In this special episode, #Ragnaroktober rolls on as Curt and Kevin travel back two years before the release of the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok—all the way to the halcyon days of November 2015! Yes, it's the oft-mentioned, never-before-unveiled Comics Canon "beta" episode, a discussion of Walt Simonson's The Ballad of Beta Ray Bill (The Mighty Thor #337-340), published by Marvel Comics!

While confronting a menacing spacecraft, the mighty Thor comes into conflict with the noble alien warrior Beta Ray Bill! Imagine the son of Odin's shock and dismay when this extraordinary extraterrestrial grabs hold of his hammer … and is granted the power of Thor, God of Thunder!

Can Thor and Beta Ray Bill sort out this intergalactic identity crisis in time to repel the horde of gruesome space demons that threaten Bill's defenseless people? And can they overcome a host of Herculean hurdles to hasten into that hall of heroic histories known as … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four, Avengers and Secret Wars
• The 80s/90s "replacement hero" trend
• The lettering wizardry of John Workman
• Marvel Comics: The Untold Story
• Our first (but certainly not last) mention of Marvel's Micronauts!
• Our discarded quiz segment, Riddle Me This!
• Kevin shares a sweet Louise Simonson memory
• Jamie Alexander's acting sweet spot
• Thor: The Goddess of Thunder
• Ragnarok Vol. 1: Last God Standing

Join us next week as #Ragnaroktober concludes with a look at Simonson's fiery conclusion to the Surtur Saga, Ragnarok and Roll (The Mighty Thor #349-354)!

Until then, please rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!