Fantastic Fill-In #1--Bonus Features!

Look, Marvel crapped the bed here.

After depriving us of the Fantastic Four for 3 long years, they finally launched a new series.

And they can't even get 3 consecutive issues out on time. THREE!!

This week was supposed to see the release of Fantastic Four #3, but no, for unstated reasons, it has been delayed a month.

When you can't get 3 consecutive issues out on a monthly basis, well, you need some help. How can this happen?!?!?!

[Aside: When Jack Kirby went to DC in 1970, his contract called for him to do a minimum of 15 pages per week. Yes, that's writing and drawing. Now, apparently, 15 pages per month is too much for too many modern artists. Artists--you're no Jack Kirby--get over yourselves and draw faster! Editors--it isn't that hard to figure out--if you've got a slowpoke artist, waste less time drawing up with variant covers and put those people to work drawing your damn comics!

Of course, now it will turn out that the issue was delayed by illness or personal emergency. So, I'm an idiot. Just ignore me.]

So, I find myself forced to fill the dead FF space in our lives by upping the FF content around here. Today and throughout the week, I'll be focusing on content from the glorious Fantastic Four Annual #1 (1963)--one of the greatest comics ever published.

First up--let's answer some fan questions!!

This is at least the third time we've gotten a cutaway schematic of the Baxter Building, but this is the most detailed:

I ask again: is the "giant map room" a room for giant maps, or a giant room full of maps?

I also like that the photo analysis lab is apparently bigger than the biological research lab and the techincal research lab and machine shops COMBINED.

More to come...

I Just Love It When A Plan--Or A Blueprint--Comes Together!!

There's probably nothing in the world better than comic book schematics of unlikely vehicles:

See, that's all that's standing between Valerian and greatness--on-screen schematics!!

Hey, while we're at it...

You fools!! What if the Nazis get their hands on these plans?!?!

Meanwhile, can we interest you in an Arctic Schooner?

For use at Ice Station Zebra, no doubt...

From Science Comics #3 (1940)