HUAAH!!! It’s Kyle and James, and James has just completed powering up for two weeks to talk about Dragon Ball and how it truly relates back to The Journey to the West. The episode is kicked off by James hammering home some of the big comparisons to be made between The Journey to the West […]
The time has come… for The Journey to the West! James has been waiting years for us to cover this classic tale of heroes, demons, and the search for enlightenment. He discusses Daoism, Buddhism and Confucianism and how the story brilliantly manages to espouse all three. Claire talks about the evolution of the story by walking through the […]
Outlander is Diana Gabaldon’s beloved fantasy and historical fiction book series and a TV show on STARZ. Claire starts out with a look at early historical fictions, what defines the genre, and how it became known as “feminine”. Kyle jumps into Diana Gabaldon’s process, how she came to write some of the most successful historical fiction novels […]
It’s time for Claire and Kyle to begin our next pairing: Jirel of Joiry by C.L. Moore and Outlander by Diana Gabaldon! This week we focus on the sword and sorcery heroine of pulp magazines, Jirel, one of fantasy’s first female protagonists written by a female author. In our history segment, Kyle walks us through some of […]
After a lengthy break for the holidays, Kyle and Claire ring in the New Year by talking about the Netflix original series, The Dragon Prince. Kyle begins by further exploring a topic we began in our last episode – how the morals of the day are reflected in children’s animation. He picks up after Disney’s […]
The team at DSRA couldn’t be more excited to delve into children’s animation! We’re pairing Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with Netflix’s The Dragon Prince. Claire starts us off by comparing the original Grimm’s Brothers tale to Disney’s version and discusses how children’s tales, no matter when they were written, reflect the morals and […]
As part of our new episode format, we’re pairing up our Frankenstein episode with one about Jurassic Park. Kyle begins with a comparison of the characters in the movies versus the novels. He then goes on to describe the ways that scientists have manipulated life for the past two hundred years regardless of initial taboos. […]
This week Kyle and Claire get to discuss a foundational work of science fiction. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Joining them are Jen and Meg from the podcast, The Indoorswomen! Courtesy of our guests, we kick the episode off with a delightful segment called “What Are We Drinking?” and follow it up with a game of “TV Trope […]
Claire and Kyle are tired, sweaty, and full of bittersweet elation as they return from 3 days of New York City Comic Con and all of its wonders. It is with a heavy heart (and light wallet) that they recap some of the wonderful panels and discussions that they witnessed while attending America’s largest comic […]
Street Fighter is arguably the most influential fighting game of all time. Capcom just released it’s 30th Anniversary Collection which gives DSRA the perfect excuse to explore an old favorite. We are also absolutely thrilled to be collaborating with Monica Delmonico at Popcorner Reviews for this episode. You can check out her wonderful DIY pop-up cards […]
On this episode, the hosts dive into the pivitol animated film from 1997. Claire is out for this one, so the wonderful (and nefarious) James Fouhey handles the History segment. Mr. Fouhey starts with an explanation of the Muromachi Period of Japan, the setting of the fictional film, and why director Hayao Miyazaki thought it […]
Furyborn, book one of The Empirium Trilogy, is the latest YA fantasy novel from Claire Legrand. It is a tale of elemental magic, a prophecy of two queens, and two young women who live a thousand years apart. Claire and Kyle are happy to dive in after hearing it recommended so strongly by the Unassigned Reading podcast. Kyle […]
Here’s a look back at an episode from last summer, and one of our favorite books… A fun bit of DSRA trivia: The birthdays of Claire White and Kyle Willoughby are only 5 days apart! We’ve decided to celebrate this special time by taking a break from current nerdy topics and enjoying some all-time favorites. […]
The Terror is a new series from AMC which gives a supernatural twist to the story of the doomed Arctic explorers on the Franklin expedition of 1845. Claire explains what the Northwest Passage is and why it was so sought after by the British Empire. Kyle discuses the novel by Dan Simmons which the show is based on and how show […]
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the collectible card game, Magic: the Gathering. Everyone here at DSRA plays MtG and we were all excited to “research” with a Dominaria Booster Draft tournament. We were also delighted to partner with The Nifty Nerd and drink some great planeswalker themed cocktails while we played. Kyle begins the episode […]
It’s been 14 years since the first Incredibles gave us Pixar’s family centered take on the superhero genre. Director Brad Bird is back at the helm for the sequel and the characters pick up right where they left off. Claire takes this opportunity to talk about the development of the nuclear family in western culture, […]
We’re back with our second Birthdays Spectacular episode! Age went first, now it’s time for beauty! (Note: according to Kyle…) And there isn’t a more beautiful pick to be had in the year 1989 than the lauded science fiction novel “Hyperion” by Dan Simmons. Highly decorated when it was first released, “Hyperion” has largely since […]
Jordan Ellis is the founder of The Sartorial Geek podcast, magazine and blog. She is also the owner and operator of Jordandené (jordandene.com), maker of handmade nerdy apparel and home goods. Claire White and Kyle Willoughby were excited to chat with someone involved in so many layers of nerd community. They discuss her first encounter […]
We’ve entered the month June, and that means it’s time for Claire and Kyle’s “Birthday Spectactulars”! Frank Miller’s graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns is one of the most influential works in the history of Batman and of comics. It also arrived in the world the same year Claire did! That makes it a perfect pick […]
Dread Nation is a new young adult novel by Justina Ireland that imagines what would have happened if zombies had risen immediately following the American Civil War battle of Gettysburg. Kyle takes a look at the history and use of zombies in American popular culture going back to their origins in the Haitian Sugar Plantations. […]