Fantastic Four: Full Circle: A Graphic Novel (Marvel Arts)

needed this since I became aware of it; Alex Ross just kind of... drawing (?) an old-school FF comic? yeah! it looks like a gooey trippy confetti bath bomb of pop art goodness. (apparently the Ryan North FF run is pretty great, too, so will be looking into that soon as well) but back to Full Circle... the more I think of it, the more I'd love to see Ross try his hand at something like a 70's Doctor Strange version of this... & while we're at it, why not 50's/ 60's Batman & Robin as well?!

This is a beautiful blending of 2 of my favorites. Alex Ross artist extraordinaire and the Fantastic Four. I grew up a huge Fantastic Four fan. Those early FF comics were among some of the best stories coming out of Marvel. I'm 56 now so I got to enjoy many of Kirby's first run stories and artwork. This labor of love is clearly a love letter to the immortal Jack "the King" Kirby.Every page is vibrant, detailed, in true Alex Ross fashion. It's also full of that classic FF wit and charm. Even a few in jokes between Johnny and Ben, or some tension between Ben and Reed and that good ol' classic heart-to-heart adoration between Reed and Sue. The negative zone stories were always the best among the awesome tales that the FF had to present. We even get to see a classic fan favorite villain in Annihilus. There is so much truly going on in this book and for 64 pages (you can finish it in one sitting) and a great price, you get an exceptional 2-for-1 deal. Alex Ross' dynamic artwork and visual style and another great story involving Marvel's first family. A true gem.

On the surface the artistic approach that Alex Ross utilizes when he draws comics is a complete opposite of Jack Kirby. While Kirby drew as many as 5 pages a day just using his imagination, Ross is very deliberate with every panel, building models of environments and taking reference photos of live models (his approach is well documented by Ross on youtube). However, Ross is able to capture the "fun" of comics just as well as Kirby did. The fantastic machines, amazing looking characters, bombastic action...it's all there to be enjoyed.I am not a reader of older comics, so I was a bit confused by the story line. It seemed to start in the middle of some epic story and it kind of ended, but left a lot of room for continuation. After I did some research, I discovered that Ross conceived this story as a "missing" issue that expands on elements from Fantastic Four #51, and 107-110. So this is not a complete stand-alone graphic novel, but if something doesn't quite make sense, don't be alarmed, just enjoy the wild ride!

Pros: great art, with a different inked style by Ross, although there is some painting in flashbacks. He also gives us the definitive FF personalities we haven’t seen since Stan Lee’s dialog over 50 years ago. Some very nice visual homages to Kirby as well. Nice call back to an earlier story, and the coloring was both vibrant and deserving of a reissue for a black light version. We also get perhaps the clearest and most comprehensive look we’ve ever gotten of the Negative Zone. Ross also upgrades the foursome’s costumes, with built in capabilities for the NZ, all very spot on and smart ideas worthy of Reed.Cons: the story starts out interesting, but there’s never any really conflict, or a satisfying climax. Could really have used some “Clobberin’ Time!”

First, let me just say the obvious...whether you're a DC comic fan or a Marvel fan, I know you've heard of the Fantastic Four, the "First Family of Comic Book Superheroes." Now the thing about this particular tale while not totally unfamiliar...the stunning art by one Alex Ross was without a doubt the real reason why I bought this FF book.If you're familiar with the work of Alex Ross, then you knew what to expect, but for those of you who weren't until now, I have to think your as stunned now, as I was the first time I saw any of this artist's comic book art masterpieces which include the Justice League, Kingdom Come, Earth X, Universe X, and Paradise X to name just a few of the many comic books Ross is associated with.So, dive into his take on the Fantastic Four and be ready to be astounded by what you see.

This new work by the legendary Alex Ross delivered on it's promise in every way possible. The art work is really exceptional given his signature realistic style but he also mixes it up with something new (old) - the original look of the 60's FF issues drawn by Jack Kirby. There are some beautiful full page panels that are jaw dropping mixed in with some modern Kirby-like drawings with the 60's technicolor look and feel. Everything is very vibrant and trippy as they head into another dimension. I thought I read that this is Ross's first work in which he is the writer as well as the artist and I have to say that the story is pretty good. I like that it is paying tribute to the legendary run of Stan Lee and Kirby when the comic first came out, but also the book asks some larger questions that you hold onto and think about over and over even after putting it down. I highly recommend this for fans of Alex Ross, the characters, and old school Sci-fi.

Fantastic Four: Full Circle(2022) by Alex Ross (Marvel)YES. More of this please. How could you not enjoy the labor of love this tribute project represents? Goodreads is a notoriously strict community and only gives the book a 3.93 (out of 5); however, it got a 4.7 on Amazon, and 9.8 Critic Rating on Comic Book Round Up. I gave it a perfect score. I thoroughly appreciate a master that has nothing left to prove, still able to find a creative spark to reinvent themselves. Ross released some videos on his YouTube channel revealing the lengths of his new processes. He also expressed his deep appreciation for Kirby’s work and even the influence of Neal Adams on his penciled style. While often the main criticism, I think Ross’s story reflects a deep love, insight, and understanding of the characters. The project is pure comic gold. You’ll likely be hearing more of this project at next year’s award ceremonies.