Comics/Graphic Novels

Graphic Playlist: Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman

Eric Margolis

Staff Writer

Eric Margolis is an elder law attorney in NYC. He also reads a LOT of comics and has an unhealthy obsession with Nick Cave. Follow him on Twitter: @EricAbington.

Everyone has their own rituals when it comes to reading comics. Some people like to read them on the train, others while drinking a cup of coffee. Me? I’m as big of a sucker for music as I am comics, luckily you can enjoy both at the same time! At Graphic Playlist we have a recommended playlist for some of the comics we’ve recently enjoyed.

fantastic-four-1-coverI was never a big fan of the Fantastic Four. I can totally appreciated the significance that this book has in the history of comic books. The work that Kirby did on the original run is mind-blowing, it really paved the way for the future of the medium. I mean, Galactus, a giant purple space dude who eats planets? Hard to deny how cool that is. I want wallpaper of Moebius’ drawings of Galactus duking it out with the Silver Surfer. That’s some of the most beautiful comic book art of all time.

There’s just something about the books that I could never really latch onto. Let’s be honest, the FF can be pretty hokey sometimes. But, after reading Hickman’s epic run on this book, I can finally say that I found a Fantastic Four book that I loved. This thing is full of some big, crazy ideas that Hickman continued to build and build on during his massive run. The amount of planning that went into writing this book is seriously impressive. The cold tone of the book did away with any complaints of cheesiness that I had in regards to the previous FF adventures. This book was a major game changer for Marvel’s first family.

Not to take away any of Hickman’s thunder, but I THINK that the playlist that I whipped up while reading this book significantly contributed to how much I enjoyed it. This playlist might not be for everyone, theres a little space rock (of course), a little shoe gaze, a little classic rock, a little psychedelic, a little instrumental. Even if that stuff normally doesn’t float your boat (or spaceship), give it a go anyway!

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