CBR: 10 Reasons Marvel Needs The Fantastic Four NOW!

[Crimz]

It was actually 20 years ago next month when it was number one in sales.

I want them back, they're marvel and the soul of marvel.

Now marvels just a pile of ****.

The way some people make it sound, I thought is was longer ago. If Guardians of the Galaxy was made popular, then it's not impossible for the Fantastic Four to be popular again someday.

[The Whovian]

The last time that Fantastic Four was worthy of the label "The World's Greatest Comic Book Magazine" was when Walt Simonson wrote and drew it.

Hickman just wrote one of the best FF runs ever.

[CaptCleghorn]

And it's sad that a conventional superhero book like this can't draw big numbers today.

The FF was at its peak when Lee and Kirby had the book. By that I mean a sales leader and the book everyone else looked to to see what was going on. The difference is that the FF wasn't anywhere near a conventional superhero book then. They were different, they broke new ground and took characters to personalities we hadn't seen in any standard superhero literature. The situation today is everyone else is doing that now. Even with amazingly brilliant art and story, the competition has caught up and in cases, surpassed them.

If the FF is to be something similar to what happened in the sixties, they need to return in something new and innovative. Don't do Lee/Kirby, Byrne, or Hickman; think outside the box. The FF has had some very nice boxes and to their credit, did much to design the late 20th century superhero box. Go outside the box. Expand what it means to be a superhero book in the 21st century.

Then you could live up to being the World's Greatest Comic Magazine again

[Crimz]

The FF was at its peak when Lee and Kirby had the book. By that I mean a sales leader and the book everyone else looked to to see what was going on. The difference is that the FF wasn't anywhere near a conventional superhero book then. They were different, they broke new ground and took characters to personalities we hadn't seen in any standard superhero literature. The situation today is everyone else is doing that now. Even with amazingly brilliant art and story, the competition has caught up and in cases, surpassed them.

If the FF is to be something similar to what happened in the sixties, they need to return in something new and innovative. Don't do Lee/Kirby, Byrne, or Hickman; think outside the box. The FF has had some very nice boxes and to their credit, did much to design the late 20th century superhero box. Go outside the box. Expand what it means to be a superhero book in the 21st century.

Then you could live up to being the World's Greatest Comic Magazine again

I agree with this.

But, the problem is, what would be considered out of the box nowadays? What could be done without erasing how the characters have been portrayed all these years?

[LordLeviathan]

Kinda agree with this; we don't need a "dark" FF, for instance. In general, I think the FF is seen as too "straight" to work today; nobody's killed anyone, they remain a family after all that's happened to them, they have children that they (mostly) pay attention to and acknowledge, etc. And it's sad that a conventional superhero book like this can't draw big numbers today.

I do think there are current creators who could strike the right tone and get the team and its characters, though. Jeff Parker comes to mind, and maybe Christos Gage. Please keep folks like Mr. Bendis and Millar far away.

conventional? IMHO the one word you can't use do describe the FF is conventional

[MindofShadow]

#6 so what is their excuse with Deadpool?

#1 Fox nor Michael B Jordan have damage that franchise. Fanboy behavior did over one film caused all that. 2 out 3 FF films didn't bomb.

#7 Once again what is the excuse with Deadpool? X-Men? Someone is making money no matter what. If Disney really thought like that a lot of ABC/Disney shows would not be on other networks.

Deadpool is too valuable to cast away. He brings in too much comic money. Ditto for Wolverine.

To "stop" F4, they just had to stop one book. And even then, they are using a lot of the main players from that corner (Johnny, Ben, Doom, Galactus, Annihilus).

To "stop" X-men, you would have to crush a whole line of books. Mutliple team books, multiple solos. It is just not feasible.

[Digifiend]

#1 Fox nor Michael B Jordan have damage that franchise. Fanboy behavior did over one film caused all that. 2 out 3 FF films didn't bomb.

If Rise of the Silver Surfer didn't bomb, why did they reboot instead of making another sequel with the same cast? The only successful FF movie of the three Fox released was the first one.

[Havok83]

Has there been any mention of the FF since Secret Wars ended? Like have any of the other teams questioned why they are no longer around. Have Ben or Johnny (or Doom) reflected on Sue, Reed and the children's disappearance?

Are they presumed dead? Anyone know where they are? Did they rearrange themselves out of existence?

[Crimz]

Has there been any mention of the FF since Secret Wars ended? Like have any of the other teams questioned why they are no longer around. Have Ben or Johnny (or Doom) reflected on Sue, Reed and the children's disappearance?

Are they presumed dead? Anyone know where they are? Did they rearrange themselves out of existence?

I don't know if anyone knows what the FF are exactly doing. It doesn't seem like anyone in the MU knows that they are rebuilding the multiverse, they just say that they are "gone". So I don't think they are believed to be dead, but no one knows if or when they are coming back.

Here are the times they have been mention since Secret Wars:

Uncanny Avengers


Amazing Spider-man


Jessica Jones


These are the only times they have been mentioned in-Universe.

[Havok83]

I don't know if anyone knows what the FF are exactly doing. It doesn't seem like anyone in the MU knows that they are rebuilding the multiverse, they just say that they are "gone". So I don't think they are believed to be dead, but no one knows if or when they are coming back.

Here are the times they have been mention since Secret Wars:

Uncanny Avengers


Amazing Spider-man


Jessica Jones


These are the only times they have been mentioned in-Universe.

thank you!

[Marvel Forever]

You both make good points. CaptCleghorn is right. The FF was at it's peak during the Lee-Kirby run and as I have been preaching for years now, the FF staff must find ways to "go outside the box". Then again, Crimz also makes a valid point to pose the question of "what would be considered out of the box nowadays and what could be done without erasing how the characters have been portrayed all these years?" To be truthful, logic would dictate that thinking outside the box would almost certainly require some major changes, either in the make-up of the team and/or in the personality/role of the characters. What major changes can be done to save the FF from a permanent place on the comic shelf? Here are a few options for all to ponder:

(1) Allow Ben Grimm to finally be cured and to go back and forth from human to the Thing at will.

(2) Let Ben marry and have a child.

(3) Have Johnny Storm finally marry and father a child.

(4) Reveal that Reed Richards and Medusa had a fling during the 1970's Reed-Sue separation and that Reed secretly fathered a child with Medusa. This causes Sue to walk out of the marriage and the team. Replace her with either Medusa or another Marvel heroine. Let the separation go on for at least 24 months. Have the fans vote and decide if the team is better with Sue or with her replacement. If Medusa is Sue's replacement, then Medusa needs some new power to go along with her deadly hair or else the fans will not see her as a valid replacement for Sue. The need for this development is to bring some startling suspense into the title. Also, the call for the fans to actually have a voice in the outcome is something that might just bring some new fans to the title. The son or daughter of Medusa and Reed could even be shown to be a young adult now and could be added to the team. With so many blended families in today's world, such a move would be reflecting the truth of American society in 2016 and yet would be "thinking outside the traditional FF box" so to speak! For those of you who have been calling for years for Sue to have her own title, if she were to leave the FF, maybe then she could strike out on her own and get her own book? Then again, maybe she could finally get together with Prince Namor?

(5) Something must be done with the children. Many want Valeria to be written out of the comic. Others want the children to age into their teens. I am inclined to agree with the second option. Either way, significant change should be introduced to the children as well. If they are suddenly brought to their teen years, they might even be able to become members of the team? (One logical way to get rid of Valeria would be for her to leave with Sue, if Sue were to leave Reed and the team.)

(6) The team must expand it's membership. There are various ways to do this. The most logical way would be for Ben and/or Johnny to marry women with superpowers and they would then be natural members of the team. Then again, aging the children is another way to go. Also, why not do both?

[Xelossik]

Crimz:
You missed second time when they were mentioned in UA

[Marvel Forever]

It was actually 20 years ago next month when it was number one in sales.

I want them back, they're marvel and the soul of marvel.

Now marvels just a pile of ****.

Well, I might not have used your words, The BaRoN, but I see that we are thinking on the same wavelength....

[Crimz]

Crimz:
You missed second time when they were mentioned in UA

What issue was it? I don't remember it.

[Xelossik]

Crimz:
In issue 10 Torch asked Cable about them.
1ua1.jpg
1ua.jpg