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Spotlight: Dick Tracy

Now, audiences can find any number of superhero movies released per year, but before their relatively recent boom in theatres, superhero movies were a rare occurrence. Often, a sort of quasi-superhero movie would come around, but instead of showcasing a popular comic book property they would focus on characters that originated in pulp magazines or newspaper comic strips. That's exactly the climate in which the film Dick Tracy was produced. Supremely popular in its day, but often a forgotten precursor to the modern comic book feature. Warren Beatty directs and stars as the beloved yellow-trench-coat-clad detective who always got his man. To celebrate the film's 30th Anniversary the panel takes a look back at the 1990 movie, Dick Tracy.

To Be Continued, Or Not To Be Continued?

That is the question. There are many ways to categorize types of storytelling, but one way is serialized versus episodic. One strings together multiple installments to tell a larger tale where the other utilizes a single installment to tell a single story, sometimes called a one and done.  Both can create for an  immensely satisfying experience but both also have advantages and disadvantages and of course the panel has opinions about which they prefer, serialized or episodic stories. 

Superhero Staying Power?

Disco. Westerns. There are many examples of things that were once popular that have since died out. The question is, are we in the middle of one of those scenarios as we speak? Thanks to their incredible success at the box-office, today superheroes are as popular as they have ever been. Whether its kids or adults, women or men, everyone seems to enjoy stories of a mild-mannered somebody learning that great responsibility comes along with the great powers. But is it possible that the day will come for the popular concept of superheroes to end? Might we see its prevalence be replaced by something new? The panel takes a look at whether or not the superhero is sustainable.

Untapped Potential in Pop Culture

How many times have you read a comic or watched a show and encountered something that made you think, ”this is such a great idea, why don’t they do more with this?" What properties exist out there that could be huge if only given the opportunity? Every fanboy and fangirl has their list of movies or shows they would like to see made about some property they love that just can’t seem to make the jump into another media. In this episode, the panel opens up about which properties they think have unmined potential.

Spotlight: Darwyn Cooke

Darwyn Cooke is an Eisner and Harvey award winning comic creator. Probably best known for his seminal 2006 love letter to the DC silver age The New Frontier, his resume as both a writer and an artist consists also of memorable tales on a who’s who of classic characters in the industry such as Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Jonah Hex, The Spirit, and an enduring stint on Catwoman where he introduced a brand new look for the infamous cat-burglar that has now become an enduring classic look for the character. His graphic novel adaptations of novelist Richard Stark’s illustrious Parker series easily stand out as a shining example of the evolution of storytelling within the medium of comics. It is with great joy that the panel takes a look back at the illustrious career of Darwyn Cooke.

Insert Coin: Select Your Super Hero

Superheroes are not just found in comics, they're in all of our media these days. They are in the movies, on tv, and in animation. But, sometimes we forget that before they came to be done so superbly well there, they could be found in the video game arcades and home consoles of yore. The panel takes a stroll down memory lane as they look back at their favorite superhero video games.

Sequels: What Happens Next

All good stories have a beginning, middle, and an end, but sometimes there's more after the screen turns black and the lights come up. What happens after the good guy rides off into the sunset? What happens after the couple says I do? Hence Movie Sequels. A chance for the audience to get to see our favorite characters again and watch them develop and grow while having new adventures. For this episode, the panel examines the different forms a movie sequel can take.

Spoiler Alert-iquette

Darth Vader is [CLASSIFIED]! Rosebud is [REDACTED]? Spoilers are all over the place and you can accidentally stumble upon one anywhere. For this episode, the panel discusses Spoiler Etiquette, and how we can make endings safe for everyone who still likes to be surprised.

Watch Challenge: DuckTales/Justice League Action

Tommy issued the challenge. He would choose five episodes of Justice League Action for Zack to watch and in return he would watch five episodes of Ducktales from Zack's choosing.  The episodes were selected, the entire panel has viewed them, and now it's time to see who has come around to becoming a fan of the other show.

Spotlight: Saved By The Bell

Saved by the Bell was a mega popular teen comedy show that ran for four seasons on NBC in the 90s. The show followed Zack, Kelly, Jessie, Slater, Lisa and of course Screech as they navigated love, relationships, teachers, parents, and homework. The characters were all modeled off of teen archetypes and were brought to life by incredibly charismatic performers. A fun, wholesome show that undeniably became part of the zeitgeist of the time. We’re so excited!  We’re so excited to take a look back at Saved by the Bell! Don't be scared.