Fantastic Four #24: Sue's Force Fields Of Awesome 9

Fantastic Four #24, page 16, panel 1

fantastic four #24:

sue's force fields of awesome 9

Lovingly written by Stan Lee

Tenderly drawn by Jack Kirby

Heroically inked by George Roussos

Neatly lettered by Sam Rosen

We're currently recording episodes covering the period of Sue's pregnancy, meaning that her contributions to issues tend to be made whilst lying around being incredibly feverish and hysterical, unable to deal with even the slightest piece of bad news. It's rather refreshing to return to a time when Sue played a more proactive role in the team, flexing her powers inventively and holding her own amongst the boys on the battlefield.

Here, she manifests an incredibly strong force-field, not only restraining a speeding car but initially bringing it to a complete standstill. More recent issues might choose to show the strain it takes to bring a heavy vehicle travelling at speed to a full stop by messing her hair, maybe having some blood trickle from her nose. But under Kirby, Sue just needs to throw out her field and do the job with the minimum of fuss.

Love it!

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #24 on our twenty-fourth episode: An Enfant Terrible Is Not Literally A Terrible Infant

Fantastic Four #24: Flamin' 'Eck 37

Fantastic Four #24, page 14, panel 7

fantastic four #24: flamin' 'eck 37

Lovingly written by Stan Lee

Tenderly drawn by Jack Kirby

Heroically inked by George Roussos

Neatly lettered by Sam Rosen

It feels like forever since we've seen Johnny attempt to use his flame as a non-lethal, non-incendiary, completely-solid method of restraining someone. Arguably, the crook pictured isn't terrified because he's going to be caught and sent to jail, but because he's being surrounded with ever-burning fire and that every sense in his body is expecting immolation at any second.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #24 on our twenty-fourth episode: An Enfant Terrible Is Not Literally A Terrible Infant

Fantastic Four #24: Flame On 59

Fantastic Four #24, page 14, panel 5

fantastic four #24: flame on 59

Lovingly written by Stan Lee

Tenderly drawn by Jack Kirby

Heroically inked by George Roussos

Neatly lettered by Sam Rosen

I'm rather glad that we've gone from page 1 to page 14 without hitting any tropes of the title, and that this panel is so generic that I don't have to write anything about the plot. This issue is the 'Enfant Terrible' issue, a story that is right up there with the first appearance of the Molecule Man for uninspired plotting and generic running around until the page count has been completed. Both Fantastic Four #20 and, especially, this issue are effectively retreads of the Impossible Man story from Fantastic Four #11, with the team going up against an adversary who can do absolutely anything. In theory, this should allow Jack Kirby to go wild with his artwork but, as the late 1960s and early 1970s would show, the best results from Kirby come when there's a strong narrative to complement his visuals. When working with the weak story presented in this book, Kirby's art seems rushed and uninspired.

I strongly suspect that the 'Flame On' in this panel was an afterthought, put in at the request of Stan once the rest of the dialogue had been put in. 'Flame On' as a sound effect (that is, not contained in some form of speech bubble, and not appearing to come directly from Johnny) is a fairly rare occurrence, and this one feels like it was put in to make the unusual story feel a bit more like a Fantastic Four plot.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #24 on our twenty-fourth episode: An Enfant Terrible Is Not Literally A Terrible Infant

Fantastic Four #24: Reed's Stretchy Body 60

Fantastic Four #24, page 1, panel 1

fantastic four #24: reed's stretchy body 60

Lovingly written by Stan Lee

Tenderly drawn by Jack Kirby

Heroically inked by George Roussos

Neatly lettered by Sam Rosen

I'm a sucker for a great splash page, and if the great splash page happens to fit into one of the categories with which we catalogue the tropes of the Fantastic Four, then all the better.

It's a media circus which opens issue 24 and, for once, it's Reed hogging the spotlight. His body is stretched into some vaguely Escher-esque shape (seriously, those feet don't quite belong with the rest of the body), partially reminiscent of one of those wide, flatfish futuristic cars with fins and spoilers. This image has nothing to do with the rest of the story, but it's a great image to open the book.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #24 on our twenty-fourth episode: An Enfant Terrible Is Not Literally A Terrible Infant

Strange Tales #117: Flame On 58

Strange Tales #117, page 12, panel 6

strange tales #117: flame on 58

Written by: Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Dick Ayers

Lettered by: Art Simek

Silly Eel. His asbestos grease has rubbed away, meaning that Johnny can easily save himself from the shark tank that he was about to be dumped into. The Eel even had barrels of asbestos grease lying around nearby as well.

I genuinely hoped that The Eel had been one of the many villains killed by The Scourge at The Bar With No Name. I was surprised to find out he had been killed off several years previously in the Ghost Rider books. I doubt he was mourned...

Check our our coverage of Strange Tales #117 on our twenty-third episode: (Asbestos) Grease Is The Word

Strange Tales #117: It's... ASBESTOS 20

Strange Tales #117, page 10, panel 6

strange tales #117: it's... asbestos 20

Written by: Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Dick Ayers

Lettered by: Art Simek

The Eel really isn't one of the classic Marvel villains. B- and C-list seems like too good a grade for him as well. He had the curious fortune to first appear in a story written by Jerry Siegel, but completely failed to make any impact in that story. In this follow-up, he does everything he can to goad the Human Torch, then reveals that he thinks he will be OK because he has covered his costume with asbestos grease. For a villain whose only unusual ability is to have a lubricated costume, it has to be said that introducing a fibrous substance to that lubrication seems like a particularly ridiculous move for him. Not only does it act as insulation against the electrical current which he has previously used to shock anyone who touches him, but it also reduces the lubrication of the grease.

Just prior to this moment, there was a particularly suspect moment where he embraced the Human Torch, reminding Johnny that he was a teenager whilst he was a grown adult. It's not a particularly compelling defence to the charges of pederasty...

Check our our coverage of Strange Tales #117 on our twenty-third episode: (Asbestos) Grease Is The Word

Strange Tales #117: Flame On 57

Strange Tales #117, page 1, panel 3

strange tales #117: flame on 57

Written by: Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Dick Ayers

Lettered by: Art Simek

It's back to Strange Tales for a surely-unasked-for sequel to Jerry Siegel's The Living Bomb in issue #112. With Stan back on scripting, the story wastes no time in getting going. Panel one is the news broadcast 0f the Eel's escape. Panel two is the Torch reacting to the broadcast, leading us to the title panel, with a full-body shot of Johnny igniting and heading for the window.

This larger gives us a rare opportunity to look at Dick Ayers' artwork on a larger scale. Ayers was a decent enough penciler, and a fairly decent inker, but his best work always came in collaboration with another artist. Compare this panel to his inks over Jack Kirby in Fantastic Four Annual #1, or with his pencils when they are inked by John Severin in Sgt Fury and his Howling Commandoes. That's where you'll see the true strength of his work. Sadly, this work remains collected, whilst his phenomenal work in Sgt Fury with Severin remains untouched.

Check our our coverage of Strange Tales #117 on our twenty-third episode: (Asbestos) Grease Is The Word

Fantastic Four #23: Sue's Force Fields Of Awesome 8

Fantastic Four #23, page 22, panels 5-7

fantastic four #23:

sue's force fields of awesome 8

Written by: Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby

Inked by: George Roussos

Lettered by: S. Rosen

In our final extract from Fantastic Four #23, we see Sue achieving something pretty powerful - using her force-fields to successfully restrain the seemingly unstoppable Doctor Doom. It's quite a step-up for Sue, using her fields in a fully offensive capability as opposed to tactical or defensive uses seen previously.

In order to do this, however, Sue has to push her fields through the wall. It's not explained how Sue is able to do this, and I'd be very surprised if she exhibited such an unusual use of her force fields again. It's almost as if, running out of space in the comic, an ambiguous drawing from Kirby was given a token explanation by Lee, hoping that the momentum of the finale would let it slide with the readers.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #23 on our twenty-third episode: (Asbestos) Grease Is The Word

Fantastic Four #23: Reed's Stretchy Body 59

Fantastic Four #23, page 19, panels 1-2

fantastic four #23: reed's stretchy body 59

Written by: Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby

Inked by: George Roussos

Lettered by: S. Rosen

The blog is back after a short break, with some humiliation for the Dictator of Latveria. Having seen the Fantastic Four evade his traps (which include electrified manacles, an airtight glass container, and a giant purple fluff ball on the end of a long pole), Doom finds himself caught by Reed Richards, who somehow manages to get him spinning around like a human top.

Doom will not suffer such indignity!

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #23 on our twenty-third episode: (Asbestos) Grease Is The Word

Listener Question Reminder: Your Favourite Non-Fantastic Four Fantastic Four Stories

Time is running out to get your responses in for our current Listener Question! We're still looking at your favourite stories, having asked for your favourite under-rated stories and your favourite issue that showcases the team.

This month, we want to know your favourite non-Fantastic Four Fantastic Four stories.

To clarify, we want to know your favourite stories from books featuring the Fantastic Four that aren't the core Fantastic Four title. Pretty much everything is fair game for this one. The main spin-offs (Strange Tales, Marvel Two-In-One, The Thing, Fantastic Force and FF), mini-series, guest-appearances, alternate continuities (Fantastic Five, Ultimate Fantastic Four, etc) and more.7

There's no limit to the number of stories you can submit, although for the sake of reading the e-mails when we review the feedback, try to keep your thoughts reasonably succinct - as we've proved over 80-odd episodes, reading out loud isn't as simple for us as it should be!

Send your feedback into fantastic4podcast@gmail.com or leave it in the comments below. You have until June 24th to respond.

Fantastic Four: Cutting Off Marvel's Nose To Spite Fox's Face?

For the last week or so, comics fandom has been up in arms over rumours that Marvel would seriously consider cancelling The Fantastic Four to avoid giving Fox any free publicity for their upcoming Fantastic Four film. Due to the time between recording and release (normally at least two weeks), this is something we're unlikely to cover in any detail on the show, for the simple reason that we will not be able to keep up with any news or developments as they happen. However, I've been asked by several people what my views and opinions on the situation are. This blog doesn't seem like the place for those opinions, so when former Fantasticast guest-host Seb Patrick asked me to write a piece on the situation for his comics website Panel Beats, I leapt at the opportunity. The piece is up, so please do head over and have a read of it.

In other news, this blog is taking a short break for the next few days. With the exception of the episode postings, there'll be no new content for the next week or so. I'll be away seeing my family and celebrating my birthday.

See you soon!

Fantastic Four #23: Sue's Force Fields of Awesome 7

Fantastic Four #23, page 18, panel 2

fantastic four #23:

sue's force fields of awesome 7

Written by: Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby

Inked by: George Roussos

Lettered by: S. Rosen

Back in the world of a plot, Doom has contrived to kidnap members of the Fantastic Four, as well as disposing of his henchmen now that they've finished henching. The team are trapped in a specially designed dungeon, although they've clearly opted for the 'dormitory' package rather than individual rooms.

Sue uses her force fields to prevent Ben from receiving a fatal electric shock when he breaks his restraints. It's a very Doom-esque plan to restrain Ben in such a way that he could easily break free,  but the consequences of which would be fatal. By constantly dangling the possibility of escape, Doom makes the imprisonment more torturous.

Of course, what Doom doesn't know is that Sue's powers have developed, and here she uses her fields to interrupt the electric shock. I really like that Sue's fields are not only being used tactically in terms of placement, but in terms of timing as well, A fraction of a second too late, and Ben would be a smouldering heap of rubble. Go Sue!

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #23 on our twenty-third episode: (Asbestos) Grease Is The Word

Fantastic Four #23: Reed's Stretchy Body 58

Fantastic Four #23, page 14, panel 3

fantastic four #23: reed's stretchy body 58

Written by: Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby

Inked by: George Roussos

Lettered by: S. Rosen

I absolutely adore this panel, for a number of reasons.

First of all, it suggests that, when Reed and Sue get married, they won't be short of ways to spice up their love life. If Reed is a one-man restraining machine, then the idea of furry handcuffs seems rather tame by comparison.]

Secondly, this is a panel I'd love to see on the big screen. I want to see Reed's legs plait themselves as they extend across the room.

Thirdly, just where exactly are Reed's feet?

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #23 on our twenty-third episode: (Asbestos) Grease Is The Word

Fantastic Four #23: Reed's Stretchy Body 57

Fantastic Four #23, page 14, panel 2

fantastic four #23: reed's stretchy body 57

Written by: Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby

Inked by: George Roussos

Lettered by: S. Rosen

Is it me, or does this look like a different inker? The lines seem a lot finer than Roussos' usual inking, as if Chic Stone had lent a hand for a couple of pages.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #23 on our twenty-third episode: (Asbestos) Grease Is The Word

The Fantasticast: Where On Earth Is The Episode?

Episode 82 of The Fantasticast was released at 1am BST on Saturday 30th May. Two hours later, it was pulled from the internet, with only a couple of drunked tweets and Facebook comments to mark its passing. What happened?

Well, the simple answer is that Steve cocked up. Twice.

First of all, he set an expiration date for the podcast, rather than a release date, meaning that his timed release failed and the episode went out for three minute on Thursday evening. One fast delete later, and all was fine. Unfortunately, whilst re-uploading the episode, he accidentally selected Andy's raw audio track, rather than the finished episode that he had spent several hours editing.

At 3am in the morning, as his epic all-night game of Cards Against Humanity entered it's 7th hour, he noticed twitter messages and Facebook comments, and pulled the episode.

The correct one has now been uploaded and will be released at 1am BST on Sunday June 1st. Sorry US listeners, you're going to have to do the time-zone conversion yourselves!

Steve

Fantastic Four #23: The Humanity Of Benjamin J. Grimm 9

Fantastic Four #23, page 13, panel 5

fantastic four #23: the humanity of

benjamin j. grimm 9

Written by: Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby

Inked by: George Roussos

Lettered by: S. Rosen

Lured to Yancy Street, The Thing is attacked by one of Doctor Doom's powered henchmen. Not content with giving Ben a run for his money in the punching stakes, the minion also has a cosmic beam gun which triggers a transformation back into his human body. It's perhaps a sign of the relative regularity of this event - on average, once every three issues Ben returns to human form - that his first thought isn't 'Hurrah! My humanity has returned'. Instead, he's more concerned with who might have been able to invent such a beam gun.

Disappointingly, due to the small panel size (this is a 7 panel page), the transformation is very underwhelming in art terms. The dashed outline looks rushed and a little lazy, and what should be a big event for Ben comes across as just another beat in the fight.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #23 on our twenty-third episode: (Asbestos) Grease Is The Word

Fantastic Four #23: It's... ASBESTOS 19

Fantastic Four #23, page 11, panel 3

fantastic four #23: it's... asbestos!!! 19

Written by: Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby

Inked by: George Roussos

Lettered by: S. Rosen

Told you! He's a nasty sort, that Maharaja, tricking adolescent males into getting into his car all whilst wearing ethnic clothes and having dark skin. If Johnny was responsible enough to go and vote, it's pretty certain that UKIP would be the part he chooses.

More impressively, the MaharajaMinion has managed to use a double-coating layer of asbestos on the car's bubble-dome without impacting on visibility at all.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #23 on our twenty-third episode: (Asbestos) Grease Is The Word

Fantastic Four #23: Yancy Street Pranks 4

Fantastic Four #23, page 10, panel 2

fantastic four #23: yancy street pranks 4

Written by: Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby

Inked by: George Roussos

Lettered by: S. Rosen

It's page 10 of this 23-page story, and the plot is only just beginning to get underway. A newspaper reports that a random Maharaja wants to give Johnny a random supercar. In future pages, this random Maharaja will turn out to be one of Doctor Doom's minions. I really can't see why this should be turning up nearly halfway through the book. This could be a great inciting incident for the story, the events of the first couple of pages, with Johnny being kidnapped and the mastermind behind it revealed to be Doctor Doom. The recruitment of the minion would then be a two-page flashback,  before the rest of the story continues. 23 pages is a lot of space for a story, and with Kirby still cramming 7 or 8 panels onto a page, it quickly becomes clear that the number of pages outweighs the amount of plot.

In the midst of all of this, we see Ben reacting to a Yancy Street prank in an uncustomarily calm manner. Instead of getting angry a breaking some furniture, he appears to be sitting at a writing desk, deciding how best to respond to the letter.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #23 on our twenty-third episode: (Asbestos) Grease Is The Word

Fantastic Four #23: Sue's Force Fields Of Awesome 6

Fantastic Four #23, page 8, panel 1

fantastic four #23:

sue's force fields of awesome 6

Written by: Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby

Inked by: George Roussos

Lettered by: S. Rosen

It would be a terrible thing to suggest that this issue of The Fantastic Four is light on plot. I'm sure there are strong thematic reasons why, in an issue featuring Doctor Doom recruiting a bunch of Z-list semi-powered goons to be his henchmen, the Fantastic Four should go through a leadership crisis.

However, three pages is a bit too much, considering most of this time is spent on Johnny and Ben fighting. Any thematic links are lost by making the election a joke, and when Sue gets fed up and breaks up the fight, the reader can't help but empathise with her.

Strongly.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #23 on our twenty-third episode: (Asbestos) Grease Is The Word

Fantastic Four #23: It's... ASBESTOS 18

Fantastic Four #23, page 7, panel 3

fantastic four #23: it's... asbestos!!! 18

Written by: Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby

Inked by: George Roussos

Lettered by: S. Rosen

There are two wonderful things about this panel.

First off, the Fantastic Four have an asbestos rug. I'm sure this is both stylish and comfortable, and not in any way an ugly grey fibrous sheet that no-one wants to walk on without protective footwear.

Secondly, Ben has the cheek to call Johnny out for his temper tantrums. Whilst there could be a line drawn between Johnny's emotions and his spontaneous ignitions, it's very clearly Ben who has the anger management issues in this period of the Fantastic Four. I'm sure he's been responsible for more intentional destruction of items inside the Baxter Building than Johnny has!

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #23 on our twenty-third episode: (Asbestos) Grease Is The Word