The Fantasticast Episode 124: Fantastic Four #108 - The Monstrous Mystery of the Nega-Man!

The Fantasticast Episode 124 (300)

All-New Flashbacks

Hello, and welcome to episode 124 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 cracking open Fantastic Four #108, and experiencing a bit of deja vu all over again. As is well-know, the contents of Fantastic Four #108 were 'frankensteined' together from unused Jack Kirby pages, originally intended for Fantastic Four #102 before they were rejected by Stan Lee. We looked at these pages and the story they were supposed to have told a few weeks back, and now it's time to look at them in the context of their original release.

John Buscema and John Romita do their best, but there's something very off about this issue, and it's not just our frustration at having to read the same pages twice in 6 episodes. But we're brave and honourable citizens, and our duty is to read these comics, and hopefully we found a new way of looking at them.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_124.mp3

Send in your feedback to fantastic4podcast@gmail.com, or leave them in the comments below. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

The Fantasticast is Patreon supported. Visit www.patreon.com/fantasticast to donate and support us.

The Fantasticast is part of the Flickering Myth Podcast network.

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

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

The Fantasticast Episode 123: Fantastic Four #107 - And Now - The Thing!

The Fantasticast Episode 123

Steve Buscemi's Fantastic Four

Hello, and welcome to episode 123 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 Fantasticast, we're taking a look Fantastic Four #107. Ben's about to get defrosted, Janus is looming on the horizon, and nobody's really caring about Crystal. More importantly, this is the first issue to feature art from Fantastic Four mainstay John Buscema.

As well as this, Steve's autocorrect leads to an unusual arrival on the show, we wonder just how a lethargic alarm system would sound, and we exhibit a high level of suspicion regarding a claim that the Bullpen Bulletins are not just about plugging other books.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_123.mp3

Send in your feedback to fantastic4podcast@gmail.com, or leave them in the comments below. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

The Fantasticast is Patreon supported. Visit www.patreon.com/fantasticast to donate and support us.

The Fantasticast is part of the Flickering Myth Podcast network.

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

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

The Fantasticast Episode 122: Fantastic Four #106 - The Monster Within

The Fantasticast Episode 122

It's Pronounced Solzhenitsyn

Hello, and welcome to episode 122 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 #106, featuring the return of Joe Sinnott to the inking brush. A monstrous figure is laying waste to downtown New York, Reed's experiments on Ben are reaching a critical point, and everyone's already forgotten about Crystal.

We've also got an explanation for the hiccup in our release schedule, and after 122 episodes, tensions between the hosts finally spill over.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_122.mp3

Send in your feedback to fantastic4podcast@gmail.com, or leave them in the comments below. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

The Fantasticast is Patreon supported. Visit www.patreon.com/fantasticast to donate and support us.

The Fantasticast is part of the Flickering Myth Podcast network.

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

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

The Fantasticast Episode 121: Fantastic Four #105 - The Monster In The Streets

The Fantasticast Episode 121

Pollution Is Bad, M'Kay?

Hello, and welcome to episode 121 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 getting our grubby, non-Inhuman hands on Fantastic Four #105, which casually slides a key character over to another title, sets up a potential cure for The Thing, and rather niftily introduces multiple levels of threat for the entire team. It's John Romita's penultimate full issue of the Fantastic Four, and John Verpoorten's final inking for the book.

We've also got a debate about Motown, a moving listener e-mail, some news about our activities next weekend, and an announcement about the long-neglected Fantastic Flame On blog.

Send in your feedback to fantastic4podcast@gmail.com, 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.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_121.mp3

Send in your feedback to fantastic4podcast@gmail.com, or leave them in the comments below. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

The Fantasticast is Patreon supported. Visit www.patreon.com/fantasticast to donate and support us.

The Fantasticast is part of the Flickering Myth Podcast network.

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

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

The Fantasticast Episode 120: Fantastic Four #104 - Our World -- Enslaved

The Fantasticast Episode 120

Dramatically Defeatist Namor

Hello, and welcome to episode 120 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 concluding a story started by Jack Kirby and finished by Stan Lee and John Romita. Magneto has taken command of the armies of Atlantis, developed a curiously personal grudge against the Fantastic Four, and kidnapped Sue and Lady Dorma into the bargain. Can Reed and Namor save their true loves and avert war?

We also take a look at Avengers #82, where we compare and contrast a Stan Lee-penned invasion of New York with a Roy Thomas-penned invasion of New York. And finally, Ben and Triton are busy having some bro time, watching a Netflix marathon, in Sub-Mariner #31.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_120.mp3

Send in your feedback to fantastic4podcast@gmail.com, or leave them in the comments below. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

The Fantasticast is Patreon supported. Visit www.patreon.com/fantasticast to donate and support us.

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

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

The Fantasticast Episode 119: Fantastic Four #103 - At War With Atlantis

The Fantasticast Episode 119

The Usefulness Of Lady Dorma

Hello, and welcome to episode 119 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

We've done it. We've broken through the Jack Kirby barrier. Let the uncertain era of Lee, Romita, Thomas, Buscema, et al. begin. And begin it does, by picking up the pieces of Kirby's Magneto/Atlantis plot and rebuilding them in the form of a fast-paced action epic.

We've got the Master of Magnetism, an invasion of New York, the return of Agatha Harkness, the worst possible satnav directions in the Fantasticar, along with brief looks at Sub-Mariner #30 and Fantastic Four Annual #8. And not forgetting this episode's special guest star: Richard M. Nixon!

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_119.mp3

Send in your feedback to fantastic4podcast@gmail.com, or leave them in the comments below. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

The Fantasticast is Patreon supported. Visit www.patreon.com/fantasticast to donate and support us.

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

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

The Fantasticast Episode 117: Fantastic Four #102 - The Strength Of The Sub-Mariner

The Fantasticast Episode 117

The Podcast That Goes Like This

Hello, and welcome to episode 117 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

This is it. The end of an era. Fantastic Four #102, featuring the dual-menace of Magneto and the Sub-Mariner, and the final issue of the Fantastic Four pencilled by Jack Kirby. There's a certain serendipity to releasing this episode on the 21st anniversary of his passing, although absolutely no planning went into this!

Joining us to take a look at this landmark issue of the Fantastic Four is Micheal Leyland, one half of Heykids Comics, one third of Andy's offspring, and 100% of the people who have said 'yes' to appearing on the show then never turned up for the recording. We've finally got him, and as an added bonus, we even exposed him to an Inhumans story from Amazing Adventures #2.

The opening trailer is for the Kickstarter of Ray Gunn and Starburst. Please support this Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/703821617/ray-gunn-and-starburst

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_117.mp3

Send in your feedback to fantastic4podcast@gmail.com, or leave them in the comments below. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

The Fantasticast is Patreon supported. Visit www.patreon.com/fantasticast to donate and support us.

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

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

The Fantasticast Episode 116: Fantastic Four #101 - Bedlam In The Baxter Building

The Fantasticast Episode 116

Post-Trailer Comedown

Hello, and welcome to episode 116 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 to take a look at the penultimate Jack Kirby-penciled issue of the Fantastic Four, issue #101. The Maggia have their eyes on the Baxter Building, and will stop at nothing, including murder, to get their hands on the contents of Reed's laboratory. It's a small but effective tale, and a late burst of quality from these final issues.

And if it's quality that you like, then you'll barely tolerate the existence of Amazing Adventures #1. The Inhumans are given their own solo strip for the second time, and Jack's been allowed to write and pencil. Unfortunately, it's a bit of a muddled mess, with inappropriate colouring and heavy inking doing their best to drown Kirby's work.

We're also taking the time to plug a kickstarter for an audio SF comedy series called Ray Gunn and Starburst. Written by Holly Rose, and featuring the voice of Fantasticast guest-host David Wynne, this is a fun project. Check out the kickstarter and help Holly get the funding at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/703821617/ray-gunn-and-starburst

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_116.mp3

Send in your feedback to fantastic4podcast@gmail.com, or leave them in the comments below. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

The Fantasticast is Patreon supported. Visit www.patreon.com/fantasticast to donate and support us.

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

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

The Fantasticast Episode 115: Fantastic Four #100 - The Long Journey Home

The Fantasticast Episode 115

Generic Quote Regarding Anniversaries

Hello, and welcome to episode 115 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 covering Fantastic Four #100, Jack Kirby's antepenultimate issue of the Fantastic Four and the first Marvel anniversary issue. Nowadays, Marvel celebrate an anniversary at the drop of a hat (did we really need a 25th issue anniversary celebration for All New X-Men?), but in 1970, this was the first time a milestone was celebrated.

You know that old saying about learning to walk before you can run? Well...

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_115.mp3

Send in your feedback to fantastic4podcast@gmail.com, or leave them in the comments below. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

The Fantasticast is Patreon supported. Visit www.patreon.com/fantasticast to donate and support us.

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

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

The Fantasticast Episode 114: Fantastic Four #99 - The Torch Goes Wild

The Fantasticast Episode 114

Oh, The Inhumanity

Hello, and welcome to episode 114 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 Steve and Andy tackle Fantastic Four #99, Jack Kirby's preantepenultimate issue of the title. There's a new Inhumans strip in the offing, so Kirby's treasured creations make their final appearance under his pen in the Fantastic Four. Johnny's got all hot-headed (pun!) and the rest of the team have to get to him before he destroys the Inhumans. Why? I can't explain.

We also take a very brief look at how the Fantastic Four help SHIELD defend against an attack by the Silver Surfer in Silver Surfer #17. And, for extra fun, we both decide to answer the 1970 Marvel Readers' Survey as featured in this month's Bullpen Bulletins.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_114.mp3

Send in your feedback to fantastic4podcast@gmail.com, or leave them in the comments below. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

The Fantasticast is Patreon supported. Visit www.patreon.com/fantasticast to donate and support us.

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

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

The Fantasticast Episode 113: Fantastic Four #98 - Mystery On The Moon

The Fantasticast Episode 113

How Not To Celebrate The Moon Landing

Hello, and welcome to episode 113 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

We kick off our journey through 2015 with Fantastic Four #98, a celebration of the first landing on the Moon. Ish. There's a Kree Sentry, a mysterious island, something dormant beneath the surface of the moon, and Neil Armstrong's foot. And if this sounds like a mash-up of Doctor Who's Kill The Moon and The Impossible Astronaut... well... that's just a coincidence!

We're not sure what sort of comic ended up being produced, to be honest. Join us and see if you can make up your mind.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_113.mp3

Send in your feedback to fantastic4podcast@gmail.com, or leave them in the comments below. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

The Fantasticast is Patreon supported. Visit www.patreon.com/fantasticast to donate and support us.

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

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.

The Fantasticast Episode 111: Fantastic Four #97 - The Monster From The Lost Lagoon

The Fantasticast Episode 111

In The Kingdom Of The Mute, The Phlegmatic Man Is King

Hello, and welcome to episode 111 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 the final episode of 2014, and taking advantage of the wintery season, Steve and Andy are taking a look at Fantastic Four #97, featuring a summer holiday, a trip to a marine mammal park, and a magical, size-changing submarine. Sensible plotting has been put on hold, as the motivations (and, indeed, the vocal properties) of the antagonist seem to change from page to page.

As an extra seasonal treat, we're also taking a look at Silver Surfer #15, featuring a pitched battle between the Surfer and the Human Torch. Just like the Surfer's own series, we also get a bit philosophical, looking at the flaws and failings of Stan Lee's most personal superhero series.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_111.mp3

Send in your feedback to fantastic4podcast@gmail.com, or leave them in the comments below. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

The Fantasticast is Patreon supported. Visit www.patreon.com/fantasticast to donate and support us.

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

Episode cover design by Samuel Savage.