But Why Tho? The Podcast

Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor! This week we channel the God of Thunder in order tell you why we think he matters in comics and beyond. Kate lead through his origin and how Marvel took a god and made him a hero all while using Norse mythology as a base. From his worthiness, family, and the use of his solo movies by Marvel for STEM initiatives, Thor matters...but why tho?   Music used: Mighty Thor opening song from 1966  

On Halloween night in 1978 there was a killing spree in Haddonfield, Illinois. Made on a small budget and grossing millions of dollars, John Carpenter's Halloween cemented the path of slashers and gave rise to one of the most iconic villains: Michael Myers and all those to follow. To celebrate the Kate's favorite holiday, she brings the guys through the history of Halloween and why it all matters, with help from returning guest Alex Paterno (host of What We Talk About When We Talk About and assignment editor at FRIGHTDAY.COM). So let's sit back, and hope their isn't a killer behind us in a Capt. Kirk mask.  Make susre to follow Alex @MostAlwaysAlex and five his podcast @WWTAcast a listen, a follow, and your undying love.

Happy Halloween month! 21 years, 26 games, and 6 live action movies later, the Resident Evil franchise is still holding it's spot in video game history. Resident horror buff, Kate brings us through one of her favorite video games. She walks the guys through the games, gives us a break down of the games, and maps out the franchise's convoluted production history. We talk about how the series put horror gaming on the map, scared the crap out of us, and evolved with time. As the largest of Capcom's franchise, the game was able to bridge out into animation, novels, comics, and live action summer blockbusters...But why tho?

22 years after her death, this Tejano legend is still revered, loved, and idolized, but why tho? This week Kate sat down with Justine and Brittney from the true crime podcast It's About Damn Crime to talk about La Reina, The Mexican Madonna, The Queen of Tejano, Selena Quintanilla Perez. Make sure to head over to www.itsaboutdamncrime.com, listen to their podcast, and follow them on twitter @IADCpodcast Music used: "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" and "Tu Solo Tu" by Selena Quintanilla Perez  Header Image Credit

In honor of Assassin's Creed Origins, we headed into the world of Ubisoft's 10 year old franchise: Assassin's Creed. Matt brings us trough the game's story, mythology, and how it became one of the most successful franchises. Matt also explains how the franchise went from one of his all-time favorites to one he skips.  Then we discuss the role history plays, the games' diversity, lightly touch on some time-travelling Fassbender, and then talk about what Origins has in store for the franchise. 

In part 2 of this week's conversation about the CWverse, we talk about how the DC TV shows have succeeded in casting and writing diverse characters, how relationships are at the heart of our heroes' stories, and how the CW was able to build worlds for each of the shows that feel distinct but fit together perfectly. We finish our conversation with Swara Salih by explaining how the CWverse fits in the pantheon of superhero television. Do you have a fan but why tho for this episode? Email us at info@butwhythopodcast.com or tweet/dm us @ButWhyThoPC  Follow Swara @swarasalih1

This week we welcome back Swara Salih from the Beltway Banthas podcast as we discuss the importance of the CWverse. The CW started a DC TV universe that has expanded across 4 shows: Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl, as well comics and animated web-series. We start the conversation by getting out our biases, talking about the series and characters that we love, the ones we hate, and the ones that fall in both categories. Adrian breaks down the shows into their IMDB synopses and then we get straight to the But Why Thos, starting with Women in the CWverse and how they're good, bad, and really bad - according to Kate. Part 1 of 2. Follow Swara @SwaraSalih1 and Beltway Banthas @BeltwayBanthas

This week, in honor of Star Trek: Discovery, we're talking about the most important debate topic in the Star Trek fandom: The Captains. We walk through what makes them tick, what makes them unique, and ultimately how their personalities have melded with our own. We don't go through the history of Trek but you can tune in to Episode 4 to check that out. Instead we keep focus and try to find a captain for Chris Pine lover and Trek newbie Matt. Let us know who your favorite captain is why they matter to you.  We want to know what Captains you think we are! Let us know on twitter @ButWhyThoPC or on our Facebook page. 

This week we discussed the charity SideQuest and what it does to help connect gamers with charities and raise money. This is the full interview with Executive Director Brian Truong.  Follow them at @SideQuestOrg And email Brian at Brian@sidequest.org

This week we had the pleasure of chatting with Brian Truong, Executive Director of SideQuest, a charitable organization that aims to connect gamers and use their passion for nerdy things to do good. For more information how you can get involved, check out the shownotes below. We talk about the power of community engagement, meet-ups, and explore how SideQuest connects gamers to charities like Stack-Up.org and Extra Life. The full interview will be released this weekend September 23rd, 2017.   Shownotes Follow SideQuest @SideQuestOrg on twitter Reach out directly to Brian Truong for more information: brian@sidequest.org  

This week we're back in the horror genre discussing the movie that defined 90's horror and started its own subgenre: Scream. We're joined by Alex Paterno, host of What We Talk About When We Talk About and assignment editor at Frightday.com. Kate takes us through the 1996 movie by Wes Craven and then explains how a movie so symbolic of the 90's has joined the classics. Iconic, funny, and a little bloody, Scream matters...but why tho? Follow Alex on Twitter: @MostAlwaysAlex Listen to his podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, etc. and drop them a follow @WWTACast and give Frightday.com a visit for all your horror needs.  music used this episode: Red Right Hand by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

The night is dark and full of spoilers. This week we break down each episode of Game of Thrones season 7 with guest co-host Swara Salih from Beltway Banthas. We give our reactions to each episode, our favorites, our pet peeves, our predictions for season 8, and unanimously agree that we need to put Bran back in the tree. So join the conversation with us! You can find Swara at: @swarasalih1 and @BeltwayBanthas "Beltway Banthas is a Star Wars podcast about the intersection of fandom and the things that drive daily life. For hosts Stephen Kent & Swara Salih, one of those things is politics. Star Wars draws from our worlds politics just as much as it contributes to it by influencing policy makers, journalists and thought leaders. This podcast will seek to understand how Star Wars impacts the world we live in, while also covering the Star Wars news, gossip and hype of the day."

This week we talk the long awaited team-up between Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist. We talk about our hopes, our thoughts, and ultimately whether this mini-series redeemed or spoiled the characters we've met so far. Make sure to join the discussion on our Twitter and Facebook and let us know what you think! @ButWhyThoPC

*trigger warning, we discuss domestic violence and sexual assault in this episode* In part 2, we talk about the social issues and impact of the NFL and its players. Kate takes us through the charitable work of the league and the fines that happen when a player attempts to use there playtime as a platform. Matt brings us through the interesting history of how the league went from having Black and Native players in the beginning to moving to a league that that needed to was forced into integration by stadium owners. We then talk about the lack of discipline in the NFL and how a "base-line" six game suspension for domestic abusers is inconsistent and almost never has an impact on the field, only for the PR of the league. Then we have a passionate discussion about "paid patriotism" and how it influences the backlash Colin Kaepernick received and other player receive now for taking a knee during the National Anthem. 

In part 1 of 2, Matt brings us through the long history of the NFL, the teams, mergers, and how became and ultimately gave up the status of a non-profit organization. We also talk about the dynasties, how the same teams keep winning, and what it's like love a team that hasn't had good years since before you were born. 

This week Adrian brings us to the world of Azeroth. We talk about World of Warcraft, it's history, it's changes, and it's wide-reaching impact on pop culture consciousness and what it means to be a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). We hear Matt's "back in my day" stories, and Kate asks a lot of questions. Who does she live her life by? The one and only Leroy Jenkins. 

We have to cut some great conversations from the episode for time, but we wanted to make sure you heard our thoughts on the well-done villains of the Marvel Netflix Universe.

SPOILERS! This week we talk Marvel! But not the MCU, no, this week we talk about how the Marvel Netflix Universe matters to fans, critics, and the image of Marvel superheroes. Up until the Netflix originals, Marvel wasn't known for gritty and violent drama, leaving much of the dark, broody, and bloody stories to the side. In this episode we take you through why each series matters (chronologically, DD, JJ, LC, IF, if you need to skip some spoilers) and what they mean to us.  With Daredevil, Marvel solidified itself as strong storytellers in a very real and not hyper-color world. With Jessica Jones, Marvel and Netflix show that by choosing show-runners reflective of their story, they could explore complex issues such as interpersonal violence, trauma, and recovery. Using the same reflective style, by tapping African American voices to tell Luke Cages story, they create a political superhero series that is very much attached to the real life issues faced by communities of color today. And with Iron Fist, well,

This week we talk about a hobby, career, competition, that has come out of fan convention obscurity to mainstream reality shows, how-to videos, and even casual wear influenced by the are of: COSPLAY! We welcome Alley from the Rick & Alley Twitch stream. We talk about it's fluid history and beginnings. Switching to the But Why Thos: we discuss how it's come to create inclusive communities, inspire children, become the ultimate form of representation, and has become the base for fans to do good in the world. Shownotes A very special thanks to Alley! thank you for sharing your expertise with us! Make sure you drop her a follow and a like at the links below! Rick and Alley -- www.twitch.tv/rickandalley -- facebook.com/rickandalley

This week, we drink, and we know things. In this episode we talk about the pop culture phenomena: Game of Thrones. Adrian takes us through one of his favorite fandoms by lining the books up with the show and giving a brief history and financial success of the franchise. Then we get into the but why thos, talking about how the show has been able to craft characters and seasons that build a world in a fantastical and real way.