This week, the boys celebrate a belated Canada Day by talking about how they spent their long weekends and needlessly provoking America on the Fourth of July (with love).  After a rambling conversation that includes the Sabrina the Teenage Witch episode on TV in the background, talk moves to comics the boys have loved recently and why recent announcements like Marvel NOW! and Chris Roberson and Allison Baker's new MonkeyBrain Comics publishing company are reason to be excited about where the comics industry is heading.

The music in the episode's outro is "This Song," the new single from Eugene Ahn, aka Adam WarRock.  Euge just finished his annual donation drive, featuring this great song and his first ever music video.  Head to his site and check out his music, including some for purchase and a lot for free.  You'll be glad you did, and the optimism in "This Song" is the perfect companion to the discussion in this episode.

It's the half-year special!  That's right, it's been exactly half a year that Brandon and James have been making you regret asking for a podcast.  This week, the boys talk about two new television shows they love, The Newsroom and - for yet another week - Bunheads, and the value of optimism in media.  They also introduce the phrase "straight-up rucked" to the popular vernacular.  After talking about some recent comics they loved, they also delve into Matt "Matty Dubs" Wilson's question over at ComicsAlliance: why aren't comics funnier?  Send in your letters of disapproval of James' answer to bschatz AT comicstheblog DOT COM.

Plus, James legitimately waves a knife at Brandon like a dozen times.

It's another guest-less episode!  This week, the boys talk about Bunheads, the new television show from Amy Sherman-Palladino (of Gilmore Girls fame), the wonder that is Alan Ruck, and James talks about how he just met the most charming lesbians at a party this last weekend.  Next, the conversation turns to comics, and wraps up with James' rant about Adam Carolla's recent misogyny and why people should ignore it in favour of focusing on actual issues of gender that don't give publicity to controversy-baiting comedians.

This week, the boys sit down with acclaimed writer (and site inspiration) Matt Fraction.  Matt is the Eisner Award-winning writer of The Five Fists of Science, The Mighty Thor, Defenders and, of course, Casanova!  As Casanova's third arc comes to a close on June 20th with Avaritia #4, Matt was kind enough to sit down with us for a talk about the series, coming back to it after a lengthy hiatus, how his writing has changed as his life has and where the series goes from here.  Along the way, the conversation goes delightfully off-topic, encompassing Ridley Scott and baseball, and James gives Matt no fewer than two reasons to cuss at him.

It was pretty great.

Find Matt online at:

Twitter: @mattfraction

Web: mattfraction.com

See Matt and the rest of Fraction DeConnick Investigations June 22-24 at HeroesCon in Charlotte, North Carolina.

And don't forget to pick up Casanova: Avaritia #4, the amazing conclusion to the series' third arc, on Wednesday, June 20th, 2012!

This week, the boys regroup after Brandon's hectic week the only way they know how: through wonderfully terrible television.  After discussing Brandon's movie experience, the boys talk about Ancient Aliens, which takes the prize as the most insane show on The History Channel, which is mostly known for its shows about Nazis, pawn shops and Brad Meltzer.  Next, they move into a discussion of recent comics they've enjoyed and, finally, wade into the backlash against DC Comics for their press release about Alan Scott being relaunched as a gay character.

This week, the boys discuss Brandon's impending move and how, to cut down on the amount of stuff he owns, Brandon inflicted it on James instead.  Next, they have a spoiler-filled discussion of this week's Game of Thrones episode, "Blackwater," and the nature of adapting a popular piece of fiction to another medium.  Finally, they talk about comics because it's in the title of the dang podcast.

WARNING: The discussion of Game of Thrones in this episode has spoilers about this week's episode, "Blackwater," and the series to date.  If you don't want to have plot points ruined for you, skip from 14:00 to 22:20. LISTEN SAFELY!

This week, the boys welcome their good friend, music writer, former colleague and fellow weird-Twitter-joke-maker Scott Williams to the show as a special guest co-host!  We're not going to say he's actually famed inker/Jim Lee collaborator, but we're not going to not do a cheap ploy, either.

Fun!

Get ready for a long episode, one with even less structure than we're known for.  Part serious discussion of media criticism theory, part discussion of Big Star and discovering music, part discussion of Community and other television shows, there's a lot here.

Find Scott at:

Twitter: @scottowilliams

Web: Sound of the Week

This week, the boys start off by talking about their apartments - Brandon is moving out of his to live with his girlfriend and there was a fire in the building next to James', which finally made him "remember" to get tenant's insurance.  Next, they talk about their various sitcom and screenplay ideas, realize again that they can never run for office and finally, talk about some comics.  It's not like that's actually in the name of the podcast or anything.

This week, the boys finish their coverage from the 2012 Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo with some on location interviews.  After a lengthy warm-up with a discussion of Free Comic Book Day, TV and some comics they enjoyed recently, the boys present interviews James did on the floor of the convention with Riley Rossmo (Green Wake, Rebel Blood and the upcoming Debris and Wild Children), Kurtis J. Wiebe (Green Wake, Peter Panzerfaust, The Intrepids and Debris) and Archie artist extraordinaire, Dan Parent.  Witness James geeking out as he meets one of the greatest Archie artists of all time!

Find Riley on the web or on Twitter at @rileyrossmo1;

Find Kurtis on the web or on Twitter at @kurtisjwiebe;

Find Dan on the web or on Twitter at @parentdaniel.

This week marks a Podcast! The Comics first: a guest actually requesting to come back for another chat on the podcast.  Sam Humphries, the writer of Sacrifice, Our Love Is Real, John Carter: The Gods of Mars, Fanboys Vs. Zombies and next week's Ultimates #10 and Higher Earth #1, stopped by the podcast for another talk.  This time, the boys ask Sam about his multitude of new projects, releasing Higher Earth through Boom!, following Jonathan Hickman, The Replacements and the most polarizing of all subjects: HBO's television show Girls.

Find Sam at:

Twitter: @samhumphries

Web: SAM HUMPHRIES DOT COM

Find out where to buy Sacrifice at AZTECS FOREVER, and remember to buy Higher Earths #1 next week!  IT IS ONLY A DOLLAR.