smith’s Fatman On Batman podcast has seen a few iterations over the years, but its latest as Fatman Beyond is something else entirely! Each weekly episode is a rundown of the latest pop culture, the occasional review and discussion of a new show or movie, and a Q A portion. But its true strengths come from Kevin Smith’s exuberance for the good in sci-fi/fantasy (and hilarious digressions) being tempered by Marc Bernardin’s thoughtful discussions on storytelling and minority representation.

I am SO in the bag for all 97 of Kevin's weekly podcasts, but "Fatman Beyond" is always the highlight! And a big thank you to Silent Bob for introducing me to the mind and wit of Marc Bernardin, who brings a more critical voice to Kevin's adorable blanket love-fest to everything he sees. If you enjoy comic-flavored pop culture, foul language, and interesting insights, it doesn't get much better than this!

I hate to say it but if you’re a fan of this show from the early days - that’s long long gone. Unfortunately, the show took a hard turn where the thoughts and opinions on pop culture have become, “I’m right, this is me telling you I’m right and don’t say otherwise” (This is more of a Marc problem). I miss where it was just “let’s geek out”, if I wanted a strict movie/show review podcast I’d go elsewhere. This was originally a “let’s just have fun geeking over something we love” now it’s just “let’s shred it to the ground even if we enjoyed it.” But worse - it’s the hardest to listen to when Marc forcefully interjects how something seems racist/prejudice to him. And again, in his usual tone of “I’m right, I’m telling you I’m right and dont say otherwise.” When a country is at its throat and everywhere is already reminders of turmoil and bigotry, it’s a shame that something I liked to come to for relief is now just another “preacher of dark times.” Even though I agree, I just want to have 30 min - hour of not thinking of all that. Please go back. Do some reboot of the good episode time frame.