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We'd like to apologise for some of the sound quality in this episode. Some of it was recorded outdoors in City Park Bradford. (Don't ask...) At one point it sounded like somebody was playing bagpipes and there was a LOT of background noise. We tried to take most of it out in post, but you'll still hear some of it.
For what it's worth, City Park in Bradford is lovely.
Anyway. We have some news, views and recommendations for you, and the second part of the conversation between Regie and Alice about The Lord of the Rings. This show was broadcast on Harrogate Community Radio on Thursday 22nd July - it's available on their "listen again" service, or click the image below to go to the podcast Download page.
So. We started with Regie's continued vendetta against billionaires in space, and his consideration of whether either Branson or Bezos actually made it there. His conclusion was that they're both awful, but Branson did it and Bezos did. You can read more impartial discussion of the issues involved HERE.
While there are solid arguments that Bezos didn't attain a sufficient altitude to claim to have "been to Space" Regie prefers to accept that he did, simply because he really wants Wally Funk to have made the trip. Yoou can get some idea as to why HERE.
We then got into the discussion between Regie and Alice about The Lord of the Rings. The discussion turned to the issue of race and casual racism. It's a difficult issue, and to be clear neither Regie nor Alice takes the view that the books or the films have any elements that were deliberately racist. There are some issues though.
Regie contended that the character design of some of Sauron's human soldiers in the film adaptation of Return of the King was "Middle Eastern" and that was perhaps a bit on the nose, given that all of the heroes were effectively "White European" and that at the time of the film's release there were very definite "clash of culture" talking points about the conflicts between Western powers and various Middle Eastern countries.
Here are some images, decide for yourself:
Again. These are the bad guys. All the good guys look like this:
We don't suggest it was deliberate, but it looks unfortunate.
Regie did note that there are many movies from many cultures that also have the same "Lighter skin = Hero, Darker skin = Villain" thing going on. the clip below is not from the film Regie was thinking of when he talked about Indian films that do this, but the clip below is in a similar vein:
So, y'know, it's not just white western made movies that do this. That doesn't mean it's not an issue, but it's not just our issue...
And then we had a "breaking news" science story - and for once it's good news! Hubble is back and we couldn't be better pleased. Read more about that HERE.
Regie then recommended the following comics:
SUPERMAN AND THE AUTHORITY #1
Sometimes even Superman finds a task almost impossible. Sometimes even the Last Son of Krypton needs to enlist help. Some tasks require methods and heroes that don’t scream Justice League.
So Clark Kent, the Metropolis Marvel, seeks out Manchester Black, the most dastardly of rogues, to form an all-new Authority tasked with taking care of some business on the sly. Not only will Black know the right candidates for the team, but if Superman can make him behave himself and act in service of the greater good, then he’ll prove literally anyone can be a hero! They’ll have to move quickly, however, as the Ultra-Humanite forms his own team to take out the Man of Steel.
This new limited series helps launch an all-new Superman status quo, setting up story elements that reverberate across both Action Comics and Superman: Son of Kal-El in the months to come.
And not only is Superman putting together a superstar team, but it takes superstars to tell the tale: Grant Morrison (The Green Lantern, All-Star Superman) and Mikel Janin (Batman, Future State: Superman: Worlds of War)!
BLUE AND GOLD #1
Desperate to regain the spotlight, Booster Gold looks to attract the public's (and Justice League's) attention the same way any washed-up, second-rate hero would-social media. The not-so-tech-savvy hero from the 25th century enlists the help of his best friend, Blue Beetle, who possesses both the money and the brains to help his old pal navigate the scary world of internet influencers. Watch out, evildoers, our heroes are live and online! Don't miss Dan Jurgens's triumphant return to Booster Gold with the help of all-star artist Ryan Sook (Legion of Super-Heroes), telling a tale filled with heart and maybe even redemption for DC's two favorite underdogs!
Finally, there was a podcast recommendation - After the Revolution be Robert Evans. Be warned, this dystopian SF action thriller is violent and foul mouthed, but also born out of the extensive research Evans did into extremist movements in the United States.
You can read the book online HERE or search "After the Revolution" wherever you get your podcasts.
And that's it. We'll see you next week - until then, be kind to yourselves and be kind to everybody else until we meet again to go a-geeking!