Marvel Comics created a media stir last month when the publisher announced that it would be killing off a member of the Fantastic Four in an upcoming issue of the super-group’s long-running comic book. According to Comic Book Resources, Marvel issued a notice yesterday to retailers giving them permission to make this story available for purchase one day earlier than planned. Fantastic Four #587 was supposed to go on sale Wednesday, Jan. 26; now you can buy it on Tuesday, Jan. 25. In an advisory to retailers obtained by CBR, Marvel explained:
“Due to the expected mass media attention scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 25th, Marvel is allowing retailers who have received copies of Fantastic Four #587 to make it available that day… This unexpected opportunity is a result of both the new earlier shipping schedule and worldwide mass media coverage. Marvel cannot guarantee the secured press placement will hit on 1/25 (as other breaking news may bump it), though if it does, retailers who have received the issue may sell their copies. For retailers who don’t receive early shipments, or have customers calling in advance of the shipment arrival, Marvel encourages them to take down customer information and inform them when copies do arrive.”
I really like the current writer on Fantastic Four, Jonathan Hickman, who is one of the brightest new talents on the comic book scene. I haven’t been reading his Fantastic Four run, but his non-superhero indie comics The Nightly News and Pax Romana were brilliant. My guess is that regardless of who’s getting snuffed — Mr. Fantastic? The Invisible Woman? The Thing? Torch? — I bet the story will be competently executed. But ick. And… whatever. Playing the death card to drive sales and generate mass media attention for the fringe medium of monthly comic book periodicals is not only cliché and sorta sickening, but it also can’t be trusted as a meaningful creative decision worthy of your emotional engagement. Why? Because the death never sticks. DC Comics killed Superman. Guess what? He’s back. Marvel killed Captain America. He’s back. Just like Jean Grey, Elektra, and many other rubbed out-and-resurrected comic book superheroes before them. I know Marvel execs have been out there promising that we can trust that this newest character assassination will “matter.” Sorry. Not buying it. Why should I? History tells me the death won’t stick, and common sense tells me that each member of the Fantastic Four is too valuable a piece of intellectual property for Marvel to retire for good. Truth is, publishers do this stuff to burnish said value. Death creates opportunity — for reminding consumers of their affection for a character, for creatively retinkering a property that needs a relevancy makeover, for selling a lot of comics with a resurrection story, for priming the market for a bigger franchise relaunch. Put another way: I fully expect Deathsploitation’s Latest Super-Victim to be revived within two years, most likely timed to the announcement or arrival of a new Fantastic Four movie.
Which reminds me: Did you know that Marvel is also allegedly killing Spider-Man this year, too? Don’t worry: It’s only the “Ultimate Universe” version of Spider-Man (though that’s not immediately apparent in the sensationalistic promo materials for this stunt), not the “official” Marvel Universe iteration of the character. So prepare to be yet again manipulated into feeling the grief of fake superhero death — and start wondering if it’s all preamble for a relaunch of Ultimate Spider-Man next year when Sony releases its rebooted Spider-Man franchise.
Okay, True Believers: Am I being too cynical? And if you think I’m being unfair because I haven’t been reading Hickman’s storyline — point taken. But can you at least not see from the outside looking in how contrived and phony these death stunts look? Debate.
UPDATE: ‘Fantastic Four’ Death: Regretting cynicism about Marvel’s latest character assassination
Please let it be The Invisible Woman this time.
I hope it’s not Herbie!
@singy: You are now officially the coolest person on Earth!
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(it’s the torch)
Marvel has done a wonderful job of watering down its intellectual properties, and it didn’t need a Disney buy-out to do that. Somehow I’ll bet Wolverine will be involved in this one too.
No kidding…yawn…
Please let it be all of them; hopefully that way they’ll never cast that bimbo Alba again…
“It was supposed to go on sale Wednesday, Jan. 25; now you can buy it on Tuesday, Jan. 26″
Huh…I didn’t realize January is backwards month!
Thanks. Fixed.
I was just going to post something similar. Way to proofread there, EW.
I’m hoping the Torch is toast (pun intended).
Does this mean a name change to The Terrific Trio?
Pfft. There’s too many alternate realities created in the Marvel Universe for a real death to happen. They screwed up and ruined any continuity with their characters years ago with the Secret Wars and other tie-ins and relaunches they did. I quit buying comics years ago just because of all of that crap. I remember when The Uncanny X-Men was THE book to read and then they ruined it by having several different titles.
That’s why I tend to like the smaller publishers like Image.
Only one version of The Walking Dead, Proof, Fables or Chew.
I agree. Every new writer wants their chance to either work with a beloved character or dramatically kill them off. No problem, let’s just do a quick resurrection and look! Jean Grey is back! Now we can kill her again!
I find it funny when people complain about the bad superhero movies like X3, Spiderman 3, Daredevil, etc. when the truth is Marvel’s been damaging their hero’s images with their bad writing long before superhero movies became popular again.
Great point. I gave up collecting comics in the 90s with all their gimmick covers, 5 different covers of the same comic, bad writing, etc.
That’s EXACTLY what I’ve been saying. How can you ruin a comic book franchise with a crappy movie when comic book writers have already been doing that for years? Even the crappiest comic book movie (X-Men 3, Spiderman 3, etc) makes much more sense than most comics nowadays.
@David. Me too. I’ve still got a big box of them sitting in a closet somewhere. I checked a few titles on Ebay. They’re not worth anything. I’ve even got a copy of when they killed of Reed Richards the last time. Funny how he came back again. Its like a stretchy soap opera character.
So, who is getting axed?
You are right on target..this is just another pitiful ploy used by the companies to generate sales…The comic book universe has become a joke…
Wow…Tuesdays now come after Wednesdays.
Your copy editors are terrible.
Good catch. Fixed.
This is a wasted read.
This is a wasted read.
If that cover you posted is indicative of current comic book art, it’s no wonder they need dumb gimmicks like this to drive sales. That is some fugly amateur artwork.
Ironic. That’s Bryan Hitch Artwork, granted not his best, but his work on the ultimates is some of the best artwork in years. This cover really just proves how much inkers actually matter.
I don’t think it’s an awful cover, but Torch does remind me of Johnny Thunder’s Thunderbolt (JSA) a bit here.
It is, isn’t it? I’m sorry, but I don’t think a better inker could fix that. The perspective is horrible, the facial details horrible…there must be more talented artists out there.
For years, the one corpse that stayed dead was that of Captain America’s wartime partner, Bucky. Everybody else could be revived, resurrected, time traveled forward, whatever, but not Bucky. He was the ‘sacred cow.’ Then, they brought him back. So, you’re right: whoever gets killed off is going to be brought back in time for a rebooted “FF” film.
Robin stayed dead after the Joker killed him right? I mean Batman got a new Robin but the one who was killed stayed dead I think.
Jason Todd? Nope, he’s alive again. And evil!
Though I actually don’t think Jean Grey’s been resurrected for a while, so maybe she wasn’t the best example for the story.
Haven’t read comics in a while,when did they bring back the original Bucky<thought that was the 50's Bucky who became Nomad?Only example I can remember that stayed dead was Captain Marvel,unless?
The Russians retrieved Bucky and turned him into somebody called the Winter Soldier. He became the new Captain America after Steve was assassinated at the end of Civil War. He had black in his costume and used a gun.
Yeah.
No, Mar-Vell came back too, recently.
Bucky Barnes was captured by the Russians, brainwashed as a Soviet agent and occasionally revived from freezing to be a commie hit-man. He was known as “Winter Soldier”. You need more details, check Wikipedia.
I think it’s about characters who have powers and those who don’t. Usually, if a normal powered character dies, they stay dead. I am thinking of the Uncle Ben, Gwen Stacy, Identity Crisis deaths. The heroes come back because…we’l they’re just special.
I think it’s about characters who have powers and those who don’t. Usually, if a normal powered character dies, they stay dead. I am thinking of the Uncle Ben, Gwen Stacy, Identity Crisis deaths etc. The heroes come back because…well they’re just special.
No, I believe the saying is that the only people in the Marvel universe that stay dead are Gwen Stacy and Uncle Ben.
It’s this crap that makes it really hard for me to care about ongoing comics of the superhero variety. If it’s not some convoluted event that requires too much money to fully comprehend, it’s a character death or other apparently massive ‘development’ that never seems to stick.
Don’t get me wrong, some great writers have written some great stories in this medium (I’ll read most anything by Greg Rucka or Gail Simone and love it), but putting the time/money investment in and then realizing in a couple years that everything you read was no longer of any consequence because someone punched a hole in reality or some BS makes it really hard to take it seriously.
Thank goodness for creator-owned comics like Hellboy and BPRD, I guess. Roger’s never coming back, and as much as I miss him, at least I know I have reason to, since he’s never coming back!
That’s why I just wait for TPBs to come out and check them out from the library! then you don’t have to waste your money if the stories suck. also love your shout-outs to Rucka and Simone.
Mr. Fantastic already “died” once. It happened shortly before I started collecting comics, so it was a “big deal” when it was revealed that he was really still alive. I think the comics industry is maturing to a point where all fans can ask for is a good death story, appropriate reflection as you noted, and a good resurrection. Captain America and Batman are both examples of this, I think. I think the part that’s getting your hackles up is the cynical marketing campaign. It shouldn’t matter when you’ve got the story in the hands of someone like Hickman, but it does suck to see the manipulation used to generate buzz around the story.
If you follow the alt universes, in Marvel Zombies, all of the FF have died – and come back as flesh-eating zombies. In fact, just about everyone’s died and been resurrected in that series.
I think we are missing the important point, what are they going to call the group now? My vote is for “Not Really Fantastic But Still Pretty Good Three”
This is actually a very good point. I wonder if a new member will replace the dead or if they’re now the _____ Three.
I’m sure Wolverine will replace the dead member making him officially more ubiquitous than herpes.
I remember a few years back Reed and Sue desided to take some time away and focus on their lives together. They replaced them with Storm and T’Challa and called them the “New Fantastic Four”. Since the rumors are saying it’s the torch i’d bet that they bring in his long time buddy Spiderman to fill the void thus keeping the Fantastic Four name.
Great article, especially considering EW is not that comics-oriented. I agree that this is nothing more than a “media hype storm” designed to sell books. We all know that none of the members of the Fantastic Four will ever remain dead. They pulled this same stunt in the 90′s when Reed Richards seemingly “died” at the hand of Dr. Doom only to be resurrected a couple years later.
The thing is, the current “FF” run is one of the best as Hickman is a writer whose mind operates on a different level than most people so he’s perfect for uber-genius Reed Richards and such. But yeah, they’ve done this way too many times before (Both Reed and the Thing have been killed but came back) for this to be more than a stunt. Besides, it’s called Fantastic FOUR, you don’t get rid of one of the Marvel staples.
Hail Eris!
Well, no, not if you want the pages to stay together.
Snarky