Gobbledygeek

Miyazaki Month takes to the skies this week with 1986's Castle in the Sky, the first official Studio Ghibli production, about a boy from a mining town and a princess from a floating island (jeez, does this guy have a thing for princesses or what?); and 1992's Porco Rosso, wherein a man with the face of a pig fights air pirates and evades the Italian Secret Police. Greg Sahadachny, host of The Debatable Podcast and All the Pieces Matter, joins Paul and AJ to discuss Miyazaki's aviation fascination, how Castle in the Sky may be the perfect bridge between Nausicaä and Princess Mononoke, why Porco Rosso succeeds (or doesn't) as a character study, and more. Next: Monique Morgan of Beacon Hills: After Dark and Nathan Burdette of On the Rocks join us for a look at Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle.

Our month-long celebration of Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki continues! After the intense, mythology-laden epics Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke, Paul and AJ turn to perhaps Miyazaki's lightest features: the 1988-89 one-two punch of My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service. Joining them is author (and The Deli Counter of Justice contributor) Kitty Chandler and editrix extraordinaire Anna Williams. The gang discusses Miyazaki's painterly detail, his use of complex female protagonists, how both films are about growing up, and why it makes perfect sense that My Neighbor Totoro was originally released on a double bill with Grave of the Fireflies. Next: we're taking to the skies! Greg Sahadachny of The Debatable Podcast and All the Pieces Matter stops by to chat about Castle in the Sky and Porco Rosso.

Man has been exploiting nature since the first caveman picked up a rock and bludgeoned another to death with it. This doesn't sit well with some, like Hayao Miyazaki, who has made two powerful films about the environment and the ways in which human greed corrupts it: 1984's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which led to the creation of the revered Studio Ghibli; and 1997's Princess Mononoke, which finds Ghibli at the peak of its powers. To help Paul and AJ kick off their month-long celebration of Japanese animation master Miyazaki, another princess stops by, namely Princess Sippy Cup AKA The Deli Counter of Justice co-editor Eric Sipple. The gang discusses the ways in which Nausicaä and Mononoke tackle the same themes from different angles, Miyazaki's shifting perspective over the years, and what both films have to say about violence and the nature of evil. Next: Black Ice author Kitty Chandler (whose work just so happens to appear in The Deli Counter of Justice) and her editrix Anna Williams join us to discuss two lighter Miyazaki films, My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service.

Paul and AJ's Four-Color Flashback journey through Jeff Smith's Bone continues with the return appearance of The Debatable Podcast's Greg Sahadachny. This time they're taking a look at Vol. II: The Great Cow Race, which follows the first by being just as funny (maybe even funnier) while teasing a deeper, darker mythology. The gang discusses the way Smith conveys so much expression with just a few lines, his fleet-footed storytelling abilities, how he constructs his jokes, and that whole cow race thing. Plus, what does "overrated" mean and which stand-up comics fall under the definition? The boys have answers! Next: our month-long celebration of Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki kicks off as Eric Sipple stops by to discuss Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke.

#LifeChange is in the air! That's right, this week, the boys have a lot on their minds. As Paul embarks on a new chapter of his life, AJ deals with the major hang-ups of being a homeowner by proxy. None other than frenemy of the show and The Deli Counter of Justice co-editor Eric Sipple is on hand to listen to their whinging after which, the gang gets down to some serious writing talk. The boys discuss the perils of writing flash fiction (AKA extremely short stories), what you can learn from such constrictions, and what's next for the Deli-verse, plus plenty more. Next: this year's Four-Color Flashback continues with a look at Bone: Vol. II - The Great Cow Race, potentially featuring The Debatable Podcast host Greg Sahadachny.

After spending 2014 weaving their way through the many different stories of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, Paul and AJ have settled on something which appears much simpler for this year's Four-Color Flashback: Jeff Smith's Bone. Appearances can be deceiving, though. The boys have heard tell that Smith's cartoony magnum opus, taking obvious inspiration from Walt Kelly and Carl Barks' comic strips, grows into a complex, sprawling epic. And even in Vol. 1: Out from Boneville, wherein Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone find themselves in a strange new land, there are inklings of the high fantasy to come. Plus, the boys discuss friend of the show Kenn Edwards' short film The Joke, attempt to break down Tina Fey and Robert Carlock's new Netflix show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and prepare to enter the Age of Ultron with a new trailer. Next: Eric Sipple stops by to chat. This won't end well.

For the first Geek Challenge of 2015, Paul and AJ have been challenged by friend of the show/Smoke Gets in Your Ears co-host Kenn Edwards to do things a little differently: Paul has to challenge AJ to a movie not from the '80s, while AJ has to challenge Paul to one from the '80s that isn't black-and-white or foreign. After some head-scratching, Paul has chosen to force AJ to endure the 1976 cult classic Logan's Run, about two people exploring the outer world; and AJ has tasked Paul with sitting through the 1988 David Cronenberg film Dead Ringers, about two people exploring the inner world. Tenuous connection aside, these are very different movies. Very different. Plus, the boys pay their respects to Leonard Nimoy, talk Spider-Gwen, and just want to be one of Will Forte's ball-friends on The Last Man on Earth. Next: this year's Four-Color Flashback begins with a look at Out from Boneville, the first volume of Jeff Smith's cartoony magnum opus Bone.

Mars: it ain't the kind of place to raise your kids, and it ain't the kind of place where Mark Watney wants to die. We track our astronaut's final attempts to leave the Red Planet in the last six chapters of The Martian by Andy Weir, as Paul and AJ are joined by all of this year's Gobbledy-Book Club readers: So Let's Get to the Point host and Smoke Gets in Your Ears: A Mad Men Podcast co-host Kenn Edwards, Wanna Cook? co-author Ensley F. Guffey, and the Internet's own Hallie Prime. The verdict on the book is perhaps a touch contentious, but that just makes the whole thing more fun, right? Plus, the gang discusses Mars One's very real proposal to send folks to Mars for life. Next: AJ and Paul have been tasked with an interesting Geek Challenge by Mr. Edwards. Paul must challenege AJ to a movie that's not from the '80s, while AJ must challenge Paul to a movie from the '80s that's also not foreign or black-and-white. After much head-scratching, Paul must endure Dead Ringers and AJ will subject himself to Logan's Run.

What do cannibalism, Elton John, and pirate-ninjas have in common? They all figure into chapters 13-19 of The Martian by Andy Weir, here discussed by Paul, AJ, and Wanna Cook? co-author Ensley F. Guffey. As Gobbledy-Book Club 2015 nears its end, the gang talks about the book's stylistic and emotional weaknesses, as well as the ways in which Weir effectively builds tension. How will it all end? Ensley knows! But Paul and AJ can only make their terrible, terrible predictions. Plus, the gang gets into that whole Spider-Man business, laments Jon Stewart's decision to leave The Daily Show, and takes a guess at what Neill Blomkamp has in store for his Alien movie.

Next: an all-star jam band reunion of our Martian readers, featuring Ensley, Kenn Edwards, and Hallie Prime.

For the second week of Gobbledy-Book Club 2015, Paul and AJ are joined by longtime friend (but first-time guest) Hallie Prime to discuss chapters 7-12 of The Martian by Andy Weir. As stranded astronaut Mark Watney becomes more and more desperate for human contact, Weir begins to tap into the emotional weight of his premise. The gang debates how effective this is...and continues to have issues with a little thing called "dialogue." Plus, AJ prepares to Better Call Saul, while the gang straps on their gravity boots for the Wachowskis' Jupiter Ascending. Next: Wanna Cook? author Ensley F. Guffey stops by to talk chapters 13-19 of The Martian.