Besides the promise of a death in this story arc, there are so many things coming in this title that has me excited. Fantastic Four was one of the first titles I got hooked on with issue #273 being the first that I bought. I know a lot of readers have a hard time getting into the title the same way they struggle with Superman comics. I believe the perception is these comics aren't as hip as some of the newer titles. The Fantastic Four has always been about a family going on adventures. It's simply so much more than that. Since Jonathan Hickman has started writing, that perception should change.
Besides a possible death, why am I excited over this?
== TEASER ==
With Hickman's writing since issue #570, the title has gotten better each month. With issue #583, Steve Epting comes on board as the artist. That alone is a reason for me to get excited. You'll notice that the cover is drawn by another of my favorites, Alan Davis. In the preview (below) you'll see mention of Kristoff.
Kristoff Vernard, aka Kristoff Von Doom is the adopted son of Dr. Doom. When Doom seemingly died, a Doombot implanted Doom's memories into Kristoff and he believed he was the true Victor Von Doom. You can imagine the problems it caused when the real Doom eventually returned. There's also the possibility that floated around with Nathaniel Richards being Kristoff's actual father. It's going to be interesting to see why Doom will be summoning Kristoff and what he'll be like after all this time.
Going back to the issue of a death, will a member actually die? Death is so overused. Whenever there's a death in comics, it's just not a big deal, especially when it's a major character. You know they won't remain dead for long. Despite the tease for issue #583, there have been four different images telling us that one of the Fantastic Four will be gone. Which member will be the unlucky one?
Gallery
We've recently seen the deaths of Cable, Nightcrawler and Sentry. Is Hickman and Marvel really serious about killing a member of the Fantastic Four? Part of me feels that with all these deaths, they have to start taking them seriously if we're supposed to start caring in the slightest bit.
Just like I feel the death of Nightcrawler, Cable and Sentry won't last, I don't think whoever dies in the FF will remain dead for long. I am super excited for this story arc despite the possible death stunt factor. The combination of Hickman and Epting is going to make this great title even better. Check out the preview pages with Doom and a curious visit by Valeria Richards. Issue #583 is on sale September 22, 2010.
