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Episodes
Separated by distance–but united by nerdiness–twin sisters discuss everything from mythology to blockbusters.
Episodes
Tuesday Feb 15, 2022
Tuesday Feb 15, 2022
Happy Black History Month! This week, we’re discussing two historical fantasy novels by Black authors: A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark and The Conductors by Nicole Glover. Join us as we take a trip to nineteenth-century Philadelphia and twentieth-century Cairo and discuss compelling murder mystery plots, well-developed alternate histories featuring magic, and some unexpectedly lovely romances.
Other Media Mentioned:
- Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
- Episode 11: Two Gangs, Both Alike in Dignity
- The Seven Husbands of Taylor Jenkins Reid
- The Legend of Vox Machina
- Critical Role
- Not My Problem by Ciara Smith
- Sort Of (HBO Max)
- Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
- A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark
- The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark
- The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
- Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
- Episode 17: Sourdough, Cinnamon Rolls, and Sorcery
- The Vocabulary of Freedom on the Underground Railroad Education Center website
Content warnings: discussions of murder, colonialism, anti-Black racism, and slavery
You can learn more about Never the Twins Shall Meet at our website neverthetwinsshallmeet.com
Tuesday Feb 01, 2022
Tuesday Feb 01, 2022
What’s more terrifying than a supervillain? A superhero, of course! In our twentieth (!) episode, we’re taking a look at the dark side of superheroes through the novels Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots and The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente. Topics include descents into villainy, misogyny in comic books, and whether the Joker pays his minions a fair wage.
Other Media Mentioned:
- Sword Stone Table edited by Swapna Krishna and Jenn Northington
- She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
- Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
- Arcane (2021) on Netflix
- Die by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans
- A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
- The Conductors by Nicole Glover
- What We Do in the Shadows (TV show)
- The Boys (TV show)
- Watchmen by Alan Moore
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice dir. Zack Snyder
- The Amazing Spider-Man 2 dir. Marc Webb
- Episode 10, X-Men X-travaganza
- The Dark Phoenix Saga by Chris Claremont
- Batman: The Animated Series
- Birds of Prey (2020) dir. Cathy Yan
- Harley Quinn animated series
- Harleen by Stjepan Šejić
- Netflix’s Daredevil TV show
Content warnings: mentions of violence, murder, medical horror and body horror, an abusive relationship, suicide, death of a child, and drug use.
Tuesday Jan 04, 2022
Tuesday Jan 04, 2022
This week, we’re diving into the King Arthur mythos! We discuss the book Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, an urban fantasy book that stars Bree Mathews, a Black teenage girl who discovers a secret society of demon-hunters descended from the Knights of the Round Table. Topics include our love of the fierce and complicated main character, Tracy Deonn’s scathing interrogation of racism in America, and how the book succeeds in making old myths feel new and unique.
Other media mentioned:
- For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten
- The Wheel of Time (2021)
- The Witcher (2019)
- Being Seen by Elsa Sjunneson
- The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
- A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
- A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
- How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love With the Universe by Raquel Vazquez Gilliland
- Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace
- The Lost Boys (1987)
- Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
- The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
- Sabriel by Garth Nix
- Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn (forthcoming, release date has since been moved to November 2022)
Content warnings: discussions of the death of a parent, antiblack racism, slavery, rape, and generational trauma.
Wednesday Dec 15, 2021
Wednesday Dec 15, 2021
It’s time to dive into all things undead! In this episode, we’re discussing two fantasy books about necromancers: Sabriel by Garth Nix and The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco. Is raising the dead an inherently evil kind of magic? What does it mean to have power over life and death? Plus: cat demons, descents into villainy, and the importance of a good, old-fashioned fantasy novel roadtrip.
Other media mentioned:
- Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
- A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow
- A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
- Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
- Lirael by Garth Nix
- As You Like It by William Shakespeare
- Terciel and Elinor by Garth Nix
- Tamora Pierce’s books
- Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Content warnings: discussions of death and Islamophobic stereotypes in fiction.
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
What do vampires, wizards, and baked goods have in common? They’re all featured in this week’s episode, of course! Today we’re discussing A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher and Sunshine by Robin McKinley, two fantasy novels starring heroines who call the kitchen home. Some topics covered include the integration of magic and baking in both books, the surprising ways they resonate with our current world, and the practical uses of magical baked goods in warfare.
Other media mentioned
- The Addams Family (1991)
- A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark
- The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino
- Our Last Echoes by Kate Alice Marshall
- A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
- Hellblazer comics
- X-Men comics
- The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
- Beauty by Robin McKinley
- The Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce
Content warnings: Discussions of murder, kidnapping, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic
You can learn more about Never the Twins Shall Meet at our website, neverthetwinsshallmeet.com
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Monday Nov 08, 2021
This week, Pie and Lulu leave the realm of fantasy and science fiction for new territory. Turning our attention to two young adult coming-of-age stories, we discuss Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales and Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) by L.C. Rosen, two contemporary novels where the protagonist runs an advice column–yet is a bit of a disaster in their personal life. Topics include the exploration of LGBTQ+ identities in both novels, the difficulty of writing authentic teenagers, and the appeal of stories where the protagonist can seemingly fix any problems except their own.
Other media mentioned:
- How to be Ace: a Memoir of Growing Up Asexual by Rebecca Burgess
- Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones
- The Vast of Night (2019)
- Moon Knight by Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood
- Shadow of the Batgirl by Sarah Kuhn
- Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
- Comic Book Couples Counseling podcast
- High School Musical
- Loveless by Alice Oseman
- The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Content warnings: discussions of homophobia, biphobia, stalking, blackmail, underage drinking, and drug use.
Monday Oct 18, 2021
Monday Oct 18, 2021
This week, Pie and Lulu cross into an entirely new territory: the Batman mythos! We discuss the iconic DC Comics storyline Under the Red Hood and its animated movie adaptation, both about Jason Todd, a former Robin turned antagonist. Topics include our (lack of) prior knowledge about Batman comics, a haphazard rundown of the history of the Robin sidekicks, moral codes in superhero comics, and being unexpectedly sad about Batman and his adopted children.
Other Media Mentioned:
- Prospect (2018)
- The Mandalorian
- A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
- Gotham Academy by Brendan Fletcher and Becky Cloonan
- Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas
- Silk and Steel: A Queer Speculative Adventure Anthology edited by Janine A Southard
- Classic New Mutants by Chris Claremont
- New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Perez
- Midnighter by Steve Orlando
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
- Joker (2019)
- The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
- Wayne Family Adventures
- The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
- A Death in the Family by Jim Starlin
- Batman: Hush by Jeff Loeb
- Birds of Prey (2020)
- CW’s Arrow
- Geek History Lesson podcast
- Boaty McBoatface
- Red Hood: The Lost Days by Judd Winick
- Supernatural
- Titans (2018)
- Batman by Grant Morrison
- Red Hood and the Outlaws by Scott Lobdell
Content warnings: mentions of murder and violence, death of a child, gun violence, drugs, and Nazis.
Monday Oct 04, 2021
Monday Oct 04, 2021
This week, Pie and Lulu discuss the 2021 Marvel and DC Pride anthologies, which feature a variety of short comics about LGBT+ superheroes. Topics include the appearances of some of our favorite queer superheroes (hint: there’s a lot of X-Men), new and interesting characters we discovered thanks to these anthologies, and the state of LGBT+ representation in superhero comics in general.
Other Media Mentioned:
- Odd Spirits by S.T. Gibson
- 08 - An Anthropological Study of Cohabitating Vampires
- Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones
- I, Claudia by Mary McCoy
- Sabriel by Garth Nix
- Suicide Squad: Bad Blood by Tom Taylor
- The Vast of Night (2019)
- Angela: Asgard’s Assassin by Kieron Gillen and Marguerite Bennett
- Midnighter by Steve Orlando
- Empyre by Al Ewing and Dan Slott
- Runaways (2003) by Brian K. Vaughn and Runaways (2017) by Rainbow Rowell
- Immortal Hulk by Al Ewing
- Academy X by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis
- X-Factor (2020-2021) by Leah Williams
- Young Avengers (2005) by Allan Heinberg and Young Avengers (2013) by Kieron Gillen
- New Mutants (1983) by Chris Claremont
- Dawn of X comics
- 10 - X-Men X-Travaganza
- New Mutants (2019) by Vita Ayala
- Batwoman by Marguerite Bennett
- DC Bombshells by Marguerite Bennett
- DC Future State comics
- CW Supergirl
- CW Legends of Tomorrow
- Doom Patrol (TV show)
- Bitches on Comics episode 100 - Centering on queer Brown people featuring Vita Ayala
- Beyond the Metaphor: Marvel’s Long Forgotten Trans Mutant by Dani Kinney for Women Write About Comics
- X-Factor’s Final Issue Was an Ugly Low Point for Marvel’s Queer Representation by Charles Pulliam-Moore for Gizmodo
Content Warnings:
Discussions of homophobia, biphobia, murder, a past abusive relationship, racism in comics, and sexual harassment by a comic book writer.
You can learn more about Never the Twins Shall Meet at our website, neverthetwinsshallmeet.com
Monday Sep 20, 2021
Monday Sep 20, 2021
This week, we’re discussing the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. Focusing on the first of four science fiction novellas about a grumpy artificial intelligence and the humans it reluctantly comes to care about, we discuss the novellas' portrayal of free will, dehumanization under capitalism, and the importance of escapist media, all while marveling at how relatable a robot with a body count in the double digits can be.
Other media mentioned:
- Jade City by Fonda Lee
- Star Eater by Kerstin Hall
- DC Bombshells by Marguerite Bennett
- Midnighter and Apollo by Steve Orlando
- Classic X-Men comics by Chris Claremont
- Becoming a Man: the Story of a Transition by P Carl
- The Raksura Chronicles by Martha Wells
- The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells
Content warnings: mentions of mass murder, violence, and kidnapping
You can learn more about Never the Twins Shall Meet at our website, neverthetwinsshallmeet.com
Monday Sep 06, 2021
Monday Sep 06, 2021
This week, Pie and Lulu discuss Nghi Vo’s novel The Chosen and the Beautiful, a history fantasy retelling of The Great Gatsby starring Jordan Baker. Topics include the way Vo integrates magic into the classic novel, Jordan’s adaptational identity as a bisexual Vietnamese woman, and an overabundance of enthusiasm for the idea of demonic bargains.
Content warnings: discussions of racism and a murder-suicide
Other media mentioned:
- Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont
- Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
- The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
- Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales
- Teen Titans: Raven and Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo
- The Great Gatsby (2013) directed by Baz Luhrmann
- The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
- The History of Papercutting and the Magic of The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo on Tor.com
- Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore (coming fall 2022)
You can learn more about Never The Twins Shall Meet at our website, neverthetwinsshallmeet.com