For Reggie

Normally on this blog I write about the comic books that I read. I do it mostly as a journal but I also hope that there is the chance that someone else might read it and enjoy it. I’m writing this piece though in an effort to express my feelings of sadness and loss after hearing that Reggie, podcaster extraordinaire, has passed away.

I first discovered Chris and Reggie’s Cosmic Treadmill through the #besteventever “Eclipso: The Darkness Within” article on the Retroist website. I listened to their podcast entry for the event and was hooked from that very first episode. Here were two guys talking about something I loved, comics. They obviously researched everything they talked about and had a great re pore. Their work was tight and kept the listener entertained. That was in June of 2017. Over the course of the next nine months I listened to every episode of their podcast and am still a loyal listener.

Reggie had a great voice for podcasting. It was a voice that was fun to listen to. He sounded confident, smart, and passionate. It wasn’t just his voice though. There was something about the way that he and Chris talked on the show. They cared, and still do care, about whatever the subject was whether it was Fredric Wertham, the Doom Patrol, or Shade the Changing Man. No matter what the topic was you could tell it was something they treasured and wanted to share it with anyone who would listen. That came through in every episode. 

I wrote to them fairly regularly to tell them how much I liked the show. I offered up my own stories about the comics they featured, tried to provide some feedback, but generally I just wanted to reach out to let them know I was listening. The first time that Reggie read one of my email messages on the show I was over the moon. It made me feel like I was now part of the club. It made me feel like if I ever had the chance to meet Reggie or Chris that we could be great friends.

As time passed I developed some kind of relationship with Reggie and Chris, or at least what constitutes a relationship between people who have only communicated over email or messages on Twitter. One day Reggie reached out and asked if I was interested in being on his show where he was examining what it means to be a collector. I jumped at the offer. For me it was an opportunity to actually talk to Reggie and let him know how much I enjoyed his work. When the day finally came I was thrilled and nervous but Reggie made me feel comfortable and walked me through the whole process to put me at ease. He was really great that day and I was fortunate to have someone so skilled walk me through my first podcast.

Today, as I was reading what people were saying on Facebook and Twitter, I learned that my case isn’t so unique. Reggie had tons of fans and friends whose lives he touched, just like mine, in many different ways. He was someone who loved life and the people in it whether they grew up with him or listened to him on his shows. My heart goes out to his wife, family, and friends and my prayers tonight are with them as they work through this. My thoughts are with Chris, his podcasting partner and his friend.

As I was wrapping up work I wanted to hear Reggie’s voice again so I downloaded the Cosmic Treadmill episode where Reggie and Chris talked about Sheldon Mayer and the comic Sugar and Spike. I picked that one because it is one of my favorite episodes of their show. Reggie made a comment once that he didn’t quite understand why I liked that episode so much. Listening to it again today I can tell you why I liked it so much. It is because Chris and Reggie are a little looser than normal, they swear a little (which they don’t normally), and they have a lot of fun with the material. They made all the work they put into the show just seem so easy and effortless in that one set and I loved it.

I’ll miss you Reggie.