# NPR Revives a Forgotten Superhero **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-books-manga\ **Created:** [March 11, 2021, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709 "2021-03-11T13:02:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/1 "2021-03-11T13:02:56Z")
Now that he’s fallen into the Public Domain, National Public Radio (or, rather, Planet Money at NPR) has decided to claim MicroFace as their own. > [@](#): > > After weeks of searching, we have finally found the superhero for us: Micro-Face. He’s an obscure Golden Age character, plucked from the depths of the public domain, wearing a mask with a built-in microphone. He’s the hero that the world of podcasting needs right now. > > But we have a problem. The original Micro-Face can never truly be ours. Since he is in the public domain, anyone can use the character’s likeness and existing story. To produce a Planet Money version of Micro-Face, we need to innovate. A new look. A new story. A fresh, original take on the classic. > > How do you even do that? We are going to find out. Today on the show, Planet Money Studios officially launches the Micro-Face franchise. > **[We Buy A Superhero 3: Resurrection : Planet Money](https://www.npr.org/2021/02/24/971227357/we-buy-a-superhero-resurrection)** > > We have found the perfect superhero. Now we just have to make him our own. | Find the full Planet Money Superhero series here. They’re having a comic book made up, and you can pre-order it [https://shop.npr.org/products/micro-face-planet-money-comic-book](https://shop.npr.org/products/micro-face-planet-money-comic-book) They’re also selling T-shirts and other stuff. The creator, Al Ulmer, died decades ago, but they interviewed his daughter (who’s now 80), and she thinks her father would love the revival. Information on the original character, pre-NPR: > **[Micro-Face](https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Micro-Face)** > > Tom Wood was a factory worker and a failed inventor. When his brother, Jim, was killed by Big Boston's gangsters, Tom promised to avenge Jim's death so invented a "Micro-Mask" - a full-face mask that contained a built-in microphone (which allowed hm... > **[Number 2342: Face-to-face with Micro-Face](https://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com/2019/05/number-2342-face-to-face-with-micro-face.html)** > > Micro-Face was an unusual hero with a gimmick: Among other tricks, he could turn his voice into a megaphone. Public Domain Super Heroes ha... > **[Al Ulmer - Creator](https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Al_Ulmer_-_Creator)** > > Public domain characters created (or co-created) by Allen "Al" Ulmer (1919-), an American artist. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/2 "2021-03-11T14:32:54Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Micro-Face was an unusual hero with a gimmick: Among other tricks, he could turn his voice into a megaphone. Hey good looking, we’ll be back to pick you up later! ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/3 "2021-03-11T14:45:58Z")
I like Planet Money, but I found the first episode in the series (where they try to “buy” Doorman from the Great Lakes Avengers from Marvel) to be below average. They didn’t even explain what they meant by “buying” Doorman (a licensing agreement? transferring the copyright of the comic issues he appeared in?) and it seemed like they were faking ignorance of the difficulties that would involve. The later episodes about abandoned copyright were interesting, though. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/4 "2021-03-11T14:58:01Z")
What’s really impressive is that he could tweet with that mask. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/5 "2021-03-11T15:37:15Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Hey good looking, we’ll be back to pick you up later! Og help me, but I instantly knew what this was from. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hqIrzkPDtrk/hqdefault.jpg "Mr. Microphone By Ronco (Commercial, 1978)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqIrzkPDtrk) ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/6 "2021-03-11T15:37:45Z")
I thought it was a delightful episode. The comic book framing was fun, the attempt to directly participate in some economic phenomenon is Planet Money at its best. The dramatic reading of the first appearance of DoorMan was so good. I think partly they never explained what they meant by “buy” is that they couldn’t do it. Why go into the details of something that doesn’t happen? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/7 "2021-03-11T18:07:01Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I think partly they never explained what they meant by “buy” is that they couldn’t do it. Why go into the details of something that doesn’t happen? I don’t know. I just think it was kind of stupid to stand outside of Marvel’s offices (on the radio, so you can’t even see it) with a briefcase full of cash trying to pay money for…something? Personally I’d be much more interested in a discussion of the business of super-hero licensing, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/8 "2021-03-11T18:43:52Z")
I just started reading the first segment of this series, but I’m pretty sure they’re going to talk about superhero licensing. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/9 "2021-03-11T22:07:02Z")
I can see that. But it’s totally on-brand for Planet Money to try to take active part in some market, and I think those are their best stories. I love when they try to sell their one barrel of oil or report on their single toxic bond or hawk their tiny pickup truck of Christmas trees. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/10 "2021-03-11T23:24:16Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I love when they try to sell their one barrel of oil or report on their single toxic bond or hawk their tiny pickup truck of Christmas trees. I definitely enjoyed learning about the crude oil market and the Christmas tree market. I’m not sure what I learned from the first episode other than “Doorman is a dumb idea for a superhero” and “Marvel refused to comment for our story”. The other episodes focusing on the public domain were more educational. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2021, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/11 "2021-03-12T23:07:19Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I’m not sure what I learned from the first episode other than “Doorman is a dumb idea for a superhero” and “Marvel refused to comment for our story”. The episode did have a bit of “comics intellectual property for dummies” quick review with the reminder of how Marvel owns a buttload of legacy characters from acquired labels all the way back to Golden Age, and afterward with the guy from Archie Comics who very briefly told them how come Marvel would not even speak to them (preserve every character just in case, with the example of Groot). But yes, the DoorMan bit had a vibe of “man, who even cares about a character this stupid?” and “man, are Marvel corporate stiffs or what?” ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2021, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/12 "2021-03-13T00:00:14Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > yes, the DoorMan bit had a vibe of “man, who even cares about a character this stupid?” …Did they make clear that Doorman is _supposed_ to be kind of a stupid character, like the rest of the Great Lakes Avengers? That’s the entire point of those characters - they’re deliberate self-parodies by Marvel. Even if Squirrel Girl somehow became unironically popular. (And, BTW, that’s another example of “preserve every character just in case” - even the silliest characters can unexpectedly resonate with fans, especially in the hands of a talented creative team). (And it’s not “DoorMan”, it’s Doorman. He’s not a Man with the powers of a Door…well, he kind of is, actually. He opens “doors” - that is, he rips the very fabric of the universe to create interdimensional portals, which allows his teammates to instantaneously travel anywhere in the world, and beyond). ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2021, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/13 "2021-03-13T20:10:07Z")
> [@gdave](#): > > He’s not a Man with the powers of a Door…well, he kind of is, actually. He opens “doors” - that is, he rips the very fabric of the universe to create interdimensional portals, which allows his teammates to instantaneously travel anywhere in the world, and beyond In the show they dumb it down to “he goes up to a wall, and then makes himself into a door through it”. The way _you_ describe it he’s almost respectable. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2021, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/14 "2021-03-13T20:23:24Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > In the show they dumb it down to “he goes up to a wall, and then makes himself into a door through it”. The way _you_ describe it he’s almost respectable. I actually bungled his power set. Originally, his power was pretty much as you describe - he can become a door that his teammates can pass through. He’s kind of a silly hero. But, again, he’s _supposed_ to be. All of the Great Lakes Avengers are supposed to be sillier, less useful versions of existing Marvel characters. In his case, Doorman originally had a more limited version of the power set of another character, Cloak, who is a living portal to the Darkforce dimension which is…a whole thing in the Marvel Universe. Depending on the creative team and the needs of the plot, Darkforce manipulation can be a pretty powerful power set. Doorman originally could just act as a portal that allowed his teammates to pass through him to the other side of any solid object. But he could also become intangible and grant direct access to the Darkforce dimension. Later, he developed more elaborate Darkforce manipulation powers, and became a cosmic-level character, and a literal Angel of Death. And he had a cool costume, in a minimalist sort of way (IMHO). ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2021, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/15 "2021-03-13T22:07:49Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > the guy from Archie Comics who very briefly told them how come Marvel would not even speak to them (preserve every character just in case, with the example of Groot). This part of the episode was something I wish they’d gone into more. Because it doesn’t really make sense to me. Like, yes, Groot is now a beloved character worth a ton after he was a charming sidekick in _Guardians of the Galaxy_, but you don’t need a vault of characters for that. They could have _made up_ a charming character to put in _Guardians_ and made a popular character worth a ton of money. The fact that they had a living tree that could only say one sentence in the vault somewhere seems pretty orthogonal to the fact that they now have a popular licensed character on their hands. The reason Groot is popular has everything to do with his portrayal in a recent well-made popular movie, and basically nothing to do with whatever comic book he was in in the 60s. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2021, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/16 "2021-03-13T23:17:27Z")
> [@gdave](#): > > But, again, he’s _supposed_ to be. All of the Great Lakes Avengers are supposed to be sillier, less useful versions of existing Marvel characters. Damn, even at this, Flyover Country gets no respect. 😅 > [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > > [@JRDelirious](#): > > > > the guy from Archie Comics who very briefly told them how come Marvel would not even speak to them (preserve every character just in case, with the example of Groot). > > This part of the episode was something I wish they’d gone into more. Because it doesn’t really make sense to me. Like, yes, Groot is now a beloved character worth a ton after he was a charming sidekick in _Guardians of the Galaxy_ , but you don’t need a vault of characters for that. They could have _made up_ a charming character to put in _Guardians_ and made a popular character worth a ton of money. > … > The reason Groot is popular has everything to do with his portrayal in a recent well-made popular movie, and basically nothing to do with whatever comic book he was in in the 60s They went over that, but as stated, too briefly – but it’s part of the whole deal of why Planet Money was looking for a revived character _to begin with_ and in the end went for the Public Domain: _to not have to create one anew_ 'cause that is harder and riskier. And under Marvel’s logic, if you’re going to write a role for a charming sidekick for the new movie, they’d rather have you use in that role a character that Marvel already owns and controls 100%. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2021, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/17 "2021-03-14T01:28:31Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > The fact that they had a living tree that could only say one sentence in the vault somewhere seems pretty orthogonal to the fact that they now have a popular licensed character on their hands. Actually, the Groot that first appeared in Marvel comics, back in the monster-attack era comic of 1960 was downright loquacious. He didn’t have only one sentence > **[The Comic Book Backstory Behind How Groot Went From Tree Monster To Guardian...](https://www.ranker.com/list/groot-marvel-comics-backstory/eric-vega)** > > Whether he's a cute dancing baby, a moody teen, or an adventurous adult, Groot is consistently ranked as one of the most beloved members of the Guardians of the Galaxy. He may be a tree-person who seemingly only speaks three words, but his... They completely re-imagined him, his character, and his backstory. They did, in effect, create a new character. But Marvel still hangs onto their old stuff, including monsters like Fin Fang Foom and Gorgilla. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2021, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/18 "2021-03-14T02:59:19Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > But Marvel still hangs onto their old stuff, including monsters like Fin Fang Foom He showed up not that long ago. > **[How Wolverine (Laura Kinney) Dealt With Fin Fang Foom](https://comicnewbies.com/2016/06/03/how-wolverine-laura-kinney-dealt-with-fin-fang-foom/)** > > From – All New Wolverine #9 The story also involves Wolverine, two of his female clones, SHIELD, Captain Marvel, and Iron Man. It _really_ should be made into a movie to confuse and anger the “X-Men and Avengers shouldn’t meet” folks. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2021, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/19 "2021-03-14T03:12:17Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > He showed up not that long ago. He’s shown up quite a few times over the past few decades. I don’t know why he’s so popular when…The Crawling Creature, for instance, isn’t. > **[Fin Fang Foom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fin_Fang_Foom)** > > Fin Fang Foom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as an extraterrestrial creature resembling a dragon. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 (cover-dated Oct. 1961), and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Later, the character becomes part of the superhero Iron Man's rogues gallery. > The character has also appeared in associated Marvel merchandise including animated television series, toys, tradin... > **[Fin Fang Foom (Earth-616)](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Fin_Fang_Foom_(Earth-616))** > > 95 appearance(s) of Fin Fang Foom (Earth-616) 9 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Fin Fang Foom (Earth-616) 30 minor appearance(s) of Fin Fang Foom (Earth-616) 32 mention(s) of Fin Fang Foom (Earth-616) 8 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Fin Fang Foom... > **[Crawling Creature (Earth-616)](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Crawling_Creature_(Earth-616))** > > 3 appearance(s) of Crawling Creature (Earth-616) 1 minor appearance(s) of Crawling Creature (Earth-616) 10 image(s) of Crawling Creature (Earth-616) > **[Crawling Creature (Earth-616)/Gallery](https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Crawling_Creature_(Earth-616)/Gallery)** ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2021, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709/20 "2021-03-14T03:13:44Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > He’s shown up quite a few times over the past few decades. I don’t know why he’s so popular when…The Crawling Creature, for instance, isn’t. Better name. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-revives-a-forgotten-superhero/937709.md?page=2)