Welcome to another Longbox Junk "Rescue Review"!
I'm blowing the dust off of some older reviews I wrote for a very well known comic site that isn't really focused on comics as much as they once were. Why let these go to waste hidden in a hard to navigate archive when they can still be relevant to bargain bin diggin' comic fans such as you and me?
This time out, I'm putting a bit of spit shine on a Marvel miniseries featuring one of my least favorite superhero teams. . .The Fantastic Four.
Now before you get out the torches and pitchforks, don't get me wrong. I don't HATE the FF, but like I say in my original intro below, I just prefer more "grounded" superheroes (Like Zorro and The Spirit) and sort of don't like superhero "Team" books in general.
But that's what's great about comics. . .there's something for everyone! If YOU like Fantastic Four, get down with some Fantastic Four! I'll be over here with a big cheesy grin reading Green Hornet.
That said, the whole point of Longbox Junk is to present things that people might otherwise pass over . . .and that goes for ME as well. So even though I'm not a fan of Fantastic Four, does that mean I'm just going to wave off some Fantastic Four comics in my collection like they're not worthy of my attention? HELL NO! Let's do this!
ORIGINAL INTRO:
Let me get this out right up front. I'm not a huge fan of most "mainstream" superheroes. That's not to say I don't like superheroes at all. . .it's just that I prefer the more "street level" or realistic (as realistic as comics can be anyway) heroes.
About the only "Traditional" or "Mainstream" superheroes I follow on a regular basis are Batman and Captain America. . .both relatively low power when it comes to comics. I like heroes like Daredevil, Zorro, The Rocketeer, Green Hornet, The Spirit, and so on and so forth.
The point is that except for this mini and a giant-size Marvel from the 70's (The Fabulous Fantastic Four), and a random issue here and there, I don't read or collect Fantastic Four, and I don't even really like them. I don't HATE them, it's just that I can be perfectly fine as a comic fan without ever buying a single issue of Fantastic Four.
That said, I'm willing to give ANY comic a fair shake. Let's do it!
The point is that except for this mini and a giant-size Marvel from the 70's (The Fabulous Fantastic Four), and a random issue here and there, I don't read or collect Fantastic Four, and I don't even really like them. I don't HATE them, it's just that I can be perfectly fine as a comic fan without ever buying a single issue of Fantastic Four.
That said, I'm willing to give ANY comic a fair shake. Let's do it!
ON A RE-READ, I PRETTY MUCH STILL AGREE WITH THE REVIEW AS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN, SO EXCEPT FOR A BIT OF POLISH, SOME PICTURES, AND CREATOR CREDITS, IT'S ABOUT THE SAME AS WHEN IT WAS FIRST PUBLISHED.
I REALLY enjoyed this first issue!
FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST FAMILY
Marvel (2006)
SCRIPTS: Joe Casey
PENCILS: Chris Weston
COVERS: Chris Weston
ISSUE 1
"THERE WAS A CRASH. . ."
I was very surprised to find myself enjoying it so much. For starters, the art is fantastic. . .the cover in particular, with Johnny Storm giving Reed Richards the bunny ears in a group photo. Other standout art moments are of Reed Richards and Ben Grimm shortly after their definitely NOT approved test flight and cosmic irradiation when they were still under government quarantine. Very nicely done! It really gave an image of just how unusual these people appeared to others.
The writing was stellar as well. . .I could feel Ben Grimm's heartbreak when his girlfriend rejected him and ran away. For a comic to make me feel something like that is truly unusual. Very well done on this first issue!
But can the creative team keep it up? It's only 6 issues. My fingers are crossed. . .
Okay. . .so after a stellar introduction, it starts getting a bit "super-hero-y" as the FF fight together as a team for the first time against an escapee from the same detention facility where they are being held. They fail pretty hard because they still aren't used to their powers or how to work together.
But can the creative team keep it up? It's only 6 issues. My fingers are crossed. . .
ISSUE 2
COSMIC RAY RAMPAGE
Okay. . .so after a stellar introduction, it starts getting a bit "super-hero-y" as the FF fight together as a team for the first time against an escapee from the same detention facility where they are being held. They fail pretty hard because they still aren't used to their powers or how to work together.
We start to see tension straining at them as Reed wants them to be one big happy family and the others aren't so sure. To make matters worse, Reed has another detainee in his head. . .a psionic psychotic who used their battle as a distraction to escape.
Plus the "team" goes on their first mission (mostly unseen, except for their report afterwards) for the government to Monster Island to fight The Mole Man. It's a 60's-Tastic callback to their original origin story!
The art is still great, with the exception of Sue Storm.
Plus the "team" goes on their first mission (mostly unseen, except for their report afterwards) for the government to Monster Island to fight The Mole Man. It's a 60's-Tastic callback to their original origin story!
The art is still great, with the exception of Sue Storm.
There are places where her face just looks. . .weird.
I can't believe this mini is dipping on the SECOND issue.
What started as an excellent introduction and updated origin story is turning into a punch-em-up.
This issue was half and half for me. . .I liked that they got back to the more personal side of people who just had their whole lives changed and how they deal with it. I didn't like the punchfest battle with a giant lizard in the streets of New York.
ISSUE 3
THE HOMECOMING DANCE
Ben Grimm goes back to one of his old hangouts and finds out there's no way he can go back to his old friends and ways. Johnny Storm does the same thing and finds himself being treated like a hometown hero. I loved the opposition of the two stories!
Reed Richards and Sue Storm also find themselves at odds because Reed wants to concentrate on the new team and Sue wants to try to continue with their plans to get married. Not as good as the other stories, but I still liked it.
Overall, this issue was superior to the second one, but not as good as the first. The art is still outstanding, once again the exception being Sue Storm's face. It seems the artist can't get a handle on her for some reason. . .
Overall, this issue was superior to the second one, but not as good as the first. The art is still outstanding, once again the exception being Sue Storm's face. It seems the artist can't get a handle on her for some reason. . .
ISSUE 4
THE TIES THAT BIND
I really liked this issue for its lack of punching and having some great story content.
Reed Richards sees both his team and his life falling apart. Ben Grimm refuses to accept what he's become. Johnny Storm lets his newfound fame go to his head. Sue Storm is totally pissed that Reed cares more about the idea of being a superhero than about her.
There's a real feeling of tension in this issue. And then there's the psychotic guy who keeps invading Reed's thoughts who finally decides that he's done trying to get Reed to see things his way and declares that he is now their enemy.
Not a bad issue at all. You really get the feeling of a team/family on the edge of breaking up.
Not a bad issue at all. You really get the feeling of a team/family on the edge of breaking up.
The art seems to be slipping a bit for some reason. The team is still the same, but there's a slightly different look. Unfortunately, the artist still can't draw Sue Storm consistently. On page 5 there's 3 views of her face and none of them look like the same woman, except for the blonde hair. The one at the bottom is really bad. But oddly enough, everything else looks great, especially like the fire effect on Johnny Storm.
ISSUE 5
"COLD, HARD. . ."
In the run-up to the final issue, there's some decent story moments. . .Johnny Storm letting fame go to his head and almost killing some thieves in his overconfidence. . .Sue Storm having lonely woman rage over her fiancee not paying attention to her. . . Reed giving up on the team and going to confront their new enemy on his own. . . The rest of them realizing they totally suck on their own and going after Reed to help him.
But aside from those story moments, the rest is a confusing mess as Reed joins in psychic battle inside a cosmic radiation-infused crystal that a rapidly-mutating psycho that's been in Reed's head wants to blow up and radiate thousands of people.
He also turns the guards at the base where the crystal is at into superhuman mutated monstrosities to fight the other three members of the FF in the real world as they fly into battle in what must be the lamest superhero vehicle in comic book history.
Okay. . .did you get all that? I guess the origin is done and it's time to punch things.
The final issue is a hot mess.
ISSUE 6
SIGNS AND SALVATION
It's split between the mental battle of Richards vs. Stahl in the radioactive crystal, where Reed proves it's not his stretchy limbs that make him awesome, but his big brain. . .and in the real world where the others take on extremely punchable monsters and prove that teamwork is the way to go!
After the battle is won, Reed uses his big brain to realize his fiancee is unhappy and gives her a shiny ring to distract from her misery. And THAT's why they call him Mister Fantastic!
At the end of the story, it's all smiles as they fly in to battle yet ANOTHER giant monster in New York in their awesome new official uniforms and the world's worst-looking flying machine.
At the end of the story, it's all smiles as they fly in to battle yet ANOTHER giant monster in New York in their awesome new official uniforms and the world's worst-looking flying machine.
Seriously. . .even Orion in his stupid Astro-Harness is laughing at the Fantasti-car.
It came to a pretty weak ending after a strong start, but I have to say that overall I liked most of this series. I wasn't a fan of the Fantastic Four coming in, and this didn't change my mind, but it had some really good story moments before they decided it HAD to end with a big battle. The artwork through the series was outstanding, except for a bit of trouble with Sue Storm's face.
All in all, I'd definitely suggest this book to fans of Fantastic Four or to someone wanting to know about the Fantastic Four without wading through 50 years worth of comic history. If I were interested in The Fantastic Four, I'd probably call this a pretty good starting point.
CONCLUSION
And there it is. . .Fantastic Four: First Family. The tale of 4 people coming together as a team and ignoring the laughter of a college kid on a Segway as they fly overhead in the lamest vehicle in New York City.
All in all, I'd definitely suggest this book to fans of Fantastic Four or to someone wanting to know about the Fantastic Four without wading through 50 years worth of comic history. If I were interested in The Fantastic Four, I'd probably call this a pretty good starting point.
2019 CONCLUSION UPDATE
Although I generally agree with the review as originally written, on a second reading I see that I MIGHT have been a bit harsh on some of the later issues. They're still a mess, but not really as bad a mess as I originally thought.
Yes, the ending is still weak. . .as if after coming in strong on the back of updating the FF's original origin story, the writer couldn't really get a good handle on where to go from there when adding original material. Yes, the art swerves in quality from "WOW!" to "What?", sometimes in the same issue.
BUT. . .
As a standalone introduction to the Fantastic Four, I don't really think you could do much better than this. There are some REALLY good story moments to be found before it all collapses into punching things, and when the artist is hitting the mark, he REALLY hits the mark.
Up Next. . .
More superhero action as we switch over to Marvel's Distinguished Competition!
More superhero action as we switch over to Marvel's Distinguished Competition!
DC's Oracle: The Cure 3 issue mini.
Be there or be square!
Be there or be square!
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