It's the last episode of the year. Except we did our year end recap like two weeks ago. So what are we to do this week? Well, how about a regular topic? Who says we can't innovate on this show 351 episodes in? So, on this NOT end-of-year episode, Mav, Katya, Monica, and Wayne delve into the moral dilemmas presented by the trolley problem in recent films such as Conclave, Juror #2, and Small Things Like These. They explore how these movies deal with impossible choices and the relevance of these themes in today's complex world. What would we do when faced with these dilemmas? And more importantly, why are films about moral quandaries seemingly suddenly so common and how are theyreflective of the current societal climate? Do you have...
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Episode 7: Comic Con Culture
Live from 3 Rivers Comicon! Comic book conventions began in 1960s as small specialized gatherings of science fiction fans clubs who met to trade magazines. Over the past several decades they have grown to become a staple of the the media landscape with their unique own culture: vendors, media releases, artist signings, cosplay contests, panels…
Call For Comments: The Long Con
Comic Book conventions began as small gatherings of fans in the days before comic book stores and the internet provided a community for those in the hobby. The earliest shows were mainly places to find back issues to buy and trade. Professional writers and artists began to be featured as guests and many people wore…
Episode 5: Infinity Franchises & Cinematic Universes
It’s the obligatory Avengers: Infinity War episode! Well, sort of. Infinity War is, as one might expect, the biggest movie in the world right now… and by certain metrics, the biggest movie of all time. So of course, every podcast has to talk about it. This week, Mav and Wayne are joined by Nicole Freim…
Call For Comments: Teenage Wasteland: the adolescent sex narrative
I love the show Riverdale. I didn’t think I would. By all rights it should be absolutely horrible. I imagine that the pitch for the show went something like this… there where was a meeting where a 90 year old executive called in a producer and said: CW Exec: So all these comic book properties…
Episode 4: Losing My Religiosity?
Never argue about politics or religion on the internet! Well, really, they’re the same thing. But so are arguments about atheism. And comics. And sports. And movies. And unix text editors. It’s not really religion; it’s religiosity! Wayne and Mav are joined by Danny Anderson of The Sectarian Review Podcast to discuss the way in…
Call for Comments: Movie Franchising and Cinematic Universes
Don’t worry, there are no Avengers: Infinity War spoilers in this post. That said, I’m pretty sure that international podcasting law requires that all shows talk about the movie next week in some way shape or form. Somehow podcasts devoted to knitting are going to have to come up with a way of discussing patterns…
Call For Comments: Pop Culture and Religiosity
One of the fun things about doing a dissertation on comic books is that I get to spend some time lurking in random forums on the internet (Facebook groups, Redit, Tumblr, that sort of thing) just observing subcultural behavior in fan culture. Anyway, one particular group I monitor had a very odd interaction about a week ago…