The Fantasticast

Reed Richards vs Skype Latency

Hello, and welcome to episode 135 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 around, it's an episode full of firsts. Future Fantastic Four writer Roy Thomas contributes to the book for the first time, scripting the first-ever fill-in issue of the Fantastic Four, a blisteringly good take on the issue of racism. It's the first issue of the book to feature the new Fantastic Four logo, and this is the first episode of the show to feature Sam Savage's adaptation of that logo on the episode cover. It's the first appearance of a new Marvel hero - The Black Leopard! And it's the first appearance of AUNTIE... OK, not all the firsts are that notable!

As well as this, we're teasing some special episodes in our immediate future, celebrating the best of Brummie rock, encountering a suprise guest-villain, participating in The World's First Grant Morrison Impression Showdown, discovering who wins in Steve vs Andy vs Comics vs Racism, and meeting a bunch of brickies dressed up like women. All this, and more, in our coverage of Fantastic Four #119.

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.

Undoing The Incursions

Hello, and welcome to episode 134 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 taking a look at Fantastic Four #118, as Johnny Storm tries to undo Crystal's brainwashing, Diablo plays with his chemicals, and Ben Grimm takes a journey to Earth-A, where everyone looks like Reed, except... Reed? We're also taking a look at Sub-Mariner #45. I say we... does anyone have anything they want to confess?

We're also taking a look at Dan Slott's greatest achievement, and... other fun things, but I forgot to take notes, so I'm just desperately filling space here. So, that Game of Thrones, huh? Boy, words are hard to think of...

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.

Expository Pyjamas

Hello, and welcome to episode 133 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

Much like Breaking Bad, this episode of the Fantasticast is all about Crystal (I apologise for that terrible joke). Fantastic Four #117 starts the search for Johnny Storm's true love, with Archie Goodwin and John Buscema weaving a globe-trotting, Thing-scaring tale. We're also looking at Sub-Mariner #44, where an evil hippie-burning Johnny Storm helps Namor against Llyra and Tiger-Shark. Finally, we've a brief peek at a few panels of Avengers #94, a true turning point in the Kree-Skrull War.

As well as all this goodness, we present The Adventures of the Cul-De-Sac Crew, the greatest unintended consequence of Secret Wars, and Bagpuss in cosplay. As for what happens when Rita Repulsa meets the Sub-Mariner... you won't believe what happens next!

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, but more importantly, head over to www.elementalmicah.com where Mike's creator-owned comic, Elemental Micah, is currently available on a pay-what-you-want basis!

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

Doom Shall Lead Them

Hello, and welcome to episode 132 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, Steve and Andy present a giant-sized episode, covering Fantastic Four #116 and Avengers #93 - both oversized, 25c special issues. In FF #116, the Over-Mind saga concludes with a shocking plot twist completely spoiled by the cover. Aganst all odds, the Over-Mind finally presents an interesting and formidable threat to the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom, and the entire planet. Here's hoping a deus ex machina doesn't resolve this plot...

We're also looking at Avengers #93, which doesn't feature any members of the Fantastic Four. It doesn, however, feature some utterly astonishing artwork from Neal Adams and Tom Palmer, as well as the deadliest cows ever seen in a Marvel comic. And when the only other notable cow in the Marvel Universe is Bova, that doesn't mean much.

Presented by gross, bumbling idiots and fumble-witted fools, this episode features Johnny Storm vs the pit from The Dark Knight Rises, an examination of Agatha Harkness's mutant ability to remove agency from the Fantastic Four, and the greatest entrance to date of Doctor Doom.

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.

Planet Of The Moderately-Trained Baristas

Hello, and welcome to episode 131 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

The saga of the Over-Mind trundles on, with an extended origin flashback for the villain in Fantastic Four #115. Stan Lee's on holiday, so we welcome Awesome Archie Goodwin as scripter for the Fantastic Four for the next few issues. Steve fails to do an interview, Secret Wars II continues (sort of) in this podcast, and the true origins of Parallax are revealed.

To help us through this issue, we are proud to welcome fellow podcaster W. Blaine Dowler to the show. You may know Blaine from his e-mails to the show, from his podcasts covering the X-Files or comic book science, but you should definitely know him from his Unofficial 75 Greatest Marvels podcast, available at bureau42.com - go check it out, as both Andy and Steve have made guest appearances over there.

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.

Under-Mind, Over-Mind, Wombling Free

Hello, and welcome to episode 130 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, Steve and Andy are sitting down to take a detailed look at Fantastic Four #114, featuring continuity, the Over-Mind, an angry dog, the return of Agatha's resting cloud-face, and awkwardly-timed flashbacks. We're also casting our eye over Avengers #92, where The Thing proves himself a totally credible witness for the defence.

As well as this, we're puzzling over the pagination, finding out what happens when Midnight Cowboy meets a Fourth World rip-off, laughing at lacklustre Yancy Street pranks, discovering the unlikely location of the secret of perpetual motion, and counting the notches on the one bedpost in the Marvel Universe you don't ever want to count notches on!

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.

Cryptic Title Derived From Minor Joke

Hello, and welcome to episode 129 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

The Thing - dead. The Hulk - missing. The Human Torch - angry. Mr Fantastic - prostrate. The Invisible Woman - inconsequential. The Over-Mind - Fourth World-ish. Stan Lee - not paying attention. Steve's microphone - faulty.

Andy and Steve it down to cover Fantastic Four #113, featuring the first appearance of the Over-Mind, the fate of Ben Grimm, and plenty of other things that escape me at the point I'm sitting down to write these notes. Some kind of note-pad to be used during the editing would seem to be in order...

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.

HULK SMASH PUNY CAROUSEL

Hello, and welcome to episode 128 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 on the show, we're celebrating the 100th issue anniversary of the first meeting of Marvel's mightiest titans. Back in Fantastic Four #12, the Hulk and the Thing fought for the first time, and today, in Fantastic Four #112, the Incredible and the Ever-Lovin' do battle once again.

This is the biggest fight between the two to date, and there's no pesky, meddling Avengers to spoil the fun and steal the thunder. As only Stan Lee, John Buscema and Joe Sinnott could present.

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.

She Hid The Gun Where?

Hello, and welcome to episode 127 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 a bumper crop of comics for Steve and Andy to cast their Fantastic-eye over. The main feature is Fantastic Four #111, with a rampaging mad Ben Grimm tearing up a suprisingly small New York.

We're also taking a look at the origins of the Kree-Skrull War with Avengers #89, and taking a brief peak at the erotic fantasies of Namor in Sub-Mariner #38. And, because I'm late heading out to the pub, that's where this episode's notes are going to end.

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.

Unbeatable Benny Grimm

Hello, and welcome to episode 126 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

And we're back. This week, Steve and Andy are joined once again by Chris Thompson of Orbital Comics in Conversation to take a look at Fantastic Four #110, and hopefully answer the question of just how Reed Richards can escape the ever-watchful eye of Annihilus in the Negative Zone. We're also taking a brief look at Avengers #88, with plotting by SF legend Harlan Ellison.

We've also got mention of the first credited female creator on the Fantastic Four (sort of), more ABBA than you can shake a Pierce Brosnan-shaped stick at, a radical reinterprtation of the catchiest theme tune of 2015, and a superb Harlan Ellison anecdote.

Chris's podcast backlog can be found at popculturehound.net. New episodes of Orbital Comics In Conversation can be found at http://www.orbitalcomics.com/podcast/. You can also follow Chris on twitter where he is @popculturehound.

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.