oHOTmu or NOT Ep.83: Nimrod to Nova

An advanced mutant hunter. An explosive personality. One of Captain America's discarded identities. An alpine skier. Galactus' most recent herald. Which are Hot? Which are Not? Find out, as the Hot Squad continues to rate OHOTMU's 9th issue on how datable its characters are.

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

Listen to Episode 83 below (the usual mature language warnings apply), or subscribe to oHOTmu OR NOT? on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

Relevant images and further credits at: oHOTmu or NOT ep.83 Supplemental

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12 responses to “oHOTmu or NOT Ep.83: Nimrod to Nova

  1. Bugs Bunny is what turned ‘Nimrod’ into an insult; he called Elmer Fudd some kind of a Nimrod in an early cartoon and generations of kids with less Bible studies than the writers assumed a meaning from context. Surprised you didn’t close with that clip.

  2. I decided to take up the unspoken challenge of finding a Marvel superhero whose costume matched my high school colors, black and orange. Perhaps I’m missing someone obvious, but the only one who comes readily to mind is Tigra.

    Thanks for another incredible episode.

  3. After a 5-day weekend, it’s nice to come back to work and have the Hot Squad to listen to.

    Nimrod: I always thought he looked like an escapee from Crystar’s comic.

    Nitro: Is this the guy Captain Mar-Vell contracted cancer from? Maybe I’m confused.

    Nomad: I liked this character back in the day, despite his origins. It wasn’t until sometime later I realized Steve had been Nomad before. The MCU KINDA did the Nomad storyline with Cap’s appearance and “man without a country” status in Infinity War. Plus, he got those little shields from T’Challa.

    Northstar: Gawd, I hate to say this, but is anyone else seeing Ezra Miller’s face in that profile pic? Sure to make him “not Hot”.

    Nova: I like her herald look, but it’s a shame her Human Torch-like design was so underutilized. It’s reallys striking! I’m surprised Marvel didn’t make that a “power up” for Firestar, or something.

  4. Another great episode. And love the chat about Quebec politics. Everything I know about Quebec Isolationists I learned from Plastique.

    Nimrod indeed looks like a Crystar character. Or some odd statuette you buy from a local vendor in a tourist spot. He just doesn’t look threatening which makes his capabilities that much more difficult to fathom. How can a hunk of meditation crystal take out the Juggernaut??

    Nitro was the impetus for Civil War. The New Warriors chased him into Stamford where he blew up the town. As a result, heroes were felt to need training an registration. For me, I think he isn’t the bomb.

    Nomad’s ‘N’ shaped costume always struck me as weird more than anything. And Siskoid is right. He is on the wrong end of the Winter Soldier’s gun before he (the Soldier) got his Bucky memories back.

    Nova is just smoking hot, literally. I did always like the idea she had a crush on Galactus. How is that possible? But that was a nice wrinkle, especially in contrast to the Surfer’s dourness.

  5. Is Richard Rider in this book? I usually think of Marvel Novas as the members of the Nova Corps, the space cops organization.

  6. Another fantastic episode, as always! The whole squad makes my day every time an episode drops. At what point can I nominate you all for the Order of Canada?

    Nimrod – Yeah, I don’t get it. I know nimrod as an insult, not as a biblical name. What’s next? Maroon? Nincompoop?

    Nitro – Great costume, bad character. Can he choose when he blows up? Does he suffer from pre-mature explosion?

    Nomad – I love how this costume has the some of the classic staples from other super costumes (bucket boots, large cuff gloves, mask) but then tweaked (the N belt, the random cut off mask at the neck, the small cape). Flashback time: Little Mikey was on summer vacation with my family and booked into a hotel (the Prestige Vernon Lodge and Conference Centre in Vernon, B.C.. Check out those palm trees!). I went into the pool by myself, but started to get bullied by two older kids. In steps my mom from across the pool to stop the bullies. After I got out, to placate me, my mom bought me a copy of Captain America #282, the first appearance of Jack Monroe’s Nomad! And that’s why I have a soft spot for this entry. Though, that diminished a little bit with the ’90’s Nomad. That ’90’s costume checked every “bad boy” stereotype.

    Northstar – I love Alpha Flight and all the different teammates, but having Northstar being the jerk of the group (and Aurora, to a lesser extant) really coloured my idea of what French Canadians were like. Luckily, Siskoid and the Hot Squad have changed my mind!

    Nova – I really really like how her head is kind of like a mask with the notch on top and the flame out the top. “It looks like her vagina is here.” Hey, her eyes are up here!…. I think? That IS a confusing pose. Either way, she’s much better than Firelord, that douche canoe.

    Thank you for answering all my double-sided tape questions. Do you mind answering a couple more? Is it only for breasts? Only for women? What could a man use double sided tape for? Why would they make such an uncomfortable product to go in very sensitive areas? I’m sorry, but this is baffling my little brain…….

    Isn’t a Canadian compliment just like a regular compliment but with an added “u”? “Compl-u-ment”? And, oh lord, I had forgotten about House Hippos. I’m hoping they are living out their best lives with Albert from Canadian Tire and SG-1’s Amanda Tapping peddling Tim Horton’s muffins.

    You all did such an amazing job this episode and it was a treat to listen to. Keep up the great work!

  7. Since there was a question of whether Nitro was old or just silver-haired, it seems to depend on the artist. I get the impression that creator Jim Starlin intended for him to be a senior citizen, but drew him as jacked as his other characters. Note that the OHOTMU entry refers to him as a “retired electrical engineer,” suggesting he was already past retirement age when he was given his powers. His age was also used thematically in a New Mutants story by Louise Simonson and Rob Liefeld, pitting Marvel’s elderly villains (Nitro, the Vulture, and the Tinkerer) against the young heroes.

    Regarding Nomad’s mini-cape, that design may be due to a classic moment in the original storyline where Steve Rogers became the first Nomad. While designing his new costume, Steve gave himself a full-length cape…and in his first outing against the Viper and her Serpent Squad, he tripped on the cape, giving them the opportunity to escape. And this was years before Edna Mode…

  8. Additional thoughts:

    I agree that “Nimrod,” even if it hadn’t been turned into an insult by Looney Tunes, just sounds funny to say. I can’t explain it…I think it might take a linguistics or phonetics expert to explain just why. I thought at first it might just feel awkward to shift from “m” to “r,” but then I considered that the similarly structured word “primrose” doesn’t feel funny to say.

    I looked back at the “Life of Captain Marvel” trade paperback that reprints Nitro’s first appearance, and yes, he looked older from the start. I think that OHOTMU image might be the youngest/most handsome he’s ever looked. Odd, considering that it was drawn by the artist who first established him as being a senior citizen. (Maybe it’s because of Joe Rubinstein’s inks.)

    Another oddity in Nitro’s first appearance: In that issue, Jim Starlin drew him with a severe curvature of the spine. It wasn’t just a quirk of Starlin’s drawing style, because the dialogue also had a guard at the military base refer to Nitro as a “hunchback.” After that first appearance, Nitro was never depicted that way again. I suppose we could No-Prize it by speculating that Nitro quickly realized that, if he could reform his body from his constituent atoms, he could reassemble himself with a straightened spine…

    The discussion of Nitro reminded me about a later X-Men mini-series, “Worst X-Man Ever,” about a young mutant who learns that he has the power to explode…theoretically. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the power to survive or reassemble himself, so he would die the first time he ever used his power. So he’s stuck knowing he has a power that he can never use (or, rather, can only use ONCE), which is worse than going through life not knowing you have any powers at all.

  9. Impressive podcast most impressive.
    Nimrod, is pretty powerful. But not exactly the most impressive looking villain. It’s too bad he doesn’t have a dating interest I can play matchmaker for him and crasher of the go bots. Believe it or not crasher was in fact a female go bot. Nimrod is a sentinel so maybe he could make himself the same sizes as her. Then we can have the evil version of Wally and Eve. What? Those are two robots that fell in love. The fanfiction practically writes itself. These in all think she’s an all-black he could almost be a heart family dynasty. I don’t really have much to say about this character. He kind of looks like a crappy version of Maximilian from blackhole. And he is pink. Him being a hero for a bit was the most interesting thing that happened to him and then they took away.

    Moving along to nitro truthfully other than him being in the Starlin run of Capt. Marvel and his disappearing until Civil War is not what to say about him. I know he was on the 711 add through the cup that Capt. Marvel had on a slushy. But even that just had an image of Capt. marvel at the bottom. There is just the villain Marble was fighting when he sold the slushy well the icy in the Marvel comics telling about the icy that was being sold at 711. I think the supposed to be a jewel on his chest and not a :-). Though that does make you more interesting. I’m not sure what a purple costume with gold in it has to do with explosives. And it’s not even that fashionable. There’s nothing really wrong with the costume but it just does nothing to it. The drawing doesn’t really work Richard reawakens he usually looks like a crazy person. And here it just looks like he love burritos too much. And he hasn’t found the bathroom.

    I don’t remember no man ever acting like someone from the 50s. Except in that first appearance they had when he and the fake Capt. America thought the real Capt. America and falcon and she was Bucky at that point. Which was just moral trying to distance themselves from the attitudes of Caprica that time. And to explain away why there were 50s comics with America in them if he was now going to be the man out of time. In fact he brought his girlfriend vagabond to join a small team captain America was heading up with Capt. America had changed his identity to the Capt. and Steve Rogers at that time was wearing the costume that the US agent eventually got. Since at that point John Walker was Capt. America. Other than him getting upset that d-man. Was training his girlfriend how to fight. And he hit demolition man in the head with one of his desk’s. There is pretty much just the standard good Guy superheroes a bit of an edge.

    And that edge doubled up in the 90s… For whatever you think of this custome just be glad you didn’t have to see that eyesore. Complete with 5 o’clock shadow, mirror shades, long hair and boots. And he traded in the discs for a shotgun. Where he became a vigilante in Alaska. He becomes the adoptive father of some kid he meets along the way naming her Bucky she becomes the third Bucky. Thank you register for a bit before putting her with a better family. So he basically becomes a single dad. I have no recollection of Jack Munro ever acting like a reject from the 50s. He teamed up with the falcon, his girlfriend was part of this mini team working with Steve Rogers as the Capt. And he promised to train her as a superhero. Granted he was dragging his feet on that. Still vagabond was literally in the field. And later his adopted daughter became the fourth Bucky.

    So of further than in the Eagle heart run, I can’t think of him acting like a 50s type person. Granted he later became the scorch and killed Baron Zemo. But, he was later or right before that killed by the first Bucky we came back as the winter soldier. This costume is fine. Kind of a 70s low cut style outfit. And sadly the buccaneer boots are probably something he took from Capt. America’s design. Same with the gloves. The mask is fine if regular police Capt. America’s mask does anything to hide his identity. Or Clark taking off his glasses hides his identity. Our storm having her pupils disappear makes her look like a different person. Then we can accept the half mask.

    Northstar, he has pretty much become a gay icon of lately and that is cool. The costume is a bit generic. But, it works for what it does. I’m not sure how his identity secret since he doesn’t wear a mask is a famous skier. But, whatever. It should be noted that wild child was not dating his sister when he dropkick him. That happened later. The hairstyle is fine. Since he was created in the early 80s late 70s. Yeah, comic books are terrible at accents. As someone from Louisiana I feel anyone from French speaking provinces of Canada’s pain on this one. Interestingly enough Northstar did get a better haircut in ultimate X-Men. And kind of a better costume I felt at any rate. Though they did night crawler dirty in that storyline. Him and that version of Colossus or a decent couple.

    Moving on nova. She’s basically a female silver surfer. I have nothing really the comment on. The costume does what it should. Fittingly character. Though I am disappointed she didn’t stay with the fantastic for longer. Her character as a part of the FF could of been developed more. Since when she left the book she kind of just became a person that leads Gulactus from here to their. She’s in charge of it could of been a lot more interesting. If charting the others could get through to her to not be so bloodthirsty. Can’t wait till the next podcast.

  10. A special note about double-sided tape: topically applied olive oil can be used to break down adhesives while providing a protective coat when removing double-stick tape from direct skin contact. One can apply the oil privately, but the experience can be far more enjoyable when rubbed in by someone who makes your personal Hot List!

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