For Marvel’s 75th anniversary the published a miniseries which celebrates their next milestone – the 100th! These were a series of interconnected one-shots which showcased a wild and inventive future for the likes of The Avengers, the X-Men, Spiderman, the Fantastic Four and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Each of the five issues focuses on a different character / team in the top tier of Marvel’s roster. The Guardians of the Galaxy one-shot was written by writers Andy Lanning and Ron Marz along with Gustavo Duarte. The Spider-Man centric issue was by Sean Ryan and In-Hyuk Lee. The futuristic X-Men tale was by Robin Furth and Jason Masters. The Avengers one-shot was by James Stokoe. And the Fantastic Four story is by Jen Van Meter and Joanna Estep.
The Avengers
Like all of Marvel’s 100th Anniversary specials, this imagines what an Avengers comic would be like 100 years in the future. If this comic is going to be any indication, the world of 2063 is certainly going to be a strange place. The best way I can describe this comic is Marvel on LSD.
Stokoe introduces a host of bizzare characters in the surprisingly small Avengers roster – Rogue, Beta Ray Bill and Dr Strange. Tony Stark is still around, but in this instance as a disembodied brain giving assistance. I would have liked t have seen more of the old team to give more of a context to the present roster. However these characters provide ample entertainment as they fight against Mole Man III.
There’s frequent off hand references and editor captions which allude to previous unseen adventures that this team has undertaken. This is a lovely and quirky way to attempt to bring readers into a universe whose comics do not yet exist.
The concept and setting play very well with Stokoe’s distinctive art style. This issue is full of complex, squishy, organic environments and bold eclectic character designs. I found myself fairly captivated by the narrative and artwork, for all the strangeness, Stokoe doesn’t get lost in the humorous elements. There’s a fantastic and heartfelt conclusion to this story and an earnest attempt to portray the cliched narrative of good vs evil in a new way.
Fantastic Four
The year is 2061 and the Fantastic Four are superhero legends lost to time. They have been condemned for their time travel usage and they are lost and attempting to find their way back home. Meanwhile a new Fantastic Four team have assembled on earth , featuring Franklin Richards and Valeria Richards (the children of Reed and Sue), Victoria Harkness and a future human torch called Lee Minh Cam. We also are introduced to a Banner – Richards pairing of hulkings and we find out that Doctor Doom is now a part of the Fantastic Four!
The art is by Joanna Estep and the story is by Jen Van Meter. As a one-shot gimmick of a future FF, this comic book is an interesting read. The art by Estep is ill-defined and more akin to a younger persons comic, which didn’t appeal to me particularly.
The story is told in flashbacks and similarly to the Avengers issue, editorial comments linking events of this story to fictional issues, attempting to immerse the reader in this universe. The characterisation of each of the characters is fairly accurate to the Lee-Kirby era and I found the story engaging but not as captivating as the Avengers issue. There is a major focus on the Fantastic Four as a family, which is relevant to the fact that they have always been considered Marvel’s first family. The ending of this issue leads into the Guardians of the Galaxy issue which features the mighty Galactus!
Talking Comics 