The Rantcor Pit 10: The Kenner Years

Note: Due to a variety of circumstances that have weighed on the schedules of many JCU producers and hosts, this edition of The Rantcor Pit ran late and is posting on a Wednesday rather than a Friday.  It is standing in for this week's Hey Kids, Comics! which has been postponed until next Wednesday. - Jedicole. 

Star Wars action figures and toys are very much a part of the whole Star Wars experience for fans of all ages.  That is certainly true for your hosts Cole "JediCole" Houston and Eddie Medina.  Both were around back in the days when Star Wars toys were knew and the collectibles juggernaut that the Saga would become was still in its infancy.

  
This week, special guest Vic Medina (yep, Eddie's brother) joins the show for a lively discussion of "the good old days" and the original Kenner action figure line.  From the thrill of the hunt to the various challenges of finding your favorite toys when there was no internet and few resources apart from walking into a various stores and scouring the pegs.  

From the collection of Cole "JediCole" Houston.

Childhood memories run rampant in this special edition of the JCU's original Star Wars podcast!

Figments Case File 002: Welcome to the Rock

The unknown...the unexplained...and now the un-escapable. Join co-hosts Colleen and Eddie Medina once again as they break INTO the ever infamous Alcatraz prison to find out if the "un-escapable" has been escaped. 

 
Did Frank Morris, Clarence and John Anglin successfully break out of Alcatraz and safely make it to civilization and freedom in June of 1962? Listen in to this week's episode to find out what we think.

JCU Sunday Funnies #46

Hey Kids, Comics! #80 - The InfiniToy Gauntlet: A Toy Aisle Adventure

It's Wednesday and time for another issue of Hey Kids, Comics!, even if it is a touch late today.  

With the New York International Toy Fair having occurred between the last issue and this one, it was impossible for Andrew and Cole to resist turning down the Toy Aisle one more time.  There is just too much on the horizon not to revisit one of our favorite topics.  

The sheer volume of fun that spewed forth from New York this year could not be contained any more than the enthusiasm of your toy-fanatical hosts and their returning guest Rick Gutierrez of the United States of Geekdom!  A veritable cornucopia of licensed toy goodness awaits us all in the latest Golden Age of Collectibles (aka 2014). 

Give a listen to find out about even more great collectibles that you will simply have to have in your collection this year!

JCU Sunday Funnies #45

Figments Case File 001: Holiday Weekend Turns Hairy

Welcome to our inaugural episode of Figments, the mysterious encounters podcast. Join hosts Colleen and Eddie Medina as they take you on an ongoing exploration of cryptozoology, conspiracies, unsolved crimes and the unexplained.

In tonight's case file our cryptid couple gives a little background on themselves and their lifelong obsession with the mysterious world we live in. They will also take a look into the Memorial Day Bigfoot footage from 1996. Listen in as Colleen and Eddie give their reasons why they think this is one of the stronger pieces of visual evidence of the Sasquatch phenomenon. 

Hey Kids, Comics! #79 - Return to the Aisle of Toys

After five grueling weeks mired in the shifting landscapes of alternate realities and "might-have-beens", Cole and Andrew are ready for a bit of a vacation.  So they have set themselves adrift not to a desert isle, but instead to a toy aisle in the future. 

This was just the beginning...

With the International Toy Fair a mere few days away, your intrepid hosts are joined by the United States of Geekdom's own Rick Gutierrez for a look at an amazing new action figure line that has this trio buzzing for most of the show.  Other toys in our near and semi-distant future are also discussed as everyone anxiously awaits the first reports from New York.

We hope you enjoy our brief departure from comics this week.

JCU Sunday Funnies #44

Want to see Bobby Blakey's art and his own humor including the newly relaunched Last Stop?  Check out six years of the strip plus new material right here!

The Rantcor Pit 9: Imperial Entanglements

Much like Ben and Luke's trip to Alderaan, a journey that started out one way took us in a much different direction.  

Cole Houston and Eddie Medina set out to talk up all things Galactic Empire on this episode of The Rantcor Pit, but their special guest David Petty led them down a different and equally fascinating path.  

Join us for a special look at what it takes to be a part of the biggest fighting force in the galaxy.  With David as guide, all things minion-of-the-Empire are explored from an unsung branch of the Imperial military machine to the 501st Legion in both cinema and reality. 

Listen to the episode and this will make more sense.

Hey Kids, Comics! #78 - Rethinking the Legends: Brave New Worlds

Welcome to the final installment of Rethinking the Legends.  This arc has seen our favorite super-heroes transplanted in time, tossed into new surroundings, or changed beyond recognition.  As our explorations of this aspect of comic draws to a close we take a last long look at where writers and artists have taken the classics when "something different" is the order of the day.

Bobby Blakey again joins the fun when gender changes, necessary retooling, and amazing new takes on comics are the order of the day!

  

JCU Sunday Funnies #43

Want to see Bobby Blakey's art and his own humor including the newly relaunched Last Stop?  Check out six years of the strip plus new material every week right here!