oHOTmu or NOT Ep.35: Fantastic Four to Firebird

Marvel's first family. Baron von Strucker's kids. The wolf at the gates of hel. A latina phoenix. Are they Hot, or are they Not? The Girls' mission in life is to tell us!

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

Listen to Episode 35 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.35 Supplemental

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20 responses to “oHOTmu or NOT Ep.35: Fantastic Four to Firebird

  1. So happy to have oHOTmu in my ear holes today!

    Fantastic Four: Byrne always drew kids…strangely. They didn’t really look like kids, but like really young little people/dwarves, what have you. So tiny Franklin is just par for the course.

    I believe the reason the Human Torch wasn’t in the 70s cartoon was just that he was licensed out as separate character for development in a TV series by Universal at the time. The “kids will set themselves on fire” myth persists, to the point where Byrne actually used it as a basis for a tragic story in FF #285, just a few months prior to this issue’s release.

    Any reason why the Fenris icky twin duo ripped off the classic Ms. Marvel look? That is pretty much her second outfit with new colors and a jacket thrown on.

    Of course the ladies spent more time talking about Fenris Wolf. That’s what I love about this show; they basically dismiss the cornerstone of the MU, and talk for a half hour about a giant shaggy dog. They are anti-geeky in that way, and it’s refreshing as always. See also Firebird!

    Fun show as always ladies and gent!

    Chris

    1. If Franklin had been a full-body pic, that would have been most evident, yes.

      I knew the truth of the Human Torch thing, but it’s a lot less interesting ;).

  2. Another thoroughly enjoyable episode!

    Fantastic Four: Considering how many diagrams we’ve seen in the previous entries, I’m surprised there wasn’t an illustration of the Fantasti-Car…would have loved hearing the reactions to its original “flying bathtub” design! Amused by the shout of “SPOILER!” when it’s mentioned that Agatha Harkness will be in the Book of the Dead, especially considering that the caption for her headshot says “Governess, deceased.”

    Fenris: Loved the debate on whether or not Andrea’s expression could be classified as a smile or even a “smize” (I learned a new word today)! Great character and costume design, but horrible human beings. I hope you’ll keep this issue on hand as a callback when you eventually get to their father, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, in the Book of the Dead. I hadn’t considered it before, but there’s really not much of a family resemblance…we’ve never seen the twins’ mother, but they must get her looks from her.

    Fenris Wolf: Some of the best lines of the episode: “Mythology, again, it’s fucked up,” “Get your reptile shit together,” and “You’re very sweary tonight.”

    Firebird: Always liked this character, and was unsurprised by the “Hot” verdict. When you get to the episode where you review the characters’ other looks, it will be interesting to get the ladies’ reactions to her costume when she changed her name to “Espirita.” As a deeply religious character depicted in a positive light (even if her faith was sometimes presented in an over-the-top fashion), she makes a nice contrast with the Crusader from a few episodes back. (One of my favorite moments from her history was when she reassured Hank Pym that her beliefs didn’t rule out a potential romantic relationship: “Hank, I’m not a nun.”)

  3. It hadn’t occurred to me to have to address the Fantastic Four as like a concept and a team, rather than individually. I guess we’ll get the chance to address the specific characters I want to talk about (I can’t wait for She-Hulk,) so talking collectively, it’d be a not. They’re the old timey squares of the Marvel universe.

    Fenris – Wonder twin powers activate! I’m not going to lie, I kind of like the look. Though I kind of wish they’d done a FULL match and put Andreas in the thigh high boots. But then comes the personality issue. And fuck Nazis. So it’s a not.

    Fenris Wolf – Well, my daughter would be cooing all over this going “awwwwww, he’s so cute!” Yes, even with the red eyes and the drool. As for me, I’ve got a soft spot for wolves, always have. But he’s kind of on the mangy side, plus he feeds into the evil wolf trope that I’ve been sick of since I was 12 and I normally like the “so black it loses definition” thing but I’m not sure it’s working here. I love wolves, but this is close. It’s a hot on the condition that I can bath and blow-dry him. And on the voice question I just assume he sounds like Gmork from The Neverending story.

    Firebird – That crest. Holy good grief that crest. She’s going to poke her eyes out if she tries to ever crane her neck to the side to look around something. But yeah that hair. It’s just… oh that hair, blowing in the air behind her as she flies, fanning out in the breeze, cascading down across… I’m sorry what were we talking about? So yeah the hair and tiara pull her through and otherwise iffy costume (not a great design and too much yellow) and thankfully she’s gotten much better looks since. Hot with bonus points for being a good person. #HelpingWithFire

  4. Hats off for another [insert superlative of choice here] episode.

    Fantastic Four: I love the fact that this team is also a family, with all the wacky relationship dynamics that entails. I also love that so many Marvel heroes got their start in the pages of FF. Yes, I’m looking at you movie megastar Black Panther. I’m hoping the team garners a little more love from the ladies, when you cover their individual entries.

    Fenris: As a Pokemon fan, I appreciated the Team Rocket reference, but was surprised that there was no mention of the Lannister siblings during the discussion of this entry. Strike that. I just caught the shout out to Cersei and Jaime. The GoT gods have been appeased.

    Fenris Wolf: Given the precedent set by the likes of Armadillo and Dragon Man, I was not surprised that this fuzzy god-killer was lavished with so much attention by the ladies.

    Firebird: I’m not really familiar with this character, but I see a lot of potential here. Given the relatively recent success of less mainstream female heroes, like Ms. Marvel and Squirrel Girl, I think it would be a good time to give Firebird a chance to rise from the ashes.

  5. The subs and ancillary characters for the FF are some of my faves and characters I would classify as HOT -She-Hulk, Medusa, Crystal? Amazing. Tigra and Thundra? Hot. So I guess FF is hit in my book.

    But the conundrum for me was Fenris. I saw the pic and I was Anj in the 80s again, mooning over a girl I knew would be out of my league or uninterested in me. But that whole ‘Duran Duran meets super-villain’ look just works for me. Then you tell me she’s a Nazi and suddenly she isn’t hot at all any more. AT ALL! (I am hearing ‘please please tell me now, is there something I should know’ by Duran Duran in my head.)

    As for Firebird, I wonder why Jerry Ordway drew her.

  6. Ah, yes. Fenrir … sorry, the Fenris Wolf. One of Big Bads of the Norse Pantheon. I really wouldn’t call him “cute”, but that’s just me. I would agree that he looks malnourished, but that’s probably because he’s been tied up with a sword holding his mouth open. Not much chance of getting food that way. Personally, I would have rather they had Garm, the wolf that guards Helheim, in Thor: Ragnarok than Fenrir. It would have made more sense because he’s already subservient to Hel. Of course, they screwed up so much of the Marvel and Norse stuff in that movie that this is the least of my problems.

    Oh, and time to blow the girls’ minds. Fenrir’s brother is the MIdgard Serpent, so big that he encircles all of Midgard, and his sister is Hel, goddess of death, who is half alive and half dead. That’s some screwed up genetics right there, but what do you expect from Loki?

    I should point out that not everyone is going to die in Ragnarok. Thor’s sons survive, as do some of Odin’s children. Plus Balder comes back from the dead to lead the new pantheon, so it should lead to a better world. Of course, this is my religion, so I tend to lean more on the optimistic side when it comes to that. 🙂

  7. Hey Ladies!
    (and Siskoid),

    Fun episode, as always. Is it just me, or does all the Byrne stuff start to look alike? Great choices on your buttons as well. 🙂

  8. The Team Rocket reference made my day! It made me want to see these punks again despite the horrible fate that was revealed in Thunderbolts. Maybe they got rebooted after Secret Wars to help tie in with the various media properties. Their dad introduced the MCU to Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, and the twins were recently in The Gifted.

  9. Just a quick note, I love the Franklin because he made his first appearance the same year I did. I was also super blonde at birth. Mind you I just had my 49th Birthday and he’s still (I assume for the joke)
    4 1/2

  10. Another fun episode and interesting set of characters to be sure.

    Fenris have a great look, but just say no to Eurotrash Nazis.

    On a different note: just sharing, my daughters are fraternal twins, do not have similar or rhyming names, do not dress alike, bicker plenty, and would never ever be caught dead holding hands. No judgement about anyone’s feelings towards twins. Honest.

    But man, the relationship of the Fenris twins, EEEEWWWWWWWW!!!!

    Firebird was a bit of a comic book crush. She was such a strongly moral character, and when she became more outwardly Christian, even better. Her simple costume design with the crazy chest crest is just lovely. One thing I always wondered. How come she ISN’T related to Jean Grey/Phoenix? The “fire bird” power, and even her origin, all point to a potential connection. (Apologies for opening a huge Marvel continuity can of worms.)

    Now for reviews from Tim’s Twosome ©:

    FF: Rule. They like Power Pack better, but they’re pretty cool, too.
    Fenris: “They’re cool, even though they’re evil.” Rule.
    Fenris Wolf: Rule, because you know, a wolf! “What would happen if he met Cerberus? Would they play, or try to kill each other?” Good question.
    Firebird: RULE! “I want that hair! Not the color, I want my hair color, but that hair!”

    Side note: my girls like the book series “Warriors”, which features clans of feral cats. Firebird is the style of name these cats would have, so they like that too. Considering who’s coming up, next month will be more fun in that vein.

    I dunno Siskoid, I like it better when a Hot Squadder reads the names. You read them too fast for the “WOO!” after “Tim Price”. Just sayin.

  11. Another great episode!
    I did enjoy the question of asking if Fenris are “super-Nazis”? Is there a difference between a regular Nazi and a super Nazi? They’re all Nazis! They’re bad enough! Does it matter if a Nazi is a little more Nazi than another?!? I’m glad one of the ladies said that they “couldn’t ‘hot’ a Nazi”.
    “If you’re not in a prophecy, don’t even talk to me.” That is a high standard. I don’t want you to lower your standard, but you’ve definitely limited your choices.
    I’m not familiar with Firebird, but this entry really stands out for me and makes me want to find out more of the character. The entry pose looks like Firebird showed up for a photo shoot and it makes it seem more natural as opposed to the bunched-fist, scowling-face of most standard poses. Now knowing it was Jerry “The Extraordinary” Ordway makes me enjoy it more. Though on second look, it does almost look like a shampoo commercial; “How does she get her hair so manageable?”
    Keep up the great work!

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