Dwayne McDuffie chats with the Colorado Springs Gazette about his run on Fantastic Four, talking about how he views each of the characters, the recent Silver Surfer story and the current Frightful Four storyline:
A recent story line featured Silver Surfer and the planeteating Galactus. That was not from any editorial mandate to tie the comic into the movie, McDuffie says, but was story-driven.
“They had been home a lot, and I see them as a family of explorers. So I immediately wanted to take them someplace far. So I thought, let’s do a space adventure.”
His current story arc finds the Fantastic Four facing off against the villainous Frightful Four. He’s not a fan of spoilers — “I want to surprise people” — but hints that the Frightful Four story line will lead to a bigger story.
“It’s going to be huge. The stakes are going to be tremendous.”
Related: McDuffie talks about JLA over at the mothership
It’s great that Dwayne McDuffie is getting the opportunity to work on FF and JLA at the same time. He is an excellent writer, very creative, and most importantly writes entertaining stories.
Comment by matchesmalone — June 25, 2007 @ 2:06 pm
if only michael turner did the interiors, i am HATING the art.
Comment by sam — June 25, 2007 @ 2:26 pm
Really? I am having the opposite reaction…I love Paul Pelletier’s art, but am not a fan of Michael Turner. McDuffie is excellent as always, though.
Comment by Joe — June 25, 2007 @ 2:30 pm
He’s writing JLA, FF, *and* the Avengers in the the back of the new classics series.
Next month there will be an announcement that he’s also writing Batman and the Outsiders, X-Men, Captain Carrot and the Amazing Zoo Crew, and Betty and Veronica.
Comment by CodeGuy — June 25, 2007 @ 3:12 pm
Dwayne McDuffie:
Loved his work on Static (the comic and the cartoon).
I love his work within the pages of FF.
He might make me pick up the JL again after removing it from my pull list (was not feeling the Lighting Saga).
Comment by mqboyd — June 25, 2007 @ 3:20 pm
I hope that McDuffie sticks with FF for awhile, and JLA doesn’t pull him away.
Comment by Uncle Jawa — June 25, 2007 @ 3:55 pm
“if only michael turner did the interiors, i am HATING the art.”
Geez louise, i wish Pellatier was doing the covers so that i didn’t have to endorse anything Turner-related. Can’t wait to see what they’ve got in store for Gravity.
Comment by Artiepants — June 25, 2007 @ 6:06 pm
The only time I ever want to see the words “McDuffie” and “Fantastic Four” again is if they’re followed by “apology”. These past few issues have been inexcusably bad. For his work on JLU, I gained an enormous amount of respect for this man, but the last 3 or 4 issues of FF have cost him almost all of it. I really hope JL of A is better.
Comment by von Doom, M.D. — June 25, 2007 @ 11:38 pm
McDuffie on FF is what brought me back to the title. And Pelletier’s interiors are another asset to the series for my money.
Comment by Tim O'Shea — June 26, 2007 @ 12:26 am
mine’s another vote for Pelletier’s art. This series has gone from near the bottom of my buy pile to the top since this new team came on. It’s really the FF at its best! Go McDuffie!
Comment by Tom Evans — June 26, 2007 @ 6:32 am
I am enjoying your story arc on the Fantastic Four. It seems as thought you are having just as much fun writing them as I am reading them. Your DC work has been just as impressive.
Comment by RJ Perry — June 26, 2007 @ 8:56 am
I’ve only started getting this book because of Pelletier’s art.
Here’s an interview I did with Paul prior to the release of his first FF issue.
http://www.comicbloc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=898&Itemid=57
Looks to me like he might be staying around past #450…
Comment by Doug — June 26, 2007 @ 9:03 am
As much as I like Michael Turners work on Fathom or Witchblade or Soulfire, hes just not write for a bulk of the Marvel characters. Too many errors with anatomy, composition and a general disregard for making everyone different make me want someone else as a cover artist.
Comment by Josh — June 26, 2007 @ 11:33 am
I have been a long time reader of Fantastic Four and I have to say that McDuffie’s writting makes me want to drop the book. His last issue of the Civil War arc was great (though I think most of the story was thanks to JMS) and the anniversary issue was fairly good, but this last arc was horrible! He made Silver Surfer look like a complete wuss in the hands of the New FF after everything he accomplished in Annihilation. I mean, he did single handedly take down Tenebrous and Aegis knowing that it may very well have cost his life. Show the character some respect.
Comment by Nate — June 26, 2007 @ 1:56 pm
Yeah, that last arc with the Surfer was a train wreck. Maybe it’s just me but if there was any other way for Galactus to feed off whatever energy Gravity fed him. Then maybe just maybe Galactus would be using that energy left and right. Seeing how Galactus is a super mega science genius beyond anything one or any society in the universe. Unless Gravity has some kind of space magic there is almost no logic in that whole arc. Let me also point out that after the head lock then BP de-powered the urber powered SS then gave the vest to Johnny to go fight with. Jeez talk about a F’ed up characterization.
That whole arc was just really ill conceived and a recon is in order. It felt way too forced & rushed, and set some really bad precedences, because nobody can f_ck with the Panther.
Comment by Toneloak — June 26, 2007 @ 8:29 pm
TO Toneloak:
It goes like this.
*The Fantastic Four beat the Silver Surfer. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby established this.
*Black Panther beat the FF in their first encounter. Lee and Kirby also established this.
*Ergo, Black Panther can beat the Surfer. Especially if T’Challa is employing the SAME power cosmic-draining technology Dr. Doom used against Norrin Radd.
Hence, the Panther/Surfer battle makes perfect sense in Marvel continuity. The only reasons you could gripe about this is either:
1. You want to ignore Marvel continuity.
2. You hate Black Panther.
Otherwise, the story makes sense in context of the Marvel Universe.
Comment by Fred — June 27, 2007 @ 12:54 am
Um…Fred what about that arm-lock.
And, how do you simplify there fights to whom beats whom. I didn’t think this was a fanfic.
You understand that Silver Surfer is much more powerful then he was during there first encounter(Editor’s Note: Annihilation: Silver Surfer). If your power-cosmic draining rules apply shouldn’t the that same cosmic draining device be able to zap Galactus of his power cosmic as well. That would’ve been a much better use, no more Galactus, problem solved. For that matter shouldn’t every super-advance race out in space have one of those cosmic draining thingys. A little explanation would have helped and just maybe some explanation as to how BP got hold of that tech. Add to that an explanation on it’s limits would also help.
This is not 1968, words make story better.
Logic just seems to have been thrown out the window. I’ve never read a FF story where there are so many logic & character loop holes that need to be fill. What has just transpired in that arc are so great that explanation are needed just so someone can understand what happened and if there are going to be any long standing implication to this event.
I thought that was one of the staples of FF fiction. Unless the target audience has changed and are now the new to Marvel comics young kids? Where who can beat who in comics is just a numbers game for trading cards? And, not a story element to drive the characters into greater adventures.
These are characters first and statistic later.
Comment by Toneloak — June 27, 2007 @ 12:01 pm