Marvel Entertainment launched a new web series titled Marvel Presents: The World’s Greatest Book Club with Paul Scheer on their YouTube channel today. The series sees the actor/comedian interviewing various guests to discuss some of their favorite Marvel comics and provide a fun little distraction from the world.
Being a comic writer himself (Deadpool, Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History, and more) Scheer is obviously very knowledgeable and passionate when it comes to Marvel Comics. Throw in his comedy background, and he is the perfect host for this kind of light-hearted, entertaining series.
The best thing this new web series has going for it, is its simple format. It’s nothing groundbreaking or complex, but it’s fun and easy to watch. It’s just a few comic book fans sitting around and talking about some of their favorite comics. The best comparison I can make right now is that it feels like you’re on a Zoom call and discussing comic books with your friends. It’s almost therapeutic in a way.
The first episode features screenwriter and comic writer Damon Lindelof (Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk), who shares his origin story in regards to his interest in comics. It’s very interesting to see someone like Lindelof, who has been so successful in the public eye with shows like Lost and Watchmen, share their story of how much comic books mean to them and the impact they have had in his life. Granted, Lindelof has written comics in the past, so his story may not come as a big surprise, but the series is set to feature other guests like Gillian Jacobs, W. Kamau Bell, Phil Lord, Yassir Lester and Jason Mantzoukas, whose stories will be very interesting to hear as well.
Scheer is joined by his co-host Steve Wacker, Head of Content: Marvel New Media, who plays the perfect Happy Hogan to Scheer’s Tony Stark. He may not be a big fan of that analogy, but I call it like I see it. Together, Scheer and Wacker share a fun, easy chemistry that is enjoyable to watch and may have you forgetting that a guest is still going to join them.
On that note, the one negative about this new series is simply that it’s too short. It could benefit from spending more time with Scheer and Wacker trading banter and discussing some of their favorite comics before the guest joins them to talk about their favorites. In other words, the only bad thing about this series is that there isn't enough of it.
The series also provides a service for comic fans in that it gives a starting point for what they should read next. Jumping into Marvel Comics can be a daunting proposition because of the overwhelmingly expansive library of titles. Knowing where to start is nearly impossible. Scheer, Wacker and their guests do the hard part for you and simply give you the next title to read. They also discuss some of their favorite local comic shops, so you know just where you can find some of these titles, provided, you know, you’re local to that shop as well. If not, there’s always Marvel Unlimited.
Marvel Presents: The World’s Greatest Book Club with Paul Scheer is a fun new series that fans of Marvel Comics are sure to enjoy. You can check out the first episode now: