KnockBack: Wave VIII Topics Revealed (Get Your Questions/Comments/Memories In!)

Please consider this Colin In regards to childhood adventures. Nothing could take away all of my long days spent outside as a child. Kids these days will never know the mystery and majesty of those times. My friends and and I would literally ride bikes all day and we once rode 20+ miles round trip. Halfway through we stopped and drank water from a pool of water because we weren't smart enough to bring water. We all became ill that night with diarrhea.

Ansley Freeman

This is officially the cutoff! <3

Colin Moriarty

Batman the animated series: What is it about this series that has withstood the test of time? Why do you guys think it had such an impact. Several other animated incarnations have come and gone, but this one endures. To the point that it spread beyond the show, influencing comic canon like Mr. Freeze's origin and spreading to games like the Arkham series. Why do you think it has the legacy it does?

Nate McKinney

I cannot think of a game series needing to be remade more than original resident evil trilogy. I loved resident evil 2 as a kid, maybe a little bit of Stockholm syndrome as I was buying my own games and was limited in income and discoverability of media. As I think about games that you and Dagan have talked on knock back about and others that are beholden as the greatest games to bless consoles I see those as mostly playable experiences that could use a bit of touching up to make them more modern. But if you have ever played any 3D game since then the tank controls are just too unwieldy and I can’t imagine they were a real design to amp up the fear factor as is the accepted narrative. Thank the gaming gods for RE2 remake!

I remember back in the dark days of the star wars prequels when i was in primary school. they were giving away small lightsaber toys in boxes of Kellogg's cereal. it was a status symbol in the play ground to have the red lightsaber, I remember Mace Windo's purple saber to be the lowest rung on the ' lightsaber social status ladder'. Many a fight broke out with kids trying to steal a better coloured lightsaber, resulting on them being banned from school. As if the prequels didn't cause enough misery.

Childhood Adventures The bicycle. The vehicle that propelled all childhood adventures. I grew up in a small Iowa town on the Mississippi River. Once I got my dirt bike for my 8th birthday, I eventually was able to explore our little hamlet via the bike path along the river that led from my neighborhood to the riverfront and downtown. Nearby woods with seldom trodden paths, the local baseball card shop and McDonalds. We didn’t have a lot to do, but back then it was more than enough.

Luke Tucker

Breakfast Cereal I was one of those suckers for whatever licensed cereal was out there. The Nintendo Mario &amp; Zelda ones, the Ninja Turtles cereal and PAC-Man. Most tasted liked cardboard if memory serves, though I liked PAC-Man because it was essentially Lucky Charms. My item I wish I still had? My Donatello cereal bowl shaped like Donny as a bowl. And my favorite cereal was Sugar Crisp probably because of the catchy commercial.

Luke Tucker

Fast Times at Ridgemont High Phoebe Cates. Until I was in middle school she was the girl from Gremlins. Then...yowza. The early ‘90s were for me a time of discovery of VHS treasures from the past at the local video store, sometimes (ok often) influenced by looking to find a similar revelation of Gremlins Phoebe to Fast Times Phoebe. And being disappointed that Jessie Spano was chosen for Showgirls and not Kelly Kapowski, but I digress.

Luke Tucker

Batman: The Animated Series: I was in middle school when this started, a time when cartoons were something I was supposed to be moving on from. But this one was different, dark and cool. It showed me that animation could be something more than a kids show. Was this similarly impactful for you guys? P.S. The sequel to this series by all the same animators led by the brilliant Bruce Timm is Superman: The Animated Series. If ever there was a project that could get Colin to find a morsel of worth in Superman, I would imagine that would be the one.

Luke Tucker

For childhood adventures, my brother and I lived in a neighborhood with a ton of kids, and we would have nerf gun wars that spread across the two streets in the neighborhood. I honestly don't know how you lost, how teams were figured out, etc. It was sheer chaos. Did you all have any large group activities like that?

Phil Crone

#2: Batman: TAS - This just might be the best American cartoon of all time. It was a 30 minute movie everyday after school. What I loved most was that it didn't talk down to me as a kid. I think of stories such as when Batman found the killer of Robins parents and tried to keep it from him, and the intensity in Robin when he found out. You could feel it through the screen. There relationship was permanently damaged. The same was true for the origin story the show created, and is now canon, for Mr. Freeze who was trying to save his wife. I was 12, but i %100 understood his anger and resolve. The show was such a hit that when they did the Superman animated series, they put it on at primetime. To this day they make such incredible animated movies, its mind boggling to many that they aren't the writers for the live action DC movies. Anyways sorry so long, but this show flat out deserves to be in the national registry. Love all that you guys do, keep up the awesome work, Jesh

Jeshua Anderson

I should add nothing to do with this Kickstarter.. only sharing as would genuinely hear your thoughts and hope you or your USA and Canada listeners can experience the games I and Europe grew up with and hold dear to all our hearts

Paul Driscoll

not anything to do do with this but thought you might be interested... <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/234135283/antstream-retro-gaming-reborn" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/234135283/antstream-retro-gaming-reborn</a> basically its Netflix for Retro Games and looks interesting... The day 1 game list is very UK centric but for US listeners I think it will be interesting discovering the games we Europe kids used to play. Here is the game list for day 1... <a href="https://www.antstream.com/gameslist" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.antstream.com/gameslist</a> would love to hear both of your thoughts on it... for me I went for patient backer setting.

Paul Driscoll

Resident Evil 2 is a special game. It was the first sequel of a 3D game that I remember and really solidified RE as a new powerhouse IP in the games world. Its A and B scenario gameplay/replayability was and is a unique design idea. Its one of those games I have played so many times that I have am unhealthy knowledge of, the little Easter egg items and bits of lore that hearken back to the first game and began to hint at a larger Umbrella plot. I remember enjoying looking through the vacant desks of the STARS team members in the police station and trying to make it to the police station without picking up anything to make Brad Vickers appear. My fascination with the game only grew when RE3 came out and it was set in Racoon City concurrently to the 2nd game so even more lore overlap occurred. Another memory of the game was just that it was more "adult" in subject matter, and I was in high school at the time so it resonated with me at the time. So yeah. great game. I have not had a chance to play the remake, I wonder how much they were faithful to the original. -August

August McFarland

For My Neighbor Totoro: Totoro or Totino’s?

Austin Killian

For Batman The Animated Series: Hey Chill Colin and Dank Dagan, Thinking back on Batman: The Animated Series and how much I love it, and living in a world where Batman just isn’t doing very good in this new DC cinematic climate, only talking about BvS, Justice League, and the upcoming Batman film, do you think the Batman/Bruce Wayne of The Animated Series could translate well over to the big screen? Batman has always been my favorite hero and it just seems like they can’t quite get it right. And now that we have another chance to clean the slate with Matt Reaves’ take on the Dark Knight, I can’t help but wonder if this critically acclaimed cartoon should be the source material of the upcoming project. What do you think? I will always be your valentine -Finley

Austin Killian

For 90’s Nicktoons: How’s it hanging Colin and Dagan, you delightful dudes. I was a 90’s kid and to me there was no better time than the 90’s for cartoons. My personal favorite is Hey Arnold! It is no question that it had the coolest/phattest music of all time for a kids cartoon. But something odd about it is the blatant stocking pattern shown to us through Helga Pataki. She literally has a shrine with a life size model of his head made out of the chewing gum he puts under park benches that she worships daily. How do you think something like that lands today in the kids cartoon world? I still think it’s hilarious but if my daughter started watching a new show with that kind of behavior, I might think otherwise. Anyway, you guys rock, don’t ever change, have a great summer! -Finley

Austin Killian

For Breakfast Cereal: Sup Colin and Dagan, you crazy cats. When I was a kid, you couldn’t have Saturday morning cartoons without a tasty bowl of trix. And my favorite spot to eat that rabbit hating cereal was in our bonus room, right on top of the bar counter. Certainly a strange spot to eat some cereal. Did you guys have a favorite spot to eat your cereal? You guys rock my socks off. -Finley

Austin Killian

For Be Home By Dinner: Hey Colin and Dagan, you beautiful human beings. Growing up, me and my family lived on an 8 acre plot of land for us brothers to get into all sorts of shenanigans. Often we were too far for our mom to call us in for dinner and to remedy that, she would ring an old school iron triangle. Did your mother have a special way of calling you in for dinner? Keep up the great work, love everything you do! -Finley

Austin Killian

childhood adventures: most of my childhood adventures were in queens where i lived with my foster family. You both would know this but in NYC Queens is basically like the south in that, its mostly houses, and you wont see any skyscrapers hardly any trains/buses comparatively to the other cities. So our nights were filled with playing Manhunt every day with all the kids on my block and the block across the street. it became such a phenomenon where i lived that there were teams, "seasons", qualifiers, captains, roster trades and even playoffs. The rules became so convoluted by the end of it it slowly died out. Basically if everyone in your team was found, they would be the seekers the next week and the order of which whole teams were found would give them advantages in the next round based on how long they could stay hidden. it was very hard to explain but everyone seemed to get it at the time and it felt like no lie there were at least 100 kids playing during the weekends, but there could've been only like 30. there was projectile weapons, rule changes where you had to capture someone then being them to "prison" for it to count. decoys were set up beforehand, it was a magical time. every time a new team was added however it was harder to keep track of everything and explain all the rules and so everyone slowly moved on and it died as it once started. with about 10 of us playing in 10 backyards. that was such a good summer.

Timothy Bryant

90s nicktoons: 90s nicktoons was basically my entire childhood. Rugrats taught me how to show empathy and how to share. Rocket Power made me think i could skateboard better than Tony Hawk and everything was radical. The wild thornberrys actual taught me things about the world and taught me not to take your family for granted. Which was most important for me at the time since i was in foster care with my two little sisters. these shows and video games are what got me through those rough days. Hey arnold taught me aboiut real friendship and sticking up for people you love and the list goes on. It basically taught me not to look at the world so cynically and even though i was in a shitty situation, i can make the best of it.(sorry for any typos you find in here was trying to hit the deadline)

Timothy Bryant

Batman the animated series: I absolutely love this show and it what it did for batman as a property. It introduced me to all these characters for the first time and it was love at first sight. I still love everything batman to this day; including buying the Blu Ray day one, posters batarangs, toys, statues, etc. Watching it again brought me back to the days where i did backflips on my bed with my towel tucked under my shirt practicing my Batman voice. Also Mark Hamil, Kevin Conroy, and Bruce Timm will always have a special place in my heart with the ability to really bring those charcters to life.

Timothy Bryant

Greetings Moriarty Brothers, I too share the privilege of having grown up in a suburban neighborhood densely populated by kids of the same age. I grew up thirty miles south of Cleveland, and lived on a street where every household, beside my own and my next-door neighbor, contained a set of brothers. As you may expect, we got into all sorts of shenanigans. However, our adventures seemed to revolve around the antics of one particular individual named Michael. Michael was the kind of kid who could detect the ice cream truck two blocks away, and waited to mow the lawn until the sun set. The kind of kid that often landed in dog poo when playing football, and randomly threw toys off of his roof. Yeah, he was a weirdo, but he was our weirdo. One time, my buddy Spencer was over Michael’s house and left Mike’s bedroom to use the bathroom. When Spencer returned, Michael was inexplicably hanging outside his second story window, gripping the window sill for dear life. That was typical Michael, and we loved him for it. One fateful afternoon, we collectively came up with the idea of tying a rope around Michael’s feet and suspending him in mid-air, using a tree branch as part of a makeshift pulley system. It was a crazy idea, and if I’m being real, it was likely Michael’s. We ended up pulling too hard on the rope, causing Michael to fly over the branch and nearly snap his neck on a tree root as he hit the ground. He ended up breaking his collar bone, laughing off the injury as he waited for someone else’s mom to take him to the hospital. You can imagine the difficulty we had explaining that escapade to our parents. Do you guys have any “Michael stories” of your own? Stories of that one neighborhood kid who was down for anything, who simultaneously lifted your spirits and scared you to death? As always, thank you guys for taking us down memory lane. Colin, I’m rooting for your Islanders in the playoffs, here’s to an exciting post-season!

Star Wars Toys: I was a huge Star Wars Toys guy in the mid to late 90s. Like most people, I had a few 3 3/4" figures, and an amazing ATAT walker in that size (which my Mom still has stored away.) In addition to that though, I want to shout out the Star Wars Action Fleet series, which were miniature versions of the ships with removable pilots that were maybe a 1/2" tall. I wanted the whole set but was at the mercy of birthdays and whatever my Mom could find at the store at the time anyway. Also, the Lego Star Wars series started in the late 90s and was incredible. My favorite set ever is probably my Republic Gunship from Attack of the Clones, which was among the last of my Lego sets as became a teenager. My Neighbor Totoro: I'm incredibly late to the Ghibli party, but my fiancee introduced me to this movie as one of her favorites from her childhood, even as someone not versed in anime. She still loves it, and I've started to love it too. I want to specifically highlight the incredible soundtrack in this movie, which really adds to the warm nostalgic feeling of it. Joe Hisaishi's use of synthesizers creates such a great tone for the movie. Some of the songs are playful and fun, while others, like the song "Path of the Wind" while Totoro flies with the girls are just perfect in mood, texture, and melodies. Breakfast Cereal: Do you guys have any favorite cereals that are no longer available? Mine was French Toast Crunch, but that returned with 90s retro packaging a few years ago. Also seems hard to find Rice Krispie Treat Cereal. To this day I still rotate sugar cereals like Froot Loops, Fruity Pebbles, and Lucky Charms as an occasional breakfast.

Matt Kuryloski

Breakfast Cereals, Hey Pinky and the Brain, Quite serendipitously, my friends and I ranked 21 different breakfast cereals this weekend. We poured it dry and let people add milk if desired. Golden Grahams was unanimously the winner, and the room was in shock at how much the flavor was enhanced by the milk. What are your top five and bottom 5? Our top were: Golden Grahams Fruity Pebbles Frosted Cheerios Honey Nut Cheerios Cocoa Puffs Bottom five were: Cinnamon Frosted Flakes Corn Chex Cocoa Krispies Cheerios (which is insane) Strawberry Rice Krispies

Thomas Neville

"Star Wars Toys" Hey Super Moriarty Bros. I cherish the memory of opening up my very first figures on Christmas morning, a gift from my uncle (who I have to thank for introducing me to the franchise). One of my favorite figures was an Empire Strikes Back Luke Skywalker with a magnetic detachable hand. I lost the hand at some point and could never find it again, despite years of searching. What were your favorite Star Wars action figure accessories, and did you ever lose any important ones?

Be home by dinner: Man this is such a dead thing I feel like. When I was growing up in a tiny little town in Montana, that may as well have been part of Canada, I was gone most of the day at someone's house or doing some stupid thing or another. I know you guys has porn in the woods, but ours was at like an abandoned construction site, under concrete slabs? Otherwise we were boning everywhere. One friend lived like 5 or more miles away and we'd go back and forth from each other's house multiple times a day to play video games. Yet I was still chubby. What happened?

Brian Borlaug

-90s Nicktoons- What happened to Klasky-Csupo? They made some of the greatest Nick shows ever including Rugrats, Ahh Real Monsters, Rocket Power, and Wild Thornberrys. They went from making classics to crickets. What happened? Which of their shows are you guys favorite? I have to go with Thornberrys. -Totoro- The score to this film is magical. Joe Hisaishi is the man. He really ties each Ghibli film together. This is no exception. The scene at night where they grow the tree is just bliss.

Ivan Hornett

My Neighbor Totoro: Hey guys. So I have yet to see this movie but I plan on changing that really soon. I’ve loved every Studio Ghibli film I’ve seen so far and this one looks excellent as well. I mean look at Totoro. It’s such a amazing character and I want one as a pet. I don’t know if they can be pets but nonetheless.

Trent Miller

Resident Evil 2 is one of those games that brings back a ton of memories. My friend Garth and I would go over to his house after school to play it. Before heading over there, we'd always go to the convenience store across the street from school and I'd pick up a Pepsi and Nutrageous candy bar. We'd play this game for hours at a time, switching off after each death or save. Once we had finally beaten the game with Tofu, we put it down and moved on, but after the remake came out, Garth would not stop texting me about it, showing me his completed times. I'm not the world's biggest Resident Evil fan, but this is one of those games that'll stick with me forever because of how Garth and I bonded over it. I don't think there was another game we played together that we had more fun with.

Johnny Waffles

"Be Home By Dinner!" (Our Greatest Childhood Adventures) Hey brothers of Knockback! To me childhood adventures meant days spent out on the BMX and nights spent adventuring in games at a friends house. But more often then not it also meant gravel rash and blood. As a child I had an interesting habit of catching myself with my face instead of my arms when falling. In one particular instance I fell off our cubby house and landed face first into a plank of wood that bordered our sandpit. Carving a good portion of my cheek and brow off. For the next few weeks at school I was "zombie boy". Thankfully no scar was left. So my questions is, what adventures lead to your most memorable childhood injuries?

Daniel Schiffer

Star Wars Toys Hi Credible Colin and Daring Dagan. I had a few Star Wars toys growing up including a J-type 327 Nubian royal starship from the Phantom Menace. Possibly the ugliest starship I can think of in that universe. My favourite and most memorable Star Wars toy growing up however, was a flute I had forgotten about from early primary school. It had holes you pressed to activate the lightsabre, made all the noises from the movies, and defeated sith, criminal and alien monster a like. Did you have any similar imaginative props that served as toys?

Daniel Schiffer

Studio Ghibli Hi Considerate Colin and Diligent Dagan. Up until Feburary this year I had never seen a Studio Ghibli movie. So when my local theatre announced a Ghibli festival I jumped at the opportunity to take my partner to see all the mainline movies on the big screen. The last movie I saw was Grave of the Fireflies, not an easy movie to watch. While the grandeur and epicness that is Princess Mononoke makes it my favourite so far. However, My Neighbour Totoro sets itself apart as a whimsical adventure a kin to Alice in Wonderland that unlike the other movies, doesn't have a strong beginning and ending. So what is it that sets this movie apart from the rest and what makes a "Ghibli movie" when each is so unique?

Daniel Schiffer

Breakfast Cereals: As a young lad I didn't have too much say in the cereals my parents bought for the family. So often times I was subjected to my mom's choice of Raisin Bran. Eating this growing up I didn't think much of it and just enjoyed it for what it was. But as I grew up and learned of the hate people my age had towards it it got me thinking... I can't be the ONLY person who prefers Raisin Bran over almost all other cereals (I'm looking at you Cocoa Krispies you beautiful bastard you)? Thanks for bringing so many hours of enjoyment to my everyday!

Danny Garcia

First, you guys are the best and I thank you for providing such a great podcast. I’m a full time RN and full time student in nurse practitioner school. I travel all around Western Pennsylvania for clinicals, visiting my girlfriend/family, then back to work my full time job at Children’s hospital Pittsburgh and you guys travel everywhere with me. Listening to you helps the drives go faster and helps me destress tremendously. You really have made some busy times go much better. Thank you 1. Resident Evil 2: My first comment is really about how late I was to this game. I remember seeing cousins play it as a kid and I was totally horrified but also slightly enamored by it. One of my buddies in the ER with me is obsessed with the franchise and got me into the game. Wow, I was missing out all these years. It’s campy to the extreme but I still found myself horrified. Legitimately I did not want to play alone. We are talking about a game that should, in all reality, give me motion sickness but instead I was totally immersed. The atmosphere, story, characters, and monsters totally worked this many years later. With fixed cameras, tank controls, and seriously rough graphics at parts, how do you guys think this game transcended the test of time? My opinion is that it is in the sound design. Would love to hear your thoughts! 2. Star Wars toys: I’m the youngest of three boys. My older brothers were always Star Wars fans and I luckily inherited many of their toys. I held them near and dear to my heart but within the last couple of years I noticed the 90s toys are incredibly odd. Half of my toys bear no resemblance to their onscreen counterparts. My Luke and Han figures are straight up horrifying. They are so buff that they’d be better suited crushing stormtroopers with their bare effing hands than ever picking up a blaster or saber. This never bothered me as a kid but now I can’t unsee these Frankenstein figures. Still love my perfect Dash Rendar figure though. Shadows of the Empire for life!

Matthew Mendillo

Resident Evil 2: Hi team, hope you are enjoying your bro-time... RE2 is one of the very few games that I can still go back to 20 years later and play through (most recently on Vita). For me, a huge part of what makes it so special is the sound design. The atmosphere is incredible. Either opening a new door and hearing zombies snacking before you see them, or the palpible relief (that I've become conditioned to feel) upon hearing the save room's gentle piano. Born in '83 I had already been a gamer for 10 or so years, but this era of PS1 made me feel that games were growing up just as I was. RE2, alongside FF7 and MGS form a really special trilogy which changed my perception of what games were and could be...

Toddie

My question is for Batman The Animated Series. Hello There Moriarty Boys. The decision to animate BTAS using light colours on black paper is a stroke of genius. This technique brings Gotham, the most important character, to life. The gothic-noir aesthetic is beautiful and I honestly don't think the series would be as good as it was if it was traditionally animated. Dagan, as an animator yourself, and a damn good one, have you ever experimented with the same technique? And why do we almost never see this anymore? Keep up the great work gentlemen, and remember, you are vengeance, you are the night, you are Knockback.

Haydyn

90's Nicktoons... Boys... What can I say? I was born in 1991, So, I grew up with Rocko's modern Life, Rugrats, rocket power, Doug, Ah! Real monsters, Hey Arnold, cat dog, etc. I think my absolute favorites though are Rocko's Modern life and Hey Arnold. So many memories watching these shows before and after school. Cartoons today have nothing on those days. That's for sure. Love the show btw. It's always so positive and I love listening to you both gush over nostalgia durring my boring commutes to work.

Hello Boys!! I loved the Batman Animated Series. It was so serious but still so much fun at the same time. Kevin Conroys performance is second to none and I think he will always be my favourite Batman. I just want to know if you had a favourite performance on the show or if Degan could give us some insight on the fantastic animation of the show. Thank you so much for everything you do Colin and Degan you are the best brothers in the podcasting world.

Matthew Major

Breakfast Cereals: I need you KnockBack boys to settle am argument. Honey Smacks. Top notch or garbage tier? I won't even tell you where I stand as to not influence the decisions in any way. Much love, punkheads.

Ian (616Entertainment)

Breakfast Cereals Hey Dagan and Colin, I can never bring myself to drink the leftover milk in the bowl after eating cereal. My girlfriend thinks that I am being crazy and wasting the milk. I just cannot bring myself to do it and find it unappetizing. Am I indeed insane? Cheers, Dustin P.S. Shout out to Cracklin' Oat Bran, the most underappreciated cereal.

Dustin Goncharoff

Star Wars Toys Hey Dagan and Colin, I was just turning 7 when Episode I came out in theaters and I fell down the sarlacc pit of Star Wars toys. However, most of my Star Wars toys were not action figures but instead the plethora of LEGO sets that first started to release in 1999. My Christmas lists for years were filled with LEGO Star Wars sets and were the best toys that I had as a kid. The crossover of my love of Star Wars and my love of LEGOs as a kid was a dream made in heaven - and looking back, was a genius business move. Were there any other toy 'crossovers' with Star Wars that you are especially fond of? Cheers, Dustin

Dustin Goncharoff

90s Nicktoons: Hey Colin and Dagan, Besides Ren and Stimpy, I'd probably consider Rocko's Modern Life to be my favorite nicktoon of the nineties. Angry Beavers and Catdog were also pretty good, but nothing captured the weirdness and courageousness of Ren and Stimpy and Rocko's Modern Life. What are ya'lls top tier Nicktoons from the 90s? Resident Evil 2: The licker is probably one of my favorite monsters in all the Resident evil series and that first scene where it drops down the ceiling and starts coming for you is one of my favorite moments in Resident Evil 2. Besides this Iconic moment, what are some of your favorite moments from this game?

Joshua Staggs

Batman: The Animated Series Hi Guys! I was so excited to see that this topic was chosen in the election. Looking back, ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ is the one experience against which I measure all other animated shows. The production quality of the show was second to none. From the interesting character designs, to the dark noir environments, to the uncanny voice acting and musical accompaniment, nothing could touch it. It gave us performances of a lifetime from Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill. It also cemented its version of the villains as the quintessential representation of Batman’s Rogues Gallery. A few classic episodes I look back on fondly in particular are ‘Feat of Clay’ and ‘Almost Got ’im.’ But the one episode that took the show over the top for me was ‘Heart of Ice.’ Ever since, Mr. Freeze has been my favorite villain in Batman’s world. Victor Fries’ tragic fall from grace in the effort to save his wife from a rare illness is so well executed in such a short amount of time. Unlike all of the other villains, Mr. Freeze started from good intentions. He’s a tragic narrative character not unlike Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in that way. Not even Schwarzenegger and Schumacher could ruin the character for me. Is there a particular episode that stands out for you guys as your favorite or most impactful? Who is your favorite Villain in the Rogues Gallery? Side note – Colin can’t say ‘Bane.’ Cheers!

Mike LaValley

Batman The Animated Series: With the Joker movie on the horizon, I must ask- in your opinion, is Mark Hamill the best Joker, voiceover or otherwise? If not, who? Heath Ledger's is absolutely great, but it is Mark Hamill's voice in my head when I read the comics.

Cooly-Z

My Neighbour Totoro: Hey Colin and Dagan, Growing up my father would always run to Hollywood video on a Friday and pick me and my sister up a Ghibli movie. We have since seen them all but my neighbour Totoro has such a special place in my heart. My question to you guys is, what are your experiences with this movie. When did you guys first see it? Do you frequently re watch it? This movies laid back nature always spoke to me and is a big reason why I love it so much. Thanks for the hours of entertainment!

Kyle Barnes

My Neighbor Totoro: Hayao Miyazaki is a genius and this movie will always stand as a timeless classic. I find it funny how he has "retired" numerous times, only to come back to work on his next masterpiece. I've always admired his dedications to the craft and his unique way of telling stories. I highly recommend the documentary "The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness", that follows Miyazaki and his friend and rival Isao Takahata. The documentary showcases the creation of their competing films, The Wind Rises and The Tale of Princesses Kaguya.

Dustin Furman

Be home by dinner: I grew up in the rural country of northern California. My neighbor, Nathan, he was the same age as me and we ran all over those hills together. As a new parent, how deep and far into the woods we went seems crazy but at the same time, I want my young son to experience that too. We just needed to be home by dinner and it was magical. I will add, during one particularly far out hike we came across a massive pot field. I'm talking the absolute middle of nowhere. Thankfully no one was tending it at the time and we didn't get disappeared. We did a 180 and hauled ass back home. Anyway, just a splendid sense of freedom.

Clark Petri

Gents, regarding 90s Nicktoons I can't wait to hear your take on Doug. I adore that show and the opening is still as catchy today as it was then. I found that show during some really hard and turbulent times in middle school. It was a strange and wholesome reprieve that I'll always be thankful for.

Clark Petri

Breakfast cereals Hello Dagan and Colin Which do you pour in the bowl first ? Is it cereal then milk or milk then cereal ? I always go cereal then milk but some people do the opposite for some reason. I tried it once and found it to be a stupid way of doing it as all the cereal floats on the top of the bowl and overflows, but going cereal first means I can pack the bowl with as much as I can before the milk goes in.

Star Wars toys I didn’t have a ton of Star Wars toys growing up so I cherished the ones i did. I had an episode 5 Luke, a boba get, and a random blast doors from endor set (they really just made anything huh). I’m sure I had more but those are the stand outs. Cut to episode 2 being released and me being a hopeful 15 year old, I thought “hey all the Star Wars toys from the originals are worth something &amp; the good episode 1 figures were hard to find cause it’s been so long I’m going to buy a bunch of figures &amp; leave them on the card.” Now I’m 32 &amp; have a bunch of worthless toys of characters no one likes. Maybe if I hang on to them long enough they’ll be worth something, but I’m not holding my breath on that 😆

Joey Melone

Childhood urban legends. Everytown has them, the abandoned building, haunted house, all the stories gullable kids would make up that then turned into legends etc. Id love to hear the spooky legends of long island.

Reuben Barrett

Star Wars Toys Do you guys remember the first line of Kenner Star Wars Toys from the 90's being completely jacked? I have many fond memories of collecting these toys in my childhood, but my mom's reaction to seeing that Luke figure for the first time is something I will never forget. She just started laughing uncontrollably because she found it hilarious that they made Luke Skywalker look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. They eventually made the figures more "body accurate," but those comically muscular depictions of the most iconic heroes in the galaxy will always hold a special place in my heart. My Neighbor Totoro I watched this movie for the first and only time with my roommates in college, and I will never forget the Catbus scene because there is a small section when the camera is directly under Catbus. At this exact part of the movie, one of my roommates broke the spell that Miyazaki's work had cast upon all of us when he suddenly yelled, "Catbus has balls!" This bold exclamation resulted in us stopping the movie, and spending about 10 minutes meticulously rewinding and pausing the movie until we were able to capture the frame that proved that Catbus, does in fact, have balls. What are some of the small details that make this movie so memorable for you?

Batman the animated series. Hello gentlemen, Batman the animated series has a special place in my heart. It was a cartoon my Dad and I loved. We watched it together after I would get home from school. We had a never ending argument about if he or I was Batman, and who was Robin. The show has a bigger meaning to me now. He pasted away in 2014 and this show always brings back the great memories. Thanks for the awesome show, and keep up the good work boys!

Breakfast Cereals Hey guys. When I was a kid I had pretty particular food tastes, especially when it came to breakfast cereals. I ate almost every cereal (Minnie wheats, cheerios, golden grams) with absolutely zero milk until my teens. I still wonder if this is something that multiple kids do, or just a serial killer in the making indication from my childhood. Either way, keep up the great work guys!

Ben Bell

Be home by dinner

Anthony Longo

I agree with Redshepard, Doug doesn’t get enough credit

Fast Times at Ridgemont High Hello, Dagan. High Colin. This movie was one of the first times I ever saw bare breasts and it was awesome. I don't have much else to say about the movie as I don't remember too much of it. I just wanted to share that with you two. Enjoy!

James Kinslow III

Hey Colin and Dagan, Fast times at ridgemont high is one of those quintessential movies of a generation and one of the only movies that my mother insisted on me watching. Any scene with Spicoli and Mr. Hand is a guaranteed laugh and can we all agree that the worst character of all time is Damone. Keep up the great work, knockback is an all time podcast!

Anthony Lencioni

Star Wars Toys I got into Star Wars pretty late in my childhood (almost 6th grade) and a lot of that can be attributed to the Kener toys. I started collecting them when the Star Wars Special Edition re-releases came to theaters and even more so when Episode 1 was released. One thing I remember about them were these chips that came with each character that you could scan on a speaker accessory and it would play back lines of dialog for each character. I used to shoot stop animation movies with my friends using my Star Wars toys on an old Panasonic VHS camcorder. I would hit record for one second, move the figures and hit record again. It took hours and they were awful. But interestingly enough, this attributed to what would be the beginning of my career as professional video editor and animator. Thanks Colin and Dagan for all that you do! Kickback is the highlight of my week and helps to make my daily commute to NYC a lot less painful. By the time this episode is posted my first child will have been born (he’s due end of April) so keep the dad jokes coming so I have plenty in my arsenal!

Jon Devine

Star Wars Toys The only Star Wars toy I ever owned was a Darth Maul figure and being not much of a Star Wars fan, he was always the one getting picked off by my Jurassic Park dinosaurs.

James Kinslow III

90's Nicktoons Rugrats. Doug. Hey! Arnold. The Angry Beavers. The Wild Thornberrys. CatDog. I grew up on these cartoons and they were all pretty great. I remember Sunday mornings watching The Angry Beavers with my dad and my brother after a great breakfast of homemade biscuits and gravy. Actually, my dad's birthday was on March 20th and I bought him The Angry Beavers complete series on DVD. He loves being able to show them to his grandchildren (none of mine, I don't have kids). Anyways, which Nicktoons were your favorites, guys? Have a great and wonderful day!

James Kinslow III

Top 3, 90s Nicktoons 1. Doug 2. Hey Arnold 3. Rugrats I have no Idea why but the fact that Doug’s entire closet was only green/white shirts and khaki shorts was so cathartic.

Redshepard

90’s Nicktoons — Hey Gents! When I think of the golden age of Nickelodeon I cannot help but think of Doug. It was an incredible and diverse cartoon that still holds up to this day! What do y’all think of it? I know especially Dagan would’ve been nearly in college by the time it was on tv.

Patrick Montgomery

Batman The Animated Series: Quick shout out to Clayface, one of the coolest animated characters in all of animation.

Austin Anderson

haha was going to ask exactly that but I couldn't have said it better! "marshmallowy deliciousness"

Breakfast Cereal: Do you guys think that eating cereal is something reserved specially for kids? As a kid I used to love the whole ritual of sitting at the kitchen and eating my lucky charms reading and rereading the box and saving the marshmellows for the end. As a 31 year old adult I would still love to eat lucky charms but i can no longer indulge in those big ass bowls of sugar and milk as i don't want to roll down the streets. It has come down to a decision between my waist line and Lucky Charms :(

My Neighbor Totoro: Greetings Dagan and Colin: I'll never forget my dad in the late 90s renting the Totoro VHS from a local video store for us to watch over the weekend because he read about it in the paper. What I love about this film which I couldn't appreciate at the time was the great job the film does of expressing in the art and animation that well-known Miazaki theme: the continuing persistence of abundant nature in a modern world. Not to mention introducing the greatest piece of music put to an animated film: "Path of The Wind" song by Joe Hisaishi

Heg

Batman: Best intro ever! I seriously believe that is the essence of batman. How do you guys feel about the opening sequence? 90's Nicktoons: Did anyone else find the animation of Ahh Real Monsters and Rugrats a little unsettling?

6. Breakfast Cereal Are you like me and occasionally break out the cereal box for a lazy lunch, dinner or dessert? I think cereal is just too good to relegate to just breakfast time. As Jerry Seinfeld once said, it's eating and drinking at the same time, with one hand, without looking.

Jono Pech

Batman: One of my favorite cartoons of all time as well as probably my favorite portrayal overall of Batman. I used to watch this, and later on Batman Beyond, with my father. It was something we bonded over when I was very young and says something about the somewhat mature story the show had that he was able to enjoy it too. Two things I later learned about the series that I love is that the show was drawn on black paper to help drive the dark tone of the show and this is where Harley Quinn debuted.

Tygorgon12

Breakfast Cereal: Did you have any specific habits or rituals when consuming breakfast cereal? I distinctly remember spooning through Lucky Charms and eating anything that wasn't a marshmallow first. That way the last few spoonfuls of my breakfast were pure marshmallowy deliciousness before I drank the milk from the bowl.

Cory Hahn

My Neighbor Totoro: Hi guys! While Ponyo is my favorite Ghibli film, I do find Totoro to be a close second for me. The film is such a perfect encapsulation of so much of what childhood was for me. I grew up in the country surrounded by beautiful nature with my big brother and I always lost in the woods for hours on end. Even though this is a kids film, I’ve always found it to be deeply enjoyable any time of life. It’s one of those rare movies that manages to be a good kids movie as well as a good “film”. Keep up the good work guys! I can’t wait to hear Dagan talk about every Miyazaki film!

Chance McDaniel

Resident Evil 2- I played RE2 for the first time a couple months before RE7 came out to catch up on the series and man oh man does it hold up. One of the greatest horror games ever made and super replayable. I really love how if you take the pouch or the gun in your A playthrough the thing you didn't take will be in the B playthrough. Claire best girl btw

Tanner Brant

Star Wars Toys: I owned my share of action figures, but when it came to Star Wars toys I was much more into the Lego sets. I was a kid when the first wave was released 20 years ago in 1999, and my toy collection quickly turned into my obsession to collect the newest releases, often ones depicting scenes from the prequels. I know they may have came out when you two were a little bit older, but did you guys ever collect the Lego sets? Perhaps Dagan's children are into them?

Dominic Brant

Star Wars toys: I have so many fond memories. My cousin gave me his collection of original '77 toys including the Death Star playset and pretty much all the original figures. So I had a pretty large collection seeing as my parents bought me Empire and later ROTJ figures every Christmas and birthday throughout the '80s. I sadly don't have any of these toys though as my mom threw away most of my toy collection as I started high school and, since I was "too old" for toys. I didn't really care at the time as I had moved on to video games and hanging out with friends. But man I wish I had them all now. I've been buying the new Black Series line of figures to display in my home but they don't carry the same nostalgia. Do you guys collect any of the modern "high-end" toys or do you stick to the originals?

Francis Bryan

BATMAN: TAS is one of my favorite TV shows of all time! My brother and I loved it when it was first airing and collected as many of its trading cards and toys as we could! I was pleasantly surprised to discover how well it holds up after re-watching it as an adult, and I can't wait to go through it again with my own kids when they're a bit older.

Cole Bulas

Resident Evil 2: I don’t even know where to begin. RE is my favorite story based franchise and RE2 is my favorite game of all time. I never had a PS1 so I got RE2 on the N64 a few years after the initial PS1 release. RE2 was the the first RE game I ever played and I was hooked. I loved the atmosphere, the gameplay, and the characters. The fixed camera angles and the use of ink ribbons added scariness to the game. This was this first time that I actually cared about video game characters. I was just so involved with Leon and Claire’s story. The side stories were so involving too. The whole Chief Irons plot line is so good. After I beat RE2, I borrowed my friends PS1 and I bought a copy of RE1. With the release of RE2 remake, I felt like I was experiencing my favorite game of all time again for the first time. It was an unbelievable feeling. #ThankYouCapcom

Matt Settipani

Can we all agree that Raisin Bran Crunch is far superior to regular raisin bran? I mean, why waste putting the sugar on the raisins? They're sweet enough. Put the sugar on the flakes instead!

Jared Orr

"Be Home by Dinner": I grew up on a farm in Amish country Ohio. The go to thing for me to do was walk a 1/2 mile down the abandoned railroad track to play at the Amish neighbors. They were a family of 8 brothers and sisters all somewhat close in age. We would play tag or hide-and-go-seek, build hay forts in the barn, and jump on the trampoline until we were too tired to move. Then, possibly the best part was the chance that you wouldn't have to "Be Home by Dinner" and get to stay for a home cooked Amish dinner. I don't think I've ever had a better home cooked meals. So good!

Jared Orr

Lego Star Wars toys were the best! Funnily enough, my dad got me the Poe Dameron Lego X-Wing for Christmas this year and we spent all day putting it together (I'm 24 :) ). It was such an amazing way to re-live Christmas past.

Jared Orr

Resident Evil 2: I witnessed the 2nd game before I played the 1st one. I would constantly go over my neighborhood friend's house and watch his older brother play this game. I hated horror entertainment (games, movies) at the time but I was fascinated with this game. Needless to say, this game did give me nightmares as a child and it probably was the first example in my life of something that gave me jump scares in an entertainment medium. Do you happen to have a most memorable jump scare from the game? I believe mine would be the crows bursting through the windows. I appreciate the time and effort you both put into these. Thank you!

Barrett Boswell

90’s Nicktoons: We never got Cable until the early 2000’s so I missed out on a lot of the cartoons of the 90’s. One thing I do remember though was when our family went on vacation my brother and I would always rush into the hotel room and fight over what to watch. I wanted to watch toons while he wanted to watch SportsCenter and what not. It was always a treat when I got to watch them and some of my favorites were Hey Arnold, Doug, and Rocket Power. Star Wars Toys: My favorite Star Wars toy was the Lego X-Wing I got. I remember distinctly putting it together and feeling so accomplished after. Breakfast Cereal: My favorite part of breakfast was the back of the cereal boxes. The games and puzzles were so great. I would always try to see how many I could complete before needing to leave for school. P.S. The best cereal is Golden Crisp

Trent Miller

Fast times at ridgemont : like stripes or caddy shack I was too young to watch these movies but my parents weren’t to worried, actually they watched them with me. My favorite scene is when spicoli and Jefferson’s brother take Jefferson’s car and crash it, I laugh everytime Jefferson’s brother goes my brothers going to shit and then he’s going to kill us. Spicolis plan is genius and of course the Jefferson destroys the football team.

Breakfast cereal one of my favorite cereals wasn’t fruit loops or Cookie Crisp or anything with a ton of sugar, I usually gravitated towards life or Honey Nut Cheerios. PS sugar smacks are the worst and are my mustard of cereal.

Star Wars toys as a child of the early 90s Star Wars toys and books kept the series alive but it wasn’t till the release of the phantom menace that I got really into collecting the world of Star Wars, I remember being super excited to get a jar jar and a Darth Maul. Let’s just say maul survived but jar jar may have been given to family dog. My question to you guys is what era is your favorite series of toys?

My Neighbour Totoro: Hey Colin and Dagan, I started off a little late on the Studio Ghibli train. This movie has a special place in my heart as I watched it with some of my best friends in college. After the movie we adding this saying to our jokes: “That’s a big Totaro”, because one of my friends said that during the movie and we just cracked up. Thanks for the show!

90s Nicktoons: Hello Colin and Dagan, when I was growing up I watched a lot of Rugrats and Hey Arnold. One of the stories with Rugrats was that my mom didn’t allow me to watch it when I was little because she thought it would give me ideas on how to escape from my parents. She later let me watch Rugrats and that show might be one of the many reasons I love Godzilla so much (because of Reptar). Hey Arnold was another one of my favorites because of the great character relationships like when Jerold was singing moonlight bay and when Sid became a germophobe. I remember the greatness of receiving an orange VHS tape of some Nick goodness. Thanks for the show!

Batman the animated series: Hi guuuuuuys! I have so many memories of this shows for me it's by far the best super hero animation series Everything from the acting, the animation, the writing, and one of the most influential shows I remember, it even changed the Batman mythos creating the Harley Quinn character, what do you think about the series in general, and about that fact, do you remember another case of a show based on a comic change the comic itself? Thank you for the great work guys, really love the show!

Emigdio Alvarez

Batman the animated series: Everything from the writing, animation, voice acting, and music. It’s still to this day my favorite show. This is aside from the sport of wrestling the thing I was most looking froward to sharing with my son and he’s finally old enough! But I do have a question about it for the expert. So Dagan, when the animation of the show changed styles and had its overhaul at season 4 I have to ask. From a professional stand point which is more impressive and which do you prefer? Thank you guys again keep up the fantastic work all around.

Chad Lewis

BREAKFAST CEREAL: My personal favorite cereal is fruity pebbles. It's one of the few cereals that hasn't gotten bland over the years and I just love the texture of it. But what's nuts to me is that although Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble are still the mascots, kids today don't really know who the Flintstones are! It isnt aired anywhere, at least not anywhere I'm aware of. There going to be a generation of kids who only know the Flintstones as the Pebbles guys, (or maybe the vitamin guys). I feel old.

Jose Horrach

Be home by dinner. Did you guys ever find porn in the woods? My friends and I did, then we built a fort around it. We would send out our weakest link friend and have him find more forts. When he came back he would tell us if he found one. Then we would rad the shit out of it and steal all there porn. We were basically porn pirates of the woods. I miss being a kid.

Star Wars Toys Hi guuuuuyssss *Dagan YouTuber voice* I was only 8 when Revenge of the Sith came out and the original Lego Star Wars game came out around the same time, so my neighbor and I were super into the Star Wars LEGO sets at the time. Dagan, I was wondering if your son is into LEGO Star Wars sets at all or if these are even still popular for kids. Thank you both for all the laughs and nostalgic memories and keep up the great work! Nathaniel

Nathaniel Makowsky

Batman the Animated Series: is a big part of what got me into actually reading comics and how Batman became my favorite super hero. The show is still great to this day, the writing, the animation, the story, and of course the iconic voice acting

Tyson Williams

I think this might be the wrong thread for this topic.

Korey Burns

Breakfast Cereal Do you have any memorable or favorite toys that came in a box of cereal? For me it was the spoon that lit up and looked like a lightsaber. I was probably a bit too old when these came out, but it didn’t stop me from making saber sound effects as I ate my cereal with them.

Sean Waters

breakfast cereal: What’s the proper order - pour milk first then add cereal or cereal first and the add milk? Also, Capn’ Crunch can go to Hell. The texture is so tough and coarse that it’ll jack up your mouth. We like to call it shrapnel.

Matt Woo

Batman: The Animated Series Greetings Colin and Dagan I have so many memories! This show is the reason Batman is not only of one of my favorite Superheroes of all-time but also one of my favorite characters of all-time. With its critically acclaimed reputation, my question is simple: Is Batman: The Animated Series the most significant TV/Film adaptation of a Superhero? Keep up the great work. -Sean Mason (Bridgewater, Massachusetts) Breakfast Cereal Since the early days, breakfast cereal was a constant in the Mason household. My mother was a huge proponent of my sister and I eating breakfast before school, so often, cereal was the go-to. I remember vividly fighting with my sister about who got to read/play the games on the back of the box during breakfast. I’ll never forget the one day my mother "wasn’t having it.” My sister and I were bickering over who got to play the crossword puzzle on the back of a Cinnamon Toast Crunch Box. After about 10 minutes of yelling at each other, my mother came into the kitchen took the box and viciously tossed out of the kitchen window. It’s safe to say, my sister and I never argued about the back of the box in front of her again. Did you guys ever read/play the games on the back of the box? Do you have any memorable stories about the back of the box? Best -Sean Mason "Be Home By Dinner!" (Our Greatest Childhood Adventures) Hello Colin and Dagan Some of my best summer memories started with the phrase “Be Home By Dinner.” From getting lost in the woods for what seemed like hours at a time, to sneaking onto my neighbor's property to use their basketball court while they were at work, these memories will never leave my brain. Did you guys ever sneak somewhere you weren’t supposed to go during these crazy adventures? Best -Sean Mason

Sean Mason

Star Wars Toys: When my brother and I were growing up, my mother would always buy two Star Wars figures, one for me and one for my brother. I being the manipulative older brother convinced my younger brother that we would take his out of the box and I would keep mine in the box, making his figure the figure we would play with, thus giving him ownership and control. I remember him looking at me in admiration and saying, "wow, you would do that for me?" I still have all of my Star Wars figures in the boxes in my parents' attic. I think it was no surprise which brother would grow up to be the lawyer...

Ryan Hart

90s Nicktoons............How do you guys feel about Spongebob? It debuted on Nickelodeon in May 1999 and is late for the decade but is very special to my friends and I, particularly the 1st few seasons.

Andrew Hess

My Neighbor Totoro: This isn’ the movie that I discovered Miyazaki with, but it is the one that made me realize who Joe Hisaishi is. The Totoro sound track is my favorite movie soundtrack of all time, and Joe Hisaishi is a go to for when I want relaxing music when I drive (I approach him the way that Dagan describes approaching Boards of Canada). What are you’re opinions on this movies score? Batman TAS: One of my earliest memories (I was probably 4 or 5) is getting a toy bat mobile for Christmas from this cartoon. I remember my cousin talked me into putting all the stickers on it myself. Needless to say the headlights wound up on the roof and nothing went where it was supposed to go. My mom was not happy with that one... 90’s Nicktoons: With reboots and sequels to old franchises being such a big trend now, do you think there is any chance any of these shows could come back so younger audiences can enjoy them? I know shows like Rocko really pushed a lot of boundaries with all the inuendo, and I don’t know how much that would fly with modern audiences (especially jokes about Spanish Fly)... Breakfast Cereal: I was raised by my great grandmother and my mom, but my grandma did all the grocery shopping. My favorite cereals growing up were Frosted Flakes, Raisin Bran, and Frosted Mini Wheats. My friends would come over and say that I ate old people cereal, but to this day they remain my favorite. Did you guys ever find yourselves enjoying a cereal that your friends or family found questionable? Resident Evil 2: i would cut off my left arm and mail it to you for a let’s play of Colin and Dagan playing the remake. I would especially like to see Dagan’s reactions to some of the more tense moments in the game. Colin, I think you know what I mean (wink, wink, stomp, stomp...)

Brandon Hardman

*transition to the dark side

Joe Barry

Batman: The Animated Series Hi guys! Thanks for the hard work you do every week, best show on CLS (Chris is awesome too). I love Batman the animated series. I think one of the best aspects of the show is character development, especially the rogues gallery. It takes minor villains like Baby Doll or Clock King and portrays them often from a sympathetic viewpoint and can make the viewer invested in their transition to The stand out in this category for me has to be Harvey Dent. In the animated series they establish that Harvey has deep seeded psychological issues that manifest in an extremely violent alter ego. This is all established before his famous accident and makes his transition to supervillain so much more grounded and terrifying (also the first two part episode we are treated to). Shout out to the awesome reveal scene at the hospital as well. Easy question, who is your favorite character in the show but what specifically draws you to them? You guys rock, one love from Australia Joe PS. I fought with my brother constantly growing up, we are great friends now tho. If you guys were to fight right now, using wrestling, or whatever is in the room to your advantage, who would win?

Joe Barry

#5- I will never forget Christmas of 1995 where all my brother and I got were Star Wars toys. The Power Of The Force line was brand new at the time so we basically got every single figure and ship that morning. From that moment on until about 1999, we were at Toys R Us multiple times a month scavenging the store shelves for anything with the POTF or Action Fleet label on it. I still own every figure that I ever collected.

Michael Miller

Breakfast cereal: Dagan and Colin: did either of you have the experience I did of the first time walking into the dining hall at college and realizing there was 12 different cereals to choose from at all time. Suddenly all the cereal I couldn’t have in high school was available every morning, it was fantastic. No more getting tired of one type of cereal. Plus a great fallback when the dining hall food was subpar (more often than not). Thanks for all the great shows. Knockback is easily the best podcast I listen to weekly.

Justin

Hey guyyyyyssssss! Regarding breakfast cereal, am I weird because I was never much of a fan for sweet cereals? My favorite cereal as a kid and still today is Crispix. After that it's a mix between Wheaties, Raisin Bran, or Cheerios. Weird right? While my friends were seeking out Cocoa Pebbles or Fruit Loops I was genuinely happy with the above. It isn't like I don't have a sweet tooth but something about sweet cereals and milk was and remains gross to me.

Clark Petri

#5- Possibly very unpopular opinion: The original Star Wars trilogy toys (I felt) were lame. Look, as a kid in the 80's, I remember the toy lines for Transformers, M.A.S.K., GI Joe, Thundercats, Batman, TMNT and just about every Saturday Morning cartoon having just plain funner toys than Star Wars. That said, much respect to them for starting that new era of toys. Toys from the 60's &amp; 70's were attrocious.

Jeshua Anderson

My Neighbor Totoro: Totoro is one of the most famous early anime movies I remember being popular. The legacy is still strong for this movie since he even made a guest appearance in Toy Story 3.

strawhatninja

Be Home for Dinner: I grew up in the country away from a lot of people so I really couldn’t go run off and do stuff with friends, but when we went camping with my friends and cousins we would run wild. One time my brother and I went fishing with a friend and he ended up winding up to cast and caught my brother in the head with his fish hook.

strawhatninja

Breakfast Cereal: Captain Crunch and Fruity Pebbles were two of my favorite cereals growing up, and when they came out with cookie crisp I was blown away. Cookies for breakfast was insane but the cereal ended up not being that good. We didn’t care though because it was cool.

strawhatninja

90’s Nicktoons: Growing up these were some of my favorite shows on TV. Rugrats, Doug, Rocket Power, and Rocko’s Modern Life will be some cartoons I never forget. They all have catchy theme songs, and how about those were not just cartoons were nicktoons commercials.

strawhatninja

#6- Do you guys remember, and what did you think of licensed cereals like: Nintendo Cereal System Pac-Man C3P0's GI Joe Action Stars TMNT Cereal The Real Ghostbusters Mr. T's and countless others?

Jeshua Anderson

#8- Ok guys, when are you two going to Japan so Dagan can visit Studio Gibli? I did it in February and it was definitely an experience.

Jeshua Anderson

Quick fire randomness 1.) aardvark Arthur Read or Doug? 2.) Most underrated Batman Villain 3.) Fixed camera games? RE2 vs GoW? 4.) “Learn it. Know it. Live it.” – Brad Hamilton. Favorite Quote? 5.) X-Wing or Tie Fighter? 6.) Fruity or Coco Pebbles? 7.) Bike ride or skate ride? 8.) Catbus or Dogbus?

Michael Akridge

Breakfast Cereals... I must’ve eaten Cocoa Pebbles for dinner twice a week in junior high. Sugary cereals were an “anytime food” for me growing up. So many varieties, who needed anything else!

Everyday Patrick

Hi, guuuuys! Before writing my comments, I would like to thank both of you for making my weeks so much better with Knockback. It holds a special place in my heart and I really enjoy the chemistry between you two. Also, Dagan is hilarious and very smart! Resident Evil 2: RE 2 is easily one of my favorite games of all time and one of the most important games to me, in the sense that it really left an impact on me, alongside games like FF VII and Majora's Mask. Resident Evil 2 was the first game that Hideki Kamiya - who would become famous for Devil May Cry, Okami, Bayonetta and blocking everybody on Twitter - ever directed. How much do you guys think his vision for this game influenced the rest of the franchise? It’s fun to remember that there was a version of the game that was basically scrapped when it was almost complete, which is kinda interesting since Kamiya did something similar when he was directing RE 4, which later became Devil May Cry. Oh, and I absolutely love the remake of Resident Evil 2! My Neighbor Totoro: This was the first Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki film I’ve ever seen. It left a huge impression on me and is one of those movies that always puts a smile on my face whenever I watch it. Miyazaki also became one of the directors I respect the most and one of the few people that I think truly deserve being called a genius. Also, it’s fun to think this came out the same year as other brilliant movies like Grave of the Fireflies (also a Ghibli film) and Akira. What a great year for japanese animation!

Cereal. Did any of you guys drink the milk after you were done? I sure did and I still do it today. I am kind of a quick eater so the milk was always cold and never warm. Also how much sugar did you guys put on your Cheerios? Back then I would put an unhealthy amount of sugar and damn it was good. Keep up the awesome work guys.

90s Nick Toons were so great. Living in Canada, we actually didn’t get Nickelodeon at that time unless you had a satellite dish, which my grandparents did. At the time, satellite dishes were those huge black ones that took up a huge space in your yard. They had different stations and it would actually move to find the satellite to pick up for the different channels. What a time! To this day I remember that Nick was on station G5. Doug and Rugrats were my obvious favourites.

Jason Price

Cereal When I was a kid I enjoyed cereal more than any other food. CT Crunch and Apple Cinnamon Cheerios were my main delights. One day, my dad thought he'd buy Honey Smacks for me to try...I wasn't having it. I refused (and still refuse) to try them on principle. I vividly remember hearing a box hit the wall and hearing a grumbled "fuck!" As my dad lamented the loss of his 2-3 dollars. Did the heads of house Moriarty ever try to mix it up and if so, how were those moves received? Keep up the great work, gents

Lord Gerontus

Star Wars toys for sure I'd also recommend family vacations. Our family did a cross-country road trip when I was a kid. I absolutely loved it

Richard Kikuchi

90s Nicktoons: Hey guys! I loved the nicktoons line-up through &amp; through as a kid / young adult, but my favorite had to be Doug. His soft-spoken nature, his quirky friends, and his love for drawing and how he would try to escape / solve his problems through his wild imagination, really endeared me to him. Also, thoughts on Quailman? And those great songs Doug would write / would be written by "The Beats"? - Alex Castellanos

Alex Castellanos

Star Wars toys... I used to stack VHS tapes into pyramids and buildings, and then play STAR WARS SIEGE with my friend Kevin. Before starting action, I’d always beg my mom to take photos of the initial setup. I was SUPER PROUD!

Everyday Patrick

Totoro... My first experience with Japanese animation. Introduced to me by my half-Japanese babysitter when I was 3. Totoro’s big, teethy grin is my most lasting memory from the film. Somehow, it always scares, AND doesn’t scare, at the same time. Same with the smile from Disney’s Cheshire Cat, I’ll never forget it!

Everyday Patrick

Two words...Count Chocula! Well...maybe six words...Franken Berry...Boo Berry! Yes, these cereals were real and, yes, they were somehow legal to produce and sell to children. While I only had very limited access to these “sugary” cereals, it was always a huge treat to indulge in one of these while at a friend’s house. Just another part of the experience of staying up too late playing Final Fantasy 2 on SNES, playing with Nija Turtles action figures, and waking up to a bowl full of sugar...”as part of a balanced breakfast.” Hopefully you both have a similar story about getting to eat “treat” cereals while at a friend’s house or with relatives, knowing there was no way in heck you’d be allowed to back home.

Resident Evil 2... I love this game! Played through three or four times in its entirety. As I child I even sought out the novel version. It was my first experience extending game fiction out beyond the game itself.

Everyday Patrick

Batman: TAS... Several years ago, I rewatched the entire series on iTunes. Unfortunately, I found myself constantly disappointed in the animation itself. Nearly everything apart from the opening was more bare and less fluid than I had remembered from my childhood. That being said, I found the voice acting was still SUPERB! I’d bet a radio drama version of this series would be just as compelling and entertaining as the original show.

Everyday Patrick

90s Nicktoons... (Hey Arnold) As a child I was SUPER drawn towards Arnold’s stylistic choice to wear a large button-down shirt that, when untucked, visibly stuck out below his sweater. I did my best to emulate that look for the last two years of elementary school. Fashionista ; )

Everyday Patrick

Breakfast cereal! Not much to say other than there are 2 clear best cereals. Cinnamon Toast Crunch and honey bunches of oats. Thoughts?

Jake Whitaker

Greatest Childhood Adventures! I was excited to see this topic as me and my friends would always do crazy things, mostly at night. I think I’ve heard Colin talk about playing some night games in your neighborhood. Any other good night game stories or fun games you remember playing a lot?

Jake Whitaker

My Neighbor Totoro was my gateway into Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, and even though I saw it in my early 20's, it manages to strike the nostalgia of when I was much younger. The subjects that are explored were surprising to me, coping with difficult times as a child, becoming more independent, and learning to accept the feelings of others, all tied together with that gorgeous animation. Look forward to hearing what Dagan wax on and on about the animation, it is seriously some of my favorite Knockback content.

Porkyo

Even as a young lad, I loved nothing more than a good bowl of raisin Bran crunch. Did either of you have a "weird" taste for cereals that were generally for adults or, in my case, the elderly?

Fat Houdini

Hello to my two favourite podcasting brothers. First time writing in after a year of listening and I have chosen Breakfast cereal to do so! I have fond memories of grabing the most sugary cereal possible and filling a large bowl topped with milk, followed by spinning the box to the back while I stared at the graphics or mazes they had placed for my amusement. Don't even get me started on colour changing spoons and twirly straws that you could get inside the box now and then. Unfortunatley these things have fallen to the wayside and my 4 year old son doesn't really get to experience this to the same effect for better or for worse as we pay attention to sugar content in cereals and manufacturers cutting costs so no more "toys" in their boxes. Special shout out to lucky charms, cinnamon toast crunch and frosted wheat. Thanks for creating something I look forward to every week, I could never see this podcast working without the wonderful personality that is Dagan, your positivity and insight believe it or not has made think about the way I interact with people on a daily basis, keep being amazing. Michael

Resident Evil 2: This game is a classic. Although I will admit, I never finished the original as I was a young lad and it scared me I remember sneaking downstairs late at night to play it and got to the part where the Licker runs past the window. I froze and my jaw dropped. I threw the controller down and ran back to bed, terrified. I would end up just watching my brother play it Greatest Childhood Adventures: Now this may not count as “childhood” but I was under 18. I played in a band growing up and we were starting to pick up in popularity. It got to the point where we decided to go on a little east coast tour. We’d start in Virginia and go up to New York and back down to Virginia Beach. This was a terrifying yet thrilling adventure. No parents. Just 5 immature dudes driving the coast (probably not smart). On this tour we witnessed women flashing us. An ecstasy party (we did not participate). Cops pulling us over. Playing at Bruce Springsteen’s club. State to state all-nighter drives. Groupies. Band fights. And much more. It’s amazing we actually survived to be honest.

Tyler

Hey Colin and Super D, (3). While I didn’t get a chance to play resident evil 2 on ps1 as I was born in 96’ I watched a play through of it on YouTube and I still remember the licker jumping through the glass window in the interrogation room. Even watching, I never felt that Leon was ever safe in his traversal of the police station. The commentator also stated that a certain door in the station was an automatic death if you were to go through it. Has a game ever come close to the feeling of uneasiness as this game did for you guys? I feel as though the first Dead Space was my resident evil 2.

Anthony Gigi

Resident Evil 2 - i remember playing it during one of my high school years (1997-1998). I remember playing it so much that i managed to complete the game three times in one day, probably one sitting. I loved this game. I just got the remake for 40 dollars (spotlight discount on PSN). Can’t wait to play it.

Azzan

For the Resident evil 2 topic. Resident evil is by far my favorite series and 2 is the pinnacle of the series (now remake 2 holds that mantle). I love how much this game innovated gameplay with two branch story paths that intertwined, how you could affect the other scenario. An example of this would be picking up the sack or the gun or both, then when you return to that room in the scenario b you would see what was taken. I also love the enemy placement from one to the next. The autopsy room would have zombies in a then lickers in b, hinting at the lore that zombies would eventually turn into lickers. Anyways my question would be, what was your favorite feature in this game that was very innovative at the time?

Be home by dinner I grew up in a subdivision backing up to a park. Part of the park was a large lake where people could fish and small boats were welcome. The neighborhood kids found that if you hiked about a mile through the woods you could find a dam filtering into a small stream. I don’t know how it started, but it was decreed only the kids brave enough to walk across the damn to the other side of the lake were considered “a man”. One day I finally worked up the courage to do so and earned my man badge. Years later I returned to the dam as a full grown man and was astonished (and a little embarrassed) how tiny the damn seemed to be now. In my head I remembered it being like the train tresses scene in “Stand By Me” but it couldn’t have been more than 10’ high and 30 across. 😄 Were there any places in LI with a big and dangerous reputation like my lake dam? Love you guys. Keep up the excellent work! Ron

Ron Avis

RESIDENT EVIL 2: HI guyyyyyyyyys, Resident evil 2 was my first foray into survival horror at around 11 years old and let me tell you, I didn't last long. I borrowed it from a friend of mine, and decided to go the Claire route. My first playthrough I managed to make it to the basketball court in the beginning of the the game on the way to the police station. It was gated off and after picking up some ammo in the back of a van, zombies broke through the gate, I took a drink of that tall glass of NOPE, and shut it off, not to be played again until months later when a strategy guide was released in a gaming magazine. It was the first time a game has ever terrified me and outside of a few other games (silent hill, outlast) no games has really terrified me since that experience! Keep up the great work and thank you for the weekly entertainment, you make my brunch shifts at my job so much more enjoyable!

Jose Horrach

Hey guyssssss, Batman the animated series was the cartoon that really got me into wanting to write stories. This show not only was good one it's own but transition into we and DC based animated shows being the cream of the crop of style, writing, and tone. From this going into Superman animated series, Batman beyond, to Justice league and even the current animated films. I just wanted to ask is there any other animated show that you think is as great or influenced the landscape as much as this show?

Breakfast Cereals Hey guys! I was never allowed to eat sugary cereals as a kid, since my mom was trying to keep us healthy. Everyone is always shocked when they hear that I've never had many of the famous cereals like Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms, Fruity Pebbles, etc. But Kix were definitely my favorite as a kid! I do remember that as a special treat, on vacations only, my mom would let my sister and I pick a portable cereal. They came in this square plastic container with a peel off lid. Just add milk and enjoy. That was especially exciting as a kid because we never got any of the sugar cereals, so it was a special treat!

Elizabeth Kleinkramer

“Be home before dinner” topic: It always seemed the days when my parents would tell me to be home before dinner were the days when I’d have the most plans or the most fun. I remember in high school when I used to ride my bike all over town with my friends back when we didn’t have a driver’s license. When I heard those infamous words from my parents, I knew that I had only a certain amount of time to hang with my friends and would always account for the time it took to get to their house and the time it took to get back. Only having that much time made us do as much as we could, whether it was going out to lunch and playing video games or going swimming in the lagoon and river until sundown. Sometimes I wish I could push the reset button because those times make feel very nostalgic. Having only a bike to get around was restrictive yet also so much fun and adventurous. I also got in a ton of shape.

Will Hahn

Hey boys, love the show and glad to have it as part of my weekly routine. When it comes to Batman: The Animated Series, it is something that hits deep to my childhood and teenage years. I own every episode on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital HD, have posters to the accompanied movies (Mask of the Phantasm, Sub-Zero) and rewatch the show in its entirety once every two years atleast. Do you guys have any moments from the show that stick out in your mind? For me, its Batman attatched to the large quarter in the episode "Almost got im'". The quarter which mqkes an appearance in the batcave later on as the show goes on. Also have you ever seen its fantastic sequel show Batman Beyond? Thanks and love the podcast!

Joe B

Be home by dinner. When I was a kid we had a creek running through the back of our yard and all through our neighbors yards. We had adventures in it daily and I had some of my fondest childhood memories there. From floating some grotesque microwaved cheese down the stream to planting peanuts and playing with the clay that was on the sides of the creek. My question to you, Colin and Dagan, is did you have a specific place you would frequently return to for your childhood escapades? what are they and what are some of the best memories tied to those places? Thanks Col and Dag and to another wonderful wave of Knockback!

Maxwell Ford

Maybe you were upset that your parents bought your brother cooler toys so you decided to take revenge?

Breakfast Cereal Hey Colin and Dagan! Hope you are both doing very well. Oh man, breakfast cereal.... where do I even begin. My top 3 are Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Fruit Loops. My parents would always get the healthy cereal like brand flakes and grape nuts, but every once in awhile they’d get the good stuff. Funny enough, I actually rarely ever ate cereal during breakfast time. I would always eat a bowl in the afternoon and a bowl at night. By the next morning, my parents would be wondering why the box was half empty..... that’s why you have to get the family size box.

Will Hahn

In case you didn’t know there’s a whole knockback episode dedicated entirely to Ren and Stimpy.

Be Home By Dinner Memory: Heyyyy Guyyyys. My mom never set a certain time to be home, but had the world’s loudest whistle that I could literally hear from multiple blocks away. That was my queue to come home. Since I didn’t have a cell phone it would either be a whistle or if she needed to pick me up from ball practice or the library I would use a payphone, call collect and when it was time to say who it was from, say as fast as I could “Mom-can-you-pick-me-up!?”

Alex Ball

Breakfast Cereal - Have either of you ever heard of or tried a cereal called Kaboom!...? It was an off brand Lucky Charms-esque knockoff that I found one day in our local supermarket and boy was it tremendous. Lucky Charms will always be king but this one gave it a run for its $$$. What are either of yours experiences with off brand cereal and did you ever find one that surpassed the big name brand? Thanks, you guys are the best!!

Jeremy Cochran

Cereal My favorite cereals are Fruity Pebbles, Honey Nut Cheerios, Honey Bunches of Oat, and Special K with strawberries. When I was younger, I was a fat kid and my aunt let me know it. She wasn't rude or mean about it, she was just honest. Special K was touted as being a good cereal to help you lose weight and as such she started buying it for me since I stayed with her a lot during my middle school years. I've been a fan ever since and of the cereals I listed above, Special K with strawberries is my favorite.

James Kinslow III

Resident Evil 2: - I know it's not a popular opinion, but I absolutely love the controls of RE2. I feel like the controls limit your confidence in control just enough to add a persistent tension to the game. People seem to argue that they're too antiquated for a modern audience, but I didn't get around to playing RE2 until it was a PS Classic and had no problem adjusting to the play style. I might even say that this is my favorite control style for 3rd person gaming, and I wish it was available as an option more often. - As a side point, growing up closeted as a trans person, it was super empowering to be able to play through these games as a badass female character, as I'm sure it was for many of my gaming sisters out there as well!

YesChef

7) Childhood adventures. Did any of you break any bones while on adventures? I remember one day, one of my friends decided it was a great idea to make a fight club in the woods near my house. Us being stupid kids we thought it was a great idea! We had two arenas, a pit surrounded by nettles and a hillside with a rope swing to use as a weapon. Anyways... it came to a match between me and my friend in the rope swing arena. I tried to use the rope swing to do a swing kick but slipped, backflipped and broke my wrist as I rolled to the bottom of the hill... We were about 10/11 at the time. Knockback is my favourite podcast, keep it up the both of you!

If you guys actually manage to make an enthralling episode about breakfast cereal I’m going to be so impressed lol but you haven’t let me down yet so I won’t question it!!

BHBD - Were any of the fathers in your neighborhood a "whistler"? My dad and a couple of others around our house could let our ear piercing whistles that I swear could be heard miles away...when you heard that you knew that meant get your ass home. You guys are the best, thanks for all that you do!

Jeremy Cochran

Breakfast Cereal: I will contest that the best part of cereal is the flavored milk at the end.

Alex Ball

Fast Times Memories: Sean Penn- “Learning about Cuba and having some food.” Judge Reinhold- “If you don’t shut up I’m going to kick 100% of your ass” The carrot scene. The pool scene. This movie is filled with nothing but quotable lines and classic movie moments. Definitely not underrated but I would definitely say overlooked when talking about best comedies of all time.

Alex Ball

So. I have a confession to make. My older brother ( about 10 years ) had loads of the original star wars toys. Yoda. Luke. Han. The millennium falcon etc. Well, I used to play with them when he was to old and.... Well.... Again. I'm sorry. I ripped all the arms and legs off. I don't know why and I live with that regret every day of my life.... Again. I'm sorry

Ryan Hughes

Ahhh My Neighbor Totoro- finally! When were you guys first exposed to this movie? I remember my mom bringing this movie home in the early 90s on VHS and not even knowing what the hell “Japanese Animation” was. I first saw this film when 20th Century Fox had its label on it before Disney partnered with Studio Ghibli. If you guys saw that version I’m wondering if you noticed any differences between the two versions of the film. I fondly remember the little black dots being called “dust bunnies” in the earlier version of the film and then called “soot sprites” in the post-Disney version. I believe there are maybe a few more differences but I can’t recall exactly. I will always love this movie as it was the 2nd Japanese Anime film I was exposed to as a child (the 1st was Vampire Hunter D 😬😬) and my first Hayao Miyazaki film! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this movie! Keep up the great work you two!

Joshua McGee

Batman TAS - Have either of you checked out BTAS lately...? If so do you think it still holds up? I 100% do, the animation and music are top notch, the Rogues Gallery is awesome and each get their due for the most part including obscure characters, and the storytelling is ahead of it's time and caters to both adults and children. IMO it's the best version of Batman and Gotham in any medium. The BluRay collection is highly recommended. You guys are the best, thanks for all that you do! ❤

Jeremy Cochran

Batman TAS Memories: When people ask me who my favorite Batman is I say “Kevin Conroy.” When people ask me who my favorite Joker is I say “Luke Skywalker.” When I imagine the batmobile I imagine the one from this show. Batman is my favorite hero and this is my favorite interpretation.

Alex Ball

Howdy M Brothers. In regards to the BTAS, the one episode that always stood out to me was the "origin" episode of the Riddler and the Maze episode. I go back and watch that episode probably once every year. It makes me sad that we've never seen the Riddler like that on the big screen. If you could take one character or episode plot line from the Animated Series and put them/it in a live action Batman movie, what would you choose? I think the Maze episode would make for a much different Batman movie because it would have to focus on Batman's detective skills and not just kicking massive amounts of ass. Thanks for all the great podcasts. Cheers!

Papa Fridge

Hey guys, Just wanted to share a quick story. I was at the grocery store the other day and I overheard a man say "charming, my friend" and I immediately thought of Dagan! His use of the word "charming" has increased my own use of it about 100 percent, and I think it's adorable that he calls his little brother "my friend." I hope you're both doing well and thanks for all the great content.

Forrest Hunter

Nickolodeon Memories: Rugrats, Doug, Aaahhh Real Monsters, The Angry Beavers, Rocket Power, Hey Arnold, Rocko’s Modern Life, Ren and Stimpy (need I go on). I watched some Cartoon Network, but I was a Nick kid through and through. Nothing was like eating cereal in front of the TV on the weekend.

Alex Ball

Cereal Did you parents ever by annoying off brand cereal? My grandparents always had brand name Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, and Lucky Charms. At home we had Kroger off brands which had dumb ass names and tasted like cardboard

Marc Elfering

My Neighbor Totoro was my first Ghibli movie back in 1992 (and holds the a special place in my heart because of it). Everytime we went to our local video store I'd ask to rent it - would've been much cheaper to just buy it with how much I watched it. Years later I started collecting all the films, after Disney had acquired the distribution rights. While watching it I noticed they actually changed one of the iconic scenes, and the voice acting was not as great (in English). Dagan, do you have a preference for the releases of the film? Do you think with GKIDS at the helm we'll get another iteration, or will they focus on the theatrical showings while making them widely available for purchase? Thanks as always for your wonderful insight Moriarty boys.

Jason Bolla

3. (resi 2). I remember playing this at a sleepover in 7th grade. My friend lived in an old house that creaked when you walked, and we were all terrified as we played. We played all through the night. It would be quiet, then something would creak and we'd freak out. This was my first time playing Resident Evil, and now I am a life long fan. It was also the first time I expereinced a horror game, and playing with a bunch 7th grade boys trying to act like they weren't scare was so much fun.

Michael Steinmetz

Other 80s movies that have great soundtracks like Fast Times?

How close were you with your neighbour? When I was around 12, we had some new neighbours and I grew to be best friends with him. It was so convenient having a best friend who literally lived next door.

Oakley Waldron

Best villain portrayed in Batman: the animated series that isn't the Joker?

Emmanuel Alejandro