This week DSRA is back and tackling one of the most ambitious works in the English language–John Milton’s Paradise Lost. James starts us off by going through early cultural interpretations of Satan. He traces how versions of the Devil in folklore and medieval theatre lead to Milton’s famous take on him. Claire talks about the life of […]
We’re continuing our pairing of influential sci-fi radio dramas by following up our War of the Worlds episode with the BBC’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Joining us is Eli McIlveen, the creator of the scripted podcast Alba Salix and the improv podcast Civilized. Claire begins by discussing satire, breaking down its many forms and some of its earliest iterations. James […]
War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells is one of the first and greatest science fiction novels of all time. The radio drama adaptation performed by Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre is perhaps the most acclaimed and infamous broadcast of the medium. James begins by taking us through the time period surrounding “The Black […]
Halloween is almost here! It’s time for Coraline. The film was directed by Henry Selick, and is based on a novella by Neil Gaiman. James begins by explaining that the story borrows from a long line of coming-of-age fairy tales. He then compares stories from the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, Madam d’Aulnoy, and Gaiman’s primary inspiration — Victorian […]
Dracula by Bram Stoker is one of the most influential books of horror ever written. It’s October, and right now, that’s what we’re about. Claire begins with an overview of vampire legends across the millennia. Next she focuses in on the real life conditions and circumstances that led to such widespread belief in the bloodsucking […]
We’re following up our episode on Mobile Suit Gundam with another one of the most pivotal anime ever made– Neon Genesis Evangelion. Claire starts by exploring why giant robots are such a huge part of Japanese culture, including the powerful idea of the samurai. She then goes through the different genres that make up Neon Genesis Evangelion. James explains why it […]
When Mobile Suit Gundam came out in 1979 it changed Japanese pop culture and the perception of what Giant Robots could be. The team at DSRA couldn’t be more excited to delve into one of the most beloved animes. James starts off by going through all of the different genres that led to creator Yoshiyuki […]
Die is a comic book created by writer, Kieron Gillen and artist, Stephanie Hans, about five adults in our world compelled to return to the horror of a fantasy world that they barely escaped in their youth. The series is published by Image Comics and was released to rave reviews in 2018. James uses this opportunity […]
This year marks the fantasy film’s 35th anniversary, and it’s a great opportunity for us to talk about escaping to magical lands. The NeverEnding Story is about a grieving, bullied boy named Bastian Balthazar Bux and his heroic alter ego Atreu’s quest to save the land of Fantasia, a world made of hopes and dreams. […]
We are so thankful to have published one hundred episodes! Thank you to all of our listeners! We’ve had the pleasure of discussing so many great pieces of nerd history and we’re looking back at some of our favorites and why they’ve had such a lasting effect on us. In addition to responding to listener […]
The final Toy Story film has been released. Let’s talk about Pixar and magical toys. James discusses how the theme of transformative love explored in the Toy Story films, and in other toys-coming-to-life stories, depends on an idealized view of childhood playtime that began in the Age of Enlightenment, and how that sentiment might now […]
With the release of X-Men: Dark Phoenix and its disappointing reception, it’s time to take a look back… In the wake of the film, X-Men: Apocalypse, Kyle and Claire get into the origins of the X-Men and the rivalry between Marvel and Fox Studios. Kyle breaks down the creation of the X-Men comics in the 1960s […]
SPOILERS With the series finale behind us we’re finally talking about HBO’s Game of Thrones! Based on George R.R. Martin’s bestselling and critically acclaimed book series A Song of Ice and Fire, HBO’s flagship series put big budget fantasy back on screen and at the center of pop culture. Kyle begins by looking at the intervening years between […]
Our latest pairing is one of epic fantasy and the visual representation of celebrated novels. We begin with The Lord of the Rings trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. Claire takes us on a tour of fantasy in film starting with earliest works in the medium, up through a relative boom of fantasy films in the 80s. Kyle […]
Dungeons & Dragons is a beloved pastime of our entire podcast team. And with the fantasy roleplaying game’s continued renaissance in popularity it’s a great time to look at how it got here. Claire begins with a look at 19th and 20th century war games before getting into the development process of creators Gary Gygax […]
DSRA is ready with a new pairing and we’re tackling one of our favorite subjects, the role playing game Dungeons & Dragons. To start off we’re looking at a fantasy book from the 1950s that influenced the game, Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson. Kyle starts by taking a look at the fantasy […]
Avengers: Endgame is just around the corner, and we thought now is a good time to re-release our Avengers: Infinite War episode. Our next pairing will be around Dungeons & Dragons, but in the meantime here’s one more look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe… In 2008 Marvel Studios released their first film, Iron Man. 10 […]
Well, friends, it happened. The Marvel Machine, which kicked off in 2008, has finally made a female lead superhero film with Captain Marvel. James starts off with a history of the character, Carol Danvers, and Captain Marvel’s roots as a character created for trademark reasons. He goes on to describe the highs and lows of Carol […]
Our new episode pairing will be Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel with Carol Danver’s Captain Marvel. And Kamala’s up first! Joining us are the critically charming Merri and Missy from the Fake Geek Girls podcast. Claire begins by discussing the involvement of women in comics as fans and creatives, and explains the factors that have both […]