RetConned

From the catacombs of Italy to the glowworm caves of New Zealand, we discuss some of the weirdest, wonderful places the world has to offer on this episode of RetConned. Today we’re branching out a bit on the show — WAY out. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/retconnedatlasobscura.mp3 You don’t have to be a fan of science-fiction, fantasy, and horror to have an appreciation for the strange, peculiar places all around us, but it helps. The website Atlas Obscura has been cataloging just those sorts of places for almost a decade now with some help from a talented editorial team and readers willing to share their own experiences with creepy and quirky destinations both at home and abroad. (more…)

Brothers Karthik and Guha Bala spent 25 years turning the video game company they started in their parents’ basement into one of the most successful studios in the industry, only to leave the company in 2016. Why would they do such a thing? We get the answer to that question on the latest episode of RetConned. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of RetConned, a podcast of assorted geekery. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/retconned_bala.mp3 (more…)

Coffee and comics… what’s not to like? The next episode of RetConned is all that and more. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/retconned_deathwishcoffeecomics.mp3 This time around we’ve got comic book writer Ron Marz in the studio. A veteran of the comics industry who’s written just about every character you can probably name, Marz is – as always – currently working on a long list of comics projects. They include a comic book series for Death Wish Coffee, the Saratoga Springs coffee company that made headlines in 2015 by winning a contest to have its commercial air during the Super Bowl. The second issue of Odinforce was released during New York Comic Con earlier this year. (more…)

Why is Archie and the gang from Riverdale everywhere you look these days? We get to the bottom of that mystery – and discuss a few more – in the latest episode of RetConned. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/retconned_archiecomics.mp3 Today we’re diving into the world of Archibald Andrews, the teenager at the heart of Archie Comics for more than 75 years. (more…)

It ain’t easy being green — or is it? We get the scoop on the gender-bending character who pilots Voltron’s green lion from actress Bex Taylor-Klaus in the latest episode of RetConned. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/retconned_voltronwithbecks.mp3 Today we’re activating the interlock and connecting the dynotherms for a chat with actress Bex Taylor-Klaus about the animated series Voltron: Legendary Defender — or more specifically, Pidge, the gender-bending character she voices in the hit show. (more…)

It’s the middle of summer, but there’s a chill in the air.  Today we’re talking to author R.L. Stine, whose series of Goosebumps horror stories for young readers celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. A prolific writer whose books have sold more than 400 million copies, Stine’s work spans a wide range of genres and has been adapted for television and, most recently, a 2015 Goosebumps movie starring Jack Black. RetConned’s Ian Pickus spoke to Stine about his generation-spanning career crafting scary stories for young readers and the tales he still plans to tell in the coming years. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/retconnedepisode14.mp3

On this episode of RetConned, we talk to the CEO of industry-leading digital comics platform Comixology in the lead-up to this year’s San Diego Comic-Con about the changing face of the comics industry and his platform’s 10th anniversary. Today we’re talking comics – and the comics industry – with the CEO of the digital comics platform, Comixology. Initially launched back in July 2007, Comixology has grown into the industry leader in digital comics distribution over the last decade. The Comixology app and website makes more than 100,000 comics available across various mobile and online platforms, and it crossed an impressive milestone in September 2013 when it facilitated its 200 millionth comic downloaded. Given how much of the conversation ten years ago questioned whether digital comics would ever be embraced by the comics community, Comixology’s success is, well… kind of a big deal. With this year’s San Diego Comic-Con looming on the horizon, we spoke to CEO David Steinberger about the last ten years of comics, Comixology, and yes, Comic-Con. And we also got a preview of what Comixology has planned for the big show and beyond. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/retconnedcomixology.mp3

Autobots… rock out. In the latest episode of RetConned we talk to two members of Cybertronic Spree, a band of robots in disguise who keep the spirit of the original 1986 Transformers movie alive in music – and in costume – at comic conventions and fan events all around North America. We managed to get two of the band’s busy ‘bots, Arcee and Hot Rod, to chat with us about the origins and inspiration for their cybertronic sound. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/retconnedcytronicspree_mixdown.mp3  

What if California seceded from the United States? We speak to the creator of the new comic book series CalExit on the latest episode of RetConned. The notion of a fascist, autocratic President taking control of the United States seems less and less like the stuff of dystopian fiction these days, and the growing cultural divide in the country has many pundits and scholars wondering whether the nation can weather this socio-political storm. But what if it doesn’t? In the new comic book series CalExit by writer Matteo Pizzolo and artist Amancay Nahuelpan, the rise of just such a President pushes the state of California to the brink, and the state — which would have the world’s sixth largest economy if it was a country — decides to fight back. The story follows a pair of California residents who find themselves on the run, and unfolds against the backdrop of an occupied state where various factions have emerged to wrest control of the agricultural and economic power of the West Coast. RetConned spoke to Pizzolo about the series, the roots it has in our current national predicament, and what it says about one possible future for our nation in this time of crisis. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/retconnedcalexitfinal.mp3

We went to Anime Boston to talk with some of the industry’s most recognizable voices about the recent controversies involving trade, casting decisions, and the “otaku culture” behind one of the fastest growing mediums in the West. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/finanimeeexplained.mp3

Is there room for stop-motion animation in a world of computer-generated art? How is stop-motion animation staying relevant these days? We talk to the founder of Emmy-winning stop-motion studio Bix Pix Entertainment on this episode of RetConned. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/bixlermixdownretconned.mp3

Nintendo’s seventh foray into console gaming carries with it the nostalgia, simplicity, and fun of previous iterations. But this time bringing the console with you on your own adventures is as easy as making starting an adventure with Link or Mario. If you were looking for a system that carried the emotional gravity old hats normally associate with Nintendo, it might be better to look for a Nintendo Mini NES elsewhere. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/retconned-switch_mixdown.mp3

He’s called “The Merc with a Mouth,” but these days, Deadpool is also a Golden Globe Award nominee. Perhaps the most excited person of all when it comes to Deadpool’s success is the character’s co-creator, Rob Liefeld, who has long been one of Deadpool’s biggest – and most vocal – fans. Having campaigned for a Deadpool movie for decades now, the writer and artist saw that persistence pay off with the film’s record-breaking run last year. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/retconneddeadpoolliefeld_mixdown-1.mp3

Doctor Who is the longest running science-fiction television series since its start in 1963. A cultural phenomenon, Doctor Who grabbed international attention after its reappearance on TV following a brief break from production in the 1990s. There have been a total of 12 actors who officially played the doctor and the series is showing no sign of stopping its run. On WAMC’s podcast, RetConned, the team talks with the editor of a new book on the psychology of the Doctor. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/retconnedep10dw.mp3

Brewery Ommegang, located just outside of the American home of baseball… Cooperstown, New York. It’s a Belgian brewery that started brewing ales in 1997. We talked to Phil Leinhart and Allison Capozza at the brewery in Cooperstown about what goes into making a Game of Thrones beer. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ommegangpodcastretconned.mp3

Released in 1991, Tecmo Super Bowl was the first sports video game officially licensed with the National Football League and the NFL Players Association. The game continues to this day, moving from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) to the internet. This week the team dives headfirst into the game to talk with the creator of TecmoBowl.org https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/retconnedep13.mp3

Ashley J. Williams and the franchise that features him isn’t noted for gripping storytelling and political correctness but rather comedy and excruciating amount of blood. In this episode we explore diversity in the Starz television show, Ash vs Evil Dead with Ray Santiago and Michelle Hurd. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/RETCONNED13_mixdown.mp3

Could a history lecture be enhanced by allowing students to virtually experience a moment in time? Faculty at Williams College in western Massachusetts think so and WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Jim Levulis went to find out how they intend to do it. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/RETCONNEDEP12.mp3

On Thursday, Star Trek celebrated it’s 50th anniversary and all year long fans have been marking the occasion with various conventions, memorabilia, fan fiction, and even food. This week on RetConned, visit the final frontier when it comes to beer. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/retconnedep11shmaltzbrewing.mp3

Arguably the most overlooked part of video game production exists in music and sound design. Some music makes you laugh, some makes you cry, some is weaved into the game itself through decisions made and some is the game itself. But just how did we get from the nostalgic computer sounds of yesteryear… to the sweeping orchestra scores of today? Back in the 1970s, early video games had arrived. And although primitive by today’s standards, they gradually grew in complexity and scope – both in terms of gameplay and sound and music. Dr. Neil Lerner, a musicologist at Davidson College in North Carolina, recently spoke with WAMC’s Lucas Willard about the influences on the sound of early video games. https://wamcpodcasts.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/RETCONNEDEP10lucasmusic.mp3