CHAPTER TWO —

— 'CALL IT KARMA'.

...

kane @microwavedkarma · 1hr
i guess karma's reachin (kinda) main
news now. s/o to inspect??
even though this article's
complete crap?? el oh el.
- k. kane!
🔗 https://inspectmag.com/karma-podcast-hits...

7:13 PM · November 22, 2017

domino @karmasabitch · 49m
replying to microwavedkarma...
babe dw i'm gonna start a news site
from the ground up and just use
it to fact check this article 😤
you deserve better
|
beth @simpforthesmp · 46m
what was off abt it? if u don't mind
me asking, im new to this fandom
|
domino @karmasabitch · 42m
ofc! they got a lot of it wrong, i
have a thread fact checking but
they said karma was made by a
small team (it's just kane), they
said that karma's queerbaiting
and made it sound 1/2
|
domino @karmasabitch · 41m
terrible, even tho cc!kane
addressed this aeons ago. also
downplayed all of the podcasts
achievements and played up
karmas 'obsession w spiderman'
for clicks. basically just dumb.
|
beth @simpforthesmp · 38m
thank you !! i'll check ur
thread too 💙

|

casey @ckt12813956 · 45m
replying to microwavedkarma...
Still mid podcast
|
kane @microwavedkarma · 43m
bros got his whole social security 
# in his user and he thinks he can
talk shit ??

|

abby loves karma! @kaneslapdop · 39m
replying to microwavedkarma...
ily <333

|

EGG @aneggforfka · 34m
replying to microwavedkarma...
tbh i really love karma! but
i feel like this last arc has
been rlly predictable :( like i feel
like i know what's gonna happen
even bfore friday's ep ...
|
kane @microwavedkarma · 32m
sucks to hear. i def think this ep is
gonna change that opinion, but i
appreciate you sharing ur thoughts.
|
MILEVEN @SWEETDREAMS · 28m
ur always so nice abt criticism ??
even if it's not deserved like what-
|
kane @microwavedkarma · 18m
i appreciate it, but don't say it's not
deserved. everyone's allowed their
own take, and i dig that people can
give me their thoughts. it helps me
keep the show as good as it is.
long as y'all play nice, i'll play nice too.

|

lonely girl @priscillaprescellao · 29m
replying to microwavedkarma...
DO YOU WANT TO SEE MY CLOTHES
DISAPPEAR?? CLICK MY BIO TO
WATCH MY MAGIC SHOW !!
|
domino @karmasabitch · 24m
gorl, pls goren't.

|

kinsley!! @stardreamers · 19m
replying to microwavedkarma...
Pls inspect is a garbage ass
excuse for a news site u
deserve better queen

|

trent | @satforboyz · 17m
replying to microwavedkarma...
Dum fuckin show. Gay as hell
and only famus bc u namedropped
spiderman. Bet ur mom hates u.
|
kane @microwavedkarma · 16m
i wish i could let you know
if my mom hates me. sadly,
she's not said much since
she got cremated. :/

|

flo @moonstar · 15m
replying to microwavedkarma...
wait is inspect right tho?? do
you know spiderman in real life??
|
kane @microwavedkarma · 14m
they didn't even interview me.
everything they pulled off the
internet or outta their ass. so.
|
flo @moonstar · 12m
THAT DOESNT ANSWER ME THO-

...

by Max Mark
Entertainment Editor

PODCASTS are everywhere these days. Everyone has one. Your dad, your mom, your neighbour, your doctor - everywhere you look, there's three new 'groundbreaking' ideas popping up. Maybe it's because the creation is much simpler than, say, movies or books. Maybe it's because we're all on the go and no one's got time to waste on news, or audiobooks, or even their favourite tv shows anymore. Either way, it seems like the trend of 'let's make a podcast!' is here to stay, and most of it is the same recycled three ideas, repeated over and over and over again.

But that doesn't seem to be the case with Karma!, a serialised murder-mystery story of a teen very reminiscent of Nancy Drew novellas, except written as a sassy Queen's high school student trying to solve 'what the NYPD can't'. Karma Kane, our protagonist, got into the amateur detective industry after the mysterious passing of a classmate, deciding that when no one could give her answers on the death, she'd get them herself. That small/honestly quite large idea has snowballed into several small series' wrapped into one cult-followed podcast, solving fictional crimes based in the same streets of New York we all know and love.

Now, murder mystery podcasts are not all unheard of. In fact, they're one of the most beloved sub-genres right now. Everyone seems to love the true-crime, whether it's true or not, start to their days. And most of the time, they all seem one and the same. Someone sitting down and restating the same grisly cases as the next. Or, a host of individuals who are not so intelligent as they seem, and just poorly copying Sherlock Holmes' cases and making them for millennials. So, what makes Karma! different?

Easy. Karma! makes it seem real.

The small team who created Karma! - an anonymous collection of friends-turned-coworkers identifying as the singular 'Karma Kane' online - decided that they wanted to make Karma! feel like it was actually happening around you. And not just in the sense of reporting on past crimes. No, Karma!'s writers draw on real-life experiences and how changed the world has become, especially now that we have literal superheroes helping keep the streets clean. Except Karma Kane doesn't believe they're doing enough, or a very good job. She believes that heroes are doing the bare minimum and then washing their hands of the rest. Karma! proclaims there needs to be more done; and she's that more, even if she's sixteen and failing algebra.

Through forty-five to sixty minute long episodes, Karma Kane trudges through case after neglected case that either the NYPD or various super-beings deemed unimportant. Whether that be murder, kidnappings, rare pet trafficking chains, or something so small as a kid's missing teddy bear - Karma!'s 2016 Christmas special - Karma Kane handles it all, and does it right. She spares no expenses on effort, or making a point to remark on the real world's currently failing judicial system.

Karma! also, very infamously, focuses a lot of its attention on one hero in particular: Spider-man. In fact, so much so that he feels like an actual character on the pod - not the actual man behind the suit, but still his namesake - that Karma Kane occasionally crosses paths with. Over the past eighty episodes they've developed a semi-tense semi-relationship and it's maybe the biggest thing keeping people hooked. It seems that half of Karma Kane's devoted listeners, are devoted because they want to see our friendly neighbourhood Spidey, swinging in.

To be clear, though: a lot of the uproar about Karma Kane and Spider-man, is fan-driven. Spider-Man definitely feels like more of a cameo character, a throw-in to drive up viewership: and it works. Fans hear mention of the elusive but beloved superhero, grab any crumb and run. They beg for more from Karma! - but really, they want more Spidey.

Pockets of Karma!'s internet fanbase has developed Spidey's and Kane's relationship so much so, it sometimes feels like wading through fanfiction, rather than a mystery adventure. There seems to be a rampant desire from fans to have Kane develop a romantic relationship with Spidey. So far the podcast hasn't taken such a direction, but many (including us at Inspect) do wonder how far it will go. Or at least, if Spider-man will become a recurring character? If we'll see Karma take cues from her audience and pursue a romantic direction? The infamous note of Episode 39 stands at the forefront of all these questions. Will there be more than just that iconic exchange?

Well, according to an inside source, some of the rumours are true.

"Spider-man is not a direct collaborator on it [Karma!]," said Anonymous, "but he is totally aware. Kane's spoken with him a handful of times to plan things out. He's a nice guy, and he's totally fine with the pod. Guy's even helped us make a couple of our cases believable, too. Like, in the case with the Thai Restaurant and the Fork Murderer? I won't give sh** away, but half of that was good ol' Spidey."

The source did not tell us how close 'Kane' - the pseudonym for the face(s?) behind the podcast - and Spider-Man were, or if there was any truth to the possible romance rumours, but it does make Karma! feel all the more real, knowing New York's Neighborhood Spider-Man is one of their real life connections. Most if not all of the cases brought up on the podcast are not real, but they are used to talk about how broken and corrupt the creators feel New York's judiciary system is. Kane constantly remarks on how she, a teenage girl who's 'still barely passing biology' (Karma!, Episode 18) is able to bring justice when apparently the actual trained professionals can't. And as well, how often our heroes will stop a perpetrator, but wash their hands of doing anything else about everything. It seems like the hopes with Karma! is to point out all the holes in our justice system  - and for the most part, that works.

However, there are some who have valid criticism for this. 

While Karma! is well enough written by their anonymous team, it is obvious in many ways they are young and lack the nuance to delicately refer to such large political issues. Some cases feel too Nancy Drew, and others feel too large for a teen girl like Karma Kane to have handled. Especially in terms of resources, in which Kane is mysterious about, but seemingly is unlimited in. And some theorize that Kane will later be linked to one of the big NYC families still holding Manhattan in its palms - a la the late Toomes legacy, the Stark's, or the Blackwell's - which would answer its financial capabilities, but not necessarily fill in all the gaps. Plus, it seems like a hypocritical out, considering Karma's insistent hatred of the 1%.

To many, it seems like Karma! is batting way about their heads. At the beginning, everything's a mystery so the details don't matter. But everything also eventually needs solid answers. Otherwise, won't people get bored of the mystery? 

Several people seem to agree.

Many wonder, too, why Karma! is so bent on namedropping Spider-Man, believing it to be a larger marketing scheme designed to make people listen. Which of course works, but does lose some of the show's genuine nature. Many see it again as a poorly performed fanfiction, rather than a podcast deserving of its thousands of loyal listeners.

"I think, [Kane's] goal with the podcast was to make a statement. Get attention. And she did," states ex-friend-and-once-collaborator of Karma! creator, Abby Turnpike. "But I think also, like, she's just a New York Nancy Drew-knock-off. And like, been there done that. Just 'cause you got a Spider-Man, doesn't make you that different. And I wish she'd listen to that, but Kane's never listened to criticism before."

Karma! also famously got pushback when, in their fourth case, Karma Kane was romantically involved with a woman. The relationship was fleeting and never went past flirtatious remarks and heavy tension, and two episodes later said character died. Many people expressed anger and frustrations with the podcast for this, saying that they were using the LGBTQ+ community to bring in more views, that they were queerbaiting, and doing what they hated mainstream media for. The infamous 'kill your gays' trope left a sour stain on the supposedly woke show, unsurprisingly. This was never addressed by the Karma! team, but remains a long-standing issue with the podcast for many past viewers.

Many also defended the choice, saying that there was no correlation between the death and the sexuality, but the controversy was still there, like with much of what's Karma!'s created. It seems the podcast is built on shock value, and it's done an excellent job carrying on with sad shock and surprise - but when will it become too much? Or when will they run dry?

Still, all that said and done, there's no denying Karma!'s a hit. With their seventy-ninth episode premiering this Friday, a fleet of almost 800k followers combined on their Instagram and Twitter accounts, and consistent positive ratings on every episode, there seems to be no stopping this beloved teen mystery podcast. I guess we'll all just have to see where Karma Kane takes her witty genius next - and what blood's going to be staining her hands next.

NEXT UP:
· Tony Stark: The Good, the Bad, & The Rusty
· Chris Evans up for Role of Captain America
· What Happened to Daredevil?

Read all 42 Comments...

easybreezycovergorl
bro, this is so badly written. where's your fucking fact-checking?? kane spoke out about the queer-baiting on her twitter like the day after the ep came out. even tho like three people said anything. it was not a 'kill ur gays' trope either, only people who didn't listen said that. also, it's just kane making the pod. it's literally been confirmed. whoever your 'sources' are, they're a load of shit my dude. you're a fuckin terrible reporter.

MaryStewart7
I never liked Karma. I don't know why these kids are all so obsessed with murder. But I dislike the main character. She's annoying and also too forward with her beliefs. Had to force my daughter to stop listen to it when she mentioned all that trans rights garbage. I didn't want her head more polluted with stupid ideas.

CarlReznor
I really like this pod. I don't know if I agree with the article's criticisms. It does certainly feel like it's written by/for a younger audience, but I like that about it. It feels fresh and real, not super manufactured like others. I didn't even know it was made by a company; I was always under the impression it was just one person. But that's cool. Whoever they are, they're doing a great job. I love listening to this with my grandkid. We have weekly listening parties and try to think what's going to come next. It's brought me closer to them. So, thank you, Karma. :-)
           easybreezycovergorl
           this is so cute, i wish my
           grandparents were this supportive :'))
           but also, it is just one person!
           idk where this article got the idea
           about the team but it's always
           just been one person.
           CarlReznor
           Thank you for letting me know,
           easybreezycovergorl.
           I thought that it was the case, my
           grandkid always said that it was and
           that's what they liked about Karma so
           much. And I am sorry your
           grandparents are not nicer.
           People are cruel.

anon1290194
I thought the person who claimed to be abby turnpike wasn't legit? Didn't Twitter debunk her lol
            ticklemypickle
            no they were a character on the pod
            anon1290194
            But I thought the person who claimed
            to be abby was just tryna get clout?
            View three more replies...      

pumpkinmuffins
This Show's Fucking Stupid.

karmasbiggestfan
spider-man's barely in this show. he's just mentioned bc karma's meant to be like one of us, so like he's around bc he's around in rl. but he's literally just a cameo that's been mentioned and he's not the reason it's popular. this is so demeaning and rude.
           ticklemypickle
           he's definitely more than just
           mentioned. esp recently.
           karmasbiggestfan
           ok but he's not like the focus
           of the fucking SHOW

ticklemypickle
i think kane's gonna be the kid of tony stark and like her mom hid it from her and she's been getting money from him all this time bc he knew but she doesn't

lilykennedy
i kinda fell off karma for a while, i don't think i've listened since like ep 40. is it worth going back to though?

casparhotch
The problem is that it's an interesting idea, but it's poorly executed. Whoever makes it is clearly a kid; they have an idealistic approach to everything, which makes every climax or ending to the 'cases' a fruity fairytale ending and nothing realistic, which the pod apparently boasts of. It's cute, but it's CW, when the creator clearly wants to be HBO. I'd like to see whoever runs the podcast try her hand at ACTUAL detective work - cause honey, that shit's not as easy as you play pretend. :)

hansoloshotfirst
tmz lookin ass. this article is so badly written lmao.

Read more comments...

AUTHOR'S NOTE:Just as a note: this fic's gonna be about 45% social media, internet-based. I want to blend the two together because Kane and Kate are both, in a sense, main characters here and Kane's world is at the moment just online. I myself barely use social media anymore so writing it is...a struggle, lol. I'm trying, though. Hopefully this doesn't come off too boomer-y of me.

THANK YOU
for reading.