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Topic: Q for JB - early FF Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Ed Fahey
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Joined: 07 March 2005
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Posted: 18 January 2019 at 6:49am | IP Logged | 1 post reply

A few questions for the Chief if he feels inclined today. Apologies if you have answered this before.

I'm curious as to your opinion of the first 2 FF issues, sans their uniforms and other superhero trappings that came in issue 3. Do you think if Stan and Jack had carried on with this "monstrous" version of the team it would have been viable long term? 

Secondly, do you think the more superhero version was the plan all along? If not, then why might they have changed direction so quickly?

Thank you.
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John Byrne
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Grumpy Old Guy

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Posted: 18 January 2019 at 11:25am | IP Logged | 2 post reply

Having started with issue 5, I didn’t read the first two issues of FF until years after their publication, so I really don’t have a proper context for viewing them.

Given the publishing schedule of the time, with the book bimonthly at first, I’d guess reader reaction to the first issue would not have come in in time to influence the third.

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Matt Hawes
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Posted: 18 January 2019 at 1:22pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

My own guess is that Stan, following his talk with Martin Goodman about the success over at DC with the "Justice League of America," did plan to make the book more of a super-hero comic, but that since this was Marvel's first super-hero comic in years they played it safe the first couple of issues. After all, Atlas (Marvel) was most known at that time for their monster comics.

The covers for issue #1 & #2 could be looked upon as monster comics in much the same vein as the other monster books Atlas/Marvel was then publishing. I wonder if a monstrous character like the Thing, which was then unique in being a super-heroic monster, was trying to play it safe with Marvel's established fan base of the period? Even the original, rejected cover for #3 was going to focus more on a monster than the team. I think taht cover was rejected in part due to the title having proven its success by then -- I assume the initial feedback started coming in from readers--  as a super-hero comic series.


Edited by Matt Hawes on 18 January 2019 at 1:24pm
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Ed Fahey
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Posted: 19 January 2019 at 8:09am | IP Logged | 4 post reply

I guess we'll never know for sure, but it's always fun to speculate on the path not taken. I think it's safe to say it was for the best, but the non costumed angle would have been a fun ride as well.
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