A Special Presentation 322: A Comet in Moominland

It's the holiday season, so it's Rankin Bass time! Rankin Bass made SO MANY holiday specials that were all sort of stealth Christmas specials. They still hold up, especially Jack Frost -- which is fun and also has everyone's favorite asshole Kubla Kraus the Cossack King!

A comet is threatening Moominland in this animated adaptation of the beloved Moomin comics by Finnish cartoonist Tove Marika Jansson. Moomin and his pals go to an observatory to get some info about a comet that's going to kill them all. Meanwhile, a philosopher takes up residence in the Moomin household. It's all very cute.

That's right, we're going to tell you about Homestuck and YOU'RE GONNA LISTEN. Mike seems to have stepped out for cigarettes and we hope to see him again soon, but until then, Tom from Flash In The Pan and “Jernacious” Jerna Van Vooren have returned to tell us all about the incredible and slightly baffling Homestuck pilot from the visionaries who brought you Hotel Of A Hell! Find out just how traumatic it can be for a kid to be home alone and how much that explains about Generation X. See more of Tom at:Flash in the Pan’s website and Flash in the Pan’s PatreonSee more of Jerna at:Jerna’s itchio andJerna’s BlueSky And read Ethan’s book “Joy Traveler” for free here: Joy Traveler at Bogleech.com

This week, we look at the forgotten 1994 action flick The Shadow and find a surprisingly fun little romp, studded with absolute stars like Alec Baldwin, Penelope Ann Miller, Tim Curry, a young Ian McKellen, John Ione, Sab Shimono, Koop, Neelix, Bob the guardian angel, Willie Tanner, and so many more! Thrills! Chills! Spills! They're all here! We like it!

It's the Fabulous Funnies -- a 1970s cartoon that adapts Alley Oop, the Katzenjammer Kids, and other beloved comics of the last century into the most boring, didactic series you've ever seen. The kids will love it, I guess. It notably does NOT include Tumbleweeds. Hmm.

It's the Fabulous Funnies -- a 1970s cartoon that adapts Alley Oop, the Katzenjammer Kids, and other beloved comics of the last century into the most boring, didactic series you've ever seen. The kids will love it, I guess. It notably does NOT include Tumbleweeds. Hmm.

Fattyatomicmutant joins us to talk about Beakman's World, the COOL kids' science show in the late 90s that gave kids an alternative to stodgy old Mr. Wizard and Bill "hello fellow young people" Nye. Did you know that it was actually based on a comic strip? Yup, it's based on You Can with Beakman and Jax! Jax was not included in the TV series.

By now you've surely heard that, sadly, this is the last year Halloween will be legal in America. They can't stop us from tricking and/or treating! Join Mike and Ethan and our Halloween havoc-wreakers, Fattyatomicmutant, Rocketshark, DMXI and Glumdrop, as we gather around the TV in a candy-addled stupor to yell back at the screen. This year we've got Spooky Boos & Room Noodles, The Great Bear Scare, SPOOKS with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special, "It's Hip To Be Fit" with the Original Pumpkin Patch Pals, and The Dancing Pumpkin.ANY QUESTIONS???

Steph Cherrywell, author of Unboxing Libby and The Ink Witch, joins us to talk about Wednesday, the rather Monster High-esque new Addams Family iteration. Jenna Ortega is finding her niche in a world with four different kinds of monsters and also whatever the hell the Addamses are supposed to be this time round.

Longtime friend of the pod Mike Westfall of Advent Calendar House has returned, and so have the comic strip-themed commercials! Mike, Mike, and Ethan get to wax nostalgic and share personal stories about their favorite comic strips and the products they advertised; Snoopy is certainly here, but you'll also see Popeye, Garfield, Annie, Andy Capp, and even Ziggy?? Hope you like Zingers!