San Diego Comic Con is the high holiday of geekiness where fans converge to cosplay, buy collectables, show their appreciation to creators, and be the first to hear big announcements and see upcoming trailers. But the road from obscurity to cultural domination hasn’t always been smooth. In a year where the future of fan conventions is in doubt, we look back at the history of Comic Con and what it might look like in a COVID-19 world. Featuring filmmaker Eric Brammer, journalist Rob Salkowitz, and University of Oregon professor and author Erin Hanna.“Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture: What the World’s Wildest Trade Show Can Tell Us About the Future of Entertainment” by Rob Salkowitz“Only at Comic-Con: Hollywood, Fans, and the Limits of Exclusivity” by Erin Hanna Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If we ever make contact with aliens, they probably won’t look like humans with pointy ears or bumpy noses, but creature makeup design is more about communicating ideas. I talk with creature and makeup designers Steve Wang (Predator, Planet of the Apes, Underworld, Gremlins,) and Neill Gorton (Doctor Who, Torchwood, Being Human, Watchmen) about the process of turning a human actor into something convincingly non-human. Also, Rosemary Chalmers of Leeds Arts University explains why she wishes more creature designers would look more to the natural world for inspiration.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Live theater has been shut down across the country, but live action role play (“larp” for short) is finding new ways to thrive in digital spaces. I talk with Betsy Isaacson and Ryan Hart of Sinking Ship Creations about how the phone can be turned into a medium for audio drama. Carly Dwyer and Jasmine Kimieye Graham explain how anyone can feel empowered when working in I.T., especially when it’s a Magical Help Desk. Tiffany Keane Schaefer discovers that Zoom is the perfect medium to tell stories about space travel, and game designer Jessica Creane discovers that her interactive show Chaos Theory can be tailor-made for the current moment.https://www.imaginaryworldspodcast.org/how-i-won-the-larp.htmlSinking Ship Creations:https://www.sinkingshipcreations.com/all-eventsIntramersive Media:https://www.intramersive.com/magical-help-deskOtherworld Theatre:https://www.otherworldtheatre.org/larpChaos Theory: https://www.jessicacreane.com/chaos-theory.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Time travel is one of my favorite genres, and it’s also my go-to daydream. But I’ve begun to wonder whether time travel fantasies are a psychologically unhealthy way of avoiding problems in the present, or a helpful way of putting the present moment into sharper focus. I talk with authors Charles Yu, Vandana Singh, and editor Ann VanderMeer about the themes of loss and love in time travel narratives. And professors Antonio Cordoba and Concepcion Carmen Cascajosa Virino explain how the Spanish sci-fi show Ministry of Time (a.k.a. El Ministerio del Tiempo) became a therapeutic outlet for a nation still processing a long history of trauma and disappointments. Featuring readings by actor Woody Fu.The Time Traveler’s Almanac: A Time Travel Anthologyhttps://www.amazon.com/Time-Travelers-Almanac-Travel-Anthology/dp/0765374242How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universehttps://www.amazon.com/Live-Safely-Science-Fictional-Universe/dp/0307739457 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When things go wrong, it’s tempting to say something’s cursed as a joke. But when things go dreadfully wrong on horror movie sets, some fans have speculated that the films were literally cursed. Jay Cheel talks about his new documentary series “Cursed Films,” which explores why people believe the cast and crew of The Exorcist, The Omen, and other horror films were targeted by demonic forces. Special effects artist Craig Reardon and director Gary Sherman separate fact from fiction with the alleged Poltergeist curse. And I talk with professor Brandon Grafius, author of “Reading the Bible with Horror,” about why religion can prompt us to believe in curses.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of us have imaginary friends when we’re young in the guise of a doll, stuffed animal or toy that give us a sense of comfort. Then we grow out of those characters – or at least we’re supposed to. We asked our listeners to tell us about their favorite childhood toys that are still around and providing them with a sense of comfort and security during the global health crisis. Featuring Nancy Farnsworth, Steve Romenesko, Jen Cresswell, Jean Klare and the artist Jennifer Maher Coleman who paints portraits of childhood toys.  Jennifer’s site Your Toy Portrait:https://yourtoyportrait.com/category/toyportraits/Jennifer and her husband’s band Architrave:https://architrave.bandcamp.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cyberpunk was cool. Steampunk was hip. Get ready for Solarpunk. This new emerging genre of art and fiction imagines a future where DIY environmental sustainability dictates the design of everything from skyscraper farms to homemade fashion. The writer Adam Flynn, magazine editors Scot and Jane Noel, writer Sarena Ulibarri, and game designer Keisha Howard discuss how we can create the future we want by inspiring people with science fiction, and why being anti-dystopia doesn’t mean they believe in utopias. Featuring readings by Vanessa Bellow. DreamForge magazine:https://dreamforge.mywebportal.app/Glass and Gardens Summers and Winters:http://www.sarenaulibarri.com/editing.htmlNotes Towards a Solarpunk Manifesto:https://hieroglyph.asu.edu/2014/09/solarpunk-notes-toward-a-manifesto/Sugar Gamers:https://sugargamers.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Wilkerson, a game designer and master's student, recalls her experiences with the Corrupted Blood incident in World of Warcraft, highlighting its chaotic spread akin to real-life pandemics. Eric Lofgren, an infectious disease professor, draws parallels between this virtual outbreak and COVID-19, offering insights into disease dynamics. Meanwhile, Alexander King, an NYU game design instructor, discusses player behaviors during the incident, emphasizing community interactions and the balance of game design in crisis scenarios, revealing intriguing lessons for real-world health crises.

We're craving an escape into our favorite fantasy worlds, but fans are complaining that all the "retconning" is ruining their suspension of disbelief. Why is retroactive continuity so controversial? Olivia Dolphin and Hayley Milliman discuss how JK Rowling’s decrees have unraveled The Potterverse. Nick Randall and Mac Rogers grapple with recent revelations in Doctor Who. Laurie Ulster defends Star Trek’s familial reshuffling, I try to make sense of the Star Wars canon, and author Andrew J. Friedenthal explains why rewriting the history of fantasy worlds is similar to revising history in real life. Here’s a link to Andrew’s book on retconning:https://www.amazon.com/Retcon-Game-Retroactive-Continuity-Hyperlinking/dp/1496811321 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Good Place just ended after four critically acclaimed seasons, and it was one of several recent TV shows to imagine the afterlife as being far from paradise. Pastor and podcaster JR Forasteros and author Greg Garrett explore why pop culture heavens are being depicted as bureaucracies where the angels are overwhelmed or lost sight of their mission. And Todd May describes what it was like being a philosophy consultant on The Good Place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices