The Fantastic Four Remake Their History In Fantastic Four: Life Story

[JayC]

The Fantastic Four celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The iconic Stan Lee and Jack Kirby creation, credited with kicking off Marvel Comics’ historic Silver Age, have starred in some of the most memorable comic book adventures of all time, and now their illustrious saga will be presented in a radical new way in FANTASTIC FOUR: LIFE STORY.

Written by acclaimed writer Mark Russell (Second Coming, Wonder Twins) and drawn by Sean Izaakse (Fantastic Four, Avengers No Road Home) , FANTASTIC FOUR: LIFE STORY will be written in the same approach as Chip Zdarsky and Mark Bagley’s hit series, SPIDER-MAN: LIFE STORY. FANTASTIC FOUR: LIFE STORY will tell the entire history of the Fantastic Four from beginning to end, set against the key events of the decades through which their stories were published.

FANTASTIC FOUR: LIFE STORY #1 will take place in the “Swinging Sixties” when Reed, Ben, Sue, and Johnny took that fateful journey to space that changed the face of comic book storytelling forever. Against the backdrop of the Cold War and the Space Race, a terrible accident occurs that gives them great powers and a terrible secret, entangling them in Earth’s history forever as they transform into the world’s premiere super hero team.

“What I’ve always loved about the Fantastic Four is how it reduces the cosmic struggle of human survival to the scale of a family squabble while treating personal relationships as a matter of truly galactic importance,” Russell said. “Weaving their story and their world into our story and what’s happened in our world over the last sixty years was an important reminder to me of how smart it is to approach life like that.”

“Working on a story about Marvel’s First Family is not only an honor in itself, but what makes it even more so, is being part of the team that gets to tell such a moving and heartfelt story about these iconic characters, their struggles and triumphs in a new way that draws on what has come before,” Izaakse said. "

 

If I do my job right, this story will be one that Fantastic Four fans will remember for a long, long time.”

Check out the cover by Daniel Acuña below. Don’t miss this incredible journey through Marvel Comics AND real-world history when FANTASTIC FOUR: LIFE STORY #1 hits stands in May.

Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for announcements about the other exciting things Marvel Comics has in store for the Fantastic Four’s milestone celebration.

FANTASTIC FOUR: LIFE STORY #1 (OF 6)
Written by MARK RUSSELL
Art by SEAN IZAAKSE
Colors by NOLAN WOODWARD
Cover by DANIEL ACUÑA

[tarot]

This sound like it will just be the f4 version of spider-man life story. So basically we will see how these guys would have aged if they were using real time.

[Lordtom]

My only complaint (same I had for Spiderman) is that these are only 6 issues long. I would love each decade to be 3 issues long. 

[Atlantis]

40 minutes ago, tarot said:

This sound like it will just be the f4 version of spider-man life story. So basically we will see how these guys would have aged if they were using real time.

So that will put Reed, Ben and Doom roughly around 80 years or so....Mr. Fantastic and the Thing had to be in their 40s when they took that fateful trip into orbit...and Johnny was about 15! (Same age as Spidey was when he got his powers. Wonder how theyre gonna explain how Reed got a teenager on that rocket). Of course the writers could decide to make the cosmic rays have an age-retardant factor....we'll see....

[monron999]

1 hour ago, Atlantis said:

So that will put Reed, Ben and Doom roughly around 80 years or so....Mr. Fantastic and the Thing had to be in their 40s when they took that fateful trip into orbit...and Johnny was about 15! (Same age as Spidey was when he got his powers. Wonder how theyre gonna explain how Reed got a teenager on that rocket). Of course the writers could decide to make the cosmic rays have an age-retardant factor....we'll see....

If all else fails they'll just fall back on the one and only tried and true method to fix any storyline improbability or inconsistency.......time travel. Called it, stamped it, took it out, sat it on the table, looked at it and double stamped it. Just wait and see.

[watanabefan]

Spider-Man: Life Story was sublime, so hopefully this keeps up the quality.

[tarot]

2 hours ago, Atlantis said:

So that will put Reed, Ben and Doom roughly around 80 years or so....Mr. Fantastic and the Thing had to be in their 40s when they took that fateful trip into orbit...and Johnny was about 15! (Same age as Spidey was when he got his powers. Wonder how theyre gonna explain how Reed got a teenager on that rocket). Of course the writers could decide to make the cosmic rays have an age-retardant factor....we'll see....

I think it was lightly retconned or just adjusted that Reed as in his late twenties early thirties at the time they went into space. It's kind of like how many writers forget that the Dark Phoenix that destroyed the planet was not jean grey but the phoenix. People choose to ignore it as the time goes on.

[SUPREME007]

This should be pretty good, I enjoyed the spiderman version of this, hopefully this will be just as good.

[leokearon]

Spidey: Life Story was decent, so it should be interesting to see how this goes.

[MagnaPrime]

Gonna have to look up life story now.  But instead of time travel couldn't they just say franklin used his powers subconsciously or intentionally to slow the aging process?

[Atlantis]

2 hours ago, MagnaPrime said:

Gonna have to look up life story now.  But instead of time travel couldn't they just say franklin used his powers subconsciously or intentionally to slow the aging process?

Actually why would their aging processes have to be slowed, intentionally or otherwise? One of the basic premises of this format is that we see the characters age as if they would do in real time.  By the end of Spider-Man's Life Story, he was in his 70s, so Johnny will (should) be too. Of course we don't know how any of this is gonna work out; they may decide that the cosmic rays that made Sue's pregnancy so difficult in the time we're used to, renders the pregnancy impossible in that one. Therefore no Franklin. But hey right now its all just spitballing; we'll have to wait and see what they do.

[SpiderS]

Seems cool, would be even cooler if it’s set in exact same universe as Spider-Man life story, where Reed does have role, but then again it could limit creativity or author, and I’m not sure  audience  would want to see Sue leave Reed for Namor. 

[Bluecomet]

Just in time for the Marvel Legends Fantastic 4 wave.

[memocromatico]

Maybe they're trying this to see how they set them up in the MCU?

[Atlantis]

13 hours ago, memocromatico said:

Maybe they're trying this to see how they set them up in the MCU?

I hope not. I'd love to see the F4 on screen too, but there's a notion out there somehow that the comic book/action figure what have you, cant "sell" without a movie or tv show and this needs to stop. Marvel Legends was going long before anyone dreamed of the big screen.  The comics need to be the comics and the films the films. Besides, if Marvel's inept "editors" had a hard time keeping the comic history and time line straight, trying to incorporate tv and films is just gonna be more of a disaster. 

And frankly Hasbro has been missing out on the GOLD MINE that is Fantastic Four for its action figure line. Spider-Man, X-Men, Wolverine, Deadpool are the "usual" waves, but the Fantastic Four? They have it all- different costumes, allies, foes, weapons, vehicles, sets- there is so very much they could do if they'd just unclench. How I hope we're gonna get a Watcher BAF this year!

[leokearon]

57 minutes ago, Atlantis said:

I hope not. I'd love to see the F4 on screen too, but there's a notion out there somehow that the comic book/action figure what have you, cant "sell" without a movie or tv show and this needs to stop. Marvel Legends was going long before anyone dreamed of the big screen.  The comics need to be the comics and the films the films. Besides, if Marvel's inept "editors" had a hard time keeping the comic history and time line straight, trying to incorporate tv and films is just gonna be more of a disaster. 

And frankly Hasbro has been missing out on the GOLD MINE that is Fantastic Four for its action figure line. Spider-Man, X-Men, Wolverine, Deadpool are the "usual" waves, but the Fantastic Four? They have it all- different costumes, allies, foes, weapons, vehicles, sets- there is so very much they could do if they'd just unclench. How I hope we're gonna get a Watcher BAF this year!

The only thing I want to see with the movie is not another version based on the Ultimate F4 origin