Description
First-time guest Andy Hartzell joins Joe to discuss his graphic novel Monday. Monday tells the story of Eve and Adam trying to navigate their first days after creation as Snake offers suggestions about what they should do and God is interested in making one more creation.
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Monday - Publisher website

Description
Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss the Japanese film Grave of the Fireflies. This 1998 film was produced by Studio Ghibli and directed by Isao Takahata. It is based on the semi-autobiographical short story of the same name by Akiuki Nosaka and tells the story of Japanese siblings trying to survive the end of World War II.
Show Notes

Grave of the Fireflies - Wikipedia
Isao Takahata - Wikipedia
Studio Ghibli - Wikipedia

 

Description
Protagonist Podcast co-founder Todd Mack is back for our annual Halloween Special. In this episode, we play a game of Halloween Fives, where a random Halloween topic is given and we each need to fill out a list of five that fits that criteria. Enjoy the spooky season!

Description
Returning guest Josh Allen joins Joe to discuss the Stephen King novel Salem's Lot. King's second novel tells the story of a small town in Maine being overrun by vampires, and the few citizens who realize what is happening and try to stop them. 
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Show Notes

'Salem's Lot - Wikipedia
Stephen King - Wikipedia

Description
Returning guest Nik English joins Joe to discuss the tv show Resident Alien. This sci-fi dramedy series stars Alan Tudyk as an alien who wants to destroy earth but is disguised as the human Harry Vanderspiegle. We discuss the tone of the series, Alan Tudyk's performance, and also the delightful side characters in the series.
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Show Notes

Resident Alien - Wikipedia
Alan Tudyk - Wikipedia

Description
First time guest Valentino Zullo joins Joe to discuss "Kamen's Kalamity," a story from the EC Comics Tales from the Crypt #31. We discuss the place of EC Comics in pop culture history, and also dig into this particular story which is a fantastical semi-autobiographical story of how the artist Jack Kamen came to draw horror comics for EC Comics. 
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Show Notes

Jack Kamen - Wikipedia
EC Comics - Wikipedia

Description
Returning guests Lena English and Tayler Iverson join Joe to discuss the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You. Based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, this film moves the plot to an American high school in the late 1990s. Starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger, the film follows the tangled love lives of a group of teenagers.
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Show Notes

10 Things I Hate About You - Wikipedia
10 Things I Hate About You - IMDB

Description
First-time guest Joseph Darowski (hi, Dad) joins returning guest John Darowski and Joe to discuss to stories about supernatural dangers faced by humans as they take to the skies. "The Horror of the Heights" is a 1913 short story by Arthur Conan Doyle about the mysterious deaths of pilots who are attempting to break altitude records in the early days of manned flight. "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" is a classic Twilight Zone episode about a man trying to overcome his fear of flying who is the only one on a flight who sees a gremlin damaging the wing of the plane.
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Show Notes

The Horror of the Heights - Wikipedia
Arthur Conan Doyle - Wikipedia
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet - Wikipedia
The Twilight Zone - Wikipedia

Description
Returning guest Josh Allen joins Joe to discuss the animated series Gravity Falls. The series is animated fantasy/comedy/cryptid/coming of age/mystery/adventure show and it is fantastic. We're talking about the 12-year-old twins Mabel and Dipper, who go to spend the Summer with their Great Uncle Stan in the small town of Gravity Falls where they start to discover strange supernatural conspiracies.
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Show Notes

Gravity Falls - Wikipedia
Alex Hirsch - Wikipedia

Description
Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss the long history of adapting Superman into additional media outside of the comic books where the character first appeared. John is the editor of the essay collection Adapting Superman, making him an expert on this topic.
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Show Notes

Adapting Superman - Amazon

Description
Returning guest Andrew Deman joins Joe to discuss the comic book issue X-Factor #87 which had a cover date of December 1992. This classic issues sees a therapist meet with each member of the team and provide new insights into their personalities and motivations. The issue was written by the legendary comic book writer Peter David, and we take some time to discuss his legacy and impact on the industry.
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Show Notes

X-Factor - Wikipedia
Peter David - Wikipedia
Joe Quesada Wikipedia

Description
Producer Andrew joins Joe to discuss the classic western film Shane. Based on the 1949 novel by Jack Schaefer, the film was directed by George Stevens and stars Alan Ladd as Shane and Van Hefline as Joe. It tells the story of a drifter cowboy coming into town and helping the homesteaders fight off an evil cattle baron.
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Show Notes

Shane (film) - Wikipedia
Shane (book) - WIkipedia

Description
Returning guest Kestra Darowski joins Producer Andrew and Joe to discuss the novel Castle of Water. This novel by Dane Hucklebridge tells the story of a stranded pair of strangers trying to survive on a deserted island. 
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Show Notes

Dane Huckelbridge - Author website

Description
First-time (sort of) guest Stephanie Siler joins Joe to discuss the classic tv mystery show Monk. Adrian Monk, played by Tony Shalhoub, is an obsessive compulsive private investigator who struggles with all of the phobias while also solving a mystery each week. We're discussing why the show was so successful, the strengths of the performances, and what distinguishes it from other shows in the same genre.
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Show Notes

Monk - Wikipedia
Monk - IMDB

Returing guest Chris "Mav" Maverick and Stephanie Siler join Joe to discuss the inverted detective story, also sometimes called the HowCatchem instead of the WhoDunIt. In these stories, the audience knows how the bad guy is (often the murderer), and the tension is in how the protagonist detective figures it out and catches them rather than in trying to work out the mystery of who the perpetrator is. We discuss the effect this change has on the audience, popular examples of the genre, and why this tweak on an established genre has proven enduring.

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Show Notes
The VoxPopCast - Official podcast website

Description
Returning guest Wayne Wise joins Joe to discuss Love and Rockets, one of the iconic independent comic books from the 1980s. Created by the Hernandez Bros, we are discussing some of the first stories they produced in this long-running series. It's hard to describe the exact tone and narrative of this eclectic series, but we enjoy talking through these stories and the comic's longer legacy.
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Show Notes

Love and Rockets - Wikipedia
Hernandez Bros - Wikipedia

Description
Returning guest Virginia McAlister joins Joe to discuss the first novel about Jack Ryan, a character who has been adapted into many different media since his debut appearance. Written by Jack Ryan, The Hunt for Red October tells the story of a Russian submarine commander who is attempting to defect to the United States and CIA analyst who tries to convince the intelligence community that this is an actual defection and not some part of a Cold War Russian plot. 
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Show Notes

The Hunt for Red October - Wikipedia
Tom Clancy - Wikipedia

 

Description
Returning guest Branden Ushio joins Joe for a trip down 80s-Nostalgia Lane as they discuss The Karate Kid. We're talking about Mr. Miyagi and Daniel LaRusso, one of the iconic teacher-student pairings in pop culture. We discuss the real-world inspirations for the film, what makes this particular film work so well, and some of the differences between 1980s productions and modern productions.
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Show Notes

The Karate Kid - Wikipedia
The Karate Kid - IMDB
The Karate Kid Oral History - Sports Illustrated

Desription
Producer Andrew and Joe are talking about a classic tv sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. We talk about the show's legacy, the cast's roles in the series, and why this remains an iconic piece of popular culture.
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Show Notes

The Andy Griffith Show - Wikipedia
Andy Griffith - WIkipedia

Special Guest Gabriel McKee joins Joe to discuss the early history of UFO stories in American culture. McKee has a new book, The Saucerian, that is about Gray Barker, one of the early publishers to promote and publish UFO stories.
Show Notes

Gabriel McKee - Author website