Thecuriousmanspodcast

Faster than a speeding bullet.

More powerful than a locomotive.

Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Superman has become one of the most recognizable fictional characters in the world. But behind the cape, the shield, and the mythology is another story—one involving two young creators, a publishing industry, enormous sums of money, and a decades-long battle over who actually owned the character they created.

In his new book, The Superman Wars: A Battle for Truth, Justice and an American Icon, author William Bernhardt goes behind the legend to tell the complicated story of Superman's creation and the extraordinary legal and personal battles that followed.

Who really created Superman?

What did Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster actually receive for their creation?

How did a couple of teenagers from Cleveland create a character that would become a multibillion-dollar cultural phenomenon?

And why did the fight over Superman's ownership continue for generations?

Today, William Bernhardt joins us to talk about the history behind the superhero, the business of comics, the meaning of creative ownership, and the uncomfortable question at the heart of the Superman story:

Who gets to own an idea once it becomes bigger than the people who created it?

What happens when ambition becomes more important than humanity?

In the late 1800s, America is undergoing a dramatic transformation. Coal mines are expanding, fortunes are being built, industrialists are becoming powerful, and entire communities are being reshaped by the machinery of the Industrial Age.

But beneath the booming industry is another story—one about the people living in its shadow.

In Dr. James Gregory's new novel, Ghost Town, we meet Sammy Murphy, a young man growing up in the isolated coal-mining town of Sulphur Creek. His world is one of solitude, shadowy tunnels, and secrets.

And then there's Barry Bacon, an ambitious industrialist who dreams of becoming a titan like Andrew Carnegie. Bacon believes power and success are within his grasp—but his unchecked ambition may ultimately threaten everything he's built.

As Sammy discovers love and begins to emerge from his isolation, and Bacon watches his empire begin to unravel, the two men are forced to confront very different questions about power, connection, and what it means to truly belong.

Today, Dr. James Gregory joins us to talk about Ghost Town, America's industrial past, the psychology of ambition, the meaning of love, and why a story set in the coal fields of the nineteenth century may have something surprisingly urgent to say about our lives today.

The Olympics are supposed to represent something bigger than politics.

Athletes from around the world gather in one place, nations compete peacefully, and the entire planet watches.

But what happens when the world's greatest sporting spectacle becomes the target of an extraordinary act of terror?

In Joe Battaglia's new novel, Beneath the Rings, the Doha 2040 Summer Olympics begin with dreams of gold medals and global unity—and quickly descend into an international nightmare.

Twelve Israeli and Lebanese athletes disappear.

A shadowy organization called The Obsidian Hand claims responsibility.

And then comes the impossible demand: a $500 billion ransom.

At the center of the story is veteran journalist Nova Mendelsohn, who finds herself following an ancient Arabic note and an enigmatic local merchant into a conspiracy that stretches from the glittering Olympic Village into the darkest corners of Doha and ultimately into the desert.

What begins as a kidnapping becomes something much bigger: a centuries-old grievance threatening to explode into a modern catastrophe.

Today, Joe Battaglia joins us to talk about Beneath the Rings, the challenges of writing geopolitical thrillers, the intersection of journalism and fiction, and why the most compelling thrillers often begin with one question.

What was it actually like to be a gladiator in ancient Rome?

Not the Hollywood version.

Not the sanitized version.

And not simply the image of two muscular men entering an arena with swords.

What did a gladiator eat? Where did he sleep? What happened before a fight? How were gladiators trained, disciplined, rewarded—and sometimes exploited? What did freedom mean to someone who was technically enslaved but could become famous, wealthy, and even beloved by the Roman public?

Today, we're stepping inside that world with historian and author Harry Sidebottom, whose new book, Those Who Are About to Die: A Day in the Life of a Roman Gladiator, reconstructs an entire twenty-four hours in the life of a gladiator.

Drawing on archaeology, ancient texts, sculptures, art, and modern scholarship, Harry takes us behind the spectacle to explore not only gladiatorial combat, but the Roman ideas surrounding freedom and slavery, sex and desire, status and honor, crime and punishment, civilization and barbarity, and humanity's relationship with the gods.

And along the way, he proves that ancient history can be both serious scholarship and enormous fun.

What happens after the revolution?

The battles have been won. Independence has been declared. A new nation has been born.

But then comes the hard part: building a country.

Bestselling historical fiction author Sharon Virts explores that fascinating—and often overlooked—period in her new novel, Bargains of Fate, the second book in her Fields of Honor series.

The series focuses on America's "Second Generation"—the men and women who inherited the enormous responsibility of building a nation after the founding generation had passed from the scene.

Virts draws on her own extraordinary connection to early American history. She is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, has five ancestors who fought for American independence, and even has a Hessian ancestor who fought on the British side.

And then there's Selma, the historic Virginia home Sharon rescued and restored—a house whose history and former inhabitants have found their way into her fiction.

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Sharon Virts offers a fascinating question:

What happened after the Founders?

And what can the struggles, compromises, ambitions, romances, betrayals, and bargains of that next generation teach us about the country we're still becoming?

What if getting older doesn't mean slowing down—but opening yourself up to entirely new possibilities?

At 82, author RW Fields is offering readers a wonderfully timely reminder that creativity, friendship, humor, and reinvention don't have an expiration date.

His book, Mullet Man, is a heartfelt and often funny story about two people from very different generations and socioeconomic worlds who form an unexpected friendship. One is older, shaped by a very different era and accustomed to doing things his own way. The other is younger and navigating a very different social and financial reality.

What begins as an unlikely connection becomes something much deeper—a story about dignity, friendship, class, aging, understanding, and the surprising ways other people can change our lives.

Today, RW Fields joins us to talk about Mullet Man, the art of reinvention, and why sometimes the most interesting chapters of life are the ones you never planned.

Why do political movements that promote authoritarian ideas often gain support from people who feel ignored, frustrated, or left behind?

That question sits at the center of today's conversation.

Joining me is David Ost, political scientist and author of Red Pill Politics: Demystifying Today's Far Right, a timely examination of the rise of right-wing populism, authoritarian movements, and the political strategies that allow them to attract support.

Drawing on historical research and contemporary examples from around the world, Ost argues that modern far-right movements share important characteristics with earlier authoritarian movements: opposition to pluralism, intolerance toward marginalized groups, rigid social hierarchies, and a rejection of democratic norms. At the same time, he examines how these movements gain traction through anti-elite messaging and by presenting themselves as voices for those who feel abandoned by existing institutions.

Today we'll discuss the history of authoritarian politics, the appeal of populist rhetoric, the relationship between economic and cultural grievances, the challenges facing democratic societies, and what lessons history can offer us about the present moment.

How do we recognize racism? How do we measure it? And what happens when the way we define a problem makes it harder to solve?

Today's guest argues that the frameworks we have used to understand racism for decades may be limiting our ability to effectively confront it.

Ainsley LeSure is the author of Locating Racism In The World, a provocative examination of how society talks about racism after the Civil Rights era—and why those conversations may have unintentionally weakened our ability to identify and challenge racial inequality.

LeSure argues that by focusing primarily on racism as an internal belief system—something located in individual thoughts, feelings, or intentions—we have created a situation where people can deny racist behavior by denying racist intent. She offers a different framework centered on what she calls racial common sense: the everyday assumptions and ideas about racially marginalized groups that circulate through society and influence interactions, institutions, and political movements.

Today we'll discuss how racism is understood, why language and frameworks matter, the relationship between everyday behavior and larger political movements, and what a more effective approach to confronting racism might look like.

What is the American Dream—and what happens when a nation begins to question whether that dream is still within reach?

For generations, the American Dream has represented opportunity, freedom, equality, and the belief that individuals can shape their own futures. But it has also been a promise that requires constant reflection, participation, and protection.

Today's guest invites us to examine that promise through a deeper moral and philosophical lens.

John Roth is the author of Saving the American Dream: Meditations for Dark Times, a thoughtful exploration of the American Dream as an ethical ideal and a guiding principle rooted in the Constitution. Through a series of meditations, Roth asks difficult but necessary questions: What matters most for America today? Are we living up to our highest ideals? And how can citizens respond when democratic values face serious challenges?

Drawing from the wisdom of American philosophers, historians, novelists, poets, essayists, and religious thinkers, Roth argues that preserving the American Dream requires more than nostalgia—it requires awareness, engagement, and action.

Today we'll discuss democracy, civic responsibility, constitutional values, moral courage, and why reflection itself can become a form of resistance and renewal.

What if one of the most important skills we could develop today isn't having more answers—but becoming better at asking questions?

In a world filled with constant information, instant solutions, and endless distractions, curiosity can sometimes feel like a lost practice. But today's guest believes curiosity is not just a personality trait—it is something we can cultivate through awareness, attention, and the way we experience our own bodies.

Joining me is Beverly Atkins, creator of Pauseture, an app built around the Feldenkrais Method, a movement and awareness practice designed to help people reconnect with themselves through exploration rather than correction.

Beverly's journey began with a personal struggle: debilitating back pain that conventional approaches weren't resolving. A single Feldenkrais lesson changed everything, leading her to ask deeper questions about movement, awareness, and how the brain learns. That curiosity eventually led her to complete a four-year Feldenkrais certification program, develop a private practice, and create Pauseture to bring these lessons to a wider audience.

Today we'll discuss why questions matter, how awareness changes the way we move through the world, what happens when we slow down enough to notice ourselves, and why curiosity may be one of the most important skills we can strengthen.