Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago
Did you know the comic book characters and their stories that are adapted into very successful books, TV shows and movies could teach you as much about myth as the work of Joseph Campbell?
Filmmaker and comic book writer B. Earl describes how his deep love for comics, mythology and the Tarot led him on a Fool’s Journey away from doing the safe thing — studying biochemistry — to work on Spider-Man comics, make movies and share the lessons he learned by following the road less traveled this week on Spirit Gym.
Discover more about B. Earl on his Weirdbunch Studio website at https://weirdbunch.studio/ and on Instagram at instagram.com/b.earlwriter , Substack at bearl.substack.com and LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/b-earl-4a661b4 . Read his chapter in the book, Depth Psychology, Myth and Artificial Intelligence: Soul and the Machine ( amzn.to/4ui9XLA ), edited by Jason Batt and Jonathan Erickson. Check out his crowdfunded Fangbanger: SUPERPOSITION Anthology on Zoop
0:00 Intro
7:44 “I found my voice and my own ideas through a mixture of mythology and comic books.”
11:09 Whose dream wins out to study biochemistry or telling stories?
17:53 B. Earl’s Hero’s Journey begins with a call from movie producer Larry Cohen.
28:03 The Tarot helps B. Earl achieve sobriety when he needed it.
33:45 The libido as life force energy.
37:46 How do we learn to process, use and embrace the 72 demons of Solomon?
49:13 The commercialization of Hip Hop.
53:35 Comics: The most powerful medium and the additive version of the creative process.
1:00:05 Can you decode the symbolism hiding in plain sight?
1:07:15 How much of your consciousness is tied up in your ego?
1:16:44 The Fool’s Journey.
1:26:40 Different Tarot card decks, different insights.
1:35:00 The forced redundancy of us in AI.
1:41:07 The magic of storytelling that conveys deeper truths and native myths in B. Earl’s Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man ( amzn.to/40EyblO ).
1:55:55 Conflict and forgiveness are necessary for us to live and grow.
2:04:13 The actions we take — or don’t — are setting up future generations for good and bad.
2:16:10 The gaps between panels and pages in a comic book story that’s missing in movies.
Listen to Paul's conversation with B. Earl and check out the show notes page on our Spirit Gym website at paulchek.com/blog/podcast-episodes/392-what-writing-spider-man-taught-me-about-the-fools-journey-with-b-earl
Thanks to our awesome sponsors!
• BIOptimizers bioptimizers.com/spiritgym (save an extra 15% on your purchase by using the code PAUL15 at checkout)
• Wild Pastures wildpastures.com/paulchek (save 20% and free shipping for life plus $15 on your first order)
• Organifi organifi.com/chek20 (save 20% on your purchase by using the code CHEK20 at checkout)
• CHEK Institute paul.chekinstitute.com/spiritgym (learn about the new CHEK Integrated Health Foundation program today!)
• Pique Life piquelife.com/paulchek (save up to 20% for life and get a FREE starter kit when you subscribe to one or more of Pique’s amazing beverages!)
• Paleovalley paleovalley.com/chek15 (save 15% on your first purchase)
We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear Music
Did you know the comic book characters and their stories that are adapted into very successful books, TV shows and movies could teach you as much about myth as the work of Joseph Campbell?
Filmmaker and comic book writer B. Earl describes how his deep love for comics, mythology and the Tarot led him on a Fool’s Journey away from doing the safe thing — studying biochemistry — to work on Spider-Man comics, make movies and share the lessons he learned by following the road less traveled this week on Spirit Gym.
Discover more about B. Earl on his Weirdbunch Studio website at https://weirdbunch.studio/ and on Instagram at instagram.com/b.earlwriter , Substack at bearl.substack.com and LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/b-earl-4a661b4 . Read his chapter in the book, Depth Psychology, Myth and Artificial Intelligence: Soul and the Machine ( amzn.to/4ui9XLA ), edited by Jason Batt and Jonathan Erickson. Check out his crowdfunded Fangbanger: SUPERPOSITION Anthology on Zoop
0:00 Intro
7:44 “I found my voice and my own ideas through a mixture of mythology and comic books.”
11:09 Whose dream wins out to study biochemistry or telling stories?
17:53 B. Earl’s Hero’s Journey begins with a call from movie producer Larry Cohen.
28:03 The Tarot helps B. Earl achieve sobriety when he needed it.
33:45 The libido as life force energy.
37:46 How do we learn to process, use and embrace the 72 demons of Solomon?
49:13 The commercialization of Hip Hop.
53:35 Comics: The most powerful medium and the additive version of the creative process.
1:00:05 Can you decode the symbolism hiding in plain sight?
1:07:15 How much of your consciousness is tied up in your ego?
1:16:44 The Fool’s Journey.
1:26:40 Different Tarot card decks, different insights.
1:35:00 The forced redundancy of us in AI.
1:41:07 The magic of storytelling that conveys deeper truths and native myths in B. Earl’s Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man ( amzn.to/40EyblO ).
1:55:55 Conflict and forgiveness are necessary for us to live and grow.
2:04:13 The actions we take — or don’t — are setting up future generations for good and bad.
2:16:10 The gaps between panels and pages in a comic book story that’s missing in movies.
Listen to Paul's conversation with B. Earl and check out the show notes page on our Spirit Gym website at paulchek.com/blog/podcast-episodes/392-what-writing-spider-man-taught-me-about-the-fools-journey-with-b-earl
Thanks to our awesome sponsors!
• BIOptimizers bioptimizers.com/spiritgym (save an extra 15% on your purchase by using the code PAUL15 at checkout)
• Wild Pastures wildpastures.com/paulchek (save 20% and free shipping for life plus $15 on your first order)
• Organifi organifi.com/chek20 (save 20% on your purchase by using the code CHEK20 at checkout)
• CHEK Institute paul.chekinstitute.com/spiritgym (learn about the new CHEK Integrated Health Foundation program today!)
• Pique Life piquelife.com/paulchek (save up to 20% for life and get a FREE starter kit when you subscribe to one or more of Pique’s amazing beverages!)
• Paleovalley paleovalley.com/chek15 (save 15% on your first purchase)
We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear Music
