FF 4

ff 4

Today, Ethan and Patrick are discussing FF 4, originally released February 27, 2013.

Ethan: Growth is hard. Everyone’s familiar with the usual childhood “growing up” process, with all of its difficult changes, naïve missteps, puppy love, and idealism. Then there’s the second adolescence — of the mind rather than the body — that we deal with as we explore what it means to be an adult. The changes are more situational and relational than hormonal; the missteps become less laughably naïve but often have much larger consequences; idealism fades to pragmatism, and puppy love — well, love doesn’t really change that much. Alongside these more mundane types of development, life occasionally confronts us with something truly awful and growth stops being something we do as a matter of course and starts being something we do just to survive. In the hands of writer Matt Fraction and artist Michael Allred, FF #4 continues to show us a world in which the varieties of growth faced by children, adults, and survivors collide. Continue reading

Fantastic Four 4

Today, Shelby and Jack are discussing Fantastic Four 4, originally released February 13th, 2013.

Shelby: With Valentine’s Day still fresh on my mind, I’ve been pondering the question, “How do you show someone you love them?” Personally, I’m a sucker for the small moments: the little inside jokes, the quietly personal reminders from one person to another that they are, in fact, loved. Don’t get me wrong, the big, grand gesture of LOVE definitely has its place as well. Sometimes, it isn’t enough to just let the person you love know it; you want the world, nay, the universe to know it as well. For some, that means touching and surprisingly well choreographed video proposals. For Reed Richards, it means travelling back through time and affecting the development of an entire race to leave himself a reminder to tell his wife what she means to him. Try beating that, viral flash mob proposals.

Continue reading

FF 1-3

ff 1-3

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing FF 1-3, originally released November 28th, 2012, December 19th, 2012, and January 23rd, 2013.

Shelby: What do you do when things go wrong? When something doesn’t happen the way you’ve planned, how do you react? If you thought ahead and have a back-up plan, there’s nothing to worry about. But what if you are the back-up plan? What if you are the one who has to step up when things fall apart and figure out how to hold everything together? Between FF and Fantastic Four, Matt Fraction shows us both sides of the coin, and it gives him an opportunity to tell a pretty unusual kind of story.

Continue reading

Readers Assemble!

Readers Assemble!Just over a year ago, we began reading monthly comics in earnest when DC relaunched its entire publication line. The New 52 afforded a great opportunity for uninitiated readers to get into ongoing titles. While a great discussion could be had on the differences and similarities between the New 52 and Marvel’s new Marvel NOW! relaunch, the latter seems clearly designed to emulate the successes of the former. With that in mind, we thought we might take this opportunity to expand our horizons into Marvel’s publications. Marvel NOW! affords us a unique chance to get into a title at the ground level, following new creative teams as they embark on new arcs with classic characters. We intend to capitalize on this opportunity, but we need your help. Continue reading