Gobbledygeek

The Deli Counter of Justice drops in less than a week, on Wednesday, November 5, and thus we have reached our final author interview. Paul Smith, part of the collection's braintrust alongside AJ and Eric, talks about his story "...A Hero Only One," which concerns Piecemaker's former sidekick Crashtest. Paul discusses the fact that this is the first piece of writing he's finished, which he claims led to plenty of self-flagellation, banging his head into hard surfaces, and lots of alcohol; the decades he's spent reading comics, superheroic and otherwise; and his storytelling start as an RPG game master. Next: no more interviews, but there will be one more podcast before the book's release!

Alyssa Herron doesn't have a lot of experience with superheroes, which is exactly why The Deli Counter of Justice crew tapped her to contribute to the anthology. Paul and Eric talk to Alyssa about her story "Delilah by Proxy," which she describes as a superhero story for people who would never read superhero stories. They discuss how Alyssa's love affair with writing started with a poetry contest, her outline-heavy approach to this story, and how her acting experience informs her ability to take notes. Next: for our final author interview, AJ and Eric turn to one of their own, Paul Smith, on Thursday, October 30.

Smoke Gets in Your Ears: A Mad Men Podcast co-hosts Kenn Edwards and Joseph Lewis check in to Gobbledyween 2014 to talk The Shining with Paul and AJ. A large part of the conversation revolves around a question you may not have asked about Stanley Kubrick's 1980 Stephen King adaptation: is it supposed to be funny? AJ's not sure and has mixed feelings on the overbearing synth score and lack of subtlety, while Joe argues it's really a darkly hilarious family comedy. Other points of discussion include how supernatural the film is or isn't, how to read the ending, and the insane fan theory documentary Room 237. Plus, the gang offers thoughts on The Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer and raves about the podcast Serial. Next: Gobbledyween comes to a close for another year as Greg Sahadachny of The Debatable Podcast stops by to discuss Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

As our author interviews for The Deli Counter of Justice continue, editor-in-chief Arlo J. Wiley (or AJ when he's not being pretentious) finds himself in the hot seat. AJ discusses his short story "Innovation," about a D-list supervillain who starts frequenting the deli he doesn't realize is owned by his former archnemesis. Other points of discussion are AJ's history with screenwriting, how he learned to read in part from '70s and '80s superhero comics, and about his desire to take superheroes in a new direction. Next: Paul and Eric chat with "Delilah by Proxy" author Alyssa Herron.

Superheroes aren't all fisticuffs and laser vision. They're also poetry in motion, something C. Gayle Seaman hits upon with her contribution to The Deli Counter of Justice, the poem "Spring Memories," in which a young man reflects on a childhood encounter with his idol Piecemaker. Paul and AJ talk to Gayle about her family's history in the newspaper business, the romance novel she wrote a few years back, and how the fairy tale characters of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm were her first superheroes. Next: on Thursday, October 23, Paul and Eric turn the tables on AJ to discuss his story "Innovation."

Mad scientist (and The Deli Counter of Justice co-editor) Eric Sipple joins Paul and AJ for the second feature attraction of Gobbledyween 2014: Stuart Gordon's 1985 cult classic Re-Animator. The two biggest surprises about Gordon's loose Lovecraft adaptation are 1) that it's a genuinely well-made film and 2) that Jeffrey Combs' batshit crazy Dr. Herbert West isn't actually the main character. The gang discusses the movie's boring-ass protagonist, its demented sense of humor, and the arguable merits of that scene. You know the one. Plus, the boys talk Marvel's Civil War plans and AJ reads Mary Shelley's classic Frankenstein.     Next: Smoke Gets in Your Ears: A Mad Men Podcast co-hosts Kenn Edwards and Joseph Lewis check in to discuss Stanley Kubrick's 1981 Stephen King adaptation The Shining.

Superheroes don't always slap on shiny spandex to soar the friendly skies. They also "lurk in the shadows and skulk in darkness," as Kitty Chandler puts it. Rashida, the young woman at the center of Kitty's The Deli Counter of Justice story "Calculated Risk," is one of those. She spends hours in her basement doing off-the-grid surveillance, dispatching nearby heroes to deal with crimes no one else is paying attention to...until one day, when things don't go quite as planned. AJ and Eric talk with Kitty about her previous experience with anthologies (including her own, Black Ice), her devotion to any and all X-Men comics, and how guidance from her "editrix" improves her writing. Next: Paul and AJ interview C. Gayle Seaman, one of two poets whose work appears in the book.

AJ and Eric sit down with the esteemed Karen Wellenkamp (@QuoterGal), who served as cover designer for The Deli Counter of Justice. Working with Blair J. Campbell's terrific artwork, Karen decided where all the words on the book's front and back covers should go, and how they should look. She talks about her decades-long career as a designer, her preference for detective novels over superheroes, the great deal of research that goes into her process, and even an unused Gobbledygeek logo she created. Next: AJ and Eric return to chat with "Calculated Risk" author Kitty Chandler on Thursday, October 16.

Close the shower curtain, it's time for Gobbledyween! Our fifth annual month-long celebration of all things bump in the night gets off to a slashing start with a discussion of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic Psycho. Often imitated (once quite literally) but never duplicated, Paul and AJ dissect the film's shifting points of view, the many taboos it broke, how its lengthy silences speak volumes, and yeah, that really dumb psychoanalysis scene. Plus, AJ joins Nicolas Cage for a post-Rapture nap with Left Behind while Paul goes to Disney Infinity and beyond with the new Marvel superheroes expansion. Next: Gobbledyween 2014 comes back to life as Broken Magic author and The Deli Counter of Justice cohort Eric Sipple drops by for a look back at Re-Animator.

What happens when a stoner working at a deli comes face-to-face with a psychic rat with a hunger for irradiated sandwiches? The answer can be found in "Rat King," Thomas Dorton's contribution to The Deli Counter of Justice. AJ and Eric talk with Thomas about how the superhero cartoons he grew up on were surprisingly decent, how his 9th grade English teacher encouraged him to write, and how his (really quite impeccable) taste in music influences his writing. Next: on October 14,  AJ and Eric rap with our cover designer, Karen Wellenkamp (@QuoterGal). That's also when you'll get to see the cover she and Blair J. Campbell worked so hard on!

Rahne Ehtar has been writing since she first got her hands on a pack of Crayolas. That long and winding road has led her here, to The Deli Counter of Justice, wherein she's written the story "Without Masks," concerning a young superhero who would love it if her life would allow her just one normal night out. Paul and AJ chat with Rahne about her history writing fan fiction; her "long and laborious" writing process, which involves writing the first draft out longhand; and how she submitted eight different ideas to the boys, so of course the one they picked was the one she didn't really want to write. Next: AJ and Eric sit down with "Rat King" author Thomas Dorton.

After scaling the high point of The Sandman last week with Brief Lives, Paul and AJ fall a little closer to earth with a discussion of Vol. VIII - Worlds' End. Joining them is Wanna Cook? author Ensley F. Guffey...and they all agree it's likely the series' weakest collection. But weak Sandman is still better than most comics, so there's still plenty to say about Neil Gaiman's final attempt at telling short stories in the Endless' domain. There's the return of Hob Gadling, a look at the mythic side of American politics, and a funeral procession passing by the inn at the end of all worlds. Plus, the gang grouses about Gotham and discusses Marvel's settlement with the Jack Kirby estate. Next: Gobbledyween 2014 gets off to a slashing start with Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic Psycho. The boys are joined by Mike Brooks.

For their first interview with authors from The Deli Counter of Justice, Paul and AJ talk to the other man who makes up the Deli braintrust: Eric Sipple. Eric discusses his start writing SeaQuest fan fiction, his introduction to the world of superheroes via Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film, how he created Carl Cook's daughter Tabitha for his story "Pixelated" (who may wind up becoming the anthology's Wolverine), and much more. Next: Paul and AJ sit down with Rahne Ehtar, the author of "Without Masks."

For the past year-and-a-half, Paul, AJ, and third Gobbler Eric Sipple have been working on the short story anthology The Deli Counter of Justice. It's been quite a while since we've told you about it, but here's some good news: the book is out soon! November 5, to be exact. In this re-introductory podcast, the boys give you the lowdown on what the book's about (namely, a retired superhero opening a deli), tell you why they're so excited about it, and tell you about the author interviews we'll be releasing every Tuesday and Thursday in October. It's a good time to be a fan of capes, masks, ham, and rye. Next: this Thursday, October 2, we'll be talking to our very own Eric Sipple about his creation of The Pixel.

Change is important. It's also a bitch. The Endless turn and face the strain as Paul and AJ continue their Four-Color Flashback exploration of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman with Vol. VII: Brief Lives. Joining them by request (his request) is Broken Magic author and The Deli Counter of Justice cohort Eric Sipple. The gang discusses Dream and Delirium's quest to find their brother, Morpheus growing as a person (or whatever he is), the brief stories and briefer lives embedded within the volume's arc, and how nothing ever stays the same. Brief Lives is the pivotal installment of the series...everything after is fallout. Plus, Paul and Eric gush over Gwen Stacy's resurgence in Edge of Spider-Verse. Next: before Gobbledyween takes over the month of October, the boys are joined by Wanna Cook? authors K. Dale Koontz and Ensley F. Guffey to discuss the next Sandman book, Vol. VIII: Worlds' End.

Here it is. It finally happened. Someone somewhere decided to let these guys run off at the mouth for so long they eventually made it to 200 episodes. To celebrate this cosmic blunder, Paul and AJ have invited their good friend Greg Sahadachny of The Debatable Podcast to turn the tables and interview them. How did Paul and AJ meet? How terrified were they to discover their age difference? How did the show start? What do the boys think represent the show's highs and lows? I'd say this is the most self-indulgent thing we'll ever do, but hey, get back to me on #300. Next: the status returns to quo, as third Gobbler Eric Sipple drops by to help continue the year-long Four-Color Flashback exploration of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. This time, it's Vol. VII: Brief Lives.

For the first time in a very long time, Paul and AJ are joined by On the Rocks co-host (and AJ's cousin) Nathan Burdette. This time, there's no main topic; the boys have a hodgepodge of recent pop culture developments to discuss, including Paul and AJ's fundamental disagreement over whether this episode actually has a main topic. Exciting! The gang gets started talking about the new claims that Jack the Ripper has been unmasked, before AJ proffers a public apology to Anna Kendrick. Then they take a gander at trade show art of the Vision as he appears in The Avengers: Age of Ultron. This leads to two larger subjects: the new documentary Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the ill-advised #GamerGate. Next: here it is, ladies and gentlemen. We've hit the magic number 200. That's right, two hundred episodes of Paul and AJ blathering on about nothing in particular. To celebrate, we've invited our good friend Greg Sahadachny of The Debatable Podcast to take the reins, inter

After their discussion of Alien for the epic Alien/Predator podcrawl (see information on participating podcasts in the show notes), Paul and AJ now turn to John McTiernan's 1987 sci-fi actioner Predator. Arnold Schwarzenegger stalks the jungle, joined by the likes of tough guys Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and...uh...Shane Black? Sure. They in turn are stalked by a nasty dreadlock-wearing mofo with one ugly mug. Is there anything to this movie? Not really. Does there need to be? The boys are a little divided, with Paul enjoying its macho silliness and AJ doing the opposite of that. One thing they can both agree is that there are a lot of biceps in this movie. Plus, speaking of biceps, AJ starts watching Starz's Spartacus on frenemy Eric Sipple's recommendation. Next: old friend of the show/AJ's cousin Nathan Burdette makes his triumphant return to Gobbledygeek.

Before there was Juno, there was Alien, the ultimate film about unwanted pregnancy. Eggs shooting down throats, penile heads devouring yours, a brand new lifeform bursting forth from your body...Ridley Scott's 1979 classic pokes and prods you where you don't want to be poked and prodded. Paul and AJ kick off an epic podcrawl (see information on participating podcasts in the show notes) about the Alien and Predator films with a look back at the one that started it all, in all its psychosexual glory. Of course, there's more underneath its skin, including gorgeous photography, eerie sound design, slow-mounting tension, a realistic ensemble, and a star-making performance from Sigourney Weaver. But it's mostly about dicks. Plus, Gwen Stacy returns to the pages of Spider-Man comics in an unexpected way. Next: Paul and AJ continue the podcrawl on September 3 with a discussion of John McTiernan's 1987 classic (?) Predator.

Rulers--whether they be corrupt, wise, or both--make rules. They establish boundaries, set parameters within which a person lives their life. Should those rules be broken, there will be consequences. Neil Gaiman explores some of those consequences, joined by an incredibly talented string of artists including Bryan Talbot and Jill Thompson, in The Sandman: Vol. VI - Fables and Reflections. Paul and AJ continue their year-long Four-Color Flashback exploration of The Sandman, discussing everything from barophobia to Greek myth, from the once-great city of Baghdad to the Thriller video. Plus, Donald Glover finally gets to be Spider-Man and AJ offers his thought's on Netflix's first animated series for adults, BoJack Horseman. Next: on September 1, Paul and AJ kick off an epic podcrawl (see information on participating podcasts in the show notes) discussing the Alien and Predator films with a look back at Ridley Scott's 1979 classic Alien.