Amoebas
10-29-2005, 10:27 AM
The fantastic art of Eric Powell on the cover says it all.
Classic Kirby Monsters!
Classic Kirby Monster-heroes!
How could this book NOT be sensational?
Apparently... quite easily.
Right from the start - Duncan Fegredo's art - I'm not sure what to say. I remember him from his Vertigo heydey (Enigma, Shade, Lucifer, etc) but this is nothing like him imo. I'm not sure if he's trying to emulate a KIrby feel or not, but throughout the entire book I just kept telling myself that he his art should be SO much better than this. It was really distracting. His Thing is simply terrible.
As for the story - well, first I should say that I'm a continuity nut - and this story just doesn't fit anywhere.
Ben knows the Beast well enough to call him so the tale takes place after FF 28 (7/64)
Ben Grimm knows that Bruce Banner is the Hulk - okay that puts the story after Tales to Astonish 77 (3/65) when the Hulk/Banner connection was made public - but Ben didn't know Bruce Banner from Blythe Danner until the 1970's.
Giant-Man is in his costume that he discarded before Avengers 15 (4/65) - so this story must take place before April of that year.
The Collector is known to Marvel Earth - to the point that the Beast can refer to him almost casually) but the Collector didn't first appear until Avengers 28 (5/66) so this story must take place AFTER May 1966.
The Negative Zone wasn't discovered until FF 51 (6/66) and there's no way it's discovery was made public until years after that.
Like I said - I'm a continuity nut - and stuff like this usually doesn't bother me until after the story is finished - but when a writer goes to a point where they force "current" references (email and Blythe Danner) into a story just screams to me "unnecessary retcon" (when this could have just been a fun tale from the past).
Anyway - Not much to the plot. Monsters on the prowl, Monster-Heroes fight them. The end. Not much worth the $3.99 price tag.
Oh yeah - before I forget. There is one thing that sets this story from just okay to TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!
This story in NO way mentions JACK KIRBY! Stan Lee gets a "Stan Lee Presents" in the credits - but NOT ONE WORD OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO KIRBY!
Yea - there's a KIrby reprint in the back of the book - but that C'MON Marvel! Would it be so harmful to you to give some respect to the King in the credits?
Cover - A
Story - C
Art - D
Classic Kirby Monsters!
Classic Kirby Monster-heroes!
How could this book NOT be sensational?
Apparently... quite easily.
Right from the start - Duncan Fegredo's art - I'm not sure what to say. I remember him from his Vertigo heydey (Enigma, Shade, Lucifer, etc) but this is nothing like him imo. I'm not sure if he's trying to emulate a KIrby feel or not, but throughout the entire book I just kept telling myself that he his art should be SO much better than this. It was really distracting. His Thing is simply terrible.
As for the story - well, first I should say that I'm a continuity nut - and this story just doesn't fit anywhere.
Ben knows the Beast well enough to call him so the tale takes place after FF 28 (7/64)
Ben Grimm knows that Bruce Banner is the Hulk - okay that puts the story after Tales to Astonish 77 (3/65) when the Hulk/Banner connection was made public - but Ben didn't know Bruce Banner from Blythe Danner until the 1970's.
Giant-Man is in his costume that he discarded before Avengers 15 (4/65) - so this story must take place before April of that year.
The Collector is known to Marvel Earth - to the point that the Beast can refer to him almost casually) but the Collector didn't first appear until Avengers 28 (5/66) so this story must take place AFTER May 1966.
The Negative Zone wasn't discovered until FF 51 (6/66) and there's no way it's discovery was made public until years after that.
Like I said - I'm a continuity nut - and stuff like this usually doesn't bother me until after the story is finished - but when a writer goes to a point where they force "current" references (email and Blythe Danner) into a story just screams to me "unnecessary retcon" (when this could have just been a fun tale from the past).
Anyway - Not much to the plot. Monsters on the prowl, Monster-Heroes fight them. The end. Not much worth the $3.99 price tag.
Oh yeah - before I forget. There is one thing that sets this story from just okay to TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!
This story in NO way mentions JACK KIRBY! Stan Lee gets a "Stan Lee Presents" in the credits - but NOT ONE WORD OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO KIRBY!
Yea - there's a KIrby reprint in the back of the book - but that C'MON Marvel! Would it be so harmful to you to give some respect to the King in the credits?
Cover - A
Story - C
Art - D