Ben Sean

The Fantasticast Episode 368: Marvel Two-in-One #77 - Only The Swamp Survives

The Fantasticast Episode 368

Cancelled Comic Cavalcade

Hello, and welcome to episode 367 of The Fantasticast. Each episode, Steve Lacey guides you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

After an extended break, Steve is back to continue his journey through the latter issues of Marvel Two-in-One. What happens if a team-up books doesn't involve a team-up, and neither title star recognises each other? What happens if the non-title guest stars are more interesting than the actual guest star? And what happens if The Thing is actually his own grandfather in an attempt to match the Marvel sliding timescale with a story set in a very specific timeframe? Find out in this week's Fantasticast!

Tom DeFalco, Ron Wilson, Chic Stone, George Roussos, Michael Higgins, Jim Salicrup, Jim Shooter, and Bob Wiacek present Marvel Two-in-One #77 - Only The Swamp Survives. In which a walkabout in a swamp goes horribly wrong, Alicia Masters has no agency at all, we discover a new element of World War II, and find out what The Thing would look like as a Muppet. All this, and brief looks at Avengers #209 and Dazzler #5 as well!

Direct download: https://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/The_Fantasticast_Episode_368.mp3

Send in your feedback to fantastic4podcast@gmail.com, leave your comments at the libsyn site, or at www.TheFantasticast.com. Follow us on twitter, where we are @fantasticast

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

The Fantasticast Episode 361: Marvel Two-in-One #74 - A Christmas Peril

The cover to Marvel Two-in-One #74, surrounded by Fantasticast branding.

The Fantasticast Episode 361

Festive Clay Snuffling

Hello, and welcome to episode 361 of The Fantasticast. Each episode, Steve Lacey guides you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

This week, the Fantasticast hits a new milestone - the first comic covered twice by the show. We looked at Marvel Two-in-One #74 almost an entire decade ago, and it's time to look at it in context of the run, and see if Steve has worked out just who the people at the party really are.

Except that Steve isn't doing this along. Joining him for a thoroughly unseasonal Christmas bash is returning guest host Stacey Taylor. Host of Stacey's Pop Culture Parlor, Stace and Barry In The Morning, and new show Never Seen, Stace is back and delightful as ever. Together, they examine a unusual Christmas tale, as childlike wizards and bovine nannies meet the holiday spirit. 

Mark Gruenwald, Frank Springer, Chic Stone, George Roussos, Michael Higgins, Bob Budiansky, and Jim Salicrup present Marvel Two-in-One #74 - A Christmas Peril, featuring parole, a guy with a big face and a lack of talent, all of the swears, uncensored smut, and... hold on, that's the hosts! In addition, Steve takes a quick peak at Avengers #206, as he forgot to do it last time.

Fantasticast guest-host Christine Hanefalk has published her first book. Being Matt Murdock: One Fan's Journey Into The Science of Daredevil is now available as both a book and an e-book from Amazon. Do go and check it out!

Direct download: https://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_361.mp3

Send in your feedback to fantastic4podcast@gmail.com, leave your comments at the libsyn site, or at www.TheFantasticast.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.

The Fantasticast Episode 347: Fantastic Four Annual #15 - Time for the Prime Ten

The Fantasticast Episode 347

Stolen From Rimmerworld

Hello, and welcome to episode 347 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 stray once again into Annual territory. Reed Richards and Captain Marvel find themselves fighting side-by-side against (allegedly) the cream of the Skrull forces as an experiment to make toy cars move by themselves (or something) brings the Kree-Skrull War to Earth. Meanwhile, in Latveria, Zorba discovers that it ain't so great to be the King, as the journey to Doctor Doom's return to the throne begins.

Doug Moench, George Perez, Chic Stone, Jon D'Agostino, Mike Esposito, Ben Sean, George Roussos, Tom Sutton, Jim Novak, Jim Salicrup, and Jim Shooter present Fantastic Four Annual #15 - Time for the Prime Ten. Featuring extra-terrestial ear-waggling, a look at how the MCU treats (or doesn't treat) the average person-on-the-street, an examination of Reed's parenting skills, and the deep, deep eyes of Mar-Vell... oooh...

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_347.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 337: Marvel Two-in-One #64 - The Serpent Crown Affair Part 1 - From the Depths

The Fantasticast Episode 337

Wind-Generated Oil Rigs

Hello, and welcome to episode 337 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 at the start of another big storyline for Marvel Two-in-One, as abandoned plotlines from Namor's solo title drive the adventures of Benjamin "The Thing" Grimm and Walter "Stingray" Newall. A jaunt to visit the Inhumans turns into a rescue mission at a suspiciously-acting oil rig, and there are yet larger forces at work...

Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Maccio, George Perez, Gene Day, Carl Gafford, Ben Sean, John Costanza, Jim Salicrup, and Jim Shooter present Marvel Two-in-One #64, the first part of the classic The Serpent Crown Affair. As well as this, we also take a brief look at the Tom DeFalco and Steve Ditko-produced Machine Man #15, in which wheels are definitely better than legs.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_337.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 331: Marvel Two-in-One #61 - The Coming Of Her

The Fantasticast Episode 331

Er... Yeah... Fnarr?

Hello, and welcome to episode 331 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 doing our best not to snigger in a smutty manner at the title of Marvel Two-in-One #61. Because there's nothing to laugh at, at all, alright? Anyway, we start another cosmic epic for Ben Grimm, as he gets mixed up with Her, Moondragon, Starhawk, and Alicia Masters. Some of these characters are headed out into space, and it's not necessarily the ones that you might be thinking of...

Mark Gruenwald, Jerry Bingham, Gene Day, Ben Sean, Joe Rosen, Jim Salicrup, George Perez, and Terry Austin present Marvel Two-in-One #61 - The Coming Of Her. Featuring some things that I made notes about while editing the podcast, but I left those notes at home in Gent, and I'm over 500km away, so those notes might just as well have not been taken. Hmm.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_331.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 327: Marvel Two-in-One #59 - Trial And Error

The Fantasticast Episode 327

Nose-Operated Alarms

Hello, and welcome to episode 327 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

The Pegasus Project is over. It's time for some much-needed downtime for our hero, Ben Grimm. Maybe with some Conan the Barbarian comics. Let's hope that he doesn't get roped into a series os shenanigans involving a very unfortunately-designed piece of peril simply to save the life of a serial idiot out to prove his masculinity - that would be an absolute nightmare!

Marv Wolfman, Ralph Macchio, Chic Stone, Al Gordon, Ben Sean, Irving Watanabe, Roger Stern, and Bob Budiansky present Marvel Two-in-One #59, in which being a man apparently means being a colossally-irresponsible pillock, being a cowboy means being out of control, being a detective means doing no detection, being a Fantasticast host means resisting an incredibly childish joke, and fire is not a universal cure.

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_327.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 321: Fantastic Four #213 - In Final Battle

The Fantasticast Episode 321

A Paradox-Free Bow

Hello, and welcome to episode 321 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 back, and we're weekly again! Yes, after a couple of months of rest, we're back to our regular weekly schedule, just in time for a momentous climax to the long-promised Sphinx/Galactus battle. And, as an extra bonus for our listeners, we manage to uncover more than a few things that we really liked about the issue!

Marv Wolfman, John Byrne, Joe Sinnott, Ben Sean, John Costanza, Jim Salicrup, and Jim Shooter present Fantastic Four #213 - In Final Battle, featuring an unconvincing backdrop, an unlikely transatlantic cargo shipment, an entire panel featuring someone who isn't a man, and the revelation that John Byrne doesn't know what one of the most famous deus ex machinas in comics actually looks like.

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_321.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 317: Fantastic Four #211 - If This Be Terrax...

The Fantasticast Episode 317

Zwammo - Just Say No (No)!

Hello, and welcome to episode 317 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

What time is it? Why, it's time for a new herald for Galactus! And the Fantastic Four find themselves conscripted to conscript this new herald, being sent across the galaxy to find the being that shall become Terrax... The Tamer!

Marv Wolfman, John Byrne, Joe Sinnott, Ben Sean, Joe Rosen, and Jim Shooter present Fantastic Four #211 - If This Be Terrax, featuring a city made out of a rock, motivationally-confused dissidents, an irrelevant robot, a mis-wielded axe, the most desperate use of The Watcher seen in Marvel to date, and a very clumsy attempt to classify all of Galactus's heralds to date as being related to the elements.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_317.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 315: Fantastic Four #210 - In Search Of Galactus

The Fantasticast Episode 315

Why Is Johnny On Fire?

Hello, and welcome to episode 315 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 issue that gives its title to the collection of this cosmic epic. It's the midpoint of the story (if you pretend all that stuff with the Monocle never happened). It's the return of one of the greatest comics villains of all time. This has to be a great issue, full of relevance, chocked full of plot, and completely devoid of filler. Right?

Marv Wolfman, John Byrne, Joe Sinnott, Ben Sean, John Costanza, Jim Shooter, Keith Pollard, and Frank Giacoia present Fantastic Four #210 - In Search Of Galactus. In which a search is held. A successful search. Also, some outer-space baseball, an alien zoo, a heavy dose of ignoring, and some incredibly suspect family history. And stay tuned to the episode for an announcement.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_315.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 310: Marvel Two-in-One #52 - A Little Knight Music

The Fantasticast Episode 310

EVEN YOUR OWN

Hello, and welcome to episode 310 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 looking to team a veteran, rock-based super-hero with an up-and-coming vigilante who definitely isn't Batman in a white costume, oh no, not at all. Yes, Moon Knight gets to feature in Marvel Two-in-One this week, as he and Ben Grimm go up against future Hawkeye villain Crossfire!

Steven Grant, Jim Craig, Pablo Marcos, Ben Sean, Gaspar Saladino, Roger Stern, Jim Salicrup, Jim Shooter, George Perez, and Joe Sinnott present Marvel Two-in-One #52. Join us, as we discover the most unlikely reality in the Marvel multiverse, discuss Doctor Doom's massive organ, exclaim 'You're flipping nuts!', and excitedly proclaim 'Pew! Pew!'.

Joining us this week is writer, critic, and podcaster Matt Lune. You can find Matt's podcast Mother Box at http://www.multiversitycomics.com/category/podcasts/, and That's The Issue on iTunes and on twitter at https://twitter.com/thatstheissue. Matt is also the reviews editor for Multiversity.com and he can be found on twitter at https://twitter.com/MattLune

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_310.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 309: Fantastic Four #207 - Might Of The Monocle

The Fantasticast Episode 309

Spider-Man vs Cap'n Birdseye

Hello, and welcome to episode 309 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

How best to convince an audience of rabid Marvel-ites that the Fantastic Four have actually died? By giving the next issue of the title over to a madcap team-up between the Human Torch and Spider-Man as they investigate the hypnotic security cameras, muddled motivations, and aborted plotlines of Security University, of course!

Marv Wolfman, Sal Buscema, Joe Sinnott, Ben Sean, John Costanza, Jim Shooter, and Keith Pollard present Fantastic Four #207, in which a bunch of pajama-clad students overwhelm an army base, and we are introduced the the Very Dangerous Dymanite. Presumably the Mostly Harmless Dynamite was surplus to requirements... We also head to New York as the Fantastic Four and the Avengers team up to take out everybody's favourite gigantic radioactive lizard in Godzilla, King Of The Monsters #23.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_309.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 308: Marvel Two-in-One #51 - Full House, Dragons High

The Fantasticast Episode 308

Face Front

Hello, and welcome to episode 308 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

To be very blunt, Marvel Two-in-One #51 is a Very Good Comic. Guest writer Peter Gillis crafts a story where The Thing has to team up with Nick Fury and some newer Avengers to defend the SHIELD Helicarrier, and on the strength of the writing, this would be a pretty good comic. But then there's the guest art from Frank Miller, at a very early stage in his career, and he takes the issue to an entirely new level.

Peter Gillis, Frank Miller, Bob McLeod, Glynis Wein, Tom Orzechowski, Roger Stern, Jim Shooter, and George Perez present Marvel Two-in-One #51, with Ms Marvel, The Beast, Wonder Man, Nick Fury, a fantastic red alert, and an unstable Fantasticar. And on top of this, we also spend time with Godzilla, King Of The Monsters #22, where it turns out that dumping Godzilla through a time machine wasn't the best idea in the world, and Ben Grimm eats Doctor Doom's time platform.

But before all of that, we sit down to give our very immediate thoughts on the passing of Fantastic Four co-creator and Marvel figurehead Stan Lee. Recorded within half an hour of the news of his passing breaking, we discuss our personal experiences meeting Stan, and his impact on us.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_308.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 307: Fantastic Four #206 - The Death Of The Fantastic Four

The Fantasticast Episode 307

A Planet That Is Also A Space-Ship

Hello, and welcome to episode 307 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four.

Who wants to see the main characters of this book achieve almost nothing in 20 pages? Who wants to have a whole bunch of heroes from another title show up with no introduction or concession to those who haven't been reading it? Who wants to spend lots of time with Adora and Tanak? If you answered 'yes' to these questions, then Fantastic Four #206 is the book for you. For everyone else, The Fantasticast is the review of Fantastic Four #206 for you.

Marv Wolfman, Keith Pollard, Joe Sinnott, Ben Sean, John Costanza, and Jim Shooter present The Death of The Fantastic Four, a story of ineffective public executions, a hen-pecked intergalactic emperor, a knowing smirk to the camera, a lot of confusion about the difference between a ship and a planet, and the worst set of characters introductions seen in the book to date.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_307.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 305: Fantastic Four #205 - When Worlds Die

The Fantasticast Episode 305

The Crinkliest Chins Of All

Hello, and welcome to episode 305 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 off to the unusual lands of outer space and further education, as most of the Fantastic Four head to the remains of Xandar to avert a Skrull invasion, whilst Johnny Storm heads to a surprisingly sparse dorm room to rather easily give up his right to privacy. Oh, and get hypnotised by a bunch of early CCTV cameras and an assassin who has changed his entire MO.

Marv Wolfman, Keith Pollard, Joe Sinnott, Glynis Wein, Jim Novak, and Jim Shooter present Fantastic Four #205 - When Worlds Die. And, as a bonus, we also find out what happens when you cross a diminuitive kaiju with an undersized shark tank, as we look at Godzilla, King Of The Monsters #21, which features the most logical way to deal with Godzilla that has been seen.

Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_305.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.