The First Family of Marvel: The Fantastic Four Appreciation 2019

[CaptCleghorn]

The Journey of Prodigal Begins This July in 'Fantastic Four: The Prodigal Sun'

The Fantastic Four are about to come face-to-face with someone new! This July, as part of an interconnected series of three stories featuring Marvel's First Family, prepare to meet Prodigal in FANTASTIC FOUR: THE PRODIGAL SUN #1! Writer Peter David teams up with artist Francesco Manna for a new journey to the Savage Land.

"In the story of FANTASTIC FOUR: THE PRODIGAL SUN, Prodigal crash lands in the Savage Land where a clan of barbarians begin treating him like a god. But it's up to the FF to stop those barbarians from taking over the world!

In addition to FANTASTIC FOUR: PRODIGAL SUN, the other interwoven stories will continue in the two additional upcoming series GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: PRODIGAL SUN and SILVER SURFER: PRODIGAL SUN."

The GOTG and Surfer issues seems to indicate an overall cosmic story with the FF in the Savage Land being part of it. It seems that even if the FF stick around for the entire three issues, Ka-Zar and the Savage Land are done in one.

Still, Ka_Zar and Zabu meeting Groot and Rocket Raccoon could be gold.

[Reviresco]

Ka-Zar.


You know, I used to enjoy the character. Now he just makes me roll my eyeballs. Thanks alot, Jason Aaron.

On the plus side, these connected "annuals" usually have entertaining stories, and it is always good to see the FF being used.

[baltiroo]

Ka-Zar.


You know, I used to enjoy the character. Now he just makes me roll my eyeballs. Thanks alot, Jason Aaron.

On the plus side, these connected "annuals" usually have entertaining stories, and it is always good to see the FF being used.

I know what you mean. And I really wished that they called this an Annual. It feels cheap to have random one-shots like this but have a full story carry through them.

[Reviresco]

I know what you mean. And I really wished that they called this an Annual. It feels cheap to have random one-shots like this but have a full story carry through them.

Sadly, even the annuals are random one-shots, with all the rebooting of titles. They don't come out annually anymore. ;p

But back to the FF ... I'm curious what Peter David will do with the FF. Surely, he's written them before?

[Crimz]

Sadly, even the annuals are random one-shots, with all the rebooting of titles. They don't come out annually anymore. ;p

But back to the FF ... I'm curious what Peter David will do with the FF. Surely, he's written them before?

All I can think of is the Before the Fantastic Four: Reed Richards book.

[baltiroo]

Sadly, even the annuals are random one-shots, with all the rebooting of titles. They don't come out annually anymore. ;p

But back to the FF ... I'm curious what Peter David will do with the FF. Surely, he's written them before?

Very true indeed. And I can't recall if he has written them before. But I really do enjoy his work.

[Digifiend]

The GOTG and Surfer issues seems to indicate an overall cosmic story with the FF in the Savage Land being part of it. It seems that even if the FF stick around for the entire three issues, Ka-Zar and the Savage Land are done in one.

Still, Ka_Zar and Zabu meeting Groot and Rocket Raccoon could be gold.

Rocket isn't currently a Guardian, and therefore probably isn't involved.

[Digifiend]

Sadly, even the annuals are random one-shots, with all the rebooting of titles. They don't come out annually anymore. ;p

But back to the FF ... I'm curious what Peter David will do with the FF. Surely, he's written them before?

Random is right. During Bendis's X-Men run, All-New and Uncanny both had annuals, which were actually a two part story about Eva Bell. Nothing to do with All-New, which usually starred the time displaced original five! And Captain America's most recent annual was a Cap and Bucky World War II adventure, no connection to Coates' run at all.

[CaptCleghorn]

Sadly, even the annuals are random one-shots, with all the rebooting of titles. They don't come out annually anymore. ;p

Some of you may be aware of my fetish for legacy numbering. Annuals, IMHO, should be legacy numbered to keep an idea of history involved. Yes, some Marvel books have a lgy number, but junk that and give me FF and Spidey annuals numbered thirtysomething.

To those who say "but that won't sell", I reply "probably not". I want but don't expect it.

[Iron Maiden]

I think the best way to do the annuals these days is put the year on them. Many times they are self contained stories anyway.

[Snoop Dogg]

Annuals are a great dumping ground for one-shots because they don't clog the achives as much.

[Iron Maiden]

Annuals are a great dumping ground for one-shots because they don't clog the achives as much.

In the days of yore they used to mean something.....FF annual #2 is almost the all Doom issue and gives us his origin. Annual #3, Sue and Reed get married and most of the MU at that time shows up. Annual #6 is the birth of Franklin, etc. And Kirby would throw in some nice pinups from time to time.

[CaptCleghorn]

In the days of yore they used to mean something.....FF annual #2 is almost the all Doom issue and gives us his origin. Annual #3, Sue and Reed get married and most of the MU at that time shows up. Annual #6 is the birth of Franklin, etc. And Kirby would throw in some nice pinups from time to time.

The tone of Annuals has changed. We see stories in regular books going to dive or six issues to fill a trade, making a one-shot annual look somewhat anemic in size. Marvel (and DC) had a few years where they had an underlying theme to some of their annuals and an overall crossover arc. That's pretty much what this is right here. Except instead of a $2 annual from whatever year, we're dealing with a $5 40 page issue. Going to 48 pages makes it $6 and so on.

I don't know what the impact of this will be. There might be a breakout character, or the story might fall nicely into irrelevancy.

The term "gimmick" is used often. And Marvel is certainly not subtle nor quiet about selling their books. They like to maintain a rebellious attitude even as their corporate structure makes them the new establishment. Now I'm not really making much of a statement, but the field is dramatically different han it was when we had a big 25 cent book with an unbelievably long 30 page story, a classic reprint and pinups and bonus pages. But those were what people wanted then. Now in the world of the internet,m we can get thousands of Sue pinups on Deviant Art or Pinterest or whatever. Wiki give us character info. And numbers are so down that the cost of paying creators is now the biggest part of the expense.

Get off my lawn.

[Iron Maiden]

Sadly, even the annuals are random one-shots, with all the rebooting of titles. They don't come out annually anymore. ;p

But back to the FF ... I'm curious what Peter David will do with the FF. Surely, he's written them before?

PAD has done some Fantastic Four novelizations. He did the one for the first Fox Fantastic Four movie. Amazon lists an original novel called "What Lies Between" where "Reed Richards is brought in on a consult to oversee a privately funded dimension-spanning device...a device that will give wealthy patrons the opportunity to experience interdimensional travel. Never mind that the consortium wants to launch a sweeping endeavor that would be branded as "Fantastic Forays," with the world's greatest super hero team receiving a cut of the profit" Never did see that one anywhere...published in 2007

PAD did include guest appearances in his X-Factor 201-202, minus Johnny. The story started with Val and Franklin going to the offices of X-Factor investigations in order to hire them to find Sue who had gone missing. It all involved an alternate universe Reed who was really that AU's Doom. He had switched places with Reed and then killed him along with Ben in that AU.

[Reviresco]

PAD has done some Fantastic Four novelizations. He did the one for the first Fox Fantastic Four movie. Amazon lists an original novel called "What Lies Between" where "Reed Richards is brought in on a consult to oversee a privately funded dimension-spanning device...a device that will give wealthy patrons the opportunity to experience interdimensional travel. Never mind that the consortium wants to launch a sweeping endeavor that would be branded as "Fantastic Forays," with the world's greatest super hero team receiving a cut of the profit" Never did see that one anywhere...published in 2007

PAD did include guest appearances in his X-Factor 201-202, minus Johnny. The story started with Val and Franklin going to the offices of X-Factor investigations in order to hire them to find Sue who had gone missing. It all involved an alternate universe Reed who was really that AU's Doom. He had switched places with Reed and then killed him along with Ben in that AU.

Thanks for the info. I do usually enjoy PAD and I'm surprised he hasn't had a run on the book. Interesting.