But Why Tho? The Podcast

Dungeon Defenders is a tower defense RPG that has been for nearly eight years. Now, from Kickstarter to PAX South 2020, it's time for Dungeon Defenders: Awaked. Developed by Chromatic Games, Dungeon Defenders: Awakened marks the epic return of the multimillion-selling co-op tower defense RPG series.  We got the chance to speak with one of the game's producers Alec Saáre, while at PAX South 2020 about  the title, the journey to the showroom floor, and just how the studio was able to complete the game in only 11 months. In the interview included in its entirety above, Saáre explained how Dungeon Defenders: Awakened aimed to take everything that existing fans loved about the first two games while also improving on it for a new audience.  

This week we celebrated a huge milestone: our very first live episode! In the LatinX Lounge at PAX South 2020, we got the chance to record a live episode on the podcast, tackling one of the most formative gaming experience we all have had, Halo. From co-op and Cortana to re-releases and all the different ways Master Chief has defined a generation of gamers, we talk about it all. PLUS, we even get some crowd interaction. We know there is a lot left to cover so look out closer to Halo: Infinite's release date when revisit the series. 

PAX has always put community first and has launched a variety of events within the cons to help empower gamers from marginalized communities. This is exactly what The gameHERs (pronounced "gamers;" stylized the*gameHERs) is doing, and with PAX South 2020 as their first convention, we got the chance to sit down with one of the founders, Heather Ouida, to discuss their cause and their platform which launches in March. The*gameHERs is a virtual and in-person community that connects all women gamers as well as those who identify as female, non-binary and their allies. They aim to be a space for the casual players, the hard core gamers, the techies, the streamers, the designers, the cosplayers, the developers and the programmers to advance the role, voice, image and power of all gameHERs in the gaming world. During the interview, Ouida explained how they chose their areas of focus as a community.

Horror is a genre that allows us to explore our fears, society's fears, and use it as an expression to bring out our struggles. This extends from cultural issues to personal issues like illness. in Dillon Gilbertson's Sweet Heart from Action Lab: Danger Zone, monsters are everywhere and no one is safe. As the ComixCentral’s 2018 People’s Choice award-winner, Sweet Heart is a new horror comic series created and written by Gilbertson, with art by Ghastly Award-winner, Francesco Laquinta, and colors by Marco Pagnotta. Over the winter holidays, I got a chance to speak with Gilbertson about this new story, the message it holds in its terrifying pages and how horror can be used to tell deep stories. In the interview, Gilbertson explains how the series began as a thinly veiled analogy for his life with diabetes that grew to represent ta number of chronic health, psychological, and personal issues many people deal with every day. He dives into why horror was the medium of choice to tell this story and more.

When it comes to new serialized stories, it isn't just television you should be looking to, but Serial Box. Earlier this year, the platform dropped the continuation of science fiction favorite Orphan Black, with Orphan Black: The Next Chapter.  Now, the audio and reading experience that is perfect for hungry readers launches its first title in partnership with Marvel Comics- Thor: Metal Gods. Thor: Metal Gods, the first of several original serialized fiction and audiobook series based on Marvel Comics and continues the centuries-old saga of Thor and Loki as they team up for an adventure of cosmic proportions, confronting the sins of both their pasts. We got the chance to speak with Rachel Pinnelas about Thor: Metal Gods and what the future holds with upcoming titles from Marvel Comics.

It's Christmas time!! To celebrate this time of year, we're diving into the importance of a Christmas classic; DIE HARD. We cover the production history, the sequels, and just how Bruce Willis redefined what it means to be an action here. We also talk about Die Hard in a school, Die Hard on a bus, Die Hard on a cliff, and ask: Where is Die Hard in space?

We haven't done one of these in a while but we figured we'd follow up our most downloaded episode, our spoiler review of The Last Jedi, and cover the end of the Skywalker Saga as we know it now - granted, Disney+ exists. We talk about our issues with the film, what we loved, and debate whether or not the sequel trilogy will hold up as a unified body of work. We discuss our faves, force sensitivity, and Rey's past. BE WARNED, spoilers there are. We also bring back Ritz, the owner of Comics Horizon and the creator of Scorpio. This episode is jampacked two hours of passionate Star Wars talk, so grab some Bantha milk and sit back for the ride.

This week jump into the franchise that just keeps coming back. From Arnold, a franchise defining sequel, and Linda Hamilton to why we think no one showed up to Dark Fate, we're talking the Terminator franchise. Hit play as we take a deep dive into the franchise's history, T2's groundbreaking special effects from Industrial Light & Magic, the importance of Sarah Conner and how she defined a generation of heroines, and of course, we talk horrible, terrible, no good sequels and retcons. 

It's morphin' time! This week the crew is talking about the long history of the Power Rangers franchise. From toys, comics, movies, Mighty Morphin' and Mystic Force? We're covering it all, getting really nostalgic, and continuing the eternal debate: Was Rocky or Tommy the leader? And why was Tommy's suit so extra compared to everyone else?  

I got the chance to talk with Ting about Warrior, Bolo Yeung, and the world of martial arts. We even get into the inspiration Ting found in Bruce Lee's work, which not only influenced his acting career but also his life in sports and pursuing his black belt when he was 13. We get into how Ting connected to the role of Bolo immediately and how he and the series honored Bolo Yeung in his character. We even get into the physically taxing final fight scene between his character and Ah Sahm played by Andrew Koji.

This week is all about the lasting love of Turtle Power as we cover Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - and if you didn't read that name to the tune of the song,  who are you? Adrian brings us through the early beginnings as an adult comic, to the toy marketing,  animated television show, and of course all three rounds of live-action. We get into the memories the turtles gave us and talk about why they're still here all these years later. 

I got the chance to speak with Barajas and Gonzo about this groundbreaking work, published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics. We spoke about the importance of telling our histories as people of color who have been erased and more importantly the pressure of bringing those stories to life. Barajas details his choice to improve the negative moments in Tata Rambo's life as well as the heroic activist ones. Gonzo dives into the influences on his art and recreating the time period in clothing and furnishings. But most importantly, they explain the importance the project means to them. So click play on the audio above and take a listen. To keep up with their work you can follow Barajas at @HenryBarajas on Twitter and you can follow Gonzo at @jGonzoArt on Twitter or visit his website jgonzodesigns.com. For Gonzo's other work, El Mano del Destino, you can head here.

** Spoiler Warning: We discuss key plot points and themes in the book series that the TV series of the same name is based on** With the new HBO/BBC series out, we figured it's time to grab our daemons and head into the world of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials. In this episode with the help of Aaron from the Nerds Social Club Podcast, we dig into the lore, history and controversy around on of the UK's most beloved fantasy series. 

I got the chance to speak with Ultramechatron Team Go! creator and star Mike Trapp about the creation of the series, his inspiration, and the work that goes into the comedy of show. Additionally, he talks about his role in the show as the useless torso helps him let loose and have some fun. Ultramechatron Team Go! from CollegeHumor’s DROPOUT is an original kaiju comedy, will premiere on their subscription-based streaming service on every Thursday. A parody of the kaiju and mecha genre, the series uses influences from properties like the Power Rangers and even Pacific Rim. A team of four incompetent and incompatible mech pilots defend their city as the Ultramechatron. Each episode of this 12-episode series presents a team of four heroes who are capable of saving the world, if only they can survive each other.

This week we're diving into the long history of Scooby-Doo. Find out how this Hanna-Barbera cartoon became a childhood staple for generations and why it continues to delight young fans. This episode we track its creation, it's longevity, and of course talk about how at the end of the day it's always just a rich old man in a mask trying to get us.   

New York City Comic-Con may have happened last month, but our contributor has the inside scoop on round tables with the cast of ABC's Emergence, Hulu's Castle Rock,  NBC's Lincoln, and even Samantha Bee's new mobile game that aims to get people involved in their local elections. This episode is a little different than what we normally do, but it's filled to the brim with NYCC 2019 content. Plus, Matt arrives at the decision that Castle Rock and Fringe are the same show, while Kristen attempts to explain the plot of the former to him. Join in for a fun conversation. 

It's that time of the year and after a month of checking out the horrifying, the macabre, and the things we remember from our childhood we're turning to Halloween and talking about all the things we love watching during the spookiest of holidays. With recommendations from Halloweentown, Trick 'r Treat, and Hocus Pocus to the many "Treehouse of Horrors" and Buffy the Vampire Slayer Halloween episodes, we're excited to share all of our spooky favorites for you to add to your watchlist tomorrow. And of course we cover all the parts of Halloween from children's films, hard horror, and television shows with the help of Alex from Frightday.com. 

Netflix Original Rattlesnake is closing out the month of October for the platform with solid psychological horror uses the supernatural and morality in the best ways. At the Austin Film Festival, I got a chance to speak with the film's writer-director Zak Hilditch about storytelling, subverting expectations, and how the spirit of Stephen King horror runs through the character driven film.  The film, which debuted at the Austin Film Festival was a blast to watch and from a storytelling perspective, Hilditch gives and in depth explanation about what exactly goes into making a film where audiences will be trying to guess the ending. For him, audiences like to be detectives, they like to call out the ending and in Rattlesnake it was his job to make sure he was throwing them off at every turn. Additionally, it was important that the horror in the film came from an emotional place, from the moral struggle that Katrina is put through. While the story's supernatural elements crafted a lore and world well beyond what

Directed By Zach Lamplugh and co-written by Lamplugh & Brian Emond, The Vice Guide to Bigfoot is a paranormal comedy follows a millennial reporter, Brian (Emond) on the most important assignment of his career: Bigfoot. As the Austin Film Festival was gearing up to begin, I got the chance to sit down with Lamplugh and discuss the film and how it captures the spirit of "Popstar and Creep." In this interview, we discuss how Lampulgh and Edmond designed the comedy in the script and ultimately how much was improvised. Additionally, we discussed what parodying Vice was like, whether or not they worked with them, and ultimately how ridiculous the premise of Vice videos usually are. We also discuss Lampulgh's background making short films and how this naturally progressed into a feature film with The Vice Guide to Bigfoot. The Vice Guide to Bigfoot celebrates its World Premiere at the Austin Film Festival on Friday, October 25 at 9pm at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Village. The film will have a second screening on Oc

We're continuing out spooky streak for October with the Wes Craven classic: Nightmare on Elm Street. With the help of Alex, assignment editor at Frightday.com, we take a look back at the 9 films, the cultural impact they had, how absolutely absurd they are, and of course fo in-depth on the first one. We also break down the importance of practical effects throughout the films and the grand scale on which they were executed. Plus, we also discuss Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street and how the documentary chronicles the rise of NOES 2 as a staple of queer horror cinema.