You can listen to the episode by clicking: Episode 121
In honor of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, we are bringing you this special issue of Fantastic Four with Namor on the cover. It has nothing to do with random chance and luck that we just happened to have this cover out at the same time as that movie. Completely planned……yup.
Can we be real for a moment here? Let’s be honest about the Fantastic Four. On the whole, their stories hit a plateau a while ago. But like the Fast and the Furious movies, they keep coming back to talk about family. So why do we keep coming back to talk about them? Is it the science, the people, the villains….the cars?….Okay, it may be the cars.
I think that it may be the guests they have on….or at least certain guests. Be honest, how many times have you seen Paste Pot Pete on the cover and said, “Yes…I shall speculate.”? No, we are talking about good guests. Guys who make their presence felt…guys that stand tall and then stand taller. Guys like Galactus.
Let us spend a moment to gaze upon the Kirby wonder that is Galactus. The planet eater himself. A man that can TRULY wear purple and blue in a non ironic way. He is a force in the universe, and he wears the dorkiest hat of all times. He is da man.
Fashion wise, the giant being does make choices. I personally reserve my kilt wearing for special occasions, but maybe everyday is a special occasion for him. Every morning he wakes up and determines if it is pancakes or planets.
Galactus is fun. He is a cosmic entity that always brings the wacky to the Fantastic Four comic. Once you go big, you never go back. At least that is what my mom always said. Huh, I wonder what she meant by that?….Hmmmm, now that I’ve had time to think about it, this is awkward.
Now let us talk about Namor….Mr. Speedo Pants….the Abs of Abslantis….The Prince of Pearls….The Feathered Feet…..The Arrogant and Bossy….The True Hero of the Deep…..etc…etc…etc.
You have to like Namor…If you don’t, he will probably kill you. He is Namor, for fish’s sake. He is the king and chosen ruler of the underwater kingdom. Not just one small patch of land…but the…UNDERWATER. All of it!! You are nothing compared to him. And he knows it.
And when this guy shows up in the Fantastic Four….fuggetboutit! No other man stands a chance. Just look at that chiseled and smooth body. He does not smell like Old Spice, he is Old Spice. Excuse me…I need a moment.
You can also subscribe and listen to us on YouTube!
We also have some merchandise over at Redbubble. We have a couple of nifty shirts for sale. https://www.redbubble.com/people/jeffrickpresent/?asc=u
Our show supports the Hero Initiative, Helping Comic Creators in Need. http://www.heroinitiative.org/
Eighties Action by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3703-eighties-action License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Robot Rebellion by WinnieTheMoog Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/9774-robot-rebellion License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Artist website: https://linktr.ee/taigasoundprod
Jeff and Rick Present 
Good evening gentlemen!
Ugh! The holidays!! Am I right or what??
I had every intention in sending you a message regarding this wonderful episode whilst listening to the banter on my earbuds toiling on fall cleanup that seems to get close to ending, only to be replaced by more fallen foliage. I had the witty asides and rumination to add on your commentary pithily composed in my head, and then work happened.
I don’t know if I wrote about this, but my job has me relocated to another school for the time being. The proposal for the move was that it was going to be temporary until there was a new hire in the building I was covering. All well and good except, the holidays I mentioned at the top and the fact I am working in the field of elementary education means that there is a wait and see approach in hiring new hands. This means my daily schedule has been altered some, and despite being able to listen to my favorite show, I have found it harder to get time to drop a line or promote your show with better frequency. I hope by January things are normalizing as well as what qualifies as normal these days.
Onto the issue at hand… I know I had this issue because of that Alan Davis cover. His superhero renderings are pretty great in my opinion. In fact, I think this issue was where I put the title on a pull list somewhere I was shopping at the time, and felt constantly trying to catch up. Hickman’s run was so exciting when being released, the quick trades were selling out. It is great to hear this gone through slowly, as I now have a better understanding regarding the layers Hickman was putting down in the primary and secondary plots. Do you recommend his X-Men run?
The art from Steve Epting is just fun to look at. Gives me a classic mid 70s vibe. Speaking of Fantastic Four, I recommend you guys check out Alex Ross’ latest book Full Circle. He expands his artistic style by shifting to conventional line art, combined with paints, Kirby Krackle, Steranko layouts. It gives you your money’s worth.
Talk to you soon,
Jeremy
LikeLiked by 1 person
Holly jolly Jeremy Dawely…going for a holiday theme thing there, which I am sure you noticed.
The holidays treat you rough this year, or is it just the general “too much of it to handle” standard? Personally, I love the holidays. I mean, I don’t like the stresses and the added pressures, but I do love the lights. I guess what I am trying to say is that I love seeing all the lights decorating everything…it brings me some joy when I desperately need it. In fact, me and a neighbor are hold out for keeping them up and lit. They will have to come down in a week or so, but for now, they stay! 🙂
I do a lot of mental writing, and it is fun/sad to see how it changes or vanishes all together when I actually get the chance to write properly. In fact, I wrote a two sentence replay earlier that only vaguely resembles my initial plans for it.
Ahhh, wondered what was up with the job move. Not a promotion but a shift and cover. Frustrating. Also, isn’t your full time job promoting our show? I mean why else aren’t we paying you the big bucks if you aren’t doing that!?!? 🙂 Ha! We really do appreciate you writing us and telling people about what we do, means the world to us and you are a class act for doing what you do. Thank you.
I recommend anything and everything that Hickman does. It isn’t always the friendliest or happiest reads you will have, but they will be great reads. At least that’s my opinion for the stuff that I have read anyways. I really liked his Manhattan Project series. His X-Men run, from what I read, was great…but rough. By that I mean, it didn’t feel like the X-Men were heroes anymore. Hmm, I need to catch back up on all these series. I was going hot and heavy and then really fell off two years ago or so.
How can Alex Ross expand his artistry any more than where I remember it from? The man is amazing! I will definitely have to check out Full Circle. Thanks for the recommendation.
Hope work has settled down for you now that it is the new year. Kepp us informed as we care about you and your life.
-Jeff
LikeLike