Annihilation is writer/director Alex Garland’s film adaptation of the acclaimed science fiction novel by Jeff VanderMeer. Claire White and Kyle Willoughby have been looking forward to the movie since they saw the first teaser trailer last year. Claire starts off by exploring the history of aliens in pop culture. From the Ancient Greeks to Arrival […]
Marvel has released its first black superhero movie, and the DSRA team cannot wait to talk about a film they’ve been anticipating for more than a year. Kyle Willoughby takes a much-deserved vacation while James Fouhey and Claire White discuss the themes and production of Black Panther. James delves into Afrofuturism — the themes of […]
Kyle Willoughby and Claire White have finally finished season four of the Netflix Original Series, Black Mirror, so it’s time to discuss television’s most provocative science fiction. Kyle begins by positing that at its heart, Black Mirror is not simply an anthology of cautionary tales, but rather a modern fairy tale that replaces magic with science. Claire […]
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire is the 2017 Hugo Award Winner for best Novella. Kyle Willoughby and Claire White are happy to take another recommendation from the Hugo’s and plunge into the first book of the Wayward Children series. Claire begins by exploring the genre of “portal fantasy” and describes both its ancient […]
Kyle Willoughby, Claire White and James Fouhey come together for the first time in DSRA history to look back at their top three episode topics of 2017. Their choices range from comedy-horror TV shows, to science fiction movies, to fantasy-steampunk comics. Our hosts conclude with a quiz to determine who paid the most attention over […]
Kyle Willoughby and Claire White give a quick preview of their most anticipated topics of 2018, from Philip K. Dick inspired tv shows and A Wrinkle in Time, to video games they’re hoping will finally be released. (Looking at you, Red Dead Redemption 2!) Happy New Year, everyone!
Oathbringer is the third installment in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series. Claire White and Kyle Willoughby have been waiting to talk about this book since they started DSRA, and it’s finally arrived!! To celebrate they are joined by Ian McNatt and Eric Lake from 17thShard.com and Shardcast, the official Brandon Sanderson fansite and its podcast. Kyle leads off […]
The Runaways is a new Hulu series based on the characters created by Brian K. Vaughan for Marvel Comics. The showrunners, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, are the former creators of The OC and Gossip Girl. Claire uses this opportunity to take a look at the history of teen dramas in televison and film. Kyle […]
Justice League is the latest film in the DC Extended Universe, and perhaps the last attempt by Warner Bros. to imitate Disney’s success with Marvel Studios. Kyle goes back to the Golden Age of Comics and traces the origins of this superhero team from the lesser known Justice Society of America to the Justice League […]
Thor: Ragnarok, directed by Taika Waititi, and starring Chris Hemsworth, is the third Thor film and the seventeenth film by Marvel Studios. Kyle Willoughby and Claire White are always happy to go on a cosmic adventure, especially when they can blend mythology with big studio productions. Claire begins by breaking down the original Norse versions […]
More than thirty years after the original cult classic, Blade Runner 2049 returns us to a future of humans and their replicant slaves. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, this is a world first imagined by one of Kyle’s favorite authors, Philip K. Dick, in his novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. That makes this a must-discuss topic for DSRA. […]
N.K. Jemisin’s novel, The Fifth Season launched an eponymous and celebrated science fiction and fantasy trilogy. With the release of the third and final book, The Stone Sky, it’s a great time to discuss her world of earth-shattering sorcerers. James Fouhey fills in for Kyle Willoughby, and focuses on the books’ central theme of systemic racism, particularly as […]
Faith Erin Hicks has released the second volume in The Nameless City graphic novel series. It’s been recognized by many as one of the best comics of the year, and since it’s a historically influenced YA fantasy, it’s given Kyle and Claire a chance to talk about some of their favorite things. Kyle gets to […]
The new Netflix original series, The Defenders, is the streaming service’s sixth collaboration with Marvel TV and unites the central characters of five previous seasons. Kyle connects the comic book origins of the superhero team up to the forming of the first Defenders. Claire discusses the career of show runner, Marco Ramirez, and why Disney’s […]
This past January, Image Comics brought Santiago Garcia and David Ruben’s graphic novel, Beowulf, to America. Kyle Willoughby and Claire White have been all about two things lately — fantasy books, and relating everything back to Tolkien. That makes this new adaptation a perfect excuse to discuss English literature’s oldest written fantasy and it’s place in […]
Our next episode about Santiago Garcia and David Rubin’s graphic novel, Beowulf, will be delayed for just a couple of days, while the DSRA team gets back on their feet.
The Witchwood Crown is the latest entry in Tad William’s new high fantasy book series, The Last King of Osten Ard. It marks his return to the world he created for his first series, Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, after 30 years away. Kyle Willoughby and Claire White have been reading everything thing they can from the continent […]
Best known as a centerpiece of the Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien’s most personal tale has been unwrapped in a new book by Christopher Tolkien, his son. Kyle Willoughby and Claire White have been looking forward to its release for months. Here to share in this latest gift to fans of high fantasy are Alan Sisto and Shawn Marchese of […]
Spiderman: Homecoming is the 2nd reboot of Sony’s Spiderman film franchise, and this time they’re doing it the Marvel way. Kyle Willoughby and Claire White are happy residents of Queens and it’s time to talk about their borough’s greatest superhero. Kyle begins with a look at what makes the character so beloved and so different […]
Margaret Atwood’s dystopian tale, portraying a puritanical theocracy in America, is now a television series on Hulu. Kyle Willoughby and Claire White discuss this latest adaptation of the popular book. Claire begins with a focus on the modern tyranny of totalitarian governments, particularly in 20th century eastern Europe. She explains why the creation of an […]