Over the last year or so, NPR's Planet Money has been running a recurring series on the economics of superhero intellectual property. What began as an attempt to valuate and purchase an obscure Marvel Comics property turned into a journey down into the depths of the public domain, with NPR resurrecting an obscure superhero called Micro-Face (Get it? Because he has a microphone for a face? Ugh no wonder no one wants to own this guy). The Planet Money folks licensed Micro-Face merchandise, as well as a new comic book reboot of Micro-Face, written by Alex Segura (whose own most recent novel is also an exploration of IP).
And now, for the final act in Micro-Face Cinematic Universe, Planet Money licensed the rights of their Micro-Face reboot out to a musical theatre composer named Kit Goldstein Grant, who turned the podcasting superhero into the star of his own Broadway-hopeful musical — and you can listen to a staged reading of the show below. It's no Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark … but that might be a good idea. It's a delightful hokey love-letter to NPR, with some interesting eeeeeevil complications around certain other public institutions, and I look forward to seeing the next stage in the show's evolution:
