Episode 71: Bewitched by Wandavision

 

The first Marvel TV show on Disney + has completed its run -Wandavision! Like everyone else, your Planet 8 crew was glued to their screens, watching the show and trying to figure out what was going on! There were so many rumors and theories put forth by fans that it was hard to watch without any preconceived notions. And the sitcom veneer was unusual, and at first was a bit off-putting, but as we made our way into the show, we all came to really enjoy it!

Just a warning: as usual this post and episode is SPOILER-FILLED, so proceed at your own risk!

Once again, Marvel has taken some deep comic book history and woven it into a TV show, which is impressive enough. Hey, we never imagined we would see these characters in live action! But then, the show took on a bigger topic of grief and depression, which was totally unexpected. The way the show managed to portray Wanda's suffering over the loss of her brother and the Vision was truly moving. 

It was also just great to see more of Wanda and the Vision, two characters we liked but didn't get to see a lot of in the films. Here, the events revolve around them, although at first we're not really clear about what's going on. The mystery is part of the fun of watching the show. We also were pleased to see a number of other characters show up, like Darcy and Jimmy Woo.

Of course new characters were introduced too, most notably Monica Rambeau and Agatha Harkness. Monica seems destined to go on to super-herodom, whether as Photon or Spectrum, remains to be seen. Agatha is still around and it wouldn't be a surprise to see her show up again. Besides, she had the best theme song!

We also have a new version of the Vision, the white Vision, running around. Where will he show up next? And what will he be like? Will he and Wanda get together again?

So many questions! It's the mark of a good show that we are left wanting more. Wandavision has just left us more excited for Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as well as Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and all the other Marvel projects to come.

Before we get to the Sensor Sweep, we'd like to once again thank you listeners, for nominating Planet 8 for the Rondo Awards for Best Multimedia Site. It's an honor to be nominated for a second time for this award, which is voted on by the fans. We would be so grateful if you would consider going the final distance and voting for us in Best Multimedia Site. There are also many other categories you can vote in, such as Best Horror Host, where our friends Lord Blood-Rah and Mr. Lobo are both nominated. Check out the Rondo Award site here for details on how to vote. Note: unlike what we said in the podcast, you can only vote ONCE! 

For this episode's Sensor Sweep, Commander Larry shares a truly mammoth tome, The Stan Lee Story published by Taschen. At a huge 11.5" by 17" and 17 pounds, this book is not only a testament to Stan the Man, it's a commitment! Written by rascally Roy Thomas, it covers Stan's life and is stuffed full of art and photos. If you have the dough -and it's a wallet-busting $200 -then it can be yours. You can buy at the Taschen site, Amazon, or check your local bookseller.

All right folks, we hope you enjoyed our discussion of Wandavision and the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Please let us know your thoughts on the show and beyond. Once again, thank you for listening and supporting Planet 8!

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

Remember-it was Agatha all along!

Episode 48: Those Startling, Sensational Super-Heroes

art by George Perez

Super-heroes! How many of us ran around with a towel tied around our neck, pretending to fly as we jumped from the couch? Whether we read about them in comics, watched them on TV, or thrilled to them in the movie theater, we all have had our dreams of being a super-hero, fighting evil villains and saving the day. In this episode each of the Planet 8 crew will discuss their favorite super-heroes, and we have quite a variety!

Karen is up first, and she looks at two Marvel "outsiders" - The Vision and Adam Warlock. Both have convoluted backstories, and are not your typical hero in longjohns. What makes these two so interesting? Listen in and find out.

Next up is Bob with the lowdown on all things Ultraman! If you already like Ultraman, you'll appreciate Bob's deep knowledge on the topic. And if you're new to it, you'll learn a lot!

Christopher Reeve Superman GIF from Christopherreeve GIFs

Finally, pulling it all together, Larry shares his love for the original super-hero, Superman! The Man of Steel, and in particular the Christopher Reeve films, are close to Larry's heart. He'll tell us all why.

For the Sensor Sweep, appropriately, Bob shares his latest acquisition, a fabulous Ultraman figure from MaxToyco! This vinyl figure stands about 4.5" high and is the 1st Ultraman figure licensed by Tsuburaya in the United States. Sculpted by Pico Pico and painted by Mark Nagata (owner of Maxtoyco), this is a limited edition figure. But expect to see more Ultraman figures soon!

Bonus announcement: we've added another way to get your Planet 8 fix: a YouTube channel! That's right, you can catch episodes on YouTube now. Currently we're just adding still images to the audio, but stay tuned, we have some other plans in store!

That's all for us this time. Let us know who your favorite supe-heroes are. You could use the bat-signal, but it might be easier to leave a comment on the site, or try us at our other spots:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

Thanks for listening!

Episode 31: Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Friendly Globe-Hopping Spider-Man

Spidey's back, and your Planet 8 crew is here to share our take on this new Marvel blockbuster. As usual, our discussion will be SPOILER-FILLED, so make sure you see Spider-Man: Far From Home before you listen to this episode.

This time around, Spidey's no longer your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, he's a globe-hopping hero. International locations are the key to this movie, making the web-slinger seem a little more like James Bond! Larry, Bob, and Karen will talk about Spidey's expanded responsibilities and much more, such as what they thought of seeing long-time Spider-Man villain Mysterio on the big screen.

This film takes place not long after the events of Avengers: Endgame, so how is Peter dealing with the loss of Tony Stark? What's the world like, after the Snap? Did the movie deal with this effectively? We have thoughts about this...

What about Peter Parker's personal life? How are Aunt May, Ned, and of course, MJ? Spidey's always had a great supporting cast, and the MCU is developing them too, in a slightly different way. How did things go in this film? Yup, we'll jabber about that too!

For our Sensor Sweep, Engineer Bob shares some big news for Ultraman fans: Mill Creek Entertainment has acquired the rights to all of the Ultraman series all the way up to the current Taiga series. (The Ultraman shows have been embroiled in legal red tape for years; if you'd like to know the full story, check out this link and this one.) They also have rights to 20 films. They will be released in blu-ray format, and also on streaming platforms. In even more exciting news, Bob and his partner Keith Aiken of SciFi Japan have been asked to consult with Mill Creek on these releases! You can get more details over at SciFi Japan.

So tune in, turn on, and tell us what you thought of Spider-Man: Far From Home! And thanks so much to our listeners who take time to comment here or on Twitter or Facebook. We can't name all of you, but here's a few: Edo, Al, Kevin, Debby, Michael, Sean, Jasmine, Steven, John, Dan, Jeff,  Edward, and so many more! We love hearing from you, so keep it coming. And of course, here's where you can find us: 

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 23: Captain Marvel Blasts into the Marvel Universe

Marvel's newest superstar has hit the big screen this month - Captain Marvel! Your Planet 8 crew is here to share their thoughts about the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which takes us from the intergalactic Kree Empire all the way to 1990s Earth! Yes, you'll thrill to the sight of Blockbuster Video, giant cell phones, and a very young looking Samuel Jackson! Of course, this is a SPOILER-FILLED episode, so you may not want to listen until after you've seen the movie. 

Besides discussing Captain Marvel, we'll dip into myriad other topics, such as Captain Marvel in the comics, the Agents of SHIELD TV show, Thor Ragnarok, and, of course, Avengers: Endgame (and we'll be doing an entire episode on that film, so stay tuned!). It's a wide-ranging, perhaps even a bit rambling, discussion, but that's how we do things around here!

This time around, for the Sensor Sweep segment, we decided to shine a light not on a product but on the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards, which were created by David Colton and Kerry Gammill in 2002 to allow fans to vote and honor various horror-related efforts,  in film, books, and so on. This is the 17th year of voting! You can go to the link above and vote by April 20th for your favorites. We would like to humbly make a few suggestions. 

• Best Book: You can't beat Where Monsters Walked by friends of Planet 8, Gail and Ray Orwig.
• Best Website: Chief Engineer Bob has another gig -for years he has been the co-producer of SciFi Japan, with Keith Aiken, the best resource for all things kaiju-related.
• Best Multimedia Site (podcasts, etc.): We have two (OK, really three) suggestions: Kaijucast, run by Kyle Yount, devoted to Godzilla,  and Monster Kid Radio, Derek Koch's show, about classic (and not so classic) monster films -both Kyle and Derek have been really helpful to the Planet 8 crew as we've been finding our way, and they're great guys, with fun shows! And if you feel like it, you could write in a little show called Planet 8...maybe some day we'll actually get on the ballot!
• Favorite Horror Host: For us, there's no choice except Lord Blood-Rah! He's just the best, and we've had him on two episodes so far (episodes 8 and 11), and he deserves to be honored.
• Best Convention: For our money, it's gotta be Monsterpalooza! 
• Best Soundtrack: Engineer Bob recommends the Valley of Gwangi soundtrack from Intrada!

OK friends, please let us know your thoughts. Did Captain Marvel blaze, or fizzle? You can comment here, or go to our other hangouts:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 17: Planet 8 Warps Into the Spider-Verse!

Happy Holidays! Your Planet 8 crew is celebrating the season by getting together and talking about how much we enjoyed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse! This new animated feature was a perfect gift for your three hosts, as we are long-time Spider-Man fans. It's a fantastic-looking film that truly celebrates the Spider-Man mythos. This will be a SPOILER-FILLED discussion, so be sure to see the movie before you listen to the show! Believe us, you'll be glad you did.

We also take some time to discuss the previous film incarnations of Spidey, as well as reminisce about how we first discovered old Webhead, our favorite Spidey artists, stories, and more. It's a web-slingin' extravaganza!

A strange transmission from outside Planet 8 was intercepted this week. We're not sure what it means, but it was identified as something called "Monster Kid Radio." This could be the prelude to an invasion. We suggest you investigate, for your own safety!

This episode, Chief Engineer Bob shows off an early Christmas gift for our Sensor Sweep, the Iron Giant "Riobot" articulated figure from Sentinel. This is a super-detailed 6.30" die-cast and PVC replica of the heroic robot. This figure is crazily poseable! Check out how Bob set him up below. You can find the little big guy for sale at Big Bad Toy Store.

That's all from us this time around. Wishing everyone the happiest of holidays! We'll be back with a review of the major sci fi, super-hero, monster and other related happenings of 2018 next time. Be sure to drop by and let us know what you thought of Into the Spider-Verse, and tell us what Santa brought you! You can reach us here, or at:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 14: A Tribute to Stan Lee

It is with heavy hearts that we put together this episode of Planet 8. Stan Lee, the face of Marvel Comics, passed away on November 12th. It's impossible to adequately relate how much Stan meant to all of us, or the magnitude of what he achieved in his life. But there was no way we could let his passing go by unnoticed. Stan not only co-created so many super-heroes that we love, but he gave us a sense of belonging. He made Marvel, and comics, feel cool. He spoke out against bigotry and spoke up for equality. His promotion of Marvel eventually led to the amazing films we have now. He brought enjoyment to so many people across the world -truly, a life to be celebrated. Excelsior.

For our Sensor Sweep, Bob salutes another person who passed on November 12th, Fred Patten. Mr. Patten was instrumental in bringing Japanese manga and  animation to America. Patten was the owner of the Graphic Story Bookshop in Long Beach, California in the 1970s, and discovered manga at Westercon in 1970. He began to import comics from Japan, and founded the Cartoon Fantasy Organization in 1978. He also consulted on a number of animated features.

That's it for now -we'll be back in a week with our regularly scheduled episode. Please feel free to share your thoughts with us, either here or on our other locations: 

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

Thanks for Listening!

Stan Lee interview clips courtesy Fandango. Closing song is Wallopin' Websnappers by Moxxi (Vaughn Smith) from the album The Spider-Man Swinging 60's Cartoon Retro Remix Collection.

Episode 6: Robots Invade Planet 8!

It's all about robots in this episode! Yes, robots, helpers or horrors? Will mankind wind up with friendly assistants like R2-D2, or are we more likely to create the Terminator? Join your Planet 8 crew Larry, Karen, and Bob as they discuss some of their favorite robots and androids from movies, TV, animation, and comics. We'll look at Data from Star Trek, a number of super-robots from Japan, The Vision from Marvel Comics, and well, a few more obscure characters. As usual, don't be surprised if the crew goes off on some tangents...including a discussion of Popeye? Be sure to tell us about your favorite robots in the comments section, or come over to our Twitter or Facebook pages:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

For our Sensor Sweep, Larry looks at the 1000th issue of Action Comics, featuring 11 stories about Superman by a virtual who's who of comics creators. Larry particularly enjoyed "Never-Ending Battle" by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason, where the Man of Steel travels through time -and the different incarnations of Superman in comics and other media - to  return home to Lois. This special 80-page issue was released in June with at $7.99. It may still be available at your local comic shop. A number of variant-cover editions were published. 

Thanks for listening!

Episode 1: Infinity War spoiler-filled breakdown!

All right True Believers, Avengers: Infinity War is here, and it's huge! Join your hosts, Larry, Bob, and Karen, as we discuss and dissect this mega-blockbuster in a spoiler-filled podcast. After 10 years and 18 previous films, this is a massive effort - we'll talk about what worked for us, what wasn't as effective, what surprised us, and what we expect from Avengers 4. Please listen in and then share your thoughts here, and/or join us on Twitter and Facebook:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

In our Sensor Sweep, we examine the amazing new Planet of the Apes Lawgiver tiki mug from Mondo! That's right, now you can bless your abode with the stylized image of the legendary orangutan, the Lawgiver, available in four different glazes. Check out https://mondotees.com/collections/lawgiver-tiki-mugs to get your very own. Below are images of the Planet 8 crew's Lawgiver mugs in their crew quarters!

Thanks for listening, and if you enjoyed what you heard, please comment and subscribe!