Join Bob and Mike as they chat about current Pop Culture events. This episode we will have multiple guests join us as we recap Season 1 of Lanterns and get ready for NYCC. Ed Catto, John Dore, and Shari Harrison are scheduled to attend. We hope you enjoy the conversation. If you don't catch it live, you can watch later.

“I could be the catalyst that sparks the revolution. I could be an inmate at a long-term institution. I could dream to wild extremes, I could do or die, I could yawn and be withdrawn and watch the world go by.” From What A Waste, written by Ian Dury and Rod Melvin. If you’ve been to the supermarket lately — perhaps you just won the state lottery — you’ve probably noticed Halloween is upon us.

I’m going to side step pop culture for the week, in a way, and take an oddly specific deep dive into… politics. (note to the editors: if you could maybe cue up a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder here that would be great! -M) A point of order first: I actually believe politics goes hand in hand with pop culture.

I admit it; I tried to play it cool. I tried not to go all fanboy. But after about, oh, one-and-half minutes I was as a giddy as a seven-year-old feasting on birthday cake and ice cream. But, like I told my wife,  it was a work thing. And yeah, she just rolled her eyes too. As a part of my day job as an Assistant Professor at…

Join Bob and Mike as they chat about current Pop Culture events. Comic writer Eric Palicki makes his return to the SquadCast to talk about his comics work and his upcoming Kickstarter Campaign for Dragonproof. It is sure to be a great conversation. Be there. We hope you enjoy the conversation. If you don't catch it live, you can watch later. Here is a link to the Kickstarter:

At San Diego Comic-Con this past July, I noticed an indie booth with two covers by one of my favorite artists: Mark Schultz. (He’s also one of my favorite writers, and I read his Prince Valiant every Sunday, where art is provided by the phenomenal Thomas Yeates.) I was fascinated and wandered up to this curious booth. And it was there I started to learn about the term…

Join Bob and Mike as they chat about current Pop Culture events. Kyle Starks makes his return to the SquadCast to talk about his comics work and his latest Kickstarter Campaign for Louise Sprouse Stole My Heart. It is sure to be a great conversation. Be there. We hope you enjoy the conversation. If you don't catch it live, you can watch later. Here is a link to the Kickstarter:

Join Bob and Mike as they chat about current Pop Culture events. Special Guests for this episode will be Emmy Nominated writer Shane Portman and Editor-in-Chief of Fanbase Press Barbra J. Dillon. They will join the SquadCast to talk about the newly launched Kickstarter campaign for the collected edition of Shrub. It is sure to be a great conversation.

Titan’s Andrew Sumner is a fascinating guy with so much to say. You might be enjoying his impressive publishing and collectible output from Titan, you might have seen him on so many SDCC or NYCC panels, and maybe you’ve even see his podcasts & YouTube interviews. I must admit: I have the great privilege of hosting Andrew as a Guest Lecturer at Ithaca College.

Join Bob and Mike as they chat about current Pop Culture events. Zack Quaintance, comic creator and journalist, returns to the SquadCast to talk about his latest Kickstarter project, Death of Comics Bookcase - Reign of the Comics Bookcases. It is sure to be a great conversation. We hope you enjoy the conversation. If you don't catch it live, you can watch later.

Just as the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano, so too do the Unshaven Lads descend upon Atlanta on Labor Day weekend. This year, Unshaven Comics entered Dragon Con’s 40th celebration of their fan-forward nerdy Mardi Gras ready to rock out as hard as we possibly could. How so you ask? We bought two tables to fill with merch. We finished…

Sometimes, a really good book inspires you to learn more or investigate further. This book, a biography, I just finished sure did that to me. I just finished it and now I want to: Research this book’s fascinating entrepreneur more Buy some Hawaiian/Polynesian records (I did buy one!) Spend a Happy Hour at some Tiki Bar Order a pu pu platter…

Join Bob and Mike as they chat about current Pop Culture events. Superstar comic writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson will return to the SquadCast and talk about Midnight, Marvel Comics' latest big initiative. It is sure to be a great conversation. We hope you enjoy the conversation. If you don't catch it live, you can watch later.

They say to never meet your idols. I dunno, I’ve had pretty good luck over the years. I especially had good luck with writer, researcher, and historian Will Murray. Sadly, Will passed last week. In retrospect, it seemed like Will Murray was an author that I always reading. He seemed to know so much about all the cool stuff I loved: pulp heroes (like…

It time that we bring you the list of new series and special editions coming on New Comic Book Day this Wednesday. We are highlighting what you need to put in your cart at the comic shop or digital marketplace. Holy Moley Folks! What an amazing list of new series and special editions!? There are so many must reads this week that thank goodness there is a long weekend coming to help us catch up.

Join Bob and Mike as they chat about current Pop Culture events. Comic creators Julio Anta and Jacoby Salcedo will join the SquadCast and talk about their careers and their collaborations including the latest No Gods, No Masters. It is sure to be a great conversation. Be there. We hope you enjoy the conversation. If you don't catch it live, you can watch later.

“You gotta give the people what they want. The more they get, the more they need, and every time they get harder and harder to please.” From Give The People What They Want, written by Ray Davies. They say timing is everything, and to my experience that concept is as reliable as gravity and every bit as explainable. In the comic book world, it was announced a bit ago that our friends…

As the nation mourns the passing of Dolly Parton, her many accomplishments have been recited and celebrated. And they certainly should be. What an impressive person she was. Last year when we visited Nashville, we chose not to see that Dolly Boadway-esque show that was in previews. Not because we weren’t interested, we were, but because the tickets were really expensive.

Join Bob and Mike as they chat about current Pop Culture events. Legendary Indie Comic Creators Wendy and Richard Pini will make their debut appearance on the SquadCast and talk about their careers in comics as well as their latest project Masque of the Red Death which is funding on Kickstarter. It is sure to be a great conversation. Be there.  We hope you enjoy the conversation. If you don't catch it live, you can watch later.

“I want a world without gravity. It could be just what I need. I’d watch the stars move close. I’d watch the earth recede.” From Wicked Gravity, written by Jim Carroll. Wikipedia defines Pet Peeve thusly: A pet peeve, pet aversion, or pet hate is a minor annoyance that an individual finds particularly irritating to a greater degree than the norm.

We here at PopCultureSquad are sad to report that regular columnist Marc Alan Fishman’s normal weekly piece was not turned in this week, and in its place was the following letter left in his submission inbox. Please take caution when reading. Thank you. –The Management Dear Flash and the downtrodden dopes of Central City, Tis I, Mark Mardon, more often known to you as…

Have you ever had that strange feeling when you don’t know much about a book’s subject —and don’t even have a little affinity for it—but you absolutely love that book? Me too! That’s the case (for me) with the wonderful new hardcover, Scott Shaw!’s Sonic Days. I’m not a big Sonic the Hedgehog fan. I’m not sure if I’m too old, too young, or too square.

“Here I am with my immigration form, it's big enough to keep me warm when a cold wind's coming, so go where you will as long as you think you can, you'd better watch out. Watch out for the man, anywhere you're going.” From Immigration Man, written by Graham Nash. For some — all too many — this might be the most important comic book they will ever possess.

Maya Angelou probably was not the first individual to say this particular quote, or a variation of it, but over the years it has been most frequently attributed to her. “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” That’s just the way I feel about one of my favorite TV shows, from the UK; …

I spent this past weekend at Terrificon, at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. As we do every year, my wife Shari and I volunteer to help raise money and awareness for Hero Initiative at this show along with our friend Shannon and Leo. This year was a great success from our perspective. Attendees were generous and supportive of the cause to help comic creators in need, and if you are unaware of the mission and activities of Hero Initiative, please go to their website to check it out.

YouTube video by Pop Culture Squad

In checking off the list of things I’ve recently chatted about, seems I’ve covered all my bases. Comedy. Pro Wrestling. New movies. Old movies. Indie movies. And, of course… Unshaven Comics. Well, guess we start at the top and take another spin, aye? With my forthcoming special appearance on the award-winning Pop Culture Squadcast…

Even though I’m teaching a lot of classes these days, there are some classes I’d really like to take! It turns out The Kubert School has just merged with County College of Morris. The Kubert School, the brainchild of the brilliant Joe Kubert, was established in 1976 essentially as a technical school for artists wanting to get into comics, illustration, and/or animation.

Join Bob and Mike as they chat about current Pop Culture events. Writer Sarah Gailey will join the SquadCast to talk about their comics and prose work and whatever other things we can think of. It is sure to be a great conversation. We hope you enjoy the conversation. If you don't catch it live, you can watch later.

It time that we bring you the list of new series and special editions coming on New Comic Book Day this Wednesday. We are highlighting what you need to put in your cart at the comic shop or digital marketplace. This week's list is chock full of superstar creators and super intriguing new concepts that have our wallets crying uncle.

“People think its cool cause it’s our law. Think they rebel without a cause. We gotta help the sick and the addicted, but were killin’ ourselves with the new prohibition. Our government’s try to tell you what to do; decide for yourself what’s right for you. If ya go too far and ya get outta hand, then ya take a little trip down to prison land!” From “Legalize it” written by Mojo Nixon.

I think I’ve used, and reused, that old saw about a picture being worth a thousand too many times. But still, you get it. Everyone loves the cosplay pics from San Diego Comic-Con. So..here’s a few good ones from last week’s event for you to enjoy!

Join Bob and Mike as they chat about current Pop Culture events. Writer Bob Frantz will join the SquadCast and talk about his latest project, The Attack of Killer Tomatoes GN from Panick Entertainment. It is sure to be a great conversation. Be there. We hope you enjoy the conversation. If you don't catch it live, you can watch later.

Forever and a day ago, I wrote about my comedic aspirations. At the time, I’d just agreed to perform at a local charity event during the early holiday season. Hilariously (perhaps only to me), I was told the event was “blue”, in so much that the nice gal who asked me to perform was plenty fine with me dropping a few foul words, and to make my set as azure as I wanted it to be.

Join Bob and Mike as they chat about current Pop Culture events. We are excited to welcome the amazing Bridgit Connell to the SquadCast. We will talk about her career in comics and what comes next. It's going to be a great time. Be there! We hope you enjoy the conversation. If you don't catch it live, you can watch later.

“One man’s civilization is another man’s jungle, yeah. They say evolution’s in the air. I’m dancing in my underwear, ‘cause I don’t care.” From Piggy In The Middle, written by Neil Innes. If you’re reading this roughly around the time of posting — 9 AM Monday EDT, I believe — you should know that about one out of every four of my comics friends presently are stuck in airport waiting rooms — not just in San Diego or Los Angeles, but in those horrific “hub” city airports.

Last week I tooted my own horn about all the things I have going on at San Diego Comic-Con, but this week, let me shine the spotlight on some other cool panels & booths that deserve your attention. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence Friday 7:15 pm  Room 6 A Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence  more than 40 years, the Killer Tomatoes are coming home. 

“And if California slides into the ocean like the mystics and statistics say it will, I predict this motel will be standin' until I pay my bill.” From Desperados Under the Eaves, written by Warren Zevon When word finally was released last week that Marvel, a.k.a. Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios, Marvel Animation, Marvel Television, and Spaceballs the Marvel, is going to consolidate all of its operations in “Hollywood,” I think just about everybody had the same feeling.

Welcome back, one and all, to my little corner of the internet. For the past couple weeks, I’ve been bringing you my thoughts on movies — both old and new. So, let’s go ahead and switch up mediums, shall we? While I’d love to wax poetic on some of the recent streaming I’ve done… I’m fairly confident all the best essays on Pluribus were already written.

Jamie Broadnax of the outstanding Black Girl Nerds was speaking to students today and called San Diego the Superbowl of comics. Is it really the most important event for the industry?  Kind of yes, kind of no. Nonetheless, there’s a lot of effort and planning that goes into it all. So many hopes and dreams that talented people are working hard at. 

Join Bob and Mike as they chat about current Pop Culture events. We will welcome the return of comic writer and editor extraordinaire Shelly Bond to the SquadCast. Her latest project called SubCULTURE is currently funding on Kickstarter. We will chat about that and whatever else we can think of. It's going to be a great time. Be there. Back the Kickstarter below:  We hope you enjoy the conversation. If you don't catch it live, you can watch later.

This past weekend, I was able to take the wifey out and about to catch a flick at the cinemaplexatorium. We chose to check out Supergirl. Having absolutely adored James Gunn’s Superman, I personally walked in with expectations of a fun romp with a good dose of heart. I knew the film itself was heavily inspired by “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, but alas, I’ve never read it.

YouTube video by Pop Culture Squad

There’s a lot of Batman stuff out there now, and I find it hard to keep up.  What’s your favorite? Absolute Batman continues to do gangbusters, and has been such gift to comic shop retailers. Dan Jurgens’ and Mike Perkins’ Bat-Man: First Night has a second volume that looks to be another oversized treasure. Gabriel Hardman’s  Black Label series, Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia…

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” — Oscar Wilde. Back in my First Comics days, I made the observation that the major difference between World War II and the Vietnam War was the Andrew Sisters. I was serious, and a surprisingly large number of people understood my reference. It’s much more easy to be culturally obscure these days.

Happy Rex Manning Day… whatever the hell that means. Once again, I am back to cover a movie I’ve been brutally chastised for not seeing during my formative years. I’ll note though: thus far this series only covered movies in the 80’s (Top Gun, Caddyshack, and Labyrinth, to date). So I guess we’re now allowing for flicks in the 90s too.

I’m going to see Supergirl at the movies tonight. I regret that my box office revenue (although it IS so miniscule in the big picture) won’t count towards the opening weekend box office tally. Seems like they really needed it. Since the weekend was over, I’m seeing so much analysis about why this movie “failed”, who made it fail, and what everyone should’ve done differently.