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Tag: COVID

Attachment Point

Attachment Point

WEEK IN SICK: Andrew’s back after being ill and he has some stuff to share! This week, he talks about watching five seasons of the CBS reboot of Magnum, P.I. and how it not only connects with the original show, but how it connects to all of CBS’ reboot shows (Hawaii Five-O, and Macgyver). D. Bethel, who was not sick, talks briefly about starting the throwback JRPG, Sea of Stars, by Sabotage Studio. (Thank you to Kyrun Silva for helping out at the beginning of the episode!)

TOPICS:
(00:00) Intro – Andrew returns and talks about having COVID again.
(05:35) Andrew’s Week in Sick: Magnum, P.I.
(27:12) D. Bethel’s Week in Not-Sick: Sea of Stars
(34:52) Outro – Sausage Update
(39:09) Outtakes

RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • Mr. Moustache” (21 September 2018): Where Andrew first discusses the Magnum, P.I. reboot.
  • Wet Shirt Feels” (16 August 2019): Where D. Bethel shares his thoughts about Sabotage Studio’s previous––and very different––game, The Messenger.
  • Sad News Theme” (28 February 2020): Where Andrew talks about the Macgyver reboot.

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

  • “Hot Pausin'” written and performed by Glenn and D. Bethel
Extra Obnoxious Protocol

Extra Obnoxious Protocol

COVID-INDUCED ANIME: There was no episode last week because D. Bethel got sick with the new strain of COVID. Though his symptoms were mild, the biggest side effect was probably the most troubling: he watched anime. Specifically, he watched the 12 episode series, Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (available on Hulu Plus) and realized that mechs are cool.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: A very strange news story happened in the comics world this month when Fables creator and writer Bill Willingham announced that, due to the frustrating relationship that had developed with DC Comics over how they were handling his creator-owned property, that he put Fables into the public domain. Our hosts discuss what exactly that means, how it works, and if it’s even possible.

RELEVANT LINKS:

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

King Weyland-Yutani

King Weyland-Yutani

OLD MAN YELLS AT CLOUD: Acclaimed director, Ridley Scott, argues that it’s millennials––not people skittish about returning to movie theaters amid a pandemic––that is causing his newest film, The Last Duel, to do poorly at the box office. Our host discusses all of the factors involved with this strange accusation.

RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • Answer Sandwich” (24 October 2014): Where our hosts discuss Ridley Scott’s Alien.
  • Su Gana” (11 November 2016): Where our hosts discuss V For Vendetta and its modern applications.
  • Pure Chaos” (26 May 2017): Where our hosts are joined by Taylor to talk about Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant.

RELEVANT LINKS:

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

FEATURED MUSIC:

Con Artists #07 – Return of the Con

Con Artists #07 – Return of the Con

In the world of 2021, not much has changed. Hope and optimism dares to tread across the jamb as COVID vaccines get into the arms of people across the world and, for independent comickers, conventions start to return…kind of.

After attending only a few shows in 2021––their first in nearly two years––D. Bethel (of the webcomic, Long John) and Kyrun Silva (of Taurus Comics and the 4 Tales Podcast) reconvene to share their experiences, fears, and surprises with the fact that comic shows and conventions have become very different beasts from what they were before, and how difficult it may be to adapt.

RELEVANT INFORMATION:

OTHER EPISODES:

Unnecessary Windows

Unnecessary Windows

QUARANTINE YEAR ONE: We’ve crossed the year mark of a post-COVID world. Andrew and D. Bethel discuss how their tastes, behaviors, and expectations for nerdy stuff––and life––have changed in that year.

RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • Makes a Taste” (13 March 2020): Where Andrew talks about playing the ttrpg, The Spectaculars.

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

The Unnaturals

The Unnaturals

WONDER WOMAN TO THE MAX: It was announced, in an unprecedented move by a streaming service, to release Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day to both theaters and HBO Max subscribers simultaneously. Unlike Disney+ with Mulan, Wonder Woman 1984 will be available to all HBO Max subscribers at no additional cost for a month. Andrew and D. Bethel discuss this move and how it relates to how Disney has been doing business, as well as what it means for movie in the future.

RELEVANT LINKS:

RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • Episode 137 – Atomic Karate” (09 June 2017): Where D. Bethel and Andrew talk with fellow nerd podcaster, Mary Traverse, about Wonder Woman.
  • News Cruise” (07 Aug. 2020): Where Andrew and D. Bethel discuss the news of Mulan costing Disney+ subscribers $29.99.
  • News Bruise” (11 Sept. 2020): Where D. Bethel and Andrew talk about the odd political discourse around the release of Disney’s live action adaptation of Mulan.

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

Con Artists #05 – No Con 2020

Con Artists #05 – No Con 2020

Everything has changed in the wake of COVID-19. This applies, of course, to indie comic creators, for whom the pandemic hit especially hard in terms of income. With gatherings of people not likely to happen in any safe capacity for awhile, it has many creators asking, “What do we do in a world without comic conventions?”

D. Bethel and Taurus Comics’ Kyrun Silva sit down to talk about creating comics during a pandemic. While a dour topic generally, they manage to find the laughs amid the serious discussion of the future of indie comics and the conventions they hold so dear.

RELEVANT LINKS:

OTHER EPISODES:

REFERENCES:

  • The infamous “Sweet Justice” poster:
art by D. Bethel.
  • The YouTube playlist of the short videos D. Bethel made for Chapter 4 of his webcomic (the music changes regularly after the fourth or so video; he was playing catch-up):

FEATURED MUSIC:

-“Road Music” by D. Bethel
-“Bounce” by D. Bethel

The 45th of Marchuary

The 45th of Marchuary

OUT OF GAS: Though this is on the feed, this “episode” acts more as an apology for a lack of an episode than actually being one. After almost six years of continuous weekly episodes, we figured a week off wouldn’t do much harm. In the interest of full disclosure, both Andrew and D. Bethel couldn’t muster the energy to get out of being generally exhausted and saddened by their quarantined lives. So, rather than force their way through uninspired conversation, they figured the best thing to do would be to call in a sick day and try again next week.

In the meantime, let us know––in the comments or on the Facebook page––what you’ve been doing to cheer yourselves up in the meantime! It’s always great to hear from you and to hear what you’ve been up to.

Thanks again for listening and the show will be back next week with renewed vigor (with hope).

Stay safe.

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

A Light Monopoly

A Light Monopoly

SHELTER AT HOME: With both hosts hometowns under a “shelter at home” quarantine, they discuss how they’ve had to adjust their behavior to continue their normal nerdy procedures. To that end, Andrew discusses playing tabletop RPGs online using the Roll20 website and the teleconferencing program, Zoom. D. Bethel, on the other hand, talks about comic book distribution and how the major (only?) comics distributor, Diamond Comics, decreed that it will cease ordering (and shipping) new comics immediately; Dan talks about how this affects him and, more importantly, how it affects local comic shops.

Here is a look at the virtual tabletop Andrew created for his game of Spectaculars:

Also, here is the video made by Sacramento comic shop proprietor, Ben Schwartz––owner of Empire’s Comics Vault––laying out the dilemma of comic shop owners in the time of the quarantine (especially before Diamond stopped shipping):

RELEVANT LINKS:

RELEVANT EPISODES

  • Shortcast 72 – Little Paper People (02 Nov. 2018): Where Andrew talked about buying, printing, and assembling papercraft figures for tabletop role-play.
  • Makes a Taste (13 March 2020): Where Andrew discussed his first play-through of Spectaculars.

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC: