Tracing the history of the superhero genre can reveal a lot about how we understand our own history, and how history gets whitewashed. <a href="https://popcollab.org/about-us/shawn-taylor-2/">Shawn Taylor</a>, <a href="https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/09/abrams-announces-new-graphic-novel-line-megascope.html">John Jennings</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Gun-Silver-Star-Ethnicity/dp/0803217471">Art Burton</a> look at how black superheroes evolved from a black Wild West lawman to HBO's Watchmen. And I talk with <a href="https://comartsci.msu.edu/our-people/john-valadez">John Valadez</a> about Mexican American masked vigilantes who may have inspired Zorro, and other masked heroes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a>

Making The Good Places Better

Imaginary Worlds sounds like what would happen if NPR went to Comic-Con and decided that’s all they ever wanted to cover. The host Eric Molinsky spent over a decade working in public radio, and he uses those skills to create sound-rich storytelling, pop culture analysis and cultural commentary about speculative fiction and immersive worldbuilding. Eric interviews sci-fi fantasy writers, creature makeup designers, comic book artists, video game and tabletop game designers, historians and anyone who works in the field of make-believe about the creative process. He also delves into fandoms, asking why we suspend our disbelief, and what happens if the spell is broken. Fantasy worlds may be set on distant planets or parallel dimensions, but they are crafted here on Earth and they’re always about us and our lived experiences. 

Imaginary Worlds is a Gold Winner for Best Arts & Culture podcast in the Signal Awards, and received an Ambie Award nomination for Best Indie Podcast. Episodes of Imaginary Worlds have been featured on the podcasts 99% Invisible, Twenty Thousand Hertz, Decoder Ring, Cautionary Tales, Science Friday, and The Allusionist.