The Geek Speak Show

Henry welcomes writers Michael Scwartz & Rachael Schaefer to talk about their upcoming graphic novel, Til Death.  It's the story about a restless ghost from the 1960s enlisting a grieving man to carry her bones across the country in a final attempt to reunite with her husband. But even the afterlife has rules, and breaking them could incur a fate worse than death. It's also a Kickstarter campaign with some pretty awesome rewards for backers...especially if you're a fan of the supernatural or ghost stories. Plus Shanclen's Nerdy Navajo News and a new pick for the Book Club.

The Geek Speak Show returns from a short break and picks up right where they left off....with this month's Issues of the Day. Henry San Miguel, Emily Mata and the Nerdy Navajo, Shanclen, talk about whether streaming really has killed the movie-going experience. This topic was prompted by a quote from Steven Spielberg where he describes going to a movie theater as a magical experience. Is it still? The second topic is...interesting. The Odyssey has announced that it will NOT hold any screenings for social media influencers. Is that a good or bad move by Universal and...

On this month's Issues of the Day, Henry & Emily are joined by Linds from Lind's Soapbox on Instagram. Henry asks a simple question: Do we really need a trailer for a movie like Avengers: Doomsday? That leads to another related issue: Have we gotten to a point where there is just too much released for movies? In the second segment, Emily wonders whether the upcoming Supergirl movie should cover the events from the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic or should it just be an origin story? Henry brings up the elephant in the room: Will it matter because we...

Henry is joined by Rebecca Sun, a journalist & cultural critic and former Senior Editor of Equality & Inclusion at The Hollywood Reporter. They talk about the recent layoffs across the entertainment industry, but especially what that means for college graduates & current students. As a lecturer at Cal State Fullerton, how does Rebecca prepare students & grads to enter a climate with no openings in their chosen career studies? Emily Mata, as a soon-to-be-college grad, also adds her thoughts on this topic and then she and Henry talk about Obsession and Backrooms and whether they're the "new direction of filmmaking" as many...

After the team took a break last week, they return this week with a jam-packed episode! First, Henry introduces the newest members of The Geek Speak Show, one in front of the mic, the other behind the scenes. Then, he's joined by the Nerdy Navajo Shanclen to chat with Darren Watts about collecting comics. If you've watched the Selling Superman documentary on Amazon, you know Darren's story and what started The Fantast Collection. As you can imagine, Shanclen has many questions about collecting for Darren. Then, they're joined by John Ward, the writer of the Scareville horror book series...

Henry, Emily & Shanclen take the week off to relax after Memorial Day weekend and, for Henry, several natuaral & not-so-natural disaters in Southern California. Henry replays two interviews from the show's past: First, from Season 7, an interview with a Lightsaber Fencing Summer Camp in San Francisco. Then, from the show's first season in 2010, Jeph Loeb's first of many appearances on the show. 

The gang will be back with an all-new episode next week. And with all-new team members, too.....

The episode begins with Henry's reaction to The Punisher: One Last Kill and why it suffers because of an issue with the MCU overall. Then, he welcomes Kevin Croxton to the show. Kevin is a composer and music teacher at Oliver Springs Elementary in Arkansas. The Oliver Springs Music Club, under Kevin's direction, made a Ghostbusters fan film called Ghostbusters: Half-Life. Kevin talks about it, including a scene that will be even more emotional after you hear why it's in the film. Geek Off The Street's Trent Tucker joins Henry & Emily Mata to give their reactions to The Punisher...

Henry, Emily & Shanclen talk about "original stories" and what that looks like in 2026. That leads to them playing a game that Henry calls "Pitch, Please!". Basically, a pitch meeting where Emily & Shanclen pitch original stories...however, if at any point the story pitch sounds like anything that we've already seen, they'll get the buzzer and pitch meeting over. Did they come up with an original story idea? Listen & find out! Then, Henry talks to Jeffrey R. Dean, the writer & artist of Project: HOLO and the T.E.R.R.A. series.

As the team relaxes after Free Comic Book Day, they decide to record the Issues of the Day for this month. Like last month, Henry, Emily and Shanclen each bring their own topic: Shanclen has an isue with con funk. Is it something that needs to be eliminated or just part of the con experience? Emily asks whether there is too much nostalgia, with films like Masters of the Universe and Mortal Kombat 2 on the way. Finally, Henry brings up the elephant that has been on all of your social media: Are you all not enjoying conventions the way...

This week, Henry welcomes Chris Brady, the managing owner of 4 Color Fantasies in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. That's where the show will be on Free Comic Book Day this year, and Chris talks about what he was doing before he decided to open the shop, why he opened it, what makes 4 Color Fantasies unique and he also reflects on the almost 20 years of the shop serving the Inland Empire. After Shanclen's Nerdy Navajo news report, Emily Mata joins Henry to reveal what the Skullcado Comics team will have at 4 Color Fantasies on FCBD and, finally, they reveal all the info...

Writer Tim Zajac joins Henry on this week's episode. Tim is the creator of Poe Noir, a comic book series inspired & adapting the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. Tim talks about how he went from writing for stage, film & television to writing his own comic book series, Poe Noir: The Dupine Files & where he'll be for Free Comic Book Day this year. After Shanclen updates us on what's hapening in Geek Culture, Emily Mata joins Henry and they talk about whether a film the size of Avengers: Doomsday needs a trailer 8 months before its release & what types of films...

On this month's Issues of the Day, we try something different: First of all, there are no guests, just Henry San Miguel, Emily Mata & Shanclen. That's not the new thing. This time, each of the hosts comes up with their own topic and leads their respective segments. Then, Henry reveals where The Geek Speak Show will be spending this year's Free Comic Book Day.

Henry San Miguel & Emily Mata welcome filmmakers The Akbaba Bros. (Emirhan & Denizhan Akbaba) & Antoine Robinson to the show. They talk about their Proof-of-Concept Kickstarter campign for a sci-fi/drama TV series called On The Ground. Then, artist Amin Amat returns to the show to talk about The Road To Oz, Chapter 3.

After a few words about last weekend's WonderCon and a quick tribute to the late James Tolkan, Henry San Miguel & Emily Mata welcome artist Austin Ackert to talk about his upcoming title, Carmine Sunshine. Picture this: A vampire is going about his immortal life when he is suddenly the victim of an alien abduction. Then it gets really weird! A fun chat about a fun comics collection. Then, (almost*) all the details are announced for The Geek Speak Expo, The Geek Speak Show's first-ever live event!

*There will be additional panels announced in the coming weeks.

As always, the Warm-Up To WonderCon episode kicks off with San Diego Comic-Con's David Glanzer, as he and Henry discuss last year's SDCC, WonderCon's upcoming 40th(!) anniversary and why the decision was made to not allow AI-generated art at SDCC's Art Show. The rest of this year's guests are:

Tony Kim, CEO & founder, Hero Within (Booth # 918)

Jevin Loop, artist (Artist Alley # E-46)

Jeffrey Snow, founder, Snowstorm Comics (Booth # 1320)

Omar Morales, comic book writer (Comics Assemble! Comics Camaraderie Networking Event, Friday 5-7 PM, Rm. 206B

Mark Atkinson, moderator (Aliens 40, Friday 3:45...

As the team gets ready for WonderCon Anaheim next week, and Emily Mata rests her voice after catching a bit of con crud, Henry & Shanclen give a small tease of what the Star Trek 60 special episode will sound like as they play back a segment from the show's fourth season featuring a Star Trek vs Star Wars discussion with Team Wars consisting of Dr. Andrea Letamendi & then-co-host Rachel Rossilli. Team Trek was Henry and Rod Roddenbery. You'll hear the first few topics, whch led to the perfect description from Drea Letamendi to describe both franchises. After that, Shanclen updates...

This week, it's comics, Metal & Monsters! First, Henry welcomes David F. Starr & Gustav Starr. They're musicians and the creators of a comic book called MetalLord. Then, Henry, Emily & Shanclen have a chat with some of the writers of the Godzilla vs. LA comic book. J.Gonzo(Godzill-LA), Gabriel Hardman(Eye In The Sky),& Jordan Morris(Big Break). Plus the usual features & more!

This week, Henry welcomes director & writer Jeremy Snead to the show. Jeremy talks about his new movie, Matter of Time, which opens this Friday in theatres.

Then, author & comic book creator Solis joins Henry & Emily to chat about creating his own comics through Solis Sequentials.

Plus the usual features....except a different Nerdy Navajo News. And Emily shares where she will be appearing in-person this wekend. Hint: It's right here.

Henry San Miguel, Emily Mata & Shanclen are joined by Trent Tucker from Geek Off The Street for this month's Issues of the Day episode. These are the issues discussed:

What do we hope to see from the new creative leadership at Lucasfilm? Not just Star Wars, everything Lucasfilm will produce moving forward?

Does the success of Iron Lung signal a new way to break into Hollywood? Or is it something that is still for a select few with a huge online following?

Bonus issue: Now that YouTube has officially (and financially) surpassed Netflix...

This week, Henry sets out to prove that geeks & nerds not being athletic is an outdated stereotype. In fact, we have our own sport: fencing! Wait...how is that geeky? Fencing...with lightsabers! First, director Matthew Wiatt joins Henry to talk about his documentary about lightsaber fencing called Saber. Yes, it features competitive lightsaber fencing, but you'll see that it's about more than the lightsabers or how many points are scored. Then, since a majority of the Geek Speak audience is in the Southern California area, Cang Snow checks in to let us know about the Lightspeed Saber Academy i...

Ricardo Delgado is a Hollywood Concept Designer & also a writer & illustrator who created the Eisner Award-winning series Age of Reptiles. He has a new illustrated novel coming soon called Vampyre: A Costa Rican Folktale. Ricardo visits with Henry to talk about it, why this is such a personal story for him and how it differs from the typical vampire lore we're familiar with. Plus, you'll hear Ricardo & Henry geek out over classic monster films and Spanish-language horror films from when they were both kids. After that, Henry welcomes director Nick Bailey to the show. Nick has a new documentary...

This week, composer Jacob Yoffee returns to the show to recap his panel at this year's NAMM Show. He also talks to Henry about composing for two iconic TV shows & what he's working on in 2026. After the Book Club, and with the nominees for the 53rd Saturn Awards having been announced, Henry, Emily & Shanclen go over them & pick who they think should win in some of the categories.

The Geek Speak Show kicks off its 16th season!

Henry & Shanclen are back, along with their new co-host, Emily Mata. After a new feature that'll help you keep track of cons & other events, Henry & Emily welcome Ethan H. Calk to the show. Ethan is the writer/editor of When Aliens Attack! It's an upcoming sci-fi comedy animated series and Ethan talks about how it was created, including why going with AI-generated animation. After the Book Club, Henry issues a challenge to Shanclen: In celebration of Star Trek's 60th Anniversary later this year, will he finally start watching S...

The Geek Speak Show kicks off 2026 with the first Issues of the Day episode!

Henry San Miguel is back as the main host, along with the Nerdy Navajo, Shanclen. They welcome Analese & Rob, hosts of the Nerd Best Friends podcast to talk about the Stranger Things Finale and why this love letter to 80s culture made such a global impact for the past nine years. Even with those who didn't grow up in the 80s. That leads the discussion to these other topics:

Avengers: Doomsday. Something to get excited about or not really? Is spoiler...

On the final episode for 2025, Henry & Shanclen, along with Geek Off The Street's Marc Pope & Trent Tucker, begin with the final Issues of the Day for the year. Only two topics: Why Netflix winning the bid to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery ISN'T as bad as all the "experts" have been bemoaning & why talking during movies in the theater IS bad, as everyone SHOULD be saying. Then, The Geek Speak Awards Show returns! The guys award the best of the year in comic books, video games, shows and movies. Yes, the WTF Award is back, too. (Meaning the worst movie...

This is the final (regular) episode for 2025! To wrap up the season in a fun & inspirational way, Henry welcomes artist Emily Mata to the show. Emily talks about knowing she wanted to be an artist from a very young age, explaining to her parents why she wanted to draw for a living, creating Dewy's Adventures and Mira, becoming the comic artist for The Highlander, UC Riverside's newspaper, and how all of this culminated in Emily's goal for a looong time: attending & exhibiting at San Diego Comic-Con. Then, for the final Book Club of the year, Shanclen and Henry share...

This week, Henry highlights a new sci-fi film starring Tom Felton called Altered. Since Tom was a little bit busy on Broadway, Henry talks to director Timo Vueronsola & actress Elizaveta Bugulova about the film. Timo talks about the inspiration for the film and why he chose Tom Felton as the lead. Elizaveta talks about her character (Chloe) and what it was like meeting Tom Felton for the first time...after having grown up as a Harry Potter fan and Draco Malfoy being her favorite character. Then, Shanclen joins Henry and they talk about what's been happening in Geek Culture, i...

The gang's all here for this Issues of the Day! Henry & Shanclen are joined by Marc Pope & Trent Tucker from Geek Off The Street. They start off the episode by talking about Tilly Norwood, the first AI-generated "actress" and why Hollywood is already scrambling to sign her to a multi-film deal & agents are open to being her reps...as if she were a real person. Henry points out why this will go beyond Hollywood....

Miami Vice. Masters of the Universe. Knight Rider. the Running Man. Baywatch. Those are some of the reboots coming soon. Is 2026 the year...

Henry San Miguel is joined by the Nerdy Navajo, Shanclen, for this year's Halloween Episode. they play back the ghost stories sent in by you, our listeners, and also a few from our guests. Shanclen explains why his stories aren't just "I saw a shadow" or "I heard a noise" and he also explains why having a little "Halloween fun" and playing with a Ouija board, Bloody Mary or trying to communicate with spirits could invite something you only think would be in movies. Plus Henry has one last treat regarding this year's Geek Speak Treats. Almost two hours...

A couple of weeks before Halloween, Henry & Shanclen get you ready for what you'll hear on this year's Halloween episode: Ghost Stories! Most of them will be from you, the listeners, but you'll hear a few from Henry and Shanclen, as well. On this episode, Shanclen shares two stories. One from his time as a tour guide at Vulture City Ghost Town in Wickenburg, Arizona and the other from a time that he visited The 13th Floor, A Halloween haunt in Phoenix,Arizona. Both tales are spooky, but also show you another side of the Nerdy Navajo.

Clover Press publisher Hank Kanalz joins Henry to talk about the ongoing Kickstarter campaign for The Amazing Spider-Man Classic Newspaper Comics. For the first time ever in softcover, Stan Lee and John Romita's THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN NEWSPAPER COMICS returns to print in Clover Press's spectacular new line of deluxe slipcase editions! The Book Club features a surprise this week. Not the book selection, but who the selection comes from.

The Geek Speak Show is back with an all-new episode! After Shanclen's Nerdy Navajo News report, Henry welcomes writer Joshua Rubin & award-winning Portugese artist Jorge Coelho. Their new comic book, Time Sensitive #1, is currently running a Kickstarter campaign, ending on October 9th. Time Sensitive isn't the typical superhero story...in fact, there are no superheroes in it. It tells the story of L.A detective Caleb Stone, who's wife disappears one day...and everyone claims she never existed. Except for one teenage girl Caleb meets who not only believes him, but knows why his wife and many other people...

Henry welcomes RJ Palisoc to the show this week. RJ is a producer & writer who has worked at Marvel Animation, Sony Pictures Animation and Legendary Pictures. He's now created his own comic book series called Barkskin, based on the Filipino mythological creature known as the Kapre. Plus a new Book Club selection that's perfect for the upcoming spooky season and a new Nerdy Navajo News with Shanclen.

The gang's all here for this month's Issues of the Day! Henry & Shanclen are joined by Geek Off The Street's Trent Tucker & Marc Pope as they discuss whether superhero fatigue is actually a thing now...and is it really because of bad stories or just human nature to get tired of too much of something? Marc & Trent bring up a couple of interesting topics at the end: Are all the Korean music, shows and films that are so popular now a good thing or bad thing? Also, as shown in Alien:Earth, if someone's consciousness is transferred to a...

On this episode, Henry welcomes Scott & India Cramton to the show. Scott wanted to shoot a Ghostbusters fan film for their wedding day, which he and their friends did. They released it on their theatre company's Youtube channel and it's been a huge hit with Ghostbusters fans. Hear their story in their own words and how even neighbors and locals they didn't know gladly participated in this fan film. For The Book Club, author Maxwell Alexander Drake talks about getting a second chance to (re)write his two most successful books: Genesis of Oblivion.

This week, Henry welcomes Alessandra Ferreri, Head of Content at Wattpad. Alessandra talks about the stories that Wattpad & its distributing partners look for and how those original stories get monetized, adapted & distributed. Then, writer & director Jeffrey Morris visits to talk about his new documentary, The Eagle Obsession. It follows his journey to find the origins of the Eagle Transporter spaceship from the Space: 1999 TV show...but it's actually much more than that. Plus a classic pick for The Book Club from Henry.

Mark Nazal joins Henry on this week's episode. Mark is an award-winning VFX artist/supervisor who has worked on many of the shows we watch. The Walking Dead, Gotham, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,Runaways and more. He's also the founder & Chief Creative Officer of Diwata Komiks, where he's bringing traditional Filipino-American stories to life for a whole new audience. For the Book Club, H.H. German drops by to talk to Henry about Calico, a vegan anti-hero who fights for those who can't: abused animals. It's published by H.H.'s own publishing company, Sigma...

After a short recap of SDCC 2025, Henry welcomes Elliot & Harry White to the show. They're the artistic Directors for Foster Cat Productions and they talk about their new musical, It's A Bird...It's A Plane...It's Superman!  For this week's Book Club selection, Shannon Gilligan drops by for a visit. Shannon is the CEO & publisher of Chooseco, as well as a long-time writer for Choose Your Own Adventure.

It's San Diego Comic-Con week! That means it's time for the annual Countdown To Comic-Con episode! For only the second time in The Geek Speak Show's history, the Countdown does NOT start with Comic-Con's David Glanzer. Instead, our own Nerdy Navajo (Shanclen) kicks off the episode with SDCC Teachings, aka tips for SDCC first-time attendees. The guests this year are:

Joel Rodriguez, CEO of Metal Ninja Studios, who will be debuting Concept To Comic at Comic-Con. 

Amin Amat, creator of The Road To Oz graphic novel talks about the panel he will be on and w...

A week before SDCC 2025, Henry welcomes writer/director John Paul Ungaretti and writer/producer Christina Heller to the show. Their new film, Unexpected Treasures, will be making its debut at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday July 24th at 7 PM in Ballroom 6DE. They join Henry to talk about the inspiration for the film, the cast and what they're looking forward to next week in San Diego. Plus a Book Club selection sticking to the Comic-Con theme.

*** The Countdown To Comic-Con episode will be released on Monday July 21, 2025.