Figments Case File 001: Holiday Weekend Turns Hairy

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Welcome to our inaugural episode of Figments, the mysterious encounters podcast. Join hosts Colleen and Eddie Medina as they take you on an ongoing exploration of cryptozoology, conspiracies, unsolved crimes and the unexplained.

 In tonight's case file our cryptid couple gives a little background on themselves and their lifelong obsession with the mysterious world we live in. They will also take a look into the Memorial Day Bigfoot footage from 1996. Listen in as Colleen and Eddie give their reasons why they think this is one of the stronger pieces of visual evidence of the Sasquatch phenomenon. 


Hey Kids, Comics! #79 - Return to the Aisle of Toys

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After five grueling weeks mired in the shifting landscapes of alternate realities and "might-have-beens", Cole and Andrew are ready for a bit of a vacation.  So they have set themselves adrift not to a desert isle, but instead to a toy aisle in the future. 
This was just the beginning...
With the International Toy Fair a mere few days away, your intrepid hosts are joined by the United States of Geekdom's own Rick Gutierrez for a look at an amazing new action figure line that has this trio buzzing for most of the show.  Other toys in our near and semi-distant future are also discussed as everyone anxiously awaits the first reports from New York.


We hope you enjoy our brief departure from comics this week.

The Rantcor Pit 9: Imperial Entanglements

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Much like Ben and Luke's trip to Alderaan, a journey that started out one way took us in a much different direction.  

 Cole Houston and Eddie Medina set out to talk up all things Galactic Empire on this episode of The Rantcor Pit, but their special guest David Petty led them down a different and equally fascinating path.  


Join us for a special look at what it takes to be a part of the biggest fighting force in the galaxy.  With David as guide, all things minion-of-the-Empire are explored from an unsung branch of the Imperial military machine to the 501st Legion in both cinema and reality. 


Listen to the episode and this will make more sense.

Hey Kids, Comics! #78 - Rethinking the Legends: Brave New Worlds

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Welcome to the final installment of Rethinking the Legends.  This arc has seen our favorite super-heroes transplanted in time, tossed into new surroundings, or changed beyond recognition.  As our explorations of this aspect of comic draws to a close we take a last long look at where writers and artists have taken the classics when "something different" is the order of the day.



 Bobby Blakey again joins the fun when gender changes, necessary retooling, and amazing new takes on comics are the order of the day!
  

Hey Kids, Comics! #77 - Rethinking the Legends: Joining Forces

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Hey everybody!  It's time for Hey Kids, Comics! yet again!  

 The current time/space/reality bending story arc continues this week with a mash-up of unprecedented proportions!  Or perhaps there is a precedent after all.  For decades comic companies major and minor have teamed up to allow the borders of their respective universes to blur and pit characters against one another or have them join forces as well against a common (or uncommon) foe.  And then there are the even more uncommon examples of the lines blurring to the point of being non-existent.  Thus was the case when DC and Marvel blended their universes way back in 1996.  And again in 1997.



Yet again this week Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston join forces with Bobby Blakey to talk up crossovers, team-ups, and other mutually beneficial cash grab gimmicks over the years.  

The Rantcor Pit 8: Artoo-Me, Too!

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Has it been two weeks already?!  It appears that it has and that means it's time for a new episode of The Rantcor Pit!  This time Cole and Eddie have cooked up a little something special for you as they explore the impact Star Wars had on the film and television industries.  After the summer of 1977, science fiction was not only more viable, it was considered highly marketable - and everyone wanted a piece of the pie that George Lucas had just pulled out of the oven!

From blatant rip-off movies to television and film inspired by trail blazed by Star Wars, during the years of the original trilogy a great many pretenders to the throne emerged.  Special guest Steve McCauley joins the discussion of this golden age of star-spanning adventures in the entertainment industry.


And here is the promised link to the article on the awkward Star Trek: The Motion Picture alien.

Hey Kids, Comics! #76 - Rethinking the Legends: Another Time, Another Place

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Time and space mean little to the editorial mandate to "mix it up" for the all too familiar characters in comics.  The current story arc delves into this very "alternative" aspect of comic books with a look at displacing well known heroes and villains by changing the time period or the reality in which their adventures take place. 


Feudal Japan, realms of sword and sorcery fantasy, the distant future, other planets, and post-Apocalyptic nightmares have all been grist for the mill of such realities.  Join Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston, along with story arc guest Bobby Blakey, for a journey through various times and places in which our favorite characters have had their tales juxtaposed.

This will make sense, we promise.

Hey Kids, Comics! #75 - Rethinking the Legends: This Changes Everything

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Welcome to another Earth-shattering issue of Hey Kids, Comics!  Or perhaps that is universe-shattering, since Andrew and Cole are tackling the weighty topic of alternate timelines, worlds, and incarnations of favorite heroes.  From Elsewords to House of M and beyond, some changes are temporary or "nonexistent" while others manage to sneak into the mainstream continuity.

Bobby Blakey (of Whadathink?) joins the discussion yet again as your intrepid comic fans delve into the variant tales that managed to stick.


The Rantcor Pit 7: Cooler Than Captain Kirk

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Don't get mad just yet, ye Star Trek fans!  We love us some Captain Kirk, too.  Just give the episode a listen and this will all make sense.  

The Rantcor Pit is back on schedule with a great episode that kind of came out of the blue.  Cole "Never Tell Me the Odds" Houston and Eddie "It's Not My Fault" Medina are joined by Hey Kids, Comics! star Andrew "He's the Brains, Sweetheart" Farmer for an inspired discussion of none other than Han Solo.  The smuggler turned hero of the Rebellion offers up plenty to talk about when a conversation Andrew had with a friend becomes fodder for a great new show.

 Go strap yourselves in because we are about to make the jump to light speed!

 Listen to this episode

Hey Kids, Comics! #74 - Rethinking the Legends: Another You

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It's time for a new story arc here at Hey Kids, Comics!, and this one is going to be a great one! 

Over the years the alternate timeline, alternate reality, or otherwise "not your father's fill-in-the-blank" concept has become more than just an often revisited chestnut.  It has almost become the norm!  From reboots and relaunches to DC's Elseworlds imprint to cross-company mash-ups like the Amalgum, you can pretty much count on some new takes on old favorites.  Some of these plots are one-shot tales outside of continuity, others represent sweeping change.  

With this arc Andrew Farmer of Earth 22 and Cole Houston's transdimensional clone/twin/duplicate seek to discover the variety of divergent incarnations in all of their forms.  JCU Sunday Funnies contributor Bobby Blakey dives headlong into this first such exploration which highlights the reimagining of characters taken out of their familiar time and place and put in a different period of history or originating under vastly different circumstances.  Join the fun as 17th century super heroes, Communist-raised alien visitors, and other fantastic variants of established characters are the order of the day.

Three Years Old Today!

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Has it been three years?


 Today, January 2, 2013, marks the third anniversary of The JediCole Universe!  On Sunday, January 2, 2011 I published the very first post to the site.  In the months and years since, through fits and starts, my little corner of the internet has grown beyond my expectations.  This year the site averaged 1,200 pageviews per month!  While that is not a massive number, considering that the site started out with less than 300 views a month.

 Back then I promised five different features of which all but one have seen the light of day here, albeit with new names in some cases.  From an ambitious pursuit to the home of The JediCole Podcasting Network (and more) in so short a time is really quite remarkable to me.  Along the way I have had the help and support of some amazingly talented people, almost all of whom have contributed in some way to the various podcasts to be found here. 

It has been immensely satisfying to watch this site grow and to add to the ever-growing features.  In the last year alone Hey Kids, Comics! celebrated its first anniversary, You Are Here premiered as the flagship of JCU Sunday Funnies, and The Rantcor Pit was reconfigured and relaunched.  A brand new movie review and recap show, Whadjathink?, also debuted in 2013.  The JediCole Universe has had a presence at a variety of conventions and successfully spun off Convention Awareness Project - Texas, your source for conventions in the Lone Star State.

In 2014 I plan to ramp up production on "lost" features like JediCole's Open Mic Night, It Came From the Dollar Store!, Who Do You Love?, and Odd eBay.  Andrew, Catherine, Bobby, Stu, Eddie, and I all have big plans for our respective shows in the new year as well.  Things are just going to get even more amazing here at the JCU and I can't thank you enough for making this possible!

                                                                     Cole "JediCole" Houston
                                                                    January 2, 2014