Lower Decks

It’s an all-Fantastic Four column, with a review of the most recent two issues and a commentary on the way many covers have artwork that doesn’t accurately reflect the actual story told in the comic. Read on.

Review: Fantastic Four #566 & #567

These two issues of Fantastic Four (originally published on May 20th and June 10th, 2009) represent the first half of the “Masters of Doom” storyline that will close out Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch’s run on the title. The first issue saw the Marquis of Death and his Apprentice show up in Latveria where Doom had put together a lavish welcome for the duo.

Fantastic Four #566 (Courtesy of the Grand Comic-Book Database)

He even bowed to the Marquis, something that was incredibly unlike the pompous Doom. Supposedly, the Marquis taught Doom everything he knows about being a bad guy. But the Marquis isn’t impressed with Doom’s evil ways and attacks him! Didn’t see that coming. Doom unleashes his own attack on the Marquis and issue #566 ends.

In issue #567 we learn that Doom was eventually able to defeat the Marquis of Death after a battle lasting years. Reed Richards was killed and Doom married Sue, something Johnny couldn’t accept. Ben was left with bionic implants. But it was all a big lie, something the Marquis made Doom believe. In reality, Doom had been burnt to a crisp by the Marquis. Ouch. His body is sent into the past and the Marquis puts on Doom’s mask, vowing to kill the FF.

So, am I supposed to be afraid of the Marquis of Death and his unnamed Apprentice? Really? A character we’ve never heard of before, know nothing about and haven’t even gotten a good look at? I’m not buying it. Sure, issue #568 will end with things looking grim but Reed and the rest of the FF will rally in #569 and defeat the Marquis. Or, perhaps the Marquis will continue to impersonate Doom for the foreseeable future.

I don’t particularly like the idea that Victor von Doom has (or had) a master. He’s Victor von Doom! For the record, I also wasn’t thrilled when it was revealed that Doom is a practitioner of dark magic. That was a disappointing twist. He’s not a magician or a wizard and didn’t need to be taught by anyone. He’s Doom. A brilliant yet warped mind bent on the destruction of Reed Richards and the domination of the world.

Covers Unrelated to Stories

Speaking of Fantastic Four, did everyone notice that the cover to issue #567 had nothing at all to do with the story? The Fantastic Four weren’t in the issue at all aside from their appearances in Doom’s fantasy. And they certainly weren’t beaten to a bloody pulp and left for dead with their bodies arranged in a circle and Doom’s mask tossed in the middle.

Fantastic Four #567 (Courtesy of the Grand Comic-Book Database)

This is hardly the first example of the cover to a comic book not matching the story in the issue. In fact, the previous issue of Fantastic Four was also “wrong” in that it showed the FF standing in shock behind Dr. Doom as he bowed before his master. Doom did bow but the FF were nowhere to be found.

Looking over the past dozen or so covers for Fantastic Four, there are plenty of examples of this phenomenon. issue #564, for example, shows the FF enjoying a holiday dinner. I don’t recall that taking place. Issue #556 has Ben Grimm cradling the bullet-ridden bodies of Sue and Johnny Storm, begging their unseen killer to stop, uh, killing.

There’s nothing wrong with these covers. Many of them are very nice to look at. But why do so many covers have nothing to do with the stories they’re supposed to promote? Has this always been the case? Or was there a time when covers accurately reflected the stories the pages inside told?