The H2o Podcast

In this episode we go on walkabout through a field of topics Darryl DMC McDaniels of RunDMC is now making comic books and our journey takes us from rap music to the 90s movies and their treatment of women as objects to admire and possess Along the way we look at the recently announced DC Animated projects Mr Harveys art and the absolutely bonkers metatextual possibilities of Sharon Stone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe come on you know shes Janet Van Dyne rightAlso Mr Hunt gripes about Facebook Plus we talk a little more about our plans for Worldcon and the reading list we havent gotten to yetTopic prompt for your emails and comments are there booksmoviesshows that youve always intended to readwatch but just never got around to it Let us know which titles are on your havent yet but mean to someday list

This week we introduce you to a new segment were developing for July The Essentials a series of articles and videos that introduce topics to people who might have missed it the first time around Just about every topic is fair game because somewhere out there someone hasnt seen Star Wars or Lost or LEXX or name your flavorSo were going to be sharing the Essentials about a topic and this first one Person of Interest which is wrapping up its final season on CBS in the next few weeks Our intrepid editorreporterhost Mr Harvey has realized that the show has some very genreconnecting elements which werent there in the beginning which is why it slipped under our radar making the show at the very least speculative fiction if not outright scifiTake a listen and please share with us what you think

Episode 115 takes on special meaning for us Not only do we get to record live we were out at Planet Comicon but we also celebrate our 100th episode with SuperheroStuffcom as our sponsorThis week we answer questions from our audience and oddly enough our talk circled around the DC Comics television shows more than anything else But we did talk about some other things and if weve missed anything youd like us to talk about send us an email h2oscifi4mecom and well discuss in a future episode

Coming out of our discussion last week we work off of Dougs suggested topic the willing suspension of disbelief Its a critical element in genre fiction that agreement between the artist and the audience that certain parts of a story are there and they make sense within the story You have to be willing to accept things like transporters aliens telepathy time travel and all manner of things to enjoy the storyBut if you stare too hard at it the whole thing comes apart And sometimes thats not what the author or filmmakers intended Sometimes they take for granted what audiences will accept or reject and we take a look at a few that get it right and some that dont

This week edging closer to the 115th episode where well give away a SuperheroStuff Hero BoxBouncing off an email from Doug in California we put it to our iTunesiPhone app listeners to help Doug find the rate button in the app If you have any assistance you can render please send us an emailAlso at what point do you lose the need to tell a particular story The fall of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars zombies on a boat with Fear the Walking Dead and others Sometimes its best to just leave well enough alone Unless youre Greg Berlanti and you get the keys to more of the DC Universe Because its absolutely necessary to tell the story of Booster Gold which hes about to doAnd then theres this logic bomb that could possibly destroy the plot of Star Trek III The Search for Spock Its one of those things that happen when you have too much time on your hands ticking away

Word came down this week that the online magazine SF Signal was shutting down and we take a moment to examine the narrowing field of geek journalism in the wake of changes at io9Plus more controversy surrounding the Hugo Awards surpriseAnd are they ever going to reboot I Dream of Jeannie We talk about why it might not be such a good idea as we await Barbara Edens appearance at Planet Comicon

Back on our regular schedule and this time were discussing a topic that probably should come with a warning label The comic book industry and by extension the comics community at large has been abuzz with discussion about the termination of employment for Shelly Bond at Vertigo Comics which somehow led to an even bigger discussion about the allegations of sexual harassment by a senior editor named by many to be Superman group editor Eddie Berganza Now were not going to get into the veracity of the allegations themselves mainly because we dont have the facts of any of the cases reported or not Instead we take a look at the discussion itself the online back and forth that looks at the situation and like the Internet does forms an opinion no matter how informed or not it may be This is not a defense of Berganza or anyone else whos been accused of this kind of thing This is a surface examination of the conversation being had about it

With apologies for the delay this week we look at a number of items in the news things blowing up the Internet things that matter and things that dontEvery now and again we find ourselves having to discuss sad news and this week we talk about the loss of Prince and his influence on the genre His work on Tim Burtons Batman had more of an impact than some people realize and we take a look at how Princes music influenced a generation of fans Plus we pass along our condolences to Patton Oswalt on the sudden death of his wife Michelle McNamaraIn other Internetblowup or blowback news theres Ghost in the Shell getting all the hate from the Interwebz because Scarlett Johansson is apparently too white to play a Japanese secret agent in the body of a robot And theres a lot of online chatter about the continued fallout over the CBSParamount lawsuit against Star Trek Axanar now its the sequel to Horizon getting a polite CampD before the production even beginsPlus Doctor Who companion news

Another week of numerous news items so we take some of the more notable ones and opine Star Wars Blakes 7 Batman v Superman Nosferatu American Gods and Jackie Earle Haley We kick things off with a funny from Mark Hamill and a rant about The Killing JokePlus Deadpool Avatar Tales From the Crypt and will Captain America be the big hero at the box office in May

Quite a few things to sift through this week not the least of which is that new trailer for Rogue One that fell upon the masses How excited are you for the next installment in the Star Wars franchise Because thats what it is now in full force Plus we discuss the changes in the release date for Wonder Woman along with the rest of the lineup for the DC Movie Universe And then theres this thing what DragonCon did What does it mean for the Hugos How will the Hugo Award process shake out this year with a new group running the Sad Puppies Is it time for a brand new award Is it time to burn everything down and start over

Its a discussion that may or may not depending on how much you care set off some comments and ire MaybeDid The 100 and The Walking Dead play into the wellworn tropes of The Lesbian Sacrifice or the Bury Your Gays or the fridging like some have complained And is the trope actually the trope everyone says it is Or is it much broader and people are just reading into it based on their own perspectivesPlus Zack Snyder just doesnt get Superman And we discuss a bit about why Batman v Superman doesnt work for some people

Zack Snyder is not the only one running afoul of the Internet this week because of something he said We also have the Gawkerowned io9com or is it io9gizmodocom also diving into the shallow end of the gene pool with some illadvised comments about pirating one of the most successful genre films of all time And JK Rowling runs amok in American history with historical events that werent quite historically accurate And at the same time she managed to offend quite a few peopleWell try not to offend as we look at these and other things we saw on the Internet this week and a lot of it was well

With the official news that were getting a fifth Indiana Jones film we take a look at the renowned franchise and discuss the story possibilities and the expectations we have for what could be Harrison Fords swan song as the swashbuckling archaeologist Will he pass the fedora to Mutt Will he drink of the magic elixir that transforms him into Chris PrattAnd what of Rick Deckard With the demise of Han Solo Harrison Fords other beloved franchise character and with the likely demise of the Blade Runner in the line of duty could we be seeing Fords Farewell Tour

We spend so much time talking about what everyone else is doing Studios Networks We talk about movies We talk about TV shows We talk about books But its been pointed out that the two of us actually work on things too so here we are kicking around a few details on the pies that hold our fingersFor Mr Harvey its the task of art direction on the web series Paradox City as well as editing our sister site Horror4MecomFor Mr Hunt its keeping up with all the information news and rumors coming over the wire here at World HQ plus working with new clients on TV commercials

Pilot season No rabbits or ducks to be seen but plenty of new faces on new shows This week we talk about all the casting news thats come down the pipeline over the last couple of weeks with surfacelevel analysis of some of the shows and a look at some of the new movies that have started to announce cast members as wellPlus is Riverdale going to be genre And theres a new name attached behind the scenes of the next Star Trek series at CBS

This week in our musings about our topic we wander into a whole mess of topics the Hugo Awards public libraries politics and social commentary as well as a thought or two on the upcoming remake of Battlestar Galactica Do we need it Do we want it And kids these days the discussion touches on the quality of schools the reading lists for students the conspiracy to dumb down America and a burst of an idea for a new column on SciFi4MePlus we touch on a couple of topics weve got coming up an alleged incident at a local con and casting news for the new pilot season just around the corner

It was only a matter of time according to director James Gunn the suits would look at the success of Deadpool and learn the wrong lessons And its not like it would be a new thing Just take a look at whats been going on over at Warner Bros with regard to the DC Comics properties Can you make an Rrated superhero movie Sure Should you Maybe Maybe not Like everything else it depends on the story And while DC looks to be retooling its comics lineup to better appeal to disgruntled fans is there a looming shakeup at WB that would leave Zach Snyder in the cold And would the suits at WB be able to make better decisions about their characters It all ties together in this extended edition of H2OBe sure to visit our sponsor SuperheroStuffcom

Episode ONE HUNDRED Its something we figured would eventually be happening and now suddenly weve blinked and its here A major achievement for us and were proud to share it with you Because you helped us make this episode with your questions prompting our discussion So sit back and enjoy this extended special episode And if youd like to see the video version httpswwwyoutubecomwatchvAgDRPoTY

Paramount Pictures and CBS are suing the Axanar production Marvel issued a takedown order on XMen Danger Room Protocols And theres this copyright infringement case that looks to be headed to the Supreme Court The argument over whether or not cheerleader uniforms can be protected under copyright has some wondering if there will be implications for cosplayersIs the era of fancreated art coming to an endDont forget to ask us your questions for our 100th episode h2oscifi4mecom and H2Opodcast100

Steven Moffat is leaving Doctor Who and the show is in peril Whatever shall we do Its a disasterSteven Moffat is leaving Doctor Who Break out the keg Woo hooTake your pick theres no denying that Steven Moffat has both fans and detractors who will be reacting very strongly to his departure from the show And what does this mean for Peter Capaldis presence How long will he last as the Doctor And what will the schedule do for audience numbersMoffatWatch begins