Tuesday, May 23, 2017

No, I Won't Stop Complaining About This!

I remember a time when the Fantastic Four were known as Marvel's "First Family." Indeed, Marvel themselves likes to trumpet it:

Even today, you can Google "Marvel's First Family," and Google has no hestitation in declaring who it is:

And yet, even though we're far past the (abominable) movie that Marvel supposedly didn't want to give free publicity to, even though there's absolutely no sane reason to keep them off the table, Marvel still manages to insult us, like this:

Or this:

Hmm, who's missing here?


It's been more than two full years, Marvel. Bring 'em back.

Just bring 'em back.

Please?

10 comments:

Matthew E said...

It's taken us this long to figure out... but I think the Fantastic Four and the Legion of Super-Heroes are cross-company counterparts. It fits on a number of levels.

Mista Whiskas said...

It's outrageous.

Justin said...

I'm curious what you mean, Matthew. How does it fit?

Justin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Don't stop "complaining" about it Snell!

I'm glad that someone is speaking out about it. It's just so damn petty.

I find it ironic that Marvel shuns them, but certainly doesn't mind mining their rich history for movie ideas.

The most blatant examples are the Guardians movies. It cracks me up that GOG uses concepts from FF #64 and 65 - the Kree and Ronan, and GOG2 uses Him/Adam Warlock from #66 & 67!

Keep fighting the good fight!

-3- said...

Wes - I don't know that it's fair to say that they're mining old FF for those concepts. They'd spread well beyond the title into the Marvel universe at large long before usage there.
But that makes your point all the more. They don't need to mine the Fantastic Four, the Marvel universe as a whole was largely shaped by them. The Kree, the Skrull, Galactus & the Watchers, the Negative Zone... the basis of their actual 'Universe' hangs on the FF.

And, of course, the Black Panther has his highly anticipated movie coming out.
Where did he get his start?

As you said - petty.
So petty, it makes me root for Fox getting their shit together and making a huge franchise just to spite them.
(I've got some real good ideas on how to do that, all you Fox execs who stalk this blog)

Matthew E said...

Justin:

1. They are both the first Silver Age superhero team for their respective companies.
2. The LSH is set in the future; the FF is set in the absolute leading edge of the present.
3. Both teams are composed, not of established characters from other comics coming together in a team (like the JLA, JSA, or Avengers), but of characters who were first created to be members of their teams.
4. Both teams have struggled for an audience in recent years as society's changing ideas about modernity and the future have led to them being seen, not as cutting-edge and futuristic, but as nostalgic.

Matthew E said...

5. They don't have masks or secret identities.

Mista Whiskas said...

Great list Matthew.

Justin said...

Yes, that was insightful. Thanks.