For All Mankind #8

FOR ALL MANKIND #8 – SUPER FRIENDS #8

Rob and returning Super Friend Chris Franklin review “The Mind Killers” by E. Nelson Bridwell, Ramona Fradon, and Bob Smith, from SUPER FRIENDS #8! Plus another segment of “For All Merchkind” and Listener Feedback!

Check out images from this comic by clicking here!

Opening and closing themes by Hanna Barbera.

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34 responses to “For All Mankind #8

  1. All mankind gets to enjoy another fun episode. ENB’s insistence that the comics and cartoon are all one big universe is amazing. I love how he ties it all in, and then grabs you by the lapels, slaps you in the face and yells it at the top of his lungs, just to se sure you’re aware.
    As for Jack O Lantern’s costume, it wouldn’t have been accurate for there to be any orange or pumpkin theme to it. Pumpkin’s are native to North America and have nothing to do with the Irish legends or history. Had they done a pumpkin theme, some insufferable comic fan with a name like, Matt or Sirois would likely have written in to complain simply so everyone would know how smart he is.

    1. I had just listened to the Mountain Comics review of this issue with Xum Yukinori the other week (as I was relistening to all of Xum’s shows for the network), and it was good to get the additional perspective here from you and Chris.

      And Rob, I totally support your decision to retain the “Wendy and Marvin” SuperFriends theme on your show going forward. It is just too bad that the phrase “For All Mankind” is not in the actual narration of that one.

  2. I remember that Yul Brynner anti-smoking ad very well.
    I was a huge fan of the late actor (particularly in the King and I, which I got to see live before he died.)
    I will proudly say that while I was never really a fan of cigarette smoke as a kid, I actually have NEVER smoked because I took Mr. Brynner’s advice to heart.

    My first thought in seeing the scene with Black Canary and Thunderlord was ‘I hope Ollie’s not watching the monitors while they’re getting cozy.” I also noticed how much smaller Canary is compared to Thunderlord who was usually drawn in later comics to be rather on the short side himself. I couldn’t find an official height listed for Thunderlord but Black Canary has been listed at 5’5″ (actually her later Who’s Who from the Binder Format series listed her at 5’4″ (maybe she stopped wearing boots with heels?)

  3. I now have the book “Super Friends – Saturday Morning Comics – Vol 1” (Vol 2 to be released in December) and I open it up to review while I listen to your podcast.

    Regarding ENB’s methods of making this series Earth-1 connected, SF #8 was referenced in a Justice League issue. In that issue, Red Tornado is making a reference to breaking the time barrier, and at the bottom of the panel is the blurb “in Super Friends #8”. Unfortunately, I can’t remember which issue this happens in.

    I would’ve liked to see the individual battles be more in depth, but that would’ve required a 4th issue, or more pages in the three existing issues, which would’ve raised the price.

    Regarding the comments on Owlwoman and whether or not she appeared elsewhere, I was not able to locate her in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12, but found the following Global Guardians:

    The Little Mermaid (I suspect but may be mistaken)
    The Rising Sun
    Jack O’ Lantern
    Godiva
    Thunder Lord

    We also see Green Fury and Dr. Mist, who both appear in later issues of Super Friends.

    As for your comments during “For All Merchkind” about Aquaman missing on merchandise, I can sympathize, as I often felt the same way, seeing just the 5 heroes, or group shots with Wendy & Marvin, and wondering why I couldn’t see The Wonder Twins on anything!

    Thanks for all the work you do with these, I’m really enjoying them!

    Chuck

    1. She’s not easy to find but, You can spot Owlwoman in the 24th story page of Crisis on Infinite Earths issue 12.
      She is in the TV screen behind Lois Lane.
      It’s the panel in the middle of the page.

  4. These are my favorite issues of Super Friends and I became a huge Global Guardians fan because of them! I’m going to post some of my original art pages on Facebook (Infinity Inc and JL Quarterly) featuring some of the GGs

  5. Awesome episode, fellas! This was the third comic I ever bought, shortly before my ninth birthday, and it definitely left a mark on me. The scene with Batman, Robin, and Bushmaster taught me the meaning of VTOL, for example.

    After reading this comic I could never figure out why anyone would think Red Tornado was one of the weaker members of the JLA. Although now that I think about it, creating winds with a force of 186,000 miles per second was probably not the best way to save the world….

    I also liked your pronunciation of Tuatara. I once pronounced it differently and my wife slapped me….

  6. I love the Black Canary and Thunder Lord shipping in this episode. Canary certainly has done (and will do) a lot worse, and this would have given us an interesting interracial couple with lots of story potential. So, sign me up for team Thunder-Canary. When do the team t-shirts come out in the merch store?

  7. Another great episode – another great listen!

    Was Clem Robins (the letterer for this issue) responsible for that HORRID Super Friends logo on the splash page? It was truly atrocious and I can’t believe that it wasn’t mentioned in the episode. I’m not one to dwell on the negative, but I would have spent 16 minutes trashing that monstrosity – Rob didn’t have me on this episode so we wouldn’t have to do so much editing.

    I loved the team-ups of course, but wish that they weren’t quite so samey-samey. 2 Lanterns, 2 sonic based characters. I’m always a fan of super oddball team ups like if Ma Kent teamed up with Etrigan.

    When Rob was voicing the Jack O’Lantern’s dialog with his brogue it reminded me of Chief O’Hara and THAT made me think that if Roy Thomas every wrote the character of Jack O’Lantern he probably somehow have them be related!

    Many people have mentioned the ‘Super Friends – Saturday Morning Comics’ hardcover and I have to second, or third, or eighty-seventh the reccomendation for it.
    The only thing in the book that I didn’t previously own was the 9 page Aquateers give away (with purchase of the Super Friends swim goggles) and I’m still so happy that I bought it!
    The colors are SO rich and beautiful in the books.

    The only small disappointment that I have with it is that they are NOT 100% completely faithful reprints. For example – the last dialog box in issue #8 has a next issue blurb with the last line being “On sale the third week in September” but the reprint omits this line.
    It’s a very small detail and doesn’t really affect anything but I wish they would have kept it in.
    Why omit it?
    Do they believe that people are going to think that they have to buy another book in September to get the final part even though the next story is right there on the following page?

    Thunderlord’s powers AREN’T magnetic based at all but believe you me, I SURE WAS attracted to him!
    Based on how much I was swooning and even how much admiration two straight men could see in him, maybe he does have some charm based powers of persuasion. HE is the Global Guardian I wanna read more about!

    1. I had that atrocious logo in my notes Shawn, but Rob and I happily digressed elsewhere.

      Seems like on sale dates often get clipped from reprints. Heck, a lot of “Next Issue” blocks get cut entirely. I wish they kept them for accuracy, but at least someone isn’t redrawing the art.

      I have that book on my Christmas/Birthday/Random-If-You-Want-To-Buy-Me-Something-Nice list.

      Thunderlord is the Tom Jones of the Global Guardians.

      Chris

      1. I’m with Shawn in wanting Next Issue blurbs. I was delighted, on buying the recent Shazam hardback collections, to find them retained, right down to ‘To be continued in World’s Finest #253, the new home for Shazam!’ I mean, if there a ever a blurb worth cutting…

  8. Esperanto was developed in the 1880s by L.L. Zamenhof. It never took off like he wanted, but by the early 20th century it had a small but dedicated number of aficionados who have published books, recorded audio-dramas and occasionally shot movies in the language and still hold annual conferences and other events to this day.

      1. Aaaaand that’s our show, everyone. You’ve been a wonderful audience! Remember to tip your servers!

        I’m not currently following X-Men, so I don’t get the reference, but somehow it’s funny, anyway.

  9. Thanks for another terrific show, such great memories. Isn’t it marvellous that DC considered Reddy a big enough draw that he was the cover star, facing the Very Peculiar Dinosaur?

    I’m tempted by this Saturday Morning Comics book, but looking at the first volume on Amazon, that cover design is awful…they couldn’t use the logo from the comics?

    OK, I’m trying to dissuade myself. Ooh, and the second volume is due on December…

    1. Martin, it’s truly worth it for a Super Friends fan. I have the comic run but it’s stored away in plastic bags. I enjoy the fact that I can read it now and keep the comics sealed.

      Looking forward to volume two in December!

  10. Another fun podcast. Super Friends was never shown in the UK, so I’ve never, ever seen it, but fascinating to hear about it from the perspective of those on whom it clearly made a big impact in their impressionable years.

    Came here to mention two things:

    1) As mentioned by Matt Sirois, Irish jack o’lanterns are indeed not made from pumpkins, hence no need for orange on the suit. I would add that they are made from turnips (also known as neeps in Scotland). That’s what we in the UK used in the 80s too. They are impossible to carve and the end results are invariably horrifying. I suggest you take a stiff drink and google ‘turnip lanterns’. Turnips are mostly brown, but have a purple tinge to them, hence JO’L’s costume.

    2) Owlwoman did appear in some early issues of JLE, as a sidekick to Jack O’Lantern when he was working for Queen Bee. She also appeared in the Global Guardians stories in the extremely mixed bag known as Justice League Quarterly. I refer you to a podcast whose name I forget elsewhere on this network for more information.

    1. Unless you mean the week following this episode, then yeah, I mean, it’s just a coincidence. I personally only have one non-comics show and it happened to fall on a week where other non-comics shows fell. If this is really a problem, you might consider subscribing only to the shows you listen to, individually. We do offer that option.

  11. Another great SF issue. As many of you know, I’m a huge Red Tornado fan so this “spotlight” on him made me very, very happy.
    On the other hand, is it just me or does that scene with Black Canary make anybody else cringe? She’s a Justice Leaguer, for crying out loud. She shouldn’t have to nearly faint because she’s so tired! Nobody else in the issue seems tired. I always thought this was a subtle dig against the character.
    When I was a kid I used the Global Guardians in fan fiction stories. At the time they didn’t have a name, so I called them The League of Nations. I always liked that name better.

  12. The more I listen to this podcast, the more I regret not buying these issues the first time around. I don’t recall seeing this cover, but I would have been tempted by a Red Tornado spotlight back then!

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