99th Episode

Sean watches the Watchmen. The TV show that is. And... it didn't quite live up to the name. So, we discus sequels, and what we want out of them, and how the Watchmen TV show didn't quite work as a sequel.

Also:
- The virtues of Limbo and Inside
- Paul finally played The Long Dark, which is Sean's favorite game
- Sean is playing Cyberpunk 2077, which is a bit overwhelming
- What makes a good sequel?
- Also, how was that Wonder Woman movie? A lukewarm review...

We have several goals we want to achieve in 2021. What do we want to watch, read, and collect? We share our nerdy proposed accomplishments for 2021.

Of course we want to eat better, exercise more, and all that. But we also have a lot of cool stuff to read and do, and that's what we talk about. Plus, how do we approach goals? What makes a good goal or resolution?

Tune in!

2020 wasn't the best of years for most of us, but we decide to look back at some of the things we enjoyed most from the year. It is our 2020 wrap up, with the best of the year!

Here are the categories we go through:
- Best Action Figure
- Favorite Comic Book
- Most Memorable Comic Book
- Biggest Nerd Accomplishment
- Best Discovery of the year
- Best Viewing Moment of the year
- What we are most looking forward to in 2021

And also:
- The stupidest thing Sean did this year
- We're getting old, so our music listening habits are too
- Smashing Pumpkins becomes appropriate for the year
- Paul defines slippery slope for us
- We put the action into our action figures
- Sixth World is where it really gets exciting
- It is best to get paid to collect comics!
- Spoilers for Red Dead Redempion 2!

Happy 2021!

Christmas comes this time each year! Paul and Sean reminisce about some of the greatest hits from Christmas as a child, and then transition to the traditions and things we love about Christmas now.

Also:
- Parenting present storage failure!
- Kids enjoy the two months of Christmas
- The story of the Barbecue stocking miracle
- More doing, less thinking!
- Crucial stocking design theory is discussed
- Action figures are not cheap anymore!
- Include the instructions!
- Beating a game as a child was much more rewarding 
- Finding love in online video games is real
- It's fun to be part of the block

Paul read a bunch of comics. Sean got a bunch of action figures. We both have watched a lot of TV. We talk a little bit about a lot of things.

We have three smorgasbords to cover! On Paul's comics smorgasbord, we talk about Death Note, The Way of the Househusband, Cells at Work! Code Black, Scooby Doo Team-Up, and Dementia 21. On Sean's action figure smorgasbord we talk about G.I. Joe Classified, Joy Toy, Mythic Legions, and Star Wars Black Series. On our combined Netflix smorgasbord, we discuss The Mandalorian, The Last Dance, Floor Is Lava, and Cobra Kai.

And also:
- Some things are only enjoyable in 10-minute chunks
- Hot beer and cold tea
- There are two types of people in the world. Or maybe three.
- That nesting phase! Oh how we nest!
- The virtue of Pile-O-Loot
- Gung Ho is a big beefy dude
- One vs Many, which is better?
- Red Ninja is not a crucial G.I. Joe
- Short and sweet is the way to be 

Our most stressful conversation ever! We discuss God Loves, Man Kills, the stand alone graphic novel that is still as meaningful and relevant today as it was when it was printed 38 years ago.

We talk about this from two angles, how it is a great X-Men story, and how it still works as to convey the mutant-as-metaphor meaning in the X-Men. How do you talk about this book without talking about politics? We try to find out, and somewhat fail.

Then! Paul has completed his run of Uncanny X-Men from issue 94 to 300, so we dig into that accomplishment with some celebratory questions and answers.

Also:
- Stress is like goldfish
- A secret trick to changing perspective on work stress
- Where the politics at!
- GLMK is a good entry point to reading older comics
- "...and we'll pay her in kind!"
- Remember, be like Nightcrawler
- Buying comics in person is so much better!

We read the metaphoriest of Junji Ito's stories, and discuss how we read meaning into an author's work, understanding a writer's intention, and how that informs our understanding of the stories we read. 

Also: Bruce Lee movies! Paul watched The Final Boss, and so we talk a bit about the experience of watching old Bruce Lee movies.

Note: This episode ends abruptly, some emergency work-related responsibilities popped up during this recording!

Emergencies aside, this episode also includes:

- Neil Gaiman has perspective that we perspect on
- Bank customer service teaches us about compassion
- Sean has rage at the world and profits
- We would rather be our pets
- Bullitt isn't what it used to be

Thank you for tuning in.

We are very thankful for family and friends, health, our jobs, and all those very good things we have in our lives. We are also thankful for many things more in the wheelhouse of this show, so we indulge and discuss ten things we are thankful for, ranging from comics to music to sports, and more. 

We each have a list of ten, some are timely and pertinent to this year, some are evergreen items we are thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sean and Paul discuss The Doll's House, the second volume of Sandman!

This volume has a mix of the horrifying and the meaningful, so we dig deep into what this volume of The Sandman means to us.

Sean has been on a Cyberpunk kick, and that has most recently included reading Neuromancer by William Gibson. Paul is a fan of underground Hip-Hop, and provides three albums to check out as an intro to the genre.

Want to follow along with Sean's dive into Hip-Hop with Paul's suggestions? Listen to the followig before next week's show:
Sage Francis, "A Healthy Distrust"
Aesop Rock, "The Impossible Kid"
Eyedea & Abilities, "By The Throat"

And as always, little tidbits such as:
- The Mandalorian - two reasons it is good.
- Great female action figures are somewhat rare.
- Poor Boba Fett went down for a burp joke.
- Action figures are better when they have a variety of body types
- How does one start collecting Pops?
- The 90s in comics may have been wacky, but in action figures? Awesome.
- The 80s and 90s in wrestling may have been wacky, but in action figures? Awesome.

And as usual, sounds of outdoor Maine, such as the cars driving down the street.