The Daily Fantastic’s Uncle Petunio On What Makes The Fantastic Four Special At 55

Cover-dated November 1961, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s The Fantastic Four hit newsstands 55 years ago and the world of comic book superheroes was changed forever. Prior to its release and subsequent success, Stan Lee had grown increasingly frustrated with the comic book medium and the recently dubbed “Marvel Comics” was limping along creatively. With Fantastic Four’s almost immediate embrace by an expanding readership, Lee’s enthusiasm for comics was reignited and Marvel was transformed from floundering publisher to power-packed purveyor of some of the most exciting and energetic comic book masterpieces to ever grace a spinner-rack. For his part, Kirby would make the comic medium sing in ways that had never even been dreamt of before.

Today, we see a landscape where no comic currently being published bears the title Fantastic Four, two of the team’s members (Reed “Mister Fantastic” Richards and Susan “Invisible Woman” Richards) are entirely absent from the Marvel Universe, Johnny “The Human Torch” Storm is palling around with the Inhumans, and Ben Grimm is about to be shuffled off the Guardians of the Galaxy. It seems it’s up to the “Keepers of the Faith” outside of Marvel to celebrate this milestone. As such, this month of November will see a number of fans, professionals, and commentators reflect on Marvel’s First Family.

So join us, O Frantic One, as we speak to…

Uncle Petunio of the Tumblr blog “The Daily Fantastic” and on Twitter as @UnclePetunio. This individual has been examining the Fantastic Four issue by issue and providing some of his thoughts on each. Like any great hero (except the FF, naturally) he operates under a secret identity but that didn’t stop him from agreeing to be part of this anniversary interview series.

Under the moniker of Uncle Petunio, you’ve been sharing panels from Fantastic Four comics starting at the very beginning with issue #1 on your blog “The Daily Fantastic.” Since you started in May 2012, you’ve made hundreds of posts and are currently nearing your coverage of issue #200. In the process of pulling panels for witty commentary, what would you say is the most surprising or important thing you’ve learned about the team/series?

When I started pulling panels, I thought I would be able to choose one favorite moment from every issue. I assumed there would be one thing I loved in each issue.

What I discovered is that every issue of The Fantastic Four contains too many good ideas for me to ever settle on just one. I never could’ve guessed just how many amazing things there would be to latch onto. Obviously, I realized I loved the bizarre sci-fi trappings that make the Fantastic Four so special. But I also fell in love with the weird jokes, elaborate settings, ongoing subplots, and character moments. I found I even cared about the characters’ street clothes.

I realized that it’s impossible to find one thing to discuss about the Fantastic Four, because there’s just so much that grabs my attention about every storyline.

What initially prompted this project?

Back when digital comics were new, Marvel literally put out a DVD with 44 years of Fantastic Four comics on it for the price of… a DVD. Can you imagine that today? Anyway I bought a copy of it years ago at a sketchy bargain store, and instantly remembered just how much I loved the old Fantastic Four comics. I wanted to save my favorite moments, and then I thought that I might as well share those with everyone.

Like I said before, my goal was to share one moment from every issue on Tumblr, which I had just learned about a few months earlier. Unfortunately, I could never seem to decide on just one panel, so that idea failed.

What would you say is the “mission statement” of “The Daily Fantastic?”

To not get a cease and desist letter from Marvel? I kid, I kid. Seriously though, my favorite thing to do is sit with a group of friends and talk and joke over a cheesy or silly movie. My goal for “Daily Fantastic” was to create that experience for comics… and also build an archive of memorable moments from a great series.

What place did the FF hold in your personal history with comic books and have they changed in how you view them as you’ve worked your way through the series?

I don’t remember being that big of a fan of the Fantastic Four when I was a child, but in high school I borrowed a copy of the first Essential Fantastic Four volume from my public library. At the time, I loved laughing at campy sci-fi movies (Godzilla especially), and so I found Fantastic Four to be hilarious. As I’ve run “Daily Fantastic,” I’ve realized that, yeah, the Fantastic Four is hilarious, but it’s also extremely well-crafted. Both the art and the stories still hold up. It’s so much more than just sci-fi camp.

In almost 200 issues, what would you say is the biggest creative misstep that you’ve seen in the Fantastic Four series thus far?

Anyone who reads my blog knows that I am not a fan of Roy Thomas. His Fantastic Four run featured two major problems: the return of bad ideas from early issues and stories that were complicated for the sake of complexity. In particular, issues 136-137, in which the Fantastic Four go to an illusion of the 1950s that they escape by metaphorically bringing about the Civil Rights movement, is way too high concept to make any sense at all. Writing high concept stories is a real balancing act, and when things get too elaborate, the Fantastic Four becomes impossible to understand. For me, that pretty much applies to all comics across the board.

This November is the 55th Anniversary of the Fantastic Four’s first appearance by cover date. This is also the first fairly notable anniversary we’ve seen where they aren’t being featured in a Marvel Comic in any way, shape, or form. What reflections does that inspire in you?

Without sounding too negative, I think the past few years have been an interesting case study in how ideas in comics develop. I mean, would anyone have ever thought that there would be a long-running Squirrel Girl series but no Fantastic Four book? (No disrespect: Squirrel Girl is on my pull list and I adore it.) But it’s fascinating to watch how trends change.

With that said, I like to keep in mind that the Fantastic Four’s influence is wide-enough that they will always be around. The Silver Surfer, the Inhumans, Black Panther, even Dr. Doom—they’ve all got books on shelves this year, and they’re Fantastic Four characters in my heart.

Who is your favorite member of the Fantastic Four? Has that changed over the course of maintaining “The Daily Fantastic?”

Ben’s been my favorite since the get-go, and I doubt that’ll ever change. He’s probably my favorite superhero in any book—DC or Marvel. I latched onto him when I was younger, and I remember really enjoying both his comedic and tragic moments. This is all still true today.

If anything’s changed since I started this blog, it’s my growing obsession with the Frightful Four, whom I think are tragically underused in modern comics. They could easily carry a book like Superior Foes of Spider-Man. CALL ME, MARVEL.

In your estimation, what is the most important thing that today’s comics could learn from what you’ve seen in the FF’s first 200 issues?

One of the things people forget about the… well, let’s say the first 100 issues of the Fantastic Four is that there are so many concepts at play at any given time. In the first six issues alone, the team goes into space, goes underground, uncovers a mystery, goes into a whale, and becomes pirates. There are moments that feel like Twilight Zone episodes. An apartment building gets shot into orbit. Obviously, this is because Jack and Stan were figuring out how Marvel books would work. But as a whole, it meant that the issues were never boring. I think modern comics need to be more willing to shift around tonally in this way. It would be lovely if stories could move around to accommodate more and more ideas. (For what it’s worth, this is why I enjoy Dan Slott’s current Silver Surfer run so much. Not every plot lands, but there’s so many ideas that it’s never dull.)

After four films that all arguably missed the mark in depicting Marvel’s First Family, what would you like to see in a future film adaptation?

Getting the personalities right is key, sure, but I absolutely believe the right idea would be to lean in hard to the Jack Kirby elements. I want to see weird machines with way too many parts to function properly. I want to see lumbering monsters with giant gaping mouths. I want to see a Negative Zone that looks like it’s made of collage materials. The Fantastic Four needs to be about exploring, which every film has missed. If the visuals and personalities are strong enough, the story doesn’t even matter.

It’s often said that the Fantastic Four when they debuted were revolutionary in the comics world, that they were different than anything on the stands. Generally, it’s specifically cited that they were dramatically different from DC’s output at the time. With the FF, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are generally credited with beginning the elevation of the medium and introducing more complex characters/stories. Do you think this is their most important legacy? Do you think it’s entirely deserved?

One of the things that interests me about the Fantastic Four is how clearly you can refer to it as a historical text. It really shows a key moment in the narrative of the superhero genre, and reading the first 100 Jack and Stan issues lets you watch ideas grow under a microscope. I mean, that’s absolutely why I love it so much: I’m a former history major and that stuff sticks with you.

There really wouldn’t be a Marvel Universe without the character moments, style, and storylines of the Fantastic Four. However, I think it’s important to realize that the Fantastic Four isn’t important just because it led to more popular stories and ideas. It’s also a very solid book in its own right. The true legacy of the Fantastic Four is that it’s still enjoyable after 55 years. Not a lot of things hold up quite as well as it does.

Looking ahead, what would be your greatest hope for the FF property in the future?

A book again? No, but seriously. I think if the Fantastic Four comes back, it’s in a way that feels fresh. What made the books work in the first place is that the Fantastic Four were breaking new ground. Fresh talent, fresh faces, fresh adventures. Try something cool! Take a chance! But make sure Ben Grimm still talks like he’s in the 1960s. Do it for Aunt Petunia.