The Four Color Media Monitor

Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, as revealed in the NY Daily News. And we're supposed to appreciate this why? It's all they care about now, as something for publicity's sake.

Fans have nervously awaited this issue for several months as Marvel publicized that one of the team -- which includes The Torch's sister, the aptly-named Invisible Woman, her husband, the elastic scientist Mr. Fantastic and the human rock-pile, The Thing -- wouldn't make it past this issue.

They make it sound like there was no opposition, and people were simply hoping it wouldn't be "someone else". They even quote a would-be fan saying:

"You're surprised it hasn't happened yet, because he's a hot head - literally," said Branch. "He's the least interesting to me. But sometimes you don't miss them until they're gone.

"It's great that they take away the toys for a while and it makes you appreciate them."

Umm, just who would "them" be, exactly? The characters or the writers and editors? Certainly doesn't make me appreciate the latter. But no less insulting is the criticism here of a character instead of how he's written, a most common problem today.

Another would-be fan says:

"It's hard, I'd be hurting no matter who dies," said Edmund, 43. "But I'd buy the book and see who would step up and [fill the void]. Whatever happens you have to see how they're going to roll with it."

Here we go. Another fan who's got problems with addiction and doesn't know when to quit and realize this is all just garbage steps being taken. Mainly because the title's going to be canceled [again] next month:

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."

All he would say about the future was that the various subplots and threads that Hickman has written "will converge in a new thing that will be exciting and different and yet, very familiar and very much the same."

Once again, they invoke a major problem with today's output: the more they change, they just remain the same, but not exciting at all. Just dull and written only for the sake of publicity, no matter what they tell us.

Labels: Fantastic Four, golden calf of death, marvel comics, msm propaganda