CBR: Kleefeld on Death, Comics and the Fantastic Four

[CBR News]

Fantastic Four expert Sean Kleefeld joins CBR for a guest commentary on the concept of death in the Marvel Universe, specifically as seen through the lens of stories starring Marvel's First Family.


Full article here.

[alexforever]

I remember that people were upset about the Reed Richard's death that Defalco did, because it seemed out of the blue and totally shock value. Maybe, I'm wrong but people seemed really mad.

[Toblerone]

sooooo......we're supposed to have an emotional reaction to characters basically having a vacation

dead should mean dead

the fact that it doesnt robs the "heroes' of some of their heroism

[Nevets F]

sooooo......we're supposed to have an emotional reaction to characters basically having a vacation

dead should mean dead

the fact that it doesnt robs the "heroes' of some of their heroism

"Dead means dead" was one of the worst things to ever be said. No company should ever limit themselves that way.

Having said that, they should also stop killing characters.

[Steve Broome]

Really enjoyed the write up. I'm not really versed in superhero lore so I love reading stuff by people who know it up and down.

[Toblerone]

"Dead means dead" was one of the worst things to ever be said. No company should ever limit themselves that way.

Having said that, they should also stop killing characters.

i dont think they should kill characters often but when they do it should mean something

resurrecting a year or so after they've died in the line of duty just takes away from the overall storyline

why should the characters around the presently deceased even feel sad at this point?

their friends have died and come back so many times that its basically a joke

[Iron Maiden]

Nice to see Sean contributing to the CBR site. I still miss his FF web site. I remember him from when he modded the FF board at comicbookboards.com

[JimmyDee]

resurrecting a year or so after they've died in the line of duty just takes away from the overall storyline

What character was revived after only one year? Most went missing for much more than that -- Barry Allen, Captain America, etc ... how long did it take them to revive Superman? I think more than a year. I don't think you're correct, man.

Hell, even with Batman RIP it became clear very quickly that Batman wasn't dead yet STILL They took their sweet time bringing Bruce Wayne back.

[Anxy]

At this point, I've just come to accept the fact that death in comic books means a brief hiatus for a character for the sake of a) selling comic books, b) trying a new direction for a possibly stagnant title, and/or c) a writer wanting to leave his mark on a classic, long-running series (which, of course, will likely be all but erased when the following creative team comes on board).

Having come to a point where I assume Marvel knows we know death isn't permanent in their universe (unless you're Gwen Stacy or Uncle Ben), I agree with the end of this article - it's not so much about the event or permanence of Johnny's death - it's what they do with the surviving characters in the book until he's brought back that has potential for substance here.

[Blade X]

"Dead means dead" was one of the worst things to ever be said. No company should ever limit themselves that way.

Having said that, they should also stop killing characters.

I agree with everything you said.

[Erk Lazer]

Youre wrong in something: Valeria is not a retcon of the second Richard's child's misscarriage. She was the result of Sue's third pregnancy...

[darknessatnoon]

Youre wrong in something: Valeria is not a retcon of the second Richard's child's misscarriage. She was the result of Sue's third pregnancy...

Sue had to be reimpregnated to give birth to her, but she is the original fetus. Franklin went back in time and brought the fetus forward.

[Make Mine Mar-Vell]

It's funny that the character most associated with this albatross is Mar-Vell, and what most of the people who say they want him dead were not really fans in the first place and that the character had really just begun circa ish #50 with Edelman's run as writer then later with Moench and Broderick, but really it was Edelman's run. Seperating him from Rick and exploring him as a solo act, it trumped any be all end all character of both the MU and DC.

As far as the FF goes, I doubt any of this is permanent, remember they HATE Mar-Vell, for whatever reason.

[Ravin' Ray]

Nice to see Sean contributing to the CBR site. I still miss his FF web site. I remember him from when he modded the FF board at comicbookboards.com

Seconded on the FFPlaza website. Didn't realize he modded the latter as well.

Me, emotionally, while torn at the death of Johhny, part of me says I would not want Marvel to resurrect him. Ever. He's my favorite of the Four, and the issue really did resonate with me, with his sacrifice and finally shedding off the "immature" tag that's been around his neck. (I guess it's the image of him facing one billion aliens that got to me.) Forget the scattered "most useless member" comments here and there; sure, there are plenty other fire-wielding heroes out there but how many also absorb heat aside from generating it, or have limited pyrokinesis of external fire sources, or go nova? How would the team have survived their fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere after Kristoff blew up their HQ if he wasn't there to absorb the heat? The next issue already shows a preview of the emotional toll on the three and the kids (I guess Reed can't storm heaven again for a second time), and solicits say Reed, Sue, and Ben will try to do their parts in helping the world in Johhny's memory. I don't want a resurrection to interfere with that. Of course, they are going with the assumption that he is irrevocably dead.

But I have to accept the (strong? inevitable?) possibility of his resurrection. At which point, I don't know how I would react. It would depend on large part on how the events of of the new FF play out, and how it would be handled

[DrDoom616]

Youre wrong in something: Valeria is not a retcon of the second Richard's child's misscarriage. She was the result of Sue's third pregnancy...

Erm.. no, the Second pregnancy was re-instated by Franklin Richard's Reality Altering Powers