"The Red Panda Adventures"-A 'North of the Border' Discovery (Season 1,2005)

With the recommendation of a like-minded co-worker, I recently discovered an exciting, suspenseful, sharply witty, and very retro pod-cast audio series (from Canada); called "The Red Panda Adventures"! It is an extremely well-made (and acted) superhero series,which is patterned after old-time radio shows & movie serials. The series is set in 1930's Toronto; the acting and dialogue are also done in the classic melodramatic style of 30's & 40's radio shows.The score is old-fashioned organ music! I have only listened to the 1st season so far (There are 8 seasons, that are still continuing to this day; 94 episodes and counting....), although I'm interested in listening to the entire series. The show can be found on DecoderRingTheatre.com, or also on iTunes. "The Red Panda Adventures" was created (and written) by Gregg Taylor in 2005 (although he'd done an earlier version of the character in a World War II setting, instead of the current 30's Toronto setting). The Red Panda seems to be a hybrid of The Shadow, Batman & The Green Hornet (he also closely resembles Will Eisner's "The Spirit").

August Fenwick, one of Toronto's wealthiest men (in the Bruce Wayne, Lamont Cranston, Don Diego Vega 'mold') became The Red Panda 'to help those in need, who can't help themselves, and to atone for his family's greedy / selfish ways. He wears a red mask, with a dark trenchcoat, suit & hat. He has the power to hypnotize and project false images; he is also excellent at judo & other forms of hand-to-hand combat! Some of his gadgets include---Static Shoes (which give the ability to walk up sheer surfaces & jump great distances; by static electricity); grapple guns; and gas grenades. The Red Panda also has a beautiful sidekick called The Flying Squirrel (Don't you just love that name?). The Red Panda is voiced by 'creator' Gregg Taylor.

'Kit' Baxter / The Flying Squirrel is August Fenwick's chauffeur by day and The Red Panda's superheroine partner by night. She is the only person who knows her boss's secret identity. She is head-over-heels in love with him, and is always slyly hinting about that to him; to which he always responds, "Kit Baxter, behave yourself!!!" I think at first, he pretended not to notice. Kit is a beautiful '20 something',brown-eyed red-head, who wears 'a delightfully fitting unitard' (as The Red Panda puts it), which is gray; with a cowl, goggles, and a utility belt (that she thinks makes her look 'hippy'). She is a very tough, as well as a skilled fighter. She has the same gadgets as her boss, but she also has a 'retractable gliding membrane', which helps her glide through the air for short distances. The Flying Squirrel is voiced by Clarissa Der Nederlanden-Taylor (with a wonderful east-coast accent).

1st Season villains include---The Sphinx (able to 'mummify victims); Prof. Zombie (lady villain, who turned others into zombies); Jackrabbit (super-fast lady, thief & murderer); The Golden Claw (lady criminal mastermind); Nick Diablos (claimed to be 'the devil', while inducing victim's darkest fears; which usually brought suicide); and many others.

Series creator Gregg Taylor has also written 4 "Tales of The Red Panda" pulp novels; to some acclaim. Gregg and artist Dean Kotz have recently created a 3-Part Digital Comic Book series called "Mask of The Red Panda", which has had great reviews ( I haven't read any of them yet, although I intend to). Gregg Taylor must have a fabulous imagination. I've really appreciated his 1st season work.

I plan on eventually going through all of the seasons. Come join me; it'll be fun!!!