Sometimes you don’t have to look far to see just how weird comics can get, and in this episode we’re looking no further than Superman, who probably has the strangest collection of powers and abilities of any character in comics. Now relatively speaking, flight, super-strength, super-speed, heat vision, X-ray vision, cold breath and invulnerability are pretty normal for a superhero, so what we’re talking about is the really odd stuff. Get ready for super ventriloquism, super hypnotism, super phas...
Sep 24, 2019•59 min
It’s our 200th episode, but rather than celebrating this milestone of podcasting, Andrew and Rob decided to try and figure out where the DC could take their premier superhero team now that Bat-fleck and Super-Cavill have hung up their capes. Get ready for a barrage of lesser-known DC characters as we come up with several ideas including a Booster Gold/Blue Beetle movie, an alternate timeline version of Wonder Woman: 1984, creative use of the supervillain Doctor Destiny, and more. After that we t...
Sep 17, 2019•54 min
Hellboy is arguably one of the most recognisable comic-book characters that aren’t part of the Marvel of DC multiverses, and Mike Mignola’s creation has been preventing all manner of occult shenanigans, mystical hijinks and supernatural tomfoolery for twenty five years. Which means it’s a good time to find out more about Hellboy, the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence, and punching demons in the face with a big red hand made of stone. Join Andrew and Rob for a paranormal excursion through...
Sep 03, 2019•1 hr 4 min
It’s every fan of the MCU’s worst nightmare - Sony and Disney-Marvel have split and now Spider-Man has to go live with mummy-Sony. This has led to a lot of wild and worried speculating across the internet, so rather than stick our oar into already muddy waters, we decided to discuss The Boys instead. That’s the Amazon Prime series adapted from the violent and brutal superhero deconstruction comics by Garth Ennis, not some local gang of jack-the-lads and ne’er-do-wells. After that it’s time for o...
Aug 26, 2019•59 min
Comic-book tropes change over time so this week Andrew and Rob decided to cast a nostalgic (and sometimes harshly critical), eye over some of those that have or are falling out of use. From talking in the third-person, the mysterious narrator, thought bubbles, and the dreaded exposition dialogue, to sidekicks, celebrity appearances, and public service announcements, there’s a whole heap of stuff to talk about. And yes, we did include the extra muscles and really, really, really skin-tight costum...
Aug 21, 2019•1 hr 2 min
SDCC dropped a lot of revelations about Marvel’s Phase 4, and this week we’re focusing on the announcement that Taika Waititi will be directing Thor: Love And Thunder, and that Jane Foster will be wielding Mjolnir. So along with the shocking revelation that George Clooney could have played the role of Nick Fury (and the equally shocking reminder that The Hoff actually did), Andrew and Rob get down to more Thor-ness than you can twirl a hammer at with Jason Aaron’s Jane Foster/Thor arc. the Thor ...
Aug 13, 2019•1 hr 6 min
It’s the end of July, which means it’s time for another of our monthly comic-book and manga extravaganzas where we try to cram as many different titles into one episode as we can. This month we’ve got another wide-ranging selection that includes the second volume of the HALO: Omnibus, the stand-alone graphic novel HALO: Lone Wolf, Winter Soldier: Second Chances, Conan the Barbarian: The Life And Death Of Conan, the second volume of Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama, Ironheart: Those With Cou...
Aug 08, 2019•1 hr 8 min
San Diego Comic-Con is one of the highlights of the year for fans of all things superhero, and as usual we’re here to add our own brand of shabby chic to proceedings while we talk about the things that DC and Marvel have in store for everyone going forward. After that we manage to squeeze in a little bit of time for the things that we’ve been reading, which thus week are Marvel Comics: Timeless Tales, the second omnibus edition of Mind MGMT by Matt Kindt, and God of War. If you've enjoyed this p...
Jul 31, 2019•56 min
After burning omelettes and being fed tasty chicken, we decided we’d prepared enough to tackle one of the more … confusing additions to Marvel’s burgeoning cinematic universe, the super team known as The Eternals! Join Andrew, Mick and Rob for an exploration of the shocking history, powerful storylines and memorable characters that make up the group. Wait. That’s the X-Men, or The Avengers, or The Inhumans, or just about any other team of superheroes. So what are The Eternals actually famous for...
Jul 24, 2019•1 hr 13 min
On this week’s 4-Panel it’s a festival of Spider-Man versus Mysterio as Andrew and Mick embark upon a spoiler-filled discussion about the latest addition to the MCU - Spider-Man: Far From Home. Is it as good as Homecoming? Is it the best Spider-Man movie so far? After answering those (and other), questions it’s time for a new set of musings like why do the two characters have so much beef between them, what are Mysterio’s real origins, how many Mysterios are there really, and other things like t...
Jul 16, 2019•1 hr 1 min
To celebrate the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home we decided to investigate the surprisingly vast numbers of alternative Spider-folk that infest the Marvel’s multiverse, but after kicking things off in the familiar territory of Peter Parker, Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy, things start going downhill very quickly. Seriously, the Spider-folk are literally crawling out of the walls. It’s kind of appropriate that our regular look at the things we’ve been reading begins with Venom: The Abyss, afte...
Jul 08, 2019•1 hr 1 min
The Summer Solstice has passed and we’re at the end of the June, which means it’s time for another of our monthly catch-up sessions, so welcome to another episode packed full of comics and manga! So without further ado, this week we have Exiles: The Trial of the Exiles, the first two volumes of O Maidens In Your Savage Season by Mari Okada and Nao Emoto, The Immortal Hulk: Hulk In Hell, Star Wars: Han Solo - Imperial Cadet, The Burning Black: The Legend of Black Shuck, the first volume of Kenji ...
Jul 03, 2019•1 hr 8 min
With the announcement that Robert Pattinson will be donning the mantle of The Dark Knight in the next movie, we take a look at the villains who are set to play a role in the story, which naturally leads us on to some of Batman villains in general. With some of the more … eccentric … members of Gotham’s cavalcade of criminals from the comics and the TV series, it’s only natural that things are going to weird. After that we get back to our regular coverage of the things that we’ve been reading, wh...
Jun 26, 2019•1 hr 3 min
Soooooo ... Dark Phoenix is finally out in cinemas, and given our feelings about the trailer, the convolutedly confusing history of the X-Men and the Phoenix force itself, and the twisted timelines of the film franchise, we still went to see it. 4-Panel. We watch it or read it so you don't have to :) Anyway, if you want to know about the history of the Phoenix Force then check out 4-Panel Vol. 2, Episode 35 - Dark Phoenix: Mad Jeans And Mutant Men. Today we're doing a review of the film so full ...
Jun 18, 2019•1 hr 2 min
With everything from plushies to video games under its giant belt, Godzilla is arguably one of the most profitable and marketable monsters on the planet, and with a new movie in cinemas (which we talk about as well), we though it was time for a look at the comic-book and manga history of the famous kaiju, and surprisingly there’s a lot! After that it’s back to our regular look at the things that we’ve been reading, which this week are Avatar: The Legend of Korra - Ruins of the Empire Part 1, Cap...
Jun 12, 2019•1 hr 9 min
Get the headache tablets and the X-Men crazy wall ready because the Dark Phoenix movie is out soon, so we thought it would be a good idea to look back over the very convoluted history of the cosmic entity. With a full wardrobe of sashes, shawls, capes, children from other timelines, alternate realities, no phoenixes, too many phoenixes, leather, spikes, death, resurrection, spandex (or lack thereof), big long coats, denim jeans (as opposed to the other types of Jean associated with the Phoenix),...
Jun 06, 2019•1 hr 4 min
The Batwoman TV series is on the horizon, so Andrew, Mick and Rob thought it would be interesting to explore the character's rather strange history, and in order to do that we have to go back to the original Batwoman, which isn't the current Batwoman. It was mainly Andrew's idea. With a confusing cast of characters that includes the original Batwoman, Bat-girl, the current Batwoman, Batgirl (not a typo), Batman, Robin, the other Robin, Robin who used to be Batgirl, Superman, Superboy who grew up...
May 31, 2019•1 hr 1 min
Spider-Man: Far From Home is due out in cinemas very soon, and audiences will finally get to see Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio in all his goldfish bowl glory, but that got Andrew, Mick and Rob thinking about the web-slinger's vast cavalcade of criminals. So this week we're ditching the Electros, Vultures, Scorpions and Goblins and heading into unknown, and remarkably weird, territory. After that it's back to business as usual with the things that we have been reading, which this week are Dragon Age...
May 24, 2019•1 hr 7 min
The first Saturday of May has passed, and as is traditional the 4-Panel gang take a break from their usual shenanigans to pan for gold in the river of free comic books. So what nuggets (golden or otherwise), did Andrew and the back-from-overseas Rob find? Well, there's The Avengers (also featuring The Savage Avengers), Spider-Man, Dear Justice League, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by Emil Ferris, Lady Mechanika by Joe Benitez, H1 Ingition, Animosity Tales (featuring Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter)...
May 17, 2019•1 hr 7 min
Join Andrew and Mick as they embark on an in-depth discussion about what may become the most successful movie of all time. That's right. They're getting into the nitty-gritty of Avengers: Endgame for a no-stone-unturned investigation of the good, the bad, and the Thanos, which means this episode is going to have a lot of spoilers. If you're one of the few people on the planet who have yet to see the film (looking at you Producer Rob who's stuck in the tropical countryside with no electricity or ...
May 06, 2019•1 hr 7 min
After 182 episodes and a whole lot of Nightwing butts we've finally figured out a new review system, and to make it even better it's in rhyme! It might only be natural since Andrew and Mick are in control (Rob is on the other side of the planet), and they've got a lot of issues to deal with since it's time for another of our monthly comics and manga catch-up episodes! So what do this hapless pair of miscreants have in store for everyone? It's funny you should ask as as there's as there's Marvel'...
Apr 29, 2019•55 min
4-Panel rides back into town for another round-up of graphic literature goodness, and this week Andrew (the Comics Sage), Mick (Old Man Comics), are having a chat about comics that deserve more love and attention. Meanwhile, Producer Rob (Got Lost At The Checkout), has manga. Lots and lots of manga … There's a lot of titles to go through so make sure you have your notepad ready. After that the gang get back to business with the things that they've been reading, which are Bedtime Games, Ether: Co...
Apr 15, 2019•1 hr 5 min
So we finally get our first proper look at the new, stand-alone movie about the Clown Prince of Crime starring Joaquin Phoenix, but can it match up to Jokers past? Does The Joker need a sympathetic origin story, and which actors played the role the best, the most accurate, and the worst? Join Andrew, Mick and Rob for a field trip to the rather shiny and clean streets of Gotham to find out. After that it’s time for our usual look at the comics and graphic novels that we’ve been reading, which thi...
Apr 10, 2019•1 hr 10 min
March has come to an end, so it's time for us to attempt another journey up the mountains of comics and manga, but to our horror we're a man down! So how did Andrew and Rob fare on their expedition? Well, this week they'e got Old Man Hawkeye: The Whole World Blind, B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know - Pandemonium, Halo: Collateral Damage, the first volume of The Halo Omnibus, the fourth volume of Star Wars: Darth Vader (Dark Lord Of The Sith) - Fortress Vader, The Fantastic Four: Fourever, Cosmic Ghos...
Apr 04, 2019•1 hr 12 min
With the news that James Gunn has be rehired to direct the third chapter of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Andrew and Rob decided to take a look back at the long and somewhat complicated history of the space-faring team. From the current roster, through the strange team of the 1990’s to the originals, and yes, we DO talk about Starhawk … After that we return to our usual programming with the things we’ve been reading, which this week include X-Men: Extermination, Infinity Warps and the second...
Mar 29, 2019•1 hr 11 min
The newest addition to the MCU is out, so naturally we went to see it and we’re here to talk about its good points, its bad points, and what we thought about some of the changes made to the original comics. Now that might be enough for any other comic-book podcast, but 4-Panel takes pride in the fact that we have a lot of issues - which basically means prepare yourselves for a whole mess of Captain Marvel. Kicking things off in our reading section is the full run of True Believers (2019): Captai...
Mar 21, 2019•1 hr 13 min
After so many reboots, remakes, rehashes, retries and revamps, how can anyone make sense of superhero comic-book continuity, especially where alternate timelines are concerned. Aside from the parallel worlds and changes to history that become part of that particular “universe”, there are also the special issues that are not necessarily related to the main storyline (e.g. Marvel’s What If … and DC’s Elseworlds) - and then it all goes boom when they reset the universe … but is still somehow kind o...
Mar 14, 2019•1 hr 14 min
It's the end of the month, which means it's time for our new regular feature where we stare at the mountain of comics, graphic novels, manga and trade paperbacks, and try to cover as many as possible in one episode! Can we do it? Maybe. Will we get injured? Probably. Will the mountain still be there afterwards, silently judging us? Most definitely. As for the very minor dent we made in the cartoonishly large pile of comics, that was made up of Sword Daughter: She Brightly Burns by Brian Wood and...
Mar 06, 2019•1 hr 4 min
The Hollywood live-action adaptation of Yukito Kishiro’s seminal science fiction series Battle Angel Alita (Gunnm), is out in cinemas, but have James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez finally cracked the formula for adapting manga and anime? Andrew, Mick and Rob went to the cinema to find out, but one of them convinced the other two to try the cinema “experience” known as 4DX for the first time. What could possibly go wrong? After that it’s back to business as usual with our regular look at comics an...
Feb 27, 2019•1 hr 11 min
Although Netflix has had its ups and downs with the TV adaptations of Marvel franchises, in general the shows have been well-received. But with Disney announcing a new streaming service and the cancellation of every Marvel show on Netflix, how would the highly anticipated second season of The Punisher fare? Join Andrew, Mick and Rob for another lively discussion about The Punisher (only this time without all of the weirdness). After that it’s time for the usual comic-book and manga round-up whic...
Feb 20, 2019•1 hr 13 min
