Stephanie Kay
Oct 13, 2007, 11:15 pm
<a href=" http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=10414"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-541t.jpg" hspace=10 align=left alt="Fantastic Four #540"></a>Reviewer: Kevin Jones, kcjones242@yahoo.com
Story Title: Many Annoying Things, None of them French
"It's Paris, what're ya gonna do?"
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Penciler: Mike McKone
Inker: Andy Lanning, Kris Justice and Cam Smith
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy’s Rus Wooton
Assistant Editors: Molly Lazer and Aubrey Sitterson
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Published by: Marvel Comics (www.marvel.com)
The newest issue of Fantastic Four arrives in the wake of news that there will soon be a new team made up of the Human Torch, the Thing, Storm, and Black Panther; and a new creative team in Dwayne McDuffie and Paul Pelletier. Last issue, we saw Reed and Sue's marriage break up (for now). Where does that leave us? Apparently, it leaves us without any real story to tell.
In the 80's, there was a fun little one-shot put out by Marvel called Generic Comic Book. It's exactly what it sounds like: a book full of archetypes, making fun of the cliches of superhero books. Ben Grimm seems to have fallen right into the sequel to that one-shot, only this time, the humor falls horribly flat. JMS does a great job when writing drama, action, and intrigue, but his humor just never seems to work for me. It almost seems like he's given up on this title and is merely phoning it in, but I have a nagging suspicion that he actually intends for this issue to be humorous.
The issue focuses on the Thing's adventures in Paris, where he's gone to protest the Superhero Registration Act. Well, the word "adventure" is a little too generous. "Sequence of events" is more appropriate. The humor immediately starts off on the wrong foot in how Ben deals with a cabby on a cell phone. Since when does the Thing have Bullseye's skills??? The whole sequence had me rolling my eyes. Things don't improve much when he arrives in Paris. He links up with the most generic looking superheros you've ever seen to battle the most generic villain. Yes, I know it's supposed to be funny by being so generic, but instead, you just end up feeling like it's a big waste of time. The two pages decribing this new group of heroes are especially painful. Translating a Tigra-ripoff's meowing in subtitles is just one of the many lame attempts at humor you'll have to put up with here. The one moment which got a laugh out of me was the Thing's bickering with Detective Fantome, and that's not nearly enough to save the book.
Mike McKone's art isn't necessarily bad here, but it does feel like he's not putting forth his best effort. You can't blame him, though, with weak issues like this. He does try to wring as much humor as he can from the scenes, but there's not much he can really do to bring it to life. At least the generic superhero battle was visually interesting. I do have a problem with the airplane scene. Sure, it's funny imagining the Thing trying to fit into airplane seating, but the seats next to him look they're plenty far away. Look closely, and it looks more like the two guys next to him are trying to sit underneath him!
Are there really no more decent stories to tell in the current FF run? I would have thought that a self-contained story about either Reed's regret and guilt or Sue and Johnny's life on the run would have been compelling to read. Either would have been better than this throw-away story. I suppose I can appreciate the fact that JMS probably wants to lighten up the mood after all of the depressing stuff going on, but it just doesn't work.
I'd rather cut a review short than continue complaining about minor details which added up to a forgettable story. Most of the time, I love JMS's writing. I've enjoyed most of his Amazing Spider-Man run, as well as every issue of Squadron Supreme. But once in a while, he brings out a dud, and we just have to wait for it to get good again. I'll continue to read his work, but after issues like this, I'll be skeptical.
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‘Buy this Fantastic Four online now from X-WORLD and save!’ ( http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=66&cat=FANTASTIC+FOUR)
Story Title: Many Annoying Things, None of them French
"It's Paris, what're ya gonna do?"
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Penciler: Mike McKone
Inker: Andy Lanning, Kris Justice and Cam Smith
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy’s Rus Wooton
Assistant Editors: Molly Lazer and Aubrey Sitterson
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Published by: Marvel Comics (www.marvel.com)
The newest issue of Fantastic Four arrives in the wake of news that there will soon be a new team made up of the Human Torch, the Thing, Storm, and Black Panther; and a new creative team in Dwayne McDuffie and Paul Pelletier. Last issue, we saw Reed and Sue's marriage break up (for now). Where does that leave us? Apparently, it leaves us without any real story to tell.
In the 80's, there was a fun little one-shot put out by Marvel called Generic Comic Book. It's exactly what it sounds like: a book full of archetypes, making fun of the cliches of superhero books. Ben Grimm seems to have fallen right into the sequel to that one-shot, only this time, the humor falls horribly flat. JMS does a great job when writing drama, action, and intrigue, but his humor just never seems to work for me. It almost seems like he's given up on this title and is merely phoning it in, but I have a nagging suspicion that he actually intends for this issue to be humorous.
The issue focuses on the Thing's adventures in Paris, where he's gone to protest the Superhero Registration Act. Well, the word "adventure" is a little too generous. "Sequence of events" is more appropriate. The humor immediately starts off on the wrong foot in how Ben deals with a cabby on a cell phone. Since when does the Thing have Bullseye's skills??? The whole sequence had me rolling my eyes. Things don't improve much when he arrives in Paris. He links up with the most generic looking superheros you've ever seen to battle the most generic villain. Yes, I know it's supposed to be funny by being so generic, but instead, you just end up feeling like it's a big waste of time. The two pages decribing this new group of heroes are especially painful. Translating a Tigra-ripoff's meowing in subtitles is just one of the many lame attempts at humor you'll have to put up with here. The one moment which got a laugh out of me was the Thing's bickering with Detective Fantome, and that's not nearly enough to save the book.
Mike McKone's art isn't necessarily bad here, but it does feel like he's not putting forth his best effort. You can't blame him, though, with weak issues like this. He does try to wring as much humor as he can from the scenes, but there's not much he can really do to bring it to life. At least the generic superhero battle was visually interesting. I do have a problem with the airplane scene. Sure, it's funny imagining the Thing trying to fit into airplane seating, but the seats next to him look they're plenty far away. Look closely, and it looks more like the two guys next to him are trying to sit underneath him!
Are there really no more decent stories to tell in the current FF run? I would have thought that a self-contained story about either Reed's regret and guilt or Sue and Johnny's life on the run would have been compelling to read. Either would have been better than this throw-away story. I suppose I can appreciate the fact that JMS probably wants to lighten up the mood after all of the depressing stuff going on, but it just doesn't work.
I'd rather cut a review short than continue complaining about minor details which added up to a forgettable story. Most of the time, I love JMS's writing. I've enjoyed most of his Amazing Spider-Man run, as well as every issue of Squadron Supreme. But once in a while, he brings out a dud, and we just have to wait for it to get good again. I'll continue to read his work, but after issues like this, I'll be skeptical.
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‘Buy this Fantastic Four online now from X-WORLD and save!’ ( http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=66&cat=FANTASTIC+FOUR)