With the end of 2024, we at Fanbase Press want to thank the talented and hard-working individuals who host, edit, and create the various podcasts available as part of the Fanbase Press Podcast Network. Running the gamut from humorous and snarky to serious and sincere, the podcasts hosted at Fanbase Press celebrate fandoms in their own unique fashion. Below, readers will find the Fanbase Press podcast episodes that were most popular with our fans and listeners over the course of 2024.
The Fanbase Weekly
When it comes to Fanbase Press’ flagship podcast, The Fanbase Weekly, co-hosts Barbra Dillon, Claire Thorne, and Drew Siragusa are joined by an assortment of special guests from across the pop culture spectrum to discuss the top geek stories of the week! The three most popular episodes of the year can be found below.
1. The Fanbase Weekly: Episode #256 (Hollywood vs. Toxic Fandom & More)
In this episode, The Fanbase Weekly co-hosts welcome special guests Tiffany Babb (Eisner-winning journalist, The Comics Courier) and Ethan and Naomi Sacks (co-writers, Syzygy Publishing’s A Haunted Girl) to discuss the latest geek news stories of the week, including how Hollywood is dealing with toxic fandom, how DC Comics’ Cassandra Cain has provided representation for autism, and DC and Marvel’s loss of the “superhero” trademark.
In the Season 9 premiere episode, The Fanbase Weekly co-hosts welcome special guests Aaron Waltke (Emmy Award-winning writer, showrunner, and Executive Producer – Star Trek: Prodigy, Guillermo del Toro’s Trollhunters) and Tiffany Babb (Deputy Editor – Popverse / co-editor – Eisner Award-winning PanelxPanel Magazine) to discuss the latest geek news stories of the week, including how the disruptions of the comic book industry extend to the entirety of the entertainment industry, Netflix’s approach to making Avatar‘s Sokka less sexist, and honoring the passing of actor/writer/director Carl Weathers.
3. The Fanbase Weekly: Episode #241 (The Problem with OpenAI’s Sora & More)
In the latest episode, The Fanbase Weekly co-hosts welcome special guests Nick Delgado (writer/director/producer – Webcam) and Christof Bogacs (writer – Under Kingdom, Requiem, Rick & Morty) to discuss the latest geek news stories of the week, including the problems inherent with OpenAI’s new Sora app, the response to the Elmo/Larry David kerfuffle, and reactions to the MCU‘s Fantastic Four casting.
Fanbase Features
As a special feature of The Fanbase Weekly podcast, the Fanbase Feature focuses on and celebrates a specific element of geek culture in the form of long-form interviews, panel discussions, and more! The three most popular Fanbase Feature episodes of the year can be found below.
1. Fanbase Feature: Panel Discussion on ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ (2024)
In this Fanbase Feature, The Fanbase Weekly co-host Barbra Dillon and special guests David M. Booher (Eisner Award-nominated and GLADD Media Award-winning writer – Ghostbusters: Back in Town, Canto, Killer Queens), Amanda Donahue (artist – Fanbase Press’ The Margins), and Jessica Maison (writer, Mary Shelley’s School for Monsters) participate in a thorough discussion regarding Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) in light of the film’s recent release, with topics including the panelist’s own personal experiences with the original film, how successful the new film works as a sequel, examinations of Tim Burton’s creative strengths and weaknesses, and more.
2. Fanbase Feature: Panel Discussion on ‘Alien: Romulus’ (2024)
In this Fanbase Feature, The Fanbase Weekly co-host Bryant Dillon and special guests Corinna Bechko (writer – The Space Between, Avatar: Adapt or Die), Erik Amaya (Editor-in-Chief of Comicon.com, co-host of the Tread Perilously podcast), and Livio Ramondelli (artist – Skybound & IDW’s Transformer comics, creator of IDW’s The Kill Lock) participate in a thorough discussion regarding Alien: Romulus (2024) in light of the film’s recent release, with topics including how the film differs from the other films in the Alien franchise, the controversial cameo in the film, what Romulus means for the future of the franchise, and more.
3. Fanbase Feature: 40th Anniversary Retrospective on ‘The Muppets Take Manhattan’ (1984)
In this Fanbase Feature, The Fanbase Weekly co-host Barbra Dillon and special guests Craig Miller (marketing consultant on The Muppets Take Manhattan, original Director of Fan Relations at Lucasfilm, writer – Star Wars Memories), Paul Pakler (co-host – Paul and Corey Cross the Streams, Quality Time with Family Ties), and Norm Harper (writer – Fanbase Press’ The Sequels, Haphaven / LEGO blogger) participate in a thorough discussion regarding the The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) in light of its 40th anniversary, with topics including the tonal shift of the Muppets under the direction of Frank Oz, the depiction of life in 1980s New York City and its role in the film, and more.
The Arkham Sessions
Since early 2014, Dr. Drea Letamendi and Brian Ward have revisited Batman: The Animated Series through the analytical eyes of a clinical psychologist. Heralded as one of the greatest storytelling vehicles of all time, the television show’s tone, subject matter, and depth in storytelling and character development are exemplary and undergo the psychological analysis it deserves in The Arkham Sessions. Each week, the co-hosts watch the series, in production order, with a keen eye toward revealing the very real psychology behind its characters and then put Batman and his “Rogues Gallery” on the couch for a fun, insightful weekly session. In the past year, The Arkham Sessions has focused on content beyond Batman: The Animated Series, including analysis of many entries of the Star Wars franchise. The three most popular episodes of the year can be found below.
1. Episode 218 “X-Men: Captive Hearts”
The X-Men discover an underground band of Morlocks, a gang of mutant misfits who perceive themselves as “too unsightly” to live and socialize among non-mutant humans, so they live in the tunnels below the city. With Scott and Jean captured, the X-Men set out to rescue them, but must also address their own safety, specifically, psychological safety.
2. Episode 219 “X-Men: Cold Vengeance”
Feeling rejected, Wolverine leaves the X-Mansion on a search to find some inner peace. Meanwhile, the rest of the X-Men are sent by Professor X to investigate the island of Genosha, a seemingly pleasant vacation destination rumored to be welcoming to mutants. Both quests raise tensions related to ingroup and outgroup relationships.
Dr. Drea also revisits the practice of “trigger warnings” and whether those disclaimers are necessary or effective.
3. Episode 220 “X-Men: Slave Island”
A small group of X-Men are captured and taken to labor camps on the island of Genosha. This episode depicts multiple responses to oppressive-related stress, ranging from learned helplessness to psychological fortitude to organized rebellion, and carries a throughline reminiscent of real-life liberation movements led by civil rights leaders: “knowledge is power.”
Tread Perilously
Tread Perilously is a podcast in which hosts Erik Amaya (Editor-in-Chief of Comicon.com) and author Justin Robinson (City of Devils, Wolfman Confidential) watch the “worst” episodes of popular TV shows, attempting to determine if they would continue to watch the series based on the most off-key moments. TV shows regularly tread upon include Doctor Who, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and 7th Heaven. From family dramas to well-loved, but brief, sci-fi series, each hour-long episode examines how a show sustains itself even in its worst moments. The three most popular episodes of the year can be found below.
1. Tread Perilously – ‘Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Ghosts’
Ampersand Month concludes with an episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman called “Ghosts.”
Newly married Lois and Clark are settling into their new brownstone when a neighbor decides to sell her house due to a persistent haunting. Soon, the Kents themselves experience a specter. Clark suspects a more mundane reason for the problem, but Lois takes the ghost at her word. Meanwhile, a real estate hustler who owes the local Irish mob a lot of money tries to steer the ghost toward his own ends. Will he succeed or will Lois outsmart everyone?
Oh, and the episode features special guests as the hustler and the ghost.
2. Tread Perilously – ‘Doctor Who: The Invisible Enemy’
Tread Perilously continues to celebrate 90 years of Tom Baker with the Doctor Who story called “The Invisible Enemy.”
When the Virus of the Nucleus of the Swarm makes contact with human astronauts on a relief mission to Titan in the year 5000, The Doctor and Leela are also caught up in events. Soon, The Doctor is infected with the Nucleus itself while Leela is strangely immune. The pair arrive on a medical asteroid. The Doctor asks renowned scientist Dr. Marius to clone him and miniaturize the clone so The Doctor can take a fantastic voyage inside his own body. Will it stop the Swarm or will Leela prove to have the best solution?
3. Tread Perilously – ‘Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars’
Tread Perilously‘s celebration of Tom Baker’s 90th year continues with the Doctor Who story called “Pyramids of Mars.”
A quirk in time and space forces the TARDIS to land at UNIT HQ some 60 years before it is built. Instead, they find a priory owned by archeologist Marcus Scarman. For his part, the explorer has been possessed by Sutek, an alien imprisoned under a Saqaara pyramid for millennia. Will The Doctor and Sarah Jane figure out the Osirian’s plan before he launches a rocket at Mars or will the bodies of hapless Edwardians keep piling up?
Paul and Corey Cross the Streams
Paul and Corey Cross the Streams is a bi-monthly podcast in which hosts Paul Pakler and Corey Pepper watch and review streaming content. It’s the Great American Podcast where two friends learn about life as they float down the river of streaming services. The three most popular episodes of 2024 can be found below.
1. Paul and Corey Cross the Streams: Season 6, Episode 7 [‘The Searchers’ (1956)]
John Ford’s The Searchers (1956) has been generally touted as the best American western. German journalist Andreas Kilb called The Searchers, “The essence of American Myth in one film,” and Paul (but maybe not Corey) agrees – with the caveat that that’s not exactly a good thing.
Ford had already made 100 films by this point in his career and worked with star John Wayne in a great number of them. The Searchers marked a maturation of the genre for Ford in which he wanted to tackle the topic of racism through an anti-hero for the ages, Ethan Edwards.
Even within the film and in the context of the time of its relief, there’s a feeling of deep ambivalence in how to feel about Ethan Edwards. And in 2024, the feeling has only grown more complicated (or perhaps clearer than ever).
It all leads to an excellent discussion of America, settler colonialism, and racism as the ideology that allowed/s for the creation of them both.
2. Paul and Corey Cross the Streams: Season 6, Episode 8 [‘La Dolce Vita’ (1960)]
Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960) launched him onto the world’s stage as an artistic force to be reckoned with. Coming from the Italian neorealist movement, Fellini began to make dreamlike, expressionist art films that were glamorous and yet explored the rot at the center of that glamor.
La Dolce Vita is structurally inventive, dense with meaning, and even intimidated Paul as to how well he’d do in discussing it. (Spoiler: Paul and Corey did a great job.)
3. Paul and Corey Cross the Streams: Season 6, Episode 13 [‘Mulholland Drive’ (2001)]
Mulholland Drive (2001) is the first film directed by David Lynch that has been discussed on PACCTS. It’s been touted as the greatest American film of the 21st century, and half of the show’s hosts agree! Paul and Corey discuss Lynch the artist – his methods, styles, and themes – and try to discuss what the hell the film is about.
