Wow.

And the inks DO look a little Austin.

30 years ago, and it's still thrilling to look at. Especially the classic Kirby touches like suddenly, without reason, showing us an outside shot of where everybody is with word balloons to show the continuity in the conversation. Kirby used to do that with planets, or solar systems!

Also, Ben's visual sense of humor like dressing up as Idaho Smith. A reference that -- while contemporary -- people would still get today.

No wonder people (myself included) refer to this FF Byrne effort as second only to Lee and Kirby.

Ben's peek is charming.   And when's the last time you could say that about a scene in a comic book? 

To me, THIS issue is a great one to demonstrate to me the absolute HEIGHT of  comic art and storytelling.  This was the zenith.  From FF #232 to about 260, nothing was better than this.

I know people move on and change.  But for me, THIS is the pinnacle!

Bravo Chief for having done such amazing work!  It's too bad the world no longer appreciates this as it once did.

••

You know, I might be inclined to argue that my current work has more actually detail. Back when I did this story, I used to draw what I called "argle-bargle", lots of meaningless lines that added up to the illusion of something.

Now, that is not a criticism of the old stuff. Clearly, when we look at a story like this, we can see that the "argle-bargle" works, but as an artist I find the current work more personally satisfying, as when I draw, say, a control panel, or some elaborate machine, the details are actually there, not "suggested".

This may lead to there being fewer lines on the page, but there doesn't need to be as many, since they're not there to "fool" the eye.

••

In my opinion, two of the best "shadowcasters" in the Biz were Jack Kirby and Wally Wood.

Kirby's approach was stylized -- the shadows he drew rarely, if ever, had very much to do with the shape of whatever it was casting the shadows. Worked for him, tho!

Wood, on the other had, seemed to possess a mutant power that allowed him to draw his characters casting realistic shadows, shadows that actually looked like what you'd expect given the shape of the object.

I've not been much of a fan of my own cast shadows, over the years, so I have mostly tended to leave 'em out. I would, however, suggest that my characters are MORE inclined these days to cast shadows than they were in the days of this issue of FF.

The FF at ease with one another, joking and operating in top form. So many creative teams have felt the need to change the team's dynamic in order to create friction or drama. The need to alter the line-up because everything that could be done apparently already has, or simply "to keep things interesting." 

Here, that ongoing illusion of change is present with a new member and the Thing's altered form, yet the core spirit, purpose, and joie de vie of the team has never been more on-model and alive.

There really is a right way and a wrong way of doing this book.

Which totally misses the point.

IMO, Some made it a family drama book with some action in it. Others
looked at it as a superhero book and just didn't make it smart enough.
I've always liked the approach that it's a science fiction/ adventure
book where there is a family dynamic and they happen to have
superpowers and hang around superheroes.
If the science fiction/ adventure aspect isn't the foundation with
everything else adding flair to make the book unique, it just doesn't
work for me.

***

I've always though that the Fantastic Four is the perfect combination of superheroes and science fiction, a concept that has as much in common with Star Trek as it does with Superman.

Which totally misses the point.

***

They always have to dump weakness and negativity on everything, don't they? Dysfunctional? I'd love to be a part of that family! They function well enough to save the world, and each others lives, on a daily basis! 

John Byrne wrote: ...Someone up at Marvel once declared the FF to be comics' "premiere dysfunctional family"...

I'm pretty sure that Grant Morrison said something along those lines when he was writing a "Fantastic Four" mini-series some years ago. It seems everyone is dysfunctional in his world.