Overthinking It Book Club

Welcome back! It’s the summer and that means it is time for the Overthinking It Book Club. We are Overthinking the comic book series “Saga,” and this is Week 6, covering Chapters 16–18 of the series. Join Ben, Richard, Ryan, and Matt as we discuss the opposite of war and the role of creative work in the Sagaverse, and wrap up the book club with some thoughts on what it all means and who the good guys actually are.

And, as promised, are are links to Saga Volume 4 and Volume 5.

→ Download the Saga Book Club Podcast

Get new episodes of the Book Club Podcast automatically when they are published!

Subscribe with iTunes or the Apple Podcasts App

The book club has always been an experiment to see if we, the worldwide community of Overthinkers, can have as much fun looking at a work of literature as we have when we talk about movies, TV shows, and music.  We’ve done novels, we’ve done video games, and now we’re taking that idea into a yet another new medium by turning our eyes to the world of serialized comics.  Staring on July 6 and continuing for a 6-week series, we’ll be breaking down the acclaimed series “Saga” from Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples.

Saga is an ongoing series, with new chapters coming out periodically. To focus our discussion, we’ll be reading just the first 18 chapters of the series.

You can read those 18 chapters in any number of different ways: in addition to the single releases, there are paperback Volumes with 6 chapters each, and even a hardcover with all 18 chapters in a single book.  There is probably a comic books store near you, and you should go out and support it by buying your edition there!

But if not, you can support Overthinking It by purchasing the books through an Amazon affiliate link:

We’d be grateful if you can use those affiliate links, but if you are totally committed to a different platform, here are links for the Comixology store and DRM-free versions directly from Image.

We’ve divided the game into six roughly equal chunks. You’ll get the most out of the club if you have played through these sections by these dates:

For our discussion, we’re going to use a special section in the Overthinking It Forums. Friday before each section begins, we’ll open up a forum for the coming week with some study questions to get our discussion started. As you read over the weekend, you can answer our questions in the week’s forum, start your own discussion topics there, and chime in on discussions that others have started. Everything up to and including the week’s section of the book is fair game for discussion—but if you’ve read ahead, no spoilers for what is to come! (We’ll open up an “all-series” thread for those.)

Book Club: Saga, Week 6 originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Welcome back! It’s the summer and that means it is time for the Overthinking It Book Club. We are Overthinking the comic book series “Saga,” and this is Week 5, covering Chapters 13–15 of the series. Join Ben, Richard, Ryan, and Matt as we discuss the ancillary characters who make Saga great, the ritual of propaganda, the meaning of the geometry of the lighthouse, and the structure of games beside games within games.

→ Download the Saga Book Club Podcast

Get new episodes of the Book Club Podcast automatically when they are published!

Subscribe with iTunes or the Apple Podcasts App

The book club has always been an experiment to see if we, the worldwide community of Overthinkers, can have as much fun looking at a work of literature as we have when we talk about movies, TV shows, and music.  We’ve done novels, we’ve done video games, and now we’re taking that idea into a yet another new medium by turning our eyes to the world of serialized comics.  Staring on July 6 and continuing for a 6-week series, we’ll be breaking down the acclaimed series “Saga” from Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples.

Saga is an ongoing series, with new chapters coming out periodically. To focus our discussion, we’ll be reading just the first 18 chapters of the series.

You can read those 18 chapters in any number of different ways: in addition to the single releases, there are paperback Volumes with 6 chapters each, and even a hardcover with all 18 chapters in a single book.  There is probably a comic books store near you, and you should go out and support it by buying your edition there!

But if not, you can support Overthinking It by purchasing the books through an Amazon affiliate link:

We’d be grateful if you can use those affiliate links, but if you are totally committed to a different platform, here are links for the Comixology store and DRM-free versions directly from Image.

We’ve divided the game into six roughly equal chunks. You’ll get the most out of the club if you have played through these sections by these dates:

For our discussion, we’re going to use a special section in the Overthinking It Forums. Friday before each section begins, we’ll open up a forum for the coming week with some study questions to get our discussion started. As you read over the weekend, you can answer our questions in the week’s forum, start your own discussion topics there, and chime in on discussions that others have started. Everything up to and including the week’s section of the book is fair game for discussion—but if you’ve read ahead, no spoilers for what is to come! (We’ll open up an “all-series” thread for those.)

Book Club: Saga, Week 5 originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Welcome back! It’s the summer and that means it is time for the Overthinking It Book Club. We are Overthinking the comic book series “Saga,” and this is Week 4, covering Chapters 10-12 of the series. Join Ben, Richard, Ryan, Jordan, and Matt as we discuss narrative structure, how you never go full allegory, and how the author might not be dead, but has been shot in the knee.

→ Download the Saga Book Club Podcast

Get new episodes of the Book Club Podcast automatically when they are published!

Subscribe with iTunes or the Apple Podcasts App

The book club has always been an experiment to see if we, the worldwide community of Overthinkers, can have as much fun looking at a work of literature as we have when we talk about movies, TV shows, and music.  We’ve done novels, we’ve done video games, and now we’re taking that idea into a yet another new medium by turning our eyes to the world of serialized comics.  Staring on July 6 and continuing for a 6-week series, we’ll be breaking down the acclaimed series “Saga” from Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples.

Saga is an ongoing series, with new chapters coming out periodically. To focus our discussion, we’ll be reading just the first 18 chapters of the series.

You can read those 18 chapters in any number of different ways: in addition to the single releases, there are paperback Volumes with 6 chapters each, and even a hardcover with all 18 chapters in a single book.  There is probably a comic books store near you, and you should go out and support it by buying your edition there!

But if not, you can support Overthinking It by purchasing the books through an Amazon affiliate link:

We’d be grateful if you can use those affiliate links, but if you are totally committed to a different platform, here are links for the Comixology store and DRM-free versions directly from Image.

We’ve divided the game into six roughly equal chunks. You’ll get the most out of the club if you have played through these sections by these dates:

For our discussion, we’re going to use a special section in the Overthinking It Forums. Friday before each section begins, we’ll open up a forum for the coming week with some study questions to get our discussion started. As you read over the weekend, you can answer our questions in the week’s forum, start your own discussion topics there, and chime in on discussions that others have started. Everything up to and including the week’s section of the book is fair game for discussion—but if you’ve read ahead, no spoilers for what is to come! (We’ll open up an “all-series” thread for those.)

Book Club: Saga, Week 4 originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Welcome back! It’s the summer and that means it is time for the Overthinking It Book Club. We are Overthinking the comic book series “Saga,” and this is Week 1, covering Chapters 7–9 of the series. Join Pete, Richard, Jordan, and Matt as we discuss family, memory, credibility, and whether all acts of goodness are pointless.

→ Download the Saga Book Club Podcast

Get new episodes of the Book Club Podcast automatically when they are published!

Subscribe with iTunes or the Apple Podcasts App

The book club has always been an experiment to see if we, the worldwide community of Overthinkers, can have as much fun looking at a work of literature as we have when we talk about movies, TV shows, and music.  We’ve done novels, we’ve done video games, and now we’re taking that idea into a yet another new medium by turning our eyes to the world of serialized comics.  Staring on July 6 and continuing for a 6-week series, we’ll be breaking down the acclaimed series “Saga” from Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples.

Saga is an ongoing series, with new chapters coming out periodically. To focus our discussion, we’ll be reading just the first 18 chapters of the series.

You can read those 18 chapters in any number of different ways: in addition to the single releases, there are paperback Volumes with 6 chapters each, and even a hardcover with all 18 chapters in a single book.  There is probably a comic books store near you, and you should go out and support it by buying your edition there!

But if not, you can support Overthinking It by purchasing the books through an Amazon affiliate link:

We’d be grateful if you can use those affiliate links, but if you are totally committed to a different platform, here are links for the Comixology store and DRM-free versions directly from Image.

We’ve divided the game into six roughly equal chunks. You’ll get the most out of the club if you have played through these sections by these dates:

For our discussion, we’re going to use a special section in the Overthinking It Forums. Friday before each section begins, we’ll open up a forum for the coming week with some study questions to get our discussion started. As you read over the weekend, you can answer our questions in the week’s forum, start your own discussion topics there, and chime in on discussions that others have started. Everything up to and including the week’s section of the book is fair game for discussion—but if you’ve read ahead, no spoilers for what is to come! (We’ll open up an “all-series” thread for those.)

Book Club: Saga, Week 3 originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Welcome back! It’s the summer and that means it is time for the Overthinking It Book Club. We are Overthinking the comic book series “Saga,” and this is Week 1, covering Chapters 4–6 of the series. Join Ben, Richard, Jordan, and Matt as we discuss head smashing on Sextillion, violence vs. pacifism, what different characters will do for their families, and who is really the monster.

→ Download the Saga Book Club Podcast

Get new episodes of the Book Club Podcast automatically when they are published!

Subscribe with iTunes or the Apple Podcasts App

The book club has always been an experiment to see if we, the worldwide community of Overthinkers, can have as much fun looking at a work of literature as we have when we talk about movies, TV shows, and music.  We’ve done novels, we’ve done video games, and now we’re taking that idea into a yet another new medium by turning our eyes to the world of serialized comics.  Staring on July 6 and continuing for a 6-week series, we’ll be breaking down the acclaimed series “Saga” from Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples.

Saga is an ongoing series, with new chapters coming out periodically. To focus our discussion, we’ll be reading just the first 18 chapters of the series.

You can read those 18 chapters in any number of different ways: in addition to the single releases, there are paperback Volumes with 6 chapters each, and even a hardcover with all 18 chapters in a single book.  There is probably a comic books store near you, and you should go out and support it by buying your edition there!

But if not, you can support Overthinking It by purchasing the books through an Amazon affiliate link:

We’d be grateful if you can use those affiliate links, but if you are totally committed to a different platform, here are links for the Comixology store and DRM-free versions directly from Image.

We’ve divided the game into six roughly equal chunks. You’ll get the most out of the club if you have played through these sections by these dates:

For our discussion, we’re going to use a special section in the Overthinking It Forums. Friday before each section begins, we’ll open up a forum for the coming week with some study questions to get our discussion started. As you read over the weekend, you can answer our questions in the week’s forum, start your own discussion topics there, and chime in on discussions that others have started. Everything up to and including the week’s section of the book is fair game for discussion—but if you’ve read ahead, no spoilers for what is to come! (We’ll open up an “all-series” thread for those.)

Book Club: Saga, Week 2 originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Welcome back! It’s the summer and that means it is time for the Overthinking It Book Club. We are Overthinking the comic book series “Saga,” and this is Week 1, covering Chapters 1–3 of the series. Join Ben, Richard, Ryan, and Matt as we discuss the subversive nature of alligator butlers, why parenting is like an art project, subsidiarity, and the principal agent problem, and begin our love affair with Lying Cat.

→ Download the Saga Book Club Podcast

Get new episodes of the Book Club Podcast automatically when they are published!

Subscribe with iTunes or the Apple Podcasts App

We don’t pick titles for these episodes like we do on the

The book club has always been an experiment to see if we, the worldwide community of Overthinkers, can have as much fun looking at a work of literature as we have when we talk about movies, TV shows, and music.  We’ve done novels, we’ve done video games, and now we’re taking that idea into a yet another new medium by turning our eyes to the world of serialized comics.  Staring on July 6 and continuing for a 6-week series, we’ll be breaking down the acclaimed series “Saga” from Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples.

Saga is an ongoing series, with new chapters coming out periodically. To focus our discussion, we’ll be reading just the first 18 chapters of the series.

You can read those 18 chapters in any number of different ways: in addition to the single releases, there are paperback Volumes with 6 chapters each, and even a hardcover with all 18 chapters in a single book.  There is probably a comic books store near you, and you should go out and support it by buying your edition there!

But if not, you can support Overthinking It by purchasing the books through an Amazon affiliate link:

We’d be grateful if you can use those affiliate links, but if you are totally committed to a different platform, here are links for the Comixology store and DRM-free versions directly from Image.

We’ve divided the game into six roughly equal chunks. You’ll get the most out of the club if you have played through these sections by these dates:

For our discussion, we’re going to use a special section in the Overthinking It Forums. Friday before each section begins, we’ll open up a forum for the coming week with some study questions to get our discussion started. As you read over the weekend, you can answer our questions in the week’s forum, start your own discussion topics there, and chime in on discussions that others have started. Everything up to and including the week’s section of the book is fair game for discussion—but if you’ve read ahead, no spoilers for what is to come! (We’ll open up an “all-series” thread for those.)

Book Club: Saga, Week 1 originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

This is it: the final week of the Final Fantasy  VI Book Club! To take on this final boss of a podcast, we have an epic crew of Ben, Justin, Shana, Richard, John and Jordan.  Join them for a discussion of airships, existentialism, the game’s (*gasp*) Christ symbolism, the Divine Comedy, the power of love, and an answer to the question: What is Game?

→ Download the Final Fantasy VI Podcast

The book club has always been an experiment to see if we, the worldwide community of Overthinkers, can have as much fun looking at a work of literature as we have when we talk about movies, TV shows, and music. Now, we’re taking that idea into a whole new medium, and turning our eyes to the world of interactive fiction – fancy talk for video games. Beginning the week of October 15, we’re going to spend a month and a half playing the RPG classic Final Fantasy VI, in honor of the 20th Anniversary of the game’s North American release.

If you have the game already, great! Time to dust off the SNES and get cracking. Otherwise, the game can be acquired for iOS and Android.

We’ve divided the game into six roughly equal chunks. You’ll get the most out of the club if you have played through these sections by these dates:

The Forums

For our discussion, we’re going to use a special section in the Overthinking It Forums. Friday before each section begins, we’ll open up a forum for the coming week with some study questions to get our discussion started. As you play over the weekend, you can answer our questions in the week’s forum, start your own discussion topics there, and chime in on discussions that others have started. Everything up to and including the week’s section of the game is fair game for discussion—but if you’ve played ahead, no spoilers for what is to come! (We’ll open up a “all-game” thread for those.)

Sometime mid-week, we’ll release a podcast where a panel of Overthinking It writers and guests will talk about the game. We’ll talk over the week’s gameplay, address some of the study questions, and highlight our favorite discussions from the forums.

Book Club: Final Fantasy VI, Week 6 originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

The party is back together after the end of the world, and they are ready to take us through Week 5 of our Final Fantasy VI Book Club!  Join Ben, Shana, Richard, John and Justin as they discuss the symbolism of birds, the viability of a GP-based economy after the apocalypse, Terra’s decision to abandon (and then join) your quest, and religion in a magical world.

→ Download the Final Fantasy VI Podcast

The book club has always been an experiment to see if we, the worldwide community of Overthinkers, can have as much fun looking at a work of literature as we have when we talk about movies, TV shows, and music. Now, we’re taking that idea into a whole new medium, and turning our eyes to the world of interactive fiction – fancy talk for video games. Beginning the week of October 15, we’re going to spend a month and a half playing the RPG classic Final Fantasy VI, in honor of the 20th Anniversary of the game’s North American release.

If you have the game already, great! Time to dust off the SNES and get cracking. Otherwise, the game can be acquired for iOS and Android.

We’ve divided the game into six roughly equal chunks. You’ll get the most out of the club if you have played through these sections by these dates:

The Forums

For our discussion, we’re going to use a special section in the Overthinking It Forums. Friday before each section begins, we’ll open up a forum for the coming week with some study questions to get our discussion started. As you play over the weekend, you can answer our questions in the week’s forum, start your own discussion topics there, and chime in on discussions that others have started. Everything up to and including the week’s section of the game is fair game for discussion—but if you’ve played ahead, no spoilers for what is to come! (We’ll open up a “all-game” thread for those.)

Sometime mid-week, we’ll release a podcast where a panel of Overthinking It writers and guests will talk about the game. We’ll talk over the week’s gameplay, address some of the study questions, and highlight our favorite discussions from the forums.

Book Club: Final Fantasy VI, Week 5 originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Ben Adams and Shana Mlawski take a two-hander on a Side Quest to the very ends of the Earth. After the tramautic events that lead us to the World  of Ruin, our Book Club has been scattered to the four winds, leaving only two intrepid podcasters.  So instead of tackling all of Week 5 (which is coming, never fear), join Ben and Shana for a discussion of their favorite Ends of the World, the world of balanced video games, the image of the Last Man on Earth and other video game apocalypses.

→ Download the Final Fantasy VI Podcast

The book club has always been an experiment to see if we, the worldwide community of Overthinkers, can have as much fun looking at a work of literature as we have when we talk about movies, TV shows, and music. Now, we’re taking that idea into a whole new medium, and turning our eyes to the world of interactive fiction – fancy talk for video games. Beginning the week of October 15, we’re going to spend a month and a half playing the RPG classic Final Fantasy VI, in honor of the 20th Anniversary of the game’s North American release.

If you have the game already, great! Time to dust off the SNES and get cracking. Otherwise, the game can be acquired for iOS and Android.

We’ve divided the game into six roughly equal chunks. You’ll get the most out of the club if you have played through these sections by these dates:

The Forums

For our discussion, we’re going to use a special section in the Overthinking It Forums. Friday before each section begins, we’ll open up a forum for the coming week with some study questions to get our discussion started. As you play over the weekend, you can answer our questions in the week’s forum, start your own discussion topics there, and chime in on discussions that others have started. Everything up to and including the week’s section of the game is fair game for discussion—but if you’ve played ahead, no spoilers for what is to come! (We’ll open up a “all-game” thread for those.)

Sometime mid-week, we’ll release a podcast where a panel of Overthinking It writers and guests will talk about the game. We’ll talk over the week’s gameplay, address some of the study questions, and highlight our favorite discussions from the forums.

Book Club: Final Fantasy VI, SIDE QUEST originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

Peter Fenzel guest hosts as John Perich, Richard Rosenbaum, Jordan Stokes, and Red Pages Podcast’s Justin Bortnick take the Final Fantasy VI book club through week 4, from the nobility of General Leo to the madness of Kefka, from the isolation of Thamasa to the overreach of Vector, and from the magitek research facility to the end of the world.

→ Download the Final Fantasy VI Podcast

The book club has always been an experiment to see if we, the worldwide community of Overthinkers, can have as much fun looking at a work of literature as we have when we talk about movies, TV shows, and music. Now, we’re taking that idea into a whole new medium, and turning our eyes to the world of interactive fiction – fancy talk for video games. Beginning the week of October 15, we’re going to spend a month and a half playing the RPG classic Final Fantasy VI, in honor of the 20th Anniversary of the game’s North American release.

If you have the game already, great! Time to dust off the SNES and get cracking. Otherwise, the game can be acquired for iOS and Android.

We’ve divided the game into six roughly equal chunks. You’ll get the most out of the club if you have played through these sections by these dates:

The Forums

For our discussion, we’re going to use a special section in the Overthinking It Forums. Friday before each section begins, we’ll open up a forum for the coming week with some study questions to get our discussion started. As you play over the weekend, you can answer our questions in the week’s forum, start your own discussion topics there, and chime in on discussions that others have started. Everything up to and including the week’s section of the game is fair game for discussion—but if you’ve played ahead, no spoilers for what is to come! (We’ll open up a “all-game” thread for those.)

Sometime mid-week, we’ll release a podcast where a panel of Overthinking It writers and guests will talk about the game. We’ll talk over the week’s gameplay, address some of the study questions, and highlight our favorite discussions from the forums.

Book Club: Final Fantasy VI, Week 4 originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]