Short and sweet, this time, folks, because I'm running so late and all.
I used to read Fantastic Four, several years ago. I read some of the stories from the 70s, with that early George Perez art, where he made The Thing look like an inflatable toy, through the Byrne era and beyond. I never picked it up regularly, since John Byrne left the book, but I always kept an eye out for it, from time to time, just to see what was happening.
Since Byrne's run on FF, the series and the team have gone through many changes, some good, some bloody awful. The perrenial toddler, Franklin Richards has gone from precocious Dennis the Menace-type to godlike superbeing and back, again. The Thing has sprouted spikes and lost them, as well as losing his long-time lady love, Alicia Masters to partner Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch. But wait, that wasn't Alicia, at all! The "Alicia Masters" that Johnny married turned out to be a Skrull (alien shape-changers and long-time enemies of the FF).
Needless to say, it's been a wild ride. The FF disappeared from the regular Marvel Universe, for a year, during the Heroes Reborn experiment (debacle?) and returned with some fanfare, in the able hands of writer/artist Alan Davis. His short stint on the book, a mere three issues, stands out in my mind as one of the best depictions of this most unusual of superhero books. Unlike other superhero teams, the Fantastic Four were brought together as a family, first, and super-powered adventurers, second. They share a common origin, having been bombarded by cosmic rays in an early space flight, unlike the Justice Society of America, the Justice League of America, the Avengers, or even the Doom Patrol and the X-men, the last two sharing some trait or oddity that brings them together. The Fantastic Four began as explorers, pushing back the boundaries of science, not as brawlers fighting evil-doers, and that legacy makes them different from most other teams, as well. Perhaps the team they share the most with is DC Comics' Challengers of the Unknown, a group of adventurers who share a similar origin with the FF, surviving a terrible plane crash, much as the FF would later survive the crash of their rocket, following their exposure to cosmic rays.
It's not surprising that these two teams would share some resemblance, Jack Kirby had a hand in the creation of both, and he was known the enjoy the kind of interplay between characters that a mix of divergent, often mutually abrasive, personalities could bring to a story. I would not be at all surprised to learn that Jack was also a fan of Doc Savage, whose collection of "assistants" formed the archetypal male adventure team. In the Fantastic Four, this mix was altered, somewhat, by the addition of a woman into the "boys' club", in the form of Susan Storm (later Susan Richards, after she married the team leader, Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, in one of the most...um...fantastic..weddings in comics history). Into the mix of brains, brawn and brashness, Sue Storm brought a feminine touch, often playing the role of peacemaker between her headstrong younger brother, Johnny, the Human Torch and the massive, morose Ben Grimm, the Thing. Johnny had and still has, a mean streak where Ben is concerned and seemingly delights in tormenting him. For his part, Ben seems to be a volcano, perpetually on the verge of eruption. Unlike the others, his transformation into the Thing has been more or less permanent, with occasional reversions to human form a cruel reminder of what he has lost. In the early days of the FF, Ben used to wallow in self-pity, with Johnny eventually provoking him into a brawl. Johnny the amateur psychologist, perhaps.
One thing has bugged me, for years, about the Fantastic Four's costumes. In the early days, it didn't matter, everyone was wearing tights and it seemed like the thing to do, but lately, the styling has seemed ridiculous, to me. First and foremost, the Fantastic Four is about the people, not the costumes. Rather than the flashy, distinctive costume of an Avenger, the FF's uniform began as a fairly utilitarian garment. Composed of "unstable molecules" the cloth of their uniforms was able to withstand and adapt to the changes in their bodies, when they used their powers, but were never meant to draw attention the way someone like Spider-man intended. Considering the kind of missions the FF were routinely called on, in the early days, I always thought something more along the lines of military fatigues would be better, for them. Still, I like the idea of the close-fitting costume, so what I did was combine the two ideas, starting with something along the lines of the traditional FF uniform and colors, and adapting some good, sturdy footgear to the superhero motif, rather than the flimsy slipper-socks they've been wearing all these years. Add to that a utility belt and appropriate gadgets. For Ben, I came up with a utility vest, something to carry a couple of spare cigars in , and some loose shorts, because he's just too old to run around in a speedo any longer! Sue is wearing an insulated jacket, for those days when it's just too cold out to fly around in the unstable molecular equivalent of spandex, in an open flying bathtub!
So, a bit late, but here, finally. Hope you like my Fantastic Four. Someday I hope to get a good handle on drawing the Thing, I just can't seem to get him to look the way I want. When I do, that is definitely one book I would love to work on, someday. Well, that's all I have for now, drop me a note to let me know what you think, I always appreciate feedback. Until next time......
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