Cuts, Comics and Creatures: A Sci-Fi Podcast Retrospective

The end of 2024 is nigh! You can follow the podcast on Instagram and Threads although I am also trying to join in on BlueSky a bit. (It's a bit weird though.) Welcome to an end of year special! A compilation of some interesting parts of conversations from the podcast in 2024 that were edited out. I edit the podcast down to a more digestible length but this means I often lose parts of conversations that are really fun or insightful so here is a collection of those. I also wanted to give a shout out to some amazing independent podcasters who (like myself) do not have huge teams or budgets to put together their shows. They've also offered me some sense of camaraderie in the crazy world of obsessing over something and then making podcasts about it. You can find The Lorehounds crew and offerings which include conversations and recaps on some of the best sci-fi shows around on their website. Em at Verbal Diorama is absolutely lovely, passionate about films (especially The Mummy) and does deep dives into many popular movies. Her research skills are fantastic and she is a fellow winner on the Ear Worthy podcast awards for 2024. Her website is here. Mark Steadman is a fantastic and knowledgeable digital producer who knows lots about the podcasting business. He will be launching Undo: How history's outliers got stuff done in January. You can learn more about him and it here.

Details of the guests and shows featured in this end of year episode: • Jess Nevins and Julian Chambliss were guests on episode 10: Pulps, Comics and the Rise of Superheroes. • Mark Bould and Peter Conolly Smith were guests on episode 8: King Kong: The Origin of a Cinematic Titan. • Sonja Fritzsche and Noah Isenberg were guest in episode 5: Metropolis: The Most Influential Sci-Fi Film Ever*. • Thomas Doherty and Xavier Aldana Reyes were guests on episode 12: Mad Scientists: Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll & Boris Karloff. • Keith Williams and Ari Brin were guests on episode 14: Robert Duncan Milne: A Lost Pioneer of Science Fiction. • Jay Telotte and Marc Longenecker were guests on episode 15: The Thing from Another World: Howard Hawks & the Cold War. • Scott Higgins and Phil Nichols were guests on episode 18: It Came From Outer Space: Bradbury, 3D & 1950s Teens • Thomas Doherty and Mathew Rule Jones were guests on episode 21: Them! The 1954 Horror Sci-Fi that Spawned Big Bug Cinema. • Jay Telotte and Mark Bould were guests on episode 11: Flash Gordon: From Buck Rogers Rip-Off to Space Opera Legend.

Chapters: 00:00 Intro and indie podcast shoutouts 02:06 Comics and Pulps: Who is your favourite superhero? 05:46 King Kong: Hays Code, covert wars and Frank-N-Furter 10:17 Metropolis: Rotwang the prototype 15:35 Mad Scientists: Favourites 20:55 Robert Duncan Milne: From page to screen 30:35 The Thing from Another World: Themes of seeing 34:15 It Came From Outer Space: 3D cinema and unions 36:28 Them! Drive-ins, degenerates and dingy cinemas 46:53 Flash Gordon: Casting choices

NEXT EPISODE! The next film we'll be focusing on is the original Japanese version of Godzilla (1954). This is surprisingly difficult to get hold of although you can purchase a DVD from many outlets. In the US it is available on Apple TV and Max (previously HBO Max) as well as on Tubi. You can check the Just Watch website to see if it might be streaming in your region. I just wanted to add that the opening credits and music are just phenomenal in my opinion.

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