Podcast appearances and mentions of Martin Goodman

Jeff Rovin wanted Atlas to publish The Omega Man comic book, but when he couldn't secure the rights to it, they came up with PLANET OF VAMPIRES, a mash-up of I AM LEGEND and PLANET OF THE APES written by Larry Hama with an art team of Pat Broderick & Frank McLaughlin. We're joined by Russ & Josh from Taste the Pod of Dracula.  WATCH THE EPISODE WITH GORGEOUS ART HERE: https://youtu.be/xJvX8c2gg2E You can read all 3 issues here: https://archive.org/details/planet-of-vampires-complete/Planet%20Of%20Vampires%2001/ Josh's Substack: https://joshlink.substack.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/BronzeAgeMonsters JOIN US ON OUR DISCORD SERVER: https://discord.gg/wdXKUzpEh7

For our final season, we're covering the short life of Martin Goodman's Atlas/Seaboard comics by reviewing all the debut issues from their line.  What do you get when you make a stew out of Orwell's 1984 heavily seasoned with Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and generous pinches of A Clockwork Orange and a dash of The Time Machine? Why, Michael Fleisher's crazy dystopian body horror sci-fi book MORLOCK 2001, of course! You can read all 3 issues here: https://archive.org/details/morlock-2001-complete/Morlock%202001%2001 Watch it on YouTube with BEAUTIFUL ART! https://youtu.be/syhSwk8EcIw MAIL: bronzeagemonsters@gmail.com  STORE: https://bronzeagemonsters.threadless.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/BronzeAgeMonsters DISCORD: https://discord.gg/wdXKUzpEh7

For our final season, we're covering the short life of Martin Goodman's Atlas/Seaboard comics by reviewing all the debut issues from their line.  This episode, we cover Seaboard's swipe at Warren Publishing and Marvel's Curtis magazines...the horror anthology DEVILINA! Watch it on YouTube with BEAUTIFUL B&W ART! https://youtu.be/Az-xzgNzgzE MAIL: bronzeagemonsters@gmail.com  STORE: https://bronzeagemonsters.threadless.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/BronzeAgeMonsters DISCORD: https://discord.gg/wdXKUzpEh7

For our final season, we're producing the episodes as videos. Check out our YouTube channel for the full experience.  YOUTUBE VERSION: https://youtu.be/oM815qWFhS8 This episode, we cover a creative dream team assembled for the 1 straight superhero book of the line: Archie Goodwin, Steve Ditko, and Wallace "Wally" Wood. READ ALL 4 ISSUES OF THE DESTRUCTOR ON ARCHIVE.ORG: https://archive.org/details/destructor-complete/Destructor%20001/ MAIL: bronzeagemonsters@gmail.com  STORE: https://bronzeagemonsters.threadless.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/BronzeAgeMonsters DISCORD: https://discord.gg/wdXKUzpEh7

Send us a textOn this episode Ellen E. Jones speaks to us about Screen Deep, How Film and TV can Solve Racism and Save the World. Many of you will know Ellen from Radio 4's Screen Shot, in which, alongside her co-host Mark Kermode, she enters the various worlds of Doris Day, jobbing hitmen and the longest running video shop in the world. Screen Deep is written with the same insight, encyclopaedic knowledge and social consciousness that Ellen brings to her broadcasting. (She also does a fantastic line in knowing asides.) It is a reiteration of the power of story telling; both for good and for bad. From the overt racism of early Hollywood to the deft brilliance of Steve McQueen's Small Axe series, Ellen chronicles the struggle for representation, dismantles reconciliation fantasies and questions the invisibility of whiteness. She also argues that Martin Goodman of Friday Night Dinners is in fact the TV dad our times demand.‘Jones navigates a history of cultural racism assiduously, ranging from The Birth of  a Nation to blackface in sharp, brisk prose.'Kevin Harley, TOTAL FILMScreen Deep is published by Faber and is available in your nearest independent book shop. @fieldzine www.fieldzine.comwww.patreon.com/fieldzine

For our final season, we're producing the episodes as videos. Check out our YouTube channel for the full experience.  YOUTUBE VERSION: https://youtu.be/1mfM4Fnpw_Q This episode, we're joined by friend of the show M.J. to cover Martin Goodman's one demand: he wanted a Hulk knock-off. He got a murderous thawed Missing Link instead, written by Michael Fleisher with art by Mike Sekowsky & Pablo Marcos. READ ALL 3 ISSUES OF THE BRUTE ON ARCHIVE.ORG: https://archive.org/details/brute-complete/Brute%20001/ MAIL: bronzeagemonsters@gmail.com  STORE: https://bronzeagemonsters.threadless.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/BronzeAgeMonsters DISCORD: https://discord.gg/wdXKUzpEh7

For our final season, we're producing the episodes as videos. Check out our YouTube channel for the full experience.  YOUTUBE VERSION: https://youtu.be/7pCHU3EL7Ds This episode, we cover Jeff Rovin & Sal Amendola's messianic sci-fi hero PHOENIX!  When catastrophe strikes a space mission, lone surviving astronaut Ed Tyler is recovered in the North Pole by a race of aliens who have remained hidden from Earth since they jump-started human evolution millions of years ago. Now they want to destroy their experiment and start over, but Ed Tyler is banking on his brains, moxie, and some of their stolen tech to save us all! MAIL: bronzeagemonsters@gmail.com  STORE: https://bronzeagemonsters.threadless.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/BronzeAgeMonsters DISCORD: https://discord.gg/wdXKUzpEh7

Was there a DC or Marvel animated series that you wish was discussed more like The Batman, Avengers Assembled? Well, then this is the stream for you! This week, the boys provide their lists of DC and Marvel animated series that don't get discussed enough DC Comics, Inc. is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book series first published in 1937. Marvel Comics is a New York City-based comic book publisher, a property of The Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman as Timely Comics,[3] and by 1951 had generally become known as Atlas Comics. The Marvel era began in August 1961 with the launch of The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and numerous others. The Marvel brand, which had been used over the years and decades, was solidified as the company's primary brand. Like, comment, and subscribe for more content analyzing the greatest tales of DC and Marvel stories. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTtjdjM7N8_PLprDIdMJCWQ/join #DC #Comics #Marvel #WonderWoman Follow us on instagram: comicsleague2021 Email us: comicsleague2020@gmail.com Website: https://comicsleague.com Subscribe to the Podcast on: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify and many other platforms. Music provided by taketones.com: https://taketones.com/track/hero

Have you ever wanted to get into comic books but were too intimidated to jump in? Well, then this is the stream for you This week, the boys provide strategies for new comic book readers to get into the hobby and thrive int he worlds of DC and Marvel. DC Comics, Inc. is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book series first published in 1937. Marvel Comics is a New York City-based comic book publisher, a property of The Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman as Timely Comics,[3] and by 1951 had generally become known as Atlas Comics. The Marvel era began in August 1961 with the launch of The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and numerous others. The Marvel brand, which had been used over the years and decades, was solidified as the company's primary brand. Like, comment, and subscribe for more content analyzing the greatest tales of DC and Marvel stories. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTtjdjM7N8_PLprDIdMJCWQ/join #DC #Comics #Marvel #WonderWoman Follow us on instagram: comicsleague2021 Email us: comicsleague2020@gmail.com Website: https://comicsleague.com Subscribe to the Podcast on: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify and many other platforms. Music provided by taketones.com: https://taketones.com/track/hero

For our final season, we're producing the episodes as videos. Check out our YouTube channel for the full experience.  YOUTUBE VERSION: https://youtu.be/dKoNBvy3i4k We're in our final season and we're reviewing all of Atlas/Seaboard's #1 issues. First up, Michael Fleisher and Ernie Colón's THE GRIM GHOST! A colonial highwayman bandit goes from the gallows, to the Inferno, to 1970s America as a collector of damned souls for the Devil's furnace. MAIL: bronzeagemonsters@gmail.com  STORE: https://bronzeagemonsters.threadless.com/ SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/BronzeAgeMonsters DISCORD: https://discord.gg/NcFaq9Ednq

(Best Of 2024) Fantagraphics has begun to release 2 types of Hardcover collections of Marvel's years as Atlas Comics from the 1950s . Comics historian Dr Michael Vassallo joins us to talk about The First Volume featuring the art of Joe Maneely, one of the essential artists working for Martin Goodman and Stan Lee. .In this pre Marvel superhero era, Maneely co created characters like The Black Knight Jimmy Woo and The Claw. He also did a daily newspaper comic strip with Stan , many westerns and Korean War stories.

This show has it all.Well, it has some stuff.First up it's The Quiz, see if you can beat my score of 8.Then Bob Baker explains the difference between University and College in Do You Hear What I Hear.We've been sent another Worst Present Ever from Rob Taylor, and this one is a Festive Bounty.After that, listener Benjamin Hall has sent us a definitive top 5 of the all time greatest US Christmas adverts.  If you disagree you're welcome to send me your top 5.This episode we have another giveaway.  If you'd like to win a copy of The Unofficial Elf Cookbook by Bryton Taylor, all you have to do is email me 'Let's 'ave it', and it could be yours.Check out the book here:https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/The-Unofficial-Elf-CookbookThen, thanks to a question in The Quiz, we look at who Kerstman is.  It's an interesting one.It seems that in The Quiz last episode, Martin Goodman was the only listener who knew Showaddywaddy sung Hey Mr Christmas, well this episode we have a listen to it.Check out the song here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWRbdrTWISkThen Bob Baker is back with Spread a Smile of Joy, and he looks at giving thanks as a way to spread the love.Check out Bob's pod, Festive Foreign Film Fans, it's great:https://4fpodcast.buzzsprout.com/This episode's version of A Christmas Carol is a Rude Retelling by Brian Harvey of East 17 fame.  It's not for the sensitive, but it's a bit of fun if you don't mind swearing.Here's a link:https://shows.acast.com/a-christmas-carol-the-rude-retellingThis episode's recommendation is a British sitcom called Miranda.  Me and the wife have just rewatched all 20 episodes and I think you'll enjoy it.Not sure if it's streaming where you live, but here's a link:https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1533435/Get in touch:Email:  totalchristmas@gmail.comWebsite: totalchristmaspodcast.comMerry Christmas!

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

This is a 10ish minute preview of our "sop-scriber" episode in which Kevin and Will create a superhero team. If you want to become a sop-scriber, go to screwitpodcasts.com! ---------------------- Martin Goodman, former publisher of Marvel Comics has come back from the dead and asked the Milksops to make a new superhero team. Requirements: 4-8 members, names and powers, a "hook" for the team (and we agree to sign away all the rights). In just over an hour we do it!

In this episode, distinguished historian Martin Goodman joins Bill and Cole Smead to discuss his latest work, "Herod the Great," in which he documents the Jewish king's ability to generate wealth through various means amid the Roman revolution. Goodman highlights Herod's use of taxation, trade deals and construction projects to boost Judea's economy and secure his political power while strengthening his ties with Rome.

J.J. and Dr. Martin Goodman go antiquing! They discuss the most important Jewish historian of the Roman period–Josephus Flavius. What did he write? Who was he writing for? And what ideological framework motivated his histories? Please send any complaints or compliments to podcasts@torahinmotion.orgFor more information visit torahinmotion.org/podcastsMartin Goodman is Emeritus Professor of Jewish Studies in the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Wolfson College and the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies. He has written extensively on Jewish and Roman history. His books include Rome and Jerusalem (2007), A History of Judaism (2017), Josephus's The Jewish War: a Biography (2019), and, most recently, Herod the Great: Jewish King in a Roman World (2024).

DC and Marvel Comics have been struggling int he comic book market in recent years, but what caused that struggle and how can it be mitigated? Well, the boys go over how to fix the current woes of DC Comics and Marvel Comics. DC Comics, Inc. is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book series first published in 1937. Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the property of The Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman as Timely Comics, and by 1951 had generally become known as Atlas Comics. What do you think? How would you fix DC Comics? How would you fix Marvel Comics? Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTtjdjM7N8_PLprDIdMJCWQ/join Nick: Back 2100 Samurai Issue 4: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/2100-samurai-4-fall-of-a-friend/x/27943455#/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProjectAxis1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.phoenix.press/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI7a4sVPHLfyWEr2Vtal1NA Teladia Plays Twitter:https://twitter.com/TeladiaPlays Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/c/TeladiaPlays Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teladiaplays/ Discussed in this episode: 1. The Problems With DC Comics 2. The Problem With Marvel Comics Chapters: 0:00 Start 0:49 How To Fix DC Comics 0:26:03 How To Fix Marvel Comics 0:45:25 Wrap Up #DCComics #MarvelComics #Superman #WonderWoman Follow us on instagram: comicsleague2021 Email us: comicsleague2020@gmail.com Website: https://comicsleague.com Subscribe to the Podcast on: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify and many other platforms. Music provided by taketones.com: https://taketones.com/track/heros

Most know of King Herod from the Bible. But who was he really and what was his kingdom of Judea like in the years leading up to the birth of Jesus? Historian Martin Goodman comes on to help answer these questions and more.

Herod the Great (73–4 BCE) was a phenomenally energetic ruler who took advantage of the chaos of the Roman revolution to establish himself as a major figure in a changing Roman world and transform the landscape of Judaea.Join us with Oxford University scholar Martin Goodman, author of the new Jewish Lives biography Herod The Great: Jewish King in a Roman World, as we explore the political triumphs and domestic tragedies of the Jewish king. 

Episode 6 - Murdock and Marvel: 1968 Marvel had been a dominant force in the comics world through most of the early and mid 1960s, which is all the more amazing when you realize that they made all the noise they did while limited to publishing only 8 -14 comics a month.  The Marvel contract with their distributor (essentially DC Comics) was up for re-negotiation in 1968, and Martin Goodman used the opportunity to expand the line to a maximum of 24 books instead, giving Stan Lee a much larger canvas for the Marvel Universe.  What did he do with all that new space?  Let's take a look at the year 1968 and find out!  Preshow Reader Mail: Marvel Unlimited Tech Support Reader Mail: Comics in the UK and Deadman Comics The Year in Comics 1968 was a devastating year for America, as the Vietnam conflict deepened and the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr and Robert Kennedy seemed to drain hope in our domestic political future.  Comics continued to respond to popular trends, but seemed largely unable to respond effectively to such significant social and political events, especially as they were waited down by the Comics Code Authority and the perception that the medium was “just for kids.”  When mainstream comics tried to step outside the box, it often went poorly.  This was a year where storied companies met their end, a year when amazing new creators started to show what they could do, and a year defined in many ways by comic creators' accelerating search for new markets and avenues of expression. New Comics, New Creators Big Moments Quick Notes Best Selling Books... and Marvels The Year in Marvel New Titles New Characters Big Moments Who's in the Bullpen ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Archie Goodwin The Year in Daredevil  Appearances: Daredevil Issues 36-47, Fantastic Four #73 Another full year of Stan Lee and Gene Colan stories.   “Here comes…” removed from the Daredevil cover logo starting on issue 43 (Aug)  Daredevil logo on cover changes starting on issue 44 (Sept)  Daredevil saves the Invisible Girl from a bomb planted by the Trapster.  Daredevil fights Victor Von Doom for the first time in his books  To take down the Exterminator, Daredevil makes it look like Daredevil (and by Extension his “brother” Mike Murdock) was killed by an explosion.   Daredevil fights Captain America in Madison Square Garden after encountering some radioactive chemicals. DD seemed not like himself.  Daredevil is framed for murder by the Jester and must clear his name with police while taking down his foe.  Murdock is mean to Karen so they won't get close, and she decided to leave the law office for a while.   Daredevil caps the year by visits Vietnam to rally the troops and befriends a blind soldier, Willie Lincoln. Matt Murdock then helps Lincoln stateside when he's framed for taking a bribe by a mob boss.  New Powers, Toys or Places New Supporting Characters New Villains This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil #37 Feb 1968 “Don't Look Now, But It's… Dr. Doom”, Daredevil #38 Mar 1968 “The Living Prison!” and Fantastic Four #73 April 1968 “The Flames of Battle…”  Recap Why We Picked This Story The Takeaway Comics Code and it's impact... Something had to change. Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com or find us on Twitter @comicsoftime. ------------------ THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING CREATORS AND RESOURCES  Music: Our theme music is by the very talented Lesfm.  You can find more about them and their music at https://pixabay.com/users/lesfm-22579021/.  The Grand Comics Database: Dan uses custom queries against a downloadable copy of the GCD to construct his publisher, title and creator charts.  Comichron: Our source for comic book sales data.  Man Without Fear: Kuljit Mithra's Daredevil site contains a staggering collection of resources about our hero, including news, interviews and comic details.    The American Comic Book Chronicles: Published by TwoMorrows, these volumes provide an excellent analysis of American comics through the years.  Because these volumes break down comic history by year and decade they are a great place to get a basic orientation on what is happening across the comic industry at a particular point in time.  Joshua and Jamie Do Daredevil: A fantastic podcast that does a deep-dive into Daredevil comics.  This ran from 2018-2020, and covered most of the first volume of Daredevil, and was a fun way to get an in-depth look at each issue of Daredevil from 1-377.  My Marvelous Year: This is a reading-club style podcast where Dave Buesing and friends chose important or interesting books from a particular year to read and discuss.  This helped me remember some fun and crazy stories, and would be a great companion piece to Murdock and Marvel for those who want more comic-story-specific coverage.  BOOKLIST  The following books have been frequently used as reference while preparing summaries of the comic history segments of our show.  Each and every one comes recommended by Dan for fans wanting to read more about it!  Licari, Fabio and Marco Rizzo.  Marvel: The First 80 Years: The True Story of a Pop-Culture Phenomenon.  London: Titan Books, 2020.  This book is sort of a mess, as the print quality is terrible, and Titan doesn't even credit the authors unless you check the fine print.  It's like this was published by Marvel in the early 60s! But the information is good, and it is presented in an entertaining fashion.  So its decent, but I would recommend you see if you can just borrow it from the library instead of purchasing.  Wells, John.  American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-1964.  Raleigh: Two Morrows, 2015.  Not cheap, but a fantastic series that is informative and fun to read.  Wright, Bradford.  Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America.  Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.  This is the revised edition.  Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History.  New York: DK Publishing, 2022.  The academic in my rails at using information from any work that doesn't have an author credit, but this is a decent (if very surface) look at each year in the history of Timely / Marvel from 1939 to 2021.    Cowsill, Alan et al.  DC Comics Year by Year: A Visual History.  New York: DK Publishing, 2010.  Because its nice to occasionally take a peek at what the Distinguished Competition is up to.  Dauber, Jeremy.  American Comics: A History.  New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 2022.  An excellent, relatively compact history of the domestic comic industry from its 19th century origins through to recent 21st century developments.  An excellent successor to Bradford Wright's Comic Book Nation. 

Fantagraphics has begun to release 2 types of Hardcover collections of Marvel's years as Atlas Comics from the 1950s . Comics historian Dr Michael Vassulo joins us to talk about The First Volume featuring the art of Joe Maneely, one of the essential artists working for Martin Goodman and Stan Lee. .In this pre Marvel superhero era, Maneely co created characters like The Black Knight Jimmy Woo and The Claw. He also did a daily newspaper comic strip with Stan , many westerns and Korean War stories.

Comment She-Hulk a-t-elle définitivement modifié la perception de la réalité dans l'univers Marvel à cause d'une publicité pour un parfum qui n'a jamais existé ? Aujourd'hui, je m'intéresse à une histoire que vous pensez sûrement connaître, mais qui vous réserve encore bien des surprises ! GIRLS GONE GREEN  Nous sommes en 1979, et la série télévisée L'Incroyable Hulk, avec Lou Ferrigno et Bill Bixby, cartonne sur le petit écran. Le producteur Kenneth Johnson ; déjà derrière le spin-off de L'Homme qui valait Trois Milliards, Super Jaimie ; et Stan Lee, que l'on ne présente plus, ont alors la même idée : offrir à L'Incroyable Hulk une série dérivée mettant en scène un personnage féminin. Voulant assurer les arrières de Marvel Comics en matière de propriété intellectuelle, Stan Lee prend les devants et demande au dessinateur John Buscema de l'aider à créer une version féminine de Hulk. C'est ainsi que Jennifer Walters apparaît en novembre 1979 dans le premier numéro de The Savage She-Hulk. Bruce Banner, alias Hulk, fugitif traqué par toutes les polices, débarque à Los Angeles pour retrouver sa cousine Jennifer, devenue avocate, dans l'espoir d'obtenir son aide. Après lui avoir raconté comment il a été irradié par sa propre création, la bombe gamma, qui a fait de lui un monstre incontrôlable, Banner apprend que sa cousine défend un voyou mêlé malgré lui aux malversations du caïd Nicholas Trask. Or, ce fameux Trask compte bien faire taire la jeune avocate, et envoie ses hommes de main pour l'assassiner. Grièvement blessée par balle, Jennifer ne doit son salut qu'à une transfusion sanguine de fortune effectuée par son cousin Bruce, avec son propre sang radioactif. Ainsi, quand Trask envoie de nouveau ses larbins pour définitivement éliminer Jennifer en convalescence à l'hôpital, ces derniers ont la mauvaise surprise de la voir se transformer en géante musculeuse à la peau verte ! She-Hulk est née ! Désormais dotée d'une force colossale et d'une résistance à toute épreuve quand elle se transforme, tout en étant beaucoup moins bestiale que son cousin, Jennifer va prendre goût à cette nouvelle condition, si bien qu'elle restera sous sa forme de She-Hulk la majeure partie du temps. Utilisant ses pouvoirs pour combattre l'injustice et venir en aide aux plus faibles, elle va, sous la plume de David Anthony Kraft et le crayon Mike Vosburg, enchaîner les aventures super-héroïques, mais aussi sentimentales. Annulée après seulement vingt-cinq numéros, The Savage-Shulk est une série largement mésestimée, principalement en ce qui concerne le travail du scénariste David Anthony Kraft, qui adopte rapidement un ton très moderne dans le traitement de l'héroïne, en faisant un personnage qui assume sans complexe son statut hors-normes et ne manquant pas d'aplomb quand il s'agit d'imposer ses choix. De ce fait, bien que rarement cité, The Savage She-Hulk mérite que vous y jetiez un œil, car ce comic book a plutôt bien vieilli. C'est d'ailleurs au cours de ses premières tribulations que Jennifer Walters rencontre Ben Grimm, alias La Chose, des Fantastic Four, donnant naissance à une amitié qui mènera notre géante de jade à rejoindre l'équipe de Reed Richards en remplacement de Grimm après les événements du crossover Secret Wars en 1984. Et si l'hypothétique spin-off télévisé ne verra finalement jamais le jour, She-Hulk va faire son petit bonhomme de chemin dans l'univers Marvel, rejoignant notamment les Avengers et croisant régulièrement la route de son cousin Bruce. YOU'RE KIDDING, RIGHT ? Malgré cela, She-Hulk conserve pour beaucoup de lecteurs l'image d'une énième version féminine d'un héros masculin, comme Ms Marvel et Spider-Woman chez Marvel, ou Supergirl chez DC Comics. Mais tout cela va radicalement changer grâce à un artiste : John Byrne. Figure incontournable de la bande dessinée américaine, ayant œuvré sur les X-Men ou Alpha Flight chez Marvel, sur Superman et Wonder Woman chez DC, et à l'origine de créations originales comme les Next Men chez Dark Horse, John Byrne a littéralement transformé de nombreuses icônes des comics dans les années 1980 et 1990. Visionnaire, son travail est empreint de thématiques sociales, politiques et technologiques, précédant parfois de plusieurs années les tendances, sans oublier d'adjoindre un regard critique qui invite le lecteur à la réflexion. Aux commandes de la série Fantastic Four de 1981 à 1986, Byrne va y mettre en scène She-Hulk, et également lui consacrer un graphic novel en 1985, avant de prendre en main la série The Sensational She-Hulk à partir de 1989. Dès la couverture du premier numéro, Byrne annonce la couleur. Jennifer Walters s'y adresse directement au lecteur, menaçant de déchirer leur collection de comics X-Men s'ils n'achètent pas sa série. Le ton est donné : She-Hulk est devenu un personnage conscient de sa condition d'héroïne de comic book et elle va dorénavant régulièrement briser le quatrième mur. Le quatrième mur est une notion venant du théâtre, selon laquelle il existe un mur invisible séparant la fiction jouée sur scène et le public. Notamment théorisée par Denis Diderot en 1758 dans Le Discours sur la Poésie Dramatique, elle a ensuite été développée par de nombreux auteurs, principalement dans le théâtre réaliste, admettant qu'il est également possible aux personnages d'une pièce de passer outre ce quatrième mur pour s'adresser directement au spectateur, pour un aparté qui renforce l'aspect comique ou dramatique de la situation, par exemple. La notion de quatrième mur s'est ensuite élargie à d'autres supports, du cinéma au jeu vidéo en passant par la bande dessinée. L'un des premiers exemples concrets au cinéma est le film muet The Great Train Robbery, réalisé en 1903 par l'Américain Edwin S. Porter, se terminant par un plan extrêmement avant-gardiste dans lequel on peut voir un homme tirer en direction du public. Une scène qui a fait sensation lors des projections, effrayant même quelques spectateurs ! Parmi les nombreux personnages de film ou de série capables de briser ce quatrième mur, on pourra citer Néo dans Matrix ; Ferris Bueller, qui a ensuite inspiré la série télévisée Parker Lewis ne perd jamais ; mais aussi les Animaniacs ou encore Malcolm. Du côté des comics, on retrouve cette faculté à différents niveaux chez Howard the Duck, Deadpool, ou Animal Man. Bien entendu, l'objectif principal est de produire un effet sur le spectateur, généralement pour préciser un contexte, renforcer l'immersion, ou bien tout simplement pour le faire rire. Cette notion acquise d'être un personnage capable de passer outre le quatrième mur va permettre à peu près tout et n'importe quoi à Jennifer Walter au cours des soixante épisodes que compte The Sensational She-Hulk : interpeller les lecteurs, sauter de case en case et traverser les pages de publicités, menacer John Byrne lorsque les choix artistiques de ce dernier lui semblent mauvais pour les ventes de la série, et même assister au démontage du décor dans le tout dernier numéro, dont la couverture fait d'ailleurs écho à celle du premier. Un répertoire de gimmicks astucieux qui trouvent pour beaucoup leur source dans une rencontre que Jennifer va faire dans le quatrième numéro de The Sensational She-Hulk. GOLDEN AGE GUEST STAR  Si les débuts de la série jouent gentiment avec le quatrième mur ; comme lorsque She-Hulk reproche à Byrne de lui faire affronter les Toad Men, référence méta au deuxième numéro de The Incredible Hulk paru en 1962 dont elle se moquait en couverture ; le quatrième épisode place un nouveau personnage inattendu sur la route de notre héroïne : Louise Grant Mason. Louise explique à Jennifer que dans les années 1940, elle était Blonde Phantom, une justicière costumée combattant le crime. Blonde Phantom est un vrai personnage de bande dessinée, dont les aventures ont été publiées par Timely Comics, l'ancêtre de Marvel, à partir de 1946. Créée par le scénariste Al Sulman et par le dessinateur Syd Shores à la demande de Stan Lee qui trouvait que les publications Timely manquaient de super-héroïnes, elle fait sa première apparition dans All Select Comics #11, un périodique qui sera d'ailleurs renommé Blonde Phantom dès le numéro suivant. Secrétaire du détective Mark Mason, Louise Grant revêt un loup et une robe de soirée rouge du meilleur effet pour devenir la justicière Blonde Phantom et ainsi aider son patron à résoudre les affaires les plus corsées. Bien que dépourvue de super-pouvoirs, elle combat tour à tour d'anciens nazis, un inventeur monté sur des chaussures à ressorts, un savant fou venu du futur, et même son sosie remodelé par un chirurgienne peu scrupuleuse ! Alors qu'elle en pince pour Mark, Louise est totalement invisible aux yeux de ce dernier qui, ignorant la double identité de son employée, lui préfère Blonde Phantom. Une romance largement inspirée de la relation entre Loïs Lane et Clark Kent, pour ne citer que l'exemple le plus célèbre, et qui aura tendance à largement minimiser le rôle de Louise, systématiquement ramenée à sa condition d'assistante dans un monde gouverné par les hommes. Le personnage va rencontrer un certain succès, s'exportant dans les pages de Marvel Mystery Comics aux côtés de Captain America, Namor ou de la première Torche Humaine, mais aussi dans les comic books mettant en scène d'autres super-héroïnes du Golden Age, comme Sun Girl ou Namora. Et, sans trop s'avancer, on peut affirmer que Blonde Phantom est un personnage plutôt populaire chez Timely Comics à l'époque. La série Blonde Phantom va durer jusqu'au vingt-deuxième numéro, en 1949, avant que la publication ne soit finalement renommée Lovers, manifestation de la fin de l'âge d'or des super-héros costumés, peu à peu remplacés par des genres comme la Romance, le Western ou l'Horreur après la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Il faut donc finalement attendre 1989 pour revoir Louise Grant dans le quatrième numéro de The Sensational She-Hulk. Elle y apparaît plus âgée, et surtout, on apprend qu'elle s'est mariée avec Mark Mason en 1949, juste après l'arrêt de la publication de sa série, adoptant ainsi officiellement le nom de Louise Grant Mason. En discutant avec elle, Jennifer comprend qu'au fil du temps, Louise est devenue pleinement consciente d'être un personnage de bande dessinée et qu'elle est persuadée que si elle ne ressemble plus à la Blonde Phantom des années 1940, c'est parce que sa série a été annulée par l'éditeur. Oubliés du public, elle et Mark se sont alors mis à vieillir, jusqu'au moment où le décès de son mari l'a poussée à retrouver un emploi pour devenir un personnage secondaire de la série She-Hulk, et ainsi échapper au même destin funeste. On ne s'en rend pas forcément compte au premier abord, mais la théorie de Louise ; et donc, par extension, de John Byrne ; répond de façon assez brillante à la question récurrente du non-vieillissement des personnages de comics. Pour elle, les personnages ne vieillissent pas tant qu'ils apparaissent dans les comics, et cette explication très méta n'est finalement pas plus farfelue que celles qui se baseraient sur des temporalités plus ou moins compressées. Mais elle ouvre aussi la porte à une quantité infinie de mindfuck, car étant donné que Louise pense cela parce qu'elle a conscience d'être elle-même un personnage de comics, elle est peut-être finalement responsable de son propre vieillissement. Ça en devient vertigineux. SMELL LIKE BLONDE PHANTOM Mais notre histoire ne s'arrête pas là. Car Blonde Phantom elle-même possède une origine pour le moins étrange. En effet, si la super-héroïne apparaît bel et bien pour la première fois dans All Select Comics #11, un autre personnage a porté le même pseudonyme quelques semaines plus tôt dans un contexte totalement différent. Créée par Ruth Atkinson pour Timely Comics en 1945, Millicent Collins, alias Millie the Model, est un jeune mannequin dont les aventures, entre romance et humour, vont connaître une longévité assez exceptionnelle. Fruit des demandes de l'éditeur Martin Goodman, qui cherchait à surfer sur le succès des séries dérivées de l'univers de Archie publiées par son concurrent MLJ, Millie the Model va occuper les présentoirs des kiosques américains jusqu'en 1973, et va même connaître plusieurs spin-offs. Dans l'une des courtes histoires présentes au sommaire du deuxième numéro, paru en juillet 1946, Millie se voit confier la mission de poser pour une publicité vantant le mérite d'un tout nouveau parfum : le Blonde Phantom. Elle qui ne rêve que de gloire et de paillettes est alors totalement anonymisée derrière un masque et une robe noire à pois rouges, ne pouvant pas profiter des retombées du succès du fameux sent-bon pour faire décoller sa carrière ! Vous l'aurez compris, exception faite du cadre et des enjeux, cette Blonde Phantom ressemble drôlement à celle qui prendra conscience de son statut de personnage de comics quelques décennies plus tard. Qu'une justicière costumée apparue seulement à deux mois d'intervalle chez le même éditeur porte exactement le même nom et un costume vaguement ressemblant pourrait très bien être une amusante coïncidence, tout comme le fait que Millie et Louise partagent pas mal de points communs, dont celui d'être ignorées par un love interest qui est aussi leur supérieur hiérarchique. Mais les similitudes ne semblent plus si fortuites quand l'on découvre que Al Sulman, le co-créateur de la super-héroïne Louise Grant, relisait régulièrement de nombreux scripts pour Timely. Tandis que Ken Bald, dessinateur sur Millie the Model, comptait parmi les artistes au sommaire du numéro de All Select Comics où apparaît pour la première fois Blonde Phantom, cette fois au dessin des aventures de Miss America. Si l'on ne peut définitivement rien affirmer, on peut au moins supposer que l'idée d'une redresseuse de torts en tenue de gala traînait depuis quelque temps dans les cartons des équipes créatives de Timely Comics, et que la demande de Stan Lee a été l'opportunité de lui donner vie pour de bon. Une vie qui fut longue et bien remplie pour Louise Grant Mason, principalement parce que son retour dans les pages de She-Hulk va inspirer d'autres artistes. Car, comble du méta à la sauce Byrne : en sortant de sa retraite pour ne pas mourir oubliée du lectorat, Blonde Phantom est devenue elle-même responsable du renouveau de son statut au sein de l'univers Marvel et de l'enrichissement a posteriori de son background et de son passé de justicière. Steve Gerber et Buzz Dixon, remplaçant au pied levé John Byrne éjecté de The Sensational She-Hulk par un Tom DeFalco irascible, donneront à Louise une héritière costumée en la personne de sa fille Wanda, qui deviendra l'héroïne Phantom Blonde. Et la magie de la rétro-continuité lui permettra même de vivre des aventures à rebours, comme dans la mini-série Avengers 1959 de Howard Chaykin, parue en 2011. John Byrne reviendra finalement sur The Sensational She-Hulk, continuant de jouer avec les codes du comic book, comme le faisait Grant Morrison avec sa Doom Patrol à la même période, et livrant par la même occasion des couvertures désopilantes se rangeant parmi les meilleures de l'histoire de la bande dessinée américaine. Une bonne partie d'entre elles joue sur l'hypersexualisation de Jennifer qui, consciente de l'exploitation de son image par l'artiste, s'en plaint régulièrement. Une façon provocatrice de dénoncer ce phénomène particulièrement en vogue à partir des années 1980 et toutes les dérives autour du culte du corps qui l'accompagnent. Mais ceci est une tout autre histoire dont on reparlera peut-être une prochaine fois ! Personnage atypique dont le ton comique et introspectif est parfois mal compris, comptant parmi les dernières co-création de Stan Lee pour la Maison des Idées, imaginée avant tout à des fins mercantiles pour protéger les intérêts d'un éditeur dans une effervescence télévisuelle inachevée, puis redéfinie par un artiste précurseur qui a été jusqu'à donner un sens aux lois innées d'un genre, She-Hulk est un cas unique dans l'univers Marvel. Si les productions suivantes, comme les séries écrites par Dan Slott ou Charles Soule, ont souvent cherché à prolonger l'exercice initié par Byrne, le vent de fraîcheur apporté par The Sensational She-Hulk reste particulièrement osé et novateur de par ses possibles répercussions à grande échelle. Et quel que soit votre rapport à She-Hulk, le parcours de Jennifer Walters chez Marvel est à tout jamais le fruit d'un jeu d'influences au doux parfum d'imaginaire, auquel je vous recommande de jeter un œil ! N'hésitez pas à partager cet article sur les réseaux sociaux s'il vous a plu ! Recevez mes articles, podcasts et vidéos directement dans votre boîte mail, sans intermédiaire ni publicité, en vous abonnant gratuitement ! Retrouvez le podcast POP CULTURE & COMICS sur toutes les plateformes d'écoute en cliquant ici ! Get full access to CHRIS - POP CULTURE & COMICS at chrisstup.substack.com/subscribe

David Armstrong interviewed Silver & Bronze Age great, John Romita Sr. in 2001 on set at San Diego Comic Con about his entry into comic books with Les Zakarin, first meeting Stan Lee at Timely, his suspense science fiction stories like IT!, working for Famous Funnies, his relationship with Stan Lee in the 1950s, and again in the 1960s, getting inking advice from Joe Maneely, why he joined DC Comics to work on Romance Comics with Zena Brody and Robert Kanigher, discussing Alex Toth, the editorial culture at DC compared to Marvel, Jack Kirby, Martin Goodman, terrible distribution through Independent News, and DC Comics' achilles heel.Interview conducted, recorded and copyrighted to David Armstrong.Remastered, edited, timestamped and postproduction by Alex Grand.Support the show

MARVEL @ MY HIP HOP is a brand spankin' new segment of Hip Hop Marvels Podcast, featuring hosts Dub Floyd and E-Ray.  They give you their takes on the latest current events in Hip-Hop in 30 minutes or less, bringing you Hip-Hop in a TIMELY manner! Breaking down Hip-Hop with wit, humor and insight, paying homage to Timely Comics, the precursor to Marvel Comics founded in 1939 by pulp magazine publisher Martin Goodman.In this blazin' first edition, Dub and E-Ray discuss... - MF DOOM's wife speaking out against patient neglect from UK hospital in which DOOM was hospitalized.  - Drake possibly taking shots at Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino on his "It's All A Blur" tour.- Rest In Peace to Black Liberation activist and step-father to 2pac,  Mutulu Shakur.- Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan ties the knot.- more hot takes and banter!LISTEN-SHARE-RATE-SUBSCRIBE: Pandora, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Audible, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Castbox, Stitcher, Podcast Addict & anywhere else you get your podcasts!Have a question, comment or suggestion? Email us: hiphopmarvels@gmail.comHIP HOP MARVELS is movement focusing on the impact Marvel Comics/Entertainment has on the culture of Hip Hop and vice-versa. Your friendly neighborhood plug for all things Hip Hop and Marvel! "WE GOT IT LOCKED FROM THE BLOCK TO THE COMIC SHOP!"Creator/Host/EP: DJ Dub Floyd (@djdubfloyd)Co-Host: Rick 0378 (@braille378)Co-Host: Eric Ray (@lionheadcircle)Co-Host: Terry Tolliver (@t91t91)Correspondent: Brandess Rice (@8tiesbaby82)Producer/Camera: Hasani Wiz (@dovestatus)HHMP Intro: Bash Brothers - Precyce Politix (@cyceboogie), Mallz (@mallzini), Sharp Cuts (@sharpcutsofficial)Music: Sharp Cuts (@sharpcutsofficial), Tecknowledgy (@teckbeats), Kreatev (@kreatev)www.hiphopmarvels.comTwitter: @hiphopmarvelsIG: @hiphopmarvelsFB: hiphopmarvels

In 1940, with war raging in Europe, America was in need of a hero - and publisher Martin Goodman was in need of a cash cow. There was only one superhero for the job: not a perfect soldier, but a good man. This week, Sarah covers the rise and fall of the Star-Spangled Man With a Plan. Follow us on Instagram & Twitter for extra content and updates! We're @FantasticHPod Email us with questions/suggestions at FantasticHistoryPod@gmail.com Fantastic History Stickers available Here! Please subscribe and leave a review! Sources: https://lithub.com/the-century-of-captain-america-a-brief-history-of-a-beloved-comic/ https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/captain-america-changing-conscience-nation?language_content_entity=en https://www.freecomicbookday.com/Article/250274-A-Look-Back-At-80-Years-of-Captain-America Music: Order by ComaStudio (royalty free) This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Alex Grand interviews Jesse Simon, the grandson of Captain America creator, Joe Simon on his creative and influential grandfather and his family's new comic series, SHIELDMASTER found on Kickstarter. Jesse discusses his grandfather's career at Timely Comics with figures like Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Martin Goodman, DC Comics, Harvey Comics with Al Harvey, Crestwood, SICK magazine and more. You can get SHIELDMASTER at this link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/simonstudios/shieldmaster-3. Photo © Jesse Simon. Images used in artwork ©Their Respective Copyright holders, CBH Podcast ©Comic Book Historians, LLC. Thumbnail Artwork ©Comic Book Historians.  Music ©Lost EuropeanSupport the show

This week, we talk about the 1980s Marvel Cinematic Universe that could have been, and eventually was. ----more---- TRANSCRIPT From Los Angeles, California, the Entertainment Capital of the World, it's The 80s Movies Podcast. I am your host, Edward Havens. Thank you for listening today.   The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the undisputed king of intellectual property in the entertainment industry. As of February 9th, 2023, the day I record this episode, there have been thirty full length motion pictures part of the MCU in the past fifteen years, with a combined global ticket sales of $28 billion, as well as twenty television shows that have been seen by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. It is a entertainment juggernaut that does not appear to be going away anytime soon.   This comes as a total shock to many of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, who were witness of cheaply produced television shows featuring hokey special effects and a roster of has-beens and never weres in the cast. Superman was the king of superheroes at the movies, in large part because, believe it or not, there hadn't even been a movie based on a Marvel Comics character released into theatres until the summer of 1986. But not for lack of trying.   And that's what we're going to talk about today. A brief history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the 1980s.       But first, as always, some backstory.   Now, I am not approaching this as a comic fan. When I was growing up in the 80s, I collected comics, but my collection was limited to Marvel's Star Wars series, Marvel's ROM The SpaceKnight, and Marvel's two-issue Blade Runner comic adaptation in 1982. So I apologize to Marvel comics fans if I relay some of this information incorrectly. I have tried to do my due diligence when it comes to my research.   Marvel Comics got its start as Timely Comics back in 1939. On August 31, 1939, Timely would release its first comic, titled Marvel Comics, which would feature a number of short stories featuring versions of characters that would become long-running staples of the eventual publishing house that would bear the comic's name, including The Angel, a version of The Human Torch who was actually an android hero, and Namor the Submariner, who was originally created for a unpublished comic that was supposed to be given to kids when they attended their local movie theatre during a Saturday matinee.   That comic issue would quickly sell out its initial 80,000 print run, as well as its second run, which would put another 800,000 copies out to the marketplace. The Vision would be another character introduced on the pages of Marvel Comics, in November 1940.   In December 1940, Timely would introduce their next big character, Captain America, who would find instant success thanks to its front cover depicting Cap punching Adolph Hitler square in the jaw, proving that Americans have loved seeing Nazis get punched in the face even a year before our country entered the World War II conflict. But there would be other popular characters created during this timeframe, including Black Widow, The Falcon, and The Invisible Man.   In 1941, Timely Comics would lose two of its best collaborators, artists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, to rival company Detective Comics, and Timely owner Martin Goodman would promote one of his cousins, by marriage to his wife Jean no less, to become the interim editor of Timely Comics. A nineteen year old kid named Stanley Lieber, who would shorten his name to Stan Lee.   In 1951, Timely Comics would be rebranded at Atlas Comics, and would expand past superhero titles to include tales of crime, drama, espionage, horror, science fiction, war, western, and even romance comics.   Eventually, in 1961, Atlas Comics would rebrand once again as Marvel Comics, and would find great success by changing the focus of their stories from being aimed towards younger readers and towards a more sophisticated audience. It would be November 1961 when Marvel would introduce their first superhero team, The Fantastic Four, as well as a number of their most beloved characters including Black Panther, Carol Danvers, Iron Man, The Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, and Thor, as well as Professor X and many of the X-Men.   And as would be expected, Hollywood would come knocking. Warner Brothers would be in the best position to make comic book movies, as both they and DC Comics were owned by the same company beginning in 1969. But for Marvel, they would not be able to enjoy that kind of symbiotic relationship. Regularly strapped for cash, Stan Lee would often sell movie and television rights to a variety of Marvel characters to whomever came calling. First, Marvel would team with a variety of producers to create a series of animated television shows, starting with The Marvel Super Heroes in 1966, two different series based on The Fantastic Four, and both Spider-Man and Spider-Woman series.   But movies were a different matter.   The rights to make a Spider-Man television show, for example, was sold off to a production company called Danchuck, who teamed with CBS-TV to start airing the show in September of 1977, but Danchuck was able to find a loophole in their contract  that allowed them to release the two-hour pilot episode as a movie outside of the United States, which complicated the movie rights Marvel had already sold to another company.   Because the “movie” was a success around the world, CBS and Danchuck would release two more Spider-Man “movies” in 1978 and 1981. Eventually, the company that owned the Spider-Man movie rights to sell them to another company in the early 1980s, the legendary independent B-movie production company and distributor, New World Pictures, founded and operated by the legendary independent B-movie producer and director Roger Corman. But shortly after Corman acquired the film rights to Spider-Man, he went and almost immediately sold them to another legendary independent B-movie production company and distributor, Cannon Films.   Side note: Shortly after Corman sold the movie rights to Spider-Man to Cannon, Marvel Entertainment was sold to the company that also owned New World Pictures, although Corman himself had nothing to do with the deal itself. The owners of New World were hoping to merge the Marvel comic book characters with the studio's television and motion picture department, to create a sort of shared universe. But since so many of the better known characters like Spider-Man and Captain America had their movie and television rights sold off to the competition, it didn't seem like that was going to happen anytime soon, but again, I'm getting ahead of myself.   So for now, we're going to settle on May 1st, 1985. Cannon Films, who loved to spend money to make money, made a big statement in the pages of the industry trade publication Variety, when they bought nine full pages of advertising in the Cannes Market preview issue to announce that buyers around the world needed to get ready, because he was coming.   Spider-Man.   A live-action motion picture event, to be directed by Tobe Hooper, whose last movie, Poltergeist, re-ignited his directing career, that would be arriving in theatres for Christmas 1986. Cannon had made a name for themselves making cheapie teen comedies in their native Israel in the 1970s, and then brought that formula to America with films like The Last American Virgin, a remake of the first Lemon Popsicle movie that made them a success back home. Cannon would swerve into cheapie action movies with fallen stars like Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson, and would prop up a new action star in Chuck Norris, as well as cheapie trend-chasing movies like Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. They had seen enough success in America where they could start spending even bigger, and Spider-Man was supposed to be their first big splash into the superhero movie genre. With that, they would hire Leslie Stevens, the creator of the cult TV series The Outer Limits, to write the screenplay.   There was just one small problem.   Neither Stevens nor Cannon head honcho Menachem Golan understood the Spider-Man character.   Golan thought Spider-Man was a half-spider/half-man creature, not unlike The Wolf Man, and instructed Stevens to follow that concept. Stevens' script would not really borrow from any of the comics' twenty plus year history. Peter Parker, who in this story is a twenty-something ID photographer for a corporation that probably would have been Oscorp if it were written by anyone else who had at least some familiarity with the comics, who becomes intentionally bombarded with gamma radiation by one of the scientists in one of the laboratories, turning Bruce Banner… I mean, Peter Parker, into a hairy eight-armed… yes, eight armed… hybrid human/spider monster. At first suicidal, Bruce… I mean, Peter, refuses to join forces with the scientist's other master race of mutants, forcing Peter to battle these other mutants in a basement lab to the death.   To say Stan Lee hated it would be an understatement.   Lee schooled Golan and Golan's partner at Cannon, cousin Yoram Globus, on what Spider-Man was supposed to be, demanded a new screenplay. Wanting to keep the head of Marvel Comics happy, because they had big plans not only for Spider-Man but a number of other Marvel characters, they would hire the screenwriting team of Ted Newsom and John Brancato, who had written a screenplay adaptation for Lee of Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, to come up with a new script for Spider-Man.   Newsom and Brancato would write an origin story, featuring a teenage Peter Parker who must deal with his newfound powers while trying to maintain a regular high school existence, while going up against an evil scientist, Otto Octavius. But we'll come back to that later.   In that same May 1985 issue of Variety, amongst dozens of pages of ads for movies both completed and in development, including three other movies from Tobe Hooper, was a one-page ad for Captain America. No director or actor was attached to the project yet, but comic book writer James L. Silke, who had written the scripts for four other Cannon movies in the previous two years, was listed as the screenwriter.   By October 1985, Cannon was again trying to pre-sell foreign rights to make a Spider-Man movie, this time at the MIFED Film Market in Milan, Italy. Gone were Leslie Stevens and Tobe Hooper. Newsom and Brancato were the new credited writers, and Joseph Tito, the director of the Chuck Norris/Cannon movies Missing in Action and Invasion U.S.A., was the new director. In a two-page ad for Captain America, the film would acquire a new director in Michael Winner, the director of the first three Death Wish movies.   And the pattern would continue every few months, from Cannes to MIFED to the American Film Market, and back to Cannes. A new writer would be attached. A new director. A new release date. By October 1987, after the twin failures of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and Masters of the Universe, Cannon had all but given up on a Captain America movie, and downshifted the budget on their proposed Spider-Man movie. Albert Pyun, whose ability to make any movie in any genre look far better than its budget should have allowed, was brought in to be the director of Spider-Man, from a new script written by Shepard Goldman.   Who?   Shepard Goldman, whose one and only credit on any motion picture was as one of three screenwriters on the 1988 Cannon movie Salsa.   Don't remember Salsa? That's okay. Neither does anyone else.   But we'll talk a lot more about Cannon Films down the road, because there's a lot to talk about when it comes to Cannon Films, although I will leave you with two related tidbits…   Do you remember the 1989 Jean-Claude Van Damme film Cyborg? Post-apocalyptic cyberpunk martial-arts action film where JCVD and everyone else in the movie have names like Gibson Rickenbacker, Fender Tremolo, Marshall Strat and Pearl Prophet for no damn good reason? Stupid movie, lots of fun. Anyway, Albert Pyun was supposed to shoot two movies back to back for Cannon Films in 1988, a sequel to Masters of the Universe, and Spider-Man. To save money, both movies would use many of the same sets and costumes, and Cannon had spent more than $2m building the sets and costumes at the old Dino DeLaurentiis Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina, where David Lynch had shot Blue Velvet. But then Cannon ran into some cash flow issues, and lost the rights to both the He-Man toy line from Mattel and the Spider-Man characters they had licensed from Marvel. But ever the astute businessman, Cannon Films chairman Menahem Golan offered Pyun $500,000 to shoot any movie he wanted using the costumes and sets already created and paid for, provided Pyun could come up with a movie idea in a week. Pyun wrote the script to Cyborg in five days, and outside of some on-set alterations, that first draft would be the shooting script. The film would open in theatres in April 1989, and gross more than $10m in the United States alone.   A few months later, Golan would gone from Cannon Films. As part of his severance package, he would take one of the company's acquisitions, 21st Century Films, with him, as well as several projects, including Captain America. Albert Pyun never got to make his Spider-Man movie, but he would go into production on his Captain America in August 1989. But since the movie didn't get released in any form until it came out direct to video and cable in 1992, I'll leave it to podcasts devoted to 90s movies to tell you more about it. I've seen it. It's super easy to find on YouTube. It really sucks, although not as much as that 1994 version of The Fantastic Four that still hasn't been officially released nearly thirty years later.   There would also be attempts throughout the decade to make movies from the aforementioned Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Daredevil, the Incredible Hulk, Silver Surfer and Iron Man, from companies like New Line, 20th Century-Fox and Universal, but none of those would ever come to fruition in the 1980s.   But the one that would stick?   Of the more than 1,000 characters that had been featured in the pages of Marvel Comics over the course of forty years?   The one that would become the star of the first ever theatrically released motion picture based on a Marvel character?   Howard the Duck.   Howard the Duck was not your average Marvel superhero.   Howard the Duck wasn't even a superhero.   He was just some wise crackin', ill-tempered, anthropomorphic water fowl that was abducted away from his home on Duckworld and forced against his will to live with humans on Earth. Or, more specifically, first with the dirty humans of the Florida Everglades, and then Cleveland, and finally New York City.    Howard the Duck was metafiction and existentialist when neither of these things were in the zeitgeist. He smoked cigars, wore a suit and tie, and enjoy drinking a variety of libations and getting it on with the women, mostly his sometimes girlfriend Beverly.   The perfect character to be the subject of the very first Marvel movie.   A PG-rated movie.   Enter George Lucas.   In 1973, George Lucas had hit it big with his second film as a director, American Graffiti. Lucas had written the screenplay, based in part on his life as an eighteen year old car enthusiast about to graduate high school, with the help of a friend from his days at USC Film School, Willard Huyck, and Huyck's wife, Gloria Katz. Lucas wanted to show his appreciation for their help by producing a movie for them. Although there are variations to the story of how this came about, most sources say it was Huyck who would tell Lucas about this new comic book character, Howard the Duck, who piqued his classmate's interest by describing the comic as having elements of film noir and absurdism.   Because Universal dragged their feet on American Graffiti, not promoting it as well as they could have upon its initial release and only embracing the film when the public embraced its retro soundtrack, Lucas was not too keen on working with Universal again on his next project, a sci-fi movie he was calling The Journal of the Whills. And while they saw some potential in what they considered to be some minor kiddie movie, they didn't think Lucas could pull it off the way he was describing it for the budget he was asking for.   “What else you got, kid?” they'd ask.   Lucas had Huyck and Katz, and an idea for a live-action comic book movie about a talking duck.   Surprisingly, Universal did not slam the door shut in Lucas's face. They actually went for the idea, and worked with Lucas, Stan Lee of Marvel Comics and Howard's creator, Steve Gerber, to put a deal together to make it happen.   Almost right away, Gerber and the screenwriters, Huyck and Katz, would butt heads on practically every aspect of the movie's storyline. Katz just thought it was some funny story about a duck from outer space and his wacky adventures on Earth, Gerber was adamant that Howard the Duck was an existential joke, that the difference between life's most serious moments and its most incredibly dumb moments were only distinguishable by a moment's point of view. Huyck wanted to make a big special effects movie, while Katz thought it would be fun to set the story in Hawaii so she and her husband could have some fun while shooting there. The writers would spend years on their script, removing most everything that made the Howard the Duck comic book so enjoyable to its readers. Howard and his story would be played completely straight in the movie, leaning on subtle gags not unlike a Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker movie, instead of embracing the surreal ridiculousness of the comics. They would write humongous effects-heavy set pieces, knowing they would have access to their producer's in-house special effects team, Industrial Light and Magic, instead of the comics' more cerebral endings. And they'd tone down the more risqué aspects of Howard's personality, figuring a more family-friendly movie would bring in more money at the box office.   It would take nearly twelve years for all the pieces to fall into place for Howard the Duck to begin filming. But in the spring of 1985, Universal finally gave the green light for Lucas and his tea to finally make the first live-action feature film based on a Marvel Comics character.   For Beverly, the filmmakers claimed to have looked at every young actress in Hollywood before deciding on twenty-four year old Lea Thompson, who after years of supporting roles in movies like Jaws 3-D, All the Right Moves and Red Dawn, had found success playing Michael J. Fox's mother in Back to the Future. Twenty-six year old Tim Robbins had only made two movies up to this point, at one of the frat boys in Fraternity Vacation and as one of the fighter pilots in Top Gun, and this was his first chance to play a leading role in a major motion picture. And Jeffrey Jones would be cast as the bad guy, the Dark Overlord, based upon his work in the 1984 Best Picture winner Amadeus, although he would be coming to the set of Howard the Duck straight off of working on a John Hughes movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off.   Howard the Duck would begin shooting on the Universal Studios lot of November 11th, 1985, and on the very first day of production, the duck puppet being used to film would have a major mechanical failure, not unlike the mechanical failure of the shark in Jaws that would force Steven Spielberg to become more creative with how he shot that character. George Lucas, who would be a hands-on producer, would suggest that maybe they could shoot other scenes not involving the duck, while his crew at ILM created a fully functional, life-sized animatronic duck costume for a little actor to wear on set. At first, the lead actor in the duck suit was a twelve-year old boy, but within days of his start on the film, he would develop a severe case of claustrophobia inside the costume. Ed Gale, originally hired to be the stuntman in the duck costume, would quickly take over the role. Since Gale could work longer hours than the child, due to the very restrictive laws surrounding child actors on movie and television sets, this would help keep the movie on a good production schedule, and make shooting the questionable love scenes between Howard and Beverly easier for Ms. Thompson, who was creeped out at the thought of seducing a pre-teen for a scene.   To keep the shoot on schedule, not only would the filmmakers employ a second shooting unit to shoot the scenes not involving the main actors, which is standard operating procedure on most movies, Lucas would supervise a third shooting unit that would shoot Robbins and Gale in one of the film's more climactic moments, when Howard and Phil are trying to escape being captured by the authorities by flying off on an ultralight plane. Most of this sequence would be shot in the town of Petaluma, California, on the same streets where Lucas had shot American Graffiti's iconic cruising scenes thirteen years earlier.   After a month-long shoot of the film's climax at a naval station in San Francisco, the film would end production on March 26th, 1986, leaving the $36m film barely four months to be put together in order to make its already set in stone August 1st, 1986, release date.   Being used to quick turnaround times, the effects teams working on the film would get all their shots completed with time to spare, not only because they were good at their jobs but they had the ability to start work before the film went into production. For the end sequence, when Jones' character had fully transformed into the Dark Overlord, master stop motion animator Phil Tippett, who had left ILM in 1984 to start his own effects studio specializing in that style of animation, had nearly a year to put together what would ultimately be less than two minutes of actual screen time.   As Beverly was a musician, Lucas would hire English musician and composer Thomas Dolby, whose 1982 single She Blinded Me With Science became a global smash hit, to write the songs for Cherry Bomb, the all-girl rock group lead by Lea Thompson's Beverly. Playing KC, the keyboardist for Cherry Bomb, Holly Robinson would book her first major acting role. For the music, Dolby would collaborate with Allee Willis, the co-writer of Earth Wind and Fire's September and Boogie Wonderland, and funk legend George Clinton. But despite this powerhouse musical trio, the songs for the band were not very good, and, with all due respect to Lea Thompson, not very well sung.   By August 1986, Universal Studios needed a hit. Despite winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in March with Sydney Pollack's Out of Africa, the first six films they released for the year were all disappointments at the box office and/or with the critics.    The Best of Times, a comedy featuring Robin Williams and Kurt Russell as two friends who try to recreate a high school football game which changed the direction of both their lives. Despite a script written by Ron Shelton, who would be nominated for an Oscar for his next screenplay, Bull Durham, and Robin Williams, the $12m film would gross less than $8m.    The Money Pit, a comedy with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long, would end up grossing $37m against a $10m budget, but the movie was so bad, its first appearance on DVD wouldn't come until 2011, and only as part of a Tom Hanks Comedy Favorites Collection along with The ‘Burbs and Dragnet.   Legend, a dark fantasy film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Cruise, was supposed to be one of the biggest hits… of 1985. But Scott and the studio would fight over the film, with the director wanting them to release a two hour and five minute long version with a classical movie score by Jerry Goldsmith, while the studio eventually cut the film down an hour and twenty-nine minutes with a techno score by Tangerine Dream. Despite an amazing makeup job transforming Tim Curry into the Lord of Darkness as well as sumptuous costumes and cinematography, the $24.5m film would just miss recouping its production budget back in ticket sales.   Tom Cruise would become a superstar not three weeks later, when Paramount Pictures released Top Gun, directed by Ridley's little brother Tony Scott.   Sweet Liberty should have been a solid performer for the studio. Alan Alda, in his first movie since the end of MASH three years earlier, would write, direct and star in this comedy about a college history professor who must watch in disbelief as a Hollywood production comes to his small town to film the movie version of one of the books. The movie, which also starred Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Michelle Pfieffer and screen legend Lillian Gish, would get lost in the shuffle of other comedies that were already playing in theatres like Ferris Bueller and Short Circuit.   Legal Eagles was the movie to beat for the summer of 1986… at least on paper. Ivan Reitman's follow-up film to Ghostbusters would feature a cast that included Robert Redford, Debra Winger and Daryl Hannah, along with Brian Denny, Terence Stamp, and Brian Doyle-Murray, and was perhaps too much movie, being a legal romantic comedy mystery crime thriller.   Phew.   If I were to do an episode about agency packaging in the 1980s, the process when a talent agency like Creative Artists Agency, or CAA, put two or more of their clients together in a project not because it might be best for the movie but best for the agency that will collect a 10% commission from each client attached to the project, Legal Eagles would be the example of packaging gone too far. Ivan Reitman was a client of CAA. As were Redford,  and Winger, and Hannah. As was Bill Murray, who was originally cast in the Redford role. As were Jim Cash and Jack Epps, the screenwriters for the film. As was Tom Mankewicz, the co-writer of Superman and three Bond films, who was brought in to rewrite the script when Murray left and Redford came in. As was Frank Price, the chairman of Universal Pictures when the project was put together. All told, CAA would book more than $1.5m in commissions for themselves from all their clients working on the film.   And it sucked.   Despite the fact that it had almost no special effects, Legal Eagles would cost $40m to produce, one of the most expensive movies ever made to that point, nearly one and a half times the cost of Ghostbusters. The film would gross nearly $50m in the US, which would make it only the 14th highest grossing film of the year. Less than Stand By Me. Less than The Color of Money. Less than Down and Out in Beverly Hills.   And then there was Psycho III, the Anthony Perkins-directed slasher film that brought good old Norman Bates out of mothballs once again. An almost direct follow-up to Psycho II from 1983, the film neither embraced by horror film fans or critics, the film would only open in eighth place, despite the fact there hadn't been a horror movie in theatres for months, and its $14m gross would kill off any chance for a Psycho IV in theatres.   In late June, Universal would hold a series of test screenings for Howard the Duck. Depending on who you talk to, the test screenings either went really well, or went so bad that one of the writers would tear up negative response cards before they could be given to the score compilers, to goose the numbers up, pun only somewhat intended. I tend to believe the latter story, as it was fairly well reported at the time that the test screenings went so bad, Sid Sheinberg, the CEO of Universal, and Frank Price, the President of the studio, got into a fist fight in the lobby of one of the theatres running one of the test screenings, over who was to blame for this impending debacle.   And a debacle it was.   But just how bad?   So bad, copywriters from across the nation reveled in giddy glee over the chances to have a headline that read “‘Howard the Duck' Lays an Egg!”   And it did.   Well, sort of.   When it opened in 1554 theatres on August 1st, the film would gross $5.07m, the second best opener of the weekend, behind the sixth Friday the 13th entry, and above other new movies like the Tom Hanks/Jackie Gleason dramedy Nothing in Common and the cult film in the making Flight of the Navigator. And $5m in 1986 was a fairly decent if unspectacular opening weekend gross. The Fly was considered a massive success when it opened to $7m just two weeks later. Short Circuit, which had opened to $5.3m in May, was also lauded as being a hit right out of the gate.   And the reviews were pretty lousy. Gene Siskel gave the film only one star, calling it a stupid film with an unlikeable lead in the duck and special effects that were less impressive than a sparkler shoved into a birthday cake. Both Siskel and Ebert would give it the dreaded two thumbs down on their show. Leonard Maltin called the film hopeless. Today, the film only has a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 81 reviews.   But despite the shellacking the film took, it wouldn't be all bad for several of the people involved in the making of the film.   Lea Thompson was so worried her career might be over after the opening weekend of the film, she accepted a role in the John Hughes movie Some Kind of Wonderful that she had turned down multiple times before. As I stated in our March 2021 episode about that movie, it's my favorite of all John Hughes movies, and it would lead to a happy ending for Thompson as well. Although the film was not a massive success, Thompson and the film's director, Howard Deutch, would fall in love during the making of the film. They would marry in 1989, have two daughters together, and as of the writing of this episode, they are still happily married.   For Tim Robbins, it showed filmmakers that he could handle a leading role in a movie. Within two years, he would be starring alongside Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon in Bull Durham, and he career would soar for the next three decades.   And for Ed Gale, his being able to act while in a full-body duck suit would lead him to be cast to play Chucky in the first two Child's Play movies as well as Bride of Chucky.   Years later, Entertainment Weekly would name Howard the Duck as the biggest pop culture failure of all time, ahead of such turkeys as NBC's wonderfully ridiculous 1979 show Supertrain, the infamous 1980 Western Heaven's Gate, Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman's Ishtar, and the truly wretched 1978 Bee Gees movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.   But Howard the Duck, the character, not the movie, would enjoy a renaissance in 2014, when James Gunn included a CG-animated version of the character in the post-credit sequence for Guardians of the Galaxy. The character would show up again in the Disney animated Guardians television series, and in the 2021 Disney+ anthology series Marvel's What If…   There technically would be one other 1980s movie based on a Marvel character, Mark Goldblatt's version of The Punisher, featuring Dolph Lundgren as Frank Castle. Shot in Australia in 1988, the film was supposed to be released by New World Pictures in August of 1989. The company even sent out trailers to theatres that summer to help build awareness for the film, but New World's continued financial issues would put the film on hold until April 1991, when it was released directly to video by Live Entertainment.   It wouldn't be until the 1998 release of Blade, featuring Wesley Snipes as the titular vampire, that movies based on Marvel Comics characters would finally be accepted by movie-going audiences. That would soon be followed by Bryan Singer's X-Men in 2000, and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man in 2002, the success of both prompting Marvel to start putting together the team that would eventually give birth to the Marvel Cinematic Universe we all know and love today.   Thank you for joining us. We'll talk again soon, when Episode 102, the first of two episodes about the 1980s distribution company Vestron Pictures, is released.   Remember to visit this episode's page on our website, The80sMoviePodcast.com, for extra materials about Howard the Duck, and the other movies, both existing and non-existent, we covered this episode.   The 80s Movies Podcast has been researched, written, narrated and edited by Edward Havens for Idiosyncratic Entertainment.   Thank you again.   Good night.

This week, we talk about the 1980s Marvel Cinematic Universe that could have been, and eventually was. ----more---- TRANSCRIPT From Los Angeles, California, the Entertainment Capital of the World, it's The 80s Movies Podcast. I am your host, Edward Havens. Thank you for listening today.   The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the undisputed king of intellectual property in the entertainment industry. As of February 9th, 2023, the day I record this episode, there have been thirty full length motion pictures part of the MCU in the past fifteen years, with a combined global ticket sales of $28 billion, as well as twenty television shows that have been seen by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. It is a entertainment juggernaut that does not appear to be going away anytime soon.   This comes as a total shock to many of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, who were witness of cheaply produced television shows featuring hokey special effects and a roster of has-beens and never weres in the cast. Superman was the king of superheroes at the movies, in large part because, believe it or not, there hadn't even been a movie based on a Marvel Comics character released into theatres until the summer of 1986. But not for lack of trying.   And that's what we're going to talk about today. A brief history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the 1980s.       But first, as always, some backstory.   Now, I am not approaching this as a comic fan. When I was growing up in the 80s, I collected comics, but my collection was limited to Marvel's Star Wars series, Marvel's ROM The SpaceKnight, and Marvel's two-issue Blade Runner comic adaptation in 1982. So I apologize to Marvel comics fans if I relay some of this information incorrectly. I have tried to do my due diligence when it comes to my research.   Marvel Comics got its start as Timely Comics back in 1939. On August 31, 1939, Timely would release its first comic, titled Marvel Comics, which would feature a number of short stories featuring versions of characters that would become long-running staples of the eventual publishing house that would bear the comic's name, including The Angel, a version of The Human Torch who was actually an android hero, and Namor the Submariner, who was originally created for a unpublished comic that was supposed to be given to kids when they attended their local movie theatre during a Saturday matinee.   That comic issue would quickly sell out its initial 80,000 print run, as well as its second run, which would put another 800,000 copies out to the marketplace. The Vision would be another character introduced on the pages of Marvel Comics, in November 1940.   In December 1940, Timely would introduce their next big character, Captain America, who would find instant success thanks to its front cover depicting Cap punching Adolph Hitler square in the jaw, proving that Americans have loved seeing Nazis get punched in the face even a year before our country entered the World War II conflict. But there would be other popular characters created during this timeframe, including Black Widow, The Falcon, and The Invisible Man.   In 1941, Timely Comics would lose two of its best collaborators, artists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, to rival company Detective Comics, and Timely owner Martin Goodman would promote one of his cousins, by marriage to his wife Jean no less, to become the interim editor of Timely Comics. A nineteen year old kid named Stanley Lieber, who would shorten his name to Stan Lee.   In 1951, Timely Comics would be rebranded at Atlas Comics, and would expand past superhero titles to include tales of crime, drama, espionage, horror, science fiction, war, western, and even romance comics.   Eventually, in 1961, Atlas Comics would rebrand once again as Marvel Comics, and would find great success by changing the focus of their stories from being aimed towards younger readers and towards a more sophisticated audience. It would be November 1961 when Marvel would introduce their first superhero team, The Fantastic Four, as well as a number of their most beloved characters including Black Panther, Carol Danvers, Iron Man, The Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, and Thor, as well as Professor X and many of the X-Men.   And as would be expected, Hollywood would come knocking. Warner Brothers would be in the best position to make comic book movies, as both they and DC Comics were owned by the same company beginning in 1969. But for Marvel, they would not be able to enjoy that kind of symbiotic relationship. Regularly strapped for cash, Stan Lee would often sell movie and television rights to a variety of Marvel characters to whomever came calling. First, Marvel would team with a variety of producers to create a series of animated television shows, starting with The Marvel Super Heroes in 1966, two different series based on The Fantastic Four, and both Spider-Man and Spider-Woman series.   But movies were a different matter.   The rights to make a Spider-Man television show, for example, was sold off to a production company called Danchuck, who teamed with CBS-TV to start airing the show in September of 1977, but Danchuck was able to find a loophole in their contract  that allowed them to release the two-hour pilot episode as a movie outside of the United States, which complicated the movie rights Marvel had already sold to another company.   Because the “movie” was a success around the world, CBS and Danchuck would release two more Spider-Man “movies” in 1978 and 1981. Eventually, the company that owned the Spider-Man movie rights to sell them to another company in the early 1980s, the legendary independent B-movie production company and distributor, New World Pictures, founded and operated by the legendary independent B-movie producer and director Roger Corman. But shortly after Corman acquired the film rights to Spider-Man, he went and almost immediately sold them to another legendary independent B-movie production company and distributor, Cannon Films.   Side note: Shortly after Corman sold the movie rights to Spider-Man to Cannon, Marvel Entertainment was sold to the company that also owned New World Pictures, although Corman himself had nothing to do with the deal itself. The owners of New World were hoping to merge the Marvel comic book characters with the studio's television and motion picture department, to create a sort of shared universe. But since so many of the better known characters like Spider-Man and Captain America had their movie and television rights sold off to the competition, it didn't seem like that was going to happen anytime soon, but again, I'm getting ahead of myself.   So for now, we're going to settle on May 1st, 1985. Cannon Films, who loved to spend money to make money, made a big statement in the pages of the industry trade publication Variety, when they bought nine full pages of advertising in the Cannes Market preview issue to announce that buyers around the world needed to get ready, because he was coming.   Spider-Man.   A live-action motion picture event, to be directed by Tobe Hooper, whose last movie, Poltergeist, re-ignited his directing career, that would be arriving in theatres for Christmas 1986. Cannon had made a name for themselves making cheapie teen comedies in their native Israel in the 1970s, and then brought that formula to America with films like The Last American Virgin, a remake of the first Lemon Popsicle movie that made them a success back home. Cannon would swerve into cheapie action movies with fallen stars like Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson, and would prop up a new action star in Chuck Norris, as well as cheapie trend-chasing movies like Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. They had seen enough success in America where they could start spending even bigger, and Spider-Man was supposed to be their first big splash into the superhero movie genre. With that, they would hire Leslie Stevens, the creator of the cult TV series The Outer Limits, to write the screenplay.   There was just one small problem.   Neither Stevens nor Cannon head honcho Menachem Golan understood the Spider-Man character.   Golan thought Spider-Man was a half-spider/half-man creature, not unlike The Wolf Man, and instructed Stevens to follow that concept. Stevens' script would not really borrow from any of the comics' twenty plus year history. Peter Parker, who in this story is a twenty-something ID photographer for a corporation that probably would have been Oscorp if it were written by anyone else who had at least some familiarity with the comics, who becomes intentionally bombarded with gamma radiation by one of the scientists in one of the laboratories, turning Bruce Banner… I mean, Peter Parker, into a hairy eight-armed… yes, eight armed… hybrid human/spider monster. At first suicidal, Bruce… I mean, Peter, refuses to join forces with the scientist's other master race of mutants, forcing Peter to battle these other mutants in a basement lab to the death.   To say Stan Lee hated it would be an understatement.   Lee schooled Golan and Golan's partner at Cannon, cousin Yoram Globus, on what Spider-Man was supposed to be, demanded a new screenplay. Wanting to keep the head of Marvel Comics happy, because they had big plans not only for Spider-Man but a number of other Marvel characters, they would hire the screenwriting team of Ted Newsom and John Brancato, who had written a screenplay adaptation for Lee of Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, to come up with a new script for Spider-Man.   Newsom and Brancato would write an origin story, featuring a teenage Peter Parker who must deal with his newfound powers while trying to maintain a regular high school existence, while going up against an evil scientist, Otto Octavius. But we'll come back to that later.   In that same May 1985 issue of Variety, amongst dozens of pages of ads for movies both completed and in development, including three other movies from Tobe Hooper, was a one-page ad for Captain America. No director or actor was attached to the project yet, but comic book writer James L. Silke, who had written the scripts for four other Cannon movies in the previous two years, was listed as the screenwriter.   By October 1985, Cannon was again trying to pre-sell foreign rights to make a Spider-Man movie, this time at the MIFED Film Market in Milan, Italy. Gone were Leslie Stevens and Tobe Hooper. Newsom and Brancato were the new credited writers, and Joseph Tito, the director of the Chuck Norris/Cannon movies Missing in Action and Invasion U.S.A., was the new director. In a two-page ad for Captain America, the film would acquire a new director in Michael Winner, the director of the first three Death Wish movies.   And the pattern would continue every few months, from Cannes to MIFED to the American Film Market, and back to Cannes. A new writer would be attached. A new director. A new release date. By October 1987, after the twin failures of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and Masters of the Universe, Cannon had all but given up on a Captain America movie, and downshifted the budget on their proposed Spider-Man movie. Albert Pyun, whose ability to make any movie in any genre look far better than its budget should have allowed, was brought in to be the director of Spider-Man, from a new script written by Shepard Goldman.   Who?   Shepard Goldman, whose one and only credit on any motion picture was as one of three screenwriters on the 1988 Cannon movie Salsa.   Don't remember Salsa? That's okay. Neither does anyone else.   But we'll talk a lot more about Cannon Films down the road, because there's a lot to talk about when it comes to Cannon Films, although I will leave you with two related tidbits…   Do you remember the 1989 Jean-Claude Van Damme film Cyborg? Post-apocalyptic cyberpunk martial-arts action film where JCVD and everyone else in the movie have names like Gibson Rickenbacker, Fender Tremolo, Marshall Strat and Pearl Prophet for no damn good reason? Stupid movie, lots of fun. Anyway, Albert Pyun was supposed to shoot two movies back to back for Cannon Films in 1988, a sequel to Masters of the Universe, and Spider-Man. To save money, both movies would use many of the same sets and costumes, and Cannon had spent more than $2m building the sets and costumes at the old Dino DeLaurentiis Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina, where David Lynch had shot Blue Velvet. But then Cannon ran into some cash flow issues, and lost the rights to both the He-Man toy line from Mattel and the Spider-Man characters they had licensed from Marvel. But ever the astute businessman, Cannon Films chairman Menahem Golan offered Pyun $500,000 to shoot any movie he wanted using the costumes and sets already created and paid for, provided Pyun could come up with a movie idea in a week. Pyun wrote the script to Cyborg in five days, and outside of some on-set alterations, that first draft would be the shooting script. The film would open in theatres in April 1989, and gross more than $10m in the United States alone.   A few months later, Golan would gone from Cannon Films. As part of his severance package, he would take one of the company's acquisitions, 21st Century Films, with him, as well as several projects, including Captain America. Albert Pyun never got to make his Spider-Man movie, but he would go into production on his Captain America in August 1989. But since the movie didn't get released in any form until it came out direct to video and cable in 1992, I'll leave it to podcasts devoted to 90s movies to tell you more about it. I've seen it. It's super easy to find on YouTube. It really sucks, although not as much as that 1994 version of The Fantastic Four that still hasn't been officially released nearly thirty years later.   There would also be attempts throughout the decade to make movies from the aforementioned Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Daredevil, the Incredible Hulk, Silver Surfer and Iron Man, from companies like New Line, 20th Century-Fox and Universal, but none of those would ever come to fruition in the 1980s.   But the one that would stick?   Of the more than 1,000 characters that had been featured in the pages of Marvel Comics over the course of forty years?   The one that would become the star of the first ever theatrically released motion picture based on a Marvel character?   Howard the Duck.   Howard the Duck was not your average Marvel superhero.   Howard the Duck wasn't even a superhero.   He was just some wise crackin', ill-tempered, anthropomorphic water fowl that was abducted away from his home on Duckworld and forced against his will to live with humans on Earth. Or, more specifically, first with the dirty humans of the Florida Everglades, and then Cleveland, and finally New York City.    Howard the Duck was metafiction and existentialist when neither of these things were in the zeitgeist. He smoked cigars, wore a suit and tie, and enjoy drinking a variety of libations and getting it on with the women, mostly his sometimes girlfriend Beverly.   The perfect character to be the subject of the very first Marvel movie.   A PG-rated movie.   Enter George Lucas.   In 1973, George Lucas had hit it big with his second film as a director, American Graffiti. Lucas had written the screenplay, based in part on his life as an eighteen year old car enthusiast about to graduate high school, with the help of a friend from his days at USC Film School, Willard Huyck, and Huyck's wife, Gloria Katz. Lucas wanted to show his appreciation for their help by producing a movie for them. Although there are variations to the story of how this came about, most sources say it was Huyck who would tell Lucas about this new comic book character, Howard the Duck, who piqued his classmate's interest by describing the comic as having elements of film noir and absurdism.   Because Universal dragged their feet on American Graffiti, not promoting it as well as they could have upon its initial release and only embracing the film when the public embraced its retro soundtrack, Lucas was not too keen on working with Universal again on his next project, a sci-fi movie he was calling The Journal of the Whills. And while they saw some potential in what they considered to be some minor kiddie movie, they didn't think Lucas could pull it off the way he was describing it for the budget he was asking for.   “What else you got, kid?” they'd ask.   Lucas had Huyck and Katz, and an idea for a live-action comic book movie about a talking duck.   Surprisingly, Universal did not slam the door shut in Lucas's face. They actually went for the idea, and worked with Lucas, Stan Lee of Marvel Comics and Howard's creator, Steve Gerber, to put a deal together to make it happen.   Almost right away, Gerber and the screenwriters, Huyck and Katz, would butt heads on practically every aspect of the movie's storyline. Katz just thought it was some funny story about a duck from outer space and his wacky adventures on Earth, Gerber was adamant that Howard the Duck was an existential joke, that the difference between life's most serious moments and its most incredibly dumb moments were only distinguishable by a moment's point of view. Huyck wanted to make a big special effects movie, while Katz thought it would be fun to set the story in Hawaii so she and her husband could have some fun while shooting there. The writers would spend years on their script, removing most everything that made the Howard the Duck comic book so enjoyable to its readers. Howard and his story would be played completely straight in the movie, leaning on subtle gags not unlike a Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker movie, instead of embracing the surreal ridiculousness of the comics. They would write humongous effects-heavy set pieces, knowing they would have access to their producer's in-house special effects team, Industrial Light and Magic, instead of the comics' more cerebral endings. And they'd tone down the more risqué aspects of Howard's personality, figuring a more family-friendly movie would bring in more money at the box office.   It would take nearly twelve years for all the pieces to fall into place for Howard the Duck to begin filming. But in the spring of 1985, Universal finally gave the green light for Lucas and his tea to finally make the first live-action feature film based on a Marvel Comics character.   For Beverly, the filmmakers claimed to have looked at every young actress in Hollywood before deciding on twenty-four year old Lea Thompson, who after years of supporting roles in movies like Jaws 3-D, All the Right Moves and Red Dawn, had found success playing Michael J. Fox's mother in Back to the Future. Twenty-six year old Tim Robbins had only made two movies up to this point, at one of the frat boys in Fraternity Vacation and as one of the fighter pilots in Top Gun, and this was his first chance to play a leading role in a major motion picture. And Jeffrey Jones would be cast as the bad guy, the Dark Overlord, based upon his work in the 1984 Best Picture winner Amadeus, although he would be coming to the set of Howard the Duck straight off of working on a John Hughes movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off.   Howard the Duck would begin shooting on the Universal Studios lot of November 11th, 1985, and on the very first day of production, the duck puppet being used to film would have a major mechanical failure, not unlike the mechanical failure of the shark in Jaws that would force Steven Spielberg to become more creative with how he shot that character. George Lucas, who would be a hands-on producer, would suggest that maybe they could shoot other scenes not involving the duck, while his crew at ILM created a fully functional, life-sized animatronic duck costume for a little actor to wear on set. At first, the lead actor in the duck suit was a twelve-year old boy, but within days of his start on the film, he would develop a severe case of claustrophobia inside the costume. Ed Gale, originally hired to be the stuntman in the duck costume, would quickly take over the role. Since Gale could work longer hours than the child, due to the very restrictive laws surrounding child actors on movie and television sets, this would help keep the movie on a good production schedule, and make shooting the questionable love scenes between Howard and Beverly easier for Ms. Thompson, who was creeped out at the thought of seducing a pre-teen for a scene.   To keep the shoot on schedule, not only would the filmmakers employ a second shooting unit to shoot the scenes not involving the main actors, which is standard operating procedure on most movies, Lucas would supervise a third shooting unit that would shoot Robbins and Gale in one of the film's more climactic moments, when Howard and Phil are trying to escape being captured by the authorities by flying off on an ultralight plane. Most of this sequence would be shot in the town of Petaluma, California, on the same streets where Lucas had shot American Graffiti's iconic cruising scenes thirteen years earlier.   After a month-long shoot of the film's climax at a naval station in San Francisco, the film would end production on March 26th, 1986, leaving the $36m film barely four months to be put together in order to make its already set in stone August 1st, 1986, release date.   Being used to quick turnaround times, the effects teams working on the film would get all their shots completed with time to spare, not only because they were good at their jobs but they had the ability to start work before the film went into production. For the end sequence, when Jones' character had fully transformed into the Dark Overlord, master stop motion animator Phil Tippett, who had left ILM in 1984 to start his own effects studio specializing in that style of animation, had nearly a year to put together what would ultimately be less than two minutes of actual screen time.   As Beverly was a musician, Lucas would hire English musician and composer Thomas Dolby, whose 1982 single She Blinded Me With Science became a global smash hit, to write the songs for Cherry Bomb, the all-girl rock group lead by Lea Thompson's Beverly. Playing KC, the keyboardist for Cherry Bomb, Holly Robinson would book her first major acting role. For the music, Dolby would collaborate with Allee Willis, the co-writer of Earth Wind and Fire's September and Boogie Wonderland, and funk legend George Clinton. But despite this powerhouse musical trio, the songs for the band were not very good, and, with all due respect to Lea Thompson, not very well sung.   By August 1986, Universal Studios needed a hit. Despite winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in March with Sydney Pollack's Out of Africa, the first six films they released for the year were all disappointments at the box office and/or with the critics.    The Best of Times, a comedy featuring Robin Williams and Kurt Russell as two friends who try to recreate a high school football game which changed the direction of both their lives. Despite a script written by Ron Shelton, who would be nominated for an Oscar for his next screenplay, Bull Durham, and Robin Williams, the $12m film would gross less than $8m.    The Money Pit, a comedy with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long, would end up grossing $37m against a $10m budget, but the movie was so bad, its first appearance on DVD wouldn't come until 2011, and only as part of a Tom Hanks Comedy Favorites Collection along with The ‘Burbs and Dragnet.   Legend, a dark fantasy film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Cruise, was supposed to be one of the biggest hits… of 1985. But Scott and the studio would fight over the film, with the director wanting them to release a two hour and five minute long version with a classical movie score by Jerry Goldsmith, while the studio eventually cut the film down an hour and twenty-nine minutes with a techno score by Tangerine Dream. Despite an amazing makeup job transforming Tim Curry into the Lord of Darkness as well as sumptuous costumes and cinematography, the $24.5m film would just miss recouping its production budget back in ticket sales.   Tom Cruise would become a superstar not three weeks later, when Paramount Pictures released Top Gun, directed by Ridley's little brother Tony Scott.   Sweet Liberty should have been a solid performer for the studio. Alan Alda, in his first movie since the end of MASH three years earlier, would write, direct and star in this comedy about a college history professor who must watch in disbelief as a Hollywood production comes to his small town to film the movie version of one of the books. The movie, which also starred Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Michelle Pfieffer and screen legend Lillian Gish, would get lost in the shuffle of other comedies that were already playing in theatres like Ferris Bueller and Short Circuit.   Legal Eagles was the movie to beat for the summer of 1986… at least on paper. Ivan Reitman's follow-up film to Ghostbusters would feature a cast that included Robert Redford, Debra Winger and Daryl Hannah, along with Brian Denny, Terence Stamp, and Brian Doyle-Murray, and was perhaps too much movie, being a legal romantic comedy mystery crime thriller.   Phew.   If I were to do an episode about agency packaging in the 1980s, the process when a talent agency like Creative Artists Agency, or CAA, put two or more of their clients together in a project not because it might be best for the movie but best for the agency that will collect a 10% commission from each client attached to the project, Legal Eagles would be the example of packaging gone too far. Ivan Reitman was a client of CAA. As were Redford,  and Winger, and Hannah. As was Bill Murray, who was originally cast in the Redford role. As were Jim Cash and Jack Epps, the screenwriters for the film. As was Tom Mankewicz, the co-writer of Superman and three Bond films, who was brought in to rewrite the script when Murray left and Redford came in. As was Frank Price, the chairman of Universal Pictures when the project was put together. All told, CAA would book more than $1.5m in commissions for themselves from all their clients working on the film.   And it sucked.   Despite the fact that it had almost no special effects, Legal Eagles would cost $40m to produce, one of the most expensive movies ever made to that point, nearly one and a half times the cost of Ghostbusters. The film would gross nearly $50m in the US, which would make it only the 14th highest grossing film of the year. Less than Stand By Me. Less than The Color of Money. Less than Down and Out in Beverly Hills.   And then there was Psycho III, the Anthony Perkins-directed slasher film that brought good old Norman Bates out of mothballs once again. An almost direct follow-up to Psycho II from 1983, the film neither embraced by horror film fans or critics, the film would only open in eighth place, despite the fact there hadn't been a horror movie in theatres for months, and its $14m gross would kill off any chance for a Psycho IV in theatres.   In late June, Universal would hold a series of test screenings for Howard the Duck. Depending on who you talk to, the test screenings either went really well, or went so bad that one of the writers would tear up negative response cards before they could be given to the score compilers, to goose the numbers up, pun only somewhat intended. I tend to believe the latter story, as it was fairly well reported at the time that the test screenings went so bad, Sid Sheinberg, the CEO of Universal, and Frank Price, the President of the studio, got into a fist fight in the lobby of one of the theatres running one of the test screenings, over who was to blame for this impending debacle.   And a debacle it was.   But just how bad?   So bad, copywriters from across the nation reveled in giddy glee over the chances to have a headline that read “‘Howard the Duck' Lays an Egg!”   And it did.   Well, sort of.   When it opened in 1554 theatres on August 1st, the film would gross $5.07m, the second best opener of the weekend, behind the sixth Friday the 13th entry, and above other new movies like the Tom Hanks/Jackie Gleason dramedy Nothing in Common and the cult film in the making Flight of the Navigator. And $5m in 1986 was a fairly decent if unspectacular opening weekend gross. The Fly was considered a massive success when it opened to $7m just two weeks later. Short Circuit, which had opened to $5.3m in May, was also lauded as being a hit right out of the gate.   And the reviews were pretty lousy. Gene Siskel gave the film only one star, calling it a stupid film with an unlikeable lead in the duck and special effects that were less impressive than a sparkler shoved into a birthday cake. Both Siskel and Ebert would give it the dreaded two thumbs down on their show. Leonard Maltin called the film hopeless. Today, the film only has a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 81 reviews.   But despite the shellacking the film took, it wouldn't be all bad for several of the people involved in the making of the film.   Lea Thompson was so worried her career might be over after the opening weekend of the film, she accepted a role in the John Hughes movie Some Kind of Wonderful that she had turned down multiple times before. As I stated in our March 2021 episode about that movie, it's my favorite of all John Hughes movies, and it would lead to a happy ending for Thompson as well. Although the film was not a massive success, Thompson and the film's director, Howard Deutch, would fall in love during the making of the film. They would marry in 1989, have two daughters together, and as of the writing of this episode, they are still happily married.   For Tim Robbins, it showed filmmakers that he could handle a leading role in a movie. Within two years, he would be starring alongside Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon in Bull Durham, and he career would soar for the next three decades.   And for Ed Gale, his being able to act while in a full-body duck suit would lead him to be cast to play Chucky in the first two Child's Play movies as well as Bride of Chucky.   Years later, Entertainment Weekly would name Howard the Duck as the biggest pop culture failure of all time, ahead of such turkeys as NBC's wonderfully ridiculous 1979 show Supertrain, the infamous 1980 Western Heaven's Gate, Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman's Ishtar, and the truly wretched 1978 Bee Gees movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.   But Howard the Duck, the character, not the movie, would enjoy a renaissance in 2014, when James Gunn included a CG-animated version of the character in the post-credit sequence for Guardians of the Galaxy. The character would show up again in the Disney animated Guardians television series, and in the 2021 Disney+ anthology series Marvel's What If…   There technically would be one other 1980s movie based on a Marvel character, Mark Goldblatt's version of The Punisher, featuring Dolph Lundgren as Frank Castle. Shot in Australia in 1988, the film was supposed to be released by New World Pictures in August of 1989. The company even sent out trailers to theatres that summer to help build awareness for the film, but New World's continued financial issues would put the film on hold until April 1991, when it was released directly to video by Live Entertainment.   It wouldn't be until the 1998 release of Blade, featuring Wesley Snipes as the titular vampire, that movies based on Marvel Comics characters would finally be accepted by movie-going audiences. That would soon be followed by Bryan Singer's X-Men in 2000, and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man in 2002, the success of both prompting Marvel to start putting together the team that would eventually give birth to the Marvel Cinematic Universe we all know and love today.   Thank you for joining us. We'll talk again soon, when Episode 102, the first of two episodes about the 1980s distribution company Vestron Pictures, is released.   Remember to visit this episode's page on our website, The80sMoviePodcast.com, for extra materials about Howard the Duck, and the other movies, both existing and non-existent, we covered this episode.   The 80s Movies Podcast has been researched, written, narrated and edited by Edward Havens for Idiosyncratic Entertainment.   Thank you again.   Good night.

David Armstrong interviewed Golden, Silver and Bronze Age great, Julius Schwartz in 1999 on set at San Diego Comic Con about his work as a Science Fiction pulp writer agent in the 1930s, his friendship with Mort Weisinger, working with Alfred Bester & Shelley Mayer at All American Comics, M.C. Gaines, Harry Donenfeld, Science Fiction comic books of the 1950s, Strange Adventures, Gorilla covers, jumpstarting the Silver Age with the Flash, Green Lantern's oath, the JLA, Adam Strange, contributing to the Batman TV show, the Superman film, meeting and influencing Marvel's Editor, Stan Lee, Gardner Fox, and comics of the late 1990s.Interview conducted, recorded and copyrighted to David Armstrong.Remastered, edited, timestamped and postproduction by Alex Grand.Support the show

It all began here in 1939, the issue that launched the company that would become Marvel Comics. In this issue we meet the first two stars of Timely Comics, the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner! It's a run through of the issue as Classic Comics looks at this historic issue from the Golden Age of Comics. You can follow the show @ComicsLloyd on Twitter or send an email to ClassicComicsMBL@gmail.com. You can find me on Twitter @MattB_Lloyd and at www.dccomicsnews.com where I write reviews and edit news stories. You can also check out my chapter in “Politics in Gotham: The Batman Universe and Political Thought.” https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Gotham-Universe-Political-Thought/dp/3030057755 And: “Black Panther and Philosophy: What Can Wakanda Offer the World?” https://www.amazon.com/Black-Panther-Philosophy-Blackwell-Culture/dp/1119635845/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2F69N3WJBZMF3&keywords=what+can+wakanda&qid=1642053514&sprefix=what+can+wakanda%2Caps%2C256&sr=8-1 Links Marvel Comics #1 https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/10008/marvel_comics_1939_1 Marvel Comics #1000 https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/75125/marvel_comics_2019_1000 Timely Comics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timely_Comics Funnies, Inc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funnies_Inc. Martin Goodman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Goodman_(publisher) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/comics-in-motion-podcast/message

Marvel Science Stories was an American pulp magazine that ran for a total of fifteen issues in two separate runs, both edited by Robert O. Erisman. The publisher for the first run was Postal Publications, and the second run was published by Western Publishing; both companies were owned by Abraham and Martin Goodman. The first issue was dated August 1938, and carried stories with more sexual content than was usual for the genre, including several stories by Henry Kuttner, under his own name and also under pseudonyms. Reaction was generally negative, with one reader referring to Kuttner's story "The Time Trap" as "trash". This was the first of several titles featuring the word "Marvel", and Marvel Comics came from the same stable in the following year. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Science_Stories License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0;

In this episode of SurgOnc Today®, Martin Goodman, MD, is joined by fellow members of the SSO Peritoneal Surface Malignancy Disease Site Workgroup, Ioannis Konstantinidis, MD, FACS, FSSO, and Trang Nguyen, MD.  They discuss various scenarios in which patients present with malignant bowel obstruction, reviewing the decision making process and treatment options to meet the individualized needs of each patient.  

In which we discuss the origins and story behind Marvel Comics and its founder, Martin Goodman!  Join us as we talk about some shady stuff!  We also talk about some near disasters that somehow work out anyway!What do you think?  Do you have something to say?  Wanna tell us what you think of our current topic?  Have other things to say about other topics?  Wanna tell us some sweet recipes for cookies (please)?  Let us know!  We have social medias!  If you see the deranged pencil, you're in the right place!  I also check my email now!  I promise!  You could also give us a rating and comment on your favorite podcast aggregator!  Talk to us!  Website:  https://pencilusinpodcast.buzzsprout.com Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/PencilUsInPodcast Twitter: @pencilusin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pencilusinpodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pencilusin email: PencilUsInPodcast@gmail.com We read some cool magazines with articles and stuff for reference!  Wanna know which ones?I read several issues of TwoMorrows Publishing's Alter Ego for this.  It's a neat magazine!  Next week's episode will essentially have the same list since it's basically the same topic split in two.Alter Ego (TwoMorrows Publishing): 3, 11, 22, 46, 49, 114, 165 What comics did we cover for our topic?  Take a look!Marvel Comics (Marvel/Timely): 1Marvel Mystery Comics (Marvel/Timely): 2-12THANKS FOR LISTENING!

In a religious system which presupposed a covenant not just between God and the individual Jew, but between God and Israel as a nation, the sense of communal solidarity had an abiding impact, regardless of the differences between denominations. Read by Leighton Pugh.

Detailed history of Rome and Jerusalems history and conflict.

The birth of Spider-Man. When Stan Lee was asked to create a new super hero he needed to get creative to avoid the cutting room floor. A new kind of hero and a tricky way to get his idea past the editor. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector and storyteller. I'm Stephen's sidekick and business partner, Dave young. Before we get into today's episode, a word from our sponsor, which is, well it's us, but we're highlighting ads we've written and produced for our clients, so here's one of those. [No Bull Ad] Dave Young: Spider-Man, Spider-Man. I don't know the words, Steve. Stephen Semple: My neighborhood Spider-Man, can he swing all on a string? Right? Dave Young: I didn't know that. For some reason, I know the words to 2,000 pop songs that I never intended to remember, but I don't remember that one. I just remember da, da, da, Spider-Man. So, all right, how are you going to relate Spider-Man to a business lesson? Stephen Semple: There's a great business lesson in Spider-Man. We got to go back to the start of Spider-Man. So we have to go back to early 1962. And Stan Lee is the editor at Marvel Comics in New York City. And at this time, Marvel is owned by Martin Goodman and his company is Goodman Publications. Goodman Publications owns Marvel, Stan Lee is working there as an editor. And at this point, Marvel is way smaller than DC. DC Comics is the monster and Marvel is this little tiny comic book manufacturer at that point. And Stan Lee just got off of working with Jack Kirby and Jack Kirby, for anybody who's into comics, Jack Kirby's one of the amazing illustrators in comic books. And they had just come off this big success creating the Fantastic Four. The Fantastic Four was a brand new idea inside comics and was really innovative and they just had this big success. Stephen Semple: Stan Lee had an idea for a new superhero and the idea was Spider-Man. But what was going to make it unusual is, at the time all superheroes were big and strong and muscular and all this other stuff, and what he was going to do was make Spider-Man a teenager, including all the usual teenager, pimply face, angst, scared of girls problems. And there were- Dave Young: 98 pound weakling, normal guy. Stephen Semple: Yeah. He was going to make him a real teenager with all the teenager angst and all the teenager problems, and there were no teenager superheroes at the time, none. They were all these big, muscular, adults. And so he took it to the publisher, Martin Goodman, and here's what Martin Goodman had to say to him, "Worst idea I've ever heard. First of all, people hate spiders. So you can't aunt call a superhero Spider-Man. Second, teenagers can only be sidekicks and you want them to have personal problems?" According to Stan Lee, this is what Martin Goodman said to Stan Lee, "Stan, don't you know what a superhero is? They don't have personal problems." Dave Young: Oh man, what a wet mop that guy was. Stephen Semple: But Lee couldn't get the idea out of his mind, so he decided to get Kirby to draw it. So he laid out the idea to Kirby and he asked him to draw it. And then when Kirby brought it to him, what Kirby drew was basically what looked like a young Superman and Stan Lee was like, "No. I want a scrawny, pimple-faced teenager." He wanted the person to look like a teenager, like how he felt when he was growing up, all the anxieties in the feeling of being an outsider and what Kirby drew was something that looked like all the other superheroes. Basically, even Kirby resisted Stan Lee, and he said, "Stan, that's not a superhero. That's how you draw a sidekick, not a superhero." Stephen Semple: But Stan Lee still really believed it could work. But the other problem is Kirby said, "Look,

This week I continue the series with my old friend, Dr. Martin H. Goodman. Marty graduated from Harvard with a BA in biology in 1971, before receiving his MD from the University of California at San Diego.He worked at the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic in the 1980s and volunteered taking care of people having "bad trips" at rock concerts under the auspices of their "rock medicine" section. Marty has been a life-long fighter for social justice, and is an advocate for educating the public in the scientific method, and using evidence-based reasoning when it comes to matters of medicine and science. He is also a mountaineer (often in remote desert regions), backpacker, river rafter, long-distance cyclist, and life-long environmentalist.Marty is a self-described "iconoclast," who has rejected the politically correct tropes of both the "right" and of the "left". He first used LSD over 50 years ago. Always with a friend, and more often than not in an outdoors (often genuinely wilderness) environment.

This week I continue the series with my old friend, Dr. Martin H. Goodman. Marty graduated from Harvard with a BA in biology in 1971, before receiving his MD from the University of California at San Diego.He worked at the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic in the 1980s and volunteered taking care of people having "bad trips" at rock concerts under the auspices of their "rock medicine" section. Marty has been a life-long fighter for social justice, and is an advocate for educating the public in the scientific method, and using evidence-based reasoning when it comes to matters of medicine and science. He is also a mountaineer (often in remote desert regions), backpacker, river rafter, long-distance cyclist, and life-long environmentalist.Marty is a self-described "iconoclast," who has rejected the politically correct tropes of both the "right" and of the "left". He first used LSD over 50 years ago. Always with a friend, and more often than not in an outdoors (often genuinely wilderness) environment.

A sit down chat between Alex Grand Steve Ditko's nephew, Mark on various key aspects of the Spider-Man co-creators life, characters and motivations in this career spanning interview.   Edited & Produced by Alex Grand. Interview ©2021 Comic Book Historians Images used in artwork ©Their Respective Copyright holders, CBH Podcast ©Comic Book Historians. Thumbnail Artwork ©Comic Book Historians.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/comicbookhistorians)

What do Archie, Biblical Apocalypse fiction, and Erik Estrada all have in common? It turns out each of these appeared in stories published by Spire Christian Comics.  Join us as we journey through history to learn about and cringe at one of the craziest publishers to come out of the 1970s. ----more---- Episode 6 Transcription [00:00:00] Jessika: Yeah. How are you going to display your deceased cult leader's body if you don't have a Tik Tok? Welcome to Ten Cent Takes, the podcast where we predict the coming of the end of days. One issue at a time. My name is Jessika Frazer and I am joined by my cohost, the savior of sweets, Mike Thompson. Mike: Eeeeeey. Jessika: The purpose of our podcast is to study comic books in ways that are both fun and informative. We want to look at their coolest, weirdest and silliest moments, as well as examine how they're woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history. Today, we're taking a turn for the religious as we look at  Spire Christian Comics. We'll look at the [00:01:00] history behind the publication, the comics and the books they were based upon and discuss how Archie played a role in trying to educate the youths about Jesus. Mike: What. Jessika: Yeah, that's happening. Okay. I know we say this every week, but this was once again a rabbit hole filled episode. So buckle up, friends. Mike: It's almost like we're developing a theme. Jessika: Oh no. Yes. I like it though. Mike: They're worse themes to have. Jessika: There are. There are. Before we get to our main topic and the one cool thing we've read and talked about lately, let's call upon the fact that it is May 4th and May the Fourth be with you, Mike. Mike: And May the Fourth be with you. Jessika: Well, I thank you. For the record: Let it be known that I am wearing an R2D2 printed dress and I have Leia buns. So I am dressed appropriately and I saw that your household was also celebrating. [00:02:00] Mike: Yeah. We festooned everything, but we didn't have any Star Wars outfits to wear, unfortunately. So we just threw up  Star Wars comics around the household in front of our Vader poster and other things that we have. But I have a couple of the really old Dark Horse comics that I absolutely love and adore. Jessika: That's so fun. I love it. Well, we like to do something each week called One Cool Thing You've Read or Watched Lately. Mike, why don't you start us off? Mike:  Sure. So this weekend I wound up reading through DC’s Doomsday Clock collection on Hoopla.  It's basically the official comic book sequel to Watchmen.  It finally delivers the payoff that DC set up back in 2017 when they revealed Dr. Manhattan was involved in the creation of both the New 52 and Rebirth universes. Have you read Watchman?  Jessika: I haven’t read it, no. Mike: Okay.  It's one of those iconic series that everybody loves to talk about. [00:03:00] And to be honest, it's one that I never really enjoyed because I felt that I had a pretty nihilistic tone. But I've read it. I appreciate what it did for comics in the era. It was interesting. I read this and I actually was pretty sour at the start, mainly because I wasn't sure that I liked the story because again, it felt pretty nihilistic and ugly. That said, I actually really enjoyed the way that everything paid off at the end. Primarily the idea that there's now a quote unquote metaverse in the DC continuity, which feels like honestly the best response to all the different universe resets that they've been doing since the 80s   it wound up being  hopeful with a surprisingly sweet ending. I mean, it's not as good as the HBO series that came out around the same time, but it's pretty damn good. How about you?  Jessika:  I recently purchased the comic book Fangs by Sarah Anderson.  Mike: I haven’t heard of this. Jessika:  [00:04:00] it's super adorable. It's about the unfolding relationship of a vampire and a werewolf and how they relate. And co-exist in random life situations. Yeah. Like the werewolf eating garlic and going to kiss the vampire. And she has a reaction to it.  Mike: That’s really cute, actually. Jessika:  Yeah. Or their inability to take a selfie together because she doesn't show up on camera. So all of his friends are asking , we haven't ever seen your girlfriend before. Like, why can't you just post a picture? Mike: Oh, that's great. Jessika: So I highly recommend this. If you're looking for a lighthearted fun and wholesome comic, it's just been super nice and mellow, and it's been a good ease to my busy brain. Mike: Nice. Yeah, I'll have to check that out. Jessika: Onto our main topic,  Spire Christian Comics. So I mentioned on a prior episode that I ran across some use comics, at an estate sale for a dollar each. [00:05:00] So how could I not buy all of them? I legit didn't even look at them until after I'd left the sale. But when I did all, I was in for a real treat. The Archie one that was in the stack really didn't catch me off guard. That one seemed pretty basic Archie from the looks of the cover, but the other one was amazing.  Do you remember, I messaged you a picture of the covers and you were the one who discovered  the Spire Christian Comics brand for us. Mike: Yes I do. Jessika:  Yeah, that was fun. I just could not believe I found these. And when I sat down to do my research, I wasn't sure how much information there really was surrounding these. But like I said earlier, buckle up friends. This was a rabbit hole journey that I will gladly take you on. One that includes Jesus,  Archie, Erik Estrada, and more. [00:06:00]  Mike: Wait, the guy from CHIPS? Jessika: Yes, the very same. Mike: Is this more or less embarrassing than that weird  land sale thing that he was doing about 10 or 15 years ago? Jessika: I'll let you decide we will talk about it. Mike: I'm strapping in, my body is ready. Jessika: Well, before we dig too deep, and since we'll be talking about religion a lot, this episode, Mike, what is your religious background and where do you currently stand?  Mike: Um, so I like to joke that my family views me as the failed experiment because I didn't really turn out like they were hoping. And a large part of that is basically because I swiped left on organized religion as soon as I got a choice. Patton Oswalt talks about the concept of "it's all chaos be kind" in his special Annihilation, and that's kind of where I stand these [00:07:00] days. But I grew up surrounded by a religion. I was raised Episcopalian. We went to church almost every Sunday. And a large portion of my bedtime stories were from the Bible story book. My mom is from Texas also. So I've got several Baptist ministers on that side of the family, including a televangelist. Yeah. And to his credit, he has never been implicated in a scandal.  There's never really been anything bad about him. I don't want to name him because, you know, I don't want to make things awkward, but  and his family have always been very kind to my family. I know they helped my mom out a lot when she was in college. And I see him on TV or I used to, when I had TV,  I would see him appear every now and then on the early morning, sermon services every now and then. And I certainly didn't agree with everything he said, but it was just  always weird and surreal to turn on the TV, at say 6:00 AM, while I was getting ready for work or whatever and there he was. [00:08:00] I mean, growing up me and my siblings would actually go to Texas for  portions of our summers. And we would go to church with our extended family. So it was really different than what we were used to. I actually, I wasn't allowed to get my driver's license until I met certain criteria for my parents. One of those things was that I had to get confirmed and I never really had much of a personal connection with religion. And my parents made the mistake of telling me that I didn't have to go to church anymore after I got confirmed. So I wound up taking them up on that, and that was kinda much to their chagrin. And then additionally, my first degree was in history and my oral exit exam was a presentation talking about the Catholic church and how it would cement its power around the world by breaking up old nations and then forming new ones that were beholden to it. So I'd like to think I'm relatively well-informed about the various aspects and sects of Christianity, but I don't really have any spiritual [00:09:00] beliefs of my own. I just, I try to be a good person for the sake of being a good person. Not because I want to be rewarded in a theoretical afterlife. Jessika: Yeah, I agree with that. It makes me nervous when people tell me  or make it appear that religions the thing holding them back from making bad decisions. I'm like, that's really creepy. So I guess religion is for you, like. But I was raised for the first part of my life as a Lutheran, and that included  going to church. We did preschool at the Lutheran church, but we didn't continue going to church after middle school-ish. There was just some congregation changes, I think with the pastor that my parents are just like, "Oh, we don't really like this new guy." I'm sure life just got busy. Cause you know, I was however, from 11 until I was probably about 20 actually, was involved in a Masonic girls organization, which had backgrounds in religion. But that felt very secular. We definitely had some [00:10:00] girls who were Jewish. We had girls of all different religions, girls were Catholic and we actually made it a point of the person who was the Honored Queen or the kind of president they were voted in. Mike: Was that the actual term, was it honored queen? Jessika: It was honored queen, by the way, past Honored Queen, here we are. It's a whole thing. You have to memorize so much stuff. Mike: So can I just next time I see you in person, just be like, Hey Queen.  Jessika: Oh yeah. I'm actually a queen. So it's fine. And that term doesn't leave me cause I may past Honored Queen, so still a queen. Yeah. But as honored queen, they made it a point for, in at least in our Bethel. I don't know if everybody did this but in our particular chapter we would go with the honored queen to her church. I didn't have a church at the time, so I don't think I even did that. But we went to a Catholic church. We went to some Episcopalian. I mean, we, we did a lot of different [00:11:00] church visiting and so I did get a lot of hear a lot of different aspects and like ways manners that this information or information in general was being portrayed. And at this point in my life, I consider myself agnostic because the, "are we alone out there?”question seems a little above my pay grade to answer, in my opinion.  I'm not willing to commit that there's  nothing happening, but I'm also  not willing to commit to, yes, this is happening. So I'll leave it to other people to figure that whole thing out for me. Mike: That seems like a pretty fair stance to take. Jessika: Yeah. Just stay out of it. Someone wants to bring me along. They can, I guess.  So I want to list the resources that I use whole researching this topic and want to make sure I give these websites  the proper credit. So Baker [00:12:00] publishing group.com. You don't read comics dot com, Christian comics, international.org, comics alliance.com, biblio.com, wikipedia for one article, and Hal Lindsey's there's a new world coming through archive.org, which has a wonderful text to speech accessibility feature, which saved me a great deal of time. Mike: I didn't know that they did text to speech. That's rad. Jessika: It was amazing. Yeah. And I figured that out and you can speed it up. So I listened to it at two times the speed.  Mike: Nice. That’s really cool. Jessika: So yeah, that being said it did mean that I was listening to Hal Lindsey, uh, his book in robot speech. Cause it wasn't like a normal voice. It was text to speech like robot, lady speaking. So that was a trip to hear about the rapture through that. Mike: I mean, if you're going to listen to narration about the Rapture, I guess a robot on meth does seem like the best way to do it. Jessika: Oh, I would say so. [00:13:00] I wouldn't have it any other way. So Spire Christian comics were published through what is now the Baker publishing group, but was originally founded in 1870 as the Fleming H Revell company by a man by the same name, along with his brother-in-law, American evangelist Dwight L Moody. Their ultimate goal was to make Christian literature both more plentiful and more widely available, but they didn't start with comics and the company didn't entertain that idea until many years and many significant organizational changes had gone by, there seemed to be so much drama surrounding the ownership and running of this company, which I'm not going to get into here, that there was no mention in their company's history that these comics were even ever published.  Mike: Really? Jessika: Yeah.  Mike: That’s wild. Jessika: Yeah. Kind of funny, huh? Mike: Yeah, that's crazy. Jessika: In 1972. Al Hartley, freelance illustrator for comics like Archie and [00:14:00] Marvel was hired to make adaptations of some of the popular Christian novels that had been published by the Fleming H Revell company. This felt like a very appropriate and timely move for Hartley who had recently become a Born-Again Christian in 1967 and had chosen to quit working with Marvel because the owner at the time, Martin Goodman, asked Hartley to illustrate some risque scenes for some of his men's magazines, Hartley preferred quitting, rather than sacrificing his moral values in his art.   Mike: Was Hartley the artist who actually illustrated the books we read for today? Jessika: Yes, He was. Hartley was the one who illustrated the ones that we read for this episode. Although I'll talk about a little bit later, there is a little bit of mystery surrounding the artistry with There's A New World Coming, even though his name is on the cover.  I want to give you an example of one of the [00:15:00] adaptations that Hartley penned, other than the one you and I read. And we'll talk about that one in a little bit,  I'm gonna send you the, a couple of things to look at.  And the first one is the cover of the novel, the Cross and the Switchblade. Can you please describe this for me? Mike: This really looks like  a low budget thriller from the 19... probably the 1960s is what I  associate this with. There's three colors. Well, four. There's four colors. There's yellow, green, black, and white. So. The background is entirely green. There is a really, it's like a really rough illustration style of a very stylized dude running with a knife. And the knife stands out because this dude is entirely done in scratchy, all black kind of almost pencil. And then the knife is the one piece of white. He is running from another shadowy figure. There is, it looks like a ruined city in the [00:16:00] background then much more clearly illustrated drawn in white is a church, cause you can see the steeple with,  the large cross and it says the Cross And The Switchblade. "The thrilling, true story of a country preacher's fight against teenage crime and big city slums!" Which, OK. Written by the Reverend David Wilkerson with John and Elizabeth Sherrell and John and Elizabeth Sherrell's billing on this title is a little bit smaller than the Reverend David and, it's $1.95 from Spire Books. Jessika: Oh yeah. Spoiler alert It is self starring. Yeah that is why his name is so large. His name is all up in that thing. He didn't even change it It's just in there.   The next is the cover of the movie adaptation.  Can you please describe the cover and read the first couple actors names at the bottom there for me.  Mike: Jesus Christ. Okay. So the title the [00:17:00] cross and the switchblade  is spray painted across some decaying brick. It's standing out from all the other graffiti that's on there and it says “now an explosive motion picture.” It's got what I'm assuming is the reverend, kind of like a  glamour shot. And then he's surrounded by smaller  shots of all the different people who are going to be taking an active role in this story. On the other side of his head it looks like he's being menaced by a "street tough," I don't quite know how to describe the kid other than that. He looks like a character from the Outsiders. That's just immediately where I'm going  cause he's got a leather jacket and it looks like M and M written on the back of his jacket I'm not entirely sure. Cause it's sort of cut off and then underneath them there's a bunch of young men of various ethnicities running and they're all holding  bats, I guess.  I'm not seeing any switchblades other than the one  that's being held by the tough who's menacing the priest. And then there is - Oh my God- so  there is the original book cover that I just [00:18:00] described  in the lower corner and it says next to it  "bares the raw needs at the core of drug addiction, racial hatred, and violence. NEVER -in all caps- has a film been more timely." Um starring Pat Boone as David Wilkerson with Eric Estrada. Oh, there he is. I'm not recognizing any of the other names. Jessika: No. Those were the only ones I needed. He's the street tough  Mike: I was going say  now that I realize that Erik Estrada is in this that is a very young Erik Estrada who is clearly in the salad days of his career. God. Jessika: Lastly  can you please describe the cover of the comic adaptation for me? Mike: I don't know if I want to. Wow. Okay This is way different! So it's again David Wilkerson's the cross and the switchblade is that the same style? [00:19:00]  It's meant to look like it's graffitied on and that there's the dripping graffiti. There's no delicate way to say what it actually looks like. It looks like jizz.. Jessika: It does. It's bad Mike: It’s really unfortunate. Like I don't know how else to describe it.  And then you have a well-dressed for the seventies dude  being menaced by again Erik Estrada his character  and he's surrounded by a bunch of   people of color who are all staring on and not really concerned  with the impending violence that's about to happen, except for one white girl who looks terrified. And then Erik Estrada character’s going "I could kill you, preach." And then the preacher is going, "yes you could Nicky. You could cut me up in a thousand pieces,  and every piece will say I love you." Jessika: Ugh, vomit. Mike: Oh God everything about this is just it is extra. Jessika:  It's a whole thing. [00:20:00] Mike:  Every variation that we've seen has started off at 11 and then it's just kept on turning it up from there. Jessika: Yeah and spoiler: Thematically, the racism is there for just…  Mike: You don’t say. Jessika: Yeah. Oh yeah It's just  rampant. Mike: Based on just what little I'm seeing here it looks like a literal white savior Jessika: Oh that's a hundred percent what it is. So really the comic was an adaptation of a movie that was an adaptation of a book. So the TLDR is that Nicky, played by Erik Estrada as we saw, is a troubled gang leader in New York city finds Jesus. Mike: I gotta say that does not look like New York on the comic cover. Jessika: No it doesn’t. They didn't do a great job with that. I don't know why, it's not hard to make a city look like New York. You can pretty much pen [00:21:00] any random looking city. And it probably is going to look like part of New York. But good job guys. Mike: Well especially because  you said that Al Hartley was a Marvel artist. Like all of the Marvel stories back then were taking place in New York. It’s not like he didn’t know what it looked like. Jessika: Maybe he forgot this time. Mike: Alright, whatever. Jessika: So Erik Estrada finds Jesus through the help of a persistent small town priest who comes to the big city to make a big difference in the lives of the troubled youth, who in his estimation just need to find Jesus's love. And that's how Erik Estrada became a comic book character, because the comic is based on him. That is based on his actual person I'm sure you've noticed. Mike: I wouldn't want to admit that that comic character was based on me but all right. Jessika: I mean there's probably a reason you haven't heard about it.   Mike: How successful was this movie? I've never heard of this before.  Jessika: I haven't heard of it either [00:22:00] And you know I didn't look that up unfortunately. Yeah. So it's a mystery. Maybe I'll update us later. Maybe I'll do more research about the Cross and the Switchblade. Along with book adaptations, the comics were also centered around the comic series that Hartley is  arguably best to known for: Archie. Hartley reached out to John Goldwater, who was the president of Archie at the time, who agreed for Archie to be included in the Spire Christian Comics publications. The comics themselves were meant as an introduction to non-believers to bridge the religious gap in a manner that was friendly to all ages. In total there were 57 comic titles published under Spire Christian comics, 19 of them were Archie.   Mike: Wow.  Jessika: Yeah I know, right? 12 were biographical and they did actually pull, I was reading on another article,  they did pull some of the themes from the Spire [00:23:00] comics and put them into regular Archie but just de-Jesused them. So if you read one you might say this sounds really familiar. Well it's probably because you've read  what actually was an adaptation version which was now regular what we would consider.  There were 12 biographical or autobiographical comics including the likes of Johnny Cash and a handful of stories pulled directly from the Bible along with other miscellaneous adaptations and some Christian comics aimed at younger children. Hartley wrote and drew most of the comics himself but other notable figures involved Dick Ayers and Dan DeCarlo. The comics weren't all wholesome and morality-filled, however, and we talked about that a little bit earlier. There were some really problematic aspects of some of these Spire comics including that rampant racism I talked about. Even in the Archie comic that you and I read there are racist generalizations about Native Americans and their [00:24:00] clothing, speech patterns, and general attitudes and demeanors which I did not love. Opposite, in fact. There's also a comic, one of the ones considered a biography, was titled wait for it "Hansi: The Girl Who Loved the Swastika." Mike could you please describe this cover for us. Give us a treat, please. Mike: This is one of those comics also that is truly infamous, especially in the age of the internet. It's one of those things that I've at least been aware of for a few years And every time you see, it it just throws you a loop. So basically it says and  in big bold letters “Hansi” and then in smaller red lettering “the girl who loved the swastika.” And it's this very Aryan looking [00:25:00] German girl in  1930s peasantware and she is standing in front of a motorcade. There's Hitler and some concerned looking you know Nazis and then the crowd around this motorcade is throwing up the right hands and there's swastikas everywhere. Like, everywhere. It's let's see one, two, three, four, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. There are 11 swastikas on this cover and she just she looks so happy and carefree. It's wild. It's one of those things where every time you see it, the shock never goes away. Jessika: Yeah it's that's a whole vibe, not going to lie. It was based on a book titled I Changed The Gods in 1968 which, interesting title, cuz what did she really do? And it follows the life story of a German born evangelist Maria Anne Hirschman as she is indoctrinated into the [00:26:00] Hitler Youth but was later rescued by American troops.  She immigrates to the U S later in life and realizes how she had in her words been brainwashed. The comic is not subtle. Obviously. You talked about the cover just now. It's not subtle at all.  Mike: No, not even a little. Jessika: No no.  It also has a lot of really raw and adult themes like rape and violence and is incredibly overt with its Cold War propaganda at the end of the comic it was really something.    Mike: That makes sense that they would go into themes like that because it's not approved by the Comics Code so they could just throw whatever they wanted in it. Jessika: Precisely. Well Spire Christian comics were published until 1988 and were later reprinted as New Barber Christian Comics as that was one of the ever-changing names of that publishing company. Mike: Hm. That's actually longer than I would have expected for that first run. Jessika: Yeah. I thought [00:27:00] so, too. So good on them I mean that was a lot, it was a lot of publications that they did. I was surprised at how many. Mike:  Do you know if they were being sold on newsstands or were they just exclusively in  Christian bookstores. Jessika:  That's a really good question I'm not a hundred percent on that  Mike: It could’ve been both.  Jessika:  It could’ve been both, absolutely. Mike: I know that those were really those were pretty big up until the nineties. I remember couple of the local malls had Christian bookstores. Jessika: Oh absolutely. We have some still in town.  Mike: Oh, really? In Petaluma? Jessika: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I pass by a Christian science reading room on my walks with my dog. So they're around.  Mike: Hmm  Jessika: You and I read through one of those Archie's.  Mike: Sure this was effectively an anthology of Archie shorts that take place in different times and places [00:28:00] Each of the stories stars Archie and it has him facing challenges and eventually overcoming them with pretty vague help from God. Examples include him being a medieval blacksmith, he tries to slay a dragon so he can win the hand of princess Veronica. He and Jughead are space explorers visiting quote unquote twin planets with very different morality systems. There's a story about him being a World War One fighter pilot who… I'm not entirely certain what they were fighting against. Was it anti-Christian propaganda?  Was that the true enemy? Jessika: I think so, it really wasn't made abundantly clear. Mike: Yeah and then there's also this there's a really weird one which involves him randomly walking into a spooky mansion that's owned by Beelzebub, who basically traps wayward teens by getting them to sell their souls in exchange for their heart's desire. Jessika: Yeah. He was just a creepy old dude. He wouldn't let teenagers leave.  That was really what it was. Mike: I didn't understand the payoff of that, but [00:29:00] okay. Jessika: So  tell us a little bit about your thoughts on the comic as a whole. Mike: Yeah. I've got a soft spot for Archie  I fucking loved Mark Waid's run a couple of years ago. It's honestly one of the best comics out there.  Riverdale is one of my favorite horny guilty pleasures.  And the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is also a blast. Side note: the Josie and the Pussycats movie one of my favorite soundtracks. Like, that soundtrack legit slaps. We should watch it together. We should do a viewing party sometime. Jessika: Let's I'm a hundred percent into that. Yes. Mike:  Yeah. So going back to this comic, the stories didn't really work for me?  Archie books are already incredibly family-friendly and the forced morality of evangelical Christianity just felt really… I don't know. It just it fucking rubbed me the wrong way. And on top of that the godly [00:30:00] decisions  involved prayer and strict adherence to religious tenants which I don't remember seeing anything about queer people in that Archie comic.   That kind of makes sense because Kevin Keller didn't appear until  2010. But I remember Beelzebub trying to tempt Archie with women of loose morals. And it's really bizarre to see that kind of hand ringing,  especially now,  about teenagers possibly having premarital sex because we're almost 50 years in the future from this and that is very much an accepted reality at this point. These days, at least in our household, it's like just make sure that everyone is consenting to what's going on and use protection. Jessika: Exactly. Mike: I’m assuming you and I are on similar wavelengths about this but I’m curious to hear what you thought. Jessika: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I thought the religious theme was just so incredibly heavy handed. It was forced together with the Archie narrative and Archie, like you said, [00:31:00] he's an overall wholesome dude in general in my opinion. But the morality lessons were really in your face. Like there's the one where he's in a saloon and he orders a milkshake. And this guy is  trying to force him to drink alcohol, and he's like "I don't want to drink alcohol." And it's like okay guy this is just so like nobody's actually going to go into the world and try to force you to drink alcohol unless you join a frat. Please don't do that though.  Mike: That would’ve been way better have Archie go join a frat. That would’ve been way better. Jessika: It would’ve have made more sense. Look at I'm already making more sense for Archie. Call me, Archie. Mike: Also it actually makes a lot of sense for Archie to go into a saloon and order a milkshake.  I kind of love that but then the follow up of “no, you need to order alcohol?” That’s dumb.  Jessika: It didn't make any sense. Overall I thought the comic was cute, had some messages, whatever. There was one section that really bugged me, though. And it was the twin planets where the two planets were exactly the [00:32:00] same except one was making good choices, the other one was making bad choices and the bad choices it was like not cleaning up after yourself. And I get there's a point some of bad choices. What was another one? Mike: Everyone steals from everyone else?  Jessika:  Yeah. Exactly exactly it's just so funny. And I get there's a point but some of the bad choices are listed as complete freedom and equality.  Mike: Yeah, that stood out to me, too. Jessika: That was bad. That was listed as bad. And I was like pump the brakes. Like, we live in a society. Come on.  Mike: This was in an era where the civil rights wasn't even really history. The Civil Rights movement was still going on. I could definitely see that as being a not terribly subtle dig at equality for minorities. Jessika: Yeah, yeah. I can agree [00:33:00] with that. That's how I took it as well. And, okay, did they do that entire Pelican sequence just so they could make that stupid bird joke at the end? Because that's how it felt I didn't like it. It was stupid.  Mike: I re-read that fucking thing three times And I was like… Jessika: They literally did it just so that they could make a stupid bird joke. Oh Christianity isn't for the birds. You literally just had a whole lesson about how there was a bird teaching another bird Christianity and then you  negated it by saying Christianity isn't for the birds. And I don't know what you want out of this Mike:  That felt like  a lot of those stories was these stupid kind of punny slogans at the end of  every one of these short stories. I really found myself getting grumpy as I continued to read them because I was just sitting there and going these are dumb. And no kid is going to think Christianity is cool because… Jessika: No.  Mike: Anyway, moving right along.  Jessika: Let's move on to [00:34:00] the absolute jewel of my retro collection these days, which is Hal Lindsey's There's A New World Coming.  Before I get too far into this comic or the book it's based on I felt like you all needed a little bit of background on Hal Lindsey to really understand what we're up against here.  Mike: I’m so excited because I want to know who the fuck this guy was.  Jessika: This is very broad strokes cause I didn't want to be here all night and I'm sure you  didn't either but very interesting go check it out. So he was born Harold Lee "Hal" Lindsey in Dallas Texas in 1929. He dropped out of university to be in the Korean War, was briefly a tugboat captain -because why not- and after a failed marriage and contemplating suicide he found Gideon's Bible and became born again Christian. He entered Dallas Theological Seminary in 1958 and had his first book published in 1970. Since then, he's [00:35:00] written more books of which he sold millions of copies and has moved on with the times to include broadcasting his messages via radio and television. Messages that range from prophetic to conspiratorial. And I want to add this blip from biblio.com. Mike, do you mind reading this for me. Mike: ”Virtually none of Lindsey's verifiable predictions have been confirmed by history.” Jessika: Great. Thank you. Mike: Is this guy still doing his thing? Is he still spreading the good word? Jessika: He's 91. He's 91. He's fucking kicking  I think  he from what it sounds like he retired quote unquote whatever that means. I think he's still shouting into the ether. Yeah he's around. So speaking of predictions let's talk about those predictions of Hal Lindsey's. So there's A New World Coming. [00:36:00] First of all can you do us a solid and describe the cover of this thing, which is a journey all in itself.  Mike: It is  this is actually I would say the most subtle of the comic covers we looked at tonight. The top half is bold yellow and it says Hal Lindsey There's A New World Coming. And there are three kids getting flown through space on this very weird kind of color spiral. And in the background you can see the spiral is emanating from earth. It's actually really cool looking.  It looks like it's some sort of weird  cosmic sci-fi space opera way I can describe it.  Jessika: Yeah. Very 70s.  Mike: It's very seventies especially the fashion for the older of the kids because  they've got the bell-bottoms they've got the seventies collar and  the big heels on the guy  and also plaid pants.  The [00:37:00] two older characters are holding hands, kind of? I don't know, it looks almost like the dude is grabbing the woman by the wrist and dragging her along. Jessika: Yeah. He really took her on a journey, apparently. Mike: Yeah and then the third kid who was also a narrator.  By the way, we never fucking learned these kids' name, do we? Jessika: We don’t learn anything about them.  Mike: I don’t think we ever get an official introduction to them, either. Jessika: No it's just assumed that this woman is stupid  and sinful and needs to be taught better. That’s kind of what is presumed.  Mike: But honestly this is kind of  the first panel of the comic book because when you open the comic it actually it starts with them on this weird cosmic voyage. Jessika: Yeah. Now the cover is just the start of this banana grams comic and even nuttier book which, by the way I also listened to in it's 308 page entirety. Mike: Okay I didn't realize that this was actually a comic adaptation of a much larger source text. Jessika: Yeah. Oh [00:38:00] let's just say there's a reason this book was able to be condensed into a 32 page comic. The whole premise of both publications is dun dun duh The Rapture. Or as I much prefer to call it "the great snatch" Mike: I’m so glad you called that out, because I was going to call that out if you didn’t. That is the highlight of this book. Jessika: And they put it in such bold  different colored letters. It was in big red letters: The Great Snatch! And it was this woman flying into the air.  Mike: I was gonna say: It’s this woman… oh my god. Jessika: Oh I bet she is the great snatch.  I was laughing so hard when I read that. The long and the short is that Jesus Christ will be coming back to earth. The true believers will be abducted, without dying apparently,  [00:39:00] and eventually transported to what will be new heaven and new earth which is just one thing by the way. Both the comic and the book talk about the supposed events the mark the start to Christ’s second coming. Interesting fact I found about this comic in particular while the art is signed by Hartley on the cover, there is speculation that there were potentially multiple other artists involved in illustrating this comic, as some of the styles don't match up to Hartley’s through and through.  Mike: Yeah ,I noticed that some of the styles weren't quite cohesive. Jessika: You can tell they tried, but you can tell there's definitely some weirdness in there. And I was wondering what that was about when I was reading it myself. Mike: Yeah And also some of the faces  of some of the guys I was like, oh  you were clearly an extra from an Archie comic that has been inserted here. Jessika:  Exactly. And her face is so similar to so many other Hartley ones. The comic is a pretty faithfully distilled version of the book. [00:40:00] Although in my opinion is done in a much more organized and cohesive manner. The book provides much more scripture to back up his claims repetitively.  Mike: Well, they did that in the comic, too. Jessika: Oh they did but they didn't repeat them over and over and over and over again because that is what they did in the book. The same Bible passage would show it multiple times within very few pages. I'm just like didn't I just hear this Bible passage you're doing it again.  It was just it was a whole headache. There were also works of other authors referenced to build his case. But I found yet another interesting rabbit hole that I was unknowingly already knee deep in. One of the authors that Lindsey mentioned as being "a powerful writer of our time" and one he uses as an example is Carlos Castaneda. Which immediately piqued my interest as I was actually in the process of listening to a podcast about this very person.  Mike: Do I  want to know? Jessika: [00:41:00] Yes  Mike: OK, was it bad? I got a feeling that it’s bad. Jessika: You'll know right when I call out what podcast it is. And I want to give a huge thank you to Cult Podcast for this next information.  Mike: Welp. I have my answer. Jessika: Yup Yup I was right in the middle of the second of a two part series on Carlos Castaneda that they had done. And I heard that name within Lindsey's and I was like I guess I have to listen to the rest of that podcast before I really get involved. Now Castaneda pretty much went out to get cigarettes one day and left his family to go do a project in Mexico. No joke. He just left, not really a cigarettes part. That's kind of the Cult Podcast joke but  he left his family for a series of years so that he could go [00:42:00] and do an anthropological study in Mexico.  Mike:  How big was his family I'm curious.  Jessika: He had a wife and kids, at least a couple of kids.  Mike:  What a shitheel. Jessika: Oh absolutely. Cause like multiple years. Like he was just like bye. So he did the one thing you're not supposed to do when studying anthropology: Get involved in the local rituals and ceremonies anthropologists are supposed be studying the culture not getting involved.  Kind of a look don't touch kind of a thing. Mike:  Yeah they’re supposed to be neutral observers. Jessika: Yeah. Strip club rules. So this already a no-no in the scientific community. But he came back, wrote this killer thesis, followed by a best-selling book or two, got a ton of credit and notoriety based on his studying with this traveling shaman named Don Juan. I'm sure you'll be shocked to find out that there was no Don Juan and Castaneda's multi-year anthropological project in Mexico turned out to be more of a [00:43:00] vacation where Castaneda did a lot of peyote, slept with a lot of women, and scoured libraries so that he could pull bits and  pieces out of books and plagiarize them to make his own. So he used a bunch of different spiritual books out of them to make his thesis books coming up.  Mike:  Woooow. Jessika: Yeah. It wasn't until years later that somebody recognized one of the  pieces of his book and were like, "wait a second. That sounds like something I've read from this other book." And then it was just this whole can of worms where he was like “wait and this is plagiarized and this is plagiarized.” Mike: It was so much easier back then to pull off this kind of shit. I feel like I missed my opportunity to cheat my way through school, because even by the time that we were going through high school and college they were starting to get really aggressive about spot checking for plagiarism and things like that.  Now it's really hard to actually plagiarize stuff because of all  the software that’s out there. God damn. [00:44:00] Jessika: It was also easier to have a second family. Mike:  Before the age of social media. Jessika: Yeah. Change your name and… Mike: Can you even have a cult these days without social media? Jessika: You might be able to but I think probably a lot of them would be hinged on social media at this point. Like some of those other ones that have been really recent. Mike: You got to have those influencers who'll sell your cult on Tik ToK. Jessika: Oh my gosh. I find it fascinating that Lindsey chose to use this particular author to showcase the section of his argument for morality which is regarding abstaining from drugs by the way.  Mike:  I mean, probably he just didn’t know. Probably this dude hadn’t been exposed yet. Jessika: Oh no no. Check it out Castaneda most certainly did not abstain from drugs, as I mentioned. And in the book Lindsey makes some vague reference to drugs only being necessary at the beginning of the spiritual journey. So it's like he really was pro-drug but he's also  anti-drug. It was really strange. I re-read that section And I was like I don't know what you're talking [00:45:00] about.  And he credited Castaneda with ceasing to use drugs after a certain point. However it was really just that Castaneda was pretty burnt out after all of his heavy drug use and had to stop doing drugs for health reasons rather than spiritual ones. So while Lindsey doesn't list an exact date at the Rapture, he does make the following prediction. Mike, will you read this blurb from again biblio.com for me. Mike: Yeah, absolutely. “Hal Lindsey forecasted the end of days would be within the generation of the establishment of Israel. That was 1948. He concluded a generation in the Bible was 40 years. Therefore in 1988 Jesus would establish his kingdom.”  Jessika: So clearly that happened according to plan. 1988 was a crazy year, wasn't it? Jesus came back… Mike: Yeah. 1988 was 32 years ago and I don't remember the [00:46:00] rapture happening so Jessika: I mean, I was two, but I don't either.  Mike: yeah  Jessika: And we went to church and I wasn't taken is all I'm saying. What were your overall thoughts on the comic?  Mike: Hmm Hmm Hmm. Honestly the whole thing feels like just one giant drug trip which, now that I have this perspective, makes a lot more sense. But mainly that was because of all the swirling colors in the backgrounds and the clouds that are present throughout the entire comic.  I just don't know how else to summarize it.  It also feels like Hal Lindsey really used this for his own self promotion more than anything else.  For example, he gets top billing on both the cover and on the first page but the comic's narrated by these three nameless teens who were taken on a magical journey through the Rapture and end times when this girl opens her Bible to the book of Revelations. And then they narrate everything that's supposed to happen [00:47:00] and everything about it It's just this really passive boring exposition.  I don't understand who the target audience for this was.  Biblical apocalyptic fiction was such a massive thing in the nineties and it could definitely be made to feel more exciting. But it always feels universally terrible whenever it's done in  a quote earnest way.  I came of age during the era of those God awful fucking Left Behind books  and Tribulation Force and all of the media that they've put out around it. And it was just really not good. It actually makes me mad because this shit never feels like a good story it's always a vehicle for its creators’ egos. And again the Left Behind stuff, like Kirk Cameron I know was really involved with that too for a while. That dude's just a giant fucking shitheel. Whatever. But honestly  the best moment in this book is when everyone is getting raptured, and one of the kids that refers to the moment as the Great Snatch, like we were talking about.  The moralizing also feels really vague.  If you look at that one page that talks about societal [00:48:00] decay where they list all this really generic stuff like the decline of the family unit and then it shows a bunch of people going into and this was the quote “alternatives to marriage course.” Jessika: Like what is that? There's not a thing that's called that  Mike: I don't know. Like my family is literally the embodiment of alternatives to marriage, because  I'm registered as a domestic partner with Sarah. And we did it basically because it was the easiest thing to do during lockdown so that we could make sure that we're taken care of in case something happened to the other person basically we could mail it in. But we get all the same benefits but that wasn't thing back then. Gay marriage wasn't a thing back then. Was it just living together in sin and common law marriage? I don't understand what that was but everything about that  felt like it was that possibly racist argument that's  not quite being racist. But  one of the ongoing things is there's that decline of the black family that they love to sit there  and [00:49:00] pontificate on in conservative media where they talk about black fathers abandoning their families and stuff like that. And I've been around enough of that that it drives me up the wall whenever I hear it. I was kind of bored and kind of mad as I read through this thing because it was just it felt like they really squandered the opportunity to do something really weird and memorable here. Jessika: What I thought was really funny too about their  timing the events I was looking at the different events that they were listing and they were like "fire from the sky" I was like do you know many times that we could say fire from the sky and like a volcanic eruption or the blitzkrieg or you know there's all these different points in history. Any of these events could have been just this whole situation could have been popped into a different time period and anybody could have felt like they were in the apocalypse. We could be in the apocalypse right now, 2020 was a whole shithole. We had like death wasps. Mike: Yeah Yeah. My favorite was the one where   the helicopters coming out of the earth was that it [00:50:00] and there's a quote where it's talking about insects coming forth  with battle armor and they're giant. And they're like, “look he perfectly described helicopters 2000 years ago!”  Jessika: Yeah. He could have been talking about death wasps see? The killer bees. 2021, guys, maybe it's the coming apocalypse I don't know someone should be asking these questions now. Mike: Well I mean it certainly wasn't like Donald Trump wasn't the antichrist because he was supposed to bring us into a false peace or something like that. Jessika:Yeah That was not peaceful I know you would've thought though it really had pegged for that If I were going to say anything.  Mike: Yeah God. So it sounds like we're kind of aligned on this but I’m curious to hear your take on this comic. Jessika:  What I did like about it and just know I was so entrenched in this whole topic, because I listened to the book and then I also read the comic and I was just so refreshed that it wasn't the book, that I was like a little relieved.  I do love that it's an absolute time capsule [00:51:00] just like the estate sale I found it in the estate sale Literally They had  avocado green  carpet. Yeah like what is I a fringe or no a what's it called?  Mike: Shag. Jessika:  Shag. Thank you. Yeah they had avocado green shag.  just it was 1970 threw up in there. It was great I loved it. Mike: Could you rake the shag carpet? Was it that worn down? Jessika:  Oh it was like it was Yeah It was like it needed good rake first of all. But I did like the fashion and the overall vibe, cause that's just kinda my style anyway. So I was right there with the illustrations and the outfits drawn in the comic. And honestly if taken ironically the comic is funny as heck.  it's dated It obviously represents that has come and gone  without the promised fall of Armageddons hammer. So that was Spire  Christian comics for you in a nutshell. Mike: I don't know what I expected any expectations but [00:52:00] this blew away any expectations I could’ve had. Jessika: I mean hard same. Well let's mosey on along to our Brain Wrinkles which is the one thing that we just can't stop thinking about. Mike why don’t you start us off?   Mike: So there was a new clip for the upcoming Cruella movie that dropped this week. And… have you seen any of the trailers for this? Jessika:  I’ve seen one of them, and I generally don’t watch trailers but I was curious. Mike: Yeah I rolled my eyes so hard when that movie was announced. And every time I see something from it though I keep getting more interested.  I'm actually really digging how punk rock they're making Cruella. It's got a very 1970s British punk vibe which is 100% my jam. And also the cast in this movie is so fucking good. We're not going to pay to see it, obviously we're going to wait until it comes to the common folk on Disney Plus. But I'm curious to see what they do with her. I'm [00:53:00] not sure every villain needs a redemption arc which is something been seeing a lot of lately like the Maleficent movies,  but I appreciate it when it feels really well done Like the case with Harley Quinn, like I was talking about last week. Jessika: Yeah. Segues right into my brain wrinkle which is every once in a while on a daily basis, because I'm queer as hell, I think about Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. And I think “good for her.” And also like goals of getting out of that bad relationship that Harley was in.  Ivy's so much better for Harley than that toxic ass joker. So. That whole relationship was skeevy I didn't like it. It was one sided and controlling and manipulative and I've never liked it. It's always kind of sat with me in a weird way.  And so when they had this spin I was like “thank goodness.” [00:54:00] Mike: Even when I was in my twenties and I saw people sharing those memes of “Oh  you just need someone crazy like you” and it's Harley and the Joker and I'm like “he's abusive!” Jessika: Yes. Yes.  Mike: Even I could see that. And I was terrible in my twenties. Jessika: It should be pretty obvious but somehow it just isn’t. I don't know    Jessika: Thanks for listening to Ten Cent Takes. Accessibility is important to us. Text transcriptions of each of our published episodes can be found on our website.  Mike: This episode was hosted by Jessika Frazer and Mike Thompson, written by Jessika Frazer, and edited by Mike Thompson. That's me. Our intro theme was written and performed by Jared Emerson Johnson of Bay area sound. Our credits and transition music is pursuit of life by Evan McDonald and was purchased with a standard license from Premium Beat. Our banner graphics were designed by Sarah Frank who goes by cut_thistles on Instagram. Jessika: If you'd like to get in [00:55:00] touch with us, ask us questions, or tell us about how we got something wrong, please head over to tencenttakes.com tencenttakes@gmail.com. You can also find us on Twitter: The official podcast account is tencenttakes.  Jessika is jessikawitha and Jessika is spelled with a K and Mike is vansau, V a N S a U.   Mike:   Stay safe out there. Jessika: And support your local comic shop.

If you love the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then you should get to know Martin Goodman.The “Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating” podcast serves up a Disney or Disney-related quote each day, with DisneyBizJournal's Ray Keating offering brief, additional thoughts on how each dose ties in to life, career, business, entrepreneurship, creativity, storytelling, work, or just plain fun.Check out www.DisneyBizJournal.com.Keating has two new books out and another on the way. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13th thriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. And pre-order What's Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story for the Kindle right now.Order Ray Keating's book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York  –  signed books  or at  Amazon.And one of Keating's newest books on the economy is  Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know, which is available at  Amazon  in paperback or for the Kindle edition, and signed books at  www.raykeatingonline.com. Read Keating's latest columns on a wide range of issues at www.KeatingFiles.com. Listen to Ray's other podcasts – the Free Enterprise in Three Minutes podcast and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.Love Ray Keating's Pastor Stephen Grant Thrillers and Mysteries? It's the Perfect Time to Join the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship! For the BEST VALUE, Join the Book of the Month Club. Check it all out at https://www.patreon.com/pastorstephengrantfellowshipHave Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com. 

Back with number 6! In this episode we address the deaths of Prince Phillip and Paul Ritter (Martin Goodman). Find out the interesting mind of MJ and his tragic predictions towards 9/11. The lads then discuss the after life and haunting experiences. Enjoy!PS: Don't forget the Hob Nobs:)Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/who_are_ya_...​Twitter - https://twitter.com/are_laughing​Alfie - @alfiemcgerty_Gracey - @jamie__grace_Cooper - @baileycooper23

Dr Otto Thaning, a heart surgeon who trained under Chris Barnard, is used to swimming long distances in icy waters. It is not only the waters around Cape Town that he tackles; Dr. Thaning still holds a record he set in 2014 as the oldest human to have swum across the English channel. Now, he has set another record by becoming the oldest person to swim from Robben Island to Bloubergstrand. Paced by Robben island veteran Martin Goodman and supported by members of the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association (including veteran long distance swimmer Lewis Pugh), he crossed the 7.9 km from Robben island across Table Bay in two hours and 52 minutes.  Dr Thaning told BizNews about his latest record and shared some of his secrets to a long, healthy life and career. Pictures by: Ryan Rapaport and Simon Pocock

Dr Otto Thaning, a heart surgeon who trained under Chris Barnard, is used to swimming long distances in icy waters. It is not only the waters around Cape Town that he tackles; Dr. Thaning still holds a record he set in 2014 as the oldest human to have swum across the English channel. Now, he has set another record by becoming the oldest person to swim from Robben Island to Bloubergstrand. Paced by Robben island veteran Martin Goodman and supported by members of the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association (including veteran long distance swimmer Lewis Pugh), he crossed the 7.9 km from Robben island across Table Bay in two hours and 52 minutes.  Dr Thaning told BizNews about his latest record and shared some of his secrets to a long, healthy life and career. Pictures by: Ryan Rapaport and Simon Pocock

Eighty years ago a man named Martin Goodman founded Timely Comics, and the world would never be the same. We discuss the history of Marvel, starting with its founding in 1939 as Timely Comics. We discuss the name changes to Atlas and eventually Marvel. We talk about the major characters of the golden, silver, and … The 42cast Episode 104: Make Mine Marvel Read More » The post The 42cast Episode 104: Make Mine Marvel appeared first on The ESO Network.

Eighty years ago a man named Martin Goodman founded Timely Comics, and the world would never be the same. We discuss the history of Marvel, starting with its founding in 1939 as Timely Comics. We discuss the name changes to Atlas and eventually Marvel. We talk about the major characters of the golden, silver, and... The post The 42cast Episode 104: Make Mine Marvel appeared first on The 42cast.

With his old “pal” Stan Lee, Jack creates the Marvel Universe and becomes a Swinging Sixties sensation. But his tensions with Lee very quickly come to a head, leading him to strike out on his own. But Jack learns the hard way that lightning only strikes twice in the comics.  Written by Crystal Skillman and Fred Van Lente. Starring Steven Rattazzi as Jack Kirby, Amy Lee Pearsall as Roz Kirby, Joseph Mathers as Joe Simon, Nat Cassidy as Stan Lee, Timothy McCown Reynolds as Martin Goodman. Music composition and sound editing by Bobby Cronin. Original stage production directed by John Hurley. Recorded at Midtown Comics Downtown in Manhattan.  Follow King Kirby on Instagram @kingkirbyplay & on twitter @KingKirbyPlay Part of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The war is over, but Jack’s struggle is just beginning. The comic book industry struggles as the world moves on from fighting, but he and Joe Simon’s romance books become giant sellers. They’re no match for a right-wing witch hunt from the U.S. Senate though, and Jack is forced to go back to the one place he swore he’d never return to.  Written by Crystal Skillman and Fred Van Lente. Starring Steven Rattazzi as Jack Kirby, Amy Lee Pearsall as Roz Kirby, Joseph Mathers as Joe Simon, Nat Cassidy as Stan Lee, Timothy McCown Reynolds as Martin Goodman. Music composition and sound editing by Bobby Cronin. Original stage production directed by John Hurley. Recorded at Midtown Comics Downtown in Manhattan.  Follow King Kirby on Instagram @kingkirbyplay & on twitter @KingKirbyPlay Part of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As his Captain America takes the world by storm, Jack meets the love of his life, only to find himself sent to France to fight the Germans in person. His fame goes with him into the service, leading to a dangerous assignment that nearly costs him his life.  Written by Crystal Skillman and Fred Van Lente. Starring Steven Rattazzi as Jack Kirby, Amy Lee Pearsall as Roz Kirby, Joseph Mathers as Joe Simon, Nat Cassidy as Stan Lee, Timothy McCown Reynolds as Martin Goodman. Music composition and sound editing by Bobby Cronin. Original stage production directed by John Hurley. Recorded at Midtown Comics Downtown in Manhattan.  Follow King Kirby on Instagram @kingkirbyplay & on twitter @KingKirbyPlay Part of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have a surprise bonus episode this week! Join us on a journey to 1st Century Judea with Life of Brian! We'll discuss stoning, Jesus as a revolutionary, Hava Nagila, and more! Sources: Jesus as a Revolutionary: Josephus, The Jewish War, trans. Martin Hammond, intro and notes by Martin Goodman, e-book (Oxford University Press, 2017). "Josephus" In Our Time (2015) https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b05vfdzl Christopher Klein, "Why did Pontius Pilate Have Jesus Executed?" History https://www.history.com/news/why-pontius-pilate-executed-jesus Holland Lee Hendrix, L. Michael White, Paula Fredriksen, Eric Meyers "Jews and the Roman Empire," A Portrait of Jesus' World: From Jesus to Christ PBS (April 1998). https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/portrait/jews.html L. Michael White, Allen D. Callahan, Shayne I.D. Cohen, John Dominic Crossan, Paula Fredriksen, "Arrest and Execution" From Jesus to Christ PBS (April 1998). https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/jesus/arrest.html Jon Wiener, "Jesus the Revolutionary: A Q&A With Reza Aslan," The Nation (25 July 2013). https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/jesus-revolutionary-qa-reza-aslan/ "The Last Days of Jesus" PBS (2017) https://www.pbs.org/show/last-days-jesus/ "From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians, Part One" PBS Frontline (1998) https://youtu.be/JN8FM1NCOSk Tom O'Loughlin and Roland Deines, "Why Study the Pharisees with Professor Roland Deines" University of Nottingham (17 January 2012). https://youtu.be/waWu1ngrxGk "Matthew 5:1-7:29--The Sermon on the Mount" https://www.enterthebible.org/Controls/feature/tool_etb_resource_display/resourcebox.aspx?selected_rid=783&original_id=2 Luke Chapter 6 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/6?37=#50006037 Matthew Chapter 5 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5 Cast info: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079470/ You're Nicked!: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/435851/origin-of-youre-nicked-sunshine#:~:text=The%20word%20is%20used%20teasingly,a%20morose%20person.%20...&text=The%201806%20example%20of%20%22nicked,Journals%20for%201805%20(1806). John Stephen Farmer and William Ernest Henley, A Dictionary of Slang and Colloquial English: Abridged from the Seven-volume Work, Entitled: Slang and Its Analogues (Routledge & Sons, 1905) Princeton University Collection, Google E-Book. https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Dictionary_of_Slang_and_Colloquial_Eng/VR1AAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 "To nick," The English We Speak BBC (26 August 2011). https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2011/08/110816_tews_32_to_nick_page.shtml Forrest Wickman, "When You've Been Nicked by the Bobbies: How being arrested in the U.K. differs from being arrested in the U.S." Slate (13 March 2012). https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2012/03/rebekah-brooks-arrested-how-is-being-arrested-different-in-britain.html Star Signs: "Constellations and the Calendar" NASA https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/starfinder2/en/ Olivia B. Waxman, "Where Do Zodiac Signs Come From? Here's the True History Behind Your Horoscope," Time (21 June 2018). https://time.com/5315377/are-zodiac-signs-real-astrology-history/ Stoning: The Talmud, Sanhedrin 45a, available at https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.44a.14?lang=bi NIV Study Bible. The Tanakh, full searchable text available at https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/63255/jewish/The-Bible-with-Rashi.htm Roy A. Stewart, "Judicial Procedure in Biblical Times," Full text available at https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/eq/1975-2_094.pdf Hava Nagila: Harry Belafonte and Danny Kaye Performing Hava Nagila, available at https://youtu.be/t_L1RAVm4js James Loeffler, "Hava Nagila's Long, Strange Trip." My Jewish Learning. Available at https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hava-nagilas-long-strange-trip/ From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians, PBS. Available at https://youtu.be/JN8FM1NCOSk Background: "How We Made Monty Python's Life of Brian," The Guardian, available at https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/apr/16/how-we-made-monty-python-life-of-brian-michael-palin-terry-gilliam Life of Brian Televised Debate, Friday Night, Saturday Morning, 1979. Full debate available at https://youtu.be/ZYMpObbt2rs

In the Great Depression, Jack Kurtzberg draws himself out of the tenement slums of Manhattan and into the world of comics. A chance meeting after a strike at the Popeye cartoon studio leads him to a job with the self-styled “King of the Comics” and the invention of a star-spangled avenger beloved the world over.  Written by Crystal Skillman and Fred Van Lente. Starring Steven Rattazzi as Jack Kirby, Amy Lee Pearsall as Roz Kirby, Joseph Mathers as Joe Simon, Nat Cassidy as Stan Lee, Timothy McCown Reynolds as Martin Goodman. Music composition and sound editing by Bobby Cronin. Original stage production directed by John Hurley. Recorded at Midtown Comics Downtown in Manhattan.  Follow King Kirby on Instagram @kingkirbyplay & on twitter @KingKirbyPlay Part of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discovering his family's Nazi links is what happened to historian Martin Puchner when he set out to explore the use of a secret language by Jewish people and other travellers in middle Europe. He joins author and language expert Michael Rosen for a conversation with Matthew Sweet about Yiddish, Rotwelsch, codes and graffiti. Plus as we mark Holocaust Memorial Day hearing about new research into the takeover of railways and civic buildings in occupied France from historians Ludivine Broch and Stephanie Hesz-Wood. Martin Puchner's book is called The Language of Thieves. He teaches English and Comparative Literature at Harvard University Michael Rosen is the author of books including On the Move: Poems about Migration; The Missing - The True Story of My Family in World War II; Mr Mensh and So They Call You Pisher!: A Memoir. Ludivine Broch teaches at the University of Westminster and is an Associate Fellow of the Pears Institute for the Study of Anti-Semitism and has written Ordinary Workers, Vichy and the Holocaust. Stephanie Hesz-Wood is researching a PhD at Royal Holloway, University of London called A Spatial History of Drancy: Architecture, Appropriation and Memory You can hear Ludivine talking to Matthew Sweet about the Gratitude Train - a project of thanks given by ordinary people in France to America for their part in World War II in this episode of Free Thinking https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000hwz9 A discussion about Jewish Identity in 2020 featuring guests at last year's Jewish Book Week Howard Jacobson, Bari Weiss, Hadley Freeman and Jonathan Freedland https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000fwqd A discussion about Remembering Auschwitz https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000dq00 Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger and New Generation Thinker Brendan McGeevor from the Pears Institute discussing stereotypes and also anti-Semitism https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00050d2 Past programmes for Holocaust Memorial Day hearing from the late David Cesarani, Richard J Evans and Jane Caplan https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0506lp0 Monica Bohm Duchen, Daniel Snowman and Martin Goodman on Art and Refugees from Nazi Germany https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00027m6 Producer: Luke Mulhall

Andrea Macdonald founder of ideaXme interviews James Thornton CEO ClientEarth to talk of how law can save the planet. ClientEarth ClientEarth is a non-profit international environmental law firm which employs over 200 people who work in more than 60 countries. The organisation uses the law to bring about end-to-end systemic change: informing, implementing and enforcing the law, drafting and advising decision-makers on policy, building legal expertise, and ensuring citizens’ access to the laws that defend them.  They take governments and corporations to court – and win. Moreover, force polluting industries to shut down.  Law Protects the Planet ClientEarth protects all living things, forests, oceans, air and vulnerable species. They empower people and NGOs with the legal rights to bring forward environmental battles of their own. Using the law means that they create real, long-lasting and embedded change.  They work to secure a lasting civilisation, an ecological civilisation (as termed by the Chinese government) in which people and nature thrive together.  ClientEarth lawyers work in partnership across borders, systems and sectors, ingeniously using the law to protect life on Earth. Their work now is particularly important given that we are now in a race against time to clean up the planet. Their objective now is to ensure that governments and companies who have said that they are committed to change and to deliver a green recovery post Covid-19 actually do so. In this interview James talks of: His journey to founding ClientEarth. The innovative methods he and his colleagues use to bring both governments and companies to justice. His global work with governments and the legal profession in over 60 countries - creating law, training prosecutors and judges. The key areas that must be addressed to fight climate change, pollution and loss of biodiversity and save our planet. The people who have helped him create ClientEarth and move his human story forward, including his rich relationship with his husband Martin Goodman with whom he co-authored the book: Client Earth. He informs us of David Gilmour's generosity in donating £21 million to ClientEarth. For the full transcript please visit: www.radioideaxme.com. Visit ClientEarth: https://www.clientearth.org Donate: https://www.clientearth.org/join-us/make-a-donation/ Buy the book: https://www.waterstones.com/book/client-earth/james-thornton/martin-goodman/9781911344810 Follow on ClientEarth on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClientEarth?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor ideaXme is a global network - podcast available in 40 countries, mentor programme and creator series. Our objective is to move the human story forward to encourage everyone to engage with knowledge of the future.  

Heroes aren’t born, they’re made. This is the epic tale of Jack Kirby, the most famous cartoonist you never heard of: Born in the Lower East Side slums, veteran of the battlefields of France, co-creator of CAPTAIN AMERICA, THE AVENGERS, THE X-MEN, Kirby had his biggest fight after his comic books became an international sensation: He had to fight for his name, and the recognition he was denied. An audio version of the New York Times Critics' Pick play by award-winning Crystal Skillman and Fred Van Lente, starring the original New York cast of Steven Rattazzi as Jack Kirby, Amy Lee Pearsall as Roz Kirby, Joseph Mathers as Joe Simon, Nat Cassidy as Stan Lee, Timothy McCown Reynolds as Martin Goodman.  Music composition and sound editing by Bobby Cronin. Original stage production directed by John Hurley. Recorded at Midtown Comics Downtown in Manhattan.  Follow King Kirby on Instagram @kingkirbyplay & on twitter @KingKir35759690. Part of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Would you don a diving suit or take a drug in a quest to understand the life of someone else? "Following in the footsteps" is an obsession for biographers as they travel the world to bring their subjects to life, sometimes with dangerous consequences. Hull University Professor of Creative Writing Martin Goodman, biographer of the sorcerer Carlos Castaneda, the Indian mystic Mother Meera and the scientist John Scott Haldane, draws on visits to high peaks, the seabed, coal mines and monasteries to reveal the challenges of the biographer's art. This episode was recorded at Sage Gateshead at the Free Thinking Festival in 2012. The New Generation Thinkers scheme is 10 years old in 2020. Jointly run by BBC Radio 3 and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, each year it offers ten academics at the start of their careers a chance to bring fascinating research to a wider public. This week we hear five essays from this last decade of stimulating ideas. You can also find a playlist of Documentaries, Discussions and other Essays by New Generation Thinkers on the Free Thinking website and over the weekend of November 28th and 29th they will appear across a variety of Radio 3 music programmes. You can find Martin Goodman discussing his most recent novel J SS Bach in an episode of Free Thinking called Art and Refugees from Nazi Germany https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00027m6 Producer: Adrian Washbourne

Bonus Phase. Episode 1. Pat and Mike take a break from the MCU to bring you the first of many bonus episodes. First up: The History of Marvel Comics. They go back in time when Martin Goodman launched Timely Comics, as they dive into the history of Marvel Comics. Joe Simon and Jack Kirby weren't too far behind as they came to Timely Comics and created Captain America. We'll also learn about a little unknown member of Marvel Comics...Stan Lee. They go through the beginning of it all in the late 1930s/early 1940s to the 1950s when Timely Comics were temporarily cancelled and ultimately the 1960s when Marvel officially is born. But don't despair...this isn't a deep dive. That would probably take four hours and let's be honest, no one wants to hear Pat and Mike talking for four hours. Find us on https://yet-another-mcu-podcast.captivate.fm/ (Captivate). Find us on https://www.instagram.com/yetanothermcupodcast/ (Instagram)! Find us on https://twitter.com/McuYet (Twitter)! Just find us!

Alex Grand and Jim Thompson interview David Anthony Kraft from his humble beginnings in the late 1960s becoming the agent of the Otis Adelbert Kline, Publisher of Fictioneer Science Fiction Books, his early 1970s Marvel work with Roy Thomas, his work at Atlas Comics in 1975 with Chip and Martin Goodman, Giant Size Dracula with Marvel new comer John Byrne, working under Gerry Conway at DC Comics, his editing run on FOOM under Sol Brodsky, his Marvel Defenders run under Stan Lee working with Keith Giffen and Carmine Infantino all discussed in this first part of a 2 parter. Images used in artwork ©Their Respective Copyright holders, CBH Podcast ©Comic Book Historians. Thumbnail Artwork ©Comic Book Historians. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/comicbookhistoriansSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/comicbookhistorians)

In this episode, the guys chat about comics and superheroes. Marvel - and comics in general - hit the skids when they tried to oversell their product and lost sight of their fan base. But it was their creativity that saved them in the end. Both Nico and Chad take a trip down memory lane as they “dust off” some of their favorite comics from way back when.  The company that eventually became Marvel was originally created in 1939 by Martin Goodman - and was originally called “Timeless Comics.” In 1961 the company was rebranded as Marvel - and launched the first titles that Marvel would eventually become known for, including The Fantastic Four and other titles by the legendary names behind Marvel - Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. In the 1960s through 1980s, Marvel Comics consistently grew, mostly due to their amazing art and storytelling. Marvel was among the most respected comic book franchises. Through the late 80s and into the early 1990s, Marvel's success hit a peak, attracting the attention of people in the “mainstream.” It was during this time that millionaire Ron Perelman (who'd had huge success at Revlon) bought Marvel Entertainment Group  for $82.5MM - he took Marvel public. Writer Neil Gaiman gave a speech to 3000 comics industry leaders at the 1993 Diamond Comic Distributors 10th Annual Retailers Seminar where he prophesied doom to come. Gaiman said the success of comics couldn't last, and that the practices of continually driving prices up were not only hurting the quality of comic writing and production… that it would eventually come back to bite the industry economically. The year wasn't even out before Gaiman's prophecy started to come true. Higher prices and more and more issues to collect couldn't last forever. Collectors started to get fatigued…realizing that not every release could be worth investing in...and the flood of collectables started to de-value the entire market.  Desperate for a way to pull Marvel out of the dumps of debt, Perelman launched Marvel Studios. He wanted to get their signature characters on screen, but there were licensing deals in the way. He planned to grow the company by further acquisitions so he could buy back the licensing for key characters, but the board - Marvel's shareholders - weren't so sure. So Perelman tried to go around them. He filed bankruptcy - which gave him the power to reorganize without their consent. But they didn't go down easy. They hired turnaround expert Peter Cuneo - verteran of successful turnarounds. Cuneo believed cutting corners on talent had led to Marvel's troubles in the 90s and he refused to repeat the mistake. Listen to Cuneo talk about business turnarounds here. In 2005 Marvel took a huge risk, they approached Merrill Lynch for funding.  And as collateral for the loan they offered up: The core of their business…and essentially they've never looked back. The guys end off the show by discussing lessons to be learned from this incredible comeback, one of them being that “great companies don't only make products, they build ecosystems”. At the end of the day every company that is successful, is successful because of its people.  Enjoy the show! We speak about: [00:20] The most expensive comic book ever sold [04:10] The history of Marvel [05:20] Part 1: The Rise and Fall [16:00] Part 2: The Legal Battles [20:00] The strategy of turning the business around [26:30] Part 3: Marvel In The Movies [29:30] Part 4: The Rise of Marvel Studios [37:10] Lessons to be learned Resources: Website: https://www.marketingrescuepodcast.com/

Ahead of Father’s day the Must Watch team of Nihal, Hayley and Scott champion who should be the best TV dad. From Homer Simpson to Martin Goodman from Friday Night Dinner, who will make Nihal’s top five? With special guest Alan Fletcher – otherwise known as Karl Kennedy from Neighbours.

Damit wir ein paar selbst gesetzte Ziele zum Ende des Jahres schaffen, müssen wir unsere Road to MCU etwas beschleunigen, darum gibt es jetzt eine Zeit lang häufiger als nur alle vier Wochen eine Episode zu Marvel-Verfilmungen der 2000er. Und oh boy, haben wir diese Woche einen Stinker. Aber zum einen hatten wir im unteren Drittel der Liste noch ein ziemliches Marvel-Defizit, und zum anderen haben wir die Gelegenheit genutzt, ein bisschen was zur Entstehung und Geschichte der Fantastic Four in die Episode zu quetschen.

Michael Berkeley talks to the environmental lawyer James Thornton about tackling the climate crisis, about Zen Buddhism and about James's love of the violin. Every day we’re bombarded with more bad news about the climate crisis, deadly air pollution, and our oceans filling up with plastic. So who will save our fragile planet? The UN? Governments? Scientists? Activists? If James Thornton is anything to go by, it might well be lawyers. As the founding CEO of ClientEarth, an international not-for-profit organisation, he holds governments and corporations to account and forces them to uphold environmental legislation. Many musicians support the work of ClientEarth – David Gilmour donated the $21million raised from the sale of his guitars – and James chooses music with an environmental theme from his long-time collaborator Brian Eno. He talks to Michael about his lifelong passion for the violin and how playing it helps him keep his life in balance - he chooses Jascha Heifitz’s astonishing recording of Sibelius’s Violin Concerto. He is also an ordained Zen Buddhist priest and we hear a key Buddhist text set by the master of modern gamelan, Lou Harrison. And James talks about why he prefers life in the UK to his native USA, not least because he was able to marry his long-term partner, the writer Martin Goodman. We hear the music by György Kurtág which they chose for their wedding. Producer: Jane Greenwood A Loftus production for BBC Radio 3

Alex Grand and Jim Thompson discuss the upstart comics line, Atlas Seaboard that ran from 1974-1975, the motivations behind the scenes with Martin and his son, Chip Goodman, as well as the various comics creators that did some early work there like Walt Simonson and Larry Hama as well as big names of the time like Steve Ditko, Wally Wood and Alex Toth. What was Atlas' place in comic history? What long term effects did it have on the industry? Why did Martin Goodman want Marvel Comics to suffer? Music - Standard License. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/comicbookhistoriansPodcast and Audio ©℗ 2019 Comic Book HistoriansSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/comicbookhistorians)

Following this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day, Anne McElvoy looks at new writing which reflects on this history and at a festival marking the impact on British culture of refugees and artists who fled from the Nazis. Ed Williams from leading marketing firm Edelman sifts through the fall-out from Davos. Martin Goodman's novel J SS Bach is published in March 2019. Daniel Snowman's books include The Hitler Emigrés: The Cultural Impact on Britain of Refugees from Nazism. Monica Bohm-Duchen has edited a book Insiders/Outsiders: Refugees from Nazi Europe and their contribution to British visual culture and initiated a festival which is working with 60 nationwide partners including Tate Britain, National Portrait Gallery, London Transport Museum, Pallant House Gallery and Glyndebourne. More information can be found at https://insidersoutsidersfestival.org/ Free Thinking past programmes include a debate about historical understandings of the holocaust and interviews with survivors https://bbc.in/2U86TzP Producer: Torquil MacLeod

Alex Grand, Somber Bill Field and guest co-host, Peter Coogan, PhD discuss 1950, the changing tide as American's get more domestic, and other non superhero genre's became much more in demand like Westerns, Romance, Humor, etc. The birth of the DC Comics editorial fiefdoms, Martin Goodman chasing genre comics, and the rest of the industry (mostly) says goodbye to Superheroes. The gang also says goodbye to Stan Lee, on the week of his death. Music - Standard License. Images used in artwork ©Their Respective Copyright holders , CBH Podcast ©Comic Book Historians. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/comicbookhistorians Podcast and Audio ©℗ 2019 Comic Book HistoriansSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/comicbookhistorians)

A very special podcast, Alex Grand and Jim Thompson along with Danny Barer presented this panel at the SDCC2018 Comic Arts Conference. Jim Thompson originated and led this panel, and discussed Joe Simon's ownership lawsuit over Captain America against Marvel. Alex was recruited to discuss Jack Kirby vs Stan Lee and Marvel for ownership of the Fantastic Four. Danny discussed Bill Finger vs Bob Kane and the creator credit of Batman. Special additional guest Marc Greenberg reveals his own discussions and tussles with Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson. By comparing various narratives from different characters, we see that the history text books are written or rewritten. But are they written by Historians or Attorneys? raw mp3 credited to Jamie Coville. Robot Coupe - Lost European - Standard License. Statements of each person does not necessarily reflect the opinon of the CBH Podcast. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/comicbookhistorians Podcast and Audio ©℗ 2019 Comic Book HistoriansSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/comicbookhistorians)

Listen in to the latest episode of the Baggies Broadcast - brought to you by Expressandstar.com. Nathan Judah hosts the show alongside West Brom correspondent Matt Wilson as they take a look back at the 3-0 defeat at Chelsea. The boys discuss the injury to Daniel Sturridge and the shock sackings of John Williams and Martin Goodman. On top of that they answer your questions and look ahead to the FA Cup clash with Southampton. Music: http://www.purple-planet.com

This time on the Couch: Mike, James, and Shée put on their finest long-sleeved polos to read 1975's Phoenix no. 1! In the 1970s, Marvel Comics founder Martin Goodman decided to start up a new comics company, but this time populate it with boring, generic nobodies to see if that would work. The old Goodman Charm couldn't keep Atlas/Seaboard Comics afloat and it folded in about a year. What went wrong? Editorial mismanagement? External economic factors? Or was it that books like Phoenix were so dull kids fell asleep just from touching them? Meanwhile Shée receives no quarter for her complaints about primates, and how did a bunch of aliens end up with Jon Arbuckle's wardrobe anyway?Find out more at http://darkseidscouch.com

Atlas Comics era la editora de historietas que luego se transformaría en Marvel Comics. Atlas era previamente Timely Comics. Su editor, Martin Goodman, utilizó el nombre de Atlas para su división de Comic-Books durante los años 50's. Pero... ¿porqué fue la época más difícil para los dibujantes de superhéroes?

Atlas Comics era la editora de historietas que luego se transformaría en Marvel Comics. Atlas era previamente Timely Comics. Su editor, Martin Goodman, utilizó el nombre de Atlas para su división de Comic-Books durante los años 50's. Pero... ¿porqué fue la época más difícil para los dibujantes de superhéroes? La entrada 56 – Marvel, la era Atlas Comics se publicó primero en Gcomics.

Year by year, our planet grows warmer. Can a not-for-profit environmental law organisation save the world? Martin Goodman and James Thornton's recent book Client Earth has been called 'a soaring force in environmental activism'. With their passion and groundbreaking insight they attempt to tackle the big questions about how we can save our planet. Chaired by Alessandro Pelizzon.

In this episode of The Stark Group LIVE, the Stark brothers are joined by Marty Goodman, founder of LoanMLS. LoanMLS is a classified advertising site for loans — providing a central place for brokers, lenders, bankers, and investors to confidentially post or search for loan assets to buy, fund or sell. Topics that were covered during this interview include LoanMLS and what their business is about, the note business, loans, and seller financing.

Presenter Amy Mullins spoke with Founding CEO of ClientEarth, James Thornton about his new book co-authored with Martin Goodman, 'Client Earth.' James shared his story from US litigator to UK solicitor representing the most important client of all – the Earth.

Alex Grand, Bill Field, Jim Thompson, and special guest, Marvel historian and 4 time published author / co-author, Barry Pearl discuss more aspects to 1966 and its place in the 1960s Marvel Age. This episode goes over the 1954 Comic Code Authority, the 1957 Atlas Implosion, and the 1966 Batman TV's effect on Martin Goodman, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Stan Lee and other freelancers in the "bullpen" and their adaptability and creativity in the market that left Marvel as the ultimate winner of the Silver Age. There's a segment discussing why Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Wally Wood left Marvel. Also the weekly rant evolves into a discussion of our current 2017 Superhero glut and how pop culture history will likely repeat itself. ©Comic Book Historians, marvelmania ©marvel comics. Support us at https://www.patreon.com/comicbookhistoriansPodcast and Audio ©℗ 2019 Comic Book HistoriansSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/comicbookhistorians)

Paul Kingsnorth, former deputy-editor of The Ecologist, co-founder of the Dark Mountain Project and author of novels including The Wake and Beast, talks about his changing attitude to the environmental movement. Environmental lawyer James Thornton and writer Martin Goodman recount their travels from Poland to Ghana, Alaska to China, to see how citizens are using public interest law to protect their planet. Plus, critic Maria Delgado and biographer Adam Feinstein consider the lost poems of that Chilean lover of nature, Pablo Neruda. Client Earth by James Thornton and Martin Goodman is published on the 11th of May. Confessions of a Recovering Environmentalist by Paul Kingsnorth is out now. The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry selected and introduced by Paul Kingsnorth is out now. Then Come Back: The Lost Neruda Poems, by Pablo Neruda is published on Thursday 27 April 2017. Neruda a film by Pablo Larraín starring Gael García Bernal as a policeman searching for the Chilean politician Pablo Neruda played by Luis Gnecco is out in cinemas across the UK now. Producer: Craig Templeton Smith.

Today's Guest: Bruce Jay Friedman, author, Lucky Bruce, Steambath, The Dick, The Lonely Guy, Splash, Stern   Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of famous writers, brand name celebrities and their heirs who are mentioned in Lucky Bruce and are standing by to see what Mr. Friedman might say about them next… in the NEW new media capital of the world, St. Petersburg, Florida! Order Lucky Bruce: A Literary Memoir by Bruce Friedman by clicking the book cover above! How many guys can write an autobiography that is part Andy Warhol Diaries, part Zelig and part Forrest Gump? Even if you’ve never read a lick of Bruce Jay Friedman’s voluminous career output, or seen one of his movies or Broadway productions, I guarantee you’ll find his new memoir, Lucky Bruce, delightful. BRUCE JAY FRIEDMAN audio excerpt: "In the beginning I didn't think I knew enough to fill up a whole book. Now, with the clock ticking, I don't have enough time to fill out all the ideas I have." Why delightful? Because it’s not the story of a guy standing on his mother’s step begging you to notice him and pay attention. His substantial collection of life stories and career anecdotes weave a history of a guy who, by his own telling, wandered in and out of history. The Accidental Success, you might call it. Or American Splendor, Manhattan Edition. There is Friedman, who fell into a top editing job at Magazine Management Company, run by Martin Goodman (who also created Marvel Comics, which employed his nephew, Stan Lee). While there, Friedman hired and befriended a guy named Mario Puzo. Along the way to Lucky, Friedman declines the top editing job at Playboy, gets into a street fight with Norman Mailer, parties with Crazy Joe Gallo, takes a leak next to Muhammad Ali, writes the screenplays for Splash and Stir Crazy, and… well, frankly, I dog-eared so many pages of note that my dog ears have dog ears. (I should note that this wonderful opportunity to interview Bruce came about as a result of my friendship with his son, famed caricaturist and illustrator Old Jewish Comedians, Drew Friedman. Drew has been a guest here and it was he who suggested a conversation with his dad and open that door. Thanks, Drew!) Watch the Mr. Media interview with Bruce Jay Friedman's sons Drew, Josh Alan and Kipp, below!         Order 'Will Eisner: A Spirited Life' (2nd Edition) by Bob Andelman, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Marvelous es el Podcast sobre todo lo relacionado con el universo Marvel. En este primer programa comentamos los orígenes de la editorial cuando aún se llamaba Timely, una empresa de Martin Goodman y sus primeros años publicando cómics. El cómic de esta semana es "El Proyecto Marvels" y también hablaremos de sus protagonistas y de sus autores: el guionista Ed Brubaker, el dibujante Steve Epting y el colorista Dave Stewart. Nos despedimos con las recomendaciones relacionadas de la semana: "Los Doce" de Straczynski y "Capitan América, la verdad" 'Nuff Said!

Marvelous es el Podcast sobre todo lo relacionado con el universo Marvel. En este primer programa comentamos los orígenes de la editorial cuando aún se llamaba Timely, una empresa de Martin Goodman y sus primeros años publicando cómics. El cómic de esta semana es "El Proyecto Marvels" y también hablaremos de sus protagonistas y de sus autores: el guionista Ed Brubaker, el dibujante Steve Epting y el colorista Dave Stewart. Nos despedimos con las recomendaciones relacionadas de la semana: "Los Doce" de Straczynski y "Capitan América, la verdad" 'Nuff Said!

In this episode we don't look at any individual issues or stories. Instead we take a look at the events in Martin Goodman's company during the 1950s: the type of comics Atlas produced, the distribution crisis and "Atlas Implosion", the death of Joe Maneely and Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby's return to the company. 0:00:00 - Take a peek! 0:01:15 - Martin Goodman's comics 0:02:16 - 1949 Goodman closes the Timely Bullpen 0:03:03 - Sales of comics in the 1950s & Atlas Distribution 0:04:04 - The Comics Code and its effect 0:05:00 - Westerns 0:05:44 - Horror comics 0:06:03 - Romance and Teen Girl comics 0:06:13 - The Black Knight 0:06:34 - Yellow Claw 0:07:06 - 655 Madison Avenue 0:08:15 - Budget cuts! 0:09:05 - Distribution crisis 0:10:40 - 16 bi-monthly titles 0:12:13 - Death of Joe Maneely 0:13:07 - Lee hires Ditko and Kirby 0:13:50 - The "real start of Marvel"? 0:15:04 - Thanks for listening "Something Happens" by NICOCO (www.jamendo.com) "Le Beau Blaireau" by NICOCO (www.jamendo.com) "Come Here (Piano)" by NICOCO (www.jamendo.com) Twitter: @MarvelUMpodcast Website: www.marvelunstablemolecules.com Email: marvelumpodcast@gmail.com

SHOW NOTES: Rex Lee doesn’t have a web site or online presence (that I could find). Emerald City Comic Con The famous Martin Goodman golf…

Two new dystopian novels by the scientist Susan Greenfield and academic Martin Goodman give Matthew Sweet the chance to ask whether dystopias ever really go away, and even if they don't do they ever say anything constructive about the future? Henry Gee joins the discussion. Director Ben Wheatley's latest work A Field In England sits squarely in the middle of the honourable tradition in British cinema of horror films set in the country. Wheatley joins Matthew along with the writer Iain Sinclair to discuss the genre. And Matthew reviews the Royal Academy's latest exhibition 'Mexico: A Revolution in Art,1910 - 1940,' with Sarah Kent and Amanda Hopkinson.