Word Balloon Comics Podcast Batman Day Special: Glen Weldon Unmasks The Caped Crusade
Sep 20, 2025
01:05:56
Today on Word Balloon, we’re joined by a voice familiar to anyone who loves smart, insightful pop culture commentary — Glen Weldon, longtime NPR contributor and co-host of Pop Culture Happy Hour. Glen is also the author of The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture, a sharp, witty, and deeply researched look at how the Dark Knight has evolved across comics, TV, and film — and how fandom itself has grown right alongside him.
From campy ’60s TV to grim ’80s reinventions, and into Batman’s role as a billion-dollar movie icon, Glen traces how this one character became a mirror for changing tastes, anxieties, and obsessions in American culture. We’ll dig into what makes Batman such a singular figure, what The Caped Crusade uncovers about us as fans, and where Gotham’s greatest detective might be headed next. This talk happened in 2016
From campy ’60s TV to grim ’80s reinventions, and into Batman’s role as a billion-dollar movie icon, Glen traces how this one character became a mirror for changing tastes, anxieties, and obsessions in American culture. We’ll dig into what makes Batman such a singular figure, what The Caped Crusade uncovers about us as fans, and where Gotham’s greatest detective might be headed next. This talk happened in 2016