Episode 100: We did it!

 

They said it couldn't be done. They said we would never make it. They said hot dogs are sandwiches. But despite the nay-sayers, and against all odds, we made it to our 100th episode! 

When we started the Planet 8 podcast, we had no idea we would reach this kind of milestone. But here we are. Despite the hiccup of Recon Officer Karen getting hit with Covid right before we were going to record our 100th episode, and having to delay a couple of weeks, we bounced back to bring you this episode, where we celebrate this milestone by throwing a party in the Planet 8 Officer's Club.  

It wouldn't be a party without guests, and we have quite a guest list! Through the miracle of science, we're able to reach through time and space and bring to Planet 8 a collection of actors, artists, and more who have all contributed to our love for science fiction, fantasy, and horror media. We discuss why we would want to have them at the party and what we'd talk to them about. Who would each of us invite? You'll have to listen to the episode to find out!

Rounding out our episode is our Sensor Sweep, this time focusing on upcoming events that Chief Engineer Bob will be putting on through his Bay Area Film Events group. First up, on August 12, 13, and 14th at the Balboa Theater in San Francisco, is the annual Godzillafest. This year's theme is "Gamera crashes Godzillafest" and Gamera the Brave will be shown, along with a number of other Gamera films. Bob and his partners will also be showing two films in 35 mm format, Terror of Mechagodzilla and Godzilla vs. Gigan. If you're in the Bay Area, don't miss this kaiju bash! They'll also have artists and vendors on site, so you can buy all sorts of goodies! Click here for more information.

On October 1,2, and 3, Ultraman will be coming to the 4 Star Theater in Chinatown! Details will be posted soon on the Bay Area Film Events site.

Listeners, we want to thank you for sticking with us, for posting comments on our site, Facebook, and Twitter. We appreciate your thoughts and being able to engage with you! Hearing from you and knowing you're out there is what keeps us going!

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
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• YouTube: https://youtube.com/Planet8podcast

We would rather be with you people than with the finest people in the world!

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 27: All Those Wonderful Toys

One of the great things about being a fan is all of the fun and amazing (if not expensive) collectibles that are to be found based on so many of our favorite TV shows, movies, comic characters, and more. It's astonishing the variety of items available - Star Trek Enterprise pizza cutter, anyone? Many of us have acquired a ton of posters, figures, books, and what-have-you over the years. Building a collection is a point of pride for many. Some are downright obsessive about it.

In this episode, Larry, Bob, and Karen discuss the fine art of collecting, and look at a few of their favorite items in their own collections. Bob has a number of one-of-a-kind or nearly so items of the kaiju variety (like an Ibanez Ultraman guitar), while Larry explores some rare Anchor-Hocking Universal Monster glasses that he hunted down. Karen shares a favorite piece, the Sideshow Creature from the Black Lagoon premium format statue.

Just why do we collect? Is it out of a sense of nostalgia? Is it the thrill of chasing down that rare item? And do you limit yourself to just one genre or show, or do you range far and wide in the types of things you enjoy? And we ask the question, if you didn't collect genre-related stuff, what else would you collect?

For this episode's Sensor Sweep, Bob tells us about a special painting he had done for him by Hugo-winning artist Bob Eggleton. It depicts the landscape of Planet X from Monster Zero. And now it proudly hangs in his living room!

Now it's your turn. We would love to hear about all of your collections! You know where to reach us -in the comments here, or at:

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

Thanks for Listening!

Episode 2: Desert Planet Picks

Stranded on a desert planetoid, you are able to salvage only two ancient TV series and five films to keep you entertained until the space patrol arrives to rescue you...whenever that might be. What are your selections?

Tune into this episode to hear what the Planet 8 crew of Larry, Karen, and Bob would grab from the wreckage of their spacecraft to keep them company. You might be surprised! Then please share your picks with us here, or on Twitter or Facebook.

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
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Thanks for listening, and if you enjoyed what you heard, please subscribe!