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Superhero summer comes to an end with M. Night Shyamalan's Eastrail 177 trilogy - Unbreakable, Split, and Glass, the very normal trilogy that had very normal audience reactions!

And who better to dive into Shyamalan's attempt to deconstruct superhero mythology than with actual comic book shop owner (Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman, Oklahoma!) Matthew Price?

The origins of the contemporary superhero are laid out, such as vigilantism's racist roots and Fredrich Nietzsche's ubermench's Hitler/Nazi hijacking being repurposed and repackaged by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in Action Comics #1, as well as the comics boom of the 80s and 90s, and one comic shop owner's perspective on how lovely the empathy that reading inspires can be.

Also discussed are the pros and cons of the comics and film mediums, and the individual strengths of both.

And then, WE GET INTO IT. What was M. Night Shyamalan actually trying to explore with this trilogy? How much does Unbreakable have in common with Spider-Man 2 with regards to middle-aged impotence? Why does it sound like Sanford's trying to justify the cannibalism in Split? Matthew Price saw Glass for the first time about twelve hours before recording this, and boy does he have some questions.

And just what sort of philosophy or messaging does this trilogy land with by the end of Glass? Is it a nightmarish vision of a lack of agency and not being able to see your place in the world? Is it an uplifting and hopeful love letter to the interconnectedness of humanity? Is it neither and both? Some truly wild stuff!

Follow Matthew Price on Substack and Instagram!

Watch these videos for more learning and context!

Not Just About Superheroes - The Hidden Metaphor In Glass

M. Night Shyamalan 2018 Drexel Commencement Speech

How Marvelman Changed Superheroes

Logan: Superhero Movies Get Old

Maus: How To Design A Comic Book Page

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