My Fantastic Blog Post"

The one nice thing about having a subscription to TV Guide is that you get to see some neat things occasionally ahead of time. Such is the case with next week's issue which I received today which features one of five different photo covers of the actors from the new Fantastic Four movie as they play the characters: "Mr. Fantastic", "The Invisible Girl", "The Human Torch" (shown above, played by Chris Evans), "The Thing" and "Doctor Victor Von Doom" (movie opens July 7th.).

I'm certain I'll like this movie okay. I mean, about anything HAS to be better than the Corman version made a few years back that was so bad one can only see the thing if they buy a "bootleg" copy somewhere. And, there's been a few spoilers, not only mentioned on The Net, but in this TV Guide article as well, so I'm sure I won't be ruining anything if I comment on a couple things I may not like about this flick.

I think my biggest problem with what I've seen and heard so far will be with Doctor Doom. In this new movie, Doom is actually a member of the crew along with Reed, Sue, Johnny & Ben that go up into space to be subjected to cosmic types of radiation, giving them their specific powers. This radiation ALSO gives Doom powers, and we all know that's just plain wrong.

Anyone that's a true blue fan of The Fantastic Four already knows that Doctor Doom's true power is his mind. Doom was orphaned at an early age, and discovered his mother was into the archane arts of magic. He studied her books, then attended the same university as young Reed Richards and Ben Grimm.

During his time at the university, Doom concocted a machine that he hoped would make him able to contact The Nether World. His math was wrong on its construction and it exploded, disfiguring his face and driving him a bit to the point of insanity. He left the university and sought out some "mysterious monks" who further taught him dread secrets of power, and also helped him to construct his well-known body armor (all of this sans Fantastic Four Annual #2; 1964).

The only time Doom ever had any actual powers of such was when he stole them from The Silver Surfer back in the first series of the Fantastic Four comic No. 59 (1967), although thru his genius he filled his armor with many a powerful weapon.

The second thing I'm having a problem with perhaps is Doom's outfit in the flick. Looks just a little too plain. I think of a much heavier armor for the character, like such that Kirby drew as Doom fought an unforgetable sequence of panels in Fantastic Four V1 #40 (1965).

Otherwise, the effects look really good! Haven't seen much on "The Invisible Girl's", but I have seen a scene or two which has The Human Torch "flaming on!" and "Mr. Fantastic Stretching", both of which look believable.

I'll be looking for the standard Stan Lee appearance in this flick where he plays the FF's mailman: Willie Lumpkin (first introduced in Fantastic Four V1 #11 , in 1963).

Looks like, for a change, I'll actually go see this flick at the theatre rather than awaiting the rental version.