Joe and Todd discuss Ender Wiggins from the 1985 novel, Ender’s Game. Child soldiers, adolescent politicians, and the truthfulness of history are all topics of discussion.

Todd and Joe talk about several of the characters from The Princess Bride (they couldn’t pick one, so they talk about a bunch). After failing at the box office in 1987, The Princess Bride found new life in homes that had both children and a VCR in their homes in the 1990s.

This week, Todd and Joe talk about one of the most acclaimed graphic novels ever published. Vladek in Maus is a complex character in a complex work. Listen to a discussion about a harrowing account of the Holocaust told through cartoon animals.

This week, Todd and Joe talk about all the characters in all the stories as they discuss Joseph Campbell’s breakdown of the Hero’s Journey. In a departure from the usual routine, the monomyth is the subject of discussion rather than a great character in a great story.

The Hero’s Journey, that appeared in Action Philosophers by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey

Joe and Todd tackle a television classic as they discuss Lucy Ricardo from I Love Lucy. “Lucy Does a TV Commercial” is one of the most famous episodes from the iconic series, and Lucille Ball’s performance in the commercial for Vitameatavegamin is legendary comedy.

This week Todd and Joe hunt down the motivations of Katniss Everdeen, from Suzanne Collins’ 2008 novel The Hunger Games. Join them as they track down her interesting characteristics and pursue insights into one of the most popular protagonists of the last decade.

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May the Force be with you as Todd, Joe, and special guest Alex Robinson of the Star Wars Minute podcast talk about Princess Leia. We discuss how to properly grieve a destroyed planet and also touch on subjects such as galactic accents and conspiracy theories surrounding secret siblings.

It’s a special draft episode! This week, Todd, Joe, and special guest Todd Petersen try to draft the best teams of heroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They’re each allowed five picks, and their philosophies could not have been more different.

This week Joe and Todd are joined by BYU librarian Kjerste Christensen to discuss one of the earliest proto-superheroes (one near and dear to our hearts), Sir Percy Blakeney, from the 1982 film version of The Scarlet Pimpernel.

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This week, Joe and Todd talk about Clark Kent/Superman in All-Star Superman (well, most of it, they run through the Bizarro issues pretty quickly). The mini-series by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely was an instantly classic take on an iconic character (one that you all knew we’d talk about at some point).

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