The 2022 Saluki Con is in the books. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this year’s event. I spoke to a small group about pro wrestling and podcasting, two of my favorite things. For those who don’t know, Saluki Con is an event held at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale to celebrate all things nerd culture.
Remember, check out the Pro Wrestling Tees store. Proceeds from the sales of Stride Pro Wrestling shirts support the company. And shop COLLARxELBOW with promo code MY123CENTS. Right now, you can save at least 10 percent on items. Also, check out Thigh Huggers. Click here to shop with promo code MY123CENTS.
The age of the internet has provided easy access to more information than is probably necessary. This is true when it comes to pop culture. @chadsmart and Eric Bennett discuss growing up prior to the internet when you’d find out about a movie by seeing a trailer in the theater a few months before the movie premiered. They compare it to now where a movie gets a release date before a script and fans know everything about the movie prior to the release.
Before getting to the main discussion, Eric gives a wrap up and live thoughts on his experience at San Diego Comic Con 2019.
Midway through the conversation, the conversation hits the tangent highway and road trip through thoughts on Disney’s live action remakes.
Time to jump back into the time machine and examine another One Hit Wonder* from the ’80s. This month @chadsmart and @MikeDeKalb break down the career of English band Scritti Politti. Hitting the U.S. charts in late 1985 with The Perfect Way, Scritti Politti were poised to follow up their British success. Or so it seemed. Unfortunately, future songs wouldn’t fare as well.
Mike gives all the details on the band’s formation and post The Perfect Way career while Chad adds very little to the conversation. After the discussion of Scritti Politti, it’s time for the Picks of the Month. Chad chooses the return album of an early 2000’s pop star while Mike goes with one of the 1990s/2000s alternative heavyweights.
Pick up some fresh gear in the Jittery Monkey shop (www.jitterymonkey.com/shop) and listen to all the shows on the Jittery Monkey Podcast Network.
Two episodes in one calendar week. You know what that means…time is of the essence!
You have just a couple more weeks to once again lend support to West of Oz! Sean Benner and Nick Winand have been on the show before and we have used the Nerds United Bump to aid in getting two Kickstarter campaigns successfully funded.
The Kickstarter is for the Volume 2, issues 4-5-6, of the 9-part series of this original interpretation of Frank L Baum’s Wizard of Oz story. In this episode, Greg talks with Sean and Nick about this section of the overall narrative, creating on a schedule, travelling to various cities for comic cons (it’s coming, Scottsbluff, Nebraska), and more.
Hey, it’s me. Greg. I’m a big believer in this project. I’ve been on board since Day One, Campaign One. I have supported this venture both in promotion and financially. I’m one of those that wants to see this story’s end. So help me get this project funded. Your $10, $20, or $30 can go a long way.
I thank you. Sean, Nick, Amanda, and Danielle thank you. Now enjoy some artwork they shared with me during our chat.
As the summer movie season winds down, @chadsmart is joined by Eric Bennett. Before the topic of the month, Eric gives a recap of San Diego Comic Con 2018 and fan reaction to Chris Hardwick missing Comic-Con as well as the news of James Gunn’s firing from Guardians of the Galaxy 3 which broke during the 5 day pop culture convention.
Once the recap is over, the focus switches gears to examine Hollywood’s fascination with sequels and franchise movies. Trying to figure out how the box office has gone from two sequels in the yearly Top Ten for 1980 to nine sequels/remakes/reboots in the Top Ten for 2018 so far, Chad and Eric attempt to break down the shift in focus from making a wide variety of movies to movies that appeal to the largest audience. Along the way, Chad does make a mistake when talking about the movie Cedar Rapids. The movie stars John C. Reilly not John McGinley.
What is your opinion? Do you think there are too many sequels? Do you enjoy the franchise series?
@chadsmart is joined by new monthly co-host Eric Bennett to discuss the hype surrounding this year’s annual San Diego Comic-Con. With the largest gathering of pop culture fans preparing to descend on San Diego for five days, Chad and Eric breakdown who, or what, will be showcased with panels and displays. The bigger factor though is who won’t be soaking up the sun this year. With no major Disney, meaning no Marvel and no Star Wars presence will this year’s Con be a let down for fans who bought tickets months in advance. Or does this open the door for other properties to step and create their own hype?
How does this year’s exclusives stack up to year’s past? What about offsite experiences? Lastly, is San Diego Comic-Con too crowded? Eric offers his thoughts on all these topics.
Whether your a Comic-Con newbie or seasoned attendee, there’s plenty of information in this episode to either get you excited or make you dread long lines and close quarters.
You remember Return to Oz, right? Well in Episode 84, I’m joined by two previous guests, Sean Benner and Nick Winand, we return to their project West of Oz.
I backed their Kickstarter in the Spring for Issue 1 and read it upon its delivery. It’s a fun read, and when I talked with the pair, they emphasized that they wanted to keep the book light-hearted and steer clear of any “gritty” filters commonly used.
We hear about the reception to West of Oz #1 both from fans and other creators. Hear tales about taking the book to various comic cons (and a great story from me about Cape Comic Con), including Portland this past weekend.
Now you have the opportunity to back the next two chapters of the story – Issues 2 & 3 – in trade paperback form.
http://kck.st/2gcTXd6
This project is mostly funded and you can help push them over the edge. You have until Sunday September 24 to back this book. It’s right there. Help them see it through.
And stay tuned to the end for a brief tragedy and the recovery. All is well.
What is fandom? What effect has geek culture going mainstream had on fans who were reading comic books or into superheros before it was cool? These questions and more are discussed in the latest installment of Positive Cynicism. Host @chadsmart is joined by Eric Bennett to try and understand what motivates someone to have extreme fandom. Along the way they discuss what Marvel is doing right and DC is doing wrong to create their cinematic universe and how it reflects on the comic book source material.
Hype! Hype! Hype! If media was a professional wrestler, it’d be one half of the Hype Bros.
The crazy one.
But dammit, I’m so excited to get home tonight and watch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
I saw it opening weekend (the Saturday showing) with my buddy RJ, and then we had a little conversation about it for the podcast. But if you recall at the time, I stated that I dozed slightly in the theater. It’s not the first time it has happened, but it did occur during a movie that I was very eager to see, and got out of the house to do so.
And I waited until after I saw the movie to listen to podcast reviews or read anything about it, so I know I missed some good, integral parts of the story.
But tonight…all that changes.
I can’t tell you the last time I went into a store and bought a physical movie. I started going the digital route, and am enjoying that immensely. It’s weird. When I lived in a smaller town, I could easily zip over to Wal-Mart and get groceries and browse the movie selection. But now, even though I live in a more populated area and there are clearly more shopping options……none of them are on my way home. And they’re all over-crowded.
So digital it is.
Anticipation is a funny thing. If no one told us to be excited for the newest movie, video game, comic book series (or writer/artist duo), or new album, would we care? But in this era of the 24-hour news cycle, where they have to talk about something all the time, you get more information that you ever probably thought you’d want or need.
Anticipation builds.
We’re on the “Road to Wrestlemania” and we have been since the Royal Rumble. Or more accurately, we have been since the Monday after Wrestlemania last year.
We’re in the middle of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and brackets and boards are filled with anticipation. And unless you had that perfect bracket (and you don’t, thank you Rhode Island), or are a fan of the remaining teams vying for the championship, your interest has probably waned somewhat. The caveat there is if you’re just a basketball fan and love this time of year.
Major League Baseball is getting closer to its opening day.
And there’s already buzz generated for movies that are still a year or more away. And much more hype (or anticipation) will be cultivated at Comic Con.
Since I pre-ordered Rogue One, I technically could have watched it last night after 11pm, but knew I wouldn’t stay awake through the entire thing…again. So I erred on the side of caution. So tonight when I go home, I’m going to hug my son, kiss my wife, have a little dinner, put the boy to bed, record an episode of Corn Nation’sFive Heart Podcast, and watch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
It’s also why you’re getting this post now – because after I get that recording ready to go, I’m going dark…and hoping to stay awake.
Imagine it’s 1970 (I can’t, I’m not old enough) in San Diego. You’re at the U.S. Grant Hotel in the first days of August. Among the guests there is the King, Jack Kirby. And welcome to San Diego’s Golden State Comic-Con.
It was a different era.
I honestly didn’t even hear about “comic con” until about ten-ish years ago. Maybe it was before that. I don’t know. I was a late bloomer. But the San Diego Comic Con has seen steady growth since its beginning, when it had 300 guests. It eclipsed the hundred-thousand visitor mark in 2005 with 103,000 visitors. That was a year after the “meager palace of Midgard,” Hall H opened. In 2015, 167,000 of you crazy bastards were there.
As far as information goes, we nerds anxiously, if not patiently, await the goodies that come from San Diego each summer.
Since San Diego’s International Comic Con became such a big hit, other cities have begun holding similar events. New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Kansas City, and Seattle are just a few places to host their own. And there are promotion companies like Wizard World who bring their Cons to various cities. And it has branched out beyond that. Smaller markets have smaller Cons, but still provide a great atmosphere and bring good names to regions and areas that may not ever have the opportunity to meet these creators or actors again.
It’s why I think very highly of these Cons. I was asked to give my opinion on the rise of the numerous comic cons. There’s my answer. I love ’em.
Now, my social calendar for the year includes a comic con trip. For the last three years, I’ve made the short drive to Cape Girardeau, MO for the Cape Comic Con. I’ve been able to meet writers and artists, actors and cosplayers, wrestlers, and a promoter who truly cares about the product he puts out there for his guests. Everything about this is top-notch, and Ken’s a helluva guy who has been doing this in Cape for over a decade.
I get to go down there, get some audio, hopefully put together an episode or two of the podcast. But I also get to spend some time with some of my best friends. And I’m hoping my schedule allows for that again this year. Ken has Cape Girardeau ready for another amazing weekend at the end of April. I just hope to be there to be a part of it.
Somewhere in this mess is the equipment I paid money to own to record into my laptop.
You’ve seen the posts. You’ve read the blog. NOW listen to the show where I talk about moving. Because that’s important and nerd-related. But seriously, I hate moving. So this podcast is a little bit of me bitching and moaning and a little bit recapping some of the goodies we took away from the San Diego Comic Con.
Also, piece of advice – do with it what you want:
When it comes to moving…pay someone else to do it and sleep easy!
Marvel’s Ant-Man opening night. My friend Mike (go back to Episode 9 for a refresher) and I went to check out Marvel Studio’s latest big screen adventure featuring its smallest hero. And then we decided to talk about it afterwards. That conversation was going so great, I halted it mid-thought and said “let’s record this for the podcast.”
Did we think Ant-Man was deserving of at least one Thumbs Up?
So here we are, talking about Ant-Man and more nerdy topics at 11pm on a Friday night while I’m driving through Southern Illinois. Tons of laughs and just a great conversation with a longtime friend about nerdy stuff.
My 1-2-3 Cents Episode 387: Saluki Con 2022 [ 40:00 | 0.01 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (653)
I saw it opening weekend (the Saturday showing) 
