As we head into the home stretch of the FF's "3" arc, the World's Greatest Comic Magazine seems to be pulling out all the stops. Just today, Marvel announced that issue #587 of Fantastic Four will be polybagged (how come no one in the 90's ever called it "ploybagging"? Seems more accurate), will NOT be sold on newsstands, and will NOT go into extra printings. A variant edition will come out the week after the initial issue's release, with a spoilerific cover (which I assume will show Johnny getting eaten by Galactus) by John Cassady.
Apparently Marvel's rationale for the "no overprint/ newsstand" policy is to drive up demand and keep the issue from being spoiled by the dreaded liberal media. Many of us can still recall comic events such as Captain America's death and Barry Allen's resurrection being first reported on by highly circulated news outlets such as USA Today.
While all of the items above rightfully blew my mind, the biggest part of today's announcements came in the form of the following quote from Marvel's press release: "This January Fantastic Four #587 marks the end of the Fantastic Four and the penultimate issue of Marvel’s longest running series. "
We all know that killing off a member of the FF is a giant publicity stunt, but Marvel is showing a real commitment to the idea of "3" being a complete game changer. And hey, you know what? I believe them now. In an era with 2 Captain Americas, A Bruce Wayne who publicly associates with Batman, A Spidey who sleeps around, and a thriving comic that gets away with having the same name as a restaurant chain ("Red Robin....Yum"), there is the distinct possibility that the Fantastic 3 are here to stay.
Apparently Marvel's rationale for the "no overprint/ newsstand" policy is to drive up demand and keep the issue from being spoiled by the dreaded liberal media. Many of us can still recall comic events such as Captain America's death and Barry Allen's resurrection being first reported on by highly circulated news outlets such as USA Today.
While all of the items above rightfully blew my mind, the biggest part of today's announcements came in the form of the following quote from Marvel's press release: "This January Fantastic Four #587 marks the end of the Fantastic Four and the penultimate issue of Marvel’s longest running series. "
We all know that killing off a member of the FF is a giant publicity stunt, but Marvel is showing a real commitment to the idea of "3" being a complete game changer. And hey, you know what? I believe them now. In an era with 2 Captain Americas, A Bruce Wayne who publicly associates with Batman, A Spidey who sleeps around, and a thriving comic that gets away with having the same name as a restaurant chain ("Red Robin....Yum"), there is the distinct possibility that the Fantastic 3 are here to stay.
And while I am more curious than enraged by the future of the F3, I can't help but feel my blog is going to look seriously out of date. I mean, I don't want to change my banner! Oh well, They'll always be the FF to me. So until the title gets pared down to the "Fantastic One", vive la fantastique!
its supposed to be 4. This is very confusing Kello.
ReplyDeleteCheckout my newest post on the Avengers #7 and please leave a comment.
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ReplyDeleteHuh, that press release was what left me the most interested... So if issue #587 is the penultimate issue of the series, it sounds like FF #588 would be the end of the series, a mere 12 issues away from FF #600... Hmm, I smell shenanigans...
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing come May or June we'll be getting a Terrific Three series. I can see it now... Stepping out of the ashes of the Fantastic Four, Terrific Three #1. That way Marvel can get themselves a new #1 issue, and then after 12 issues of TT, we can bring the FF back at issue #600, thus giving Marvel big sellers with the FF death issue, the "last" issue of FF, the first issue of TT and of course, the eventual FF #600. What do you think Kello? Sound likely, or am I being too jaded?
Oh, and btw, Galactus EATING Johnny would be the BEST DEATH EVER, hands down. :D
Wow, I may not read Fantastic 4 but for as long as I could remember Fantastic 4 was a solid squad, now it'll be Fantastic 3?! 3 is my favorite number so I'm all for it! I'll be looking forward to you transitioning from F4 to F3.
ReplyDelete"I mean, I don't want to change my banner!"- Oh come on Kells, you KNOW I'd hook you up with an up to date banner!
You're not jaded X, you're just used to the way Marvel does business. I'm looking at it from the angle that Tom Brevoort edits this title, and he was the same editor who worked on getting Buck-Cap put in place. So perhaps the dead member may come back, but the team may never be "4" again. Of course, whenever the next movie comes out it seems like they would want the team intact.
ReplyDeleteFalisha- Thanks for hooking me up! I think that the new banner should be the same, but you should make a black X over the face of whomever ends up dying. By the way, why is three your favorite number?
I just can't see Marvel not doing a 600th issue of FF... Usually during one of those epic milestones they have Stan Lee do a little back story, throw a bunch of extra pages in and sell it for like $4-$5. Knowing how Marvel works, I just can't see them letting that business opportunity pass them by!
ReplyDeletePlus like you said, you KNOW that the team will be reassembled by the time the next FF movie comes out. How can you get those new fans who watched the movie to buy Marvel comics if there is no FF comic for those movie fans to buy? My favorite # is 7, although that's neither here nor there. :P
Lol @ black X. That would be funny, sort of like an execution X.
ReplyDeleteWell, three happens to be my favorite number because my birthday is March (3rd month) and on the 3rd day, and 3 just kind of stuck with me growing up.