Episode 69: Sidekicks

David Grubbs moderates a conversation with Michial Farmer and David Grubbs about the hero's companion, a figure known in modern comic books as the sidekick. Whether spurring ancient heroes on to great deeds or providing the reader a surrogate in modern fiction, the sidekick is always good for a helping hand (or, in the case of children's movies, actually to save the day). Among the texts and other artifacts discussed are Beowulf, Gilgamesh, The Iliad, the Lone Ranger, Teen Titans, Huckleberry Finn, and Big Trouble in Little China.