End of a Golden Age: Trails of Cold Steel 3 Doesn't Match its Predecessors

Getting to Know the Queen of May: Five Lessons Learned on my Odyssey of Poison Ivy

I've always been a big fan of scoundrels. Han Solo from Star Wars. Cao Cao from Romance of the Three Kingdoms-- and Poison Ivy from DC comics. I recently dove into the Poison Ivy backlog, with the goal of reading all of her appearances. That is still a work in progress, but I have read and reflected enough to share five things I've learned from this project. And if you like the podcast, by all means, please check out the Medium piece I wrote about Ivy [https://medium.com/@nathanlamb75/all-hail-the-queen-of-may-10-essential-poison-ivy-stories-b3103546199b], which takes a deeper dive into her evolution as a character over the past 60 years.

End of a Golden Age: Trails of Cold Steel 3 Doesn't Match its Predecessors

The Trails series did something unique and amazing in RPGs: It created an entire world for an ongoing RPG saga, but more importantly FalCom stuck the landing on the first seven games in the series. It was an amazing ride, but nothing lasts forever-- and the Trails series came back to Earth a bit with Cold Steel 3. I discuss my mixed feelings on that this episode. And I also discuss how the main character of Cold Steel is very much like the greatest hero in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. All that and more, on the latest episode of the Choice Media Podcast

Leaning Into What you Love; Why I'm Launching The Choice Media Podcast

Welcome to the Choice Media Podcast. A new production by Amazing Gamers Podcast host Nathan. This podcast is dedicated to unpacking great stories, the ones that really mattered. Whether it's video games, literature, comics, movies, or legends. Comics have kind of been my focus lately, so I talked about that a bit in this first episode. And I also discuss meeting the creator of Shredman Comics [https://www.shredmancomic.com/] earlier this year; some really good advice that he gave to our art students that stuck with me...inspired me a bit. But yeah, basically this is me being an old English major talking about stories. I also reflect a little bit on one year in podcasting; why I do it and how I'm changing things up a bit in year 2. Welcome to the podcast!

BONUS TIME: The Hammer of Thor has Entered the Chat

Life is like a box of chocolates when chatting with Highly Ginger, but in this case the surprises were all good ones. Wonder Woman versus Thor, and could she lift Thor's hammer? The best medium for DC adaptations and choosing between Batman and Superman... similarities between Wonder Woman and Captain America-- they're all this bonus time chat with our Poison Ivy cast...

From Femme Fatale to Misunderstood Anti Hero; The Many Iterations of the Peerless Poison Ivy

The genius of DC Comics is that they’re always finding ways to re-invent the classics. There may be no better example of this than Poison Ivy. From her Femme Fatale roots to Harley’s ride-or-die partner and the antihero of her own series, life is good for Ivy fans. So this pod conversation kind of has a story. I don’t usually talk behind-the-scenes with the pod, but it’s so relevant on this one. It all started when HighlyGinger from Bluesky and I were chatting, and we started talking Poison Ivy. It turned out we’re both huge fans. I mean, I’m a guy who had meeting an Ivy cosplayer on my bucket list until last summer. And Highly Ginger has not only cosplayed as Poison Ivy, but also as Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley the scientist. This is the thing about Aly—just when I think I can’t have more respect and admiration, there it is. Good times! Highly Ginger just started the Ivy series (I’m about 25 issues in) and we discuss how it’s pretty wonderful. We also rank our favorite version of Ivy, which was a nice occasion to discuss how much she’s changed over the years. One thing I wish I’d made clearer in the discussion: I mention Love Goddess Ivy several times, and I want to clarify that whole reference. So when I say "Love Goddess" in this discussion, I’m basically saying Ivy is very much coded Aphrodite. DC’s unofficial Queen of Hearts. But I just want to point out, Aphrodite is goddess of both LOVE and BEAUTY. And as I get older, I increasingly appreciate how much we as humans need beauty to be part of our lives; whether it be through art, music, or through each other. Aphrodite—and by extension Ivy—are best summarized in the words of the immortal poet John Keats: "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" It’s the opening line of the poem Endymion, and really conveys how beauty is eternal, a never-ending source of comfort and joy. To Keats (and many others, no doubt) it was that quiet bower of rest for humanity, amid everything else in life. It's a concept Orson Wells captured perfectly with the story about a lovely red haired woman at the Ferry in Citizen Kane. And Van Morrison’s Madame George does as well (though we’re never told she’s beautiful; just fascinating and unforgettable. With energy that would stop a clock 30 years later). But yeah. The power of beauty. It should be part of most discussions about Ivy. It’s not just a tip of the hat to beloved Greek myths. It’s an acknowledgment that most pantheons had a goddess of love and beauty, and why. The fact we are made to seek out beauty and let it move through us and move us as well. As coded Aphrodite, Ivy is often a personification of that timeless reality. And that’s one of many reasons why she’s the queen.