Fuel Your Fandom

Send us a textIf you're reading this, chances are you grew up with cartoons. We all grabbed a bowl of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs on Saturday mornings, and sat cross-legged in front of our family TVs as kids to watch generation-defining 'toons — ranging from Bugs Bunny to My Little Pony to He-Man. But at some point, "cartoons" crossed a tipping point and became "animation." The Flintstones, The Smurfs and Scooby-Doo evolved into South Park, Ren & Stimpy and The Simpsons. And just like that, cartoons weren't just for kids anymore. So to what do we attribute the staying power of animation? Is it nostalgia? Is it that we embrace our entertainment growing along with us? How did we get from Steamboat Willie to Pickle Rick? Pop this particularly wide-ranging edition of FYF into your earholes, and kick it around with the boys. 

Send us a textHey, have you ever seen a movie? If you're reading this, it's safe to say you probably have. So you know what a movie star is: those are the above-the-title, big-time A-listers who can pack butts into seats on opening weekend. But most movies only have one protagonist or hero. So what do you do when you need to fill the role of "Police Chief", "English Teacher" or "Scientist #2"? Well...you call a That Guy.  That Guys are those awesome supporting character actors who flesh out a cast with talent and range; actors you've seen countless times before, but who aren't exactly household names. You know them. You love them. You just can't PLACE them. So on this episode, Saint and Jim give these incredible "Hey, it's THAT GUY!" performers some overdue love.  

Send us a textHey, do you eat food? If so, then this episode of FYF just might be for you. However, if you're not an ADVENTUROUS eater? If you have a traditional tongue, or a persnickety palate? Then prepare to have your mind (and taste buds) well and truly expanded. Because on this edition of the show, Saint and Jim are discussing food fads — those equal parts trendy and tasty goodies that are just as fresh imagination-wise as they are fresh out of the oven. We're talking innovative ingestibles like Sliders. Cronuts. Edible foams, creative cookies and crazy concoctions. Some took off, and made the great American plate. Others were literal flashes in the pan. But they all stretched the boundaries of the menu, and reminded us that food can be fun as well as fandom. So dig in.   

Send us a textTVTropes.com defines a trope as, "a storytelling device a creator can assume is already present in the mind of the audience without needing to be explained." In other words, not a cliché, but more a narrative precept we've already seen before, and intrinsically understand the meaning of. Still, while it's a slightly sticky thing to define, it's an immediate thing to understand. In this episode, Saint and Jim spend some time kicking around their favorite tropes from modern entertainment. They're joined by astronomer, astrophysicist, and friend of fandom Dr. Robert Morehead, who kindly brings a truly universal perspective to an idea that's well beneath his education level. So give us your earholes...we want 'em.

Send us a textWe all know this to be true whether we realize it consciously, or not: our sense of smell is the one of the core five most closely tied to our memory. If we pick up a particularly evocative scent (especially if it's been awhile), we're immediately transported to the last time we detected it. The reasons for this are complex biologically, but regardless — nothing has quite the power to produce nostalgia like a unique aroma, especially one from childhood. On this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim break down some of the weirdest, wildest and most wonderful smells that they (and others) can remember as being tied to specific memories, and encourage you to recall the same. Plus: all the news that's fit to nerd. 

Send us a textEnglish is a bizarre language; a savory stew of compound words, random spellings, garbled grammar and even terms borrowed from other tongues. But perhaps no aspect of English is odder than the idiom. In essence, an idiom is a universally understood phrase that refers to something else, often using language entirely unrelated to the thing itself. But once heard, it's rarely forgotten. Think, “He's holding all the cards,” “The cat got her tongue” or “By hook or by crook.” We all know what they mean. But WHY do they mean what they mean? On this episode, Saint and Jim look at the origins of these idiosyncratic idioms so that by and large, we can all go the whole nine yards and get our ducks in a row.     

Send us a textCouple of heavy topics the last few weeks, huh? Well, as promised, Saint and Jim keep things a little bit lighter this week by playing one of the internet's favorite games. And it's a two-parter: 1.) Keep one human actor, and recast the rest of the movie with Muppets, or...2.) Replace one human actor with a muppet, and keep the rest of the cast. One of the reasons the Muppets are so beloved is because there's one for every role. And not just in the Muppet-verse, but EVERY role. So if you've ever thought Kermit would make a great Superman, or Miss Piggy would make a fantastic Ellen Ripley, you're not alone. So join the boys as they fall down the rabbit hole of speculating on which Muppets (or entire casts of them) could reliably step in for John Wick, Captain Kirk, The Wizard of Oz, and countless others. Waka-waka-waka!

Send us a textNostalgia is a funny thing sometimes. If we get the idea to re-read our favorite book, re-play a beloved video game, or re-watch our comfort movie, we can usually manage that. But what if the thing you want to revisit is a place...and it doesn't exist anymore? What if you want to, say, browse the shelves at Blockbuster? Dig into some fried ice cream at Chi-Chi's? Head to Sears and pick up a set of Craftsman sockets? You can't. Because those places simply aren't around anymore. In this episode of FYF, Saint and Jim take a look into some of the long-gone stores and restaurants they used to visit during their misspent Gen-X youth, and wish they could stop into again. Chances are, you would, too. Did your favorite spot make the list?  

Send us a textIn the third and final installment of the Trilogy of Fail mini-series, Saint and Jim take a look at technological fails. These are hyped, touted and in some cases even anticipated tech products; products that were conceived, researched, prototyped, produced, marketed and sold...but that nonetheless made about as much impact as a wet fart in a windstorm. Among them: audio players absolutely nobody wanted, transportation devices that became punchlines, "Who is this for?!?" computer peripherals, and even undeniable missteps that faded fast, but still left equally miserable legacies — like terrible typefaces and TSA overreach. Will your (least) favorite tech flop make the list? Only one way to find out. Just realize that there's a reason this is particular format is called a "Podcast" and not a "Zunecast", and you've got a decent head start. 

Send us a textFollowing their initial installment in this mini-series (famous film failures), Saint and Jim are moving on to the next step. Namely, legendary flops from the world of interactive entertainment. According to Wikipedia, 10% of published video games generated 90% of the industry's revenue. Meaning that for every one game that's a success, there are ten others in line behind it that don't even earn their budget back. Sure, there are still massive mega-hits like whatever the latest "Grand Theft Auto" or "Call of Duty" title might be. But countless games still fall flat on their face right out of the gate. And some fall so fast and so hard that they wind up buried under a few tons of sand in a landfill. Literally. So join the boys on this rundown of reek to sift through the rubble, and remember the digital disasters that ate dirt right from the jump.

Send us a textToday begins a triptych of episodes Saint and Jim are affectionately referring to as the "Trilogy of Fail." Because — lets face it — while nobody in entertainment ever sets OUT to make a turkey, sometimes it happens anyway. And since more than a few movies have fallen flat on their celluloid faces lately, they're gonna start with movies that underperformed. Movies can flop for any number of reasons. Maybe the director bailed mid-project, perhaps the studio meddled with the script, or it could be that the cast wasn't up to the challenge. Or, the whole thing could've just been doomed from the start. Whatever the reason, some movies just eat it right out of the gate. So in the first of a trio of installments, our boys break down the biggest box-office disappointments in cineplex history, all of which opened, and then immediately landed with a thud. So grab some popcorn and earhole it up.

Send us a textIt may not have been a "Goonies" or "Ghostbusters"-level cultural touchstone of the time, but the Richard Pryor/John Candy flick "Brewster's Millions" is still a beloved '80s movie many of us remember with serious fondness. The plot was the sort of Reagan-era contrivance that could only have flown in the "Greed is good" decade: Pryor's character finds himself in possession of a $30 million windfall from a recently deceased relative. And if he can spend it all in 30 days with nothing tangible to show for it (e.g., real estate, cars or other assets), he'll inherit another $300 million. What follows? Your standard '80s-flavored zany madcap antics. So Saint and Jim got to thinking...how would THEY burn through the Benjamins in a similar situation? And for that matter, how would YOU? Let's dive into the vault Scrooge McDuck style and find out. Plus: news, natch.

Send us a text"We're gonna need a bigger boat." "There's no place like home." "Inconceivable!" The classic movie, TV or video game quote serves a very important purpose: it's a clearly defined, self-contained, and universally understood reference to a well-written piece of entertainment that can apply to any number of life situations. When well-placed, a sharp line can act as a timeless (and timely) conversational lubricant that acts like a pop-culture parfait of sorts — it's layered, easily digestible, and can serve as a sweet and satisfying finisher to a more substantial situation. Plus, you can see who else has eaten it up, then use it as a litmus test to find other people who share your taste. In this episode of Fuel Your Fandom, Saint and Jim do a rapid rundown of some of the most quotable quips from the world of nerd media. Did your favorite bon mot make the list? Only one way to find out! Friends, Romans, countrymen...Lend us your earholes.    

Send us a textThe Fuel Your Fandom podcast returns! Season seven launches with a round-up of all the news that's fit to nerd, the obligatory "This is not a political podcast" vitriol in reference to, well — *gestures broadly at literally everything*, and an "Old Men Bitchin' About Their Health" segment that's actually got some GOOD news for a change. Then — on to the walking dead. If you're a geek in 2025, you've got a zombie survival plan. What are you gonna wear? Eat? Are you more of a blunt melee weapon wielder, or a projectile person? And if you haven't done your cardio, you'd better hope the reanimated corpses you need to navigate and survive are the lumbering Romero types over the "28 Days" runners. No matter what, any plan is better than none. So bring your earholes over to the start of Season 7, and let us pump some undead dorkery into your BRAAAAAINS.  

Send us a textSaint and Jim are saying "so long" to season six with a bit of an odds-n'-ends episode. Reason being, sometimes they toss out possible topics that are intriguing, but not necessarily beefy enough to carry much of a look. F'rinstance, when exactly did the "Terminator" franchise jump the shark? Why were we all irrationally afraid of quicksand as kids? And what's more intimidating: hiking across Death Valley, or taking a casual sail through the Bermuda Triangle? No topic too big — but, um...maybe some are too small. Also: nerdy news they had to get out before the annual winter hiatus hit. So, see ya soon! But in the meantime: earholes.  

Send us a textNow that Jame's Gunn's new Big Blue Boy Scout trailer has hit the interwebs, Saint and Jim thought it might be time to dig a little into The Supe You Think Of When You Think Of Supes — mostly 'cuz it's right there in his name. Not a bird, not a plane, but Kal-El himself. He's been depicted on-screen countless times, dating all the way back to '50s serials right up to yesterday. But who's YOUR Clark? Are you a Cavill person? Soft spot in your heart for Reeve? Or are you holding out "it means hope" for Corenswet? No matter whose "S" is your favorite, go ahead and lend the guys your earholes as they take a look at all the Supermen who have soared across your screens, then let 'em know who YOUR fave Son of Krypton is.

Send us a textEveryone needs a day off from time to time, whether that's due to fun activities, it unplanned family events requiring your attention. In this particular case, Ol' Jim needed the week off, so Saint recruited his lovely better half to step into the co-host chair to discuss the nature of fandom, how it can start, and what it even means. Plus news and memes galore! Fun times for all. Unless maybe if you drive a cybertruck. Then probably not. 

Send us a textNo matter what your feelings are on Disney, there's no denying it: the Mouse House is a complete entertainment juggernaut. Movies, TV, video games…you name it, they do it, and well. But there's one aspect of their entertainment empire that — despite being absolutely amazing — often gets overlooked. And that's the music. Disney films have been responsible for some of the catchiest, ear-wormiest, toe-tappin'est tunes in cinema history. And even a couple of grizzled, cynical old-timers like Saint and Jim have to admit as much. From the bouncy “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo” to the calypso-flavored “Kiss the Girl” to more modern classics like “Let it Go,” Disney ditties slap just as hard as any Billboard chart-topper. So in this episode, the boys break down some of the biggest bangers of Disneydom.

Send us a textAdvertising. Even just saying the word makes people roll their eyes, since the culture has managed to find ways to cram ads into every bloody crevice in the universe now. We even pay extra just to skip them a lot of the time. But it wasn't always that way, was it? Back in the last golden age of advertising (in the '80s and '90s, which was basically the last best time for everything pop-cultural), ads were actually a form of entertainment in and of themselves. In this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim take a look back at the retro ads of their youth, which — despite being little but crass marketing — still have the ability to evoke a very specific brand of nostalgia. So get your skis shined up, grab a stick of Juicy Fruit, and put this in your earholes.  

Send us a textOkay, so — total disclosure: Saint and Jim are still doing a little bit of a mood whiplash tour; flailing somewhere in the middle of blinding rage, crushing sorrow and pants-filling terror. But getting back to something that passes for normal (here during the calm before the storm period of the proceedings) seemed like a good idea. So they sincerely hope you're as consoled by hearing this episode on binge-able comfort media as they were in recording it. Things are probably gonna get weird here right quick, but they're still gonna do their best to bring you as much friendly noise as they can, as we all ride out yet another horrifyingly unprecedented period in history. Thanks for listening.

Send us a textHot on the heels of Saint and Jim's controversial food takes last week, this edition of FYF digs through the Trick or Treat bag, and throws back to the halcyon haunts of history's Halloweens — before our boys' pancreases declared mutiny on their glucose levels. The topic? Candy. Which sugary nuggets from your repurposed pillowcases were trash, and which were treasure? Are you more of a sucker for Snickers, or bonkers for a Butterfinger? Are two Twix better than one KitKat? Will you trade us two Almond Joys for a Reese's? And who's eating the Circus Peanuts? Let's all use our sweet tooth to dig into some treat truth, and break down the best and worst of your begged-for bon-bons.    

Send us a textThere are a lot of weird quirks inherent to being human. Everyone has different fashion sense, different thought processes, and a different worldview. But one of the biggest things that truly makes us all individual? Our palates. One person's yum is another's yuck when it comes to all things food. On this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim break down controversial food opinions, e.g. — Does cilantro taste like soap to you? What are your feelings on tomatoes? Does pineapple belong on pizza? What's the most repulsive food in the world, and why is it mayonnaise? Plus, all the news that's fit to nerd. Eat up!   

Send us a textA bit of trivia: did you know that the largest toy distributor in the world is way better known for selling billions of burgers? The humble McDonald's Happy Meal has been a staple of American kids' diets for decades. But as much as everyone loves McNuggets and fries, the real appeal of those brightly-colored little boxes has always been the plaything inside. Whether you preferred Barbies, Hot Wheels or Beanie Babies, there was always something cool in there to help fill up our toy box. In this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim take a look back at some of the best, worst, weirdest and most collectible Happy Meal toys of the last 50 years.

Send us a textWhat's the first film you think of when you see the words "Cult Movie"? Chances are, it's either some perennial classic full of fishnets, gold lamé shorts and rolls of toilet paper being lobbed at the screen, or a pulpy grindhouse thriller that's hardly ever seen the light of day — because it's only ever screened in seedy cinemas at midnight. Or, maybe it's even a deeply personal picture you and a small group of friends got together to watch over and over in college. That's really the beauty of the cult movie — any one can be a quotable quip-off that holds up to repeated viewing. On this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim take a look at the phenomenon of cult films, discuss what makes for the perfect flick-with-a-following, and go over some of the biggest movies to have ever earned the label.

Send us a textThe world still isn't sure what to do with (or ABOUT) AI. On the one hand, you have breathless tech bros sinking trillions into "innovations" they swear will revolutionize the world, even as the coffers drain and the oceans boil from the power consumption. On the other, you have everyday folks wondering when the droids are gonna take our jobs, and if so, will we be able to get a little UBI for the trouble. And on yet a third hand, we have like seven or eight fingers. So nobody's really sure what's going to happen. At least in the meantime, we have some cool toys to play with! And on this episode, that's exactly what Saint and Jim get up to. SUNO is an AI music generator with the capability to create fully produced songs in any style, and about any subject, just based on a text description. They've played with it a bit on previous installments. But this time out, they decided to drop some impromptu prompts into it, and react to the results in real time. And like most things AI, the results are equal parts cool, fascinating, terrifying and a little unethical. But what the hell? It's the future. PLUS: Diddy, or didn't he?

Send us a textWow. Episode #200 already?!? What else is there to say but "Thank You"? You the listener have helped the humble Fuel Your Fandom podcast reach this major milestone, and the gratitude on our side is truly massive. For their part, Saint and Jim kicked around a whole lot of ideas on possible ways to commemorate this benchmark...and then promptly chucked 'em all right straight out the window since SO MUCH HAPPENED THIS WEEK, and we had to get to it all. So earhole up for the triumphant return of the Nerd News Nexus — now with a snappy new theme song!  

Send us a text"Billionaire." Even saying the word in 2024 prompts eye rolls, rants, and memes about guillotines. And when it comes to the real-world wealthy, it's possible that reaction isn't entirely unwarranted. But what about the filthy rich of fiction? Are they just as worthy of envy and ire, or are their considerable resources just as much detriments as they are literal assets? In this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim do a deep dive (like Scrooge McDuck into a vault of cash) into the finances of fiction's most fiduciarily fluid folks to see if they're using their gold for good, or...if they're more like the kind we actually have. 

Send us a textRelationships are funny things. They can take a lot of forms, too. Family, romantic, friendship...even emnity counts. But the rise of the internet, celebrity culture and social media has give rise to a bizarre variant: the parasocial relationship. Loosely defined, a parasocial relationship is any one-sided situation wherein one individual invests time and emotion in the other, while party two is completely unaware of the first person's existence. Sometimes, these relationships are just fine: I like the singer, I went to the show, I bought the t-shirt. Other times, these bonds can border on worshipful, cult-like behavior. So, in the wake of some public figures (e.g. Chappell Roan) having to be pretty clear as of late about establishing clearer boundaries surrounding their public vs. private personas, Saint and Jim thought they'd take a look at some of the underlying issues surrounding parasocial behavior. 

A month has passed. The spoiler moratorium is up. The movie made more than $1.2 billion. And listeners of this podcast have no doubt seen it twice already, just like Saint and Jim each have. So, it's time to talk about it. And if you somehow HAVEN'T seen it yet? Then you are hereby instructed to neither read, nor listen further — because the boys are gonna break it down. The action! The Easter eggs! The cameos! The story! The parts where there could've been more story! The parts that weren't even remotely necessary for the story, but were still pretty fun anyway! Sure, Wade & Logan's Excellent Adventure was a fanservice-filled romp, but there were still some chaotic head-scrathers to discuss as they make their way into the MCU, and leave the last shreds of the former Fox-verse in tatters. So LFG.     

Sometimes, Saint and Jim talk about light, fluffy stuff like their favorite burgers, or whether or not the Hulk could beat up Superman. Other times, they get taken with the intricacies of a particularly hard-to-pin-down subject. This would be an episode of the second kind. “Monoculture” — at least in popular fiction — is a term often used to describe a given race, species, or group within the story. Specifically, one that exhibits a limited, universally common cultural trait their creators use to define them. Think, “Klingons are warlike,” or “Dwarves are good blacksmiths.” It's a way for writers to project aspects of human existence onto fantasy characters, usually in order to examine said aspects without the risk of the analysis hitting too close to home. So because they're diving into a complex subject, Saint and Jim knew they'd need a guest who was up to the task of helping them break it all down. And when it comes to examining nuanced concepts in fiction and how they apply to real life, there's just no better person to talk to than "Mission Log" co-host and friend of the show John Champion…since that's really his jam. So earhole it up with your intrepid co-hosts and their esteemed guest as they take a look at monocultures in storytelling, and puzzle out what they can teach us about our own idiosyncrasies.

Food. It's a fandom! As the boys say in every episode, everything is. We all have our favorites, whether that's simple, home-grown comfort food, or high-end fine dining and gourmet cuisine. But what if you knew your next meal was going to be your last? That's a pretty heavy choice. It's gonna be the final thing you'll ever eat, so you might as well make it count. And while not all of us get the luxury of knowing which plate will be our exit indulgence, it's exactly this momentous decision that faces many death row inmates. How could one possibly decide? On this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim take a look at the dank, delicious and downright daffy dishes some of these doomed souls selected as their final meal. Plus, the usual news and wandering tangents. You and your earholes know what's up.  

In 2022, one-time BoingBoing.com editor Cory Doctorow coined the term "Enshittification" to describe a phenomenon with which every internet user is intimately familiar. Also referred to as "Platform Decay," enshittification is (according to Wikipedia): "a re-prioritization pattern where online product and service providers experience a decline in quality over time." In other words, That Thing You Like is great at first, and then morphs into a lesser version of itself. Think: apps that de-activate features, websites that install paywalls, DRM *yoinking* a book off of your e-Reader over rights issues, and video games that wedge in ads and microtransactions. Clearly, we can't have nice things. So in this episode of FYF, Saint and Jim take a look at the well-worn idea of "They changed it, now it sucks." 

When it comes to digital entertainment, Saint and Jim have been eyebrow-deep in pixels since LONG before it was even called that. Videogaming is one of the biggest bricks that forms the foundation of fandom for each of them. But, just like movies, TV and comics, videogames are constantly evolving – and so are the people who are playing them. So in this edition of FYF, your intrepid co-hosts take a look at how games are changing, how the fandom is adapting, and what that means for the state of the hobby. Plus, Comic-Con happened. And there was no notable news there. So there's no reason to discuss any of THAT, or anything, right? Ooof. 

Hey, Friends of Fuel. Saint and Jim are back from their summer vacation, and they're kicking off the second half of the season with a bang. As promised, FYF welcomes a very special guest for the first post-hiatus show. Jenny Stiven may well be the ultimate ascended fan. After growing up geek playing D&D, reading comics and watching Star Trek, Jenny eventually went to work as a marketer within some of the biggest nerd media that's ever hit pop culture — creating award-winning campaigns for titanic entities like 20th Century Fox, MGM, Star Trek, James Bond, Star Wars, DC, Stargate, Predator, Alien, Buffy, and tons more we just don't have the space to discuss. For the last decade, she's worked as a consultant liaison helping to build and manage relationships between content creators and their fandoms. As such, her insight on the state and nature of these communities is second-to-none. You do NOT want to miss the wisdom she drops about toxic fandoms, creator accountability, fan responsibility, and how it all comes together. So earhole it up with a quickness.  

After their recent news note regarding the (only MILDLY suggestive) Deadpool and Wolverine popcorn bucket, Saint and Jim got to thinking about what other off-the-wall movie tie-in goodies might approach that level of bizarre. So, they went looking. And the internet did what the internet do. Specifically, it revealed a completely nutso underbelly of movie merch they never would've believed existed outside the freakish fever dreams of stimulant-addled studio execs. From "Do you want to smell like Iron Man" fragrance lines, to soundtrack albums to movies with no music, to novelizations of films that were based on books to begin with, there seems to be no end to the bizarro-world swag movie fans could snag to commemorate their fave flicks. So earhole this, and prepare to be confused. Because they were.

One of the most fascinating aspects of speculative science fiction is the tech. Whatever creators can dream up, futurenauts can use. Teleporters! Time Travel! Fantastic weaponry! Wouldn't it be great if we actually had this stuff for real? Well, not so fast. Heroes of fiction are just that: heroes. So they only tend to use this stuff for mostly altruistic reasons. If these things actually existed? There would be potential downsides. And BIG ones. In this episode, Saint and Jim break down why some of the sci-fi tech items of our dreams might actually be nightmares in tangible reality.  

Hollywood is having a really difficult time as of late. It seems as tough for every "Barbie" or "Super Mario" that makes literally a billion dollars, there are a dozen flicks like "Furiosa" and "Garfield" that fall severely short in terms of critical reception and box office take. Movie theatres are suffering, studios are scrambling, and ultimately, it's the fans who pay the price. But what's causing it? COVID hangover? Sequel fatigue? Ticket prices? All of that and then some? On this episode, Saint and Jim take a look at some of the possible reasons behind the downward trends in the movie industry, and what might be done to address them. Of course, there's also more nerd news than you can shake a popcorn bucket at. 

Fandom is a powerful thing. Hey, this entire podcast is built around it. Even so, we've all experienced moments where we stopped fueling certain fandoms, and they just...run out of gas. Sometimes that's a decision. Whether it's a dip in quality, a creator who disappoints you or a shift in priorities, we all walk away from things about which we were fromerly passionate over the course of our lives. But it's not always a conscious thing. Occasionally, we just lose interest in stuff, or get sidetracked by life and drift away. In this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim look at the idea of faded fandom, reminisce about some things they used to be into and now aren't, and examine some of the reasons why these things happen — whether via decision, overwhelm, or apathy. Plus, news aplenty. 

There's no denying that the last couple of years have proven cape cinema to be not quite as bulletproof as the heroes on the screen. DC has been struggling with quality consistency, and even the once-foolproof Marvel has had some stumbles as of late. But can this be chalked up to (as critics have termed it) "superhero fatigue"? Or are there larger issues at play? On this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim try to crack open the underlying causes behind why tights-n'-flights flicks could be running out of steam. Plus: news, tangents musings and more.  

Some weeks are just heavier than others when it comes to all the goings-on that are good to geek out over, and this was definitely one of those. So hereabouts, Saint and Jim do a rundown of what's up in niche nerd news — albeit with a specialized focus on whatever fresh hell seems to be plaguing the video game world as of late. Layoffs, studio closings and canceled titles seem to be the norm these days, despite the fact that digital entertainment as an industry still out-earns Hollywood, and companies like Microsoft and Sony seem to be doing better than ever on the ol' financial end. So cram this noise in your earholes, check out the headlines, and let the boys know what you think about all that's up in this deepest of dork dispatches.   

The range of human motivations is complex and layered — as is the spectrum of human emotion. Still, for years, our entertainment focused on some pretty binary archetypes. Specifically: mustache-twirling black-hatted villains, and square-jawed white-hatted heroes. But at some point, the creators of our entertainment decided to give fictional characters more realistic ranges of feelings and agendas, thereby changing the storytelling game forever. In this episode of FYF, Saint and Jim break out some of their favorite examples of dramatic heel-face turns, face-heel turns, and flexible, antihero-style grey morality. Not to mention all the nerdiest news in the nexus.   

Right up top: both content and trigger warnings are in full effect for this edition. Regular listeners of Fuel Your Fandom know that Saint and Jim first met while working as activists — fighting online child predation for the Perverted-Justice.com watchdog org as well as Dateline NBC's "To Catch a Predator." So when the Max limited series "Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV" dropped, it was more or less required viewing...even if it was undeniably uncomfortable. In this episode, your hosts break down the content of the show from the perspective of people who spent a significant portion of their lives fighting exactly the sort of people and events that took place behind the scenes at Nickelodeon under the auspices of Dan Schneider's television empire, and offer the unique perspective of a couple of everyday schmucks who were involved in a broadcast-based movement that operated on the polar opposite of the same issue.   

Iconic vehicles in entertainment is a uniquely western phenomenon, fueled by American "car culture" and a certain sense of gas-fueled adventure. Almost everyone who has ever seen a TV show or movie almost certainly has a favorite legendary ride that made them sit up and take notice, and maybe even wish they could borrow the keys for a joyride. Whether it was Doc Brown's "Back to the Future" DeLorean, The Gran Torino of "Starsky & Hutch" or even the Ghostbusters' ECTO-1, these cars were often characters themselves in their respective franchises, and deserve the same reverence as their human counterparts. In this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim kick the tires on Hollywood's most famous wheels, and take 'em out for a little speculative spin. Plus, all the nerdy news and tangents you've come to know and tolerate.     

There are just so many amazing avenues of entertainment to be into these days, it can be hard to keep up. So admittedly, Saint and Jim have the odd blind spot when it comes to certain areas of fandom. One area in which they share somewhat of a collective question mark? Horror movies. So on today's episode of Fuel Your Fandom, the boys welcome Milwaukee's Maven of the Macabre, Katie Kadaver. She's not just a fan of horror films, she walks the walk 24/7. From performing in horror-themed burlesque with Grindhouse Tease, to heading to horror conventions to kick it with Lloyd Kaufman and the crew at Troma Films, to her co-hosting duties on "The VHS Vault" podcast, Katie knows horror like the inside of her eyelids — making her the perfect guest to come onto the show to give the neophytes a crash course in all things creepy. Shove this in your earholes...if you DARE.   

Memory is a funny thing. Sometimes you'll hear a song, and it takes you right back to where you were the last time you heard it. Or maybe it's a scent — like baked goods, or a spring flower bloom — that makes your brain light up. But food-based nostalgia? That's a different animal entirely. If you eat something you haven't had in awhile, that can really set off the cranial fireworks. On this episode, Saint and Jim take a look at the discontinued snacks and beverages from years past that aren't available anymore, and that they'd really love to see make a return. So grab some Dunkaroos, Magic Middles and an OK Soda, and earhole this. PLUS: the nerdiest of news.  

Saint and Jim usually like to keep things light around the ol' Fuel Your Fandom...dom. Still, there's no arguing that a lot of people are dealing with a lot lately. When a cute Muppet asks an innocuous "How is everybody?" on social media, only to be deluged with people in genuine pain? It's apparent we're all just ambulatory bundles of raw nerves just looking for anyone to support and listen to us. So for Episode #180, the FYF boys DO a bit of a 180°, and talk through some mental health stuff. Time to ask the listeners how YOU'RE doing, kick around some coping mechanisms, and maybe even get around to some hope. PLUS: the finals of our March (Madness) into Villainy evil-off, and plenty of nerd news.   

If there's any one thing that unites us all, it's that sooner or later we're gonna shuffle off this mortal coil. And as long as we all have to check out of Hotel Earth at some point, why not do what we can to make our final moments in this realm as notable as possible? Granted, not everyone is in line for the luxury of knowing when the Reaper is gonna tap us on the shoulder and tell us it's time to go, but some of history's most notable people did have caregivers and loved ones hanging on their every word — right up to their last breath. So in this episode, Saint and Jim dig into what a smattering of these folks used that breath to say, from the poignant to the profound to the downright silly. Plus: all the news that's fit to nerd.

Kids' entertainment has always leaned pretty heavily toward the fantastic. Not only do young people have the sort of imaginations required to really appreciate the impossible, but since so much of kids' TV and movies tends to be (either literally or figuratively) animated, it's a good medium to explore some out-there concepts. That said, there's a pretty big difference between fanciful and farcical. Because while it's entirely plausible to accept, say...a prince who turns into a superhero when he holds a weapon aloft and says some magic words, it's a little less easy to swallow that nobody around him seems to realize that whenever the king's kid disappears, a guy who looks just like him (down to the identical haircut and green cat sidekick) just happens to show up. On this episode, Saint and Jim take a look at improbable concepts in kids' entertainment that felt like a teensy bit of a suspension (of disbelief) bridge too far.

Saint and Jim still aren't sports fans, but they can't give up on the March Madness runoff just yet. Reason being, there's another friendly neighborhood superhero — one with a baddie bracket so big, it takes a whole separate universe just to hold them all. Of course, we're referring to Spider-Man. The web-slinger. The wall-crawler. Peter Parker himself. With a fiend folio just as Robust as the Dark Knight's, it was necessary to break this out into a second edition to match up these miscreants into their own head-to-heads, and determine the best of the worst. So lets put them all in a jar, shake it up, and see who comes out on top. Plus: NEWS.

Look, Saint and Jim aren't sports fans. They're just not. BUT. That doesn't mean they're not totally into elimination-style matchups! So in honor of March Madness, the FYF boys are running their own brackets to determine a much-contested set of win/lose outcomes. BUT. Because this is nerd territory, the combatants aren't athletes. They're antagonists. And since geeks have argued since time out of mind over who has the better rogues' gallery — Batman or Spider-Man — this episode seeks to answer that question once and for all. In the first part of the contest, Batman's biggest baddies will square off to see who comes out on top. Next week, we'll hash out which of the friendly neighborhood wall-crawlers opponents is the best of the worst. Then it's a head-to-head Bat vs. Spider enemy duke-out to crown the crossover champ. Plus, as always, oodles of news. EARHOLE TIME.

Fuel Your Fandom touched on sitting in front of a full schedule of favorite Saturday-morning animation awhile back, and noted that the shows themselves were only part of the experience. After all, what's sitting criss-cross applesauce in front of a cartoon without some Apple JACKS and a cartoon on the front of the box? That's because somewhere along the line, Post, General Mills and Kellogg's figured out that if there was a cute character on their containers of cocoa-frosted sugar bombs, kids would be more likely to beg their parents for bowl after bowl of the stuff at the grocery store. And thus, cereal mascots were born. In this edition of FYF, Saint and Jim take a look at the flake-flogging powers of the Capn's, Tigers, Frogs and Toucans of yore with a milk-soaked spokescritter rundown. Plus, as always, all the biggest news from the Geek-O-Sphere.