Mismatched Texts

Wherein Andy and Justice memorialize Akira Toriyama, best known as the creator of the Dragonball franchise. One of his other masterworks is the video game Chrono Trigger, the SNES RPG from 1995. We also mention the recently deceased musical genius Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist from Rush and accomplished author. We look back with some nostalgia on their works and what their deaths mean for their art.

Wherein Justice and Andy draft a roster of monsters to pit against one another. The rules: Only two titans and the human-sized-ish monsters must have a semi-Earth origin. Crystal clear. We each pick five and debate their battles. Come and see who wins!

Wherein Andy and Justice bite into the drama surrounding the cancellation of the Dark Universe franchise and the monstrous success of the Monsterverse franchise. What makes Godzilla and King Kong compelling both individually and together? At the same time, what makes Dracula compelling by himself but not when paired with the wolf man, Frankenstein's monster, or other Victorian/Romantic horrors? Why was the Dark Universe unable to replicate the success of the early MCU when they had at least as many bankable stars already signed? How is it that Tom Cruise signed on to The Mummy and turned down the role of Tony Stark?

Wherein Justice and Andy get turned around in their attempts to define what distinguishes a spinoff from a reboot and whether or not such things are worth the risk to the original work. As ubiquitous as spinoffs have been, how many can compare to the source material? And why do we think of spinoffs mostly in terms of television and not other textual forms? After Mash? Who greenlit that?

Wherein Andy and Justice aim their sights on the right-wing talking point that the upcoming GTA 6 game from Rockstar has "gone woke." That was an excruciating sentence for the two of us to write because the very idea of it is ridiculous. What does the GTA franchise seek to accomplish beyond making money? What do its many entries say about the American story? And wouldn't gendered and racial diversity be expected in a game set in 2025 Miami? Of course it would!

Wherein Justice and Andy endure the agony of the Very Short Treks series on YouTube. Why do these exist? What niche are they trying to fill? Clearly they shouldn't exist and aren't filling any niche. I mean, these are just an embarassment to the Star Trek franchise, and a slap in the face to all True Trek fans. Actors from previous and current shows are participating in this travesty. How could they?

Wherein Andy and Justice embark on a discussion of worldbuilding across the genres of written and nonwritten texts. What is the difference between a top-down and bottom-up approach to worldbuilding and what makes each world feel alive and complete? Is it the landscape? Is it the history? Is it the characters? Who is the player or the audience in the world? Topics range from J. R. R. Tolkien to China Mieville to Stephen R. Donaldson (perhaps the most underrated SF author) to Bethesda's latest miserable failure, Starfield.

Wherein Justice and Andy sneak into the scuttlebut about the end of the Mission Impossible franchise. Is it in fact coming to an end? The lead actor and the studio seem to have different plans in mind. What do you think about a secret agent who can almost collect social security? Does the agency supplement Medicare... or provide supplements? But seriously, what do we think about Tom Cruise as an action star in his 60s? Should the series come to an end or should they James Bond it?

Wherein Andy and Justice harmonize in opposition to the Strange New Worlds episode "Subspace Rhapsody." The first Star Trek episode in history to be framed as a musical, fans around the world were devastated by its departure from fifty-eight years of their expectations. Why was this done? Why such a marked departure from a proven formula? And can we expect more episodes that abandon a serious exploration of cultural issues?

Wherein Justice and Andy stroll into the recent controversy in country music with the release of Jason Aldean's "Try That In a Small Town." Pulled from circulation on CMT, it has ignited a veritable molotov cocktail of protest. What is this song about, really? Do political messages deserve to be treated politically? And does the small town that he imagines in the song really exist?

Wherein Andy and Justice call into question the wisdom and timeliness of continuing the seemingly unending Avatar franchise. Given that there was 14 years between the first and second film, we were hoping that it was finished. Why does there need to be more when the first film told a complete story? And will the next three entries be as predictable as the second film was? Yes they will be. Please make it stop.

Wherein Justice and Andy drill into the anthropocene by way of 2003's The Core and the 1993 episode "Forces of Nature" from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Given that we're confronted with the awesome problem of the climate crisis, we've decided to rewind the clock to look at two early versions of impending ecological disaster. Despite the radically different solutions in each of these stories, both demonstrate a shocking amount of American military hubris. How do these texts envision solutions and have we reimagined those solutions in the last thirty years? And what the hell is a laser impeller?

Wherein Andy and Justice navigate the uneven chracter arc of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Wesley Crusher. From a whining beneficiary of nepotism to a valuable member of the bridge crew to an interdimensional cosmic entity and winding up as Wil Wheaton playing himself, we chart the many successes and failures of this character. If the enire bridge crew can endlessly play themselves in the franchise, why can't Wil Wheaton?

Wherein Justice and Andy shuffle into the disappointing realization that there is no history of or cultural references to zombies in the universe of The Walking Dead. And why have the creators of the franchise chosen to do this? For the least interesting reason possible. With centuries of zombie and other undead stories woven into human culture and history and religion, are we supposed to believe that the rest of popular literature and fine arts are exactly the same as ours? I guess so...

Wherein Andy and Justice stomp into the world of Nintendo's Mario. The success of the recent film got us thinking about Mario's character arc, such as it is. Why is he popularly understood to be a plumber when he has never plumbed anything in any game? Isn't he rather an exterminator of various pests and populations? Topics range from the Mario films to the recent open world entries to Hernán Cortés. Why is this man a hero?

Wherein Justice and Andy mosey down the trail of the western genre in film and television. We look at Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone franchise alongside the 1963 John Wayne film McLintock! How has the westen genre evolved in the last sixty years and why have we seen a sudden resurgence of it in popular television? Given that Yellowstone has taken the screen by storm, it seems appropriate to discuss what it's achieving, if anything at all. Topics range from land ownership to settler colonialism to the unfortunate permanence of Westen masculinity. Also, it seems like there's a whole lot of spanking going on...

Wherein Andy and Justice turn back the clock to 2014's Edge of Tomorrow and 1993's Groundhog Day. Why do we keep watching timeloop movies over and over again? What is compelling about the opportunity - or the curse - to relive the same day for years, decades, or centuries? How long could you do it before losing your mind, or is there something to be learned from the journey? Topics range from eastern religions to alien invasions to screaming into the void at the end of your experience. Also, is this Bill Murray's best film?

Wherein Justice and Andy creep into the conversation of the antihero in popular culture. What do you think accounts for the recent explosion of the antihero in film and television? Why are we drawn to characters of evil and violence? Does it reflect our own anxieties of morality, or is the depravity real? Subjects range from The Joker to Superman to Deadpool and Wolverine, and of course The Boys.

Wherein Andy and Justice sketch out a short discussion of the pulling of Scott Adams' Dilbert comic strip from newspapers across the country. This happened as a result of Adams' recent podcast episode in which he ranted about a Rasmussen poll that asked the question "Do you agree with this statement: 'It's OK to be white.'" Following Adams' misunderstanding of the question, he commenced a racist self-immolation that ended his professional career as he knew it. Topics range from how unfunny Dilbert is to the level of racism inherent in the former author's remarks.

Wherein Justice and Andy create a new conversation around the ideas of recycled and fresh intellectual property. We take a look at the (hopefully) final Jurassic World film and the Apple TV series See in an effort to demonstrate that there are still fresh ideas out there. Why are the legacy characters present in Dominion other than to enrich the production company? Meanwhile, in See, we are being introduced to new archetypes of characters in each season. From the cramped velociraptor chase scene in Malta to the wide vistas of northwest Pennslyvania, this episode seeks to suggest that a new way of exploring things can be more substantive than returning again and again to the same tired world.