Classic Comic Compendium: FANTASTIC FOUR

Neal Adams was a legend.

Arguably he’s greatest recognized for his collaborations with Dennis O’Neil for Green Lantern/Green Arrow and on Batman & Detective Comics. Though he additionally had unimaginable runs on X-Men and Avengers, labored a number of tales with Deadman, and Superman vs. Muhammad Ali. All of which barely scratches his contribution to the medium.

I’ve all the time seen his fashion and influence on the trade as a part of the ocean change from the early days of the Silver Age into extra trendy comics storytelling. Which will not be meant to remove from any of the early masters, or Adams’ contemporaries, however the element and dynamism in his paintings felt like they impressed a lot within the evolution of comics.

“This says it’s bursting with some unknown energy.”

Fantastic Four – Antithesis from Mark Waid, Adams, Mark Farmer, Laura Martin, Andrew Crossley, and Joe Caramagna is a enjoyable high-stakes cosmic journey that feels a bit out of time. Partially as a result of by way of continuity, I feel it suits in that barely altered John Byrne period that took place throughout Waid’s earlier run on the title with Mike Wieringo. But primarily as a result of it appears like that larger-than-life sci-fi motion that was the hallmark of the unique Stan Lee & Jack Kirby run. And excellent for a final hurrah for Adams. As this turned out to be his closing work for Marvel earlier than his passing.

The paintings is attractive. Adams by no means missed a beat. The weight and presentation of the motion all through the sequence is actually unimaginable. There’s a way of movement in his splash pages which can be the sheer work of a grasp. There’s additionally a misleading simplicity within the layouts of the pages right here, given to bigger panels and generally titled pages, that seize the grand scale of the story.

I feel pairing him with Mark Farmer on inks was a sensible choice. Farmer’s lengthy collaborations with Alan Davis brings an analogous verve to the road work. A smoothness to the strains that works properly for superheroes total. The bombast is maintained via Laura Martin’s (with Andrew Crossley for the third chapter) colors. Bright and vibrant. And there’s some attention-grabbing lettering from Joe Caramagna, giving a novel world balloon to Silver Surfer for some motive

“Tradin’ one menace for another. Huzzah.”

While a lot of Adams’ latter day work had a sort of off-the-wall zaniness to them, notably the Batman: Odyssey sequence, that was sort of reined in right here. There are positively some large concepts. Some large stakes. And cosmic threats. With attention-grabbing twists and turns because the threats shift.

But it’s all given coronary heart and objective via the collaboration with Mark Waid. He all the time innately understood the household dynamic of the Fantastic Four and that shines via right here. In amongst the motion and high-level hazard, there’s nonetheless the elemental query of what lengths somebody would go to for his or her household. Even if possibly the reply is the unsuitable one.

In the top, it makes Fantastic Four – Antithesis by Waid, Adams, Farmer, Martin, Crossley, and Caramagna a becoming capstone for Adams at Marvel. There’s a timeless high quality to it that embraces every little thing that makes the Fantastic Four the Fantastic Four. Family-oriented science fiction that’s larger-than-life.

Classic Comic Compendium: Fantastic Four – Antithesis

Fantastic Four – Antithesis
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Neal Adams
Inker: Mark Farmer
Colourist: Laura Martin with Andrew Crossley
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release Date: August 26 – November 25 2020 (authentic points)