13 episodes
The Superhero Complex Novel
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- Society & Culture
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4.7 • 79 Ratings
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When darkness falls over Seattle, a masked crusader emerges from the shadows. His name? Phoenix Jones - a charismatic cage fighter, hell-bent on ridding the streets of criminals.
Welcome to the world of real life superheroes - ordinary people who put on outrageous costumes and head out to fight crime.
Phoenix’s team of superhero sidekicks have all turned against him. They say he’s no hero and in 2020, it’s Phoenix who finds himself on the wrong side of the law.
So is Phoenix a model citizen fighting for a better world? Or is he a fraudster who used a superhero identity to disguise his own crimes? Journalist David Weinberg sets out on a wild journey to find out.
The Superhero Complex is produced by Novel for iHeartRadio
For more from Novel visit Novel.audio
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1: Out of the Shadows
Welcome to the world of real life superheroes- ordinary people who put on outrageous costumes and head out to fight crime. Journalist David Weinberg sets out to uncover the truth about Seattle’s masked crusader, Phoenix Jones.
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2: A Phoenix Rises
Every superhero has an origin story. David travels to Seattle to come face to face with Phoenix for the first time, but their meeting raises more questions than it answers.
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3: We Can Be Heroes
What’s a superhero without sidekicks? David meets the ragtag recruits who became Phoenix’s crime-fighting supergroup, the Rain City Superheroes.
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4: Under the Spotlight
Phoenix and the Rain City Superheroes hit the big time. But fame comes with a price. Phoenix starts to make some powerful enemies.
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5: The Rogue Era
After a run-in with the law, Phoenix’s superhero antics start to have consequences for his civilian life. When tragedy strikes in downtown Seattle, things begin to unravel for Phoenix Jones.
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6: Kryptonite
Tensions are brewing in the Rain City Superhero Movement. After a disastrous patrol, things boil over. David picks through the rumors, betrayals and grudges, to figure out who’s to blame for the breakup of Seattle’s super-squad.
Customer Reviews
So good
An entertaining and enlightening case study on narcissism. The host, David Weinberg, does an incredible job giving Ben Fodor the opportunity to paint himself in a favorable light, but you can’t change a person’s nature. Fodor’s unrelenting self-centered personality paired with his complete lack of self-awareness take center stage on his constant failures. Weinberg’s investigation, interviews, and presentation left me wanting nothing. What’s next?
Ethical red flags
He pays the subject of the podcast. A total red line for ethical journalism. I was into it, but so disappointed when I heard it was pay to play.
A real life cross between The Tick and the darkest version of Batman!
This is an awesomely compelling podcast full of colorful 3 dimensional real life charecters. It is put together with a great sense of comedy and tragedy that keeps the listener’s attention. It would be hard to fall asleep to this! The questions of how much good real superheroes do? And is this bravery, stupidity, or mental illness are thoroughly explored, and ultimately left up to the listener.
Finally, the music is ABSOLUTLY PERFECT, evoking the right balance of gritty rebellion, and campy adventure.