FF Memories & Memorabilia

[Malus]

22 days til June 15th...
Here's Fantastic Four #22 from October, 1963:

"The Return of the Mole Man!"
by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and George Bell

Features a cameo by Fred Gwynne of "Car 54, Where Are you?"
(Later Gwynne would star as Herman Munster in "The Munsters.")

All Images copyright Marvel Comics

 

[Malus]

22 days til June 15th...
Here's Fantastic Four Vol. 3, #22 from 1999:

Standard cover:

Without logo:

All Images copyright Marvel Comics

 

[Retroman]

This type of cover has been quite a few times (Spider-Man, Superman) but never really gets tired.

 

[highguard]

Wow, I am past a 1000 posts, whoopie.

Ok I think it only fitting that I celebrate passing my 1000th post here in one of the the greatest and most fulfilling threads on the hype.

Malus thanks for the memories.

I am now taking a bow and patting myself on the back.

The hype has put me in touch with my inner child and for that I am very greatful.

 

[highguard]

22 days til June 15th...
Here's Fantastic Four Vol. 3, #22 from 1999:

All Images copyright Marvel Comics

Love the kind of fairy tale look that larocca brought to the art on FF during this time.

The Valeria retcon is messy though. She was a character we got invested in. Claremont loves these teen girls and their coming of age angst, ala jubilee in his Xmen.

I guess the powers that be at marvel felt it detracted and overshadowed franklyn as he became the youngest.

However they refuse to do anything with franklyn and I think that they are just wasting a lot of potential stories by keeping him a kid this long, he should be a young teen by now, itching to get in on the family superheroing action.

And those stories Defalco is doing with him don't quite fit the bill.

 

[Agent 194]

22 days til June 15th...
Here's Fantastic Four #22 from October, 1963:

"The Return of the Mole Man!"
by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and George Bell

Features a cameo by Fred Gwynne of "Car 54, Where Are you?"
(Later Gwynne would star as Herman Munster in "The Munsters.")

All Images copyright Marvel Comics

Dig this! I love the color on this one.

And Malus, don't tell me one of those kids in the avatar are you? I was just saying recently that Rich Buckler was the Rich Little of comic book artists. You are the Rich Little of avatars.

 

[Iron Maiden]

I thought it was a mistake to retcon Valeria into the baby Sue miscarried in "A Small Loss" back during Byrne' run on the FF. Franklin has been locked down at pretty much the same age for so long it's a bit silly. We never see the poor kid mixing with other children his own age, or just any children, period. Valeria von Doom was like his built in baby sitter and she was powerful enough in her own right to protect him from some of the dangers inherent in being the offspring of superheroes.

And I guess this is a good time as any to shill my Valeria FAQ page... t:

By the way, the cover that mentions a cameo by Fred Gwynne of "Car 54, Where Are you?"... I am probably the only one here who actually remembers watching that show. And Al "Grandpa Munster" Lewis also had a part on that show as Sgt Schnauzer. Fred Gwynne was Officer Muldoon. Like "F Troop", I also remember the show's theme song! * actually, I use the Master's time machine a lot *

 

[Malus]

Dig this! I love the color on this one.

And Malus, don't tell me one of those kids in the avatar are you? I was just saying recently that Rich Buckler was the Rich Little of comic book artists. You are the Rich Little of avatars.

Haha Thanks...
No, those are my ex-wife's little brothers, photographed by me in 1992 reading a fake copy of fantastic Four #1. I was trying to depict the excitement kids might have felt in 1961 when the first issue came out.
I'll try to post it full size later this evening. It's one of my favorite photographs.

 

[Malus]

22 days til June 15th...
Here's the Cover for Ultimate Fantastic Four #22:

All Images copyright Marvel Comics

 

[Malus]

22 days til June 15th...
Here's Marvel Two-in-One #22 from September,1976:

All Images copyright Marvel Comics

 

[Malus]

22 days til June 15th...
Here's Silver Surfer Vol.3, #22 from 1989:

All Images copyright Marvel Comics

 

[Agent 194]

Haha Thanks...
No, those are my ex-wife's little brothers, photographed by me in 1992 reading a fake copy of fantastic Four #1. I was trying to depict the excitement kids might have felt in 1961 when the first issue came out.
I'll try to post it full size later this evening. It's one of my favorite photographs.

Well I would have believed it was vintage but the hair cuts gave it away.

 

[Malus]

22 days til June 15th...
Here's The Thing #22 from 1984:

I think this is a striking cover, but it's got some of the most "unbalanced" word balloon placement I've ever seen.
My eye just naturally falls first upon the balloon directly above Ben's head. Did yours?

Also- I really liked the simple but bold Marvel corner boxes of the 80's, including how they didn't connect to the top of the cover.
To me, there's something distinctly "Marvel" about a little character portrait in the top left corner of a cover.


All Images copyright Marvel Comics

 

[Malus]

Here's the photograph I was talking about earlier:

Those boys are in their 20's now.
The one in the back is majoring in Graphic Design.

 

[Malus]

22 days til June 15th...
Now joining The Cover Countdown, courtesy of IRON MAIDEN...
Here's Marvel Knights: 4 #22 :

Thanks, Iron Maiden!


All Images copyright Marvel Comics

 

[Carp Man]

3 weeks till opening. 11 days till the release of the extended edition. 3 weeks ? t: Down to the nitty gritty.

 

[Malus]

21 days (Three Weeks!)
til June 15th...
Here's Fantastic Four #21 from September, 1963:

"The Hate Monger!"
by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and George Bell

Introduces the Hate Monger (a double of Adolph Hitler) who dies in this story.
Guest starring Nick Fury of the C.I.A. (wears no eye patch in this story) later to become Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

All Images copyright Marvel Comics

 

[Agent 194]

Here's the photograph I was talking about earlier:

Those boys are in their 20's now.
The one in the back is majoring in Graphic Design.

It's a good photo. Their reactions are good. Good looking fake copy. How'd you have the foresight to stage such a picture? Maybe like the emperor you foresaw this sight. Or maybe like Al Gore you foresaw the internet.

 

[Malus]

21 days til June 15th...
Here's Fantastic Four Vol. 3, #21 from 1999:

All Images copyright Marvel Comics

 

[Malus]

21 days til June 15th...
Here's Marvel Two-in-One #21 from August,1976:

An issue that has never been reprinted because Marvel no longer had the license for Doc Savage.

All Images copyright Marvel Comics

 

[Malus]

21 days til June 15th...
Here's The Thing #21 from 1984:

All Images copyright Marvel Comics

 

[Malus]

21 days til June 15th...
Here's Silver Surfer Vol.3, #21 from 1988:

All Images copyright Marvel Comics

 

[Malus]

21 days til June 15th...
Here's the Cover for Ultimate Fantastic Four #21:

All Images copyright Marvel Comics

 

[fantastic fifth]

The Hate Monger. My boys and I always laugh and use the word "monger". Like if you are hogging the milk, you are the Milk Monger, etc... Just a wierd inside joke with us, I guess.

*wonders why I just told you all that*

 

[Malus]

21 days til June 15th...
Here's Marvel Knights: 4 #21:

This is where Aguirre-Sacasa lost me.
On a "girls' night out" with She-Hulk, Sharon Ventura and a few others, Sue recalls her secret midnight skinny-dipping with the Black Panther.
Yeah, RIGHT.
Nevermind that this would have been horribly out of character for Sue at any time in the character's history; This incident supposedly happened in the context of FF #52, just a few months (perhaps weeks!) after her marriage to Reed!

The events Sue recalls in this story never happened.
She was making it up to impress and/or shock her friends.

There y'go, Aguirre-Sacasa. That's my retcon.



All Images copyright Marvel Comics /Scan courtesy of Iron Maiden