Strange Tales #124: Flamin' 'Eck 51

Strange Tales #124, page 10, panel 2

Strange Tales #124: Flamin' 'Eck 51

Written by: Smilin' Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Darlin' Dick Ayers

Inked by: Peerless P. Reinman

Lettered by: Adorable Art Simek

Ah, the infamous panel where Johnny was possessed by the Phoenix Force 13 years before its creation.

Or...

The infamous panel where Johnny inadvertently proves and disproves the theories regarding conservation of energy. Ignoring the fact that the kinetic motion of the car's engine provides the energy to recharge the battery which is used to start the car itself, Johnny decides that he can expend his flame whilst creating new flame energy to store within him to use in the future. He's literally creating energy out of nothing.

Sometimes, Stan's pseudo-science hits the right level of believability. Other times, it's pure crap.

Check out our coverage of Strange Tales #124 on our thirty-third episode: Bad Horse, Bad Horse, with special guest host David Walker

Strange Tales #124: Flame On 72

Strange Tales #124, page 8, panel 6

Strange Tales #124: Flame On 72

Written by: Smilin' Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Darlin' Dick Ayers

Inked by: Peerless P. Reinman

Lettered by: Adorable Art Simek

It's amazing how disparate Strange Tales is from the main Fantastic Four book at this time. I'm not just talking in terms of quality - and issues like the Molecule Man and the Infant Terrible ones show that the core book can read as badly as the spinoff - but in terms of aims and context it's as if the two book are coming from very different eras. Whilst the main book is offering fast-paced tales featuring aliens and alchemists, mutants and Avengers, packed with character and a relentless drive forward, Strange Tales seems stuck in a depressingly domestic late 1950s as depicted in pop culture that probably never quite existed.

Eight pages into this story, and we've seen some tame, uninspired shenanigans at home (with no authoritative presence), and then Johnny's gone bowling with girlfriend. If it hadn't been for his signal ring (making its one and only appearance a few panels earlier), you can just imagine the two going for some malted shakes together. Where's the genre-defining, boundary-pushing storytelling seen in the Fantastic Four? It's certainly not to be seen here.

Check out our coverage of Strange Tales #124 on our thirty-third episode: Bad Horse, Bad Horse, with special guest host David Walker

Strange Tales #124: Flamin' 'Eck 50

Strange Tales #124, page 3, panel 1

Strange Tales #124: Flamin' 'Eck 50

Written by: Smilin' Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Darlin' Dick Ayers

Inked by: Peerless P. Reinman

Lettered by: Adorable Art Simek

As we make our way through the final 10-or-so issues of Johnny Storm's solo adventures in Strange Tales, we're going to see logic (not a quality seen in abundance, admittedly) become scarcer and scarcer. Here's a good example of a panel which should never have been drawn, and which should have been picked up by anyone involved in the creative process from the penciling onwards.

Having had half of his house destroyed by The Thing's refusal to use the front door, Johnny then decides to some on-the-spot spot-welding to repair the damage. So, he uses his intense heat and flame to repair his very obviously wooden house.

Check out our coverage of Strange Tales #124 on our thirty-third episode: Bad Horse, Bad Horse, with special guest host David Walker

Strange Tales #124: Property Damage 31 / Flamin' 'Eck 49

Strange Tales 124, page 1, panel 4

Strange Tales #124: Property Damage 31 / Flamin' 'Eck 49

Written by: Smilin' Stan Lee

Illustrated by: Darlin' Dick Ayers

Inked by: Peerless P. Reinman

Lettered by: Adorable Art Simek

Our streak of The Thing destroying everything in his wake continues as we return to our favourite Silver Age punching bag, Strange Tales. This opening sequence sees Ben decide to give Johnny a wake-up call by... er... lifting a side of his house off its foundations, presumably destroying the structural stability of the house. Judging by the way that rear wall doesn't change angle, there has to be a massive gaping crack somewhere along the side of the house as well. As Andy most likely said at the time, this makes no sense. And it still doesn't.

We've also got yet another flaming lasso, easily my least-favourite thing in the entirety of Strange Tales (and beyond, as evidenced by its appearance in the comic covered on this week's episode). At least this is 1964, and we can pretty much guarantee that the walls are lined with asbestos, explaining why Johnny can throw his flame around in such a cavalier fashion.

Check out our coverage of Strange Tales #124 on our thirty-third episode: Bad Horse, Bad Horse, with special guest host David Walker

Fantastic Four #30: Property Damage 30

Fantastic Four #30, page 21, panel 5

Fantasticast Four #30: Property Damage 30

Written by: Stan Lee (A rather nice writer)

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby (A quite noteworthy artist)

Inked by: Chic Stone (A somewhat nifty inker)

Lettered by: Art Simek (An occasionally neat letterer)

This is why I should read ahead... It turns out that a suit of armour is a fairly minor piece of property damage when compared to the completely accidental loss of an entire artefact-filled castle. I really wish I had the ability to put a conjectural price on the loss of the castle, much as people have done with the destruction to Metropolis and New York in Man of Steel and Avengers. So many one-of-a-kind antiques lost forever, as well as the unique alchemical knowledge of Diablo.

Talking of Diablo, he really is one of the lesser Lee/Kirby villains to have gone on and feature within the Marvel universe. He's one of my least-favourite, even though his origin story far outweighed my expectations. It's not that the gimmick of the villain doesn't work for, it's that it's so horribly mis-applied. Instead of being a genuine and rare mystical villain for the team, he often gets reduced to an unlikely potion master, with coloured liquids causing all sorts of strange things to happen. He's not a villain I look forward to returning.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #30 on our thirty-third episode: Bad Horse, Bad Horse, with special guest host David Walker

Fantastic Four #30: Property Damage 29

Fantastic Four 30, page 20, panel 2

Fantasticast Four #30: Property Damage 29

Written by: Stan Lee (A rather nice writer)

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby (A quite noteworthy artist)

Inked by: Chic Stone (A somewhat nifty inker)

Lettered by: Art Simek (An occasionally neat letterer)

Steady on, Ben. You may be angry with Diablo for partially restoring your humanity, deceiving the world, enslaving his neighbours, and all sorts of dodgy stuff that would make the CIA look on with envious eyes, but that's an antique suit of armour you're crushing up like aluminium foil. Those things are worth a decent penny, and as we know, the Fantastic Four have their fair share of cash flow issues. You're literally crushing financial security in your giant, rocky fists. This is the road that leads to having to deal with Collins on a monthly basis!

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #30 on our thirty-third episode: Bad Horse, Bad Horse, with special guest host David Walker

Fantastic Four #30: Reed's Stretchy Body 81

Fantastic Four #30, page 15, panels 5-6

Fantasticast Four #30: Reed's Stretchy Body 81

Written by: Stan Lee (A rather nice writer)

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby (A quite noteworthy artist)

Inked by: Chic Stone (A somewhat nifty inker)

Lettered by: Art Simek (An occasionally neat letterer)

Sometimes, it's the less-flashy things that catch my eye. I really get the feeling that Sue, Johnny, and the reader, just happened to stumble upon Reed as he was making his way through Diablo's castle. There's no showing off, no intimidating his enemies, just a guy using his powers to do a job. It's very casual and understated, and I really like it.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #30 on our thirty-third episode: Bad Horse, Bad Horse, with special guest host David Walker

Fantastic Four #30: Flame On 71

Fantastic Four #30, page page 12, panel 1

Fantasticast Four #30: Flame On 71

Written by: Stan Lee (A rather nice writer)

Illustrated by: Jack Kirby (A quite noteworthy artist)

Inked by: Chic Stone (A somewhat nifty inker)

Lettered by: Art Simek (An occasionally neat letterer)

Ah, good old blank backgrounds. The sign of an artistic shortcut. Based on this panel alone, I have no idea where the Fantastic Four currently are, and I mean it. I browse the comic for these posts visually, I pay little attention to the actual plot. I think they're still in Transylvania, but so much has happened over the past few pages, that I'm not sure.

And by 'so much', I mean that Diablo has enchanted the whole world, re-seeded the African desert, done lots of dirty deals with tinpot dictators, un-cured the Thing and entrapped him, and enslaved the populace of the town near his castle. He's been busy, and the Fantastic Four have... just let this happen? Way to be a super-hero team, guys!

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #30 on our thirty-third episode: Bad Horse, Bad Horse, with special guest host David Walker

Secret Convergence on Infinite Podcasts

Art by Brandon Graham

Announcing (sort-of, it's been out there for a few days) Secret Convergence on Infinite Podcasts!

As mentioned on this weekend's Fantasticast, a whole slew of amazing podcasts are coming together from October 29th for a massive podcast crossover. We're very pleased to signal-boost this event for a number of reasons. First, it sounds amazing. Secondly, one of the podcasts taking part is the excellent Rachel And Miles X-Plain The X-Men, who have taken the time on their show to give us some promotion, and we are more than happy to return the favour. Thirdly, one of the podcasts taking part is the excellent House To Astonish, and Al Kennedy joined us last summer for our coverage of Fantastic Four Annual #6.

So, without any further ado, here are the full details of the crossover:

The Event

Mark your calendars for 29 October – nine of the top podcasts in the world of comic books, including The Fan Bros Show, Rachel & Miles X-Plain the X-Men and War Rocket Ajax, are coming together for a blockbuster crossover series of round-table discussions.

The event, titled “Secret Convergence on Infinite Podcasts”, will feature each show in the line-up hosting one episode, with guests from the eight other shows making special appearances to chew over the weighty questions (and some not-so-weighty ones too).

The crossover will see the Beyonder transport the podcasters behind The Fan Bros Show, Into It with Elle Collins, SILENCE!, Less than Live with Kate or Die, Journey into Misery, Wait, What?, House to Astonish, War Rocket Ajax and Rachel & Miles X-Plain the X-Men to the podcast arena of Battlepod, to help him better understand the worlds of comic books and comics culture. If they succeed, all they desire will be theirs…

Secret Convergence on Infinite Podcasts features specially-commissioned art by top comics creators Brandon Graham and James Stokoe.

The Plans

It all starts on 29 October with Episode One (Fan Bros), which sees host DJ BenHameen welcome Graeme McMillan, Rachel Edidin and Chris Sims to finally answer the question of Who Would Win In A Fight?

Episode Two (Into It with Elle Collins) features host Elle Collins alongside Helena Hart, Rachel Edidin and Matt Wilson and consideration of the best of Comic Book Movies.

Episode Three (SILENCE!) has host Gary Lactus accompanied by Al Kennedy, Chico Leo and Kieran Shiach as they mull over Are Things Better Or Worse?

In Episode Four (Less Than Live with Kate or Die) we join host Kate Leth as she talks The Comics We Sharewith The Beast Must Die, Elle Collins and Al Kennedy.

Episode Five (Wait, What?) brings together host Jeff Lester and guests Paul O’Brien, Chico Leo and Gary Lactus to talk about Characters We Used To Love (Or Hate).

Episode Six (Journey into Misery) gives host Kieran Shiach and his guests Graeme McMillan, Rachel Edidin and The Beast Must Die the chance to name their favourite D-List Good Eggs and Bad Eggs

Episode Seven (House to Astonish) sees host Al Kennedy discussing comic book Guilty Pleasures with Helena Hart, Jeff Lester and Elle Collins.

Episode Eight (War Rocket Ajax) features hosts Chris Sims and Matt Wilson and guests Elle Collins and DJ BenHameen going in-depth on the topic of Comics Characters We Identify With.

And Episode Nine (Rachel & Miles X-Plain the X-Men) assembles a formidably knowledgeable team, as hosts Rachel Edidin and Miles Stokes are joined by Paul O’Brien and Kieran Shiach to discuss matters of Complex Continuity.

The Shows

The Fan Bros Show is the "Voice of the Urban Geek". Fan Bros discusses the week in geek while keeping an ear to the street for the topics and controversies that affect the world of fandom. Hosted by DJ BenHameen, Chico Leo and Tatiana King-Jones. http://fanbros.com

Into It with Elle Collins is a weekly podcast about pop culture by Elle Collins. In each episode, Elle talks to a guest about their pop culture obsession.  http://intoitpodcast.com

SILENCE! is a podcast featuring cosmic comic book discussion and songs from Gary Lactus and The Beast Must Die of Mindlessones.com. http://mindlessones.podomatic.com

Less Than Live with Kate or Die is a bi-weekly podcast about comics from all angles, hosted by New York Times best-selling comic creator Kate Leth. http://villagesoundcast.com/less-than-live-with-kate-or-die/

Wait, What? is a podcast ostensibly about comic books and graphic novels, in which hosts Graeme McMillan and Jeff Lester swap stories, theories, and jokes about all aspects of pop culture...but especially comics. http://waitwhatpodcast.com

Journey into Misery is a podcast that seeks to unravel the continuity mess that comics have wrought upon themselves, with Kieran Shiach explaining the worst offenders to comics beginner Helena Hart. http://kingimpulse.com/journey-into-misery/

House to Astonish is a bi-weekly podcast about comics hosted by Al Kennedy and Paul O’Brien, covering super-hero and non-super-hero books alike, with a round-up of comics news, reviews of new books and the Official Handbook of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, which is where things get silly. http://housetoastonish.com

War Rocket Ajax is a podcast about comics and pop culture, destructive in its awesomeness, hosted by Chris Sims and Matt Wilson. http://warrocketajax.com

Rachel & Miles X-Plain the X-Men is a weekly podcast where hosts Rachel Edidin and Miles Stokes walk you through the convoluted continuity of our favorite superhero soap opera (because it’s about time someone did). It was recently named “The One Podcast To Start With” for comic books by Vulture.comhttp://rachelandmiles.com

Further details can be found at http://secretconvergence.tumblr.com or by following @scoipodcasts on twitter