The Fantastic Four Appreciation 2021

[Digifiend]

Wizard? If you like him, I'd pick up the current Power Pack mini.

[CaptCleghorn]

Congrats!

Thank you for sharing your story. I love hearing how fans started with comics and their favorites and why.

As much as I enjoy the ease of getting my comics these days, I have to say, part of the fun back then was tracking down missed comics and trading with other fans, like you mentioned.

Thank you.

The interactions necessary to find back issues back in the seventies was considerably more difficult than it is today in the wolrd of eBay, online comics shops, and LCS. We had to make connections, deal with shady p[eople, and watch our wallets, and stashes. People looking for drugs could have learned a lot form us in those days.

[Iron Maiden]

What ever happened with Lyja's pregnancy, did she give birth.

Yeah, sort of. It was some kind of weird Skrull World creature. DeFalco would flip flop a couple of times throughout its incubation but it ended up being an implant. Lyja was never pregnant after all.

[Thundershot]

Yeah, sort of. It was some kind of weird Skrull World creature. DeFalco would flip flop a couple of times throughout its incubation but it ended up being an implant. Lyja was never pregnant after all.

Having freshly reread it, I still think she thought she was pregnant (her thought bubbles even mentioned her baby) and at some point Paibok got ahold of her and swapped the real egg outworn the creature in an egg...

[Iron Maiden]

Having freshly reread it, I still think she thought she was pregnant (her thought bubbles even mentioned her baby) and at some point Paibok got ahold of her and swapped the real egg outworn the creature in an egg...

Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't think she deliberately mislead Johnny about being pregnant and he was pretty ticked off. But it was messy storytelling by DeFalco and IMO the worst kind of storyline you want to give a female character. I used to not like Lyja back in the day but I did grow more fond of her over time. It's good to see that not all Skrulls are bad. I'm glad she's still around somewhere and maybe one day she will pop up again. She was a part of the family in the MC2 universe and was married to Johnny.

[CaptCleghorn]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't think she deliberately mislead Johnny about being pregnant and he was pretty ticked off. But it was messy storytelling by DeFalco and IMO the worst kind of storyline you want to give a female character. I used to not like Lyja back in the day but I did grow more fond of her over time. It's good to see that not all Skrulls are bad. I'm glad she's still around somewhere and maybe one day she will pop up again. She was a part of the family in the MC2 universe and was married to Johnny.

Not all Skrulls are bad, but Lyja is one of the bad ones. Attempts to justify her not being despised by the Fantastic Four only muddy up her story. DeFalco created her in order to kind of fix Johnny's incredible dick move (written by Byrne) of hooking up with Alicia. It's pretty obvious that her MC2 status is DeFalco trying to make her a better figure as MC2 was his baby. Slott's obviously got something going on with Lyja and N'Kalla. Drama with kids is tough to do, but somehow tying in Ben's adopted daughter with the woman who replaced his wife seems intensely and excessively soap-operaish.

I can deal with Lyja getting some redemption, but Ben and Johnny being OK with Lyja is something I have trouble understanding and believing as anything but poor writing.

[Crimz]

Not all Skrulls are bad, but Lyja is one of the bad ones. Attempts to justify her not being despised by the Fantastic Four only muddy up her story. DeFalco created her in order to kind of fix Johnny's incredible dick move (written by Byrne) of hooking up with Alicia. It's pretty obvious that her MC2 status is DeFalco trying to make her a better figure as MC2 was his baby. Slott's obviously got something going on with Lyja and N'Kalla. Drama with kids is tough to do, but somehow tying in Ben's adopted daughter with the woman who replaced his wife seems intensely and excessively soap-operaish.

I can deal with Lyja getting some redemption, but Ben and Johnny being OK with Lyja is something I have trouble understanding and believing as anything but poor writing.

This is pretty much how I feel too. If they want to make her to be more heroic it's whatever to me, but Ben, Johnny, and Alicia should honestly never forgive her. Especially Johnny and Alicia. Any attempt to have her romantically involved with Johnny is disgusting tbh.

[Iron Maiden]

Not all Skrulls are bad, but Lyja is one of the bad ones. Attempts to justify her not being despised by the Fantastic Four only muddy up her story. DeFalco created her in order to kind of fix Johnny's incredible dick move (written by Byrne) of hooking up with Alicia. It's pretty obvious that her MC2 status is DeFalco trying to make her a better figure as MC2 was his baby. Slott's obviously got something going on with Lyja and N'Kalla. Drama with kids is tough to do, but somehow tying in Ben's adopted daughter with the woman who replaced his wife seems intensely and excessively soap-operaish.

I can deal with Lyja getting some redemption, but Ben and Johnny being OK with Lyja is something I have trouble understanding and believing as anything but poor writing.

Quite honestly I've not been keeping up with Slott's FF for a while. I didn't know he brought her back and the last time I recall her appearing anywhere was in the Fantastic Four Secret Invasion mini. Characters with worse behavior than hers have become accepted by their former foes.....like Emma Frost. So I have no problems with Johnny and Ben accepting her....they had come to accept her in the FF just before the Heroes Reborn put the series on hold.

[Thundershot]

Let’s not forget that Ben was crushing on Lyja while her and Johnny were separated. He was really upset when he found out Lyja and Laura Green were the same person because it meant Lyja wasn’t fair game anymore. Unfortunately the whole story had a rush ending because of Heroes Reborn. I’d love to know what DeFalco’s original plans were.

[CaptCleghorn]

Quite honestly I've not been keeping up with Slott's FF for a while. I didn't know he brought her back and the last time I recall her appearing anywhere was in the Fantastic Four Secret Invasion mini. Characters with worse behavior than hers have become accepted by their former foes.....like Emma Frost. So I have no problems with Johnny and Ben accepting her....they had come to accept her in the FF just before the Heroes Reborn put a the series on hold.

Let’s not forget that Ben was crushing on Lyja while her and Johnny were separated. He was really upset when he found out Lyja and Laura Green were the same person because it meant Lyja wasn’t fair game anymore. Unfortunately the whole story had a rush ending because of Heroes Reborn. I’d love to know what DeFalco’s original plans were.

I can't dispute what happened in stories. What I am saying is characters' reactions are totally unrealistic and bizarre. I can appreciate the problems with carrying a grudge in story when characters shift alliances, especially when the events happened decades ago IRL but only a few years in Marvel time. Now other characters binding I feel the same way about. Rogue and Carol Danvers, Emma and Kitty Pryde among them. But FF is the book I read so Lyja's the one I go on about.

[Iron Maiden]

Let’s not forget that Ben was crushing on Lyja while her and Johnny were separated. He was really upset when he found out Lyja and Laura Green were the same person because it meant Lyja wasn’t fair game anymore. Unfortunately the whole story had a rush ending because of Heroes Reborn. I’d love to know what DeFalco’s original plans were.

I thought DeFalco's hinting at a possible rivalry for Lyja by those two was really weird to be honest. I'm glad HR came along to when it did before it got any worse!

[Iron Maiden]

I can't dispute what happened in stories. What I am saying is characters' reactions are totally unrealistic and bizarre. I can appreciate the problems with carrying a grudge in story when characters shift alliances, especially when the events happened decades ago IRL but only a few years in Marvel time. Now other characters binding I feel the same way about. Rogue and Carol Danvers, Emma and Kitty Pryde among them. But FF is the book I read so Lyja's the one I go on about.

I think in Lyja's case she at least been shown that she was pretty much at the mercy/disposal of others in the Skrull hierarchy like Paibok and the Skrull Emperor who groomed her for this role whether she wanted to do it or not.

[Oberon]

CBR is posting a story about the upcoming 60th anniversary for Fantastic Four, with a tease for

The wedding of Dr. Doom. The article also says they're ramping from May til the anniversary for this, hope to bring back classic villains that everyone is asking for ( 'Oberonificant snort' )
Question 1:
Who do you think would be the bride of Doom?
Question 2:
Who/what villains would you really want to see, especially if they're classic but not exactly, Classic?

[Iron Maiden]

Here's the promo art that just popped up on my FB. Victor engaged again? How many times is that now? There was the amnesiac Shalla Bal and Wanda. I think I am forgetting one.

At first I thought the bride might be Zora/Victorious but she's in the upper left panel I think.

I like the 60th anniversary emblem.

[Sparko]

Only started really reading FF with Slott’s run and I’m loving it so far. I’m about to hit issue 12 now. How far back should I go after? Part of me wants to just do issue 1, the original, and maybe I will, but do I want to read 60’s comics? Ehh. I did quite enjoy the early AMS and DD, so maybe that’s where I should go. Marvel Unlimited does have so much.