Inhumans vs. X-Men Race, Class, and the Right to Have a Story By Matthew William Brake Ever since Disney bought Marvel, there has been a noticeable shift in the latter’s storytelling. By all appearances, Marvel has been promoting and elevating its lesser-known properties (like Guardians of the Galaxy) while seemingly giving characters who have…
Zootopia, Black Lives Matter, and Class Struggle Matthew William Brake 2016 is an important anniversary date. It marks 500 years since the 1516 release of Thomas More’s Utopia (or as its known by its full title, On the Best State of a Commonwealth and on the New Island of Utopia: A Truly Golden Handbook, No…
Would Kierkegaard Like Katniss Everdeen? Matthew William Brake Initially, I wasn’t a fan of the Hunger Games. The first time I heard about the series was from a friend (Hi Emma!) who read the books based on a recommendation from someone else. When the first movie came out, I didn’t go see it. I just…
Riddler’s Revenge and Reason’s Degeneration By Matthew William Brake I finally bought my copy of the Return to Arkham bundle pack today. The Arkham games are the best Batman video games ever made. The gameplay, the character and environment designs, and the multiple side stories all combine to create the immersive experience of getting to…
The Flash Season 2, Episode 18 Writing Shortcut or Kantian Ethics? By Matthew William Brake My friends and I have a sacred tradition. Thursday is “Nerd Night.” Let me explain. I am a part of a holy gathering of nerds who come together on Thursdays to binge watch that week’s episodes of the so-called…
How I Met Your Mother, Nietzsche, and Metaphysical Finales By Matthew William Brake I have a really bad habit of coming late to the party with popular TV shows. I discovered how awesome How I Met Your Mother was in late Fall 2015. Years before, I had stumbled upon reruns of it on Lifetime (wait, I…
The Killing Joke and Philosophy By Matthew William Brake Written in 1988 by Alan Moore and drawn by Brian Bolland, The Killing Joke is one of the most iconic Joker stories ever written. Directors Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan, not insignificant figures in the history of the Batman movie franchise, were both influenced by it,…
“I Ain’t Gonna Be Part of Your System!” Lonely Island, Bernie Sanders, and Faux-Revolutionaries By Matthew William Brake This has been a wild election season. The Republican Party has allowed the worst caricature of its own populist impulses to become its nominee. And for its part, the Democratic Party has chosen Hillary Clinton—an establishment, left-leaning, and…
Independence Day First as Tragedy, Then as Farce By Matthew William Brake When it came out in 1996, Independence Day was the first PG-13 movie I ever saw, and I loved it! Independence Day was an awesome summer blockbuster. It hit the right combination of action, drama, and comedy. In 2016, its successor, Resurgence,…
Wally West and Heidegger in the Tower of Fate By Matthew William Brake For those of us who grew up watching Batman the Animated Series and a slew of other animated shows based on that continuity, affectionately referred to by fans as the “Timmverse” of “Diniverse” (after two of the main creative influences, Bruce…
The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series 