The Rantcor Pit #34 - Celebrating Celebration

Your Rantcor Pit hosts Cole Houston and Eddie Medina invite you to join them in celebrating the official convention of the Star Wars known as Celebration. 

The seventh such event was held recently in Anaheim, California and welcomed thousands upon thousands of fans of the Saga from around the world.  Among them was the creator of the photographic web comic Yak’sPub and the guest for this episode, Scott Horne.  As the author of a popular fan series and a member of the 501st Legion, Scott has enjoyed his first experience with the phenomenon that is Star Wars Celebration and was happy to share it with you and your hosts on this show.  JCU contributor Bobby Blakey plays a sizeable role in these memoirs!

JediCole had attended Celebration VI three years earlier and mingles his experiences at that event with those of the Rantcor Pit’s guest.  From panels and costumes to collectibles and fans, there is a lot to cover when talking up this amazing event.  Many are the tales shared as anticipation builds for the future and Celebration VIII, when and wherever that may occur!  In the mean time, get a taste of what it is like to attend the Holy Grail of Star Wars conventions on this special episode!

And now a special photo gallery featuring Celebration VI photos from JediCole and Celebration VII photos from Scott Horne.

Finally, as promised, Scott's poster of the Heimlich Maneuver published as a Yak's Pub promo!  (This is a copy of the poster in the collection of JediCole.)

Hey Kids, Comics! #132 - Robots Not in Disguise

It's time once again for Hey Kids, Comics!, the JCU podcast that takes an in-depth look at comics in unique new ways.  This time your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are going to get all robotic on you with a look at the massive population of robots and robotic characters that can be found all over the comic book realm!

Not a Transformer, nor Shogun Warrior, nor Go-Bot, Joe Pi stands alone.

With Avengers: Age of Ultron soon to be unleashed in theaters, it seemed only logical to talk up all things robotic.  DC and Marvel certainly have a long history of fielding characters that were man-made, often with unexpected results.  Who would have thought an automaton, robot, android, or mechanical man could walk through walls or catch fire?  But then that is how you get some memorable characters that are inorganic in nature.

 From robots with unexpected origins to a team made up of their ilk, you can always count on some new robotic hero or villain cropping up.  Some seem to have adopted the Tyrell Corporation slogan and seem more human than human, others begin their virtual life awkwardly imitating their creator's nature.  Still others are just the mobile sum of their programming, nothing more or less.  But when it comes to creating robots, people in comics should always expect the unexpected!

Dr. Magnus gets more than he bargained for with his precursor to Galaxina!

The Rantcor Pit Live #26 - The Magnificent Sevens

The Rantcor Pit Live (archive) is here at last!  If you missed the show on Sunday, April 19, 2015 then here is your second chance to see Cole "JediCole" Houston and special guest co-host Rick Gutierrez (of The United States of Geekdom) talking up Star Wars "sevens".  

Joining them in the studio was Christy Jedigoddess of Jedigoddess Presents, the show that follows this one on Deep Ellum on Air!  As for the sevens in question, there were two that weekend, the recently released new trailer for Star Wars Episode VII:  The Force Awakens and Star Wars Celebration VII in Anaheim, California!

Join in on the fun as Cole surprises Rick, delicious fictional breakfast cereal is enjoyed, thoughts on the new trilogy are discussed, and pining for Celebration VII is shared.  You will even find out what Cole noticed about the maybe-or-maybe-not new Stormtrooper, Finn!  

Hot on the heels of the first anniversary of this very show comes a seven-filled special episode that is the perfect way to start a Star Wars day (a couple of weeks before "Star Wars Day")!


The Rantcor Pit 2015-04-19 by

Hey Kids, Comics! #131 - House of Obscurity

A creaking door gives way to a shove from intrepid explorer Andrew Farmer.  Brushing aside a blanket of cobwebs laden with the dust of neglect he takes his favorite lantern in hand and infiltrates a mysterious repository of the forgotten.  Close behind Cole "JediCole" Houston follows with a blazing torch lighting his way as the pair begin to explore this oubilette of comics.  They have dared to brave, on behalf of their faithful listeners, the House of Obscurity!

On a less melodramatic note, this issue of Hey Kids, Comics! delves deeply into obscure, forgotten, and unknown in comic books.  Many are the titles no one recalls but perhaps should.  The purpose of this issue is to educate about some favorites that were stumbled upon over the years and can probably still be had to this day.

From Badger to The Fish Police, The Golem's Mighty Swing to Poison Elves, Secret Doors to Omaha the Cat Dancer, there have been many a comic that have come and gone over the years.  Some made a splash in their day then faded from the public eye while others arrived quietly on the scene and went away just as quietly.  Coming across such titles in the Bargain Bins at conventions or comic shops can be a true joy for collectors.  Such is the substance of this issue of the show.  Even the long-gone comic book magazines and newspapers of days gone by are discussed!  

The Rantcor Pit #33 - Mark of Distinction

A day later than expected there is at last a new episode of The Rantcor Pit!  

A lost recording and a second try later Cole Houston and Eddie Medina are proud to bring you a look at Mark Hamill and his impact on Star Wars and so much more!  

Not only did this actor bring so much life to the character of Luke Skywalker, he also embraced the ever-developing nature of the farm boy turned Jedi.  From A New Hope to Return of the Jedi, Luke grew mentally and spiritually and Hamill captured every subtle nuance.  The whiny, ever-put upon Lars nephew gave way to the only-whiny-when-confronted-with-a-dark-lineage Jedi-in-training who would one day be a Jedi, like his father before him.

Beyond Star Wars, Mark Hamill seems to have been everywhere over the years, ultimately returning to his voice acting roots.  His characterization of Batman's most villainous foe has become for many the definitive incarnation of the Joker.  This and more is explored as your two favorite Star Wars guys talk about the career and pop-culture contributions of Mark Hamill! 

What Became of JCU Sunday Funnies?

As you may have seen, I've fallen a bit behind on things for the JCU in the last few days.  So naturally it might not have seemed alarming that there was not a new You Are Here yesterday morning.

The reality in this case is that the series is going on a hiatus to allow Bobby Blakey a break from this project and time to catch up on his other pursuits.  While the series is not officially ending, we are not yet certain when it will return.  After two years of turning my concepts into amazing cartoons I think it is high time that Bobby took a little time away.

I have recently stumbled on an old file that contained the original concept notes, sketches, and a few completed and nearly completed cartoons for the original, unrealized You Are Here cartoon.  I have long said that the series began 20 years ago, however unearthing the file I discovered that it is actually 25 years old!  At the insistence of Eddie Medina (of The Rantcor Pit and Figments) I am going to publish a few of these cartoons here during the hiatus period in their original black and white format - mainly because I lack the technical skill to reproduce them in color.  But then had the series gone forward in 1990 they would have been published in black and white regardless!

The first two years of You Are Here cartoons have been published in two volumes of the collected works.  Look for Bobby or myself at conventions in Texas to get your copies!

Hey Kids, Comics! Live #8 - Home Screen Advantage

Getting things caught up still, the JCU is proud to present the archive of Hey Kids, Comics! Live that aired on Saturday, April 11, 2015.

In what will become a two-part story (crossing over into the pre-recorded Hey Kids, Comics! this Friday), Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are joined in the studio at Deep Ellum on Air by none other than Eddie Medina of The Rantcor Pit in his first guest appearance on this show!  This issue of the live show is all about the presence of comic book related television shows over the years.  With the critically acclaimed arrival of Daredevil on Netflix, it seems that a Golden Age of cooperation between comics and television has emerged!  Joining the ranks of such current programs as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Gotham, this new arrival is just the first of many on the way from the streaming services production arm.  

Join these three hardcore comic fans as they, and viewers calling in, go all over the map in discussing favorite shows, the possibility of over-saturation of the airwaves, and much more.  One hour was just not enough to cover such a big topic, so expect to hear more in just a few days!


Hey Kids Comics 2015-04-11 by DeepEllumOnAir

Hey Kids, Comics #130 - Creator Spotlight #4: Alan Moore

Welcome to the return of the the Creator Spotlight on Hey Kid,s Comics!  It has been far too long!  But to make amends your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston have set their sight on one of the big guns!

Alan Moore!

What began as just another Creator Spotlight will spawn so much more (pun intended), but for now the tip of the iceberg that is this talented writer/creator's body of work is mapped out.  From early work for Warrior Magazine to some rare titles from obscure imprints, there was plenty to talk about.

Naturally Watchmen is discussed, but there was oh so much more!  Far more than could adequately be explored in one show in fact, but this is just the beginning of that promised longer journey ahead.  So if you were a fan of Time Twisters or Lost Girls, Promethia or Supreme, Top Ten or Swamp Thing then you need to hear what Hey Kids, Comics! has to say about the mysterious Alan Moore!