Let Me Know How It Is

Definitive 5 is back!  Frank has assembled a list of some of the most popular and interesting characters from pop culture. The only thing they all have in common, is they have all appeared in movies, comics, video games, animation, AND Television.  In this third installment, the panel goes through this list to decide each of their preferred versions of beloved characters from pop culture, includin...

Can you believe it's been 25 years since Superman: The Animated Series debuted on Kids WB?! Produced as a follow up to the incredibly popular Batman: The Animated Series, Superman shared many of the same creators and is just as definitive a take on the Man of Steel as its predecessor was for the Dark Knight. An impressive show and an important one in ushering in the beloved DC animated Universe ak...

Last year, Disney Investor Day was an unexpected flood of new and exciting news for upcoming Star Wars, Marvel, and Animation projects coming over the next few years. This year, the event is renamed Disney Plus Day, and brings us even more new project announcements along with updates for some of the most anticipated shows and movies. Come along and join as the panel goes over all the news from Dis...

One of the little talked about, but fun aspects of a TV show or movie is the world that exists within that world. Some of our favorite characters have an affinity for TV, movies, and comics just like us. We're looking into some of the most memorable fictional creations that themselves reside within some of our favorite works of fiction. Join us as we celebrate the shows within shows and stories wi...

There is a phenomenon in media where audiences are treated to characters who partake in less-than-savory actions and behavior. More than ever the phrase "no redeemable qualities what-so-ever" can apply to some of the most memorable figures in pop culture. Jerks, loveable losers, flawed anti-heroes, and down right D-bags. Saddle up, as the panel takes you through some of their favorite A-hole chara...

It's Halloween time, and if we were going to ask you what you associate most with the season, horror movies might be one of the first things that pops to mind. Horror movies are big business and each year there are more and more of them. And that's not including the unintentional ones. We've all seen a movie or show that wasn't designed to be a horror story, but it definitely can feel like one as...

Back in 2020 DC Comics started DC Fandome, a virtual convention showcasing their latest slate of comics, movies, animation, and TV news. Now here we are in 2021, and DC Fandome is back!.. with even many more trailers, previews, and huge announcements. We finally got a look at Flashpoint, Black Adam, and Peacemaker, and full trailer for The Batman. Join the panel as we share our takes and go throug...

Characters can sometimes take on a life of their own. What starts as a clearly defined character identity or traits can over time grow into something else. Something much further from the original idea. The reasons for this occurring can be as varied as the number of characters in existence. For today, the panel discusses characters that started one way, but grew to become something else.

Globally, James Bond is one of the biggest franchises that there is. This week will see the release of the highly anticipated, latest James Bond film and the last to star Daniel Craig, No Time to Die. Created by author Ian Fleming in 1953 with his first Bond novel Casino Royale, and the character was quickly adapted to the screen in 1962. Since that time, everyone’s favorite super spy has graced t...

Whether it's the best friend, the partner, the roommate, or even a tenuous temporary team up, pop culture is filled with examples of memorable duos. There is always something exciting about seeing characters who are opposites get into trouble and play off of one another. Duos are maybe one the the oldest (and perhaps most effective) tropes there is. It’s hard to imagine any moment throughout pop c...

Certain entertainment mediums can actually lay claim to a specific day of the week. New comics has Wednesdays. Movie releases have Fridays.  Football has Sundays. But in the case of cartoons, there was a glorious time when cartoons owned Saturdays. Saturday mornings to be exact.  The only time when you wouldn't need an alarm clock or beg your folks for just give more minutes to get up. No, you jus...

While many heroes you encounter in film, TV, and comics are one of kind, there are are plenty of occasions where you see a hero persona or identity that is occupied by multiple characters instead of just one. It could be a mantle handed down from one character to another (Robin). It could an a identity shared by many people at once (The Green Lanterns). Or, it could even be a sacred role that must...

The world of comic books has been home to many influential creators, and maybe the biggest of them all is none other than Jacob Kurtzberg aka Jack Kirby. Kirby worked as an artist, writer, and sometimes editor, where he developed a style and narrative structure that would define the medium. With a career in comics than spanned more than five decades, Kirby touched and excelled at just about every...

Often touted as the greatest movie never made, Citizen Kane opened this week 80 years ago. It was not a commercial success in it's initial release in 1941, but the Orson Welles classic is a tour-de-force of filmmaking that still resonates to this very day. Showcasing an innovative and complex narrative storytelling structure as well as new experimental filmmaking techniques that were cutting edge...

Summer is over and that means one thing: school starts up again! That's right, sorry kiddos, it's back to school season. Even though summer ending can be a drag, we here at Let Me Know How It Is wanted to remind you that going back to school definitely can have it's pluses. Inspired by this annual sojourn back to learning, the panel wanted to take a look at some of their favorite places for learni...

The very nature of animation production grants creators many avenues to create something imaginative, special, and unique, and Gendy Tartakovsky's Samurai Jack stands as a prime example of that. When Samurai Jack premiered on Cartoon Network in 2001 nothing had ever looked quite like it before, or for that matter, ever since. Jack is a genre-blending action show that takes cues from comic books, n...

One of our most anticipated films of 2021 is Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn’s first foray into the DC Universe, The Suicide Squad. A no holds barred romp featuring a motley assortment of some of the DCU’s most misfit crooks and criminals who are a thrown into a suicide mission to save the world. Starring Idris Elba, Viola Davis, John Cena, Michael Rooker, David Dastmalchian, Daniela M...

35 years ago, children of the mid-1980s were enthralled by cartoons based around toy lines. They could be found everywhere on TV; weekday mornings, after school, and of course on Saturday mornings. That was Television only though, you didn’t see movies based around toy lines, that is until Transformers: The Movie was released.  An actual animated movie released to theatres that showcased all of ou...

🎵 It's the most wonderful time of the year. 🎵 No it's not Christmas time -- it's Comic Con!!!! (Kind of a Christmas in July, we suppose.) Just like last year, the good promoters and organizers are bringing San Diego Comic-Con to our living rooms - Comic-Con 2021 goes virtual! The panel is here reacting to all the exciting news, and announcements, trailers, and panels that came out of Comic-Con a...

Everyone loves a good mystery. A well crafted "Who Done It?" is among the most exciting kind of story to read or watch; and a huge part of those stories is the Detective, a focal character who learns all the plot details of the case as the audience does. A common practice for the mystery genre, is to take the audience through a brand new case, populated with a whole new slew of supporting players...

Everyone has heard the term "Hollywood Blockbuster." You have probably seen at least a few dozen by now, but what actually classifies a movie becoming a blockbuster? What is the history? What are some of the traits these films have in common? How has the landscape changed over the years? Finally the panel will make predictions on which upcoming films just might very well hit blockbuster status in...

During World War II, comic readers saw many characters address the conflict on the world stage head on. Creators on characters like Superman and Batman pivoted creatively to deal with the war effort in addition to other characters of The Golden Age, including a whole slew of new characters. Among these brand new creations, none was more successful than Captain America. Interestingly, for a charact...

Back in the mid 1990s there was a bizarre and shocking moment in comic book history where a swap of two characters between the Big Two comic book companies almost took place. Marvel Comics and DC Comics had in the works a deal that would see one character from each company go on loan to the other company for a period of one year. First, our panel will dive into the details of this surprising plan...

There are certain movies that are remembered as being crucially important signifiers to Hollywood that comic books could be profitable subject matter; 1979’s Superman, 1989’s Batman, 1998’s Blade, X-Men from 2000 and Spider-Man from 2002 all played a part in building the modern superhero movie. One maybe not remembered enough however is 1991’s The Rocketeer;  one of the earliest comic adaptations...

Pop culture is filled with notable fathers and father figures. From Star Wars to The Simpsons, dad's play an important part in the development of our lead characters. They can act as an influence towards positive growth, but sometimes through the sins of the father, they can also present some internal obstacles for our protagonists to face and overcome. In honor of Father’s Day (this coming Sunday...