The Incomparable

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A weekly show about geeky cultural topics in numerous media, including books, movies, TV, comics, and games. Jason Snell talks with a rotating panel of regular guests including John Siracusa, Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, Serenity Caldwell, and Scott McNulty. Hosted by Jason Snell.

The Latest The Incomparable Episodes

#49: It's Like "Working Girl" With Monsters

August 1, 2011 at 3:00pm • 59 minutes

Old men with balloons! Wisecracking monsters! Superheroes with mid-life crises! The films of Pixar are in our sights this week. Join us as we pick our favorite films and explore why Pixar’s movies are better than those from other animation studios. (Part 1 of 2.)

Special guests: John Siracusa & Steve Lutz

#48: Can I Get Some Extra Dragons on That, Please?

July 11, 2011 at 4:00pm • 1 hour 12 minutes

From the Wall in the north (behind which lurk the fearsome White Walkers) to across the Narrow Sea (which is sort of dull), the first season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” has everything the George R. R. Martin book has, with perhaps more attractive naked people having sex in front of you. Also: Uncomfortable chairs.

Special guests: Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty, Serenity Caldwell, and Monty Ashley

#47: Death Star University

July 1, 2011 at 11:00am • 1 hour 4 minutes

Continuing our discussion of “Star Wars,” the original film. We praise the jump to hyperspace, explain why TIE fighter pilots wear black, ponder how Han and Leia somehow turn up in an Aaron Sorkin scene, reveal why there is no Space OSHA, comment on Ben Kenobi’s old man slippers and incomparable pseudonym, and expose the rebellion so rich it can have its own university and mint its own medals. (Part 2 of 2.)

Special guests: Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty, and Greg Knauss

#46: I Like My Coffee Like My Evil Sith Lords

June 25, 2011 at 2:00pm • 59 minutes

“Star Wars,” the original film, is finally in our crosshairs, and if we can bulls-eye a Womp Rat we can take on this classic sci-fi film. We talk about our first memories of Star Wars, pretend the prequels didn’t happen, give Cantina drink-ordering tips, and marvel at Darth Vader’s coffee-drinking habits. (Part 1 of 2.)

Special guests: Dan Moren, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty, and Greg Knauss

#45: Lesbian, Silurian, Victorian

June 19, 2011 at 2:00pm • 1 hour 4 minutes

Pour yourself a White Mickey and listen to our discussion of the first half of “Doctor Who’s” split season. We discuss “The Rebel Flesh,” “A Good Man Goes to War,” and the season as a whole. Or half? We also debate the merits of Lesbian Victorian Silurians and Auton Roman Centurions.

Special guests: Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa, Scott McNulty, and Serenity Caldwell

#44: Emperor Aquaman

June 12, 2011 at 2:00pm • 57 minutes

DC decides to stick a fork in continuity and reboot its universe. Publicity stunt, bold creative move, or both? Andy Ihnatko joins Lisa, Jason, and the good Jason to discuss this latest attempt to save the comics industry.

Special guest: Andy Ihnatko

#43: Mulder and Pacey in "The F-Files"

June 7, 2011 at 2:00pm • 1 hour 2 minutes

Everybody’s got an adorable parallel-universe nickname — The Walternate! Flauxlivia! Pacey! — on the always unpredictable Fox sci-fi show Fringe. Sure, it’s no Lost (nor X-Files, nor “Enemy Within”) but it’s got its charms, including high-speed pregnancy, Leonard Nimoy impressions and cast members from “The Wire” not being given enough interesting things to do.

Special guests: Dan Moren & John Siracusa

#42: 42

May 30, 2011 at 2:00pm • 1 hour 6 minutes

Do you know where your towel is? Are you a hoopy frood? Have you just consumed your fifth Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster? We have. And you’d better catch up. In honor of our 42nd podcast and the recent Towel Day, The Incomparable celebrates the life and work of Douglas Adams. We feature our special guest, Yoz Grahame, who worked for Adams’ The Digital Village, the producers of Web sites such as h2g2.com (a precursor to Wikipedia of sorts).

Special guests: Glenn Fleishman, Greg Knauss, and Steve Lutz

#41: ...But Your Kids Are Gonna Love It

May 22, 2011 at 2:00pm • 1 hour 14 minutes

Turn on your flux capacitors, calculate how many “jigabytes” your hard drive contrains, and prepare for our deconstruction of the “Back to the Future” movie series. Which film reigns supreme? Plus, we talk about other time-travel movies we love. This episode recorded entirely live in a tiny, enclosed space.

Special guests: Dan Moren, Serenity Caldwell, Lex Friedman, and Dan Frakes

#40: An Ending Ten Years in the Making

May 17, 2011 at 2:00pm • 52 minutes

After long delays, our Comic Book Club discusses Warren Ellis and John Cassaday’s “Planetary,” which is only fitting given that the 27-issue series took 10 years to be released. We also talk about how hard it is to write a satisfying ending to any fictional work.

Special guest: Lisa Schmeiser

#39: Bigger on the Inside

May 15, 2011 at 2:00pm • 32 minutes

Neil Gaiman breathes life into the TARDIS in this week’s “Doctor Who” episode, “The Doctor’s Wife.” We discuss what we liked about this much-hyped episode, as well as detailing how Rory dies this week.

Special guests: Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, and Scott McNulty

#38: Curse of the Bad Plot

May 7, 2011 at 2:00pm • 24 minutes

Flash discussion of Doctor Who’s “Curse of the Black Spot.” We try to give it CPR, but we do it wrong and the patient dies. Or, no, wait! It came back to life! Hooray! Unrelated: why Rory is like Kenny from “South Park.”

Special guests: Dan Moren & Serenity Caldwell

#37: Shadow War of the Night Dragons

May 9, 2011 at 2:00pm • 1 hour 3 minutes

Our Book Club discusses the works of sci-fi writer John Scalzi, including “Old Man’s War.” We also talk about “The Forever War” and many other books. We play the “new author remakes classic novel” game we just invented. Find out why Dan says “Ce Podcast est Fini!” And stay after the end to learn Jason’s secret plan to create a terrible sci-fi trilogy.

Special guests: Dan Moren & Scott McNulty

#36: Impossible Astronauts

May 2, 2011 at 2:00pm • 31 minutes

Flash! A discussion about the first two episodes of this season of “Doctor Who,” “The Impossible Astronaut” and “Day of the Moon.” Who is in that spacesuit? Who is the little girl? Are the Silence just lazy? We speculate wildly.

Special guests: Dan Moren, Glenn Fleishman, John Siracusa, and Serenity Caldwell

#35: The Only Way to Win the Game of Thrones is Not to Play

May 1, 2011 at 2:00pm • 1 hour 5 minutes

Everybody wants to rule the world, er, kingdom of Westeros. As the “Game of Thrones” series continues on HBO, we discuss the source material: George R.R. Martin’s bestselling “Song of Ice and Fire” books. If you haven’t read the books, you will be spoiled! We’ll post the climactic resolution of this podcast in about five years, so invest your time wisely.

Special guests: Dan Moren, Scott McNulty, and Serenity Caldwell

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