Fantastic Forum

This week on Fantastic Forum, we are diving into two major releases that bring superhero legacy and high seas adventure to the spotlight.

First up is One Piece Season 2 on Netflix, as Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat crew set sail into the Grand Line. With returning stars Iñaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, and Taz Skylar, and a wave of new characters including members of Baroque Works, this season expands the world in a big way. Bigger threats, stranger islands, and higher stakes push the crew closer to the legendary treasure while testing their bonds like never before.

Then we turn to Batwoman #1 from DC, written by Greg Rucka with art by DaNi, colors by Matt Hollingsworth, and letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. This new series throws Kate Kane into a deeply personal and supernatural conflict rooted in a lifelong prophecy and a religion devoted to the end of all things. It is a bold reset that leans into psychological depth as much as action, and we are breaking down whether this new direction delivers.

Watch tonight at 6:30 pm PT and call in live at www.fantasticforum.live to share your thoughts. Fantastic Forum, assemble!

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#OnePiece #Batwoman #Netflix #DC #NewComicBookDay

Fantastic Forum is back with another week of conversation, critique, and comics! This episode we’re diving into two very different corners of IDW Publishing with the newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones mini-series and Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring.

First up, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Casey Jones spins the fan-favorite vigilante out of the pages of the main TMNT series and into his own spotlight. Written by Alex Paknadel with art by Amancay Nahuelpan and colors by Luis Antonio Delgado, the series finds Casey waking from near death with a renewed mission to protect New York City. Unfortunately for him, the city isn’t getting any safer. A new strain of mutagen and a dangerous new enemy threaten the vulnerable mutants of the streets, pushing Casey to his limits while his closest allies, including April O’Neil and Raphael, worry he’s pushing himself too far.

Then we turn to one of IDW’s most talked-about horror titles with Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring. Created by Patrick Horvath, who serves as writer and artist with lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, this sequel returns readers to the deceptively peaceful town of Woodbrook. Beneath the storybook charm lies something far darker as Samantha Strong, the small-town hardware store owner who also happens to be a serial killer, finds her carefully maintained double life under threat when a visitor arrives searching for answers about a long-missing brother. Cute aesthetics collide with brutal horror in a way only this series can deliver.

We’ve read the issues and now it’s time to break down what worked, what surprised us, and what these stories say about the range of ideas coming out of IDW right now. Watch tonight at 6:30 pm PT and call in live at www.fantasticforum.live to share your thoughts. Fantastic Forum, assemble!

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#TMNT #CaseyJones #BeneathTheTrees #IDW #NewComicBookDay

Fantastic Forum is back with another week of conversation, breakdowns, and comics that redefine big DC Universe ideas. This episode we’re digging into DC K.O. and The New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident #1.

In DC K.O. writer Scott Snyder and artist Javi Fernández kick off an over-the-top tournament event where the Heart of Apokolips has twisted Earth into a gladiatorial arena in preparation for Darkseid’s return. The Justice League and dozens of heroes must fight through deadly brackets for the chance to stop the end of everything, all while the corrupting influence of Omega energy challenges not only strength but loyalty. It’s spectacle with teeth, built on big action and even bigger implications for the DC Universe.

New History Of The DC Universe: The Dakota Incident #1 brings a pivotal historical thread into focus. Written by Joseph P. Illidge, Nikolas Draper-Ivey, Stephanie Williams, and Morgan Hampton with art by Edwin Galmon, Valentine De Landro, Carlo Pagulayan, and Fico Ossio, this issue explores a moment when tragedy ignites a conflict between the heroes of Dakota City and the U.S. government. It’s a reframing of Milestone history within the broader DC continuity, examining how narrative, community, and legacy intersect.

We’ve read the issues, sat with the implications, and now it’s time to break down what worked, what surprised us, and where these stories might lead next. Watch tonight at 6:30 pm PT and call in live at www.fantasticforum.live to share your thoughts. Fantastic Forum, assemble!

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#DCKO #TheDakotaIncident #DC #NewComicBookDay

This week on Fantastic Forum, we are swinging into two action-packed releases that celebrate some of the most iconic street-level heroes in comics.

First up is Spider-Man: Torn, the new limited series written by J. Michael Straczynski with art by Pere Pérez and colors by Guru-eFX. This story takes Peter Parker back to his early college years at Empire State University with Gwen, Harry, MJ, and Flash, but not everything is nostalgic. A new threat emerges that could leave lasting consequences for Peter’s future while Straczynski digs into character and legacy with every page.

Watch tonight at 6:30 pm PT and call in live at www.fantasticforum.live to share your thoughts. Fantastic Forum, assemble!

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#SpiderManTorn #Marvel #NewComicBookDay

This week on Fantastic Forum, we are diving into two comics that attempt to bring high adventure and chilling modern horror to the spotlight!

First up is Youngblood #1 (2025) from Image Comics, written, penciled, and inked by original creator Rob Liefeld with colors by Juan Manuel Rodriguez, inks by Chance Wolf, and letters by Rus Wooton. In this explosive relaunch, the legendary super team is summoned to face a mysterious vessel in the Pacific and a deadly new nemesis that threatens everything they stand for. Is it classic high-octane Image action or a retread of 90's nostalgia? We'll let you know first hand!

Then we turn to Murder Podcast #0 from Ignition Press, written by Jeremy Haun with art by Mike Tisserand, colors by Nick Filardi, and lettering by AndWorld Design. This chilling cold open issue drops you into the world of a mysterious true crime podcast that seems to warp your mind the moment you press play. When listeners around town begin to act with murderous intent, Mina and her friends realize that the stories they chase for entertainment may be far more dangerous than they ever expected.

Watch tonight at 6:30 pm PT and call in live at www.fantasticforum.live to share your thoughts. Fantastic Forum, assemble!

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#Youngblood #Image #MurderPodcast #IgnitionPress #NewComicBookDay

This week on Fantastic Forum, we are swinging into high-stakes action and street-level brutality with two Marvel releases.

First up is Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 (2026), written by Saladin Ahmed and Joe Kelly with art by Federico Vicentini. In this oversized annual Peter Parker teams up with a new speedster named Rapid as chaos erupts across New York, and a live-streaming threat named Screwball turns the city into a digital battleground. Do Ahmed and Kelly bring their sharp character work to our resident web-head in this yearly outing? We'll let you know tonight!?

Then we take a deep dive into Punisher: Red Band, the five-issue limited series from Benjamin Percy and Julius Ohta with covers by Marco Checchetto. In this gritty, visceral revival of Frank Castle, the Punisher returns with no memories and a full clip, ready to rain down vengeance on the criminal underworld. We'll tell you if blood, bullets, and brutal justice truly define this Red Band run as Percy and Ohta try to push the limits of what Punisher stories can be!

Watch tonight at 6:30 pm PT and call in live at www.fantasticforum.live to share your thoughts. Fantastic Forum, assemble!

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#AmazingSpiderMan #Punisher #Marvel #NewComicBookDay

This week on Fantastic Forum, we are diving into satire and the cost of perfection across comics and television.

First up is Wonder Man on Disney+, Marvel’s latest live action series spotlighting one of the publisher’s lesser known characters, Wonder Man. Starring Yahya Abdul Mateen II as Simon Williams, the show explores fame, identity, and heroism through the lens of a reluctant super powered actor. We are talking about how Wonder Man fits into the larger Marvel landscape and whether this offbeat corner of the universe brings something genuinely new to the table.

Then we turn to The Beauty, the Image Comics series created by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley. Set in a world where physical perfection can be achieved through a mysterious and contagious condition, the series blends crime, science fiction, and social commentary to examine obsession, vanity, and the hidden cost of looking flawless.

Finally, we discuss The Beauty television adaptation on Hulu and what it means to translate this provocative concept from the page to the screen. We break down the premise, expectations, and whether the series can captures the spirit of the source material. Watch tonight at 6:30 pm PT and call in live at www.fantasticforum.live to share your thoughts. Fantastic Forum, assemble!

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#WonderMan #MarvelStudios #TheBeauty #FX #NewComicBookDay

On this episode of Fantastic Forum we’re talking about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Galactic from publisher DSTLRY, and the animated movie All You Need Is Kill.

Starfleet Academy is the newest live-action entry in the Star Trek universe, premiering on Paramount+, it follows the first new class of Starfleet cadets in over a century as they train aboard the USS Athena in the 32nd century. Created by Gaia Violo and co-showrun by Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, it attempts to blend classic Trek exploration with coming-of-age drama and interstellar conflict.

Shifting gears to comics, Galactic from DSTLRY is a hyper-kinetic interstellar adventure written by Curt Pires with art by Amilcar Pinna. It’s pitched as a blend of blockbuster sci-fi and lovers-on-the-run romance, following a roguish bounty hunter tasked with retrieving a runaway princess, only to find themselves tangled in a sprawling galactic war and unexpected emotional stakes.

And on the big screen, All You Need Is Kill is a striking animated adaptation produced by Studio 4°C and directed by Kenichiro Akimoto. Based on Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s influential sci-fi novel (the source material for Edge of Tomorrow), this version tells the time-loop story following warriors trapped in death-and-reset cycles as they fight an alien threat and inch closer to breaking their endless loop.

We’ve consumed the media, let the thoughts percolate, and now we’re ready to break down what worked, what didn’t, and why each entry deserves discussion. Watch tonight at 6:30 pm PT and call in live at www.fantasticforum.live to share your thoughts. Fantastic Forum, assemble!

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#StarfleetAcademy #AllYouNeedIsKill #Galactic #DSTLRY #NewComicBookDay

Fantastic Forum is back with another week of sharp takes, wild worlds, and comics worth talking about. This episode we’re unpacking The Darkness #1 (2025) from Image Comics/Top Cow and Carmen Red Claw: Belly of the Beast #1 from Dark Horse Comics.

In The Darkness #1, original co-creator Marc Silvestri returns to the shadowy saga of Jackie Estacado, the mafia hitman whose curse grants him dominion over demonic forces. With pencils by Ed Benes, inks from Matt “Batt!” Banning, Sal Regla, and John Livesay, colors by Arif Prianto, and letters by Troy Peteri, this relaunch blends noir-style crime and supernatural warfare as Jackie is pulled into a brutal conflict where the lines between good and evil blur into darkness itself. 

Meanwhile, Carmen Red Claw: Belly of the Beast #1 introduces a paranormal Western twist to the Hellboy Universe. Created and illustrated by Rae Allen (with co-writing contributions credited alongside Mike Mignola, colors by Michelle Madsen, and letters by Clem Robins), this four-issue miniseries follows supernatural gun-for-hire Carmen Red Claw as she investigates mysterious cattle deaths on cursed ranch land in 1870s New Mexico.

Two very different corners of genre storytelling: one steeped in shadowy bloodlines and cosmic menace, the other rooted in folkloric grit and frontier mystery. We’ve read the books and now it’s time to talk about what worked, what surprised us, and why these launches resonate beyond their covers. Watch tonight at 6:30 pm PT and call in live at www.fantasticforum.live to share your thoughts. Fantastic Forum, assemble!

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#TheDarkness #CarmenRedClaw #Image #DarkHorse #NewComicBookDay