The Fantasticast

The Great Galactus Bake-Off

Hello, and welcome to episode 144 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

And lo, there shall be an ending, of a sort. With Galactus poised to eat the entire planet, it's up to Reed to do the equivalent of reading the small-print, before bragging to the entire planet. Well, when you've got the equivalent of a brain the size of a planet, you might as well let everyone know! Fantastic Four #123, Stan Lee's antepenultimate issue of the Fantastic Four, is our issue for this episode.

However, it's not our only issue. We have a very brief peak at Captain Ameria and Falcon #150, before taking a more leisurely browse through The Incredible Hulk #152, featuring the prelude to the Trial of the Incredible Hulk. All this, and a detailed look at career paths in the US Army of the Marvel Universe, and the discovery of Galactus's PIN. And featuring Richard M. Nixon as himself!

Send in your feedback to [email protected], leave your comments at the libsyn site, or at fantasticflameon.wordpress.com. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

Original artwork by Michael Georgiou. Check out his work at mikedraws.co.uk

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

Peter Parker's Chin's Secret Identity

Hello, and welcome to episode 143 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

It's time for another team-up, in more ways than one. We're covering Marvel Team-Up #2: The Frightful Four are back, with a surprising new addition to the team, and only the Human Torch can stop them. Aided and abetted by Spider-Man, it's the teenage heroes of the Marvel Universe against the Fantastic Four's greatest villains, as well as an unexpected threat from the Negative Zone. All this comics goodness if brought to you by Gerry Conway, Ross Andru and Jim Mooney.

Teaming up with us to tackle this titanic tussle is writer and podcaster James Hunt. James is a regular feature writer at Den of Geek, co-writer of A Brief History Of Time Travel, and part of the panel at the excellent Cinematic Universe podcast. He can be found on twitter as @jameshunt.

Together, all three hosts find themselves carbon-dating Marvel fashions, discovering the Human Torch in polyester, subjecting someone to unexpected and violent disrobing, and musing the possibilities of Garfield Minus Garfield, Plus Lying Cat...

Send in your feedback to [email protected], leave your comments at the libsyn site, or at fantasticflameon.wordpress.com. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

Original artwork by Michael Georgiou. Check out his work at mikedraws.co.uk

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

Is Galactus A True Scotsman?

Hello, and welcome to episode 142 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

This week sees us cover Fantastic Four #122. Galactus has arrived on Earth, and he is very hungry. The Fantastic Four get into their most physical confrontation yet with the World Eater, before splitting up and embarking on a daring hijacking mission. Can the Silver Surfer find a way to escape his fate? All this and more in this issue from the hands of Stan Lee, John Buscema and Joe Sinnott.

We've also got our regular dose of listener e-mails, Andy embarks on a particularly troublesome elocution safari, and we discover the madness of dating Madness.

Send in your feedback to [email protected], leave your comments at the libsyn site, or at fantasticflameon.wordpress.com. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

Original artwork by Michael Georgiou. Check out his work at mikedraws.co.uk

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

What Is It? Do Tell!

Hello, and welcome to episode 141 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

It feels like ages since it was just Andy and Steve discussing an issue of The Fantastic Four, and that's what we're doing today. Fantastic Four #121, the second part of Stan Lee's final run on the book, continues to try and find something interesting to do with Gabriel The Air Walker. Will it succeed? The answer may surprise you!

We're also back to reading your e-mails, and Steve attempts to defend a controversial position with the appropriate amount of nerves. Andy's advanced amnesia returns, and we ask the important question - what does a herald of Galactus need with a starship?

Send in your feedback to [email protected], leave your comments at the libsyn site, or at fantasticflameon.wordpress.com. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

Original artwork by Michael Georgiou. Check out his work at mikedraws.co.uk

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

Review Time

Hello, and welcome to episode 140.5 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

This time, it's just Steve, as he's the only one of the team to have seen the current Fantastic Four movie. It's time to review this troubled, incoherent film, and whilst the review isn't great, hopefully enough of the good things that lurk underneath the surface of the film are brought forward.

Send in your feedback to [email protected], leave your comments at the libsyn site, or at fantasticflameon.wordpress.com. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

Original artwork by Michael Georgiou. Check out his work at mikedraws.co.uk

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

A Very Sandman History

Hello, and welcome to episode 140 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

This week, we're branching away from The Fantastic Four to cover the first issue of the iconic team up book from Marvel, Marvel Team-Up. The Human Torch and Spider-Man teaming up to stop the Sandman from... er... anyway. Roy Thomas and Ross Andru team up to bring you this titanic team up.

And they're not the only ones! To celebrate the launch of this title, we've teamed up with Avengers Inspirations and New 52 Adventures of Superman host (and past guest host for The Fantasticast) Jon M. Wilson. Together, we discuss bungalows, explore continuity and nitpicks, index the official indexes, and uncover the secret history of Misty Knight.

Send in your feedback to [email protected], leave your comments at the libsyn site, or at fantasticflameon.wordpress.com. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

Original artwork by Michael Georgiou. Check out his work at mikedraws.co.uk

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

Freud Batman, I Think You're Right, OK

Hello, and welcome to episode 139 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

It's our final special episode, and to celebrate the imminent release of the new Fantastic Four movie we're taking a look back to the first, unreleased Fantastic Four movie. Made on a shoestring budget and in less time than it took to edit this episode, the Roger Corman-produced Fantastic Four movie is a masterpiece of rights-retaining movie making. Featuring Indiana Jones' father, a pre-teen vampire, the least convincingly-animated Human Torch ever seen, and the most convincing glove acting ever seen.

We're watching the film on youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHlBsLQ4BQs) and for extra hilarity, activate the automatic subtitling. We did, and the results are certainly memorable!

The commentary itself starts at 06:48.

Send in your feedback to [email protected], leave your comments at the libsyn site, or at fantasticflameon.wordpress.com. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

Original artwork by Michael Georgiou. Check out his work at mikedraws.co.uk

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage

Because It's About Time Someone Did Again!

Hello, and welcome to episode 138 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

We're taking a break from our usual format this week to take a look back, in the second of three special episodes to celebrate the release of the new Fantastic Four movie. In the style of the rather wonderful Rachel and Miles X-Plain The X-Men, we're taking look back at issues 52-120 and annuals 4-6 of The Fantastic Four.

Starting with the Black Panther and ending with Gabriel, The Air Walker it's a breakneck romp through the origins of the Marvel Universe. Featuring Doctor Doom's finest moments, the development of the Negative Zone, the birth of Franklin Richards, the introduction of Annihilus, and the Creature From The Black Lagoon. Well, they can't all be winners...

Featuring podcaster and friend-of-the-show Michael Bailey as 'Digits' - check out his shows From Crisis To Crisis: A Superman Podcast and Views From The Longbox!

Rachel and Miles X-Plain The X-Men is an awesome show, with artwork by former guest-host David Wynne, and can be found at rachelandmiles.com

Send in your feedback to [email protected], leave your comments at the libsyn site, or at fantasticflameon.wordpress.com. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

Original artwork by Michael Georgiou. Check out his work at mikedraws.co.uk

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

Because It's About Time Someone Did!

Hello, and welcome to episode 137 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

We're taking a break from our usual format this week to take a look back, in the first of three special episode to celebrate the release of the new Fantastic Four movie. In the style of the rather wonderful Rachel and Miles X-Plain The X-Men, we're taking look back at the first 51 issues and 3 annuals of The Fantastic Four. And Strange Tales. But not for long - we promise!

Starting with the Mole Man and ending with the bald bloke, it's a breakneck romp through the origins of the Marvel Universe and the creation of a legendary comics, encompassing some of the greatest comics ever published, some of the most iconic villains in comic-dom, and the Infant Terrible.

Featuring podcaster and friend-of-the-show Michael Bailey as 'Digits' - check out his shows From Crisis To Crisis: A Superman Podcast and Views From The Longbox!

Rachel and Miles X-Plain The X-Men is an awesome show, with artwork by former guest-host David Wynne, and can be found at rachelandmiles.com

Send in your feedback to [email protected], leave your comments at the libsyn site, or at fantasticflameon.wordpress.com. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

Original artwork by Michael Georgiou. Check out his work at mikedraws.co.uk

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

Andy's Astonishing Agatha Adoration

Hello, and welcome to episode 136 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

This week, it's the return of our fearless leader to the Fantastic Four. Face front,, frantic one - Stan Lee's back to write Fantastic Four #120. And he's brought with him a whole load of original ideas, and definitely hasn't written a story with more than a few parallels with a classic issue of the Fantastic Four. Gabriel The Air Walker has arrived to... er... and the Fantastic Four have to... er... It's time for Plant T - T for Taunt!

As well as this, we have one of Steve's favourite number one singles of all time, and after weeks of teasing, we reveal exactly what we'll be doing in our special episodes across the rest of July and early August.

We are eligible for nomination in the first UK Podcasters Award, in the Games & Hobbies category. Across the month of July, you can visit http://ukpodcasters.com/directory/podcast/the-fantasticast/ and click the nominate button. You can nominate us once per day between now and the end of the month, and we would be very grateful if you would be able to do this.

Send in your feedback to [email protected], leave your comments at the libsyn site, or at fantasticflameon.wordpress.com. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

Original artwork by Michael Georgiou. Check out his work at mikedraws.co.uk

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.