'Nuff Said: American Graphic Media

Comics - News - Writer explains 'Fantastic Four' death - Digital Spy Hickman's run on the Fantastic Four has been good, but I'm not sure if "darker" themes is going to make the Fantastic Four into the "go to" Marvel title. In some way, Mr. Fantastic is like Superman. How do you write a story for the smartest man in the universe? He will invent something to fix the problem. The conflict every writer has brought to the Fantastic Four has been about personalities and relationship. Some of those conflict have been about Reed and Sue, which I think Hickman has picked up on in interesting ways. Some of those conflicts have been about family and responsibility. Some have played with the idea of science versus faith. Everyone plays with the idea of personal honor. Dr. Doom's beef with Mr. Fantastic(and the rest of the FF) is about who is better (on top of Doom wanting to rule the world). If there is an opportunity associate with the death of Johnn...

The death of Johnny Storm in this week's Fantastic Four #587 isn't the end of Johnny Storm, but it is a new least on life for the media franchise. For all the attention Marvel movies have gotten in recent years, people have all but ignored the Fantastic Four less than stellar outing in the movie theaters. Those films, Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) much like Hulk (2003) all predate Iron Man (2008) firmly setting the foundation for the Marvel cinematic Universe. I know it might seem strange to think about the death of Human Torch in terms of the film franchise, but comics are in the midst of synergistic media convergence. Owned, as the two major superhero comic publisher are, by major media conglomerates the space between the imagined story on the page and the cinematic re-interpretation is shrinking. The decision to make a change in the comic can and will be capitalized on film. The death of the Human Torch, draws media atte...