🧨Ep. 233: Fantastic Four Review, a Hard MCU Reboot & The Killian Scoop!

TL;DR

This was a massive week! The crew dropped their spoiler-free review of Fantastic Four, we got huge news out of San Diego Comic-Con about a hard reboot for the MCU, and we celebrated friend-of-the-show Chris Killian's new Spawn project with Todd McFarlane! Also, Jeff and Joe spent the week taking international business meetings in Dubai and Tokyo, respectively, for the good of the Cannon.

📺 Watch the full Ep. 233

Featured Episode Issue: Daredevil #233

This week we highlighted a landmark issue: the final chapter of Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's legendary Born Again storyline! This issue is not only a masterpiece of comic storytelling but also features the first full appearance of the super-soldier Nuke. It's a perfect end to one of the most influential Daredevil runs of all time.

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News & Rumors with The Big Beef

With San Diego Comic-Con in full swing, The Big Beef was busy dropping some of the biggest news of the year.

• A Hard MCU Reboot: Kevin Feige dropped a bombshell, confirming that Secret Wars will provide a reset for the entire MCU. He explicitly stated that characters like Steve Rogers and Tony Stark will be recast after the event. He also revealed that they have the next seven years of the MCU mapped out.

• Street-Level Spidey: It was also confirmed that Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be a street-level film, bringing the character back to his roots. The Punisher's violence will be adjusted accordingly for his appearance.

• A Youth-Oriented X-Men: The new X-Men film will have a youth-oriented focus, taking the team back to their origins as students and young heroes.

• DCU Updates: A Jimmy Olsen crime anthology series is in development, where he will host stories focused on various DC villains. DC also announced that Anna Nogueira (Supergirl) will be the writer for the fast-tracked Wonder Woman film.

• The Killian Scoop!: In one of the coolest announcements of the week, it was revealed at SDCC that our friend Chris Killian will be co-writing a Spawn/Santa Claus holiday special with Todd McFarlane himself! A huge congratulations to Chris!

📺 Watch News & Rumors

Spoiler-Free Fantastic Four Review

The crew all saw Fantastic Four and the reviews are in!

• The Box Office: The film had a massive opening weekend, earning $218M worldwide and setting a strong foundation for Phase 6.

• Josh (8/10): He may have liked it even more than Superman! He called it a potential Top 6 MCU film, praising the cast, emotional moments, and the comic-accurate portrayal of The Thing. His standout was Vanessa Kirby's "force to be reckoned with" performance as Sue Storm.

• Joe (9/10): A definite Top 10, maybe even Top 5 MCU film for him. He loved the heart, the perfect amount of comedy, and how Vanessa Kirby perfectly recreated iconic Sue Storm poses from the comics. He hailed it as a phenomenal start to Phase 6.

• Jeff (8.5/10): He loved the fresh feel and incredible 60s art direction. He praised the entire cast but said the most enjoyable part for him was everything to do with Galactus, calling the portrayal menacing and god-like. He also loved the heart of Shalla-Bal's Silver Surfer.

• Dan (No Score, but Loved It): As a "comic time traveler," he said the film perfectly nailed the 60s vibe and paid great homage to Jack Kirby. He felt they corrected the mistakes of past films and that both the MCU and DCU are now wide open for an amazing future.

• Naomi (9/10): Our resident fifth member, watching from home, also gave it a stellar 9/10 review in the chat!

📺 Watch the Fantastic Four Review

RULING FROM THE BENCH

Judge Dan's Ruling: Iron Man #149 & #150

Judge Dan dropped a two-for-one ruling this week, highlighting the first meeting between Iron Man and Dr. Doomfrom 1981. This epic two-part story, which sees the rivals battling through time back to the era of Camelot, features gorgeous black covers that are notoriously tough to find in high grade. His ruling: these are fantastic stories that are required reading for any serious collector.

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NAOMI'S NCBD PICK OF THE WEEK

Naomi's Pick: Justice League Dark Tomorrow #1

Even while under the weather, Naomi came through with a killer pick: the new DC event one-shot, Dark Tomorrow #1. Written by Mark Waid and Mark Guggenheim, this issue throws the DC Universe into time-travel chaos, forcing heroes like Batman Beyond and Huntress to protect the very fabric of time.

📺 Watch Naomi’s NCBD Pick of the Week

DID YOU KNOW?

Did You Know? Galactus Was Created Out of Boredom

This week's DYK revealed that the Devourer of Worlds was created simply because Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were tired of writing traditional villains. Kirby pitched the idea of a cosmic force beyond good and evil—a being who wasn't malicious, just hungry. Stan called it their "first attempt at writing mythology," and the result was a godlike character who broke the mold and changed comics forever.

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FRESH FROM THE COMIC SHOP #FFTCS

Fresh From the Comic Shop: A Punk Rock Grail Takes the Win!

• Our First July Finalist: Danny won over Raising Elm and will be in the July finals!

• This Week's Winner: A massive congratulations to Brixco_Comics (Paul)! His incredible, personal story of finally obtaining his ultimate grail—Chamber of Chills #19, the cover famously swiped by The Misfits for their "Die, Die My Darling" single—was a perfect submission and our winner for the week!

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Next Up: A Very Special Interview!

• We are back next week with a huge show!

• Naomi has landed a massive, exclusive interview. She'll be sitting down LIVE with the CEO of our new sponsor. You will not want to miss this.

• Plus, we'll get the latest updates on all the SDCC news.

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