Snake Plissken is back, but which Snake Plissken is the real Snake Plissken? After reviewing four BOOM! Studios Escape from New York graphic novels, Jakob and Jason shake the pillars of heaven to see John Carpenter’s antihero go head-to-head with an alter ego from Little China. That’s right, Jack Burton is back, and he’s teaming with Snake to take on villains of the past, and present. Join us once more for the final episode in our Books & Nachos Escape from New York series.

Books and Nachos

Big Trouble in Little China/Escape from New York by Greg Pak, Daniel Bayliss, and Triona Farrell

Fun times in Cleveland again! Snake Plissken’s been retired for more than a decade, but when the government comes for his land, he’s going to lead a revolution against the one percent! The final volume in BOOM! Studios’ Escape from New York series leads directly into the events of John Carpenter’s Escape from L.A., but does the creative team know that? Jakob and Jason have some questions, and a whole lot of fun, saying goodbye to Snake in the penultimate episode of our Books & Nachos Snake Plissken series.

Escape from Cleveland Christopher by Sebela and Maxim Simic

Snake Plissken just wants to get away, but first, he’s got a bone to pick with his former president. In the third volume of BOOM! Studios’ Escape from New York series, the hero of John Carpenter’s iconic action film returns to his roots, breaking into the world’s largest prison to take down an arch nemesis. It’s the showdown this series has been building toward, and hosts Jakob and Jason are here to break it down. Could it overcome the campiness of Escape from Florida and the unneeded detour that was Escape from Siberia? Well, this one’s got a flying car. Nuff said.

Escape from New York Vol. 3: Escape to New York by Christopher Sebela and Maxim Simic

Snake Plissken leaves the Sunshine State for Siberia in the second volume of "Escape from New York" by BOOM! Studios. John Carpenter's eyepatch-wearing outlaw is sent to a frozen warzone by a vengeful president, but before he can face down his enemy, Snake must outwit bears, soldiers, a man from his past, and a cult of comet worshippers. It's as crazy as it sounds, but is it any good? Jakob and Jason follow Snake's journey in our ongoing Books & Nachos series, which ties into our Escape from New York retrospective on Now Playing Podcast.

Escape from Siberia by Christopher Sebela, Diego Barreto, Mike Henderson

In 2014, comic book publisher BOOM! Studios acquired the rights to produce new stories based on John Carpenter’s “Escape from New York” and its hero Snake Plissken. Their first story picks up seconds after the finale of Carpenter’s 1981 film, with Plissken on the run from the United States Police Force and seeking refuge in the “free” state of Florida. But Snake’s in for a helluva fight at every turn. Does “Escape from Florida” live up to the legacy of Carpenter’s creation? It’s hard to say when you can’t tell what’s happening from page to page. Follow Snake’s journey with hosts Jakob and Jason, and find out if this is a worthy successor.

Escape from Florida by Christopher Sebela, Diego Barreto, Tim Bradstreet

Filmmaker John Carpenter scored a hit when his “Escape from New York” hit theaters in 1981, introducing the world to Kurt Russell’s eyepatch-wearing antihero Snake Plissken. But there’s more to the story than what audiences saw on the screen. This week Jakob and Jason (making his Books and Nachos debut) break down author Mike McQuay’s adaptation of Carpenter’s film, including the deleted scenes and backstory that add new dimension to the Plissken character and the authority figures that force him into a suicide mission on the prison island of Manhattan. PLUS, our hosts break down two additional Plissken stories in comic book form; “Adventures of Snake Plissken” and “John Carpenter’s Snake Plissken Chronicles.”

Escape from New York by Mike McQuay

Before it became one of the most beloved movies of all time, The Godfather was a blockbuster novel with characters and plot points that never made it to the screen.  Join long lost podcaster Stuart as he comes home to his Books & Nachos family and parses out all the changes made to Mario Puzo’s classic. 

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Before it became one of the most beloved movies of all time, The Godfather was a blockbuster novel with characters and plot points that never made it to the screen. Join long lost podcaster Stuart as he comes home to his Books & Nachos family and parses out all the changes made to Mario Puzo’s classic.

Ben's three-year-old brother Eric disappeared five years ago, but Ben continues to search. When Ben takes a job at the store where Eric vanished things are not all that they seem. Join Brock for his spoiler-free review of Bad Man to see if this is the perfect thriller to cap off your summer reading list!

Bad Man by Dathan Auerbach

SPOILER ALERT: This podcast contains detailed information about the 2017 Showtime Twin Peaks series as well as all previous Twin Peaks books, movies, and episodes. This year's Twin Peaks: The Return revival polarized audiences and seemed to ask as many questions as it answered. With that series complete, series writer Mark Frost is free to discuss it all in Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier -- the intended final book based on Twin Peaks. Join Stuart and Arnie now to find out if Peaks goes out on a high note! Listen to this book review, then hear reviews of EVERY Twin Peaks episode, including the new Showtime episodes, at NowPeakingPodcast.com

Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier by Mark Frost

Continuing his look at nonfiction Hellraiser books, Arnie is back with a review of The Hellraiser Chronicles--a 1992 behind-the-scenes look at the first three Hellraiser films. But seeking even more pleasures Arnie continues on to look at Damnation Games which also gets under the skin of those first three films. Are either or both of these worth a read? Join Arnie to find out!

The Hellraiser Chronicles Edited by Stephen Jones

Clive Barker's Hellraiser and it's immediate follow-up Hellbound: Hellraiser II were low-budget productions, shot in the UK. Despite their small beginnings their impact was global, skyrocketing Clive Barker to fame and fortune and terrifying a generation. How did that happen? The book Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II details the making of these first two Hellraiser films. What insights does it provide, and is it worth a read? Join Arnie on this review to find out!

Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II by Christian Sellers and Gary Smart

In 1987 Clive Barker took the world by storm with his film Hellraiser, but his first draft of that movie wasn't in screenplay form--it was a short story. Written with the express intent of being a low-budget movie, Barker explores the concepts of love, deceit, murder, and damnation. It became his defining work, but how good is it? And how does the prose differ from the film? Open the box, unchain this podcast, join Arnie in Hell, and find out!

The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

Gunslinger Roland Deschain had a long quest in his search for The Dark Tower. So too did filmmakers toil long to transform Stephen King's eight-novel series to the big screen. This journey is chronicled in pictures and prose in the book The Dark Tower: The Art of the Film. Join Arnie on this episode of Books & Nachos as he reviews this work. Then he is joined by Daniel Wallace, author of The Art of the Film, to discuss the process of producing this type of book!

The Dark Tower: The Art of the Film by Daniel Wallace

Before the new season of Twin Peaks started on Showtime, series co-creator Mark Frost wrote a book to tide over anxious fans. That book was The Secret History of Twin Peaks. An in-universe history of this fictional town finds its citizens have ties to Lewis & Clarke, the Masons, the Illuminati, and events at Rosewell and Area 51. Wait...isn't this a book about Twin Peaks? Maybe. Arnie and Stuart are here with a review to try and make sense of it all! Listen to this book review, then hear reviews of EVERY Twin Peaks episode, including the new Showtime episodes, at NowPeakingPodcast.com

Twin Peaks: The Secret History of Twin Peaks by Mark Frost

On Books and Nachos you will find people just like yourself letting you know what to buy and what to skip on your next visit to the bookstore. From science fiction to horror to nonfiction, Books and Nachos covers it all with a modern pop-culture asthetic other book reviewers lack.

hubhopper

Books and Nachos

hubhopper