What does a Fantastic Four relaunch need to do to be successful?

[Crimz]

Besides a good creative (which goes without saying) what do you think is necessary for a FF relaunch to be successful?

I think there are three main things:

1. Be accessible for new readers - The FF has been around for over 50 years which can be daunting for potential new readers, plus Reed and Sue have been missing for 3 years. They are going to have to reintroduce the characters and what makes them tick, but not dwell on that for too long so that it doesn't put off the old readers.

2. Do new things - Too many runs feel like "the Fantastic Four's greatest hits". Creative teams feel so beholden to Lee and Kirby's run that they continuously retread the same tire old stories. I don't want to read about Mole Man or Doom's hate-boner for Reed for the thousandth time. Lee and Kirby's run continuously introduced new concepts, ideas, and villains. That's part of why it was so great and that's the aspect future writers should follow, not Namor chasing after Sue for the umpteenth time.

3. Give each member equal focus - Too many of the recent runs had a lot of the focus on Reed at the expense of the others. It felt like the book was "Mr Fantastic and the Fantastic Three". It's called the Fantastic Four for a reason, they are all equally important members of the team.

What do you think is needed?

[DragonsChi]

An actual reason to care.

The team seemed to have lost its draw in the MU with the rise of the X-Men and then the Avengers. Next relaunch Marvel needs to convince its readers that the team is worth caring about.

[Crimz]

An actual reason to care.

The team seemed to have lost its draw in the MU with the rise of the X-Men and then the Avengers. Next relaunch Marvel needs to convince its readers that the team is worth caring about.

How do you think they should go about doing that? The team not being around the past 3 years has been one of the best things to happen to them because absence really does make the heart grow fonder. There is more interest than there has been for years and if Marvels pulls this off they can be a big seller again.

They've set up their return really well so far, but the question is: How do they successfully stick the landing?

[Nick Miller]

Morrison and Quitely and just get out the way.

This is my dream scenario. Don’t @ me.

[The BaRoN]

Waid/Hickman and Joe Mad/Immonen

Big names, big stories

[Cmbmool]

An actual reason to care.

The team seemed to have lost its draw in the MU with the rise of the X-Men and then the Avengers. Next relaunch Marvel needs to convince its readers that the team is worth caring about.

I second this... the Family aspect can work, but not for a long time. I mean also given the "family dramas" of today's TV, it makes you wonder how can Marvel spice things up to keep the group relevant to modern day readers ?

[MichaelC]

Takes the focus off Reed, and put it on the other characters.

[Trey Strain]

Takes the focus off Reed, and put it on the other characters.

I have to agree. I've never liked him.

[The Real Hawkeye Kate Bishop]

Give the book a diverse cast of characters it is 2018 who wants to read a book about 4 white people. The one good thing the movie did was make Johnny Storm an African-American.

[Crimz]

Give the book a diverse cast of characters it is 2018 who wants to read a book about 4 white people. The one good thing the movie did was make Johnny Storm an African-American.

Strongly disagree about the film. Making Johnny black while keeping Sue white made him feel like just a token black character, It was the cheapest way to try and diversify the team. It also can't be done in the comics. They can't just one day be a different race nor should they be.

The only way to diversify the comic team is to either make the team bigger and introduce new diverse characters or remove some of the original team for a more diverse roster. Both options would be temporary as the team would always revert to the original four.

I personally think a good permanent way to make the team more diverse is to make Johnny bisexual, diversity isn't solely based on race and he'd always be a main member of the team unlike other possible changes that would be short-lived.

However, I don't believe that diversity is one of the reasons the FF have struggled over the last few years. It isn't a problem when some teams aren't very racially diverse, it's a problem when most teams aren't.

[Tycon]

Strongly disagree about the film. Making Johnny black while keeping Sue white made him feel like just a token black character, It was the cheapest way to try and diversify the team. It also can't be done in the comics. They can't just one day be a different race nor should they be.

The only way to diversify the comic team is to either make the team bigger and introduce new diverse characters or remove some of the original team for a more diverse roster. Both options would be temporary as the team would always revert to the original four.

I personally think a good permanent way to make the team more diverse is to make Johnny bisexual, diversity isn't solely based on race and he'd always be a main member of the team unlike other possible changes that would be short-lived.

However, I don't believe that diversity is one of the reasons the FF have struggled over the last few years. It isn't a problem when some teams aren't very racially diverse, it's a problem when most teams are.

YES PLEASE! the context is overflowing, it wouldn't even be a surprise.

[Hypestyle]

lots more villains. Leave Doom alone for a year. More space exploration.

[Carabas]

Stop yammering on and on about them being a family.

And if you're going to insist on making Reed the most important one, the leader, then at least try to not make him also the most boring one.

[CaptCleghorn]

Stop yammering on and on about them being a family.

And if you're going to insist on making Reed the most important one, the leader, then at least try to not make him also the most boring one.

But when there's a quality that defines a book and differentiates it from other books, it tends to get mentioned. If family is removed, you're left with X-men, Avengers, Ultimates, or any other number of superheroic team books.

[KOSLOX]

I want to read Sci-Fi adventure stories. Obviously they run in the Super Hero set, but in their own book I don't want to read about them fighting random "big bads". Make it like Lost In Space but with time travel, alternate realities, "The Upside Down", that kind of stuff.