"Fantastic Four" May Live On-Screen, Disappear From Comics

[Flash Gordon]

Does this mean no Silver Surfer? I don't really care if the FF just goes into the background of other books for a while. Hickman and Fraction were doing interesting stuff, but the book sucks now.

[ShadowDemon]

Gotta disagree with that. I will only read comics that I feel are good. If a comic isn't good, I don't care what characters are in it or whatever, I will stop reading it. If I didn't think that the Hawkeye series was good, I would drop it.

I think if more people started following quality more than characters, we'd be better off. There'd be more diversity of content, and stronger stories all around. Buying a book that is not good simply out of habit or to maintain a complete run or just because you like the character only serves to keep a sub par book alive.

That's not what I'm saying. I won't read a bad book either, even if I like the characters (I dropped All New X-Men, for example, despite the fact that the O5 are some of my favorite characters) because I didn't like the way it was written. Likewise I gave the "reality show" era of New Warriors a pass because I didn't like that creative direction either.

In the movie-verse, I made sure NOT to give my money to IM 3 (despite the fact that RDJ's Tony is the best character they have because of everything I read/heard that told me it was going to suck as a film.

Had a chance to watch it for free after it came out on dvd, and sure enough, it sucked.

But that doesn't mean that I'm going to rush out and pick up an Elektra book (for example) no matter who writes it because I don't care about her as a character. Same with Ant-Man on the movie side (if they even get it made).

The "just read something else" argument is a prescription for perpetual failure in comics because there is no pressure applied to the creatives to FIX books that have developed problems or lost their way.

[ShadowDemon]

Individually, you are powerless. However, if enough people do the same as you, then runs end rather quickly.

The problem is that when those who aren't happy and want to organize to force change try to do so, they get hit with the "just don't read it" and "characters aren't important, good comics are" arguments to try to stop them from doing just what you suggest.

[Iron Maiden]

Does this mean no Silver Surfer? I don't really care if the FF just goes into the background of other books for a while. Hickman and Fraction were doing interesting stuff, but the book sucks now.

He was on the list of characters posted on Bleeding Cool. Artists doing sketch cards were told not to use him among others like Galactus, the Skrulls, and Doctor Doom.
If the Slott/Allred comic continues to sell well, Marvel isn't going to be canceling it any time soon. At least according to Tom B.

[hawkeyefan]

That's not what I'm saying. I won't read a bad book either, even if I like the characters (I dropped All New X-Men, for example, despite the fact that the O5 are some of my favorite characters) because I didn't like the way it was written. Likewise I gave the "reality show" era of New Warriors a pass because I didn't like that creative direction either.

In the movie-verse, I made sure NOT to give my money to IM 3 (despite the fact that RDJ's Tony is the best character they have because of everything I read/heard that told me it was going to suck as a film.

Had a chance to watch it for free after it came out on dvd, and sure enough, it sucked.

But that doesn't mean that I'm going to rush out and pick up an Elektra book (for example) no matter who writes it because I don't care about her as a character. Same with Ant-Man on the movie side (if they even get it made).

The "just read something else" argument is a prescription for perpetual failure in comics because there is no pressure applied to the creatives to FIX books that have developed problems or lost their way.

I'm not saying just read something else. I'm saying don't read something you don't like. Whether someone replaces that book with something else doesn't matter. It'd probably be better for the industry, but to each their own.

What you're describing is more like not reading something, Elektra as your example, because you have no interest in the character. Which I can understand....but it's the opposite of what I am saying.

[blakkrussian]

I'm just happy i was proved right.

[Star_Jammer]

I'm just happy i was proved right.

Not quite sure that that is something to be happy about.

But for clarification purposes, are you happy that you were right about F4 being canceled? Or are you happy about being right that there might not be an F4 title for a little while (because let's be honest, F4 was *just* rebooted right after *yet another* reboot)?

[Anarchist]

I'm just happy i was proved right.

Right about what exactly?
Do you seriously believe the FF are now cancelled forever?

Thor was also cancelled for quite a long time when he died between Disassembled and Civil War, you know.

It's just a matter of time until they return.

[Havok83]

Right about what exactly?
Do you seriously believe the FF are now cancelled forever?

Thor was also cancelled for quite a long time when he died between Disassembled and Civil War, you know.

It's just a matter of time until they return.

Cancelled is cancelled. Thor returning to a new ongoing years after his old one was cancelled, didnt change that. The FF's current series will techncially be cancelled forever. When the team comes back in an ongoing it will be new series as Marvel doesn't do the whole continuation that they used to

Not quite sure that that is something to be happy about.

But for clarification purposes, are you happy that you were right about F4 being canceled? Or are you happy about being right that there might not be an F4 title for a little while (because let's be honest, F4 was *just* rebooted right after *yet another* reboot)?

he's probably happy bc people in here gave him crap for believing the book would end and months later it turns out that it is happening after all

[hawkeyefan]

Cancelled is cancelled. Thor returning to a new ongoing years after his old one was cancelled, didnt change that. The FF's current series will techncially be cancelled forever. When the team comes back in an ongoing it will be new series as Marvel doesn't do the whole continuation that they used to

he's probably happy bc people in here gave him crap for believing the book would end and months later it turns out that it is happening after all

They're actually returning to the old numbering again, so I don't know if they don't "do the continuation". The books freely jump back and forth to old and new numbering in any manner that they feel is advantageous.

The title of the thread is that the FF will disappear from comics. Even with the updated news, I don't think that'll be the case.

[Mark]

Maybe not disappear, but I'm not sure how they can keep going with Sue going crazy and Reed's actions in the Illuminati. I don't think any of the creators at marvel like or respect the FF and what it meant to marvel once upon a time and while I think they'll throw out an issue every now and then to keep the copyright I don't see them putting a lot of effort into anything that doesn't have 'Avengers' or 'X' somewhere in the title.

[hawkeyefan]

Maybe not disappear, but I'm not sure how they can keep going with Sue going crazy and Reed's actions in the Illuminati. I don't think any of the creators at marvel like or respect the FF and what it meant to marvel once upon a time and while I think they'll throw out an issue every now and then to keep the copyright I don't see them putting a lot of effort into anything that doesn't have 'Avengers' or 'X' somewhere in the title.

No, that's wrong. I realize you think everyone who works on Marvel books is pessimistic, but that's not necessarily the case. I think it's more a case of you being pessimistic.

Hickman's run on FF was genuine and heartfelt and positive and full of wonder. And it was we'll received by fans and critics, and saw the addition of a second FF book.

[Tiamatty]

Maybe not disappear, but I'm not sure how they can keep going with Sue going crazy and Reed's actions in the Illuminati. I don't think any of the creators at marvel like or respect the FF and what it meant to marvel once upon a time and while I think they'll throw out an issue every now and then to keep the copyright I don't see them putting a lot of effort into anything that doesn't have 'Avengers' or 'X' somewhere in the title.

Sue's going temporarily crazy, and she's fighting back against that. She'll be fine.

Reed's going to be tougher to redeem, but we'll see how Time Runs Out plays out. He may turn out fine, too.

The people at Marvel have plenty of love and respect for the Fantastic Four. The problem is the Fantastic Four has long been a title that's either brilliant or blandly forgettable. For most of the '70s, it was bland. Byrne took over it for a while in the '80s and made it a must-read title, then after he left, it went back to being bland for a few years. More recently, Hickman's run was brilliant, Fraction's was generally ignored.

It's a book that doesn't seem to have the same sort of permanent audience that the X-Men, Spider-Man and the Avengers have. Even a poorly-received Uncanny X-Men does well in the charts. A poorly-received Fantastic Four is no longer able to do that.

[Havok83]

They're actually returning to the old numbering again, so I don't know if they don't "do the continuation". The books freely jump back and forth to old and new numbering in any manner that they feel is advantageous.

The title of the thread is that the FF will disappear from comics. Even with the updated news, I don't think that'll be the case.

We'll see. I don't claim to see the future but I think when the team gets an ongoing again, it will launch as a new series with a #1, not 646

The series "Fantastic Four" WILL be disappearing. That is what is meant by the title of the thread and explained in the original article that it covers

[hawkeyefan]

We'll see. I don't claim to see the future but I think when the team gets an ongoing again, it will launch as a new series with a #1, not 646

The series "Fantastic Four" WILL be disappearing. That is what is meant by the title of the thread and explained in the original article that it covers

Yes, but that's happened three times in the last few years. This time it seems that we'll be without an FF book of some sort for a while. And that's fine....sometimes a hiatus can do a character or a book some good.

My only real problem is the phrasing used. "Disappear from comics" sounds a lot more ominous than "current volume will end". Bleeding Cool is playing that up to try and make more of this than there is, and CBR certainly seemed to play along with their choice of headline.