The Fantasticast Episode 342: Marvel Two-in-One #66 - A Congress of Crowns

The Fantasticast Episode 342

The Bad Guy Is Called Hugh

Hello, and welcome to episode 342 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, a packed episode sees us don matching hats to dominate the entire- wait, these aren't hats! They're multiversal incarnations of the Serpent Crown! And only The Thing and the Scarlet Witch can save us from a <checks notes> oil CEO called Hugh. It's the final part of the Serpent Crown Affair, and we're here to examine just what happens when a deranged businessman tries to grab power in Washington. 

Oh, right...

Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, Ron Wilson, Gene Day, Frank Martin Jr, John Costanza, Jim Salicrup, Joe Sinnott, and Jim Shooter present Marvel Two-in-One #66 - A Congress of Crowns. And, if that wasn't enough for you, we also look at what happens when Reed and Sue go shopping in Defenders #86, what happens if Doctor Doom had chosen a path of heroism in What If? #22, and we throw ourselves into Shogun Warriors #19 to see if the addition of the Fantastic Four can save this little-loved title. Plus, we get a bit tired and honest while answering one of your e-mails...

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_342.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 330: Fantastic Four #216 - Where There Be Gods

The Fantasticast Episode 330

Daniel Bedingfield Is Ultron!

Hello, and welcome to episode 330 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 loiter in the aftermath of the Wolfman run on the Fantastic Four. Following all the high-stakes cosmic drama, it's time for something a little more grounded. Well, as grounded as a hyper-evolved scientist and an incursion from the Negative Zone by Blastarr can possibly be. Can our favourite blasting baddie twist the next stage of man's evolution to his will?

Marv Wolfman, Bill Mantlo, John Byrne, Pablo Marcos, Carl Gafford, Irv Watanabe, Michael Higgins, Mark Gruenwald, Rich Buckler, and Al Milgrom present Fantastic Four #216 - Where There Be Gods! Featuring an arse-less Ben Grimm (no, really - those rocky buns are definitely missing in action), and the realisation that it can't really be Franklin's fault that he's badly written...

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_330.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 323: Marvel Team-Up #88 - A Child Is Waiting

The Fantasticast Episode 323

The Susan Storm Affair

Hello, and welcome to episode 323 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

After 88 issues, Marvel Team-Up finally gets around to featuring Sue Richards. Well, better late than never. She's joining forces with Spider-Man to escape the rigour of a society event, rescue her son, pay off the Maggia, and chew bubblegum. And, unfortunately, she's all out of bubblegum. Although, would the Maggia really have missed a few cents from the $3 million she'll give them?

Chris Claremont, Sal Buscema, Eduardo Barreto, Bob Sharen, John Costanza, Al Milgrom, Jim Shooter, and Rich Buckler present Marvel Team-Up #88. In which some things happen, some of then which can be trivially described to create an alluring episode blurb, probably in a list. And Claremont does some great stuff with Sue's powers.

The Fantasticast is sponsored by Wolverine: The Lost Trail, the new scripted podcast drama from Stitcher and Marvel. For a month's free trial to Stitcher Premium, head to wolverinepodcast.com and use the promo code FANTASTICAST

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_323.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 262: Marvel Team-Up #61 - Not All Thy Powers Can Save Thee

The Fantasticast Episode 262

KISS Me Quick

Hello, and welcome to episode 262 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

We close out our episodes for 2017 with a nifty little threesome. First up, we find out what happens when Spider-Man goes up against the entire Fantastic Four, in Marvel Team-Up #61. Well, as close to the entire team as you can get, while just being one person. The Human Torch guest stars as future Fantastic Four creators Chris Claremont and John Byrne, along with Dave Hunt, make their debuts.

Then we're off to Long Island to check in with Marvel's teen superhero, Nova. In amongst his battles with perennial FF nemesis The Sandman, he finds time to put the fear of the almighty into the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing. And finally, we check in Gene Simmons et al as KISS find themselves on a whistle-stop tour of the Marvel Universe, in Marvel Comics Super-Special #1.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_262.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 259: Marvel Two-in-One #30 - Battle Atop Big Ben

The Fantasticast Episode 259

Cripes, Explosion!

Hello, and welcome to episode 259 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 returning to jolly ol' London town for an issue of Marvel Two-in-One. Ben just wants to relax and see the sights, but Spider-Woman insists on attacking at every opportunity, and two crooks are content to blow up everything they can to avoid attracting attention. It's not a particularly clever plan, but it's the one we've got.

Marv Wolfman, John Buscema, and Pablo Marcos present Marvel Two-in-One #30, a comic book that, if you hold at an angle and squint slightly, makes sense. As well as the plot and art, we discuss how to forget Julia Carpenter, the usefulness of Spider-Woman's hood, and just what Steve misses about Eastenders.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_259.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 257: Marvel Two-in-One #29 - Two Against HYDRA

The Fantasticast Episode 257

Bruce Forsyth is... The Master of Kung-Fu!

Hello, and welcome to episode 257 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

Groetjes uit Nederland! And I totally had to Google Translate that... Yes, the Big Move (tm) is over, and Steve is ensconced in a small town in the south of The Netherlands, with only a few issues of Marvel Two-in-One for company. Luckily, one of these is Marvel Two-in-One #29, in which Shang-Chi and The Thing team up to beat up HYDRA agents beneath the streets of London.

Marv Wolfman, Ron Wilson, and Sam Grainger present a tale of introspective wanderings through the (mostly accurate) streets of London, a suspicious Italian restaurant, and a narratively-unimportant boyfriend. We also get to see The Thing on a Routemaster, and we ask the question: Who is the mysterious colourist?

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_257.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 227: Fantastic Four #171 - Death Is A Golden Gorilla

The Fantasticast Episode 227

Swipe Left To Turn Page

Hello, and welcome to episode 227 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

Apparently, at the time this comic was released, there was a new King Kong movie about to be released. Now, I'd hate to suggest that such a cinematic event would affect the plotting of this issue... but when there's a giant golden gorilla scaling the Baxter Building with Sue Richards in its hand whilst Ben Grimm cracks numerous Dino de Laurentiis jokes, it's hard not to draw that conclusion.

Roy Thomas, George Perez, Joe Sinnott, and Rich Buckler (guest-penciling three pages for no readily-discernible reason) present Fantastic Four #171 - Death Is A Golden Gorilla, introducing Gorr, and featuring another completely non-disastrous date for Johnny Storm and Frankie Raye. All this, plus a seemingly-invisible barcode.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_227.mp3

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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 224: Super-Villain Team-Up #5 - ...And Be A Villain!

The Fantasticast Episode 224

Tank O' Doom

Hello, and welcome to episode 224 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 indulging our villainous side, as we explore Super-Villain Team-Up #5. Namor and Doctor Doom take the lead, leaving the Fantastic Four to move in their orbit. Despite being a team-up title, Doctor Doom has condemned Namor to a slow, suffocating death, and only the Sub-Mariner's sometime love rival Reed Richards can help him.

With Steve Englehart, Herb Trimpe, and Don Perlin at the helm, things are a little more complex than this, with multiple flashbacks, underwater devastation, a personal challenge, some glorious gloating, and a moment where Johnny takes a little to long to admire Namor's tiny green trunks. Well, they're not that tiny, if you get my drift...

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_224.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 223: Fantastic Four #169 - Five Characters In Search Of A Madman

The Fantasticast Episode 223

Spinal Discord

Hello, and welcome to episode 223 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 the team come to terms with its new line-up, just in time a mysterious force to take control of Luke Cage, MASTERing him like some kind of PUPPET. Yes, it's Fantastic Four #169, in which Ben Grimm goes looking for a fight, Luke Cage goes looking for some continuity, and Roy Thomas goes looking for a clumsy bit of setup for an upcoming annual.

Pencils are provided by Rich Buckler, in what would turn out to be his final full issue of the Fantastic Four for over 150 issues. We take a few minutes in this episode to look back on his work, a few minutes before Andy is forced to face an uncomfortable truth about 1970s pop culture.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_223.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 221: Fantastic Four #168 - Where Have All The Powers Gone?

The Fantasticast Episode 221

Ben & Alicia 'Celebrating'

Hello, and welcome to episode 221 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 all change for the Fantastic Four. It's out with the now-human-and-powerless Benjamin Grimm, and in with the unbreakable-skinned Power Man, Luke Cage. Yes, thanks to an ancient bylaw that definitely wasn't made up by Roy Thomas as he sat down to plot this issue, only people with super powers can be on the Fantastic Four, and Reed wastes no time in chucking his best friend to the curb.

Rich Buckler returns to pencil Luke's first adventure with the Fantastic Four, as the team take on The Wrecker, paperwork, reckless piloting, truncated television interviews, faulty Danger Room doors, and lots and lots of barely-off-panel nookie.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_221.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 218: Fantastic Four #166 - If It's Tuesday, It Must Be The Hulk

The Fantasticast Episode 218

Johnny The Air Stewardess

Hello, and welcome to episode 218 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 #166, in which large wheels are set in motion that will affect the Fantastic Four forever. Well, for a few months at least... The team are called in to help track down The Hulk and cure him permanently, but a duplicitous military threatens to tear the team apart.

It's a tale of unnecessary coincidences, uselessness during aviation disasters, an invisible hippy named Charlie (seriously, he has his own page on marvel.wikia yet we never even noticed him in this issue), reluctant punching, and an awesome yellow circle.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_218.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 211: Fantastic Four #163 - Finale

The Fantasticast Episode 211

A Finale Finally Finalls

Hello, and welcome to episode 211 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 regular episode of 2016, and also the final issue of this multidimensional tussle. Ben's out in space playing 'catch' with Gaard, Reed's busy getting his company back from the grubby mitts of DeVoor, and Arkon desperately needs to invest in batteries. There's a nonsensical origin, a dose of interdimensional amnesia (whither Phineas and Valeria?), and a cutesy ending. Because it's Christmas!

Talking of Christmas, be sure to catch next week's episode, where a whole host of returning guest hosts get put on the spot and are made to answer questions about the Fantastic Four, LIVE at Thought Bubble 2016. And if you want to hear our commentary on Fantastic Four (2015), be sure to subscribe to our Patreon, as it'll be released just after Christmas...

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_211.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 209: Fantastic Four #162 - The Shape Of Things To Come

The Fantasticast Episode 209

Farewell Art

Hello, and welcome to episode 209 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, our coverage of Fantastic Four #162 covers a lot of Things. We've got Things from different Earths doing all sorts of things whilst other things look one in bemusement at the things being carried out. It's the newly-christened Earth A vs the not-yet-christened 616 Earth vs the Fifth Dimension vs Machus! It's an interdimensional smackdown of epic proportions, brought to you by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott.

Things run the risk of getting so complicated that we've got a full page of exposition, complete with fancy diagrams. And, as if the four-way battle weren't enough, we've also got the first (and, sadly, not last) appearance of Gaard, the character that answers the question: What if the Silver Surfer played ice hockey and was crap? 

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_209.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 208: Fantastic Four #161 - All The World Wars At Once

The Fantasticast Episode 208

Contention Of The Revels

Hello, and welcome to episode 208 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 starting out trek towards the end of the month with some inter dimensional Thing v dinosaur action, in Fantastic Four #161. Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott keep on escalating their interdimensional cold war / financial hostile takeover with the addition of the Fifth Dimension (sadly, only the fourth dimension in this story).

Nelson Rockefeller is President (hardly the most ridiculous choice, with hindsight), vikings are battle a T-Rex, Johnny's getting some inter dimensional sugar, and Reed has developed some upper arm pain that he definitely won't bother Sue with because (like the characters in The Flash) he's learned his lesson about keeping secrets. All this, and we discover what happens when the Collector starts collecting comics.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_208.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 204: Fantastic Four #159 - Havoc In The Hidden Land

The Fantasticast Episode 204

Give Me A Minute Whilst I Read This F---ing Book

Hello, and welcome to episode 204 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 Thought Bubble weekend, and Steve and Andy are up in Leeds. We're sharing Table 11, New Dock Hall with show artist Michael Georgiou, and we would love to see you there. We're debuting our new logo and artwork (launching on the show next weekend), and will be recording at our table throughout the weekend. Come and say hi!

For everyone not at Leeds, Steve and Andy are in your ears, discussing Fantastic Four #159, in which the Fifth Dimension invades, Sue displays new powers, Black Bolt is fitted with a superfluous gag, Johnny gets a snog, and Steve struggles to remember even the basics of the plot five minutes after they've been explained to him.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_204.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 202: Fantastic Four #158 - Invasion From The 5th (Count It, 5th) Dimension

The Fantasticast Episode 202

Your Mother's Moustache

Hello, and welcome to episode 202 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 beginning of the end for Medusa, as our coverage of Fantastic Four #158 marks her penultimate issue as a member of the team. Fittingly, the title rejoins the Inhumans. Less fittingly, Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott drag up a near-forgotten villain from the earliest days of Strange Tales to provide some threat. And a giant horn.

As well as all of this, Johnny goes to a singles bar, Reed is a colossal ass, Sue first with being a PI, Ben goes to the opera, Medusa does nothing of interest at all, and we meet the ultimate mashup of villains whose names are spurious acronyms - QuasiMODOK!

All this, and... we encounter the very first Hostess Fruit Pies advert!

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_202.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 200: Fantastic Four #157 - The Endeth Cometh

The Fantasticast Episode 200

Let's Go Latverian Bargain Hunting - Yeah!

Hello, and welcome to episode 200 (yes, 200) of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

For our giant-size anniversary special, we're taking a look at Fantastic Four #157, the conclusion to the latest Doctor Doom/Silver Surfer storyline. The Doomsman returns, the Surfer gets a snog, the truth about Shalla-Bal is revealed, and revealed again, and someone's playing a much bigger game than the Fantastic Four realise. Roy Thomas, Len Wein, Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott welcome the coming of the Endeth, whatever that is.

Following this, we take a very deep dive into our mailbag, stuffed full of listener questions. We wonder about which version of the films deserve to continue, who Johnny's least-terrible girlfriend was, discover how we'd bring back the Fantastic Four, explore what's in our current pull-list, and reassign Stan and Jack to other comics properties. All this, and more, in our extra-sized 200th episode.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_200.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 199: Fantastic Four #156 - Middle Game!

The Fantasticast Episode 199

Cosmic M&Ms

Hello, and welcome to episode 199 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 get to grips with the middle game. The middle of the game. The intermediary stage. Not the end, neither the beginning, but the all important middle. The. Middle. Game. It's Fantastic Four #156, featuring some of Rich Buckler's best panel layouts to date, and Roy Thomas and Len Wein playing some great games with exactly who's perspective is driving the story.

We're joined by Tom Harris, host of Radio Free Asgard, to revisit his first ever Fantastic Four issue. Doctor Doom is manipulating the Silver Surfer, the Reavers are eyeing up the equipment in the torture chamber, there's LSD in the Negative Zone, and a free binder with part one.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_199.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 195: Fantastic Four #155 - Battle Royal

The Fantasticast Episode 195

The Barry van Dyke Of Podcasting

Hello, and welcome to episode 195 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 spending more than 10 minutes covering an issue of The Fantastic Four, as we cover Fantastic Four #155. It's the first full issue from incoming writer (and Editor-in-Chief) Len Wein. It's a welcome return for the Silver Surfer, featuring in a story which draws inspiration from across the spectrum of Silver Surfer stories, from his solo series to his appearances in the Defenders, and back to his original appearances in the Fantastic Four.

It's not just a good story that revives the previously-flagging FF title. Rich Buckler is on fire, providing a combination of great pencils and innovative page layouts, with Joe Sinnott providing excellent inks, although that's pretty much the norm for him. Could this be the start of a great run on the Fantastic Four? Let's find out...

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_195.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 192: Fantastic Four #153 - Worlds In Collision

The Fantasticast Episode 192

Bondage Trousers

Hello, and welcome to episode 192 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

What is it with creative teams changing mid-story? From Kirby to Romita Sr, and Lee to Goodwin, it seems that more creators have switched out without completing their stories than there should be for the FF. Fantastic Four #153 is no exception, as Tony Isabella steps up to complete Gerry Conway's plotline, and I think it's fair to say that in the case of this particular story, it's a pretty thankless task.

With Machus and Femizon converging, it's clear that worlds will die, worlds will live, and pretty much everything will be the same. Only this time there's some muddled plotting, some incredible trousers, and a really uncomfortable ending that has to be read to be believed. Strap in folks, we're bringing the saga of Mahkizmo to a conclusion.

On another note, we're seeking your questions and queries for our 200th episode - send them in via e-mail, and we'll answer them as part of our bicentennial celebration!

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_192.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.