The Jedicole Universe

Hey Kids, Comics! #254 - I Think I'm Turning Japanese: Hands and Feet

"I Think I"m Turning Japanese" continues with a stealthy new issue all bout the ubiquitous and mystified Japanese icon, the Ninja!

From their arrival on the popular culture shores of the West in the 80s to the present day, Ninja are a huge part of the modern comic vernacular.  One writer/artist certainly saw to the bolstering of their popularity with work that would inspire a remarkably parody that forged an empire.

Like the night out of which they silently emerge, Ninja are with us now and forever...in comics!

Hey Kids, Comics! #253 - I Think I'm Turning Japanese: Family Feudal

At long last the HKC! hiatus 2017 has come to an end!

Your well rested hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston struggle through terrible colds to bring you the opening issue of the first story arc of the new year - I Think I'm Turning Japanese.  This arc will explore the influence of Japanese culture, history, and manga on the comic book industry at large.

To open the narrative, this issue goes back in time to take a look at the Fuedal period in Japan, a time and place not included in the previous time period discussion arc.  Like so many benchmark historical periods around the world, this era lends itself ideally to the graphic sequential storyteller.

Hey Kids, Comics! #252 - Santa's Sack Christmas Gift Guide 2017

Hey Kids, Comics! Halloween Special #2 - Creature Features

A day or two late due to some haunted Skype servers, Hey Kids, Comics! is proud to bring you our second annual Halloween Special!

This year Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston take a look at the characters that have "creature features" that they cannot easily disquise or hide should they choose to go out in public.  The Fantastic Four's own Thing naturally comes to mind, but it turns out that such misery loves company.  There is no shortage of heroes and villains who are monsterous or otherwise incapable of going incognito in the world of comics.

Hey Kids, Comics! #251 - Reboot HIll

The road to the next milestone for HKC! beings here.  But fear not!  The advent of another 50 issues of the show will not prompt any kind of starting over from scratch or other kind of reboots.  None the less, Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston use the occassion to discuss the all-too-popular use of reboots in comics.

Marvel and DC both come to the fore with the best and worst of universal reboots, but are by no means alone in taking this approach.  Discover the changes that were meant to last forever, but usually did not on this episode.

Hey Kids, Comics! #250 - Amazing Reuinioncast

About a decade ago Cole "JediCole" Houston began his podcasting career shortly after discovering the term podcasting.  This set him on a path that went from VaderCast to Amazing Comicast and ultimately The United States of Geekdom before launching The JediCole Universe and its catalog of shows.  It was during the Amazing Comicast years that he met Andrew Farmer and the seeds of Hey Kids, Comics! were planted, though nobody knew at the time.

Since then over 250 issues of the show have been published on The JediCole Universe and ten monthly episodes of Hey Kids, Comics! Live were produced on Deep Ellum on Air.  On the occassion of a nearly uninturrupted run of weekly shows, it seemed natural to revisit two upon which one o fyour hosts was unavailable to record as well as take a thoughtful look back at the origins of this very show.

This massive special issue of HKC! features a reunion of sorts with Andy and Cole revisiting a pair of episodes that lacked one or the other then launches into a reunion of your hosts, Mrs. JediCole, and the founder of Amazing Comicast and The United States of Geekdom, Rick Gutierrez.  

Hey Kids, Comics! #249 - You and What Army?

If  you don't have a Hulk, you had best have an army.

Many a nefarious villain would never hatch an evil scheme without being certain that there is a well trained army at his or her disposal.  When you fight the bad fight, it is just a necessity.  For that matter, when fighting the good fight, an army is also a plus.

So in comics it is little wonder that we find so many unique mercenary or government sanctioned armed forces.  From the good guys of S.H.I.E.L.D. to their arch nemesis Hydra to the assembled hoardes of the Amazon or the extremely organized criminal organization Intergang, there is always an army here or there.

This week Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston embed themselves in the wide variety of armed forces that people the worlds of comics as protectors or menaces.

 

Hey Kids, Comics! #248 - Holy Wholly Batman

It's Bat-time again!

As one of the most iconic characters in comics, Batman has had a long history that touches nearly every other medium out there, most especially film and television.  And at times film and television touches the comics in a unique way.

This week Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are joined by Bat-fan Michael Cross to discuss the legacy of the Caped Crusader in other media and how each influence one another.  From the sales-bolstering of the 60s Batman TV series to characters making the jump from film or television into the comics, a two-way street becomes evident the more this group digs into Bat-history.

Hey Kids, Comics! #247 - HKC! Team-Up #9: Legion of Super-Heroes

Welcome to the future! 

The future in the DC Universe anyway.  The future of one Boy of Steel and his friends from the 30th Century.  Or perhaps without Superboy depending on which era you are talking about.  

This week JediCole is talking about the Legion of Super-Heroes with his good friend Steve McCauley - the biggest Legion fan he knows.  Andrew Farmer is absent this issue but that did not stop the show from running long on a topic that deserves far more time than was afforded.

Get a glimpse of a fascinating future with insights on the history of the title and its characters.

Hey Kids, Comics! #246 - I Like Turtles!

Way back in 1984 Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird took a gamble that paid off in ways they could have never imagined.  They bet on four turtles, a then obscure reference to Fuedel Japan, and the budding indy comics scene to get a return on investing their life savings.

Did they ever see a return!  This week Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston discuss their creation, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with none other than Figments and The Rantcor Pit co-host Eddie Medina.  With Eddie as the in-house expert, expect a lot of insights and laughs served on the half-shell.