Supercontext: an autopsy of media

THIS IS A REPOST OF A 2016 EPISODE. As the release of the film JOKER looms, we revisit our discussion about Batman, the Joker, and ambiguity. Looking back on the Batman film "The Dark Knight," does it stand for anything? Or does it simply soak up whatever morals we bring to it? Christopher Nolan's intentions remain mysterious, but we do our best to figure them out. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: The Dark Knight Additional Resources: JOHNSON, V. (2014). 'It's What You Do that Defines You:' Christopher Nolan's Batman as Moral Philosopher. Journal Of Popular Culture, 47(5), 952. doi:10.1111/jpcu.12181 The Dark Knight of the American Empire Hunting The Dark Knight : Twenty-First Century Batman. London: I.B.Tauris Dive Deep Into the Making of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy With This Documentary

Thank you to our Co-producer patron Miriam Meaney for selecting this week's topic! This 1985 Peter Greenaway film approaches storytelling with the perspective that there is no meaning to reality despite our organized attempts to create it. We talk about how Greenaway uses the traditions of Dutch paintings and anatomical animal studies to get this message across or frustrate us by trying. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: A Zed and Two Noughts Additional Resources: Symmetry and Structure in Greenaway's A Zed and Two Noughts Organizing the ZOO: Peter Greenaway's A Zed & Two Noughts Distant Voices, Still Lives and A Zed and Two Noughts: watch the double bill Alemany-Galway, M., & Willoquet-Maricondi, P. (2008). Peter Greenaway's Postmodern / Poststructuralist Cinema (Vol. Rev. ed). Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press. De Beauregard, R. C. (2010). Green Apples and Red Prawns: The Colour of Time in Peter Greenaway's A Zed & Two Noughts ( Z.0.0.). Journal of British Cinema & Television, 7(1), 82.

Thank you to our Co-producer patron Chris Marlton for selecting this week's topic! This 2002 Japanese art film is slow, meticulously shot, and has wonderful, ornate costumes. We discuss how it was influenced by a form of traditional puppetry but should be approached more like a meditative painting. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Dolls Additional Resources: Finding Love in Loss and Tragedy Dolls Dolls by Takeshi Kitano (Review) The cult Japanese movies outfitted by Yohji Yamamoto Inviolable Attachments: Takeshi Kitano's Dolls Dolls (2002) Redmond, S. (2013). The Cinema of Takeshi Kitano : Flowering Blood. London: WallFlower Press. Sherman Hollar. (2012). Kitano Takeshi. Britannica Biographies, 1.

In this 1978 non-fiction book, Gardner argues that art and writing should be moral and that his peers in the literary community are immoral for failing to uphold this tradition. We discuss Gardner's tragic life story while trying to process this debate and whether he was right, wrong or just an asshole. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: On Moral Fiction Additional Resources: John Gardner, Pugilist at Rest Moral Fiction John Gardner raided the castle of American fiction, a bit like Grendel. By David Stanton Getting the Elephant off the Baby: A Look Back at John Gardner's On Moral Fiction John Gardner's Tricksy Death and Tangled Legacy On Moral Fiction, By John Gardner, Analysis by Christian Author Lorilyn Roberts John Gardner: A Tiny Eulogy What Do You Mean, 'Moral' Fiction? An Interview with John Gardner John Gardner

This podcast started in 2012 as a fictional update from a strange, supernatural town. With guest Dave Moore, we discuss how this successful production is made while unpacking the utopian ideal it creates with a kind of drab mundanity. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Find out more at their website and tell them we sent you. Welcome to Nightvale Additional Resources: Welcome To 'Night Vale' — Watch Out For The Tarantulas Welcome to Night Vale: Eerie, witty podcast has Texas ties Celebrating Their Corpse-Strewn Future: Welcome to Night Vale 10 Reasons to Listen to Welcome to Night Vale Welcome to Oakland, 'Welcome to Night Vale' Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor on Welcome To Night Vale Why Welcome to Night Vale is Important Oh, My Pop Culture Religion: Religious Colonialism in Welcome to Night Vale America's Most Popular Podcast: What The Internet Did To "Welcome to Night Vale" Fan-created transcripts make it even easier to get into "Night Vale FX To Develop 'Welcome To Night Vale' Podcast For TV; Harper Perennial Orders Two New Books

This 2005 video game tried to capture the atmosphere and experience of H. P. Lovecraft's mythos. It is now called a commercial failure and a cult classic. We discuss its unique, immersive gameplay, and its Lovecraftian approach to knowledge as a thing to fear. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Call of Cthulhu (RPG) Additional resources: Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth Interview 2 Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth Q&A The making of Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth Owen, D. (2017). Player and Avatar : The Affective Potential of Videogames. Jefferson, UNITED STATES: McFarland. Horror is Knowledge: The Presentation of Fear in 'Call of Cthulhu

This 2015 comic series is an attempt to tell "the ultimate H.P. Lovecraft" story, so we dive deep into the cold, clinical research process behind it. We also discuss this story's relationship with sexual violence, racism, American mythology, capitalism and... comic book fandom. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Providence Additional Resources: Interview: Alan Moore on Providence, Jerusalem, League and more – Part 1 All About Alienation: Alan Moore On Lovecraft And Providence Alan Moore Heralds Providence: 'It's Time To Go For A Reappraisal Of Lovecraft' H.P. Moorecraft: On the Ending of Providence PROVIDENCE Artist JACEN BURROWS On His Long Collaboration With Alan Moore, Adapting LOVECRAFT, More Providence: Lovecraft, Sexual Violence, and the Body of the Other The Road To Providence Innsmouth Gold: Providence Sales Data American Dread: Alan Moore and the Racism of H. P. Lovecraft Pickman's Apprentice: An Appreciation of Jacen Burrows

This 1986 horror film adapted an H.P. Lovecraft story into a transgressive "video nasty" about repressed sexuality. We learn about the production methods that brought its "pineal glands" to life, while discussing Lovecraft's fear of sex in contrast with From Beyond's smashing of taboos. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: From Beyond Additional Resources: 30 YEARS LATER, FROM BEYOND IS LOVECRAFT AT HIS KINKIEST The Cult 80s Horror Movie That Foretold Our Augmented Future Corliss, Richard. TIME Magazine; 12/1/1986, Vol. 128 Issue 22, p74, Sharrett, C. (2015). Lovecraft Today. Cineaste, 41(1), 27–78. A Man's Home… Transgressive Sexuality and Slimy Creatures 'From Beyond (Collector's Edition)' Stuart Gordon's Shock Treatment Race, Sexuality, and Procreation in H.P. Lovecraft Film Adaptations The Posthumous Pornification of H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft and Sex: or The Sex Life of a Gentleman Wisker G. (2013) "Spawn of the Pit": Lavinia, Marceline, Medusa, and All Things Foul: H. P. Lovecraft's Liminal Women. In: Simmons D. (eds) New Critical Essays on H.P. Lovecraft.

This 2016 novel explores sci-fi and horror in the 1950s from the perspective of an African-American family already accustomed to prejudice and dread. We have an uncomfortable conversation about how it addresses H.P. Lovecraft's racism and the question of whether a white author should tell stories about the black experience. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Lovecraft Country Additional Resources: Matt Ruff's "Lovecraft Country," where the horror is racism (not racist) The Big Idea: Matt Ruff Shadows Over America: Matt Ruff and Victor LaValle Take on Lovecraft and Race Talking with Matt Ruff about science fiction's racist past Cthulhu Gon' Slay: Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff Real-world and mythical terrors get equal billing in Lovecraft Country

This 1988 Japanese anime film broke the bank with its high production budget, but it is still remembered for its masterful artwork and deep themes about adolescence and post-war dystopia. Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store: Akira Additional Resources: Akira: The Story Behind The Film 'Akira': Looking back at the future Akira: The Tortured History of the Unmade Live-Action Adaptation 30 Years of Akira: The Triumph and Legacy of a Legendary Film 'Akira' Is Frequently Cited as Influential. Why Is That? How 'Akira' Has Influenced All Your Favourite TV, Film and Music