FREEMIND #4

[MattBrady]

<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/Freemind-4-Cvrb.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/Freemind-4-Cvrb_t.jpg" width="175" height="267" border="0" align="right"></a>from Future Comics

FREEMIND #4
Cover by Mike Leeke & Bob Layton
Written by David Michelinie/Co-plotted by Bob Layton/Penciled by Mike Leeke/Inked by Bob McLeod /Colored by Tom Smith

28 pages of art and story.
$3.50 U.S./ $5.55 in Canada.
On sale the last week of February.

This is the issue where everything changes!

New Artists--New Uniforms--a New Headquarters--and a new menace that
threatens the lives of every employee of FLINTECH, including Edison Wilde!
Future Comics is proud to welcome aboard the new artistic team of X-O's Mike
Leeke and the New Mutantsą Bob McLeod!

Click on the thumbnails below for larger versions…

<center><a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/FM0040012.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/FM0040012_t.jpg" width="150" height="224" border="0" hspace="2"></a><a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/FM004002_0032.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/FM004002_0032_t.jpg" width="200" height="151" border="0" hspace="2"></a><a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/FM0040042.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Other_Publishers/FM0040042_t.jpg" width="150" height="224" border="0" hspace="2"></a></center>

[Kurt Avery]

I'm not buying any Future Comics products (and probably won't ever be), but I've seen all the previews, visited the website, etc., since they hit. So I'd like to think I'm pretty well-informed about the work they're doing.
I appreciate their attempts to improve their products (the new art is head and shoulders above the previous series art), but -- isn't this trying to put the cat back in the bag and start over just four issues in? I appreciate their initial idea of doing the comics they always wanted to do, doing comics that were fun and original...but THIS is it? These comics would have been outdated and cliched in the late '80s. So you can imagine that they've long since passed their sell-by date by now.
If the creators can catch up with modern storytelling, or hire other creators who already are -- and collectively do something original and indicative of the company's name, I'll be more than happy to read Future Comics.
Until then, I'll just read something else.

Kurt A.

You don't read the comics yet you think they're cliched?

Knowing your taste in creators and concepts I can't say I'm at all surprised that you'd pass on Future, but shouldn't you read at least some of what they're doing before posting an opinion on them?

[stlfan79]

[quote]Originally posted by Chuckles Cat:
<strong>I'm not buying any Future Comics products (and probably won't ever be), but I've seen all the previews, visited the website, etc., since they hit. So I'd like to think I'm pretty well-informed about the work they're doing.
I appreciate their attempts to improve their products (the new art is head and shoulders above the previous series art), but -- isn't this trying to put the cat back in the bag and start over just four issues in? I appreciate their initial idea of doing the comics they always wanted to do, doing comics that were fun and original...but THIS is it? These comics would have been outdated and cliched in the late '80s. So you can imagine that they've long since passed their sell-by date by now.
If the creators can catch up with modern storytelling, or hire other creators who already are -- and collectively do something original and indicative of the company's name, I'll be more than happy to read Future Comics.
Until then, I'll just read something else.

Kurt A.</strong><hr></blockquote>

You should really give these comics a try before judging them they are fresh and innovative because they do just what you say is cliche, tell fun stories.

Give Future a try and I think you will be quite suprised.

[TemporalFlux]

I've actually quite enjoyed Future Comics so far and don't see that changing. It's a mix reminiscent of the fresh innovation and human depth of the early Valiant line (an era and style of comics I've missed sorely since the Birthquake and eventual end of Valiant comics).

Future Comics has earned my dollar - dollars lost by Marvel. In fact, I just redid my pull list for the first time in over a year. To my surprise, I found myself getting large quantities of Crossgen, all of Future Comics and many DC. Most of what I bought with Marvel has either been cancelled or severely overhauled, and nothing of worth came along to take its place.

[Kurt Avery]

[quote]Originally posted by ManofTheAtom:
<strong>You don't read the comics yet you think they're cliched?
</strong><hr></blockquote>

I'm not BUYING the comics, but I read the online previews, visited the website, etc. So I've made a pretty informed judgment on the content. Until someone gives me an issue that convinces me otherwise, I'll stick with my opinions. ;)

Kurt A.

[quote]Originally posted by Chuckles Cat:
<strong>

I'm not BUYING the comics, but I read the online previews, visited the website, etc. So I've made a pretty informed judgment on the content. Until someone gives me an issue that convinces me otherwise, I'll stick with my opinions. ;)

Kurt A.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Where did you find previews with dialogue on them? Every single one I've seen has only had empty dialogue balloons...

[Kurt Avery]

[quote]Originally posted by ManofTheAtom:
<strong>Where did you find previews with dialogue on them? Every single one I've seen has only had empty dialogue balloons...</strong><hr></blockquote>

I don't remember specifically, to be honest. I remember when word of the new company first came out, they had a preview of several pages. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they were lettered.
And then I've seen the usually cover and four-page Mile High/Comics Continuum previews of subsequent issues. :D

CC

[quote]Originally posted by Chuckles Cat:
<strong>

I don't remember specifically, to be honest. I remember when word of the new company first came out, they had a preview of several pages. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they were lettered.
And then I've seen the usually cover and four-page Mile High/Comics Continuum previews of subsequent issues. :D

CC</strong><hr></blockquote>

Ok, you just reminded me of the only lettered preview of Future I've ever seen, it was the first four pages of Freemind 0 up at Mile High.

Trust me, you have to read the entire issue because those four pages didn't do the concepts any justice. The pages you haven't seen have some really cool stuff that you might not expect from the concept of Freemind as it's been presented so far.

[Kurt Avery]

[quote]Originally posted by ManofTheAtom:
<strong>Ok, you just reminded me of the only lettered preview of Future I've ever seen, it was the first four pages of Freemind 0 up at Mile High.

Trust me, you have to read the entire issue because those four pages didn't do the concepts any justice. The pages you haven't seen have some really cool stuff that you might not expect from the concept of Freemind as it's been presented so far.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Well, if the first four pages don't do the concept justice, and don't catch my attention and bring me back for more -- nothing will.
And if previews of the following issue don't do the above, then there's REALLY a problem. :D

CC

[quote]Originally posted by Chuckles Cat:
<strong>

Well, if the first four pages don't do the concept justice, and don't catch my attention and bring me back for more -- nothing will.
And if previews of the following issue don't do the above, then there's REALLY a problem. :D

CC</strong><hr></blockquote>

From what I remember the pages with dialogue at Mile High only showed DeathMask killing two guys and Freemind coming out of a box.

How can you judge the entire concept and the entire book based on just that?

Anything else you've seen has only been pictures without dialogue that show the characters in typical hero action. Believe me, there's more to the comics than just that.

I just remembered another preview with dialogue, Metallix #1 at Pulse I think.

[Kurt Avery]

[quote]Originally posted by ManofTheAtom:
<strong>
From what I remember the pages with dialogue at Mile High only showed DeathMask killing two guys and Freemind coming out of a box.
How can you judge the entire concept and the entire book based on just that?
Anything else you've seen has only been pictures without dialogue that show the characters in typical hero action. Believe me, there's more to the comics than just that.
I just remembered another preview with dialogue, Metallix #1 at Pulse I think.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I remember seeing a preview with a few more pages than the average Mile High previews early on, but it's been so long, I can't remember where it was.
A comic should be able to communicate what they're about and why people should read their series in the first four pages, and definitely in the first preview. If they can't do that, I think it's fair to say they're just not doing their jobs very well.
Steven Grant (in his latest "Master of the Obvious" column on Comic Book Resources) did a better job of elaborating on the weaknesses of the Future Comics line so far. Although my opinions on it don't exactly jibe with his (I'm a little more harsh on the company's products so far), he makes several points there that I agree with, better than I make them here.

CC

[quote]Originally posted by Chuckles Cat:
<strong>A comic should be able to communicate what they're about and why people should read their series in the first four pages, and definitely in the first preview. If they can't do that, I think it's fair to say they're just not doing their jobs very well.</strong><hr></blockquote>

See, that's what I think is a huge problem with readers; we want to be surprised (I know I do), but at the same time we expect to see a lot about a new project to know whether or not we want to buy it.

I do take it that if you don't like the way Future is promoting itself, with four pages of their books and extended descriptions about what happens in each issue, you must really hate the way Marvel does it, only showing a cover and one line saying what chapter of a story an issue is or if it's the start of a new arc.

As for Freemind 0, I do think that the book has better pages that the four we saw before the issue was released, but seeing the pages when I read the book for the first time, instead of seeing them in a preview, really convinced me that Future is a company I can grow to like...

[Kurt Avery]

I want to be surprised and rewarded for looking at a comic, period. Future's products just don't do that for me. I don't need to see a lot "about" it, I just have to see quality in what I do see, to let me know if it'll be worth picking up. Like CROSSOVERS. The preview was quality work, so I'm gonna pick it up.
I don't have a problem with their promotion, which I think they do fine. I don't like the content.
As I said, I like being surprised, so not seeing the issue described in explicit detail is a plus for me. :) Also, both Future and Marvel products have four-page previews on Newsarama and Mile High.
If they don't put their best pages forward for preview (wherever it might be), then that defeats the purpose, in my mind.

CC

[quote]Originally posted by Chuckles Cat:
<strong>If they don't put their best pages forward for preview (wherever it might be), then that defeats the purpose, in my mind.

CC</strong><hr></blockquote>

Keep in mind that Future is only showing the first four pages, not highlights from each issue.

I just think that passing on them because you didn't like how the stories open is a little rushed. You should at least buy one or two then make up your mind.

Of course the problem is that the issues are way too expensive...

[Kurt Avery]

[quote]Originally posted by ManofTheAtom:
<strong>
Keep in mind that Future is only showing the first four pages, not highlights from each issue.
I just think that passing on them because you didn't like how the stories open is a little rushed. You should at least buy one or two then make up your mind.
Of course the problem is that the issues are way too expensive...</strong><hr></blockquote>

I know. Every page of the issue should give you a reason to pick it up. The issue should jump right into the story and action (I don't necessarily mean "action" action here, but just interesting events) from the beginning, and the preview pages of the issues I've seen have just been bland and uninteresting.
If I find an issue somewhere, I'll read it, but I'm not going to go out of my way to find it. I'd rather spend my time and effort in reading something I know I'll have an interest in. If the series is priced rather highly, that's just another reason for me to pass, heaped on top of a dislike of the content I've seen so far, unfortunately. :(

CC