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Underground > Comic Books >

Fin Fang Four

21:12 / 27.10.05

As part of the promotional push for the soon to be cancelled and forgotten series 'Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos' Marvel have released a quartet of comics comprising new material and classics Kirby drawn Monster comics. The pick of the bunch is by Thargs old mate Roger Langridge with assistance from long time D.W.m. comic writer Scott Gray.

Fin Fang Foom, dragon lord of ancient China, has been granted parole from Monster Island along with Elektro (with his mighty 32K computer brain), Googam (son of Goom), and Gorgilla (I want to be in America, everythings free in America). In return for their freedom they've been reduced in height and given jobs in the Baxter Building under the watchful eye of The Fantastic Four.

With Hilarious Consequences.

What follows is one of the most fun reads of the year with cartoony art of the sophistication you'd expect from La Diva Langridge. It's often laugh out loud funny and I hope it's built upon in the main book as it adds four potentially great supporting characters to the F4.

Speaking of whom the cameos by the 4, Jennifer Walters, J.Jonah Jameson, H.E.R.B.I.E., and especially Willie Lumpkin are wonderful comic moments that are both funny and in character.

It's a gorgeous book that had me smiling throughout the read and it's not often I can say that with comics these days.

Yotsuba & Benjamin!

21:46 / 27.10.05

I've been enjoying the whole Marvel Monsters Group "event", from the Powell Covers down to the Flashback Stories. And they look really pretty all in a row.

Langridge is so totally the best fucking cartoonist on Earth so his involvement was also quite the draw. FFF was definitely a highlight of the whole project, as was Duncan Feds going all Kirby in the last one.

I enjoyed these.

00:20 / 28.10.05

I enjoyed these as well, even if the I-Paid-What? price tag is a bit of a deterrent.

Fin Fang Four was fun, I was impressed that they made it a real story, with meta-commentary and all. I love the straight-laced lunacy of Fin Fang Foom and Reed Richards playing chess in Central Park while having a civilized conversation about dinosaurs. Adore Foom's Asskickin' Stance in his blue-collar kitchenhelp clothes.

The last one, Monsters On The Prowl, was the weakest for me from a writing standpoint, and the supplement old giant monster tale is also the least interesting.

Manoo story was killer.

Devil Dinosaur vs. The Hulk remains my favorite, just fully leaping headlong into fast and loose Insane. Hulk enjoying silly caveman hats, and hating space, and just... rad.

The supplement with the Living Hulk was even better, with its blue collar schmoe saving the world with 'These Two Wires' and the abandonment of all sense in the size of the monster, who is about two humans tall on one page, and then holds our electrician in his palm on another, while waxing lonely and philosophical. It reads like watching the old Fantastic Four cartoon.

I'm glad both superhero companies are finding opportunies to showcase artists(including writers) in unique ways, DC with Solo and Marvel with this whole month of fun randomness. I hope they keep thinking up new ways for folks to play.

09:14 / 28.10.05

Can’t say anything about the comics in question, as this is the first I’ve heard of them, but : has Langridge done some promotional art for McDonald’s recently ? I passed a branch the other day and the large picture of Ronald the clown in the window really reminded me of his work.