Podcast #005 - Ms Marvel (2014)

"From Jersey City, It's Ms. Marvel!"

In this all-new, all-embiggened fifth episode, Alan and Emily talk about the Kamala Khan version of Ms Marvel, which debuted in 2014. We talk about the significance of her status as a young Muslim heroine. We talk ethnicity, religion, culture, family, and the immigrant experience.

We also cover lots of terrific feedback from our terrific feedbackers, mostly about our recent Star Wars episode. 

Click on the player below to listen to the episode:




You may also subscribe to the podcast through iTunes or the RSS Feed.

Link: Anderson Cale's music 

Special thanks to Stella, from Batgirl to Oracle, for providing her voice.

We would love to hear from you about this issue, the podcast episode, or the podcast in general. Send e-mail feedback to dorknesstolight@gmail.com 

You can follow Alan on twitter @ProfessorAlan

Comic Book Review: Gotham By Midnight #10

 Gotham By Midnight #10, DC Comics, cover-dated December 2015.

“Nothing Will Stop Us,” by Ray Fawkes, with art by Juan Ferreyra. Cover by Bill Sienkiewicz.

The opening page of each issue in this series contains four long panels that provide a thematic statement of sorts for the issue. It’s hard to construct a better summary of the concept of this series than the words that begin issue #10:

“In a city of horror, I (Jim Corrigan) swore to protect the innocent. When I failed, he (the Spectre) swore to avenge them.”

This issue picks up in the aftermath of last issue’s appearance of the Spectre in the small holding room where Corrigan was being interrogated by Internal Affairs. Detective Lisa Drake tries to calm him, before helping him make his escape.

Meanwhile, Dr. Tarr’s story continues, and we see him dealing with his feelings after Sister Justine’s death. In a creepy scene, he discovers that a sainthood cult is growing near where she died. She has been appearing to neighborhood kids, who have built a shrine to “The Nun of the Narrows.”

 While evading re-capture (in a wonderfully-drawn chase scene), Corrigan and Drake discuss who exactly is in control of the Spectre. Corrigan also tells Drake his origin story. He also convinces her that despite their careers being in shambles at this point, that the thing from the swamp that they’ve dealt with in prior issues, is still out there. As the end of the series approaches, the Midnight Shift still has work to do.

Bono & Petersen & The Psalms

A very interesting short film was released recently, documenting a nearly 15-year long friendship between U2 singer Bono and Bible translator Eugene Peterson. Peterson is the author of the contemporary-language version of the Bible, The Message.

The conversations revolves about their common interest in the Psalms. Based on interviews conducted by Fuller Seminary faculty member David Taylor and produced in association with Fourth Line Films, the film highlights in particular a conversation on the Psalms that took place between Bono, Peterson, and Taylor at Peterson’s Montana home.

Dead Theologians Society: St Athanasius

Today is the Feast Day of St. Atahanasius of Alexandria. 

One of the great Greek Fathers of the Church, Athanasius was a fierce defender of Trinitarianism, and an opponent of Ariansim. He was born near Alexandria, Egypt in the late 290s, and was writing theological treatises by the time he was in his mid-twenties.

Athanasius attended the Council of Nicea in 325, assisting his bishop in his role as a deacon. He was raised to the bishopric himself a few years later, and served in that position for most of his life. He spent much of his life defending the "homoousian" position on the Trinity, which became the standard orthodox view.

He was exiled 5 separate times during his 45 years as Bishop, as different Emperors had varying positions on the Church, and of the Arian heresy. He became known as the "Father of Orthodoxy" and the "Father of the Canon."

He died in 373, at approximately 75 years of age.