Breaking with the usual pattern a bit, while at the 2023 HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC, I met some fantastic comics vendors, including Fred Wright, Jr. and his wife, LaTonya and daughter Bailee, who own Eastgate Comics in High Point, NC. This episode highlights Eastgate Comics and you will hear some great stories...of its origin and evolution. Theirs is a truly heartwarming and inspiring story.

Please forgive the background noise of the convention. I tried to reduce it as much as possible.

After the interview, you’ll hear Mike and co-host, Andrew Leyland cover Fantastic Four #52, which features the first appearance of the Black Panther! Andy is from Manchester, UK, and is a lifelong comics fan and a prolific podcaster. He has more than a passing knowledge of the Fantastic four, being an original host of the Fantasticast! He also hosts a plethora of other podcasts, which I have linked below. Chatting was a “ahem” fantastic experience! Speaking of the adjective “fantastic”, during our recording I, in Freudian fashion, overused the word a bit! So, I challenge you to take a drink every time I say it!

Hey Kids Comics - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/andrew-leyland
Amazing Spider-Man - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/andrew-leyland0
Palace of Glittering Delights - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/palace-of-glittering-delights-two-true-freaks/id900945950
The Overlooked Dark Knight - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-overlooked-dark-knight-the-new-adventures/id1718444339

Connect with Andy on Facebook, Threads, and Discord under Fire and Water Podcasts, and you can email him at heykidscomics1972@gmail.com.

Find Eastgate Comics online at https://www.eastgatecomics.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Eastgatecomics/.

Thanks a ton to Fred for this interview and thanks to Andy for joining me for the review.