Yet Another Piece Of The Action, See? Hello, and welcome to episode 107 of The Fantasticast, see? Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four, see? OK, we've done that joke to death. This week sees us tackle Fantastic Four #93 as the saga of The Thing's enslavement on the gangster world with gladiatorial deathmatches comes to a close. Not necessarily a conclusion, but it certainly stops. Do the Fantastic Four have an act...
Nov 22, 2014•54 min
Another Piece Of The Action, See? Hello, and welcome to episode 106 of The Fantasticast, see? Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four, see? It's Thought Bubble weekend, and Steve and Andy are busy trying to teach comics fans at the Royal Armouries in Leeds how to talk like a 1920s gangster, see? The reason for this is that this week's episode features covereage of the third (second-and-a-halfth) part of the Thing Ens...
Nov 15, 2014•56 min
A Piece Of The Action, See? Hello, and welcome to episode 105 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four, see? This week, we focus our gaze onto two comics, see? In Fantastic Four #91, The Thing is transported to a Star Trek episode and has to pretend that he's not seen the series, see? Meanwhile, in Amazing Spider-Man #77, The Torch treads on Spidey's toes as he tries to restrain the Lizard, see? W...
Nov 08, 2014•1 hr 6 min
No Vagrant Is Safe Hello, and welcome to episode 104 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 start our coverage of the last extended storyline from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, with Fantastic Four #90: The Skrull Takes A Slave. It's a bit more than that, though, as the issue takes some time to wrap up the previous Mole Man story as well. There's torture, deathly danger, and some lovely...
Nov 01, 2014•1 hr 9 min
Return Of The Shagg Hello, and welcome to episode 103 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 on the show, we cover Fantastic Four #89, with its hysterical blindness, and a plot hole so huge and inconsistent that only one of the team picked up on it. Returning this week is Shagg Matthews, of the Fire And Water Podcast and the Who's Who: A DC Universe Podcast, as well as the brand new U...
Oct 25, 2014•1 hr 2 min
Disparaging The Words Of Clark Griswold Hello, and welcome to episode 102 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 finally get to Fantastic Four #88, after a previous attempt at recording the episode went horribly wrong. We managed to re-secure the services of the wonderful Shagg Matthews of the Fire And Water Podcast and the Who's Who: A DC Universe Podcast to help us through this i...
Oct 18, 2014•1 hr 11 min
Hello, and welcome to episode 101.5 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four. Except for this one. Unfortunately, a recent recording went horribly wrong when a software crash caused one of the tracks to save with multiple, unsurmountable errors. So, we're delaying for a week whilst we get our re-record sorted. As is traditional when this sort of thing happens, we're not going to leave you empty-ea...
Oct 11, 2014•25 min
The Jackanape Sanity Test Hello, and welcome to episode 101 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 end of an era, as the final Lee/Kirby Doctor Doom story comes to a close, not with a bang, but with possibly the most off-beat ending this year. Yes, it's the turn of Fantastic Four #87 to come under the gaze of The Fantasticast. We're also taking a brief, two-panel look at Namor, The Sub...
Oct 04, 2014•1 hr 13 min
Our Actual 100th Episode For Real Hello, and welcome to episode 100 (yes, that reads 100!) 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 anniversary time at the Fantasticast, as we're celebrating our 100th episode. Steve and Andy have the third part of the Latveria saga to cover, with more Achilles Heels than you can shake a poisonous arrow at. There's also a lovely last-page reveal, that is tota...
Sep 27, 2014•1 hr 27 min
Deja Vu Masterpiece Theatre Hello, and welcome to episode 99 of The Fantasticast. Each week, Steve Lacey and Andy Leyland guide you through every issue, guest-appearance and cameo of The Fantastic Four. It must be that time of year again. A recording has gone missing, and with it our first run of jokes, banter, and surprises. And what a surprise there is in this episode. We're covering Fantastic Four #85 - The Fantastic Four are trapped in Latveria, Doctor Doom has hypnotically sapped their powe...
Sep 20, 2014•1 hr 10 min
James Doom, License To Rule Professor Alan be praised, it's the last great Lee/Kirby Doctor Doom story! Steve Lacey and Andrew Leyland open up the best Fantastic Four comic they've read in ages. A secret robot army is being formed in the rogue nation of Latveria, and Nick Fury needs our heroes to nip this threat in the bud. With a smattering of listener e-mails, a request for questions, and some more things that have completely slipped Steve's mind whilst writing these show notes, the journey to...
Sep 13, 2014•1 hr 9 min
Enid Blyton's Memorial Plaque Steve and Andy return once again to tackle the Silver Age of the Fantastic Four. This week, the focus is on Fantastic Four #83, featuring the culmination of Maximus' plan to hypnotise the world into submission. Will the Fantastic Four unite to take down the mad monarch, or will they end up as bystanders in their own title? We also read some e-mails, play one of the greatest number one singles of the 1960s, and get very hung up on just who wrote Peter Rabbit. With ep...
Sep 06, 2014•53 min
Stan Lee Doesn't Understand Hypnotism It's a bumper episode for the Fantasticast, as we cover two comics, one wedding, and a whole slew of responses to our latest listener question. Steve and Andy are spending this week looking at Crystal's return to the rebuilt Attilan in Fantastic Four #82, as well as attending the completely legitimate wedding of Janet van Dyne and Yellowjacket in Avengers #60. It's a Jack Kirby and John Buscema feast for the eyes. We also run down our listener responses to o...
Aug 30, 2014•1 hr 20 min
Andy Finds This Funny I have no idea what would be funny about the title of this comic... This week, Steve and Andy reunite to discuss Fantastic Four #81. Changes are afoot, as motherhood takes a toll on the team. Can a sorely underused supporting character step up and prove their worth to the staunchly-conservative team leader? Plus, as a special bonus, we drop in on Namor, The Sub-Mariner #8. The Serpent Crown is causing trouble, and it's up to the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing to ensure it gets...
Aug 23, 2014•1 hr 5 min
Wyatt Wingfoot and the Totem of Doom! The holidays are over, and Steve and Andy are back by themselves to take a look at Fantastic Four #80. Will this be a tightly plotted issue, reintroducing a beloved supporting character, featuring a sensitive and nuanced portrayal of Native American culture, and starring a well-designed villain? Well... at least one of those things happens... We also discuss our not-so-recent experiences at the London Film and Comic Convention, reveal the secret origins of t...
Aug 16, 2014•1 hr 9 min
Ambush Bug In Judge Dredd's Clothing It's a giant-sized episode of The Fantasticast for a giant-sized issue of the Fantastic Four. Annual #6 features the first appearance of the classic villain Annihilus, as well as the birth of Franklin Richards. To celebrate these milestones, Steve and Andy have invited a special guest onto the show - Al Kennedy, of the House To Astonish podcast. Together, we examine the most in-depth exploration of the Negative Zone to date; pick holes in 1960s natal care, di...
Aug 09, 2014•2 hr 9 min
Doug Jones Good, Julian McMahon Bad Don't worry, there's more to our review than just that... Steve's away on holiday, and needs a quick-edit to keep the show on track, so he and Andy sit down to watch Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer and provide a commentary to the film. We celebrate the film's high points, and we spend the other 91 minutes examining plot holes, poor dialogue, unsuitable effects, and the complete ineptitude of Julian McMahon's performance as Doctor Doom. We wonder why ...
Aug 02, 2014•1 hr 37 min
Carry On Not Brand Echh Steve and Andy return with an human Ben Grimm, a former submarine commander now in charge of a group of marines, and a daikaiju and horror film-loving guest-host. Yes, Luke Jaconetti joins us once again to finish off the story of the human Ben Grimm and the team's battle with the Wizard. This issue has it all - dinner dates, Irish stereotypes, and a robot with a tortologous name. This is Fantastic Four #79, and we are your guides. We also take a look at an issue of Captai...
Jul 26, 2014•1 hr 25 min
Black Bolt On Acid This week on The Fantasticast, Steve and Andy open the doors of the studio and welcome in Luke Jaconetti, host of Earth Destruction Directive and co-host of the Vault of Startling Startling Monster Horror Tales of Terror as co-host for this episode and the next. Given that Luke specialises in classic horror and giant monsters beating up cities, you'd have thought that we would have brought him on for an issue of the Fantastic Four that caters to his particular interests. But.....
Jul 19, 2014•1 hr 25 min
Bitten By A Radioactive Bottle Of White Lightning (You'll have to wait until the end of the show to get that one!) In this week's episode of The Fantasticast, Steve Lacey and Andrew Leyland encounter the following: A Galactus so hungry he'd consider eating an Iceland prawn ring A new addition to the Superman Returns title sequence A Psycho-Man even more pointless than you might expect The Silver Surfer trying his hand at reassuring a hysterical pregnant woman All this, and more, as we cover Fant...
Jul 12, 2014•1 hr 1 min
Fansplaining Earth X Join hosts Stephen Lacey and Andrew Leyland as they venture down into the Sub-Atomica, the Microverse, the worlds within worlds. Fantastic Four #76 sees Reed, Ben and Johnny on the trail of the Silver Surfer, seeking his aid to prevent Galactus from consuming the planet Earth. Featuring a not-very-surprising guest-villain, and more pregnancy-induced hysteria than you can shake a stick at. We also take a brief look at the moral conundrums of Reed Richards in Incredible Hulk #...
Jul 05, 2014•1 hr 7 min
Galactuth Hath A Lithp Poor Galactus. Andrew Leyland and Stephen Lacey welcome you to the latest episode of The Fantasticast. We're celebrating 75 issues of the Fantastic Four in a way that definitely doesn't involve half an issue's worth of plot stretched to fill an entire issue, oh no, not at all. We're also taking a look at The Sub-Mariner #2, featuring the return of the Plant Man. Because you demanded it. Allegedly. We're also taking a look at the effects of microwaving comics, defending the...
Jun 28, 2014•49 min
The Steampunk Herald Of Galactus Welcome to the 86th episode of The Fantasticast. This week, your hosts Steve Lacey and Andrew Leyland present Fantastic Four #74. The Silver Surfer is on the run, Galactus is hungry, and Reed's got the contractors in. It's a veritable health and safety nightmare! We also take a look at the first issue of Namor's solo title, The Sub-Mariner. There's also e-mails, a love affair, news about Andy's other podcasts, a discussion about lame Doctor Who cliffhangers, talk...
Jun 21, 2014•52 min
Douchebaggery, Mistaken Identities, Shooting First & Asking Questions Later How can you resist a podcast episode with this title? This week, Steve and Andy are joined once again by Daredevil blogger Christine Hanefalk. After a fairly decent run of Daredevil comics, we're back to the main Fantastic Four title to wrap up the story of Daredevil's battle with the mind-swapping Doctor Doom. We were quite favourable towards the Daredevil issues that lead into this issue, so our hopes are high for ...
Jun 14, 2014•52 min
Gene Colan Draws Galactus We're taking a break from our regular run-through of The Fantastic Four to take a look at four issues of Daredevil: The Man Without Fear. Between guest-appearances and a plot featuring Doctor Doom that flows in next week's issue of the Fantastic Four, we had a lot of Daredevil to cover, so we gave it its very own episode. It's a veritable feast of Gene Colan artwork, with little flavourings of Mike Murdock, Foggy Nelson's career and Karen Page's hormones. Joining us thi...
Jun 07, 2014•1 hr 24 min
Which Episode Number Is This Again? (If you grabbed the episode and it was just Andy speaking by himself, it's now been fixed!) It's episode 83 (we think) of The Fantasticast, and it's time for Steve Lacey and Andrew Leyland to lay some groundwork for the first true spin-off of The Fantastic Four. Issue 72 of the series prominently features the Silver Surfer, his alien morality and viewpoints, and a shedload of wanton worldwide destruction. We're also reading some of our shorter listener e-mails...
Jun 01, 2014•1 hr 10 min
Pac-Man Gobbling Kirby Krackle Episode 82 of The Fantasticast is upon us, and Steve's in a begging tenaciously-requesting mood. Desperate for shares, retweets and iTunes reviews, he's taken to the airwaves to ask for your help. Once this is out of the way, Steve and Andy get down to what is possibly our shortest episode to date, as the Fantastic Four engage in an issue-long fight scene, exchanging subplots and subtlety for wall-to-wall action. We've got it all - giant green robots, random uncons...
May 24, 2014•47 min
Just Who Is Irving Forbush Anyway? Don't ask us. We'll try to answer any question. Why does Crystal not use her powers in a situation which would demand that they be used? Why does Steve think that he can inflict singing on his audience on a semi-regular basis? And why The Thinker? But we won't even begin to touch the question of who exactly lurks beneath the saucepan helmet. This week Steve Lacey and Andrew Leyland take their copies of Fantastic Four #70 and unleash the epic fight scene within....
May 17, 2014•58 min
Doom/Silver Surfer: The Original Odd Couple I say that, there's absolutely no Doctor Doom or Silver Surfer in this episode... What there is, however, is Steve Lacey and Andrew Leyland's coverage of the second part of the greatest late-era Stan Lee and Jack Kirby Fantastic Four story. Doctor Stand-ini has done something terrible to Ben Grimm, turning him against the team in a murderous rage. We also take a brief look at the first four episodes of the 1967 Hanna Barbera Fantastic Four animated ser...
May 10, 2014•55 min
I Wonder Who The Mystery Villain Is... Episode 79 of The Fantasticast is here, kicking off a brand new storyline as the enigmatic and not-at-all-related-to-Airwolf Dr Santini arrives in town to mess about with Ben's brain chemistry. Don't worry - he's been invited! But a mystery villain who is not at all easy to guess turns up to throw a spanner into the works... with hilarious consequences! Before all of that, Steve and Andy finally get around to answering the most recent Listener Question Of T...
May 03, 2014•56 min
