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FF (2012)
FF, Volume 1: Fantastic Faux
Collects FF #4-8. The Fantastic Four have formed a new team to guard the planet, and their wards in the Future Foundation, while they're on an interdimensional jouney: Scott Lang, the incredible shrinking Ant Man! Jen Walters, the original gamma-spawned She-Hulk! Medusa, queen of the Inhumans! And...Ms. Thing??! But how does the world respond when this new FF take to the streets and make their public debut?
123 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 2013
10 people are currently reading
473 people want to read
About the author
Matt Fraction
1,225 books1,871 followers"How he got started in comics: In 1983, when Fraction was 7 years old and growing up in Kansas City, Mo., he became fascinated by the U.S. invasion of Grenada and created his own newspaper to explain the event. "I've always been story-driven, telling stories with pictures and words," he said.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009. Alex Pham. Los Angeles Times.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009. Alex Pham. Los Angeles Times.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
July 15, 2016
The new FF are struggling to hold down the fort. Bentley gets up to some mischief. The future Human Torch awakens and the future he's predicted draws nearer.
Ant-Man and company continue trying to fill the shoes of the Fantastic Four and go up against a leviathan, The Wizard, Blastaar, and The Inhumans but their biggest enemies seem to be themselves.
That might be stretching it a little but Matt Fraction and Mike Allred have created a throwback to the Fantastic Four of the 1960's, a bickering team that still feels like a family.
I dig Matt Fraction's writing. Maybe not as much as Dan Slott's on the Silver Surfer but he does a good job of writing something that works to Mike Allred's strengths and fits his art style. He also gets some mileage out of The Wizard and the Inhumans, something I don't think many writers do a good job of. I also like how he's planting seeds for the next volume while doing some good character development within the FF cast.
I really like what Matt Fraction is doing here and I'm keen to start the next volume. Four out of five stars.
Ant-Man and company continue trying to fill the shoes of the Fantastic Four and go up against a leviathan, The Wizard, Blastaar, and The Inhumans but their biggest enemies seem to be themselves.
That might be stretching it a little but Matt Fraction and Mike Allred have created a throwback to the Fantastic Four of the 1960's, a bickering team that still feels like a family.
I dig Matt Fraction's writing. Maybe not as much as Dan Slott's on the Silver Surfer but he does a good job of writing something that works to Mike Allred's strengths and fits his art style. He also gets some mileage out of The Wizard and the Inhumans, something I don't think many writers do a good job of. I also like how he's planting seeds for the next volume while doing some good character development within the FF cast.
I really like what Matt Fraction is doing here and I'm keen to start the next volume. Four out of five stars.
April 18, 2014
I'm all by myself here, because everyone else seems to think it was great, but I absolutely hated this.
I thought it was silly and boring.
To me, it felt like the story jumped from one goofy plotline to another with lightning speed.
Johnny's back...maybe. And he wants to kill Doom!
dramatic music swells
Hang on! She-Hulk is going on a date! The moloid kids are in love with her, so they want to ruin it. But they end up making it better on accident!
insert canned laughter here
Johnny's burning everything down!
He's gone CRAZY! Come on gang, let's go save him...and the city!
2 seconds later
Ok. Done!
applause
The Yancy Street Gang is picking on Darla!
They hack her cell phone and post her embarrassing selfies, then show up at her concert and throw cabbage at her.
Oh no!
Don't worry, Darla, Ant Man will save you!
???
And on and on and on...
To me, this was so dumb. All of it.
I barely made it through this, and there's no way I'm going back for more. I'm glad other people are enjoying Fraction's take on this, but it's just not for me.
Honorable mention for having a transgender moloid.
I thought it was silly and boring.
To me, it felt like the story jumped from one goofy plotline to another with lightning speed.
Johnny's back...maybe. And he wants to kill Doom!
dramatic music swells
Hang on! She-Hulk is going on a date! The moloid kids are in love with her, so they want to ruin it. But they end up making it better on accident!
insert canned laughter here
Johnny's burning everything down!
He's gone CRAZY! Come on gang, let's go save him...and the city!
2 seconds later
Ok. Done!
applause
The Yancy Street Gang is picking on Darla!
They hack her cell phone and post her embarrassing selfies, then show up at her concert and throw cabbage at her.
Oh no!
Don't worry, Darla, Ant Man will save you!
???
And on and on and on...
To me, this was so dumb. All of it.
I barely made it through this, and there's no way I'm going back for more. I'm glad other people are enjoying Fraction's take on this, but it's just not for me.
Honorable mention for having a transgender moloid.
July 24, 2014
I don’t read the Fantastic Four much anymore (my library doesn’t have it), so I had all sorts of questions when I started reading this:
When did they start a school/daycare at the Baxter Building?
Moloids? One just a sentient head in a jar? Atlanteans? Some bad guy progeny? Artie and Leech, who haven’t aged a day in 40 years of continuity?
Doombot H.E.R.B.I.E.S. ? Kneel before Doom. Ha!
When did Dragon Man become a good guy? He had an obsession with the Sue Storm that almost turned into monster porn on several occasions.
Since the Fantastic Four are off doing stuff, who’s in charge of this brood?
Let’s see. You have the brooding Antman, Scott Lang, not crazy Eric O’Grady or Hank Pym, candidate for Viagra. The Green She-Hulk, the adolescent crush for the Moloids. Medusa, (attitude) Queen of the Inhumans. Darla Deering, who has a kind of fetish for the Thing and likes to wear an old Thing suit.
Good choice Reed and Sue, I’m sure these kids are in safe and capable hands.
With all this, the title is a lot of fun. Matt Fraction (My Life as a Weapon) brings an off kilter approach to the material with some nice old school touches (a layout of the Baxter Building just like Lee and Kirby used to do).
When did they start a school/daycare at the Baxter Building?
Moloids? One just a sentient head in a jar? Atlanteans? Some bad guy progeny? Artie and Leech, who haven’t aged a day in 40 years of continuity?
Doombot H.E.R.B.I.E.S. ? Kneel before Doom. Ha!
When did Dragon Man become a good guy? He had an obsession with the Sue Storm that almost turned into monster porn on several occasions.
Since the Fantastic Four are off doing stuff, who’s in charge of this brood?
Let’s see. You have the brooding Antman, Scott Lang, not crazy Eric O’Grady or Hank Pym, candidate for Viagra. The Green She-Hulk, the adolescent crush for the Moloids. Medusa, (attitude) Queen of the Inhumans. Darla Deering, who has a kind of fetish for the Thing and likes to wear an old Thing suit.
Good choice Reed and Sue, I’m sure these kids are in safe and capable hands.
With all this, the title is a lot of fun. Matt Fraction (My Life as a Weapon) brings an off kilter approach to the material with some nice old school touches (a layout of the Baxter Building just like Lee and Kirby used to do).
January 16, 2014
With the Fantastic Four on their great space adventure, the FF have stayed behind to look after Earth in their stead. The FF, or Future Foundation, are: Scott Lang aka Ant-Man, Medusa, Queen on the Inhumans, Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk, and Darla Deering aka Ms. Thing. In this first FF-only volume (the first three issues of Marvel NOW! FF were collected together with the first three issues of Fantastic Four), She Hulk goes on a date with old flame Wyatt Wingfoot; Johnny Storm from the future wreaks havoc in New York, and Bentley Wittman aka The Wizard tries to disrupt the FF family through mind-controlling Medusa.
Like his companion series Fantastic Four, Matt Fraction’s FF is episodic – almost sit-com-ish – in its approach and it works really well. It allows him the freedom to do done-in-one issue stories like the She-Hulk date or Darla having her concert sabotaged by the Yancy Street Gang, both really fun stories, and it’s these issues that make the book worth reading – that and Mike Allred’s art!
Where I think the book falls down is twofold. The Doom storyline isn’t particularly interesting. Johnny Storm from the future says they have to kill Doom but the storyline doesn’t advance much in this book and there’s nothing about it that I really want to read. Doom’s too serious a villain for Fraction’s comedic FF and the whole killing thing sticks out awkwardly. Then the Bentley Wittman story with The Wizard looking to create his own nuclear family was just plain dull. More than that, it felt overly preachy on the part of Fraction.
This book deals with progressive ideas really well. Tong, one of the moloids, decides to change sex – he’s a woman trapped in a male moloid’s body – and rather than make a big deal out of this, Fraction does it all in one page. The coming out, the acceptance, the joy – moving on! It shows Marvel’s own progressive nature and is a positive reflection of the readership that it’s a scene that’s barely noticed, which is as it should be.
Continuing the progressive theme is the idea of a traditional nuclear family – the one The Wizard is looking to forge – contrasted with the FF’s unorthodox family structure, which nevertheless works. Ant-Man and co. punching The Wizard while declaring that his idea of a family is outdated and boring felt very on the nose. If Tong’s sex change scene was handled perfectly, Fraction fumbles the affirmation of the 21st century family, one which doesn’t necessarily have a mum and dad but provides real structure and love. That and the dull story overall didn’t make me love this book as much as I’d expected to.
There’s still lots of great stuff here like Darla trying on various hats and taking selfies, only to have her phone hacked by the Daily Bugle, and the John Hughes-esque escapades of Bentley-23 and the moloids as they try to disrupt Jen’s date (the moloids fancy The Jen!). And then there’s Mike Allred. How best to describe his art - transcendently beautiful? He has one of the most visually unique styles in mainstream comics where the drawings are striking and vivid without looking cartoonish or cheese-cake-y. He’s one of those artists whose work instantly makes the comic that much better where, even if the script is lacking and not holding your attention, the pop art style makes up for it.
Fraction’s writing these days is so up there that even if FF isn’t of the same standard as Hawkeye or Sex Criminals, it’s still head and shoulders above many other Marvel titles. It’s because of the high quality of his other comics that I was disappointed with FF not being of as amazing but I still enjoyed parts of it. FF’s not the best comic Fraction’s done in recent years but it’s definitely still worth a read.
Like his companion series Fantastic Four, Matt Fraction’s FF is episodic – almost sit-com-ish – in its approach and it works really well. It allows him the freedom to do done-in-one issue stories like the She-Hulk date or Darla having her concert sabotaged by the Yancy Street Gang, both really fun stories, and it’s these issues that make the book worth reading – that and Mike Allred’s art!
Where I think the book falls down is twofold. The Doom storyline isn’t particularly interesting. Johnny Storm from the future says they have to kill Doom but the storyline doesn’t advance much in this book and there’s nothing about it that I really want to read. Doom’s too serious a villain for Fraction’s comedic FF and the whole killing thing sticks out awkwardly. Then the Bentley Wittman story with The Wizard looking to create his own nuclear family was just plain dull. More than that, it felt overly preachy on the part of Fraction.
This book deals with progressive ideas really well. Tong, one of the moloids, decides to change sex – he’s a woman trapped in a male moloid’s body – and rather than make a big deal out of this, Fraction does it all in one page. The coming out, the acceptance, the joy – moving on! It shows Marvel’s own progressive nature and is a positive reflection of the readership that it’s a scene that’s barely noticed, which is as it should be.
Continuing the progressive theme is the idea of a traditional nuclear family – the one The Wizard is looking to forge – contrasted with the FF’s unorthodox family structure, which nevertheless works. Ant-Man and co. punching The Wizard while declaring that his idea of a family is outdated and boring felt very on the nose. If Tong’s sex change scene was handled perfectly, Fraction fumbles the affirmation of the 21st century family, one which doesn’t necessarily have a mum and dad but provides real structure and love. That and the dull story overall didn’t make me love this book as much as I’d expected to.
There’s still lots of great stuff here like Darla trying on various hats and taking selfies, only to have her phone hacked by the Daily Bugle, and the John Hughes-esque escapades of Bentley-23 and the moloids as they try to disrupt Jen’s date (the moloids fancy The Jen!). And then there’s Mike Allred. How best to describe his art - transcendently beautiful? He has one of the most visually unique styles in mainstream comics where the drawings are striking and vivid without looking cartoonish or cheese-cake-y. He’s one of those artists whose work instantly makes the comic that much better where, even if the script is lacking and not holding your attention, the pop art style makes up for it.
Fraction’s writing these days is so up there that even if FF isn’t of the same standard as Hawkeye or Sex Criminals, it’s still head and shoulders above many other Marvel titles. It’s because of the high quality of his other comics that I was disappointed with FF not being of as amazing but I still enjoyed parts of it. FF’s not the best comic Fraction’s done in recent years but it’s definitely still worth a read.
November 22, 2017
Matt Fraction brings the quirkiness of Madman along with its writer/artist to the FF. Fraction takes an inmates running the asylum approach to the book. The replacements for the Fantastic Four are all pretty dysfunctional on their own and now they're in charge of a bunch of genius children. The book is fun and episodic while Mike Allred makes the book look better than ever.
August 2, 2013
First off, can I just say that Fantastic Faux is a superb title?
Now, onto the rest of the book. Always zany and often heartfelt, FF is about family at heart, and yet there's still time for superheroics, subplots galore, and the always brilliant art from Mike Allred and Joe Quinones.
Where Fantastic Four is more straightforward, FF is always doing something crazy, and the plot is as unpredictable as it is awesome. A fun read from start to oh-so-tantalizing end.
Now, onto the rest of the book. Always zany and often heartfelt, FF is about family at heart, and yet there's still time for superheroics, subplots galore, and the always brilliant art from Mike Allred and Joe Quinones.
Where Fantastic Four is more straightforward, FF is always doing something crazy, and the plot is as unpredictable as it is awesome. A fun read from start to oh-so-tantalizing end.
December 18, 2015
I miss Jonathan Hickman's FF but Michael Allred on art gave me a whole new reason to pick this up. I have the first 10 issues on singles and I had little hesitation double-dipping with this trade.
To Fraction's credit, he does not ape Hickman but has a whole new approach to the title. He maintained the family dynamic, even with new characters that were substituting for the missing F4. FF is still a school, but I couldn't feel it. Antman and company does not carry any academic gravitas.
To Fraction's credit, he does not ape Hickman but has a whole new approach to the title. He maintained the family dynamic, even with new characters that were substituting for the missing F4. FF is still a school, but I couldn't feel it. Antman and company does not carry any academic gravitas.
April 17, 2014
It might have been a mistake for me to read this. I don't mean that as any value judgement on the book itself. I just know so little about these characters and this setting that I was lost through most of the book. The Fantastic Four have never been appealing to me, and so I was trying to catch up on the background that I needed as I read. Take my advice, and don't try to jump on here.
But that has nothing to do with the quality of the work. Fraction is a great writer, and I can see that he's doing some good things here. I like the sitcom feel of much of the book, the silliness that doesn't quite take over the book. And Fraction did a great job with Ant-Man, his continuing grief over his daughter's death, and the way he cares for the Future Foundation kids. The little speech he gives them about how much he worries about them hit just the right notes.
Fraction earns points for how he handles Tong. In the course of a few deftly handled panels, Tong goes from presenting as a moloid boy to a moloid girl. And then people move on with their lives, with everyone the happier. Thanks for that. But then there's an oddly heavy-handed scene with the villain of the issue, giving Ant-Man a slightly too convenient chance to defend nontraditional and created family structures. Odd, that Fraction handles the more tricky issue so much more easily. But I do admit to loving the villain's delightfully over-the-top line, "All of you pale before our hetero-normative cisgendered classification of family!"
I first encountered Allred's work in iZombie. I loved the pop art feel of it there, and I loved it here. It really suits a book with a lighter tone.
But that has nothing to do with the quality of the work. Fraction is a great writer, and I can see that he's doing some good things here. I like the sitcom feel of much of the book, the silliness that doesn't quite take over the book. And Fraction did a great job with Ant-Man, his continuing grief over his daughter's death, and the way he cares for the Future Foundation kids. The little speech he gives them about how much he worries about them hit just the right notes.
Fraction earns points for how he handles Tong. In the course of a few deftly handled panels, Tong goes from presenting as a moloid boy to a moloid girl. And then people move on with their lives, with everyone the happier. Thanks for that. But then there's an oddly heavy-handed scene with the villain of the issue, giving Ant-Man a slightly too convenient chance to defend nontraditional and created family structures. Odd, that Fraction handles the more tricky issue so much more easily. But I do admit to loving the villain's delightfully over-the-top line, "All of you pale before our hetero-normative cisgendered classification of family!"
I first encountered Allred's work in iZombie. I loved the pop art feel of it there, and I loved it here. It really suits a book with a lighter tone.
June 6, 2015
Well, I liked the art. It was fun and whimsical.
The story was all over the place, but then again, that's the FF, so no big surprise.
Old John Storm, the Blue one-eyed man from the future is here, and I'm trying to recall what book he showed up in before this one...anyhow.
I actually enjoyed the Future Foundation kids here. Usually I despise them.
Bentley trying to embrace his inner super villain with hilarious results, the mole boys having a crush on She Hulk, and one of the kids deciding to wear a dress and be a girl...with one of the simplest and heart warming results ever. Way to go with positive gender identity work Matt Fraction! Well done!
Alex Power had his own story too, with more grown up connotations.
Scott Lang is coming into his own as leader, still haunted by his daughter's death. Medusa gets knocked down a peg by She Hulk, who is hot. Wyatt Wingfoot notices it too! And Ms. Thang tries new outfits on.
Good and bad. Not amazing, not terrible.
The story was all over the place, but then again, that's the FF, so no big surprise.
Old John Storm, the Blue one-eyed man from the future is here, and I'm trying to recall what book he showed up in before this one...anyhow.
I actually enjoyed the Future Foundation kids here. Usually I despise them.
Bentley trying to embrace his inner super villain with hilarious results, the mole boys having a crush on She Hulk, and one of the kids deciding to wear a dress and be a girl...with one of the simplest and heart warming results ever. Way to go with positive gender identity work Matt Fraction! Well done!
Alex Power had his own story too, with more grown up connotations.
Scott Lang is coming into his own as leader, still haunted by his daughter's death. Medusa gets knocked down a peg by She Hulk, who is hot. Wyatt Wingfoot notices it too! And Ms. Thang tries new outfits on.
Good and bad. Not amazing, not terrible.
March 3, 2021
This was really good you can tell Fraction and Allred are having a lot of fun with it. I love the characters they are really fun and endearing. This feels very much like older FF comics where it’s weird and fun at the same time while having a lot of heart.
November 22, 2017
Okay, so this is volume 1 of FF. It says so in the copyright information and everything. Normally, that would mean the story starts here, right? Volume one and all? Not at Marvel, though. This is a continuation of a story that began ... somewhere. I'm unable to discern where just from this book alone. On the back cover, we see that this collects the stories that originally ran in issues 4-8 of the FF comic books. So what happened to issues 1-3? Why aren't they volume one? Does this make sense to anyone other than the most diehard Marvel fans? This is a fun book, and I would have liked to have read it from the beginning. It's a goofy, funhouse take on the Marvel universe, and Michael Allred was an excellent choice for the art. Just be warned that, at Marvel at least, the volume numbers don't mean anything, and are apparently assigned randomly. Knocking off a star for that.
September 25, 2014
I think this one definitely requires more background. It might be volume #1 of the FF Marvel Now books, but it clearly follows an ongoing story involving the Fantastic Four and... possibly a lot of other people? I had no idea who a lot of these people were, other than Johnny Storm and Scott Lang. (Where does that fit with Young Avengers? Isn't he Cassie's dad, and isn't he dead? Or did he come back amidst the timeline crossing?)
Anyway, there were fun aspects to this -- the line "All of you pale before our hetero-normative cisgendered classification of family!" is a winning one, and there's some other good one-liners. Which I'd kind of expect from Matt Fraction, really. There was a really nice bit where he fit in a trans* character, dealt with sensitively, yet in such a normal way -- it barely caused a blink, and yet it worked well. I liked that bit a lot. Oh, and She-Hulk is great.
Overall, though, I don't have enough context to really enjoy this. Too bad the library's collection of comics is generally spotty.
Anyway, there were fun aspects to this -- the line "All of you pale before our hetero-normative cisgendered classification of family!" is a winning one, and there's some other good one-liners. Which I'd kind of expect from Matt Fraction, really. There was a really nice bit where he fit in a trans* character, dealt with sensitively, yet in such a normal way -- it barely caused a blink, and yet it worked well. I liked that bit a lot. Oh, and She-Hulk is great.
Overall, though, I don't have enough context to really enjoy this. Too bad the library's collection of comics is generally spotty.
May 2, 2015
I really don't care about the "plot". I just want to see the kids be tiny evil geniuses, and then realize that it may be more fun to just go peacefully home and try on dresses/breathe fire/the ushe.
October 28, 2013
Wow Matt Fraction is just killing it with all his Marvel Now books.
March 31, 2017
So much "no".
Volume one did not make sense - the back cover description made more sense and gave more background than the *actual* book.
Volume one did not make sense - the back cover description made more sense and gave more background than the *actual* book.
October 16, 2019
I really do like Fraction as a writer, so I gave this one another shot. I still did not like it. I do not like FF as a group nor do I like Allred's art. Those silliness things were just not annoying not funny.
Everything is wrong and bad.
Everything is wrong and bad.
April 27, 2024
Extremely fun set of stories that revolve around a new and bizarre Fantastic Four and the children of the Future Foundation. The stakes seem incredibly high at first, but it thankfully never takes itself too seriously. The art by Allred is reminiscent of classic Kirby, but with modern coloring. Fraction expands on most of the characters in the Future Foundation, especially the Moloids and my personal favorite, Bentley 23. While I do appreciate the circumstances that led to the creation of the new Fantastic Four, I am a little surprised by the lack of urgency or discussion toward figuring out what happened to the original team. I chalk this up to the new team, specifically Scott Lang, believing that Reed is smart enough to eventually find a way home.
August 1, 2013
Reprints FF (2) #4-8 (April 2013-August 2013). The Fantastic Four are gone and Ant-Man, Medusa, She-Hulk, and Ms. Thing are trying to keep the Future Foundation running as they protect the Earth. As Scott butts heads with Alex Powers over his practices, something appears to be wrong with Medusa. Medusa finds herself in line with her old allies the Wizard and Blastaar as the fate of Bentley-23 hangs in the balance along with the rest of the FF.
Written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Mike Allred, FF 1: Fantastic Faux collects the second story arc of the Marvel Now relaunch of the FF series. The first three issues of the series were collected with the first three issues of the Fantastic Four relaunch as Fantastic Four 1: New Departures, New Arrivals.
FF is a fun series. I had read the previous incarnation of the team and like many long-time fans bummed by the constant relaunching of series was disappointed to hear that the series was going to end. When I heard the creative team was Matt Fraction and Mike Allred, it did pique my interest since I have liked their work in the past.
Fraction does deliver in this series. I have had some Matt Fraction issues in the past where I started out liking a series then found the writing went downhill, but with both FF and his Hawkeye series, I can find no faults. The series is just fun and the characters are all developing nicely (they already had started distinguishing themselves in the first FF series). Despite having tons of “dramatic” events occurring in the comic, it has a sense of lightness to it that makes it very enjoyable.
I love Mike Allred so when I saw he was doing an FF book, it didn’t matter what writer he was teamed with, I was going to buy it. Reading FF, I’m curious how much input he has on the stories he illustrates because they all have a similar feel. His X-Statix with Peter Milligan had a similar feel to this book so I wonder if he has a big say in the development…both series are fun and have a weird sense of humor that works with his art.
FF is a fun read and I hope it can survive in the competitive comic book market. The stories are kind of twisted so younger readers might have problems following them, but they also seem to have a sense of childlike wonder that initially drew me to the comic book work.
Written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Mike Allred, FF 1: Fantastic Faux collects the second story arc of the Marvel Now relaunch of the FF series. The first three issues of the series were collected with the first three issues of the Fantastic Four relaunch as Fantastic Four 1: New Departures, New Arrivals.
FF is a fun series. I had read the previous incarnation of the team and like many long-time fans bummed by the constant relaunching of series was disappointed to hear that the series was going to end. When I heard the creative team was Matt Fraction and Mike Allred, it did pique my interest since I have liked their work in the past.
Fraction does deliver in this series. I have had some Matt Fraction issues in the past where I started out liking a series then found the writing went downhill, but with both FF and his Hawkeye series, I can find no faults. The series is just fun and the characters are all developing nicely (they already had started distinguishing themselves in the first FF series). Despite having tons of “dramatic” events occurring in the comic, it has a sense of lightness to it that makes it very enjoyable.
I love Mike Allred so when I saw he was doing an FF book, it didn’t matter what writer he was teamed with, I was going to buy it. Reading FF, I’m curious how much input he has on the stories he illustrates because they all have a similar feel. His X-Statix with Peter Milligan had a similar feel to this book so I wonder if he has a big say in the development…both series are fun and have a weird sense of humor that works with his art.
FF is a fun read and I hope it can survive in the competitive comic book market. The stories are kind of twisted so younger readers might have problems following them, but they also seem to have a sense of childlike wonder that initially drew me to the comic book work.
August 10, 2013
I mistakenly went into this book thinking it was the beginning of a new series (The "vol 1" on the cover I think being a big part of that). It's not, issues #1-3 are included elsewhere so I was initially pretty confused as to what was going on. Where was the real FF, why were these people put in charge of the Future Foundation and how did they get there? Also, who the fuck are some of them? None of that is really here, although by the end I had figured some of it out. Hopefully when I get a hold of/read the rest of the first FF run AND the book that has the first three issues of this it will all make more sense.
That confusion aside this was F'N AMAZING. The artsy "pop-art" feel to the illustrations fit the tone of the writing amazingly well. Even with the more simplistic pop-art look of the art, the faces managed to come across as amazingly expressive even with the limited amount of lines and coloring. The page layouts were great and I was particularly fond of the word bubbles. they were amazingly well placed and filled and looked great.
I'm sure a very large number of comic fans hated this, but I found the very modern humor to be amazing. The moloid changing "his" self gender identification to a "her" was great as was She Hulks STFU reaction to Ant Man's WTF reaction. The page where the villain give ther ant starting with the line, "...Useless! All of you pale before our hetero-normative cisgendered classification of family!" A ton of probably turned off just by the inclusion of such words, but their mere inclusion was awesome to see, not to mention the epicness of how they were used.
Even with all general humorist tone there is a pretty solid and serious story running through the back. I highly look forward to reading future volumes.
That confusion aside this was F'N AMAZING. The artsy "pop-art" feel to the illustrations fit the tone of the writing amazingly well. Even with the more simplistic pop-art look of the art, the faces managed to come across as amazingly expressive even with the limited amount of lines and coloring. The page layouts were great and I was particularly fond of the word bubbles. they were amazingly well placed and filled and looked great.
I'm sure a very large number of comic fans hated this, but I found the very modern humor to be amazing. The moloid changing "his" self gender identification to a "her" was great as was She Hulks STFU reaction to Ant Man's WTF reaction. The page where the villain give ther ant starting with the line, "...Useless! All of you pale before our hetero-normative cisgendered classification of family!" A ton of probably turned off just by the inclusion of such words, but their mere inclusion was awesome to see, not to mention the epicness of how they were used.
Even with all general humorist tone there is a pretty solid and serious story running through the back. I highly look forward to reading future volumes.
September 10, 2013
Back in the day, Stan Lee tried in vain to get everyone in his bullpen to draw like Jack Kirby. These days, I wish everyone drew like Mike Allred. His kinetic energy, pop art influences, and infectious sense of fun always make for light-hearted, visually interesting, and deeply satisfying reads. I love the Wyatt Wingfoot-She-Hulk date in issue #4 and would love to have a poster of their dance sequence. Fraction injects the dialogue with humor and balances the fun with some serious character moments, suspenseful intrigue, and heartfelt views on the resiliency of ersatz family.
The content is fantastic. The packaging, however, leaves a lot to be desired. After reading New Departures, New Arrivals, I was okay with Marvel bundling the first three issues of Fraction and Bagley’s Fantastic Four with the first three issues of FF. I wasn’t happy with it, but I could see how, creatively, it was all part of the same story, even if it was also a greedy attempt to force fans of one series to buy the other. But calling this volume 1 and starting with issue #4 is confusing, and charging $16 for a 5-issue collection works out to more than the original $3 cover price per issue. I’m sure they’ll repackage it as an omnibus edition soon enough, but Marvel’s not only gouging their fans by packaging the series in this manner, they’re also making things needlessly complicated. Considering that Fraction’s abandoning the series after 11 issues, that content shouldn’t be spread out over three trades at $16 a pop.
The content is fantastic. The packaging, however, leaves a lot to be desired. After reading New Departures, New Arrivals, I was okay with Marvel bundling the first three issues of Fraction and Bagley’s Fantastic Four with the first three issues of FF. I wasn’t happy with it, but I could see how, creatively, it was all part of the same story, even if it was also a greedy attempt to force fans of one series to buy the other. But calling this volume 1 and starting with issue #4 is confusing, and charging $16 for a 5-issue collection works out to more than the original $3 cover price per issue. I’m sure they’ll repackage it as an omnibus edition soon enough, but Marvel’s not only gouging their fans by packaging the series in this manner, they’re also making things needlessly complicated. Considering that Fraction’s abandoning the series after 11 issues, that content shouldn’t be spread out over three trades at $16 a pop.
June 17, 2016
There are some very awesome parts in this volume, many of which are extra special for long-time readers of the Fantastic Four and fans of their supporting cast. The high point for me was She-hulk's date (or dinner-with-an-old-friend, as she explains it to the Future Foundation kids) with Wyatt Wingfoot, where they actually talk about their feelings for each other -- making their on-and-off relationship suddenly make a lot of sense, not just like the whim of various writers over the years. Other great parts included a good look at just how messed up the Inhuman royal family is, and the acceptance of one of the Moloids who reveals she is transgender.
But... there's a lot of random stuff here that doesn't make as much sense. Some of it just outright implausible. I mean... What. Moments like that really throw off the good stuff in this volume.
But... there's a lot of random stuff here that doesn't make as much sense. Some of it just outright implausible. I mean... What. Moments like that really throw off the good stuff in this volume.
September 18, 2019
I had high expectations of this book. I'm very pleased to see Mike Allred back in a monthly super-hero book. But after the mind-blowing highs of J. Hickman's FF run, there's really no where to go but down. The surprising bit is how far down the quality has fallen. Fraction (generally a terrible writer) is at his worst here. The script is so rough is often barely makes sense, as if the book were just mumbling along with out clear diction. Fraction appears not to be writing per word, but the exact opposite. Think all the spare words in this book would fit on one page with room left over. Certainly more dialog was needed, and a few more ideas and plot twists. Fraction needs to take a few lessons from Hickman.
July 19, 2017
This title could have just as easily been called "Fantastic Fun"!
The original Fantastic Four go on an extra-dimensional adventure, leaving four lesser-known super heroes in their place to "keep an eye on things" at the Future Fundation, and of course things don't go quite as planned!
My only quibble would be with the character of Darla, whom I rather liked, but surely they could have come up with a better "super-power" than just wearing a Thing-suit, especially when there's already a super-strong female character on the team in She-Hulk? After all, the name "Ms. Thing" isn't THAT amusing.
The original Fantastic Four go on an extra-dimensional adventure, leaving four lesser-known super heroes in their place to "keep an eye on things" at the Future Fundation, and of course things don't go quite as planned!
My only quibble would be with the character of Darla, whom I rather liked, but surely they could have come up with a better "super-power" than just wearing a Thing-suit, especially when there's already a super-strong female character on the team in She-Hulk? After all, the name "Ms. Thing" isn't THAT amusing.
May 6, 2017
Silly while still meaningful and emotionally resonant, this comic is an absolute delight and a real exploration of family in all of its forms. It even successfully makes Scott Lang interesting to me, so well done there. Featuring one of my new favorite villain rants, "Useless! Useless! All of you pale before our heteronormative cisgendered classification of family! Blastaar! Show them all how nuclear a family we can truly be--!"
I highly recommend this book to any and all readers of comics.
I highly recommend this book to any and all readers of comics.
April 18, 2014
This is just bad all over. Michael Allred's art is the second worst I've ever seen. (Are you listening, Vasilis Lolos?) And the story is confusing, and the dialog is so totally random. The only saving grace is the moloids and my favorite mutants, Artie and Leech. And the two Atlanteans. (Don't call them fish people. Racist.)
December 24, 2015
Pretty great. Love the silliness and the 60's adventurous feel of this series. And the art is simply gorgeous!
August 24, 2015
I thought I read this before but maybe I only read single issues? Or more likely, just a lot of random panels from it on Tumblr.
Anyway, it's really cute and fun, hooray!
Anyway, it's really cute and fun, hooray!
September 12, 2022
Album zawiera materiał z: Collecting: FF #4-8 (2012).
Fantastyczna Czwórka rusza w kosmos, aby ratować własne życie. W tym czasie ich miasto, Future Fundation i świat nie może zostać bez opieki, więc najsłynniejszą rodzinkę Marvela próbują zastąpić: Scott Lang (który nakręca się na załatwienie Dr Dooma), Jen Walters (która usilnie próbuje pójść na randkę), Medusa z Inhumans (która poza dobrą nianią, ma tu własny biznes) oraz Ms Thing (czyli dziewczyna, która przybiera formę Bena Grimma, ale zachowuje swoją twarz - no i pewna grupa fanboy'ów Thinga jej nie lubi i to aktywnie okazuje).
Mamy tutaj problemy z dziećmi, jacy uczęszczają do Fundacji "Przyszłości", bo to barwna gromadka. Oczywiście trafi się kilku złoczyńców, w tym taki z mocami psychicznymi. Darla to chyba jedyna postać, którą tutaj lubiłem. Resztę przemilczę, wraz z tutejszym humorem.
Matta Fractiona lubię od czasu jego runu z Hawkeye'm. Utalentowany autor troi się i dwoi, ale tym razem jego sztuczki do mnie nie trafiają. To swoisty rodzaj humoru, jak przy Deadpoolu, więc albo do kogoś to trafi, albo nie. W związku z tym całość wydawała mi się przegadana i nudna.
Kreskę Mike'a Allreda trzeba polubić i zajmuje to trochę czasu. I o ile w serii Silver Surfer to działa (bo i Slott raczy nam zacną historię), bo takie dziwaczne rysunki robią tam robotę w odniesieniu do ukazywania kosmosu, tak tutaj tego nie kupuję. Całość wydaje mi się zwyczajnie brzydka.
Doceniam próbę zrobienia czegoś innego, ale tutaj ta sztuka nie wyszła.
Fantastyczna Czwórka rusza w kosmos, aby ratować własne życie. W tym czasie ich miasto, Future Fundation i świat nie może zostać bez opieki, więc najsłynniejszą rodzinkę Marvela próbują zastąpić: Scott Lang (który nakręca się na załatwienie Dr Dooma), Jen Walters (która usilnie próbuje pójść na randkę), Medusa z Inhumans (która poza dobrą nianią, ma tu własny biznes) oraz Ms Thing (czyli dziewczyna, która przybiera formę Bena Grimma, ale zachowuje swoją twarz - no i pewna grupa fanboy'ów Thinga jej nie lubi i to aktywnie okazuje).
Mamy tutaj problemy z dziećmi, jacy uczęszczają do Fundacji "Przyszłości", bo to barwna gromadka. Oczywiście trafi się kilku złoczyńców, w tym taki z mocami psychicznymi. Darla to chyba jedyna postać, którą tutaj lubiłem. Resztę przemilczę, wraz z tutejszym humorem.
Matta Fractiona lubię od czasu jego runu z Hawkeye'm. Utalentowany autor troi się i dwoi, ale tym razem jego sztuczki do mnie nie trafiają. To swoisty rodzaj humoru, jak przy Deadpoolu, więc albo do kogoś to trafi, albo nie. W związku z tym całość wydawała mi się przegadana i nudna.
Kreskę Mike'a Allreda trzeba polubić i zajmuje to trochę czasu. I o ile w serii Silver Surfer to działa (bo i Slott raczy nam zacną historię), bo takie dziwaczne rysunki robią tam robotę w odniesieniu do ukazywania kosmosu, tak tutaj tego nie kupuję. Całość wydaje mi się zwyczajnie brzydka.
Doceniam próbę zrobienia czegoś innego, ale tutaj ta sztuka nie wyszła.
December 4, 2024
Despite some bright spots mostly in Jennifer Walters being absolutely done with everybody’s nonsense and going on a really wholesome date, I did not like this comic. It has a weird deeply unlikeable version of Scott Lang, odd constant abuses of power that feel like something out of megalopolis, and quite bland art that is pretty bad at expressing emotion. Plus the line “all of you pale before our heteronormative cis-gendered classification of family”. And look far be it for an idiot like me to talk about this but you realise that homophobes and transphobes do not believe in terms like heternormative or cis? Their whole perspectives rely on the fact that they are not the superior form of family but the only form of family. Also, the family in question doesn't fit the standards he's talking about but maybe that's meant as a bit of irony I don't know.
Not to say this book is irredeemable or anything like that. There is a genuinely a really nice bit of trans representation in here that is tackled very well and there are some other good bits of writing but there are many more parts like the above quote that just feel incredibly lazy and forced.
Maybe it makes sense given more context and maybe some of the blunter pieces of writing work as a modern update of Stan Lee’s over-dramatic sensibilities but jesus christ aside from Jennifer, Alex and some of the kids most of these characters feel really hollow and unnecessary mean spirited. A lot of them don’t even feel like superheroes at all. 3/10
Not to say this book is irredeemable or anything like that. There is a genuinely a really nice bit of trans representation in here that is tackled very well and there are some other good bits of writing but there are many more parts like the above quote that just feel incredibly lazy and forced.
Maybe it makes sense given more context and maybe some of the blunter pieces of writing work as a modern update of Stan Lee’s over-dramatic sensibilities but jesus christ aside from Jennifer, Alex and some of the kids most of these characters feel really hollow and unnecessary mean spirited. A lot of them don’t even feel like superheroes at all. 3/10
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