The Fantastic Four Appreciation 2020

[CaptCleghorn]

That penny thing was something the computer programming staff would use as an example at the Purdue extension I went to years ago and it was based on a true story. And I recall all the panic around fixing Y2K issues that cropped up. There were some programmers that got a bit lazy and only used 1 digit for storing variables dealing with years! Either that or it could have been a limitation on some of those old languages like assembly.

I wonder if Reed and Victor had to study COBOL when they were in college?

I had to learn Fortran in college. Seems an appropriate computer language for the FF.

Seriously, my understanding of a lot of the Y2K wasn't a laziness issue, but a space issue. Storing a field with 4 instead of 2 digits cost more and space was more valuable in those days.

[Iron Maiden]

I had to learn Fortran in college. Seems an appropriate computer language for the FF.

Seriously, my understanding of a lot of the Y2K wasn't a laziness issue, but a space issue. Storing a field with 4 instead of 2 digits cost more and space was more valuable in those days.

That is true but the laziness part is when they left those older programs going without updating them or migrating them to a newer platform sooner. Where I worked at that time they were lucky that there was one lady on staff who remembered assembler even if she wasn't 100 % comfortable diving back into it. They also had an old Cobol compiler that they found out would not recognize years past 1999! Luckily they could migrate those programs into a newer version IRRC. A lot of it was a case of "they aint' broke so don't fix 'em" going on. And they ended up paying a lot for consultants to come in to help in those last few years.

[Digifiend]

They also had an old Cobol compiler that they found out would not recognize years past 1999!

The Millennium Bug... how anyone could've so short sighted when making these gadgets I don't know. They should've known how soon the year 2000 was.

[Shadowcat]

6BDB4D27-035A-4AC1-A2F5-03A62F026347.jpg
I am so ready for this goodness.

[Digifiend]

Preview F4 #18:
https://www.adventuresinpoortaste.co...astic-four-18/

[Journey]

How long are we supposed to pretend Johnny and Skye are gonna last?

[The Overlord]

An interesting I asked last year, but one that bears repeating for this new thread, should the FF's rogues gallery be revamped for modern times and how should they be revamped?

Dr. Doom is almost always a great villain and Galactus is one of the most powerful villains in the Marvel, but most of the rest FF's rogues gallery from the Silver Age either seem dated, buried under a ton mediocre stories or no longer seem like they are in the FF's league, with the FF outgrowing them a long time ago.

Red Ghost really seems like some cold war throwback who has not been relevant since 1989. Wizard, I would argue was a pretty lame villain and the writer's don't commit to a new direction with him, so they just reset him back his Silver Age characterization (that mental breakdown he had, came out of the blue and had a lame pay off), Trapster is pretty bad too. Mole Man seems like another villain with little in terms of clear direction, does he still want to conquer the surface world for being mistreated in the past or does he want to protect the creatures of the underworld from the surface world, because attacking the surface the world will ensure they will want to attack Mole Man's kingdom. Mad Thinker had some good moments in New warriors, but that was a long time ago and he often just comes across as another generic mad scientist, when really in the hands of a great writer, his skill set would be far more unique than that.

It does help that the writers have made the FF more powerful as time has gone on (Reed's intelligence, Susan and Johnny's power have increased a lot over the decades) that a lot of these villains no longer seem like they are in thee FF's league anymore.

[The BaRoN]

Fantastic to see R.B. Silva is doing the one shot 0 issue seen above.

Him and Larraz on the Avengers 0 issue, they’re the best at marvel right now and it’s great to see FF finally in the main spotlight of an event for the first time in 5 years.

I would have LOVED Larraz on the FF issue as he’s simply incredible and his FF work so far was great in HoX and FF 11 variant but Silva is also fantastic.

I’ll be picking up the connecting covers and any decent variants

[markhyperion]

So since Noir is focused on Thing. Negative Zone was Reed. Annihilation was Torch. Does Empyre go tp a focus on Sue?

Also,

Three miniseries

Ff/xmen
Sue Storm mini
Two in one

Four one shots (listed above)

Spinoff in Future foundation

And a return of the original FF comic

Im pretty sure this confirms Disney is introducing FF in MCU in next 2 years. Im callin it now

[Digifiend]

Two In One wasn't a mini, it lasted 12 issues. It's an ongoing that got cancelled after a year because Fantastic Four had returned.

[Shadowcat]

Fantastic to see R.B. Silva is doing the one shot 0 issue seen above.

Him and Larraz on the Avengers 0 issue, they’re the best at marvel right now and it’s great to see FF finally in the main spotlight of an event for the first time in 5 years.

I would have LOVED Larraz on the FF issue as he’s simply incredible and his FF work so far was great in HoX and FF 11 variant but Silva is also fantastic.

I’ll be picking up the connecting covers and any decent variants

YESSSS. Their work on HOX/POX was jaw dropping beautiful.

[Shadowcat]

With Empyre touching on past Avengers storylines, like Kree/Skrull War, and the Celestial Madonna Saga, I wonder what FF storylines will be referenced in Empyre.

[Crimz]

Finally got some the Funko's. Haven't got Sue's yet and planning on getting HERBIE, Doom, and Galactus next time.

20200119_204237.jpg

[danielsan52]

With Empyre touching on past Avengers storylines, like Kree/Skrull War, and the Celestial Madonna Saga, I wonder what FF storylines will be referenced in Empyre.

Perhaps Lyja?

[scribbleMind]

An interesting I asked last year, but one that bears repeating for this new thread, should the FF's rogues gallery be revamped for modern times and how should they be revamped?

Dr. Doom is almost always a great villain and Galactus is one of the most powerful villains in the Marvel, but most of the rest FF's rogues gallery from the Silver Age either seem dated, buried under a ton mediocre stories or no longer seem like they are in the FF's league, with the FF outgrowing them a long time ago.

Red Ghost really seems like some cold war throwback who has not been relevant since 1989. Wizard, I would argue was a pretty lame villain and the writer's don't commit to a new direction with him, so they just reset him back his Silver Age characterization (that mental breakdown he had, came out of the blue and had a lame pay off), Trapster is pretty bad too. Mole Man seems like another villain with little in terms of clear direction, does he still want to conquer the surface world for being mistreated in the past or does he want to protect the creatures of the underworld from the surface world, because attacking the surface the world will ensure they will want to attack Mole Man's kingdom. Mad Thinker had some good moments in New warriors, but that was a long time ago and he often just comes across as another generic mad scientist, when really in the hands of a great writer, his skill set would be far more unique than that.

It does help that the writers have made the FF more powerful as time has gone on (Reed's intelligence, Susan and Johnny's power have increased a lot over the decades) that a lot of these villains no longer seem like they are in thee FF's league anymore.

I think a lot of them were updated for modern times, they have become so much more human. So human in fact, that they don't make for threatening villains. Even Wizard has found some humanity, in so much that I now feel sorry for him more times than not, but that doesn't make him very threatening. I wouldn't strip away the new found humanity/moral complexity of so many Fantastic Four villains, I'd just make new villains. Like, I think Mole Man has been used appropriately. He's never going to be a serious/major villain again, but as an interesting person and means of introducing plot threads and new environments? He's excellent. He's great in this place that lies between supporting cast and antagonist, and so many F4 villains have found themselves in that place, and that place makes for good character work. Doom aside, it's simply not a place where one can be particularly menacing. That said, being in that place allows FF to have its cake and eat it too. It can have new villains, and still maintain its most loved older villains as spice, flavor, glue, or a means of unpredictability if used well.