The Fantasticast

The Ayn Rand Simile Or Metaphor Theme Song

Annual season continues and concludes here at the Fantasticast. Steve and Andy get to grips with Amazing Spider-Man Annual #4, featuring the latest team-up between the Human Torch and Spider-Man. Memories of Strange Tales Annual #2 are lingering, and with irrelevant villains, forced conflict, and leaps in storytelling logic so vast even Evel Knievel would think twice before leaping across them, there's good reason for these to linger.

For, hidden underneath the surprisingly good artwork of Larry Lieber, is a Strange Tales story in all but name.

This decpetion has put Steve in a particularly bad mood, and he puts this bad mood to good use this episode. He also uses it to respond to listener e-mails, in a very angry feedback session. Sorry about that...

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

KERPLUNK - Spelt K-E-R-P-L-U-N-K

It's annual season once again at the Fantasticast. 1967 served up two annuals featuring members of the Fantastic Four, so to avoid a super-sized episode (and to save Steve's editing muscles), we've split the episode into two.

First up for Andy and Steve is Fantastic Four Annual #5. This issue features guest-appearances from almost every friendly face featured in the series (but no Wyatt Wingfoot or Willie Lumpkin). There's also a three-page slice of insanity, pumped straight from the brain of Jack Kirby, and the first ever solo Silver Surfer story.

We also find time to return to our listener feedback, something we haven't done in a while. If you've written in to us but haven't heard your e-mail on the air, don't worry - it's coming!

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

The Great Latverian Bake-Off!

It's muffin week here in the Fantasticast tent. Will Mary Berry be impressed by Victor's blueberry surprise muffins? And will Paul Hollywood survive his criticism of Victor's cake density?

Will Steve Lacey, Andy Leyland and returning guest host Seb Patrick find a coherently-plotted story amongst the destruction of the Beehive? When exactly opens the cocoon? And will Stan ever learn to use correct syntax in his story titles?

It's the actual first no-really-we're-not-kidding appearance of Adam Warlock in Fantastic Four #67. We also take a brief look at the Nick Fury: Agent Of SHIELD strip in Strange Tales #161, featuring so much lovely Jim Steranko artwork that the actual story... well, it's reduced to being told in an unconventional manner.

Seb's just launched a new website featuring comics reviews and criticism: Panel Beats. Why not head over there and read his thoughts on this week's Doop #1, take a look at a Saved By The Bell comic, or get a guide to Ed Brubaker's Winter Soldier stories? Find the site at http://www.panelbeats.co.uk

Why not check out some of Seb's writing at http://www.sebpatrick.co.uk, or follow @sebpatrick on twitter? (https://twitter.com/sebpatrick). A Brief History Of Time Travel is available from http://www.abhott.com, where the entire series is availble on a pay-what-you-want basis.

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

Sgt Fury's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Hello, and welcome to our special 75th episode* spectacular. To celebrate 75 episodes* of The Fantasticast, Steve Lacey and Andrew Leyland decided to invite a special guest onto the show. In no way at all was the special guest invited, and at a later date Steve discovered that this was going to be the 75th episode. Oh no.

Joining us this week is writer and critic Seb Patrick. A regular contibuter to Den of Geek and Film4.com, Seb is one half of the writing team behind the time-travel SF radio sitcom A Brief History Of Time Travel. He's also a seasoned Marvel-ite and podcaster, and he joins us to look at Fantastic Four #66, featuring the first almost-but-not-quite appearance of cosmic Marvel hero Adam Warlock.

Along the way, we ask the burning question of just what would happen if KITT were a suspect in CSI, and we hit one of the all-time great number one singles.

Why not check out some of Seb's writing at http://www.sebpatrick.co.uk, or follow @sebpatrick on twitter? (https://twitter.com/sebpatrick). A Brief History Of Time Travel is available from http://www.abhott.com, where the entire series is availble on a pay-what-you-want basis.

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

*Using our best Marvel-style numbering, we're casually ignoring at least three episodes to arrive at this figure!

Definitely Not Not Brand Echh!

It's really not.

What it is, though, is the 74th episode of The Fantasticast, hosted by Steve Lacey and Andrew Leyland. This week we're looking at the first physical appearance of the Kree in the Marvel Universe, as both the Supreme Intelligence and Ronan The Accuser make their debut appearances in the Marvel Universe. Hint: One of these is a lot more prominent than the other! Yes, it's Fantastic Four #65.

We've also dragged show artist Michael Georgiou back for a second bout of commentary and stumbling through the Bullpen Bulletins.

And, as a special bonus, we spend almost two minutes looking at the lead strip from the first issue of Not Brand Echh!, Marvel's first humour mag. And I use the word 'humour' very broadly.

Why not drop by Mike's website (http://www.mikedraws.co.uk), buy a copy of Elemental Micah (http://www.elementalmicah.com), or follow Mike on twitter (https://twitter.com/MikeDraws)?

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

Mike Draws Us In With His Synopsis

A little twitter-based humour for you there...

It's been a while since Steve and Andy invited a guest onto the show, and Fantastic Four #64 seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. Joining us this week is the writer and artist of Elemental Micah, and the cover artist of this very show, Michael Georgiou.

Michael jumps aboard as we gently explore the theories of Erich von Daniken (and by explore, I mean completely neglect to mention). The Kree make their first appearance in the Marvel Universe by proxy, with the Sentry Sinister. There's a mighty amount of destruction, one of Jack Kirby's greatest designs, and a suprisingly moving ending.

We also have one of the longest selection of outtakes we've had in a long time, although I should warn you - they are not for the faint-hearted...

Why not drop by Mike's website (http://www.mikedraws.co.uk), buy a copy of Elemental Micah (http://www.elementalmicah.com), or follow Mike on twitter (https://twitter.com/MikeDraws)?

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

BLAST It, I Need A Funny Subtitle

Episode #72 of The Fantasticast is here, ready to BLAST you with a BLAST of audio goodness, BLASTing from your speaker/headphones into your non-BLAST-proof ears! BLAST BLAST BLAST! (Have you guessed that this week's villain is BLASTarr yet?)

Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland are here to continue guiding you through the Fantastic Four from the very beginning, this week looking at Fantastic Four #63, featuring a mighty team-up between the Sandman and Blastarr. Along the way, we discover some words that Stan may or may not have made up, we get totally awesomed by Jack's use of forced perspective, and we come across our first ever column from Stan "The Man" Lee - Stan's Soapbox.

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

Punch A Submarine To Death

It's episode 71 of The Fantasticast and, in a rush to get the episode released so Steve can go watch Monty Python, he forgot to record a pre-titles stinger. So, imagine him singing the theme to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or something along those lines...

This week, Steve and Andy dig into Fantastic Four #62, featuring some terrible peril for Reed, the first appearance of Blastarr, and Triton punching a submarine to death. How could anyone not like this issue?

Don't forget to answer our Listener Question of The Month: We want to know the single issue that sums up the Fantastic Four for you!

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

The summer sun is fading as the year grows old

And darker days are drawing near

The winter winds will be much colder

But The Fantasticast is here!

Today on The Fantasticast, Steve and Andy take a look at a powerful solo debut for a long-time Marvel universe villain in Fantastic Four #61. Yes, it's the Sandman, divorced of the Frightful Four and equipped with a great Jack Kirby-designed costume. It's a fast, brutal, action-filled issue that takes the team to and entirely new place...

Don't forget to answer our Listener Question of The Month: We want to know the single issue that sums up the Fantastic Four for you!

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

After nearly two-and-a-half years, Steve and Andy reach the conclusion of their journey. With their coverage of Fantastic Four #60, they have exhausted the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby issues collected by Marvel in Omnibus form. Today, we clobber our final vagrant.

Such sad tidings aside, we also have one of the best fights seen yet in the Fantastic Four as the team go head-to-head with the cosmically-powered Doctor Doom, with the fate of the planet hanging in the balance.

All this, and a special appearance from Professor Alan Middleton!

Don't forget to answer our Listener Question Of The Month: We want to know the single issue that sums up the Fantastic Four for you!

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