Join us as we travel to the unknown this month in covering Patrick McHale’s timeless 2014 miniseries Over the Garden Wall. After sharing what’s good (Hades II and Kiki’s Delivery Service), we chat generally about the show’s origins. The spoilers start at 14:17 as we breakdown our favorite themes, episodes, and frog names.
To engage with the fandom, we recommend swinging by r/overthegardenwall. Here’s the post on favorite episode that we referenced in the episode.
If you enjoyed Over the Garden Wall (which you undoubtedly did), consider checking out these tonally-similar works:
Centaurworld
Welcome to Night Vale
Gravity Falls
A Monster Calls
The Decemberists
Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com, or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social.
Shameless plug time! Spencer has published a magical realism novella called Marley’s Christmas.
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We sail the seas hunting for the elusive podcasting shards as we discuss The Wind Waker! We start off with some spoiler-free chatter, sharing our early impressions of the Switch 2, and our history with Zelda (the beloved Nintendo series, that is, not F. Scott Fitzgerald’s mercurial spouse), before diving into the details of this timeless game at 14:40. Along the way, we touch upon the once-bemoaned, now-celebrated art style, which gameplay mechanics have and have not stood the test of time, and the structure of the story.
Other art discussed in this episode:
Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com, or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social.
Grab a weighted blanket and light some calming candles, because we’re talking about cozy art in this month’s Good Art Friends!
(2:41) What’s Good: Dinosaur Pile-Up new album I've Felt Better, IMSA Race, Ryan North’s Fantastic Four run, Long Story Short.
(7:01) Cozy Games: We chat about our experience playing cozy games over the years and attempt to define the genre. Along the way, we touch on Tetris, Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, A Short Hike, Wylde Flowers, Sneaky Sasquatch, Tales of the Shire, the Haunted Chocolatier, and Witchbrook.
(15:00) Tiny Bookshop: We start with an overview of this quirky and quaint game, then dip into mild spoilers starting at when we discuss our favorite characters, locations, items, and storylines from Tiny Bookshop.
Subreddits referenced: r/CozyGamers & r/TinyBookshop (with this thread on best items highlighted)
Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com, or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social.
It is time for our much-anticipated, much-requested, much-ballyhooed Miyazaki retrospective episode! Each month we’ve chatted briefly about a different Miyazaki movie and since we’ve covered all twelve, it’s time for us to cover his entire catalog. We counted down our five favorite films of his, preceded by a few honorable mention selections. There are some mild spoilers for each movie, so feel free to use the following timestamps to skip any that you have not yet seen (but also: go watch those, because every single Miyazaki movie is pure gold).
3:59 | Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro
9:24 | The Boy and the Heron
10:55 | Ponyo
12:38 | Princess Mononoke
15:26 | Howl’s Moving Castle
18:54 | The Wind Rises
22:21 | Castle in the Sky
26:06 | My Neighbor Totoro
31:31 | Kiki’s Delivery Service
35:55 | Spirited Away
Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com, or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social.
It’s the Sad Art Friends! In this episode, we share our favorite sad songs. Breakups! Familial strife! Funerals! Sick kids! Burnt boats! Tune in to wallow in all that delightful misery.
You can listen to a playlist of all these sensationally sorrowful songs on Spotify and Apple Music.
Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com, or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social.
This month’s episode starts with a chat about Studio Ghibli’s delightfully idiosyncratic Porco Rosso, before an opening conversation about Spanish Love Song’s 2020 album Brave Faces Everyone. We paused at 13:45 to listen to the album repeatedly for a few weeks, then engaged in a deep dive into the lyrics, music, and context for this beautifully challenging album.
Interviews referenced: The Rodeo, The Alternative, Atwood Magazine, and a February 2021 Twitter thread that we won’t link to because, ya know, fascism.
Next topics: Miyazaki in July and The Wind Waker in August.
Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com, or connect on Bluesky at @goodartfriends.bsky.social.
The episode starts with a quick Miyazaki Minute on Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1:35), before a spoiler-free introduction to Amal El-Mohtar’s 2025 novella The River Has Roots. The spoilers start at 11:37 as Spencer and Jonathan break down the story’s characters, lyrical prose, and conception of magic.
Our topic next month is Spanish Love Songs’ 2020 album Brave Faces Everyone.
Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com, or connect on Bluesky with Jonathan and Spencer.
Spencer and Jonathan have often been referred to as “The Podcasters Without Fear,” which makes them the perfect duo to tackle the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again. Before doing so, there’s a quick Miyazaki Minute on The Wind Rises (next month: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind). Then they engage in some spoiler-free conversation about their relationships with The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. They return at 23:30 to break down the nine episode season, touching on key themes, notable moments, and characters staring poignantly out windows.
Next month: The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
Connect with us on Bluesky:
Jonathan: https://bsky.app/profile/jduren9.bsky.social
Spencer: https://bsky.app/profile/spencermakesstuff.bsky.social
Spencer and Jonathan are joined by friends of the show Stephen and Tyler to pick the best baseball uniforms of all time. As is the case with all great podcast episodes, there is a disproportionate amount of vest-talk in this one.
To view pictures of each of their picks, check out this Google Doc.
Be sure to check out Stephen’s baseball podcast, Batting Around (Bluesky, Patreon)
Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com, or connect on Bluesky with Jonathan and Spencer.
The Good Art Friends hasn’t coveredThe Princess Bride yet?!? INCONCEIVABLE! Well, that wrong has been righted, as Spencer and Jonathan dive into this timeless classic for their Valentine’s Day episode. Before discussing Cary Elwes’ luxurious hair, they announce their role in the Neurodivergent Podcast Collective, and recommend the incomparableAutistic Culture Podcast. There’s then a quick Miyazaki Minute on the other-worldlyCastle in the Sky (8:25) followed by some spoiler-free reminiscence on how they first engaged withThe Princess Bride (both the movie and book). At 16:00 they discuss the action, dialogue, and effects of this wonderful and whimsical movie.
Connect with us on Bluesky:
Jonathan: https://bsky.app/profile/jduren9.bsky.social
Spencer: https://bsky.app/profile/spencermakesstuff.bsky.social
Remember: Life is pain; anyone who says otherwise is selling something; Spencer is currently doing both, as he is selling a supernatural thriller about vampires who prey on the vulnerable.
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***As You Wish***
What’s better than two good art friends? Four good art friends! Jonathan and Spencer are joined by Tyler and Ellie to draft media coming out in 2025. Each participant selected a movie, a show, a musical event, and a wildcard. Tune in for a competitive draft and a surprising amount of dinosaur talk!
Send us a message at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com, or connect on Bluesky with Jonathan and Spencer.
December means many things: Short days, festive holidays, and--most of all--the Garts! That’s right, it’s time for our end-of-year awards! Spencer and Jonathan share their favorite art from 2024: Movies, music, shows, books, comics, and mustaches!
Connect with us on Bluesky:
Shameless Plug! Pick up a copy of Spencer’s supernatural thriller The Staff and the Stake:
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You will curse the day that you did not do all that The Good Art Friends asked of you! Not because we’re as domineering as the Phantom, but because we just ask you to engage with wonderful art such as The Phantom of the Opera. The episode starts with some spoiler-free discussion, before launching into our analysis of this haunting and moving musical at 19:22. We guarantee that your time with us won’t result in any Stockholm Syndrom, unlike Christine's time with the Phantom.
Other art discussed in this episode: Princess Mononoke; a bunch of Zelda games; The Wood at Midwinter; Fame; Porgy & Bess; The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt; Wuthering Heights; and The Bear.
Coming up next month: The Garts! Our end-of-year awards!
Shameless Plug! Pick up a copy of Spencer’s supernatural thriller The Staff and the Stake:
Bookshop | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
🎶
Good Art Friends
Good Art Friends
Talk about a comic book:
Ultimate Spider-Man!
Six issues are in the can,
Look out,
Here come the Good Art Friends!
We recommend
Tuning in
To this book by Hickman
With art by Checchetto;
This comic is worth a go!
Hey there!
Let’s chat about Spider-Man!
🎶
We promise our podcasting will be better than our lyric writing in this episode where we break down the first issues of the 2024 Ultimate Spider-Man. The spoilers for these issues (which are available now as a trade paper-back or on Marvel Unlimited) kick in at 21:40.
Other art discussed in this episode (there was a lot!): Pumpkin beers & ciders; Howl’s Moving Castle; V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic trilogy; Marvel vs Capcom; Sunday comics such as Peanuts & Family Circus; Saturday morning cartoons such as X-Men TAS and Spider-Man TAS; Brian Michael Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man run; Devil Dinosaur; It’s Jeff; Avengers Academy; Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye; Kieron Gillen’s Young Avengers; Maximum Carnage; G Willow Wilson’s Ms. Marvel; Chip Zdarsky’s Daredevil; Kelly Sue DeConnick’s Wonder Woman Historia; Ryan North’s Fantastic Four; Brian Vaughan’s Saga; N.K. Jemisin’s Green Lantern; Cody Ziglar’s Spider-Punk; Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay; Megalopolis; Eve Ewing’s Exceptional X-Men; Joe Kelly’s upcoming Eight Deaths of Spider-Man.
Shameless Plug! Pick up a copy of Spencer’s supernatural thriller The Staff and the Stake:
Bookshop | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
We start by wishing we could inhabit the world of Kiki’s Delivery Service for our Miyazaki Minute, before setting the table for My Chemical Romance’s 2006 release The Black Parade. At 14:10 we enter into the spoiler section of the show, and proceed to gush about the lyrics and arrangement of this remarkable concept album. Along the way, we reference the influences of the album, when MCR put the album in the casket in Mexico City, share interpretations of the overarching storyline, and wonder whether the record was cursed!
Other art discussed in this episode: My Chemical Romance’s discography; songs with ridiculously long titles; Bright Eyes; Taking Back Sunday; crying on air; The Decemberists; Spanish Love Songs; Camus’ The Plague; The Corpse Bride; and the cozy concept of Autumn.
Next month’s episode: Ultimate Spider-Man 1-6 (available as a trade paperback or on Marvel Unlimited)
Shameless Plug! Pick up a copy of Spencer’s supernatural thriller The Staff and the Stake:
Bookshop | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
The episode kicks off with a Miyazaki Minute on Spirited Away, before chatting about the state of video games. They discuss the benefits of video games developed by a small team and then transition into some spoiler-free talk about Animal Well. Then they analyze this beautiful, enigmatic pixel-art game (19:29). After that--since they’re feeling generous--they break down the long-awaited return of NCAA Football (32:23). Just how many points will Jonathan drop on Spencer? Tune in to find out!
Other art discussed in this episode: Stardew Valley; Metroid Dread; Tunic; Death’s Door; Balatro; Hyper Light Drifter, A Short Hike, Celeste, Monster Train, Tecmo Bowl, and for some reason a bunch of James Joyce novels.
Shameless Plug! Pick up a copy of Spencer’s supernatural thriller The Staff and the Stake:
Bookshop | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
The episode kicks off with some hockey-talk and a Miyazaki Minute on Spirited Away, before turning to Chad Harbach’s 2011 novel The Art of Fielding. Spencer and Jonathan have a spoiler-free chat about what makes for a great baseball story and what they should expect from this coming-of-age novel. Then at 15:12 they return after reading the book to dive into this beautiful, poetic novel. They discuss their favorite passages, themes, and quotes, before wrapping up by choosing player comps for each of the main characters.
Other art discussed in this episode: Various baseball movies, Hilda, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and following a historically bad baseball team.
Connect on Threads at TheGoodArt Friends or send us messages at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com
This month Spencer and Jonathan dive into Sufjan Stevens’ 2023 album Javelin. The first half of the episode touches on the entirety of Sufjan’s career, then at 21:50 they dive into his latest record, in all of its lyrical and melodic beauty.
Also discussed in this episode: My Neighbor Totoro, 12-hour car races, Susan Cain’s Quiet, and cat towers.
Next month’s topic: The Art of Fielding by Chard Harbach
Welcome to The Good Art Friends, where good friends discuss good art! In our inaugural episode, we tackle Hayao Miyazaki’s latest and last film, The Boy and the Heron. The first half of the episode is a spoilers-free discussion of Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli films as well as our relationship with them. Then we enter into a spoilerific conversation on The Boy and the Heron (16:49).
Next month we’ll chat about Sufjan Stevens’ album Javelin, so be sure to give it a listen before tuning in!
Contact us on Threads at TheGoodArt Friends and send us an email at TheGoodArtFriends@gmail.com