Agent Palmer

Jim Henson: The Biography by Brian Jay Jones is, like it’s eponymous subject, a beacon for all times and all people. The things Jim Henson created, the things he inspired, and the way he lived his life are all examples that there can be good in the world, and we don’t just have to receive it, we can enjoy it, share it, collaborate on it, and create it ourselves.

The story of Jim Henson is the story of an innovator who was never satisfied unless he was on to the next thing, and then the next, and the next, and the next.

First it was a play, then it became a theatrical movement and must-see, now it’s been released to the comfort of our own homes, Hamilton has arrived on Disney+, and it’s all that it could be.

Except that it’s more because it’s not just a musical. It’s written in a way that many, if not most, of the subtext can be an allegory for ourselves, modern America, and the issues that have plagued the United States of America since its inception.

Marvel’s influence on popular culture and the references to Marvel within that culture has been rising equal to the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but this list is proof that Marvel had its hand well into the popular culture well before the rise of the current MCU.

As with the DC inspired playlist I created, these songs need to be inspired by the comics, so Black Sabbath’s Iron Man, which is totally and completely unrelated to the comic character doesn’t get to be on the list. And no, it’s inclusion at the end of the 2008 Iron Man film doesn’t give it a pass.

The Russian Five is a very detailed and, at times, intense documentary on the Detroit Red Wings, and how their quest for the Stanley Cup had them looking at some of the most talented and, at the time, untouchable players in the world to make their team a winning one.

But to do that, they must first extract players they drafted from behind the Iron Curtain of the Soviet Union, and along the way, they may have changed some public perceptions, but they definitely changed how hockey was played in the NHL, and perhaps elevated it.