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Returning guest Norman Mitchell joins Joe to discuss the classic manga series Lone Wolf and Cub. An immensely influential text, Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima’s story of a wandering assassin seeking revenge while caring for his three-year-old son is considered a masterpiece of comic storytelling.

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Returning guest Branden Ushio joins Joe to talk about the Isaac Asimov short story “Runaround.” This short story is the first instance of Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics being used in any of his stories. These Laws have become a key foundation for the sci-fi genre, and Asimov points out the problems with these laws in this first instance of having them appear in a story.

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Returning guest Kestra Darowski joins Joe to discuss the Disney animated film The Emperor’s New Groove. This episode has some of the most surprising behind-the-scenes trivia discussion of any story we have ever discussed! What happened during the development of this film is absolutely wild. 

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Returning guest Norman Mitchell joins Joe to discuss Freiren from the anime series Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. The series is an adaptation of a manga series and explores what life is like for Frieren, an elf who had a decades-long adventure with two humans and a dwarf. Now, 50 years later, Frieren is unchanged, but her friends are much older and on death’s door. Freiren reassesses her life, and regrets not gaining a better understanding of her friends or forming closer bonds with them. 

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Frieren – Wikipedia

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Returning guest Christopher “Mav” Maverick joins Joe to discuss a classic Marvel Comics story, “Kraven’s Last Hunt.” Written by J.M. DeMatteis with pencils by Mike Zeck and inks by Bob McLeod, this storyline tells about Kraven’s final hunt (for the time) to capture Spider-Man. We are discussing the classic comic book storyline involving Kraven the Hunter, not the recent film featuring the character that…exists.

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First-time guest David Bloomberg joins returning guest Kate Darowski and Joe to discuss the best seasons of Survivor. We’re each building a Mount Rushmore of Survivor Seasons, so at the end of the podcast you have 12 seasons of Survivor you could go check out if you’re wanted to explore Survivor. David Bloomberg has been writing about (or eventually podcasting about) Survivor since the first season, and is one of the experts on the show. Kate and Joe have a new book, Survivor: A Cultural History, coming out this week.

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Returning guest Rachel Armstron joins Joe to discuss the film Arrival. Starring Amy Adams as Louise Banks, Arrival is an adaption of Ted Chiang’s short story “Story of Your Life.” The contemplative film explores issues of language, aliens, and a surprise twist that flips the story on its head. 

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Returning guest Virginia McAlister joins Joe to discuss William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. We talk about the play’s history (it’s wild), it’s place in our culture (it’s everywhere), and, of course, dig into the characters themselves (they’re super-interesting).

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Returning guest Kestra Darowski joins Joe to discuss the long-running tv show Grey’s Anatomy. We’re discussing the pilot, “A Hard Day’s Night,” which aired in 2005. We discuss the characters we meet in this episode and the long-term success of the franchise. We also touch on the medical show genre as a tv staple. 

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First-time guest Ryan North to discuss a comic book he wrote, Fantastic Four #19, “The Perfect Storm.” Ryan North is known for the webcomic Dinosaur Comics, as well as writing for Marvel Comics and other comic companies. In his this issue, Alicia Masters is the protagonist in a noir-adventure. We talk about the history of Alicia Masters in Marvel Comics, her role in North’s current run on Fantastic Four, and North’s collaboration with penciler Carlos Gomez and colorist Jesus Aburtov.

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