Reading The Multiverse: A Marvel Comics Journey

Send Joe a message through the Negative Zone

In this episode of Reading the Multiverse, I go over Fantastic Four #24-27, where we get a reality-warping alien baby causing havoc, the Hulk wages war on New York, the Avengers team-up and sort of collide with the Fantastic Four, and the love triangle between Namor, Sue, and Reed gets deeper.

Stories Covered In This Episode

Fantastic Four 24, The Infant Terrible!, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by George Bell, and Lettered by Sam Rosen

Fantastic Four 25, The Hulk vs The Thing, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by George Bell, and Lettered by Sam Rosen

Fantastic Four 26, The Avengers Take Over!, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by George Bell, and Lettered by Artie Simek

Fantastic Four 27, The Search for Sub-Mariner!, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by George Bell, and Lettered by Sam Rosen

Resources, Episodes, & Links Mentioned In This Episode:

• Join the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Discord Channel by signing up for the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Newsletter (completely free and I promise you won't be spammed!)
• Check out the podcast on YouTube
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Threads
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Instagram

Send Joe a message through the Negative Zone

In this episode of Reading the Multiverse, I go over Fantastic Four #20-23, introducing Molecule Man, tackling Marvel’s most overtly political story yet with the Hatemonger, expanding Sue Storm’s powers in a big way, and bringing Doctor Doom back with another elaborate master plan.

Stories Covered In This Episode

Fantastic Four 20, The Mysterious Molecule Man!, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Dick Ayers, Colored by Stan Goldberg, and Lettered by Artie Simek

Fantastic Four 21, The Hate-Monger!, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by George Roussos, and Lettered by Artie Simek

Fantastic Four 22, The Return of Mole Man!, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by George Bell, and Lettered by Sam Rosen

Fantastic Four 23, The Master Plan of Doctor Doom!, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by George Bell, and Lettered by Sam Rosen

Resources, Episodes, & Links Mentioned In This Episode:

• Join the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Discord Channel by signing up for the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Newsletter (completely free and I promise you won't be spammed!)
• S1E1: Fantastic Four #1-4 - The Birth of the Marvel & MCU Revolution
• S1E2: Fantastic Four #5-8 - The First Appearance of Doctor Doom
• S1E3: Fantastic Four #9-12 - Dr Doom Returns, Namor Schemes, and The Incredible Hulk
• S1E4: Fantastic Four #13-16 - Dr. Doom Is Back, Red Ghost, & The Mad Thinker
• S1E5: Fantastic Four #17-19 & Annual 1: Namor Declares War, Skrulls Return, & Doom's Got Tricks
• Check out the podcast on YouTube
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Threads
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Instagram

Send Joe a message through the Negative Zone

In this episode of Reading The Multiverse, I dig into Fantastic Four #17–19 and Annual #1, where Doctor Doom pulls off another disguise scheme, the Skrulls unleash the first ever Super-Skrull, and Namor launches an all-out war on the surface world. This episode covers one of the most chaotic and world-expanding stretches of early Marvel, from cosmic power-ups to underwater politics to Jack Kirby drawing sea monsters like he’s trying to win a competition with himself.

Stories Covered In This Episode

Fantastic Four 17, "Defeated By Doctor Doom!" written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Dick Ayers, Colored by Stan Goldberg, and Lettered by Artie Simek

Fantastic Four 18, "A Skrull Walks Among Us" written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Dick Ayers, Colored by Stan Goldberg, and Lettered by Artie Simek

Fantastic Four 19, "Prisoners Of The Pharoah!" written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Dick Ayers, Colored by Stan Goldberg, and Lettered by Sam Rosen

Fantastic Four Annual 1, "Sub-Mariner Versus The Human Race!" written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Dick Ayers, Colored by Stan Goldberg, and Lettered by Artie Simek

Fantastic Four Annual 1, "The Fabulous Fantastic Four Meet Spider-Man!" written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Steve Ditko, Colored by Stan Goldberg, and Lettered by Ray Holloway

Resources, Episodes, & Links Mentioned In This Episode:

• Join the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Discord Channel by signing up for the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Newsletter (completely free and I promise you won't be spammed!)
• S1E1: Fantastic Four #1-4 - The Birth of the Marvel & MCU Revolution
• S1E2: Fantastic Four #5-8 - The First Appearance of Doctor Doom
• S1E3: Fantastic Four #9-12 - Dr Doom Returns, Namor Schemes, and The Incredible Hulk
• S1E4: Fantastic Four #13-16 - Dr. Doom Is Back, Red Ghost, & The Mad Thinker
• Check out the podcast on YouTube
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Threads
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Instagram

Send Joe a message through the Negative Zone

In this episode of Reading The Multiverse, I dive into Fantastic Four #13–16, where the team races the Red Ghost to the moon, encounters the Watcher for the very first time, gets pulled into Namor and the Puppet Master’s undersea mind-control drama, battles the Mad Thinker and his unpredictable Android, and faces Doctor Doom’s microscopic kingdom in one of the strangest early FF arcs yet.

Stories Covered In This Episode

"The Fantastic Four vs the Red Ghost and His Indescribable Super-Apes!" - Fantastic Four #13, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Steve Ditko, Colored by Stan Goldberg, and Lettered by Artie Simek

"The Merciless Puppet Master" Fantastic Four #14, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Steve Ditko, Colored by Stan Goldberg, and Lettered by Artie Simek

"The Fantastic Four Battle the Mad Thinker and His Awesome Android" Fantastic Four #15, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Dick Ayers, Colored by Stan Goldberg, and Lettered by Artie Simek

"The Micro-World of Doctor Doom!" Fantastic Four #16, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Dick Ayers, Colored by Stan Goldberg, and Lettered by Artie Simek

Resources, Episodes, & Links Mentioned In This Episode:

• Join the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Discord Channel by signing up for the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Newsletter (completely free and I promise you won't be spammed!)
• S1E2: Fantastic Four #5-8 - The First Appearance of Doctor Doom
• S1E3: Fantastic Four #9-12 - Dr Doom Returns, Namor Schemes, and The Incredible Hulk
• Check out the podcast on YouTube
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Threads
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Instagram

Send Joe a message through the Negative Zone

Join the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Discord Channel by signing up for the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Newsletter (completely free and I promise you won't be spammed!)

In this episode, I dive into Fantastic Four #5–8, where Doctor Doom makes his first appearance, Namor returns for a diabolical team-up, Reed Richards’ “genius” starts to blur the line between hero and antihero, and we meet the Puppet Master and Alicia Masters.

Stories Covered In This Episode

"Prisoners of Doctor Doom" - Fantastic Four #5, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Joe Sinnot, Color by Stan Goldberg, Lettered by Artie Simek

"Captives of the Deadly Duo" - Fantastic Four #6, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Joe Sinnot and Dick Ayers, Color by Stan Goldberg, Lettered by Terry Szenicks 

"Prisoners of Kurrgo, Master of Planet X" - Fantastic Four #7, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Joe Sinnot and Dick Ayers, Color by Stan Goldberg, Lettered by Artie Simek

"Prisoners of the Puppet Master" - Fantastic Four #8, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Joe Sinnot and Dick Ayers, Color by Stan Goldberg, Lettered by Artie Simek

Resources & Links Mentioned In This Episode:

• Join the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Discord Channel by signing up for the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Newsletter (completely free and I promise you won't be spammed!)
• Check out the podcast on YouTube
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Threads
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Instagram

Send Joe a message through the Negative Zone

Join the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Discord Channel by signing up for the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Newsletter (completely free and I promise you won't be spammed!)

In this debut episode, I kick off Reading the Multiverse with Fantastic Four #1–4. The explosive start of Marvel’s Silver Age and the spark that would ignite the entire MCU. From the team’s chaotic origin to their first encounters with Skrulls and the Sub-Mariner, these early adventures set the tone for everything Marvel would become.

Stories Covered In This Episode

"The Fantastic Four" - Fantastic Four #1, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by George Klein & Christopher Rule, Color by Stan Goldberg, Lettered by Artie Simek

"The Fantastic Four Meet The Skrulls" - Fantastic Four #2, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by George Klein, Color by Stan Goldberg, Lettered by John Duffy

"The Menace of the Miracle Man" - Fantastic Four #3, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Sal Brodsky, Color by Stan Goldberg, Lettered by Artie Simek

"The Coming Of... Sub-Mariner" - Fantastic Four #4, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Sal Brodsky, Color by Stan Goldberg, Lettered by Artie Simek

Resources & Links Mentioned In This Episode:

• Join the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Discord Channel by signing up for the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Newsletter (completely free and I promise you won't be spammed!)
• Check out the podcast on YouTube
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Threads
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Instagram

Send Joe a message through the Negative Zone

Join the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Discord Channel by signing up for the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Newsletter (completely free and I promise you won't be spammed!)

In this episode, I dive into Fantastic Four #9–12, where Reed Richards loses the team’s fortune, Doctor Doom returns for a mind-swapping revenge story, the Impossible Man makes his chaotic debut, and the Fantastic Four face the Incredible Hulk in their first major crossover.

Stories Covered In This Episode

"The End of the Fantastic Four" - Fantastic Four #9, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Dick Ayers, Color by Stan Goldberg, Lettered by Artie Simek

"The Return of Doctor Doom" - Fantastic Four #10, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Dick Ayers, Color by Stan Goldberg, Lettered by Artie Simek

"A Visit With The Fantastic Four / The Impossible Man" - Fantastic Four #11, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Dick Ayers, Color by Stan Goldberg, Lettered by Artie Simek

"The Incredible Hulk" - Fantastic Four #12, written by Stan Lee, Penciled by Jack Kirby, Inked by Dick Ayers, Color by Stan Goldberg, Lettered by Artie Simek

Resources & Links Mentioned In This Episode:

• Join the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Discord Channel by signing up for the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Newsletter (completely free and I promise you won't be spammed!)
• Check out the podcast on YouTube
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Threads
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Instagram

Send Joe a message through the Negative Zone

Reading the Multiverse: A Marvel Comics Journey, explores the characters and the tales that built the Marvel Universe, issue by issue through Marvel’s comic history, starting with Fantastic Four #1.

Hosted by Joe from Muscles & The Multiverse, each episode blends story, commentary, and laid-back humor for a quick ride through Marvel’s ever-evolving world, from its cosmic beginnings to its modern chaos.

As a mostly first-time reader, Joe shares honest reactions to the art, writing, characters, the moments that still hold up, the ones that haven’t aged so well, and the surprises that make Marvel’s history so much fun to revisit.

Whether you’re an MCU fan who wants to know the source material or a lifelong comic reader up for a nostalgic re-read, this podcast brings you the stories, art, and chaos that shaped the Marvel Universe, one era & run at a time.

Resources & Links Mentioned In This Episode:

• Join the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Discord Channel by signing up for the Earth's Mightiest Nerds Newsletter (completely free and I promise you won't be spammed!)
• Check out the podcast on YouTube
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Threads
• Connect with Joe (musclesandthemultiverse) on Instagram