Hey Kids, Comics! Halloween Special #2 - Creature Features

It's Halloween again!  At least it was when Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston, along with (initially) Eddie Medina, attempted to record this year's Halloween Special.  So while it is a bit late, it is still as scary good time!

Since dressing up as monsters and unusual characters is the order of the day for Halloween night, it seemed best to explore the comic book characters who, by their nature, are often forced to dress up as normal people - if they can - just to walk down the street!  Many are the heroes and villains who can morph back and forth between human and creature, however there are those forever stuck in the most inhuman of forms.

It is they who dominate the conversations this year.  Join your hosts Andy and Cole as they delve into the world of comic book characters that just can't pass as your average Joe no matter what they may try.  

Happy Halloween!

Hey Kids, Comics! #251 - Reboot Hill

Welcome to the new incarnation of Hey Kids, Comics! - the one the changes EVERYTHING!  

Actually Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston would not pull such a stunt on you after passing the 250 issue mark.  This is a podcast, not a comic book after all.  In lieu of such nonsense, however, your hosts are happy to explore the myriad reboots by DC, Marvel, and others over the years.  

With so many from which to choose, HKC! elected to explore a handful rather than have a convoluted story arc.  Several are discussed in passing, but some of the major reboots are the focus of the show.  Relive the times when, out of necessity or editorial foolishness, the universes you know and love were altered irrevocably.  For now.

Hey Kids, Comics! #250 - Amazing Reunioncast

Welcome to another milestone in the history of Hey Kids, Comics! - the 250th issue of the show!

After a nearly uninterrupted weekly run, Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston marvel (no pun intended) at having reached 250 standard issues of the show!  And what better way to celebrate than with a look back?  How about a couple of looks back?

The reunion begins with Andrew and Cole exploring anew issues 219 and 247.  The former was missed by Cole and the latter by Andy, so this was a chance at a bit of a do-over so that they could discuss super-heroes in the real world and the Legion of Super-Heroes together at last.

Then things get nostalgic as the second half of this double-sized issue kicks into gear with a look at the genesis of Hey Kids, Comics! - Amazing Comicast!  Special guests Rick Gutierrez of The United States of Geekdom and Whadjathink?'s own Mrs. JediCole join in reminisces of Rick's comic book show that brought a lot of still-podcasting fans together with a unified voice.  Learn a bit of the history of this show as everyone shares thoughts and memories from nearly a decade past.

Hey Kids, Comics! #249 - You and What Army?

When it comes to finding a fighting force, good or evil, that may or may not be government sanctioned, comic books have pretty much always delivered.

Opposing forces like S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra naturally spring to mind.  Checkmate and Intergang over at DC Comics as well.  From the obvious armies like these and HIVE or A.I.M. to the really obscure, like Saker's all-girl army in the pages of Bill Willingham's "The Elementals", comics are always well populated with armies!

This week Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston go martial as they discuss and discover an army of armies.  Might makes right when we fight so consider this your invite to take part in this flight.  Alright?

Hey Kids, Comics! #248 - Holy Wholly Batman

"Holey rusted metal, Batman!"  Perhaps one of the only saving graces of Batman Forever was that very nod to the Batman television series of the late 60s.  And it is little wonder that trubute was made to that popular incarnation given its continued influence on Bat-lore.

This week Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston talk about the intertwined relationship of Batman in comics to Batman in other media.  One constantly influences the other in many unexpected ways, as your hosts soon discover through their special guest Michael Cross.

Traditionally a comic character's in-print life dictates the nature of film or television, but in the case of Batman, over a great many decades the reverse has often been the case.  While Frank Miller's "Dark Knight string of pearls" has become a recurring visual, many a character in the Bat comics got their start on television.  And not always with the benefit of being seen on TV first!  From the 60s forward, every incarnation tends to feed those that follow and that becomes the nature of this issue's exploration of the Caped Crusader.

So put on your Bat-Headphones, crank up the Bat-Volume on your Bat-Computer and enjoy this little Bat-Podcast today!

The JediCole Universe Expands Again

Though it is now two months old, nearly three, it is time to introduce fans of the JCU to JediCole's latest endeavor, "Aisle of Toys".

Launched on Sunday, August 20, 2017 as part of the Dallas OnAir lineup, this new live-streaming podcast explores one of Cole's passions.  With the intention of delving into all varieties of toys, this new monthly program will focus on a different toy or toy line, genre of toy, or toy collector.

Discover a universe of popular toys with in-studio guests and prerecorded segments, among other features, each and every month right before the second monthly episode of "The Rantcor Pit Live" (with Cole and Eddie Medina).  The next live episode will stream from 9:30 - 10:30 AM Central on Sunday, October 20, 2017 on Dallas OnAirThose Robots in Disguise - the Transformers - will be the topic of discussion.  

Click here to see the "Aisle of Toys" show page and archive of past episodes.

Click here to link to Dallas OnAir to catch "Aisle of Toys" (third Sunday each month, 9:30-10:30 AM Central), "The Rantcor Pit Live" (first and third Sunday each month, 10:30-11:30 AM Central), and Eddie's new show "Figments" (first Sunday each month, 9:30-10:30 AM Central).

Stay tuned for news of upcoming interactive features with Aisle of Toys including "What's in Your Detolf?", or just watch the show each month!

Hey Kids, Comics! #247 - HKC! Team-Up #9: Legion of Super-Heroes

Nearly a week late, the latest issue of Hey Kids, Comics! finally hits the JCU website!  It is rather appropriate since the topic of the week is DC's hero club of the future, the Legion of Super-Heroes!  So it works out that the arrival of this episode was in the future of its scheduled date.

In all seriousness, the Legion has been a major part of the DC Universe for over half a century.  Not a bad run for what began as a vehicle for Superboy and evolved into a solid title in its own right. 

Andrew Farmer was unable to participate directly in this issue, so JediCole flew solo, but with the only guest he and Andy could have wanted for such a discussion, Steve McCauley.  A lifelong fan of the teen heroes of the future, so much information was brought to the table that this proved to be a super-sized episode!

"Aisle of Toys" Invites You to Help Stop the Swap

In conjunction with my new live-streaming show, Aisle of Toys (click here to see the show and archive), I have begun a campaign to reach out to Hasbro to request a change in packaging for the Marvel Legends action figure line, the most pilfered toy on the market.  

If you are a Marvel Legends collector or a toy collector in general, please join the petition and share the links in your social media.  While by no means a means to end shoplifting, a simple packaging change would make this line less inviting to thieves and content-swappers.

-JediCole

Hey Kids, Comics! #246 - I Like Turtles!

It all started in 1984 when Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird took banked their combined savings on four turtles, the emergent ninja craze, and the budding indy comics market.  What resulted was a cultural phenomenon that has spanned comics, movies, television, toys, and more!

This week your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston take a more intensive look at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their impact on the industry beyond inspiring a staggering array of martial arts animal comics.  Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, and Leonardo mutated from reptile pets to one of the most recognizable quartets of characters in comic book history.  

Expect hi-jinks on the half-shell as Figments and Rantcor Pit host Eddie Medina joins an issue of the show with him in mind.  This may be a show about turtles, but the pace will be anything but slow when these three talk turtles!

Hey Kids, Comics! #245 - The Full Bronty

Dinosaurs.  Latin for "terrible lizards".  Though despite the connotations of the word these long-extinct animals have fascinated the world and for centuries.  Is it any surprise, then, that they are staples of the comics?

This week Andrew Farmer indulges JediCole Houston's lifelong love of all prehistoric life with an issue that concentrates on dinosaurs in comics.  While a prior show did explore the bygone epochs that spawned these mighty beasts, more often than not they occur in comics not in the primeval past but in the present day, or on alien worlds, or through the machinations of science. 

Join your hosts on an exploration of Dinosaur Island, the Savage Land, and the Xenozoic Age.  Meet intrepid time travelers, sentient anthropomorphic dinosaurs, and the unfortunate individuals who unexpectedly come face to face with dinosaurs not in a Michael Crichton novel.  There is something here for every enthusiast of the age of reptiles! 

Hey Kids, Comics! #244 - Comics...the Final Frontier

They used to say that an inker was just a tracer and that comics are just for kids.  But an inker adds depth and texture, and comics are graphic fiction.  Do you think that Jack Kirby hadn’t collaborated with Stan Lee the we would have ever got Watchmen?  That’s like saying that you wish you just had Little Lulu and Jughead’s Double Digest like your great-great-great grandfather used to.  Hey Kids, Comics! Is in command of this podcast.  Andrew and Cole could fall back on this, but won’t even if such comics had not potential to expand minds or push boundaries, but instead will point out the potential for the advancement of comics as an art form.  Comics!  Coimcs are our business!  That’s what this show is all about!  That’s why you are here!

Welcome to a very Star Trek issue of HKC! in which Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston pay tribute to STar Trek on the occasion of it's 51st birthday!  From Gold Key to IDW, the various incarnations of Gene Roddenberry's greatest work has enjoyed a nearly non-stop comic book presence.

Lifelong Star Trek fan Catherine Houston joins the lively discussion of the varied incarnations of Star Trek in comics as well as on screens large and small.  So beam up this great episode, pour up a flagon of Saurian brandy, and join the fun in the final frontier.

Hey Kids, Comics! #243 - Cine-Files: Straight Outta Comics

We arrive at long last at the final issue of the Cine-Files story arc.  It has been quite a journey through comic books and the cinema.  For a change of pace, this issue takes a different approach to the theme, focusing on movies that are like comic books but not based on any specific existing property.

Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston bring you a variety of movies that fit the topic, from the obvious to the unique.  They are joined in this pursuit by Eddie Medina of The Rantcor Pit Live.  

From the obvious to the truly obscure to those films that just feel like a comic story, the variety of movies covered is as diverse as the reasons they were considered for inclusion in the discussion.  Enjoy this curious take on the comic book and super hero genre when there is no source material from which the plots are drawn.

Hey Kids, Comics! #242 - Cine-Files: DCisions, DCisions

Welcome to the penultimate issue of Cine-Files, HKC!'s look at the modern comic book movie.  Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston continue to explore the super-hero on film, turning their attentions this week on DC Comics and Warner Brothers.

Seemingly in spite of a goldmine of bankable character properties and potential franchises, Warner Brothers continues to limp along at the box office when it comes to feature films based on DC heroes.  Eschewing the slow burn formula employed by Marvel, the studio still embraces their rush to the Justice League and a string of solo films to follow.

Puzzling through this trend, your hosts are joined by none other than the Vebabomber himself, PJ Dunn!  With ample insights and a critical eye, PJ hops headlong into the fray and many a question about what is up at Warner Brothers, especially of late, is bandied about.  Discover what came of this very different conversation about super-heroes and the big screen.

Hey Kids, Comics! #241 - Cine-Files: Assembly Required

Welcome to the middle chapter of the Cine-Files story arc!  Things are heating up as Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston take a long look at the nature of the modern Marvel movies.  From a stumbling start to a successful run that seems intent not to slow down, Marvel Comics movies have proven themselves to be the best.  Certainly there have been misfires here and there, but for the most part, the hits just keepon coming!

Certainly there have been misfires here and there, but for the most part, the hits just keep on coming!  Marvel Studios films make up the bulk of the conversation, but movies from Fox and Sony sneak in as well.  As technology caught up to the super-hero move, the super-hero movie must now deliver from the standpoint of excellent writing and a quality production.

Discover how Marvel rose to the top after many a dreadful film, created a slow path to universe building that Warner seems to eschew, and have fun in the Marvel Universe on the big screen in this special issue!

Hey Kids, Comics! #240 - Cine-Files: Movie Knights

The Dark Knight Detective has been a part of Hollywood since the days of the weekly serials.  Batman is by far one of the most popular and recognizable comic book characters out there, so this is little wonder.

As Cine-Files continues, Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston explore the rich history of the cinematic Caped Crusader, most especially from Tim Burton forward.  

The title of the last issue seems applicable when it comes to good (often great), the bad, and the (really) confusing in the history of Batman on film.  Sometimes gritty, sometimes silly, Gotham's greatest hero provides plenty of fodder for this issue of the show.

We want to issue a special thanks to Batman-Online.com ,for their exhaustive research, and panel by still comic/movie comparisons!

The Rantcor Pit Live is on the Move! - Important News on the Show

In case you missed it (and have subsequently been wondering what became of The Rantcor Pit Live), JediCole Houston and Eddie-Wan Medina took "The Pit" to Dallas on Air about two months back.  Still airing on the first and third Sundays of every month, just with a brand new network.

And now at a brand new time!  The live show has a new, earlier start time (10:30 AM Central), so you need to dial up the show a lot earlier to get in on all of the simple tricks and nonsense you have come to love in the last three years.

Click Here for The Rantcor Pit Live on Dallas on Air

Click Here for the Dallas on Air Live Stream

Look for your favorite Star Wars Guys August 6 and August 20 - and every first and third Sunday thereafter - and get in on the fun from a galaxy far, far away!

Click Here for The Rantcor Pit Live Show Archive

Hey Kids, Comics! #239 - Cine-Files: The Good, the Bad, and the Confusing

Hey Kids, Movies!

Something good.  Some thing bad.  A little of both.   That sums up this opening of a new story arc on HKC!  Your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston bid farewell to the summer movie season in the best way they can, by exploring the super-hero and comic genre in American cinema.

We've come a long way bringing the super-hero to the big screen.  As technology and materials caught up to the often impossible world of the comic book character, the bigger hurdle would become exactly what, from the movie studio standpoint, to do with these properties.  More often than not the answer would be just to waste good characters on bad screenplays and lackluster actors.   

Times did change and the genre came of its own, hence the arc to come.  In this initial issue, the rise of the comic movie is explored in advance of the next few issues concentrating on specific franchises that shaped the modern comic book movie.

Hey Kids, Comics! #238 - This is NOT a Comic Book Show!

Well of course it's a comic book show, but not this week.  This week it becomes more of a toy show (toys have been a big part of the JCU lately).  There was just too much in the realm of Hasbro's amazing Marvel Legends line announced at SDCC to not devote an issue to some upcoming action figure gold!

From exclusives at Walgreens, Amazon, and Wal-Mart to general releases, Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston can't wait for a great many of the figures that are slated to appear in the coming months, a great many on August 1, 2017!

"Thor: Ragnarok", Spider-Man, and Deadpool lines are just some of the goodies teased at San Diego Comic Con.  Find out which ones are the most exciting to your hosts.  Discover what is going to make Marvel Legends based on movies and television so much better going forward.  Listen to the unmitigated glee of two grown men who just want more toys!

Hey Kids, Comics! Summer Fun Supplemental - Exclusively Yours SDCC 2017

Every year San Diego Comic Con rolls around.  Every year (of late) there are exclusive collectibles that can often be had nowhere else.  Every year Hey Kids, Comics! hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston bitch about this fact.

Why should this year be any different?  So in spite of themselves, and left off of the Summer Fun issue due to timing, your hosts bring you this year's rant about SDCC and its many tantalizing exclusives!

Hey Kids, Comics! #237 - Summer Fun 2017

Welcome to an issue that has been long awaited by your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston, the annual Summer Fun edition!

This year the fun takes on a whole new twist as special guest Nathan Cochenour brings his unique brand of wit to the proceedings.  This young mental athlete takes on a Herculean set of tasks as challenged by the minds behind HKC!

How will he fare against such conundrums as Yahoo! Answers, sorting real and fake comic book characters, and an "Old Hollywood" favorite known as Pitch Man?

Well half the fun - more than half, actually - is finding out for yourself by listening to this hilarious, off-the-rails episode of the JCU's weekly comic book extravaganza.  Next week things return to normal, after all.

Also find out what the Hell THIS is all about!