What characters were rip-offs of others? Are comics and pro wrestling actually tied together? Is the story from the comic better than the story in the movie? Just what the heck was happening in comics in the 90’s?

These are some questions any reasonable human being who contributes a portion of their weekly salary to the funny books may ask. The Flickcast alumni Jonathan ‘Wally’ Weilbaecher and I join forces with Golden Apple Comics in Los Angeles to answer these and more.

With regulars Joe Slepski of The Joe on Joe podcast, Pablo Romero-Estevez and Alan ‘Sizzler’ Kistler of Crazy Sexy Geeks and some guests like Lucha Underground’s Joey Ryan and The Flickcast co-founder Matt Raub, we haven’t come to many conclusions but we have had a ton of fun arguing our way there.

By now all the fanboys, fangirls and fanpersons have seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens with just my fellow ambivalents and dilettantes left checking the matinee prices and hoping the theatre sells beer. Although I have probably seen OG Star Wars at least 50 times, I never bothered to watch the prequel trilogy. Not interested.

I was also pretty meh about The Force Awakens, until I saw a preview, had my “Oh shit” moment and realized this was the true and honest SEQUEL to Jedi we’ve been waiting for. Suddenly, I cared.

Still, I’m just a Star Wars fan, not a Star Wars FAN. I couldn’t tell you the name of the cantina from A New Hope, or the names of any planets besides Endor, Tatooine and Alderaan. But I’m a child of the 70’s and 80’s so Star Wars is part of my canon. Unlike FANS, though, it’s not part of my blood.

With that in mind, I give you the dilettante’s guide to The Force Awakens (complete with some potential spoilers, so beware).

You’ve waited and you’ve waited. Now, it’s finally here. A new episode of The Flickcast! But wait, that’s not all. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is also here!

As promised, Chris and Joe get neck deep into the new Star Wars movie and talk about it for pretty much the entire show. And yes, they do discuss some spoilers, so beware.

They also talk about a couple other things. But for the most part, this episode is all Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars!

Picks this week are again unanimous: Star Wars: The Force Awakens! Did you expect anything else?

As always, if you have comments, questions, critiques, offers of sponsorship, or whatever, feel free to hit us up in the comments, on Twitter, at Facebook, Google+ or via email.

May the Force Be With You.

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It’s Friday again (well, Saturday if you’re being technical) and time for a new episode of The Flickcast. Sadly, this isn’t an episode devoted entirely to the new Star Wars movie. That will have to wait until next week.

It is, however, a damn fine episode. Here’s what you can expect from it: Star Trek: Beyond!, X-Men: Apocalypse!, Independence Day: Resurgence!, Mr. Robot Season Two! And a whole lot more! Don’t worry, we’ll stop using exclamation points now . . .until next time.

Picks this week include Chris’ pick of the Showtime Documentary The Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs and Joe’s pick of the Syfy Channel mini-series Childhood’s End, based on the classic novel by Arthur C. Clarke. But if you don’t want spoilers, might want to wait to click on that link after you’ve watched.

As always, if you have comments, questions, critiques, offers of sponsorship, or whatever, feel free to hit us up in the comments, on Twitter, at Facebook, Google+ or via email.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS

That’s right folks, it’s that time. Time for the brand new teaser for the trailer for the next Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens. And at only about 88 seconds, quite a tease it is.

In it you do get a few glimpses of some of the new faces coming up in the new movie. You also get to revisit some old friends (at least one) in the form of the ever-reliable Millennium Falcon.

You know the ship. It made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs. That is, if you believe a certain scoundrel’s account of past events.

At any rate, it’s here and it’s after the break. And yes, we kinda dig it and yes we’re pretty darn excited for the movie. But really, who isn’t?

Hot on the heels of Comic-Con comes the next unboxing in the Loot Crate Wars series. For July and August, the guys at Loot Crate have created a two part crate. First, July kicked things off with Villains as its theme which started with an awesome super foe themed trailer on Loot Crate’s own YouTube channel. In it is some of the baddest of the bad as you’ll see in the unboxing video below.

Most notable of the Crate (while still trying to keep the article spoiler-free-ish) is a special variant comic for a number one that just came out from Marvel. Loot Crate’s subscriber base has gotten so big that just by putting it in the July crate, they literally doubled the preorders of the book.

Even though we still have to wait a bit for new Star Wars movies to come out, that doesn’t mean we won’t get any great Star Wars stories in the meantime. Case in point today is Matt Kindt’s Star Wars: Rebel Heist from Dark Horse comics.

Here’s the deal:

A young Rebel meets one of the Alliance’s best for his first mission. But the young man’s hero worship is crushed by the reality of Han Solo. A botched escape, a ship that doesn’t work—could it be that Solo is just a lucky bumbler whose luck has run out?

Probably not. He seems pretty resourceful. Still, better read the new series just to make sure.

Check out the preview after the break. Look for Star Wars: Rebel Heist in comic shops on April 30.

It pretty much goes without saying that Star Wars, and all its many incarnations, are cultural icons of great significance. But, we’ll say it anyway. Why not?

It also pretty much goes without saying that Star Wars is hugely popular entertainment that have captivated audiences all around the world. Live action movies, toys, animation and more.

But it’s animation we’re talking about today with a preview of the upcoming Netflix exclusive series Star Wars: Clone Wars Lost Missions. Here’s more:

In these eagerly anticipated episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, some of the deepest mysteries of the conflict between the light and the dark sides of the Force are revealed. An intrepid clone trooper discovers a shocking secret; Anakin Skywalker’s closest relationship is tested to its limits and what Master Yoda discovers while investigating the disappearance of a Jedi could forever change the balance of power in the galaxy

Check out the preview after the break. Look for Star Wars: The Clone Wars Lost Missions to arrive on March 7.

Much as it did with The Killing and Arrested Development, Netflix has decided to give a cancelled series a new lease on life. Well, for at least one more season anyway. That series? Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

That’s right, the streaming service will unleash a 13-episode sixth season of the animated series next month. The season will be called Titled The Lost Missions which promises to reveal “some of the deepest mysteries of the conflict between the light and the dark sides of the Force leading to a series finale.”

“An intrepid clone trooper discovers a shocking secret, Anakin Skywalker’s closest relationship is tested to its limits, and what Master Yoda discovers while investigating the disappearance of a Jedi could forever change the balance of power in the galaxy.”

Sounds good, right? We really hope this is a success because then it could open up other opportunities for canceled series that didn’t get a proper send off.

Firefly anyone? Let’s make it happen Netflix.

Look for Star Wars: The Clone Wars to debut in March 7.

J.J. Abrams was supposed to talk to the press to promote his new NBC series Believe, but we couldn’t resist asking him questions about some of his other projects…such as Star Wars VII. Getting any good responses out of him isn’t easy as we all remember with the secrecy regarding the last Star Trek move. Mr. Abrams is a master of obfuscation, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t try.

QUESTION: Where are you on the Star Wars script? Is it done?

J.J. ABRAMS: Yeah. We’re working really hard. We’ve got our script and we’re in deep prep. We’re full steam ahead. We’re working real hard on it and it’s quite a thrill.

Q: What are some of the craziest rumors you’ve heard?

ABRAMS: God, there have been so many of them. Honestly, I don’t know. It’s amazing to see how many there are. It’s really remarkable. But it’s sweet because it shows that there’s an interest in this movie that we all obviously know is there. It is an incredible thing to see how many crazy things get thrown out that people then often write commentaries about how happy they are or how disappointed they are about something that’s completely false. But it’s a lot of noise, frankly.

I recently wrote about Loot Crate, the company that is supplying geeks and gamers with a box of swag every month. To find out first hand whether the subscription service lives up to the hype, I got the July crate to review.

Part of the fun of the crate is definitely the mystery. I was nearly giddy with excitement when opening it, like a kid on Christmas morning. The first thing I saw upon unboxing was Star Wars earbuds. Immediately I knew I was in for a good haul. Next came a Thor Pez dispenser and then a Sonic the Hedgehog air freshener, which has a pleasing floral scent to it.

As I progressed, the crate’s theme became clear. Whether to coincide with Geek Week on YouTube (August 4-11) or VidCon 2013 (August 1-3) or because popular web series Video Game High School (VGHS) began its second season on July 26th, this crate was perfectly themed around VGHS. Included was the entire first season of the show on DVD and a set of buttons portraying the different schools (e.g. Adventure and Discovery or Speed and Control).

Just when it looked like bacon of the month club was the best subscription ever, along comes Loot Crate. Providing geeks, gamers, and anyone in between with a box of swag every month, the company is creating a community and feeding everyone’s inner collector.

Founded by Chris Davis and Matt Arevalo, Loot Crate gives Looters, as subscribers are affectionately called, a box of 6-8 items with an approximate total value of $30. By partnering directly with brands such as Marvel, DC Entertainment, Funko, Star Wars, and Nintendo, Loot Crate is able to offer authentic gear and goods.

The contents of the crate cover a wide range, everything from a Live Long and Prosper button and zombie stickers to a Star Wars Pop! Vinyl Bobble Head and Street Fighter Mini Series Blind Box. Some of the most beloved items of past crates include the TARDIS Prime shirt (featuring the Doctor’s blue box transforming into Optimus Prime) and the Space Invaders bow tie.

Not everything has been a hit but even the less popular items (bacon lip balm, for example) still delight Looters. “We would never put anything in there that we think would not resonate well with the vast majority of our community and our subscribers,” Arevalo said in an interview at San Diego Comic-Con.