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I've been sitting on this recording for about six months, patiently waiting for just the right time for a fill-in podcast. I was in Pittsburgh last week emptying out my storage space and I had to take the week off from podcasting. That meant messing up my schedule for future weeks, including a tentatively planned interview with a fantastic comic book creator that was supposed to air today. Also, faithful Sequential Underground host Shawn Atkins just welcomed his first child into the world last weekend! So with Shawn tied up and me wildly off schedule, I figure that now's as good a time as any for a fill-in episode! Last year, cartoonist Nate McDonough and I lectured to a class of undergrad students at the University of Pittsburgh. We spoke about the history of comics, our own work, and we answered questions about creating comics. We kick off the talk with a brief historical review of how the format of comics has changed over the past century. I follow that up with a description of my own webcomics and self-published print comics. After that, Nate presents a slideshow of his work. Sorry, slideshow not included! Even without visual aids, it's an entertaining journey through Nate's brain which reveals his conceptual process and inspirations. Finally, we answer questions from the students about creating and promoting comics. All in all, we had a blast speaking to this class. In fact, Nate's already been back to talk to them again!

We Google our names to learn more about our infamous doppelgangers, like the Australian Kaylie McDougal, Mr. Palm Springs Leather 2008 Nick Marino (NSFW!), keyboardist Nick Z Marino, and power pop balladeer Nick Marino. But the real Kaylie McDougal and Nick Marino soon emerge -- along with special guest Jason K Averill -- to review ALF s1 e5 and ALF s1 e6 for a little something we like to call Blazing ALF Retro Fantastic (BARF). ALF gets a job selling makeup and befriends a blind woman in two decent episodes. Kaylie's got 'caps and Nick's got 'caps so following along for mucho ALFer fun!! Then we tackle the monstrosity that is Goobers!, a terrible b-movie originally released in 1997 as Mystery Monsters. Go buy it on Amazon if you're bold enough! We tear into this kids flick for its missing momentum, over-abundance of talking heads, and general lack of quality. Nick made screencaps (part 1 and part 2). And Kaylie dubs this film her Garbage Pail Kids because it nearly broke her for good. Next: Flashback with ALF s1 e7 and flashdance with ALF s1 e8.

Heather and Michelle start off by talking about VACANT and its request for guest art. Also, the next VACANT update will be loaded onto the web in a few days. Since the podcast is now bi-monthly, the update will be discussed in two weeks. Then they briefly talk about Breaking Bad and how it's ruining their lives. And then they talk about their top 10 favorite fictional characters. A lot of Heather's picks are also on her top 10 hottest characters list. This idea was brought to you by Doug Walker from thatguywiththeglasses.com. Finally, if you have any questions or topics that you'd like to hear on a future VACANT Bits podcast, e-mail Heather!

We kick things off with some creepy TV for kids! From Goobers! to Kidsongs to this bizarre music video by Sloppy Pop that Kaylie saw on PBS in Alabama: Then it's time for some serious media criticism... Bold ALF Rerun Fanfare (BARF)! Kaylie McDougal, Nick Marino, and special guest Fawndolyn Valentine review ALF s1 e3 and ALF s1 e4, two mediocre entries in the Melmacian's catalog. Join in on the weirdness as ALF gets framed for a crime he didn't commit and then Willy takes the rap for a crime ALF did commit. Follow along -- Kaylie got screencaps and Nick got screencaps. Speaking of crimes, check out Lynn's 80s-tastic denim dress with a bolo tie: Once we're done with ALF, Kaylie wants to talk about the different treatments that male and female artists often receive. We cover the topic pretty extensively... but not before we explore the life and times of Fawn, who shares about her early adult years and how that led her to where she is now as an artist. Next: The ALFer gets a job in ALF s1 e5 and makes a new friend in ALF s1 e6.

Michelle and Heather Nunnelly start off with a brief conversation about the last update of the VACANT webcomic. They talk about Heather's April Fools joke, the introduction of Siren, and interactive storytelling. Then they quickly go over Rise of the Guardians and share their personal thoughts about it. Please don't kill them! Heather and Michelle liked the film overall. MoCCa happened last weekend. Shoutouts are given to those who approached Michelle and Heather at the con, including the MoonBase Comics girl, Joe Keatinge, David Mazzucchelli, and Delia. They also talk about people staring at them. And then Michelle farts. Again.

After some false starts and bad segues, Nick talks about the mid-00s b-movie, Throttle. It's a fantastic parking garage horror thriller in the vein of P2. Believe it or not, there are multiple parking garage horror movies out there. Neal follows up on our previous episode and recaps his spirit quest... but not before he complains about ruining nice pants by spilling blueberry juice all over them. Tsk, tsk. Another pair of $500 pants down the drain. ALSO: Nick watched the bus-based thriller, Exit Speed, and Neal walked through a Taylor Momsen photo shoot in SoHo.

A BOLD NEW DIRECTION! Nick Marino is joined by Kaylie McDougal, who's filling in for Ross Campbell while he takes a break from the podcast. Things begin with PEZ conversation, comparing the faceless bunny Ross got for Nick with the weird bunny impersonator Kaylie bought last week. See 'em here. Then it's time to tear into our latest TV challenge... Bad ALF Review Fun (BARF)!!! We get the party started with ALF s1 e1 and ALF s1 e2, available for free on Hulu or on DVD from Amazon. Nick made screencaps of some choice ALF moments, including ALF crossdressing, Willy's nose pimple, and ALF drinking beer with a 6-year-old. ALSO: We discover the man, the myth, the legend that is Peter Bonerz. After that, we tackle a question which Jason asked on deviantART: "Have y'all ever discussed how perception of art can differ between the person making it and the people viewing/consuming it?" Kaylie talks about how people perceive her webcomic, Dinogeddon, and how she battled misperceptions while promoting her erotic comic, PonyGasm. Nick continues his existential crisis from last week, elaborating on how he's starting to see his comics -- Stick Cats and Super Haters -- from the eyes of the consumer. Also, he's experimenting with drawing digitally by using his TV as a monitor. Next: Fawn joins us as we face off with ALF s1 e3 and ALF s1 e4.

Nick Marino reviews the new Injustice: Gods Among Us mobile game released yesterday for iPad, iPhone, and iPod. This free iOS fighting game blends simplified mechanics with a "collectible" DC Comics character card game featuring superheroes like Green Lantern, Cyborg, Catwoman, Nightwing, Flash, and more. (You have to purchase credits or play for a while before you get to the heavy-hitters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.) Using non-gameplay screencaps and gameplay screencaps, Nick recaps his Injustice mobile experience, from the game's rhythm to its character options to its in-game store to its super meter system. With high quality graphics and an easy-to-learn controls, the Injustice mobile game has wide appeal. But the repetitious nature of the opponents, backgrounds, and fighting styles can make the gameplay monotonous. Nick also explains how his superhero playtime was cut short by the game's energy system, which limits the amount of matches you can play while generating income for NetherRealm and Warner Bros from this free-to-download (but not always free to play!) touchscreen fighting game.

How do you continue creating comics when you have a day job? It's not impossible. In fact, almost every self-publisher struggles with the balance between what they have to do -- hold down a job -- and what they want to do -- make comics. Brandon Williams made Dedford Tales a webcomic because of his day job. At work, he was exposed to webcomics more than ever before (Shadoweyes was his gateway comic). With the money he earned, he bought a domain and some web space. Shawn Atkins has recently picked up a 9-to-5 job to cover the bills and get benefits for his family. After years of living the dream and being a full-time artist, he's struggling to adapt to his new lifestyle. As a response to all of the time Shawn has to spend on the bus or in the car going to-and-from work, he's started sketching sci-fi pinups. Brandon's currently hunting for a new day job even though all he wants to do is make comics. And Shawn is trying to keep up with all of his webcomics and art obligations while juggling a new job and a baby on the way. Will Brandon be able to land a dream job that generates income while giving him the freedom to create? Can Shawn find just the right balance between being a cubicle monkey and a comics creator? Nick Marino asks the tough questions and explores the day job conundrum on this episode of Sequential Underground.

THIS IS IT! The end of the Epic X-Men TV Review Endurance Marathon Extravaganza! We've watched X-Men: The Animated Series #75-76 (s5 e12 & e14 on Netflix)... the final two episodes of this terrible fan favorite TV show. Before the tears begin flowing, Kelly Thompson, Ross Campbell, and Nick Marino converse about scary Easter bunnies, Nick's sobering reality check at WonderCon, and comic book posters we had as kids. Then it's time to scratch the EXTREME itch! You know it's a special occasion because even Kelly made screencaps. We discuss them in this order: Kelly's first set, Ross's first set, Ross's second set, Kelly's second set, and Nick's set. Nick also recorded a cover of the X-Men theme song: While X-Men discussion dominates most of this podcast, we also talk about mangoes, oranges, kumquats, and Kelly's custom bookcase. Next: A new era begins with Gordon Shumway! It's ALF s1 e1 and ALF s1 e2.

A double dose of Jared Catherine continues from yesterday's Gello Shots podcast! Jared joins Nick Marino to share the behind-the-scene goods about their Super Haters webcomics collaboration, Mr. Magnifico Unchained! Open the image in a new tab to read Jared's naughty refrigerator poetry. Jared chats about the difference between his more detailed writing style (as seen in Incrediman Comix) versus Nick's super-succinct style used in the script for this story. That conversation evolves into a discussion about Jared's artistic process and how his colored pages ended up being black and white in the final version. Jared and Nick also dish about some of the hidden jokes in their tale that you can only see by reading a hi-res version (like the one here on deviantART). And Nick shares about his favorite step in the process of creating a Super Haters story -- tweaking the character dialogue to be tighter and funnier once the art is complete. Don't forget to listen to Jared on Nick's favorite podcast, Comic Book Pitt. UPDATE: Jared's posted all of his process art for this story, from character sketches all the way to the colors (that eventually became gray tones!).

A double-dose of Jared Catherine begins! The cartoonist behind Incrediman Comix and co-host of the Comic Book Pitt podcast joins Shawn Atkins to talk about comics, art, and life. The guys share funny stories about their shitty restaurant jobs, Jared explains his last name (KA-THUR-EEN, not KATH-RIN!), and Shawn complains about OBGYN visits. Jared and Shawn also discuss their Santoro Con 2 experience at Copacetic Comics in Pittsburgh where shop owner Bill Boichel talked about romance comics. NAMES GET DROPPED! COMICS GET CONVERSED! Then Shawn spins the tale of how Gello Apocalypse evolved out of his art school rebellion. And Jared reminisces about how he struggled with painting in college, and how that led him down a circular path to film and eventually creating comics (which he wanted to do in the first place). ALSO: Young artists with mad skills! Jared digs Jason! And be back tomorrow for more Jared Catherine as he talks about his new Super Haters story on Destruct-O-Cast #21!

Neal's on a spirit quest at Lake Las Vegas! What's he doing there? How is he striving for enlightenment? And what deep spiritual answers does he seek? Meanwhile, Nick watched the movie White Dog, an odd 80s parable about a wannabe Hollywood actress, her racist dog, and the dog trainer that's determined to reverse the dog's hateful training. Finally, a miracle happens -- Neal and Nick agree on something! They both enjoyed the movie Safety Not Guaranteed, a mumblecore sci-fi dramedy about blossoming romance and the prospect of time travel.

After Nick Marino shares his love for the kickass-super-fantastic webcomic Goblyn by Smars, it's time for the penultimate EXTREME session with X-Men: The Animated Series episodes #73-74 (s5 e11 & e13 on Netflix). BEHOLD! Screencaps by Ross and screencaps by Nick. BEHOLD SOME MORE! Kelly Thompson's The Girl Who Would Be King is now on TV Tropes! Then... drinking and doing drugs! Why has Ross Campbell never gotten drunk or high? Why did Nick quit drinking and smoking? Is going to the bar making Kelly's life better? And can an altered state of mind forever change an artist's expression? Next: This is it! The final two episodes of X-Men: The Animated Series -- #75-76 (s5 e12 & e14 on Netflix)!!!

Michelle and Heather Nunnelly start off by discussing the lack of pages that'll be posted for the next VACANT update. Then they briefly mention MoCCA Fest and how there will be no VACANT Bits podcast on April 8th because they'll be tabling there all weekend selling their comic goods! Then they talk about freelance woes and hardships. Some advice is given on how to approach an artist you want to work with without looking unprofessional.