If you have ever gotten into an argument at 2 a.m. over who would win in a fight between Joker and Green Goblin, then this podcast is for you. Each week, twin brothers Johnny DC and Marvelous Joe enthusiastically debate the superiority between DC and Marvel characters and review the newest movies, all in good humor. From creating battle simulations to dissecting Justice League, Johnny and Joe will help you stay up to date on current DC and Marvel news. 

Dynamic Duel: DC vs Marvel is so delightful thanks to Johnny and Joe’s in-depth research and true love for comics and movies. Their passion clearly shines through and their brotherly banter helps listeners instantly feel at ease. To top it all off, they give out a Dynamic Duel No-Prize each week and even do charity episodes. Their back catalogue starts in 2016, with episodes about an hour long, so superhero fans everywhere can set aside a weekend and plan for a podcasting marathon.

We were fortunate to talk with Garcia about the podcast, how they differentiate from other podcasts, and their future plans in podcasting. See below for our full Q&A.

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DISCOVER PODS: How’d you get into podcasting?

GARCIA: We grew up as young children being big fans of Marvel and DC, and recognized that there had yet to be a podcast that really dived into the fan rivalry.

With the emergence of DC Films in 2016, we knew that DC was starting a shared film universe that could challenge Marvel’s already impressive movie lineup, and time was right to start our dream show idea.

On our 30th birthday, we got some equipment and just started recording the conversations they were already having on a consistent basis, where we would debate the outcomes of Marvel vs. DC matchups and discuss the latest comic book movie news.

DISCOVER PODS: In your own words, why should listeners tune in to Dynamic Duel: DC vs Marvel?

GARCIA: We take a mathematical approach to the “Who would win?” debate. Through our probabilistic model, we solve questions like “Who would win between The Flash and Quicksilver?” for good. By running 1000 Monte Carlo simulations based on each characters statistics, we like to think of ourselves as the de facto answer to fanboy squabbling.

We also have a very analytical means of reviewing films that often provide perspective not typically found in your average fan breakdowns.

Also, we’re twins. How many hosts can say their chemistry dates back to the womb?

Read more: The 15 Best Game of Thrones Podcasts Every Fan Needs to Listen To

DISCOVER PODS: What kind of feedback have you heard from your listeners?

GARCIA: We’ve been lucky enough to receive nearly universally positive feedback from our listeners with over 230 ratings on iTunes, 225 of them being 5 stars as of mid-January 2021. We get frequent engagement from fans who participate in our Question of the Week segment, fellow geeks who reach out on social, and patrons who join our Discord chat.

A puzzling comment that we frequently get is that our show is really funny. We’ve never considered ourselves comedians and never set out to create a comedic show, but people seem to have found our banter amusing. We certainly have fun and laugh a lot while recording.

DISCOVER PODS: Describe your recording set up. What equipment are you using?

GARCIA: We use two Marantz MPM-2000 Large Diaphragm Condenser Studio Microphones plugged into a Zoom H4n Handy Recorder that bounces our tracks together. (Actually, since Covid, we’ve been recording separately with our own Zoom H4n’s and we combine the tracks in editing. We’ve also been communicating via Zoom video conferencing [not to be confused with our recorders – different Zoom].)

After transferring the files to my MacBook Pro, we mix and edit in GarageBand where we use Narration settings on the vocal tracks.

The most important part of our setup though is the sound-proofing we did to negate the once ever-present room tone in the audio’s background. We padded the walls behind the microphones as well as side points on other walls where the sound ricochets from our mouths to the mics.

DISCOVER PODS: What’s the biggest challenge you face as an indie podcaster?

GARCIA: Marketing, easily. By sheer luck we’ve managed to crack the top 1.5% of podcasts (according to listennotes.com), but it’s a constant struggle to get your show in front of new eyes and ears and convince them you’re worth listening to. Given that we are a fan-based podcast, our show won’t necessarily appeal to people who aren’t fans of Marvel or DC. So that thankfully does narrow our marketing channels somewhat.

Read more: 7 Fantasy Podcasts Beyond “The Adventure Zone”

DISCOVER PODS: Where do you want to take your podcast?

GARCIA: We keep our podcast goals small, as the appeal of the show for us is just to put it out there and share our passions with others. Though our dream since we were kids was to become legitimate film critics (back then it was for our local newspaper, but hey, times change). To that end, it would be nice to have our reviews counted on critic aggregate sites like Rotten Tomatoes, and hopefully one day get advanced screening passes for upcoming theatrical releases. When that happens, we think it will feel like we’ve finally “made it.” It’s not the most lucrative goal, but certainly attainable.

In terms of listenership, there’s always the next tier. We’d like to crack the top 0.5% of podcasts in terms of listener popularity.

DISCOVER PODS: What other podcasts are you listening to now?

GARCIA: We listen to several comic podcasts like MARVELS, The Weekly Planet, and Fatman Beyond. We also enjoy nostalgic media podcasts like The Blast From Our Past Podcast and Ready 2 Retro. One of our listeners started a show called You Call Those Tactics? that we’ve enjoyed. Other random shows we like include Hello From the Magic Tavern, Brewski-Reviewski, and James Bonding.

DISCOVER PODS: Anything else you’d like to add?

GARCIA: In mid-January 2021, our show will have hit its 5-year anniversary around the same time we both turn 35! Our anniversary show will be a duel episode pitting the Batman villain Mr. Freeze against the Spider-Man villain Doctor Octopus. We recently upgraded our website using Podpage and will be including listener messages on that big milestone episode.

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