Topic: Marvel Comics

Christopher Knowles explains how the comic book industry thrived when it was a "penny-ante" business ignored by corporate masters. He traces the decline to 2008 when big money entered the scene, followed by a shift from class consciousness to race consciousness after Occupy Wall Street. He reveals that his long-standing division at Marvel, Consumer Products, was recently shut down and absorbed by Disney, marking the end of an era for creative latitude.

Christopher Knowles proposes a theory that legendary comic creator Jack Kirby may have been dosed with LSD at a VA hospital to treat WWII-related PTSD. He notes a sudden shift in Kirby's art style in the mid-1960s toward "cosmic" and psychedelic themes that predated the mainstream psychedelic movement. Kirby is described as a "conduit" who channeled shamanic-like visions of ancient astronauts and gods onto the page after his wartime trauma "broke open" his skull.

The hosts explore the relationship between electricity, frequency, and biology, citing experiments where salmon and frog eggs were altered by specific frequencies. Analog references newspaper articles discussing the creation of a "race of superhumans" using radium. He suggests that modern superhero fiction, such as Marvel's Hulk, may be based on actual historical experiments with radioactive materials.

Ken Thomas discusses the "corporate crime" involving comic book artist Jack Kirby, who created many of the characters that made Marvel Comics billions of dollars. Thomas argues that Stan Lee receives undue credit while Kirby's heirs see no royalties. This topic is featured in Thomas's Kindle book, Popular Parapolitics, and a video lecture available on his website.