Fantastic Three

Marvel Comics announced today (on the day of the release of issue #587, the finale to the story "Three") which member of the Fantastic Four gets bumped off.  Even USA Today ran an article on the story. 

SPOILER ALERT!   It's Johnny Storm, the Human Torch. 

Now, I'm all for killing off a character if it makes a good story and makes sense in the long run, but you know it's not the last we've seen of Johnny Storm.  He'll come back -- eventually -- from the Negative Zone, where he "died." 

I haven't read the final chapter in the story, but I'm a bit disappointed to learn that it was Johnny Storm that bites the dust.  I was kind of hoping it was going to be Reed Richards, as he seems to be the dullest character of the bunch.  Plus, it would give the writers an opportunity to explore additional romantic relationships for Susan Storm/Richards.  She married an older man when she was very young.  She hasn't had the opportunity to explore "what could have been." 

I used to read the Fantastic Four in the 1980s with an avid interest.  In addition to The New Teen Titans, it was the comic I most looked forward to reading every month, mostly due to John Byrne's creativity and the ability to make the characters real people.  Each one had their own distinctive personality, their own highs and lows.  I also liked that the team was pretty much confined to their own book.  Their stories were self-contained; you could read them monthly without having to get all these other crossover books in order to fully understand their adventures (unlike certain titles that begin with the letter "X" which shall remain nameless). 

Since picking up the Fantastic Four again a couple of years ago (after a 15+ year absence), all of the issues I've read have been pretty unremarkable.  I can't even recall a single storyline that stands out as memorable.  Furthermore, the characters have all been portrayed pretty two-dimensional.  Gone are the days of John Byrne's Fantastic Four.  Even the current "Three" storyline has been pretty uneventful and -- dare I say -- dull for me.  Maybe the alleged death of the Human Torch will liven up the team...but I doubt it. 

Sadly, the best representation of the Fantastic Four that I've read recently wasn't in their own series.  It was in Daken #4.  They were real people, expressing real emotions.  There was a bond/connection/friendship between Johnny Storm and Daken.  It was even bordering on a possible romance.  

Fantastic Four #588 will be the "final" issue of the series as the team supposedly goes forth in a new direction with FF #1.  In the days of both DC and Marvel renumbering its comic books (e.g., Wonder Woman and Iron Man) to establish longevity, It's ironic that Marvel has chosen to end the Fantastic Four series and begin anew with new numbering so close to what would be issue #600 and the team's 50th anniversary.

I hope the new FF series is more interesting than the Fantastic Four has been in quite some time, but with the same creative team working on it, I doubt it.  Jonathan Hickman's stories have been mediocre at best, and Steve Epting draws the characters with little attractiveness, aging them dramatically.  You question why any woman (or man) would be attracted to the "ladykiller" Johnny Storm with his wrinkles, bad haircut, and receding hairline. 

I'll continue to read FF for the time being, with the hopes that a new creative team will soon come onboard that can -- pun intended -- breathe some life back into the team.