Fantastic Four #1 review


Welcome to volume 427 of the Fantastic Four. Bring a teddy bear.

Because you'll need something to cuddle in order to get through this miserable first issue from James Robinson, Leonard Kirk and Karl Kesel. Three of my favourite talents in comics and I wish they'd all taken the week off. I didn't think 'Fall of the Fantastic Four' meant our heroes were having a lovely autumn, but still ...

Robinson sets the tone immediately with a framing sequence that sees Sue Richards writing a letter to her children, Franklin and Valeria, explaining why everything went to hell for the Fantastic Four. The words are mournful, Sue is small in the opening splash frame, surrounded by black, there's no doubt that this isn't the optimistic FF series of old. We're shown that the team has been splintered, with Reed, Johnny and Ben lost to Sue. Flashing back, we do get a few pages of Lee/Kirby fun, as Mr Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Thing and the Human Torch fight veteran Marvel dragon Fin Fang Foom. (Surprisngly, FFF isn't scared off by the FF's new, upsettingly garish red outfits.) Reed frets that the monster's attack on New York makes no sense, even while noting that it's had many forms and motivations over the years. There's a nice reference to the 'Age of Monsters' which ended with the coming of the FF and the heroes who followed.



Then it's catch-up time. The Future Foundation kids are still around, creating chaos in the Baxter Building. Johnny is making his zillionth foray into showbiz. Ben and blind sculptor Alicia are having their two-zillionth reconciliation and, overshadowing all else, Sue is devastated that Val has decided to stay in Latveria indefinitely because she's upset with her parents.

And that's the moment that threw me right out of the book. I know that Victor Von Doom helped deliver Valeria, and there's a weird relationship there - Val likes her 'Uncle Doom' - but the FF have just had another massive battle with their deadliest rival. How could Sue and Reed ever countenance their child staying in Latveria, home of Dr Doom? I don't know if Doom is there right now - in last month's FF he'd been thoroughly trounced by Ant-Man, and Val was happily partying with her parents, so she apparently left off-panel - but it doesn't matter. Sue and Reed are letting their child do what she wants on the other side of the world, a world filled with enemies who would love to strike at the FF through her?

If I could, I'd call Comic Book Social Services myself.

There are aspects of the script I like, such as the aforementioned Age of Monsters reference that makes this issue feel like an heir to Marvels and plays into Robinson's love of legacy. The Fin Fang Fight laid down by Kirk and Kesel also evokes the Busiek/Ross classic, with panic on the Manhattan streets as shining gods take on a colossal demon.



Seeing Ben and Alicia getting back together would be great, as Robinson does relationships well, but the comic's opening, which shows Ben's upcoming problems, sucks out all the optimism.

As for Johnny wanting to be even more famous, that's just standard Human Torch dullness - the character is trapped in a tedious cycle or immaturity and growth. If only he didn't always snap back, like another Mr Fantastic, into being an immature boor.

And the art is lovely throughout, with Kirkman and Kesel, excellent craftsmen both, blending well together, while Jesus Aburtov provides colours so rich they're nigh edible. I have the standard cover by Kirk, which is well done for what it is, but what it is seems to be a house ad. Matters aren't helped by the abomination of a logo plonked atop it, designed by someone who thought 'S7ven' was clever. The book now seems to be called FANT4STK. Very well done!

From a value point of view, Marvel could do a lot better. This is a $3.99 book, even digitally, so there's no 'free digital copy' to ameliorate the price. You get 20 story pages, and two potential story pages wasted by a Jonathan Hickman-style title 'card'. I'd honestly rather those two pages were used for ads, because then I'd likely not notice them and feel cheated.

You know, Robinson isn't a miserable git. There's every reason to believe he'll take the FF to better places; but I don't think I can be bothered with the 'darkest' before the 'dawn'. I'd much rather he gave us his take on the classic team right now, rather than go the deconstruction route. From a Fantastic Four series, I want optimism, awesome and extended family. Bring on Agatha Harkness and Wyatt Wingfoot, give us some Frightful Four and visits from Thundra. Take the team to new places and bring in new friends and foes.

Explore places and people. Don't navel gaze.

Comments

  1. This opening issue has raised a lot of hackles on the FF forum I host, but I am wiling to give it a chance, its so intriguing.,,,Reed losing his faculties, Ben on a manslaughter charge, Valeria in Latveria. Theres plenty going on, plenty we haven't been told.,,,everyone I know has been complaining how nothing is being explained but they miss the point that we have 12 issues to get thru before we find out why this is the Fall of the FF. I cant wait to find out all the answers.
    Esp concerning Sue - God she looks like shes put on weight and sports a Jimmy Durante nose. I m more concerned about THAT than anything else[!]

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    1. Hi Karl, I never knew you hosted an FF forum, where is that? I've no complaints about a lack of explanation, because we can see things being explained. It's where the story is going that I'm not sure I can be bothered with - and we're getting 12 issues of misery, you say? Oh dear me how!

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  2. I put this back on the shelf after a quick flick-through, so I missed some of the problems you mention, Martin, though I do recall thinking "HAHA I'm glad I don't give a tinker's cuss for Fin Fang Foom or that handwaving would be really annoying" - my feels go out to his fanboys.
    It's hard to think what actually put me off buying in the end, but likely I was just fed up with trying to figure out if Dr Doom's a face or heel this week.

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    1. Apols for the delay, been down to the Big Smoke for the weekend - had to see Dame Angela Landbury in Blithe Spirit. The woman's a Marvel!

      Anyway, I think you made the right decision. Still, there'll be another relaunch along in a year or two.

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  3. Sounds grimdark, did DC accidently put this out?

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  4. Don't worry mart robinson says that it will get better that this is about the fall and rise of the fantastic four and what he says in the interviews gives hope that he has this planned out

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    1. No surprise there. I'll check back in when we get past the miserable stuff.

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    2. but the question remains who did ben kill. fin fang foom?

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  5. I paged through it, saw the title card, and decided I couldn't afford it. Those pages should all read: "You just paid $4 for a comic book. Here's 10 percent of it wasted."

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    1. Definitely. I don't know what Marvel is thinking - it's dull style over substance.

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  6. Thanks for confirming my instinct, much as I like Robinson, not to follow him here.

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    1. You're welcome, Kent. And if things get cheerier, I'm sure we'll hear about it.

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  7. "in last month's FF he'd been thoroughly trounced by Ant-Man"

    WTF?

    I read DC almost exclusively now (I read Waid's Daredevil of course and the Ultimate titles), but I grew up a loyal Marvel fan. My favorite, and the best, bad guy is Doom. It is bad enough they had the Shroud (ugh) and Power Man defeat Doom, but Ant-Man? Ugh. I will stick with DC (with all their problems).

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    1. Actually, that was pretty good stuff, it wasn't just Scott Lang punching him on the nose, he has an incredibly complicated plan. See of you can find a library edition on a few months.

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  8. If I wanted misery and gloom I'd read a DC comic.

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    1. I wonder of the return to Marvel of Batman editor Mike Marts will see him bring in so patented DC misery; I suspect he'll go in the other direction.

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  9. Loved the issue personally. This is so much better than the Matt Fraction run. I'm curious about what's going to happen and see how everything gets back together... because we know it will end with a stronger First family

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    1. I find it more disappointing than the Fraction stuff because I'm a fan of Robinson. I want him to get on who the great stuff I know he can give us - I want construction, no deconstruction

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    2. "because we know it will end with a stronger First family"

      Which is really just a sticking-point for me, as every writer seems to do the same few things with the F4 when they come on board: they make Johnny a kidult again, Ben and Alicia have relationship drama, Doom is a jerk, and then everyone pulls together in the end against the big menace they've been - knowingly or otherwise - dealing with all along. There's probably a Fantastic Four Bingo sheet with all these elements in place of numbers, like little boxes with "Doom goes too far this time" or "Susan doesn't understand Reed's attitude" written inside.

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    3. Number 10 - Grimm, Ben

      Number 8 - Negative Zone Gate

      Two and four - here comes Klaw

      Doctor Doom's orders - Number 9

      (I am officially terrible at Fantastic Four Bingo...)



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  10. I'm in two minds about James Robinson. on the one hand, he does things like The Golden Age, which is a fantastic series, & Earth 2, which, against all my expectations, I really enjoyed. on the other hand, there's everything else he wrote, which I just don't like. I was willing to give this a chance, if only because I've recently cancelled Aquaman so there's a space that can be filled, but I'm not going to now. sounds dreadful. I need more Dark Stuff like I need another Star Wars film. I'm fed up with it. I'd've much preferred it if they'd just given it back to John Byrne for a bit, even if only until they make up their mind what to do with the Fantastic Four.

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    1. Hi Joe, not a fan of Jack Knight, then? That's surprising, I thought everyone loved Starman.

      And I'm enjoying Aquaman far more nude Jeff Parker than under Geoff Johns. This week's high school reunion was a hoot.

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  11. speaking of the frightful 4 robinson says that they will be featured in his run new roster deadlier than the last first up is the slimmed down powered up wrecking crew under wizard's command also bulldozer looks like a kid on one of the later covers

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