Fantastic Four #1 Preview and Spoilers

[mrbrklyn]

Isn't the story about how each of the 2 is missing the rest of the family and how they are "dealing with it" or not?

No it is not. It was suppose to be the return of the fantastic four, not an endless poorly written soap opera. I've read nearly 1000 FF stories over my lifetime and never has one been as disapointing as this one. There wasn't even an attempt here to tell a Fantastic Four story.

[CaptCleghorn]

Actually, nothing happens... which is not how the FF works

Ben and Alicia become engaged and the world discovers the FF are still alive.

[mrbrklyn]

I'm sure they just hated it for the sake of hating it.

I mean, honestly. If someone reads this issue, which features skilled, lovely writing with art to match and their only response is that it was hacky, that's just kneejerk negativity.

The art and story was run of the mill.

[mrbrklyn]

Ben and Alicia become engaged and the world discovers the FF are still alive.

The first part could have been folded into a great FF story and the second part... we don't even know that.

[kilderkin]

No it is not. It was suppose to be the return of the fantastic four, not an endless poorly written soap opera. I've read nearly 1000 FF stories over my lifetime and never has one been as disapointing as this one. There wasn't even an attempt here to tell a Fantastic Four story.

Okay I understand what you mean now,

I agree it wasn't what I wanted to see, but some story did actually occur

I thought you meant literally

for me it's really deflated my interest very quickly, I was all ready for them to come back, and then it doesn't happen,

it might only be one more month, but it's really taken the shine off of it in a huge way for me

[mrbrklyn]

Okay I understand what you mean now,

I agree it wasn't what I wanted to see, but some story did actually occur

I thought you meant literally

for me it's really deflated my interest very quickly, I was all ready for them to come back, and then it doesn't happen,

it might only be one more month, but it's really taken the shine off of it in a huge way for me

From my point of view, this was a cheap and exploitative rip off of the FF fandom by Disney for you 6 bucks plus whatever varient covers fans brought into and it delivered nothing more than a coma, or a throat clearing with a "wait until next month - then we will really give you the FF". There was not a single panel that will be remembers in the future. It was dole, droal, predictable, and moved the story not an inch from the last issue of 2:1 - which was actually pretty decent.

[mrbrklyn]

Ben and Alicia become engaged and the world discovers the FF are still alive.

>>blink<<


This was FF#1 so I should hope so but in fact, maybe they won't show up and the entire thing is a hoax and we have a 12 issue miniseries to figure that out.

I don't want to read that garbage.... if you know what I mean

[kilderkin]

From my point of view, this was a cheap and exploitative rip off of the FF fandom by Disney for you 6 bucks plus whatever varient covers fans brought into and it delivered nothing more than a coma, or a throat clearing with a "wait until next month - then we will really give you the FF". There was not a single panel that will be remembers in the future. It was dole, droal, predictable, and moved the story not an inch from the last issue of 2:1 - which was actually pretty decent.

I certainly agree that this was unnecessarily price hiked

The doom story, editorial and impossible man story were just padding imo

The doom bit might be interesting but if books were written more tightly all of this could have been done in a normal size book at a normal price

6.99 felt exploitative given the actual story content on the ff here, I feel, imo

I've not picked up many fresh start books due to inflated price points, only avengers and this, neither books contents convinced me the price was justified, in both cases the story could have been done in a normal size book, lots of space for text in some big empty parts of panels I felt

That's typically a marvel book for me these days imo

It might have meant they got more from me for that book, but it just meant I didn't pick up any of the Infinity books and won't get any of that story nor did I go for any of the other new titles

if I pay more than standard for a book from a publisher, I just skip another of that publishers books completely I might otherwise have read

If I miss an first issue, I never pick up that new run at marvel these days, their runs are too short in recent years

[CaptCleghorn]

I certainly agree that this was unnecessarily price hiked

The doom story, editorial and impossible man story were just padding imo

The doom bit might be interesting but if books were written more tightly all of this could have been done in a normal size book at a normal price

6.99 felt exploitative given the actual story content on the ff here, I feel, imo

I've not picked up many fresh start books due to inflated price points, only avengers and this, neither books contents convinced me the price was justified, in both cases the story could have been done in a normal size book, lots of space for text in some big empty parts of panels I felt

That's typically a marvel book for me these days imo

It might have meant they got more from me for that book, but it just meant I didn't pick up any of the Infinity books and won't get any of that story nor did I go for any of the other new titles

if I pay more than standard for a book from a publisher, I just skip another of that publishers books completely I might otherwise have read

If I miss an first issue, I never pick up that new run at marvel these days, their runs are too short in recent years

It's my opinion the variants didn't help with the pricing. How many different variants were there? 20? If we assume the rate Marvel paid for the art was that at least that for a page, we saw 5.99 going towards a book covering a lot more paid for pages than any of us saw in any single copy.. I'd also imagine that the rate for covers was at least that for the pages Sara Pichelli or Simone Bianchi got.

Was the book worth $5.99? Maybe. Sandman Universe #1 came out the same week, was also a 48 pg book with multiple variant covers but was $4.99 without an included digital copy. The dollar difference for the digital copy has been a Marvel (and DC) trait for years. Not having page rates or cover rates and not seeing publication numbers for each, I can't accuse marvel of price gouging, although, the huge sales numbers of the FF issue certainly was able to cover and bury the costs of creative help.

Should Marvel have skipped the Doom story and gone with a 40 pg book, selling it for $4.99 as they do for their other 40 pg books? I would have rather have seen that, but for the package they provided, the pricing was in line with other books they and DC have done.

[CaptCleghorn]

The first part could have been folded into a great FF story and the second part... we don't even know that.

The issue covered a lot of former team members, mentioned what the team's status was in the eyes of the world, reintroduced Yancy Street (arguably an FF character in itself), had a short vignette about the FF returning home with a song and the phrase "the way home is something you see with your heart". We see Ben and Johnny with understandable yet differing methods of dealing with kids and Jennifer's opinion as well. We also see that vignette solved in a family style, pure FF. Ben proposes to Alicia and she looks like a real woman with a distinct body type.

The complaint "there wasn't enough in the first issue" is certainly valid. But Slott and Pichelli get it. They have a handle on the team and what makes them different than the Avengers, X-Men, or Justice League. I've agreed with the "the FF should have reunited here", but that was far from all that this issue should have been. The creative team covered themselves well, if not as quickly as some of us would have liked.

[mrbrklyn]

The issue covered a lot of former team members, mentioned what the team's status was in the eyes of the world, reintroduced Yancy Street (arguably an FF character in itself), had a short vignette about the FF returning home with a song and the phrase "the way home is something you see with your heart". We see Ben and Johnny with understandable yet differing methods of dealing with kids and Jennifer's opinion as well. We also see that vignette solved in a family style, pure FF. Ben proposes to Alicia and she looks like a real woman with a distinct body type.

The complaint "there wasn't enough in the first issue" is certainly valid. But Slott and Pichelli get it. They have a handle on the team and what makes them different than the Avengers, X-Men, or Justice League. I've agreed with the "the FF should have reunited here", but that was far from all that this issue should have been. The creative team covered themselves well, if not as quickly as some of us would have liked.

We are usually in agreement so I am a bit surprised at this, but everything you said here just confirms what I said, that there was no story. A survey of all the characters that ever appeared in the Fantastic Four Universe doesn't constitute a story. What do you surmise is the plot points here? The Yancy Street boys stole the FF gun and fired it off is a plot... not much of one ... not related to the return of the FF... but it is a plot.


This was like buying a ticket to a Broadway show. Getting your seat with the help of the usher, and your playbill. Then the lights go down. A hush comes over the audience and the Orchestra plays the opening music. All the players but two of the leading character come onto the stage and take a tremendous bow. They then shake each others hands. The audience explodes in applause and cheers. And then the cast leave the stage and the house lights go on...

end of play...


BTW - I somehow missed how Johny and Ben got off that world they were stuck on while losing there powers and being stalked by the evil spider-man. Somewhere I lost an issue.

[vitruvian]

We are usually in agreement so I am a bit surprised at this, but everything you said here just confirms what I said, that there was no story. A survey of all the characters that ever appeared in the Fantastic Four Universe doesn't constitute a story. What do you surmise is the plot points here? The Yancy Street boys stole the FF gun and fired it off is a plot... not much of one ... not related to the return of the FF... but it is a plot.


This was like buying a ticket to a Broadway show. Getting your seat with the help of the usher, and your playbill. Then the lights go down. A hush comes over the audience and the Orchestra plays the opening music. All the players but two of the leading character come onto the stage and take a tremendous bow. They then shake each others hands. The audience explodes in applause and cheers. And then the cast leave the stage and the house lights go on...

end of play...


BTW - I somehow missed how Johnny and Ben got off that world they were stuck on while losing there powers and being stalked by the evil spider-man. Somewhere I lost an issue.

You didn't miss it, the end of that storyline in Marvel Two-in-One simply hasn't come out yet. Poor planning, but I guess we're going to have to deal with being spoiled on them getting back and somehow not having issues with their powers any longer, even if not exactly how that happened. I'm not too upset, since that was a foregone conclusion anyway.

[mrbrklyn]

Sandman Universe #1 came out the same week, was also a 48 pg book with multiple variant covers but was $4.99 without an included digital copy. .

FWIW that was a much better book? There is a digital download with the FF? I wouldn't even know for reasons I won't even get into here

[mrbrklyn]

You didn't miss it, the end of that storyline in Marvel Two-in-One simply hasn't come out yet. Poor planning, but I guess we're going to have to deal with being spoiled on them getting back and somehow not having issues with their powers any longer, even if not exactly how that happened. I'm not too upset, since that was a foregone conclusion anyway.

ROFL!! For god sakes, they've had almost 2 years to get this right!

[JKtheMac]

Actually, nothing happens... which is not how the FF works

I guess you don’t count somebody going through emotional issues as anything happening? That’s all well and good but for the rest of us quite a lot happened.