VoxPopcast
@voxpopcast.bsky.social
A weekly pseudo-academic roundtable of pop culture analysis with drinking and swearing! Check our blog and listen to our podcast to share your thoughts. http://voxpopcast.com
Episode 246 is out! I had the absolute pleasure of having @chrismaverick.bsky.social on the podcast! You can listen on Spotify : open.spotify.com/episode/2syl... on Apple : podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2...
246 : Dr. Christopher Maverick
Shadow and Flame with Magik · Episode
open.spotify.com
On this week's episode we discuss the dark side of the comments section! Everything from Elon Musk to Ed Sheeran to... that guy from high school with opinions. Listen and let us know your thoughts in the comments. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/09/2...
e440. The Dark Internet: Navigating the Algorithm and the Dark Web of Public Opinion — The VoxPopcast
The Internet is a dark and horrible place. Deep down, I think we all know that. And maybe it’s only gotten darker and more horrible over time. It really doesn’t…
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On this week's episode we talk all about the fascinating world of vertical microdramas. Probably something you've never considered. Check it out. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/09/0...
e438. Vertical MicroDramas: Fad or the Dawning of a New Age? — The VoxPopcast
Have you ever seen those ads for those over the top melodramatic drama movies on TikTok or Facebook or Instagram Reels or Youtube shorts? And by ads, we mean basically……
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On this week's episode we talk all about the Green Lantern... across media franchises. Check it out. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/08/3...
e437. In Brightest Day: The History and Popularity of Green Lantern — The VoxPopcast
Every once in a while an adaptation property really surprises us by capturing the cultural zeitgeist far more than its source material would imply that it should. That seems to…
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On this week's episode we talk about AI and the ways in which decades (centuries?) of pop culture have warned (or shaped) our views of it. Check it out. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/08/2...
e436. Robotic Dreams and Digital Nightmares: Is A.I the Monster… or the Mirror? — The VoxPopcast
Obviously, Artificial Intelligence has been a big topic in the news of late. But in the world of pop culture, it really isn’t anything new. A.I. has been a huge…
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on this week's epsiode we talk all about Zines! From their creation to their history to their politics. Check it out and let us know your thoughts in the comments. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/08/1...
e435. Zines! Where Art Meets Activism — The VoxPopcast
Let’s talk about zines! Why? Because in many ways, they are one of the oldest and most revered artifacts of grassroots pop culture. Also, it turns out that pretty much…
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On this week's episode we talk all about History and why we DON'T remember the things we promised we would. Like... the Maine and 9/11! Check it out and let us know your thoughts in the comments. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/08/1...
e434. History is History! — The VoxPopcast
So there’s a weird thing that happens when you get older. You start to realize that the things that seem indelibly important to you simply don’t matter to younger generations.…
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It's #Spider-man week... so obviously that's what we're talking about this week's show. But don't worry, no spoilers for the new movie. Instead join us as we discuss the culture and history of Spider-Man and let us know your thoughts in the comments. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/08/0...
e433. Spider-Man: Masks, Myths, and Media — The VoxPopcast
Spider-Man, Spider-Man does whatever a spider can… So if you’re the kind of person who listens to this show, you no doubt know that a new Spider-man movie, Spider-Man: Brand…
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On this week's show we talk all about the modern legacy of Greek Mythology from #TheOdyssey to beyond. Check it out and let us know your thoughts in the comments. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/07/2...
e432. The Odyssey and Greek Myth: The Enduring Legacy of Ancient Classics — The VoxPopcast
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that the biggest movie in the world for the last week has been Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Despite a concerted…
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On this week's show we talk all about henchmen from Darth Vader to the Minions. Check it out and let us know your thoughts. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/07/2...
e431. Henchmen, Heavies, Minions & Muscle: Narrative Dynamics of the Hired Goon — The VoxPopcast
Behind every great villain is… frankly, well, often there’s another bigger villain pulling the strings. But the truth is, while we often celebrate “the big bad” some of the most…
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On this week's episode we talk indie comics with Jim Rugg and Steve Bissette. Check it out! voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/07/1...
e430. Tyrant: Dinosaurs and the Evolution of Indie Comics — The VoxPopcast
To a lot of people “comics” seems to mean superheroes. So much that “comic book movies” is the term that we sometimes use for what should properly be called “superhero…
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on this week's show we talk all about Aliens in media from #ProjectHailMary to #StarWars to #DisclosureDay and everything in between. Check it out and let us know your thoughts in the comments. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/07/0...
e429. Out of this World: Alien Archetypes in Pop Culture — The VoxPopcast
Aliens are one of the most enduring concepts in popular culture. It makes sense really. If we know there are other planets then it stands to reason that we might…
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On this week's episode we talk the recent trend towards nostalgia. Check it out. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/06/2...
e427. From He-Man to Toy Story: Nostalgia's Role in 2020s Entertainment — The VoxPopcast
Everyone is always complaining that no one makes any new movies anymore. Pop culture is seemingly just a continuous rehash of stuff that we used to have decades ago. Except…
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We haven't done a syllabus show in a while. What's a syllabus show? Well, now's a good time for you to find out. Check out this week's episode where we talk about planning a narrative & technology class and let us know your thoughts in the comments. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/06/1...
e426. Narrative & Technology (& Narrative) Syllabus Special — The VoxPopcast
A few weeks ago, Mav was talking with friend of the show Joe Darowski about a new class Joe is teaching at Bringham Young University called “Technology & Narrative”. Joe…
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On this week's episode we talk all about Heist Movies. Come check it out. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/05/1...
e422. Anatomy of a Heist: More Than Just Stealing — The VoxPopcast
The Heist may be one of the popular pop culture tropes of all time. And yet, we’ve never talked about it before. So you know what that means. It’s time…
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On this week's show we welcome returning guest Michael Chemers to talk all about the Bride(s) of Frankenstein. Check it out. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/05/1...
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It's the annual @pcaaca.bsky.social conference. This time @chrismaverick.bsky.social, Nicole Freim, @popandtheology.bsky.social & George Tsakiridis lead a roundtable on how we deal with the art of problematic artists. Listen and let us know your thoughts voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/04/2...
e418. PCA Roundtable: Enjoying the Art of Immoral Artists: An Ethical and Aesthetic Dilemma — The VoxPopcast
It’s that time of year again! If you’re a long time listener to the show then you probably know about PCA already. PCA is acronym for both the Popular Culture…
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On this week's VoxPopcast we talk all about Star Trek — both its history and its impact. Check it out. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/03/3...
e415. Beyond the Final Frontier: Star Trek's Influence on Culture & Fandom — The VoxPopcast
Four hundred and fifteen episodes over eight years and we never talked about Star Trek. How could that possibly be? Well, it can’t be. Of course we’ve talked about Star…
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You know what is secretly a great movie? Well... not Cannonball Run, but we think it's worth talking about and maybe watching anyway. Check it out and let us know what you think. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/03/0...
e411. Is The Cannonball Run a Bad Movie? (Ok, we know it is… but does it have to be?) — The VoxPopcast
So every once in a while we like to do an episode of the show called “is this a bad movie?” The funny part is that usually when we pick…
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On this week's special episode @chrismaverick.bsky.social invites his students to teach him and Monica about the joys of Teen Beach Movie. Join us for multigenerational hijinks. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/02/2...
e410. Teen Beach Movie: Metaphor, Methodology, Memories, and Millennials vs. GenZ — The VoxPopcast
Sometimes an episode idea comes out of nowhere. Recently, Mav overheard several of his students discussing a movie from their childhood before his morning class. After he laughed at their…
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Really fun episode of VoxPopcast this week as we explore the Tommy Westphall universe. What is that? Listen and find out. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/02/1...
e409. Tommy Westphall's Snowglobe: Exploring Fiction's Largest Shared Universe — The VoxPopcast
Most TV, movies, books… fiction in general don’t exist. This is obvious. That’s sort of the point of fiction. but what if it didn’t exist beyond the obvious fact that…
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Sometimes we need an escape from the real world for an hour, so on this week's episode @chrismaverick.bsky.social and @hannahleerogers.bsky.social just talk all about the #Oscars. Check it out! voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/01/2...
e407. Oscar Sneak Preview: Breaking Down the Nominations From Snubs to Surprises — The VoxPopcast
For a show about pop culture, it’s actually somewhat rare for us to address topics of pop culture while they are actually happening. But sometimes we do. So this week,…
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On this week's episode we talk about #ThePitt which has quickly become one of the best shows on television... and what it's like to watch it from the city where it takes place. Check it out and let us know your thoughts. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/01/1...
e406. So, We Live in the Pitt and Here is What We Think of It… — The VoxPopcast
Well, unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably heard of HBOMax’s new hit series the Pitt. After all, it recentlywon like a billion Golden Globes and Emmys. Well… ok,…
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On this week's episode of VoxPopcast we talk all about #StrangerThings... and yeah, we look as young as any of the rest of the kids on that show. voxpopcast.com/wp/2026/01/0...
e404. Stranger Endings: Breaking Down the End of Stranger Things — The VoxPopcast
For some reason Netflix, in their infinite wisdom, decided that the proper way for everyone in the world to spend their winter Holidays of American Thanksgiving through Christmas and New…
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It's the end of the year and so it's timer our annual "NOT a recap show". Where are the best things we missed of 2025! Check it out. voxpopcast.com/wp/2025/12/2...
e403. Things You Missed 2025 — The VoxPopcast
Well here we are at the end of the year 2025; a year that somehow seemingly lasted 147 months. And yet somehow it was really only 12 months and that…
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If you listen to our show it should be obvious we're going to talk about #WickedForGood. So yeah... this week we're talking Wicked For Good. Check it out and let us know your thoughts. voxpopcast.com/wp/2025/11/2...
e398. Of Course We're Talking About Wicked For Good — The VoxPopcast
There’s no sense burying the lead here. If you listen to our show at all, you know that Hannah is a Wicked fanatic. We talked about it last year (exactly…
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On this week's VoxPopcast we steal a new game from our friends over at the Protagonist Podcast. It's superfun so check it out. voxpopcast.com/wp/2025/11/0...
e395. Stealing the Fives (with permission of course) — The VoxPopcast
Every once in a while we like to step away from our usual serious… well… serious-ish, pseudo-academic intellectual pursuits and just do something a little fun. This is one of…
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On this week's special epsiode, Mav interviews several of his students as they design video games for the annual University of Pittsburgh #Games4SocialImpact GameJam. Check it out. voxpopcast.com/wp/2025/10/1...
e392. Games4SocialImpact 2025 — The VoxPopcast
Has it been a year already since Mav last did a special GameJam episode? I guess so. For those who are new to VoxPopcast, every year Mav serves as a…
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Weirdly enough we've been doing the show for over 7.5 years and done several episodes on comics, but never one explicitly on manga... at least til now. New episode is up, check it out. voxpopcast.com/wp/2025/10/0...
e391. Manga-101: Why is Manga? — The VoxPopcast
It’s always weird and oddly exciting when we discover that we have a hole in the things we’ve covered one the show. And in fact, It’s actually quite surprising that…
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On this week's VoxPopcast we talk all about memes and art and words and images. As always a very fun conversation. Check it out. voxpopcast.com/wp/2025/09/2...
e390. La Mort de le Mèmer? How memes make meaning — The VoxPopcast
We’ve talked a lot on the show in the past about Roland Barthes’ influential literary essay “La mort de l’auteur” or “the Death of the Author” and what it means…
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