We've been hearing about Marvel NOW! for a while now. In October, we're going to see several new creative teams taking over books and characters. We're going to see new series and lots of #1s. Jonathan Hickman is currently wrapping up his runs on FANTASTIC FOUR and FF. Taking over both titles is none other than Matt Fraction.

Mark Bagley will be joining Fraction on FANTASTIC FOUR and Mike Allred on FF. We took this opportunity to ask Matt some questions about what changes we'll see and what we can expect.

Comic Vine: How closely will the two titles be connected?

Matt Fraction: Tightly at first, but after the first arc, not explicitly until the end.

CV: With the roster shown for FF, is the whole structure of the team changing? No more adventures in babysitting with all the kids running around the Baxter Building?

MF: No, I just didn't know how to explain what the Future Foundation was in a way that was glean-able and clean for USA Today. The Ant-Man led group are the replacements for Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny as the Fantastic Four. But they, like the Richards family, are the heads of the Future Foundation as well. So the FF will see this group not just struggle with being the Fantastic Four but... y'know, Bentley and stuff.

Also the Moloids will shift their deification of The Ben to... The Jen.

CV: You've been reading a lot of the classic FANTASTIC FOUR issues, besides the obvious Stan Lee/Jack Kirby run, what others did you dig?

MF: The Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway stuff with Buscema and Buckler; Byrne, of course; Walter Simonson's run (which I realize I've subconsciously homage somewhat); Waid and Ringo, of course; I think Millar and Hitch's bit gets maligned unfairly sometimes but I love how assertive it is from jump street; and, look, I'm friends with the guys and obviously on the company payroll and all that but I swear, we're going to look back on now as being a time when Jon's F4/FF and Gillen's JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY were being published at the same time with awe and wonder, and demand that somebody, somewhere, answer why so much attention was being paid to so much mediocre garbage.

CV: Will the F4 adventures be on Earth, space, multiverse or all of the above?

MF: All of the above -- and across the entirety of infinite time, too. This a year of home schooling. Think of your, say, sixth grade year of school, think of all the things you studied. Then imagine Reed Richards was designing your curriculum.

CV: Do you write your scripts the same way? I'm not talking about with paper and pencil or on a laptop. When you send out your scripts to artists with different styles, like Bagley and Allred, do you tailor your scripts to who your artist is?

MF: Of course. Of course.

CV: Does the Thing's rocks regenerate? For example, if he chips his elbow or something, will he forever be chipped there or will it heal over?

MF: I wrote him punching the shield wall over San Francisco in UTOPIA so hard it broke the rocks off and we saw this, like, pink stuff underneath. I suppose he'd regenerate it, then.

CV: What can you tell us about Miss Thing?

MF: What if Katy Perry got a superhero suit just because Johnny didn't really look for a replacement? She's our everyman, our regular person -- the lens we'll view the FF through.

So miss thing is useless basically is it a gag book? Double pass.

Wow...did Matt Fraction think that joke at the end was funny? i didn't think so..its a question we've all been wondering it looks ridiculous! I already didn't take the book seriously because of the cover and Miss thing and now it looks like he isn't even taking FF (which was already a great book) seriously...so why should I? i will NOT be buying this. 4 good bucks i can save on a gallon of gas. if i was the interviewer and he told me "what if Katy Perry got a supersuit.." id just sock him in the face for saying that.

the only thing of fraction's that ill be buying is Hawkeye, which has been good so far, hopefully he doesn't screw it up in the long run.

-This rant brought to you by, zack

The wording Fraction used is a little confusing for me. Is he calling Journey Into Mystery crap, or is he calling out other books Marvel publishes for being crappy?

Yeah it sounded like he was slating a series that he's writing, Avengers Versus X-Men. Because that's what everyone is talking about.

I'm going to give Fraction the benefit of the doubt. I think he's better at plotting and creating elaborate storylines. I don't think he's good with the smaller moments. Which I think is probably the reverse of what everyone else says about Fraction but that's just my opinion of his stuff. Marvel Now has started to seem a lot better this weeK.

The FF has no place in the marvel now U it seems . POINTLESS and no podcast ..:(

I do not read Mavrel anymore. Just saw the link on Facebook. Now even if I was still pro Marvel, i would not get it

I am looking forward to reading this FF comic, love Allred's art. Can't wait to see Scott Lang and She-Hulk too. And Medussa. Miss Thing I don't know but could be good. Like the idea of a girl wearing a Thing suit.

Yeah, cause we all know Katy Perry is a ''regularperson'' just like the rest of us.

Nothing about the cover or the combination of "heroes" makes me want to spend money.

I'll just wait for the bad joke to fade into the "WTF" universe and see how many idiots paid to see the train wreck!

I don't know what a "Miss Thang" is... but, I like Ant-man, She-hulk and Medusa... separately!

I actually think there's potential here for FF to be a good book. It's an odd collection of heroes but if Fraction can develop some chemistry then it could be fun. As for Miss Thing, it's a really dumb name but if there's some actual character development, if she goes from shallow celebutante to actual hero it could be interesting, but if she's just a punchline every month that will get real old real soon.

Will Give Both Of Them A Try

fraction's time is over i believe. he needs to stop writing.

Oh the Foundation is still around, not a total loss, love the coustumes

FF does not look good at all. In fact it looks like a hot mess. I don't really trust Fraction with ensemble books. His Iron Man and Iron Fist not too mention Hawkeye runs are great. But I think this is going to be pretty disappointing after Hickman's tenure.

Like most the Miss Thing has me not wanting to buy FF at all.

No thanks,
 
Don't like the retro look, those costumes are pulled out of the golden age. Don't like the characters together.
And don't get me started on miss Thing.
 
I've never been so uninterested in a Marvel book.
 
Now that i think of it, i do like the fact that there are more female characters on this team than male characters.
Reminds me of the time that the X-men only had 4 members: Longshot, Psylocke, Rogue and Dazzler.
Happy times!

we're going to look back on now as being a time when Jon's F4/FF and Gillen's JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY  were being published at the same time with awe and wonder, and demand that somebody, somewhere, answer why so much attention was being paid to so much mediocre garbage.

@CircularLogic: @Jonny_Anonymous: What he's trying to say is that they're great books, but as with what happens with comics, no matter how great they are, people look back at them and go 'Oh, that wasn't very good was it? I didn't like this, or that. Actually, it was a distinctly average affair.' There's just complete polar views, some view it's great, and some think it's awful. It's obvious in this very thread, people calling out the concept of Jen as the thing, or the art style, or Fraction is a terrible writer, and then there's people like me saying 'well, no. He's pretty good, actually.'

People do this all the time. Waid and Ringo's run is one of the all time greats, in my opinion, but people look back on say, the Ben in Heaven thing and say 'That wasn't good was it? Killing him off and then bringing him back. YAWN RESURRECTIONS.'

Same for Hickman's return of Jonny Storm storyline, the same of Millar's Nu-Earth Story, or say, Simonson's Malice storyline, or Byrne's Galactus storyline. Comic fans either look back at total toss with Rose tinted glasses and go 'THAT SPAWN STORY ARC WHERE NOTHING HAPPEN FOR SIX ISSUES WAS EPIC' or they look back and go 'THAT STORYLINE THAT WAS MET WITH INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM WAS TOTAL RUBBISH. HE SHOULD NEVER WORK AGAIN.'

Never wish a creator out of work, never knock a man for trying something different. Fraction doesn't always hit the mark, but he always tries, and that's worth a whole lot. I'll be reading this, and I'll following the various voices of dissent from the Peanut gallery, calling out the book on why it's crap etc etc, and how they can't wait to buy the next issue to complain. Yawn. His Hawkeye is excellent, his Defenders, less so. This is the way it works. Not everything Morrison does is gold, or Hickman, or say, I dunno, Bendis? Everyone does a fluffer once, but they're there and they're working and it's all good.

As I always say, if you don't like it, don't buy it.

@CircularLogic: @Jonny_Anonymous: What he's trying to say is that they're great books, but as with what happens with comics, no matter how great they are, people look back at them and go 'Oh, that wasn't very good was it? I didn't like this, or that. Actually, it was a distinctly average affair.' There's just complete polar views, some view it's great, and some think it's awful. It's obvious in this very thread, people calling out the concept of Jen as the thing, or the art style, or Fraction is a terrible writer, and then there's people like me saying 'well, no. He's pretty good, actually.'

People do this all the time. Waid and Ringo's run is one of the all time greats, in my opinion, but people look back on say, the Ben in Heaven thing and say 'That wasn't good was it? Killing him off and then bringing him back. YAWN RESURRECTIONS.'

Same for Hickman's return of Jonny Storm storyline, the same of Millar's Nu-Earth Story, or say, Simonson's Malice storyline, or Byrne's Galactus storyline. Comic fans either look back at total toss with Rose tinted glasses and go 'THAT SPAWN STORY ARC WHERE NOTHING HAPPEN FOR SIX ISSUES WAS EPIC' or they look back and go 'THAT STORYLINE THAT WAS MET WITH INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM WAS TOTAL RUBBISH. HE SHOULD NEVER WORK AGAIN.'

Never wish a creator out of work, never knock a man for trying something different. Fraction doesn't always hit the mark, but he always tries, and that's worth a whole lot. I'll be reading this, and I'll following the various voices of dissent from the Peanut gallery, calling out the book on why it's crap etc etc, and how they can't wait to buy the next issue to complain. Yawn. His Hawkeye is excellent, his Defenders, less so. This is the way it works. Not everything Morrison does is gold, or Hickman, or say, I dunno, Bendis? Everyone does a fluffer once, but they're there and they're working and it's all good.

As I always say, if you don't like it, don't buy it.

@TheGodofThunder: agreed 100%

i wonder how he will mess up the continuity? Fraction doesn't care what came before, he's lazy and a hack!

I'm actually quite excited for this. It looks fun... something a lot of comics these days are lacking. I'll at least check out the first issue.

@Jonny_Anonymous: I'm glad to see the point of what I said wasn't lost then.

I'm really weary of this Miss Thing character. I know it's stupid to be down on her before she even appears, but damn. The whole concept behind her, her look, her backstory, everything, all seem so deliberately quirky that I can't really see any writers after Fraction taking an interest in her. Also, I'm to believe that Johnny didn't bother to find a replacement, so they just plopped his latest hookup into a supersuit as opposed to y'know, calling Spider-Man, the guy with years of superhero experience and who was literally one the Fantastic Four for like a year. I'm sure the book will offer up some passable explanation for why they didn't go with Spidey as the obvious replacement, indeed a replacement for Johnny so obvious that he literally was the replacement for Johnny before, but but come on, we could have have Mike Allred drawing Spidey!

I'll pick it up though, because I like Ant-Man, love Mike Allred, and have no strong feelings about Matt Fraction, so it seems like a good purchase.

@Jonny_Anonymous:

It means Fraction thinks people and media outlets should have been paying attention to those two excellent books and holding them up as the thing to be reading as opposed to going on endlessly about crap like AvX.

The only comics I'll be reading from all this Marvel now stuff is Iron Man and Thor. Maybe Uncanny avengers....

But this FF does look very silly, and not a good silly at that.

I think this book is just meant to be a bit of light entertainment is what he meant. I really don't think Fraction is a bad writer. I think he struggles to find character's voices sometimes but he is a strong plotter.

@Jonny_Anonymous:

It means Fraction thinks people and media outlets should have been paying attention to those two excellent books and holding them up as the thing to be reading as opposed to going on endlessly about crap like AvX.

@The_Soverighn said:

Will Give Both Of Them A Try

what he said

Ant man seems to be secreting a line from his palms/gloves.

"Katy Perry" "Everyman", usually don't see those two words together.

I dont really care for an everyman because they are so many heroes who are not being use

i hate mike moralises art with a passion

Ha Ha! Miss Thing got a Comic Vine page, suck it nerds!

so no more spider-man in FF anymore? i liked the dynamic between him and the family. this just doesn't sound good at all. and this miss thing idea sounds terrible

Maybe some tragedy will turn Miss Thing into a real Thing?

ok...first I hated this idea because I am not a big Allred fan, then liked it because I like She Hulk, then liked it a bit more when it was explained the FF kids will still be around, these are just new teachers so to speak...HOWEVER...

totally killed it with the Miss Thing explanation...

Can someone just punch Miss Thing in the face and it's over? Hopefully this character faces a quick death.

Great ideas right from the start, Eisner-award winning artist. A bit put off by the negativity that seems to be coming from nowhere (unless it's from a lack of comprehension)

Fraction had me at this: "Think of your, say, sixth grade year of school, think of all the things you studied. Then imagine Reed Richards was designing your curriculum." Makes me real curious to check out the titles now!

I agree, this whole "miss thing" thang is ridiculous - there are so many other established characters that could be used...and if you're going to generate a new "super hero" why in the heck would you pick one of Johnny's flings and throw her into a Thing-Suit? I mean come one, how may times do we need to have it thrown in our face that Johnny is a "player," not to mention how it just somehow comes across as male chauvinistic...Is he trying to pay homage to Frankie Ray? If so: EPIC FAIL! It's just plain stupid...if you wanted an "everyman" or "regular person" seems like there could be a more plausible way of introducing that character. Example: Say there has been a receptionist and/or student that has worked at the Baxter Tower and has gone through all of the Secret Invasion, Fear itself and has a good knowledge of who and what the FF are, their trials and tribulations, she's invited into the family for one reason or another, and finds some kind of protective exoskeleton that she has to put on to protect the kids - voila! I'm tired of all the hero-knock offs...and you all know of all of them that I'm talking about...Get friggin' original Marvel!

I've never liked a single thing I've read of Fraction's, so I think I'll be passing purely on that track record. I think Marvel needs some new blood instead of letting these "architects" have free reign.

@Cavemold: Hit the nail on the head...

Glad to see Spider-man gone, but not happy to see Miss Thing. Couldn't they have just brought Sharon (She-Thing) back? Or is she dead this week?

F4 sounds interesting I'll give it shot in my ever growing pull list these days :/

FF sounds a little out there for me, I'd like to know if Spidey is still part of the FF or not but Fraction seems to only be asked about Miss Thing. Still on the fence about this series

I hate him. I hate him with every fibre of my being.

Looks horrible.