Hey Kids, Comics! #194 - Rogue-ish I's: Barrel of Laughs

Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston prepare to bid adieu to "Rogue-ish I's" with heavy hearts as this was a personal favorite arc for them both.  But if you have to go, then go out laughing as the old adage recommends!

With that in mind the arc concludes with a Batman villain who loves laughter so much it's deadly!  Laughter is not the best medicine when it comes to the Joker!  Your hosts explore this little fact with special guest Kelly Long.

When the Clown Prince of Crime is the subject of discussion, Hey Kids, Comics! goes to a dark, if funny, place.  Of all of Batman's nemeses, the Joker is the most mysterious, the most callous, the most clinically insane...and perhaps the most likely to reflect the psyche of the Dark Knight himself.  Find out for yourself just how alike these arch foes truly are as this latest arc concludes.

Prepare yourself for an intimate look at the man in purple who has brought the pasty face of villainy to Gotham City with a show that is a double-barreled shotgun of laughs!

Hey Kids, Comics! #193 - Rogue-ish I's: Cat's Pajamas

Rogue-ish I's draws closer to its conclusion and issue #200 looms large on the horizon as Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston prepare to discuss the most purrrfect of Bat-villains, Catwoman!

Gotham's feline femme fatale has been a mainstream of the mythos for just over three quarters of a century!  Naturally that makes for a character in need of exploration HKC! style.  Joining your hosts this week is Catherine Houston (aka Mrs. JediCole).  A female perspective being most welcome when it comes to discovering a storied career rich with many changes of character as well as costume.

Catwoman rose from "just another crazy comic book criminal" to become a fairly heavy hitter in the DC Universe.  But what is her place in the psyche of Batman himself?  What facets of the Dark Knight are reflected in her personality like the facets of a coveted gem about to be stolen from a one-percenter's wall safe?  These and other questions are raised right here, right now. 
                              

Hey Kids, Comics! #192 - Rogue-ish I's: Coin Toss

Heads or tails, black or white, off or on, this or that.  Pairs of choices that can dictate life if they are allowed.  In the case of one particular denizen of the Gotham City underworld, this is not only allowed, it is a way of life!

As the latest story arc continues to explore the place of Batman's top five villains in his war on crime and his life as reflected in each, Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston brave the dichotomy of none other than Two-Face.

Steve McCauley returns to the show to add his own insights on this duplicitous villain.  Thoughts, ideas, and observations are tossed around like so many double-headed silver dollars and many a discovery is made about the nature of post-acid-assault Harvey Dent.

No flip of the coin is necessary when it comes to the decision of whether or not to delve into the more than two sides of Two-Face in the latest issue of 

As promised, the exchange between Grundy and Bizarro!

(Click the link above to read "The Apocrypha #6".)

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Hey Kids, Comics! #191 - Rogue-ish I's: Silly Bird

Rogue-ish I's continues with another chapter delving deeply into the psyche and nature of the villains that truly define aspects of the Batman.

Bruce Wayne's alter ego-fueled war on crime is punctuated by those adversaries that mirror facets of his life and personality.  Generally in an exaggerated form, some part of the Dark Knight Detective can be found within those villains that plague his days the most.  Despite a dapper appearance that is almost comical in nature, the Penguin has proven himself more than worthy to find a place in the upper echelon of Batman's rogue's gallery.

In this compelling issue, the villainous one-percenter Oswald Cobblepot becomes the topic of discussion.  Andrew Farmer and Cole "JediCole" Houston are joined by Eddie Medina of The Rantcor Pit shows!  Enjoy this exploration of another of the more underrated of the Bat-foes as three seasoned podcasters put on the Ritz and ponder the parasol-wielding, seafood-eating, bird-keeping, tuxedo-wearing, waddle-walking fine feathered fiend that is the Penguin!  

Caution:  A little wine and the combination of Andrew and Eddie has this issue of the show taking a few...adult oriented turns.  Enjoy!



As promised, here is the All-Con Guide to Convention Etiquette video from which this episode took its name.  - JediCole

Hey Kids, Comics! #190 - Rogue-ish I's: Riddled Through and Through

Welcome to a brand new story arc for HKC!, "Rogue-ish I's".  You are entering in this issue an in-depth look at five of the most vital adversaries in the Dark Knight's long crime-fighting career.  To begin, Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston pose a riddle.

More accurately, a Riddler!  

One of the most underrated Bat-Villains, the Riddler has come of his own in more recent years.  Re-imagined as something more than just a periodic thorn in Batman's side, Edward Nygma's curious alter ego is a force to be reckoned with indeed!

To help unravel the mystery within a puzzle inside an actual enigma, your hosts have enlisted the aid of Dallas-area Riddler maven and cosplayer, Josh Watson.  Bringing his considerable knowledge and love of the character to bear, the insights into the mind of this most curios of criminals abound.

Hey Kids, Comics! #189 - Caucus on Infinite Earths

"Politics! Politics! Politics! Politics!" - Comicus (History of the World:  Part 1)

Hear ye!  Hear ye!  We now convene the first Comicental Congress of the United States!  

Actually your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are going political this week in honor of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.  Simply put, they are finally getting around to exploring politics and especially politicians in comics!

Just a glimpse at Richard M. Nixon's storied comic book Presidential career.

From the fictional politicians to those of the real world who have managed to wind up in the pages of many a super-hero or other comic book, there are many examples discussed and debated.  As with any aspect of life, art is a keen imitator and politics are as vital to these ongoing narratives as social issues and personal internal struggles.  

Cast a vote for comics by giving this electoral issue of HKC! a listen!

HKC! SDCC 2016 Special

It was bound to happen...

San Diego Comic Con very nearly got a pass this year.  Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston just didn't get all that incensed about this industry juggernaut and its hobby-ruining exclusives.

But something changed.  Something stirred within their fanboy consciousnesses and they simply could not let a year slip by without addressing the annual hurt that is SDCC!

This year they are joined by Mrs. JediCole of Whadjahthink? as they wax bitchy about all of the cool things they were not going to see in 2016, if ever in some cases!  

This EXCLUSIVE special edition is only for those who could not attend San Diego Comic Con 2016.

We've got your back!

"NOT lying!"

Hey Kids, Comics! #188 - Identity Theft (or "Let Me Talk to Bruce."

"Don't surround yourself with yourself" - Yes; I've Seen All Good People (The Yes Album); 1971

Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are back to face off on a weighty issue that confronts many a comic book hero.  This would be, of course losing oneself in one's alter-ego.  

When someone loses themselves wholeheartedly in their secret identity their "other self" can exert control to the point that they are lost within that self.  

Batman tends to spring to mind first, but there are many other examples sited.  Beyond a hero becoming too much the mantle thereof, your hosts also explore examples of alter-egos taking on alter-egos of their own!

Hey Kids, Comics! #187 Salon de Refuses

Hey Kids, Comics! goes all art history on you with a look at some of the most overlooked, underrated, and obscure comic books that can be found.  That is if you really look around a lot!

For this issue, Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are going to party like it's 1863!  Invoking Napoleonic-era France, your hosts present their own Salon de Refuses for comics.  Not even the "Big Three" always hit their marks, but most of the topics of discussion are so obscure and ignored as to teeter on the brink of abject obscurity.  This exhibition of sorts will seek to bring attention to some gems among the back-issue stones.

Your hosts even go so far as to raise forgotten or ignored comic characters to a new and artistic level that you will have to hear to believe!

Hey Kids, Comics! #186 - Tarzan of the Comics

Heyyyayyayyyaayyayyayyyayyyyyyyyyyyyyy Kids, Comics!

The mysterious sounds emanating from the primeval forests of Africa mingle into a symphony of the beautiful and the deadly.  Into this unexplored jungle Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston dare to press forward on a safari of discovery.  Their quarry is none other than Edgar Rice Burroughs' most famous creation.  The Lord of the Jungle himself, Tarzan!

The ubiquitous ape-man is such a part of the cultural vernacular that it is little wonder that Tarzan has a long and rich history in comic books.  In honor of a combination of Cole's decades long affection for the English aristocrat voted most likely to really pull off the doe-skin loin cloth look and the arrival in theaters last Friday of The Legend of Tarzan, this issue of the show heeds the call of the wild(s of Africa)!

It is important to have a capable guide when mounting such an expedition and your hosts are duly outfitted with the help of their amazing guest, comic book and movie historian, prolific author, and gentleman scholar Michael H. Price!  So gather your spear, your bow and arrows, your grass rope, and your father's hunting knife and join in on the journey into the realm of Tarzan in comics!

Hey Kids, Comics! #185 - You Don't Mess With the Batmans!

The Dark Knight.  The Caped Crusader.  The Bat.  Gotham's champion is known by many names.  He is also known for his tenacity in all things, most especially his war on crime!

Despite the presence of its grim protector, many a villain has chosen to make a career out of challenging Batman's mettle or his mental capacity - sometimes both.  In the end the Dark Knight is universally triumphant, but it comes at tremendous cost to his psyche.  Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston take on the difficult task of understanding Batman and his relentless desire to put down every criminal in Gotham.  

While always successful at putting down his foes, Batman's rogues gallery continues to emerge again.  And Batman pushes back with every resource at his command.  Learn all about both sides of this Bat-equation and answer for yourself the question of just how batty is "the Batman"?

And now, the inspiration for this issue...

Hey Kids, Comics! #184 - The Doctor Is In or (Under a Banana Flavored Sun)

There are doctors and there are doctors.  In comics there are even "doctors".  As any comic fan knows, there is always a doctor in the house when it comes to the heroes and villains that people your favorite comic titles.

Demonicus, Regulus, Weird, Alchemy, and Octopus!  Oh my!

Hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston make the rounds with more doctors than your local hospital.  From the obvious players like good ol' Doc' Ock' to the more obscure like Howard the Duck's own Doctor Bong.  (As in the sound of a bell, not THAT kind of bong!)  From real doctors who become super-heroes and villains to those who add a level of cool to their sobriquet by virtue of a tack-on title, there were plenty of characters from which to choose.

Andrew's Favorite Mystics

Scientists, M.D.s, professors, and more have gone into heroism or villainy without utilizing the title they spent so much time in the halls of academia to achieve while others just couldn't drop the doctorate.  Others favored Doctor over "Mister" or "Count" or "Master of" in their name.  With such a volume of doctors to choose from, the field had to be narrowed, but nearly all get at least a mention.

Doing their "doctor thing" to varied effect.

Find out which comic book doctors your hosts like best.  Learn about the hero/villain doctor community.  Discover which well known master of the monologue would make a great patient for a certain super-hero psychoanalyst, what villains sought doctoral degrees, and why Dr. Strange turned his back on medicine.  No, really.

So make an appointment now to see the doctors because all of them are really "in"!

Oh yeah, you thought of this, too!

Hey Kids, Comics! #182 - Summer Fun 2016: This Answers Everything

After a rather heavy story arc, it is time for Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston to join the masses of comic fans on the internet who are just lookin' for answers...

When the need for answers to the burning questions "who would win in a fight between?", "which super hero is the smartest?", or even "which publisher is better, DC or Marvel?" it seems many turn to Yahoo! Answers!  This modern Oracle of Delphi acts as a beacon of (potential) truth to the weary traveler on the road to understanding comics.

And so it came to pass that Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston arrived to glean from this publicly sourced font of knowledge to find inspiration for week's issue of the show.  

Enjoy a carefully selected blend of comic book related questions posed to the denizens of the internet via Yahoo and discover what Andy and Cole have to say in response as well as a sampling of the actual answers that each query received.

Hey Kids, Comics! #181 - Comic Book Capers: The Curious Case of Anthony Chiofalo

Welcome to the end of Comic Book Capers!  In this final chapter your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston take a look at one of the oddest criminal cases that you could possibly imagine.

What begins as an embezzlement scheme descends into madness, obsession...and comics!  

This is the story of Anthony Chiofalo, his crimes, and his strange approach to spending his ill-gotten gains.  This includes some of the rarest and most expensive comics known.  But his story is just part of the the larger story of embezzled funds, inexplicable laundering, delusion, and temptation.

This is a story within a story full of mystery and crime that you simply do not want to miss!  Bid farewell to the latest story arc in the best way possible with the odd tale that inspired all four issues that preceded this one. 

Hey Kids, Comics! #180 - Comic Book Capers: Comic Book Heroes

The "Comic Book Capers" arc continues, and on schedule!

Welcome to the latest issue of HKC! in which crime, litigation, and other legal matters as they pertain to comics has been the order of the day for the last several shows.  

Things take a different turn as the arc draws toward its conclusion with a look at some "good guys" in the industry.  Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston take a look at some more positive stories surrounding the law (and those who stand up for the rights of artists and retailers) and so much more.

Enjoy this unique look at some of the true heroes of comics, the real world heroes that have made a difference in the lives of comic professionals and fans alike!

Hey Kids, Comics! #179 - Comic Book Capers: The Copyists

Andy and Cole are Back!

And they brought the "Lost Arc" with them!  Yes, it is true, the latest story arc, "Comic Book Capers" has been on a lengthy hiatus and now returns with the middle chapter.  Thank you for sticking with us as we muddled through getting everything back in gear as well as dealing with some technical issues that are slowly being resolved.  (No more degraded links to the shows, in other words!)

Counterfeit Darwyn Cooke "original art" sold recently on eBay.

Join the fun as your hosts pick up the tale of real life comic book crime discussing the theft of artists' work in a uniquely modern fashion.  This issue is all about the various would-be artists who take a huge creative shortcut in achieving a dream for which they lack the talent and the patience.

Thomas Branch's Cassandra Kane redesign and target of a design theif.

Dallas-based comic artist and print illustrator Thomas Branch joins the show with a story of his own art being pilfered for the gain of another and brings ample insight into the phenomenon.  Other artists' work being copied, either by self aggrandizing wannabes online or by those who simply download images they can alter enough to pretend the work is their own is the topic at hand and proved a meaty one indeed.

An example of Texas artist Chris "Oz" Fulton's  art co-opted by a non-artist.

Hey Kids, Comics!/Whadjathink? Crossover - Superman . Batman: Dawn of Justice

Lookie!  "Whadjathink?" is back!  Well, sort of.  

This week (even if a few days late), Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are taking a week away from the current story arc to catch up on scheduling and some issues with the JCU site.  So the timing was ideal (especially since it gave most folks time to go see the movie) to air a special they recorded with Mrs. JediCole on the subject of "Superman v Batman: Dawn of Justice"!

Presented as a crossover between this show and the long out of production "Whadjathink?", Mrs. JediCole joins the critical review and discussion of the Zach Snyder epic.  The good, the bad, the just a little to Snyder-y, it's all here.

Find out what three seasoned JCU podcasters thought of the first universe-building chapter of Warner Brothers' overdue attempt to cash in on what Disney and Marvel have been raking in the dough in Uncle Scrooge-like proportions for years.  Was it all as bad as the professional critics would have led us to believe?  Was it just kind of bad?  Was there anything redeeming in this picture?  Was it actually kind of good?  

These and other questions are answered as your hosts tackle ups and downs of this blockbuster that are so prevalent as to seem like a Superman tall building hurdle race!  This is a spoiler-rich episode for the handful of people who have not seen the movie.  You have been warned! 

 

Hey Kids, Comics! #178 - Comic Book Capers: Exit Through the Comic Shop

Hey kids!  "Hey Kids, Comics!" is back, if a bit late (again).  The latest story arc continues and this time the first of our crime files is opened.

In this issue, Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston discuss the crime of theft.  Both petty and more importantly the grand variety as they pertain to comic books, comic collectors, and comic shops.  

From the pilfering of high end comics that were formerly on display at a convention to the most famous heist of all, the theft of a portion of Nicholas Cage's prized comic book collection!  When comic books get stolen it creates grief for the owner and problematic aftermath that extends beyond the thief.  

For Andrew, in memorium.

Hey Kids, Comics! #177 - Comic Book Capers: I'll See You in Court!

This issue of the show ran late in publication here.  It should have gone up on the site on Friday, April 15, 2016.

It's story arc time again!  

Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston take their case to court.  More accurately they talk about court cases in the opening arguments of a five issue story arc that is all about real world civil and criminal cases.  

Don't let the flavor art fool you, this time it is all about real people, real cases, real comics.  A huge part of the genre of the comic book is the publication and production of the finished product and also the distribution, sales, and ultimately collecting of comics.  But sometimes there are legal disputes along the way that become, in their own right, a part of the ongoing story.

In this issue such weighty issues as ownership of comic characters and the artwork thereof, legality of adult-oriented material, and copyright infringement are the order of the day.  Your hosts delve deep into various cases as they launch a series on comic book crimes and misdemeanors.  

Hey Kids, Comics #176 - A Baton to the Face II (or: "We'd Rather be Watching Daredevil II"

This issue of Hey Kids, Comics! was originally slated to appear on this site on Friday, April 8, 2016.  The JCU is slowly catching up, so this Friday's show should arrive on time.

Out of the darkness on a steamy night in Hell’s Kitchen, the multiplying forces of justice seek to end the forces of darkness and evil that threaten the very safety and security of a city!

Such is a poor appraisal of the thrill of having Daredevil on Netflix yet again!  The second season arrived like a crimson avenger swooping in out of nowhere in the nick of time.  Okay, not quite the nick of time.  For those of us who watched the first season back when it was released, the wait for its return was a long one.  Even as amazing as Jessica Jones proved to be, it was not enough to sate the hunger that grew in all of us, especially with the word that both Elektra and the Punisher would be in the mix!

Your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston express their boundless enthusiasm for the return of ol’ Horn Head to the little screen in this special issue of the show.  There is no curbing the enthusiasm of these Daredevil fans as they share thoughts and observations about the Netflix series that could easily be called “Red is the New Black…and Blue”!