World's Greatest Comic: The Fantastic Four Appreciation 2023

[Gaastra]

Happy new year FF!


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[Reviresco]

Interesting choice of covers, there Gaastra.

A lot of those articles are way outdated… I wonder how hard it would be to update the data..

Do we have a list of how many issues each writer has tackled the main series? I’m curious on the numbers..

Fantastic Four is my number one comic that I’ve bought consistently through the years.. (since issue 347). It has definitely had highs and lows, but I stick with it, unlike X-men, where I only picked up an issue here and there for over a decade to see if it was for me again.

What I love most about them is the family aspect (naturally), but not just the main four. I love how extended their cast becomes, but I’m often disappointed when a new writer comes in and trashes the great stuff from the previous worker. The biggest example of this is Slott wiping out the Future Foundation instead of letting them simmer in the background. I have high hopes for the new era, but I’m also nervous that the kids and remaining supporting cast will get negatively affected…. It’s early in the run, so it’s ok for now. I hope the same care and characterization established so far will be applied to Franklin, Valeria, Jo-Venn, N’Kalla, and even Bentley should he return.

I'd prefer writers to build on what comes before also, but TBH, Future Foundation only worked, sort of, for me, when it had it's own book. But I also just gave up on Slott's run. It never clicked for me personally.

Hmmm. Well I can update the posts, which I've been needing to do. But the articles, nope. The only dependable article writer on CBR now is Cronin, and he might update something. I know he does a variety of popular votes and articles on abandoned plots, legends, true or false. I will try to do some digging on his tag.

That's a good question on the number of issues. I'll see if I can find / do that.

[Nomads1]

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Ah, the "Great" FF run that never was. IMHO, this had so much potential. Though never much of an Englehart fan, I was actually excited to see where this new team would go. Sadly, after a cool couple of issues, introducing a new FF villain, John Buscema left (and I mean no disrespect to Keith Pollard, who is a great artist, however, he's not John Buscema), and then came what I like to call "The Monster Squad", with pinapple Thing, She-Thing, and Supernova Torch, with even Crystal leaving. IMHO, it was a waste of potential.

Peace

[danielsan52]

Ah, the "Great" FF run that never was. IMHO, this had so much potential. Though never much of an Englehart fan, I was actually excited to see where this new team would go. Sadly, after a cool couple of issues, introducing a new FF villain, John Buscema left (and I mean no disrespect to Keith Pollard, who is a great artist, however, he's not John Buscema), and then came what I like to call "The Monster Squad", with pinapple Thing, She-Thing, and Supernova Torch, with even Crystal leaving. IMHO, it was a waste of potential.

Peace

This is my favorite FF Team ever!

It’s a crime that they’ve never regrouped and that Sharon is still stuck as She-Thing.

[Gaastra]

Yeah have huge soft spot for that era. Helped i read them when i was younger. Secret wars 3 was a neat but oddly forgotten story ark. Shame they were forced to remove crystal and bring reed and sue back screwing up the avengers plans as well.

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[Reviresco]

Yeah have huge soft spot for that era. Helped i read them when i was younger. Secret wars 3 was a neat but oddly forgotten story ark. Shame they were forced to remove crystal and bring reed and sue back screwing up the avengers plans as well.

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I love this image! LOL!

I think our first FF issues always are special to us.

[danielsan52]

Yeah have huge soft spot for that era. Helped i read them when i was younger. Secret wars 3 was a neat but oddly forgotten story ark. Shame they were forced to remove crystal and bring reed and sue back screwing up the avengers plans as well.

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What was the forced change?

[Phoenixx9]

Yeah have huge soft spot for that era. Helped i read them when i was younger. Secret wars 3 was a neat but oddly forgotten story ark. Shame they were forced to remove crystal and bring reed and sue back screwing up the avengers plans as well.

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Crystal has such powerful potential, yet was not used for long, which is a shame. She looked great with the team, whether in her classic yellow or FF uniform!

[Phoenixx9]

I love this image! LOL!

I think our first FF issues always are special to us.

I whole-heartedly agree Rev!

[Darkshadow]

What was the forced change?

Editorial demanded the return of Reed and Sue to restore the original line up.

[Dermie]

This is my favorite FF Team ever!

It’s a crime that they’ve never regrouped and that Sharon is still stuck as She-Thing.

I loved this roster and this run as well. I know it isn't exactly a favourite of many FF fans, partly due to it being such a big change from the classic roster and partly due to the weird turn the series took towards the end of the run due to editorial interference...but Englehart's run remains one of my favourite FF runs!

Shary Ventura went on quite the dramatic character arc, starting as a bit of a basket case and potential risk to the team; spiraling into depression and almost a complete mental breakdown after she became a Thing...but ultimately healing, finding love and becoming a very confident and capable hero, worthy of her place on the team. Many people tend to forget that during this era she was the 'brains' of the team in Reed's absence. Although she wasn't a scientific genius like him she had a very sharp mind and even Reed was impressed with her intellect once he returned to the group.

Crystal got to show what a powerhouse she can be. The triangle between her and Johnny and 'Alicia' was well handled since it treated the characters fairly and as complex people -- Crystal wasn't just "the other woman" trying to steal someone's husband. She genuinely didn't want to break up Johnny's marriage or hurt Alicia, and made no effort to do so...but she also couldn't help how she felt. No one was a 'bad guy' in that scenario--they were all just people in a messy situation due to complicated emotions.

The Frightful Four roster Englehart introduced in this run--Wizard, Klaw, Hydro-Man and Titania--remains my favourite version of that team ever. No offense to long-time Frightful Four mainstay Trapster, but every member of this new roster was a more equal match to the FF than Trapster ever was.

Englehart made some good use of established FF foes like the Frightful Four, Diablo, Mole Man, Dragon Man and both Doctor Doom and Kristoff, while also introducing some new foes for them like Fasaud or bringing over Master Pandemonium from his WCA run.

We got the first Thing/Hulk fight where Ben actually got to win the fight! We had the great cosmic explorations the FF are known for with the arc to discover the origins of the Beyonders. We had appearances by various classic FF allies like She-Hulk, Black Panther and the Inhumans.

There's a lot of good things in this run to look back on fondly, and I think it is frequently underrated by fans.

[Darkshadow]

I loved this roster and this run as well. I know it isn't exactly a favourite of many FF fans, partly due to it being such a big change from the classic roster and partly due to the weird turn the series took towards the end of the run due to editorial interference...but Englehart's run remains one of my favourite FF runs!

Shary Ventura went on quite the dramatic character arc, starting as a bit of a basket case and potential risk to the team; spiraling into depression and almost a complete mental breakdown after she became a Thing...but ultimately healing, finding love and becoming a very confident and capable hero, worthy of her place on the team. Many people tend to forget that during this era she was the 'brains' of the team in Reed's absence. Although she wasn't a scientific genius like him she had a very sharp mind and even Reed was impressed with her intellect once he returned to the group.

Crystal got to show what a powerhouse she can be. The triangle between her and Johnny and 'Alicia' was well handled since it treated the characters fairly and as complex people -- Crystal wasn't just "the other woman" trying to steal someone's husband. She genuinely didn't want to break up Johnny's marriage or hurt Alicia, and made no effort to do so...but she also couldn't help how she felt. No one was a 'bad guy' in that scenario--they were all just people in a messy situation due to complicated emotions.

The Frightful Four roster Englehart introduced in this run--Wizard, Klaw, Hydro-Man and Titania--remains my favourite version of that team ever. No offense to long-time Frightful Four mainstay Trapster, but every member of this new roster was a more equal match to the FF than Trapster ever was.

Englehart made some good use of established FF foes like the Frightful Four, Diablo, Mole Man, Dragon Man and both Doctor Doom and Kristoff, while also introducing some new foes for them like Fasaud or bringing over Master Pandemonium from his WCA run.

We got the first Thing/Hulk fight where Ben actually got to win the fight! We had the great cosmic explorations the FF are known for with the arc to discover the origins of the Beyonders. We had appearances by various classic FF allies like She-Hulk, Black Panther and the Inhumans.

There's a lot of good things in this run to look back on fondly, and I think it is frequently underrated by fans.

That exploration underground with the cat people and portals was a mess, but it sure was fun. I go back and read that arc often.

[Gaastra]

What was the forced change?

Remove crystal from ff forcing them to rewrite that years Annuel ending. (that Annuel was part of both evolutionary war event and secret wars 3 event! Two events in one issue! How many times has that happened!) Put reed and sue back in the team and later get thing back to classic form.

This screwed up the avengers as well that had reed and sue on the team. The fake ff the evil watcher made to have "ff back to its classic form" was a slam at marvel for forcing everything to return to status! and some of the "dream" issues were real plots planned but marvel now screwed up!

It also led to torchs wife is a skrull to remove the wedding and torch going back acting like a child again as "back to statis".

We got the first Thing/Hulk fight where Ben actually got to win the fight! We had the great cosmic explorations the FF are known for with the arc to discover the origins of the Beyonders. We had appearances by various classic FF allies like She-Hulk, Black Panther and the Inhumans.

Beyonder event was secret wars 3 that gave us a rare comet man appearance! Issues 313-317 and Annuel 21 were the event. (some saddle the right before fall of the mutants issue and black panther two issues with the event to it but it officially starts with 313.

Spikey thing was much stronger. Even kang was shocked how strong thing was. "thing should not be this strong! What on earth happened to the fantastic four while i was gone!"

The Frightful Four roster Englehart introduced in this run--Wizard, Klaw, Hydro-Man and Titania--remains my favourite version of that team ever. No offense to long-time Frightful Four mainstay Trapster, but every member of this new roster was a more equal match to the FF than Trapster ever was.

Agree. Love that version.

[Nomads1]

Editorial demanded the return of Reed and Sue to restore the original line up.

Plus, they, or even Byrne himself, didn't want to follow on with what Simonson had established in his Avengers run.

Peace

[Mike]

My very first Fantastic Four issue #176
Bought off of a spinner rack in late summer 1976.
Still one of my favorite issues.
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