Criminal is the acclaimed, creator-owned noir crime series by Eisner-winning writer Ed Brubaker and masterful artist Sean Phillips, launching in 2006 with interconnected tales of betrayal, fate, and the criminal underworld in a shared gritty universe, starting with arcs like “Coward” (a heist thriller), “Lawless” (revenge in the shadows), and “The Dead and the Dying” (moody ’70s mob stories). Praised for its deep character studies, shadowy art, and subversion of crime tropes (think Jim Thompson meets Sin City), it has won multiple Eisners and Harvey Awards, influencing modern crime comics and even spawning a TV adaptation, essential for fans of unflinching, emotionally raw pulp fiction.

Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, The Lego Movie is the wildly inventive 2014 animated blockbuster that turned a toy franchise into a creative triumph, starring Chris Pratt as ordinary Emmet, Elizabeth Banks as fierce Wyldstyle, Will Ferrell as tyrannical Lord Business, and voices like Will Arnett’s brooding Batman in a meta adventure about imagination versus conformity. Grossing over $470 million worldwide on a modest budget, it earned universal acclaim, a BAFTA for Best Animated Film, and an Oscar nomination for “Everything Is Awesome”, delivering hilarious satire, stunning LEGO-style animation, and a heartfelt message on teamwork and breaking rules that spawned a beloved franchise.

Episode #295 celebrates Skid Row’s explosive 1989 self-titled debut album, the gritty hard rock masterpiece that launched the New Jersey band, featuring Sebastian Bach’s soaring vocals, Rachel Bolan and Dave “The Snake” Sabo’s songwriting, and produced by Michael Wagener, into multi-platinum stardom with massive hits like the rebellious anthem “Youth Gone Wild,” the tragic storytelling of “18 and Life” (peaking at No. 4 on the Hot 100), and the heartfelt power ballad “I Remember You” (No. 6). Peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and eventually certified 5× platinum in the US amid heavy MTV rotation and tours with Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, it blended raw attitude with catchy hooks as one of the last great hair metal successes before grunge took over, pure ’80s rebellion with timeless energy.