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Still on the Shelf #58 – Marvel Age: Fantastic Four By Craig Reade Marvel Comics has, over the past few years, made an effort to reach out to a younger audience. Many will remember the Tsunami line, which has since come and gone. Tsunami was a decent start- an effort to put out all-ages books in a manga-type style that the “kids” these days really enjoy. Though a lot of those titles did have something of an avid following, they, in the end, missed the mark. Many of them (like Namor, which was aimed at young women, and in the end really didn’t appeal to anyone, save art fans) were well produced, but didn’t serve to bring in the new, young audience that Marvel had hoped. Surprisingly, when you look at it, most of the Tsunami books are still around today, even if the Tsunami imprint is no longer with us. That really is a testament to their quality, and popularity among current comic fans. While a good many of the Tsunami titles were based upon current Marvel Universe characters, most didn’t have the broad, mainstream appeal that Spider-Man or the Fantastic Four have among typical, non-comic readers. As such, their ability to draw in new readers was pretty limited. This, of course, leads to a problem. Just what kind of title could Marvel put out that would not only appeal to today’s comic fanbase, but has the name recognition and style that would attract (and be appropriate for) today’s young reader? I think the answer to that was so simple that it was easy to miss. Anyone who read some of the old, classic Marvel issues can attest to the fact that those stories were both good and all-ages friendly. Unfortunately, in this day in age, they are far from contemporary, and almost everyone save the avid comic fan has the patience to read ad enjoy those outdated tales. The solution Marvel came up with was elegant and simple- a re-telling of these classic Marvel stories, with contemporary dialogue, and a manga-esque art style that would appeal to today’s younger readers. Despite my initial skepticism about the idea, so far, the result has been nothing more than brilliant. The first thought I had about this idea was –“What about the Ultimate universe?” Quite frankly, upon reflection, that concept is ill-suited towards bringing in new readers at this point. The Ultimate Universe already has a few years of continuity under its belt, and in the end, tended to appeal towards more contemporary comic readers, instead of completely new ones. Marvel Age books should be different in that they will re-tell stories from a time when today’s heavy continuity was not such a big issue, and you could enjoy a single issue for what it was, regardless of what happened 10 issues ago. I mentioned before that the Marvel Age books would appeal to current readers. The reason for this is the extended continuity of the regular Marvel Universe. Many of us might know of the origin of the Fantastic Four, but very few of us have actually read it. Make no mistake- these may be “retellings,” but in all ways that matter, these ARE the original stories that are so central to the histories of these storied characters. More modern technologies might be used, the “slang” may be more modern, and the women might act more assertively and are treated more as “equals” than they were once upon a time, but the core of the stories remain intact. And that is an amazing resource for today’s reader, who might not have the time, money, or patience to read these stories in their original forms. So out of all of them, why Marvel Age: Fantastic Four? The reason I picked this one out of the bunch was that it was the first one I actually put aside my preconceptions enough to sample it. And in the end, boy I am glad I did. I was not as thrilled with the Marvel Knights “4” as I had hoped to be, and the regular Fantastic Four title is still a bit intimidating for me to jump into. Marvel Age: Fantastic Four has me reading a FF title, and that is a good start. Cast of Characters Reed Richards was developing an interstellar aircraft for the government. Just prior to its first test launch, the White House decided to cut funding for the project. Reed assembled his three friends, former air-force pilot Ben Grimm, his girlfriend Sue, and her brother Johnny Storm, and proposed stealing the ship and testing it on their own, so years of his work would not be wasted. All three reluctantly agreed, and the four broke into the facility and launched the ship. Unfortunately, the radiation shields of the craft were not yet complete. Though they had their suits as back-ups, they were still affected by the cosmic rays once they reached the Outer Van Allen Belt. Forced to abort, they crash-landed somewhere in New Jersey. Of course, the cosmic rays had an affect on each of them. Sue found herself becoming invisible, Ben transformed into a giant, rock-looking “thing”, Reed discovered that he could stretch his body in the most fantastic ways, and the hot-head Johnny found that he could burst into flames and fly through the air. Of course there was some hard feelings, especially from Ben, but the four decided that they could use their powers for “good.” They dubbed themselves “The Fantastic Four,” and gave themselves code-names – Human Torch, Invisible oman, Thing, and Mister Fantastic. But then again, most of you already know this story. Thoughts On its own, I really cannot adequately express how refreshing it was to read a comic book like this. First off, the stories are, so far, self-contained in each issue. I remember, once upon a time, Spider-Girl prided itself in having self-contained stories. That is one thing I was really sad about falling by the wayside- now a single-issue story in Spider-Girl is a rare thing. I feel this approach is extremely important when trying to attract new readers. More often than not, they are not as informed as you or I are about comics, and how to find out what point in a story arc a title is in. So far, with Marvel Age: Fantastic Four, I think a new reader could easily walk in, pick up their first issue at #2, and not only completely understand what they read, but walk away wanting more. That is just something you don’t see anymore these days – comics today cater to those who the publisher knows will be back issue after issue. There is very little room in today’s market for the occasional reader. That is something that is really going to have to change if anyone is going to expect an influx of new readers anytime soon. The art, so far, in this series has a manga flavor, but is not the highly exaggerated variety that I find somewhat annoying. I may not like manga in general, but I am also a realist. I understand that the “kids” these days love the art style, and I am all-for using that approach to bring in a younger crowd to comics. I might not like the style when it appears in other Marvel books (like the Kia stint on Uncanny X-Men), but I find its use on titles like this completely appropriate, and a real plus for the book. We have seen a pair of artists on this title so far – Gurihuri and Makoto Nakatsuka, and they have done a fantastic job of creating distinct and consistent characters. The color work is equally impressive, and I have come to expect no less from Chris Sotomayor, and anyone else he chooses to work with (J. Roberts and J. Keith on issue #2). Now the story- that is the real balancing act. How does one live up to the classic Lee & Kirby tales, while still giving it a unique feel that is both contemporary and all-ages friendly, while being true to the original version? Thankfully, Sean McKeever is up to the challenge, and succeeds on all fronts. I am glad Marvel tapped him for this project- I can’t think of too many other writers out there that could have handled this with the deftness he has thus far managed. Of course, Marvel Age is not just about retelling classic Marvel Tales – there is a bit more to it than that. On top of Marvel Age: Spider-Man and Fantastic Four, we are also going to see a Mary Jane title, and a series of digest-sized six-issue trades of titles like Spider-Girl, Sentinel, and Runaways, at the low price of $7.99. At just over a buck an issue, that is right on the mark for the kind of pricing a “kid” these days can afford. Now if Marvel can get these suckers in the newsstands, along side the Archie Digests, I think we will have a real winner here. There is also a planned “third leg” of the Marvel Age imprint, but Marvel has not really been very forthcoming yet about what with will entail. Bottom Line I do my fair share of criticizing some of the choices Marvel makes- I think it is only fair that I am just as forthcoming with the praise when it is deserved. Normally, I spend a great deal of time dealing with outstanding small-press titles, but it is just as important that titles from the larger companies get the same positive attention when they are doing something right. This is one of those times. Sure, we all like our MAX and Marvel Knights brand of “adult” storytelling, but stories like this are what comics are supposed to be about. Without these stories, comics as we know them would not exist today, and I think that Marvel is paying these classic a great deal of respect by re-releasing them in this fashion. Yes, Fantastic Four is a hard-sell to a new reader these days because of the continuity, but it is not enough to offer an “Ultimate” alternative for those who are unable to get caught up. Marvel Age: Fantastic Four is ideal because you can read these issues alone, in any order, and still enjoy them just as much as if you read the story from the beginning. All of that extra continuity, story arc, new direction, new creative team, epic crossover nonsense goes out the window – with a title like this one, it is all about the issue in front of you, and nothing beyond that. You would be surprised at exactly how refreshing that is when you read it for yourself. There is an added perk in all of this. I, personally, do not have any children, but I know of several people who do. My boss’s son is just getting to be old enough to be able to appreciate comics (and I don’t mean the bag and board, protect at all COSTS appreciate), and I have taken to passing on some of the kid-friendly titles to him that I come across. Let me tell you, comics are not lost on kids of this generation. This boy is all about “superheroes,” and quite frankly – I would never dream of recommending that he read most of the superhero books on the market today. Too much sex, too much blood, and some terrible language do not make for something that a child his age should be reading. That makes this all-ages format all the more appealing to me. All of my copies of Marvel Age books have gone to him as soon as I have finished them, and let me tell you, he eats them up. That is the kind of thing that is going to give comics a larger audience in the future- the kids. All the glossy pages in the world- all of the high quality art and deep, realistic storytelling you can muster will not get a kid to read a comic. Nor will it chance comics from something that is solely the realm of the “geek” into something more mainstream. Kids already love superheroes- but they can easily get their fix from cartoons and movies, which are everywhere these days. But very few have the chance to read a comic book, and now that this line is available, they just might. So buy a copy of Marvel Age: Fantastic Four or Spider-man, and enjoy it for yourself. After you are done, take it out of that bag and board and give it to a kid you know. I think, in the end, you will find that you will enjoy seeing them read it over and over again than you ever would having it in a box, forgotten along side the hundreds of other issues in your collection. Share the joy, my friends – I already do, and it is worth it. And I have to thank Marvel, for giving me yet another way to do just that. Credit Where Credit is Due – Marvel Age: Fantastic Four is Plotted by Lee and Kirby, Written by Sean McKeever, Pencilled by Gurihuri and Makoto Nakatsuka, and Colored by Chis Sotomayor, J. Roberts, and J. Keith. |
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