Superhero Ethics

What stories emerge when superpowers enter the audio format? How can superheroes reflect real-world problems, and what would an NPR-style broadcast sound like if it existed in a world where superhumans were real? Max and John of Superhuman Public Radio join me to explore these questions and discuss Season 2 of SPR, with new episodes releasing weekly!Superhuman Public Radio (aka SPR) is an award-winning audio drama telling the best original superhero stories you've ever heard. These are the stories that happen between the panels: looking at how superpowers change society and our individual lives; what happens when the battles are done and the heroes fly away.
Learn more here and @SPRpod on social media.
Bios:John Dorsey, son of a failed magician and successful businesswoman, is a natural storyteller. For 10 years, he has worked in film above and below the line. His awards include those for Superhuman Public Radio. Later this year, he will premiere his first directed comedy special with Dee Ahmed. Dorsey lives near Washington, D.C., with his family. See his work here.
Maximilian Clark is a writer-director running three different audio shows. In addition to the award-winning SPR, look for his semi-scripted Josie's Lonely Hearts Club with Good Story Guild and his nonfiction We Are Not Journalists, where he and Walter Masterson infiltrate extremist cults for satire. Clark co-created the Starz Digital series “Llama Cop.” His projects have been official selections at Just for Laughs, ITVFest and more. His mother once described his work as “not bad.”
We’ve started the conversation. Now we want to hear from you!Want to continue the discussion with us? Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or add your own thoughts? We’ve got options for you!

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In honor of the passing of Sheldon Menery, we’re talking about his concept of Rule Zero – the idea that the first step for any game should be making sure all players share the same expectations – and the way it contributed to building community in Magic: The Gathering, and what we can all learn from it.Nile JoanRivers streams MtG content on Twitch! Her content is focused on highlighting queer voices and lowering the barrier to entry for new players. If that sounds like something you’re into, consider joining the Discord server where she helps new players learn Magic and make a safe, welcoming space for all.
Will Freeland is a Marvel comic nerd who loves to fly off on random tangential topics. The only collection he has that’s larger than his comic collection is all of his Lego and other building brick sets. A true child at heart......also an aspiring content creator.
We’ve started the conversation. Now we want to hear from you!Want to continue the discussion with us? Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or add your own thoughts? We’ve got options for you!

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• Visit Superhero Ethics on TruStory.FM for more information, contact info, and more!

Want to support the podcast AND get ad-free episodes and bonus content? Become a supporting member of The Ethical Panda Podcasts! Members get access to bonus content with (almost) every ad-free episode of this and my other podcast, Star Wars Universe Podcast! Plus, you'll be showing your support for this show, and all things Ethical Panda. Visit our home on TruStory FM to learn more and kickstart your subscription today!

Each person brings their own experiences and perspective to how they view the stories we love. Caged Bishop Cosplay joins me to talk about his experience as a blerd (black nerd), intersectionality in fandom, and our shared love as masculine folks for Barbie.
ABOUT OUR GUESTCaged Bishop Cosplay has been cosplaying for the better part of a decade and podcasting for about half as long. He does this for spreading the love of all things geeky, nerdy and blerdy (Blerd = black and nerdy). Caged Bishop Cosplay loves sharing his fandoms with people around him and sharing this all with his little girl!
We’ve started the conversation. Now we want to hear from you!Want to continue the discussion with us? Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or add your own thoughts? We’ve got options for you!

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• Visit Superhero Ethics on TruStory.FM for more information, contact info, and more!

Want to support the podcast AND get ad-free episodes and bonus content? Become a supporting member of The Ethical Panda Podcasts! Members get access to bonus content with (almost) every ad-free episode of this and my other podcast, Star Wars Universe Podcast! Plus, you'll be showing your support for this show, and all things Ethical Panda. Visit our home on TruStory FM to learn more and kickstart your subscription today!

Professor Matthew Kapell joins me to discuss superheroes, mythology, and the American Monomyth.
What is a myth? Are superhero stories considered myths? Does America have a central myth, and how do superheroes contribute to it?
Matthew Kapell has taught a wide range of subjects, including film studies and human genetics, at colleges and universities in the United States and the United Kingdom. He recently began teaching anthropology at Montclair State University in New Jersey. He serves as the editor for the academic book series Studies in Gaming published by McFarland Publishers. His published works cover various topics such as gaming, film, television, media, genetics, human biology, literary studies, African legal history, and the history of Detroit. In 2016, his book titled "Exploring the Next Frontier: Vietnam, NASA, Star Trek and Utopia in 1960s and 1970s Myth and History" was published by Routledge Press (NY and London). Additionally, his 2013 book, co-edited with Andrew B.R. Elliot, "Playing With The Past: Digital Games and the Simulation of History," was recognized as a foundational text in the study of how games incorporate history by the journal History and Theory.
You can find his books here.
The book we discussed is "The Myth of the American Superhero" by Robert Jewett and John Shelton Lawrence. To support a local bookshop and this show, you can purchase it through our affiliate link.
We’ve started the conversation. Now we want to hear from you!Want to continue the discussion with us? Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or add your own thoughts? We’ve got options for you!

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• Visit Superhero Ethics on TruStory.FM for more information, contact info, and more!

Want to support the podcast AND get ad-free episodes and bonus content? Become a supporting member of The Ethical Panda Podcasts! Members get access to bonus content with (almost) every ad-free episode of this and my other podcast, Star Wars Universe Podcast! Plus, you'll be showing your support for this show, and all things Ethical Panda. Visit our home on TruStory FM to learn more and kickstart your subscription today!

Why is it the X-Men that are so often brought up as metaphors for social issues? Steve Stormoen of the Hype Is My Superpower podcast joins me to talk about the X-Men in comics through the lens of activism and social movements.
We’ve started the conversation. Now we want to hear from you!Want to continue the discussion with us? Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or add your own thoughts? We’ve got options for you!

• Email: ✉️ [email protected]
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• Visit Superhero Ethics on TruStory.FM for more information, contact info, and more!

Want to support the podcast AND get ad-free episodes and bonus content? Become a supporting member of The Ethical Panda Podcasts! Members get access to bonus content with (almost) every ad-free episode of this and my other podcast, Star Wars Universe Podcast! Plus, you'll be showing your support for this show, and all things Ethical Panda. Visit our home on TruStory FM to learn more and kickstart your subscription today!

What is it about the Hunger Games novels that captured so much attention and love? Frequent guest Danielle- Written in the Star Wars joins me to talk about these books, covering everything from the writing style, to the twist they put on the love triangle trope, to the decisions of the rebels.

Danielle (she/her) spends her days talking too much about Star Wars, MCU, and The Last of Us. She’s also a PhD researcher in Text & Image Studies, which basically means she gets read lots of comics and call it work. You can find her on TikTok at writteninthestarwars, Twitter at danies394, and Instagram at writteninthesw. You can find more of her content on the Bad Batch on Templeofgeek.com https://templeofgeek.com/author/danielle/

We’ve started the conversation. Now we want to hear from you!
Want to continue the discussion with us? Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or add your own thoughts? We’ve got options for you!

• Email: ✉️ [email protected]
• 𝕏: EthicalPanda77
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• Visit Superhero Ethics on TruStory.FM for more information, contact info, and more!

Want to support the podcast AND get ad-free episodes and bonus content? Become a supporting member of The Ethical Panda Podcasts! Members get access to bonus content with (almost) every ad-free episode of this and my other podcast, Star Wars Universe Podcast, and we’ll be adding more benefits soon, including access to live streams!

You can subscribe for $5 a month, or get a discount with an annual membership for $55.

Plus, you'll be showing your support for this show, and all things Ethical Panda. Visit our home on TruStory FM to learn more.

Sometimes heroes wear capes- sometimes they carry rifles in the Napoleonic Wars. One of Sean Bean’s first roles was playing Richard Sharpe in this British Series and Paul joins me to talk about it!

Patrons get access to bonus content with every episode! To show your support for this podcast, and all things Ethical Panda, please join us at - https://www.patreon.com/theethicalpanda

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Sometimes heroes wear capes, sometimes they carry rifles in the Napoleonic Wars. One of Sean Bean’s first roles was playing Richard Sharpe in this British series and Paul Hoppe joins me to talk about it!
We’ve started the conversation. Now we want to hear from you!Want to continue the discussion with us? Agree or disagree with what we talked about, or add your own thoughts? We’ve got options for you!

• Email: ✉️ [email protected]
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• TikTok: TheEthicalPanda
• Visit Superhero Ethics on TruStory.FM for more information, contact info, and more!

Want to support the podcast AND get ad-free episodes and bonus content? Become a supporting member of The Ethical Panda Podcasts! Members get access to bonus content with (almost) every ad-free episode of this and my other podcast, Star Wars Universe Podcast! Plus, you'll be showing your support for this show, and all things Ethical Panda. Visit our home on TruStory FM to learn more and kickstart your subscription today!

What happens when you combine Japanese reflections on the use of nuclear weapons, hard questions about what weapons to use in moments of crisis, stirring music, and a guy in a rubber suit?

Paul joins me to talk about the 1954 classic, Gojira, aka Godzilla.

Patrons get access to bonus content with every episode! To show your support for this podcast, and all things Ethical Panda, please join us at - https://www.patreon.com/theethicalpanda

We love feedback! To ask questions or let us know what you think, contact us at

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So many of the stories we love use Moby Dick as the example of an obsessive focus on a goal, but do you know the actual story? Moby Dick expert and all around geek Ilse joins me to talk about this book and what it has to say about disability, queerness, race, class, and so many other topics that remain relevant today.

Ilse, aka AK, (she/her) is an all around nerd who loves Star Wars, Heavy Metal, and Dungeons and Dragons. She has a degree in philosophy and a background in debate and likes to get wayyyy into the weeds on both silly and serious topics.

Follow her on Tik Tok @AK_Maiden or check out my art on Instagram @Iron_Kingdom_Adventure

Patrons get access to bonus content with every episode! To show your support for this podcast, and all things Ethical Panda, please join us at - https://www.patreon.com/theethicalpanda

We love feedback! To ask questions or let us know what you think, contact us at

Email: [email protected]
Twitter:@EthicalPanda77
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEthicalPanda

Or go to our website www.theethicalpanda.com for more information, contact info and to find all of our podcasts!