Gobbledygeek

After tackling the layers hidden beneath the puzzle-filled surface of J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst's S last year, the Gobbledy-Book Club returns to discuss The Martian by Andy Weir...and it's a much simpler read, for better or worse. AJ and Paul are joined by So Let's Get to the Point host (and Smoke Gets in Your Ears co-host) Kenn Edwards to talk the first six chapters of The Martian. The pros: the story of astronaut Mark Watney stranded on Mars is immediately engaging, it's pretty damn funny, and it's filled with tons of cool science. The cons: there's a lot of science that might fly over heads, the tone is weirdly lighthearted, and Weir struggles a little with the switch from Mark's POV to folks back home on Earth. Will this premise sustain a whole book? We'll find out! Next: Hallie Prime joins us to discuss chapters 7-12 of The Martian.

In what has become a Gobbledy-tradition, Wesley "Wezzo" Mead has made his third transatlantic pilgrimage to these great shores, where the mighty Bat-Turkey reigns supreme. This time around, Wezzo has on his mind new releases, from American Sniper to Inherent Vice; the surprising dearth of Sesame Street in the UK; and his favorite films of the decade so far. Plus, there's talk of the Ghostbusters reboot and the first two weeks of The Nightly Show. Next: the second annual Gobbledy-Book Club, discussing The Martian by Andy Weir, gets off to a start with Smoke Gets in Your Ears co-host Kenn Edwards.

Two boys, lost in the woods. A fearsome beast roaming the forest. A frog with many names. Potatoes...and molasses. What do these things all have in common? They're in Over the Garden Wall, the first-ever animated mini-series on Cartoon Network (and perhaps all of American television). The show, broken up in ten 11-minute installments, is a thing of weird and wild beauty. Paul and AJ discuss the many different references it draws from--Miyazaki, Adventure Time, Betty Boop--and how they all cohere to form one of the best cartoons in recent memory. So why don't you join them, over the garden wall? Plus, Paul has become an Avatar: The Last Airbender obsessive and AJ watched a whole bunch of movies during the Gobbledysleep.

Next: Wesley "Wezzo" Mead makes his annual hop, skip, and a jump over the pond.

To kick off Gobbledygeek season 6, we have for you what we promised at the end of last season: a (nearly) full audio recording of The Deli Counter of Justice reading at Rickert & Beagle Books in Pittsburgh, PA on December 13, 2014. Paul, AJ, and Eric Sipple round out the Deli brain trust, with contributors Thomas Dorton and Alyssa Herron also on hand to read from their stories. In addition, there a few Qs & As before the audio cuts out. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we did reading. Plus, Paul and AJ tease some highlights from the forthcoming season of the show. Next: the boys discuss the odd, brilliant Cartoon Network mini-series Over the Garden Wall.

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mark the end of our year-long Four-Color Flashback discussion of Neil Gaiman's epic fantasy series The Sandman. On hand to discuss Vol. X: The Wake with Paul and AJ are all of their past Sandman guests: Broken Magic author/The Deli Counter of Justice cohort Eric Sipple; The Debatable Podcast host Greg Sahadachny; and Wanna Cook? authors K. Dale Koontz and Ensley F. Guffey. The six of them discuss Morpheus' wake, its many attendees, Daniel's ascendance as the Dream King, and the series' three epilogues. This episode? Well, it's the stuff dreams are made of. Next: for the final episode of 2014, you'll get to hear Paul, AJ, Eric, Thomas Dorton, and Alyssa Herron doing a Deli Counter of Justice reading at Rickert & Beagle Books in Pittsburgh, PA.

This Christmas season, put a little love in your heart with Paul and AJ as they revisit Richard Donner's 1988 reworking of A Christmas Carol, Scrooged. This year's Twisted Christmas entry stars none other than AJ favorite Bill Murray as soulless TV exec Frank Cross, who is visited by a number of very annoying spirits who try and pummel him into living life to its fullest. The boys discuss Murray's manic-to-dry range, what we're supposed to make of Frank's (and even Scrooge's) character arc, and the interesting decision to cast Carol Kane as the sound of nails on a chalkboard given form. They also invent the mental breakdown Donner surely had on set. This is a weird one. Plus, there's talk of those Star Wars and Jurassic World trailers, if you're into that sort of thing. Next: an all-star jam band of our Sandman compatriots takes place, as the gang turns to the final volume of Neil Gaiman's epic, Vol X: The Wake.

All good things got to finish some time. Paul and AJ have reached the climax of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, in its penultimate installment, Vol X: The Kindly Ones. As Morpheus' strict adherence to rules proves to be a cage of his own making, the Furies come down upon his head, wreaking havoc in the Dreaming and tying together many of this epic series' loose ends. Meanwhile, Lucifer plays piano, Rose meets Jack (non-Titanic edition), Matthew lacks pennies, and Lyta's hair drinks most of the water. It's been a hell of a ride. Next: the boys get in the twisted Christmas spirit with a look back at Scrooged.

Whether you prefer your heroes fluffy and cuddly or coated with a layer of Depression-era dust--not that we're suggesting those things have to be mutually exclusive, of course--you'll find what you're looking for on the new episode of Gobbledygeek. Paul and AJ set their sights on two of the biggest movies of the fall: Big Hero 6, the Disney/Marvel animated film about a boy, his huggable robot, and five of their pals; and Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, starring Matthew McConaughey as a spacefaring daddy. What do these movies have in common? They're both pro-science, they're both pro-love, and AJ and Paul actually agree on both of them. For the most part. Plus, Paul went to freaking Disney World! Next: for the penultimate Four-Color Flashback episode discussing Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, the boys tackle Vol. IX: The Kindly Ones.

For the first Geek Challenge in many months, Paul has challenged AJ to John Carpenter's 1986 fantasy/martial arts/neo-Western cult classic Big Trouble in Little China. In turn, AJ has challenged Paul to Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1953 "anti-everything" thriller The Wages of Fear. What, pray tell, is the common denominator? They're, uh, they're both about truckers. Tenuous connections are what Geek Challenges thrive on, and this one at least provides some sobering realizations for the boys. What do Paul's reactions to some '50s movies and AJ's reactions to some '80s movies say about them as people and that pesky generational gap? There may be actual answers. Plus, more surprising reactions, this time about Taylor Swift's 1989; and AJ springs #AlexFromTarget on Paul. Next: in two weeks, the boys will be back discussing two more very different movies, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar and the Disney/Marvel animated film Big Hero 6.

The day is here! After a year-and-a-half of hard work and months of hoopla, the superhero short story anthology The Deli Counter of Justice is finally available for purchase on Amazon, Smashwords, and elsewhere. The Deli braintrust--Arlo J. Wiley, Paul Smith, and Eric Sipple--take you behind the curtain to talk a little about what led us here, what the process of putting the book together was, and what you can look forward to in the future. That's right, this isn't the end. It's just the beginning.