Menu Close

Superhero Smash Season IV—Audio Issue #58: Harry Dresden

Original Air Date

  • May 28th, 2026

Part 1 Begins

Super Show ID 1: Superhero Smash (0:30)

  • Good morning. You’ve waited all week, and here it finally is: Another great episode of Superhero Smash on WIUP FM 90.1!
    • Featuring “The Best in Superhero Music and Comic Book Lore”
    • Superhero Smash is a musical force for good!
  • I’m your host, Dr. Gian Pagnucci, but you can call me The New Professor X
  • All summer long, I’ll be playing great music about superheroes as well as music that is featured in superhero movies and shows
  • I’ll also be talking about comic book history and heroism
  • And I’ll have plenty of great guest stars this summer, too
  • But no matter what cool stuff I discuss, you don’t have to worry because this is a NO SPOILERS show

Superhero Smash Super Shout-out: To Fallen Veterans (0:20)

  • Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend
  • And let me give a Superhero Smash Super Shoutout to the families of all veterans who were lost in any of our conflicts, including the current war with Iran
  • Let’s hope that can be ended quickly so that we don’t have any more needless loss of life

Issue Theme

  • Standing Up Anyway

Heroic Spotlight: Harry Dresden! (1:00)

  • As I mentioned last week, I traveled to visit my family in Wisconsin for the holiday weekend
  • That trip took me to the Windy City: Chicago
  • It’s always pretty cold there, and along Lake Michigan it was very chilly
  • Chicago is also home of the magical wizard Harry Dressden
  • Harry is the focus of today’s Superhero Smash
  • I’ll be telling you all about this fabulous private eye who was created by the author Jim Butcher

But First, a Little Blues! (3:00)

  • And because Harry’s adventures take place in modern-day Chicago, I’m going to feature a ton of Chicago inspired music for today’s show
  • That’s means kicking things off with a song by the Blues Brothers
    • The Blues Brothers - Original Sound Track (LP) | Underground Gallery Record Store
  • The original Blues Brothers were straight man Ellwood Blues, played by Dan Akyroyd, and bad boy charmer “Joliet” Jake Blues, played by John Belushi
    • The Blues Brothers movie poster (c) : John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd : 11 x 17 | eBay
  • Akyroyd and Belushi had risen to comedic fame, and then became stars in 1980’s off-beat musical comedy The Blues Brothers
  • There are a ton of great Blues Brothers songs, and I’ll be playing several of them on today’s Superhero Smash episode
  • And I think the best place to start is with Ellwood Blues introducing things for us on “I Can’t Turn You Loose” from Briefcase Full of Blues
    • Akyroyd and Belushi actually releaseed Briefcase Full of Blues in 1978, two years ahead of the movie
    • Briefcase Full of Blues - Wikipedia
    • The live album was recorded while the band was opening for comedian Steve Martin at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles
    • The albums was a massive commercial success, peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200 and eventually reaching double-platinum status.
    • Enjoy!

Heroic Opening Song for Harry Dresden (1:50)

  • “Opening: I Can’t Turn You Loose” by The Blues Brothers

Harry Dresden: The Wizard Private Eye (4:00)

  • Just love hearing Ellwood take down that “pre-fab” disco music
  • The Blues Brothers had their own distinct costumes: Dark suits, white dress shirts, dark ties, sunglasses and fedoras
    • THE BLUES BROTHERS (1980) Movie Poster
  • They would have made perfect sidekicks for today’s featured superhero: Harry Dresden
  • Dresden is not your typical superhero—and that’s exactly why he fits perfectly into the Superhero Smash Universe
  • Created by writer Jim Butcher, Dresden is the central character in The Dresden Files, an urban fantasy series that blends detective fiction with magic and the supernatural
  • Dresden operates in modern-day Chicago as both a wizard and a private investigator, taking on cases that involve vampires, faeries, demons, and other creatures that most people don’t believe exist
  • Unlike traditional superheroes with clean costumes and clear moral lines, Dresden works in the shadows
  • He deals with dangerous forces while trying to protect ordinary people from threats they don’t even know exist
  • I’m going to get to Harry’s theme song in a bit, but for the moment, let’s go with another classic theme song about a detective, the Peter Gunn theme song performed by the Blues Brothers

Heroic Instrumental Theme Song (3:50)

  • “Peter Gunn Theme” by The Blues Brothers

Part 1 Ends (@15 minutes)

Part 2 Begins (@15 minutes)

Super Show ID 2: Superhero Smash (0:30)

  • You’re listening to Superhero Smash on WIUP FM 90.1
    • A musical force for good!
    • Featuring “The Best Superhero Music and Comic Book Lore” in the Marvel  Universe, the DC Universe, the Dresden Universe, and our Universe too!
  • Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
  • Or email the New Professor X using the address SuperheroSmash3000@gmail.com

The Superhero Smash Comic Book Vault (2:00): First Appearance of Harry Dresden

  • The Comic Book Vault Sound Effect (0:12)
  • Harry Dresden First Comic Book Appearance: Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle #1
    • Read online Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle comic - Issue #1
    • Publication Date: April 2008
    • Publisher; Dabel Brothers Productions
    • Writer: Jim Butcher
    • Artist: Adrian Syaf
    • Cover B: Chris McGrath
    • Value on eBay today: Around only $10 (a real bargain!)
    • That 1st issues was part of a 4 issue mini-series
    • The mini-series is a prequel to the first novel in The Dresden Files series which was called Storm Front

Super Song 1 (4:39)

  • “Silver Thunderbird” by Marc Cohn
  • In 2007
  • The Dresden Files (TV Series 2007–2008) - IMDb

Heroic Instrumental Theme Song (2:53)

  • “Harry Dresden Theme” by Spicebaliset

🧙‍♂️ Who Is Harry Dresden?

  • Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a professional wizard who advertises his services openly; he’s literally listed in the phone book as a wizard
  • He serves as a consultant for the Chicago Police Department’s Special Investigations unit, helping them solve crimes with supernatural elements
  • What makes Dresden really interesting is that he lives between two worlds:
    • The normal, everyday world of Chicago
    • A hidden supernatural world filled with powerful factions and dangerous magic
    • As the series progresses, he becomes more deeply involved in the larger conflicts between these supernatural forces

⚡ Harry’s Powers and Abilities

  • Harry Dresden is a wizard with a wide range of magical abilities including:
    • Elemental magic, especially fire and force
    • Spellcasting using tools like a staff and blasting rod
    • Thaumaturgy (ritual magic) and magical tracking
    • Defensive magic such as shields and wards
  • In addition to magic, Dresden relies heavily on:
    • Intelligence and investigative skills
    • Improvisation under pressure
    • Physical endurance
  • He’s powerful, but not invincible, which gives his stories real tension

🧠 Harry’s Personality and Character

  • Dresden stands out because of who he is as much as what he can do. He is often described as:
    • Sarcastic and witty
    • Deeply loyal to his friends and allies
    • And driven by a strong moral code, even when it puts him at risk
  • Dresden is also a classic noir-style detective. He narrates his own story, he cracks jokes in dangerous situations, and he is constantly struggling with difficult ethical choices.

The First Dresden Files Book: Storm Front (3:00)

  • Harry Dresden is Chicago’s only wizard PI. In Storm Front, the first book of The Dresden Files, Harry gets dragged into a brutal double homicide where victims are literally blasted apart by black magic, and suddenly everyone thinks Harry’s the culprit. The Chicago cops start following Harry, the wizard enforcers are ready to execute him, mob bosses want to buy him off, vampires are circling, and some shadowy sorcerer is cooking up a mind‑warping drug while summoning storm‑powered death spells. As lightning, demons, and dark magic start flying, Dresden digs in, burning through spells, traps, and monsters, as he tracks the rogue wizard behind it all. Harry has to hope his powers are enough to stop the wizard before the sorcerer’s hunger for power turns Chicago into a magical war zone.
  • So let’s drop into Chicago, the Windy City, where the storms don’t just roll in… they hunt you down. In Storm Front, Harry Dresden is knee‑deep in black magic, mob pressure, and supernatural chaos when the sky itself turns into a weapon: Lightning, thunder, and raw arcane power crashing down as a rogue sorcerer tries to take control of the city. This isn’t just weather—it’s war. And as the clouds gather and the magic builds, you can feel it coming, the moment when everything breaks loose. So as Dresden braces for impact, let me bring the storm to you: “Chicago Storm” by Barry Haney. Because in this city, when the storm hits, nobody walks away clean. ⚡

Wizard Song 3 (3:23)

  • “Chicago Storm” by Barry Haney

Part 2 Ends (@39 minutes)

Part 3 Begins (@39 minutes)

Super Show ID 3: Superhero Smash (0:30)

The Dresden Files Show

Alright, Smash listeners—let’s talk about what happens when you take a badass wizard detective who throws lightning, fights vampires, and stares down supernatural chaos… and then strip all the magic out of the magic. The Dresden Files TV show dropped in 2007 with only 12 episodes on the Sci Fi Channel—just one season before it got wiped out.

So what went wrong? Oh—it’s a perfect storm. First, they dialed down the danger—less power, less scale, less chaos—turning Dresden from a storm‑calling wizard into something closer to a low‑budget paranormal cop. Then they chopped up the story—ditched the epic ongoing arcs and went full “monster‑of‑the‑week,” like every other forgettable show on the dial. And the fans? They saw it immediately: this wasn’t the Dresden they knew—it was a watered‑down remix that never hit hard enough.

Add in slipping ratings and expensive effects the show couldn’t quite pull off… and boom—the network pulled the plug. One season. 12 episodes. Gone.

Because in the end, Smash crew, if you’re gonna bring the storm… you better actually let it thunder. ⚡

Super Sidekick: Waldo Butters (4:00)

  • Smash listeners, not every hero starts with lightning in their hands—some start in a morgue… in bunny slippers… playing polka. Meet Waldo Butters: five‑foot‑nothing, nervous, overwhelmed, and absolutely not built for the kind of supernatural war Harry Dresden walks into every day. At first, he’s just a medical examiner trying to make sense of the impossible—dead bodies that shouldn’t exist, magic that shouldn’t be real, and a world that’s way bigger and darker than he ever signed up for.
  • But here’s where the legend ignites—because when monsters rise and the storm hits, Butters doesn’t run. He shakes, he doubts, he freaks out… and then he steps forward anyway. Case by case, fight by fight, he levels up—not with raw power, not with flashy spells, but with something rarer: moral courage. He learns the rules, stands his ground, and when it counts, he risks everything to stand beside Dresden against forces that should crush him. So remember this, Smash crew: Dresden is the wizard who calls the storm…
  • Butters is the guy who proves you don’t need magic to become a hero—just the guts to stand when everyone else falls. ⚡

Waldo Butters, the Philosopher

  • In Dead Beat (book #7 of The Dresden Files series), Harry is driving around Chicago in a borrowed SUV with Waldo Butters, a medical examiner who has been reluctantly pulled into the supernatural chaos of Harry’s world.
  • Harry is investigating necromancers and dark magic and he is racing against time before Halloween arrives
  • Butters is not really a “sidekick” in the traditional sense: He starts as an ordinary, anxious outsider who becomes an ally for Harry, offering intelligence, moral support, and comic relief rather than combat ability
  • During this tense sequence in Dead Beat, the car repeatedly malfunctions, probably because of Dresden’s magic: It keeps announcing that “the door is ajar,” even though nothing is wrong with the car and the door is not actually open
  • Overwhelmed by the situation, but trying to cope, Butters turns the annoying repetition into a mock philosophical insight, using dark humor to manage his fear and uncertainty:
    • “It gets sort of Zen after a while,” Butters said brightly. “Life is a journey. Time is a river. The door is ajar.”
  • Sounds like a perfect time for a little musical philosophy from the band with the perfect name for Dresden’s world: Chicago

Super Song 3 (3:20)

  • “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” by Chicago

Part 3 Ends (@47 minutes)

Part 4 Begins (@47 minutes)

Super Show ID 5: Superhero Smash (0:30)

Superhero Smash Super Shout-out: To Cormac in Philly (0:10)

  • And let me also give a Superhero Smash Super Shoutout to Cormac and the Reconciliation Team at SEI Investments
    • Thanks, Cormac, for doing a sound check for me
    • Hope the whole SEI team is enjoying a little superhero music as they work!

Super Good Deed for the Week: Small favor. No marker. Just pass it on. (3:00)

  • Superhero stories are about doing good
  • And in that spirit, I have been trying to make Superhero Smash be a musical force for good
  • Last week I asked listeners to notice an ordinary person who could use a little appreciation, just like those great detectives Batman and Jessica Jones notice things other people miss
  • This week, we’ll borrow from Harry Dresden’s world
  • I’m calling this, “The Small Favor, No Marker Challenge”
    • In the book Small Favor, which is #10 in the The Dresden Files, Harry is forced to repay a supernatural debt, a “favor” called in by the magical Queen Mab
    • This often happens to Harry; he gets pulled into a lot of situations shaped by debts, bargains, and “markers”
    • In Small Favor, an old bargain puts him in debt and a “small favor” gets called in on Harry

The Superhero Move

  • We’re going to flip that theme into something bright and doable
  • I’d like everyone in the Legion of Superhero Smash Fans to do one “small favor” for someone this week and then explicitly refuse to turn it into a debt.
    • Pick one person who looks overloaded or stuck.
    • Do one concrete task for them that takes 15 minutes or less or costs $5 or less.
    • If they say “I owe you,” tell them: “No marker. Just pass it on.”

Super Examples

If you aren’t sure what to do, here are a few nice possibilities:

  • Take one chore off someone’s plate: Return a cart, carry some bags, make a phone call, watch a kid for 10 minutes so a parent can breathe
  • Or try being a “Wizard for Hire” just like Harry Dresden: Use your specific skill for 15 minutes to help someone; give them technology help, proofreading, brain storming, résumé tweaking, finding a resource.;Harry is who people call when they don’t know where else to turn and you can be like him for a few minutes
  • Or try “Protecting the Innocent”: Check on someone who might be isolated by sendiing one text that expects nothing back; You can text them something simple like, “Just thinking about you. Want me to bring you anything or handle an errand?” (It’s low pressure, but high impact)

That’s this week’s Superhero Smash Move: Small Favor. No Marker. Just Pass It On. Super good deed! Be the wizard in somebody’s phone book this week! Super good deed!

Super Show ID 6: Superhero Smash To Be Continued Next Issue! (1:00)

  • Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel: Spider-Man Noir!
    • That’s right, the new Spider-Man show is out on Amazon Prime, and I’ll be featuring it next week, right here on Superhero Smash
    • If you are enjoying today’s show, you can catch more Superhero Smash on Thursday mornings at 11:00 a.m. all summer long on WIUP FM 90.1
  • Listen to Superhero Smash on WIUP FM 90.1
    • A musical force for good! 
    • Featuring “The Best Superhero Music and Comic Book Lore” in the DCU, the MCU, and our U-niverse too!
  • Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
  • Or email the New Professor X using the address SuperheroSmash3000@gmail.com
  • And remember, while Superhero Smash is about the exploits of amazing individuals,
    • “You don’t need superpowers to be a hero. The only thing it takes to be a hero is the courage to do what’s right when someone needs your help.”–Gian Pagnucci

Heroic End Credits Song for the Dark Night Detectives (7:53)

  • “Sweet Home Chicago” by The Blues Brothers

Part 4 Ends (@60 minutes)

css.php