An AP story flooded the wires with a total spoiler on the death in this week’s FANTASTIC FOUR #587. We blanked out the name here but click on the link if you MUST know:
In the newest issue of one of the company’s longest-running comic books, XXXXXX/x life is taken amid a massive battle that writer Jonathan Hickman has been scripting for a year-and-half.
Hickman, along with his editor, Tom Brevoort, have been unsurprisingly mum on what the future may hold for the characters, but one thing is certain, the end is nigh for the Fantastic Four next month.
Brevoort, senior vice president for publishing at Marvel, told The Associated Press that “588 is the final issue of the Fantastic Four. Beyond that, we’re not ready to say exactly what we’re doing. There won’t be an issue 589.”
The issue goes on sale tomorrow, a day early, at selected outlets.
As many have pointed out, many members of the FF have died previously. There have been many issues recounting the exploits of a “Fantastic Three.” Even the AP story points out many of these earlier deaths.
But you know, every generation gets the death it deserves, so we won’t wreck anyone’s enjoyment of this story. But as has also happened many times before, the late night news posting of mainstream media has ruined things for late night googlers. You get what you deserve.
Rest in peace, XXXXX. Maybe we’ll see you again some day.
Oh no! Not XXXXX!
Wonder how long it will take #RIPXXXXX to trend?
Yawn. As far as I’m concerned, Mark Millar already assasinated XXXXXXX a couple of years back.
This week’s Fantastic Four is actually #587. Fantastic Four #588 is the last issue before the series gets renumbered and relaunched as FF #1.
Thank you Yahoo! for having it BIG ANG BOLD on the front page this morning, a good 4to 5 hours before the comic store opens.
*Sigh* Let’s see; Doom “died” during Byrne’s tenure, Reed AND Doom “died” during the DeFalco/Ryan run, Bucky “died,” Norman Osborn “died,” Superman “died,” Batman “died,” and the list goes on and on. I just can’t work up any emotional investment in one more stunt death/shakeup, no matter HOW good the story is.
I’m more irritated by the reboot of the FF numbering than I am at the leak of the name of the Doomed one. Why start at #1 again? Looking for that short term sales surge?
I’m always amused by these reports. Why are they so interested in the latest plot twist in a comic book series . . . the ‘death’ of Superman, the ‘death’ of Batman, Wonder Woman’s haircut! The article itself acknowledges what all we comics readers know, that the ‘death’ is a plot device and not a permanent end to the character.
HA!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGDuFnpg8LU
Now if we could just get Victor to sing it… maybe as a What Th?! video?
Doesn’t matter if the comic store is open now or not. You can’t buy it today thanks to the new street dates. Wonder how well that panacea is gonna work out for them?
Huh, so people can buy the issue today? I’ll stand corrected on that point. Less so on the early ship day as a panacea for the DM’s problems though (but it does make Weds less hectic for retailers–I just don’t see it as solving many more problems than that.)
FF#587 shipped a day early, and retailers are allowed to sell it as soon as they opened for business. I guess Marvel wants to catch lightning twice, just like Captain America #25… (or maybe Superman #75)
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=30451
Of course, readers might decide to STOP reading the comic. (I did something similar when the X-Men went through the Siege Perilous. “Hmm… all the characters I like are no longer in this comic. Why should I keep reading? Good thing Excalibur is still normal.”)
If you have been reading the book from the start of Hickman’s run and not just this storyline, the killed character was the only one that made sense thematically.
The distribution and relaunch is convoluted. Retailers were given permission to sell this book only today. If your store does not partake in the Tuesday shipping program, it’s still released tomorrow. Also there is a pre-announced 2nd print in a week or two. Every press release has stated that deaths are never permanent, and it’s not like the character is iconic like Superman or topically relevant like Captain America. I cannot see Marvel getting a lot of interest from people outside the hobby. Even if there is some interest, Marvel is cancelling and renumbering the book after the following issue which will have a no dialogue wake for the lead story. There is nothing like providing a jumping off point after your sales spike.
I have to credit Marvel with keeping the secret of who dies this long. That part they did extremely well.
Willie Lumpkin is dead.
The report didn’t say they were renumbering/relaunching with FF #1. “588 is the final issue of the Fantastic Four. Beyond that, we’re not ready to say exactly what we’re doing. There won’t be an issue 589.”
Is there any confirmation of a new #1?
It sounds like they are ending the series, which I think is more surprising than the death of XXXXXXX.
I agree with AI. This is yet another pathetic stunt by Marvel to relaunch FF volume 3,4,5??? #1! And of course, after hickman leaves and someone brongs back XXX then we will reverst back to the original numbering system and be somewhere issue 620 or so. The entire Marvel numbering is completely screwed up, not just 1 or 2 titles (like DC did) but most of their icon titles. Next will be Thor.
I have been reading FF since 1999 and enjoyed Hickman’s run. It was refreshing. However, Marvel loss a FF fan for good this time, there are only so many characters (and times) you can kill someone and bring him back. I mean even Aunt did a few times.(and came back)
In the old days, Doctor Doom kind of “died” multiple times. He’d catch some errant asteroid and be adrift in space, or he’d shrink down to nothingness, or some such thing. The end of Emperor Palpatine in Return of the Jedi was a classic Doom-like moment, where he’d disappear from view to an almost certain end, but would appear later, cackling maniacally as the heroes’ jaws hit the floor over his amazing “return from the dead”. It’s a holdover from the old movie serials and the pulps.
I haven’t read this story yet, but hopefully it’ll hold true in this tradition. If not, remember that Ben Grimm died during Mark Waid’s run and came back through some King-ly intervention…
But wait till the one that is dead will return yawn ……….
Yahoo didn’t spoil this. The AP didn’t spoil this. Marvel GAVE them the press release and knew it would be released today. They wanted to bring attention to the comic (while the public went Who? about the death in question). So Marvel is just doing what a business does: promote. If you’re upset about being spoiled, blame them.
• Kill a character.
• End long running series.
• Bring back series immediately with a new #1.
• Eventually (within a year) bring back dead character.
• Eventually (within a year) bring back original issue numbering
• Wash
• Rinse
• Repeat
I can only hope this doesn’t affect the upcoming FF porno movie.
Marvel has a lot of catching up to do in the “death” and “reboot” department. Virtually everybody in the JLA has been “dead” at least once & the DCU has been retconned so many times that I’m surprised there aren’t more slip-ups, scripting-wise.
I’m thinking that Ultron needs to kill a whole shitload of Avengers – and then we find out eight months later that they’ve really been digitally stored in his indestructible codpiece or something. Get on that, will you?
See? No gratitude from the fan chickies. They could have killed another woman, but no, Marvel was sensitive to your needs. And do they get any thanks? NO! I mean, don’t fan girls do some sort of pagan dance around a bonfire when a male character is killed off? Don’t act all restrained on our account.
Wiki has the death on it’s XXXX page.
On a postive note; Jim Hammond is alive and well.
Really? A fictional character who has been around for over 40 years and is still a teenager dies? That’s the plot? I started with FF#1 and stopped about 10 years ago. Does anybody really still give a crap? Isn’t Marvel just making money licensing the stuff Stan and Jack did way back? It’s supposed to be The Fantastic Four–The Greatest Comic Magazine in the World. If you can’t write a 20 page story that’s got any punch with these 4 characters, then just cancel it and come up with something new.
amid a massive battle that writer Jonathan Hickman has been scripting for a year-and-half
What? Oh, AP.
It’s only a matter of time now before Gwen Stacy is brought back to life for good. The only Marvel character to stay dead is Uncle Ben. Everyone else…
Lance Roger Axt
The AudioComics Company
You can bet if Uncle Ben could sell a monthly comic, he’d have been back a long time ago. And Uncle Ben really is the only Marvel death that’s stuck, isn’t it? Is it any wonder so many of us have no emotional investment left in characters and stories that used to mean so much?
Not that more deaths would have helped. It’s that all the cheap, temporary ones have eroded confidence in storytelling.
Is Mar-vell still dead? I don’t know. (But more importantly, I don’t care anymore.)
Ill make sure to light a torch for XXXXX
Uncle Ben?
I guess I’d better keep my big yap shut then about this summer’s Big Event – where we discover that Ben Parker and Thanos are one and the same bein…
shit
Steve Sherman said:
“If you can’t write a 20 page story that’s got any punch with these 4 characters, then just cancel it and come up with something new.”
Well, that’s kind of what they’re doing.
Anyway, while I have no interest in reading this issue, I am interested in what’s going to happen in (Future Foundation) FF#1.
I really enjoyed the issue, and the issues leading up to it, despite the fact that Beat contributing columnist XXXX ruined it for me over lunch! Curse you, XXXX.
Besides Uncle Ben, I believe that Junior Juniper and Pamela Hawley are still dead. The Howling Commandos kept Howling, though.
So who did they kill? Rock Man, Fire Man, Elastic Man or Invisible Girl?