In a special edition of Hard NOC Life, guest host Nelson Wong (@aarisings) has a one-on-one with Los Angeles-based rapper Jason Chu (@jasonchumusic) about his latest single Marvels and the Kickstarter-funded music video to accompany the song.

The latest Hard NOC Life dives headfirst into the internet controversy that is #GamerGate. Joining guest host N'Jaila Rhee are Jeopardy! champion Arthur Chu, from This Week in Blackness Aaron Rand Freeman, #StopGamerGate2014 creator Veerender Jubbal, and Tanya, creator of the #INeedDiverseGames hashtag.

Topics covered on the show include: What it means to identify as a "gamer" How have these controversies tarnished the image of gaming culture The origins of "GamerGate" and the type of harassment certain gamers have experienced The fallacy of "objective" games journalism Why pointing out racism or sexism in video games (or any media) is just common sense The off-shoot of GamerGate, #NotYourShield and the role of people of color in the controversy The origins of the hashtags #StopGamerGate2014 and #INeedDiverseGames

In this week's episode, guest host Nelson Wong sits down with Artistic Justice Games' Alex Lim to talk about the company's latest project, Dragon Tides, and officially licensed tabletop game featuring the likenesses of Bruce and Brandon Lee. The project is only a few thousand dollars away from its goal on Kickstarter.

Topics covered on the show include: What games inspired and influenced Alex to begin designing his own The status of their previous Kickstarter projects Martial Arts: The Card Game and Fairytale Games Why they had to re-launch Dragon Tides on Kickstarter The benefits and drawbacks of using Kickstarter for game development Some advice for other game developers

David Walker (@DavidWalker1201) is the writer of Dynamite Entertainment's new Shaft comics. Luckily, Keith (@the_real_chow) was able to talk with David about how he came to write the book for Dynamite -- and the state of diversity in the comic book industry more broadly -- in this special one-on-one conversation.

William Evans (@willevanswrites) of Black Nerd Problems joins Keith (@the_real_chow) and N'Jaila (@blasianbytch) to talk about this fall's slate of nerd-centric superhero television shows, including The CW's Arrow and Flash and ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter.

In a special one-on-one conversation, Keith talks to award-winning cartoonist MariNaomi about her recently launched Cartoonists of Color database and forthcoming graphic memoir "Dragon's Breath and Other True Stories."

At a time when many comics fans are clamoring for more gender and race representation in superhero comics, one character has been the benchmark for strong women heroes of color for decades. And the X-Men's Storm is currently receiving a bit of a creative renaissance with Marvel recently launching her first ever solo series.

On the latest episode of Hard N.O.C. Life, guest host Shawn Taylor (@reallovepunk) discusses the importance of the character with an all-star panel: Storm writer Greg Pak (@gregpak), actress Maya Glick (@MayaSokora) -- creator of the Kickstarted Storm fan film Rain, and Storm superfan Jamie Broadnax of @BlackGirlNerds.

Topics covered on the show include:

Why Storm is such an vital character and how she brought Jamie and Maya to comics

How Storm brought forth Shawn's first "danger erection"

The politics of Storm's mohawk and black hair

Why Storm has been so poorly served in the live action X-Men

movies

The demographics of movie audiences and how that will or will not be reflected in Hollywood

How the first issue of the Storm ongoing series finally gets Storm right

Storm's love life (Forge, Wolverine, Black Panther) get thoroughly discussed

Whether comics are myths or soap operas or a bit of both

What led Maya to create the Rain short film

The Nerds can't stop talking about Guardians of the Galaxy! For this week's Hard N.O.C. Life, the panel tackles the phenomenon that is Marvel Studios' latest blockbuster success and what that means for the Distinguished Competition across the street.

Joining Keith on the panel are Wall Street Journal columnist Jeff Yang (@originalspin), and former Jeopardy champ Arthur Chu (@arthur_affect) along with regular panelists N'Jaila Rhee (@blasianbytch) and Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria (@rscpokenword).

Topics covered on the show include: Why Jeff thinks Guardians was less than good because plot holes Why Jeff is wrong and why everyone else thinks Guardians was actually kind of awesome The difference between bright and colorful Marvel Studios and the grimdark of the DC movies How the movie taps into everyone's nostalgia for big, fun, loud action comedies The episodic serialization of the MCU versus the scattered continuities of DC's live action properties Why Chris Pratt might be an a-hole but not 100% a dick And watch as Jeff battles his own "Demon in a Bottle" Tony Stark-style throughout the episode! All this and more on Hard NOC Life!

Another year, and another San Diego Comic-Con has come and gone. In the wake of the annual ritual of nerds gathering in Southern California, the Hard N.O.C. Life crew convene to discuss the biggest announcements that emerged from the convention! Joining Keith on the panel are Comics and Cosplay host Ian (@ComixNCosplay), ODU criminology prof Shawn, and nerdcore extraordinaire -- and Comic-Con attendee -- Random aka Mega Ran (@MegaRan). Topics covered on the show include: The reveal of DC's holy trinity and the surprise appearance of Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, and Gal Gadot in Hall H The teaser footage's Frank Miller overtones and whether it's time for a new, non-Miller interpretation of Batman The Wonder Woman costume, its alleged Xena influences, and internet haters Marvel Studios' relative lack of big announcements, and if it even matters anymore How movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man, and Doctor Strange proves Marvel can do anything If Marvel has the capital or desire to make a Black Panther movie The corporate synergy of Marvel publishing Star Wars comics, including a solo Princess Leia book Mega Ran's upcoming documentary Mega-Lo-Mania All this and more on Hard NOC Life!

One of the pillars of con-going is dressing up as your favorite character and hitting the floor in costume. So Hard N.O.C. Life returns with an episode dedicated to the art of cosplay!

Joining Keith on the panel is newest NOC contributor -- and host of Comics and Cosplay on YouTube -- Ian (@ComixNCosplay), NYC-based comics collector and enthusiast Jay Justice (@MsJayJustice), cosplayer and costuming tutor on Saturday Morning Cosplay Nel (@NelsRandomLife), and ComicsAlliance's superhero sartorialist Betty Felon (@BettyFelon).

Topics covered on the show include: The panel recounts their first cosplaying experience What shows like Heroes of Cosplay mean for the "mainstreaming" of cosplay Why some people on the con floor feel they have the right to gawk at cosplayers How do you define "cosplay?" What happens when people of color cosplay as different races, genders, etc. How will Marvel's recent announcements be reflected on the con floor? What the new Batgirl design mean for comics fans and cosplayers And why Dragon*Con is the best con All this and more on Hard NOC Life!