Few people cast as unlikely a literary shadow over pop culture as H.P. Lovecraft, the New England resident and author of weird fiction who has since inspired video games, plushies, key chains and innumerable books, short stories and comic books. Providence is acclaimed comics author Alan Moore's entry into the ever-expanding cosmos of Lovecraft stories and Moore endeavors to leave no stone unturned. This is not only a sort of pastiche of Lovecraftian stories, but a story about Lovecraft himself as well as a running commentary on weird fiction as a genre and the time/place that created it. Strap yourself in for a scenic tour of haunted and macabre New England! 

Music is by Free Rap Beats.

Topic for this episode is Providence by Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: This will be the last episode of Season 2. We will back with Season 3 in the near future.

The oldest relationships in the world might just be the relationship between animals and humans. Cattle, sheep dogs, horses, our animal buddies have always been there for us. But what would the animals say about it?

Duncan the Wonder Dog asks the deceptively simple question: What if animals were people? What would they say to us? How would society be warped and transformed by this simple but all encompassing twist? Duncan the Wonder Dog, an award winning graphic novel published in 2010, tries to answer these questions in a story of FBI agents, animal terrorists, and messiah figures using an impressive mixed media black and white art style.

Music is by Free Rap Beats.

Topic for this episode is Duncan the Wonder Dog by Adam Hines.

Peplum, noun: a genre of Greco-Roman era costume adventure films, mostly made in Italy.

See also: Peplum, a phantasmagorical fool's journey taking place in a fantasy version of Imperial Rome written and drawn by Blutch. It's Roman! It's dreamlike and ambiguous! It has beautiful black and white art!

Music is by Free Rap Beats.

Topic for this episode is Peplum by Blutch.

Few names stand out in European comics illustration like Moebius, known for his highly imaginative and highly detailed sci-fi and fantasy art. Edena is a story that only Moebius could tell, about old classic cars, the human subconscious, nose diseases, insanity, and love.

Music is by Free Rap Beats.

Topic for this episode is Edena and World of Edena.

There are few places more inaccessible in the world than North Korea, and while most of us will never visit the Hermit Kingdom, a handful of foreigners have gone there and back. One such account is the travelogue Pyongyang, written and drawn by cartoonist Guy Delisle. Pyongyang details his time working for a French animation studio that had a production office in the titular capital and the absurdities and oddities of living as a foreigner there. 

Music is by Free Rap Beats.

Topic for this episode is Pyongyang.

Somewhere between a psychedelic dream and an epic fantasy tale is Yragael and its companion story Urm the Mad. Beautiful visuals by French artist Philippe Druillet finds a pairing with a story that freely mixes myth, legend, and dream-logic. It's not every day you read a comic like this! 

Music is by Free Rap Beats.

Topics for this episode include Yragaël by Philippe Druillet and Michel Demuth and Urm The Mad by Philippe Druillet.

Fear is the mind-killer! For fans of the science fiction novel Dune, there was no greater fear than another failed attempt at adapting Frank Herbert's un-filmable novel. Did Denis Villeneuve pull of the impossible? How does it stack up against the previous adaptations? Is the third time the charm for Dune movies?

Music is by Free Rap Beats.

Topics for this episode are Dune (2021), Dune (1984), Frank Herbert's Dune (2000), as well as the novel Dune by Frank Herbert. 

As the world spirals into political and economic chaos, many of us are faced with increasingly existential questions. How can we be happy in a violent and atomized society? Should anyone ever go on Reddit? How scared should we be of Facebook drones? These are the types of questions that The Hard Tomorrow, written and drawn by Eleanor Davis, grapples with in a near-future, slice of life setting.

Music is by Free Rap Beats.

Topic for this episode is The Hard Tomorrow.

What is Judge Dredd? Is it a cyberpunk dystopia action/adventure? A sci-fi satire? A cop story? The correct answer is "All of the Above". Join us in examining Judge Dredd: America, an acclaimed Dredd storyline from series co-creator John Wagner that tells a dystopian story about struggling for freedom in a totalitarian world that also doubles as a body horror sci-fi thriller.

Music is by Free Rap Beats.

Topics for this episode are Judge Dredd and Judge Dredd: America.

Batman has a comically huge cultural footprint, from SNES games, to animated cartoons, Hollywood blockbusters and children's underwear. Did you know that there was even Batmanga? Written and drawn by Jiro Kuwata, the three volumes of Batmanga tell sci-fi themed stories with original villains that have more in common with the Adam West TV show than Frank Miller. Should a curious Bat-fan check them out? I mean, do whatever you want, we're not the boss of you. We can help you make an informed decision though!

Music is by Free Rap Beats.

Topics for this episode are Batmanga volume 1-3 written and drawn by Jiro Kuwata.