O where for art thou Galactus?

Rating: 7/10 (9 March 2012)

The career of Stan Lee, like that of Muhammud Ali, are two things I can proudly say I was there at the beginning to experience. Amusing to see Will Smith in rightful blatant hero worship of the man as his film 'ALI' premiered, mugging with him in photo shoots. But I remember when he started out as Cassius Clay, a loudmouth braggart everybody was just chomping at the bit to see get his comeuppance one day. I can hear my father chuckling as he glanced at me from his copy of the DETROIT FREE PRESS, "Now you gonna see what happens when you brag too much..." This just before the first Liston fight...
And what award did Stan Lee win to distinguish 'THE FANTASTIC FOUR' as 'The World's Greatest Comic Magazine'? He was about to quit the Comic Book Industry when his wife advised him to go out 'doing his own thing' and now here we are in the Twentyfirst Century commenting on the latest incarnation of 'THE FANTASTIC FOUR'. Blessed with a flair for hype and self promotion (remind you of anyone who floated like a butterfly?) and the visionary prowess of the great Jack Kirby the truth of the Marvel Universe is still marching on.
What a bunch of street kids saw in mighty Marvel in between lob ball and lemonade on hot summer days racing across the grit and gravel of the Hutchinson Elementary School playground, the world would finally come to appreciate after about a fifty year communication lag. The gang fights and the rumbles with the Incredible Hulk about '-who da MAN?-' and Peter Parker trying to make an honest buck out of a spider's bite while Doctor Strange was finding out that the skill the Good Lord giveth he can just as well take away AND your penthouse too; now the rest of the world is finally getting with the program. But awww- you're all just johnny-come-latelies, so why don't you just sit down before you hurt yourselves?
After all, it took the College kids ten to fifteen years before they could appreciate that they were walking around with the pulp fiction equivalent of storyboards detailing the wonders of the universe in their pockets that could not be filmed because CGI wasn't even out of its diapers yet. Meanwhile, Captain America was waking up out of a natural cryogenic sleep compliments of World War II and the Submariner as Doctor Doom planned to take over as landlord of the Baxter Building and send the Fantastic Four into outer space before their lease was up!
Now the film industry is finally gearing up and starting to track with the groundwork already laid out in the Marvel Age of Comics and in many cases before present company was even born. Some are grousing that the present incarnation of the Marvel Superheroes does not measure up to original times and they have no idea how right they are. But I remember when The Amazing Spiderman had acne and flatfeet and looked like the fellow who got sand kicked in his face before Charles Atlas promised him he could be 'BIG'! I remember when there were ink spots over the pictures and the Beast walked out on the X-MEN because he was sick up to here with all the training to protect ungrateful Earthmen and left the Cyclops standing by the window looking out after him stomping away to hit the road.
How right you are that the present Reed Richards doesn't look anything like Burt Lancaster whom he was originally modeled after, nor does Ben Grimm favor Jack Dempsey when he's not doing The Thing trip. Nor does Sue Storm look like the beauty queen from 'TARZAN'S GREATEST ADVENTURE', but she'll do in her own way. I would love to see what a young Michael Landon might do with the Johnny Storm character, but of course, those days are long gone.
At least the Silver Surfer looks decent and moves and acts the way most everybody imagined him, but in the Marvel Age of Comics Sue Storm would have croaked in Reed Richards' arms and the real Galactus would have come stepping out of his cloud to debate with The Watcher how come Earth should not be on the menu. Everything would have faded to black just like when the Dread Dormammu sent Doctor Strange slippin' into darkness to disappear into nothing but the black ink of the last panel. There would have been a real 'THE WRATH OF KHAN' moment then, and when it came to the third installment of 'THE FANTASTIC FOUR', you would not have to say '-y'all come back now, hear?-'
But guess what? This is exactly how the Marvel Age of Comics started in the sixties! Standing on shaky ground, a little anxious and unsure of itself while aliens invaded the bodies of Earth's adolescents, doing their research and drawing their plans until the age of nineteen when such members finally come of age.
And it really is a gas to see the Marvel Universe finally come of age here in the Twentyfirst Century where it belongs after all its growing pains! Cudos to Tim Story and cast and crew for taking these super heroes into their latest and so far greatest evolution! Excelsior! The best is yet to come!