Supercontext: an autopsy of media

This horror comic by Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham and Nathan Fairbairn purports to act symbolically like our archetypes of myth. We ask whether it's successful in getting into our subconscious and if cosmic horror and lack of meaning even scare us anymore. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Nameless Additional Resources: Afterword in the collected NAMELESS 'Nameless' Was the Scariest Comic Book of 2015 Understanding Grant Morrison's "Nameless" Halloween Horror: Nameless by Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham and Nathan Fairbairn Kill Yr Gods: Reconnecting with Grant Morrison Through Nameless Brain Teeth / Endless Nameless Part 2: Macro Meaning vs Micro Meaning  

We discuss Tom Hardy's television passion project and how he produced it with his father and a string of well-known storytellers. We also examine the show's symbolic demonization of corporations and what that says about historical accuracy and our present understanding of modern economics. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Taboo, Season One Additional Resources: Tom Hardy wins dream acting role - after convincing his dad to create it for him ‘Taboo’ will return to FX in 2018 BBC to break 'Taboo' with 'inaccurate' portrayal of East India Company FX's Taboo Offers a Realistic Portrayal of Monopoly Taboo writer Steven Knight plans at least two more series of the BBC1 drama Taboo's gunpowder plot: can you really make explosives from manure? Naysayers be damned! Tom Hardy's Taboo is a work of Wicker Man genius A Chat With Tom Hardy: Is His ‘Taboo’ Killer a True Shaman or ‘Just F***ing Mad’? Everything you need to know about Taboo, the new BBC Tom Hardy drama TABOO: TOM HARDY EXPLAINS THE SUPERNATURAL SIDE OF THE PERIOD DRAMA

This fantasy/horror novel about prep school boys and magical authority came in the middle of the genre paperback boom. We talk about Straub's concerns when writing it and how he walked the line between horror and "literature," while responding to the market pressures on his publisher. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Shadowland Additional Resources: Tattered Tomes: Peter Straub’s Shadowland, Revisited David S. Goyer Adapting ‘Shadowland’ Horror Novel As NBC Event Series Zaleski, J. (2003). The Uses of Horror. Publishers Weekly, 250(40), 45–49. AN INTRODUCTION: SHADOWLAND The Dick Cavett Show Horror Masters Stephen King, Romero, Straub, Levin 1980 Shadowland, by Putney Tyson Ridge AN INTRODUCTION SHADOWLAND Dancing Architecture an interview with Peter Straub Interview: Peter Straub  

This movie had a tumultuous production, with constant fighting between writer Paddy Chayefsky and director Ken Russell. We discuss how their conflict influenced the end product... and the studios paying their bills. We also wonder if this movie unintentionally captures what we now refer to as toxic masculinity. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Altered States (film) Altered States (book) Additional Resources: Felperin, L. (2011). Russell pics marked by raw passion. Variety, 425(4), 7. Corliss, R. (1980). Invasion Of The Mind Snatcher. Time, 116(26), 58. Lanza, J. (2007). Phallic Frenzy : Ken Russell and His Films (Vol. 1st ed). Chicago, Ill: Independent Publishers Group. AT THE MOVIES; Ken Russell on 'Altered States' controversy. From Altered States to Altered Titles: A Close Analysis of the Title Sequence to Ken Russell's Altered States (1981) What We Mean When We Say, “Toxic Masculinity”  

This 1996 album is heralded as the critical apex for the "post-metal" sub-genre. We discuss the hardships and trauma the band members were struggling with while recording it and how it acts as catharsis for them and their listeners. We also spend a lot of time on meaning, genre distinctions and the inability of language to describe the identity we form with music. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Through Silver In Blood Silver Blood Transmission Additional Resources: Neurotics Never Know A Chat with Neurosis' Dave Edwardson Neurosis on 30 Years of Finding ‘New Ways of Being Heavy’ Neurosis’ Through Silver In Blood is still crushing, 20 years later Neurosis – ‘Through Silver in Blood’ Turns 20 NEUROSIS' DARK PATH, DEEP BOND: INSIDE 'THROUGH SILVER IN BLOOD' AND BEYOND

This comic book about a private moon mission gone wrong is now lauded for launching the career of Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard. But, it was also responsible for Larry Young and Mimi Rosenheim's publishing house AiT/PlanetLar. So we discuss their approach to balancing commerce with art, and medium with story. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Astronauts in Trouble: Live From The Moon The Making of Astronauts in Trouble Astronauts in Trouble reissue Additional Resources: Young, L. (1999). The Making of Astronauts in Trouble. AIT / Planetlar. San Francisco. PREPPING FOR RE-ENTRY WITH ‘ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE’ Astronauts In Trouble #1 Adlard, C., Smith, M., and Young, L. (2003). Astronauts in Trouble Master Flight Plan. Ait/PlanetLar. San Francisco. Astronauts in Trouble: Live from the Moon (Scanned covers) 10 Years and Counting At AiT/Planet Lar Time to Make a Movie Version of "Astronauts in Trouble" A Short Interview With Larry Young AN INTERVIEW WITH LARRY YOUNG How To Pitch Your Comic By (Or Possibly To) Larry Young

This dystopian television series presents a horrifying, totalitarian society that forces women to bear children as slaves. We discuss its streaming based production and reception, and then turn to multiple articles on representation, politics, religion and intersectionality to try to provide a perspective the two of us might not normally find. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Handmaid’s Tale Children of Men Top of the Lake Y the Last Man God is Disappointed in You Spitboy Hannibal Fargo Split Infinity Additional Resources: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Handmaid's Tale The Handmaid's Tale Is Doing A Great Job Of Freaking Everyone Out At SXSW Margaret Atwood on Christianity, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ and What Faithful Activism Looks Like Today Hulu's 'The Handmaid's Tale' presents striking oppression, silent sisterhood Reflecting on the frightening lessons of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ What Margaret Atwood thinks of the new Hulu adaptation of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ How The Handmaid's Tale is being transformed from fantasy into fact How ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Villains Were Inspired By Trump The Handmaid's Tale, Retold. By: Dockterman, Eliana, Time, 0040781X, 4/24/2017, Vol. 189, Issue 15 Hate crimes, honour killings and FGM: how The Handmaid's Tale captures our age of fear The Handmaid's Tale is just like Trump's America? Not so fast The Black Woman’s Tale: Why Margaret Atwood’s Espousal of White Feminist Beliefs Shouldn’t Surprise You ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: A White Feminist’s Dystopia  

This crime novel follows a wandering problem-solver who always wins. We discuss why these books are so immensely popular and the vicarious consolation we get out of the hero, his nobility and his alienation. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Killing Floor Servant of the Shard The Authority Vol 1 (featuring Midnighter) Captain America and the Crusade Against Evil: The Dilemma of Zealous Nationalism Lucas Davenport series The Equalizer Additional Resources: The Official Website of Lee Child and Jack Reacher FAQ LEE CHILD: THE EMOTIONAL CONTRACT OF JACK REACHER How Jack Reacher Was Built Why I love Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels The Curious Case of Lee Child  

This 1958 Orson Welles' picture has been called the last of the classic film noir era. We discuss Welles' approach to filmmaking, his conflicts with the movie studio and the thematic tensions displayed by the genre at the time. Oh, and Charlton Heston's makeup. That gets a good 10 minutes. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Touch of Evil Will Eisner Crime SuspenStories Criminal To Be a Man: Letters to My Grandson The Bridge The Element of Crime Get Shorty Cookie’s Fortune Lone Star Additional Resources: AT THE MOVIES; Dark Secrets Of Suburbia ORSON WELLES' MEMO ON TOUCH OF EVIL One of our classics is missing Beatrice Welles interview – Part 1: Treasures to be auctioned, life with Orson Welles and public misconceptions Restoring the Touch Of Genius to a Classic Touch of Evil (re-issue) 25 Minority Characters That Hollywood Whitewashed From Breakfast at Tiffany’s to Hellboy: The ongoing problem of Hollywood ‘whitewashing’ “Ballad of a fat man” Clute S, Edwards R. The Maltese Touch Of Evil : Film Noir And Potential Criticism [e-book]. Hanover, N.H.: Dartmouth; 2011. Available from: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), Ipswich, MA. Accessed September 3, 2018.

This British comedy series is a deconstruction of humor in a jazz-like improvisation. We discuss Lee's persona, the BBC's decision-making process and the fine lines between self-absorption, art and masturbation. In fact, we take a masturbation metaphor way too far. So brace yourselves. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle, Series 3 The Thick of It Travel Man Nanette Review The Andy Daly Podcast Pilot Project How I Escaped My Certain Fate Something to Take the Edge Off Additional Resources: Who says you can't do jokes about religion on the BBC? Stewart Lee returns in 'Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle' Stewart Lee Live Review: If You Prefer A Milder Comedian Please Ask For One Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle roars back with more deceptive deadpanning ‘Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle’: Daring You To Like It Why I walked out of a Stewart Lee gig Where are the Thinkers? Stewart Lee in conversation with Neil Jackson for Post-Nearly Press