Description
First-time guest Jonathan Wade joins Joe to discuss to classic, early sci-fi stories, "The Machine Stops" and "Mechanopolis." In the 1909 short story "The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster, humanity has begun living in underground cities with all their needs met by the machine, until one day their machine stops. In the 1913 short story "Mechanopolis" by Miguel de Unamuno, a man recounts his journey to a city that is solely occupied by machines. 
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E.M. Forster - Wikipedia
Miguel de Unamuno -Wikipedia

Description
First-time guest Andy Hartzell joins Joe to discuss his graphic novel Monday. Monday tells the story of Eve and Adam trying to navigate their first days after creation as Snake offers suggestions about what they should do and God is interested in making one more creation.
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Monday - Publisher website

Description
Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss the Japanese film Grave of the Fireflies. This 1998 film was produced by Studio Ghibli and directed by Isao Takahata. It is based on the semi-autobiographical short story of the same name by Akiuki Nosaka and tells the story of Japanese siblings trying to survive the end of World War II.
Show Notes

Grave of the Fireflies - Wikipedia
Isao Takahata - Wikipedia
Studio Ghibli - Wikipedia

 

Description
Protagonist Podcast co-founder Todd Mack is back for our annual Halloween Special. In this episode, we play a game of Halloween Fives, where a random Halloween topic is given and we each need to fill out a list of five that fits that criteria. Enjoy the spooky season!

Description
Returning guest Josh Allen joins Joe to discuss the Stephen King novel Salem's Lot. King's second novel tells the story of a small town in Maine being overrun by vampires, and the few citizens who realize what is happening and try to stop them. 
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Show Notes

'Salem's Lot - Wikipedia
Stephen King - Wikipedia

Description
Returning guest Nik English joins Joe to discuss the tv show Resident Alien. This sci-fi dramedy series stars Alan Tudyk as an alien who wants to destroy earth but is disguised as the human Harry Vanderspiegle. We discuss the tone of the series, Alan Tudyk's performance, and also the delightful side characters in the series.
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Resident Alien - Wikipedia
Alan Tudyk - Wikipedia

Description
First time guest Valentino Zullo joins Joe to discuss "Kamen's Kalamity," a story from the EC Comics Tales from the Crypt #31. We discuss the place of EC Comics in pop culture history, and also dig into this particular story which is a fantastical semi-autobiographical story of how the artist Jack Kamen came to draw horror comics for EC Comics. 
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Show Notes

Jack Kamen - Wikipedia
EC Comics - Wikipedia

Description
Returning guests Lena English and Tayler Iverson join Joe to discuss the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You. Based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, this film moves the plot to an American high school in the late 1990s. Starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger, the film follows the tangled love lives of a group of teenagers.
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10 Things I Hate About You - Wikipedia
10 Things I Hate About You - IMDB

Description
First-time guest Joseph Darowski (hi, Dad) joins returning guest John Darowski and Joe to discuss to stories about supernatural dangers faced by humans as they take to the skies. "The Horror of the Heights" is a 1913 short story by Arthur Conan Doyle about the mysterious deaths of pilots who are attempting to break altitude records in the early days of manned flight. "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" is a classic Twilight Zone episode about a man trying to overcome his fear of flying who is the only one on a flight who sees a gremlin damaging the wing of the plane.
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Show Notes

The Horror of the Heights - Wikipedia
Arthur Conan Doyle - Wikipedia
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet - Wikipedia
The Twilight Zone - Wikipedia

Description
Returning guest Josh Allen joins Joe to discuss the animated series Gravity Falls. The series is animated fantasy/comedy/cryptid/coming of age/mystery/adventure show and it is fantastic. We're talking about the 12-year-old twins Mabel and Dipper, who go to spend the Summer with their Great Uncle Stan in the small town of Gravity Falls where they start to discover strange supernatural conspiracies.
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Show Notes

Gravity Falls - Wikipedia
Alex Hirsch - Wikipedia

Description
Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss the long history of adapting Superman into additional media outside of the comic books where the character first appeared. John is the editor of the essay collection Adapting Superman, making him an expert on this topic.
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Adapting Superman - Amazon

Description
Returning guest Andrew Deman joins Joe to discuss the comic book issue X-Factor #87 which had a cover date of December 1992. This classic issues sees a therapist meet with each member of the team and provide new insights into their personalities and motivations. The issue was written by the legendary comic book writer Peter David, and we take some time to discuss his legacy and impact on the industry.
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Show Notes

X-Factor - Wikipedia
Peter David - Wikipedia
Joe Quesada Wikipedia

Description
Producer Andrew joins Joe to discuss the classic western film Shane. Based on the 1949 novel by Jack Schaefer, the film was directed by George Stevens and stars Alan Ladd as Shane and Van Hefline as Joe. It tells the story of a drifter cowboy coming into town and helping the homesteaders fight off an evil cattle baron.
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Shane (film) - Wikipedia
Shane (book) - WIkipedia

Description
Returning guest Kestra Darowski joins Producer Andrew and Joe to discuss the novel Castle of Water. This novel by Dane Hucklebridge tells the story of a stranded pair of strangers trying to survive on a deserted island. 
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Dane Huckelbridge - Author website

Description
First-time (sort of) guest Stephanie Siler joins Joe to discuss the classic tv mystery show Monk. Adrian Monk, played by Tony Shalhoub, is an obsessive compulsive private investigator who struggles with all of the phobias while also solving a mystery each week. We're discussing why the show was so successful, the strengths of the performances, and what distinguishes it from other shows in the same genre.
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Show Notes

Monk - Wikipedia
Monk - IMDB