A Sparrow With a Machine Gun

It’s been a rough week in the geekosphere. Dan and Adrian remember two performers whose work became part of our cultural tapestry: Tim Curry and Peter Cullen. From Frank-N-Furter, Clue, and Muppet Treasure Island to the voice of Optimus Prime, the conversation turns to the performances that defined generations, the humanity behind them, and whether an iconic role should live on through technology or be handed to another actor to make their own.Then it’s back to Lanterns for Episode Three, which slows things down to show exactly how John Stewart became the man we’ve met. His family spent years preparing him to become a Green Lantern through an increasingly disturbing regimen designed to eliminate fear, while Hal Jordan has unknowingly loomed over nearly every part of John’s life. It’s important character work, and the Con Men dig into what it reveals about John, the Guardians, Hal, and the larger mysteries the series is building—but was an entire episode necessary to tell us that story?Finally, a promised trip back to Batman ’66 brings Frank Gorshin’s Riddler, Vincent Price’s Egghead, some gloriously straight-faced nonsense, and perhaps the finest riddle ever devised: What is dangerous, weighs six ounces, and sits in a tree? A Sparrow With a Machine Gun. It’s The Con Men Show !