Welcome to Geektown

In order to answer a listener's question about the economics of Wakanda, home of the Black Panther, Kurt talks to economics professor Dr. Matt Dobra about how the economics of Wakanda would (or would not) work in the real world. Learn about Dutch Disease, the Resource Curse, and more, through the lens of pop culture!

This episode goes into speculation territory, as the listener question is about what storylines from Marvel Comics could be used to bring the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and the other characters whose movie rights were owned by Fox until recently, into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, now that Disney has purchased Fox.

Starting from near the beginning of the science-fiction genre, here are just a few times that sci-fi predicted technology before its arrival in our world.

Listener Joshua C. just watched the pilot of Cloak and Dagger, and is curious to find out how close the characters and other aspects of the show hew to their original comic book counterparts.

We go over a few comic book stories and characters that have fourth-wall breaking as an important part of their dynamic. And if you're not familiar with what "breaking the fourth wall is," I explain that up front.

This is the first in a recurring feature, where we look at the characters who have taken on another hero's mantle (in this case, Captain America), and find out what happens to them after the original comes back to take his rightful place.

Kurt looks at the history of Marvel and DC's fan rivalry, and the root causes behind it.

Two listeners get their questions answered this time. One wants to know what makes Legacy games special and if they're worth the price. The other wants to know why everyone in movies is crossing their arms.

Mutants are "hated and feared" by many humans in the Marvel Universe, but listener Aaron L. wants to know why they're treated so differently from the other super-powered beings.  Kurt tackles this question, as well as announcing a contest!

In anticipation of Avengers: Infinity War, listener Joel L. asks about the primary villain and what makes him so scary.

Where should a young boy begin his journey into the Marvel Universe? At the very beginning? In one of the big crossover books? The pros and cons of some of the different options are presented.

Host Kurt Onstad goes into the history of the various reboots of the DC Universe, both hard and soft.  From Action Comics #1 in 1938 all the way to 2016's Rebirth, learn the big continuity shake-ups that have changed the history of some of your favorite characters. Show notes are available at http://www.welcome2geektown.com   Questions for future episodes can be sent to welcometogeektown...

Welcome to Geektown is a show where I answer questions, mostly from non-geeks, about geeky subjects they think they might become interested in. I am trying to create an environment where there is no entry barrier for becoming a new geek.