Fantastic Four #30: Flame On 70

Fantastic Four #30, page 5, panel 5

Fantasticast Four #30: Flame On 70

Written by: Stan Lee (A rather nice writer)

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby (A quite noteworthy artist)

Inked by: Chic Stone (A somewhat nifty inker)

Lettered by: Art Simek (An occasionally neat letterer)

We're back. For a little bit, at least. The plan is to try and get ahead on these posts for the next few weeks and get the momentum going again. I suspect it might all go a little wrong, though, as I'm off for two weeks of holiday in mid-September, and it's slightly more pressing to ensure the podcast hits its release schedule than the blog. Let's see what happens...

Not that I'm avoiding writing about today's panel at all, oh no. Reed, Johnny and Sue are on the trail of Ben, who has gone missing in the middle of night, leaving only a trail of destruction leading to a mysterious abandoned castle. Johnny's 'Flame On' leads to his contribution to the tracking - melting through a thick stone wall to see what's behind it.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #30 on our thirty-third episode: Bad Horse, Bad Horse, with special guest host David Walker

Nine Worlds GeekFest 2015 - Find Steve

Hey folks, Steve here.

The Nine Worlds GeekFest 2015 will be taking place this weekend at the Radisson Blu Heathrow Hotel. If you're there, then there's a good chance of tracking me down for the purposes of making me really embarrassed and awkward. Also, nice things as well, but I can definitely guarantee the awkwardness! I'll be working as a full-time steward during the days and evenings of the convention, and as the evening becomes the night, you'll probably find me in or near a bar.

On Saturday 8th August, I'll be taking part in three panels as part of the podcasting and comics tracks of programming.

First up, at 10am, I'll be taking part in:

Show, Don’t Tell: Wordless Comics - Why make wordless comics? What do they represent?

Connaught A, 10:00am - 11:15am (Comics)

Tracks: Comics

Sally Jane Thompson, Sarah Gordon, Kieron Gillen, Howard Hardiman, Steve Lacey

From sign-language to space to animal speech, why make wordless comics and why are they so effective?

Yes, that's Kieron Gillen on the panel. Of Phonogram, Journey Into Mystery, Young Avengers and The Wicked + The Divine fame. And Howard Hardiman of The Lengths fame. And Sally Jane Thompson of several awesome UK small press comics. And Sarah Gordon, who is, admittedly, a creator I've not yet experienced. If you're wondering if I'm feeling a little out of place and under qualified to be on this panel, then you're a little right. But, having spent the past few weeks reading comics without dialogue (including more comics from Marvel's 'Nuff Said event than I'd really like to have done), I'm looking forward to seeing what the discussion turns up.

At 11.45am, I'll be pulling on my podcaster hat and participating in:

The Second Annual Podcaster Games - The ultimate geek quiz

Room 32, 11:45am - 1:00pm (Podcasting)

Tracks: Podcasting

Simon Potthast, Anne Louise, Alasdair Stuart, Dan Marshall, Barry Nugent, Gavin Jones, Marguerite Kenner, Steve Lacey

Come see Dan and Gavin from the Sidekickcast preside over the second annual podcaster games, and see which of our teams are worthy of winning the coveted 'Golden Mic'.

I'm not sure what to expect from this panel, other than that I'll probably either do really well or really terribly. Either way, I'm looking forward to having a lot of fun!

Finally, at 8.30pm, it'll be an evening of discussion on space and comics, with the wonderfully-titled:

Laika biting Thanos: Galactic Comics - Five ten-minute talks on SPACE and AWESOME Updated!

Connaught A, 8:30pm - 9:45pm (Comics)

Tracks: Comics

Ed Fortune, Hazel Southwell, Natalie Wilkinson, Steve Lacey

Four speakers present different aspects of cosmic comics: from whether tech leads comics or the other way around, to why we can’t stop thinking about Soviet Space Dogs, via a whole lot of prog headgear.

I'll be talking about the first comics I read which took me into space, how they influenced me, and why they're amazing comics that genuinely transcend the medium. As for what these comics are... well, I don't want to give too much away just yet. But don't worry - all will be revealed on this weekend's Fantasticast.

I hope that some of you (admittedly, it's going to be a very small portion of our audience) are heading over to the convention, and I look forward to meeting you there!

Fantastic Four #30: Reed's Stretchy Body 79

Fantastic Four #30, page 1

Fantasticast Four #30: Reed's Stretchy Body 79

Written by: Stan Lee (A rather nice writer)

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby (A quite noteworthy artist)

Inked by: Chic Stone (A somewhat nifty inker)

Lettered by: Art Simek (An occasionally neat letterer)

I have no idea what's going on with Reed on this page. On first glance, it's pretty simple - he's using his stretching powers to get above the undergrowth to see ahead. But on closer look, things just don't seem right. Reed's belt line is depicted as being below Sue's crotch, when he's normally depicted as being taller than her. So, should I presume that in order to stretch his upper body, Reed had to shrink his lower?

Normally, Reed maintains the general proportions of his body whilst stretching. If using his body to bridge the gap between two skyscrapers, his belt line will remain at the middle of his body, and his limbs will maintain similar sizes. I'm really not sure why he's chosen to ignore those proportions here - just look at the difference in size between his two arms - but it's unsettling to see him break the 'rules' of his stretching.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #30 on our thirty-third episode: Bad Horse, Bad Horse, with special guest host David Walker

Strange Tales #123: Flame On 69 / Flamin' 'Eck 48

Strange Tales #123, page 13, panels 4-6

Strange Tales #123: Flame On 69 / Flamin' 'Eck 48

Written by: Stan Lee ('Nuff Said)

Illustrated by: Carl Burgos (Who was first to draw The Torch, way back in the Golden Age of Comics)

Inked by: Darlin' Dick Ayers

Lettered by: Smilin' Sam Rosen

Our look at the debut of The Beetle concludes here. Johnny gets a 'Flame On' so underwhelming that I wonder if anyone involved in that panel remembered that this was a catchphrase. Sam Rosen gets some credit for using a heavier brush stroke for these words, but it barely stands out at all.

More interesting is the unusual use of flame that comes from this, as Johnny creates a ring of fire where the Beetle is burrowing away. The wheel excavates the area, exposing the villain. I'm calling it our because earlier in the story, the Beetle had no problem flying or using the asbestos on his armour to withstand the heat. Here, because there's only one page of story left, he just decides to give up and submit to the teen hero.

Can you imagine how ineffective Zemo's Thunderbolts would have been if he'd have recruited this version of The Beetle?

Check out our coverage of Strange Tales #123 on our thirty-second episode: Now With Genuine People Personalities