God and Comics

Our next full episode comes out in January, but in the mean time check out this conversation between Fr. Matt and his brother Luke about "Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse."

The crew recorded this show live at Doxacon in Washington, DC. Discussion of body/soul dualism, Gnosticism more generally, and Dr. Octopus' hometown.

In our first episode of Season 5, we pay tribute to Stan Lee, the comics legend who died earlier this week at 95. We talk about his enduring legacy in comics, how he brought superheroes into the mainstream, and what the world of comics might look like without him. Also, Fr. Matt considers recording your home answering machine message. All this plus our recommendation, This or That, and a whole lot more!

In the final episode of season 4, Fr. Niko Bekris returns to the show to discuss some of the great marriages in comics, why so many creators think marriage and family life aren’t interesting, and whether or not you have to choose between marriage or being a hero. All this plus our recommendation, This or That, and a whole lot more!

The crew nerds out on all things Trek by looking into the long history of Star Trek comics going back to the sixties and discussing the ways in which Star Trek explores ethics, virtue, and the possibility of a better tomorrow. All this plus our recommendation, This or That, and a whole lot more!

It may strike some people as odd to say, but in presenting the evil Thanos as a “Malthusian anti-natalist,” Marvel has made its newest blockbuster to be the first high budget superhero film to deliver an explicitly pro-life message. Fr. Matt and Deacon Jonathan are joined by guests Alexi Sargeant and Leah Libresco Sargeant to discuss this, as well as the film’s cosmology, the need for a formed conscience, and whether or not death in the comic book world actually matters. All this plus our recommendation, This or That, and a whole lot more!

Do comic books give us a pessimistic or optimistic worldview? Is one better than the other? What do these views teach us about the meaning and purpose of life? The crew explores all these questions, plus our recommendation, This or That, and more!

As a special bonus in honor of our 50th episode, here are all the strange and sometimes controversial things that have been said about Fr. Paul Wheatley on the show since about episode 25 when Jonathan first started these shenanigans. It's nine minutes of your life that you'll never get back. Enjoy!

For the 50th episode of the podcast, the crew is joined by Bishop Matthew Gunter to talk about the award-winning “March” trilogy by John Lewis which tells the inside story of the activism of the Civil Rights Movement. Themes of the hero’s journey, racial equality, and non-violence run throughout the conversation. All this plus our recommendation, This or That, and a whole lot more!

Esau McCaulley joins the crew to talk about Black Panther, its place in Black culture, the Christian response to oppression, and why he thinks the show ought to be called “Esau and Comics.” All this plus our recommendation, This or That, and a whole lot more!