We're better! We're healed! We are our best selves. The forging of souls is complete. Welcome to the final episode of the Soul Forge Podcast. It's been a crazy 7+ years, but we made it.

This week, Shawn is joined by his brother Robin, to say goodbye to the Soul Forge faithful. There is plenty of memories, and a few new tidbits to entertain all of you out there in Podcastland. Robin talks about a few of his favourite things. Shawn thanks everyone for their support over the years. Whether you were a guest, a subject, sent an email, commented on a post, shared a link or just thought of the Soul Forge, we are grateful.

Although this is a bittersweet time, all hope is not lost. Soul Forge was created in the fire of the Rusted Robot Podcast which also lasted just over 7 years and had 331 episodes. Soul Forge is ending at episode 339. But out of its ashes, a new podcast is born. The Have Coffee Will Travel Podcast shall continue on the work that Shawn started in 2014. Shawn and Leah invite you all to join our new adventure. Like, share, download and subscribe to the Have Coffee Will Travel Podcast by going to https://shows.acast.com/have-coffee-will-travel

Thank you all for a rather odd, yet entertaining 7 years.

This week's podcast promo: Monkeeing Around

Subscribe to our new show! It's on all podcast platforms. Our website is: https://shows.acast.com/have-coffee-will-travel

Why we collect is often as interesting as what we collect. A collection can offer life-support over time, a means of trading, a basis for community and communication, a stockpile of wealth, and a mechanism of self-identity.

The gathering of resources for survival, health, comfort, or economy is a defining characteristic of life. Collecting is a rather curious behavior that seems to defy easy explanation or analysis. In the popular mind, collectors are often viewed as individuals with more money than sense. They drop huge sums on rare artifacts while displacing them from their supposed rightful locations. They are often seen as mildly disturbed cranks who have an inexplicable need to gather large numbers of items few others deem interesting, invariably cluttering their lives or minds in ways that are unhealthy.

The paradox of collecting. It serves multiple purposes, from the deceptive to the inspirational. Collecting is viewed in many different and often competing ways depending on the position of the viewer. And collecting can involve more than the accumulation of significant cultural resources, there can be personal, familial, and regional connections that motivate a collector to gather and curate certain works or objects. Why we collect is a huge topic.

This week's podcast promo: Modern Musicology

Comic books and feedback on episode 337 of Soul Forge Podcast.

A brief history of comics...the first modern American style comic book, Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics, was released in the U.S. in 1933. This was a reprinting of earlier newspaper humor comic strips, which had established many of the story-telling devices used in comics. The term comic book derives from American comic books once being a compilation of comic strips of a humorous tone. However, this practice was replaced by featuring stories of all genres, usually not humorous in tone.

Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman. This is the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. The first printing was in October of 1939.

Marvel has become the unquestionable king of the superhero and comic book industry. The company grew throughout the Golden Age and exploded into the mainstream throughout the Silver Age. Here, heroes like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor and the X-Men came to embody the company's colorful approach to heroes.

Also in this episode: the different versions of characters and their time-lines, valuable comic books, and the on-screen versions. We also have feedback regarding episode 335.

This week's podcast promo: Flopcast, ESO Patreon