Remember that one fight in the Matrix that kicked ass? Wait, those all kicked ass. What about that fight in Kill Bill that kicked ass? Actually those all kicked ass too. Well what about that one time that Bruce Lee… Ok so I guess when you think about it, a lot of movie fights kick…
Author: Wayne Wise
Episode 14: Captain America – Patriotism & Nationalism
This week, the United States of America (or what currently passes for it) celebrated it’s birthday. Of course, if you’re a longtime geeky comic book fan, you might also know that July 4th is also the birthday of Steve Rogers, Captain America. Abby certainly does! And because she is essentially a human encyclopedia of geeky…
Episode 13: Mythic Reboots
Some stories are timeless: Homer’s Odyssey, the legends of Hercules and King Arthur, the fairy tale of Snow White. These are stories that have been repeated so often that everyone knows them. They are part of the cultural consciousness. So, if that is the case, why do we feel the need to keep repeating them?…
Episode 12: The Coming & Going of the Coming of Age
Dear Mr. Vernon, It was the summer of 2018 and it was the best year of our life. We spent that summer podcasting with… (you know, it’s really hard to get the effect of a voiceover narration in text. Oh well. Just pretend that was in the voice of a middle aged Daniel Stern looking…
Call For Comments: Mythic Reboots and Adaptations
From Mav: One of my favorite comic book characters when I was a kid was The Mighty Thor. One of the reasons Thor fascinated me was because he was entrenched in mythology outside of the comics. To me, it was cool being able to read a story by Walt Simonson and then later pull out…
Episode 10: Sex, Gender & FanFic
To some the world of fan fiction is the ridiculous hobby of geeks. To others it is a massive repository of erotica and pornography. But to many, it is a safe haven for Othered communities that have been kept from the mainstream — a place where they can be given a chance to express and…
Call for Comments: Toxic Fandom
From Wayne: Last week actress Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, deleted her Instagram account because of the constant abuse she was receiving from people who consider themselves “fans” of the Star War franchise. She was ridiculed for her race, her body, her performance, and basically took the…
Episode 9: Chutz-Pow! Superheroes of the Holocaust
Today we change focus and discuss something a little more serious than most of our topics. Mav is away on vacation this week, so Wayne is joined by Marcel Walker of the Holocaust Center in Pittsburgh, PA and Rochel Gasson of Duquesne University to discuss a very important and personal project that Wayne and Marcel…
Call For Comments: Music of your Youth
July 20, 2018
From Wayne: Other than family there have been two constants in my life since I was a wee lad: Comics and Music. Both are still a daily part of my life. I was drawn to the radio from a very early age. I was a child in the 60s and a teen in the 70s. The…