Whadjathink? - Godzilla

Force of Nature

Welcome to the latest edition of Whadjathink?, the movie show that is more akin to the drive home with friends after the movie than a review.  As such it is chock full of spoilers, so it is always best to have seen the movie before listening to this podcast.  This time your hosts Catherine Houston and Bobby Blakey set their sights on the “King of Monsters” as portrayed in Godzilla!  But there’s more!  They are joined by their respective spouses, Cole Houston and Drucilla Blakey to discuss not only 2014’s blockbuster, but the original 1954 Japanese cut of Godzilla! 

Both couples had attended screenings in Dallas recently of the film that started it all in the original Japanese with English subtitles.  Raymond Burr was nowhere to be seen and aspects of the original not shown in the US in the 50s added a new element to the story.  From the first to the latest incarnation of Toho’s flagship kaiju, the contrasting visions of two tales released 60 years apart will make this one of the most fascinating episodes yet!

For Bobby Blakey

Hey Kids, Comics! #90 - HKC! Revisited: What's So Bad About Human Sexuality?

It is time again for Hey Kids, Comics! (if a day late) and we are continuing our look back at Comic Shop Confidential.  Andrew and Cole revisit the very first story arc of this series with a look at sex and sexuality in comics - again!

From the suggestive to the overt, comics have long had a history of letting the real world make it onto the four color page by giving characters a sex life of some kind.  Way back in issue #2 Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston took a look at sex and sexuality in comics and are ready to do so yet again.  

Join us for a look back our origins and one of the more compelling topics to have been tackled on this show.  You can check out the original episode (HKC! #2) here.

Figments Case File 008: The Assassination of RFK

Join Colleen and Eddie as they delve into the tragic assassination of Robert Kennedy and the inconsistencies that surround the case. Did Sirhan Sirhan act of his own free will? Was there a second shooter? Who was the woman in the polka dot dress? We may never know the truth but hopefully tonight's show will give you something to contemplate.

The Rantcor Pit Live #4 - Episode 1 Finds Love

It is time again for The Rantcor Pit Live!  As seen on DeepEllumOnAir every other Sunday (from 11 AM to 12 PM), this is the companion show to the JCU's The Rantcor Pit.  You can always check out the archives here if you missed the live show.

Cole was down in one of his favorite cities, Austin, Texas on Sunday and had to miss out this week.  Eddie Medina brought along his wife Colleen to join the fun in a lively discussion of her favorite of the Star Wars films, The Phantom Menace!  While Episode 1 is a much maligned chapter of the Star Wars saga, it does have its supporters and hardcore fans.
  

Jantzen adds his own love for the movie to the mix as Eddie and Colleen explore why the launch of the prequel trilogy is not as bad as you might have thought.

JCU Sunday Funnies #59

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!

Own the first year of You Are Here in a collected edition (Your First Year Here) only $7.50 postpaid.  More details here.

Hey Kids, Comics! #89 - HKC! Revisited: Why I Hate Fanboys

Take a look back at the Not-So-Secret-Origins of Hey Kids, Comics! as your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston return to the early days of the show.  No, this is not another time travel show, but rather the beginning of a new arc that reexamines our first arc (and first five issues in the process). 

This reflective issue features special guest Rick Gutierrez of The United States of Geekdom and takes a second look at the overbearing nature of some fanboys.  Love it or hate it, the opinions of some get thrown about rather aggressively when it comes to comics and comic book-related media.  Does this give the wrong impression about fandom to those outside of that realm?  And what role do the news and social media play in perpetuating that kind of behavior?

Join us for the first of five issues that take a new look at Comic Shop Confidential.  You can check out the original episode (HKC! #1) here.

The Rantcor Pit #14 - A Universe of Their Own

Women in Star Wars are often few and far between so it was certainly something worth talking about last Sunday on The Rantcor Pit Live.  But the topic was just too big for one hour so Cole Houston and Eddie Medina pick it up yet again with the help of Mrs. JediCole.

When looking for the greatest concentrations of female characters the Expanded Universe was the place to go.  Most of the women in Star Wars can be found there.  And just because Disney has declared it never happened, that is just from the standpoint of better continuity.  Those women, and the female characters of film and television, are important parts of the overall Saga.

Join us as we continue the discussion on the various lead characters and background characters that help make sure that Leia and Padme are not the Smurfettes of their respective trilogies!  Plus as a bonus, Catherine tells the tale of Shmi Skywalker that was repeatedly banned back in our VaderCast days!

JCU Sunday Funnies #58

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!

Own the first year of You Are Here in a collected edition (Your First Year Here) only $7.50 postpaid.  More details here.

Whadjathink? - Amazing Spider-Man 2

Electro-Shock

Welcome to another great episode of Whadjathink?, this time again joining forces with Hey Kids, Comics!  

Catherine "Mrs. JediCole" Houston and Bobby Blakey welcome Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston to talk up the latest edition of the reboot of the Spider-Man franchise.  The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is the subject of discussion as the ups and downs of the feature film are kicked back and forth between a collection of comic book and movie fans.

Was ol' Web-Head's latest cinematic adventure favorable to all?  Was it roundly hated?  Find out for yourself by giving this show a listen.  That is if you have already seen The Amazing Spider-Man 2 beforehand.  This show does not pull its punches when it comes to mentioning just about anything that happened on screen!

SPOILER ALERT!

Hey Kids, Comics! #88 - Wedding Bells

“Hey Kids, Comics!” cordially invites you to a very special occasion.

Andrew Farmer and Cole “JediCole” Houston are pleased to announce the marriage of a wide variety of comic book characters to each other.  A reception will be held immediately following each wedding.

Please R.S.V.P.

Welcome to another great episode of Hey Kids, Comics! that is full of significance.  The nuptials of the super-hero community have long been a staple of comic books.  From the high profile ceremony-wrecking slugfests to the quiet joining of man and wife, every possibility has been explored.  Even outrageous dream sequences are not uncommon in this regard.

To celebrate the latest comic book wedding, that of Marvel’s resident anti-hero Deadpool, and to commemorate all the marriages that have come before, a variety of special guests were invited to talk about what happens when love is in the air, proposals are accepted, and the big day arrives at last!  Well, in comics anyway.  So in the company of our loved ones we now pronounce this issue of Hey Kids, Comics! super-man and super-wife!

Guest List:

Jason Adams

Bobby Blakey

Brianna Booker

Rick Gutierrez

Catherine Houston

Colleen Medina

Eddie Medina

The lucky couples are registered at Shreck’s Department Store (Gotham City), Lexmart (Metropolis), and King Kirby’s (East Coast, West Coast, and Great Lakes locations). 

Ceremonies officiated by Doctor Druid

Floral arrangements by Sherwood Florist; Oliver Queen proprietor

Wedding bands by Goldface & Goldbug

Catering by Matter-Eater Lad

Music by the Fiddler, the Hypno Hustler, the Pied Piper, and Mr. Banjo

Vocals by Dazzler

The Rantcor Pit Live 3: Few and Far Between

If you missed the live streaming of this week's Rantcor Pit Live then do not fret!  The fine folks at Deep Ellum On Air maintain an archive so  you won't miss an episode.  And you won't want to miss this special Mother's Day edition of the show.

While The Rantcor Pit is known for always pointing out the many aspects of the Star Wars saga that make it rich with history, background, and other elements of reality, we are more than willing to point out the shortcomings as well.  Perhaps the most glaring of these is the lack of female characters in the course of the six movies to date.  In celebration of Mother’s Day, Cole Houston and Eddie Medina discuss this peculiar phenomenon and speculate on the reasons.

Your hosts talk about the strong female leads of both trilogies as well as the scant smattering of women who people the rest of the cinematic universe with Mrs. JediCole and Jantzen chiming in as well.  While lacking in number, many of the female characters are no less strong and rarely remanded simply to the background.  Still, their lacking numbers have been an issue with fans for decades. 

The Expanded Universe and the animated series are also in the mix of this episode.

Be sure to check out The Rantcor Pit at The JediCole Universe on May 18 for a companion show that also covers women in Star Wars with Mrs. JediCole and the official Shmi Skywalker story!

The Rantcor Pit LIVE ep3 by DeepEllumOnAir

JCU Sunday Funnies #57

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!

Own the first year of You Are Here in a collected edition (Your First Year Here) only $7.50 postpaid.  More details here.

The JediCole Universe Live (All-Con 2014 Edition)

At long last it can be shared!  

The JediCole Universe Live has been a running talk show presentation at All-Con for several years now.  Again this year I was fortunate enough to have Eddie Medina (of The Rantcor Pit and Figments) record the proceedings for your enjoyment.  

While much of what transpires is visual in nature, for the most part the audio will convey the antics that make up this show each year, especially the new feature that retools a well-known movie trailer.

So if you missed the show back in March, here's your chance to discover just what went on at The JediCole Universe Live this year in all its ample glory.

Hey Kids, Comics! - The Back Issue Bin (Issues #0-87, Annual #1)

If you want to catch up on all of the fun of Hey Kids, Comics!, this is your big chance!  We give you...

The Back Issue Bin

Hey Kids, Comics! #0 - 87

#0 Get to Know Us!

#1 Comic Shop Confidential: Why I Hate Fanboys

#2 Comic Shop Confidential: What’s So Bad About Human Sexuality?

#3 Comic Shop Confidential: Women in Comics

#4 Comic Shop Confidential: Faith in Four Colors

#5 Comic Shop Confidential: Holding Up a Mirror to Reality

#6.1 Fails to Astonish – Part 1

#6.2 Fails to Astonish - Part 2

#7 Star Wars Colebration: A Study in JediCole Houston

#8 Comics, Commerce, and the All-Mighty Buck: Embossed Foil Laser Cut and Bagged With Exclusive Trading Cards

#9 Comics, Commerce, and the All-Mighty Buck: Collection Equals Tuition

#10 Comics, Commerce, and the All-Mighty Buck: The Long, Strong Arm of Marvel

#11 Comics, Commerce, and the All-Mighty Buck: The Never-Ending Eulogy

#12 Comics, Commerce, and the All-Mighty Buck: Pandering for Paychecks

#13 A Geek’s Journey

#14 HKC! Presents 1

#15 Marvel’s Great White North

#16 Sensing Comics: Intro

#17 Sensing Comics: Insights on Sight

#18 Sensing Comics: You’ve Got the Touch

#19 Sensing Comics: Did you Just Hear Something?

#20 Sensing Comics: Something Tells Me I’m Smelling Something Good

#21 Secret Origins: The Andrew Farmer Story

#22 Tales to Admonish

#23 A Christmas Stocking Stuffer

#24 That Darn Bat

#25 Cinema Obscura

#26 It Came From the License Part 1: Hey Kids, Star Wars!

#27 It Came From the License Part 2: Take That, Nielson Ratings!

#28 It Came From the License Part 3: Reading Your Movie Night

#29 It Came From the License Part 4: Books, Games, and the Public Domain...PLUS!

#30 It Came From the License Part 5: Tales from Toyland

#31 Creator Spotlight #1: Frank Miller Time

#32 Hey Kids, All-Con!

#33 To Kill a Robin

#34 Secret Origins of Hey Kids, Comics!

#35 The Ballad of Bobby Blakey or What Do You Do With a Big Dumb Gorilla?

#36 Bring on the Bad Guys!  The Dark Side of Comics

#37 From Funny Books to Graphic Fiction Part 1: Children of the Yellow Kid

#38 From Funny Books to Graphic Fiction Part 2: Seduction and Salvation

#39 From Funny Books to Graphic Fiction Part 3: Comics Are Super, Man

#40 From Funny Books to Graphic Fiction Part 4: Turning Points and Changing Tastes

#41 From Funny Books to Graphic Fiction Part 5: Not Kids Comics - Tijuana to Omaha

#42 Heroes Come Home - Animated

#43 Heroes Come Home - Live Action

#44 The Hero's Journey

#45 Recommended Reading #1

#46 HKC! Team-Up #1: Justice League

#47 Summer Fun Special

#48 Play Ball!

#49 Forging Steel

#50 The Year of Living Comicsly

#51 Continuity is Not Absolute: Nothing Lasts Forever

#52 Continuity is Not Absolute: I Didn't Know We Had One of Those! 

#53 Continuity is Not Absolute: Out of Character, Out of the Blue, Out of Whack

#54 Continuity is Not Absolute: The Dicey Hand of Death

#55 Continuity is Not Absolute: When it Sticks

#56 About a Toy

#57 HKC! Team-Up #2: The Avengers

#58 What?  No Pictures?

#59 Creator Spotlight #2: Good Bill Willingham

#60 Deconstructing Comics: I Need a Hero

#61 Deconstructing Comics: To Prove a Villain

#62 Deconstructing Comics: Lean on Me

#63 Deconstructing Comics: What's Love Got to Do With It?

#64 Deconstructing Comics: All in the Family

#65 Comics That Go Bump in the Night

#66 Hey Comics!  What's For Supper?!

#67 Seven Deadlies: You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry

#68 Seven Deadlies: Enough is Never Enough

#69 Seven Deadlies: You've Got What I Want

#70 Seven Deadlies: Look Upon My Works, Ye Mighty

#71 Seven Deadlies: A Big Meal and Then a Nap

#72 I Want to Talk 'Bout the Animals

#73 The Year in "Hey Kids, Comics!"

#74 Rethinking the Legends: Another You

#75 Rethinking the Legends: This Changes Everything

#76 Rethinking the Legends: Another Time, Another Place

#77 Rethinking the Legends: Joining Forces

#78 Rethinking the Legends: Brave New Worlds

#79 Return to the Aisle of Toys

#80 The InfiniToy Gauntlet: A Toy Aisle Adventure

#81 Cryptids & Comics: The Lost Issue*

#82 Once More Unto All-Con, My Friends!

#83 Free Comic Book Daze

#84 Creator Spotlight #3: It's Good to Be the Jack "King" Kirby!

#85 The Great "Hey Kids, Comics!/Whadjathink" Crossover: (Volume 1)

#86 Time Troubles

#87 Space Race

Annual #1 The Best Comic I Ever Read

*Originally published out of sequence after #87.  It has been returned to the proper sequence for the purpose of this list.