posted
I stopped picking this up several months ago. No big dramatic reason-- I'd just never added it to my pull list and then neglected to grab it off the stands and never really missed it all that much.
I discovered that part of what I really liked about the FF was the prospect of The Inhumans or Namor or Thundra guest-starring for extended runs. That sort of thing doesn't appear to be likely currently, so I'm not as interested.
Anyway, I remember there was something about an alternate universe Human Torch appearing who was gay? Did that ever happen? And, if so, what issue(s)?
Also, was anything more made of Sue's all-girl team, the Miss America Society (or something like that)? That was a thread I wanted to read more about...
From: Knoxville, TN | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
As I get to the end of my comic book reading pile of 6+ weeks, I’m finding some comics that are pleasantly surprising, like Astro City and some that are disappointing. The penultimate issue of Millar and Hitch’s run on Fantastic Four falls into this category.
There is nothing really wrong with their run, and its not bad. Millar has crafted two new adversaries for the FF that he obviously is excited about, and Hitch has given them a good look. But you know what…it still feels all kind of boring for me. In fact, the entire run can be summed like that: “okay, not bad, but…when do things get exciting?”
I know people on the internet tend to either love or hate Millar, and many consider him the anti-christ of comic book writers. I actually think he’s a pretty good writer, but sometimes I love what he’s doing and sometimes I don’t. I think his runs on Ultimate Fantastic Four and Wolverine in recent years were some of the best stuff I’ve read; on the other hand, my feelings towards his Ultimates run were mixed and his Civil War miniseries was only okay. He’s also done things I simply didn’t like. He is talented, that’s for sure, but sometimes it just doesn’t translate to the page. Hitch is also a great talent but I personally think you can tell when his stuff is rushed—and this is rushed artwork.
But Millar has fallen into the trap that so many other teams on the FF have done: they simply just can’t seem to make the book exciting and fresh. It appears almost no one will ever be able to do that again since Kirby left way back in the late 60’s. The only one IMO that has ever done a fantastic job, is John Byrne.
In fact, Millar & Hitch’s run kind of reminds me of Mark Waid and Mike McKone’s run. Millar, like Waid, is both good and bad at times but a person you would think could do a great job. Yet, I think Waid’s run was even more of a letdown than Millar’s; I can’t see why anyone likes it at all. McKone’s artwork was the shining element that saved that run; here, Hitch’s artwork at times has come close (early in the run), but he actually doesn’t hold the story together like McKone did.
As for Millar’s “big bad two”…the truth is, they are still too derivative of Dr. Doom. And Millar does the same thing others have done, by making Dr. Doom look like a failure. Writers and some readers need to face the fact that Dr. Doom is one of comic book’s greatest villains, if not its actual greatest. He is certainly Marvel Comics greatest super-villain in their history. And Marvel needs to recognize this and restore him to the majesty he deserves. Because when they go the opposite route, it just fails on so many levels, time and time again. Once I read those sequences, I began to write this entire run off as another ‘meh’ type storyline. As in: “Wow, have new guys show up and trash the classic villain. Yawn. Seen it before. Hated it then.” Especially because you know that stuff never sticks.
So, all in all, this run wasn’t a failure. It was just more of the same thing that has always haunted the FF since 1969 with a couple of exceptions along the way: creative teams just not being able to get it, or at least keep the spirit of the FF going strong and keeping the book exciting. I hope Jonathan Hickman, whose been relatively impressive so far, can do better.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Millar / Hitch - enjoyed Millar's writing more than Waid or JMS, but enjoyed Hitch's art less than Ringo and McKone.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
People still checking out the Jonathan Hickman & Dale Eaglesham run?
I thought the first story was pretty solid, even though it was another Reed-centric story. Hickman kind of explains it in the letter column, and his explanation makes sense. In a way it felt like he's giving Reed a reason to put a definitive stop to the Civil War-type damage and characterization thats been done to Reed these last few years so he can end that and move things in another directon. It took Hickman three issues to do it, but if it truly is what he's saying, then I'm okay with it. I did like the Reed / National Richards scenes because they added some depth to Reed we haven't seen in years.
Meanwhile, the art is kick-ass, as I'd suspect. Eaglesham is one of my favorites in comics right now.
I'm looking forward to what they have in store next. Hopefully its some high-level adventure.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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Set
There's not a word yet, for old friends who've just met.
posted
Is Reed finally admitting that he was wrong, and starting to apologize for sending cape-killers after his wife, best friend and brother in law, as well as getting Bill Foster killed, etc., etc.?
'Cause, to me, he's too far gone to 'bring back,' at this point. When Hank Pym has the moral high ground on you, it's time to examine your life choices...
Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
Hickman and Eaglesham continue their run though the latter takes the issue off for a fill-in (its a noticeable change that is distracting). Hickman's run so far is better than I expected but its still not really all that great. Its mediocre so far, on the verge of getting really good (it has its moments).
This issue had Franklin have a birthday party and while it was sweet to see Artie and Leech (and I'm glad they might find a permanent home here) and funny to see Spider-Man with Johnny and the Thing, I felt it was a little too 'light'. This is the FF, and I need some sense of danger here--I need something scary / edgy / tension-filled / weird, *even* in a down issue. That's what Kirby did and that should be the formula. No full-on downtime issues in the FF. EVER.
Franklin ends up with his powers back and again with some potential Val & Franklin time travel stuff. Which means there is once more some speculation on if they might exit the title completely. Where once I might have found the thought atrocious, I'm not really all that worried anymore either way--whatever they do, I just want it to be good, and I want it to matter. If the kids ever leave the series, grow up in the future, whatever (all the various things they've done over the years but quickly undid), then they need to just full-on go for it. Because I don't have the energy for another half-way story with Franklin and Val.
FF remains pretty good but only pretty good. I'm still waiting for another great, kick-ass run.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
I've liked Hickman and Eaglesham's run quite a bit. With #576, they revisit and perhaps return(?) the FF to their roots in exploring.
Here- the FF visits an alliance of three undersea nations isolated from the rest of the world beneath the ice of Antarctica who call their realm Atlantis. The FF, who fund a station above them, have to expedite the slower, nonsuperhuman exploration beneath the ice because of a tech-race with agents of AIM. They battle these agents in an extended battle scene set in the waters just beneath the ice, rendered without dialogue or narrative.
Guess who wins?
Sue steps forward in a big way here. Her status as 'head of the foundation' has been mentioned and even spotlighted before, but this is the first time I've really grasped just what that meant. In light of Reed's many and varied fields of interest and invention.
Folks, it isn't just the use of her superpowers or even her intelligence and will that make "Susan of the Richards, Susan of the Storm" a powerful woman.
I hope this isn't forgotten.
Though she'd give all of that up in instance for her family, as we see her playfully relating with Johnny and Ben at issue's beginning.
Loved (not just for the beefcake) the image of shirtless Johnny in shorts (bearing a flaming motif) with matching cowboy boots and an unzippered parka surrounded by folks bundled up to ward off the cold he obviously doesn't notice.
There's a sort of addendum on the last page, in text, telling us that Sue has tried to contact Namor to arrange an introduction to the 'old kings' of Atlantis.
Bet that'll go over.
And then there's the blurb, 'Universal Inhumans'. I don't think the Attilan folk are the ones that'll be featured, though I'm dying for a follow-up to SILENT WAR, leading to reconciliation between teams that should be close-knit. At the least, I'd like to read Johnny's reaction to Crystal's marriage. Remember how he felt about Quicksilver... and didn't Ronan debut as an FF foe?
From: Knoxville, TN | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I’ve caught up on two of the most recent Fantastic Four issues and following up on my initial impressions of Hickman’s and Eaglesham’s run, I’ve got to say, I’m pretty damn impressed. #575 and #576 were FANTASTIC.
Though its part of a larger storyline, each individual issue is basically self-contained, and done in a way that fully takes advantage of the self-contained format. Each issue provides needed suspense, character interaction, science-fiction and feels like a complete story, which a part of something larger. Very well done, and something few series can get right these days (an example of one that does it right being Jonah Hex).
More than that, Hickman has suddenly started knocking it out of the park! Here is what the Fantastic Four should be: a series about exploration and science-fiction! Not “just another Marvel superhero series”, which so many writers fall into, but a series that pushes the boundaries and takes us to new places. Above all else, Hickman in just a few issues apparently has begun the process to restoring the sense of grandeur in the FF, which is the most important competent of the series when it was at it finest and the one most noticeably missing for a long, long time. I like it! The two stories were quirky and off-beat, but in the Kirby-esque way that gives you that larger sense of scale and ‘wow’ factor. And that’s about the highest praise I can give a Fantastic Four series. As I’ve said in the past, I think almost all FF runs have failed other than the Kirby/Lee run which defined it, and the Byrne run of the 80’s (brief moments notwithstanding through the 50 years from 1962).
On the art chores, Eaglesham is rendering some mind-blowing depictions! In fact, I think it’s a safe bet to say his artwork is the star of the show here, as he’s just showcasing his talent in a way that’s been needed. I loved him on JSA, particularly drawing all the array of characters, and now I love him here, depicting different types of aliens, cities, underwater species, battles, and all kinds of awesome science-fiction ideas. I also find the way he draws the individual FF to be very well done and the best I’ve seen in years—probably IMO, since John Byrne. His Sue is strong & beautiful, his Reed is hard-working and thoughtful, his Franklin & Val are cute but spunky, Johnny is dashing and the Thing rocks. He already has it down to a science, and I can’t wait to be more. And to borrow a course of praise I already used, his style is very evocative of Jack Kirby, which is the other side of helping restore the scale of exploration and grandeur. Like Byrne took the Kirby-style of the FF and applied his own style in the 80’s way, Eaglesham is applying his own style in a very modern way. I’m quite impressed.
The entire run thus has taken a bit of time to build up steam. I think the writer & artist needed to find their footing and they have done so. My above comments from a few months ago saw me think there was potential but not quite seeing it yet. Here, I think the potential has begun to be reached. I’ve been let down by so many FF runs that I’ve grown cynical, but for the first time in a long time, I feel upbeat about it. I was disappointed with Millar, I hated Waid’s run and I can hardly remember the other so-so runs in between and prior. I take a very critical eye to the Fantastic Four, having read so much of it over the years. In the Silver Age, it was Marvel’s Flagship title—everyone who collected Marvel collected the FF and Spider-Man. Somewhere after Kirby left, it was reduced to yet another Marvel superhero series that redid the Silver Age stories again and again to lesser levels of quality. Byrne came in and restored the glory but after he left, the series fell into the same holding pattern as many other great series did in the 90’s and this past decade.
I think here, we might have something. I will definitely keep a keen eye on the series and look forward for more.
Note, the stories, are not going to be mind-blowing and epic in terms of multi-part, life-altering stories yet; rather, I’m speaking in the sense of restoring the spirit of the series and changing the focus, even slightly. With this in place, I can see Hickman building to some of those major game-changing stories. But first, he needs to return the FF to what makes it unique among the Marvel U. And without harping on all that “family” crap in a way that makes it over-dramatic; that has its place too, but it needs to be actually done in the story rather than talked about endlessly.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Oh, no! Eaglesham's been moved to a new Captain America SUPER-SOLDIER title! That might be a fine title, since it'll feature the original Cap in a new role, but I've really, really liked what the Hickman/Eaglesham duo has been doing and was excited for a nice, longish run.
Not to be, not to be.
I hope Hickman sticks around and gets an artist that pretty much works similarly to Eaglesham.
From: Knoxville, TN | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
The Steve Rogers book is a 4-issue limited, so maybe there is some hope Eaglesham won't be leaving FF.
I've kind of enjoyed these comics. I think they do capture core elements of FF lore in new ways. But I also think Hickman and Eaglesham need to work on meshing the narrative and the visuals better. There are pacing problems between the density of the stories and the visuals. In the Mole Man story, for example, you had this huge page of the High Evolutionary city, and it was supposed to be moving up, but the visual (while beautiful) did not capture that AT ALL. Then, in classic 1960s "no budget for visuals" style, the FF find a way to escape with no corresponding visual. As a result, the climax of the story was a big "huh?" for me. Likewise, the Atlantis story had one murky, claustrophobic panel after another. I realize that was the environment the FF was in, and I applaud the artist's attempt to depict that, but it lacked some essential element of narrative power. I begin to wonder if Eaglesham is one of those artists whose images are beautiful, but ultimately static--perfect for emotional panels, but weak for action panels. Criticisms aside, I'm thrilled to see such a strong attempt to reinvigorate the FF, making it's rich history relevant to a new generation.
-------------------- ...but you don't have a moment where you're sitting there staring at a table full of twenty-five characters with little name signs that say, "Hi, my superpower is confusing you!"
From: Chicago, IL | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
I read the latest Universal Inhumans issue and again--I'm just blown away at how damn good FF has been lately! This standalone-yet-interconnected arc of stories "Four Cities" has just been pure brillance!
Again, we see the sense of exploration and adventure all the way through the issue! Magnificent! I feel like the FF of Lee/Kirby with Jules Verne thrown in!
Again, we get a really cool sci-fi update to some great classic FF concepts, here the Inhumans with a more galactic view. Love it!
Again, Eaglesham is just brillant. I desperately hope he doesn't leave the FF for good because his artwork just works so well here. The pages are just popping with energy and the quirky sense of weird the FF really always needs to have. I haven't liked an artist this much on FF in years--I honestly can't remember when.
Great, great stuff. Jonathan Hickman is really winning me over between this and the newly launched SHIELD.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
#578-- Johnny's such a knucklehead. Likeable, but, Lord, it's a good thing he's good-looking...
I think when Black Bolt comes back and meets his new 'brides', he's going to wish he stayed presumed dead in The Fault. Who thinks he's really gone forever? I certainly don't. Nor would I want him to be.
What a bizarre turn the Four Cities story is taking...
Namor's response was pretty much what I thought it'd be (I'm a little disappointed there-- I would've liked something a little different in this instance).
I'm defintely interested and intrigued to see how much of the MU will be pulled into this event. So far, it's casting the nets verrry wide, while simultaneously keeping all the expected players 'offscreen'. Interesting.
From: Knoxville, TN | Registered: Jul 2003
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