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First up, Hank 300 and Nick 20 chat about the digital panel-to-panel experience of reading Scalped on ComiXology. Then we take a bite out of Scalped Vol. 6: The Gnawing (issues #30-34) by asking ourselves a question: Is this story arc any better than the low point of Scalped Vol. 5? The cliffhanger image from the end of Scalped #32. We also continue our discussion about Scalped's treatment of female characters, finding that this story arc does nothing to make up for past transgressions. If anything, it makes things worse by ensuring that pretty much every woman in the story safely fits into a "lover, mother, or corpse" role. As soon as she leaves the Lover Zone, Carol gets put into the Mom Zone! The story settles into a brisk action-packed pace but it also increases the language and violence to a cartoonish extreme. If the earlier arcs of Scalped seemed to promise a "Native American noir" style of storytelling, then this arc suggests that we're really reading "Bad Boys on the rez" instead. Chief Red Crow bought a news copter... because, ummmm, why not? NEXT: Hank 300 will read Scalped Vol. 7: Rez Blues while Nick won't.

Welcome to Podcast Vérité. The concept is simple -- 3 topics, 20 minutes. Neal picks a topic, Nick picks a topic, and you pick a topic. 1. If illegal drugs suddenly became legal, what would be the appropriate dosages? Justique joins the party to help Neal determine how much of a mind-altering substance is just right. Five lines? One tab? Twelve puffs? Nick's table was a disaster by the end of SPACE 2011 (pic by Seth Fronzoli) 2. Convention horror stories. Listener Nick O'G wants us to share our worst con experiences! Neal hated NYCC 2011 because he felt trapped. Justique hates the crushing defeat of being an exhibitor. And Nick talks about the time he found a half-eaten burrito in the nightstand at his hotel during SPACE 2011. Gillian unleashes the diamond cutters in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home 3. Why is Hollywood obsessed with nipples? Nick wants to know why Hollywood movies go out of their way to show women with hard nipples. Justique agrees that it's a silly trend while Neal thinks Nick is overly sensitive about the topic. We need your topic for our next episode! Leave your ideas in the comments below before August 4th and we'll discuss our favorite suggestion.

Kaylie McDougal and Nick Marino reach for the stars as they ponder the social significance and spiritual symbolism of ALF s2 e3 and ALF s2 e4. To prove how serious they are about this, Kaylie took some dignified screencaps and Nick made his own refined screen captures. Soon it's time for an in-depth analysis of David DeCoteau's cinematic foray into urban fairy tales, Hansel & Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft. We spotlight the theatrical performances of Eric Roberts, Courtney Turk, and the Stewart siblings. And we've commemorated our unforgettable viewing experience through screencaps. Then we talk about Star Trek: Voyager, Nick's failed pitch for SlothPunchClub.com, and some pages from a terrible ALF comic book sent in by listener Nick O'G. Next: Sharks get jumped in ALF s2 e5 and ALF s2 e6, and we soldier on with our DeCoteau-athon by dissecting 1313: Wicked Stepbrother!

Heather and Michelle Nunnelly forgot to talk about VACANT's last update during the last podcast, so they go over it in this one. After that they say thanks to all those who supported VACANT's Kickstarter and submitted guest art. Their topic this week is: Should children read mature comics? How does it influence their behavior? Chobits and Love Hina are the two comics Michelle and Heather read when they were young, and they talk about how that impacted their lives. Michelle reads dialogue from Bakuman wondering if the author himself is sexist or if the characters are intentionally written that way. They discuss how the portrayal in some manga may send a negative message to young readers, especially those who are not mature enough to filter it out. Last, they give a quick, positive review of The Heat starring Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock. Both of them recommend it if you want a good laugh.

Hank 300 and Nick Marino face their greatest challenge yet as they take on Scalped Vol. 5: High Lonesome, a five-issue arc full of sex, drugs, and violence. Nick ponders if Scalped is hateful towards women. Female characters seem to only show up in the story as lovers, mothers, or corpses. We discuss the issue at length, speculating on the intended audience for the story. And there's a new addition to the rotating team of Scalped artists -- the magnificent Francesco Francavilla, whose work here is a bit looser than usual. Also... did Catcher actually kill Gina? Hank says yes, while Nick says no. NEXT: Scalped Vol. 6: The Gnawing and the winners of the staff picnic relay race!

Ross Campbell has two new releases in comic shops today -- Glory Vol. 2: War Torn and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Villains Micro-Series - Alopex #4. And we're talkin' about both of 'em, goddamn it!!! We kick off the podcast with a recap of Ross's collaboration with Joe Keatinge on Rob Liefeld's Glory from Image Comics. Nick Marino just read the 12 issues from cover to cover and he's got some thoughts about the experience. Plus, Ross shares his favorite and least favorite things to draw in the story, from waffles for breakfast to early 20th century France. Then we discuss the new Alopex issue from IDW's TMNT Villains Micro-Series. It's a fruitful collaboration with Brian Lynch (and Heather Nunnelly!) that artfully digs into Alopex's animal origins and sets a path for the character's future. After that, we discuss the Twilight audiobook chapters 1-6. Nick hates the tedious character descriptions while Ross loves all of the emotional teen drama. Next: Twilight chapters 7-12 and our favorite SDCC announcements.

Fawn returns just in time to help Kaylie McDougal and Nick Marino BARF up two episodes of the world's most infamous alien puppet sitcom -- ALF s2 e1 and ALF s2 e2. Fawn got screencaps, Kaylie got screencaps, and Nick got screencaps. Fawn also returns to teach us about delicious Glazier Meats, the company who lovingly brings you classics like Picnic Loaf and Garlic Bologna. Then we discuss a fantastically twisted b-movie... The Baby! It's a 1973 exploitation film about a mentally handicapped man, his abusive family, and the social worker who's determined to have him all to herself. We went screencap crazy with this movie. Fawn got two sets of screencaps, Kaylie got one set, and Nick got three sets of screencaps. Next: We dig into ALF s2 e3 and ALF s2 e4, and begin a massive David DeCoteau marathon by reviewing Hansel and Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft.

Nick Marino talks to Aaron Conley (artist), Damon Gentry (writer), and Brendan Wright (editor) about Sabertooth Swordsman. It's a new genre-defying story published by Dark Horse Comics, currently serialized as six $0.99 digital comics that will become a hardcover graphic novel this November. AND WE'VE GOT AN AWESOME COMICS GIVEAWAY!!! In honor of the story's antagonist, the Mastodon Mathematician, we want to hear your best alliterative villain name. Leave it in a comment by July 25th. The runner-up will get all six digital issues of Sabertooth Swordsman. The grand prize winner will get all six issues PLUS an awesome sketch by Aaron Conley! But enough about giveaways! From pitching to printing, we discuss each and every step of the Sabertooth Swordsman production process on this profound podcast. (See, that's the magic of alliteration right there.) We take a bite out of some big issues, from the story's use of female characters to tale's cultural background to Aaron's visual influences to Damon's bright and punchy dialogue. Also, keep an eye out for September's Dark Horse Presents #28, featuring a lush Sabertooth Swordsman short story in full color!

Hank 300 and Nick Marino begin their discussion of Scalped Vol. 4: The Gravel in Your Guts with a look the storytelling of Davide Furnò and R. M. Guéra, the two artists responsible for the comics in this collection. Furnò's two-parter, The Boudoir Stomp, feels distinctly different from the stories that Jason Aaron writes for Guéra. It's a much more direct and introspective tale, with lots of close-ups and character studies. However, Guéra's work has established the overall visual tone of Scalped and his approach tends to heavily integrate characters with settings. Also, Guéra's close character shots are more abstract than Furnò's direct, emotional images. Many of our questions from last week's discussion were promptly addressed by these comics, Scalped #19-24. We get Carol's backstory, a flashback involving Wade (Dash's father), and a lot of character development for Dino Poor Bear. And we speculate on the fate of Lincoln Red Crow. Hank wonders when he'll die, while Nick wonders if he'll die at all. Will Red Crow become the hero of Scalped? Or will he remain an anti-villain, redeemed only by a tragic-but-inevitable death? NEXT: Scalped Vol. 5: High Lonesome and a recap of the Allegheny Teen Center's Christmas in July festivities.

Welcome to Podcast Vérité. The concept is simple -- 3 topics, 20 30 minutes. Neal picks a topic, Nick picks a topic, and you pick a 2 topics. 1. How weird do someone's thoughts have to get before you're like "I'm done with this person"? Neal ponders the cutoff point for celebrities, friends, and acquaintances. For example, he's finally had enough of Amanda Bynes. 2. What's the deal with collecting? Marques is back with another listener suggestion! Neal and Nick share their personal thoughts on collecting, and speculate on the psychological motivations that drive collectors. Nick in 2005 after he tripped and broke his fall with his face. 3. Party hardy. Nick's topic is a listener suggestion from Ross, who requested more party stories. Nick's stories aren't about parties per se but rather weird and/or horrible things that happened to him because of substance abuse. We need your topic for our next episode! Leave your suggestions in the comments below before July 14th and we'll discuss our favorite.

The winner of ALF Season One is Chris D!!! He shared a touching personal memory and we couldn't deny him the top spot. Thanks so much to everyone who shared their ALF memories. There'll be more ALF giveaways in the future, so stay tuned! We improvise our topics on this week's episode! Kaylie McDougal is drinking Pedialyte and she wants to know... what's the deal with Morphsuits? Also known as zentai suits, they're head-to-toe full body color costumes. Nick Marino shares his crazy zentai suit experience from last year, which led him to take this photo: Next up, stories about our sick pets spin into a discussion about dreams. Nick shares the tactic that helped him remember his dreams and how he learned to control himself in his dreams. Kaylie talks about her weird dreams, including one that resulted in the infamous quote, "I know you didn't name that egg Dave!" This is Kool & The Gang. We didn't talk about them on this podcast. After that, we speculate on the nature of time and the limits of modern science, America's fucked up social foundation, genealogy, doppelgangers, Trek Nation and Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Kaylie's love/hate relationship with Riker, and Nick's desire to have 1970s body hair. Here's another picture of Kool & The Gang, this time promoting a 2009 hot air balloon festival in Hoboken, NJ. It's too bad we didn't talk about them on this episode.. Also, Nick made tiny art for a new Kickstarter campaign! Next: Fawn helps us ring in a new season of the ALFer with ALF s2 e1 and ALF s2 e2! We also discuss the super-tastic creepfest, The Baby.

Heather and Michelle Nunnelly start off with a reminder about the VACANT Kickstarter campaign. It's close to ending but it's still going... SO PLEDGE NOW! Heather explains the ID card and dog tags incentives for the campaign, and talks a bit about the latest VACANT discussion on Amilova. Next up, Michelle and Heather ponder the unintentional-but-uncomfortable sexism in Two Best Friends Play. That leads to a conversation about "bad" art and if creators are aware of what they're doing when they make it. Then they review Monsters University. Both Michelle and Heather feel that the characters are too stereotyped. Forced into cliché cliques, it's totally unrealistic that the characters would face this situation as college students. Finally, they review The Last of Us, a new survival-action game from Naughty Dog, the makers of Uncharted. While they both enjoyed the game, they feel that the developer played it too safe. They finish off the review by comparing it to Jake's storyline from Resident Evil 6, which isn't perfect but really fun.

Hank 300 and Nick 237 tag team Scalped Vol. 3: Dead Mothers, analyzing (hehe "anal") its rich characters and themes. In this story arc, we're introduced to Mr. Brass. He's a torture-happy enforcer that poses a problem for Red Crow's tenuous balance of crime and justice on the rez. Does Mr. Brass enhance the story by adding complexity? Or does he detract from it with his over-the-top violence? We also meet Sheriff Karnow, a caricature of crooked country cop (alliteration!). Is Karnow a welcome addition to the rich cast of characters? Or does he alter the emotional tone of the story with his buffoonery? Finally, we follow up on last week's discussion of Scalped's lack of substantial female characterization. We question if Scalped's constant use of female nudity (albeit realistic nudity) is better or worse than the idealized sexualization of the female body often found in superhero comics. NEXT: Scalped Vol. 4: The Gravel in Your Guts and a retrospective tribute to Esther McGillson, the ATC's treasurer from 1976-2012.

Ross Campbell and Nick Marino try to figure why there's so much fan porn of the Wii Fit Trainer, which leads into a chat about asexuality and romantic identity. Then we review Mighty Joe Young, a 1998 remake of a 1949 film about a really big gorilla. Starring Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton, we're both stunned that this movie bombed. While the casting could have been more inclusive, it's a pretty good superhero animal movie. Hell, it even made Ross cry. After the end theme, we discuss comic news! Stan Lee confirms Marvel movies despite not being involved with any of them, Richard Donner and Geoff Johns will have lunch with you for $8500, and Vertigo announces a bunch of new boring comics.

Kaylie McDougal and Nick Marino have reached the end of ALF Season One! To celebrate, we're giving away a copy of it on DVD. Here's how to win: Tell us your favorite ALF memory in the comments by Sunday, July 7th! It can be about the show itself, an awesome ALF toy, a freaky ALF dream, or even your fav moment from our ALF review podcasts. We'll read your responses on next week's podcast and announce the winner. If you play your cards right, this DVD set of the ol' ALFer could be yours. Okay, enough about the contest. On with the BARF!! We review ALF s1 e25 and ALF s1 e26, two decent episodes of ALF featuring big bugs and crazy neighbors. Kaylie made screencaps of s1 e25 and s1 e26, and Nick (despite being naked in a hot closet and suffering from multiple bodily injuries) made some too. Next up, Kaylie and Nick review Disco Worms, an odd animated film from Denmark that's streaming on Netflix. It's about Barry, a persecuted earthworm who dreams of becoming a famous disco singer. Kaylie made 'caps and Nick made 'caps. After the end theme, Skipper Martin joins us for a follow up to last week's discussion of his story, The More They Stay Insane, from Outlaw Territory Vol. 3. Next: We're taking a week off from ALF! But we'll still be here to announce the winner of ALF S1 on DVD and talk about other stupid stuff.