oHOTmu or NOT Ep.28: Destiny to Doc Samson

A mutant with foresight. A race of uglies. A super alchemist. A Serpent who turned to good. And a superstrong psychiatrist. Which are Hot, and which are Not? Only one way to find out, and that's to get it straight from the Girls' own voices.

Featuring permanent panelists Elyse, Isabel, Nathalie, Josée, Amélie and Shotgun.

Listen to Episode 28 below (the usual mature language warnings apply), or subscribe to oHOTmu OR NOT? on iTunes!

Relevant images and further credits at: oHOTmu or NOT ep.28 Supplemental

This podcast is a proud member of the FIRE AND WATER PODCAST NETWORK!

Subscribe via iTunes as part of the FIRE AND WATER PODCAST NETWORK.

And thanks for leaving a comment.

10 responses to “oHOTmu or NOT Ep.28: Destiny to Doc Samson

  1. Okay, this may get me in trouble, but exposed 60 year old thighs in 1986 is a bit…no. Nowadays, with everyone seemingly aging slower, not as much. But still…odd.

    Also, this will be probably get me into trouble for sure, but I had a comic crush on Diamondback. Maybe it was the pink, skintight suit that made her look mostly naked, or perhaps it was the way Kieron Dwyer drew her when he took over Cap, but I really liked that character. She was the first villain I ever encountered who seemed to really work at reforming, and proving her worth to the hero, and she was very endearing. Glad she made it into the Hot list!

    Doc Samson looks a bit like Sam J. Jones as Flash Gordon in his original outfit. Make Sam grow out his hair, dye it green, and voila. I prefer the original look to the leather bar outfit as well. He looks like he’s in a pretentious New Wave band in the main pic. I believe Roy Thomas had artist Herb Trimpe base his original lightning bolt T-shirt design on 40s Tootsie Roll comic pitchman Captain Tootsie. I’ll let the girls just have a laugh at that.

    Diablo… us comic nerds take certain things at face value. It isn’t until someone new points out things that we realize just how ridiculous some of these designs and concepts are. A 9th century Spanish alchemist discovered in Transylvania did raise some eyebrows on the Fantasticast, as I recall though.

    Great costumes ladies!

    Chris

  2. First of all – Cosplays for the win! Loving what both Amelie and Shotgun pulled together. Wish I could have seen Siskoid’s face when he opened the door to Death. And Shotgun did impressive work restraining the cleavage without killing the look.

    Onto these entries. Destiny… I’m REALLY torn on this one. I don’t know if the look is hot, but it’s definitely intriguing. And I kind of love her powers and the restrictions on them. The whole idea that her predictions become less accurate the further forward she looks in time is a really neat idea that I don’t think I’ve heard of before. But then we get to the “appears 60” thing. I’m not calling that an automatic deal-breaker, but man is it telling that comic book artists think that all the signs of being that age are in the face (hence the mask to cover wrinkles and grey hair.) While this is far from the most egregious instance I’ve seen, I have such an inherent gag reflex whenever I come across “old” characters where it’s clear that artists just slapped silver hair and a few wrinkles on the face of the standard obscenely curvy body we see way too much in comics. I kind of have to say “not” on principle. Though I now really want to go find a story where she takes part because like I said, pretty fascinating as a character.

    The Deviants. Ugh, this is almost as bad as the Demons. I was tempted to “not” the whole group just for having a lopsided red toad woman named Vira. Yes I can be petty. But it’s not spelled the same so I’ll let it go. Ereshkigal really is the only saving grace here. I guess some might go for Ransak but he’s generic to my eye. Ereshkigal definitely reminds me of Cate Blanchett in Thor: Ragnarok and her wonderful headwear as Hela, and that’s no bad thing. She get’s the hot. She’s it though.

    Diablo. It’s kind of a dated look, but I could almost go with it if not for the mustache. Not a fan of them in the first place but I see that kind of overly groomed monstrosity I just know there’s going to be an hour primping period first thing in the morning and before bed to maintain the hideous thing. He’s also oddly gangly and that one shot of him from the back is a really weird bend in his midsection. Was he trying to belly dance? I’m all for shaking up the generic overmuscled build for guys but something about this is off putting. That’s another “not.” But the girls completely losing it over this was the highlight for my day, easily.

    Diamondback. NOW we’re talking! I really love this. I love how the diamond pattern gives additional shape to the outfit. I love how high the collar on it goes because she’s already got the black diamond separating her boobs so no additional cleavage is needed. I like the way the mask works with the hair and having the hair heavily favoring one side. And the boots. God yes to those boots. To steal Shagg’s thunder: SMOKIN’ HOT!

    Doc Samson. I’d been looking forward to this one, because I’ve liked this character for a long time. But this was depressing to look at. I’m forced to choose between a decent build with a lousy outfit and his fun casual look slapped over somebody with such an absurdly big upper body that he looks like Fabio’s head is resting on top of an inverted pyramid. I like Doc, always have. Love that he’d rather talk it out but can also throw down if needed. But based on these images it’d be a pass.

    Wait a minute, Siskoid had a mustache?!? EXPLAIN!

  3. DESTINY – Always liked this character for the same reasons Vera mentioned above. I’m pretty sure in the ’90s or ’00s, they retconned her relationship with Mystique to be lovers.

    DIABLO – I have no idea what anyone was saying throughout this entire segment. But that didn’t make it unenjoyable to listen to.

    DOC SAMSON – I’ve tried over the years to like this character, but I can never quite get there. The idea that Bruce Banner would have a world-class psychiatrist in his supporting cast is a great one, but all-too often they just punched each other because that’s what you do in a Hulk comic. I would love Ty Burrell to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Leonard Samson; don’t give him Gamma powers, just keep him as is and let his charm play off of Banner and the Hulk.

    I like Samson’s original costume inasmuch as it reminds me of retroactive pulp heroes like Tom Strong and Iron Munro, but I don’t think it works in the Marvel universe for some reason. Also, green hair on otherwise human characters has never appealed to me. Samson, Viper, Polaris, Agent Brand… they all look stupid with green hair. Maybe I’m biased because I’ve seen too many real people try to dye their hair green and end up with nightmarish results.

    Another great episode.

  4. Destiny: Pretty much from the start, Chris Claremont depicted Destiny and Mystique as a devoted “old married couple,” although he tried to keep it subtle enough to get under the radar of the Comics Code Authority. When he finally did state outright that they were a lesbian couple, he did so in a way that would have gone over most readers’ heads, referring to Destiny as Mystique’s “leman” (a very obscure, archaic word meaning “lover”).

    Deviants: Cataphrax reminds me of an image from a book of optical illusions that I used to have as a kid; there was an image of a face with two mouths, and another of a face with two pairs of eyes.

    Regarding the artist Yrdisis: In the ’80s Eternals mini-series where she was introduced, she developed a romantic relationship with the Eternal musician Khoryphos (who’ll turn up later, when you get to the K’s). Since a big part of the premise of the Eternals was that they were mistaken for Greek gods and legends with similar names (Zuras = Zeus, Sersi = Circe, etc.), the idea was that Khoryphos and Yrdisis were the equivalent of Orpheus and Eurydice, although luckily for them, their romance never took the tragic course of the original Orpheus legend.

    Diablo: As overwhelming as the laughter was, I can only imagine the uproar that would have resulted if they’d known about his trick (first seen in Fantastic Four #307) of treating his mustache with a potion that increases his strength, so that if he needs a sudden burst of power to defeat an opponent or to recover from an injury, he can suck on his mustache. I’ll just leave it at that.

    Diamondback: Always liked this character, and was unsurprised by the “Hot” verdict. I do remember one moment from Gruenwald’s Captain America run, when Diamondback went to Cap and his allies for assistance, the heroine Vagabond immediately judges Diamondback’s hair, thinking “What kind of color is that? Eggplant?”

    Doc Samson: Always liked him as a character, and preferred his original, deliberately corny “retro” costume.

    Finally, fantastic job on the costumes!

  5. Poor, poor Diablo. I think he set a record with his appearance on the show, but not the kind he would want.

    I think in the course of the show I heard one of the girls refer to a “Butt Situation”, followed by someone else suggesting there was a “Thigh Situation.” Are there situations for every part of the human body?

  6. I can’t believe of all the nonsense you all have seen that Diablo got that much ridicule. I guess even the master alchemist couldn’t make that costume gold.

    I always liked the original Doc Samson look. In fact, I once said that if I ever got in wicked shape, I would adopt that look -jeans, lightning bolt tee, flowing locks. Alas …

    But I did like that Doc was a suoerpowered Doc. I always like when my medical colleagues are part of the cape and cowl crew.

    Cool costumes too! Great Halloween times!

  7. Wow! Those are great costumes. Amelie nailed it with Death’s purple glory. Shotgun’s show-stealing Black Cat. Awesome job, ladies!

    This episode was such a riot. In fact, a “riot” is exactly what I heard in the Diablo portion. Incomprehensible comments from all the laughter. Loved it. “Smoke nipples.” I can’t unhear that one.

    About Diablo’s mustache, honestly, facial hair patterns on men are not all the same. Some cannot grown any between their nose and upper lip. Chinese men are especially prone to this, which is where the “Fu Manchu” style came from. I had a friend part Native American who complained about having this same problem. So I can believe Diablo went all in, extending it to his costume. Apparently, a master alchemist can still make bad choices.

    This may get me in trouble, but I happen to know a couple of “hot grandmas” at the local YMCA where I lead group fitness classes. They’re wonderful ladies, they exercise more often than I do, and they look it! But I can’t say if they have Destiny’s thighs. We’re not *that* close, and thankfully they don’t show *that* much skin in class. Wow, I’m definitely getting myself in trouble here. (Just stop, Tim!)

    Oh Diamondback. Yes, i had a comic crush on her back in the 80s. So glad she got the “hot!” Later artists have agreed with needing something for her waist, and some give her a diamond utility belt, which was an overdue practical concern. There’s no way for her to easily carry all of those diamonds in her original costume. But the original is beautiful in its simplicity. Sigh. (Tim, stop!)

    And Doc Samson. Interesting thing is his newer (John Byrne created) costume has some elements that became standards in the 90s. Huge belt. Fingerless gloves. Pony tail. It was ahead of its time in the 80s, so I kinda liked it then. Now it’s a painful reminder of the horror of 90s costumes. No thanks.

    Ok, has Vera ever been a guest on this show? I’ll vote right now for this to happen. What do you say, Hot Squad?

Leave a Reply to Siskoid Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *