Super Humanae Vitae: Recent Episodes
John Commiskey and Brendan Lyons
A show that takes a close read at some of the most compelling stories in comic books and graphic novels, as well as the stories that they’ve inspired in other forms of media. More specifically, John and Brendan discuss how the plots, characters, and themes of these narratives are consonant or dissonant with the teachings and traditions of the Catholic Church.
Revelations begin to emerge as Moira McTaggert's great secret is laid bare: she is a mutant, and her mutation has led her to live many lifetimes. Over the course of her repeated lives, Moira comes to see that the battle for mutant survival will require careful and unorthodox machinations on a grand scale. A glimpse into the future reveals the unexpected and horrific ways in which the machine A.I. within Sentinels has evolved, and human society along with it.
Topics Include:
- Distinctions between the human intellect and the soul
- Divinization through God's grace vs being subsumed by a "hive mind"
- Plant Brains and Brain Plants
- Philly Pretzel Factory Dips
Podcast Email Address: letters@shvpodcast.com
Podcast Website: shvpodcast.com
Brendan Lyons' Twitter: @theLyonbrary
Credits
Intro/Outro Music:
Composition - Epic Cinematic Adventure
Artist - Jorik Basov
Source - PixaBay Royalty Free Music
We take a trip through time to see the harrowing future that awaits mutants if they cannot find a long-term survival strategy. This vision includes the revelation that both mutants and Sentinels will almost certainly enter a kind of arms race over the course of decades and centuries. Part of this escalation will lead them to manipulate the genetics or coding of their subsequent generations, with unforeseen consequences. In the present, Magneto's diplomacy demonstrates the attitude that mutants are taking in their bold new position within the world.
Topics Include:
- Is faith a genetic trait?
- Preconceptions of God as man versus the reality of God as man
- Understanding human nature through thoughts and actions
- Dog breeding
- Prudential judgement (or lack thereof) in the development of A.I. designed as hunters or entrusting volatile genetic technology to men with the surname "Sinister"
- Prudential judgement (or lack thereof) in approaching pink, cuddly robots that house hunter/killer A.I. and demonstrate a mercurial temperment
Podcast Email Address: letters@shvpodcast.com
Podcast Website: shvpodcast.com
Brendan Lyons' Twitter: @theLyonbrary
Credits
Intro/Outro Music:
Composition - Epic Cinematic Adventure
Artist - Jorik Basov
Source - PixaBay Royalty Free Music
Marvel's mutants have decided that evolution and adaptation should not be limited to biology! While the X-Men and those like them have tried many different ways of approaching conflicts between humans and mutants, they may now be pursuing the most radical path so far: a mutant nation that unites heroes, villains, and all factions in-between as citizens on the island of Krakoa. In a bid for recognized sovereignty among the worlds nations, as well their ultimate survival, the X-Men make bold moves that test the limits of their principles and, perhaps, their souls.
Topics Include:
- The Theory of Evolution (and the Catholic Church's perspective regarding it)
- Amnesty, extradition, and penitence
- Brendan's possible, secret mutant identity
- The questionable decision-making process in the selection of a covert team that includes Sabertooth
Podcast Email Address: letters@shvpodcast.com
Podcast Website: shvpodcast.com
Brendan Lyons' Twitter: @theLyonbrary
Credits
Intro/Outro Music:
Composition - Epic Cinematic Adventure
Artist - Jorik Basov
Source - PixaBay Royalty Free Music
In the wake of a great tragedy, the Visions find themselves both grieving and imprisoned in their own home, pending an investigation by the Avengers. As each member of the family reflects upon what path might rescue them from a terrible fate, drastic measures are not only considered but undertaken. What transpires next puts The Vision on a collision course with the Avengers and prompts Virginia to make a terrible choice that may decide the course of their lives as a family.
Topics Include:
- The nature of prayer
- The relationship between justice and mercy
- Bias in examining evidence rationally
*** WARNING: Some of the plot content discussed in this episode includes a scene involving suicide. While this part of the plot is not discussed at length, it is noted here for the benefit of audience members who may find it an especially sensitive subject.
Podcast Email Address: letters@shvpodcast.com
Podcast Website: shvpodcast.com
Brendan Lyons' Twitter: @theLyonbrary
Credits
Intro/Outro Music:
Composition - Epic Cinematic Adventure
Artist - Jorik Basov
Source - PixaBay Royalty Free Music
A surprise family visitor arrives at the Vision household in the form of Victor Mancha! Victor, a fellow creation of Ultron, wants to bond with The Vision and his loved ones. All may not be as it seems, however, as Victor's motives and allegiances become more clear. In fact, what should be a joyful reunion takes a dark turn that will forever alter the course of Vision's life and the lives of his family members.
Topics Include:
- Fated betrayal and the desire to avoid it
- The merits, or lack-thereof, of certain Tolkien-inspired movie adaptations
- Addiction
- Culpability when undercover operations result in collateral damage
Podcast Email Address: letters@shvpodcast.com
Podcast Website: shvpodcast.com
Brendan Lyons' Twitter: @theLyonbrary
Credits
Intro/Outro Music:
Composition - Epic Cinematic Adventure
Artist - Jorik Basov
Source - PixaBay Royalty Free Music
The Vision is questioned by the police regarding his family, which forces the Avenger to choose just how far he's willing to bend the truth. We also find that a seemingly simple event involving the neighbor's dog will begin to add more complications for the Visions as they hold onto secrets. Speaking of secrets: glimpses of the Vision's past are given, which shed light on the origins of his new family and reveal that this new life was grown from the seeds of an older relationship.
Topics Include:
- Truth vs Deception (including self-deception)
- Reflecting on the fleetingness of mortal life as well as the hope of eternal destiny
- The inherent dignity of (human?) persons
- The Question of P vs NP
Podcast Email Address: letters@shvpodcast.com
Podcast Website: shvpodcast.com
Brendan Lyons' Twitter: @theLyonbrary
Credits
Intro/Outro Music:
Composition - Epic Cinematic Adventure
Artist - Jorik Basov
Source - PixaBay Royalty Free Music
The Visions have only just started their life in a suburban town near Washington, D.C., but trouble very quickly disrupts their efforts at a peaceful existence. In the wake of an attack by The Reaper, which occurred while the Vision was absent, Virginia tries to hide her having killed the family's attacker. Viv is recovering from a nearly fatal injury and Vin is struggling to cope with the trauma.
Topics Include:
- The interior life and sins of the heart
- Could a mechanical or synthetic life form to be considered a weapon
- Truth vs Faith
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e3ada1a6a2e8d6a131d1dcd/t/5eb070d4a628653343d6f60c/1588621525058/NCBC_Module_6_Supplemental_Principle_of_Cooperation_in_Evil.pdf
Podcast Email Address: letters@shvpodcast.com
Podcast Website: shvpodcast.com
Brendan Lyons' Twitter: @theLyonbrary
Credits
Intro/Outro Music:
Composition - Epic Cinematic Adventure
Artist - Jorik Basov
Source - PixaBay Royalty Free Music
John and Brendan dive into a modern Marvel classic centered around the synthezoid Avenger, the Vision, and his newly created, artificial family. When Vision and his family move into a quiet suburb near Washington D.C., it is with the enthusiastic mission of being perfectly normal. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that being "normal" may not be as simple a task as they had hoped, and the pursuit of their aspirations will prove to have dire consequences. Existential questions and nuanced pathos abounds in the first chapter of this unusual tale!
Topics Include:
- Personhood
- The measurement of value
- The density of a cookie sheet and its potential as a weapon
- Self-defense and its moral considerations https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e3ada1a6a2e8d6a131d1dcd/t/5eb070d4a628653343d6f60c/1588621525058/NCBC_Module_6_Supplemental_Principle_of_Cooperation_in_Evil.pdf
Podcast Email Address: letters@shvpodcast.com
Podcast Website: shvpodcast.com
Brendan Lyons' Twitter: @theLyonbrary
Credits
Intro/Outro Music:
Composition - Epic Cinematic Adventure
Artist - Jorik Basov
Source - PixaBay Royalty Free Music
John and Brendan discuss the plot and themes found in the Disney + Series: "Loki". Science fiction and fantasy hijinks ensue when Loki finds himself a person of interest to the TVA (Time Variance Authority). Loki's time-travels provide opportunity for soul searching and reflection which, for SHV's two hosts, provides ample opportunity to discuss how Loki's questions might parallel those of the show's audience.
Topics Include:
- The nature of time (and God's relationship with it)
- Free Will
- The ways in which we receive God's gifts
- Purgatoryhttps://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e3ada1a6a2e8d6a131d1dcd/t/5eb070d4a628653343d6f60c/1588621525058/NCBC_Module_6_Supplemental_Principle_of_Cooperation_in_Evil.pdf
Podcast Email Address: letters@shvpodcast.com
Podcast Website: shvpodcast.com
Brendan Lyons' Twitter: @theLyonbrary
Credits
Intro/Outro Music:
Composition - Epic Cinematic Adventure
Artist - Jorik Basov
Source - PixaBay Royalty Free Music
THE END IS NIGH! We reach the concluding chapters of "Kingdom Come", including the epilogue. The Gulag has been breached, and all-out war has broken out among the heroes and villains of the DC Universe. Superman versus Captain Marvel! Wonder Woman versus Batman! The United Nations consider drastic measures to quell this conflict before it swallows the world. Ultimately, who will be judged?
Topics Include:
- Virtue and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
- Christ's humanity and divinity (The Hypostatic Union)
- Themes within The Book of Revelation and their parallels within "Kingdom Come"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e3ada1a6a2e8d6a131d1dcd/t/5eb070d4a628653343d6f60c/1588621525058/NCBC_Module_6_Supplemental_Principle_of_Cooperation_in_Evil.pdf
Podcast Email Address: letters@shvpodcast.com
Podcast Website: shvpodcast.com
Brendan Lyons' Twitter: @theLyonbrary
Credits
Intro/Outro Music:
Composition - Epic Cinematic Adventure
Artist - Jorik Basov
Source - PixaBay Royalty Free Music
Despite their efforts to contain and reform the wayward super heroes of the world, Superman, Wonder Woman, and their allies struggle to effect real change and lasting peace. Norman McCay meets another spirit, Batman forms a shocking alliance (and breaks one), Captain Marvel's tragic circumstances are revealed, and tensions continue to rise as heroes and villains hurtle toward catastrophe.
Topics Include:
- Encountering God through the intellect and through Faith
- Elements of Evangelization and Catechesis
- Cooperation with Evil (example: as it pertains to covert or undercover operations)
A document which overviews the principle of cooperation with evil can be found on the website of the NCBC (National Catholic Bioethics Center). The link can be found below:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e3ada1a6a2e8d6a131d1dcd/t/5eb070d4a628653343d6f60c/1588621525058/NCBC_Module_6_Supplemental_Principle_of_Cooperation_in_Evil.pdf
Podcast Email Address: letters@shvpodcast.com
Brendan Lyons' Twitter: @theLyonbrary
Credits
Intro/Outro Music:
Composition - Epic Cinematic Adventure
Artist - Jorik Basov
Source - PixaBay Royalty Free Music
This episode begins partway into issue #2 of Kingdom Come, and concludes at the end of issue #3. Beginning with a reunion between Superman and Batman, we find that Superman and his allies are struggling to win the hearts and minds of the youngest generation of super heroes, and find that factions have begun to form even among their own ranks and historic allies. Topics include:
- Catholic teaching regarding cooperation with evil
- The perils of moral compromise, particularly in positions of leadership
- The use (and misuse) of language in forming the perception of an organization or cause
- Law and how law generally fits within the Christian life
A document which overviews the principle of cooperation with evil can be found on the website of the NCBC (National Catholic Bioethics Center). The link can be found below:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e3ada1a6a2e8d6a131d1dcd/t/5eb070d4a628653343d6f60c/1588621525058/NCBC_Module_6_Supplemental_Principle_of_Cooperation_in_Evil.pdf
Podcast Email Address: letters@shvpodcast.com
Brendan Lyons' Twitter: @theLyonbrary
Credits
Intro/Outro Music:
Composition - Epic Cinematic Adventure
Artist - Jorik Basov
Source - PixaBay Royalty Free Music
John and Brendan begin their discussion of the classic DC Comics Elseworld story: "Kingdom Come". The contents of the first issue of this miniseries, as well as part of the second issue, are covered. The topics discussed include:
- In what ways Superman appears as a Christ figure, and in what ways he presents an imperfect Christ figure.
- How does one receive authority?
- The Principle of Subsidiarity
...and more!
Podcast Email Address: letters@shvpodcast.com
Brendan Lyons' Twitter: @theLyonbrary
Credits
Intro/Outro Music:
Composition - Epic Cinematic Adventure
Artist - Jorik Basov
Source - PixaBay Royalty Free Music
John and Brendan introduce themselves and the podcast! Here you'll find such gripping details as:
- Examples of the kinds of discussion topics that the podcast will endeavor to discuss
- John and Brendan's favorite comic book characters (and why!)
- The winding and noble journey of Brendan's study of languages
- John's all-time favorite comic book series....a secret heretofore considered an impenetrable mystery!
- The name and voice of Brendan's feline sidekick (the true puppet master of this production)
- Some of the likely segments to be included in the podcast
Podcast Email Address: letters@shvpodcast.com
Brendan Lyons' Twitter: @theLyonbrary
Credits
Intro/Outro Music:
- Composition: Epic Cinematic Adventure -4346
- Artist: Jorik Basov
- Source: PixaBay Royalty Free Music
Starting in June of 2021, John Commiskey and Brendan Lyons will examine the most compelling stories that comic books and graphic novels have to offer, as well as the stories that they’ve inspired in other forms of media. The twist? John and Brendan will be discussing how the plots, characters, and themes of these narratives are consonant or dissonant with the teachings and traditions of the Catholic Church. Strap in and prepare yourself for all of the Catholicism and comics that you can handle.