April Fool’s? 10 “Are You JOKING” Moments in Comic Books
April Fool’s jokes usually consist of innocent, harmless phone calls, fake spiders and the like. Practical jokes take it a little further with maybe alibis, pretend emergencies or other staged incidents. Most people can laugh these off quickly, acknowledge that they were had, and get over their initial “are you kidding me!” exclamations.
So why doesn’t that always work with comic book events?
How many of us have found ourselves turning a page in one of our favorite books, checking the frames for some detail we missed, only to stop and express, loudly “Are you JOKING?!?!” after seeing that the shocking event we just witnessed did, in fact, happen. We feel like we’ve been had, hoodwinked, the plastic snake now a real cobra that’s just eaten our cat! In keeping with the spirit of the day, a look back at 10 moments from recent years that we all thought, at the time, surely were jokes.
Fantastic Four Dark Reign #1: Boom or Bust?
With Dark Reign expanding and expanding, it was only a matter of time before Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four, felt the impact. With Dr. Doom a part of Norman Osborne’s “Dark Illuminati”, there is an expectation that at some point Dr. Doom will be involved in some sort of colossal battle with the Fantastic Four. Fantastic Four: Dark Reign # 1 is sadly not that issue.
Not that this issue doesn’t have some semblance of intrigue and developing plot in it, but it does take quite a bit of time to fully get to where it’s trying to go in the last five pages. We see the story open with our heroes once again having to resettle themselves into a home, after a good portion of the Baxter Building was sucked into the Negative Zone by Lyja, a Skrull and Johnny’s former girlfriend. As Franklin and Valeria Richards head home, Sue frantically tries to ensure that everyone is working to get the house in good working order, even Reed.
Comic Book Villains Who Have Gotten Better With Time
What makes certain villains last longer than others? Why do some seem to fade from existence and others, mercifully or not, hang around long after they seem to have worn out their welcome/relevance? Is there any certain formula that separates the Crazy Quilts and Fiddlers of the world from the Jokers and Green Goblins? And how do you even categorize something like Egg Fu?
Despite all of these questions, there are some answers. Villains who seemed hokey and gimmicky at one point can meet the right writer/artist/editor combo and turn out to be one of the flagship characters of a publishing company. Some perpetuate an act of villainy so amazing that they can’t help but vault into the upper reaches of the fictional universe. Listed below are just some of the “lucky losers” who have gone from terrible footnotes in comic book history to major players still today.
Secret Invasion Pits She-Hulk Against X-Factor in “He Loves You”
The three part “He Loves You” series begins in July as Secret Invasion pits X-Factor against She-Hulk! With She-Hulk #31 and X-Factor #33. X-Factor #33 features the return of legends both on and off the page: X-artist Larry Stroman returns, and Darwin and Longshot make their long-awaited returns! X-Factor will quickly find themselves involved in conflict with She-Hulk, who isn’t afraid of confrontation!
Skrulls History Revealed In New One-Shot
With the Secret Invasion in full force, Marvel has announced a new one-shot called Skrulls! The special one shot will get fans up to speed on just who are the Skrulls and what their goals are.
Fans will learn the history of the Skrulls and some interesting new secrets in sixty-four ad free pages. Skrulls is a companion book for the Secret Invasion and will feature a cover by artist Greg Horn.
Skrulls is written by John Rhett Thomas and will have an on sale date of July 9, 2008.
Stan Lee Talks Skrulls in the Latest Marvel Podcast
Stan Lee, creator of Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Incredible Hulk is the featured guest in this week’s Marvel Podcast. Stan takes listeners on a fascinating journey of the history of the Skrulls, which first appeared in Fantastic Four #2. “I wanted the FF to have face the biggest menace I could find, that I could think of”, said Lee. The Skrulls have lasted over 40 years, and Lee provides insight into why they have been such a powerful presence over the last four-plus decades.
