But it's been two years and four months since Marvel last published a Fantastic Four title--28 months!! --and attention must be paid.
It's common knowledge that the reason the FF has been benched is that Marvel chairman Ike Perlmutter had a fit of pique because he couldn't get the movie rights back from Fox.
How severe is this anti-FF fatwa? This month, Marvel has been publishing a series of $1 "True Believer" reprints of classic Kirby Marvel stories for his 100th birthday. And as part of this celebration of his vast Marvel legacy...they're not doing even a single reprint of a Fantastic Four comic. That's whack, to say the least.
We've had various rationalizations from various administrative minions at Marvel, trying to justify the unjustifiable by claiming the concept was old, or needed a rest or they don't work in modern comics. (Which doesn't explain why they won't even do a reprint to celebrate Kirby's birthday, of course...)
Well, 15 years ago, Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo had an answer for that hogwash:
You know, when Marvel original published Fantastic Four #60 (a.k.a. #489), they only charged 9¢. And the comic is worth about a trillion times that...
So get off your ass, Marvel. 28 months is 27 months too long.
End of rant (for now).
Maybe Ike's right?
ReplyDeleteAfter all, from everything i've seen, there's no way that the current version of Marvel can publish The World's Greatest Comic Magazine.
It's just beyond their capabilities, and he knows it.
It's silly and foolish to claim Perlmutter acted for artistic reasons--why cancel the licensing? Why photoshop the FF out of posters and T-shirts? Why refuse to reprint older FF comics for Kirby True Believers month?
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of talented folks at Marvel whom I would look forward to reading an FF book from. Marvel's got a lot of great books right now, and to suggest otherwise is nuts.
Yes, but i was being silly, and mocking Perlmutter as incompetent, not trying to support his decision. I completely agree with you (See this post, for example)
ReplyDeleteThe FF being MIA is a travesty.
Sports teams trade players. Marvel can trade the Fantastic Four to DC for superheroes to be named later. They can't get franchise players like Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman but maybe there would be an individual superhero (s) or superhero team that they'd like. A team up book featuring the Fantastic Four with Superman, Batman, the Doom Patrol, etc - I'd buy that.
ReplyDeleteYou can't trade the FF without trading the Marvel universe. Marvel's entire world - and Cosmos - was given birth in the Fantastic Four. There's a reason they're called The First Family Of Marvel Comics.
ReplyDeleteAs for me, Jack's birthday is next week and i'm reading that first 102 issue run for a glorious dose of both FF and Kirby goodness.