Bonus: Planet Funk Con, QC Fright Con, and "Scanner Cop"

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Bonus: Planet Funk Con, QC Fright Con, and "Scanner Cop"

CatBusRuss⁠ is starting a new job this Monday, so regardless if he was asked to host his "⁠I Dig Crazy Flicks⁠" panels, he is getting one more convention out of the way. This has led him to a chill pair of conventions in Davenport with movie stars that get him hyped for a film. Welcome to ⁠QC Fright Con⁠ & ⁠Planet Funk Con⁠.

Our host was made aware of Planet Funk Con from watching ⁠Cinema Snob⁠ videos in 2025 to promote his appearance there. By the time Brad Jones was advertising it, it was too late to apply as a panelists.

Russ did apply this year, and received an email making sure that he was available because they "we're going to schedule all of your panels", but he never received any further updates. After seeing that Planet Funk only had one panel room, doubts arose. When he contacted the con about the schedule, all he received back was the same info being advertised.

This left our host a little frustrated after restocking promotional buttons, but the Peoria Chiefs and the Chicago Cubs are out of town. The Quad Cities is as good of an escape as any place else.

And thus far, he has no regrets. Just confusion that QC Fright Con and Planet Funk Con are being advertised as two different events. Why is ⁠Sam Jones⁠ of "Flash Gordon" fame a celebrity at the horror con? Was it because you cannot have more than one Jones per con? Does CatBus need to provide claymores to the two since there can be only one?

Russ got to meet ⁠Ken Foree⁠, talk shop with a 3D Pokeball dealer whom he met at ⁠Quad City Comic Con⁠ and ⁠Indiana Comic Convention⁠, and having a great chat with ⁠Brian O'Halloran⁠ about podcasting and shared trauma of being clerks. Add a autograph from ⁠Matt Hill⁠, the voice of "⁠Captain N: The Game Master⁠", CatBusRuss is feeling like a winner.

If you need a winner when it comes to healthy snacks, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Quad Cities Comic Con: Mick Foley v. Street Fighter Alpha & Shudder Shenanigans

I Dig Crazy Flicks with @CatBusRuss

Episode 271: Quad Cities Comic Con: Mick Foley Movie Star, Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation, Trapped in Anime

CatBusRuss⁠ and ⁠ThePoeticCritic⁠ have made it back to the Heart of Illinois and Chambana respectively from ⁠Quad Cities Comic Con⁠. It was a pretty successful trip to deliver a trio of "⁠I Dig Crazy Flicks⁠" panels despite the growing pains ⁠VXV Events⁠ has in their expansion. If the cosplayers are not gathering by the backdrops, how are they going to find the panel rooms?

The two siblings ended up getting a small crowd for the "⁠1985 Action Movie Triple-Threat Match⁠", but these members of Generation X may have realized that the convention goers are generally 20 years younger than them. ⁠ThePoeticCritic's thoughts ⁠about millennials and gen-z kids not wanting to watch movies before "Jaws" maybe accurate. Fortunately, those who stopped by the panel were polite and supportive despite it not being for them.

If you want to speak about someone who is kind and supportive, ⁠Mick Foley⁠ was kind enough to answer ⁠Russ⁠'s question about the lack of a Cactus Jack Cinematic Universe. After seeing his debut at "AEW: Double or Nothing", our host might have been better served to ask "Will Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy change his clothes from the previous day?" (The panel was on Saturday. #AEWDoN was on Sunday.)

If you want more of CatBus hot takes, Russ included his hot take from "⁠Trapped in Anime⁠". The first comment he saw was, "If gatekeeping was a person," so he thinks he nailed that appearance from ⁠C2E2 2026⁠.

To conclude this #Ani-May, CatBus decided to revisit "⁠Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation⁠". It is an interesting take on the SF franchise, but our host is not a "Dragon Ball" fan. Is he fine with that style mixed with the World Warriors?

What CatBusRuss does like is ⁠Doich! Snacking Dough⁠.

Try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episode 272 - Shudder Shenanigans: "Deathstalker" (2025) & "The Sadness" (2021) with Gregory Carl

CatBusRuss⁠'s friend, coworker, and ⁠Patreon⁠ backer ⁠Tim Bates⁠ brought up watching "⁠The Dungeonmaster⁠" from 1984 and how wild that film was. The immediate reaction from the "⁠I Dig Crazy Flicks with CatBusRuss⁠'s" host was to comeback the next day with a potentially crazier flick to discuss. This was the push to get him to watch the remake/reimagining of "⁠Deathstalker⁠" that is currently on Shudder, the streaming service that past guest ⁠Gregory Carl⁠ turned to for films to bring up on the podcast.

⁠Russ⁠ is getting ready for a social networking excursion to ⁠Indiana Comic Convention 2026⁠, so it brought back memories of when he hosted his fourth "⁠Ninety For Chill: The Panel⁠" with Gregory Carl as his guest. The two now have a shaky relationship, perhaps from their first IRL meeting, so if it is not going to find solid ground, it is probably best to release the last episode they recorded before the "I Dig Crazy Flicks" era of this podcast. This was another feature from Shudder, the ultra-violent, viral-outbreak horror film from Taiwan "⁠The Sadness⁠".

This #RewindWednesday runs the gamut of what can be done with ultra-violence. "Deathstalker" is a campy, tongue-in-cheek love letter to the Roger Corman produced franchise while "The Sadness" is straight up drama and violence that was perhaps to intense for George A. Romero. One film is an ode to bright blood while the other revels in realistic claret. Russ thinks they are both winners, but you may need a heads up before you delve into either.

If you want a definitive winner, try a flavor from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Doich! Snacking Dough. It is cookie dough with more protein, less sugar, and none of the eight major allergens. Our host is not a cookie fan, but this stuff taste great and leaves you feeling full quickly. Follow the link below to save 20% on your order and give Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, or WTFudge Brownie dough a try.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

 

Follow me on Bluesky @catbusruss. If you want to be on the show, contact me on Twitter or send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All we need is a theme, movie, director, or actor and a focus on sub 100-minute material. As long as the credits start before the 1:39:59 mark on the runtime bar, the movie qualifies.