H2O Archive: Episodes 101 – 150

It appears we’ve crossed the Rubicon, of sorts. Over one hundred episodes and (after a … “brief” hiatus…) still going. As always, if you have a comment or a suggestion for a topic, let us know with an e-mail.

ARCHIVE: Episodes 1 – 50

ARCHIVE: Episodes 51 – 100

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101: In Which We Discuss Deadpool, Studio Suits, and the R-Rated Superheroes

It was only a matter of time, according to director James Gunn: the suits would look at the success of Deadpool and learn the wrong lessons. And it’s not like it would be a new thing. Just take a look at what’s been going on over at Warner Bros. with regard to the DC Comics properties.

Can you make an R-rated superhero movie? Sure. Should you? Maybe. Maybe not. Like everything else, it depends on the story. And while DC looks to be re-tooling its comics line-up to better appeal to disgruntled fans, is there a looming shake-up at WB that would leave Zach Snyder in the cold? And would the suits at WB be able to make better decisions about their characters? It all ties together in this extended edition of H2O.

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102: In Which We Discuss Hugos, Politics, Public Libraries, and Remakes

This week, in our musings about our topic, we wander into a whole mess of topics — the Hugo Awards, public libraries, politics and social commentary, as well as a thought or two on the upcoming remake of Battlestar Galactica. Do we need it? Do we want it? And kids these days… the discussion touches on the quality of schools, the reading lists for students, the conspiracy to dumb down America, and a burst of an idea for a new column on SciFi4Me.

Plus, we touch on a couple of topics we’ve got coming up: an alleged incident at a local con and casting news for the new pilot season just around the corner.

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103: In Which We Discuss Pilot Season Casting News

Pilot season. No rabbits or ducks to be seen, but plenty of new faces on new shows. This week, we talk about all the casting news that’s come down the pipeline over the last couple of weeks, with surface-level analysis of some of the shows, and a look at some of the new movies that have started to announce cast members as well.

Plus: is Riverdale going to be genre? And there’s a new name attached behind the scenes of the next Star Trek series at CBS.

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104: In Which We Indulge and Talk About OUR Stuff

We spend so much time talking about what everyone else is doing. Studios. Networks. We talk about movies. We talk about TV shows. We talk about books. But it’s been pointed out that the two of us actually work on things, too, so here we are kicking around a few details on the pies that hold our fingers.

For Mr. Harvey, it’s the task of art direction on the web series Paradox City, as well as editing our sister site, Horror4Me.com.

For Mr. Hunt, it’s keeping up with all the information, news, and rumors coming over the wire here at World HQ, plus working with new clients on TV commercials.

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105: In Which We Discuss Indiana Jones and the Ol’ Blade Runner

With the official news that we’re getting a fifth Indiana Jones film, we take a look at the renowned franchise and discuss the story possibilities and the expectations we have for what could be Harrison Ford’s swan song as the swashbuckling archaeologist. Will he pass the fedora to Mutt? Will he drink of the magic elixir that transforms him into Chris Pratt?

And what of Rick Deckard? With the demise of Han Solo, Harrison Ford’s other beloved franchise character, and with the likely demise of the Blade Runner in the line of duty, could we be seeing Ford’s Farewell Tour?

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106: In Which We Discuss the (Stupid) Things Found on the Internet This Week

Zack Snyder is not the only one running afoul of the Internet this week because of something he said. We also have the Gawker-owned io9.com (or is it io9.gizmodo.com?) also diving into the shallow end of the gene pool with some ill-advised comments about pirating one of the most successful genre films of all time. And J.K. Rowling runs amok in American history, with historical events that weren’t… quite… historically accurate. And at the same time she managed to offend quite a few people.

We’ll try not to offend as we look at these and other things we saw on the Internet this week, and a lot of it was … well…

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107: In Which We Discuss the Lesbian Sacrifice and the Man of Steel

It’s a discussion that may (or may not, depending on how much you care) set off some comments and ire. Maybe.

Did The 100 and The Walking Dead play into the well-worn tropes of “The Lesbian Sacrifice” or the “Bury Your Gays” or the “fridging” like some have complained? And is the trope actually the trope everyone says it is? Or is it much broader and people are just reading into it based on their own perspectives?

Plus: Zack Snyder just doesn’t get Superman. And we discuss a bit about why Batman v Superman doesn’t work for some people.

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108: In Which We Discuss Heroes, Rogues, Hugos, Puppies, and Dragons

Quite a few things to sift through this week, not the least of which is that new trailer for Rogue One that fell upon the masses. How excited are you for the next installment in the Star Wars franchise? Because that’s what it is now, in full force. Plus we discuss the changes in the release date for Wonder Woman, along with the rest of the lineup for the DC Movie Universe.

And then there’s this thing what Dragon*Con did. What does it mean for the Hugos? How will the Hugo Award process shake out this year with a new group running the Sad Puppies? Is it time for a brand new award? Is it time to burn everything down and start over?

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109: In Which We Discuss the News of the Week… And There’s a Lot

Another week of numerous news items, so we take some of the more notable ones and opine: Star Wars, Blake’s 7, Batman v Superman, Nosferatu, American Gods, and Jackie Earle Haley. We kick things off with a funny from Mark Hamill and a rant about The Killing Joke.

Plus: Deadpool, Avatar, Tales From the Crypt… and will Captain America be the big hero at the box office in May?

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110: In Which We Discuss Prince, ScarJo, the New Companion, and More AXANAR Victims

With apologies for the delay, this week we look at a number of items in the news, things blowing up the Internet, things that matter, and things that don’t.

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111: In Which We Discuss the Eddie Berganza Discussion

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112: In Which We Discuss Hugo Awards, “I Dream of Jeannie”, and the Demise of SF Signal

Word came down this week that the online magazine SF Signal was shutting down, and we take a moment to examine the narrowing field of geek journalism in the wake of changes at io9.

Plus: more controversy surrounding the Hugo Awards! (surprise)

And are they ever going to reboot I Dream of Jeannie? We talk about why it might not be such a good idea as we await Barbara Eden’s appearance at Planet Comicon.

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113: In Which We Discuss iTunes, Unnecessary Stories, Booster Gold, and a Flaw in STAR TREK III

This week: edging closer to the 115th episode, where we’ll give away a SuperheroStuff Hero Box.

Bouncing off an e-mail from Doug in California, we put it to our iTunes/iPhone app listeners to help Doug find the rate button in the app. If you have any assistance you can render, please send us an e-mail.

Also: at what point do you lose the need to tell a particular story? The fall of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars, zombies on a boat with Fear the Walking Dead… and others. Sometimes it’s best to just leave well enough alone. Unless you’re Greg Berlanti and you get the keys to more of the DC Universe. Because it’s absolutely necessary to tell the story of Booster Gold, which he’s about to do.

And then there’s this logic bomb that could possibly destroy the plot of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. It’s one of those things that happen when you have too much time on your hands… ticking away…

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114: In Which We Discuss the Suspension of Disbelief

Coming out of our discussion last week, we work off of Doug’s suggested topic: the willing suspension of disbelief. It’s a critical element in genre fiction — that agreement between the artist and the audience that certain parts of a story are there and they make sense within the story. You have to be willing to accept things like transporters, aliens, telepathy, time travel, and all manner of things to enjoy the story.

But if you stare too hard at it, the whole thing comes apart. And sometimes, that’s not what the author or filmmakers intended. Sometimes they take for granted what audiences will accept or reject, and we take a look at a few that get it right, and some that don’t.

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115: In Which We Answer Audience Questions and Give Away a HeroBox

Episode 115 takes on special meaning for us. Not only do we get to record live — we were out at Planet Comicon — but we also celebrate our 100th episode with SuperheroStuff.com as our sponsor.

This week, we answer questions from the audience, and oddly enough our talk circled around the DC Comics television shows more than anything else. But we did talk about some other things, and if we’ve missed anything you’d like us to talk about, send us an e-mail.

HeroBox giveaway: ask us your question on Twitter with #H2Opodcast115, and we’ll select someone at random to get a HeroBox from SuperheroStuff.com.

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116: In Which We Discuss the Essentials of PERSON OF INTEREST

This week, we introduce you to a new segment we’re developing for July: The Essentials, a series of articles and videos that introduce topics to people who might have missed it the first time around. Just about every topic is fair game, because somewhere out there someone hasn’t seen Star Wars or Lost or LEXX or… name your flavor.

So we’re going to be sharing the “Essentials” about a topic, and this first one: Person of Interest, which is wrapping up its final season on CBS in the next few weeks. Our intrepid editor/reporter/host Mr. Harvey has realized that the show has some very genre-connecting elements (which weren’t there in the beginning, which is why it slipped under our radar), making the show at the very least, speculative fiction if not outright sci-fi.

Take a listen, and please share with us what you think.

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117: In Which We Discuss Rap, Worldcon, Facebook, and Sharon Stone

In this episode, we go on walkabout through a field of topics — Darryl “DMC” McDaniels (of Run-D.M.C.) is now making comic books, and our journey takes us from rap music to the 90s movies and their treatment of women as objects to admire and possess. Along the way we look at the recently announced DC Animated projects, Mr. Harvey’s art, and the absolutely bonkers meta-textual possibilities of Sharon Stone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (come on, you know she’s Janet Van Dyne, right?

Also: Mr. Hunt gripes about Facebook. Plus: we talk a little more about our plans for Worldcon and the reading list we haven’t gotten to yet.

Topic prompt for your e-mails and comments: are there books/movies/shows that you’ve always intended to read/watch, but just never got around to it? Let us know which titles are on your “haven’t yet, but mean to someday” list.

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118: In Which We Discuss Things We Haven’t Gotten ‘Round To Yet

Following up on last week’s episode, we delve into our lists of stories we probably should have already read or watched, but for various reasons just haven’t yet. From 2001: A Space Odyssey to Asimov’s Foundation to Ringworld and all points in between. The shows we haven’t seen yet — or just fell away from for lack of time or interest — and the stories that intimidate us. We take a look at several titles, and you may find yourself in the same boat when it comes to a few on the list.

And yes, the Hugo Award nominees are still on that list as well, since we still need to sit down in a locked room and dive into reading those titles before August rolls around and Worldcon is upon us…

What are the stories you have yet to conquer? Leave us a comment and let us know. Just like Ray did.

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119: In Which We Discuss Chewbacca Mom, Donald Trump, Animal Videos, and Coffee

It’s that nebulous otherworldly thing: the viral video. Like unicorns, Leprechauns, and high-paying jobs, the viral video is rare. It’s unique. And there’s no formula that determines when a video will blow up the internet.

So when video of a woman laughing hysterically whilst wearing a Chewbacca mask is the thing blowing up the internet, it becomes worthy of notice and discussion. What is it that makes this video so popular? Is Candace Payne, known as “Chewbacca Mom” throughout the web, deserving of her fifteen minutes of fame? Is she the type of person who should have so much attention? So much media focus? She’s been able to parley this burst of attention into an opportunity to talk about spreading the laughter around, and it’s certainly brought her plenty of opportunities to be in front of people. She’s been able to open baseball games and travel to L.A. for driving in the car with J.J. Abrams and meet with Peter Mayhew. And she’s also been able to lift the spirits of children facing medical and emotional challenges. But with all that, does she need to be charging $20 for an autograph?

We also take some time to digress into politics, touching on the Brexit vote and Mr. Harvey’s thoughts about Donald Trump, but more importantly: we talk about the importance of a good cup of coffee.

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120: In Which We Discuss Fan Theories … On Camera!

We’ve heard them before. Or we’ve at least heard some of them. Those crazy notions, the theories and speculations that lead people to believe certain things about stories — things we never see, things that never become canon, except in our heads.

This week, not only do we delve into the world of the fan theory, we also do it on camera and launch what may be a regular thing: H2O both on SciFi4Me Radio and SciFi4Me TV. So you can watch us or listen to us. Or both. All the while we talk about Sith Jar Jar Binks, Bland Marvel and DC Headcanon, the Pixar Theory, the Disney movie connections, and more.

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121: In Which We Discuss CGI vs. Practical Effects

At the suggestion of SciFi X/Y co-host Sonya Rodriguez, we discuss visual effects — is it better to have everything computer-generated (CG)? Or are practical effects better? Consider that the original Star Wars trilogy was practical, while the prequel trilogy was CG-heavy (even though there were considerable practical effects as well).

With the return of the original shooting model of the USS Enterprise to a place of prominence at the Smithsonian, it’s a good time to debate the merits of both, so join us as we barely scratch the surface of the topic.

Feel free to weigh in on this discussion, friends.

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122: In Which We Discuss Stifling the Next George Lucas

Back in the day, there were movies that weren’t part of big franchises. There were movies that were single stories, without the need for sequels. There were stories being told for the first time, with no reboot or remake or prequel or re-imagining or whatever.

Nowadays, however, it seems that the modern cinema is populated only by such blockbusters and tentpole films that the studios distribute in the quest for the next billion-dollar box office. But what does that do for smaller films and the independent (and mostly young) filmmakers trying to find an audience?

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123: In Which We Discuss Our Plans for Worldcon 74

It’s just one month away: the World Science Fiction Convention, known more colloquially as Worldcon. The 74th Annual event will be hosted by the MidAmericon II convention in Kansas City this year, and SciFi4Me will be front and center with unprecedented coverage from the floor of the event.

The Hugo Awards. The Campbell Conference. Award-winning authors and editors. Plenty of panels and workshops. And we can’t forget about the Masquerade — plus: this year, a special anniversary for Charley Lippincott and Star Wars.

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124: In Which We Discuss San Diego Comic-Con 2016

Tucked in between Star Wars Celebration Europe and the Television Critics Association press event, there was this thing called Comic-Con International in San Diego. You might have heard of it…

This week, we take on the daunting task of trying to cover just a little bit about everything — and there is a lot of ground to cover. From casting news to new projects to expansions of existing franchises to rumors and blowbacks and panels that might have gone better, we just barely scratch the surface of the pile of news that hit us from SDCC 2016.

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125: In Which We Discuss Sturgeon’s Law and Scott’s Corollary

Director Ridley Scott recently got put in front of a microphone at the Venice Film Festival, where he opined about the state of affairs in Hollywood, and while expressing his opinion he stumbled into almost quoting renowned science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon:

Scott: “I think movies are getting dumber, actually. Where it used to be 50/50, now it’s 3% good, 97% stupid.”

Sturgeon: “I repeat Sturgeon’s Revelation, which was wrung out of me after twenty years of wearying defense of science fiction against attacks of people who used the worst examples of the field for ammunition, and whose conclusion was that ninety percent of SF is crud. Using the same standards that categorize 90% of science fiction as trash, crud, or crap, it can be argued that 90% of film, literature, consumer goods, etc. is crap. In other words, the claim (or fact) that 90% of science fiction is crap is ultimately uninformative, because science fiction conforms to the same trends of quality as all other artforms.”

Sturgeon first shared that in the March 1958 issue of Venture magazine, and the “Revelation” has since been distilled down into Sturgeon’s Law: “90 percent of everything is crap”.

Is Scott right? Have we descended in a spiral toward mediocrity and sad hollow shells of the Hollywood of olde? Or has this kind of ratio always been around?

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126: In Which We Record at Kansas City Comic Con 2016

This past weekend, we had the opportunity to set up shop at the second annual Kansas City Comic Con, and we took the show on the road, setting up in front of a captive audience to discuss all sorts of random items.

Some of it you may have heard before — in fact, we may have inadvertently invented a drinking game — but it was all brand new for our live audience.

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127: In Which We Discuss the Great Worldcon 74 Experiment

The World Science Fiction Convention has come and gone this year, and you may have heard about this thing that we did — showing up with cameras and lights and microphones and our really spiffy metal sign Ray made, and broadcasting live from the event. It was unprecedented coverage, and we use that word a lot, but it’s absolutely true — no one has ever done this in the history of Worldcon.

Were there hiccups? Of course. Were there mistakes? Yes, a few. Were there tons of authors and editors and publicists wanting to talk to us on camera after they figured out what we were doing there? Absolutely.

It was an experience we’ve never had before, and unless we find a way to expand our resources, we may never get a chance to do it again. At least, not at a Worldcon. To those who were asking about our next excursion into live-streaming from a convention: we’re figuring that out now.

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128: In Which We Discuss the Fall TV Season

Now that we’ve got everything (well, almost everything…) put back together in the studio post-conventions, it’s time to turn our attention to the upcoming fall TV season. Because it’s right around the corner. CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC, CW, and the cable networks all have shows hitting the air starting this month, and the on-demand services aren’t too far behind with genre offerings of their own.

And yes, Killjoys and Dark Matter completely slipped by us this season. Good thing they’ll both be around for a season three…

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129: In Which We Discuss STAR TREK’s 50th Anniversary

“Space. The final frontier…”

Those words are indelibly imprinted on the minds of generations of fans. Trekkers, Trekkies… doesn’t matter which label you claim. And whether your favorite show is The Next Generation, Voyager, Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, the animated series, or the Original… they are all Star Trek.

But we wouldn’t have the spinoff series, the movies, the books, the video games, the comic books, and the wealth of merchandise without the original Wagon Train to the Stars that grew out of Gene Roddenberry’s musings about the future. The show’s influence on technology, the commentary about our culture, the inspiration for so many who became astronauts and engineers and scientists… it all came from a show that dared show us a hopeful future in which we’d finally gotten our act together and learned to get along.

Here, then, is our discussion about Star Trek.

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130: In Which We Discuss the Folly of Recasting XENA

It’s a reboot that’s been brewing for a while — the new Xena: Warrior Princess. And as we’ve heard by now, it’s very likely that we’re going to get a new Xena and Gabrielle, even though Lucy Lawless and Renée O’Connor are still of an age (and in shape) to reprise their roles once again. And despite the fact that Lawless is married to one of the producers, it’s looking more and more like she’s going to have a cameo or some smaller recurring part.

The reason we bring this up now is because the internet delivered this stop-motion LEGO Xena title sequence, and with the meme that reminds us that Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Sylvester Stallone are all kicking around their popular characters, we examine whether it’s a good idea to recast Xena or not…

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131: In Which We Discuss ALL The Shows… Everywhere

Maybe we should have waited to do this until episode 132 next week, because there are 132 shows on our list. It’s a list drawn from a number of sources, and it includes just about every show and miniseries either on the air, about to be on the air, in production, on order, or in development — and it’s most likely not complete, as it doesn’t include some animated series or shows aimed at children’s audiences.

This week, we go through the entire list with our notes, idle speculations, rumors, expectations, hopes, and fears. Along the way, we’ll tell you about the shows we’re going to recap (for sure) and the shows we’d like to recap (all of them), and how you can help.

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132: In Which We Fix GOTHAM & FEAR THE WALKING DEAD, Then Design the Perfect Show

This week, we dip into the mailbag and riff off a suggestion from listener Dave, who asks us which shows we’d fix if we had the opportunity.

Mr. Harvey, fresh off a session of Zombpocalypse Now with Mr. Adair, has been stewing over the inanity of Fear the Walking Dead, and so takes his shot at both Fear and The Walking Dead with a focus on the lack of hope in both shows. And Mr. Hunt turns to Gotham, where the “fix” could very well be taking the show so far to the extreme side of crazy that it wouldn’t even be the same show anymore.

And then the fun begins: we design the “perfect” science fiction comedy series. All the elements that would make a fun romp, and we might even make the show a reality.

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133: In Which We Discuss the SpaceX Explosion and the Conspiracy Theory

On September 1, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launch pad during a test. In the aftermath, the investigation has explored a number of possible causes, and one theory has almost taken on a life of its own: sabotage by rival company United Launch Alliance, which has a facility not too far from the launch complex (see the photo below).

While officially, no one is giving the sabotage theory much credence, there are still plenty of questions surrounding the circumstances of the explosion that some are latching onto the theory that maybe a sniper was on the roof of the ULA building, just over a mile away, and maybe there was a shot before the Falcon 9 exploded, and maybe this was an act of corporate rivalry taken too far?

No matter what the facts bear out, it’s still fun to speculate.

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134: In Which We Discuss Buckaroo Banzai and the Question of Ownership

By now, you’ve heard that filmmaker Kevin Smith is in the process of developing a new Buckaroo Banzai television series with MGM. And you’ve probably also heard that it’s going to live on Amazon Prime.

But hold on. Back that train up. Because in a recent turn of events, we’re now finding out that MGM may not own the rights they think they own. In fact, looking back at the original five-and-some-change-page contract, it may actually turn out that nobody has owned the rights they thought they did. The Buckaroo Banzai franchise looks like it may have always been owned by the original creators, Earl Mac Rauch and W.D. Richter. Because Richter says that the way the contract is worded, MGM never bought the rights to the concept itself, just commissioned Rauch to write a script based on the concept.

‘Tis a tangled web that is sure to get even messier before the day is through. You can read more about it on the Banzai Institute’s Facebook page.

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135: In Which We Discuss Lando, Iron Heart, Steve Dillon, and Negan

It’s a mixed bag this week, as we deal with new studio setups, technical issues, and schedule fluctuations to deliver a late discussion.

This week:

• Donald Glover has been cast as Lando Calrissian. Good choice? Better question: do we even need this Han Solo prequel?
• Artist Steve Dillon (Preacher) passed away last week.
• J. Scott Campbell raised hackles with his variant cover for the new Iron Man/Iron Heart title.
• Who on The Walking Dead isn’t coming back?

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136: In Which We Discuss Halloween and Our Horror4Me Content

Back in the same room (and a new one at that), with a new recording configuration, a new seating arrangement, and a new sponsorship arrangement — namely, we don’t have one anymore. SuperheroStuff has made some changes in their marketing strategy and as a result won’t be with us any longer (at least for now).

But! That doesn’t mean we don’t have anything to discuss! Because this week is our Halloween edition! It’s our first Halloween with our Horror4Me content, and that gives us plenty to share with you — The Exorcist, The Walking Dead, Channel Zero, Scream Queens, Fear the Walking Dead, and more! (you can read all of our recaps here). Plus scary movies, some that aren’t so scary, and some reasons why.

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137: In Which We Discuss the Chicago Cubs and Fandom

Back to the Future Part II made a gag out of it, but who would have thought we’d actually be talking about the Chicago Cubs wining the World Series? And just one year off from when BTTF predicted it, too…

The reaction of Cubs fans, even baseball fans in general, gives rise to our topic this week: the loyalty of fandom. The drive to know and love something so much you stick with it no matter what. That excited energy that comes with reading the new issue, watching a new season, seeing the next movie, finishing the costume… and our fandom is just as energetic and enthusiastic as sportsball fandom.

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138: In Which We Discuss Jelly Babies, Blue Milk, and Gagh

It’s been a tumultuous week here in the United States. The election has certainly got a lot of people in a state of not-calmness, so we thought we’d avoid talking politics altogether and give everyone a safe space full of breathing room while we talk about food.

Throughout the science fiction and fantasy genres, there have been moments where culinary concoctions make it into our bubble of awareness. From blue milk to Romulan ale, Klingon gagh to Slurm, there are probably more dishes out there than you might think. Because oftentimes it’s just part of the scenery, something in the background. Pay it no mind.

Except this week, we pay it a great deal of mind. Because talking politics right now is likely to get you a side-eye.

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139: In Which We Discuss Syfy’s STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND

Earlier this week, news came down that Syfy will air a new television adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land. Given Syfy’s track record since abandoning “The Sci Fi Channel” as its brand, we thought we’d speculate on whether this is actually a good idea or not. How do you take what’s essentially a think piece and make watchable television fare? How do you present the more “hippie culture” and philosophical aspects of the story?

How do you get away with all the nudity and sex?

Expectations, speculations, and more as we measure what could be a fantastic outing in television compared to others they’ve produced: Dune, Ascension, Childhood’s End, High Moon…

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140: In Which We Discuss How You Can Get Involved

Back from the holiday, and we have a slightly more quiet week. Yes, Star Wars: Rogue One tickets are on sale, but outside of that there’s really not a lot of major news. And the DC television crossover will be a topic for the next Rogues Gallery, so…

We’re opening the floor to your suggestions and ideas. As we head into 2017, we’ll be having a staff meeting/retreat this weekend, where we’ll be discussing what we do next, and we want to hear from you. What kind of content would you like to see on SciFi4Me? What kind of articles should we write? What kind of video should we produce? What kind of content can you send us?

And yes, we get a little silly this week…

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141: In Which We Discuss Wizard World Woes

Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen and heard news about the financial and legal troubles faced by Wizard World. CMO Stephen Shamus was unceremoniously fired, and then Wizard World sued him over allegations that he’d defrauded the company and finagled autographs and collectibles for his own personal pockets.

Then we got word that Wizard World as a company was in the hole for a lot of money. Have they over-extended? Have they reached the point where it’s impossible for them to recover?

This week, we go through the timeline and opine about the state of Wizard World — and by extension, other really big conventions.

Read the legal paperwork here.

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142: In Which We Offer a Sampler and You Make Us An Offer?

As we roll into the holidays, we dive into the last episode of the year and talk about quite a number of different things, offering you a sampler of topics to demonstrate the range of what we discuss on this show. From Star Wars and Star Trek to the pop culture impact of science fiction to politics in the genre, we roam far and wide this week to give you an idea of just where our wanderlust takes us.

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143: In Which We Discuss Our New Format and Plans for 2017

We’re back! It’s our first episode of the new year. First episode on a new day. First episode with the new format. And the first episode where we share with you our plans for 2017.

This week, we go through the new podcast schedule and bring you up to speed on some of our plans for the content we’re going to deliver at SciFi4Me:

• a more consistent podcast release schedule
• more focus on reviews
• more interviews

It’s an effort to deliver more of what you want, so feel free to leave a comment or send an e-mail to let us know what you think of the changes and to make suggestions for future topics.

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144: In Which We Deliver a Fisking to the NEW YORKER … part one

Something we’ve been wanting to do for a while: respond to Richard Brody’s review of Rogue One in The New Yorker.

It’s a painful, pretentious, meandering diatribe against a franchise that, over the past forty years, has impacted film production methods, film music scoring, film editing, merchandising, visual effects production, and film sequel planning in a way that will have a lasting impact long after we’ve gone the way of the pedantic reviewers of the previous technologically challenged generation, and it clearly demonstrates that Mister Brody lacks the fundamental understanding of that which he’s been tasked, either by himself or a masochistic editor, to review with all the preparation of a toddler facing a velociraptor.

How’s that, Mr. Brody?

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145: In Which We Conclude Our Fisking of The NEW YORKER’s Mr. Brody

Last week, we began our response to Richard Brody’s review of Rogue One in The New Yorker.

This week, we conclude our conversation and analysis of Mr. Brody’s review, and we also bring into play other negative reviews of Rogue One. Only those negative reviews focus on specific mechanics and technical aspects of the film. And they don’t include massively long run-on sentences that, when examined with a cursory glance, only serve to belabor an obscure point and leave the reader confused because, as with so many run-on sentences, it’s a stream of consciousness sentence that meanders and wanders and circles around the point, stalking it like a mutated turtle stalks pizza.

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146: In Which We Discuss the Axanar Settlement

Alec Peters is calling it a victory. But is it?

Word came out last week that CBS and Paramount had reached a settlement with Peters and Axanar Productions in the copyright infringement lawsuit. Just days before they were set to go to trial, they issued a joint announcement that a bargain had been put in place. Axanar had to admit to overreaching with their original production, but they can still move forward as long as they stay within the new official guidelines from CBS.

We take a look at what’s public about the deal and discuss what it could mean not only for Axanar, but for fan films in other franchises moving forward.

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147: In Which We Discuss the New DUNE

This week, we got the news that The Arrival director Denis Villeneuve — who also happens to be directing Blade Runner 2049 — will take the helm of the new Dune project that we first learned about back in November.

Frank Herbert’s seminal work has been adapted before, with mixed results. Herbert’s son Brian, along with Kevin J. Anderson, have carried on the Dune saga with various prequels and sequels based on Herbert’s notes, but they’ve also seen mixed reaction. Both Herbert the Younger and Anderson are involved in the project, so it’s likely to be as faithful to the source material as any could be. But Dune is a hefty challenge, with its political, economic, and religious themes key elements in the structure of the story.

How tough is this going to be to present a Dune that’s actually… Dune?

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148: In Which We Discuss Crossing the Livestream

As some of you know, last year we were able to offer unprecedented coverage of Worldcon with our live-stream broadcast from the event in Kansas City. This year, we’re hoping to do more of that from other events. The livestream broadcast certainly seems to be a possible new model for us. And while it’s nothing new when it comes to gaming conventions, it’s still a new concept for the comicons. We’d love to make it the new “normal”…

But what’s involved? What does it take? And where should we go? You can help us decide.

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149: In Which We Discuss the Challenge of Adaptations

Two weeks ago, we discussed the upcoming new adaptation of Dune. It’s going to be a challenge to get it right. Which is the case every time a network or studio takes on the task of adapting a literary work for filmed media. The translation either works or it doesn’t, or it sort of maybe kind of works, or it just barely doesn’t quite work. Or it’s so far off in left field you don’t even recognize it.

So, what are some of the issues inherent in adapting a work for a new medium? We take a crack at examining that very question, and throw out a few stories that actually might make good movies, only nobody else seems to have had the same idea…

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150: In Which We Discuss Books, Audiobooks, and Our New Schedule

Who would have thought we’d make it this far? Episode 150!

This week: discussing the books we’ve been reading — or in Mr. Harvey’s case, hearing. From re-reads to new review copies, plus a bunch of audiobooks, we’re talking about — and recommending — a few titles for you.

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