The Torch

Alex Ross reintroduces the original Human Torch and his sidekick Toro to the modern Marvel Universe in this 8-part miniseries. It's a complex story involving the Mad Thinker, A.I.M (Advanced Idea Mechanics) and the son of an escaped Nazi who created a panacea hidden in the jungles of South America. With the exception of some gaps as to how both the Human Torch and Toro both died at the hands of the Thinker, the source material is something I'm fairly familiar with. Although, I didn't know either one of these characters had died. But I pretty much can get behind all of this. What I don't understand is why is Dynamite Entertainment publishing this trade paperback and not Marvel?

I've attempted to Google for an answer. I don't really get a clear answer. I feel like a conspiracy theorist with a whole bunch of photos on a wall connected by strands of red string. From what I can determine, in 2008, Alex Ross worked with Dynamite to reintroduce a bunch of forgotten superheroes from the 1940s. That same year, Ross produced an Avengers/Invaders crossover FOR Dynamite! This miniseries brought Toro back from the dead. So in 2009, Ross produces this series which also brings the original Torch back as well.

Again, why Dynamite? I pretty much understand Alex Ross' timeline. But why Dynamite? Was Marvel in such dire straits that less popular miniseries such as these, which focus on Golden Age pre-Marvel heroes, were outsourced to other companies? I'd really like more info on this.

The Torch was a good read. It's not my all-time favorite read. But I didn't hate this. If anything, I learned more about the origins of the original Torch along with Toro. I always knew that the first Human Torch actually wasn't human. He was an android. What I didn't know until this book was that Toro WAS HUMAN! I had always assumed he was an android too. I thought the Torch was lonely and wanted a little brother (so something) and thus he created Toro. It turns out Toro was a mutant whose cells were affected by an early encounter with the Torch, giving the lad the ability to catch aflame. 

There's lots of cameos from some of your favorite Marvel characters. The Fantastic Four with their Human Torch. Prince Namor. And the original Vision. Not the Avengers member but a 1940s era Timely Comics hero who was an alien from an alternate dimension. It's a very Marvel heavy book. I still don't know why it's published by Dynamite...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Marvel Comics, Vol. 1

In 1939, comic books were relatively still in their infancy. The previous year's debut success of National's Action Comics, thanks to a mysterious super man from planet Krypton, inspired countless publishers to test the waters of this new medium. New York City's Martin Goodman was one of those commissioners who took notice. 

Already having published several pulp magazine devoted to action and adventure, sci-fi and of course, sex, Goodman founded Timely Comics. Then taking the name for one of his publications, Marvel Science Stories, Goodman hired Funnies Inc. to produce a book's worth of new material for his first ever comic book called Marvel Comics.

The first and third stories are tales that I know by heart. They introduce a yin-yang pair of anti-heroes who will lay the foundation for the plethora of heroes that will define the Marvel Age of Comics and beyond. Carl Burgos kicked things off with an android that bursts into flames when exposed to oxygen. First deemed a menace to society, exposure to natural elements corrects the design flaw allowing the Human Torch to control his flammable powers. Then Bill Everett takes readers to the icy waters off the coast of Antarctica where a human-Atlantean hybrid is the underwater kingdom's newest weapon in a proposed attack against the land breathers. 

Compared to Carl Burgos work, Bill Everett's Sub-Mariner was year 3000 stuff. Compared to the adventures of Superman over at National, the first 3 stories starring Prince Namor was year 3001 material. Why Bill Everett isn't given the level of love and respect of Jack Kirby or Wil Eisner is beyond me. Dying in 1973 at a young age of 55, I think Everett's lesser body of work compared to other super stars of the golden age of comics is to blame for this. 

The rest of the material in issue #1 along with the other 3 issues contained in this collection are the stuff of the pulps. The overly powerful un-super powered Angel is much like the Shadow, taking on the dregs of the criminal underworld; only he's decked out in a blue leotard. Ka-Zar, who one day will become lord of the dinosaur filled Savage Land, got his start as a pulp hero. Much like Tarzan, Ka-Zar is able to communicate with the animals and acts as their protector from the greedy white men and fierce natives that seek African wildlife for game and sport. Rounding things out was a Western starring the Masked Rider, a clone of the Lone Ranger, who wore a full black mask in the desert heat as his took on cattle rustlers and claim jumpers. 

A name change comes in issue #2. Marvel Comics became Marvel Mystery Comics, perhaps to further differentiate the comic book from the pulp title. A new character debuts in the second issue. 'Perry Webb, American Ace' is a young lad who is traveling throughout Central Europe in his small propeller plane. The fictitious leader of a small European nation has amassed a small but formidable war chest and is about to begin a massive campaign to rule the world. Poor Perry Webb arrives in the first nation to come under attack and soon finds himself injured and with a wrecked air ship. As Perry recovers, the American Ace talks of needing to fulfill a special mission. Sadly readers will never discover just what that mission was as Issue #3 was Perry Webb's last appearance in Marvel Mystery Comics.

Younger readers will hate these books. The artwork is considered by many, including foreword author Roy Thomas, to be quite primitive. Because of the newness of comic books, that detriment can be overlooked. What many readers might not be able to excuse is the level of violence towards women, stereotypes of Asians and Africans, and other outdated portrayals that were overtly glorified in the pulps. Yet, with Martin Goodman's Marvel Mystery Comics, there's a level of respect towards minorities and females as well as aptitude to point out the sinful faults of white men that foreshadows a lot of groundbreaking stuff that Stan Lee will be championed for doing differently than the Distinguished Competition in the 1960s and 70s. 

If you wish to see what was the essential blueprint of 'Stan's Soap Box', these golden age collections are the things to read. Without them, there would be no Fantastic Four, no Black Panther, and definitely no Marvel Age of Comics. As for getting my hands on the other 6 volumes of this collection, I would love to read the rest. I don't think I'd want to add them to my collection as these books aren't really items I have on my wish list. I got this book in a grab bag years ago and Marvel Masterworks books are not cheap- hardcover or trades. Especially, since you only get 4 issues in each volume! But if I found further books for a good price, I would acquire and read them before trading for something else that I really needed to have on my bookshelf.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #83

Fire seems to be the theme in this issue. 

First off, you've got the cover in which the Weapon X project attempts to destroy Weapon X with a napalm-like chemical. Jump to chapter 11 of the Weapon X origin story and it appears that Logan's ashes can regenerate just as well as a bloodied corpse could.

Then chapter 2 of the Firestar story continues with Angelica Jones risking her personal freedom to save the life of her dad.

There's an 8-pager starring Johnny Storm. His opponent is an all new character called Moth who has the ability to absorb flame. Let's just say that the story was explosive with a somewhat sad ending...

Only the one-and-done starring Hawkeye is the only story in this issue that appears to be fireproof. So, yeah with 3 out of 4 stories utilizing fire, I would have to say that this is indeed a fire themed issue of Marvel Comics Presents and the results for this whole issue was en fuego!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #74

Once again it's the one-and-done tales that steal the show. 

Former baddie turned merc, the Constrictor takes on a case that hearkens back to the death of Capt. George Stacy.

Then it's another tale of fire and ice as the Human Torch and Ice-Man re-join forces to take on a group of fire-powered villains who have kidnapped Johnny Storm's wife, Alicia Masters. 

Both are way better stories than the Weapon-X story that doesn't seem to really do anything and the Shanna the She-Devil story just doesn't seem to go anywhere. Though I am wondering why if you knew you were going up against a bunch of bad guys that utilize fire, why would you pick a mutant with ice powers? What? Was Angel unavailable? 

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Fantastic Four #37

This one was an unexpected treat for this Halloween season. Every week I scroll through to see the newest forthcoming titles due out the following Wednesday. When this issue was listed, there was a 'Cover Not Submitted' image in place of the actual cover. So I didn't know this was a Halloween story until just a couple of days ago. Needless to say, I rushed to the comic book store as soon as I could and snagged me up this instant classic!

Ben Grimm and wife Alicia are now the adoptive parents of N'Kalla and Jo-Venn: Kree and Skrull children who were once mortal enemies and now siblings. It's the kids first Halloween and they've made it their mission to obtain massive amounts of candy by hitting the neighborhood multiple times. To do this, N'Kalla will use her shape-shifting abilities to create a host of amazing costumes. Jo-Venn will just have to do his best to disguise his blue skin. This assignment will be tough work. But if anyone can pull it off, it's these two!

Meanwhile, Johnny Storm is on fire. And its all thanks to the wraith of Doctor Doom. Now unable to shut off his flame and reaching unprecedented temps, Johnny has become a pariah. That is until Reed Richards can find a cure; which based on how long it has taken Mr. Fantastic to cure The Thing, Johnny may have to wait. Hopefully, a play date with best bud Spider-Man can help alleviate some of the Human Torch's loneliness. 

Why am I not reading more of this series? I enjoyed the wedding issues between Ben and Alicia. And the addition of the two alien kiddos was fantastic. This was a solid issue full of drama, humor and heart. 

I've read a lot of Fantastic Four and besides the original team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Dan Slott might very well be the best FF writer of them all! This was a modern comic book that while very culturally appropriate, it wasn't the least bit preachy! How come all current comics can't be like this?

I think some Fantastic Four issues or trades collections are gonna be getting added to my wish list!

A perfect little Halloween read!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Fantastic Four: Grand Design #1

With artwork that looks like it was done with a BIC ballpoint by a high schooler chilling during study hall, you would think that I wouldn't be on board wanting to read this. But I'm actually a big fan of Tom Scioli's work. His New Gods inspired Myth of 8-Opus was a yard sale find that I fell in love with. 

Scioli is very much a disciple of Jack Kirby. That following is what inspired Marvel Comics to hire Tom Scioli to create this 2-issue miniseries devoted to Kirby's amazing historic run on Fantastic Four. 

Fantastic Four: Grand Design doesn't seek to reboot the First Family of Marvel. I was very afraid of that was going to be the case. Instead, Scioli seeks to chronicle the beginning's of the Marvel Age of Comics while clarifying some of the oft confusing errors that earned scores of Marvel fans the coveted 'No Prize.' 

With the creation of the FF, Stan Lee was trying to create an all-encompassing universe in which all of his superheroes lived in the same world. Laying the foundation of such a project is a lofty goal that paid off beautifully for the House of Ideas. But such architecture has it's flaws in the design phase. Thus you have this comic- Grand Design. 

Tom Scioli's project was a labor of love. The Gobots writer/artist could have only focused on the lives of Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben. But he takes on the added task of examining the origins of the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe. That's a side of Marvel that is overlooked quite often because it can be confusing and very complex. But Tom Scioli did a very good job explaining some areas of the MCU that had been a mystery to me for quite some time.

A great who's who for established Fantastic Four fans. It's also a very concise but still abundant introduction for those who want to dig into the mythos of the FF.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Fantastic Four #1 (2018)

I gotta admit- I bought into the hype. I could not control myself and on Wednesday, I purchased the first issue marking the return of the Fantastic Four. I must admit, Dan Slott did one heck of a job on this initial outing. 

Let's face facts though: the only reason the FF disappeared was due to Marvel and their parent company (especially) Disney being upset that Fox held the rights to the Fantastic Four. The idea was that without Marvel's First Family being in print, any TV show or movie starring them would flop. Needless to say, that the 2015 film being giant sacks of garbage, didn't help matters any; the PR move was the first in a long line of missteps by Marvel Comics.

The former Spider-Man writer, Dan Slott, did an pretty good job with this first issue. Unfortunately, it's not quite the reunion loyal fans were expecting. But Marvel promises that it will happen soon! If this series continues to exceed from the first issue, then I think this could be Marvel the publisher's first step to returning a two-way street of respect and appreciation for it's fans that has been lost for the past several years from the House of Ideas.

I liked Sara Pichelli's art. It was very clean and bold. I think if she stays on, it will become a fan favorite of not just mine but of many other readers.

The back-up story did not impress me much. It marks the return of Doctor Doom. I understand that Doom is the main villain just as Luthor is the foil to Superman. But they both lack the creative inspiration of a Green Goblin or a Joker do in order to make me excited when they are both used ad nauseam. 

If I had unlimited resources, I would add this Fantastic Four revival to my monthly pull list. I really love this team and I feel like some great things are in store. However, money is an issue for myself, so I will have to wait until the trade. But if you can afford the monthly adventures of the Richards family, I highly recommend this book!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Fantastic Four: A Review: Part IV: The Forgotten Audience and My Rating

A lot has been made of the film being 'edgy.' So, is it suitable for kids? Since our heroes don't even get their powers until about an hour into the film, most of Fantastic Four will probably bore a viewer under age 10 to tears.

 Also, there is one scene in particular that is violently graphic for a PG-13 superhero flick. It takes place around the one hour and twenty-five-minute mark and lasts about two minutes. How can I describe it without giving away too much? Have you ever seen the movie 'Scanners?' The scene in question involves Victor Von Doom and a lot of exploding 'melons.' And believe me, the one time you want the CGI to be poor, this is unfortunately not it.

Really, Fox- did you forget kids might want to see this movie?

 Essentially, with the bad dialogue and terrible special effects if this movie was made 30 years ago, it would be considered an instant Classic. Add the fact that that the villain doesn't really appear until the last 20% of the movie, the plot of Fantastic Four is just the group's origin. So really the movie seems more suited as a TV-movie designed to be the pilot for a series. With Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben coming together as a team right at movie's end, I would have been much more satisfied with this project as a whole if it was geared for the small screen.

Instead, the film is like an unbalanced scale, heavy on character development (well most of them) but short on plot. Poor word of mouth hasn't helped this film. Even worse social media buzz pretty much sealed the film's fate and I fear this message will be the trend what with over 25 comics themed flicks due out in the next half decade.

   So, do like I did in 3 steps and this shouldn't be the worse film you've ever seen. 1) go to a matinee (and save a few $$$), 2) have low expectations, and 3) forget what all of the critics have said and watch the film with an objective mindset. Oh, but it might help to forget everything you know about the FF because this isn't not just your dad's Fantastic Four, it's really nobody's either.

    Sadly, for every plus I had about this film, I had an equal negative. In fact, the movie might've got a higher rate if not for the horrible final act. 

So my rating is thus:

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

  

Fantastic Four: A Review: Part III: CG-A'int and Other Missteps

  One particularly bad bit of CGI of note in Fantastic Four involves a chimp used as a test subject for the teleporter. He's so animated and poorly rendered to boot. Why a real animal wasn't used instead is beyond my comprehension.

  Another bad bit of movie magic involves test footage of Ben Grimm and Johnny fighting enemy armies. Both look like a video game instead of actual actors and Johnny even does a little signature move after he vaporizes a drone. Since Disney would not allow a video game version of the movie, I'm thinking a shelved prototype was used instead of having the actors pine for the camera.

  Thankfully, the acting wasn't that bad. Once again, the actor to play the Human Torch stole the show even though early critics thought he was going to suck. Many criticized the casting of Friday Night Light's Michael B. Jordan. Now most of those critics were super offended that a black actor was going to play the white superhero. I didn't think he had the chops based on his role on FNL. But the actor showed amazing zeal going  so far make Johnny both a little responsible and a bit of a slacker at the same time, much like his comic book counterpart.

 Another aspect that hurts this picture is the screenwriting. Dr. Storm's character is played by the wonderful Reg E. Cathey. He is supposed to be the father figure to this team. But his character is given every cliche in the book and apparently the disease is catching. As Reed establishes himself as team leader, his dialogue gets more and more bombastic to the point I was ready to put my fingers in ears. And speaking of ears, there are several swears peppered in. So, parents, you've been warned.

Fantastic Four: A Review: Part II: An Unneed to Reboot

  

A Pandora's Box is probably the best way to describe this film. When Fox announced over a year ago that they were going to reboot the franchise, fans cried foul! It had only been 10 years since the first FF feature film hit screens and many felt like it was too soon to start over. (Roger Corman made a low budget film about the Fantastic Four in 1992 but it never went anywhere.)

   But Fox insisted that the world needed a new, hip, and edgy version for younger audiences to relate to. Again, critics protested. But this time, it was those at Marvel and parent company, Disney, decrying the film.

  Disney is chomping at the bit to regain the rights to the First Family of Marvel Comics, and they did everything in their power to make this supposed blockbuster fail. Marvel cancelled the Fantastic Four and even broke the team up into little bits just so fans couldn't have a comic book version to relate to. Plus, Disney made licensing, especially with the manufacturing of toys and cartoons, nearly impossible for Fox to do. Thus, the kiddie crowd had even less of an interest in the picture.

   While I think the fans had very good point about not needing another franchise reboot. Marvel and Disney really didn't have much to fuss about. The main reason is the special effects. They are not really good. Usually on a movie screen, it's very hard to tell if something was filmed in front of a green screen. The fabric of a movie screen helps to bleed out rough edges that are usually very noticeable on TV. That's not the case here.

Fantastic Four: A Review: Part I: Going to the Movies.

    Take everything you know about the Fantastic Four and throw it out the window. This is not the 1963 line-up we've grown to love over the past 50 years. If you are familiar with the Ultimate Fantastic Four, take about half of what you know about that team and throw it out that same window.

   Today, I went to see the most controversial superhero film of 2015- Fantastic Four. It's only like the 5th day the film has been out in theatres and already it's considered a colossal bomb. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 9%,  one of the worst weekend grosses of a Marvel superhero film, and the worst viewer rating in film history, I wasn't expecting much when I went to see this picture. Why, even the movie's director, Josh Trank, went on Twitter and apologized for making it! 

   When I got my first degree (in History) I minored in Film Studies. Since I was gonig to the movie with subpar expectations, I decided I would watch the film as I had been trained and base the movie on both its technical merits and story structure with an unbiased view. I feel like I was actually able to enjoy the film more this way too.

   In this version of the Fantastic Four, Dr. Franklin Storm and his adopted daughter (Kate Mara) recruit high school student Reed Richards (Miles Teller) to join the Baxter Foundation, a think tank prep school for super geniuses. Their task is to create a transporter, an idea in which Reed's been tinkering with since he and his best friend Ben (Jamie Bell) were in elementary. Also brought into the project is troubled Victor Von Doom, a former student who was expelled for destroying research data. Rounding out the group is Dr. Storm's son, Johnny (Michael B. Jordan), a reckless teen whose last chance at redemption lies in regaining his father's trust on the Baxter Foundation project. 

    The teleporter is a success. But, when the group is faced with losing the project to NASA, Reed and Victor impetuously use the device and are transported to a parallel universe. There, the group gain mysterious powers and on their return to earth are subjected to medical tests by the military. The project's leader, played by a super-creepy Tim Blake Nelson (Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?) promises to find a cure for the teens if they will act as the artillery for some covert ops assignments. 

   However, the director has no intentions of ever curing this team but instead wants them to reopen the dimensional gate so he can create more superhuman weapons. But when he finally achieves the ability to teleport again, the world will learn that the entire project was a Pandora's Box to its destruction.

   

All Winners Comics #1 70th Anniversary Special

 

The tribute story takes place during that brief period of time that All Winners was still published and the very end and just after WWII and contained Capt. America and Bucky as members. It explains that those heroes were replacements created by the government to prevent people from losing hope upon hearing that those symbols of freedom had “died” at the hands of the Nazis.

This is all said and good. However, when a zombie horde attacks NYC, the All-Winners are faced with a dead Capt. and Bucky. Both of which weren’t dead but in suspended animation. Did the writers and editors of this anniversary special forget that?

The reprint tale is quite good and the Simon/ Kirby art is awesome! I loved it. Not a bad issue, but there are some serious plot nits in the tribute tale.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Human Torch, Volume 1: Burn

The Human Torch meets Backdraft. I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. When a fireman spontaneously bursts into flames and dies, an old friend of Johnny Storm’s drafts the hero into the FDNY to look into the matter. Was the fireman a doomed mutant or is there a serial super-villain arsonist stalking the Big Apple???

A really good series that looks into Johnny’s days in high school before and after his fateful rocket experiment. The art is a little too manga for me tastes. But, it’s some early work of Skottie “Deadpool Team-up” Young’s and you see hints of his genius emerging in 2003.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #43

 To commemorate the epic first battle between the Sub-Mariner and the original Human Torch, Fanfare devoted this issue to 2 tales about Namor and the Johnny Storm Torch. Namor goes back in time and becomes the lover of a pirate wrench. Together they storm the high seas. The art is done by the fantastic Mike Mignola.

  The Torch tale is the best. Johnny Storm must rescue a hijacked bus of kids. The only problem: they’re being held prisoner in a very flammable Roxxon Oil refinery. Great story, great art, wicked ending. Loved it!

  Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Fanfare #15

 

  

   Issue 15 starts off with a mad-cap story in which Johnny Storm attempts to pull off the greatest April Fool’s prank of all-time on the Thing. It’s extremely insane and tons of fun. I am surprised the Impossible Man wasn’t behind it all. The art was typical of Spike Jones but for an April Fool’s tale, it’s very fitting. 

   Then- Daredevil matches up against an Arsonist with personal ties to Matt Murdock. The story was good and the art was great. But, I felt the villainess was a rip-off of Eisner’s Sans Serif, as she’s a sort of paramour of the Spirit when they were kids. The same dynamic occurs here with Daredevil and his fire-loving foe.

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Twisted ToyFare Theatre, Volume 4

Much better than volume 3. And why is that?  More Hulk and more Thing. 

But where the Hey is Thor? 

Conan’s “Crom”-off with Arh-nold is classic. And I love how the Hulk mixes up his origin with Batman’s. Robot wars with H.E.R.B.I.E and the Human Torch is great. Worth reading….and as in Volume 3, there’s more from the Twisted Toyfare Universe Handbook.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.