In light of Disney’s new move in purchasing Marvel as well as the annual DragonCon taking place in Atlanta, Raymond and Andrew analyze America’s love for the “superhero” and all of the comics, stories, and movies based around them.  While tracing the history of these superhuman icons, they make their way from their earliest roots in comics in the early 1900’s all the way up to some characters that we are familiar with now that you may not think would be considered superheroes!

 

 Why do we like superheroes so much? [21:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As the vampire craze takes over the country (and possibly the world), Raymond and Andrew take a trip back in time and try to find out where the concept of vampires started and how vampires evolved into the creatures we have today in our books, movies, and television shows.  Starting with the earliest traditions, they follow the timeline through famous vampires such as Dracula and Nosferatu, the popularization of them with the Anne Rice novels, and the latest attempts to humanize these characters even more.

 

 Where did vampires come from? [24:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This week, Raymond and Andrew take a look into the world of advertising and publicity, examining the way that such things as fear and sex have become the basic tactics in selling a product or service, how advertising focuses on competition rather than their own product itself, and how all of these same principles bleed into politics as well.  They also talk about some sneaky techniques used by advertisers called weasel words, and they let you know exactly what to look for so you know when you’re being tricked into buying something.

 

 Does advertising really make us buy things? [28:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download