In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the seminal comic-book series Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross, Stitcher and Marvel teamed up to produce a new podcast by the same name that reimagines the comic in audio format. While the comic grabbed our attention with its stunning artwork, the podcast grabs our attention with its multi-layered sounds that place us right in the heart of old New York.

The podcast isn’t a direct adaptation of the graphic novel like I’d originally thought. It explores the confrontation between the Fantastic Four, the Silver Surfer, and Galactus from a different perspective. When J. Jonah Jameson runs an expose on the incident, claiming that the invasion was a hoax orchestrated by Mr. Fantastic, a bunch of Daily Bugle employees (Phil Sheldon, Ben Urich and Marcia Hardesty) embark on an investigation to confirm or debunk one of the most super-powered conspiracy theories of all time.

It was a real thrill to be in the middle of the action, with people screaming and Galactus booming in the background. There is a palpable tension in the air, and I got a real kick when The Thing yells his signature phrase “It’s clobberin’ time!” amidst all the chaos. The first person audio perspective of Marvels reminded me of the thrilling Transformers Ride at Universal Studios Singapore, which gave an unrivaled experience of being part of the action. With comic-book stories getting more creative and moving to newer mediums, it’s exciting to see what the future holds for the genre.