SubscribeNote: In the wake of the title-altering Fantastic Four #587 where one of the team’s members…uhm, (spoilers!) “left,” Marvel is ending the series and replacing it with a new monthly, modestly titled FF. Of course FF is the common abbreviation for the Fantastic Four, but it is also the abbreviation for “Future Foundation,” a philanthropic brain-trust set up by Reed Richards about a year ago, composed not just of the superheroic Fantastic Four but all of the extended family in the Baxter Building. This refocusing gave the guys in Marvel’s wardrobe department a chance to go all out and not just re-tinker with blue & white unitards Jack Kirby sewed up back in the ’60s, but to defrock them all together and start up something new and science-y. So we gathered our own brain-trust of P:R editors and contributors to talk about the new designs. – Chris Arrant
FF costume designs by Marko Djurdjevic
Dean: Are these for real? Awesome looks. Elegant color choice. Very sci-fi, very 21st century. Very Apple. Deceptively simple, given the individualized detailing. Brilliant logo. (Not surprising, given Jonathan Hickman’s involvement.) Love the hexagon incorporation on Spidey’s symbol. I’ve been enjoying Hickman’s Fantastic Four run, but this kinda membership/mission/wardrobe shakeup is just the kind of spark it’s needed to kick into Must Read territory. Count me in for the Future Foundation. These are an A+.
Jonathan: My first thought is that, at this rate, Marvel’s super-heroes are going to look mighty gauche after Labor Day.
Vito: It’s so funny how we’re coming across a lot of these white costumes these days. I wonder if it’s an intentional shift toward a real “good guys wear white” cowboy mentality. In any case, I really like them. They’re sleek and a real departure from the classics. I like Brevoort’s thinking (or his explanation) behind them. Color me intrigued by those hexagon logos on the front, too. Definitely reading this when it comes out.
Jessica: Sue is totally rocking it! Very mod. I like Reed’s too, but Ben kind of looks like a member of the men’s gymnastics team representing Hexagonia at the Olympics. And I can’t look away from that gleaming white Spidey-package. I don’t really know what that says about me…
Chris: These designs look so…sterile. If any superheroes would wear labcoats it would be the Reed family, and I like the alternating hexagon pattern to symbolize the different members of the core 3.Thing’s costume especially rings true to me; the more rugged work boots and the tanktop seem like something a Yancy Streeter-like Ben Grimm would wear.
Spider-Man’s variant costume is nice. I wonder if the other guest members rotating in that fourth spot will all get a FF-ed costume design. I would have done something different with the head though–it looks like Zen the Intergalactic Ninja.
FF #1 by Steve Epting
Rachel: Something about those costumes screams “video game” to me; I think it’s a combination of the hexagon motif and the way the piping is laid out. What they *don’t* project is what the article claims they’re supposed to: there’s nothing particularly bleak to them, nor that suggests mourning, nor even a new start. They’re just–there. If they say anything to me, it’s “science,” “future,” and “we just noticed that a lot of people really like Mass Effect.”
Thing is, I feel like I *should* like these costumes more than I do. They’re nods to a sort of streamlined cyberpunk aesthetic that I really dig–hell, that I *wear*. They’re really solid designs, well balanced and well drawn. They fit the “Future Foundation” idea.
As for the white costume trend–I’m against it. White is impractical, and in scene, unless it’s handled very carefully, it can really eat momentum and balance. The white costumes that have historically worked well–I’m thinking Power Girl, Apollo, maybe Fantomex–tend either to have been balanced by a lot of skin and/or contrasting colors, or to have a lot of texture and visual interest that, for the most part, I think that these (and that Iron Fist costume) lack.
Vito: I really enjoy Hickman’s super hero stories (FF, SHIELD, Secret Warriors) because they are so like MSNBC; they “lean forward.” If these are “just” plot devices, I guarantee they have more utilitarian purposes within the book. Like I said, I read a lot of Hickman books; nothing is “just” there without having a reason.
Joel: The usual disclaimer: I have none of the context for these costumes. Did something happen to Johnny? He’s on vacation, right? Touring with his band?
The hexagonal design is a pretty great update of the 4-emblem. Even though Spider-man’s emblem brings in the hex as well, the interlocking of the three hexes keeps a little distance between the remaining three full-timers and the temp. Which seems just and proper. And, when Johnny gets back from…uh, is he on Dancing The Stars? it would be easy to add a fourth hex to
the design and keep on going.
I have a knee-jerk reaction against the white, which evolved into considered dislike after reading the reason. The world seems black and white? Man, if there’s one thing I don’t want in a Fantastic Four comic, it’s moral absolutism.
Color aside, I like the design of Reed’s costume. There’re enough lines to keep it interesting, but not so many that it starts to look too ornamental. It looks action-scientisty. The Thing’s seems nicely utilitarian, as well, although I always think he looks goofy in anything other than shorts. The tops of his boots are a little unresolved. And there’s no excuse for such poor posture, Ben. Sue’s falls off the ornamental cliff, though. The darker stripes seem to be there purely to remind us of her feminine attributes, conveniently indicating where the stocking and bustier go. As for Spider-man, well, my inner 8-year old swoons at the thought of Spider-man joining the team, but, dang, Chris hit the nail on the head with the Zen the Intergalactic Ninja point.
Is Johnny working undercover for SHIELD?
Dean: Johnny’s gone to live on a farm in the Negative Zone, Joel. A nice one. With lots of room and plenty of bug-monsters. I mean superheroes.
Jessi: I’m just going to leave this right here.
I love the hexagonal emblem. It’s very science-y and ties together the members of the Fantastic Four, uh, Three. I am never going to understand why Spider-Man needs a different costume to hang with the Future Foundation, though. So when he’s called upon by the FF, he’s just going to what, change costumes? Seems a little impractical.
Really, I think I’d like the costumes more if they were in any color other than white. For now, I hope they stock up on plenty of bleach markers.
Dean: Thanks to the P:R gang for their thoughts! We leave you with Daniel Acuna’s variant cover for FF #1, which makes me think the new series is gonna rule. Bring on the future!
Adam
/ February 14, 2011…No. Nononono. I’m sorry, but they look horrendous. Gah! White? I mean Jessi said it best. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of the hexagons and individual flairs and everything but the colour scheme is just wrong to me. Perhaps I’m simply too rooted in my Kirby fanboyism, but I miss the blue.
That being said, I love how Ben is finally dressed in something. I don’t know bout you guys, but I was sick of Ben either being dressed only in pants or undies or (as the Ultimate Fantastic Four would have) shoeless. He now looks like he’s somewhat comfortable about his looks.
Oh and Spidey, black works swell for you but…not this.
Daniel Acuna’s artwork is STELLAR though.
Jared D. Weiss
/ February 14, 2011I really like that variant cover. They’re neat, but the white and the black hexagons immediately made me think of that Capcom Gamecube game, P.N. 03. The boxart for that game even has 3 black hexagons on a white background, so really for that alone, the designs feel more like an ‘expected future’ look, and not so much a really thought out and inspired one.
On a side note, why on Earth-616 does Spidey already have ANOTHER new costume? They just gave him the Tech Suit which changes color, and if you want to count it, the Tron variant cover suit. I just think it’s a bit to soon to redesign Spider-Man already.
Thomas
/ February 14, 2011Worst FF costumes since Sue turned her 4 into a cleavage window. Really don’t like they random lines and there’s just too much white. I think if they wanted a departure they should have ditched the spandex look and went with something that looked more like a real uniform. Not in a 90′s jackets and pouches way, just something that shows the FF as being not simply your standard super-heroes, but explorers and scientists as well.
Marcellus
/ February 14, 2011If it were any other team, I’d agree vehemently with Jessi’s point on practicality, but come on, this is Reed Richards’ “unstable molecules fabric” we’re talking about! If it can handle the stretching, the invisibility and the flames, I think stain-proofness is within the realm of plausibility.
Anyway, the classic sci-fi aesthetic really works for me, I like the optimistic vibe. Not so sure about Spider-Man’s costume, though.
Tony
/ February 14, 2011I’m clicking the dis”like” button on this one, while its cool to see such a change I don’t like the white motorbike suit look. It feels very anti-Tron meets Mass Effect. I keep looking for the robot Djs in the background on the cover mind a I would dig a Daft Punk Spider-Man soundtrack I don’t dig the high intensity cleaning drycleaning bill outfits.
John Hefner
/ February 14, 2011It’s very “the 1970′s idea of the future,” like something out of Kubrick, “Logan’s Run,” or “THX 1138.” What’s the word for that? Retro-futuristic dated?
jay
/ February 14, 2011Why all the complaints about the white? Isn’t it believable that Reed came up with some sort of “self cleaning” or “stain proof” material? I mean the dude invented clothes made out of “unstable molecules” that can stretch, burn and turn invisible (or does Sue’s power take care of this?).
Chris Howard
/ February 14, 2011Johnny has gone into the Disney Vault for a time.
dnwilliams
/ February 14, 2011Okay, okay, okay. I’ve been waiting to see this on P:R from the moment I laid eyes it, it’s cool to hear your thoughts. I really, really like them. I agree with Dean, very Apple.
LOVE the logo. Adore the Spider-Man variant costume (I can’t get enough Spider-Man variant costumes it turns out).
I think a lot of people would agree with what Rachel said, the costumes seemed very influenced by game design. It’s cool that something other than movies are being looked to for costume design in comics! Mass Effect seems to be coming up a lot, but what sprang to mind when I saw them was P.N.0.3: http://goo.gl/hLb1f
The complexity of the piping is a minor drawback for me, I think that simplicity is key in superhero costumes in order for them to be really iconic. Something Quitely managed with his giant-yellow-x designs for New X-Men.
The ‘white costumes are impractical’ argument seems redundant here. You can buy unstable molecules that turn invisible, have near-infinite stretching capability and allow flame to permeate them without getting so much as singed, but there’s NO WAY Reed Richards could make some kind of grime-retardant membrane? Yeah, okay…
It’d be cool if they did what Joel said, added another hexagon and kept the costumes for a little after Johnny comes back. Maybe trade in the black for baby blue as well. It’s kind of silly to ‘miss the blue’ and the Kirby designs though. Those designs aren’t going anywhere.
These costumes are the most Hickmanesque thing I’ve seen from his FF run, so it’s a surprise to learn that he didn’t design them and that Brevoort also had a hand in the look, I’d be interested to hear what kind of input Hickman did have besides a seal of approval.
Chad
/ February 14, 2011The logo is ace. Especially how it rotates for each member. Let’s see artists remember whose is whose. I would have made Ben’s the one with two dark bottom hexes though, for religious reasons.
Sues’ costume is a bit too young. Either kill the lines on her crotch, or kill the lines on her thighs —it’s just too much linework, and implies underwear far too much.
Overall though, I think it’s brilliant. SCREAMS Planetary though. Elijah Snow is spinning in his grave.
Karl
/ February 14, 2011Like it! Might finally try the “regular” FF after mourning the loss of the Ultimate version.
Rich Yan
/ February 14, 2011Shouldn’t they be trying to get back into the Negative Zone to see if Johnny maybe went Nova and burned everything to ashes and is alive????
Hmmmmmmmmm….?????
Wade Grimbrere
/ February 14, 2011In eastern countries white symbolizes death and mourning. I like the change, feels like something a family might do together to respond to tragedy. I agree the spidey mask isn’t working, eyes needed something more than just all-black.
Joel
/ February 15, 2011I like the designs quite a bit. And they clearly look like they came from the mind of Jonathan Hickman. They do look more retro-sci-fi than they do superheroic, but I think that is perfectly fine for this particular family. I’m not as crazy about Spider-man variant suit, but I do like the hexagons incorporated into the spider shape emblem.
tbolt
/ February 15, 2011The costumes are kind of bland, and are for sure temporary till the Fantastic 4 are back together. Really dislike the inclusion of Spider-Man and dreading the inevitable appearance of Wolverine. Would much rather it only include the other assorted oddballs the FF hang out with as family.
Adam
/ February 15, 2011I’ve been wondering; If the Future Foundation is essentially a brain’s trust composed of the Fantastic Four’s allies and associates, would the Black Panther be a member? And what would he wear as a variant?
Furious Williams
/ February 15, 2011I actually do kind of dig these. Mostly because I like the FF4 changing up their costumes every now and then. I agree with most of what has been said already regarding the 1970s futuristic feel to them. Like BroHawk, I would have rather seen them incorporate blue into the design rather than black, but other than that small detail, I like this design.
Not sure how that will translate once other artist begin using these models. Also, I’m not a fan of the new team line up. I mean Logan and Peter are on sooo many teams and in their own books that I’m starting to dislike both their characters, but I digress….
Bruce A.
/ February 15, 2011Are those pockets on Reed’s wrists and upper arms? About friggin’ time. Now if only he had a plastic pocket protector and a bunch of pens in one of them. (Pocket protectors: classic sign of a science nerd. And back in my day, the uber-nerds would wear shirts — usually plaid or checked — with the pockets on the sleeves instead of the chest.)
As for the cleaning problems with white suits, surely Reed would have run into this guy at some scinece conference or another?
Daniel Heard
/ February 15, 2011Valeria and Franklin are suited up for action. The second generation of Marvel’s first family are finally being allowed to step up. How Cool is that!?
Love the new costumes. This might be Marko Djurdjevic’s best work yet.
Love the white and black aesthetically, and symbolically. I would like to add that the piping designs are similar but different enough to differentiate the members of the group. And they echo each other in design. Look at the way Reed’s shoulder piping matches Spidey’s (amazing) spider symbol.
As far as them getting dirty, THEY SHOULD! Andrew WK proved that getting your whites filthy while fighting for the right to party is a badge of honor.
dnwilliams
/ February 15, 2011@Adam – You just blew my mind. Hopefully it would be an inverted version of what Reed is wearing, only with a mask (like Spidey).
@Daniel Heard – I also like the fact that the Fantastic Rugrats get costumes! It’s a neat thing to do now that the first family isn’t limited by the number four. Although that does mean it’ll feel like even more of a reversion when the stat quo returns to normal…
Dean
/ February 15, 2011@Adam & dnwilliams – I was thinking the same thing. That’d rock.
Bill Walko
/ February 16, 2011Love the super-sci-fi look and hexagon motif.
The ONLY think I don’t like is Ben’s tank top. Put his hex symbol on a belt buckle, or on one side of his pants and we’re good.
Also, Jonny’s former Skrull love Lyja should join. It’d be interesting to see a Skrull as an FF member in the wake of the invasion, and Lyja trying to honor Jonny.
Joel Priddy
/ February 17, 2011I just saw the White-on-Black variation on this costume that Sue is wearing in the preview of the first image. SUCH an improvement. And I like the idea that the above costumes aren’t static, and we might be seeing lots of variations.
Dean
/ February 17, 2011@joel – Agreed 100%.
LaDavid
/ February 22, 2011I kind of would like a t-shirt in that style. And I think the designs look alright. Although, Spider-Man feels a little out of place to me.
Seamus
/ February 27, 2011I for one am a fan of the new direction, but have a few misgivings about the execution. What people fail to grasp generally is that although the FF exist in a world full of superheroes, their genre has always been sci-fi (they don’t fight crime, their identities are never in question and their adventures begin and end in SCIENCE!). These costumes reflect that, and I feel that Reed should always be tinkering and looking for ways to improve the current model, like he does with everything else.
That said, I think a little more consistency is in order for the linework. I agree with the opinion that Sue’s costume uses lines to sexualise the outfit and should look more like Reed’s (give her the same belt as the other two, at least). If the lines followed the hex pattern of the logo and were a little less arbitrary, you’d have a winner.
Spidey’s suit is pretty sweet, but I have issue with the angry eyes (his eyewear should look more ‘goggly’ like the Raimi films, and could incorporate a whole range of scanning software and built-in HUD) and the spider-lines. Whilst generally an awesome re-imagining, the spider logo emphasises strength, whereas it would be better suited for something a little more sleek and streamlined. The relationship between Reed and Pete is rooted in intellect, and the suit should better reflect that.
So when does Jemma Salume do her version of these?
Andrew S. Balfour
/ February 15, 2012One or two of you suggested that the fourth spot on the team is a “temp” or “rotating” position that would be filled by different heroes. This is incorrect. Spidey was brought on as a permanent replacement for Johnny.
Chris A.
/ February 15, 2012In the interview at the time, Tom Brevoort alluded to other “top secret” members coming in as well, leading people like us to believe they would be in place of spider-man in keeping with the four member motif of the Fantastic Four. We were mistaken — thanks for catching it, Andrew!