"A Death In The Family" is out - Discuss?

[Malus]

There's been a good bit of anticipation and speculation about this Fantastic Four one-shot since it was first announced several months ago.
Everyone remember hypemaster Joe Quesada's bold proclamation?

"Two of the FF die, not just one. Gone, goodbye, nevermore."

Well, guess what? Either Joey Q doesn't communicate very well with his creative staff, or he knowingly lied about this story. Big surprise there.

I won't spoil the story for those who haven't had a chance to read it yet, but thought I'd open a discussion thread for those who have. What did the rest of you think?

 

[Jacko]

I can't believe I actually spent money on this. What a waste of time.

 

[Flash Fearless]

I would like some spoilers. What happened?

 

[Malus]

I can't believe I actually spent money on this. What a waste of time.

No kidding. I could have lived with $2.99 for the new material, but they basically tricked us into paying an extra dollar for a reprint of FF #245 -which has absolutely nothing to do with this new story.
Now for those out there who've never read some of John Byrne's primo FF work from that period, the extra buck is a bargain, but otherwise...

 

[Flash Fearless]

I have no plans at all on buying this comic. Does anyone (or two) actually die?

 

[Chris McFeely]

Right, then, spoilers.

Spoiler

Sue's on a spring-cleaning warpath, but ho-ho, Johnny and Reed haven't done it. Reed, in particular, has stuffed his junk into a closet in his lab, and when Johnny opens the door mistakenly, a doowackey falls out and sparks. As Sue and Johnny proceed to prepare dinner and have a little heart-to-heart, things go bad when the doowacky opens an interdimensional portal and a tentacled beastie pops out. Sue and Johnny run to the lab, but the beams the creature fires are able to pass through Sue's forcefield, and they kill her.

Johnny uses the time machine to back one hour and try to change things, knocking out his earlier self and taking his place, only for Ben to open the closet door in his place. Johnny melts the doowackey right away, but it's no good - the portal has already begun to open. This time, Johnny takes the blast himself, but his flame-form absorbs most of it, so he's okay, and Sue lives. Johnny then fades back into his own timestream as knocked-out-past-Johnny wakes up, and Reed makes the point that you can't change history, and in the timeline Johnny's returning to, Sue will still be dead, but she's alive here.

And that's friggin' it. It's a fluff piece with no lasting impact that would, at best, have been a filler story between creative teams if it were part of the pain book (which, I will add, it had no reason NOT to be). Kesel writes the FF well, and this story really is fine for what it is, but as readers, the hype surrounding this unnecessary one-shot was deliberately designed to mislead the importance of the story, and that just butters my friggin' cracker. And yes, obviously, Quesada talking firmly out his hole, there, about two FFers dying.

 

[SouLeSS]

I'm so glad I read that bull**** in the store before I bought it. I was like "damn, this is pretty thick". Then I realized that there was a full reprint in the back, which was about half of the comic. Not to mention that it had like three pages repeated.

 

[Malus]

It's a fluff piece with no lasting impact that would, at best, have been a filler story between creative teams if it were part of the pain book (which, I will add, it had no reason NOT to be). Kesel writes the FF well, and this story really is fine for what it is, but as readers, the hype surrounding this unnecessary one-shot was deliberately designed to mislead the importance of the story, and that just butters my friggin' cracker. And yes, obviously, Quesada talking firmly out his hole, there, about two FFers dying.

Yes, Kesel writes a fine FF and I hope he finally gets a shot at writing the regular monthly title. He captures the family dynamic as well as any writer who's tackled the characters, and he's never had to resort to the sort of melodramatic revisionism that's too often a factor in JMS' work. (I'm still shaking my head over the abominable Gwen Stacey/Norman Osborne hook-up.)
I think "A Death In The Family" is a very solid Karl Kesel story. Some very nice moments between the characters in the early pages.
Solid in-character FF writing!!

Quesada and the editorial powers-that-be at Marvel ruined this otherwise excellent FF story (for me anyway) by hyping it with completely dishonest marketing. For crying out loud, there's never two FF members dead at any point in the story! There was ever any doubt in my mind no true FF deaths would occur - but what temporary death that does occur within the pages of this "in continuity" story are completely irrelevant to that continuity by the story's end.

I'd really like to know what Quesada has to say about this.

 

[Mister J]

I'm glad I skimmed through it in the store. I would have been ticked otherwise. They gave this story way too much hype for what it was.

 

[Electro UK]

I read it just now and hated it. I mean, Kesel does write a fine FF, but this just felt like a Marvel Adevntures: Fantastic Four story in the wrong place.

Spoiler

Sue fricking died! It should have been a lot more of a darker story. We also really should have seen Johnny return back to his time and deal with his Sue's death. It just felt like "Oh Sue's dead, but we're not going to worry about that. I was VERY dissapointed, and yes, I blame Joey Q for the hype.

 

[3dman27]

I read it just now and hated it. I mean, Kesel does write a fine FF, but this just felt like a Marvel Adevntures: Fantastic Four story in the wrong place.

Spoiler

Sue fricking died! It should have been a lot more of a darker story. We also really should have seen Johnny return back to his time and deal with his Sue's death. It just felt like "Oh Sue's dead, but we're not going to worry about that. I was VERY dissapointed, and yes, I blame Joey Q for the hype.

maybe it WAS A MA.A.FF story remember the marvel adventures flip book #11 featured a power pack-x-men team up instead of a ff tale

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Just got around to reading it tonight. DEFINITELY not worthy of the hype.

See, that's the thing with these time travel stories; at the end of it all, they end up really not mattering...i guess if i had to make lemonade from a pile of lemons i could say that it was interesting seeing Johnny's loyalty to his sister and family, but really, there was nothing special here.

Quite frankly, i enjoyed the reprint (which i havent re-read in years), the Franklin Richards back-up story, and the FF History text a LOT more.

The best FF time travel story i ever read was from MTIO #50, when Ben goes back in time and ends up fighting a younger (and far angrier) version of himself.

 

[Malus]

See, that's the thing with these time travel stories; at the end of it all, they up up really not mattering...
The best FF time travel story i ever read was from MTIO #50, when Ben goes back in time and ends up fighting a younger (and far angrier) version of himself.

Ironically, in the latest issue of THE THING (#&, now on sale and worth every penny despite some rather pedestrian art) Ben takes Alicia on a birthday outing back to the creation of the Venus De Milo, and ends up in a tussle with Hercules during that age. VERY funny stuff, with a well-paced action sequence. Alicia and Ben's dialogue is spot-on. Dan Slott deserves a freaakin' Eisner Award for breathing new life into all of the FF in this consistently entertaining title.
OH - Sorry to go on there...ANYWAY, when Ben & Alicia return, present-day New York City has indeed been altered by their little escapade. Though this is played for laughs, it still contradicts the "standard time travel outcome" as depicted in "Death In The Family."

The signs around the time machine are hilarious: "Ben, do not touch!" "Ben, this is NOT a toy!" and "Ben-Remember the Alamo!" (a reference to Waid's first issue.)

Oh, and does anyone else think they're gonna let Dan Slott do the Wedding of Ben & Alicia in the next few months? I do. He's hinted at something very major coming up... At the very least, I think they're getting back together. And Slott has written the lead-up so well.

Ditto on Marvel 2-In-1 #50, Captain Stacy! I remember that issue very fondly! And oh my God, I'm like 2 years older than you...!
It's that Captain Stacy avatar. I probably shouldn't assume WillieLumpkin is 70ish and looks like Stan Lee either, huh?

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Well, when i first came to this site (way back when it was just "Spidermanhype" (and dinosaurs still roamed the earth, lol) it seemed like just about everyone was in their teens or twenties...i was already 35, so i picked a user name with a much older (but extremely cool imo) character, kind of as a joke...

I was pleasantly surprised when i found so many people our age posting. Heck, Donald Thomas over on the Spidey boards is in his fifties! (but doesnt look it)...

BTW, i read that Thing issue. Good stuff! I hear next month is the final issue, unfortunately. (unless the TPB does well, then we may get another volume).

 

[Malus]

BTW, i read that Thing issue. Good stuff! I hear next month is the final issue, unfortunately. (unless the TPB does well, then we may get another volume).

Last issue?? Grrr! What is wrong with Marvel?? (Rhetorical question, I know.)

I had suggested relaunching the book with a new #1 (which I'm usually opposed to) because it kinda got lost in all the hubbub over "House of M."
This book -and Slott's writing- is just too good to lose! And what about that "major event" Slott alluded to that was coming up?
I need answers!

Man, I was enjoying THING more than any of the other FF titles. Dan Slott really has their characters down. This book deserves a second chance.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Spider-Man fans feel the same way about Slott. That Spidey/Torch mini series he did won us all over.

Nothing against JMS, but ideally (for ME) Slott would be writing FF and Amazing Spider-Man.

Maybe one day...

 

[MichaelRGrimm]

Wow. I agree with almost every post on this one. From a Death in the Family to tthe Thing! LOL
Good story, but definitely over hyped. Never bought into the hype anyway. Too damn old and know better. 42 here gang! I do really appreciate Karl Kesel's writing and understanding of the FF. The art by Weeks was good. I never saw any spoiler posts for the story before reading it and interestingly enough, had pretty much figured out it would somehow end up being a kind of alternate-u tale. Which once again says something for my age and the fact I've been reading this stuff a longgggggggggggggggggg time!

 

[gerbstat]

 

[gerbstat]

 

[Kelly]

Wow. I agree with almost every post on this one. From a Death in the Family to tthe Thing! LOL
Good story, but definitely over hyped. Never bought into the hype anyway. Too damn old and know better. 42 here gang! I do really appreciate Karl Kesel's writing and understanding of the FF. The art by Weeks was good. I never saw any spoiler posts for the story before reading it and interestingly enough, had pretty much figured out it would somehow end up being a kind of alternate-u tale. Which once again says something for my age and the fact I've been reading this stuff a longgggggggggggggggggg time!

I really liked the art, and happy that the hype was untrue...