"You wanna reach the stars?" Fantastic Four Fanfare review

Fantastic Four Fanfare was a 4-issue mini-series released this year to celebrate the release of the film Fantastic Four: First Steps. It's an anthology series with 3 stories per issue. I do wonder why the series didn't feature 4 stories per issue - I mean, why not? What we have here is a mix of stories either featuring the Fantastic Four as a team or a spotlight tale on one (or two) members of the FF. Several of these stories were written or drawn by past creative teams on Fantastic Four. I'll briefly describe the 12 stories:

Fantastic Four: Fanfare #1 spotlights the Human Torch and features "You Realize, of Course, This Means War" by Mark Waid and Ramon Rosanas, "Life's a Gas" by Alan Davis and "Monster Island of Love" by Andrew Wheeler and Sara Pichelli. Waid wrote Fantastic Four 2002-2005; Davis has been a frequent Fantastic Four cover artist, served as penciler briefly in 1998 and wrote and drew the 2007 mini-series Fantastic Four: The End; and Pichelli was briefly the Fantastic Four penciler in 2018.

Waid's story is about Johnny's love of playing practical jokes on Ben, which Waid accelerates to the nth degree; in this story, Johnny had an entire filing cabinet labeled "Ideas for Pranking Ben." Many of the pranks are depicted in the style of a 1960s "Marvel Masterwork Pin-Up," which is a fun joke. Davis' story features the FF on a mission underground where Johnny's flame is bit more dangerous than usual; it's pretty light, but Davis is maybe the finest living FF illustrator, so it's worth a look. The final story features Johnny as a constestant on a reality TV program which turns out to be the favourite program of the Mole Man.

Fantastic Four: Fanfare #2 spotlights Mr. Fantastic and features "Dinner and a Movie" by Jonathan Hickman and Dustin Weaver, "Future Uncertain" by John Tyler Christopher and "Hide and Seeker" by Mark Buckingham. Hickman wrote Fantastic Four 2009-2012; Buckingham drew a few Fantstic Four stories in 2003.

This issue is very mixed; Buckingham's story concerns two of Dr. Doom's underlings trying to recover his robot the Seeker; it looks terrific but it's incredibly slight. The other two stories are simply underwhelming.

Fantastic Four: Fanfare #3 spotlights the Thing and features "Fight or Flight" by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin, "Another Round" by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz and "Universal Appeal" by Chip Zdarsky and Mike Allred. Dan Slott wrote Fantastic Four 2018-2022 and wrote a Thing solo series in 2006; DeFalco wrote Fantastic Four 1991-1996 and the Thing's solo adventures in Marvel Two-in-One 1981-1983; Zardsky wrote the Thing and Human Torch in Marvel 2-in-One 2018-2019 and Allred drew F.F. 2013-2014.

This issue is certainly my favourite, as it features three writers whose work I truly admire. Slott's story - with phenomenal art by Martin - focuses on Ben's experiences as a pilot over the decades. It's a very good character piece. DeFalco/Frenz's story brings back the Sandman, whom they'd done a bit of work rehabilitating into a hero back in the 80s, only for later writers to revert Sandman to a villain; this story tries to thread the needle, restoring his friendship with Ben but suggesting he'll still be a problem in the future. The final story features Johnny heading to an extraterrestrial fashion shoot, only to be upstaged by Ben.

Fantastic Four: Fanfare #4 spotlights the Invisible Woman and features "Ain't No Grave" by J. Michael Straczynski and Cafu, "One Night" by Greg Weisman, Mark Bagley and John Dell and "Clobberin' Time" by Daniel Warren Johnson and Tyrell Cannon. Straczynski wrote Fantastic Four 2005-2006 and Bagley penciled Fantastic Four 2013-2014.

Straczynski's story (which seems to be set circa 1970?) is about the Mole Man on his deathbed - which means this anthology won't read well in a trade paperback as this follows on the humourous treatment of Mole Man in issue #1. Still, it's a very good character piece on Mole Man that takes him seriously, which is not how... well, anyone else in the last 35 years has treated the character. Weisman's story is set around the time of Fantastic Four Annual #5 and features the Circus of Crime; it's appealing fluff. The last story is a kind of embarrassing story about the Sub-Mariner fighting the FF in a tournament but at least the art's appealing.

Anthologies are always a mixed bag; in this case, you might want to just cherry-pick the creators you enjoy the most. Still, taken as a whole, this is a fine collection of stories.

Creator Credits for Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

In brief: We seem to have reached a state where, between this and Superman, super hero filmmakers are tired of retelling origin stories and would rather hit the ground running. Which, the film certainly does have a steady pace.

As always, this represents my attempt at providing credit to those comic book creators whose works were seen in a Marvel Cinematic Universe property. If you recognize something I missed, tell me in the comments. My master list of Marvel Cinematic Universe credits is right here.

Jack Kirby: creator of H.E.R.B.I.E., robot companion of the Fantastic Four; co-creator of the Fantastic Four, a team of four adventurers who attempted a space launch that ended disastrously when cosmic radiation granted them superhuman powers; of Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, scientist and leader of the Fantastic Four with the ability to stretch his body to incredible lengths; of the Invisible Girl, Susan Storm, girlfriend of Reed Richards with the ability to render herself invisible; of the Thing, Ben Grimm, Reed's best friend and pilot, body mutated into orange, rocky form granting him superhuman strength; of the Human Torch, Johnny Storm, Susan's brother, with the ability surround himself in flames and fly, generating heat and flame as an offensive attack; of Johnny's love of high-speed racing; of the Mole Man, enemy of the Fantastic Four who considers himself an outcast, lives underground, wears protective goggles; of Giganto, an enormous green monster who serves the Mole Man (Fantastic Four #1, 1961); of the Fantastic Four wearing blue uniforms with a '4' on their chest; of the Fantasticar, flying vehicle used by the Fantastic Four; of the Thing and Human Torch having a squabbling relationship; of the Baxter Building, the Manhattan skyscraper which serves as the Fantastic Four's home; of the Human Torch shouting "Flame on!" and "Flame off!" as he uses his powers; of the Human Torch using the trails of his flame to create a giant '4' in the sky (Fantastic Four #3, 1962); of Dr. Doom, armored scientist garbed in green (Fantastic Four #5, 1962); of Dr. Doom wearing a green cloak; of the Thing visiting Yancy Street (Fantastic Four #6, 1962); of the Puppet Master, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #8, 1962); of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby being present within the Fantastic Four's adventures (Fantastic Four #10, 1963); of the Red Ghost and his Super Apes, a Russian spy with superhuman powers who battles the Fantastic Four with his superhuman ape companions; of the Fantastic Four visiting Earth's moon (Fantastic Four #13, 1963); of the Fantastic Four as celebrities with their own fan club (Fantastic Four #14, 1963); of the Mad Thinker, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #15, 1963); of the Invisible Girl gaining the ability to generate a force field; of the Thing going into battle yelling, "It's clobbering time!"; of Subterranea, the underground kingdom ruled by the Mole Man (Fantastic Four #22, 1964); of Diablo, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #30, 1964); of Susan and Johnny's mother dying in a car accident when they were teenagers, the incident traumatizing their father (Fantastic Four #32, 1964); of Galactus, immense cosmic being who devours planets, opposes the Fantastic Four when he attempts to devour Earth; of Galactus' spherical spaceship used for consuming planets; of the Silver Surfer, herald of Galactus, wields the Power Cosmic, flies through space upon a surfboard (Fantastic Four #48, 1966); of the Silver Surfer turning against Galactus and helping the Fantastic Four save their planet from being devoured (Fantastic Four #50, 1966); of Galactus' blue bodysuit (Fantastic Four #74, 1968); of Susan and Reed's son named as Franklin Richards (Fantastic Four #94, 1970); of Latveria, European nation (Fantastic Four Annual #2, 1964); of Reed Richards and Susan Storm being married (Fantastic Four Annual #3, 1965); of Susan announcing her pregnancy to her family (Fantastic Four Annual #5, 1967); of Susan giving birth to she and Reed's son (Fantastic Four Annual #6, 1968); of a female version of the Silver Surfer (Silver Surfer, 1978); of the Wizard, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Strange Tales #102, 1962); of Galactus being the last survivor of the previous universe's existence (Thor #162, 1969)

Stan Lee: co-creator of the Fantastic Four, a team of four adventurers who attempted a space launch that ended disastrously when cosmic radiation granted them superhuman powers; of Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, scientist and leader of the Fantastic Four with the ability to stretch his body to incredible lengths; of the Invisible Girl, Susan Storm, girlfriend of Reed Richards with the ability to render herself invisible; of the Thing, Ben Grimm, Reed's best friend and pilot, body mutated into orange, rocky form granting him superhuman strength; of the Human Torch, Johnny Storm, Susan's brother, with the ability surround himself in flames and fly, generating heat and flame as an offensive attack; of Johnny's love of high-speed racing; of the Mole Man, enemy of the Fantastic Four who considers himself an outcast, lives underground, wears protective goggles; of Giganto, an enormous green monster who serves the Mole Man (Fantastic Four #1, 1961); of the Fantastic Four wearing blue uniforms with a '4' on their chest; of the Fantasticar, flying vehicle used by the Fantastic Four; of the Thing and Human Torch having a squabbling relationship; of the Baxter Building, the Manhattan skyscraper which serves as the Fantastic Four's home; of the Human Torch shouting "Flame on!" and "Flame off!" as he uses his powers; of the Human Torch using the trails of his flame to create a giant '4' in the sky (Fantastic Four #3, 1962); of Dr. Doom, armored scientist garbed in green (Fantastic Four #5, 1962); of Dr. Doom wearing a green cloak; of the Thing visiting Yancy Street (Fantastic Four #6, 1962); of the Puppet Master, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #8, 1962); of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby being present within the Fantastic Four's adventures (Fantastic Four #10, 1963); of the Red Ghost and his Super Apes, a Russian spy with superhuman powers who battles the Fantastic Four with his superhuman ape companions; of the Fantastic Four visiting Earth's moon (Fantastic Four #13, 1963); of the Fantastic Four as celebrities with their own fan club (Fantastic Four #14, 1963); of the Mad Thinker, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #15, 1963); of the Invisible Girl gaining the ability to generate a force field; of the Thing going into battle yelling, "It's clobbering time!"; of Subterranea, the underground kingdom ruled by the Mole Man (Fantastic Four #22, 1964); of Diablo, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #30, 1964); of Susan and Johnny's mother dying in a car accident when they were teenagers, the incident traumatizing their father (Fantastic Four #32, 1964); of Galactus, immense cosmic being who devours planets, opposes the Fantastic Four when he attempts to devour Earth; of Galactus' spherical spaceship used for consuming planets; of the Silver Surfer, herald of Galactus, wields the Power Cosmic, flies through space upon a surfboard (Fantastic Four #48, 1966); of the Silver Surfer turning against Galactus and helping the Fantastic Four save their planet from being devoured (Fantastic Four #50, 1966); of Galactus' blue bodysuit (Fantastic Four #74, 1968); of Susan and Reed's son named as Franklin Richards (Fantastic Four #94, 1970); of Latveria, European nation (Fantastic Four Annual #2, 1964); of Reed Richards and Susan Storm being married (Fantastic Four Annual #3, 1965); of Susan announcing her pregnancy to her family (Fantastic Four Annual #5, 1967); of Susan giving birth to she and Reed's son (Fantastic Four Annual #6, 1968); of Shalla-Bal, an extraterrestrial woman whose world Zenn-La was threatened by Galactus, connected to the Silver Surfer; of the Silver Surfer's world Zenn-La threatened by Galactus, choosing to become Galactus' herald in order to spare the planet (Silver Surfer #1, 1968); of a female version of the Silver Surfer (Silver Surfer, 1978); of the Wizard, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Strange Tales #102, 1962); of Galactus being the last survivor of the previous universe's existence (Thor #162, 1969)

John Buscema: co-creator of Franklin Richards having vast cosmic powers (Fantastic Four #130, 1973); of Shalla-Bal, an extraterrestrial woman whose world Zenn-La was threatened by Galactus, connected to the Silver Surfer; of the Silver Surfer's world Zenn-La threatened by Galactus, choosing to become Galactus' herald in order to spare the planet (Silver Surfer #1, 1968)

John Byrne: creator of the Fantastic Four wearing costumes with a white neck (Fantastic Four #256, 1983); of Susan Storm calling herself the Invisible Woman (Fantastic Four #283, 1985); co-creator of Yancy Street as Ben Grimm's original borough (the Thing #1, 1983)

Carl Burgos: creator of the Human Torch, a man with the ability to surround himself in a sheathe of flame, generating heat and flame and with the power of flight (Marvel Comics #1, 1939)

Jim Krueger: co-creator of Franklin Richards seen as a successor to Galactus (Earth X #10, 2000); of Shalla-Bal as the Silver Surfer (Earth X #12, 2000)

Alex Ross: co-creator of Franklin Richards seen as a successor to Galactus (Earth X #10, 2000); of Shalla-Bal as the Silver Surfer (Earth X #12, 2000)

John Paul Leon: co-creator of Franklin Richards seen as a successor to Galactus (Earth X #10, 2000); of Shalla-Bal as the Silver Surfer (Earth X #12, 2000)

Jonathan Hickman: co-creator of the Future Foundation, an organization run by the Fantastic Four to better the world (Fantastic Four #576, 2010)

Dale Eaglesham: co-creator of the Future Foundation, an organization run by the Fantastic Four to better the world (Fantastic Four #576, 2010)

Tom DeFalco: co-creator of the Invisible Woman's force field being so powerful it can repel cosmic beings (Fantastic Four #400, 1995)

Paul Ryan: co-creator of the Invisible Woman's force field being so powerful it can repel cosmic beings (Fantastic Four #400, 1995)

Brandon Choi: co-creator of the Excelsior as the name of the Fantastic Four's spacecraft (Fantastic Four #1, 1996)

Jim Lee: co-creator of the Excelsior as the name of the Fantastic Four's spacecraft (Fantastic Four #1, 1996)

Roger Stern: co-creator of the Mole Man's real name as Harvey Elder (Marvel Universe #4, 1998)

Mike Manley: co-creator of the Mole Man's real name as Harvey Elder (Marvel Universe #4, 1998)

Ron Wilson: co-creator of Yancy Street as Ben Grimm's original borough (the Thing #1, 1983)

Larry Lieber: co-creator of the Wizard, enemy of the Fantastic Four (Strange Tales #102, 1962)

Karl Kesel: co-creator of the Thing being Jewish (Fantastic Four #56, 2002)

Stuart Immonen: co-creator of the Thing being Jewish (Fantastic Four #56, 2002)

Roy Thomas: co-creator of Franklin Richards having vast cosmic powers (Fantastic Four #130, 1973)

RIP Joe Sinnott

Joe Sinnott has passed away, aged 93. He was one of the all-time greatest inkers in comic books. He was especially renowned for the years he spent inking Jack Kirby, especially for inking most of the second half of Kirby's run on Fantastic Four. It's hard to overstate how important Sinnott's inks were to establishing the character of the Fantastic Four. From the craggy lines in the Thing's skin to the weird energy swirls of the Negative Zone, he provided a sense of consistency to the Fantastic Four series, returning to it again and again for about 25 years. He was so identified with Kirby's art that when Ron Frenz drew his Thor in imitation of Kirby, Sinnott inked him to exemplify the comparison.

Sinnott is especially important to me because of my fascination with Atlas Comics; in those days, Sinnott tended to both pencil and ink his work and he drew plenty of war, western and sci-fi comic books. Later in his life, he became involved with the Inkwell Awards, an organization which I've assisted by serving on their nomination committee for 10 years. Sinnott was so identified with the art of inking that his endorsement of the Inkwell Awards was a huge boon to the organization and made them a credible group. Although I never interacted with him in any of my comics gigs, I've always respected his art and it amazed me to see how long he continued to work, long past retirement!

Rest in peace, Mr. Sinnott.

Comics That Changed Me: Fantastic Four Annual #3

In the previous Comics That Changed Me I left off in 1995, the year in which I dropped comics books supposedly forever after the disappointment of Captain America#445-446. So naturally we pick up with Fantastic Four Annual #3 in 1965.

Bear with me. It all makes sense.

People who know I'm a comic book fan sometimes make certain assumptions about my tastes, particularly when it comes to buying me a birthday/Christmas present. It's like mentioning to a relative how much you liked eating chocolate cake and for your birthday receiving...your own cake pan. Friends and relations have seldom given me comic books as presents, even when I was young enough that the odds of me having any particular comic were negligible. These days I'm more likely to receive a book about comics...or tangentially related to comics.

This being the case, it's always a pleasant surprise when I receive a real comic book as a gift, especially when it matches my taste (and collection) perfectly. Christmas of 1996 was such an occasion and I owe it to my Uncle Ted; he gave me a copy of Fantastic Four Annual #3.

Writers: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby. Art: Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta, Dick Ayers.

This is the landmark story of Mr. Fantastic's wedding to the Invisible Girl. It set a trend in super hero weddings as nearly every Marvel hero made an appearance in the tale for a fight with about as many Marvel villains. Just about every super hero wedding since has either involved a host of guest stars and a big fight or has intentionally eschewed the trend and held a quiet affair.

I knew of Fantastic Four Annual#3, but hadn't seen so much as a reprint of it; I didn't even have the issue of Marvel Age where Peter Sanderson recapped the story. In terms of actual Silver Age Marvel comic books, my collection was very weak; I bought reprints when I could find & afford them, that was it. Even though I had dismantled much of my collection, this annual was something special and it rekindled some of my love for comics. 30 years does very little damage to Lee and Kirby's finest.

Along with the comic my uncle included a copy of Comic Shop News, a free tabloid-like periodical offered by some stores. The local store had stopped offering CSN years before it went out of business, so the thrill of seeing an issue of CSN again meant almost as much as the comic book. Back then, I wasn't on the internet and even if you followed comic books it was difficult to keep track of what was going on because there was simply so much being published. CSN had a multitude of tiny articles describing much of what I'd missed and some of what was yet to come.

One article caught my eye.

I can't find the issue now to reproduce it exactly, but the text was something like this:

"Marvel has cancelled the Official Timeline of the Marvel Universe due to the death of Mark Gruenwald."

Laying aside that such a project was ever considered (and to this day remains unpublished), the second half of the article was like a dagger in my heart. Mark Gruenwald was dead (had been dead for four months). His death wasn't even the subject of the article!

I don't know what it would have meant to me if I had still been reading comics when Gruenwald died; he would have died all the same, whether I had been reading his work or not. Regardless, it stung me to think I had given up on my personal favorite creator less than a year before he was lost to the world.

Melancholy aside, Fantastic Four Annual#3 reminded me why I had loved comics; now I was ready to buy another and I'll relate that tale next time.