Hey Kids, Comics! #167 - The Big House

The Pokey.  The Coop.  The Hole.  “Up the river”.  The Can.  The Slammer.  The Clink.  The Gulag.  Lockup.  The Hoosgow.  The Cooler.  Stir.  The Joint.   The block.  The Joint.  The Calaboose.  The Quad (Scotland only).  And, yes, the Big House. 

Call it what you will, even in Scotland, prison is just no kind of place that anyone wants to call home.  Incarceration, necessary evil that it is, tends to be what the “bad guys” try to avoid at all cost.  In comic books it is no different.  From the henchmen and minor players who do all the leg work to the greatest criminal minds the world has ever known, “Get Out of Jail” is the card that every villain, crook, or Lothario hopes to draw.

Yet thanks to those meddling kids super heroes, pretty much everybody - from the lowly Paste-Pot Petes and Magpies to the vaunted Green Goblins and Jokers – winds up behind bars at some point in their career!  So once you have the worst super-villains in history in custody, where do you put them? 

It is this question that Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston seek to explore as the discuss comics’ “other revolving door” (death being the primary one), the super-prison.  From Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison to The Raft and Project Pegasus, when it comes to putting away the powerful inmates, there have been some unique solutions, some more effective than others.

The Rantcor Pit Live #46 - Where's Phasma?

This episode originally streamed live from the One-Eyed Joe Studios and Deep Ellum on Air via watchonairlive.com on Sunday, January 17, 2016.

Welcome yet again to The Rantcor Pit Live.  This week Cole Houston and Eddie Medina get all Finn on Captain Phasma!

Actually, they don't threaten to blast her shiny helmet off her head, but rather explore the phenomenon that was this highly marketed and grossly underutilized character from The Force Awakens.  The sheer volume of Phasma merchandise that was on the market in the weeks before the films release, coupled with her high profile design, led many a fan to perceive her as a major player on screen. The reality was that this simply was not going to be the case.

Star Wars fans and creators of the Facebook group Everything Captain Phasma, Pete and Joanna Jones, join your hosts in the studio to talk about the mysterious First Order commander, her rather minimal screen presence, and the tonnage of toys and collectibles based on her.  All of this with a hopeful look toward the future and the promise of even more Phasma in our future!

Hey Kids, Comics! #166 - The Breakaways

Welcome comic fans and collectors to Hey Kids, Coimcs! latest issue!  While this may not prove to be a big breakaway episode, it will definitely be an exploration of breakaway characters in comics!

As we enter an era in comics where every character is created with potential marketability in mind it is easy to forget that at times some background characters used to shine beyond the original intentions and become some of the most popular within the publisher's corral.  

There was, however, a time when obscure or almost ignored characters would suddenly come back and shine beyond any expectations.  Or a bit part character that would capture the imagination of readers to the point that their popularity would soar.  While this does still occur to this day, it is rare to find a true breakaway with so many characters being engineered for success and popularity.

Join Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston as they explore the characters that realized unexpected potential in the pages of comics.

Apologies to Lockheed, we somehow forgot you!

The Rantcor Pit #46 - Not a Toy

Welcome back to The Rantcor Pit!  Hot on the heels of the live stream of The Rantcor Pit Live today, Cole Houston and Eddie Medina are happy to bring you a special edition of "The Pit".  

Special returning guest David Bunds joins the fun down in Jabba's dungeon with a show that was inspired by him pointing out an article about Gary Kurtz leaving the Star Wars franchise after The Empire Strikes Back.  Citing concerns that Lucas' artistic vision was more driven by toys and other licensing concerns, the producer determined to leave the franchise.

Explore this story as well as the aftermath that certainly had an effect on many aspects of the production of the Prequel Trilogy.  Collectibles merchandising became an over arching element in the decisions made within the production of the Saga.  In addition, a brewing "controversy" in the merchandising realm is also discussed.

Hey Kids, Comics! #165 - Star Spangled Saviors

Citizens!  Citizens!  Hey, kids.

Welcome all you loyal ladies and you patriotic men (with apologies to "Duck Soup") to the latest issue of Hey Kids, Comics!  Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston took a week away from the show but are back in business and ready to talk comics.  This time, comic book heroes who embody their nation and its iconography.

From "the captains" such as those of America and Britain to heroes who are the sole representatives of their homeland, many are the super-humans who take up the mantle of nationalism to fight crime or even larger threats.

Your hosts explore a great many angles on the concept of the super-patriot.  From awkward cookie cutter nation-themed characters like those that occurred in Contest of Champions to more developed embodiment-of-a-country characters, there were plenty of heroes to discuss.  

The Rantcor Pit Live #45 - See 3PO, R2 Too

This episode of The Rantcor Pit Live, the first of the new year, originally streamed live on Sunday, January 3, 2016 via Deep Ellum on Air from the One Eyed Joe Studios in Dallas, Texas.

Welcome back to "the Pit"!  It is a new year and a big one for Star Wars fans!  The Force Awakens is still dominating the box office, toys and collectibles galore continue to appear, and late in the year we get yet another Star Wars film!

Cole "JediCole" Houston and Eddie Medina kick off 2016 with a look at those intrepid droids R2-D2 and C-3PO.  Not since Bert and Ernie have a constantly squabbling platonic couple so captured the imagination of the public.  What better characters to profile as the Rantcor Pit draws closer to its second anniversary?

This week your hosts are joined by none other than Cole's own mother, Bonnie Roberds!  Yes, mom was in town for the holidays and took in some studio time before her return trip.  Often credited with encouraging her son to take good care of his Star Wars toys, she was an ideal choice for a guest on The Rantcor Pit Live, a show that has seen a lot of the families of both hosts join in the fun. 

So take the path less rocky and enjoy a conversation about two of the most famous robots in the history of automita.  And be sure to tune in to On Air Live on Sunday, January 18 (12 PM to 1 PM Central) for the next exciting episode streaming live with your favorite Star Wars guys!

Rantcor Pit 2016-01-03 by DeepEllumOnAir

The Rantcor Pit #45 - Wake Up Call

The Rantcor Pit awakens after far too long a hiatus.  A combination of holidays and the arrival of the much-anticipated arrival of The Force Awakens, the pre-recorded edition of this show has been out of production for a month.  But now we are back from the edge of the galaxy and ready to deliver our trademark simple tricks and nonsense. - JediCole

If there is one thing you can count on with any incarnation of The Rantcor Pit, it is that your hosts Cole Houston and Eddie Medina like the Star Wars.  Yet for a time it was a bit touch and go for Eddie after his initial screening of Episode VII.  

This episode, recorded about two weeks back, gives voice to Eddie's initial take on the latest chapter in the Star Wars saga and the contrast between his first and second screenings.  Naturally Cole also has plenty to say in this spoiler-rich (are spoiler warnings still a necessity this late in the game?) episode.

From Captain Phasma (subject of the next episode of The Rantcor Pit Live, 12 PM to 1 PM on Sunday, January 17) to the dynamic of Rey, Kylo Ren, and Finn to the lovable BB-8, Eddie and Cole had plenty to talk about.  What did they love?  What did they hate?  What was better "the second time around"?  These and other questions are raised and answered as they wake up to The Force Awakens.

Just in case...SPOILER ALERT!  This episode features lots of discussion about pretty much any and everything that appears on screen in this movie.  If for some reason you have yet to see it, you may wish to hold out listening until after you have enjoyed a screening of your own.

Hey Kids, Comics! #164 - I'm Cryin', I'm Dyin'

Happy New Year Hey Kids, Comics! style!

Ring in 2016 right with the first issue of the new year and your first exploration of upcoming super-hero movies!  

Starting in one month with Deadpool and concluding in November with Doctor Strange, a new Golden Age of Comic Book Movies is upon us!

Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are joined in this movie-centric episode by Hunter Deusing of Midnight Movie Cowboys.  Together they talk about the big super-hero films coming up in 2016.  In that regard they explore what aspects of these movies will have them cryin' (tears of joy) or dyin' (a little inside).  

Great or terrible there are going to be a huge slate of new comic book movies in our future.  Find out some unique thoughts about what is coming soon to a theater near you!