Gobbledygeek

One is born of Harlem; one is born of vengeance. One hopes to attain the Glow; one hopes to slake the bloodthirst of the mother she never met. For the latest Geek Challenge, Paul challenges Arlo to 1985's Motown martial arts picture The Last Dragon, while Arlo challenges Paul to 1973's Japanese exploitation classic Lady Snowblood. (The two films are obviously very similar.) As always, the boys learn more about each other and the differences in how they perceive the cinematic world. Arlo loves hilariously bad "anti-great" movies, so why does The Last Dragon leave him bored? Paul digs tales of otherworldly revenge, so what is it about Lady Snowblood that doesn't quite click for him? Plus, before the usual disagreement, the boys concur in a brief, spoiler-free discussion of Yorgos Lanthimos' The Lobster.   Next: the truth? Still out there. Continuing our sporadic discussion of Chris Carter's seminal sci-fi series The X-Files, everybody's favorite Brit Wesley "Wezzo" Mead stops by to chat season 2.

I took the turkey's pen Here we go again. It’s Koko with that joke flow that cannot slow, you're like "oh, hell no" But oh yes... success! Tabrys is here to explain with the help of his inability to refrain From outshouting Paul and AJ On topics that are like dropkicks to your brain Yo here's what this episode of Gobble is set to contain:   Random Dave Koz mentions! Adult hyperactivity on display! A random remembrance of The Postman Always Rings Twice! How there's too much good stuff to watch and the resulting Fear Of Missing Out syndrome! Things get weird! Things get sexy!   Special Guest: Waterdancer, writer, and amateur knuckleballer A. Jason Tabrys.   Next: how to train your lady dragon? For another Geek Challenge, Paul and Arlo watch the very, very loosely connected martial arts movies Lady Snowblood and The Last Dragon.

Strap on your aprons and grab your spatulas, it's the new episode of Gobbledygeek! This week, Arlo finally gets Paul to go along with his crazy culinary crusade, as the boys cook two burgers apiece from The Bob's Burgers Burger Book. Paul slathers blueberries and watermelon on his, Arlo tosses some broccoli and artichoke on his; all laws of kitchen decorum go out the window when you're making burgers inspired by one of TV's weirdest and funniest shows. Plus, the boys delve into comics controversy with looks at DC Universe: Rebirth, Captain America: Steve Rogers, and Future Quest.   Next: "Koko B There," Jason Tabrys said. There was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth, and the moon became as red as blood.

Times are tough in Matt Wagner's nightmarish neon near-future New York as Paul and Arlo continue their year-long Four-Color Flashback trip through Grendel. This time, the boys finish out "Devil's Legacy" with chapters 8-12 of Grendel Omnibus: Vol. 2 (that's pp. 247-370, if you need to know). What exactly is the devil's legacy? How do Hunter Rose's actions reverberate through the generations, as his "step-granddaughter" Christine Spar once more puts on the mask and picks up the fork? Paul and Arlo search for an answer while drawing a through-line between Grendel and fellow class of '86-ers Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, poring over the myriad bizarre details of the Pander Brothers' artwork, and lauding the achievements of one McGruff the Crime Dog. Plus, a brief, spoiler-free discussion of the pilot episode of AMC's Preacher adaptation.   Next: strap on your aprons and grab your spatulas! The Deli Counter of Justice authors man their own deli counters, each cooking two burgers apiece from The Bob's Burg

After many months of mounting obsession, Paul and Arlo finally tackle Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway phenomenon Hamilton: An American Musical. (We hope you've been willing to wait for it.) Joining them is fellow Hamilton superfan Matthew Jackson, a contributing editor for Blastr.com and entertainment writer for Playboy.com. The gang discusses the impact Hamilton has had on them, its dizzying structure (both in terms of story and stage), the radical way it melds hip-hop with theater with history, and the potential it has for the future. Plus, there's a remembrance of the late, great comics artist and writer Darwyn Cooke.   Next: Paul and Arlo continue their year-long Four-Color Flashback exploration of Matt Wagner's Grendel with "Devil's Legacy, Pt. 2," collected in Grendel Omnibus: Vol. 2, pp. 247-370.

Are these the men with which I am to defend Captain America? Well yes, but ladies first: K. Dale Koontz and her husband/Wanna Cook? co-author Ensley F. Guffey, colloquially known as Guffey und Koontz, are here to talk Captain America: Civil War with Paul and Arlo. The 13th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe trades world annihilation for an ideological spat, as Cap and Iron Man disagree about how best to flex the Avengers' supermuscle. The gang discusses this change of pace, whether the premise works, how it differs from the infamous comics event, and the franchise's new players (Black Panther! Spider-Man!). Plus, if that wasn't patriotic enough for you, The Americans continues to be one of the best shows on television.   Next: pop culture writer Matthew Jackson stops by to gush about Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical phenomenon Hamilton, including its new behind-the-scenes book, Hamilton: The Revolution.

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life. Sometimes, that means mourning one of our fallen heroes. This week, Paul and Arlo celebrate the work of one Prince Rogers Nelson, who hybridized funk, rock, R&B, and soul into his own distinct brand of ass-wigglin', housequakin' music before passing away last month at the age of 57. The boys discuss their favorite songs and albums, from the iconic ("Purple Rain," "Kiss") to the more obscure ("Starfish and Coffee," "7"). Then they set their sights on four of the Purple One's films: 1984's melodramatic, kinetic Purple Rain; 1986's black-and-white curiosity Under the Cherry Moon; 1990's baffling Graffiti Bridge; and 1987's incredibly hard to find concert film Sign 'o' the Times. Let's go crazy. Plus, Paul went to a Beyoncé concert and there are brief, spoiler-free discussions of High-Rise and Keanu.   Next: it's patriotism vs. capitalism, independence vs. regulation, retro '40s ideals vs. cutting-edge smarm. Guffey und Koontz s

For their second Four-Color Flashback installment discussing Matt Wagner's Grendel, Paul and Arlo jump into the first half of the first proper story arc, “Devil’s Legacy" chapters 1-7, collected in Grendel Omnibus: Vol. 2 - The Legacy, pp. 66-246. (This thing's had a convoluted publishing history.) Anyways, as the boys discover, there's been a radical shift from the series' introductory story. Gone is Wagner's Art Deco-cum-manga art style, replaced by the vibrant, angular artwork of Jacob and Arnold Pander; the storyline has also moved into the "near future" circa 1986, which thanks to some clever math, Paul figures out is probably somewhere around 2005. Most importantly, Grendel's mask is now worn by Hunter Rose's step-granddaughter, journalist Christine Spar, who is spurred into action by personal tragedy. Do these stylistic shifts work? Is Wagner's overblown dialogue a noir-ish affectation or merely self-indulgent? Remember when Donahue was a thing? All this and more, plus Paul and Arlo are shocked by the

Paul and Arlo want to believe. They also don't want to start yet another spin-off podcast, so this week marks the first of ten sporadic installments discussing Chris Carter's seminal sci-fi series The X-Files. Joining them to discuss the first season is Wesley "Wezzo" Mead, who beams on over from the UK in his (presumably very British) spaceship. Paul talks about what it was like to watch The X-Files every week with the lights out, Wezzo recalls discovering the show as a young TV obsessive, and Arlo offers the perspective of someone watching the show for the very first time. The gang loves the mutual respect between Mulder and Scully, struggles with some very "freshman season" hours, and are in unanimous agreement on the season's best episode. Plus, Arlo commits hate crimes against the British and there's a spoiler-free discussion of Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book.   Next: the second installment of our Four-Color Flashback series analyzing Matt Wagner's Grendel takes a look at Devil's Legacy, Pt. 1, collected

This week, Paul and Arlo transcend obscenity with Donora Hillard, whose writing takes many forms, including that sequined distillation of anxiety: poetry. Her new collection Jeff Bridges finds poetry in the man himself, an actor me and you and everyone we know loves instinctively. What is it about Bridges? What about him inspired a book's worth of poems? Paul and Arlo attempt to find the answer while discussing with Donora their struggles with poetry, why people think words are scary, and the Bridges-starring 1984 film Starman.   Next: in lieu of starting yet another spin-off podcast, Paul and Arlo are going to begin analyzing the seminal '90s sci-fi series The X-Files within Gobbledygeek itself. Wesley "Wezzo" Mead beams over from the UK  on his flying saucer to discuss the first season.

In this corner: striking terror into the hearts of cowardly and superstitious criminals, a creature of the night, black, terrible, it's the Dark Knight of Gotham City...Batman! And in this corner: faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, unable to get his own sequel not stuffed with a thousand other characters, it's the Last Son of Krypton...Superman! With Zack Snyder's hands in the toybox, they must now v each other in preparation for the dawn of next year's Justice League. Kenn Edwards, host of So Let's Get to the Point, joins Paul and Arlo to discuss the superheroic epic Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Is Snyder's Superman a Randian superman? How does Ben Affleck fare as the Caped Crusader? Is the film as much of a mess as you may have heard? The boys get to the bottom of all this, not to mention another of Kenn's metatextual monologues. Plus, Arlo's had a name change, and Paul saw Hamilton on Broadway.   Next: poet Donora Hillard joins us to discuss her new book Jeff Bridges. Pl

It's happened again. Paul has become obsessed with another movie, necessitating a bonus episode that simply couldn't fit in the regular Gobbledygeek schedule. This time, Paul is wild about Disney's Zootopia, which tells the story of bunny cop Judy Hopps and con fox Nick Wilde, who team up on a case that goes to surprising lengths in uncovering systemic oppression in the animal kingdom. Paul and Arlo discuss the film's take on racism and sexism, debate its effectiveness in shedding light on those subjects, and discover some truly hideous "fan art."

Spring has sprung, which means it's time for another Four-Color Flashback! In years past, Paul and Arlo have explored the dream worlds of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and the cartoonish fantasy of Jeff Smith's Bone. They'll be devoting 2016 to Matt Wagner's magnum opus Grendel. There's a wealth of material out there, but the boys will attempt to stick to the original series, which has been collected in various formats. For this introductory episode, they turn to the first Grendel story, "Devil by the Deed," which can be found in Grendel Omnibus: Volume One - Hunter Rose, pp. 7-45. What's it about? Good question! You see, there's this wealthy playboy named Hunter Rose who writes bestselling novels while also masquerading as Grendel, who seeks control of the mob underworld. In his downtime, he fights an Algonquin werewolf called Argent. Paul recalls what initially drew him to Grendel, while first-time reader Arlo finds it...interesting. The boys discuss Wagner's manga-meets-Art Deco style, his experimental storyte

When the apocalypse happens, wouldn't you want to wake up in an underground bunker, shackled to a wall and pricked with a makeshift IV by none other than American screen luminary John Goodman? Well, cult icon-in-the-making Mary Elizabeth Winstead isn't thrilled by her new circumstances, while the amiably bearded John Gallagher Jr. just wants everyone to get along. Paul and AJ, meanwhile, contemplate 10 Cloverfield Lane's connection to 2008's found footage monster mash Cloverfield, debate its effectiveness as a psychological thriller, and stick up for child killers (wait, no, that's just Paul). Plus, AJ's dying. Again.   Next: Four-Color Flashback 2016 kicks off with a look at the first story arc of Matt Wagner's Grendel, "Devil by the Deed."

Later this month, Paul and AJ will begin a new Four-Color Flashback series exploring Matt Wagner's Grendel. Before they do, though, they're making a return trip to the Dreaming for another look at Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, which they pored over in 2014. Their The Deli Counter of Justice collaborator Eric Sipple joins the boys to discuss The Sandman: Overture, which takes place both before and after Gaiman's original 75-issue opus. The gang raves about J.H. Williams III's mind-expanding artwork, discusses how Overture fares as a prequel, questions its additions to the mythos, and compares the Dream we met in the first chapter of The Sandman to the one we know by the final chapter of Overture.   Next: after a week off, the boys visit their neighbors down at 10 Cloverfield Lane.

Paul and AJ take one final plunge into Hitchcock Month for a look at 1945's Spellbound, in which Ingrid Bergman falls in love with Gregory Peck on the way to psychoanalyzing him; and 1958's Vertigo, wherein James Stewart becomes obsessed with Kim Novak, or at least his (and Hitchcock's) icy blonde ideal of her. Joining them on this downhill drive is Broken Magic author and The Deli Counter of Justice co-editor Eric Sipple. The boys discuss how the films deal with love and dreams, how much Hitchcock intentionally revealed of himself in his work, Salvador Dalí's surreal contribution to Spellbound, and what Vertigo's reputation as the new greatest movie ever made means for its legacy.   Next: Eric is back for another dreamy outing, as we return to the series we covered in 2014's Four-Color Flashback for The Sandman: Overture by Neil Gaiman and J.H. Williams III.

How many walls does a podcast have? Can we break them? Because movies have four, and Deadpool takes a wrecking ball to the fourth one. In the midst of Hitchcock Month, Paul and AJ are rolling out a bonus episode about the Merc with a Mouth's meta movie. Neither one of them are particularly enamored with the Deadpool of comics fame, but how does that affect their view of Ryan Reynolds' passion project? (Spoiler alert: they disagree. Kind of.) Under discussion: the movie's raunchy sense of humor, whether or not it has a heart, Reynolds' RDJ moment, and what Deadpool's success could mean for the future of offbeat superhero movies. Nary a chimichanga in sight.

For the penultimate installment of Hitchcock Month, Paul and AJ continue their tour of Hitch's limited-setting films with a look at 1944's Lifeboat, wherein a group including Tallulah Bankhead's socialite reporter winds up sailing under Walter Slezak's Nazi; and 1954's Dial M for Murder, in which the dashing Ray Milland conspires to murder the unfaithful Grace Kelly. Joining them is Ensley F. Guffey, one-half of Guffey und Koontz, the writing team behind Wanna Cook? The Complete, Unofficial Companion to Breaking Bad. Ensley is also admittedly not much of a Hitchcock fan, which makes for some interesting discussion. The boys debate the merit of these films, which by some accounts may be the least interesting selections so far; delve into the political climate that birthed Lifeboat; wonder what Dial M for Murder would have looked like in 3D; and take a guess at what drew Hitchcock to confined spaces.   Next: Hitchcock Month closes with a leap of faith from Broken Magic author and The Deli Counter of Justice co-

Three men. One room. Now the fun begins. (Feel free to interpret that any way you wish.) Hitchcock Month continues, as A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis drops by to discuss 1948's Rope, wherein John Dall and Farley Granger's perfect murder is in danger of being unraveled by Jimmy Stewart; and 1954's Rear Window, in which Stewart's busted-up photographer spies on his neighbors, including a potentially murderous Raymond Burr. Paul, AJ, and Joe discuss the one-take gimmickry of Rope and how it translates the stage to screen; the homosexual subtext (or text) of that film; what Hitchcock had to say about voyeurs; and Hitch's subversive casting of the all-American Jimmy Stewart.   Next: Hitchcock Month continues, as Wanna Cook? co-author Ensley F. Guffey discusses 1944's Lifeboat and 1954's Dial M for Murder.

In years past, Paul and AJ have devoted month-long chunks of the show to Quentin Tarantino, modern film's remix master; and Hayao Miyazaki, Japan's animation master. For 2016, the boys are devoting February to another cinematic maestro: Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense. The first pair of films under discussion are 1943's Shadow of a Doubt, wherein Joseph Cotten's killer misanthrope shares blood (and a telepathic link) with young Teresa Wright; and 1951's Strangers on a Train, in which Robert Walker commits a murder for Farley Granger and expects him to return the favor. Joining Paul and AJ for this double about doubles is Aja Romano, geek culture writer for The Daily Dot, who educates the boys on why these are her favorite Hitchcock films. The gang talks Hitchcock's perfect mise en scene, why and how trains are important to the Master's work, the films' incestuous and homoerotic (not to mention vampiric!) undertones, and much more.   Next: Hitchcock Month continues as A/V writer-director Joseph Lewis