In this episode, Curt and Kevin continue their four-part exploration of Marvel Comics’ first family of super-powered science adventurers! This time around, they turn their attention to two titanic beings who cast a large shadow over the World’s Greatest Comic Magazine – the cosmic entity Galactus and writer-artist John Byrne – with a discussion of Fantastic Four #242-244 and #261-262!
Terrax, the evil herald of Galactus, forces a fight between the Fantastic Four and his world-devouring master. When Galactus falls, near death, Reed Richards saves his life, earning the wrath of the many races whose worlds Galactus has destroyed.
When Mister Fantastic is captured and forced to stand trial for saving the planet-eating giant, can the rest of the Fantastic Four convince an armada of angry aliens not to execute their elastic leader? And can they convince the galaxy’s toughest jury that this story deserves to be sentenced to that murderer’s row known as … The Comics Canon?
Things Discussed in This Episode:
- Curt likes Incredibles 2
- Was Uncanny X-Men he World’s Greatest Comic Magazine?
- Marvel Comics in the early ’80s
- Terrax and Terra of the Teen Titans
- The Batman/Joker dilemma
- The Coming of Galactus
- Julie Angel and John Byrne’s male gaze
- The wackiness that was Assistant Editors’ Month
- Artists inserting themselves into their stories
- Did Chris Claremont inspire The Trial of Reed Richards?
- The Watcher as Galactus’s hype man
- The Book of Job
- Fantastic Four: Unstable Molecules
- Hercules: The Prince of Power
Join us in two weeks as we size up the Fantastic Four’s most iconic villain with discussions of The Fantastic Origin of Doctor Doom from Fantastic Four Annual #2 and Unthinkable from Fantastic Four #67-70 and #500! (Marvel numbering?don’t ask.)
Until then, please rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!