Welcome to a new era of Hard NOC Life! Starting with this episode, Shawn Taylor joins as the permanent co-host alongside Keith Chow as they break down the week that was in nerd pop culture.

After introducing the newly revised format, Keith and Shawn throw back to the Childish Gambino episode and discuss the recent plagiarism controversy surrounding "This is America" (3:00). Then they remember the life of Steve Ditko (7:30) and share their thoughts on Marvel's Ant-Man and The Wasp film (11:45) before launching into an extended conversation about toxic fanboy culture (18:30). Later, they talk about the return of Billy Dee Williams to Star Wars (36:00) and preview the 'Rally for Rose' at San Diego Comic-Con (44:30). Finally, Shawn and Keith share their favorite things in pop for the week, including The Expanse on Amazon and Tom King's Batman #50 (49:00).

All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts and Google Play! Support us on Patreon!

As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.