The JediCole Universe Live (All-Con 2014 Edition)

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At long last it can be shared!  

The JediCole Universe Live has been a running talk show presentation at All-Con for several years now.  Again this year I was fortunate enough to have Eddie Medina (of The Rantcor Pit and Figments) record the proceedings for your enjoyment.  

While much of what transpires is visual in nature, for the most part the audio will convey the antics that make up this show each year, especially the new feature that retools a well-known movie trailer.

So if you missed the show back in March, here's your chance to discover just what went on at The JediCole Universe Live this year in all its ample glory.

Hey Kids, Comics! - The Back Issue Bin (Issues #0-87, Annual #1)

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If you want to catch up on all of the fun of Hey Kids, Comics!, this is your big chance!  We give you...


The Back Issue Bin
Hey Kids, Comics! #0 - 87

#0 Get to Know Us!

#1 Comic Shop Confidential: Why I Hate Fanboys

#2 Comic Shop Confidential: What’s So Bad About Human Sexuality?

#3 Comic Shop Confidential: Women in Comics

#4 Comic Shop Confidential: Faith in Four Colors

#5 Comic Shop Confidential: Holding Up a Mirror to Reality

#6.1 Fails to Astonish – Part 1

#6.2 Fails to Astonish - Part 2

#7 Star Wars Colebration: A Study in JediCole Houston

#8 Comics, Commerce, and the All-Mighty Buck: Embossed Foil Laser Cut and Bagged With Exclusive Trading Cards

#9 Comics, Commerce, and the All-Mighty Buck: Collection Equals Tuition

#10 Comics, Commerce, and the All-Mighty Buck: The Long, Strong Arm of Marvel

#11 Comics, Commerce, and the All-Mighty Buck: The Never-Ending Eulogy

#12 Comics, Commerce, and the All-Mighty Buck: Pandering for Paychecks

#13 A Geek’s Journey

#14 HKC! Presents 1

#15 Marvel’s Great White North

#16 Sensing Comics: Intro

#17 Sensing Comics: Insights on Sight

#18 Sensing Comics: You’ve Got the Touch

#19 Sensing Comics: Did you Just Hear Something?

#20 Sensing Comics: Something Tells Me I’m Smelling Something Good

#21 Secret Origins: The Andrew Farmer Story

#22 Tales to Admonish

#23 A Christmas Stocking Stuffer

#24 That Darn Bat

#25 Cinema Obscura

#26 It Came From the License Part 1: Hey Kids, Star Wars!

#27 It Came From the License Part 2: Take That, Nielson Ratings!

#28 It Came From the License Part 3: Reading Your Movie Night

#29 It Came From the License Part 4: Books, Games, and the Public Domain...PLUS!

#30 It Came From the License Part 5: Tales from Toyland

#31 Creator Spotlight #1: Frank Miller Time

#32 Hey Kids, All-Con!

#33 To Kill a Robin

#34 Secret Origins of Hey Kids, Comics!

#35 The Ballad of Bobby Blakey or What Do You Do With a Big Dumb Gorilla?

#36 Bring on the Bad Guys!  The Dark Side of Comics

#37 From Funny Books to Graphic Fiction Part 1: Children of the Yellow Kid

#38 From Funny Books to Graphic Fiction Part 2: Seduction and Salvation

#39 From Funny Books to Graphic Fiction Part 3: Comics Are Super, Man

#40 From Funny Books to Graphic Fiction Part 4: Turning Points and Changing Tastes

#41 From Funny Books to Graphic Fiction Part 5: Not Kids Comics - Tijuana to Omaha

#42 Heroes Come Home - Animated

#43 Heroes Come Home - Live Action

#44 The Hero's Journey

#45 Recommended Reading #1

#46 HKC! Team-Up #1: Justice League

#47 Summer Fun Special

#48 Play Ball!

#49 Forging Steel

#50 The Year of Living Comicsly

#51 Continuity is Not Absolute: Nothing Lasts Forever

#52 Continuity is Not Absolute: I Didn't Know We Had One of Those! 

#53 Continuity is Not Absolute: Out of Character, Out of the Blue, Out of Whack

#54 Continuity is Not Absolute: The Dicey Hand of Death

#55 Continuity is Not Absolute: When it Sticks

#56 About a Toy

#57 HKC! Team-Up #2: The Avengers

#58 What?  No Pictures?

#59 Creator Spotlight #2: Good Bill Willingham

#60 Deconstructing Comics: I Need a Hero

#61 Deconstructing Comics: To Prove a Villain

#62 Deconstructing Comics: Lean on Me

#63 Deconstructing Comics: What's Love Got to Do With It?

#64 Deconstructing Comics: All in the Family

#65 Comics That Go Bump in the Night

#66 Hey Comics!  What's For Supper?!

#67 Seven Deadlies: You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry

#68 Seven Deadlies: Enough is Never Enough

#69 Seven Deadlies: You've Got What I Want

#70 Seven Deadlies: Look Upon My Works, Ye Mighty

#71 Seven Deadlies: A Big Meal and Then a Nap

#72 I Want to Talk 'Bout the Animals

#73 The Year in "Hey Kids, Comics!"

#74 Rethinking the Legends: Another You

 #75 Rethinking the Legends: This Changes Everything

 #76 Rethinking the Legends: Another Time, Another Place

 #77 Rethinking the Legends: Joining Forces

 #78 Rethinking the Legends: Brave New Worlds

 #79 Return to the Aisle of Toys

 #80 The InfiniToy Gauntlet: A Toy Aisle Adventure

 #81 Cryptids & Comics: The Lost Issue*

 #82 Once More Unto All-Con, My Friends!

 #83 Free Comic Book Daze

 #84 Creator Spotlight #3: It's Good to Be the Jack "King" Kirby!

 #85 The Great "Hey Kids, Comics!/Whadjathink" Crossover: (Volume 1)

 #86 Time Troubles

 #87 Space Race

 Annual #1 The Best Comic I Ever Read

 *Originally published out of sequence after #87.  It has been returned to the proper sequence for the purpose of this list.

Figments Case File 007: Monster Hunting with Lyle Blackburn - LIVE from G33K3 The Con 2014

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We bring you our biggest Figments case file yet as we welcome famed cryptozoologist Lyle Blackburn to the show. Join us as we travel the waterways of Boggy Creek in search of the elusive Fouke Monster and the back roads of Bishopville on the trail of the Lizardman. Lyle guides us through an exciting hour filled with mystery and intrigue.


This soon to be legendary episode was recorded live at G33K3 The Con 2014 (www.G33K3.com). Please check out Lyle and his body of work at www.LyleBlackburn.com.

The Rantcor Pit #13: It's a Jungle Out There!

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May the Fourth Be With You!

 Just in time for Star Wars Day, The Rantcor Pit returns with a special episode where we get a little wild! 

Or perhaps that's a little wildlife.  Yes it is time to delve into the creatures, animals, fauna, critters, and other non-sentient lifeforms of the Star Wars (on screen) universe!  

 From the Aiwha to the Wampa, Eddie Medina and Cole Houston explore the animal kingdom within the Star Wars universe.  But they don't go it alone!  This special episode consists of two parts, the first was recorded poolside live at the North Texas Comic Book Show in Dallas with special guest and Figments co-host Colleen Medina!  Apologies for the sound levels on the first half due to Cole being on an highly amplified mic during that outdoor recording.

 But there's even more fun!  As a supplement to this show, which got a little derailed by having a little too much fun with friends in the audience, it was decided to get a little more in-depth with an additional guest and more material.  To that end, Rick Gutierrez of The United States of Geekdom was brought in to continue the exploration of the wildlife of Star Wars.

 Enjoy this special almost two hour episode as we celebrate Star Wars day and the fact that the switch to a Sunday release happened to correspond with this date quite nicely (and unplanned).

Hey Kids, Comics! #81 - Cryptids and Comics: The Lost Issue

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At last!  The mystery of the missing issue of HKC! has been solved!  Like a Bigfoot sighting or a UFO encounter, there is something about this issue that has to be filed under U for "unexplained"!  

What happens when Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston of Hey Kids, Comics! join forces with Eddie and Colleen Medina of Figments?  Well, you have to give this one a listen to find out.  There is a good reason it fell out of continuity like a time-bulleted Superman.  There are things that defy human understanding and cryptid creatures in the realm of comic books are one such phenomenon.

What transpires in this unique issue of the show should be also thus classified.  Mulder and Skully would balk, Kolchak would blanch, and even the Secret Saturdays would set their sights on Monday and call it a weekend!  This overview of legendary creatures invading our favorite comics is a mystery wrapped in a puzzle placed in a conundrum and sealed in an airtight vault of the unfathomable.  Unravel if you dare....Cryptids and Comics!



 Be afraid...be very afraid.   

Also; read, collect, and enjoy comics.

The JCU and Free Comic Book Day 2014 - Plano, TX

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Great news, JediCole Universe fans!  We have been invited to appear and record content for a future JCU Live Special at Collected in Plano, TX on Saturday, May 3, 2014 as part of their Free Comic Book Day 2014 celebration!

Myself and Eddie Medina (of The Rantcor Pit, The Rantcor Pit Live, and Figments) will be on hand during the day to record some interviews with comic book collectors and fans, showcase Eddie's incredible art and my silly Jabba the Hutt sketch cards, and generally have a lot of fun with the crowds.  

 Come on out and get in on the selection of free comics offered this year, shop their games, comics, and collectibles, and meet a couple of prolific podcasters in person!  I will have the latest The JediCole Universe trading card, info on Convention Awareness Project - Texas, and even a few giveaway surprises during the day!

Free Comic Book Day 2014 (Saturday, May 3, 2014) at:
Collected - Plano
3100 Independence Parkway #318
Plano, TX 75057

 Not in Plano?  Not in Texas?  Free Comic Book Day is an international event founded in 2002.  To find a participating comic shop near you, visit the Free Comic Book Day website.

Figments Case File 006: Bigfoot, Mothman and other Mysterious Monsters LIVE from All-Con 2014

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Here it is Crypto-teers! The long awaited Part Two of our Live broadcast from All-Con 2014. It took a couple of extra weeks due to the extra post-production work we had to do in order to get the audio up to acceptable levels. But here it is..."Bigfoot, Mothman and other Mysterious Monsters."

This is an extra special treat in that it is a JCU Podcast Family Reunion! In the show you will hear many familiar voices of the JCU Podcasting world including Cole Houston, Andrew Farmer, Bobby Blakey and Roy Buckingham from Cult Film Fanatics. Lots of other friends chime in, both old and new, making this of of our goofiest episodes yet.

Please note there are two parts to this episode so make sure not to turn it off too early. You will hear the main panel which lasts 45 minutes but then right after is a BONUS 20 minute episode. The entire episode runs about 1 hour 8 minutes so make sure you don't stop at the 45 minute mark.

The Rantcor Pit Live 2: Seduction of the Sith

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The Rantcor Pit fun continues with the second installment of the live show via Deep Ellum On Air!  

This week Cole Houston and Eddie Medina take a walk on the dark side.  That is the Dark Side of the Force!  Check out our thoughts on the "Rule of Two" with the Sith, Yoda's Chick-o-Stick experience, and a special new side of the Force that has not been previously explored!



The Rantcor Pit LIVE ep2 by DeepEllumOnAir

Hey Kids, Comics! #87 - Space Race

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It's Hey Kids, Comics! time again with Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston!  Hot on the heels of last week's issue focusing on time travel, your intrepid hosts turn their attentions to the ups and downs of space travel!  Or more specifically, the inevitable effect thereof, a surfeit of alien races peopling the various comic book universes.
Done right, everything from alien invasions to cosmic encounters can add richness to a story or a continuity.  Done wrong you get everything from sappy stories to blatant (often pandering) rip-offs.  From the high profile Kree/Skrull War of The Avengers to the myriad races that people the oft-visited Vega System in DC titles, Andy and Cole just begin to scratch the surface of who and what is "out there".

 So strap into your space-cockpit, buckle up your space-harness, fire up your space-rockets, and get your spaceship out into the vast and furious cosmos of comics with this week's fascinating discussion.  

 Neil Degrasse Tyson action figure sold separately.

The Rantcor Pit 12: Star Wars Fandom at G33K3 The Con

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Welcome to the latest installment of The Rantcor Pit!  This is the first of a couple of episodes that will have the unique distinction of having been recorded at live convention appearances! 


 This one was recorded at G33K3 The Con in McKinney, Texas a few weeks ago.  This will explain any seeming gaps in timing on specifics like The Rantcor Pit Live which premiered last Sunday.  As promised, this week we bring you the prerecorded edition of the show and will follow it up in one week with another live streaming show in one week from Deep Ellum On Air.

Please pardon the echo as Cole and Eddie talk up Star Wars and its evolving fandom in a cavernous presentation space at one of Texas' newest conventions!

Hey Kids, Comics! #86 - Time Troubles

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It's Friday and time for another issue of The JediCole Universe's own comic book podcast!  Past, present, or future, there is nothing quite like time travel to open up a floodgate of possibilities in comic books.  Love them or hate them, time travel stories are very much a part of the fabric of the medium.

Opinions on time travel in comics vary between your hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston as they explore the many incarnations of mucking about in the flow of time.  Myriad are the characters who move through time like everyone else moves through space, with consequences from the awkward to the devastating.

Who are the major players in time travel?  What comics have explored this phenomenon well and which have failed miserably?  Who is the most roundly hated time traveler?  And what's up with Archie?

Discover this and more in this time-spanning issue!

"The Rantcor Pit" Makes Another Convention Appearance This Saturday!

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Attending the North Texas Comic Book Show in Dallas on Saturday?  Look for Cole "JediCole" Houston and Eddie Medina of The Rantcor Pit as they host a poolside recording of an upcoming episode of the show!  
The North Texas Comic Book Show is held at the Doubletree Hotel in Dallas a few times a year and both Cole and Eddie have had a long association with the show.  Weather permitting, this special edition of The Rantcor Pit will be recorded before a live audience poolside at the hotel.  We will be opening the mics to a repeat of "Speed Guesting", a little something we had at the show recorded at G33K3 Con a few weeks ago.  Attendees will be invited to be a guest of the show and join the hosts at the table for two minutes at a time!  

In addition to the live taping of the JCU's Star Wars podcast, Cole will also be moderating a panel with Ken Kristensen, creator and author of Todd, the Ugliest Kid on Earth!  This panel will also take place poolside where you can meet the writer of this wildly popular Image comic that is reportedly on its way to becoming an animated series!  

 If that was not enough, there is an open invitation to costumers and cosplayers to become contestants in the Chris Skiles Memorial Cosplay Contest, held in memory of a local costumer and fan who's presence was well known at this and other DFW conventions.  First prize is $100!  

And don't forget the dealer and vendor areas featuring lots of toys, comics, Hot Wheels, and other collectibles plus the original work of many local artists like Eddie Medina and You Are Here artist Bobby Blakey!  You can get your copy of Your First Year Here: You Are Here Volume 1 at Bobby's table for the show special price of $5.00!

 Check out the show details below:

 North Texas Comic Book Show
Saturday, April 19, 2014
9:30 AM - 5 PM
Doubletree Hotel Dallas Market Center
2015 Market Center Boulevard
Dallas, TX 75207
Admission - $10.00

 Check out Convention Awareness Project - Texas for a full listing of other conventions of fan interest in Texas throughout 2014 by clicking here.

Something New From Our Own Andrew Farmer

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2014 is rapidly becoming a year of milestones here at the JCU.  From record attendance at my talk shows at All-Con and the release of Your First Year Here - You Are Here Volume 1 to the launch just this week of The Rantcor Pit Live, there have been some amazing things happening.  And now my esteemed Hey Kids, Comics! co-host has hauled off and launched a project of his own along with his good friend Britny.

 It is not at all surprising that I am not the only one here who can go on at length about Star Wars.  Andy and Britny can as well, with a very adult twist in this case.  They don't pull any punches so be warned, this is NOT for the kids!  But for us grown ups who can't get enough Star Wars, my I recommend...

Check out this amazing Star Wars podcast right here!

The Rantcor Pit Live 1: Into a Larger World

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As promised, the new incarnation of The Rantcor Pit has arrived!  This morning at 11 AM Central the first episode of The Rantcor Pit Live went out on the live feed of Deep Ellum On Air!  


If you missed the live version, it is archived on The Rantcor Pit Live page for your viewing and listening pleasure.  Check here in one week for a pre-recorded episode of The Rantcor Pit that was produced at G33K3 Con in McKinney.

A new episode of The Rantcor Pit Live will go out live on Sunday, April 27 from 11 AM to 12 PM Central and every other week thereafter.




The Rantcor Pit LIVE Ep.1 by DeepEllumOnAir

JCU Sunday Funnies #53

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Welcome to the first "You Are Here" cartoon of the series' second year!  Yes, last week this feature celebrated its first full year as a part of The JediCole Universe.  A collected edition of this cartoon, including one piece published only on my Facebook page and one that has never been published anywhere.  Signed copies are available for $7.50 postpaid and order details can be found here.

Hey Kids, Comics! #85 - The Great HKC!/Whadjathink? Crossover (Volume 1)

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In honor of HKC! founder and host Andrew Farmer's recent move to Arizona, this issue of the show is being released on Friday (as promised), just on Friday relative to Arizona time.  Our apologies for this edition running late, but it is a special Double-Sized issue!

Winter is Coming

It was bound to happen!  When a comic book show and a movie review show share the same podcasting network, a crossover is somewhat inevitable.  This is especially true when a major comic book movie arrives that demands such a team-up!

That movie is, of course, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and by mutual fanboy gushing it was decided that Andrew and Cole needed to join forces with Catherine and Bobby to bring our respective shows together in one massive issue of Marvel goodness.

 SPOILER ALERT!
"Aren't you glad we saw the movie before catching the latest HKC! issue?" 
As this issue takes its cues from the format of Whadjathink?, the coverage of Captain America's second big screen outing is chock full of spoilers.  If you have not seen this movie and don't want to find out, well, everything in advance then do not listen to this episode until after you get to the theater!  No punches are pulled as nearly every moment of the film is discussed.  

 So join the fun (now that you've seen this amazing Marvel movie) as worlds collide and a major milestone in this constantly unfolding franchise comes to the fore.  Andrew, Cole, Catherine, and Bobby just can't wait to share their moviegoing experience with you!  And lots of spoilers, too!


Arnim Zola: Mad genius, accomplished documentary filmmaker.