The Geek Awakens Podcast

Artist Alley Spotlight: Caleb Palmquist

Caleb Palmquist is the creator of "Unicorn Vampire Hunter," which is on Kickstarter now. The book has as much heart as it does vampires. Mitch talks with Caleb about "Unicorn Vampire Hunter" as well as some of his other projects, his comics background and more.
Check out the Kickstarter here!
Follow us!

Episode 168: No Dog In That Fight

Mitch only has one phrase when he doesn't have an opinion about something...
 
This week's Trailer Takedown features "Beanie Bubble," "Dumb Money," "Squid Game 2" and "3 Body Problem." Later on in Gut Reaction, the gang talks about "Star Trek: Prodigy" getting canned, "Harry Potter: Magic Awakened" being released, Rep. Robert Garcia trying to help comic creators and more!
 
The Pull List
"Nuking Alaska" (Graphic Mundi) by Peter Dunlap-Shohl
 
Follow us!

Artist Alley Spotlight: Scott A. Ford

Hologram Hunter is a new graphic novel by Scott A. Ford about a protagonist and his robotic cat as they try to take on creatures killing any organic life in the city. The book also stands out because it is presented in 2D and 3D.
 
Scott and Mitch discuss more about the book as well as some of his other works, his creative process and more.
 
Follow us!

Episode 167: And We’re Back

"The Flash" stumbles and "Elemental" flames out. But we're finally back with an all-new episode!
In Trailer Takedown, "Kraven The Hunter," "Justice League: Warworld," "Nimona" and "One Piece" battle it out for trailer supremacy. Then, in Gut Reaction, we discuss the newest issue of "Nightwing," "Star Wars Outlaws," the right and wrong way to handle fan backlash and much more!
The Pull List:
"Xino" (Oni Press) (anthology)
"Trident of Aurelia" (Battle Quest Comics) by Lee Moyer
"Why I Adopted My Husband" (Tokyopop) by Yuta Yagi
"LSBN" (Silver Sprocket) by Emma Jayne
"Parallel" (Oni Press) by Matthias Lehmann
"Queen of Swords" (Vault) by Michael Moreci and Corin Howell
Follow us!

Comic Sans Drinks: Nimona

Mitch and Matt are back with another episode of Comic Sans Drinks. To help celebrate Pride, we pair ND Stevenson's "Nimona" with a Shark Bite. Why? You'll have to listen to the podcast to find out.
Drink it:
1 fl oz simple syrup
3/4 fl oz spiced rum
3/4 fl oz light rum
1/2 fl oz Blue Curacao
1/2 fl oz lime juice
3 drops (or more -- feel free to go crazy) grenadine
Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Add all ingredients but grenadine and shake like a Polaroid picture for 10-15 seconds. Strain cocktail over ice in glass. Add drops of grenadine. Do NOT add Swedish Fish as a garnish.
 
Read it:
The title character in "Nimona," by ND Stevenson, is a shapeshifter who wants to work for the evil(?) Ballister Blackheart. He wants to destroy the Institution, which rules their land, but he must go through his former friend Ambrosius Goldenloin. Blackheart has a plan, but Nimona add her own special ingredient: chaos.
 
The webcomic-turned-graphic novel won an Eisner Award, as well as a Cybils Award and a Cartoonist Studio Prize. The Netflix adaptation of "Nimona" hits the streaming service on June 30, 2023.
 
Follow us!

Artist Alley Spotlight: Kylar Merrell

Kylar Merrell is a comic book writer, letterer and founder of Foreign Press Comics. He joins Mitch to talk about "Comics from the Kitchen," which is currently on Zoop, a crowdfunding site specifically for indie comics.
Check out the campaign here: https://zoop.gg/c/comicsfromthekitchen
Follow us!

Comic Sans Drinks -- Green Lantern: Rebirth

It's the first episode of our spin-off podcast! Join Matt and Mitch as we pair some of our favorite comic books with a drink (alcoholic or otherwise) that matches the theme of the comic.
First up, we have "Green Lantern: Rebirth," the 2004 mini-series written by Geoff Johns. While we break down the comic, we sip on a cocktail ALSO called Green Lantern.
What you'll need:
2 oz tequila
2 oz orange juice
2 oz pineapple juice
Splash of blue curacao
How to make it:
Fill a rocks glass with ice, and add the tequila, pineapple juice and orange juice. Top with blue curacao.
 
Have an idea on what we should read or drink next? Let us know!

Artist Alley Spotlight: Depths

"Depths" is a graphic novel on Kickstarter about an engineer trapped underwater for years and his best friend who will do anything to find him. Mitch is joined by Wells Thompson and Dalton K Shannon, the writing team behind this story about grief, guilt and survival. But we also talk about, among other things, their dream collaborators and what opinions Wells has on pasta.
 
Follow us!