REVIEW: From the pages of Marvelocity…
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UPDATED 1/4/20: The magazine Back Issue #118 is out as early as Jan. 8 and it includes an interview by editor Michael Eury with artist Alex Ross about his failed Fantastic Four pitch. We first broke that story as part of our coverage of the book Marvelocity in October 2018, so it seemed like the perfect time to re-present it, to prep you for Michael’s excellent interview. (Click here for more info on that, plus an EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT from the issue by Steve Englehart.) — Dan
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I don’t know if you’ve picked up Marvelocity yet, but I cannot recommend it highly enough. The coffee-table book, which celebrates the Marvel art of Alex Ross, is hands down the most spectacularly illustrated publication about comics I’ve seen this year.
Hardly a surprise, mind you. This is Alex Ross we’re talking about and the hardcover was produced with one of publishing’s top designers, Chip Kidd, along with first-rate photographer Geoff Spear.
The book, a companion to the beautiful, DC-focused Mythology that came out 15 years ago, is jammed with hundreds of Ross’ covers, prints, sketches and pages – even his designs for the opening credits of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 and a series of busts based on his photorealistic style of art.
A lot of it you’ve seen before, of course, but it’s all in the presentation, an intoxicating brew of colorful detail that makes you believe there’s a world somewhere in the multiverse that looks exactly how Ross envisions it.
Even more fascinating, naturally, is what you haven’t seen – such as a new Spider-Man story and, startlingly, Ross’ doomed pitch to reboot the Fantastic Four in 2017 while Marvel’s First Family was still on hiatus.
It just goes to show you that even the biggest talents in comics don’t always get what they want – and what Ross wanted was an eye-popping comic that echoed the DayGlo ’60s while offering something fresh.
Just check this out:
Ross spells out his vision across six pages in the book, including designs, sample pages and even treatments for potential logos.
He never explains why the project wasn’t greenlit but we can imagine what might have been:
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Marvelocity: The Marvel Comics Art of Alex Ross, is a 312-page, oversized hardcover, published by Pantheon. It lists for $50 and is available at comics shops, bookstores and online retailers. Miss it not, True Believers.
October 12, 2018
Alex Ross is FANTASTIC!!!
October 12, 2018
That would have been very cool
October 12, 2018
I’m guessing the extra stripes in the uniform “was” the ’60s but it is the only thing that I am not crazy about. But, please MARVEL take my $$$$. I’d buy this in a heartbeat. I wish more was done with individual artist’s takes on a character and say the heck with continuity.
October 12, 2018
Cool pitch. Anyone else think Reed Richards looks like Anson Mount?
October 12, 2018
He obviously used 1960’s Land of the Giants actor Gary Conway as his model for Reed Richards.
October 12, 2018
Ross’s take on the Invisible Woman reminds me a lot of Jean Hale, who starred in the swinging-sixties spy spoof “In Like Flint” and appeared on Batman as Mad Hatter’s moll, Polly.
October 12, 2018
I’ve always liked how Alex Ross borrows images from certain eras as likenesses for his characters. I remember how he used the likeness of Russell Johnson’s character the professor from “Gilligan’s island” as Reed Richards in prior comic books. Now it looks like he’s using Gary Conway from “Land of the Giants” as Reed Richards.
October 12, 2018
So tell me if you think I’m right. Here’s Conway…..
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.gstatic.com/tv/thumb/persons/101540/101540_v9_ba.jpg&imgrefurl=http://google.com/search?tbm%3Disch%26q%3DGary%2520Conway&h=1440&w=1080&tbnid=Hvfmk2ZnnJ8DnM:&q=Gary+Conway&tbnh=186&tbnw=139&usg=AI4_-kS8sCzz1PnjCw9JxFUt_L3CGiZ6cg&vet=12ahUKEwiM8qOewoHeAhUMEawKHRROBbwQ_B0wFHoECAsQCQ..i&docid=aWTXUKBHciJtUM&itg=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiM8qOewoHeAhUMEawKHRROBbwQ_B0wFHoECAsQCQ
October 12, 2018
Too bad. This would have been the first new Marvel series I’ve picked up in a decade.
October 12, 2018
I like the look and design of it, but there’s not anything about what STORIES he actually had in mind (maybe that was the weak link that torpedoed the pitch). One thing that I’ve noticed about comics that Ross has been the showrunner on rather than the sole artist of, is that the choice of interior artist never holds up to the promise of Ross’ art (just look at his Human Torch and the Avengers/Invaders mini-series), coming off roughly Dynamite quality as a result (and they were co-productions)…. and the stories are very, very mediocre.
October 12, 2018
Looks like Ross’ reference were the actors from LAND OF THE GIANTS, Gary Conway & Deanna Lund as Reed & Sue!
October 12, 2018
Was thinking the same thing. 🙂
October 12, 2018
The powers that be at Marvel, is out of their God Damn minds if they don’t run Ross’ Fantastic Four reboot!
October 12, 2018
I would have been interested in it, except for the day-glo stuff.
January 4, 2020
Have to agree. Day-glo can become rather tiresome after a few pages.
October 13, 2018
I can’t believe Marvel would not go for this. It would have been awesome ! Love the day-glo look. This is way cooler than what they have now.
October 13, 2018
I’m thinking the main “problem” with this was, how many pages could Mr. Ross turn out in a month? Even if he just pencilled, or did layouts? Then of course you would need a suitable inker and (especially) colorist. And as mentioned a few times above, a writer.
October 17, 2018
Wonderful. I really hope the MCU will introduce the FF in the 1960s era. This is were they belong. And then use some time travel tricks to bring them all together.
October 17, 2018
I love that idea!
January 4, 2020
Marvel’s stockholder overlords didn’t think they could make a quick enough buck off it.
January 8, 2020
A brilliant rendering of the Kirby style of portraying the FF. This would have been amazing.