Nearly 25 years ago, a sweet, smiling, fresh-faced Joe Patrick walked into a comic book store, Krypton Comics in Omaha, Nebraska, where he eventually met Matt Baum, the twisted madman that would steal his innocence. Over the next two and a half decades, Joe followed Matt down the rabbit hole to a land of rage and madness that the two would later smash into a podcast format… Oh and they’d talk about comics, too.
Joe and Matt worked together at Krypton until 2007. In that time, Joe honed his comic knowledge to a razor-sharp edge, while Matt spent hours screaming down customers for their opinions and poor taste in creators. Meanwhile, Joe stood back, calmly correcting Matt’s mistakes and poorly-researched arguments. The pair eventually parted ways with the shop, but their bond could not be broken by a mere change in employment status. In 2009, Joe became the manager of Legend Comic & Coffee, taking Matt along for the ride. During Joe’s six year tenure as Legend’s manager, the shop won the coveted Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award and was voted Best of Omaha in the comic shop category on multiple occasions.
Today, the two still call Legend their comic shop home, and they still argue with each other like an old married couple, only now it’s done in front of microphones for a weekly podcast. Joe Patrick is one of the nicest people you will ever meet and truly doesn’t have an evil bone in his body. Matt Baum is a jerk that hates himself and takes it out on everyone else.
It’s sad really, but at least they found each other, and a creative outlet for their collective love of people in spandex.
