Comic Book Men Q&A - Walt Flanagan

Comic Book Men star, Walt Flanagan, recalls Lindsay Wagner taking his breath away, memorable experiences with his fans, and the new comic books he's reading.

Q: In the latest episode, you play around with some ESP cards and do shockingly well -- do you lord your psychic powers over the other guys at the Stash now?

A: Yes, on a daily basis, I stagger them with my mind and dominate them severely.

Q: This season has been packed with exciting celebrity guests. What have been some of your favorite moments this season?

A: Definitely the be-all-end-all moment was having Lindsay Wagner, the Bionic Woman, come in. I was a huge fan, still am. I love that show. While I love The Six Million Dollar Man -- I always thought her show was a little bit better. It was a little bit more fun and I just always wanted to tell the Bionic Woman that her show was more entertaining than The Six Million Dollar Man. Unless Steve Austin, played by Lee Majors, comes in next season, then I’ll have to take that back.

Q: Even the guys were taken aback by how speechless you were in that moment.

A: Of all the celebrities that have come through the door since the show began, she would be the one that took my breath away the most. Stan Lee didn’t have a weekly TV show that I lived and died by. Somebody you watched as a kid week in and week out is a little bit different.

Q: And in addition to the celebrity guests, there have been some actual comic book legends on the show this season, with Action Comics #1 and Detective Comics #27 both appearing in this season.

A: They’re like a little piece of history that you can hold. It’s not the Declaration of Independence, but in my eyes, it’s pretty close.

 

Q: We've talked a lot about your podcast Tell 'Em Steve-Dave with both Brian Quinn and Bryan Johnson, but we've never talked about it with you! Both of the Bryans joked that you started the podcast somewhat begrudgingly. Care to set the record straight?

A: Maybe early on, I felt like it was a little silly. You know, recording a conversation -- who’s going to listen in, who’s going to care? But then you get feedback coming in of people saying that they do listen in and enjoy it, and it can be a very rewarding outlet creatively to do things you never even thought of doing. Now you have an avenue to do things you can’t do anywhere else, since you can’t do them on TV, you can’t do them in the store, but you can do them when the store is shut, the microphone is on and your friends are around.

Q: You just went to Steel City Comic Con, one of the very few cons you’ve ever done. What's it like for you meeting fans?

A: We just got back the other day, and I was blown away. It’s majority Comic Book Men fans, but a lot of Tell 'Em Steve-Dave fans wearing their shirts and stuff.

Q: What have been some of your most memorable fan experiences?

A: I had someone come in and say they work from home and they’re dealing with some issues and problems that don’t allow them to work with too many other people, so he stays home and he said he puts Comic Book Men on in the background and it relaxes him and puts him at ease, and he loves to see all the old toys and comics from his childhood come in.

Q: What comics are you reading now?

A: Right now, there’s a couple of new books that I did a lot. I like Cullen Bunn’s Conan the Slayer. I dig the new Kim Reaper from Oni. As far as DC and Marvel, Suicide Squad from DC, and I really think the new Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern crossover has been one of the most fun books I’ve read in a long time.

Click here to watch the latest episode now on amc.com, and the AMC apps for mobile, XBox One, Apple TV, Roku and Chromecast.

The Comic Book Men Season Finale airs Sunday at Midnight/11c.