Untold Origin -- A Comic Book History Podcast
Untold Origin is a podcast that explores comic books through the lens of American history. Hosted by a historian and lifelong comic book fan, each episode traces how the funny books we read reflect the real world conflicts, triumphs, philosophies, and flavor of the real world we inhabit. From Cold War fears to Civil Rights debates, from psychedelic trips to board room villains, we reveal historical forces that shape the stories, and heroes, that shaped us.
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Episodes
7 episodes
Heralds of Doom: The Rogues Gallery of the Fantastic Four
In this episode of Untold Origin -- the last for our first season -- we turn our attention from Marvel's First Family to the unforgettable villains they faced. From the sympathetic despot, Doctor Doom, to the godlike hunger of Galactus, these v...
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37:07
Marvel's First Family: The Fantastic Four
In this episode we take a look at the Fantastic Four, not just as superheroes, but as a time capsule of a specific moment in history. I examine how their timeliness makes them iconic, but also acts as a shackle to the past. How the norms, hopes...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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31:53
Atomic Monsters: Hulk, Spider-Man, and the End of the Atomic Hero
The Atomic Age marked not just a turning point in geopolitics, but a sea change in the American imagination. In popular culture throughout the age, mystery gave way to wonder, and eventually to the stark reality of potential nuclear annihilatio...
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33:14
Even an Android Can Cry: Vision, Jarvis, and the Ghost in the Machine
Not all artificial intelligences found in comic books are villains. In this follow-up to last week's episode, we'll explore those artificial creations that sought to assist humanity. Those characters and assistants that strove to aid not only i...
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29:10
The Thinking Machines: Ultron, the Sentinels, and the Growing Fear of Artificial Intelligence
Anxiety surrounding artificial intelligence is nothing new. In fact, we can see its early depictions in the Silver Age of comics with characters like the Sentinels and Ultron. This episode explores how early computing technology stoked these fe...
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33:49
By Any Means Necessary: Magneto, Professor X, and a Complex Vision of Justice
In our first episode, we revisit some familiar ground: Professor X and Magneto are often described as reflections of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, but the reality is more complicated. Historian Al Miller traces their origins and examine...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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27:32