Bondurant dissects FF Visionaries: George Perez

And with good reason!

Over at his blog, Comics Ate My Brain, TGC contributor Tom Bondurant noticed something a little confusing (and kind of annoying) about Marvel's collection of Perez FF classics:

FFVGPv1 reprints Fantastic Four #s 164-67, 170, 176-78, and 184-86 (covering November '75-September '77). These stories include fights with the former Marvel Boy, the Hulk, the Frightful Four, and Salem's Seven. However, as you might discern from the omitted issues, there's just enough left out -- without any explanation except footnotes -- that it requires some extra brainpower on the part of the reader.

The cuts also have a weird kind of synchronicity. First, FF #167 ends with the Thing once again restored to his human form, with next issue promising "The Replacement!" This turns out to be Luke Cage, who evidently fought the FF for two issues before it was revealed that he was mind-controlled by the Puppet Master. However, when #170 opens, Reed is presenting Ben with his ultra-realistic Thing suit, which will allow Ben to be big and rocky on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Thus, because the Visionaries trade skips from #167 to #170, it goes from "Who will replace the Thing?" to "Ben Grimm in a Thing suit is the replacement!"...

Of course, I realize Marvel made these cuts because (a) they're trying to save space and keep costs down and (b) the point of the book is to show off Perez's art, and he didn't draw those other issues, so (c) if you want to read 'em, wait for the Essential volume or look in the back-issue bins. That's fine. However, some text pages would have helped make the transitions a lot less jarring.

The jumps do sound really jarring, which is why as a rule of thumb, i tend to stay way from artist compilations. They're bound to have missed a story or two that disrupts the flow of the trade. Even something like a Claremont best-of is going to be tough to get through, just because someone like Claremont has about 45 subplots running through any given issue. Good insight, Tom.