Hey Kids, Comics! Collected Edition #1: Comic Book Confidential

Welcome to the first “trade paperback” collection of back issues of the show to entertain and enlighten while Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston take a hiatus to prepare for, attend, and recover from All-Con 2019!

As “Old Hollywood” promised, this collection reprints issues 1-5, the first story arc and a blast from the past. Enjoy the collected edition of Comic Book Confidential. Five hours from the green days of Hey Kids, Comics!

Issues from this arc include: Why I Hate Fanboys; What’s So Bad About Human Sexuality; Women in Comics; Faith in Four Colors; and Holding a Mirror Up to Reality.

Hey Kids, Comics! #304 - Desert Island Comics

The HKC! Hiatus is about to begin, but Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are proud to present one last new show before they go…and this one is all about them!

What comics do your hosts love so much that they would want them among their personal effects if they ever got stranded on a desert island? While neither of them would have the slightest hope of survival, at least they would be entertained by the comics that they talk about in this special issue of the show.

Hey Kids, Comics! #303 - Aquaculture

Welcome to the last pre-Spring Hiatus issue of Hey Kids, Comics! This week your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston celebrate the unexpected success of Warner Brothers’ latest Justice League tentpole film, “Aquaman” with a look at the character as portrayed on television and in the movies.

JediCole’s all time favorite super-hero is finally getting his due and your hosts are all about discovering how this staple of the Justice League of America has fared over the decades outside of comics. Tracing the off-panel career of Arthur Curry from the 60s to the present day proved to be a journey that put the on-screen quest of Aquaman and Mera to shame!

From the requisite Jason Mimosa jabs to the Victor Buono connection, there is a lot of ground (all of it submerged) to cover when discovering the history of Aquaman on screen!

Hey Kids, Comics! #302 - Hyperborian Hyperbole

Welcome to the unofficial “Sword and Sorcery” issue of Hey Kids, Comics! In honor of Robert E. Howard’s birthday (January 22), Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are taking a look at the author’s most famous creation…Conan the Barbarian! Conan in comics, that is…

Joining the discussion, and bringing vast knowledge of both Conan and his creator, is Jefferson Harris - Dallas area artist and comic aficionado. Discover how the famous Barbarian found his way to Marvel Comics, the character’s nature as depicted in novels, and just what the word “barbarian” means!

Expect references to varied incarnations of Conan, from Marvel to Dark Horse Comics to the Arnold Schwarzenegger cinematic epics to the character’s origins as a pulp icon. And lots of Mako impressions!

Hey Kids, Comics! #301 - Cover Stories: Here Comes Santa Claus

Christmas has come and gone for another year, but Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston were still enough in the Yuletide spirit to explore the holiday, and especially Santa Claus, on comic covers!

Welcome to the first ever “Cover Stories”, a new feature that will occasionally have your hosts and a guest discussing various comic book covers. Not so much what lies inside, just what the publisher put “up front”! This time they are joined by show regular and podcasting veteran Eddie Medina of The Rantcor Pit Live!

Hitch up the reindeer and don your big red suit because Hey Kids, Comics! has loaded up a sleigh full of amazing Santa and Christmas covers!

Hey Kids, Comics! #300 - THIS IS SPARTA!

Welcome to another epic milestone in the history of HKC! And what better way to celebrate than to get (semi) historical with a look at Frank Miller’s “sword and sandals” opus, “300”?

Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are joined, as they are want to be when tackling such a significant topic, by Kelly Long for this issue. Bringing with her as always a fan’s love of the medium and a scholar’s knowledge of the Classical Period, she elevates the first episode of 2019 to lofty, Olympian heights.

With discussions primarily surrounding the graphic novel and the liberties it took with actual historical knowledge of the Battle of Thermopylae, this show would be remiss not talking up the sepia-toned epic of the big screen. Every angle of “300” is explored in this mini-epic issue of the show.

So grab your shield and spear, your battle cap and bronze helm, and dine in Hell with Hey Kids, Comics!

Hey Kids, Comics! #299 - It's Not Easy Being Green: In Brightest Day

Welcome Green Lantern fans (and comic book fans, or fans of Hey Kids, Comics! for that matter) to the last issue of 2018. At least the last published on Podbean in 2018. “It’s Not Easy Being Green” concludes with your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston discuss the high points in the career of Hal Jordan and other members of the Corps.

An uplifting exploration of the modern Green Lanterns after the previous issue with its down notes, this outing offers some of the best and most fascinating tales. All wrapped up in a willpower generated green gift bow!

Join the fun as Andrew Farmer bids farewell to the arc that was created by JediCole with him in mind. This episode is shows that, at times, it’s easy being green!

Hey Kids, Comics! #298 - It's Not Easy Being Green: In Blackest Night

Welcome to the penultimate chapter of “It’s Not Easy Being Green”! Andrew Farmer takes the forefront as he and Cole Houston take a look at the darkest times for Earth’s many Green Lanterns and the Green Lantern Corps.

Not simply a look at the story arc that introduced the full spectrum of Lanterns, this issue delves deep into the worst days of many a Green Lantern, the times that threatened to ruin them mentally or physically. Willpower is not always enough when disaster strikes.

Join your hosts for a darker kind of green before things take an uplifting turn with the next issue. They promise!

Hey Kids, Comics! #297 - It's Not Easy Being Green: Green to the Corps

There is strength in numbers. No question about that. So after the modern Green Lantern was introduced it was little wonder that it was revealed that, unlike his mystic predecessor in comics, he was not alone.

Far from alone, actually. The Oan’s personal intergalactic police force has proven to be legion. Over decades many a writer and artist have introduced one or two or even more new members of the Green Lantern Corps to the point that it seems that their ranks are endless.

Your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston take a look at the seemingly endless parade of Green Lanterns in the middle chapter of “It’s Not Easy Being Green”. With only an hour available for such a daunting task, they cover as much ground as possible in regard to this iconic super-hero community.

Hey Kids, Comics! #296 - It's Not Easy Being Green: Blinded With Science

Green Lantern is the focus of the latest story arc for HKC! In this case Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of the Silver Age of comics.

Andrew Farmer takes the lead in discussing his favorite super-hero as the next chapter of “It’s Not Easy Being Green” unfolds. Cole Houston lends his own insights and thoughts on the career of Hal Jordan as Earth’s emerald protector.

Discover the transition from a Green Lantern of mystic origins to one straight out of the realms of alien science as the five-part exploration of Green Lantern continues!

Hey Kids, Comics! #295 - It's Not Easy Being Green: Green Lantern is Magic!

The 300th issue of the show draws ever closer as the latest story arc begins! This week Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston launch a five-part exploration of Green Lantern and the many incarnations thereof.

Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern, is the focus of this issue. With a mystical power source and a flamboyant costume, he fought crime and helped establish the Justice Society in a simpler era of comic book history.

While the Green Lantern is an icon of DC Comics past and present, the true origins of the character lie elsewhere! Listen to Cole get blown away by such insights and Andrew get “Martha’d” into realizing an aspect of the original GL is not a bad idea after all, even if it is a retcon! All of this and so much more in a discussion of a grossly underrated super-hero.

Hey Kids, Comics! #294 - Santa's Big Ol' Sack: 2018 Edition

There is no denying that the Christmas holiday is fast approaching and with it the impending dread of what to give to the comic book fan in your life! With so many possibilities out there - in nearly every price range - it is often difficult to know where to turn for advice, much less the ideal gift.

Your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston know share your dread and annually do something about it, just in time for Christmas. (Frankly some years are more “just in time” than others, this being one of them.) So grab your “Nice List” and tune in this week’s HKC! for plenty of great gift choices that are certain to make any fan happy to find them under the tree this year!

No images of the gifts suggested are provided this year in the interest of keeping them fresh and surprising.

Hey Kids, Comics! #293 - Order on the Court or: (Comicsportsballs III)

And now the catching up to getting #300 continues as a mere six issues remain to provide before the end of the year. Following the "Law & Order” pairing from the previous two shows, the boys turn their attention to a different kind of court (or field, rink, or track) to bring you the return of Comicsportsballs!

Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are joined, as always in this particular look at sports in comics and pretty much anything that touches on that subject even remotely, by Eddie Medina. This outing (or inning?) gets a little bizarre as “Strange Sports”, Mars Attacks, and more become fair “game”!

Hey Kids, Comics! #292 - Order in the Court!

And now another issue of HKC! gets published at last! This week Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston continue to stay on track to hit 300 issues before the end of the year with a look at the Judicial System in comics.

From high profile court cases to the insidious kangaroo courts that are all too often convened in comics, your hosts have a full docket as they preside over an issue that looks at the courts, the lawyers, and the law as they occur in comic books over the decades.

So check your briefs, review black letter law, and prepare to judge the latest issue of HKC!

Hey Kids, Comics! #291 - Off Beat

The Police. Cops. The Fuzz. The PoPo. The Blue Knights.

By any name, the folks that have made a career of law enforcement have a huge role to play in comic books. But how does street-level law enforcement change in a world of super-heroes?

From some of the most famous police in comics to some of the more obscure, from policemen as background characters to those who interact on a regular basis with the “super” community, police are the subject being tackled by Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston this week.

As your hosts catch up on the “hot pursuit” of the 300th issue of this show, they hope that you will enjoy this most “arresting” issue.

Hey Kids, Comics! #290 - A Tale of One City

Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are scrambling to get caught up on unpublished issues of Hey Kids, Comics! as the countdown to #300 begins! Look for several new issues over Thanksgiving weekend, this one takes you on a trip to one of the most iconic cities in the country (and in comics, too)!

That “Hell of a Town” is the focus of this issue. The city of New York is more than just a backdrop for comic book tales, it is something of a character in its own right. Like so many tourists, your hosts explore New York and its unique position as a comic book staple.

From comic creators to comic characters, New York was, and still is, the place to be! Find out more right now…

Hey Kids, Comics! #289 - I Started a Joke

Over three quarters of a century ago Bob Kane was inspired by a film - “The Man Who Laughs" - to create a character who has become the longest running joke(r) in comics history! Naturally this would be none other than Batman’s maddest foe, the Joker!

With nearly 80 years under his belt, the Clown Prince of Crime has been not only a thorn in the Dark Knight’s side, but also the subject of many a compelling tale. Your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston delve into some of the more curious, fascinating, compelling, and downright bizarre such appearances.

Round up your “bang” gun, your acid squirting flower, your can of Smilex, and your favorite purple suit and enjoy an exploration of the man who laughs all the way to your funeral!

Hey Kids, Comics! Quarterly #2 - I Go Ditko

Welcome to the second edition of Hey Kids, Comics! Quarterly, the four-times-a-year special issue of the show. Your hosts ran out of quarter between July and September, so the issue for the third quarter of the year has run rather a bit into the fourth quarter!

In June of this year a giant in the comic industry passed away, none other than Spider-Man and Doctor Strange co-creator Steve Ditko. That made what would have been a standard issue of HKC! somewhere down the line a bit more akin to the topic for a quarterly. And who better to explore the career of this comic book legend than Eddie Medina, the ad-hoc third host of this very show!

So get ready for a lively exploration of the life and times of comics’ most fascinating recluse…and don’t get too hung up on the timing of last quarter’s Quarterly!

Hey Kids, Comics! Halloween Special #3 - Suck It!

A day late (on this site anyway), Hey Kids, Comics! none the less proudly presents the third annual Halloween Special!

This year Andrew (An’ Helsing) Farmer and Cole (Stake-’Em) Houston sink their teeth into the vampire in comics. From the alter ego of good old Vlad the Impaler to more curious and fascinating takes on this segment of the undead, there is a lot to get any vampire enthusiast’s attention this time!

Enjoy this journey into the blood-sucking history of comic book vampires as HKC! wishes you a very happy Halloween!

Hey Kids, Comics! #288 - Horse of a Different Color

Truly one of the great success stories of comic publishing history is that of Dark Horse Comics! Welcome then to an issue of Hey Kids, Comics! in which your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston take a look at this underdog that made it big in a very difficult marketplace and thrives to this day.

Shrewd choices, ideal licenses, and a respect for comic book creators would become a recipe for success when a former comic shop owner decided to create the kind of comics that simply did not exist. Starting with the anthology series, “Dark Horse Presents”, a little niche was carved out that grew and grew until the market share eclipsed by Marvel and DC would acknowledge one of two indies that upset the status quo.

From the obvious to the obscure, Dark Horse comics has brought forth many a classic and fan favorite. With license like Predator, Conan, Star Wars, and Stranger Things to bring in the bucks, they have also been the showcase for creator owned projects like Hellboy, Concrete, and Tank Girl. Explore decades of amazing titles with your hosts with this publisher spotlight!