Opinions May Vary

I'm quite literally out the door to go table with some of my best pals at TerrifiCon today so this is going to be real brief. But I'd like to think there's a chance you're reading this because you just talked to one of us at the show and are now curious to see what the fuss is about so in that case: Check out this week's episode where we talk with two of our most favorite people on this planet about their experiences at quite possibly the largest gaming convention in the country: GenCon! Without giving away too much: They played an insane amount of games, won an award or two, and managed to survive four days at a show that makes most other conventions look like child's play. Enjoy! -Jr

SDCC has come and gone and in it's wake it left a massive amount of news, topics, and things to speculate about. A literal gold mine of content ripe for the picking just dying to be dissected and jammed into the faces of eager fans. So lets talk about Fortnite! Seriously though. There's a ridiculous amount of news from SDCC and I'm sure we'll get to that later on as things get closer to actual development. For now? We're gonna do a good, old fashioned "talk about random things we feel like talking about and hope you enjoy listening to it". Sounds like a good recipe for success, right? Anyway, this week we're talking about all insanity coming out of Twitch, Mixer, Fortnite, and Ninja in addition to a classic rant between two old dudes frustrated with the current and future state of streaming services. Enjoy! -Jr.

A few years ago we had the pleasure of talking with writer Todd Dezago at length about the massive project he was producing at the time, The Tellos Tribute books. It was during this episode that we really got a feel for how much of an impact the late Mike Wieringo had on so many different artists and creators. The outpouring of support and creativity that resulted in those books is a true testament to how much Mike meant to his friends and colleagues. Just a few months after we talked with Todd, The Baltimore Comic Con hosted the inaugural "Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards" aka "The Ringo Awards". Known as "an annual celebration of the creativity, skill and fun of comics", The Ringo Awards honor creators with categories that span the entire spectrum of comics both in print and digital format. This year is going to mark the 3rd annual event and the ceremony is set to take place during the 2019 Baltimore Comic Con in October. Our guest this week, Randy Tischler, is a representative of the Baltimore Comic Con and is a crucial player in the setup and production of The Ringo Awards. He gave us an in-depth look into the history of the ceremony and what it takes to put on an award show where the nomination ballot is determined not only by industry professionals, but by the fans as well! Nominees will be announced on August 21st and the official ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 19. As of this writing tickets to the awards are still available so if it's something you'd be interested in attending be sure to snag them quick! Enjoy! -Jr.

If I'm not mistaken, I believe ConnectiCon is the current record holder for "That convention that we've had the pleasure of covering the most times as a media outlet". This year's show makes it the SEVENTH consecutive time we've made the trip down to Hartford and after all the great times we've had in the past, it has some big shoes to fill. Joining us for this year's recap is a longtime friend of the show and multi-time guest host Jess! Seeing as she's no stranger to helping us recap shows and she's been to almost every version of ConnectiCon that has existed, we figured this would be the perfect opportunity to take full advantage of Jess' knowledge and expertise. Plus, her and her friends put together a baller cosplay group: So check out this week's jam as we desperately try to recap everything we saw, played, and experienced during one of the most exhausting 10+ hour days of the year. Will year 7 live up to the hype of previous festivities? Was the back breaking 10 minute trip to Hartford really worth it?? Tune in and find out! Enjoy! -Jr.

It's getting more and more difficult to come up with new ways of saying "our guest this week is a super talented artist and Alex and I are envious of them and their ability to create art, so we asked them to come and chat with us on our podcast". So far I have been able to manage, but I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel if you hadn't already noticed. So anyway, our guest this week is a super talented cosplayer/designer who specializes in 3D modeling and prop making. He goes by the handle "Rocket Props" and in just a few days he's going to be taking the stage as a panelist at this year's ConnectiCon! After successful panels at previous PAX East and ConnectiCon events, Rocket is headed back to Hartford alongside Vee Cosplay and The Vulgar Seamstress to present their panel: Cosplay 101: Materials for Props, Cosplay, Gaming and more! Tune in for some cosplay and design talk as well as come pre-ConnectiCon hype as we gear up for another year of anime, videogames, tabletop, and so much more. Be sure to follow Rocket on all his social medias and if you're in the Hartford area this coming weekend for the show you should consider checking out his panel! Enjoy! -Jr.

We've discussed The Walking Dead quite a bit over the last 380 episodes. So much that you could probably piece together at least a couple of complete episodes consisting only of Walking Dead talk and still have some material left over. Whether it's the latest issue of the comic or the recent crazy event that happened on the TV show, it's one of those things that has consistently merited discussion. Admittedly, it's been some time since we last did a deep dive into the TV show. Alex still keeps up with the latest bits via Netflix but I dropped off 3 or 4 seasons ago. Turns out not having access to cable can really kill one's motivation to watch something on a consistent basis. It also doesn't help when that person is very lazy. But. The comic still makes an appearance on our show every so often, usually either in passing or because I can't keep my "holy sh!t" moments to myself. And this is where I get sad (and to the point) because after the issue that came out this week, an enormous double sized #193, The Walking Dead comic has come to an end. Given that we've been talking about this comic/TV show since the very beginning, we found it borderline irresponsible for us to not talk about it. So we talked about it. And, as shocking as it may be, we managed to keep it mostly spoiler free. There may be some spoilery bits in there for those who aren't caught up yet, so it might be best to get up to speed before tuning in. But for the most part we used this week's episode to discuss and pay tribute to one of the most consistent and beloved books of the 21st century. (Was that lame? That felt lame. But like, it's also kinda true? Whatever. I'm leaving it in.) Enjoy! -Jr.

Alright. It has been a few weeks since we've had a new guest. Alex and I have (mostly) recovered from our respective vacations. It's time to get talkin' with rad people again. This week we had the absolute pleasure of being joined by Eisner winning artist Georges Jeanty! With over 20 years in the industry, Georges' work can been seen in various titles such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Eight, The American Way, and Serenity: Leaves on the Wind just to name a few. In addition to his previous works, he recently ran his first Kickstarter which was successfully funded not more than 24 hours ago! We knew right from the start that we were going to have a blast talking with Georges and we hope you enjoy our chat with him. Be sure to check him out at a convention near you, keep an eye out for future Kickstarted works, and give him a follow on the various social medias! Enjoy! -Jr.

It's Saturday Night. Alex and I are both in post-vacation stupors. It's time to talk about a headline or two in the world of comic books. Specifically one that involves someone we've never heard of getting the gig of a lifetime writing Spider-Man at the ripe old age of 20. When I think back to being 20 my memories just consist of eating lots of Spaghetti-O's while watching an uncomfortable amount of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law. So yeah, pretty much the same thing as writing comics featuring one of the most recognizable figures in entertainment history. Now I'm just bummed out. Enjoy! -Jr.

The last week has been one of seclusion and happiness as I was wayyy up in Northern Vermont staying in a cabin on one of my favorite lakes. It was....very needed. My wife and I pulled into our driveway just a few hours ago and the post-vacation blues are hitting me real hard. But. We have a rad episode for you this week as Brett Kelley is in the studio for one of those rare back-to-back episode jams. We're taking a dive into the land of YouTube and what currently has our attention on that god forsaken yet sometimes beautiful website. Check it out and drop us some recommendations of your own in the comments below! Enjoy! -Jr.

Up until last week I had never been to Brooklyn, I had never been to a designer toy convention, and I had never seen 9 inch resin figures valued in quadruple digits. I had never seen live graffiti competitions, overweight versions of my favorite childhood cereal mascots, nor had I ever eaten a slice of pizza named after Hellboy. But after attending the 2019 Five Points Festival...I can now say I've done all of those things. And more. So much more. It had been far too long since we last covered a show with our very best friend Brett Kelley. So the three of us (along with ace photographer Babs Who Takes Pictures) traveled down to Five Points and scoped out the latest in designer toys, craft beers, kaiju figures, and enamel pins. Oh lord the pins. So many pins. Check out this week's episode with Brett in the guest seat as we recap our experiences and expenditures at what could easily be considered one of the most unique and potentially expensive shows we've ever covered. Photos can be found HERE. Enjoy! -Jr