Sean and Andrew join John and Liane for a deep dive into the art vs. artist debate, looking at H.P. Lovecraft and his life, but also discussing how Lovecraft's work has been re-imagined in work such as Lovecraft Country, We also expand the discussion to look at the contemporary art-vs-artist poster boy, Joss Whedon, Sean and Andrew also discuss some of the projects they're working on,before the whole things morphs into a conversation about RPGs (Call of Cthulhu, anyone?).

Liane and I have a conversation with Alexander Dunst, Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University of Paderborn in Germany. Alex is a PKD scholar and edited the book of essays The World According to Philip K. Dick.  PKD's  work has, of course, been adapted into several Hollywood films (for better and for worse). and our discussion of the impact and implications of his work brings us to topics such as Artificial intelligence, the stigma of mental illness -- and we get to say "libertarian anarcho pacifist," ... nd how cool is that? Here's the conversation...

John and Liane are joined by Seven Days film critic and editor Margot Harrison discussing the evolution of the strong woman character in genre cinema and television (and in general) over the generations. Join us as we dive into horror, superheroes... and also contrast and compare the heroines of the Star Wars franchise.

Comics industry gossip columnist and Bleedingcool.com founder Rich Johnston discusses "comicsgate" and how it fits into perennial cycles of outrage and conflict in the comic book world. He also offers a different viewpoint on the political nature of superheroes.

Jim Dandy (Dandeneau) of Den of Geek drops in for a conversation about cinematic universes; which ones fly high, which ones crash and burn, and what makes them work (or not). Also, we discuss the political nature of superheroes. Are they left wing? Right wing? No wing? Listen as we hash it out.

Following part 1's discussion which focused on race and diversity in Star Trek, we slide into a range of topics from a discussion of good TV (including what Tim is - and perhaps surprisingly isn't - watching) to boardrooms and broadband.

A show that begins with Paul discussing his new film "The Conjuring: The Devil Made me Do It," (and teasing his role in Showtime's upcoming series "The First Lady") and Tony on his work with the likes of William Shatner and Stan Lee, turns into a freewheeling conversation covering comic creators' rights, Jon Favreau, Star Wars, the Tekwar video game, anti-trust law, Aristotle, and what to keep in mind when you work with Kevin Smith.

In part 1 of a 2 part discussion, Star Trek Voyager's Tim Russ joins Liane and John to discuss race in Trek and his portrayal of Voyager's Security Officer.

John and Liane are joined by Burlington Vermont filmmaker Bill Simmon to compare notes (and top 10 lists!) of some of the most underappreciated or unfairly maligned science fiction films. This is part 2 of a 2 part discussion, this time spending particular attention to films from women Directors.

John and Liane are joined by Burlington Vermont filmmaker Bill Simmon to compare notes (and top 10 lists!) of some of the most underappreciated or unfairly maligned science fiction films as mansplained by John and Bill. Part 1 of 2.