Radio Free Krypton

Ep 120: At Toronto Comic Con last month, hosts Justin, Mitchell and Jacob had a chat with iconic Batman and Green Arrow/Green Lantern writer Dennis O'Neil. This week, the hosts discuss O'Neil's impact on Batman stories, his activism work, and what it takes to be considered a radical in the comic book world. Originally broadcast on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. Produced by Mitchell Thompson and Jacob Dubé.

In Episode 119, Justin interviews Rotem Diamant, the president and librarian of the Canada Comics Library—a newly opened space collecting and cataloguing comics in downtown Toronto. Rotem describes how the project got off the ground and how the library works to spotlight marginalized creators. RFK airs first on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. Produced by Jacob Dubé.

For Episode 118, Justin, Jacob and Mitchell reunite for Toronto ComiCon. After three years of covering this convention, they debate how best to keep cons fresh, catch up with creators they've interviewed before, and meet some new ones to watch out for. Featuring interviews with Danny Zabbal, Casey Parsons, Shawn Daley, Megan Huang, Paris Alleyne, Jason Loo and Te'Shawn Dwyer. RFK airs first on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. This episode was recorded at Toronto ComiCon on March 15, 2019. It was produced by Justin Chandler. If you don't already, you can follow Radio Free Krypton on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

In Episode 117, host Jacob Dubé speaks with comic creator Jason Lutes about Berlin, a huge 800-page epic telling the stories of the citizens of the German capital between the two World Wars. They talk about the 22-year creation of the book and the everyday stories of those experiencing the rise of fascism in their neighbourhoods. Also, RPGs. RFK airs first on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. Produced by Mitchell Thompson.

Ep 116 - We know your first crush was a cartoon. Don't lie. We've all been there. The shows one watches growing up can have a big effect on them and so can those crushes. Host Justin Chandler is joined by friends of the show Sid Drmay and Maddie Lychek to talk about the drawings they loved and what those early yearnings meant. RFK airs first on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. This episode was edited by Jacob Dubé. Here are the links to the article by Sid and art by Maddie that inspired this show.

Ep 115 - "The Walking Med" is a volume of essays examining what zombie comics and media say about modern attitudes toward death, aging, medicine and healthcare. Co-editor Lorenzo Servitje joins host Justin Chandler to discuss the book and some of the essays within it. RFK airs first on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. This episode was produced by Justin Chandler.

Ep 114 - "Bakuman" is the wonderfully earnest tale of two boys who dream of becoming professional manga artists while still in high school. Written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata (of "Death Note" fame), it's also a fascinating look inside the shonen manga business. Friend of the show and Otaku Megami Christine Chua joins hosts Justin Chandler and Jacob Dubé to talk about the series and the world it portrays. RFK airs first on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. This episode was produced by Jacob Dubé.

Ep 113 - Comics writer Sam Miserendino joins the Creator Series book club, where people who make comics talk about the books that inspired them. Sam's pick, "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by humourist David Sedaris, is a series of essays based on the author's life. Justin Chandler, Jacob Dubé and Sam discuss Sam's comedy inspirations and why this book is so relatable. Sam Miserendino is the author of the zombie Jesus comic, "Prince of Pieces," and the children's book parody series, Addicted Animals. RFK airs first on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. This episode was produced by Mitchell Thompson.

Ep 112 - Here's to another year! Justin and Jacob talk about trends in comics from 2018 and discuss their goals for RFK in 2019. We say "thank u, next" to: our favourite books this year single issues small-minded a-holes Marvel movies as we know them barriers to publishing indie comics Radio Free Krypton wishes you and your loved ones health and wellness in 2019 and beyond! RFK airs first on CJRU1280 AM in Toronto. This episode was edited by Mitchell Thompson. PS: The clip at the end is from here.

Ep 111 - Hosts Justin and Jacob interview two creators from the upcoming "Shout Out" comics anthology. The editor, Andrew Wheeler, and one of the writers, Anthony Oliveira, discuss queer representation in genre fiction, why it matters and why it's so damn hard to get a queer character in a mainstream comic. RFK airs first on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. This episode was produced by Justin Chandler.

Ep 110 - In Aminder Dhaliwal's new book Woman World, all the men have died off (spoiler: it doesn't turn out too bad). In this episode, Jacob speaks to Dhaliwal about her book, transitioning the stories from Instagram, and representing identities without making them the butt of every joke. Originally broadcast on CJRU 1280AM in Toronto. Produced by Jacob Dubé.

Ep 109 - "Tonight I am the law," Batman proclaims in the fan-favourite comic Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. It's but one of the fascistic actions the Caped Crusader takes over the course of Frank Miller's epic. But if Miller's Batman is an authoritarian, why is the book so popular today? Matt Rea, a communications strategist at the University of Alberta, tells Justin how Miller creates a Gotham City that permits and condones a fascist hero. RFK airs first on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. This episode was edited by Mitchell Thompson with mixing by Justin Chandler.

Ep 108 - This week hosts Justin and Jacob reunite with RFK alum Sid Drmay to talk about their favourite online shooter, Overwatch. The story of the game itself doesn't make much sense, but loads of animated shorts and online comics fill out its confusing (but endearing world). They discuss comics as a way to easily add more lore to a game and TV show, and when to know when you're just being sold to. Originally broadcast on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. Produced by Jacob Dubé.

Ep 107 - Indie comics projects pop up all over Canada, but it can be hard to know where to find them and what to read. Justin talks to Brendan Montgomery about his Canadian Independent Comic Book Wiki, which collects and lists details about independent Canadian comics, the characters in them and the people who make them. They talk about the origins of the project and Brendan's upcoming magazine. RFK airs first on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. This episode was produced by Justin Chandler.

Ep 105-106 - For this year's CJRU fund drive, we partnered with the station's gaming show, "Built to Play," to bring you "Crisis of Toxic Nerds," a two-part documentary investigating where the toxicity in geek culture comes from, and what we can do about it. In this part, BTP hosts Arman Aghbali and Daniel Rosen focus on toxic masculinity in gaming specifically. They talk to talk to Laine "Superphrenic" Yuhas about Dota 2, sexism and her organisation, Desoladies. Later, researcher Emma Vossen, an expert on gaming and gender, gives them a run down on what it means to be a gamer, and why that sucks for everyone. This episode was originally broadcast on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. BTP-specific funding awards are available here!

Ep 105-106 - For this year's CJRU fund drive, we partnered with the station's gaming show, Built to Play, to bring you "Crisis of Toxic Nerds," a two-part documentary investigating where the toxicity in geek culture comes from, and what we can do about it. In this part, RFK hosts Justin and Jacob try to make sense of an old beast with a new face: Comicsgate. They speak to comics writer and editor Stephanie Cooke, rapper More or Les, professor Benjamin Woo and writer and PhD candidate Safiyya Hosein about how toxicity develops and the importance of diverse representations in comics. Originally broadcast on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. Written and reported by Justin Chandler and Jacob Dubé. Produced by Jacob Dubé, Justin Chandler and Mitchell Thompson. RFK-specific fund drive awards can be found here!

This past year, our host station CJRU 1280 AM offered free weekly workshops for Syrian refugees, offering people a chance to tell their own stories through radio documentary. Starting Sept. 24, CJRU is holding a Fund Drive to raise $3,300 to fund another round of these Refugee Radio workshops. With your help, the station will continue to make this program available and accessible. To donate to the program and support RFK while you do, go to https://store.cjru.ca/discount/RFK. Even one dollar helps. You can also pledge for an RFK-specific reward. All the proceeds go to fund Refugee Radio! But don't take it from us. The definitely-real Adam West is here to explain. Promo produced by Justin Chandler.

This is a re-broadcast of an episode that aired June 15, 2017. Writer and artist Emmanuelle Chateauneuf talks to Justin and Jacob about her book "Queen Street," which portrays 12 hours in the lives of a mother and her daughter. The book is based on the author's childhood and is influenced by manga she read growing up. RFK airs first on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. This episode was produced by Justin Chandler.

This episode originally aired on May 25, 2017. Jacob talks with Toronto comic artist/foodie Rosena Fung about her series "Things I Love (and Hate) About Toronto." Rosena lays bare the little things that make the city great and sometimes awful. RFK airs first on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. This episode was produced by Jacob Dubé.

Ep 104 - How do you broadly celebrate geekdom without giving into corporate culture and fanboy craze? Toronto rapper More or Les grappled with that question while producing his new album, "Nerd Love." which features tracks about giant robots, Avengers, representation and commercialism. He tells Justin and Mitchell how he balanced opposing forces, and about the stories behind some of the raps. RFK airs first on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. This episode was produced by Justin Chandler.