You don’t have to be a fan of science-fiction, fantasy, and horror to have an appreciation for the strange, peculiar places all around us, but it helps. The website Atlas Obscura has been cataloging just those sorts of places for almost a decade now with some help from a talented editorial team and readers willing to share their own experiences with creepy and quirky destinations both at home and abroad. (more…)

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This time around we’ve got comic book writer Ron Marz in the studio. A veteran of the comics industry who’s written just about every character you can probably name, Marz is – as always – currently working on a long list of comics projects. They include a comic book series for Death Wish Coffee, the Saratoga Springs coffee company that made headlines in 2015 by winning a contest to have its commercial air during the Super Bowl. The second issue of Odinforce was released during New York Comic Con earlier this year.

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Today we’re diving into the world of Archibald Andrews, the teenager at the heart of Archie Comics for more than 75 years. (more…)

Today we’re activating the interlock and connecting the dynotherms for a chat with actress Bex Taylor-Klaus about the animated series Voltron: Legendary Defender — or more specifically, Pidge, the gender-bending character she voices in the hit show. (more…)

Today we’re talking to author R.L. Stine, whose series of Goosebumps horror stories for young readers celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. A prolific writer whose books have sold more than 400 million copies, Stine’s work spans a wide range of genres and has been adapted for television and, most recently, a 2015 Goosebumps movie starring Jack Black.

RetConned’s Ian Pickus spoke to Stine about his generation-spanning career crafting scary stories for young readers and the tales he still plans to tell in the coming years.

Initially launched back in July 2007, Comixology has grown into the industry leader in digital comics distribution over the last decade. The Comixology app and website makes more than 100,000 comics available across various mobile and online platforms, and it crossed an impressive milestone in September 2013 when it facilitated its 200 millionth comic downloaded.

Given how much of the conversation ten years ago questioned whether digital comics would ever be embraced by the comics community, Comixology’s success is, well… kind of a big deal.

With this year’s San Diego Comic-Con looming on the horizon, we spoke to CEO David Steinberger about the last ten years of comics, Comixology, and yes, Comic-Con. And we also got a preview of what Comixology has planned for the big show and beyond.

We managed to get two of the band’s busy ‘bots, Arcee and Hot Rod, to chat with us about the origins and inspiration for their cybertronic sound.

The notion of a fascist, autocratic President taking control of the United States seems less and less like the stuff of dystopian fiction these days, and the growing cultural divide in the country has many pundits and scholars wondering whether the nation can weather this socio-political storm.

But what if it doesn’t?

In the new comic book series CalExit by writer Matteo Pizzolo and artist Amancay Nahuelpan, the rise of just such a President pushes the state of California to the brink, and the state — which would have the world’s sixth largest economy if it was a country — decides to fight back. The story follows a pair of California residents who find themselves on the run, and unfolds against the backdrop of an occupied state where various factions have emerged to wrest control of the agricultural and economic power of the West Coast.

RetConned spoke to Pizzolo about the series, the roots it has in our current national predicament, and what it says about one possible future for our nation in this time of crisis.

Back in the 1970s, early video games had arrived. And although primitive by today’s standards, they gradually grew in complexity and scope – both in terms of gameplay and sound and music. Dr. Neil Lerner, a musicologist at Davidson College in North Carolina, recently spoke with WAMC’s Lucas Willard about the influences on the sound of early video games.

Basically, if you’ve got an action figure on your shelf that just looks too good to part with, or one of those deluxe Blu-ray sets packaged in a collectible statue, there’s a good chance you own something that Harding designed.

We took a trip to Harding’s studio, located just north of New York’s Capital Region, to learn more about the artistry of designing our favorite geekery.