This week, the boys get together after stressful weeks to relax and watch Christmas specials.  You see, James went to the Vinyl Cafe Christmas concert and woke up on Monday in Peak Holiday Condition, and he's jumped straight into the music, television and baking of the season.  To that effect, they watched the Girl Meets World (featuring the return of Shawn Hunter!) and Bob's Burgers Christmas specials from the weekend and go off on tangents about Carl/Rob Reiner and Norman Lear/Mailer.  It's all very confusing.

Finally, they talk about comics from the last week, such as The Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw #2, Gotham Academy #3, Valiant Sized Quantum & Woody and the new Secret Six launch. 

This week, the boys recoup after very taxing weekends doing nothing to talk about Brandon's TV appearance (where he did not mention the name of this site, though at least the logo was on a giant TV behind him), Gravity Falls' continued excellence and the unsurprisingly consistent charm of Toy Story That Time Forgot, the half-hour ABC Christmas Special where people remember that Tim Allen isn't only on terrible sitcoms these days.  Seriously, it's very reassuring knowing that Toy Story 4 is going to be a thing.

Afterward, they discuss comics from the last week, including Capture Creatures #1 (a very Pokemon-friendly series for all ages), the challenging, brilliant ODY-C #1, the winking Pop #4 and the friendlier-than-the-first-issue Rasputin #2.  Finally, they discuss the announced Suicide Squad movie casting, including why it's not surprising that big actors (like Will Smith as Deadshot) are being cast, and why Oprah could be the greatest Amanda Waller of all.

This week, the boys talk to Nolan T. Jones, writer of the webcomic House of Orr, the digital comic Colonial Souls, whose second issue is out today, and the deceitfully named but otherwise enjoyable short comic "Decagon of Doom" in the digital anthology 2299.  He also co-created Roll20, the largest web-based platform for tabletop gaming around, aka nerd shit.

We're not going to lie to you: James makes this unnecessarily combative.

Otherwise, though, it's a great interview!  The boys talk about Rob Liefeld, getting Dylan Todd to watch the second season of Under the Dome, Billy "Country Breakfast" Butler and the fun in writing a sci-fi comic that subverts the genre expectations about what "aliens" are.  WARNING: Nolan wrote a comic described as HR Giger's Xenomorph doing a galaxy-wide apology tour while ghostbusting, and it is every bit as delightful as that sounds.  It's also an interesting discussion of colonialism and how that impacts later generations!  You're gonna want to buy this.  Buy it.

Find Nolan online at:

Twitter: @nolantj

Tumblr: Nolan T. Jones is Tumbling Down [GET IT?]

Plus, make sure to buy Colonial Souls, catch up on House of Orr while it's on hiatus, check out 2299 and discover why Roll20 is the number one choice for nerd shit online.

This week, the boys talk about movies and their weekends and whatever, but that's all just.... whatever, man.  The important things are:

• An episode of Marry Me sending Brandon into uncomfortable fits as it resembles his family life;
• Lucha Underground being a genuinely awesome wrestling show with good characters, exciting action and smart commentary!

Also, some comics!  Drifter #1!  Batgirl #36!  The Kitchen #1!  Superior Iron Man #1!  And Terry Crews!  This is the show that keeps on giving.

This week, the boys bond over their recent and current back pain, as well as chat about Brandon's family Christmas, which James refuses to acknowledge as being real due to being in November.  James talks about his weekend of seeing movies - Big Hero 6, Interstellar, John Wick (AMAAAAAAAZING) and Boxtrolls.  Finally, they chat about comics from the last week that they enjoyed, including Tooth & Claw #1, the Over the Garden Wall Special, Gotham Academy #2 and Terrible Lizard #1.  One is a master of craft, another is an interesting spin on a TV series, one is a great balance of old and new, and another is about dinosaurs and skateboards.  

At the end, they joke about Doctor Doom being a blogger and the internet's outrage over it.  Life is beautiful sometimes.

This week, the boys catch up about their weekends, which doesn't take long, because they did the same thing! HALLOWEEN KARAOKE, BABY!  Nothing but prince (not that one) costumes and the smooth feeling of freshly shaved legs in your Louise Belcher green dress.  That and tunes!  And some booze.  It was a night.

After this, James expounds on how now that he has the WWE Network, his already low productivity is going to go even farther down, and they discuss the infamous Undertaker/Mankind Hell in a Cell match at 1998's King of the Ring, which is pretty crazy even today.  Knowing that there's only so much wrestling talk they can get away with before people unsubscribe, they talk more about Benched, and its surprisingly layered lead characters and subversions of sitcom expectations.

But mostly, and honestly, surprisingly, this episode is about comics, from Southern Bastards #5 to Wayward #3 to Rasputin #1 to Bob's Burgers #3.  Three of them are about brutal, often frightening violence, while one is about cartoon characters!  The answer may surprise you.  Finally, James picks a fight with shitty comic journalists and annoying fans over a manufactured DC/Marvel feud that sprung out of a Christopher Nolan interview.  It's a pretty full episode, actually.

This week, the boys sit down to do what they do every week: watch TV and talk about comics.  A common theme in this episode is things that have a strong, defined voice, whether it's Benched, a new TV series co-created by Michaela Watkins and starring Eliza Coupe, Over the Garden Wall, a spooky but charming cartoon miniseries, a shockingly confident episode of black-ish or comics like Pop #3, Mimetic #1 or She-Hulk #9.  All of these shows and comics skirt potentially dodgy issues by being self-assured and consistent, unlike, say, Nightcrawler, which never surpasses its handicap of not being about Kurt Wagner.  Also, it's kinda morally gross.

In the end, they talk about Marvel's movie announcements, how response to it differed from that to DC's recently and, of course, Rob Liefeld.  Call us, The Rob!

This week, the boys convene to discuss Brandon's wedding and also TV and comics and holy shit Brandon got married on Friday HOLY SHIT

Ahem.  Congratulations all around.  Especially to James, who had hot dogs at his parents' house.

After the celebration subsides, they discuss some new TV series.  This night, they watched the second episode of Marry Me, the series from one of the Happy Endings guys and starring Casey Wilson, from Happy Endings, which reminds us all of something.  Ooh, I've got it!  Party Down.  The boys also discuss the tension that comes out of new TV sitcoms needing a high concept to get greenlit but often needing to jettison that concept almost immediately as the pilot is over, using Selfie, Mulaney and Black-ish as examples of differing levels of success.  They also appeal to the Dylan Todd demographic (admittedly, a fairly small group) by watching the pilot of Star Wars: Rebels, an animated series that has some fun ideas and less than great voice directing.

Then, they talk about comics or something.  The Wild's End is pretty good!

This week, the boys are running against the clock as they see how much episode they can get in before James' injured neck starts bothering him too much, so they get straight to what they watched.  James has been celebrating the Dractober holiday season with a few movies about the King of Vampires, namely Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula and the new movie Dracula Untold, which is waaaaaay more historically accurate than it needed to be.  Untold, that is.  Coppola's is mostly about dream logic sex.  It's... pretty great.

After this, they discuss the new Flash TV series, which wins mostly through its genuineness and optimism, as well as some great comics from last week, including Batgirl #35 and two spooky comics, Wytches #1 and Chilling tales of Sabrina #1.  All of these are either premieres or jump-on points, so make sure you don't miss them!

Also some stuff got announced at New York Comic Con and that's pretty cool, too.

This week, the boys take a quiet night in to catch up, eat candy and talk about TV.  Namely, the work of Kristen Schaal.  Once again, they talk about the latest Gravity Falls episode, including the Neil deGrasse Tyson as the voice of a pig.  After that, they move on to the premiere of Bob's Burgers, an episode that showcases just how full of love, passion and Louise Belcher the show is, and why it's become a true heir to the heyday of The Simpsons.  After this, they talk about comics they loved and the announcement of a Squirrel Girl ongoing series at Marvel, which is just delightful.

Oh, and James got published at ComicsAlliance.  There will be no living with him now.

This week, the boys talk to Chris Sims, the Senior Writer for ComicsAlliance, the cowriter of Down, Set, Fight! from Oni Press and Subatomic Party Girls from Monkeybrain, as well as the writer of Draula the Unconquered and the brand new Radical Guardian Skater X, available on ComiXology.  James and Brandon are both big fans of Chris' work and jumped at the opportunity to talk with him about pro wrestling, iCarly, putting his own spin on Kamen Rider Fourze (except with skateboards) and compassion-based heroics.  Plus, it's October and Chris is Chris, so Dracula was discussed.

Find Chris online on:

Twitter: @theisb

Tumblr: Twenty Percent Cooler

About.me: slash Chris Sims

This week, the boys rebound from last week's perfectly timed episode with one that quickly gets a little out of hand and goes a little long.  You've been warned.  But you can just fast forward through Brandon's parts anyway, so that probably brings it down by about 15 minutes.

Otherwise, the boys discuss their recent goings-on.  Brandon was interviewed by a local news station that called him the wrong name about a campaign to have a statue of Wolverine in Edmonton, which both hosts thing is pretty dumb.  James made homemade kimchi and, when hoping he doesn't end up poisoning himself, is still waxing rhapsodic about Richard Linklater's latest movie Boyhood, which is a truly magical and momentous movie experience.  After this, it's all Gravity Falls, New Girl and new comics from here.  Who'd have thought the most straightforward superhero book of the week would be written by Grant Morrison?  PS it's also suuuuper good and reminded us a lot of Geoff Johns' first JSA run.

This week, the boys make their regular promise - that this will be a short episode - and by god, they're going to not break it for once.  This isn't some truncated, James-tries-to-read-more-50-Shades-of-Grey-and-taps-out episode, either.  This is the whole hog, baby!  Comics talk!  Gravity Falls!  Doctor Who!  A little bit of wrestling!  A lot of antagonism!  It's all here, in a conveniently-sized package.

I mean, it's still an hour.  It's the length of an episode of CSI, but it'll make you less sad about CBS.

This week the boys - yes, the boys! - celebrate Brandon's return with, well, outright antagonism and accusations of racism.  It's not subtle.  James calls himself a saint, a hero and your social better.  Might as well start back up with the greatest hits, right?

Ahem.

Ready to get back in the swing of things, they catch up on their recent lives, including Brandon's vacation to Connecticut, including proposing to his now-fiancee!  Plus, racial tensions and IHOP.  Next, they talk about the new video game Destiny, the half of the Gravity Falls episode they were able to watch before it cut out, the first episode of Kamen Rider Fourze and a bunch of comics they liked.

Next week: more accusations of racism?

This week, James continues the cruel, cruel joke he played on himself and you last week, wherein he did a live reading of 50 Shades of Grey with the names changed to the Twilight originals and while doing funny voices.  You'll recall last week left on a sexy cliffhanger, and so, in order to not leave listeners hanging - and after looking at the shockingly high ratings for last week's episode - James realized he didn't book a guest host and was basically obligated to continue.

This week, things get dark.  Do you want to listen to the destruction of a man?  Do you want to discover the one thing that will make James Leask, a man who gleefully tortured Brandon by making him watch I Wanna Marry Harry while watching impassively and unaffectedly, finally tap out?  WELL LOOK NO FURTHER BECAUSE THE COMEUPPANCE IS REAL.

Far, far too real.  Come on, you know you want to be there for this.  Brandon would have.

This week, James fulfills a long-standing threat, one that has long since passed topicality and has transcended straight to the plane of despair: he reads Fifty Shades of Grey, out loud, for your... pleasure?

Some context: for years, whenever he's been in his friend Brittany's car, James has read out loud from the copy of the book she leaves in her back seat, exchanging the character names for their original Twilight fanfiction names, and with the sex scenes read in a Sean Connery voice.  For two years, he's threatened to do a Brandon-less episode where he repeats this feat on the show, and finally, he's made good on his promise.

It is pain.

But for you... pleasure?  Tune in to hear James' descent into madness as he drinks beer to deal with the awful writing, as well as his running, exasperated commentary and funny voices.  He even makes a contest out of it!  Guess how long he makes it before tapping out and maybe win a prize!

Life is pain.

He's not dead, just dead to us, amiright?  That's what he gets for taking a vacation, which is very different from what James gets when he goes on vacation (adulation, warm welcomes home).

This week, with Brandon out of the country leaf-peeping or whatever, James calls on friend of the show Scott Williams to fill in as guest host for an episode that won't be a repeat of last year's all-time-fewest-listeners WrestleMania special.  We swear.  We talk about comics and movies and James' overbearing narcissism (including a revisiting of the fact that he would like to wear a shirt with his own face on it) and everything!  We can't help it if SummerSlam was Sunday and Stephanie McMahon hossed all over the place.

After starting with a recap of why working in retail is the worst, the boys talk about their weekends, including movies (one new, one new-ish and one old), karaoke and the post-karaoke hungover breakfast.  Then some stuff, and then comics!  It's a miracle!  Mostly because Brandon isn't here.

Tune in next week for... something special?

This week, love is in the air, and not because the boys have finally made it official and gotten married.  Though that could still happen!  Danica can't be there ALL the time.

Ahem.

But no, love is in the air because both Brandon and James attended weddings this weekend.  One even featured guests making it rain while the DJ blasted the reggaeton horn sound effect, and surprisingly, it wasn't the one James was at.  But after returning (and a morning-post-wedding biscuit & sausage and Gatorade), it was time to get down to business:

New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

That's right, James' friends have started getting him into Japan's premiere wrestling promotion, and with the giant G1 Climax tournament ending this weekend with a spectacular final, he decided to share the love.

G1 Climax 24 Final Match Kazuchika Okada vs... by original_bonski 

Needless to say, James has already spent $100 on shirts.

After this, it was time for the weekly Gravity Falls discussion (come at us, Chris Haley!), a look at some great comics from the last week (like She-Hulk #7 and a couple of Guardians of the Galaxy-related issues!), and a discussion of how Mark Doyle and Scott Snyder are changing DC's Bat-line for the better, with yet another cool series announcement that happens to correspond with the debut of a major network TV series set in Gotham.  Coincidence!

This week, James is back from vacation and none too happy to discover that Brandon went back on his promise to have any episode James isn't here for be a greatest hits memorial episode devoted to extolling his greatness.  Keen listeners will remember this is a real thing Brandon has promised more than once.  Betrayal cuts deep.

Luckily, it's easy to get over it when Guardians of the Galaxy has finally come out in theatres and Gravity Falls is finally back on TV.  Spoiler alert: both Brandon and James really liked both!  Something about friendship and emotional genuineness and treating characters like they're not dumb.  Plus, bright colours!

After this, it's time for a discussion of comics they liked, like James Stokoe's Avengers #1 for the Marvel 100 Years kinda-fake event, or the final chapter to "Zero Year" in Batman.  It turns out comics are still pretty great!

Who is excited about Guardians of the Galaxy? I know we are.

James is gone this week as he takes some time to recover from his vacation, but fear not! The lovely Danica LeBlanc is here once again to make Brandon seem okay! Is that nice of her?

Over the course of the episode, they talk about two new Guardians comics that will hit the stands today, as well as issue 19 of HAWKEYE, the long awaited sign language issue. They also talk about things that happened at SDCC that made them upset, because you guys... the SDCC should really have a sexual harassment policy.

In which James isn't here, but we did an episode anyway!

In this episode Brandon and special guest host Danica talk about all the things you want to hear about: comics and uh... tv... and... well, comics and tv. Want to know about the new Docto Who comics coming out today? We talk about that. How about that new Thor news? We talk about that too. We also tackle a new book from Aspen, just because we can. We're rebellious like that.

This week, the boys do an episode... for the ladies.  Well, really, they just happen to talk about a lot of things they like that might appeal to a lot of women more than Identity Crisis.  And that might not be very hard, but dammit, they're gonna do it.  First, they watch the first episode of the new Sailor Moon Crystal anime, from the point of view of someone new to the franchise (Brandon) as well as someone who was introduced to it as a child because of his little sister and ended up loving it (James).  Specifically, they talk about the differences in the cartooning and animation style as well as how great it is to see a series with female characters that don't have to worry about tokenism.

Next, they talk about comics from last week that they enjoyed, foremost of which is Lumberjanes #4, which moves the series forward in an exciting way.  They also talk about Captain Marvel #5, a book that continues to surprise them with its characterization and the confidence of its creative team.  You should check out these books, if you're not already!

Finally, they talk about two recent Big Two comic announcements: DC's new Batgirl relaunch that took over the comics internet last week as it captured the excitement of a fanbase craving a series like it, and Marvel's announcement that Thor will be a woman for the foreseeable future as a different character takes over that identity when the previous incarnation is deemed unworthy to hold Mjolnir.  Some people are being reactionary and dumb about this stuff, but you're cool, right?  You ask good questions to hold publishers' feet to the fire but also let yourself be excited sometimes, right?  Cool.  Let's hang out.

This week, the boys return from a week off (sorry!) to catch up with each other, the stuff they watched and the comics they read.  In particular, the boys discuss this week's 17-minute preview of Guardians of the Galaxy, the first episode of The Leftovers and the greatest action movie of 2014, Bollywood's Gunday.  

Of course, the real point of the episode is to ease back into things by talking about Everwood, and specifically this site's theory that Marvel Studio's Kevin Feige is reuniting the cast of TV's Everwood in the Marvel CInematic Universe.  This one... this one involves us fan-casting Gregory Smith and Treat Williams, you guys.  It gets weird.

Finally, the boys compliment DC on breaking out of the New 52 aesthetic by announcing Gotham Academy and lament how the #firerickremender campaign might actually be harming the useful discussion about social politics at the Big Two.  Frankly, we'd rather be talking about Everwood.

This week, the boys are pretty tired and almost succeed in making the episode shorter, which admittedly fails mostly because James decides to immediately create dead air space, then fill it, then antagonize Brandon.  But that's not all!  You also get discussion of a TV series that's already been canceled!

Wait, come back!

After checking in with each other, James and Brandon talk about recent TV, from John Oliver's worryingly incredible young run on Last Week Tonight and how HBO is actually being adventurous with digital video, the ambition of Teen Titans GO! doing an episode with physical, non-animated puppets and finally, the amazing, emotionally resonant, criminally underwatched Enlisted, which balanced wacky humour with genuinely important, tear-inducing discussion of emotionally complex topics around the military.  If you can find it, watch it; the show may be back on another network next season, but it's probably over, and if it had to go out, "Alive Day" was about as good a series finale as you could hope for.

After this, the boys discuss comics and DC doing something good!  We're as surprised as you are!

This week, the boys sit down with longtime friend of the site and acclaimed writer Kieron Gillen, writer of books like Phonogram, Young Avengers, Iron Man and the brand new, first-issue-out-today The Wicked + The Divine from Image Comics.  Kieron stopped by to talk about the genesis of the book and the dark emotional threads going through all his work, compliment his collaborators (except McKelvie) and then read some poetry.  It is as delightful as you want it to be in your dreams.

Find Kieron online at:

Twitter: @kierongillen

Tumblr: Another Way to Breathe

Web: the workblog

This week, the boys have finally recovered from the bleak existential horror of last week's Curt Pires episode and are ready to talk about less controversial topics, like politics in comics... aw, crapdammit.

More on that later.  First, James and Brandon talk about their weekends; Brandon attended the Edmonton Cat Show, while James attended his first Pride Parade after spending a morning carrying a literal ton and a half of cement blocks, which in retrospect wasn't a great idea.  Beyond that, James has surprised himself with how much he's enjoying WWE Legends' House, the pro wrestling reality show that last week might have become the smartest, most genuinely affecting reality show on television.  Seriously.  Last week's episode made a commentary on the art form of professional wrestling and the medium of reality television.  Plus, they talk about Cosmos and how Neil deGrasse Tyson's bedroom eyes make it all worthwhile.

Finally, after discussing the comics of the last week, the boys get serious and talk politics.

Stay with us here!

In short, comics writer Chuck Dixon and Paul Rivoche wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed decrying how liberalism has ruined superheroes, and the liberal comics internet immediately set about themselves mocking it and arguing it point by point.  Here, the boys suggest that getting into a blow-by-blow of political talking points is maybe the worst thing to do, because it ensures the discussion gets stuck in a pointless cycle of accusation instead of agreeing on the common ground: moral relativism and ambiguity in superheroes is a problem, and while we might disagree on the political responsibility, we're all invested in making things better.  The only way to do that, of course, is having the tough, long discussions instead of the easy arguments.

Also, James talks about being a socialist.

This week, the boys sit down with friend of the show Curt Pires, writer of LP, Theremin and the upcoming POP, coming this summer from Dark Horse Comics.  At least, that was the plan.  And sure, there's definitely some talk of that; Curt is excited to promote his upcoming project and James and Brandon, having seen the first issue, are right there with him.  Everybody wants to sing the praises of Jason Copland, Pete Toms, Ryan Ferrier and Dylan Todd, as well as their work on this pop art extravaganza.  That happens.

To a degree.

More than anything, though, this episode goes off the rails and it gets dark.  In a hurry.  As soon as the episode starts, it's a discussion of immoral TV and it only goes downhill, whether it's a discussion of war crimes, nihilism, snuff films or the movie adaptation of Marmaduke.  Big ups to Curt for going on this journey with us, and big ups to you, listener, for doing it, too.

Find Curt online at:

Twitter: @curtpires

Web: curt pires dot com

This week, the boys sit down to catch up after two very different weekends: Brandon's was busy, while James struggled through a morass of grumpiness and sickness using the power of thirty-something episodes of The West Wing.

This is what adulthood looks like, people.

To further rise out of the dumps, James got Brandon to watch more episodes of Teen Titans GO!, which continues DC's streak of making very good children's television and very few comics that children can actually read unless they like a jawless, maimed Wonder Woman being turned into a murder robot.  And to be fair, they might.  We don't have kids, after all.  James also made himself feel better by making Brandon watch half an episode of Fox's morally new abhorrent dating competition show, I Wanna Marry Harry, where an Englishman wages a prolonged campaign of lies to Americans so he can take advantage of them.  It's basically an analogue for the War of Independence, is what we're saying.  Best of all, though, you can actually hear Brandon die a little, which might have been heightened by James immediately replaying the episode just to torture him.

This is what friendship looks like, people.

After this is the usual discussion of the previous week's excellent comics, and then a final discussion of how the fan community has seemingly largely abandoned having the difficult discussion surrounding the allegations that Bryan Singer has sexually assaulted at least one young person throughout his career and what to do regarding viewing his body of work.  Instead, the fan community seems very comfortable putting aside that discussion in favour of seeing X-Men: Days of Future Past, which Brandon and James discuss the potential reasons and implications behind.  Ultimately, there are no easy answers, only the repetition of the need for the community to ask hard questions and for fans to come to individual solutions they can live with.  But have the discussion.  Always.

This week, the boys get together after two very busy weekends; Brandon threw a big Pushing Daisies party and James accidentally ended up scheduling almost every second of his entire long weekend.  But after being coy about a development in James' life, they get down to brass tacks: watching TV!  Specifically, they discuss how John Oliver's Last Week Tonight is impressing them with the way he's using the HBO format and setting to make a show that's very vital and different from his old gig at The Daily Show.  Next, they discuss Louie and reiterate Louis CK's miraculous ability to make himself the butt of the joke and go shockingly dark.  Finally, they discuss some comics they like and talk about DC's great decision to launch a Wonder Woman digital anthology series.

Now they will sleep.

This week, the boys mourn two of their favourite new TV shows of the season, gone before their time: Surviving Jack and Trophy Wife.  Both series aired their impromptu series finales in the last week, so Brandon and James talk about the great final episodes and how each show zeroed in on small character details and believable relationships.  Next, they talk about their favourite comics from the last week and finally, they talk about the best news of the week:

Channing Tatum is officially playing Gambit!  This isn't some fever dream, it's the truth!  Let's all celebrate responsibly so we don't get any XTDs.

This week, the boys catch up after a week off from hanging out; Brandon had a quiet weekend just as he planned, while James overscheduled his and then ended up picking a fight with a bestselling author and the head of a charity over their opinions on Kevin Smith.

Lesson learned: never have a moderate opinion again!

After this and a quick discussion of Amazing Spider-Man 2 and the fourth season premiere of Louie, the hosts run down their favourite comics picks from the last week, including the straight-up public service the Avatar: The Last Airbender Free Comic Book Day offering did, and eulogize Avengers AI.  Finally, they talk about Amazon removing the iOS in-app storefront from ComiXology and preach caution before you claim everything is ruined forever.

You're welcome, internet.

This week, in a very special early episode, the boys welcome cartoonist Kyle Starks to the show!  Kyle has made a name for himself with online comics like The Legend of Ricky Thunder, Adventure Wizard and Punch Captain; his latest comic is Sexcastle, a Kickstarter-funded comic with the brilliant elevator pitch, "Have you ever thought, 'Man, I wish there were more things like the movie Road House?'"  He did.  We definitely did, too, so it was a match made in podcast heaven.  The conversation ranges from the tight plotting and seeding of elements in the comic, to its theme of responsible parenting, to misogyny in comics and fandom, to the hustle of being an independent comic creator.  Plus, ridiculous 80s action movies and pro wrestling!  It was outrageous fun.

But more than that, we at C!TB are really passionate about Sexcastle.  It's a great comic with a good message from a creator we're proud to support.  This Kickstarter campaign will be your only chance to get it, and it's a steal.  At the $5 backer level, you get a digital copy of the 200 page graphic novel, as well as a bonus 22 page, full colour anthology mini-comic.  And because both comics are already done, you get it this week.  No waiting, no shipping, just great comics, immediately.

Back it.

Find Kyle online on:

Twitter: @starr226

Tumblr: Robot Mountain

Web: Kyle Starks dot com, where you can find Kyle's other webcomics and a link to his store where you can buy even more!

(Music in this episode is "GTS," by Adam Warrock.  Go to Adamwarrock.com to find more of his free music and links to buy his albums!)

This week, the boys rebound from a fairly relaxing long weekend (for James) and recuperative return from the presumed brink of death (Brandon) to do what they do best: insult each other with accusations about their sex lives, watch TV and talk about comics.  The TV show this week is the pilot episode of Fargo, the re-imagining of the Coen Brothers modern classic about murder and marriage in the midwest.  After making a cursory attempt at discussion about the differences between the two iterations and the use of Billy Bob Thornton as an almost omniscient force of nature and destruction, they get down to brass tacks; the real reason why they're watching:

Adorable Minnesota accents and lots of them!  Martin Freeman does one!  He's British, donchaknow!

After regaining their composure, James and Brandon talk about comics they loved (including Genesis, Ms. Marvel #3 and Batman #30), DC's impending nightmare that is their awful schedule for soliciting and ordering books for their upcoming September event month and the ethical dilemma of whether to see X-Men: Days of Future Past while the director, Bryan Singer, is facing accusations of sexual assault, if ever.  It's a sensitive subject, and we welcome your comments, questions and responses below, via Twitter or through private emails.

This week, Brandon is sick so James does even more talking than usual.  Lucky you!  It's not like he monopolizes the conversation normally anyway.  After they talk about their weekend, which included a comic shop event and the humour of Ingmar Bergman, they gush over the new sitcom Surviving Jack, which is a shockingly mature look at marriage and parenthood.  It's basically the opposite of Home Improvement, showcasing the comedic chops of Chris Meloni and Rachael Harris as rational, reasonable, funny adults.  Who knew?!

After this, they discuss the comics the loved in the last week, and two pressing issues in comics: Amazon buying ComiXology and Brett Booth's harassment of Janelle Asselin, as well as the outrageous frequency with which rape threats are directed at women by strangers, and the mindset that encourages it.  Warning: this one gets serious.

That said, James talks about identifying with MODOK, so it's not entirely serious.

This week, the boys sit down for the first time in weeks to actually catch up and talk about the things they've done, the things they've watched and the comics they've read.  While James was judging people (formally!), doing charity work and watching wrestling, because he is a sensitive renaissance man, Brandon was off discovering the fact that The Band existed.  That is not a joke: Brandon literally did not even know about one of the most famous Canadian bands of all time.  Commence your ridicule.

Besides this, the hosts discuss their rare difference of opinion about the How I Met Your Mother finale, their similar love of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and their cautious optimism about Mike Judge's new HBO series, Silicon Valley.  Afterward, the run through the comics they loved last week, including Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business, Dead Letters #1 and Pretty Deadly #5, and literally toast to the death of Archie Andrews.

It was a pretty busy night!

This week, the boys sit down with André Lima Araujo, the artist of Avengers AI and the upcoming Man Plus, a creator-owned project likely coming in 2015.  In addition to talking about his work and developing a unique look for Marvel's most singular Avengers book, James and Brandon also talk to André about football/soccer, True Detective (mild spoilers for like five seconds!), Hannibal and exploring manga.  James trolls him substantially less than he does on Twitter.

Find André online at:

Twitter: @erdna11

Web: André's literal instructions were to google his name, but when pressed, he said you can find him on DeviantArt (username: erdna1) or Blogspot (username: andrelimaaraujo), which we feel is much more helpful.

This week, the boys sit down with Nathan Edmondson, the writer of Black Widow and The Punisher for Marvel Comics and the upcoming graphic novella Genesis, coming in April from Image Comics.  The conversation ranges from contrasting Natasha Romanova to James Bond, to finding the humanity in Frank Castle, to working on a very different type of book in Genesis.  Along the way, Nathan and the hosts also talk about professional etiquette vis-a-vis Twitter, and how social media is changing the way we engage with movies.  Finally, Nathan becomes not the first person to ask James why he's hitched his wagon to the Chicago Cubs.

Find Nathan online at:

Twitter: @nathanedmondson

Web: Nathan Edmondson dot com

This week, the boys sit down to follow up on their Veronica Mars/Piz talk after seeing the movie last Friday, as well as talk about the first two episodes of the new JJ Abrams/Alfonso Cuaron TV series on NBC, Believe.  In short: it is okay!  And sometimes accidentally funny.

After this, the boys talk about comics they liked in the last week and, more importantly, put some people on blast for being bad journalists or retailers.  It gets heated, and the formal C!TB List of Garbage People gets its start.  You're welcome, Internet.

This week, the boys sit down to discuss a lot of stuff.  Movies!  Weekends!  Friendly aggression! Comics, I guess.  But all that pales in comparison to the bitter disagreement about the most polarizing of Veronica Mars characters... Stosh "Piz" "The Worst" Piznarski.

Listen, when Brandon's the one who writes these he can put his own editorializing in them.  NOTE: Brandon will never be allowed to write these unless it is a James Leask Memorial Episode.

Finally, the boys talk about comics they enjoyed in the last week, as well as the bizarre formation of a comics retailer group named COBRA and maybe even a little mild kindness towards Mark Millar.  Maybe.

This week, the boys sit down to talk about their weekends, which included ladies' night, an extravagant off-menu meal at a haute cuisine restaurant and a Miyazaki film.  It... was a pretty good weekend, you guys.  Beyond that, the boys are excited to talk about pro wrestling and shit no wait come back baby it's different this time we swear!  Basically, the boys watched NXT Arrival, the first pay-per-view-style live special for NXT, the home of WWE's best storytelling, weirdest characters and talented women wrestlers.  From Zayn Cesaro IV, maybe the best match of the year so far, to Paige/Emma II, the mission statement of good women's wrestling, to the wonder that is Bo Dallas, the James Leask of pro wrestling, it's all good, and it's the wrestling to show people who say they don't like it.

Danica.

After that, the boys talk about some comics they loved in the last week.  They cover new twists on familiar endings (Wolverine and the X-Men #42), immaculately crafted new beginnings (Fantastic Four #1) that show off digital comics (Daredevil: Road Warrior #1) and Hawkeye, which is still just plain wonderful.  All this in less time than usual!  Truly, this is a blessed time.

This week, the boys sit down to talk about stuff before James crashes after two days of heavy driving and little sleep.  Depressingly, comics get brought up almost immediately, but James is successfully able to steer things back on off-track to topics of cats (ugh), murder (inevitable), Neil Gaiman speaking engagements (wonderful), Alan Alda (just the best) and Cougar Town (also pretty great).

But despite all this typical non-comics talk, the boys really are excited to talk about some of the comics they've been loving recently, and how they're excited for stuff that's coming out soon.  Somedays, it's just hard to hide a genuine enthusiasm.

You still think we're cool, though, right?  Well, not Brandon.  That guy eats lobster at Christmas.

This week, the boys convene at Brandon's apartment for a dinner of pulled pork - literally the one way James will amicably agree to record someplace that's not his own home - and invite Danica along for the show to discuss their weekends.  James got a new video game!  Brandon and Danica got a new cat!  This sentence accurately describes them all.

Also, comics are discussed and Danica does not care for Cougar Town F MINUS MINUS MINUS BANNED FROM THE SHOW FOR LIFE.  THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

This week, the boys sit down after their busy weekends (and in James' case, a battle with the plague slash totally normal cold that is kind kind of annoying) to relax with some soothing TV comedy, namely Prince showing up on New Girl and last week's episode of Cougar Town. True Detective will have to wait!

Beyond the blissful glow of the television, the boys actually surprised themselves this week by talking about comics for over half the episode.  That must be some kind of record!  U-S-A!  U-S-A!  U!  S!  A!  Last week was a pretty great week for comics, especially if you're a fan of Nathan Edmondson, but the star of the week was Ms. Marvel #1, by G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona and Ian Herring.  In addition, they also discuss whether the invocation of domestic violence in Black Widow #3 was effective, distracting or disrespectful.  And for once, we'd actually like to hear your thoughts on it!  Let us know via email, Twitter or the comments section what you thought about the issue and its contents, and if that kind of thing can ever be truly well handled by a male creators.

This week, the boys welcome friend of the show, writer Kelly Thompson, back for her third appearance.  When she was last on the show, Kelly was promoting her first Kickstarter campaign, and she's back again to talk about her second, for her upcoming novel Storykiller.

Well, at least, that's the plan.  And sure, we talk about Storykiller some.  A bit, even.  But as usual, the conversation with Kelly quickly strays to talk of movies, television and childhoods; literally, anything Kelly can do to cause James pain with her dissonant opinions.  But along the way, not only does this conversation give great insight into Kelly's background for her new book, but she also calls James a hero, and at least one of those is priceless.

The Kickstarter campaign for Storykiller runs until February 20th at noon PST, and we wholeheartedly think you should consider backing it.  Kelly's first novel, The Girl Who Would Be King, was a funny, insightful look into adolescence (and superpowers), and Storykiller looks to be the next step in the development of a unique and vital voice in young adult literature.  Both of us here at C!TB immediately backed it, and we hope you do, too. 

Buy Kelly's first novel, The Girl Who Would Be King, on Amazon!

Read Kelly’s column, She Has No Head!, at ComicBookResources, where you can also read her reviews throughout the week.

Read Kelly’s latest  other column over at LitReactor

Check out Kelly’s personal site, 1979 Semi-Finalist

Listen to Kelly’s podcast, 3 Chicks Review Comics

Finally, check her out on Twitter at @79semifinalist

The music in today's podcast is "Under the Weather," by Band of Young Saints.  Buy it and other music of theirs on Bandcamp and check them out on Twitter for up-to-date news on shows and new releases, and on YouTube for even more great music from them.

This week, the boys get together to do their usual podcast routine (get slurpees and candy, watch TV, not talk about comics) when they're met with an awful shock: thanks to President Obama's State of the Union address, there's no new TV on!  Well, except Dads, but nobody's that desperate.

Shaking off the disappointment, the boys recount their weekend (and Brandon asks James a Very Big Question), talk about the TV they did watch and finally spend a significant amount of time talking about comics they liked.  It turns out, comics are pretty great!  Why don't we talk about them more often?

This week, the boys get together to talk about Gravity, because at long last Brandon finally saw it and James can stop avoiding spoilers around him constantly.  I mean, jeez!  Is it too much to ask for people to do exactly what you do at all times so that you can share your viewpoints with them?  We don't think so!

In other news, James saw Her, a movie he cannot describe in anything but vague terms because Brandon probably won't see it until the autumn probably, and also a screening of Lawrence of Arabia, a movie James can only describe in vague terms because Brandon hasn't seen it even though it's fifty years old and is also based on a true story.

He's not bitter or anything.  At least they can talk about True Detective.

Finally, the boys talk comics!  That's right, and only forty or so minutes in!  From comics they loved last week to Ultimate Marvel NOW! to Alan Moore's growing cootishness, it's all discussed.  Except mainly just those things and not much else.  Whoops.

This week, the boys get together to talk about their weekends, watch some TV shows with terrible titles and then gush about comics.  Did you know a lot of great comics came out last week?  We certainly underestimated how many, which is why this thing is an hour and a half long.  Eventually, conversation turns to things that have happened in comics lately; someone's angry response to some Ant-Man casting leaves James wondering what his own blind spot or rage button for comic book casting would be, and ends up stumbling into it.  Eventually, they get to the ImageExpo announcements and the controversial photo showing a lack of diversity in the keynote lineup, ultimately finding hope in comics and that things are getting better.

Also, James tells Johnny Depp to go fuck himself a lot.

This week, the boys return from their holiday break cheery and ready to talk about their Christmases and chat about things that made them happy... also, they talk shit about some people.  From other websites to people in general, this one is an effort to rein back into positivity.  But we did it!  U-S-A!  U-S-A!