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What happens when a classically trained flutist who beatboxed with Parliament-Funkadelic picks up a pen and starts drawing worlds? You get Afua Richardson — musician, illustrator, mythmaker, and cultural architect whose work refuses to stay inside the lines.
In this soul-stirring 60-minute conversation, we trace Afua’s journey from Carnegie Hall at eleven to the panels of Marvel’s Black Panther: World of Wakanda, where she wove Adinkra symbols and ancestral memory into every frame. We talk about her alter ego “Docta Foo,” the power of self-taught artistry in gatekept spaces, and why mermaids aren’t just fantasy — they’re spiritual revolution.
This isn’t your typical artist interview. We’re going deep into the waters of feminine imagination, cultural reclamation, and what it means to create mirrors so people can see they already belong. Afua shares why her current project Aquarius: The Book of Merr demands a soundtrack, how anger became calm through alter egos (featuring the Bo Jackson story you’ve never heard), and what the ancestors whisper when you’re drawing love between Black women.
We explore:
∙Music as first language, art as second sight
∙Building your own door when gatekeepers won’t open theirs
∙Translating feminine strength into visual mythology
∙Water as emotional weight, softness as revolutionary act
∙The difference between prayer, protest, and play in creative work
For the young artist with a sketchbook who’s been told their stories are “too much,” for anyone who’s ever felt like they’re dancing between disciplines rather than choosing one, for souls who understand that myth isn’t escape but reimagining — this one’s for you.
Connect with Afua:
∙Instagram: @afuarichardson
∙Website: www.afuarichardson.com
∙Support Aquarius: The Book of Merr
This is rhythm in line form. This is ink with breath in it.

Theme music composed by Ron Wasserman

Audio composed and edited by

Lauren M. Antoine

Website:

Composer Ron Wasserman

Back To Pop

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Ever had an idea for an action figure, or maybe you just wish one had been made? Well at Lecroy Toys you don't have to wait anymore, head over and tell Matthew we sent you! https://www.instagram.com/lecroystoys?igsh=MW1ndWE5cHhzaGQ3dw==

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She was a five-time World Karate Champion before the world even knew her name. Then Hong Kong discovered her, and Hollywood spent the next three decades trying to keep up.

From the high-octane streets of 1980s Hong Kong in Yes, Madam! to the cult-classic grit of China O’Brien and her latest powerhouse project Black Creek, Cynthia Rothrock didn’t just join the action genre—she redefined it.

In this career-spanning deep dive, Cynthia joins Back to Pop to reveal how a 13-year-old girl from Pennsylvania became a global icon.

Inside the Episode:

• The Leap of Faith: Stepping onto a plane to Hong Kong in 1984 with no acting experience and zero Cantonese.

• Golden Era Greatness: What it was really like filming with Michelle Yeoh and training with Jackie Chan’s legendary stunt team.

• Survival of the Fittest: The physical toll of doing her own stunts in the world’s most dangerous film industry.

• Building a Legacy: Transitioning from "The Queen of Video" to taking total creative control with Black Creek.

• The Philosophy of the Kick: Why discipline on the mat translates to resilience in life.

This isn’t just a celebration of fight choreography—it’s a masterclass in conviction, courage, and carving your own path when the door is locked.

Connect with the Legend:

🎬 Stream: Black Creek (Available now)

🎧 Follow: Back to Pop for more deep dives into the icons of pop culture.

Theme music composed by Ron Wasserman

Audio composed and edited by

Lauren M. Antoine

Website:

Composer Ron Wasserman

Back To Pop

Instagram/

https://www.instagram.com/backtopopmedia?igsh=MTd0dGNid2hjdWd5cA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

https://www.instagram.com/4ronwasserman?igsh=MTR6ZGZ5dXJzYXN3eQ==

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If you’re looking for comics then stop by Sean’s shop here’s the link.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1700957263/custom-listing-mc-the-last-will-and?click_key=10e3b2dbec164f3e4e3998d180f71c4828a47e9c%3A1700957263&click_sum=732fa5f1&ref=shop_home_active_1&frs=1&sts=1

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In December of 1993, a small team of artists was handed an impossible assignment: take a direct-to-video project, pivot to a theatrical film, and deliver it in just eight months.

It should’ve been a disaster.

Instead, it became the gold standard.

This week on Back To Pop, we’re celebrating Batman: Mask of the Phantasm—a noir tragedy wrapped in a mystery, draped in Art Deco shadows that still haven’t faded. Decades later, fans don’t just call it a great animated film… many call it the most definitive Batman story ever put on screen.

And today, we’re joined by the architects who built it:

Alan Burnett (writer), Kevin Altieri (director), and Brad Rader (artist/storyboard).

We go deep on:

• The theatrical pivot: shifting from DTV to widescreen filmmaking under insane deadlines
• The graveyard sequence: crafting grief and guilt before a single line is spoken
• Andrea Beaumont’s “Bacall energy”: elegance, danger, and timing that sells the heartbreak
• Phantasm vs. Joker: silent mythic terror colliding with chaotic noir violence
• The World’s Fair finale: spectacle, storyboarding collaboration, and that haunting final image

By the end, we’re left with the question that still stings: did Batman win… or did Bruce lose everything?

Merry Christmas, Gotham. Go back to the graveyard. Go back to the World’s Fair. And go rewatch the masterpiece.

🎧 Listen now and celebrate Mask of the Phantasm with us.

Connect with Back to Pop:

• Website: https://www.backtopopmedia.com/

• Composer Ron Wasserman

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/backtopopmedia?igsh=MTd0dGNid2hjdWd5cA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

https://www.instagram.com/4ronwasserman?igsh=MTR6ZGZ5dXJzYXN3eQ==

Theme music composed by Ron Wasserman

Audio composed and edited by

Lauren M. Antoine

Alex Ray - "Galaxy Kid" custom background song

Support the show

If you’re looking for comics then stop by Sean’s shop here’s the link.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1700957263/custom-listing-mc-the-last-will-and?click_key=10e3b2dbec164f3e4e3998d180f71c4828a47e9c%3A1700957263&click_sum=732fa5f1&ref=shop_home_active_1&frs=1&sts=1

Support the show

If you’re looking for comics then stop by Sean’s shop here’s the link.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1700957263/custom-listing-mc-the-last-will-and?click_key=10e3b2dbec164f3e4e3998d180f71c4828a47e9c%3A1700957263&click_sum=732fa5f1&ref=shop_home_active_1&frs=1&sts=1