Episode 464 - The Invisible Man - Part 3

I'm sorry, but all I could think of when The Invisible Man said, "I am an invisible man", was him singing the line to the tune of Billy Joel's "Innocent Man".

Ouch...

Scott

I made the terrible mistake of listening to this ep while brushing my teeth. I was mid- gargling mouthwash when Chad said “...and try not to hit him with your penis” and I ended up swallowing about half of the mouthwash and snorting the other half out my nose 😂

Honestly, has there been a better Science Fiction writer than Wells? Reading his stuff is an absolute blast, War of the Worlds is still the gold standard for me but the Invisible Man is great, so glad you guys like it and the original movie, still the best version.

DON'T SPOIL THE FANTASY.

I want to treat this very important topic with the scientific thoughtfulness it deserves. If his blood eventually becomes visible after it leaves his body, then other effluvia probably do as well. But this just means that he has the chance to sneak into people's homes and become a delayed-action mystery pooper.

They cover this in an episode of Futurama where Zoidberg becomes invisible and had to eat said MacGuffin, along with tons of old shrimp. It all works out in the end. :D

My favorite part of all the Invisible Man as super secret agent shows was the constantly repeated plot line of him being easily able to break in somewhere but getting the macguffin out without it being seen posing the "insurmountable" part of the mission. Once I got to be 12 or so, I kept wondering why "insertable" was never considered part of that plan.

Wait. If the Invisible Man used his chemical on a cloth, and that became invisible, he may not be naked after all.

Doug McCool

Well, you've convinced me that I need to read this. My concept of what "The Invisible Man" was all about was just "Invisible" and "Man". This has also inspired me to write what I submit is the best piece of movie villain crossover fan-fiction ever created: INVISIBLE MAN vs. PREDATOR. Scene: jungle. INVISIBLE MAN These miserable cretinous creatures are trying to find me! Ha! (removes clothes) *Cut to Predator heat vision* MAIN PREDATOR to BOON COMPANION PREDATOR Check out this dumbass hoo-man strutting around with his dreadlock hanging out! *Cut to invisible spine in trophy case* fin.

It astounds me how many references to prior literature Moore crams into those LXG books. In Nemo: Heart of Ice, Nemo's daughter, on her way to the Mountains of Madness, encounters a cavernous society of dog-headed people who speak backwards French... and that was based on an actual story. In The Black Dossier, Mina meets the Golliwogg (that racist doll) and encounters Nyarlathotep in the Dreamlands. This list goes on.

It is interesting just how many "Invisible Man" stories we adapt to the visual media. You may also remember the Kevin Bacon film Hollow Man which had similar notions of invisibility linking to sociopathic tenancies. Also, I think a show on the League of Extraordinary Gentleman (books not movie) would be a lot of fun; there's much to unpack there.

I'm much less concerned about watching the food get digested than I am about watching him chew it. It would be like watching someone who chews with their mouth open but so much worse. People who are cruel to animals, especially cats, deserve every misery that befalls them and more.

Also, if you're invisible, how can you see? Light passes straight through you.

Steve

Strychnine was used as a performance enhancing drug by athletes, such as Tour de France riders.

Steve

You're saying all the things that you know I'll like, making good conversation.

Steve

I really liked that Invisible Man TV show (where he was working for the govt.) There was an episode I particularly enjoyed where the only witness to a murder was a little girl who won’t speak now (unsurprisingly). So they bring in the IM to pretend to be her imaginary friend and help her process so she can start talking again.

Michelle Elbert

Loving the coverage and side-tracks and digressions and tertiary foot-notage. Delightful! On a side (and oddly eccentric) note, I'm thrilled to hear the stress on "invisible" instead of "man". I've always enjoyed this particular vocal regionalism. In some places the stress is on the adjective and others the stress (and focus?) is on the noun. Where I grew up, the stress would be on "man". Whether we're talking "red lights", "rolling stones", or "boon companions", I get a kick out of noticing either stress option.

Space Wolf shirts? Is that a Warhammer nerd I see or just something cool I don’t know.

MortalGlare

Yes goodshow, also Spacewolf tshirts?! Can you guys BE any cooler?!??!?!

It's a common notion that food stays visible in the invisible man's stomach for a brief while, turning invisible as it's digested and treated by his modified biochemistry. But has it ever occurred to you that the food doesn't just...go away? It's still *there,* it's just invisible like him--and Griffin still has to answer calls to nature. He was also stuck in the wilderness hoofing it for quite a bit throughout this novel. What I'm saying is, it's possible more than one person in the English countryside was walking along a path only to suddenly slip on nothing and have a *very bad day.*

Mandy Reznor (She_It)

I am inclined to believe that The Invisible Man isn’t so much as mad but going though a period of liminality.He is now a total outsider to society but also has the ability to observe anyone without their knowledge,between God and Man,he still is made up of matter but can pretend to be a Spirit/Ghost/Daemon/Demon etc.It is also interesting that this period is associated with the Trickster archetype and most of his actions with other strangers would involve playing tricks ,he would choose a few confederates to be in on the joke and target others willingly to punish and let them know that.

I nearly screamed when Chad brought up the early 2000’s TV show The Invisible Man. It ran for two seasons and is still one of my favorite shows. Fawkes and Hobbes were great boon companions.