Depending upon who you believe, there may not be a Fantastic Four comic in the near future. Bleeding Cool is reporting that Marvel is essentially canceling Fantastic Four to spite Fox over the upcoming movie reboot.
As unlikely as that sounds, there may actually be something to it. Bleeding Cool has produced a document that states that all of the Fantastic Four related characters are now off-limits to the Marvel trading card artists. And now Comic Book Resources has picked up the story as well.
Personally, I think that if Fantastic Four is being shelved, it’s probably happening so the franchise can get a rest before the inevitable relaunch near the release of the new Fantastic Four movie. I’ve never known Marvel to leave any money on the table, especially when there’s a movie to exploit.
In the meantime, we’ve got a really good Fantastic Four series from writer James Robinson and artist Leonard Kirk. I’ve been a fan of Kirk’s artwork for years and I’ve always felt that he’s a comic book superstar in the making. Everything about Kirk’s imagery pops off the pages and his characters have a very impressive emotional range. Kirk is primarily given the courtroom scenes in this oversized issue, so he doesn’t get the chance to cut loose like the all-star line up of guest artists. But Kirk’s pages are still a joy to look at.
Speaking of the all-star artists, several of the best in the comic industry contribute pages including Dean Haspiel, Phil Jimenez, Jim Starlin, Jerry Ordway, Chris Samnee, Derlis Santacruz, June Brigman and Paul Rivoche as well as Mike and Laura Allred. Each of these artists tackles an important moment in the history of the Fantastic Four and they’re really sensational.
But this isn’t a happy trip down memory lane. The Fantastic Four are on trial for almost everything that’s happened during their many years in New York. The prosecutor, Aiden Toliver may have a personal grudge against the FF and he also a talent for twisting facts against them. But nothing he says is an outright lie. The Fantastic Four are guilty of almost everything that Toliver accuses them of in this story.
Robinson has a pretty strong command of the continuity as the Fantastic Four’s long history is used against them. Even with She-Hulk as their lawyer, the case goes incredibly badly for the FF. This is where Kirk really shines as we see the overt despair in Susan Richards while Ben Grimm’s guilt is etched in every line of his stony visage.
The brief interlude with Doctor Doom was intriguing, as Valeria Richards seems to be having a genuinely profound effect on her “uncle.” Doom is actually trying to be heroic simply for Valeria’s sake. This is comics, so Doom’s hero turn won’t last forever. But I like this. It’s a very promising direction.
As for the Future Foundation kids, Robinson removes them from the Fantastic Four’s orbit while placing them with one of Marvel’s oldest superheroes. The identity of the FF kids’ new benefactor is a great touch, as a true Marvel icon becomes a part of this book.
I don’t know what it would take to make Fantastic Four a top selling title again, but I’m really enjoying Robinson and Kirk’s run so far. This comic is everything that the Fantastic Four should be.
