The Incomparable

The Incomparable 141: Tony Stark Wants the Credit

Jason Snell — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:00:00 GMT

Put on your high-tech suit of armor and join us for our discussion of "Iron Man 3." We talk about Tony's post-traumatic stress, his problematic relationship with technology, and his questionable choice to use remote armor to give a present to his girlfriend. We also discuss the pros and cons of the first two Iron Man movies, analyze how this film fits in as a post-"Avengers" story, and appreciate Tony's MacGyver moment.

The Incomparable 140: The Sublime Magicks of Exposition

Jason Snell — Sun, 12 May 2013 06:00:00 GMT

No more mutants! We discuss the 2005 Marvel Comics miniseries "House of M," in which writer Brian Michael Bendis gets to show off his love of meetings, Doctor Strange, and meetings chaired by Doctor Strange! Also, there's a crazy "What If?" style parallel universe, approximately a billion spin-offs, and in the cruelest twist, Peter Parker is briefly allowed to be happy. And finally there's a shocking finale that set the tone for mutant storylines up to the present day. Listen before the Scarlet Witch wishes this podcast out of existence!

Links for this episode:

"House of M" on Amazon

"House of M" on Comixology

Marvel Wiki: House of M

Wikipedia: House of M

The Incomparable 139: Flying Horse Angel People

Jason Snell — Sat, 04 May 2013 13:45:00 GMT

We delve into the children's literary classic "A Wrinkle In Time," by Madeline L'Engle, as well as its recent graphic-novel adaptation by Hope Larson. Why is there a brain on that table? What are the pros and cons of cooking dinner on a Bunsen burner for the average Super-Cool Science Family? Come for the Cold War allegories about communism, stay to talk religion with a bunch of nerds!

Links for this episode:

"A Wrinkle in Time" (the original novel)

"A Wrinkle in Time" (Hope Larsen graphic novel)

"When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead

Published in 2010, this book is heavily influenced by "A Wrinkle in Time" and also won the Newberry.

Time Quartet (Wikipedia)

Video: "A Wrinkle in Time" in 90 seconds

Profiles: The Storyteller (The New Yorker)

A lengthy profile of L'Engle from 2004.

The Power and the Allegory

A Bookforum essay on L'Engle and "A Wrinkle in Time."

This episode brought to you by libraries.

The Incomparable 138: All Hail the Lion! (D&D part 2)

Jason Snell — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Bonus episode! Here's the (warning: UNEDITED) result of our second Dungeons and Dragons session. After some dithering in the local vicinity, we venture out into the desert to meet glass spiders and some really unpleasant green guys.

Links for this episode:

YouTube video version of this episode

Incomparable #135: Part one of our D&D game

Image: Initial encounter

Image: The Spiders Attack

Image: More Spiders

Image: Shattered Spiders

Image: Second Encounter

Image: Carlos leaps into the fray

The Incomparable 137: Go Wash a Droid

Jason Snell — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 19:45:00 GMT

We conclude our discussion of "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace." We discuss the merits of podracing, debate who the Jedi's version of Fonzie is, and grapple with tricky euphemisms. Plus, is the final lightsaber duel cool or just over-choreographed? And why is there a hall full of forcefields, next to a room with no guard rails? Party on, Darth! (Part 2 of 2.)

Links for this episode:

The Incomparable #136 - We Waited 16 Years For This?

They said it couldn't be done! They said it shouldn't be done! But here we are, talking about "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace." Why are the Jedi such jerks? A little Jedi goes a long way. Also, the biggest letdown of John Siracusa's life to date, stupid droids, good actors being boring, text versus subtext, the merits of prequels in general, and why this is a movie that makes us dream... of a better movie. Exqueeze me?

The Incomparable 136: We Waited 16 Years For This?

Jason Snell — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:15:00 GMT

They said it couldn't be done! They said it shouldn't be done! But here we are, talking about "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace." Why are the Jedi such jerks? A little Jedi goes a long way. Also, the biggest letdown of John Siracusa's life to date, stupid droids, good actors being boring, text versus subtext, the merits of prequels in general, and why this is a movie that makes us dream... of a better movie. Exqueeze me? (Part 1 of 2.)

Links for this episode:

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

"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.

Episode #47: Death Star University

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.

Episode #67: Darth Vader's Office is Really Weird

Launch your probe droids and cut open your tauntaun! It's time for part one of our two-part discussion of "The Empire Strikes Back." Does Han Solo just want to be loved? Is Chewie sabotaging the Falcon on purpose? Why is snowy Hoth the setting? Why is Ben Kenobi a man of few words? Who's scruffy-lookin'? And what is the purpose for Darth Vader's clamshell office, anyway?

Episode #68: Jedi Weekend

Gather some bounty hunters and warm up the carbon freezer! It's time for the conclusion of our epic discussion of "The Empire Strikes Back." We dissect the evolution of the Han-Leia relationship, the truly playful nature of Yoda and the importance of Dagobah, Vader's agenda and his crunchy gloves, and Luke's continuing adventures with garbage.

Episode #88: Skywalker's Eleven

We tackle the last of the classic "Star Wars" trilogy, "Return of the Jedi." Why does Jabba the Hutt enjoy avant-garde wall hangings and '80s dance moves? Isn't it sad how Boba Fett goes out with a whimper? Are the alien languages in "Star Wars" too fake-sounding? And what's up with Leia's metal bikini?

Episode #89: Also Known as Endor

We wrap up our six-part series on the classic "Star Wars" movies with the climactic final half of "Return of the Jedi." We discuss how the Empire is ahead of the rebels every step of the way, question Luke's choice of forest camouflage, and explain why Ewoks are better unsubtitled. Also, how is Luke's journey to being a Jedi not like what you see in most action movies? Who is more heroic in the end, Luke or Vader? Why does the Emperor wait so long to show us his lightning fingers? Why are rebel ships equipped with fireworks? And is Endor the name of the moon, or the name of the planet the moon is orbiting, or both?

Episode #114: When You Wish Upon a Star Wars

Were we pranked, or did Disney really just buy Lucasfilm and announce a new Star Wars trilogy? We decided to just assume it's happening and record a live flash podcast about this unexpected turn of events.

The Incomparable 135: Total Party Kill

Jason Snell — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 05:30:00 GMT

Get out your 20-sided dice and join us in a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Scott McNulty is our DM. Jason, Ren, Dan, Steve, and Tony are our party. Things don't go well.

Links for this episode:

The Incomparable Plays D&D (Video)

The undedited Google Hangout version of our episode.

A map of our dungeon

The Incomparable 134: Obligatory Cannibalism

Jason Snell — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 17:15:00 GMT

Load your shotgun and gather your platonic apocalypse friends around you! It's time for us to discuss two books about the end of the world, Peter Heller's "The Dog Stars" and Cormac McCarthy's "The Road." Do names matter when the world has ended? We also revisit John Siracusa's doomsday plans (a moat is involved), Lex offers a depressing death plan, Jason extolls the virtue of dirty apocalypses, and Scott laughs it up from his apartment full of canned food.

Links for this episode:

"The Dog Stars" by Peter Heller

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

The Incomparable #82: Apocalypse Book Club

Our previous apocalyptic book club.

The Flop House podcast

Accidentally brought to you by Food in Jars, for all your doomsday food-preparation needs.

The Incomparable 133: Incomparable Radio Theater of the Air

Jason Snell — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

How much do we love old-time radio dramas and full-cast audioplays? This much.

Links for this episode:

Our beloved author

Enhanced AAC podcast version

Get "DVD bonus track" commentary in the After Dark

The Incomparable 132: Kind of Like a Dinosaur

Jason Snell — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 18:45:00 GMT

Don't make us angry... you wouldn't like us when we're angry. Our Comic Book Club talks all things Hulk. We begin with a discussion of two She-Hulk series, by John Byrne and Dan Slott, and then move to talk about Proper Hulk, Gray Hulk, Red Hulk, Planet Hulk, Ruffalo Hulk, and more! Plus: What are we reading? (Jason gets really excited about "Hawkeye," who is not a Hulk.) And, other than being green, how is the Hulk like parsley? Channel your inner rage and listen to this episode.

Links for this episode:

Sensational She-Hulk (Byrne)

She-Hulk: Single Green Female

Planet Hulk

Hawkeye Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon

Avengers: Avengers World Vol. 1

Ultimate Comics Ultimates Vol. 1

The Incomparable 131: Professor Siracusa's Anime 101

Jason Snell — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 17:00:00 GMT

John Siracusa assigns us two animated films from director Satoshi Kon, "Perfect Blue" and "Millennium Actress." Then we watch them! Featuring: What to look for in Anime tropes, blurring of reality and fantasy, when animation is better than live action, and the lovingly rendered start-up sequence of a Macintosh Performa.

Links for this episode:

"Perfect Blue" DVD

"Perfect Blue" (IMDB)

"Perfect Blue" (Wikipedia)

"Millennium Actress" DVD

"Millennium Actress" (IMDB)

"Millennium Actress" (Wikipedia)

Satoshi Kon (Wikipedia)

The Incomparable 130: And the Children Shall Lead (Star Trek TOS, part 2)

Jason Snell — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 17:45:00 GMT

Disconnect the intelligent computer that runs your entire planetary society, because it's time for the second half of our discussion of the original "Star Trek." What do today's kids think of this nearly 50-year-old show? We ponder the gender politics of splitting Captain Kirk (and a little dog in a weird costume) into good and evil halves. And what about the low standards of the Enterprise's Engineering department? Please listen: It will only take 71 of your Earth minutes! (Part 2 of 2.)

Links for this episode:

Star Trek: TOS Blu-Rays on Amazon

Nichelle Nichols and Barack Obama

John Hodgman at Washington Correspondents Dinner

The Incomparable 129: Prescription Salad (Star Trek TOS, part 1)

Jason Snell — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 21:30:00 GMT

Lay in a course and set your phaser to stun! We discuss our favorite (and least favorite) episodes of the original "Star Trek" series. Was Dr. McCoy promoting vegetarianism? Why did Spock have such a lovely collection of hats? What does Bob Barker have to do with the Guardian of Forever? Join us as we boldly go where so many have gone before. (Part 1 of 2.)

Links for this episode:

Mission Log - Episode-by-episode Star Trek podcast

Star Trek: TOS blu-rays on Amazon

The Incomparable 128: Bureaucracy Is Her Superpower

Jason Snell — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Cut off your thumb and send it to a friend just to see what grows! In this episode of our Book Club, we talk about Daniel O'Malley's modern supernatural fantasy novel, "The Rook." (We liked it a lot!) It's sort of about a supernatural version of Britain's MI-5, written by an American-educated Australian civil servant. Also: What are Scott, Dan, and Jason reading?

Links for this episode:

"The Rook" by Daniel O'Malley

"The Hall of Nearly Great"

"The Dog Stars" by Peter Heller

"Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier" by Myke Cole

The Incomparable 127: Walking and Talking

Jason Snell — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 17:30:00 GMT

We convened on the Macworld Live stage at Macworld/iWorld 2013 to discuss the works of Aaron Sorkin. From "The West Wing" to "Sports Night," "The American President" to "The Social Network," it's all here.

The Incomparable 126: A Dark, Dark Narnia

Jason Snell — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 16:00:00 GMT

Get out your magical key ring and prepare for our discussion of "Locke and Key" by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez. It's a dark fantasy/horror comic with some touches of Stephen King, fitting since Joe Hill is Stephen King's kid! It's also really good. We drop some mild spoilers for Vol. 1, "Welcome to Lovecraft," which you should go buy right now. Plus: What comics are we reading?

Links for this episode:

Locke and Key, Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft (Amazon)

The Incomparable 125: Kiss the Elf

Jason Snell — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 17:00:00 GMT

Our fellowship is sundered, as we wrap up our look at the "Lord of the Rings" movies with a discussion of our favorite (and some least-favorite) performances. Also, is Yoda better than Gollum? Who likes Orcs, anyway? Why does Liv Tyler make Jason want to go to the bathroom? And there are many, many endings. (Part 2 of 2.)

The Incomparable 124: Hobbit Hanukkah

Jason Snell — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 18:00:00 GMT

It's a two-part podcast about a three-part movie series spread across six discs based on a novel divided into three parts! We tackle Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, from its epic length to the perils of adapting such rich source material. Plus a spotter's guide to differentiating between Dwarfy, Elfy, Beardy, and Hobbits One through Four. And Glenn proves that he knows Elvish. The road goes ever on, and on, and on... (Part 1 of 2.)

Links for this episode:

Stephen Colbert and Neil Gaiman

Colbert Grills Peter Jackson

Colbert straightens out congress on Lord of the Rings

Penny Arcade - I Hope You Like Text

"The Hobbit" (1977 film)

Frodo of the Nine Fingers

"The Return of the King" (1980 film)

The Incomparable 123: Ski Lodge Pick

Jason Snell — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 21:00:00 GMT

Insert a quarter and settle back to listen to us discuss the Oscar-nominated animated feature "Wreck-It Ralph," which is inspired by classic video games. If you make it past the first level, you'll also hear us discuss some of the video games our collection of elderly gentleman played when they were children back in the '70s and '80s. If you don't make it that far, keep trying--the change machine's right over there.

Links for this episode:

3D Dot Game Heroes

Sega Naomi

Ninja Kid 2

What a Wonder is a Terrible Monitor

"Wreck-It Ralph" on IMDB

Pre-order "Wreck-It Ralph" from Amazon

"Wreck-It Ralph" soundtrack on Amazon

Side Arms Arcade

Side Arms

Star Wars

Atari Star Wars video

Lunar Rescue

Crystal Castles

The Incomparable 122: Recursive Clip Loop: Our 2012 Favorites

Jason Snell — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 05:00:00 GMT

We say goodbye to 2012 by listing our favorite stuff from the past year. We also recall our favorite podcast moments, read a whole bunch of listener comments, and celebrate the three brand-new words we popularized this year. (This is a new episode, though it does contain a few classic Incomparable clips from 2012--and beyond.)

Links for this episode:

"Journey" Collector's Edition

"Girls" - The Complete 1st Season

"The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

"The Rook" by Daniel O'Malley

"The Hydrogen Sonata" by Iain M. Banks

K.J. Parker - Amazon author page

"Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell

"Star Trek" - The Original Series

"Arrow" - The CW

"The Avengers"

"Scalped"

"Locke and Key"

"X-Treme X-Men"

"Safety Not Guaranteed"

"Moonrise Kingdom"

"A Wrinkle in Time" - The Graphic Novel

"Spy" on Hulu

"The Hour"

"Among Others" by Jo Walton

"Wreck-It Ralph"

"Sherlock" Season Two

"Tron: Uprising"

"Farthing" by Jo Walton

"Suicide Squad"

"Game of Thrones" Season Two

The Incomparable 121: Ice Mary Poppins

Jason Snell — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 05:30:00 GMT

A live "flash" episode recorded right after we watched the 2012 "Doctor Who" Christmas special, "The Snowmen." We welcome (back?) Jenna-Louise Coleman and discuss whether this new start for the Doctor has rekindled our enthusiasm for the show.

Links for this episode:

Incomparable #72 - Our 2011 Christmas Flashcast

Incomparable #18 - Our 2011 Christmas Flashcast

Incomparable #110 - Breaking down the recent "Doctor Who" season

The Incomparable 120: A Horse with a Hat

Jason Snell — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 18:30:00 GMT

Showing remarkable optimism, we gathered on the eve of the Mayan apocalypse to discuss movies we might see in 2013. In this episode, we discuss the trailers for much-anticipated films "Star Trek Into Darkness", "Man of Steel", "Pacific Rim", "Oblivion", "After Earth", "The Lone Ranger", and "Upstream Color." Also: Robot Thursdays, the merits of Star Trek punctuation, a Bolivian, Ethan Hunt versus the Fresh Prince, and traditional Kryptonian formalwear.

Links for this episode:

Shot by Shot Analysis of Star Trek Into Darkness Trailer

Trailer - "Star Trek Into Darkness"

Trailer - "Pacific Rim"

Trailer - "The Lone Ranger"

Trailer - "Oblivion"

Trailer - "After Earth"

Trailer - "Upstream Color"

Trailer - "Man of Steel"

"Primer" by Shane Carruth

The Incomparable 119: The Guilt-Trip Superhero

Jason Snell — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 20:00:00 GMT

With great power comes the responsibility to book great guests. And so when it came time to discuss "The Amazing Spider-Man" and Spidey in general, Jason turned to reknowned spider-fans Andy Ihnatko and Dan Benjamin. We discuss how the Spidey in the new movie is a different sort of guilt-trip superhero. Dan explains why you can't actually kill a spider. Andy previews his new comic book, The Indigestible Spider-Man. We touch on the changes in Ultimate Spider-Man and speculate about the soon-to-arrive Amazing Spider-Man #700. Jason sings two different Spidey theme songs and does his J. Jonah Jameson impression. This giant-sized episode is more Spidey than you can shake a web at.

Links for this episode:

Young Dan Benjamin with Spidey

"The Amazing Spider-Man" on Amazon

Marvel Adventures Spider-Man

Spider-Girl

"Spidey Super Stories" comic

Spider-Man on "The Electric Company" (YouTube)

Spider-Man (1967 series)

Spider-Man 1967 (streaming video)

"Japanese Spiderman" (streaming video)

"Ultimate Spider-Man" by Bendis and Bagley

The Incomparable 118: The Incomparable Holiday Vault 2

Jason Snell — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Trim the tree, wrap the presents, and watch out for the killer in your attic! It's time for us to place five new gems into the Incomparable Holiday Vault! We discuss some beloved holiday classics and offer a few surprise choices. This is a darker installment, as we uncover the racism in some holiday staples, and then Steve inducts a horror movie. And can a talk show really be a holiday special? You're gonna shoot your eye out with that thing!

Links for this episode:

"A Christmas Story" on TBS

"A Christmas Story" on Amazon

"A Christmas Story"

"Holiday Inn"

"Duck Soup"

Ihnatko Almanac #11: Occupy White Christmas

"Black Christmas"

Darlene Love "Christmas Baby" mash-up

Paul Shaffer as Cher's "O Holy Night"

"The Lion in Winter"

"The Lion in Winter" re-make with Patrick Stewart

"Xmas Story" - Futurama

"The Tick Loves Santa"

The Incomparable #71: The Holiday Movie Vault

The Incomparable #17: We're Going to Need Some More Christmas Movies, I Guess

"The Hebrew Hammer"

The Incomparable 117: Intergalactic FedEx

Jason Snell — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 23:30:00 GMT

We follow up on our previous episode to ask Serenity Caldwell how she uses her iPhone to read books (and discover her shocking method of scanning pages). Then there's a discussion of Lois McMaster Bujold's latest Vorkosigan novel, "Captain Vorpatril's Alliance." Finally (at 65 minutes in if you're skipping ahead), Jason asks Scott to recommend which unread book on his Kindle he should dive into next.

Links for this episode:

The Incomparable 24: My Word As Vorkosigan

Dive through a wormhole to defend the honor of the Imperium! We discuss Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan series of novels, which we really can’t recommend highly enough. It’s swashbuckling Sci-Fi adventure with some great characters and a big canvas. And you can read most of them for free!

"Captain Vorpatril's Alliance" by Lois McMaster Bujold (ebook)

"Captain Vorpatril's Alliance" (hardcover)

Start the Vorkosigan series with "Cordelia's Honor" (ebook)

Start the Vorkosigan series with "Cordelia's Honor" (paper)

Scott recommends "Consider Phlebas" to Jason

Scott recommends "The Quantum Thief" to Jason

Jasper Fforde (Amazon author page)

Lois McMaster Bujold reacts to The Incomparable #24

The Incomparable 116: Very Well-Read Hobos

Jason Snell — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

We talk a lot about what we read, but how do we read? Join our Book Club as we talk about ebooks, paper books, and libraries, and how we like to read today. Plus, we tell you some of the books we're reading right now.

Links for this episode:

"The Signal and the Noise" by Nate Silver

"Captain Vorpatril's Alliance" by Lois McMaster Bujold

"The Kid in the Crib" by Lex Friedman

"The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared" by Jonas Jonasson

"Every Day is an Athiest Holiday" by Penn Jillette

"The Last Dragonslayer" by Jasper Fforde

"I Shall Wear Midnight" by Terry Pratchett

Jonathan Tropper on Amazon

Michael Chabon on Amazon

Scott McNulty's page on Amazon

"The Islanders" by Christopher Priest

"Three Parts Dead" by Max Gladstone

"Osama" by Lavie Tidhar

The Incomparable Book Club Goodreads group

Unofficially sponsored by the books of Scott McNulty and Lex Friedman.

The Incomparable 115: For Dunces, By Dunces, To Dunces

Jason Snell — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:30:00 GMT

Turn on your electrical generators, fire your nuclear missiles, and notch your bow and arrow--it's time for our review of the fall TV season, including both new and returning shows. We discuss "Revolution," the since-cancelled "Last Resort," "Arrow," "Elementary," and returning shows "Fringe," "The Walking Dead," "Boardwalk Empire," and many others!

The Incomparable 114: When You Wish Upon a "Star Wars"

Jason Snell — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 04:30:00 GMT

Links for this episode:

Star Wars: The Old Republic Cinematic Trailer

Disney Acquires Lucasfilm

The Long, Winding, and Shapeshifting Trail to Episodes VII, VIII & IX

A discussion about the future of Star Wars

After Dark 263: Even More "Star Wars" Talk

The Incomparable 113: Indiana Jones is Immortal Now!

Jason Snell — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 21:30:00 GMT

We discuss the Indiana Jones movie series, including a brief revisitation of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," the good parts of "Temple of Doom," Dan's childhood love for "Last Crusade," and utter denial about "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Also, Lex hasn't seen it. Recorded live at Cingleton Symposium, Montreal, October 2012.

Links for this episode:

Incomparable #8: "Top Men"

The Incomparable 112: Schrodinger's Cat Box

Jason Snell — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 03:00:00 GMT

Our very own Glenn Fleishman's was on "Jeopardy!" We debriefed him about his adventures immediately on his return. In this episode, Jason and Glenn are also joined by Andy Ihnatko and Steve Lutz, and we talk about game shows and their modern reality-competition show equivalents, as well as harken back to the heyday of the panel show, where drunk celebrities engaged in witty repartee. It's an episode so comfy you'll feel like you were back in the womb at Bill Cullen's house.

Links for this episode:

What It's Like to Be On "Jeopardy"

Cramming for Quiz Shows

J! Archive

"Prisoner of Trebekistan" by Bob Harris

Roger Craig broke "Jeopardy!" record, with an app

The Incomparable 111: These Go to Eleven

Jason Snell — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:15:00 GMT

Rob Reiner's legendary heavy-metal mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap" is in our sights. This is one of our very favorite films, and so Jason, Andy Ihnatko, and Ben Boychuk talk about why they love it while regaling one another with favorite lines from this amazingly quotable movie.

Links for this episode:

"This is Spinal Tap" Blu-Ray

"This is Spinal Tap" (Criterion Collection edition-good luck!)

Bruno Kirby delivers pizza. "That's music!"

The Incomparable 110: Cyborg Cowboy

Jason Snell — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 05:30:00 GMT

Robot sheriff, coming through! We break down the first half of "Doctor Who" season 7, and discover the truth about the Siracusa Threshold. Today we are all John Siracusa, except for Scott. He's our Rory.

Links for this episode:

Incomparable #106: Dance With a Dalek in the Pale Moonlight

The Incomparable 109: Evil, Surfing Ronald McDonald

Jason Snell — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 05:30:00 GMT

Soon to be a major motion picture you probably shouldn't see, David Mitchell's 2004 novel "Cloud Atlas" is in our sights. This novel consists of six separate stories set in different genres and timeframes from the 1850s to a post-apocalyptic future, and yet they're all interlinked. Somehow. It's fun, weird, and challenging, but what does it all mean? Read it now before every character in it becomes Tom Hanks and Halle Berry.

Links for this episode:

"Cloud Atlas" on Amazon.com

"Cloud Atlas" movie trailer

The Incomparable 108: Journey: Then We Touched, Then We Sang

Jason Snell — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 19:30:00 GMT

A video game beloved by John Siracusa, "Journey" for the PS3, is in the spotlight. We toot the biggest Spoiler Horn of all time -- don't listen if you haven't played it! -- and then talk about what we liked and didn't like about Thatgamecompany's desert-and-spoiler epic.

Links for this episode:

Extra Credits, Season 4, Ep. 20 - The Hero’s Journey (Part 1)

Extra Credits, Season 4, Ep. 21 - The Hero’s Journey (Part 2)

The Incomparable 107: A Little Obsessed With Kirk

Jason Snell — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 16:15:00 GMT

We take on one of our favorite movies, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," while also acknowledging the flaws that make it all the more lovable. Topics include: How Genesis is the galaxy's worst Kickstarter project; Why it's always important to count the planets, especially at Ceti Alpha; The size of the Botany Bay library and why it makes Khan so mad at Kirk; Why Scott's email is more secure than the Reliant; The real name of Khan's right-hand man; and how Spock's death solves Kirk's mid-life crisis. Also, we scientifically prove that "Wrath of Khan" is better than Star Wars.

Links for this episode:

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on Blu-Ray

The Incomparable 106: Dance With a Dalek in the Pale Moonlight

Jason Snell — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 04:30:00 GMT

FLASH! A bonus (unedited) episode, in which we react quickly to the premiere episode of this season of Doctor Who, "Asylum of the Daleks." Plus: The Incomparable won an award! For podcasting! We react quickly to the announcement of the Hugo Awards. And we do many, many Dalek impressions.

Links for this episode:

2012 Parsec Awards

2012 Hugo Award Winners

"Pond Life" webisodes

The Incomparable 105: That Mr. Hitler Seems Nice

Jason Snell — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 19:00:00 GMT

Our Book Club reconvenes to discuss Jo Walton's Small Change trilogy of novels, "Farthing," "Ha'Penny," and "Half a Crown." (We fire off the spoiler horn before each novel.) These novels explore an alternate-history in which Britain makes peace with Nazi Germany, and focus on a detective who just wants to do his job--but his job keeps changing in increasingly awful ways.

Links for this episode:

"Farthing" by Jo Walton

"Ha'penny" by Jo Walton

"Half a Crown" by Jo Walton

Dragons with hats: "Tooth and Claw" by Jo Walton

"Among Others" by Jo Walton

The Incomparable 104: Kids Have Bad Taste

Jason Snell — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 00:45:00 GMT

Believe it or not, some of us have managed to breed successfully. Even Steve Lutz. So we talk about what media we provide for our kids. Topics include dealing with the Star Wars prequels, Spongebob Squarepants, how young you need to be to watch "Apocalypse Now" or "The Exorcist," why "Tron: Legacy" cost Ben dearly, why John became a master weaponsmith in his childhood, Jason's debates with his son over whether Spider-Man or Batman is better, Lisa's childhood reading of "The Godfather," picking video games for your kids, and how your children's peers will just ruin them anyway.

Links for this episode:

"Help the Police"

Where the Hell is Matt? 2012

The Incomparable 103: Fat-Guy Comics

Jason Snell — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 01:00:00 GMT

Our Comic Book Club returns to discuss super-team comics. What makes them work, and what makes them fail? And our primary subject is Top 10, Alan Moore's other amazing twelve-issue superhero comic series. If you haven't read it yet, you should! (This week's panelists are Jason Brightman and Lisa Schmeiser.)

Links for this episode:

The Annotated Top 10

Top 10, Vol. 1 on Amazon

Top 10, Vol. 2 on Amazon

Top 10 on Comixology

The Incomparable 102: Princess Indiana Jones

Jason Snell — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 19:00:00 GMT

Pixar takes on princesses with the new film "Brave." We discuss Pixar's mother/bear-daughter story, but also the larger issues of female characters in animation and film in general. What's wrong with the Disney Princesses? Why can't girls play Belle or Ariel as if they were an action hero, anyway? How does Merida compare with the female protagonists in Miyazaki's work? Did Pixar change its own fate?

Links for this episode:

"Brave" on IMDb

"Just Another Princess Movie" by Lili Loofbourow

Incomparable #50 (Pixar part two)

Incomparable #49 (Pixar part one)

Hypercritical #12 (Pixar part one)

Hypercritical #13 (Pixar part two)

Incomparable #84 (Miyazake)

"The Legend of Korra"

"Avatar: The Last Airbender"

The Incomparable 101: Insular Nerdosphere

Jason Snell — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 19:45:00 GMT

Our Book Club discusses "Redshirts" by John Scalzi. It's a book that's far more complex than its elevator-pitch premise would suggest, but did our panel appreciate its winking narrative-within-narrative structure? And more broadly, why are we worried about some of our favorite geek creators turning inward and pandering to the nerd audience?

Links for this episode:

The Comforters

Paul Oster's New York Trilogy

Incomparable #37, all about John Scalzi

Scalzi's blog

"Shadow War of the Night Dragons" by John Scalzi

"Sharps" by K.J. Parker

"Devices and Desires" by K.J. Parker

"The Dark is Rising" by Susan Cooper

"Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlein

"Farthing" by Jo Walton

"A Talent for War" by Jack McDevitt

"The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster

"Perdido Street Station" by China Miéville

"Redshirts" by John Scalzi

The Incomparable 100: Who Cares What We Think?

Jason Snell — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 03:30:00 GMT

In our hundredth episode, we take a look at why we do The Incomparable. Can entertainment be appreciated without analysis and criticism? We also discuss how The Incomparable came to be, and pick some of our favorite (and least favorite) moments. Please forgive us for this self-indulgent meta-episode. We promise not to do another one until number 200.

Links for this episode:

"Hypercritical" by John Siracusa

The Incomparable 99: Convenience Store Clerk of Dune: A Summer Reading List

Jason Snell — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 04:30:00 GMT

Summer's here and it's time to get to the beach with a good sci-fi novel. Our panelists are well read and of exquisite taste, so we've got a boatload of suggestions for you. From funny to serious, there's a book in our list that will hit the spot the next time you're looking for something to read.

Links for this episode:

"Altered Carbon" by Richard K. Morgan

"Foundation" by Isaac Asimov

"The Caves of Steel" by Isaac Asimov

"Dune" by Frank Herbert

"The Time Traveller's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger

"A Wrinkle In Time" by Madeline L'Engle

"When Gravity Fails" by George Alec Effinger

"To Say Nothing of the Dog" by Connie Willis

"The Stars My Destinaton" by Alfred Bester

"Hyperion" by Dan Simmons

"The Long Walk" by Stephen King (Richard Bachman)

"Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

"Pattern Recognition" by William Gibson

"Galactic Pot Healer" by Philip K. Dick

"The Devil You Know" by Mike Carey

"Contact" by Carl Sagan

"My Teacher is An Alien" by Bruce Coville

"The Forever War" by Joe Haldeman

"The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell

"The Diamond Age" by Neal Stephenson

"A Million Open Doors" by John Barnes

"Old Man's War" by John Scalzi

"The Gone-Away World" by Nick Harkaway

"The Lathe of Heaven" by Ursula K. LeGuin

"The Uplift War" by David Brin

"Anathem" by Neal Stephenson

"Red Mars" by Kim Stanley Robinson

"Shadow of the Torturer" by Gene Wolfe

"Solaris" by Stanislaw Lem

"The Sirens of Titan" by Kurt Vonnegut

"Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline

"S is for Space" by Ray Bradbury

"American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams

"Jurassic Park" by Michael Crichton

"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card

The books mentioned in Jo Walton's "Among Others"

"Among Others" by Jo Walton

"How Much for Just the Planet" by John M. Ford (Klingon pie fight)

"Spock's World" by Diane Duane

"The Wounded Sky" by Diane Duane

"Consider Phlebas" (Culture series) by Iain M. Banks

"The Algebraist" by Iain M. Banks

"The Middle Kingdom: Chung Kuo" by David Wingrove

"The Risen Empire" by Scott Westerfeld

The Incomparable 98: Obscure References and Sadness

Jason Snell — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 04:00:00 GMT

We tackle the works of Jonathan Coulton as our Geek Music Appreciation series continues. Join guest host Lex Friedman as he and our panelists build a JoCo playlist and discuss why Coulton has so much geek appeal. But just because Lex is guest-hosting doesn't mean that Jason Snell won't make a dramatic appearance at the end, so keep listening!

Links for this episode:

Leonard Cohen's "Famous Blue Raincoat"

JoCopedia

Jonathan Coulton's website

Nina Gordon's "Straight Outta Compton" cover

I Fight Dragons's "The Future Soon" cover

"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"

Seattle Weekly interview with Coulton

Planet Money interview with Coulton

Back to Work #30: Merlin Mann and Jonathan Coulton

The Incomparable 97: Everybody Loves Hypnotoad

Jason Snell — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Good news, everyone! We're here to talk about the animated TV comedy "Futurama." Join guest host Glenn Fleishman, special guest Andy Ihnatko, and virgin guests Jonathan Seff and Dean Putney as we discuss Bender, Fry, Dr. Zoidberg, and even Morbo.

Links for this episode:

Glenn's interview with David X. Cohen

The Incomparable 96: Space Fedora

Jason Snell — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 17:00:00 GMT

The 2012 Hugo Award Nominees. Of all the sci-fi novels published in the last year, these are five of them! (And four aren't actually sci-fi.) But that hasn't stopped us from reading them and giving you our opinions. Join our book club as we talk about five books and pick our favorites. Plus: Vomit Zombies! A unique novel-sponsorship opportunity for Coca-Cola! Our near-unconditional love of author Jo Walton! And what the locusts are reading this year!

Links for this episode:

"A Dance With Dragons" by George R.R. Martin on Amazon

"Embassytown" by China Mieville on Amazon

"Among Others" by Jo Walton on Amazon

"Leviathan Wakes" by James S.A. Corey on Amazon

"Deadline" by Mira Grant on Amazon

The Books of "Among Others"

Incomparable #62 ("A Dance With Dragons")

Incomparable #52 ("Embassytown")

Incomparable #51 (Last year's Hugo novels)

Monty Ashley blogs the 2012 Hugo nominees

Scott McNulty blogs the 2012 Hugo nominees

List of 2012 Hugo nominees

2011 Nebula Awards

2012 Locus Awards

Jo Walton rereads Patrick Rothfuss

The Incomparable 95: Don't Take the Cinnamon Challenge

Jason Snell — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Unfurl your banners, steal some dragons, slap your insolent nephew, and get ready to listen to us discuss the second season of HBO's "Game of Thrones" in this special live session. Plus, John explains the Internet to Jason.

Links for this episode:

Arya Stark does the Cinnamon Challenge

Cinnamon challenge

Dan Moren records episode 95

John Siracusa records episode 95

Jason Snell records episode 95

Jason and John record Episode 95

The Incomparable 94: If You Think It's Funny, That's Fine, You're Wrong

Jason Snell — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 01:00:00 GMT

We travel to where geekiness and comedy come together, to discuss our favorite geek TV comedies. From traditional sitcoms to animation to movie commentary, we've got you covered. Plus there's a lot of singing.

Links for this episode:

The Incomparable riffs "The Phantom Empire"

MST3K: "Mitchell"

MST3K: "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank"

MST3K: "Time of the Apes"

MST3K: "Marooned"

MST3K: "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians"

MST3K: "Manos: Hands of Fate"

MST3K: "The Unearthly"

MST3K - The Movie (IMDB)

Spaced - The Complete Series on DVD

"Spaced" on Netflix

"Futurama" on Netflix

"Square Pegs" (Wikipedia)

"Clerks: The Animated Series" (Wikipedia)

The "Futurama" Bodyswap proof

"Futurama" - "Godfellas"

"Community" (Wikipedia)

"MST3K - The Movie" on Netflix

"The Big Bang Theory" (Wikipedia)

"How I Met Your Mother" (Wikipedia)

"Get a Life" (Wikipedia)

"Freaks and Geeks" - Carlos the Dwarf

"The IT Crowd"

"Spy"

"The Young Ones"

"Red Dwarf"

"Clone High"

"The Tick"

"Lookwell"

"Heat Vision and Jack"

"Better off Ted" (Wikipedia)

"Better off Ted" on Netflix

"Small Wonder" theme song

The Incomparable 93: Monstor

Jason Snell — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 00:30:00 GMT

Our book club takes a dive into the world of Paolo Bacigalupi, covering his award-winning novel "Ship Breaker" as well as its recently-released follow-up, "The Drowned Cities." These books are apparently considered YA (or Young Adult) fiction, leading us to discuss what that label means, if anything. We also talk about Bacigalupi's particular brand of eco-apocalypse, his use of science fiction to make us reconsider what's going on today in the world, and how to pronounce his name. And of course, we coin a new word: it's half monster, half mentor, all Scott McNulty.

Links for this episode:

"The Windup Girl" and "Ship Breaker" were discussed in Incomparable #1

"Ship Breaker" on Amazon.com

"The Drowned Cities" on Amazon.com

Wikipedia: Young-adult fiction

Ian McDonald's YA and adult novels were discussed in Incomparable #51

"The Ear, The Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer

"Shade's Children" by Garth Nix

"The Ionia Sanction" by Gary Corby

"Leviathan Wakes" by James S.A. Corey

2012 Hugo Nominees

2011 Nebula Award winners

"View from the Imperium" by Jody Lynn Nye

"Sun of Suns" by Karl Schroeder

Incomparable Book Club on Goodreads

The Incomparable 92: Nick Fury's Google Hangout

Jason Snell — Sun, 27 May 2012 00:15:00 GMT

Avengers assemble! We discuss Joss Whedon's Marvel movie, which has been a hit with audiences and critics. But some members of our panel don't agree. How much do expectations factor in to one's enjoyment of a movie? Has the bar for summer action blockbusters been set too low by the likes of "Transformers 2"? Should every action-adventure movie aspire to be something more? Why is this the first time that the Hulk has been portrayed properly in a film? Grab your cosmic cubes and prepare for 90 minutes of movie-smashing discussion.

Links for this episode:

The Tony Stark-Bruce Banner relationship

"The Avengers" on IMDB

Avengers timeline: Nick Fury's busy week

After Dark #162: Even more Avengers avenging

The Incomparable 91: The Hungry Tributes of Catan

Jason Snell — Sun, 20 May 2012 20:15:00 GMT

From despotic rulers to lethal hummingbirds, it's time for us to address the cultural phenomenon of "The Hunger Games." Join us as we discuss the movie and original book, as well as (following carefully placed Spoiler Horns) the other two books in the trilogy. Why do all households in Panem get the Bravo network? Should "1984" be a Little Golden Book? And why does Lisa know which district of Panem is in charge of making lumber? This episode has the odds ever in its favor.

Links for this episode:

The Mockingjay Problem

Buy "The Hunger Games" on Amazon

Buy "Catching Fire" on Amazon

Buy "Mockingjay" on Amazon

"The Hunger Games" on IMDB

Settlers of Catan

The Incomparable 90: A Suspiciously Efficient Morgue

Jason Snell — Sun, 13 May 2012 18:45:00 GMT

Take off all your clothes and set the lock code on your mobile phone! It's time for us to discuss the second season of the BBC's "Sherlock," starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. We walk through all three movie-length episodes, starting with the exemplary "Scandal in Belgravia," moving on to the not-so-exemplary "Hounds of Baskerville," and concluding with the mind-blowing "Reichenbach Fall."

Links for this episode:

Molly Hooper blog

Early 2013 filming for "Sherlock"

"Sherlock" series 2 on the BBC

Sherlock Season 2 on Blu-Ray (Amazon.com)

The Blog of John Watson

After Dark: Before (and After) The Incomparable #90

The Incomparable #3, in which we discuss "Sherlock" season 1

5by5 Illustrated: A Suspiciously Efficient Morgue

The Incomparable 89: Also Known as Endor

Jason Snell — Sun, 06 May 2012 22:45:00 GMT

Links for this episode:

"Spaced" (Dan references Series 2, Episode 1)

Joe Posnanski and Mike Schur's podcast (March 14, 2012)

Direct link to Posnanski/Schur podcast (skip to 78 minutes in)

"Machete Order"

Get the original trilogy on Blu-Ray from Amazon

The Incomparable 88: "Skywalker's Eleven" (Jedi 1)

Incomparable 46: "I Like My Coffee Like My Evil Sith Lords" (Star Wars 1)

Incomparable 47: "Death Star University" (Star Wars 2)

Incomparable 67: "Darth Vader's Office is Really Weird" (Empire 1)

Incomparable 68: "Jedi Weekend" (Empire 2)

The Incomparable 88: Skywalker's Eleven

Jason Snell — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Links for this episode:

The Original Trilogy on Blu-Ray

Original and Special Edition on DVD

"Return of the Jedi" on IMDB

Behind the scenes of Harmy's "despecialized edition"

Harmy's "despecialized edition"

The Incomparable 46 ("Star Wars" part 1)

The Incomparable 47 ("Star Wars" part 2)

The Incomparable 67 ("Empire Strikes Back" part 1)

The Incomparable 68 ("Empire Strikes Back" part 2)

The Incomparable 87: Where Do the Dragons Go to the Bathroom?

Jason Snell — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:15:00 GMT

Here be dragons! Special guest hosts Glenn Fleishman and Lisa Schmeiser discuss books featuring winged and scaly creatures, from Anne McCaffrey to George R.R. Martin. Glenn and Lisa are joined by special guest stars Dori Smith and Sarah Barbour, who are also knowledgeable in the ways of the dragon.

Links for this episode:

Sarah Barbour's web site

Dori Smith's web site

After Dark: After The Incomparable #87

Authoritative Dragonriders of Pern chronology and list

Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea novels

Naomi Novik's Temeraire series

Komodo dragons

Norse dragons

A Game of Thrones

Discworld dragons

Smaug the dragon (Tolkien)

"The Once and Future King"

The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay

Badass unicorn in "A Swiftly Turning Planet"

Killer Unicorns from Diana Peterfreund

My Teacher is an Alien series by Bruce Coville

The Unicorn Chronicles by Bruce Coville

"Dragons Blood" and the Pit Dragon Chronicles by Jane Yolen

"The Neverending Story"

"Tea with the Black Dragon" by R.A. MacAvoy

"The Dragon and the George" by Gordon R. Dickson

The Incomparable 86: Like "Catcher in the Rye," Except Crappier

Jason Snell — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Get out your magic wands, prepare your incantations, and prepare for a battle of wills involving ancient powers and callow youths. We discuss two recent novels with magic at the fore: Lev Grossman's "The Magicians" and Erin Morgenstern's "The Night Circus." One of them we liked a lot... the other, not so much! Prepare yourself for a magical podcast.

Links for this episode:

"The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

"The Magicians" by Lev Grossman

"The Cheese Monkeys" by Chip Kidd

"Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke

"Shadow Ops: Control Point" by Myke Cole

"Among Others" by Jo Walton

"Red Mars" by Kim Stanley Robinson

"Prick Up Your Ears" (1987)

"The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman" by Angela Carter

After Dark: After The Incomparable #86

The Incomparable 85: Game Show

Jason Snell — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

It's the Incomparable Game Show! In a clash of young(ish) versus old(ish), two teams vie for the honor of being the team who wins. Sci-fi questions, confused androids, and a visit from a parallel-universe version of The Incomparable are all part of the story. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you won't learn a darned thing. Join us, won't you?

Links for this episode:

The Incomparable #58a - Parallel Universe Edition

The Incomparable 84: Wind is the Enemy

Jason Snell — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 23:45:00 GMT

Please join us for Jason and John's survey of the films of director Hayao Miyazaki. Even if you don't have kids, like animation, or care about Japan, we think these are some of the greatest films ever made. From "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Kiki's Delivery Service" to "Spirited Away" and "Nausicaa," we cover the highlights (and oddities) of his filmmaking career.

Links for this episode:

Hayao Miyazaki on Wikipedia

Miyazaki's movies on Amazon.com

"Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind"

"Castle in the Sky"

"Kiki's Delivery Service"

"Spirited Away"

"My Neighbor Totoro"

Studio Ghibli

"Howl's Moving Castle"

"Porco Rosso"

"Whisper of the Heart"

"Ponyo"

"The Cat Returns"

"Princess Mononoke"

"The Secret World of Arrietty" on IMDB

The Incomparable 83: Nothing Ever Ends on Taco Tuesday

Jason Snell — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Who Watches the Watchmen? We discuss Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's classic comic "Watchmen." What made it remarkable and influential? Is it too stuck in an '80s sensibility? Did the movie ruin everything? And will the recently-announced prequels stink?

Links for this episode:

The Great Alan Moore Reread (tor.com)

"Watchmen" (Absolute Edition)

"Watching the Watchmen"

Saturday Morning Watchmen (YouTube)

"Watchmen" (Wikipedia)

"Watchmen" the movie, on Blu-Ray

"Watchmen" Motion Comic

"Supergods" by Grant Morrison

The Incomparable 82: Apocalypse Book Club

Jason Snell — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:15:00 GMT

It's the end of the world! And since our eyeglasses are intact, we have time enough at last, to read. We discuss Maureen McHugh's "After the Apocalypse" short-story collection, Cormac McCarthy's "The Road," and other apocalypse tales we have known. Do zombies have their own David Attenborough, leading expeditions into Cleveland? Why should you be afraid if heavy snowfall combines with the appearance of strange invisible magic ghost sex-dragon monsters? And why does John Siracusa plan to ride out the apocalypse in style? We ask several of these questions, but you'll have to listen to see if we ever answer any of them.

Links for this episode:

"After the Apocalypse" by Maureen McHugh

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

Read "The Naturalist" by Maureen McHugh

Read "The Kingdom of the Blind" by Maureen McHugh

Read "Useless Things" by Maureen McHugh

Read "The Effect of Centrifugal Forces" by Maureen McHugh

"A Pail of Air" by Fritz Leiber

"Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank

"On the Beach" by Nevil Shute

"The Long Walk" by Stephen King

"The Stand" by Stephen King

"Earth" by David Brin

"Earth Made of Glass" by John Barnes

"Nightfall" by Isaac Asimov

"The Gate to Women's Country" by Sheri Tepper

"Lucifer's Hammer" by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

"Footfall" by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

"Y: The Last Man" by Vaughan and Guerra

After The Incomparable #82

The Incomparable Book Club on Goodreads

"White" by Tim Lebbon is the snowy apocalypse story John couldn't name

The Incomparable 81: McRibs and Bacon Martinis

Jason Snell — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 07:00:00 GMT

We close the books on the first Incomparable Film Festival with this special follow-up episode. We provide the show times for each day of the festival, share your feedback, and reveal the results of your vote for the best slate of films. We also check in with two panelists who couldn't make the original draft, one of whom has a bone to pick with John Siracusa. The other one instead tells a heartwarming tale of projectile vomiting. (Part 3 of 2.)

Links for this episode:

After Dark: After the Incomparable 79-80

The Incomparable Presents "The Phantom Empire Episode 5"

The Incomparable 80: Khan Film Festival

Jason Snell — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 04:15:00 GMT

Continuing our assembly of the Incomparable Film Festival! We fill out our list of 35 classic films for imaginary display to imaginary crowds. Find out our final 21 (or is it 22?) choices! Then vote for your favorites. (Part 2 of 2.)

Links for this episode:

Listener poll! Vote for your favorites.

"The Brother from Another Planet" on IMDB

"The Brother from Another Planet" on Amazon.com

"Monty Python and the Holy Grail" on IMDB

"Monty Python and the Holy Grail" on Amazon.com

"Babe" on IMDB

"Babe" on Amazon.com

"The Godfather Part II" on IMDB

"The Godfather Part II" on Amazon.com

"Lawrence of Arabia" on IMDB

"Lawrence of Arabia" on Amazon.com

"Bringing up Baby" at IMDB

"Bringing up Baby" on Amazon.com

"GoodFellas" on IMDB

"GoodFellas" on Amazon.com

"Funny Bones" on IMDB

"Funny Bones" on Amazon.com

"Forbidden Planet" on IMDB

"Forbidden Planet" on Amazon.com

"The Breakfast Club" on IMDB

"The Breakfast Club" on Amazon.com

"Kill Bill Vol. 1" on IMDB

"Kill Bill Vol. 2" on IMDB

"Kill Bill" on Amazon.com

"Rear Window" on IMDB

"Rear Window" on Amazon.com

"The Brothers Bloom" on IMDB

"The Brothers Bloom" on Amazon.com

"Apollo 13" on IMDB

"Apollo 13" on Amazon.com

"Highlander" on IMDB

"Highlander" on Amazon.com

"The Iron Giant" on IMDB

"The Iron Giant" on Amazon.com

"Dawn of the Dead" on IMDB

"Dawn of the Dead" on Amazon.com

"The Game" on IMDB

"The Game" on Amazon.com

"Grosse Pointe Blank" on IMDB

"Grosse Pointe Blank" on Amazon.com

"F for Fake" on IMDB

"F for Fake" on Amazon.com

"Groundhog Day" on IMDB

"Groundhog Day" on Amazon.com

After Dark #107: After The Incomparable #79-80

"The Brother from Another Planet" on Amazon Prime Video

"The Brother from Another Planet" on Netflix Instant

"Babe" on Amazon Prime Video

"Bringing Up Baby" on Amazon Prime Video

"Forbidden Planet" on Amazon Prime Video

"Highlander" on Amazon Prime Video

"Highlander" on Netflix Instant

"The Iron Giant" on Netflix Instant

"The Iron Giant" on Amazon Prime Video

"The Game" on Netflix Instant

The Incomparable 79: Everything Sounds Beautiful in German

Jason Snell — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

We're creating the Incomparable Film Festival! Each day for a week, one of us will introduce five films (to be screened at an imaginary location not to be determined). To prevent duplication of selections, our seven participants will choose favorite films in a draft format. When all is said and done, 35 classic movies will be chosen by our panel of geeks. (Part 1 of 2.)

Links for this episode:

Our "Empire Strikes Back" podcast (part 2 of 2)

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" on IMDB

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" on Amazon.com

Our "Raiders of the Lost Ark" podcast

"The Rocketeer" on IMDB

"The Rocketeer" on Amazon.com

Herge's Raiders of the Lost Ark (in 60 seconds)

"The Princess Bride" on Amazon.com

"The Princess Bride" on IMDB

Our "The Princess Bride" podcast

"Blade Runner" on IMDB

"Blade Runner: The Final Cut" on Amazon.com

"Blade Runner" on Wikipedia

"Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" on IMDB

"The Hudsucker Proxy" on Amazon.com

"The Hudsucker Proxy" on IMDB

"Caddyshack" on IMDB

"Caddyshack" on Amazon.com

"Raising Arizona" on IMDB

"The Book of Caddyshack" on Amazon.com

"The Godfather" on IMDB

"The Godfather" on Amazon.com

"This is Spinal Tap" on IMDB

"This is Spinal Tap" on Amazon.com

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" on IMDB

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" on Amazon.com

"Metropolis" on IMDB

"Metropolis" on Amazon.com

"Caddyshack" on Amazon Prime Video

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" on Amazon Prime Video

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" on Netflix Instant

"Metropolis" on Netflix Instant

"Wings of Desire" on IMDB

"Wings of Desire" on Amazon.com

"Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" on IMDB

"Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" on Amazon.com

"Alien" on IMDB

"Alien" on Amazon.com

"Masters of the Universe" on IMDB

"Faraway, So Close" on IMDB

"City of Angels" on IMDB

"Super Mario Bros." on IMDB

"The Empire Strikes Back" (Original Trilogy) on Amazon.com

"The Empire Strikes Back" on IMDB

Our "Empire Strikes Back" podcast (part 1 of 2)

"This Is Spinal Tap" on Netflix Instant

The Incomparable 78: Clones and Telepaths vs. Love

Jason Snell — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:30:00 GMT

Our Comic Book Club gets in a romantic mood with a discussion of comic-book romances--the (very) few that have stood the test of time and the (very) many that have been thwarted by clones, telepaths, cloned telepaths, and--worst of all--Satan's Annulment. Also, what are we reading?

Links for this episode:

"Kraven's Last Hunt"

"Spider-Girl"

"Superman: Secret Identity"

"Sandman Mystery Theatre" on Wikipedia

"Invincible" Vol. 1

"Ultimate Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends"

"Identity Crisis"

"Ultimate Spider-Man" Vol. 2

"Feynman"

"Winter Soldier" on Comixology

"Astonishing X-Men" #44 by Greg Pak

Watchmen Babies!

Sponsored by Smile, Sourcebits, and Shopify.

The Incomparable 77: Women's Libber

Jason Snell — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:00:00 GMT

Step through your time portal, buy some cheap 1950s hamburger, and prepare for our discussion of Stephen King's new novel 11/22/63. How does a 21st century man react to the racism and sexism of the south in the mid-20th century? Would the world have been a better place if Kennedy hadn't been assassinated? Is Canada really eyeing the state of Maine anxiously? Like the book, we have some--but not all--of the answers.

Links for this episode:

"11/22/63" on Amazon

Derry, Maine (Wikipedia)

After Dark: More from this episode's recording session

The Incomparable 76: Robert Redford's Foot

Jason Snell — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:45:00 GMT

Live from the Macworld |iWorld Live Stage, it's a discussion of our favorite (and least favorite) uses of technology in movies, TV shows, books, and more.

Links for this episode:

Video version on YouTube courtesy Macworld

The Incomparable 75: My Gazebox is Full of Menhirs

Jason Snell — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Go north, get lamp, and check your inventory, as guest host Greg Knauss takes you on a journey into the world of interactive fiction, also known as "text adventures." Did families in the '80s really sit around the Apple II playing "Mystery House?" Will saving a game really erase your floppy disc? Listen if you dare, but watch out for grues!

Links for this episode:

Infocom Archive and History

"We Stick Our Graphics" ad

Scott Adams's website

Scott Adams's 'fro

"GET LAMP" documentary

Interactive Fiction competition

Frotz for iOS

Yahtzee (Ben Croshaw) adventure games

Monty's book

"Mystery House" on Wikipedia

The Incomparable 74: I'm Definitely Not a Girl

Jason Snell — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:30:00 GMT

It's fun for the whole family, as we discuss some of our favorite movies for kids (and their parents). Did we really recommend an animated movie from Dreamworks? And a movie with Melanie Griffith? And a German fantasy film? Well, yes, but you'll have to listen to find out which ones.

Links for this episode:

"Shrek"

"The Neverending Story"

"The Iron Giant"

"Now and Then"

"Anne of Green Gables"

"The Muppet Movie"

"Flight of the Navigator"

"Galaxy Quest"

"The Dark Crystal"

"Labyrinth"

"Babe"

"Shaun the Sheep" on Netflix

"The Iron Giant" on Netflix

After Dark: After The Incomparable #74

The Incomparable 73: Ugh - A 2011 Clip Show

Jason Snell — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:30:00 GMT

We bid farewell to 2011 by listing the favorite things we inhaled into our brains during the past year. We also recall our favorite podcast moments, read a whole bunch of listener comments, and more. (Although this is a clip show, two-thirds of the running time is actually original material!)

Links for this episode:

Ian McDonald at Amazon.com

"The Dervish House" by Ian McDonald

"River of Gods" by Ian McDonald

"Planesrunner" by Ian McDonald

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

HBO's "Game of Thrones"

"Battle Royale" on DVD

"Battle Royale" (2000) on IMDB

"Among Others" by Jo Walton

"Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

Incomparable Imperial Probe Droid iPhone Ringtone

The Incomparable 72: The Screams of Trees

Jason Snell — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 06:00:00 GMT

All hail the power of motherhood! We discuss this year's "Doctor Who" Christmas special, "The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe." Plus, why Christmas episodes make us feel warm inside, and the amazing scanner-blocking powers of wool!

Links for this episode:

The Incomparable #18: Christmas with the Doctor

The Incomparable 71: The Holiday Movie Vault

Jason Snell — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 17:30:00 GMT

Grab some eggnog and hitch up your reindeer! It's time to put six holiday films in the Incomparable Film Vault! We discuss some beloved classics and offer a few surprise choices that redefine what "holiday" and "film" actually mean. What is a realistic depiction of Santa? Is Bill Murray's best Scrooge not actually in "Scrooged"? Has Clarence the angel left a trail of dead bodies behind him? Is Kris Kringle the original Apple Genius? Happy holidays, everyone!

Links for this episode:

The Ihnatko Almanac #11: Occupy White Christmas

The Incomparable #17: We're Going to Need Some More Christmas Movies, I Guess

RiffTrax: Star Wars Holiday Special

"Elf" (2003)

"When Harry Met Sally" (1989)

"Groundhog Day" (1993)

"It's a Wonderful Life" (1946)

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1964)

"The Year Without a Santa Claus" (1974)

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" (1965)

"Miracle on 34th Street" (1947)

MST3K: "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" on Netflix Instant

Cinematic Titanic: "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians"

"White Christmas" (1954)

"Die Hard" (1988)

"Christmas with SCTV" (1982)

The West Wing: "Noel" (2000)

"A Christmas Story" (1983)

Doctor Who: "A Christmas Carol" (2010)

"Holiday Inn" (1942)

"Home Alone" (1990)

"Home Alone 3" on Netflix Instant

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993)

"Abraham" - Bing Crosby in "Holiday Inn"

"The Muppet Christmas Carol" (1992)

The Incomparable 70: At the Time, They Were Just Average Height

Jason Snell — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 18:00:00 GMT

It turns out we all like They Might Be Giants! So we did an entire episode about geeky music. We pick favorite TMBG songs, and then bring up some other geeky tracks we love by Fountains of Wayne, Moxy Früvous, and "Weird Al" Yankovic.

Links for this episode:

They Might Be Giants on Amazon.com

"Doctor Worm" by They Might Be Giants

"Exquisite Dead Guy" by They Might Be Giants

"The Bells Are Ringing" by They Might Be Giants

"The Mesopotamians" by They Might Be Giants

"Leave the Biker" by Fountains of Wayne

"My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors" by Moxy Früvous

"White & Nerdy" by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Incomparable 70 After Dark - 10 minutes of bonus nonsense

This Might Be a Wiki (TMBG Knowledge Base)

The Incomparable 69: Love Conquers All, But So Do Guns

Jason Snell — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Break out your gaming laptop and pass the ammunition: It's time to discuss Neal Stephenson's "REAMDE." Why does the book's plot take a hard left turn halfway through? Why does Stephenson struggle to write endings--and does he succeed this time? Is this book about family, the victory of the outsider, or blowing things up? (Can't it be all three?)

Links for this episode:

"REAMDE" by Neal Stephenson

"Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson

"Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson

The Incomparable 68: Jedi Weekend

Jason Snell — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 19:45:00 GMT

Links for this episode:

The Incomparable #67: Darth Vader's Office is Really Weird

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

The Incomparable #47: Death Star University

Buy the Original Trilogy Blu-Rays and make John Siracusa cry

After Dark #62: After the episode ended

Sponsored by United Pixelworkers and MailChimp.

The Incomparable 67: Darth Vader's Office is Really Weird

Jason Snell — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:00:00 GMT

Links for this episode:

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

Incomparable 47: Death Star University

The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Sponsored by United Pixelworkers and MailChimp.

The Incomparable 66: Regular People Like Us

Jason Snell — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:15:00 GMT

Ernest Cline's "Ready Player One" is a sci-fi novel that's chock full of references to 1980s culture. But is it a good book, or are the references all that it's got going for it? What will John Hughes movies be like in the future? And what do Cline, P.G. Wodehouse, and Umberto Eco have in common?

Links for this episode:

Discuss the episode and buy the book on theincomparable.com

The Incomparable 65: Maine is Purgatory

Jason Snell — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 18:30:00 GMT

A new TV season is here! We analyze the new shows, plus some returning favorites. Among our targets: Revenge, Homeland, Terra Nova, Once Upon a Time, Grimm, Person of Interest, American Horror Story, Ringer, A Gifted Man, Boss, and returning shows The Walking Dead, Fringe, Community, Supernatural, Haven, and Dexter. Also: Why does Scott McNulty think every show is Prime Suspect?

Links for this episode:

Discuss on theincomparable.com

The Incomparable 64: Ghosts Cause Cancer

Jason Snell — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:00:00 GMT

When you want to get in the Halloween spirit, who you gonna call? Join us in celebrating 1984's supernatural comedy classic, "Ghostbusters." Are ghosts a serious environmental hazard requiring the intervention of the EPA? Why do the Ghostbusters transform from college professors into blue-collar plumbers when they put on their jump suits? Is Roasted Terror Dog with Human Nougat the worst candy ever devised? And which one of our panelists attended a cat-themed bat mitzvah in the same ballroom destroyed by the Ghostbusters?

The Incomparable 63: Like a Good Book Exploded

Jason Snell — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:45:00 GMT

Is "The Wise Man's Fear" a rich fantasy novel about storytelling and myth-making, or is it a collection of good story elements scattered across an overlong plot? Could it be both? Ninjas! Off-camera shipwrecks! Board games! Sexism! Off-camera courtroom drama! Discursions within digressions within framing sequences! Join us as we discuss yet another 1000-page fantasy novel, the sequel to "The Name of the Wind."

Links for this episode:

Jo Walton's Patrick Rothfuss Reread series

Episode 29: We talk "Name of the Wind"

"The Wise Man's Fear" by Patrick Rothfuss

Sponsored by Squarespace and TinyLetter.

The Incomparable 62: The Pig is Chekhov's Gun

Jason Snell — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 19:15:00 GMT

We discuss "A Dance With Dragons," the latest 1000-page installment in George R.R. Martin's bestselling "Song of Ice and Fire" fantasy series. Is this series going to end well? Which parts of this book were good, and which just treaded water? Would adding Klingons have helped? Why are trees the Westeros equivalent of security cameras? These are the sorts of questions you ask deep in the middle of a long fantasy series.

Links for this episode:

Episode 48: We discuss the HBO series

Episode 35: We discuss prior books in this series

Comment and buy the book at theincomparable.com

Sponsored by Sourcebits, Handelabra Studio, and Shopify.

The Incomparable 61: Number Ones

Jason Snell — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 14:00:00 GMT

Our Comic Book Club tackles the topic of #1 issues, especially those in DC's recent relaunch. We recommend some books and talk about some of our favorite Number Ones. Also we touch on a few of the controversial #1 DC issues and question whether DC is really trying to reach a new audience or just pander to the old one.

The Incomparable 60: Thanks For Everything... Now Go Die

Jason Snell — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 00:15:00 GMT

Why do secret agents wear make-up under their eyepatches? When do text messages not properly convey thanks for saving the universe? Are the Cybermen the worst villians ever? We wrap up the sixth season of "Doctor Who" with discussion of the last three episodes as well as the season as a whole.

Links for this episode:

Comment about this episode on theincomparable.com

5by5 | The Incomparable #56: Let Me in the Frickin' TARDIS!

5by5 | The Incomparable #53: Let's Quilt Hitler

5by5 | The Incomparable #45: Lesbian, Silurian, Victorian

5by5 | The Incomparable #39: Bigger on the Inside

5by5 | The Incomparable #38: Curse of the Bad Plot

5by5 | The Incomparable #36: Impossible Astronauts

5by5 | The Incomparable #18: Christmas with the Doctor

5by5 | The Incomparable #3: Doctor Sherlock vs. The Melty Man

The Incomparable 59: Flitting is in (TV Fantasy Pitches)

Jason Snell — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 23:45:00 GMT

We conclude our TV Fantasy Draft with the unveiling of our series pitches. Vampire and ghost detectives! Star Trek meets the West Wing! A sitcom starring a robot and an omnipotent being! A gritty techno-drama. A psychedelic drama set on a Zeppelin! And John Siracusa's pitch seems awfully familiar somehow.

Links for this episode:

Leave your comments about this episode at theincomparable.com.

The Incomparable 58: Greyskull Anonymous (TV Fantasy Draft)

Jason Snell — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 02:00:00 GMT

Who are the best TV characters of all time? Six people set out to draft teams of 10 characters each, from which they would form some of the strangest TV ensembles ever seen. Will Captain Kirk, Columbo, and The Fonz end up on the same show? Perhaps the craziest episode we've ever done highlights dozens of our favorite characters from TV history.

Links for this episode:

55a: Stuff Cancelled from the Cancelled Shows Draft - The Incomparable

Show notes at theincomparable.com

The Incomparable 57: Weird Subplots About Fondue

Jason Snell — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 15:00:00 GMT

This past summer's superhero movies are in the spotlight! Are the gods just aliens? When are mutant strippers unrealistic? Why would you beat up people after costing them their jobs? And why do the Stark boys enjoy themselves--and cheesy foodstuffs--so much? Our esteemed panel breaks down how "Captain America," "Thor," "X-Men: First Class," and "Green Lantern" fared.

Links for this episode:

Episode 57 notes

The Incomparable 56: Let Me in the Frickin' TARDIS!

Jason Snell — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:00:00 GMT

Press the Green Anchor and jump into a parallel timestream: it's time to talk "Doctor Who." In this flash episode we deconstruct the two most recent episodes, "Night Terrors" and "The Girl Who Waited." And here's a hint: we liked one of them way more than the other.

Links for this episode:

Episode 56 notes at theincomparable.com

Sponsored by Campaign Monitor and Shopify.

The Incomparable 55: If a Show Never Airs, Can It Be Cancelled?

Jason Snell — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 03:00:00 GMT

This podcast is cancelled! We discuss TV shows that failed to reach their proper natural lifespan. When all is said and done, you'll hear recommendations for 25 excellent series that burned bright and weren't allowed to fade away. Fantasy football drafts were never this good.

Links for this episode:

Incomparable After Dark! Stuff we cut out.

Complete list of draft picks at theincomparable.com

Sponsored by Field Notes, Audible, and thoughtbot.

The Incomparable 54: Put on this Mask and Strut for Mama

Jason Snell — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Strap on your jet pack and locate your pet monkey! Our Comic Book Club reconvenes to discuss works by writer Brian K. Vaughan, who excels at the high-concept premise. In the spotlight: "Runaways," "Y: The Last Man," and "Ex Machina." With plenty of digressions along the way, about feminism, parenting, sexism, and (once again) how hard it is to write an ending.

Sponsored by Field Notes, Audible, and thoughtbot.

The Incomparable 53: Let's Quilt Hitler

Jason Snell — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Flash podcast! A largely unedited Skype conversation after this weekend's "Doctor Who" midseason premiere, "Let's Kill Hitler."

Sponsored by Field Notes, Audible, and thoughtbot.

The Incomparable 52: A Cthuluesque Vomiting of Ideas

Jason Snell — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 03:00:00 GMT

Rip off your hearing limbs and join us for the first anniversary edition of The Incomparable. As with the first podcast, the Book Club discusses a China Miéville novel: in this case, "Embassytown." Also: What are we reading? Glenn is reading a comic book. We are disappointed.

Links for this episode:

"Embassytown" by China Mieville

"The Princess of Mars" by Edgar Rice Borroughs

"The Unincorporated Man" by Dani Kollin

"The Unincorporated War" by Dani Kollin

"Brightest Day" (DC Comics)

"The Wise Man's Fear" by Patrick Rothfuss

"Riding Rockets" by Mike Mullane

The Incomparable 51: Zombie Marmaduke (Hugo Awards 2011)

Jason Snell — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT

We read the 2011 Hugo nominees for Best Novel. Sit back and enjoy our reviews of "Blackout/All Clear," "Cryoburn," "The Dervish House," "Feed," and "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms." Plus, we recommend a few of the nominated short stories.

Links for this episode:

Show notes on theincomparable.com

“The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window” by Rachel Swirsky

“The Lifecycle of Software Objects” by Ted Chiang

“Plus or Minus” by James Patrick Kelly

“Eight Miles” by Sean McMullen

“The Things” by Peter Watts

“Amaryllis” by Carrie Vaughn

Sponsored by easyDNS and Campaign Monitor .

The Incomparable 50: We Apologize for the Extinction of the Clownfish

Jason Snell — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Talking "Finding Nemo," "Toy Story 2," and "Wall-E." Plus, we discuss what Pixar should do next to challenge itself, try to understand why "Cars 2" was made, and pick out our least favorite thing Pixar has ever done. Hint: Jason has a problem with rats. (Part 2 of 2.)

Links for this episode:

Show notes on theincomparable.com

Hypercritical #23: No Sentence Left Behind

The Incomparable 49: It's Like "Working Girl" With Monsters

Jason Snell — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:00:00 GMT

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.)

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

Jason Snell — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:00:00 GMT

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.

Links for this episode:

Show notes as theincomparable.com

The Incomparable 47: Death Star University

Jason Snell — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:00:00 GMT

Sponsored by Field Notes and iStockphoto.

The Incomparable 46: I Like My Coffee Like My Evil Sith Lords

Jason Snell — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Links for this episode:

Greg Knauss on Darth Vader's coffee habit

Sponsored by OmniGroup: OmniFocus and Worthwhile.

The Incomparable 45: Lesbian, Silurian, Victorian

Jason Snell — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:00:00 GMT

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.

Links for this episode:

Stephen Moffat's rec.ars.drwho post

Why Rory is awesome

Sponsored by FreshBooks and Sound Studio 4.

The Incomparable 44: Emperor Aquaman

Jason Snell — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 18:00:00 GMT

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.

Links for this episode:

Show notes at theincomparable.com

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

Jason Snell — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:00:00 GMT

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.

Links for this episode:

Show notes at theincomparable.com

The Incomparable 42: 42

Jason Snell — Mon, 30 May 2011 18:00:00 GMT

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).

Links for this episode:

Show notes on theincomparable.com

Sponsored by Harvest, Sound Studio 4, and iStockphoto.

The Incomparable 41: ...But Your Kids Are Gonna Love It

Jason Snell — Sun, 22 May 2011 18:00:00 GMT

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.

Links for this episode:

The Back to the Future collection on Amazon

The Incomparable 40: An Ending Ten Years in the Making

Jason Snell — Tue, 17 May 2011 18:00:00 GMT

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.

The Incomparable 39: Bigger on the Inside

Jason Snell — Sun, 15 May 2011 18:00:00 GMT

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.

Sponsored by FreshBooks and OmniGroup: OmniFocus.

The Incomparable 38: Curse of the Bad Plot

Jason Snell — Sat, 07 May 2011 18:00:00 GMT

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."

The Incomparable 37: Shadow War of the Night Dragons

Jason Snell — Mon, 09 May 2011 18:00:00 GMT

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.

Sponsored by FreshBooks and OmniGroup: OmniFocus.

The Incomparable 36: Impossible Astronauts

Jason Snell — Mon, 02 May 2011 18:00:00 GMT

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.

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

Jason Snell — Sun, 01 May 2011 18:00:00 GMT

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.

The Incomparable 34: The Wrath of James Caan

Jason Snell — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Based on the best-selling novel! Inspired by HBO's "Game of Thrones," in this episode we discuss the translation of books to the screen. Should movies be faithful to the book? Is it better if filmmmakers take liberties? And what books do we wish would be made into movies? If you don't want to listen to this episode, just buy the novelization.

The Incomparable 33: "I Drank What?"

Jason Snell — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:00:00 GMT

The lesson learned? Never share anything you love with John Siracusa. Like, for example, "Real Genius." Or any '80s movie. Or any '80s anything. Or from-any-other-time anything. Fear John Siracusa, for he is the destroyer of dreams.

The Incomparable 32: The Story of Ted Chiang and Others

Jason Snell — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 18:00:00 GMT

This time, on the Incomparable: Ted Chiang short stories, including the anthology "The Story of Your Life and Others." Plus, enough recommendations to get you through every bathroom break and bus ride for the next three years.

Sponsored by Shopify and King of the Apps.

The Incomparable 31: Supernatural

Jason Snell — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:00:00 GMT

An entire hour devoted to The CW's "Supernatural." Can you imagine it? Brr. Fortunately, that's not what this podcast is about. It's about stuff we think is funny. Only one of likes "Supernatural." To find out who, you will need to listen.

Sponsored by Sound Studio 4 and Worldview.

The Incomparable 30: Let Me Show You My Warp Bubble

Jason Snell — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Make it so, Number One! Star Trek: The Next Generation is on our agenda. We talk favorite episodes, least-favorite episodes, killer snowflakes, why Jean-Luc Picard is catnip to the ladies, why everyone loves Geordi, and why in the future no one needs Wet Wipes.

The Incomparable 29: Magic Fridge

Jason Snell — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 18:00:00 GMT

A hero with an unpronounceable name, magic that doesn't actually do much, cardboard female characters, a story where nothing really happens, and the first and inconclusive part of a longer series? Sounds like an acclaimed fantasy novel to us! "The Name of the Wind" on this week's Incomparable Podcast.

The Incomparable 28: Bad at High School

Jason Snell — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Zombie, Spaceship, or Wasteland? We explore the reasons Geek Culture exists, what it means, and if it really exists. Also: are nerds just as awful and exclusionary as jocks? Why will Oprah sit astride the apocalypse? Find out what happened when Scott McNulty met Kitty Pryde. And most importantly, learn the deadly secret about how Dungeons and Dragons relates to nuclear submarines.

The Incomparable 27: Coal Mound Sex Scene

Jason Snell — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Turn on your perpetual-motion machine, man your Zeppelin, and fly away for our next edition of the Incomparable Book Club. We discuss "The Dream of Perpetual Motion" by Dexter Palmer, as well as answer the question, "What are you reading?"

The Incomparable 26: Hitler Was a Rules Lawyer

Jason Snell — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Grab your pound of dice, a bag of Cheetos and your +1 wit, to join the Incomparable Podcast as we venture forth into the world of "Dungeons and Dragons" and other role-playing games. Hey, at least we don't LARP.

Sponsored by MailChimp and CodeConf 2011.

The Incomparable 25: Studied His Agrippa

Jason Snell — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Hello. Our name is The Incomparable. You killed our father. Prepare to listen to a spoiler-filled podcast about the most quotable movie in the universe, "The Princess Bride."

The Incomparable 24: My Word as Vorkosigan

Jason Snell — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Dive through a wormhole to defend the honor of the Imperium! We discuss Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series of novels, which we really can't recommend highly enough. It's swashbuckling Sci-Fi adventure with some great characters and a big canvas. And you can read most of them for free!

The Incomparable 23: Origin Story

Jason Snell — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Don your mask and cape and join us for a discussion of the good, the underrated, and the overrated in the realm of superhero movies. And you think we're going to praise "The Dark Knight" you might be in for quite a shock... No, seriously, we rip it apart. We also discuss "Superman 2," "Darkman," "Iron Man," "Megamind," "The Incredibles," "Unbreakable," "The Rocketeer," and many others.

The Incomparable 22: Stephen Fry (does not appear)

Jason Snell — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Recorded live and in person before a studio audience (of one)! We discuss Stephen Fry, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Sean Connery, Scottish accents, corpulent detectives, V for Vendetta, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, Solaris, The Fountain, Garfield, "in medias res" movie conceits, Doctor Who special effects, our favorite TV shows of all time (including Buffy, Max Headroom, Sports Night, Spaced, Smack the Pony, and the Rockford Files), The Middleman, Kevin Sorbo, Gene Roddenberry's posthumous oeuvre, and why Steven Spielberg can't make a good TV show. Also: the debut of the Spoiler Quack.

The Incomparable 21: Event Crisis

Jason Snell — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Comic Book Club returns with a discussion of comic-book "special events," and why they are (in most cases) amazingly disappointing. We discuss our favorite and least-favorite events, from Crisis on Infinite Earths to Civil War to that time that Superman fought Spider-Man.

The Incomparable 20: Everyone's a Redshirt in Real Life

Jason Snell — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Get your hat and your shotgun and prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse! We discuss AMC's TV series "The Walking Dead," as well as touch on some zombie movies including "Zombieland" and "Dawn of the Dead."

The Incomparable 19: This Podcast Never Existed

Jason Snell — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Hop in your time machine and listen to our latest Book Club installment--and then be sure to travel back and prevent the podcast from having ever been recorded, because time travel is tricky like that. We discuss "How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe" and other time travel books we have liked.

The Incomparable 18: Christmas with the Doctor

Jason Snell — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 19:00:00 GMT

If you do something every Christmas for six years, it's time to call it a tradition. And so we have to add the "Doctor Who" Christmas special to our lists. We enjoyed this year's episode, "A Christmas Carol," so much, we recorded this flash podcast to talk about it. Happy holidays, everyone.

The Incomparable 17: We're Going to Need Some More Christmas Movies, I Guess

Jason Snell — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 19:00:00 GMT

Is "Die Hard" the greatest Christmas movie ever made? Dan Moren thinks so. Others are less sure, but there's no denying how great this seminal '80s action flick is. We discuss John McClane's adventure at Nakatomi Plaza, as well as other Christmas movies and TV shows we have loved.

The Incomparable 16: If You Love an Autobot, Set it Free

Jason Snell — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 19:00:00 GMT

Happy holidays from everyone at The Incomparable. In this pre-Christmas edition we talk about beloved gifts from our childhood, and discover a strange collection of cruel parents as well as a Transformer tragedy.

The Incomparable 15: My Computer is Powered by Frisbees

Jason Snell — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:00:00 GMT

Greetings, programs! It's time to talk about "Tron" and the new sequel, "Tron Legacy." Also, what's the appropriate use of CGI? When should creators go back and use computers to "improve" their work? And does Jeff Bridges' CGI doppelganger fall right into the middle of the Uncanny Valley?

The Incomparable 14: There's Guacamole on the Holodeck

Jason Snell — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 19:00:00 GMT

A new topic on the podast: video games! We talk classic (okay, OLD) games as well as the latest and greatest motion-controlled games. From Pong to the Kinect, we've got it covered--plus why the human race is doomed if someone invents a holodeck.

The Incomparable 13: Harry Potter and the Picasso P.I.

Jason Snell — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:00:00 GMT

In honor of the release of the seventh Harry Potter film, we convene a collection of panelists to discuss the books, the movies, the phenomenon that is J.K. Rowling's young-wizard saga. (If you haven't read the series, there are spoilers and also the entire podcast will make no sense. Except for the part about "Magnum P.I." and Pablo Picasso. This episode sponsored by the word "exegesis" and the musical stylings of Tom Bombadil.)

The Incomparable 12: He Who Controls Mr. Peanut Controls the World

Jason Snell — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 02:00:00 GMT

Discussing Joss Whedon, from Buffy to Firefly (to the Avengers?) and everything in between. What’s the appeal? What are our favorite episodes? Why did Firefly die young and leave a great-looking corpse?

The Incomparable 11: To Be Continued?

Jason Snell — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 19:00:00 GMT

Three Hugo winners enter our Book Club. "Spin" by Robert Charles Wilson, "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons, and "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" by Michael Chabon. Also: Why sequels suck.

The Incomparable 10: It's Clobberin' Time!

Jason Snell — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:00:00 GMT

The Fantastic Four is the topic of this installment of our Comic Book Club! We talk "Unstable Molecules," a strange mini-series about the fictional "inspiration" for the Fantastic Four. Also: the bad movies and worse TV shows, Ultimate Fantastic Four, and more.

The Incomparable 9: Get the Bone Saw!

Jason Snell — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 18:00:00 GMT

Get ready for halloween with this discussion of horror and scary movies. Plus, a neglected horror classic.

The Incomparable 8: Top Men

Jason Snell — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 18:00:00 GMT

"Raiders of the Lost Ark," and why it's so great. Also, "Star Wars" comes up a few times.

The Incomparable 7: Law & Order: Atlantis

Jason Snell — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 18:00:00 GMT

Dissecting the fall TV season, including "The Event," "No Ordinary Family," and the promising third season of "Fringe." Plus other sci-fi shows we have loved and hated, why trying to ape "Lost" is a bad idea, and Dan suggests a new "Law & Order" spinoff.

The Incomparable 6: Go Ahead, Lisa, Destroy My Childhood

Jason Snell — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:00:00 GMT

Comic Book Club returns! This week we talk about TV adaptations of comic books, TV shows inspired by comic books, comic books that would make good TV shows, and more. Plus, random discussion of X-Men Annuals, the Micronauts, and why Reed Richards is a douche (in X-Men Annual #5, anyway).

The Incomparable 5: Shakespeare is a Hack!

Jason Snell — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 18:00:00 GMT

Our Book Club reconvenes, to discuss Nick Harkaway, Cherie Priest, William Gibson, favorite prose stylists (Shakespeare? Please!), and multiple Shatners. Also in this episode, we introduce listeners to two new inanimate-yet-Incomparable characters: the Spoiler Horn and its good friend, the All-Clear Bell.

The Incomparable 4: This Film Presented in Mummy-Vision

Jason Snell — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 18:00:00 GMT

Movies and movie soundtracks are on the agenda, as we talk Giacchino, Star Trek soundtracks, bad movies we have loved, Blade Runner, Kick Ass, and the prospect of a "Dark Tower" movie/TV series combo platter.

The Incomparable 3: Doctor Sherlock vs. The Melty Man

Jason Snell — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:00:00 GMT

It's British TV time. Steven Moffat's "Sherlock" and "Doctor Who" are on the agenda. We mention his sitcom "Coupling" too. And Glenn cranks the pretention meter up to 10, only for Jason to crank it right back down to 1.

The Incomparable 2: A Feeling of Vertigo

Jason Snell — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:00:00 GMT

I call this meeting of Comic-Book Club to order! Today we will be discussing "The Unwritten" by Mike Carey and Peter Gross, published by Vertigo. But of course, we end up talking about much more than just "The Unwritten," as any good book club should.

The Incomparable 1: We'll Always Have Zeppelins

Jason Snell — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:00:00 GMT

Climb in your Zeppelin, grab a self-burning book, and prepare for the first Incomparable Podcast, in which we discuss "The City and The City," "The Windup Girl," "For The Win," and more. Plus we mispronounce the names of writers.