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It's been a long time. We shouldn't have left you without a dope pod to listen to. For the 200th episode of Hard NOC Life, Shawn, Dominic, and Keith are back and joined by the newest co-host, Jamal, to recap all the Nerd Pop we missed since the show's been on hiatus since July 2020. From the rise and fall of QAnon to the defeat of America's first toxic fandom president, there's a lot to catch up on. The fellas also discuss the death of Chadwick Boseman, the switch from cinemas to streaming, why Jon Favreau is better than JJ Abrams, and what they like and don't like about WandaVision. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

Hard NOC Life is still on hiatus; however, we have an exciting bonus episode to bring you! Last week, Keith was asked to moderate a panel as part of Scholastic's "Power of Story" speaker series. Two artists, Eric Wilkerson and Pablo Leon, speak about the important of representation in comics and children's lit. You can also watch the original panel on Scholastic's YouTube channel and Facebook. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

Hard NOC Life will go on a brief hiatus as we prepare for our landmark 200th episode. However, in honor of the streaming debut of Hamilton on Disney+, we're digging into the archives to bring you this conversation of the musical phenomenon. Back in November 2016, we recorded a live edition of Hard NOC Life from the NOC Reading Lounge at CTRL+ALT — the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s pop-up culture lab in the former Pearl River Mart location in SoHo. Hamilton superfans Constance Gibbs, Kendra James, and Kevin T. Morales joined Keith to nerd out over the smash Broadway hit musical Hamilton. Special thanks to Lawrence Minh-Bui Davis and Adriel Luis from the Smithsonian APA for inviting us to be a part of CTRL+ALT! All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

On the last Hard NOC Life of Pride Month, Shawn, Dominic, and Keith re-contextualize Joel Schumacher's contributions to the legacy of Batman. In the wake of Schumacher's passing, the hosts look back at the late director's mid-90s Batman sequels with a new lens. Was the negative reaction to the Schumacher era the beginnings of the toxic fandom that permeates the internet today? How much of that backlash was couched in (cis male) homophobia due to the films' (not-so-subtle) queer subtext? In addition, they look at the character's inherent adaptability and why multiple interpretations of Batman is actually a good thing. They also dive into the possibility of Michael Keaton returning to the franchise and whether Batman stories can exist without the pro-police propaganda. Lastly, Shawn gives props to K-Pop fandom for using their superpowers for good -- which he originally predicted for Pop Culture Collab. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

From Comic-Con at Home to DC FanDome, on Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith discuss the transition to a virtual con season this summer. They also talk about the trend of political books aping pop culture for their titles (looking at you, John Bolton) and the recent PS5 event and confusion about the Spider-Man: Miles Morales game. Nerd poppin' this week: John Boyega Rebel Leader (and a possible Attack the Block sequel) and the anniversaries of several Batman movies. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

This week on Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith are joined by the writer, director, producer, and star of I Will Make You Mine, Lynn Chen! After eight years, the Surrogate Valentine trilogy is complete thanks to Lynn's determination, and the backing of dozens of Kickstarters. Now available to stream on every digital platform, as well as for purchase on blu-ray and DVD, Lynn tells the guys how she convinced Dave Boyle to take over the reins and her experience as a first-time filmmaker. Before Lynn, joins, Keith and Dom discuss DC Comics' split with Diamond, the passing of Dennis O'Neil, and the President's insistence on turning HBO's Watchmen into reality. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

Shawn, Dominic and Keith discuss the state of the world in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, another unarmed Black man in America killed by the police. Here are some organizations to donate to, amplify, and support: Black Lives Matter George Floyd Memorial Fund Racial Justice Network The Movement for Black Lives Reclaim the Block Black Visions Collective National Police Accountability Project Campaign Zero Please give what you can. Nerd Pop covered in this episode include the Snyder Cut, Ruby Rose leaving Batwoman, the suicide of Terrace House's Hana Kimura, and how to mobilize fandom for just causes instead of toxic behavior.

On a special Asian Pacific American Heritage Month edition of Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith are joined by a trio of authors -- Gene Luen Yang, Sarah Kuhn, and Minh Lê -- who all have AAPI-themed graphic novels out now from DC Comics! In just the last few months, DC Comics has published a series of middle-grade and YA-focused graphic novels that not only appeal to new comics readers, but also feature Asian American characters in the lead. Yang's Superman Smashes the Klan, Kuhn's Shadow of the Batgirl, and Minh Lê's Green Lantern: Legacy -- not to mention Melissa de la Cruz's Gotham High -- mark a dramatic turning point in AAPI representation in mainstream comics. And we are lucky to have three of these accomplished authors on the podcast to discuss their contributions to the cause and the canon. After the conversation, Dom and Keith share their initial thoughts on the Snyder Cut announcement. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

On Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith welcome Lauren Lola -- who took a moment out of her busy CAAMFest schedule -- to talk about Hamilton and Mandalorian season 2 coming to Disney+. Over the last few weeks, Disney+ announcements have turned the nerd world upside down. In addition to all of the casting news surrounding season 2 of The Mandalorian -- namely, Rosario Dawson, Temuera Morrison, and Katie Sackhoff potentially bringing animated characters to live action -- the Mouse House also announced exclusive streaming rights to the filmed version of Broadway's Hamilton which was originally scheduled for a theatrical run in 2021. In rule of three fashion, YA fantasy author Rick Riordan also revealed he's working on a Percy Jackson series for the Plus, satiating a legion of Demigods who have been who have been clamoring for years! Finally, in a special streaming of edition of what's #NerdPoppin -- Lauren is excited for Avatar: the Last Airbender on Netflix; Dom is watching old Spider-Woman cartoons on Disney+; Keith is curious about the new Captain Pike-centered Star Trek series on CBS All Access, while also attending the virtual premiere of TNT's Snowpiercer. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.  

On Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith discuss the end of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Disney+ and how it re-contextualizes the prequel trilogy for the better. Before diving in to the Clone Wars finale, they discuss Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez adding to her NOC cred by her recent embrace of Animal Crossing. What's #NerdPoppin this week: Dominic reminisces about Into the Badlands on the anniversary of its series finale, and Keith talks about being part of a webinar about getting out the vote created by the 2020 Project. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

This week's Hard NOC Life is the most ambitious crossover event in history as Dominic, Shawn, and Keith welcome a vast array of friends of the pod for probably the longest episode in the show's existence. Joining the regulars on Zoom for this special event are NOC contributors Lauren, Raymond, and Jason (plus NOC cub reporter Emi), Black Girls Create co-founders Bayana and Robyn, Middle Geeks co-host Swara, Fuckin' Do It Cast co-host Jamie, and special guest from the For All Nerds podcast, DJ BenHaMeen! Be prepared for extended discussions on fandom in a post-virus world, what everyone's watching in quarantine, and impassioned defenses of various Star Trek and Star Wars properties. For an unedited view of the proceedings, we've also included the Zoom feed on YouTube! All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

This week on Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith take a time machine to the 1990s and discuss Bobby Brown's Ghostbusters 2 opus, new jack swing, and the Chicago Bulls documentary, The Last Dance. First, they debate the merits of Ghostbusters II and Bobby Brown's singular theme song before breaking down the Instagram Live battle between Babyface and Teddy Riley. Speaking of that VERZUZ battle, they also question the tendency to pit two factions against one another and turning fandom into sports. Speaking of sports, since Keith has been obsessed with ESPN's Michael Jordan documentary, he revisits his reasons for why Scottie Pippen was less of a Robin, and more like Batman to Jordan's Superman. Finally, they reject the internet's embrace of the Crying Jordan meme, as well as its definition of a "plot hole," and mourn the cancellation of San Diego Comic-Con. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

This week on Hard NOC Life, Dominic schools Keith on Dune mythology as they attempt to predict what the post-coronavirus world will look like. They also dive into the Spider-Man movie debate from twitter, with Dom once again coming to the defense of the Marc Webb-directed Amazing movies. Speaking of Spider-Man directors, they also discuss the rumor that Sam Raimi is taking the reins of Doctor Strange 2 and why horror directors make good superhero movies. Finally, what's #NerdPoppin for Dominic is reading Ta-Nehisi Coates last run on the Black Panther books and for Keith, it's blowing his stimulus check on Hot Toys. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

Dominic and Keith look at movies that feel different watching post-pandemic -- namely, The Dark Knight Rises and Watchmen. First, they Disney's reshuffled movie schedule and whether people will still even want to see Black Widow in November, either because of the virus or because of the election. Then, they note how Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises feels both prescient and outdated in 2020, plus how Watchmen presaged an obsession with masks and how they're perceived among the general population. Later, they mourn the loss of the movie theater experience after a thread of Avengers: Endgame from opening night went viral and share what's #NerdPoppin this week: for Dom, it's eating jajangmyeon and watching Parasite for Black Day. For Keith, it's the new YA graphic novel Gotham High and its Asian American Batman. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

Dominic and Keith are still talking about how COVID-19 is changing the nerd pop landscape. This week, what will "normal" even look like? Up first, they talk about watching Star Trek, both Discovery and Picard and why Dom really digs the former and Keith was disappointed with the latter. Then they switch topics to coronavirus (of course) and mourn the loss of the 2020 summer movie season. And even if/when the virus is under control, will normal life return? How comfortable will people be to venture to the movies or congregate with 100,000 of their closest friends in a hot, sweaty convention center in San Diego? Stay-at-home orders in Maryland have forced Diamond Comic Distributors -- the entity solely responsible for getting comics to retailers -- to temporarily shutter its operations. Is this the final nail in the direct market's coffin? All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

For the fourth week in a row, Dominic and Keith continue to discuss COVID-19's effect on the nerd pop landscape. Movie theaters are closing, the Olympics have been cancelled, and people across the country are being ordered to shelter at home. Pop culture may seem inessential in a time like this, but the arts is what keeps people going. To that end, the hosts contend with the future of On-Demand entertainment and what that will mean once the theaters open up again. Dominic continues his quest to convince Disney to release Mulan on streaming platforms. Keith shares what it was like to livetweet Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn three days in a row. What's #NerdPoppin during quarantine: for Dominic, it's how effective Ant-Man's powers would be in an outbreak (plus the relevance of Paul Rudd's house arrest scenes in Ant-Man and the Wasp). For Keith, it's Hasbro's just-released Deluxe Snake Eyes 6-inch action figure. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

This week on Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith are joined by fashion photographer and Birds of Prey superfan Lauren Nakao Winn. Back in February, Lauren's Birds of Prey twitter appreciation thread went viral when it was retweeted by Cathy Yan. Now that the entire world has gone viral with COVID-19, Warner Bros. is releasing Birds of Prey on digital this Tuesday -- months earlier than previously planned -- so Lauren joins the crew to share her thoughts on Birds of Prey and the state of pop culture in a time of coronavirus. Also, check out our Patreon for a bonus conversation about the upcoming Suicide Squad sequel and what the virus is doing to the schedules of films currently in production. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

This week on Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith continue to discuss how Coronavirus is upending the nerd pop landscape. For the next several weeks, life across the globe is changing fundamentally, and pop culture is no different. From the suspension of pro sports to the indefinite delay of blockbuster movie releases, the hosts discuss the impact COVID-19 is having and how they're coping. One of those big movie delays, of course, is Disney's Mulan remake. Even though the film isn't coming out for a while, they dig into some of the controversies behind the film's production and marketing. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

This week on Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith discuss the effect Coronavirus panic has had on the nerd pop landscape. Since the episode was recorded on Friday afternoon, events such as Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle and South by Southwest in Austin have been indefinitely postponed. MGM has moved the opening of the anticipated 007 movie, No Time to Die, from April to November, and theaters around the globe are shutting their doors while the epidemic spreads. Meanwhile, Asian Americans are having to find ways to deal with the anti-Asian racism that's spreading faster than the virus, such as sing Bowen Yang's "Profiled Asian" verse from SNL while they wash their hands. Later they break down the Batmobile from Matt Reeves' upcoming The Batman, and share what's nerd poppin' -- for Dominic, the latest issue of DC's Lois Lane comic and for Keith, it's the premiere of Devs on Hulu.  NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

This week on Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith dig deeper into the leaked script for the original version of Star Wars Episode IX. First, the hosts consider Lucasfilm's latest storytelling initiative, Star Wars: The High Republic and what it means for the future of the franchise. Then, they spend the rest of the podcast discussing details from Colin Trevorrow's original take on Episode IX, titled Duel of the Fates. After having read the script themselves, they each long for the movie we could have -- or should have -- gotten instead of the film that was ultimately released in December. How different is Duel of the Fates? For starters, Rose Tico is an actual character, so there's that. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.