Wow. With this topic, you have hit a bullseye with my 1966 twelve year old self. I was obsessed with Fantastic Voyage - first reading the Gold Key one issue comic adaptation, then seeing the movie in a theater, then reading Isaac Asimov’s book - my very first science fiction book. I even made a replica, as best I could, of the Proteus using my Erector Set. I have the Bantam paperback, fourth printing, which does not have the gold circle in the lower corner of the cover. Also absent from the cover is the price, for some reason. Your video has made me want to revisit the book, both for Spring into Adventure and for Old School April. I read _Fantastic Voyage II - Destination Brain_ a few years ago. It was not as exciting as the first version, as I remember. Asimov added various adjustments to try to make miniaturization more scientifically plausible, but in doing so he had to eliminate most interactions between the crew, composed of miniaturized molecules, and the normal-sized body of the patient.
Ah! Thanks for the insights on "Fantastic Voyage II". I do own a copy, but haven't read it. I'm not particularly drawn to it, but I think I will read it more out of curiosity than anything else. I had an Erector Set too, and would build all kinds of things with it. But a a Proteus! I can only imagine what that was like. As kids, we sure tried to bring stuff like that to life in our own imaginative ways with whatever we had at hand. Very cool! I have that old Gold Key comic, too. I ws thinking of including some art from it in this video, but it was running pretty long already, and I thought it didn't really illustrate Asimov's writing. It was an unrelated adaption of the movie, but was important for me to have back in those days when we had no other way of reliving the story without access to the film like nowadays. So glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for sharing your memories.
1:45 Only 5 or 6 years ago did I learn Hollywood approached Asimov after they had the movie in the can. I was 13 when it appeared, a member of the consumer pool, and dutifully I saw the movie, read the book and bought the comic. Asimov's book was everywhere, paperbacks and comics were on sale in many grocery stores then. Fantastic Voyage was in all of them, right alongside the equally ubiquitous Chariot of the Gods. If you were around in 1966 then you know which eyesore I mean.
Ah, yes! I had the comic book as well ... not to mention the MAD Magazine parody. I believe "Chariots of the Gods" was published in '68, but it was everywhere, too ... followed shortly by a barrage of similar Ancient Astronauts books, riding on its coat tails. Many of those had that same block-letter style cover. I was intrigued, so bought the mass market when it first came out. But it has disappeared somewhere along the line. Maybe it was abducted! Thanks for watching!
Hi Scott. I do indeed remember watching Fantastic Voyage. Oddly enough the only character that I remember is Raquel Welch. Isn't that strange? I did buy the book but don't think I ever read it. None of the artwork does much for me. The only one that I find halfway decent is the original hardcover. I am a fan of Asimov and my favorite "book" is the first three Foundation novels. Many of his other stories are also excellent reads. I also have a soft spot for the juvenile series that he wrote. I think it was called the Lucky Starr series. It's been a lot of years but that was a really fun set of books.
Dog-gone it! Once again, I forgot to mention my own favorite of the covers. I probably prefer the original Bantam cover with the art from the movie poster. I've always liked poster art, and this one had a nice, clean graphic approach and tied in directly with the movie that I loved so much as a kid. And I think it would be strange if you DIDN'T remember Raquel Welch! I liked how the female character had real stuff to do in the movie, rather than JUST being eye candy. In retrospect, I think Asimov giving her that typical romantic relationship in his book was a bit of a step back. But I still enjoyed it because, well ... you know ... Raquel Welch!
Asimov's 'sequel' -- or 're-jiggering' -- novel "FANTASTIC VOYAGE II: DESTINATION BRAIN" is quite excellent, and it helps tie-in his other sci-fi novels' concepts, especially his version of Hyperdrive technology & physics. Basically, his interstellar spaceships make 'jumps' through Hyperspace, and it seems that the way they do this is they instantaneously are reduced to Zero Mass and Zero Volume -- and, perhaps, to LESS than Zero Mass and Volume -- so that they can zip across space-time like a tachyon in Zero Time from one position to another. The miniaturized submarine-like vehicle in the 'sequel' novel is specified to be less massive than its non-miniaturized form, losing mass as it loses size in proportion. As I recall, it is in the aftermath of the adventure that the notion of applying the miniaturization technology to Spaceflight is deduced to be the next logical application of the idea, opening the door to the potentiality of Humanity spreading out into the Galaxy. In addition to that sci-fi aspect which complements Asimov's previous notions, it's a great adventure involving West-versus-East (i.e. Soviets -- the novel having been written several years before the collapse of the USSR) intrigue, an element from the original FV screenplay-and-novelization that he probably thought ought to be included in his own 'sequel'. Incidentally, Asimov also wrote a short story (in one of his later collections of Robot stories) involving the miniaturization notion. It, too, was a good read. Its title escapes me at the moment -- sorry!
That's interesting. I know Asimov thought the idea of miniaturization was ridiculous but, when he used it in his own stories, he did his best to make it believable. Thanks for watching!
I'm pretty sure the story by Bixby and Klement was written specifically for the movie. At least, I've never seen any reference to their original story as a published work in itself.
@@jscottphillips503 Saw an article on the original story years ago; the original tale is a steampunk style adventure. When they adapted the story for the movie, they made it very sleek and modern. So I think the original was published somewhere, or maybe they wrote it and sold it to Fox.
fantastic voyage will always be my favorite movie.
Wow. With this topic, you have hit a bullseye with my 1966 twelve year old self. I was obsessed with Fantastic Voyage - first reading the Gold Key one issue comic adaptation, then seeing the movie in a theater, then reading Isaac Asimov’s book - my very first science fiction book. I even made a replica, as best I could, of the Proteus using my Erector Set.
I have the Bantam paperback, fourth printing, which does not have the gold circle in the lower corner of the cover. Also absent from the cover is the price, for some reason. Your video has made me want to revisit the book, both for Spring into Adventure and for Old School April.
I read _Fantastic Voyage II - Destination Brain_ a few years ago. It was not as exciting as the first version, as I remember. Asimov added various adjustments to try to make miniaturization more scientifically plausible, but in doing so he had to eliminate most interactions between the crew, composed of miniaturized molecules, and the normal-sized body of the patient.
Ah! Thanks for the insights on "Fantastic Voyage II". I do own a copy, but haven't read it. I'm not particularly drawn to it, but I think I will read it more out of curiosity than anything else.
I had an Erector Set too, and would build all kinds of things with it. But a a Proteus! I can only imagine what that was like. As kids, we sure tried to bring stuff like that to life in our own imaginative ways with whatever we had at hand. Very cool!
I have that old Gold Key comic, too. I ws thinking of including some art from it in this video, but it was running pretty long already, and I thought it didn't really illustrate Asimov's writing. It was an unrelated adaption of the movie, but was important for me to have back in those days when we had no other way of reliving the story without access to the film like nowadays.
So glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for sharing your memories.
1:45 Only 5 or 6 years ago did I learn Hollywood approached Asimov after they had the movie in the can. I was 13 when it appeared, a member of the consumer pool,
and dutifully I saw the movie, read the book and bought the comic. Asimov's book was everywhere, paperbacks and comics were on sale in many grocery stores then.
Fantastic Voyage was in all of them, right alongside the equally ubiquitous Chariot of the Gods. If you were around in 1966 then you know which eyesore I mean.
Ah, yes! I had the comic book as well ... not to mention the MAD Magazine parody.
I believe "Chariots of the Gods" was published in '68, but it was everywhere, too ... followed shortly by a barrage of similar Ancient Astronauts books, riding on its coat tails. Many of those had that same block-letter style cover. I was intrigued, so bought the mass market when it first came out. But it has disappeared somewhere along the line. Maybe it was abducted!
Thanks for watching!
Just found your channel, great work on this video!
Thank you! And thanks for watching!
Hi Scott. I do indeed remember watching Fantastic Voyage. Oddly enough the only character that I remember is Raquel Welch. Isn't that strange? I did buy the book but don't think I ever read it. None of the artwork does much for me. The only one that I find halfway decent is the original hardcover.
I am a fan of Asimov and my favorite "book" is the first three Foundation novels. Many of his other stories are also excellent reads. I also have a soft spot for the juvenile series that he wrote. I think it was called the Lucky Starr series. It's been a lot of years but that was a really fun set of books.
Dog-gone it! Once again, I forgot to mention my own favorite of the covers. I probably prefer the original Bantam cover with the art from the movie poster. I've always liked poster art, and this one had a nice, clean graphic approach and tied in directly with the movie that I loved so much as a kid. And I think it would be strange if you DIDN'T remember Raquel Welch! I liked how the female character had real stuff to do in the movie, rather than JUST being eye candy. In retrospect, I think Asimov giving her that typical romantic relationship in his book was a bit of a step back. But I still enjoyed it because, well ... you know ... Raquel Welch!
Asimov's 'sequel' -- or 're-jiggering' -- novel "FANTASTIC VOYAGE II: DESTINATION BRAIN" is quite excellent, and it helps tie-in his other sci-fi novels' concepts, especially his version of Hyperdrive technology & physics. Basically, his interstellar spaceships make 'jumps' through Hyperspace, and it seems that the way they do this is they instantaneously are reduced to Zero Mass and Zero Volume -- and, perhaps, to LESS than Zero Mass and Volume -- so that they can zip across space-time like a tachyon in Zero Time from one position to another. The miniaturized submarine-like vehicle in the 'sequel' novel is specified to be less massive than its non-miniaturized form, losing mass as it loses size in proportion. As I recall, it is in the aftermath of the adventure that the notion of applying the miniaturization technology to Spaceflight is deduced to be the next logical application of the idea, opening the door to the potentiality of Humanity spreading out into the Galaxy. In addition to that sci-fi aspect which complements Asimov's previous notions, it's a great adventure involving West-versus-East (i.e. Soviets -- the novel having been written several years before the collapse of the USSR) intrigue, an element from the original FV screenplay-and-novelization that he probably thought ought to be included in his own 'sequel'.
Incidentally, Asimov also wrote a short story (in one of his later collections of Robot stories) involving the miniaturization notion. It, too, was a good read. Its title escapes me at the moment -- sorry!
That's interesting. I know Asimov thought the idea of miniaturization was ridiculous but, when he used it in his own stories, he did his best to make it believable. Thanks for watching!
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Read the Asimov novelization; but the original story by Bixby and Klement? is hard to find.
I'm pretty sure the story by Bixby and Klement was written specifically for the movie. At least, I've never seen any reference to their original story as a published work in itself.
@@jscottphillips503 Saw an article on the original story years ago; the original tale is a steampunk style adventure. When they adapted the story for the movie, they made it very sleek and modern. So I think the original was published somewhere, or maybe they wrote it and sold it to Fox.
@@user-be2dt8eg2x That would be really interesting to read!