The Incomparable

In this episode we convene a panel of women who love geeky stuff to discuss portrayals of girls and women in geek media, how girls and women are received in geek culture, and the books, movies, comics and TV shows that do it right.

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser, Erika Ensign and Brianna Wu .

X-Men (2013) #1 | Comics | Marvel.com

Ms. Marvel (2014) #1 | Comics | Marvel.com

Saga on Amazon

Final Fantasy VI - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Y: The Last Man” on Amazon

“Captain Marvel: The Pursuit of Flight” on Amazon

“X-Men, Vol. 1: Primer” on Amazon

Portal (video game) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Metroid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Julian May - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Robin Hobb - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Elfquest - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Marvel to Film Netflix Series Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist in New York - IGN

Melissa Rosenberg To Shepherd Marvel’s Jessica Jones Series For Netflix - Deadline.com

X-Men Women Poster

What’s up with the confederate flag, Rogue?

Starfire in Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 | read/RANT!

The Hawkeye Initiative

Star Trek: Voyager - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Random Trek | “Life Line” (VOY) with Serenity Caldwell (Episode 3)

The Audio Guide to Babylon 5 | Conversations about the five-year saga

Alice Eve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Women Play Video Games. Can We Cut The Sexist Crap Now?

“Amazon.com” by Orphan Black on Amazon

Orphan Black - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bechdel test - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Main/The Smurfette Principle - Television Tropes & Idioms

Your Princess Is in Another Castle: Misogyny, Entitlement, and Nerds - The Daily Beast

Tiffany Aching - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dragonriders of Pern - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Andre Norton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sheri S. Tepper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Female Man - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tomb Raider (2013 video game) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rhianna Pratchett - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Debug 34: Sexism in tech | iMore

Revolution 60

Brianna Wu (Spacekatgal) on Twitter

We love Pixar, and we’re a bunch of creative professional types. So as you can imagine, we devoured “Creativity Inc.”, by Pixar president Ed Catmull. Is it a business book or an anti-business book? How do you foster creativity? Is Pixar’s formula one that provides safety while preventing works of staggering genius? How much is a director or writer the author of a Pixar movie, and how much is the studio itself? And is the wild success of “Frozen” proof of anything?

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser, John Siracusa, Glenn Fleishman and David J. Loehr .

“Creativity, Inc.” by Ed Catmull on Amazon

The Incomparable #49: It’s Like “Working Girl” With Monsters

The Incomparable #50: We Apologize for the Extinction of the Clownfish

The Incomparable #102: Princess Indiana Jones

The Incomparable #123: Ski Lodge Pick

Every year Scott and Jason read all the Hugo Award-nominated novels, which supposedly show off the best science fiction has to offer. That hasn’t always gone well, so this year they’ve read the eight novels nominated for the Nebula Awards—and recruited three other SF podcasters to join them in the fun. We discuss all eight novels with extremely light-to-no spoilers, so it’s safe to listen. And the good news? All eight of these novels are pretty good!

Host Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Fred Kiesche, Shaun Duke and Paul Weimer .

There really isn’t much we’d consider a spoiler, and when we do fire off the Spoiler Horn, just skip ahead a couple of minutes and you’ll be okay.

2013 Nebula Awards Winners Announced | SFWA

2014 Hugo Awards | The Hugo Awards

SF Signal

The Three Hoarsemen - SF Signal

Bernal Alpha

The Skiffy and Fanty Show

Send the World SF Tour to Worldcon!

Following in the footsteps of our video-game draft, it’s time for us to select some of our favorite computer games of all time. Real-time strategy! Arcade style! Text adventures! From the earliest days of video games up to the present, we’ve got it covered. Now if we could just figure out what was in those crates…

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Monty Ashley, Erika Ensign, Tony Sindelar, Steve Lutz and John Siracusa .

1. Star Wars: TIE Fighter (Dan)

2. Trinity (Monty)

3. Ultima VII: The Black Gate (Erika)

4. Half-Life (Tony)

5. Civilization (Steve)

6. Portal (John)

7. Tetris (Jason)

8. Escape Velocity (Dan)

9. Doom (Monty)

10. Daleks (Erika)

11. Grim Fandango (Tony)

12. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (Steve)

13. Crystal Quest (John)

14. Lode Runner (Jason)

15. Sword of the Samurai (Dan)

16. NetHack (Monty)

17. The Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time (Erika)

18. Thief: The Dark Project (Tony)

19. Castle Wolfenstein (Steve)

20. Myth: The Fallen Lords (John)

21. SSI Computer Baseball (Jason)

Grab your black cat and portable radio, climb on your mom’s broomstick, and join us for a king-sized discussion of Hayao Miyazaki’s classic animated film “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” This film features a climactic scene featuring an out-of-control dirigible, so you know we love it.

Host Jason Snell with Merlin Mann, John Siracusa and Steve Lutz .

“Kiki’s Delivery Service” on Amazon

5by5 | The Incomparable #144: Hangin’ With the Totes

5by5 | The Incomparable #84: Wind is the Enemy

Bonus Track: Mann Canon

The casting for “Star Wars: Episode VII” has been announced, and so our team of interested “Star Wars” fans has arrived to break down the returning actors, the new faces, and our hopes for the future of the franchise. Plus we talk Kremlinology and Soviet industrial design, lament a bag of villains, and confuse screenwriters with pasta.

Host Jason Snell with Serenity Caldwell, Lisa Schmeiser, John Siracusa, Dan Moren and Andy Ihnatko .

Star Wars: Episode VII Cast Announced | StarWars.com

Incomparable 114 - When You Wish Upon a Star Wars

Danger, Will Robinson! It’s time to think outside the bots. We follow up our computer draft with a draft of favorite robots, androids, and other artificial intelligences. Also, we debate a whole lot about what makes a robot different from a computer. Kill all humans!

Host Jason Snell with David J. Loehr, Monty Ashley, Erika Ensign and Steve Lutz .

Mild “Battlestar Galactica” spoilers when Monty asks Jason the true nature of “Head Six.”

1. Robby the Robot, Forbidden Planet (David)

2. Crow T. Robot, MST3K (Monty)

3. K-9, Doctor Who (Erika)

K-9 and Company, Opening Titles - YouTube

4. Marvin the Paranoid Android, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Steve)

5. Mr. Data, Star Trek: The Next Generation (Jason)

6. Twiki, Buck Rogers (David)

7. Robot Monster (Monty)

8. Kryten, Red Dwarf (Erika)

9. SHODAN, System Shock (Steve)

10. Number Six, Battlestar Galactica (Jason)

11. Bigfoot, The Six Million Dollar Man (David)

12. The Iron Giant (Monty)

13. R. Daneel Olivaw, Isaac Asimov’s “Robots” books (Erika)

14. The Robot - the dance move (Steve)

15. The Terminator (Jason)

16. Bubo, Clash of the Titans (David)

17. Bishop, Aliens (Monty)

18. Pintsize, Questionable Content (Erika)

19. HK-47, Knights of the Old Republic (Steve)

20. Gort, Day The Earth Stood Still (Jason)

21. Peepo, Space Academy (David)

22. Maria, Metropolis (Monty)

23. V.I.N.cent, The Black Hole (Erika)

24. Silver Sphere, Phantasm (Steve)

25. Roy Batty, Blade Runner (Jason)

26. Rick Deckard, Blade Runner (David)

27. GIR, Invader Zim (Monty)

28. Kamelion, Doctor Who (Erika)

29. ROB, the Robotic Operating Buddy, NES (Steve)

30. Machine Man, Marvel Comics (Jason)

Live from Macworld/iWorld in San Francisco, it’s the Incomparable Computer Draft! We pick the best computers of all time—real and fictional. (It goes off the rails quickly.)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Serenity Caldwell, Jeff Carlson, Dan Frakes and David Sparks .

1. Commodore VIC-20 (Jeff)

2. J.A.R.V.I.S. (Dan F.)

3. WOPR (Dan M.)

4. GLaDOS (Ren)

5. Deep Thought (David)

6. PowerBook 160 (Jason)

7. Colossus computer (Jeff)

8. KITT (Dan F.)

9. Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine (Dan M.)

10. PowerBook Duo (Ren)

11. TRS-80 Model 100 (David)

12. Apple IIe (Jason)

13. Titanium PowerBook G4 (Jeff)

14. Power Macintosh G3 All-in-One “Molar” (Dan F.)

15. 20th Anniversary Mac (Dan M.)

16. Newton MessagePad 2000 (Ren)

17. Macintosh 128k (David)

18. Landru (Jason)

19. PowerBook 100 (Jeff)

20. PowerBook G3 “Wall Street” (Dan F.)

21. Black Box from “Sneakers” (Dan M.)

22. Original iMac (Ren)

23. USS Enterprise Computer (David)

24. 11-inch MacBook Air (Jason)

Grab your shield, steal your old uniform, and hop on your motorcycle, because it’s time for us to discuss “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” It’s the latest Marvel movie, and even though Steve Rogers is the title character, there’s an awful lot of SHIELD in this movie, too. Does the franchise aspect of these films help or hurt? Are the action scenes more interesting than the urban disasters featured in most recent superhero movies? And is the Falcon really Cap’s only friend outside SHIELD? Also, we reveal the Hydra secret handshake.

Host Jason Snell with Tony Sindelar, Dan Moren, Guy English, Moisés Chiullan and Rene Ritchie .

Best of Hail HYDRA: The New Marvel Meme Sweeping The Internet | The Mary Sue

“Captain America: Winter Soldier” on IMDB

Warm up your modem and turn your nuclear-launch key—it’s time to play Global Thermonuclear War! We discuss “WarGames,” the 1983 John Badham film starring Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, and Ally Sheedy. Is this the ultimate film for computer nerds like us? How do the film’s Cold War themes contrast with its anti-technology themes? Can a computer make moral decisions? Why is there so much nerd shaming and sexism? And why do they let tour buses into the heart of America’s nuclear command? So many questions, Professor Falken, and so few remote-controlled pterodactyls.

Host Jason Snell with Greg Knauss, John Siracusa, Andy Ihnatko and David J. Loehr .

“WarGames” [Blu-ray] on Amazon

WarGames on Amazon Instant Video

WarGames - Wikipedia

WarGames (1983) on IMDB

Galaga - Wikipedia

Dennis Miller, Expositional Eunuch

In the spirit of April Fool’s Day, we present the second edition of The Incomparable Game Show. Two teams match up in a battle of trivia and pointlessness. (Or is that redundant?)

Host Jason Snell with Glenn Fleishman, Greg Knauss, Steve Lutz, Monty Ashley, Erika Ensign, Scott McNulty, John Siracusa and Dan Moren .

Our Book Club reconvenes to discuss “The Martian” by Andy Weir. It’s a nuts-and-bolts adventure about a stranded astronaut who uses his botany and engineering skills to stay alive on Mars. Did we mention botany? And engineering? There’s a lot of both. Also, we tell you what we’re reading.

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser, Lex Friedman, Scott McNulty and John Moltz .

We reconvene our Old Movie Club to watch two gritty early-1970s films that have been unfortunately remade in the last decade: “Get Carter” starring Michael Caine, and “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” starring Walter Matthau. We learn about slide-based pornography, metaphors involving stick-shift cars, angry New York transit officers, kazoo parades, and so much more.

Host Jason Snell with Steve Lutz, David J. Loehr and Philip Michaels .

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) on Amazon

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (Remake) on Amazon

Get Carter (1971) on Amazon

Get Carter (Remake) on Amazon

Quick Change on Amazon

Charley Varrick on Amazon

The Laughing Policeman on Amazon

It was the dawn of a new age—the rise of sci-fi shows with story arcs, complex characters, and computer-based special effects. “Babylon 5” was a trailblazing TV series and we give it the treatment it deserves in this double-sized episode. The curious can join us for a lengthy pre-Spoiler Horn conversation about why we like the show, and the veterans can stick around for detailed, spoilery conversations about where the show went during its five seasons on the air.

Host Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Michael Gartenberg, Chip Sudderth and Andy Ihnatko .

Jason on B5 in 1997:

Here are the episodes the panel was asked to watch before participating:

• “Midnight on the Firing Line” (season 1)
• “In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum” (season 2)
• “Interludes and Examinations” (season 3)
• “No Surrender, No Retreat” (season 4)

Editor: Jim Metzendorf.

Do you love cardboard and hate sanity? Then join us for our draft of favorite board games! We do some uranium mining on a donkey, propose a new trivia-themed podcast, debate the merits of Sanka versus Yuban, and discuss two different versions of Risk—three, if you count the version Tony invented where each Risk battle is settled by a full game of Monopoly.

Host Jason Snell .

Thanks to our sponsors:

• Warby Parker, the rebels of quality eyewear on the Internet. Try on up to five frames at home, and get expedited shipping by visiting warbyparker.com/snell

• HostGator (use coupon code “SNELLSENTME” for 30% off everything)

• Cards Against Humanity

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1. Trivial Pursuit (Monty)

2. Careers (Erika)

3. Monopoly (David)

4. HeroQuest (Tony)

5. Clue - Master Detective (Dan)

6. Carcassonne (Jason)

7. Family Feud 1977 edition (Monty)

8. Betrayal at House on the Hill (Erika)

Errata & FAQ - Betrayal at House on the Hill

9. Poetryslam Magnetic Word Game (David)

10. Race For The Galaxy (Tony)

11. 7 Wonders (Dan)

12. Castle Panic (Jason)

13. Risk 2210 A.D. (Monty)

14. Arkham Horror (Erika)

15. Kill Shakespeare (David)

16. The Settlers of Catan (Tony)

17. Risk Legacy (Dan)

18. Sorry! (Jason)

Talisman (Revised 4th Edition) | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

The Mad Magazine Game | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Amazon.com : Game of Life : Board Games : Toys & Games

Fireball Island | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Amazon.com : Mousetrap : Performance And Acting Games : Toys & Games

Amazon.com : Dixit : Card Games : Toys & Games

Amazon.com : Lord of the Rings: The Board Game : Strategy Board Games : Toys & Games

Starfarers of Catan | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Solarquest | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Amazon.com : Cosmic Encounter : Strategy Board Games : Toys & Games

Amazon.com : Pente : Board Games : Toys & Games

Kinesis | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Amazon.com : Forbidden Island : Card Games : Toys & Games

The Coachride to Devil’s Castle - Official Website

Amazon.com : Small World : Board Games : Toys & Games

Amazon.com : Dominion : Strategy Board Games : Toys & Games

Amazon.com : Puerto Rico : Board Games : Toys & Games

Amazon.com : Ravensburger Scotland Yard Detective Board Game-Ages 8+ : Strategy Board Games : Toys & Games

Amazon.com : Resistance The 2nd Edition : Games : Toys & Games

Lords of Waterdeep | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Amazon.com : Ticket To Ride : Board Games : Toys & Games

Dark Tower | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Dark Tower TV Commercial with Orson Welles - YouTube

The World of Micronauts Game | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

Do you like sand? Then you may get upset as we conclude our discussion of “Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones,” in which we ponder the mystery of droid consciousness, fail to get excited about seeing our old friends from Episode I again, open a Variety Pack of monsters, debate Yoda’s fighting strategy, and talk John Siracusa off the ledge. Finally, we ponder whether it’s worse for a movie to be bad or boring. (Part 2 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Monty Ashley, Serenity Caldwell and Steve Lutz .

#182: Full-Fledged Force Mullet

Part one of this episode.

“I don’t like sand.”

Rascal Scooter

Against the advice of our doctors, we’re back with more prequels. This time it’s “Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones.” With three different opening statements, our podcast is about as bureaucratic as the Imperial Senate. We also discuss R2’s incompetence as a security system, ponder Anakin’s puzzling pick-up lines (and haircut), sympathize with the boring job of the Jedi, and question the plight of the Fett family and the clone troopers. (Part 1 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Steve Lutz, Serenity Caldwell, Dan Moren and Monty Ashley .

The Flop House #139 - Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Star Wars Trilogy Episodes I-III (Amazon)

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (IMDB)

The Incomparable’s Total Party Kill podcast

Our new D&D spinoff podcast. We’ll be playing D&D over there, not in this feed. Rejoice?

5by5 | The Incomparable #136: We Waited 16 Years For This?

5by5 | The Incomparable #137: Go Wash a Droid

5by5 | The Incomparable #46: I Like My Coffee Like My Evil Sith Lords

5by5 | The Incomparable #47: Death Star University

5by5 | The Incomparable #67: Darth Vader’s Office is Really Weird

5by5 | The Incomparable #68: Jedi Weekend

5by5 | The Incomparable #88: Skywalker’s Eleven

5by5 | The Incomparable #89: Also Known as Endor

Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones, but will he always be? We discuss the interesting problem of replacing the face of your franchise, whether it’s Doctor Who or James Bond or Captain Kirk or Batman or Superman. Fortunately, we leave plenty of time for digressions into old TV shows (including “Three’s Company,” “Bewitched,” and “Magnum P.I.”) and anger the internet’s foremost Robocopians. Spoiler: In the end, Hollywood ruins everything.

Host Jason Snell with Jason Brightman, Andy Ihnatko, Erika Ensign and David J. Loehr .

Casino Royale (Climax!) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Lone Ranger (TV series) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coupling (UK TV series) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Rock (1996)

Columbo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Three’s Company - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Magnum, P.I. - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

RoboCop - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Buddy Ebsen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mannix - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bewitched - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

? Waaaaaaalt - YouTube

Happy Days - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jeffrey Combs - IMDb

Wayne Alexander - IMDb

The Dukes of Hazzard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Roman Brady - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Black (Days of our Lives) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Iron Chef - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Iron Chef America - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sasuke (TV series) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hawaii Five-0 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maverick (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Shadow - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Moffat planned Cushing ‘hat tip’ in the Doctor Who 50th : www.doctorwhohub.tv

Gunsmoke - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Falcon’s Brother - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Unlock the front door to your mind palace, fake your death in numerous ways, and draw on a fake mustache! Season 3 of “Sherlock” is on our agenda, and we discuss all three episodes in turn. How does the introduction of Mary improve the cast dynamic? Does the middle episode sag as in past seasons, or prove to be a highlight? The game is on, Watson.

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Erika Ensign, Dan Moren, David J. Loehr, Serenity Caldwell and Moisés Chiullan .

“Sherlock” at PBS

BBC One - Sherlock

Sherlock: Season One DVD on Amazon

TARDIS theory

DCI Banks

The Incomparable #90: A Suspiciously Efficient Morgue

We talk season 2 of “Sherlock,” exactly 90 episodes ago! Creepy!

The Incomparable #3: Doctor Sherlock vs. The Melty Man

We talked season one of “Sherlock” way back in episode 3.

Our book club returns with discussion of two books! First we talk Scott Lynch’s “The Lies of Locke Lamora,” a fantasy book about a gang of thieves that are even outlaws to other thieves (spoiler horn at 12:00). Then it’s Ann Leckie’s “Ancillary Justice,” a space opera about AIs and ships and empires and corpse soldiers that brings Iain M. Banks to mind (starts at 28:48, spoilers at 33:22). Confusingly long prologues! Fun with gendered pronouns! Questionable burrito metaphors! Plus: What are we reading (starts at 68:13)?

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Scott McNulty and Monty Ashley .

“The Lies of Locke Lamora” by Scott Lynch

“Ancillary Justice” by Ann Leckie

“The Golem and the Jinni” by Helene Wecker

“Empty Mansions” by Bill Dedman, Paul Clark Jr.

“Whispers Under Ground” by Ben Aaronovitch

“Ultimate porno” by PierNico Solinas

“Film Noir Reader” by Alain Silver, James Ursini

“Crux” by Ramez Naam

“Nexus” by Ramez Naam

“Shadow Ops: Control Point” by Myke Cole

“Love Minus Eighty” by Will McIntosh

We continue selecting our favorite all-time console video games. John chooses the classics. Steve has a bad fur day. And Moisés continues his descent into madness. Boop beep beep boop! (Part 2 of 2)

Host Jason Snell with Moisés Chiullan, Steve Lutz, Tony Sindelar, John Siracusa and Greg Knauss .

Edited by Greg Knauss. Thanks, Greg!

Here’s the list Dan Moren sent in:

• MarioKart 64 (N64)
• Red Dead Redemption (Xbox 360)
• Goldeneye (N64)
• Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
• Bushido Blade (PS1)
• Baseball Stars (NES)
• Virtual On (Saturn)

Battletoads (Moisés, NES)

Yars’ Revenge (Greg, Atari 2600)

Journey (John, PS3)

The Incomparable #108: Journey: Then We Touched, Then We Sang

Mario Kart (Jason, Wii)

Conker’s Bad Fur Day (Steve, N64)

The Great Mighty Poo - YouTube

GoldenEye 007 (Tony, N64)

M.C. Kids (Moisés, NES)

11 Forgotten McDonald’s Menu Items

McStuffins!

Burnout Revenge (Greg, PS2/Xbox 360)

Super Mario 64 (John, N64)

Halo: Combat Evolved (Jason, Xbox)

Silent Hill (Steve, PS1)

ChuChu Rocket! (Tony, Dreamcast)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game (Moisés, NES)

Atari Super-Pong (Greg)

Ico (John, PS2)

Space Invaders (Jason, Atari 2600)

It’s time for us to select some of the very best console video games of all time. From Mario to Zelda, from sports to music, from Atari to Intellivision, we’ve got the entire history of the video-game industry covered. Are you a bad enough dude to listen? (Part 1 of 2)

Host Jason Snell with Greg Knauss, John Siracusa, Moisés Chiullan, Steve Lutz and Tony Sindelar .

Edited by Greg Knauss. Thanks, Greg!

Adventure (Steve, Atari 2600)

Super Mario Bros. 3 (Tony, NES)

Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja (Moises, NES)

Utopia (Greg, Intellivision)

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (John, N64)

NFL Blitz 2000 (Jason, PS1)

Rock Band (Steve)

Shadow of the Colossus (Tony, PS2)

Atari 2600 Commercial From The 80s - YouTube

Atari VCS/2600 Adventure Easter egg

We say goodbye to 2013 by listing our favorite stuff from the past year. We also recall our favorite podcast moments and read a whole bunch of listener comments. (This is a new episode, though it does contain a few classic Incomparable clips from 2013 and earlier.)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Erika Ensign, Greg Knauss, John Siracusa, Steve Lutz, Tony Sindelar, Scott McNulty and David J. Loehr .

“Doctor Who” said farewell to Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith on Christmas Day. In an Incomparable Christmas tradition, we convened almost immediately after the airing of the episode to discuss “The Time of the Doctor” in great detail in an unedited live flashcast. Cyberman-head companions! A turkey that takes 300 years to cook in the vortex! Lots of past plot boxes checked! A teary farewell and regeneration! Kidneys of a dubious color! We break it all down.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, David J. Loehr, Glenn Fleishman, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

The Doctor Who Regeneration Cycle

#170 - Let Zygons Be Zygons

In this special unedited flashcast edition, we talk about the 50th Anniversary episode of Doctor Who, “The Day of the Doctor,” immediately after viewing it! It just about made our heads explode and we want to watch it again immediately. Join us for our post-episode breakdown of what we saw and what we liked.

#121 - Ice Mary Poppins

A live “flash” episode recorded right after we watched the 2012 “Doctor Who” Christmas special, “The Snowmen.” We welcome (back?) Jenna-Louise Coleman and discuss whether this new start for the Doctor has rekindled our enthusiasm for the show.

#72 - The Screams of Trees

All hail the power of motherhood! We discuss this year’s “Doctor Who” Christmas special, “The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe.” Plus, why Christmas episodes make us feel warm inside, and the amazing scanner-blocking powers of wool!

#18 - Christmas with the Doctor

If you do something every Christmas for six years, it’s time to call it a tradition. And so we have to add the “Doctor Who” Christmas special to our lists. We enjoyed this year’s episode, “A Christmas Carol,” so much, we recorded this flash podcast to talk about it. Happy holidays, everyone.

The Incomparable Radio Theater of the Air wishes a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Host Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko, David J. Loehr, Erika Ensign, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa, Lex Friedman, Lisa Schmeiser, Moisés Chiullan, Monty Ashley, Philip Michaels, Scott McNulty, Serenity Caldwell, Steve Lutz, Tony Sindelar and Merlin Mann .

Written by David J. Loehr

Directed by Serenity Caldwell

Produced and edited* by Jason Snell

Original music by Christopher Breen

CAST

• Jason Snell as Himself
• Lex Friedman as FQN Announcer
• Philip Michaels as Carl Phillips
• Amy Wratchford as Ms. HostGator

TWO-FISTED TALES OF TESLA: “Too Many Teslas”

• Jason Snell as Announcer
• Serenity Caldwell as Dot
• Glenn Fleishman as Nikola Tesla (x5)
• Lisa Schmeiser as Polina Ochichornya
• Erika Ensign as Eileen O’Toole
• Steve Lutz as Beer Drinker
• Scott McNulty as Kassuq

THE SPOOKY TWIST: “Gifts of the Maggie”

• David J. Loehr as Announcer
• Philip Michaels as Nicky Meredith
• Serenity Caldwell as Roxy Crusher/Bernadette Cardiff
• Lex Friedman as Cornet Blue Announcer
• John Siracusa as Angelic P.A. Announcer
• Lisa Schmeiser as Mags Malone

COMMERCIAL BREAK

• Andy Ihnatko as Music Announcer
• Scott McNulty as Patient
• Steve Lutz as Patient’s Wife

THE LIVES OF PAUL CITRON: “No Room at Vienna”

*Edited by David J. Loehr

• David J. Loehr as Paul Citron
• Lex Friedman as Announcer
• John Moltz as Father Holcroft
• Moisés Chiullan as Frau Kitzel
• Amy Wratchford as Sophia Delacroix
• Jason Snell as Interviewer
• Steve Lutz as Richard Morton
• Moisés Chiullan as Karl Rainer
• Tony Sindelar as Gunter Schein
• Steve Lutz as Sgt. Belko
• Merlin Mann as Totenkopf
• and Christopher Breen as Anton Karas

MARJORIE CARTER, FREELANCE ADVENTURESS: Chapters 5 and 6

• Dan Moren as Announcer
• Steve Lutz as Milo
• Serenity Caldwell as Marjorie Carter
• Monty Ashley as Rudolf Dritte
• Scott McNulty as Finnish Henchman
• Andy Ihnatko as Elias Lane
• Steve Lutz as Lumberjack
• Lex Friedman as Bushmill-Schmichaels Announcer

THE FOG: “They Shoot Horuses, Don’t They?”

• Steve Lutz as The Fog Announcer
• Dan Moren as Simeon St. Clair / The Fog
• Serenity Caldwell as Margo Drummond
• Jason Snell as Winston Wold-Newton
• Jessie Char as Fleur de Maisonneuve
• Scott Simpson as Dav Charest
• Philip Michaels as Canadian Truck Driver
• Lisa Schmeiser as Canadian Waitress
• John Siracusa as French Henchman
• and the Spoiler Horn as The Foghorn

TIMMY PRESTON, GALAXY SCOUT: “A Galactic Christmas Carol”

• Andy Ihnatko as Announcer
• Steve Lutz as Timmy

‘Tis the season for holiday music! Unfortunately, while we unabashedly love the holidays, only some holiday music strikes our fancy. Join us as we talk about what makes a good holiday song and then stick around (if you dare) as we complain about some of the worst the season has to offer. Happy holidays, folks!

Host Jason Snell with David J. Loehr, Erika Ensign, Lisa Schmeiser, Philip Michaels, Monty Ashley and Steve Lutz .

Listen to the unedited recording session.

Holiday playlists: Have a geeky Christmas | Macworld

“Do They Know It’s Christmas” by Band Aid

“Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Comedy Death Ray

“Do They Know It’s Snoopy’s Christmas?” by Kustard Kings

“A Charlie Brown Christmas”

“A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives

“The Chimpunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)”

“Jingle Bells” by The Singing Dogs

“Silent Night” by Dinah Washington

“Silent Night” by Mahalia Jackson

“Christmas Songs” by Diana Krall

“Go Tell It On the Mountain” by Blind Boys of Alabama

P. D. Q. Bach:  A Consort of Choral Christmas Carols

MST3K - Patrick Swayze Christmas - YouTube

“The Christians and the Pagans” by Dar Williams

“Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues

Amazon Advent Calendar : Andy Ihnatko’s Celestial Waste of Bandwidth (BETA)

“Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues (Advent Calendar day 26) : Andy Ihnatko’s Celestial Waste of Bandwidth (BETA)

“Under African Skies” by Paul Simon

“Sweet Secret Peace” by Neil Finn

? What A Year For A New Year! Dan Wilson - YouTube

“Calling All Angels” by Jane Siberry with k.d. lang

“What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve” by Nancy Wilson

This Is Christmas | Curt Smith

“The Sounding Joy” by Elizabeth Mitchell

Hall & Oates - Jingle Bell Rock 1983 - YouTube

Cats And The Fiddle-01-06 : Cats And The Fiddle : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

Charles Brown - Please Come Home For Christmas - YouTube

“You’re All I Want for Christmas” by The Persuasions

“Bring My Cadillac Back”

“Mele Kalikimaka” by Chris Isaak

“Barenaked for the Holidays” by Barenaked Ladies

“Father Christmas” by The Kinks

“I Won’t Be Home for Christmas” by Blink-182

“How I Hate to See Christmas Come Around” by Jimmy Witherspoon

Amazon.com: A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra: Frank Sinatra: Music

Amazon.com: The Christmas Song [+digital booklet]: Nat King Cole: MP3 Downloads

Amazon.com: The Man In The Santa Suit: Fountains Of Wayne: MP3 Downloads

Amazon.com: Carol Of The Meows (Non-Album Track): Guster: MP3 Downloads

Amazon.com: Christmas With The Devil: Spinal Tap: MP3 Downloads

Amazon.com: I Hear the Bells: Mike Doughty: MP3 Downloads

Amazon.com: The Bells Are Ringing: They Might Be Giants: MP3 Downloads

Amazon.com: One Christmas At a Time: Jonathan Coulton & John Roderick: MP3 Downloads

Amazon.com: A Christmas Together - John Denver & The Muppets: John Denver: MP3 Downloads

Amazon.com: Christmas Eve: Gorky’S Zygotic Mynci: MP3 Downloads

Feliz-Navi-Nada ~ El Vez - YouTube

Three Wise Men Aka XTC - Thanks For Christmas - YouTube

Amazon.com: The Twelve Days Of Christmas: Bob & Doug McKenzie: MP3 Downloads

Amazon.com: Three Suites: Duke Ellington: MP3 Downloads

Amazon.com: Too Many Santas: Music

“Feliz Navidad”

Key & Peele: Just Stay For the Night - YouTube

Amazon.com: This Christmas: Music

The Cat Carol

The Christmas Shoes (song) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Holiday TV: There’s a lot of it, and some of it is good. A lot of it is bad. We talk about classics great and not-so-great and induct some very special shows into the Incomparable Holiday Vault. Also, Steve reveals a deep, dark secret.

Host Jason Snell with David J. Loehr, Monty Ashley and Steve Lutz .

For the record, the contents of our Holiday Vault are now:

1. “Die Hard”
2. “Elf”
3. “When Harry Met Sally”
4. “Groundhog Day”
5. “It’s a Wonderful Life”
6. “A Charlie Brown Christmas”
7. “SCTV Staff Christmas Party”
8. “Miracle on 34th Street”
9. “A Christmas Story”
10. “Holiday Inn”
11. “Black Christmas”
12. David Letterman’s last show before Christmas
13. “The Lion in Winter”
14. The Tick: “The Tick Loves Santa!”
15. WKRP in Cincinnati: “Turkeys Away”
16. Homicide: Life on the Street: “All Through the House”
17. “Skinflint: A Country Christmas Carol”
18. “The Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”
19. “Rich Little’s Christmas Carol”
20. Northern Exposure: “Seoul Mates”
21. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
22. Mystery Science Theater 3000: “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians”
23. 30 Rock: “Leap Day”
24. The Twilight Zone: “Night of the Meek”
25. “He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special”
26. Doctor Who: “A Christmas Carol”

Turkeys Away: An Oral History | The Classic TV History Blog

Watch WKRP in Cincinnati | Turkeys Away online | Free | Hulu

“WKRP in Cincinnati” Turkeys Away (1978)

“Homicide: Life on the Street” All Through the House (1994)

Skinflint: A Country Christmas Carol - YouTube

Steve’s in it!

Steven Lutz - IMDb

TeeVee: Skeletor is his enemy!

Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire - Simpsons Wiki

Rich Little’s Christmas Carol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rich Little’s A Christmas Carol Debuted on HBO in December 1978 Part 1 - YouTube

“Northern Exposure” Seoul Mates (1991)

Northern Exposure, “Seoul Mates”  · The A.V. Club

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (TV special) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” on Amazon

Leap Day (30 Rock) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“30 Rock” “Leap Day” on Netflix

The Night of the Meek - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Christmas Carol (Doctor Who) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Winter’s here and it’s time to light a fire, get under a blanket, and curl up with a good book. Our panelists are well read and of exquisite taste, so we’ve got a boatload of suggestions for you. From funny to serious, there’s a book in our list that will hit the spot the next time you’re looking for something to read.

Host Jason Snell with David J. Loehr, Erika Ensign, Glenn Fleishman, Lisa Schmeiser and Scott McNulty .

Here’s a master list of the books we picked this time, and who picked them.

1. The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore (Lisa)
2. The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies (David)
3. Monument by Lloyd Biggle Jr. (Erika)
4. Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie (Scott)
5. Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny (Glenn)
6. Phases of Gravity by Dan Simmons (Jason)
7. Zodiac by Neal Stephenson (Lisa)
8. Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore (David)
9. Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb (Erika)
10. Two Serpents Rise by Max Gladstone (Scott)
11. Writing On The Wall by Tom Standage (Glenn)
12. Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby (Jason)
13. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay (Lisa)
14. If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino (David)
15. Chicks Unravel Time (Erika)
16. Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton (Scott)
17. Mirage by Matt Ruff (Glenn)
18. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (Jason)

We also picked some leftovers; they’re mentioned down in the links section.

The Incomparable #99: Convenience Store Clerk of Dune: A Summer Reading List

Summer’s here and it’s time to get to the beach with a good sci-fi novel. Our panelists are well read and of exquisite taste, so we’ve got a boatload of suggestions for you. From funny to serious, there’s a book in our list that will hit the spot the next time you’re looking for something to read.

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore (Lisa)

The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies (David)

Monument by Lloyd Biggle Jr. (Erika)

Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie (Scott)

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny (Glenn)

Phases of Gravity by Dan Simmons (Jason)

Zodiac by Neal Stephenson (Lisa)

Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore (David)

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb (Erika)

Two Serpents Rise by Max Gladstone (Scott)

Writing On The Wall by Tom Standage (Glenn)

Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby (Jason)

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay (Lisa)

If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino (David)

Chicks Unravel Time, edited by L.M. Myles and Deborah Stanish (Erika)

Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton (Scott)

Mirage by Matt Ruff (Glenn)

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (Jason)

Song of Spider-Man: The Inside Story of the Most Controversial Musical in Broadway History by Glen Berger

All the Colors of Darkness by Lloyd Biggle Jr.

Who’s 50: The 50 Doctor Who Stories to Watch Before You Die by Graeme Burk and Robert Smith?

Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization by Richard Miles

Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold

Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan

Kick the Can by Jim Lehrer

This reading list on Goodreads

Thanks to listener Chad!

In this special unedited flashcast edition, we talk about the 50th Anniversary episode of Doctor Who, “The Day of the Doctor,” immediately after viewing it! It just about made our heads explode and we want to watch it again immediately. Join us for our post-episode breakdown of what we saw and what we liked.

Host Jason Snell with Serenity Caldwell, Dan Moren, David J. Loehr and Scott McNulty .

50 years ago some very clever people invented “Doctor Who.” 50 years later we still love it. On the occasion of the show’s golden anniversary, here’s our unabashed lovefest for the BBC’s most clever invention. Four American fans discuss how we discovered the show, our favorite Doctors and stories, and the unique and welcoming culture of sci-fi fandom.

Host Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Chip Sudderth and Glenn Fleishman .

We recorded this episode before “The Night of the Doctor” came out. Watch it.

2MTL 316: What IS “Doctor Who Canon” Anyway??? (Time Dilation) | Two-minute Time Lord

5by5 | After Dark #272: Incomparable Bonus: Jason Snell on Doctor Who’s 2005 relaunch

Pick up the clicker and join us for our conversation about the new TV season. We talk ABC’s “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, “Sleepy Hollow,” “The Blacklist,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “The Crazy Ones,” “The Michael J. Fox Show,” “Masters of Sex,” and also NBC’s “Dracula”—which we haven’t actually seen. Plus returning shows of note like “Parks and Recreation,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “The Big Bang Theory.” We also talk about how exciting corporate synergy can be, Scott endorses a show you should watch if you have the channel it’s on, and we provide our pitch for “CSI: Dracula.”

Host Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko, Dan Moren, David J. Loehr and Scott McNulty .

Agents of Atlas - Marvel Universe Wiki: The definitive online source for Marvel super hero bios.

Watch Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | ABC TV Show - ABC.com

Sleepy Hollow on FOX

The Blacklist | James Spader Stars as a Mastermind Criminal | NBC

Twitter / monty_ashley: Terry Crews: a funny person.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine on FOX

Parks and Recreation | NBC

The Crazy Ones - CBS.com

The Michael J Fox Show | A Family Comedy | Pics & Videos | NBC

FOX Broadcasting Company - Bob’s Burgers on FOX - Official Site

Dracula | Jonathan Rhys Meyers is America’s Original Vampire | NBC

I, FRANKENSTEIN

Orphan Black | BBC America

Arrow | Series on The CW | Official Site

The Legend of Korra

How I Met Your Mother - CBS.com

[3F31] The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular

“Yes, the Simpsons have come a long way since an old drunk made humans out of his rabbit characters to pay off his gambling debts. Who knows what adventures they’ll have between now and the time the show becomes unprofitable?”

The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory Howard’s song to Bernadette - YouTube

iTunes - Music - If I Didn’t Have You (Bernadette’s Song) [From “The Big Bang Theory”] [MusiCares® Version] - Single by Various Artists

Moist - Horrible Wiki

The Good Wife - CBS.com

A book of short stories about Columbo

The A-Team - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

FIRE JOE MORGAN

Old Movie Club returns! We look at three films from 1952: “Singin’ in the Rain,” “High Noon,” and Best Picture winner (!) “The Greatest Show on Earth.” One of these movies is not like the others. Plus: The haunting repetition of Tex Ritter! Charlton Heston’s commitment to the circus! And Phil asks Jason what it feels like to have no soul! Travel back 61 years in time and join us, won’t you?

Host Jason Snell with Philip Michaels, Lisa Schmeiser, David J. Loehr, Erika Ensign, Steve Lutz and Monty Ashley .

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

Singin’ in the Rain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Singin’ in the Rain” on Amazon

High Noon (1952)

High Noon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“High Noon” on Amazon

The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

The Greatest Show on Earth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“The Greatest Show on Earth” on Amazon Instant

Incomparable #156: Airline of Snitches

Special guest star Philip Michaels gives us an old-movie education with two caper movies from the 1950s, “The Lavender Hill Mob” and “The Killing.” One’s funny, one’s not, but both teach us that crime doesn’t pay! Plus young Stanley Kubrick, funnyman Alec Guinness, the second-greatest fight scene Steve has ever seen, and a guest appearance by General Eisenhower.

Awful people can make great art. Nice people can write bad books. Can you separate the creator from the art? We struggle with Orson Scott Card and his (rightfully) classic novel “Ender’s Game” and go on to list other writers and series who we’ve hand to break up with. To make things not entirely disappointing, we also talk about authors and series that have never let us down.

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser, Scott McNulty, Dan Moren and David J. Loehr .

‘Ender’s Game,’ its controversial author, and a very personal history

Sons of Anarchy at Television Without Pity

“Red Thunder” by John Varley

John Varley’s Gaea trilogy

John Varley’s Eight Worlds

Strange Wine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Wheel of Time - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Charles Stross’s Merchant Princes series

Dragonriders of Pern - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Malloreon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Bridge of Birds” by Barry Hughhart

The Incomparable #13: Harry Potter and the Picasso P.I.

In honor of the release of the seventh Harry Potter film, we convene a collection of panelists to discuss the books, the movies, the phenomenon that is J.K. Rowling’s young-wizard saga. (If you haven’t read the series, there are spoilers and also the entire podcast will make no sense. Except for the part about “Magnum P.I.” and Pablo Picasso. This episode sponsored by the word “exegesis” and the musical stylings of Tom Bombadil.)

Dumbledore’s wisdom

“Darwin’s Radio” by Greg Bear

“Blood Music” by Greg Bear

“Beggars in Spain” by Nancy Kress

“Pattern Recognition” by William Gibson

“Virtual Light” by William Gibson

“Many Colored Land” by Julian May

“The Surveillance” by Julian May

24: My Word as Vorkosigan - The Incomparable

A Million Open Doors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Travis McGee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Donald E. Westlake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

N.K. Jemisin

K.J. Parker

In this double-length episode we talk about two video games even non-gamers like Jason can enjoy, “Gone Home” and “Brothers.” We ponder what makes a game challenging, and if a game must be challenging to be good. John likes both games, but has a list of grievances. All disagreements will be settled with a duel of ’80s mixtapes at dawn! Plus: What other games are we playing?

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Tony Sindelar and Steve Lutz .

Jump to minute 49 if you want to skip the spoilers for “Gone Home.”

Gone Home - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Incomparable #108: Journey: Then We Touched, Then We Sang

A video game beloved by John Siracusa, “Journey” for the PS3, is in the spotlight. We toot the biggest Spoiler Horn of all time — don’t listen if you haven’t played it! — and then talk about what we liked and didn’t like about Thatgamecompany’s desert-and-spoiler epic.

Hypercritical: We Can Remember It for You Wholesale

Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Assassin’s Creed III - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ico - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Official Site - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD for Wii U

Grim Fandango - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Journey - Raised on Radio

The girl can’t help it.

Grab a pint and marinate your brain as we discuss the “Cornetto Trilogy,” three films by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright that are linked in theme if not in characters: “Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz,” and recent release “The World’s End.” Why aren’t there more smart genre comedies? How do Pegg and Wright so deftly handle different genres? How are these movies like the Commedia dell’arte? Why do Jason and Jeff want to punch Nick Frost, then hug him? Plus, we give even more Incomparable love to “Spaced.”

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Serenity Caldwell, David J. Loehr and Jeff Carlson .

The spoiler horn appears before we talk about the biggest spoilers in “World’s End,” but as always, you should really watch the movies before listening to the podcast. We spoil the hell out of the other two. Watch them! They’re good!

“Shaun of the Dead” on Amazon

“Hot Fuzz” on Amazon

“The World’s End” on Amazon

Cornetto Trilogy omnibus Blu-Ray on Amazon

“Spaced” on Netflix Instant

The winner of our iTunes review contest had us read John Birmingham’s “Weapons of Choice,” which our Book Club used as a jumping-off point to talk about alt-history novels, time travel, military SF, and a whole lot more. You don’t need to read the book to appreciate the episode! Plus: What are we reading?

Host Jason Snell with David J. Loehr and Scott McNulty .

Thanks to contest winner Dave Gaukroger.

“Weapons of Choice” on Amazon

Live! From a (somewhat echoey, sorry) room in Portland Oregon, we talk about the exciting new world of Internet-aided content creation. How have sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo and even Amazon changed how people create and consume books, movies, TV shows, and music? And what’s the missing piece of this content revolution?

Host Jason Snell with Glenn Fleishman, Greg Knauss and Jeff Carlson .

EOD: Talking About Failure

Greg expands on his comments about seeing more talk about Indie failures.

Glenn’s Kickstarter project fails

Glenn’s Kickstarter project

“Wool” by Hugh Howey

“Indie Game: The Movie”

The Flop House

John worked with Dan’s brother and now we love this podcast.

Bonus episode! Here’s an edited fourth installment of our Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Our heroes have made it inside a strange desert temple and have mostly not died… yet. But the night is young and the basins in this temple are full of an unknown magical fluid, so anything could happen!

Host Scott McNulty with Dan Moren, Jason Snell, Serenity Caldwell, Steve Lutz and Tony Sindelar .

The Incomparable #135: Total Party Kill

Get out your 20-sided dice and join us in a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Scott McNulty is our DM. Jason, Ren, Dan, Steve, and Tony are our party. Things don’t go well.

The Incomparable #138: All Hail the Lion!

Here’s the result of our second Dungeons and Dragons session. After some dithering in the local vicinity, we venture out into the desert to meet glass spiders and some really unpleasant green guys.

The Incomparable #148: Between Two Obelisks

Hot on the heels of the death of Eglath, our heroes step into the maelstrom and discover the secret of the stone temple on the other side. Also, is that a lobster? And who is that guy wearing a hat?

Take the red pill and enter “The Matrix,” 1999’s influential sci-fi/action classic. Why does Morpheus talk like a fortune cookie? Is Keanu’s woodenness an asset or detriment? Was skeuomorphism the fall of man? And if we accept that living things can be used as batteries, why wouldn’t the machines just use cows? Grad students, we are about to blow your minds. Whoa.

Host Jason Snell with David J. Loehr, John Siracusa, Steve Lutz and Erika Ensign .

“The Matrix” on Amazon

The Matrix trilogy on Amazon

Erika’s podcast, Verity!

The Matrix - An ‘Incomparable’ Film

Erika’s blog post with a lot more about “The Matrix” and being on this very podcast.

“Harsh Realm”

Our sponsor: Namecheap

We conclude the second Incomparable Film Festival with 21 more films we think are worth seeing, in fantasy draft format. Don’t miss the exciting Lightning Round, and stay tuned when it’s all over for our expert post-draft analysis! (Part 2 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, David J. Loehr, Monty Ashley, Steve Lutz, Andy Ihnatko, John Siracusa and Philip Michaels .

#158: Peak Clooney

Part one of this episode.

“The Big Year” on Amazon

David Frankel, 2011 (Andy)

“Night of the Iguana” on Amazon

John Huston, 1964 (David)

“The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh”

John Lounsbery/Wolfgang Reitherman, 1977 (Steve)

“Ninja III: The Domination” on Amazon

Sam Firstenberg, 1984 (Monty)

“The Good Shepherd” on Amazon

Robert De Niro, 2006 (John)

“Army of Darkness” on Amazon

Sam Raimi, 1992 (Dan)

“The Abyss” (Special Edition) on Amazon

James Cameron, 1989 (Jason)

“Desk Set” on Amazon

Walter Lang, 1957 (Andy)

“The Rundown” on Amazon

Peter Berg, 2003 (David)

“Starman” on Amazon

John Carpenter, 1984 (Steve)

“Petey Wheatstraw” on Amazon

Cliff Roquemore, 1997 (Monty)

“Syriana” on Amazon

Stephen Gaghan, 2005 (John)

“The Hunt for Red October” on Amazon

John McTiernan, 1990 (Dan)

“Once” on Amazon

John Carney, 2006 (Jason)

“56 Up” on Amazon

Michael Apted, 1964-2012 (Andy)

“Where Eagles Dare” on Amazon

Brian G. Hutton, 1968 (David)

“The Poseidon Adventure” on Amazon

Ronald Neame, 1972 (Steve)

“Black Dynamite” on Amazon

Scott Sanders, 2009 (Monty)

“A Simple Plan” on Amazon

Sam Raimi, 1998 (John)

“The Shadow” on Amazon

Russell Mulcahy, 1994 (Dan)

“Dead Again” on Amazon

Kenneth Branagh, 1991 (Jason)

A complete list of our films on Letterboxd

Thanks, Matt Brictson!

It’s time for the second Incomparable Film Festival! We pick 35 films that we think are worth seeing, in fantasy draft format. From horror to comedy to drama to sci-fi to kung-fu, we’ve got just about every genre covered. (Part 1 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko, Dan Moren, David J. Loehr, John Siracusa, Monty Ashley and Steve Lutz .

#79: Everything Sounds Beautiful in German

We’re creating the Incomparable Film Festival! Each day for a week, one of us will introduce five films (to be screened at an imaginary location not to be determined). To prevent duplication of selections, our seven participants will choose favorite films in a draft format. When all is said and done, 35 classic movies will be chosen by our panel of geeks. (Part 1 of 2.)

#80: Khan Film Festival

Continuing our assembly of the Incomparable Film Festival! We fill out our list of 35 classic films for imaginary display to imaginary crowds. Find out our final 21 (or is it 22?) choices! Then vote for your favorites. (Part 2 of 2.)

#81: McRibs and Bacon Martinis

We close the books on the first Incomparable Film Festival with this special follow-up episode. We provide the show times for each day of the festival, share your feedback, and reveal the results of your vote for the best slate of films. We also check in with two panelists who couldn’t make the original draft, one of whom has a bone to pick with John Siracusa. The other one instead tells a heartwarming tale of projectile vomiting. (Part 3 of 2.)

“The Conversation” on Amazon

Francis Ford Coppola, 1974 (Andy)

“Wonder Boys” on Amazon

Curtis Hanson, 2000 (David)

“The Terminator” on Amazon

James Cameron, 1984 (Steve)

“Kill and Kill Again” on Amazon

Ivan Hill, 1983 (Monty)

“Out of Sight” on Amazon

Steven Soderbergh, 1998 (John)

“Sneakers” on Amazon

Phil Alden Robinson, 1992 (Dan)

“High Fidelity” on Amazon

Stephen Frears, 2000 (Jason)

“The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” on Amazon

Joseph Sargent, 1974 (Andy)

“The Royal Tenenbaums” on Amazon

Wes Anderson, 2001 (David)

“Poltergeist” on Amazon

“Tobe Hooper” (Steven Spielberg?!), 1982 (Steve)

“Miami Connection” on Amazon

Woo-sang Park and Y.K. Kim, 1987 (Monty)

“Breaking Away” on Amazon

Peter Yates, 1979 (John)

“Zero Effect” on Amazon

Jake Kasdan, 1998 (Dan)

“Zelig” on Amazon

Woody Allen, 1983 (Jason)

An entire comic book about Hawkeye, the lesser Marvel superhero with a bow and arrow? Okay… this looks bad. But seriously, bro, this is one of the very best comics being published today. We cover the first two trade-paperback editions of Fraction and Aja’s series, including Lucky the Pizza Dog, 50 Shades of Purple, and how hooking up a laserdisc player is similar to defusing a bomb. Hop on board and join us—we’re great at boats.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Lisa Schmeiser, Merlin Mann and Tony Sindelar .

“Hawkeye Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon” on Amazon

“Hawkeye Vol. 2: Little Hits” on Amazon

How did “Hawkeye” become Marvel’s best comic?

‘Hawkeye’s’ Matt Fraction And David Aja Talk About Their Acclaimed Comic

Clint Barton at Marvel Comics Database

Merlin’s signed Fractions

Special guest star Philip Michaels gives us an old-movie education with two caper movies from the 1950s, “The Lavender Hill Mob” and “The Killing.” One’s funny, one’s not, but both teach us that crime doesn’t pay! Plus young Stanley Kubrick, funnyman Alec Guinness, the second-greatest fight scene Steve has ever seen, and a guest appearance by General Eisenhower.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, David J. Loehr, Steve Lutz and Philip Michaels .

“The Lavender Hill Mob” on iTunes

“The Lavender Hill Mob” on Amazon

“The Lavender Hill Mob” on DailyMotion

“The Killing” on iTunes

“The Killing” on Amazon

“The Killing” on Amazon Instant Video

Free for Prime subscribers.

A boy with no name travels to the end of the lane and discovers how a pond can be an ocean in Neil Gaiman’s brief and wonderful novel “The Ocean at the End of the Lane.” Also Dan explains Jason’s perfect vacation, there’s lots of talk about cats, why David has issues with Old Yeller, and we talk about other Neil Gaiman works that we like.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren and David J. Loehr .

“The Ocean at the End of the Lane” on Amazon

Neil Gaiman page on Amazon

“The Devil You Know” (Felix Castor series)

“Midnight Riot” (“Rivers of London”) by Ben Aaronovitch

“Moon over Soho” by Ben Aaronovitch

“Crucible of Gold” by Naomi Novik

“Sleights of Mind” by Macknick et. al.

“Summer and Bird” by Katherine Catmull

“The Last Policeman” by Ben Winters

“Accelerando” by Charles Stross

“Life Itself” by Roger Ebert

Do you like stories, love, and life? Then even if you’re not a regular comic book reader, you should read “Saga,” by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. (Unless naked robot sex disturbs you, in which case you shouldn’t.) We cover the horns and the wings, bad connections on the interstellar cellphone network, seahorse agents, super space high school, a frog with a banjo, the wisdom of hiring a ghost as your babysitter, and much more.

Host Jason Snell with Merlin Mann, Dan Moren and Tony Sindelar .

“Saga” Vol. 1 on Amazon

“Saga” Vol. 2 on Amazon

Merlin gets prepared

Load your shotgun, put on your clear plastic suit, and climb into that suspiciously humming box! We’re here to talk about three very different time-travel movies: “12 Monkeys,” “Looper,” and “Primer.” Is “Crazy Brad Pitt” a thing? If you met a younger version of yourself, would you fight or cuddle? Why is the apocalypse like Philadelphia? Also something about a Weeble in a time machine, we didn’t really understand that part.

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Lex Friedman, Monty Ashley, David J. Loehr and Tony Sindelar .

“12 Monkeys” on Amazon

“Looper” on Amazon

“Primer” e-store

TeeVee: When Bad Actors Happen to Good Shows

Let Philip Michaels explain why we don’t like Jon Seda.

“La Jeteé” on YouTube

Rian Johnson’s “Looper” in-theater commentary track

Rian Johnson on The Talk Show

“Brick” on Amazon

Shane Carruth on pronouncing “Primer”

The interview Jason is referencing, explaining that Carruth gave up and went with the crowd’s pronunciation of his movie over his own.

“Primer” timeline chart

Live! From San Diego County! It’s a podcast where Jason Snell, Steve Lutz, and Greg Knauss drink beer and talk about Comic-Con, a glut of too much good media, the pros and cons of wearing costumes, Adventure Time, Glenn’s health scare, and much more. It’s slightly tipsy and more than slightly rambling, but we hope you’ll crack a beverage of your own and join us for this cocktail party.

Host Jason Snell with Steve Lutz and Greg Knauss .

Stephen Fry still does not appear.

The closing music is a Steve Lutz original.

#22: Stephen Fry (Does Not Appear)

Put on your red shirt, renew your blogging license, and swallow some alien bacteria! It’s time for our annual read of the five Hugo Award nominees for best novel. We liked some of them, we hated some of them, but we talked about all of them! But beware: The diabolical eyes of the Centers for Disease Control are watching us all.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Monty Ashley and Scott McNulty .

Scott’s blog post about the Hugos

Plus, nine books that should have been nominated

#96: Space Fedora

The 2012 Hugo Award Nominees. Of all the sci-fi novels published in the last year, these are five of them! (And four aren’t actually sci-fi.) But that hasn’t stopped us from reading them and giving you our opinions. Join our book club as we talk about five books and pick our favorites. Plus: Vomit Zombies! A unique novel-sponsorship opportunity for Coca-Cola! Our near-unconditional love of author Jo Walton! And what the locusts are reading this year!

#51: Zombie Marmaduke

We read the 2011 Hugo nominees for Best Novel. Sit back and enjoy our reviews of “Blackout/All Clear,” “Cryoburn,” “The Dervish House,” “Feed,” and “The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.” Plus, we recommend a few of the nominated short stories.

“Redshirts” by John Scalzi

“Redshirts” on Audible, read by Wil Wheaton

#101: Insular Nerdosphere

Our Book Club discusses “Redshirts” by John Scalzi. It’s a book that’s far more complex than its elevator-pitch premise would suggest, but did our panel appreciate its winking narrative-within-narrative structure? And more broadly, why are we worried about some of our favorite geek creators turning inward and pandering to the nerd audience?

“Throne of the Crescent Moon” by Saladin Ahmed

“2312” by Kim Stanley Robinson

“Blackout” by Mira Grant

“Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance” by Lois McMaster Bujold

#117: Intergalactic FedEx

We follow up on our previous episode to ask Serenity Caldwell how she uses her iPhone to read books (and discover her shocking method of scanning pages). Then there’s a discussion of Lois McMaster Bujold’s latest Vorkosigan novel, “Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance.” Finally (at 65 minutes in if you’re skipping ahead), Jason asks Scott to recommend which unread book on his Kindle he should dive into next.

“Shiva 3000” by Jan Lars Jensen

“Celestial Matters” by Richard Garfinkle

This is the book whose title Glenn couldn’t think of.

“The Killing Moon” by N.K. Jemisin

Nominated for the Nebula but not the Hugo. Jason liked it.

It’s our 150th episode! Since we don’t normally answer listener questions and read comments on the show, we’re devoting this episode to that very topic. We read your emails, your iTunes reviews, and your tweets, and announce a contest that will let one lucky listener choose the topic of a future episode. Are we too critical or not critical enough? Do we disagree too much or not enough? Plus: Why we’re not kidnapping Stephen Fry, a new magazine for apes, light eatage, and some Glenning.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty, Steve Lutz and Serenity Caldwell .

You can always reach us via the 5by5 contact form, on Twitter at @theincomparable, or in email at podcast@theincomparable.com. And don’t forget to leave an iTunes review by the end of July for a chance to win!

The Incomparable’s Superhero Draft is now in session, and justice is on the clock! Hear our collection of panelists assemble several excellent super-teams. Who will inhabit the Hall of Justice? And why are Superman and Batman looking on forlornly? Are they just not team players? Take your Sharknado to the Evil Museum and ponder just why Iron Man might not be the hero you think he is.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Lisa Schmeiser, Monty Ashley, Steve Lutz and Scott McNulty .

Thanks again to our sponsor, 23andme.

Thanks to Michael Warner for editing this episode.

Below are the final lists. If you want to be surprised while listening to the episode, don’t read any futher.

SPOILER HORN

Lisa Schmeiser

• Emma Frost
• Oracle
• Big Barda
• Kitty Pryde
• Multiple Man
• Omni-Man
• Elixir

Jason’s suggestion: “X-Women”

Dan Moren

• Green Arrow
• Storm
• American Maid
• X-O Manowar
• Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde
• Martian Manhunter
• Human Target

Jason’s suggestion: “New Revengers”

Scott McNulty

• The Thing
• Mr. Fantastic
• Human Torch
• Invisible Woman
• Franklin Richards
• Speedball
• Savage Dragon

Jason’s suggestion: “Sensational 7”

Steve Lutz

• Aquaman
• Wonder Twins
• Harvey Birdman
• The Brown Hornet
• Plastic Man
• Matter-Eater Lad
• Krypto

Jason’s suggestion: “Moist Justice”

Monty Ashley

• The Question
• Great & Powerful Turtle
• Red Sonja
• The Phantom Stranger
• Warlock
• Freakazoid
• Tom Strong

Jason’s suggestion: “The Federalists”

Jason Snell

• Spider-Man
• The Tick
• Blue Beetle
• Black Widow
• Ant-Man
• Bug
• Ultimate Spider-Woman

Jason’s suggestion: “Bug Squad”

Tony Sindelar was on vacation and couldn’t participate, but he sent this list:

• Batman
• Doctor Strange
• Forge
• Rorschach
• The Question

Premise: Batman, Rorschach, and The Question open the ultimate detective agency. Their combined abilities allow them to quickly deal with the most unsolvable mysteries, the deepest conspiracies, and the most elaborate government coverups. The one thing they can’t solve is their own paranoia and deep seated psychologically issues. Forge makes guest appearances as their gruff but wise IT consultant. Doctor Strange runs their daily group therapy sessions (“By Hoggoth, you inability to open up will always be your greatest nemesis!”)

• Batman had to be the first seed to avoid not getting snapped up by someone else.
• Dr Strange was less integral to the premise, but got moved up the ticket for name recognition / chance that someone else might draft him. I know Doctor Strange’s abilities are wasted in this scenario, but I love his speech mannerisms, and who know’s maybe he’s the one person who can help these crazies.
• Forge is also clearly slumming it at an IT consultant (who doesn’t want to take a break from future weapons design to go manage an Exchange server?), but I think there’d be some great interplay with the detectives, plus the new Hawkeye has taught me that watching superheroes deal with mundane annoyance of everyday life can be delightful.
• Nerds will note that putting Rorschach and The Question on a team-up is either a cop-out or delightful homage to the fact that Rorschach is based on The Question when Alan Moore couldn’t get permission to use existing DC properties in Watchmen.

Jason’s on vacation this week, so instead of a conventional episode, here’s an edited third installment of our Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Hot on the heels of the death of Eglath, our heroes step into the maelstrom and discover the secret of the stone temple on the other side. Also, is that a lobster? And who is that guy wearing a hat?

Host Scott McNulty with Jason Snell, Dan Moren, Steve Lutz, Serenity Caldwell and Tony Sindelar .

The Incomparable #135: Total Party Kill

Get out your 20-sided dice and join us in a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Scott McNulty is our DM. Jason, Ren, Dan, Steve, and Tony are our party. Things don’t go well.

The Incomparable #138: All Hail the Lion!

Bonus episode! Here’s the result of our second Dungeons and Dragons session. After some dithering in the local vicinity, we venture out into the desert to meet glass spiders and some really unpleasant green guys.

Though we were tempted to release this episode in eight 10-minute installments, we refrained. Our Book Club reconvenes to discuss John Scalzi’s novel “The Human Division,” which was initially released as a serial and later as a single-volume novel. Does the serialized format help or hurt? Is Scalzi’s return to his “Old Man’s War” universe a triumph? PLUS! We discuss all the short fiction nominated for the Hugo Award this year.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman and Scott McNulty .

This episode was edited by Greg Knauss. Thanks, Greg!

The Human Division on Amazon

The Human Division on Audible

Incomparable Book Club on Goodreads

Audible pick: Old Man’s War series

Audible pick: The Beekeeper’s Apprentice

Audible pick: Star Wars: Heir to the Empire (Unabridged)

Audible pick: Star Wars: Heir to the Empire (Abridged)

Audible pick: Ian Tregillis’s Milkweed Triptych series

Scott reads the Hugo nominated short stories 2013

2013 Hugo nomination list

Short Story: Mono no aware by Ken Liu

Short story: Immersion by Aliette de Bodard

Short story: Mantis Wives by Kij johnson

Novelette: Fade to White by Catherynne Valente

Novelette: The Boy Who Cast No Shadow by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

Novelette: The Stars Do Not Lie by Jay Lake

Quick! Before the planet is destroyed! Climb on your Kryptonian dragonfly-horse thing and join us to discuss “Man of Steel,” the first in a new cycle of Superman movies. We debate the talents of director Zack Snyder, question the movie artistically and as a calculated act of commerce, praise a lot of very good things about the movie, and complain a whole lot about gleeful destruction and the accompanying property damage.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa and Moisés Chiullan .

Mighty Mouse is a cartoon. Superman’s a real guy.

Scott Lynch’s review of “Man of Steel.”

Man of Steel, since you asked.

Mark Waid’s review of Man of Steel.

Winter is coming! Any day now. No, really… Wait for it… Hmm. In the meantime, here’s our review of this year’s “Game of Thrones” season, recorded with all of us in the same room! Haven’t seen it? Skip ahead an hour and listen to us talk about other TV shows we watched during the 2012-2013 TV season, including the finale of “Fringe.”

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa and Serenity Caldwell .

Recorded live in San Francisco, June 11, 2013.

Other shows mentioned: Mad Men, Bunheads, Orphan Black, Fringe, The Americans, Justified, The Killing, Continuum.

Orphan Black - Season 1

Continuum - Season 1

Fringe - Season 5

“My Neighbor Totoro” is an animated classic in which nothing much happens, but we love it anyway. We discuss how the movie is all about children’s fears of change, ponder the differences between subtitled and dubbed versions, and contemplate corn as a cure for tuberculosis. CREEPY!

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Steve Lutz and Merlin Mann .

Steve Lutz’s synopsis:

“Two girls and their father move into a crappy old house by a big tree. Some black Koosh balls run away from them. They meet a giant retarded bipedal sloth. They frolic and stuff. Dad’s bus is late, the sloth steals their umbrella, and a frog burps. Later their mom maybe has a cold so they take a cat bus, which is what it sounds like, and find out that, yep, it’s a cold. They leave their mom some corn, but my people call it maize. The end.”

“My Neighbor Totoro” on Amazon

Hayao Miyazaki on Amazon

The Incomparable #84: Wind is the Enemy

Please join us for Jason and John’s survey of the films of director Hayao Miyazaki. Even if you don’t have kids, like animation, or care about Japan, we think these are some of the greatest films ever made. From “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service” to “Spirited Away” and “Nausicaa,” we cover the highlights (and oddities) of his filmmaking career.

The Incomparable #131: Professor Siracusa’s Anime 101

John Siracusa assigns us two animated films from director Satoshi Kon, “Perfect Blue” and “Millennium Actress.” Then we watch them! Featuring: What to look for in Anime tropes, blurring of reality and fantasy, when animation is better than live action, and the lovingly rendered start-up sequence of a Macintosh Performa.

Press down on the warp lever and hide away your out-of-date continuity reference materials. It’s time for us to discuss J.J. Abrams’ reimagined Star Trek, with an emphasis on the new film “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Among our topics: The great casting in both movies, the merits of a Spock-to-Spock Skype call, McCoy’s Tribble-based scientific method, and the themes of self-sacrifice in the new movie. Plus we reference every single classic Star Trek movie along the way! And yes, there are spoilers. Lots and lots of spoilers.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty and David J. Loehr .

Star Trek (2009) on Blu-Ray

“Star Trek Into Darkness” on Blu-Ray

The Incomparable #107: A Little Obsessed with Kirk

We take on one of our favorite movies, “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” while also acknowledging the flaws that make it all the more lovable. Topics include: How Genesis is the galaxy’s worst Kickstarter project; Why it’s always important to count the planets, especially at Ceti Alpha; The size of the Botany Bay library and why it makes Khan so mad at Kirk; Why Scott’s email is more secure than the Reliant; The real name of Khan’s right-hand man; and how Spock’s death solves Kirk’s mid-life crisis. Also, we scientifically prove that “Wrath of Khan” is better than Star Wars.

The Incomparable #129: Prescription Salad

Lay in a course and set your phaser to stun! We discuss our favorite (and least favorite) episodes of the original “Star Trek” series. Was Dr. McCoy promoting vegetarianism? Why did Spock have such a lovely collection of hats? What does Bob Barker have to do with the Guardian of Forever? Join us as we boldly go where so many have gone before.

The Incomparable #130: And the Children Shall Lead

Disconnect the intelligent computer that runs your entire planetary society, because it’s time for the second half of our discussion of the original “Star Trek.” What do today’s kids think of this nearly 50-year-old show? We ponder the gender politics of splitting Captain Kirk (and a little dog in a weird costume) into good and evil halves. And what about the low standards of the Enterprise’s Engineering department? Please listen: It will only take 71 of your Earth minutes!

From aliens in the wi-fi to a brain leech under a hat, from some bad nannying to a trio of idiots with a really big space magnet, it’s been an odd half-season for our favorite Time Lord. Here’s our recap of the second half of series 7 of “Doctor Who.” Plus: The Spoiler Horn makes it safe for everyone who wanted to learn the Doctor’s real name.

Host Jason Snell with Chip Sudderth, John Siracusa, Dan Moren and Scott McNulty .

Doctor Who Season 7 Part 2 on Amazon

The Two-minute Time Lord podcast

Chip’s podcast — 120 seconds of concentrated commentary, because we’re all in a hurry.

Get a free book with your 30-day trial at Audible.com

Thanks to our sponsor.

Shada: Doctor Who: The Lost Adventure

The Doctor’s old friend and fellow Time Lord Professor Chronotis has retired to Cambridge University - where nobody will notice if he lives for centuries. But now he needs help from the Doctor, Romana, and K-9. When he left Gallifrey he took with him a few little souvenirs - most of them are harmless. But one of them is extremely dangerous.

Doctor Who: Hornets’ Nest 1

Tom Baker reprises the role of the Fourth Doctor in the first of five thrilling, brand-new audio adventures, with Richard Franklin as Mike Yates.

Put on your high-tech suit of armor and join us for our discussion of “Iron Man 3.” We talk about Tony’s post-traumatic stress, his problematic relationship with technology, and his questionable choice to use remote armor to give a present to his girlfriend. We also discuss the pros and cons of the first two Iron Man movies, analyze how this film fits in as a post-“Avengers” story, and appreciate Tony’s MacGyver moment.

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser, Scott McNulty and Guy English .

No more mutants! We discuss the 2005 Marvel Comics miniseries “House of M,” in which writer Brian Michael Bendis gets to show off his love of meetings, Doctor Strange, and meetings chaired by Doctor Strange! Also, there’s a crazy “What If?” style parallel universe, approximately a billion spin-offs, and in the cruelest twist, Peter Parker is briefly allowed to be happy. And finally there’s a shocking finale that set the tone for mutant storylines up to the present day. Listen before the Scarlet Witch wishes this podcast out of existence!

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser, Merlin Mann, Andy Ihnatko and Moisés Chiullan .

“House of M” on Amazon

“House of M” on Comixology

Marvel Wiki: House of M

Wikipedia: House of M

We delve into the children’s literary classic “A Wrinkle In Time,” by Madeline L’Engle, as well as its recent graphic-novel adaptation by Hope Larson. Why is there a brain on that table? What are the pros and cons of cooking dinner on a Bunsen burner for the average Super-Cool Science Family? Come for the Cold War allegories about communism, stay to talk religion with a bunch of nerds!

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser, Serenity Caldwell and David J. Loehr .

“A Wrinkle in Time” (the original novel)

“A Wrinkle in Time” (Hope Larsen graphic novel)

“When You Reach Me” by Rebecca Stead

Published in 2010, this book is heavily influenced by “A Wrinkle in Time” and also won the Newberry.

Time Quartet (Wikipedia)

Video: “A Wrinkle in Time” in 90 seconds

Profiles: The Storyteller (The New Yorker)

A lengthy profile of L’Engle from 2004.

The Power and the Allegory

A Bookforum essay on L’Engle and “A Wrinkle in Time.”

Bonus episode! Here’s the (warning: UNEDITED) result of our second Dungeons and Dragons session. After some dithering in the local vicinity, we venture out into the desert to meet glass spiders and some really unpleasant green guys.

Host Scott McNulty with Jason Snell, Dan Moren, Serenity Caldwell, Tony Sindelar and Steve Lutz .

Incomparable #135: Part one of our D&D game

Image: Initial encounter

Image: The Spiders Attack

Image: More Spiders

Image: Shattered Spiders

Image: Second Encounter

Image: Carlos leaps into the fray

We conclude our discussion of “Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.” We discuss the merits of podracing, debate who the Jedi’s version of Fonzie is, and grapple with tricky euphemisms. Plus, is the final lightsaber duel cool or just over-choreographed? And why is there a hall full of forcefields, next to a room with no guard rails? Party on, Darth! (Part 2 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Greg Knauss, John Siracusa, Serenity Caldwell, Steve Lutz and Monty Ashley .

The Incomparable #136 - We Waited 16 Years For This?

They said it couldn’t be done! They said it shouldn’t be done! But here we are, talking about “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.” Why are the Jedi such jerks? A little Jedi goes a long way. Also, the biggest letdown of John Siracusa’s life to date, stupid droids, good actors being boring, text versus subtext, the merits of prequels in general, and why this is a movie that makes us dream… of a better movie. Exqueeze me?

They said it couldn’t be done! They said it shouldn’t be done! But here we are, talking about “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.” Why are the Jedi such jerks? A little Jedi goes a long way. Also, the biggest letdown of John Siracusa’s life to date, stupid droids, good actors being boring, text versus subtext, the merits of prequels in general, and why this is a movie that makes us dream… of a better movie. Exqueeze me? (Part 1 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Greg Knauss, John Siracusa, Monty Ashley, Serenity Caldwell and Steve Lutz .

Episode #46: I Like My Coffee Like My Evil Sith Lords

“Star Wars,” the original film, is finally in our crosshairs, and if we can bulls-eye a Womp Rat we can take on this classic sci-fi film. We talk about our first memories of Star Wars, pretend the prequels didn’t happen, give Cantina drink-ordering tips, and marvel at Darth Vader’s coffee-drinking habits.

Episode #47: Death Star University

Continuing our discussion of “Star Wars,” the original film. We praise the jump to hyperspace, explain why TIE fighter pilots wear black, ponder how Han and Leia somehow turn up in an Aaron Sorkin scene, reveal why there is no Space OSHA, comment on Ben Kenobi’s old man slippers and incomparable pseudonym, and expose the rebellion so rich it can have its own university and mint its own medals.

Episode #67: Darth Vader’s Office is Really Weird

Launch your probe droids and cut open your tauntaun! It’s time for part one of our two-part discussion of “The Empire Strikes Back.” Does Han Solo just want to be loved? Is Chewie sabotaging the Falcon on purpose? Why is snowy Hoth the setting? Why is Ben Kenobi a man of few words? Who’s scruffy-lookin’? And what is the purpose for Darth Vader’s clamshell office, anyway?

Episode #68: Jedi Weekend

Gather some bounty hunters and warm up the carbon freezer! It’s time for the conclusion of our epic discussion of “The Empire Strikes Back.” We dissect the evolution of the Han-Leia relationship, the truly playful nature of Yoda and the importance of Dagobah, Vader’s agenda and his crunchy gloves, and Luke’s continuing adventures with garbage.

Episode #88: Skywalker’s Eleven

We tackle the last of the classic “Star Wars” trilogy, “Return of the Jedi.” Why does Jabba the Hutt enjoy avant-garde wall hangings and ’80s dance moves? Isn’t it sad how Boba Fett goes out with a whimper? Are the alien languages in “Star Wars” too fake-sounding? And what’s up with Leia’s metal bikini?

Episode #89: Also Known as Endor

We wrap up our six-part series on the classic “Star Wars” movies with the climactic final half of “Return of the Jedi.” We discuss how the Empire is ahead of the rebels every step of the way, question Luke’s choice of forest camouflage, and explain why Ewoks are better unsubtitled. Also, how is Luke’s journey to being a Jedi not like what you see in most action movies? Who is more heroic in the end, Luke or Vader? Why does the Emperor wait so long to show us his lightning fingers? Why are rebel ships equipped with fireworks? And is Endor the name of the moon, or the name of the planet the moon is orbiting, or both?

Episode #114: When You Wish Upon a Star Wars

Were we pranked, or did Disney really just buy Lucasfilm and announce a new Star Wars trilogy? We decided to just assume it’s happening and record a live flash podcast about this unexpected turn of events.

Get out your 20-sided dice and join us in a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Scott McNulty is our DM. Jason, Ren, Dan, Steve, and Tony are our party. Things don’t go well.

Host Scott McNulty with Jason Snell, Dan Moren, Serenity Caldwell, Steve Lutz and Tony Sindelar .

Load your shotgun and gather your platonic apocalypse friends around you! It’s time for us to discuss two books about the end of the world, Peter Heller’s “The Dog Stars” and Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.” Do names matter when the world has ended? We also revisit John Siracusa’s doomsday plans (a moat is involved), Lex offers a depressing death plan, Jason extolls the virtue of dirty apocalypses, and Scott laughs it up from his apartment full of canned food.

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Scott McNulty and Lex Friedman .

“The Dog Stars” by Peter Heller

“The Road” by Cormac McCarthy

The Incomparable #82: Apocalypse Book Club

Our previous apocalyptic book club.

The Flop House podcast

How much do we love old-time radio dramas and full-cast audioplays? This much.

Host Jason Snell with David J. Loehr, Serenity Caldwell, Andy Ihnatko, Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa, Lex Friedman, Lisa Schmeiser, Monty Ashley, Scott McNulty, Steve Lutz, Ben Boychuk and John Moltz .

Written by David J. Loehr

Directed by Serenity Caldwell

Produced and edited by Jason Snell

Original music by Christopher Breen

CAST

• Jason Snell as Himself
• Philip Michaels as Himself
• Lex Friedman as FQN Announcer
• Philip Michaels as Carl Phillips
• Dan Frakes as Sports Announcer
• John Siracusa as Howie Koch

TIMMY PRESTON, GALAXY SCOUT

• Andy Ihnatko as Announcer
• Steve Lutz as Timmy Preston
• Monty Ashley as Scoutmaster Greene
• Serenity Caldwell as Jane Witten
• Jamie and Julian Snell as Scouts Andy and Bobby
• Dan Moren as Angus MacHeath

THE FOG: “Sing a Song… of Murder”

• Steve Lutz as Announcer
• Dan Moren as St. Clair / The Fog
• Glenn Fleishman as Seldon Harris III
• Serenity Caldwell as Margo Drummond
• Sarah Barbour as Woman
• Ben Boychuk as Man
• Scott McNulty as Guard
• Steve Lutz as Guard 2
• Philip Michaels as Coffee Man
• Lisa Schmeiser as Coffee Woman
• Monty Ashley as Caterer
• and the Spoiler Horn as The Foghorn

JENNY LANE, GIRL DETECTIVE: “The Secret of the Red Herring Murder Clue”

• Lex Friedman as Announcer
• Andy Ihnatko as Gerald Hopcock
• Serenity Caldwell as Jenny Lane
• Lisa Schmeiser as Trudy
• Scott McNulty as Percival Lane
• Greg Knauss as Officer Murphy
• Steve Lutz as Detective McNulty
• John Siracusa as Butler
• Dan Moren as Lord
• Steve Lutz as Lady
• Jason Snell as Dowager
• Monty Ashley as Reed Harriman
• Lisa Schmeiser as Rita Hopcock
• Dan Moren as Rodney Harrigan

TWO-FISTED TALES OF TESLA: “Mr. Verne and the Clockwork Zeppelin”

• Jason Snell as Announcer
• Serenity Caldwell as Dot
• Glenn Fleishman as Nikola Tesla
• Scott McNulty as Guard
• Andy Ihnatko as Georges Seurat
• Lex Friedman as Elevator Salesman
• John Moltz as Jules Verne
• Lex Friedman as Ned
• Sarah Barbour as Mysterious Woman

SLIM SKINNER AND THE COWHANDS OF THE RANGE: “Conference of Fear”

• David J. Loehr as The Cowhand
• Steve Lutz as Old Prospector 1
• Monty Ashley as Old Prospector 2
• Jason Snell as Old Prospector 3

Some sound effects used were created by Freesound.org users cmussounddesign, Satoration, ddohler, sportygurl37, FreqMam, and vedas under a Creative Commons license. Additional sound effects by Dan Moren and Serenity Caldwell.

An enhanced AAC edition of this episode, with chapter breaks, is available here.

Our beloved author

Enhanced AAC podcast version

Get “DVD bonus track” commentary in the After Dark

Chris Breen on the music for this episode

Don’t make us angry… you wouldn’t like us when we’re angry. Our Comic Book Club talks all things Hulk. We begin with a discussion of two She-Hulk series, by John Byrne and Dan Slott, and then move to talk about Proper Hulk, Gray Hulk, Red Hulk, Planet Hulk, Ruffalo Hulk, and more! Plus: What are we reading? (Jason gets really excited about “Hawkeye,” who is not a Hulk.) And, other than being green, how is the Hulk like parsley? Channel your inner rage and listen to this episode.

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser and Jason Brightman .

Sensational She-Hulk (Byrne)

She-Hulk: Single Green Female

Planet Hulk

Hawkeye Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon

Avengers: Avengers World Vol. 1

Ultimate Comics Ultimates Vol. 1

John Siracusa assigns us two animated films from director Satoshi Kon, “Perfect Blue” and “Millennium Actress.” Then we watch them! Featuring: What to look for in Anime tropes, blurring of reality and fantasy, when animation is better than live action, and the lovingly rendered start-up sequence of a Macintosh Performa.

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Lisa Schmeiser and Tony Sindelar .

“Perfect Blue” DVD

“Perfect Blue” (IMDB)

“Perfect Blue” (Wikipedia)

“Millennium Actress” DVD

“Millennium Actress” (IMDB)

“Millennium Actress” (Wikipedia)

Satoshi Kon (Wikipedia)

Disconnect the intelligent computer that runs your entire planetary society, because it’s time for the second half of our discussion of the original “Star Trek.” What do today’s kids think of this nearly 50-year-old show? We ponder the gender politics of splitting Captain Kirk (and a little dog in a weird costume) into good and evil halves. And what about the low standards of the Enterprise’s Engineering department? Please listen: It will only take 71 of your Earth minutes! (Part 2 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Steve Lutz and Tony Sindelar .

There’s an extra, extra special guest star toward the end.

Steve Lutz

Favorite Episodes:

• The Corbomite Maneuver
• The Changeling
• Operation: Annihilate!
• The Devil in the Dark
• Amok Time

Least Favorite Episodes:

• Catspaw
• Mudd’s Women
• I, Mudd

Tony Sindelar

Favorite Episodes:

• Balance of Terror
• The Squire of Gothos
• The City on the Edge of Forever
• The Trouble With Tribbles

Least Favorite Episodes:

• The Empath
• Spock’s Brain
• For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky

Scott McNulty

Favorite Episodes:

• Where No Man Has Gone Before
• Charlie X
• Space Seed
• A Taste of Armageddon
• Mirror, Mirror
• A Piece of the Action
• Patterns of Force
• The Tholian Web
• Let That Be Your Last Battlefield

Jason Snell

• The Doomsday Machine
• Arena
• Journey to Babel
• The Ultimate Computer
• What Are Little Girls Made Of?

Least Favorite Episodes:

• Miri
• The Alternative Factor
• That Which Survives
• The Way to Eden
• The Enemy Within

Steve’s Daughter

Favorite Episodes:

• The Naked Time

Least Favorite Episodes:

• Assignment: Earth

—Compiled by Clinton Phillips

Star Trek: TOS Blu-Rays on Amazon

Lay in a course and set your phaser to stun! We discuss our favorite (and least favorite) episodes of the original “Star Trek” series. Was Dr. McCoy promoting vegetarianism? Why did Spock have such a lovely collection of hats? What does Bob Barker have to do with the Guardian of Forever? Join us as we boldly go where so many have gone before. (Part 1 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Steve Lutz and Tony Sindelar .

Steve Lutz

Favorite Episodes:

• The Corbomite Maneuver
• The Changeling
• Operation: Annihilate!
• The Devil in the Dark
• Amok Time

Least Favorite Episodes:

• Catspaw
• Mudd’s Women
• I, Mudd

Tony Sindelar

Favorite Episodes:

• Balance of Terror
• The Squire of Gothos
• The City on the Edge of Forever
• The Trouble With Tribbles

Least Favorite Episodes:

• The Empath
• Spock’s Brain
• For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky

—Compiled by Clinton Phillips

Mission Log - Episode-by-episode Star Trek podcast

Star Trek: TOS blu-rays on Amazon

Cut off your thumb and send it to a friend just to see what grows! In this episode of our Book Club, we talk about Daniel O’Malley’s modern supernatural fantasy novel, “The Rook.” (We liked it a lot!) It’s sort of about a supernatural version of Britain’s MI-5, written by an American-educated Australian civil servant. Also: What are Scott, Dan, and Jason reading?

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren and Scott McNulty .

Edited by Greg Knauss. Thanks, Greg!

“The Rook” by Daniel O’Malley

“The Hall of Nearly Great”

“The Dog Stars” by Peter Heller

“Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier” by Myke Cole

We convened on the Macworld Live stage at Macworld/iWorld 2013 to discuss the works of Aaron Sorkin. From “The West Wing” to “Sports Night,” “The American President” to “The Social Network,” it’s all here.

Host Dan Moren with Dan Frakes, Lex Friedman, Serenity Caldwell and Jeff Carlson .

Get out your magical key ring and prepare for our discussion of “Locke and Key” by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez. It’s a dark fantasy/horror comic with some touches of Stephen King, fitting since Joe Hill is Stephen King’s kid! It’s also really good. We drop some mild spoilers for Vol. 1, “Welcome to Lovecraft,” which you should go buy right now. Plus: What comics are we reading?

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser, Jason Brightman and Moisés Chiullan .

Locke and Key, Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft (Amazon)

Our fellowship is sundered, as we wrap up our look at the “Lord of the Rings” movies with a discussion of our favorite (and some least-favorite) performances. Also, is Yoda better than Gollum? Who likes Orcs, anyway? Why does Liv Tyler make Jason want to go to the bathroom? And there are many, many endings. (Part 2 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko, Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman and John Siracusa .

We’re experimenting with using Branch for conversations about the podcast.

It’s a two-part podcast about a three-part movie series spread across six discs based on a novel divided into three parts! We tackle Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, from its epic length to the perils of adapting such rich source material. Plus a spotter’s guide to differentiating between Dwarfy, Elfy, Beardy, and Hobbits One through Four. And Glenn proves that he knows Elvish. The road goes ever on, and on, and on… (Part 1 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko, Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman and John Siracusa .

Insert a quarter and settle back to listen to us discuss the Oscar-nominated animated feature “Wreck-It Ralph,” which is inspired by classic video games. If you make it past the first level, you’ll also hear us discuss some of the video games our collection of elderly gentleman played when they were children back in the ’70s and ’80s. If you don’t make it that far, keep trying—the change machine’s right over there.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Frakes, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa, Monty Ashley and Steve Lutz .

We say goodbye to 2012 by listing our favorite stuff from the past year. We also recall our favorite podcast moments, read a whole bunch of listener comments, and celebrate the three brand-new words we popularized this year. (This is a new episode, though it does contain a few classic Incomparable clips from 2012—and beyond.)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa, Lisa Schmeiser, Scott McNulty, Serenity Caldwell and Steve Lutz .

A live “flash” episode recorded right after we watched the 2012 “Doctor Who” Christmas special, “The Snowmen.” We welcome (back?) Jenna-Louise Coleman and discuss whether this new start for the Doctor has rekindled our enthusiasm for the show.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

Incomparable #72 - Our 2011 Christmas Flashcast

Incomparable #18 - Our 2011 Christmas Flashcast

Incomparable #110 - Breaking down the recent “Doctor Who” season

Showing remarkable optimism, we gathered on the eve of the Mayan apocalypse to discuss movies we might see in 2013. In this episode, we discuss the trailers for much-anticipated films “Star Trek Into Darkness”, “Man of Steel”, “Pacific Rim”, “Oblivion”, “After Earth”, “The Lone Ranger”, and “Upstream Color.” Also: Robot Thursdays, the merits of Star Trek punctuation, a Bolivian, Ethan Hunt versus the Fresh Prince, and traditional Kryptonian formalwear.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty and Steve Lutz .

With great power comes the responsibility to book great guests. And so when it came time to discuss “The Amazing Spider-Man” and Spidey in general, Jason turned to reknowned spider-fans Andy Ihnatko and Dan Benjamin. We discuss how the Spidey in the new movie is a different sort of guilt-trip superhero. Dan explains why you can’t actually kill a spider. Andy previews his new comic book, The Indigestible Spider-Man. We touch on the changes in Ultimate Spider-Man and speculate about the soon-to-arrive Amazing Spider-Man #700. Jason sings two different Spidey theme songs and does his J. Jonah Jameson impression. This giant-sized episode is more Spidey than you can shake a web at.

Host Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko and Dan Benjamin .

Trim the tree, wrap the presents, and watch out for the killer in your attic! It’s time for us to place five new gems into the Incomparable Holiday Vault! We discuss some beloved holiday classics and offer a few surprise choices. This is a darker installment, as we uncover the racism in some holiday staples, and then Steve inducts a horror movie. And can a talk show really be a holiday special? You’re gonna shoot your eye out with that thing!

Host Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko, Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Lisa Schmeiser and Steve Lutz .

The contents of our Holiday Vault are now:

1. “Die Hard”
2. “Elf”
3. “When Harry Met Sally”
4. “Groundhog Day”
5. “It’s a Wonderful Life”
6. “A Charlie Brown Christmas”
7. “SCTV Staff Christmas Party”
8. “Miracle on 34th Street”
9. “A Christmas Story”
10. “Holiday Inn”
11. “Black Christmas”
12. David Letterman’s last show before Christmas
13. “The Lion in Winter”
14. “The Tick Loves Santa!”

We follow up on our previous episode to ask Serenity Caldwell how she uses her iPhone to read books (and discover her shocking method of scanning pages). Then there’s a discussion of Lois McMaster Bujold’s latest Vorkosigan novel, “Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance.” Finally (at 65 minutes in if you’re skipping ahead), Jason asks Scott to recommend which unread book on his Kindle he should dive into next.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

We talk a lot about what we read, but how do we read? Join our Book Club as we talk about ebooks, paper books, and libraries, and how we like to read today. Plus, we tell you some of the books we’re reading right now.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Lex Friedman and Scott McNulty .

Turn on your electrical generators, fire your nuclear missiles, and notch your bow and arrow—it’s time for our review of the fall TV season, including both new and returning shows. We discuss “Revolution,” the since-cancelled “Last Resort,” “Arrow,” “Elementary,” and returning shows “Fringe,” “The Walking Dead,” “Boardwalk Empire,” and many others!

Host Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko, Dan Moren, John Siracusa and Scott McNulty .

Were we pranked, or did Disney really just buy Lucasfilm and announce a new Star Wars trilogy? We decided to just assume it’s happening and record a live flash podcast about this unexpected turn of events.

Host Jason Snell with Ben Boychuk, Dan Moren, John Siracusa and Serenity Caldwell .

We discuss the Indiana Jones movie series, including a brief revisitation of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the good parts of “Temple of Doom,” Dan’s childhood love for “Last Crusade,” and utter denial about “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Also, Lex hasn’t seen it. Recorded live at Cingleton Symposium, Montreal, October 2012.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Lex Friedman and Serenity Caldwell .

Our very own Glenn Fleishman’s was on “Jeopardy!” We debriefed him about his adventures immediately on his return. In this episode, Jason and Glenn are also joined by Andy Ihnatko and Steve Lutz, and we talk about game shows and their modern reality-competition show equivalents, as well as harken back to the heyday of the panel show, where drunk celebrities engaged in witty repartee. It’s an episode so comfy you’ll feel like you were back in the womb at Bill Cullen’s house.

Host Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko, Glenn Fleishman and Steve Lutz .

Rob Reiner’s legendary heavy-metal mockumentary “This is Spinal Tap” is in our sights. This is one of our very favorite films, and so Jason, Andy Ihnatko, and Ben Boychuk talk about why they love it while regaling one another with favorite lines from this amazingly quotable movie.

Host Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko and Ben Boychuk .

Robot sheriff, coming through! We break down the first half of “Doctor Who” season 7, and discover the truth about the Siracusa Threshold. Today we are all John Siracusa, except for Scott. He’s our Rory.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa and Scott McNulty .

Soon to be a major motion picture you probably shouldn’t see, David Mitchell’s 2004 novel “Cloud Atlas” is in our sights. This novel consists of six separate stories set in different genres and timeframes from the 1850s to a post-apocalyptic future, and yet they’re all interlinked. Somehow. It’s fun, weird, and challenging, but what does it all mean? Read it now before every character in it becomes Tom Hanks and Halle Berry.

Host Jason Snell with Scott McNulty and Steve Lutz .

A video game beloved by John Siracusa, “Journey” for the PS3, is in the spotlight. We toot the biggest Spoiler Horn of all time — don’t listen if you haven’t played it! — and then talk about what we liked and didn’t like about Thatgamecompany’s desert-and-spoiler epic.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Jason Tocci, Steve Lutz, John Siracusa and Tony Sindelar .

We take on one of our favorite movies, “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” while also acknowledging the flaws that make it all the more lovable. Topics include: How Genesis is the galaxy’s worst Kickstarter project; Why it’s always important to count the planets, especially at Ceti Alpha; The size of the Botany Bay library and why it makes Khan so mad at Kirk; Why Scott’s email is more secure than the Reliant; The real name of Khan’s right-hand man; and how Spock’s death solves Kirk’s mid-life crisis. Also, we scientifically prove that “Wrath of Khan” is better than Star Wars.

Host Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Steve Lutz and Michael Gartenberg .

FLASH! A bonus (unedited) episode, in which we react quickly to the premiere episode of this season of Doctor Who, “Asylum of the Daleks.” Plus: The Incomparable won an award! For podcasting! We react quickly to the announcement of the Hugo Awards. And we do many, many Dalek impressions.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa and Monty Ashley .

Our Book Club reconvenes to discuss Jo Walton’s Small Change trilogy of novels, “Farthing,” “Ha’Penny,” and “Half a Crown.” (We fire off the spoiler horn before each novel.) These novels explore an alternate-history in which Britain makes peace with Nazi Germany, and focus on a detective who just wants to do his job—but his job keeps changing in increasingly awful ways.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

Believe it or not, some of us have managed to breed successfully. Even Steve Lutz. So we talk about what media we provide for our kids. Topics include dealing with the Star Wars prequels, Spongebob Squarepants, how young you need to be to watch “Apocalypse Now” or “The Exorcist,” why “Tron: Legacy” cost Ben dearly, why John became a master weaponsmith in his childhood, Jason’s debates with his son over whether Spider-Man or Batman is better, Lisa’s childhood reading of “The Godfather,” picking video games for your kids, and how your children’s peers will just ruin them anyway.

Host Jason Snell with Ben Boychuk, Dan Frakes, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa, Lisa Schmeiser and Steve Lutz .

Our Comic Book Club returns to discuss super-team comics. What makes them work, and what makes them fail? And our primary subject is Top 10, Alan Moore’s other amazing twelve-issue superhero comic series. If you haven’t read it yet, you should! (This week’s panelists are Jason Brightman and Lisa Schmeiser.)

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser .

Pixar takes on princesses with the new film “Brave.” We discuss Pixar’s mother/bear-daughter story, but also the larger issues of female characters in animation and film in general. What’s wrong with the Disney Princesses? Why can’t girls play Belle or Ariel as if they were an action hero, anyway? How does Merida compare with the female protagonists in Miyazaki’s work? Did Pixar change its own fate?

Host Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko, Dan Frakes, John Siracusa and Serenity Caldwell .

Our Book Club discusses “Redshirts” by John Scalzi. It’s a book that’s far more complex than its elevator-pitch premise would suggest, but did our panel appreciate its winking narrative-within-narrative structure? And more broadly, why are we worried about some of our favorite geek creators turning inward and pandering to the nerd audience?

Host Jason Snell with Glenn Fleishman, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

In our hundredth episode, we take a look at why we do The Incomparable. Can entertainment be appreciated without analysis and criticism? We also discuss how The Incomparable came to be, and pick some of our favorite (and least favorite) moments. Please forgive us for this self-indulgent meta-episode. We promise not to do another one until number 200.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty, Serenity Caldwell and Steve Lutz .

Summer’s here and it’s time to get to the beach with a good sci-fi novel. Our panelists are well read and of exquisite taste, so we’ve got a boatload of suggestions for you. From funny to serious, there’s a book in our list that will hit the spot the next time you’re looking for something to read.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Lex Friedman, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

We tackle the works of Jonathan Coulton as our Geek Music Appreciation series continues. Join guest host Lex Friedman as he and our panelists build a JoCo playlist and discuss why Coulton has so much geek appeal. But just because Lex is guest-hosting doesn’t mean that Jason Snell won’t make a dramatic appearance at the end, so keep listening!

Host Jason Snell with Greg Knauss, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty, Jonathan Coulton and Lex Friedman .

Good news, everyone! We’re here to talk about the animated TV comedy “Futurama.” Join guest host Glenn Fleishman, special guest Andy Ihnatko, and virgin guests Jonathan Seff and Dean Putney as we discuss Bender, Fry, Dr. Zoidberg, and even Morbo.

Host Jason Snell with Glenn Fleishman and Andy Ihnatko .

The 2012 Hugo Award Nominees. Of all the sci-fi novels published in the last year, these are five of them! (And four aren’t actually sci-fi.) But that hasn’t stopped us from reading them and giving you our opinions. Join our book club as we talk about five books and pick our favorites. Plus: Vomit Zombies! A unique novel-sponsorship opportunity for Coca-Cola! Our near-unconditional love of author Jo Walton! And what the locusts are reading this year!

Host Jason Snell with Glenn Fleishman, Monty Ashley and Scott McNulty .

Unfurl your banners, steal some dragons, slap your insolent nephew, and get ready to listen to us discuss the second season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” in this special live session. Plus, John explains the Internet to Jason.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Monty Ashley and Serenity Caldwell .

We travel to where geekiness and comedy come together, to discuss our favorite geek TV comedies. From traditional sitcoms to animation to movie commentary, we’ve got you covered. Plus there’s a lot of singing.

Host Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko, Dan Moren, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

Our book club takes a dive into the world of Paolo Bacigalupi, covering his award-winning novel “Ship Breaker” as well as its recently-released follow-up, “The Drowned Cities.” These books are apparently considered YA (or Young Adult) fiction, leading us to discuss what that label means, if anything. We also talk about Bacigalupi’s particular brand of eco-apocalypse, his use of science fiction to make us reconsider what’s going on today in the world, and how to pronounce his name. And of course, we coin a new word: it’s half monster, half mentor, all Scott McNulty.

Host Jason Snell with Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

Avengers assemble! We discuss Joss Whedon’s Marvel movie, which has been a hit with audiences and critics. But some members of our panel don’t agree. How much do expectations factor in to one’s enjoyment of a movie? Has the bar for summer action blockbusters been set too low by the likes of “Transformers 2”? Should every action-adventure movie aspire to be something more? Why is this the first time that the Hulk has been portrayed properly in a film? Grab your cosmic cubes and prepare for 90 minutes of movie-smashing discussion.

Host Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko, Dan Moren, John Siracusa and Ben Boychuk .

From despotic rulers to lethal hummingbirds, it’s time for us to address the cultural phenomenon of “The Hunger Games.” Join us as we discuss the movie and original book, as well as (following carefully placed Spoiler Horns) the other two books in the trilogy. Why do all households in Panem get the Bravo network? Should “1984” be a Little Golden Book? And why does Lisa know which district of Panem is in charge of making lumber? This episode has the odds ever in its favor.

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser and Serenity Caldwell .

Take off all your clothes and set the lock code on your mobile phone! It’s time for us to discuss the second season of the BBC’s “Sherlock,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. We walk through all three movie-length episodes, starting with the exemplary “Scandal in Belgravia,” moving on to the not-so-exemplary “Hounds of Baskerville,” and concluding with the mind-blowing “Reichenbach Fall.”

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Greg Knauss and John Siracusa .

We wrap up our six-part series on the classic “Star Wars” movies with the climactic final half of “Return of the Jedi.” We discuss how the Empire is ahead of the rebels every step of the way, question Luke’s choice of forest camouflage, and explain why Ewoks are better unsubtitled. Also, how is Luke’s journey to being a Jedi not like what you see in most action movies? Who is more heroic in the end, Luke or Vader? Why does the Emperor wait so long to show us his lightning fingers? Why are rebel ships equipped with fireworks? And is Endor the name of the moon, or the name of the planet the moon is orbiting, or both?

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa and Serenity Caldwell .

We tackle the last of the classic “Star Wars” trilogy, “Return of the Jedi.” Why does Jabba the Hutt enjoy avant-garde wall hangings and ’80s dance moves? Isn’t it sad how Boba Fett goes out with a whimper? Are the alien languages in “Star Wars” too fake-sounding? And what’s up with Leia’s metal bikini? (Part 1 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa and Serenity Caldwell .

Here be dragons! Special guest hosts Glenn Fleishman and Lisa Schmeiser discuss books featuring winged and scaly creatures, from Anne McCaffrey to George R.R. Martin. Glenn and Lisa are joined by special guest stars Dori Smith and Sarah Barbour, who are also knowledgeable in the ways of the dragon.

Host Jason Snell with Glenn Fleishman and Lisa Schmeiser .

Get out your magic wands, prepare your incantations, and prepare for a battle of wills involving ancient powers and callow youths. We discuss two recent novels with magic at the fore: Lev Grossman’s “The Magicians” and Erin Morgenstern’s “The Night Circus.” One of them we liked a lot… the other, not so much! Prepare yourself for a magical podcast.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

It’s the Incomparable Game Show! In a clash of young(ish) versus old(ish), two teams vie for the honor of being the team who wins. Sci-fi questions, confused androids, and a visit from a parallel-universe version of The Incomparable are all part of the story. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you won’t learn a darned thing. Join us, won’t you?

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Greg Knauss, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty, Steve Lutz and Tony Sindelar .

Please join us for Jason and John’s survey of the films of director Hayao Miyazaki. Even if you don’t have kids, like animation, or care about Japan, we think these are some of the greatest films ever made. From “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service” to “Spirited Away” and “Nausicaa,” we cover the highlights (and oddities) of his filmmaking career.

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa .

Who Watches the Watchmen? We discuss Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s classic comic “Watchmen.” What made it remarkable and influential? Is it too stuck in an ’80s sensibility? Did the movie ruin everything? And will the recently-announced prequels stink?

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser, Ben Boychuk, Steve Lutz and Tony Sindelar .

It’s the end of the world! And since our eyeglasses are intact, we have time enough at last, to read. We discuss Maureen McHugh’s “After the Apocalypse” short-story collection, Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road,” and other apocalypse tales we have known. Do zombies have their own David Attenborough, leading expeditions into Cleveland? Why should you be afraid if heavy snowfall combines with the appearance of strange invisible magic ghost sex-dragon monsters? And why does John Siracusa plan to ride out the apocalypse in style? We ask several of these questions, but you’ll have to listen to see if we ever answer any of them.

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Lisa Schmeiser and Scott McNulty .

We close the books on the first Incomparable Film Festival with this special follow-up episode. We provide the show times for each day of the festival, share your feedback, and reveal the results of your vote for the best slate of films. We also check in with two panelists who couldn’t make the original draft, one of whom has a bone to pick with John Siracusa. The other one instead tells a heartwarming tale of projectile vomiting. (Part 3 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Greg Knauss, Lex Friedman, Scott McNulty, Serenity Caldwell and Steve Lutz .

Continuing our assembly of the Incomparable Film Festival! We fill out our list of 35 classic films for imaginary display to imaginary crowds. Find out our final 21 (or is it 22?) choices! Then vote for your favorites. (Part 2 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty, Serenity Caldwell and Steve Lutz .

We’re creating the Incomparable Film Festival! Each day for a week, one of us will introduce five films (to be screened at an imaginary location not to be determined). To prevent duplication of selections, our seven participants will choose favorite films in a draft format. When all is said and done, 35 classic movies will be chosen by our panel of geeks. (Part 1 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty, Serenity Caldwell and Steve Lutz .

Our Comic Book Club gets in a romantic mood with a discussion of comic-book romances—the (very) few that have stood the test of time and the (very) many that have been thwarted by clones, telepaths, cloned telepaths, and—worst of all—Satan’s Annulment. Also, what are we reading?

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser .

Step through your time portal, buy some cheap 1950s hamburger, and prepare for our discussion of Stephen King’s new novel 11/22/63. How does a 21st century man react to the racism and sexism of the south in the mid-20th century? Would the world have been a better place if Kennedy hadn’t been assassinated? Is Canada really eyeing the state of Maine anxiously? Like the book, we have some—but not all—of the answers.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Lisa Schmeiser and Serenity Caldwell .

Live from the Macworld |iWorld Live Stage, it’s a discussion of our favorite (and least favorite) uses of technology in movies, TV shows, books, and more.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman and Serenity Caldwell .

Go north, get lamp, and check your inventory, as guest host Greg Knauss takes you on a journey into the world of interactive fiction, also known as “text adventures.” Did families in the ’80s really sit around the Apple II playing “Mystery House?” Will saving a game really erase your floppy disc? Listen if you dare, but watch out for grues!

Host Jason Snell with Greg Knauss, Monty Ashley and Steve Lutz .

It’s fun for the whole family, as we discuss some of our favorite movies for kids (and their parents). Did we really recommend an animated movie from Dreamworks? And a movie with Melanie Griffith? And a German fantasy film? Well, yes, but you’ll have to listen to find out which ones.

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa and Lex Friedman .

We bid farewell to 2011 by listing the favorite things we inhaled into our brains during the past year. We also recall our favorite podcast moments, read a whole bunch of listener comments, and more. (Although this is a clip show, two-thirds of the running time is actually original material!)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Scott McNulty, Serenity Caldwell and Steve Lutz .

All hail the power of motherhood! We discuss this year’s “Doctor Who” Christmas special, “The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe.” Plus, why Christmas episodes make us feel warm inside, and the amazing scanner-blocking powers of wool!

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

Grab some eggnog and hitch up your reindeer! It’s time to put six holiday films in the Incomparable Film Vault! We discuss some beloved classics and offer a few surprise choices that redefine what “holiday” and “film” actually mean. What is a realistic depiction of Santa? Is Bill Murray’s best Scrooge not actually in “Scrooged”? Has Clarence the angel left a trail of dead bodies behind him? Is Kris Kringle the original Apple Genius? Happy holidays, everyone!

Host Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko, Dan Frakes, Glenn Fleishman, Serenity Caldwell and Steve Lutz .

It turns out we all like They Might Be Giants! So we did an entire episode about geeky music. We pick favorite TMBG songs, and then bring up some other geeky tracks we love by Fountains of Wayne, Moxy Früvous, and “Weird Al” Yankovic.

Host Jason Snell with Glenn Fleishman, Lex Friedman and Scott McNulty .

Break out your gaming laptop and pass the ammunition: It’s time to discuss Neal Stephenson’s “REAMDE.” Why does the book’s plot take a hard left turn halfway through? Why does Stephenson struggle to write endings—and does he succeed this time? Is this book about family, the victory of the outsider, or blowing things up? (Can’t it be all three?)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

Gather some bounty hunters and warm up the carbon freezer! It’s time for the conclusion of our epic discussion of “The Empire Strikes Back.” We dissect the evolution of the Han-Leia relationship, the truly playful nature of Yoda and the importance of Dagobah, Vader’s agenda and his crunchy gloves, and Luke’s continuing adventures with garbage.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa and Serenity Caldwell .

Launch your probe droids and cut open your tauntaun! It’s time for part one of our two-part discussion of “The Empire Strikes Back.” Does Han Solo just want to be loved? Is Chewie sabotaging the Falcon on purpose? Why is snowy Hoth the setting? Why is Ben Kenobi a man of few words? Who’s scruffy-lookin’? And what is the purpose for Darth Vader’s clamshell office, anyway?

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa and Serenity Caldwell .

Ernest Cline’s “Ready Player One” is a sci-fi novel that’s chock full of references to 1980s culture. But is it a good book, or are the references all that it’s got going for it? What will John Hughes movies be like in the future? And what do Cline, P.G. Wodehouse, and Umberto Eco have in common?

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty, Serenity Caldwell and Monty Ashley .

A new TV season is here! We analyze the new shows, plus some returning favorites. Among our targets: Revenge, Homeland, Terra Nova, Once Upon a Time, Grimm, Person of Interest, American Horror Story, Ringer, A Gifted Man, Boss, and returning shows The Walking Dead, Fringe, Community, Supernatural, Haven, and Dexter. Also: Why does Scott McNulty think every show is Prime Suspect?

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Lisa Schmeiser, Scott McNulty, John Siracusa and Ben Boychuk .

When you want to get in the Halloween spirit, who you gonna call? Join us in celebrating 1984’s supernatural comedy classic, “Ghostbusters.” Are ghosts a serious environmental hazard requiring the intervention of the EPA? Why do the Ghostbusters transform from college professors into blue-collar plumbers when they put on their jump suits? Is Roasted Terror Dog with Human Nougat the worst candy ever devised? And which one of our panelists attended a cat-themed bat mitzvah in the same ballroom destroyed by the Ghostbusters?

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Serenity Caldwell and Ben Boychuk .

Is “The Wise Man’s Fear” a rich fantasy novel about storytelling and myth-making, or is it a collection of good story elements scattered across an overlong plot? Could it be both? Ninjas! Off-camera shipwrecks! Board games! Sexism! Off-camera courtroom drama! Discursions within digressions within framing sequences! Join us as we discuss yet another 1000-page fantasy novel, the sequel to “The Name of the Wind.”

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

We discuss “A Dance With Dragons,” the latest 1000-page installment in George R.R. Martin’s bestselling “Song of Ice and Fire” fantasy series. Is this series going to end well? Which parts of this book were good, and which just treaded water? Would adding Klingons have helped? Why are trees the Westeros equivalent of security cameras? These are the sorts of questions you ask deep in the middle of a long fantasy series.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

Our Comic Book Club tackles the topic of #1 issues, especially those in DC’s recent relaunch. We recommend some books and talk about some of our favorite Number Ones. Also we touch on a few of the controversial #1 DC issues and question whether DC is really trying to reach a new audience or just pander to the old one.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Benjamin, Faith Korpi and Lisa Schmeiser .

Why do secret agents wear make-up under their eyepatches? When do text messages not properly convey thanks for saving the universe? Are the Cybermen the worst villians ever? We wrap up the sixth season of “Doctor Who” with discussion of the last three episodes as well as the season as a whole.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

We conclude our TV Fantasy Draft with the unveiling of our series pitches. Vampire and ghost detectives! Star Trek meets the West Wing! A sitcom starring a robot and an omnipotent being! A gritty techno-drama. A psychedelic drama set on a Zeppelin! And John Siracusa’s pitch seems awfully familiar somehow.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty, Serenity Caldwell and Steve Lutz .

Who are the best TV characters of all time? Six people set out to draft teams of 10 characters each, from which they would form some of the strangest TV ensembles ever seen. Will Captain Kirk, Columbo, and The Fonz end up on the same show? Perhaps the craziest episode we’ve ever done highlights dozens of our favorite characters from TV history.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty, Serenity Caldwell and Steve Lutz .

This past summer’s superhero movies are in the spotlight! Are the gods just aliens? When are mutant strippers unrealistic? Why would you beat up people after costing them their jobs? And why do the Stark boys enjoy themselves—and cheesy foodstuffs—so much? Our esteemed panel breaks down how “Captain America,” “Thor,” “X-Men: First Class,” and “Green Lantern” fared.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Monty Ashley and Tony Sindelar .

Press the Green Anchor and jump into a parallel timestream: it’s time to talk “Doctor Who.” In this flash episode we deconstruct the two most recent episodes, “Night Terrors” and “The Girl Who Waited.” And here’s a hint: we liked one of them way more than the other.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Glenn Fleishman, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

This podcast is cancelled! We discuss TV shows that failed to reach their proper natural lifespan. When all is said and done, you’ll hear recommendations for 25 excellent series that burned bright and weren’t allowed to fade away. Fantasy football drafts were never this good.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

Strap on your jet pack and locate your pet monkey! Our Comic Book Club reconvenes to discuss works by writer Brian K. Vaughan, who excels at the high-concept premise. In the spotlight: “Runaways,” “Y: The Last Man,” and “Ex Machina.” With plenty of digressions along the way, about feminism, parenting, sexism, and (once again) how hard it is to write an ending.

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser .

Flash podcast! A largely unedited Skype conversation after this weekend’s “Doctor Who” midseason premiere, “Let’s Kill Hitler.”

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

Rip off your hearing limbs and join us for the first anniversary edition of The Incomparable. As with the first podcast, the Book Club discusses a China Miéville novel: in this case, “Embassytown.” Also: What are we reading? Glenn is reading a comic book. We are disappointed.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman and Scott McNulty .

We read the 2011 Hugo nominees for Best Novel. Sit back and enjoy our reviews of “Blackout/All Clear,” “Cryoburn,” “The Dervish House,” “Feed,” and “The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.” Plus, we recommend a few of the nominated short stories.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman and Scott McNulty .

Talking “Finding Nemo,” “Toy Story 2,” and “Wall-E.” Plus, we discuss what Pixar should do next to challenge itself, try to understand why “Cars 2” was made, and pick out our least favorite thing Pixar has ever done. Hint: Jason has a problem with rats. (Part 2 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa and Steve Lutz .

Old men with balloons! Wisecracking monsters! Superheroes with mid-life crises! The films of Pixar are in our sights this week. Join us as we pick our favorite films and explore why Pixar’s movies are better than those from other animation studios. (Part 1 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa and Steve Lutz .

From the Wall in the north (behind which lurk the fearsome White Walkers) to across the Narrow Sea (which is sort of dull), the first season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” has everything the George R. R. Martin book has, with perhaps more attractive naked people having sex in front of you. Also: Uncomfortable chairs.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty, Serenity Caldwell and Monty Ashley .

We spoil the first season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” but not anything that may or may not be coming up in later books.

Continuing our discussion of “Star Wars,” the original film. We praise the jump to hyperspace, explain why TIE fighter pilots wear black, ponder how Han and Leia somehow turn up in an Aaron Sorkin scene, reveal why there is no Space OSHA, comment on Ben Kenobi’s old man slippers and incomparable pseudonym, and expose the rebellion so rich it can have its own university and mint its own medals. (Part 2 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty and Greg Knauss .

“Star Wars,” the original film, is finally in our crosshairs, and if we can bulls-eye a Womp Rat we can take on this classic sci-fi film. We talk about our first memories of Star Wars, pretend the prequels didn’t happen, give Cantina drink-ordering tips, and marvel at Darth Vader’s coffee-drinking habits. (Part 1 of 2.)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty and Greg Knauss .

Pour yourself a White Mickey and listen to our discussion of the first half of “Doctor Who’s” split season. We discuss “The Rebel Flesh,” “A Good Man Goes to War,” and the season as a whole. Or half? We also debate the merits of Lesbian Victorian Silurians and Auton Roman Centurions.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

DC decides to stick a fork in continuity and reboot its universe. Publicity stunt, bold creative move, or both? Andy Ihnatko joins Lisa, Jason, and the good Jason to discuss this latest attempt to save the comics industry.

Host Jason Snell with Andy Ihnatko .

Everybody’s got an adorable parallel-universe nickname — The Walternate! Flauxlivia! Pacey! — on the always unpredictable Fox sci-fi show Fringe. Sure, it’s no Lost (nor X-Files, nor “Enemy Within”) but it’s got its charms, including high-speed pregnancy, Leonard Nimoy impressions and cast members from “The Wire” not being given enough interesting things to do.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren and John Siracusa .

Do you know where your towel is? Are you a hoopy frood? Have you just consumed your fifth Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster? We have. And you’d better catch up. In honor of our 42nd podcast and the recent Towel Day, The Incomparable celebrates the life and work of Douglas Adams. We feature our special guest, Yoz Grahame, who worked for Adams’ The Digital Village, the producers of Web sites such as h2g2.com (a precursor to Wikipedia of sorts).

Host Jason Snell with Glenn Fleishman, Greg Knauss and Steve Lutz .

Turn on your flux capacitors, calculate how many “jigabytes” your hard drive contrains, and prepare for our deconstruction of the “Back to the Future” movie series. Which film reigns supreme? Plus, we talk about other time-travel movies we love. This episode recorded entirely live in a tiny, enclosed space.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Serenity Caldwell, Lex Friedman and Dan Frakes .

After long delays, our Comic Book Club discusses Warren Ellis and John Cassaday’s “Planetary,” which is only fitting given that the 27-issue series took 10 years to be released. We also talk about how hard it is to write a satisfying ending to any fictional work.

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser .

Neil Gaiman breathes life into the TARDIS in this week’s “Doctor Who” episode, “The Doctor’s Wife.” We discuss what we liked about this much-hyped episode, as well as detailing how Rory dies this week.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman and Scott McNulty .

Our Book Club discusses the works of sci-fi writer John Scalzi, including “Old Man’s War.” We also talk about “The Forever War” and many other books. We play the “new author remakes classic novel” game we just invented. Find out why Dan says “Ce Podcast est Fini!” And stay after the end to learn Jason’s secret plan to create a terrible sci-fi trilogy.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren and Scott McNulty .

Flash discussion of Doctor Who’s “Curse of the Black Spot.” We try to give it CPR, but we do it wrong and the patient dies. Or, no, wait! It came back to life! Hooray! Unrelated: why Rory is like Kenny from “South Park.”

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren and Serenity Caldwell .

Flash! A discussion about the first two episodes of this season of “Doctor Who,” “The Impossible Astronaut” and “Day of the Moon.” Who is in that spacesuit? Who is the little girl? Are the Silence just lazy? We speculate wildly.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa and Serenity Caldwell .

Everybody wants to rule the world, er, kingdom of Westeros. As the “Game of Thrones” series continues on HBO, we discuss the source material: George R.R. Martin’s bestselling “Song of Ice and Fire” books. If you haven’t read the books, you will be spoiled! We’ll post the climactic resolution of this podcast in about five years, so invest your time wisely.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

If you don’t want to know what happens in these books, DO NOT LISTEN PAST THE SPOILER HORN. Which is, like, three minutes in.

• Dan meets George R.R. Martin

• A Penny Arcade comic about Game of Thrones

• That New Yorker article about George R.R. Martin

• Raff the Sweetling’s Wiki page. It’s seriously lacking.

Based on the best-selling novel! Inspired by HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” in this episode we discuss the translation of books to the screen. Should movies be faithful to the book? Is it better if filmmmakers take liberties? And what books do we wish would be made into movies? If you don’t want to listen to this episode, just buy the novelization.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa and Scott McNulty .

The lesson learned? Never share anything you love with John Siracusa. Like, for example, “Real Genius.” Or any ’80s movie. Or any ’80s anything. Or from-any-other-time anything. Fear John Siracusa, for he is the destroyer of dreams.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Glenn Fleishman and Serenity Caldwell .

This time, on the Incomparable: Ted Chiang short stories, including the anthology “The Story of Your Life and Others.” Plus, enough recommendations to get you through every bathroom break and bus ride for the next three years.

Host Jason Snell with Glenn Fleishman, Lisa Schmeiser and Scott McNulty .

An entire hour devoted to The CW’s “Supernatural.” Can you imagine it? Brr. Fortunately, that’s not what this podcast is about. It’s about stuff we think is funny. Only one of likes “Supernatural.” To find out who, you will need to listen.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Scott McNulty, Serenity Caldwell and Steve Lutz .

Make it so, Number One! Star Trek: The Next Generation is on our agenda. We talk favorite episodes, least-favorite episodes, killer snowflakes, why Jean-Luc Picard is catnip to the ladies, why everyone loves Geordi, and why in the future no one needs Wet Wipes.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Lisa Schmeiser and Scott McNulty .

This episode may contain a time loop. Beware!

A hero with an unpronounceable name, magic that doesn’t actually do much, cardboard female characters, a story where nothing really happens, and the first and inconclusive part of a longer series? Sounds like an acclaimed fantasy novel to us! “The Name of the Wind” on this week’s Incomparable Podcast.

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Dan Moren and Scott McNulty .

Zombie, Spaceship, or Wasteland? We explore the reasons Geek Culture exists, what it means, and if it really exists. Also: are nerds just as awful and exclusionary as jocks? Why will Oprah sit astride the apocalypse? Find out what happened when Scott McNulty met Kitty Pryde. And most importantly, learn the deadly secret about how Dungeons and Dragons relates to nuclear submarines.

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Lisa Schmeiser and Scott McNulty .

Turn on your perpetual-motion machine, man your Zeppelin, and fly away for our next edition of the Incomparable Book Club. We discuss “The Dream of Perpetual Motion” by Dexter Palmer, as well as answer the question, “What are you reading?”

Host Jason Snell with Glenn Fleishman and Scott McNulty .

Grab your pound of dice, a bag of Cheetos and your +1 wit, to join the Incomparable Podcast as we venture forth into the world of “Dungeons and Dragons” and other role-playing games. Hey, at least we don’t LARP.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Scott McNulty, Jason Tocci and Tony Sindelar .

Hello. Our name is The Incomparable. You killed our father. Prepare to listen to a spoiler-filled podcast about the most quotable movie in the universe, “The Princess Bride.”

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Greg Knauss and Serenity Caldwell .

Dive through a wormhole to defend the honor of the Imperium! We discuss Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan series of novels, which we really can’t recommend highly enough. It’s swashbuckling Sci-Fi adventure with some great characters and a big canvas. And you can read most of them for free!

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

Don your mask and cape and join us for a discussion of the good, the underrated, and the overrated in the realm of superhero movies. And you think we’re going to praise “The Dark Knight” you might be in for quite a shock… No, seriously, we rip it apart. We also discuss “Superman 2,” “Darkman,” “Iron Man,” “Megamind,” “The Incredibles,” “Unbreakable,” “The Rocketeer,” and many others.

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa, Serenity Caldwell and Ben Boychuk .

Recorded live and in person before a studio audience (of one)! We discuss Stephen Fry, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Sean Connery, Scottish accents, corpulent detectives, V for Vendetta, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, Solaris, The Fountain, Garfield, “in medias res” movie conceits, Doctor Who special effects, our favorite TV shows of all time (including Buffy, Max Headroom, Sports Night, Spaced, Smack the Pony, and the Rockford Files), The Middleman, Kevin Sorbo, Gene Roddenberry’s posthumous oeuvre, and why Steven Spielberg can’t make a good TV show. Also: the debut of the Spoiler Quack.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman and Serenity Caldwell .

Comic Book Club returns with a discussion of comic-book “special events,” and why they are (in most cases) amazingly disappointing. We discuss our favorite and least-favorite events, from Crisis on Infinite Earths to Civil War to that time that Superman fought Spider-Man.

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser and Jason Brightman .

Get your hat and your shotgun and prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse! We discuss AMC’s TV series “The Walking Dead,” as well as touch on some zombie movies including “Zombieland” and “Dawn of the Dead.”

Host Jason Snell with John Siracusa and Steve Lutz .

Hop in your time machine and listen to our latest Book Club installment—and then be sure to travel back and prevent the podcast from having ever been recorded, because time travel is tricky like that. We discuss “How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe” and other time travel books we have liked.

Host Jason Snell with Glenn Fleishman and Scott McNulty .

If you do something every Christmas for six years, it’s time to call it a tradition. And so we have to add the “Doctor Who” Christmas special to our lists. We enjoyed this year’s episode, “A Christmas Carol,” so much, we recorded this flash podcast to talk about it. Happy holidays, everyone.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

Is “Die Hard” the greatest Christmas movie ever made? Dan Moren thinks so. Others are less sure, but there’s no denying how great this seminal ’80s action flick is. We discuss John McClane’s adventure at Nakatomi Plaza, as well as other Christmas movies and TV shows we have loved.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Greg Knauss and Steve Lutz .

Happy holidays from everyone at The Incomparable. In this pre-Christmas edition we talk about beloved gifts from our childhood, and discover a strange collection of cruel parents as well as a Transformer tragedy.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Greg Knauss and Serenity Caldwell .

Greetings, programs! It’s time to talk about “Tron” and the new sequel, “Tron Legacy.” Also, what’s the appropriate use of CGI? When should creators go back and use computers to “improve” their work? And does Jeff Bridges’ CGI doppelganger fall right into the middle of the Uncanny Valley?

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa and Serenity Caldwell .

A new topic on the podast: video games! We talk classic (okay, OLD) games as well as the latest and greatest motion-controlled games. From Pong to the Kinect, we’ve got it covered—plus why the human race is doomed if someone invents a holodeck.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Greg Knauss, Steve Lutz and Tony Sindelar .

In honor of the release of the seventh Harry Potter film, we convene a collection of panelists to discuss the books, the movies, the phenomenon that is J.K. Rowling’s young-wizard saga. (If you haven’t read the series, there are spoilers and also the entire podcast will make no sense. Except for the part about “Magnum P.I.” and Pablo Picasso. This episode sponsored by the word “exegesis” and the musical stylings of Tom Bombadil.)

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman and Serenity Caldwell .

Discussing Joss Whedon, from Buffy to Firefly (to the Avengers?) and everything in between. What’s the appeal? What are our favorite episodes? Why did Firefly die young and leave a great-looking corpse?

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa and Serenity Caldwell .

Three Hugo winners enter our Book Club. “Spin” by Robert Charles Wilson, “Hyperion” by Dan Simmons, and “The Yiddish Policeman’s Union” by Michael Chabon. Also: Why sequels suck.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Greg Knauss and Scott McNulty .

The Fantastic Four is the topic of this installment of our Comic Book Club! We talk “Unstable Molecules,” a strange mini-series about the fictional “inspiration” for the Fantastic Four. Also: the bad movies and worse TV shows, Ultimate Fantastic Four, and more.

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser .

Get ready for Halloween with this discussion of horror and scary movies. Plus, a neglected horror classic.

Host Jason Snell with Ben Boychuk and Steve Lutz .

“Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and why it’s so great. Also, “Star Wars” comes up a few times.

Host Jason Snell with John Gruber and Dan Moren .

Dissecting the fall TV season, including “The Event,” “No Ordinary Family,” and the promising third season of “Fringe.” Plus other sci-fi shows we have loved and hated, why trying to ape “Lost” is a bad idea, and Dan suggests a new “Law & Order” spinoff.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa and Serenity Caldwell .

Comic Book Club returns! This week we talk about TV adaptations of comic books, TV shows inspired by comic books, comic books that would make good TV shows, and more. Plus, random discussion of X-Men Annuals, the Micronauts, and why Reed Richards is a douche (in X-Men Annual #5, anyway).

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser and Jason Brightman .

Our Book Club reconvenes, to discuss Nick Harkaway, Cherie Priest, William Gibson, favorite prose stylists (Shakespeare? Please!), and multiple Shatners. Also in this episode, we introduce listeners to two new inanimate-yet-Incomparable characters: the Spoiler Horn and its good friend, the All-Clear Bell.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Scott McNulty and Serenity Caldwell .

Movies and movie soundtracks are on the agenda, as we talk Giacchino, Star Trek soundtracks, bad movies we have loved, Blade Runner, Kick Ass, and the prospect of a “Dark Tower” movie/TV series combo platter.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren and Ben Boychuk .

It’s British TV time. Steven Moffat’s “Sherlock” and “Doctor Who” are on the agenda. We mention his sitcom “Coupling” too. And Glenn cranks the pretention meter up to 10, only for Jason to crank it right back down to 1.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Glenn Fleishman, Serenity Caldwell and Jason Brightman .

The BBC’s “Sherlock,” coming to PBS in the U.S. October 24. Americans can also pre-order the DVD or Blu-Ray.

Series five of the BBC’s “Doctor Who,” which aired on BBC America in the U.S. Available to pre-order on DVD or Blu-Ray.

Steven Moffat’s excellent sitcom “Coupling,” available on DVD as well as (for subscribers) on Netflix streaming. The Melty Man himself appears in the second-season episode, “The Melty Man Cometh.”

Glenn cranked the pretention meter up to 10 when he mentioned Jorge Luis Borges and the story “Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius”. But of course, you’ve heard of it, right?

I call this meeting of Comic-Book Club to order! Today we will be discussing “The Unwritten” by Mike Carey and Peter Gross, published by Vertigo. But of course, we end up talking about much more than just “The Unwritten,” as any good book club should.

Host Jason Snell with Lisa Schmeiser and Jason Brightman .

Climb in your Zeppelin, grab a self-burning book, and prepare for the first Incomparable Podcast, in which we discuss “The City and The City,” “The Windup Girl,” “For the Win,” and more. Plus we mispronounce the names of writers.

Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman and Scott McNulty .

• “Perdido Street Station” by China Miéville
• “Little Brother” by Cory Doctorow
• “Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom” by Cory Doctorow
• “Boneshaker” by Cherie Priest
• “The Gone-Away World” by Nick Harkaway
• “Ship Breaker” by Paolo Bacigalupi
• “Tongues of Serpents” by Naomi Novik
• “The Dream of Perpetual Motion” by Dexter Palmer
• “A Storm of Swords” by George R.R. Martin
• “Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood
• “The Yiddish Policeman’s Union” by Michael Chabon
• “Bitter Seeds” by Ian Tregillis
• “The Adamantine Palace” by Stephen Deas
• “Shades of Grey” by Jasper Fforde
• “Fables” by Bill Willingham and Lan Medina