Why Stan Remains The Man: The last FF story

[Doctor Doom]

So Stan Lee is writing "The Last Fantastic Four Story." Basically a "What if?" about the end of the FF, illustrated by modern marvel JR jr, a kind of coda to all the work he made since he started it.

Preview up here.

www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=11697

All I can say is man oh man have I missed Stan Lee since I read the last of the old Essentials and Masterworks. While his storytelling has matured, his genius bombastic style remains the same as ever. "When a single sparrow fell to Earth... it marked the beginning of the end... of our WORLD!"

It reminds me very much of the old Stan and Jack FF- Hell, even down to the kind of hackneyed device of "We want money, maybe we should quit", it has a real nostalgic feel about it. I have to chuckle privately though- even Stan Lee is into the decompression gig it seems, as Smilin' Stan took an entire page just to watch a sparrow die, with only thee brief narrative captions spelling out 17 words.

This should be great.

[thew40]

I'm so on board for this comic. I can't wait!

[Doctor Doom]

I didn't even read Stan Lee in the 60s (being not alive and all that) but even I get a great sigh of nostalgia from:

"What's that!?"
"Bolts of flame!"
"Melting our weapons!"

[thew40]

Picked this up today . . . and absolutely loved it!

Really great read, very entertaining, very "Stan!" Lots of great moments and fun dialogue. Retro with huge ideas and enjoyable small bits and pieces.

Oh, hey, Cap is alive!

I had a few small issues, however:

1) More Doom! Sure, it was great to see him, but there was no tie-up. That being said, I'd love to see Stan pen a "Doom: The End" tale.

2) The Fantastic Four defeated the Decimators and saved the Cosmic Tribunal. However, let's hope the Cosmic Tribunal never find out that it was the Fantastic Four that unleashed them in the first place . . .

3) Where was Val?

Other than those three problems, I'd highly recommend it!

~W~

[Shiryu]

I've read it too, but wasn't particularly impressed.

By all means it was a very nice story, but (IMO, of course) not nearly as good as Fantastic Four: The End, done a few months ago by Alan Davis. It felt very rushed and more than a little aimed to fan service, especially Galactus saying something like "yeah, I like what you are thinking. I'll help!" and everybody in the end saying how great the FF are.
Doom did very little, and the idea to unleash a murdering race on the Tribunal, and then to go and help, felt somewhat inconsistent.

This being said, it was nice to see Cap back, Thor in his regular costume and overall the classic MU.

[Doctor Doom]

I agree with the W. It was a retro, classic, great tale which wasn't up to the best of Lee/Kirby FF but certainly beat out the worst.

"The deadly, imperio-destructo jets of Doctor Doom!" is now going down as one of my new favourite phrases.

[thew40]

I would rather have had Doom release the Decimator's upon the Tribunal. It would have worked a lot better. Plus, it would have given Doom something to do.

~W~

[Shiryu]

thew40 said:

I would rather have had Doom release the Decimator's upon the Tribunal. It would have worked a lot better. Plus, it would have given Doom something to do.

~W~

You are very right. It would have made the story much more consistent.

[Alchemist-X]

Why they just didn't try and Get Stan on Board for the FF the End project originally is the question I want to ask?

I've been hesitant to read any of "the End" series' because I was put off by the first few issues of X-men The End (More like X-men the ....Huh?).

Stan's book is unlike the other the end ones in that it isn't supposed to stem directly from (At the time) current continuity shifted to a few years down the road, correct?

[thew40]

I'd advise reading "Hulk: The End." It - and this - are the best.

"X-Men: The End," "Wolverine: The End," and "Punisher: The End" are all rather bland.

~W~

[Doctor Doom]

thew40 said:

I would rather have had Doom release the Decimator's upon the Tribunal. It would have worked a lot better. Plus, it would have given Doom something to do.

~W~

Definitely. But then we would never have heard the phrase "The deadly imperial destructo-jets of Doctor Doom!" in a comic and I'm not sure it's worth the sacrifice.

[Tone-Loc]

I'll prepare to be stoned for this but, I was... underwhelmed, I guess is a good a word as any.

I enjoyed (and apprecaited) the overal idea of the story, but I think it would have been better to have someone else write the dialogue for Stan. I just found it hard to take.

[Tana Nile]

Wow, is Tone back?!!

[The Night Phantom]

thew40 said:

3) Where was Val?

I kept telling myself she was just below panel…