fantastic four – R.J.'s FAQs of LIFE

Hey and Welcome to the next Lesson.

SWAG PATROL. (#3)

This is by far my favorite issue of Swag Patrol.

From the jump we’re given our establishing panel and it just reminds of something I’d see at my boy’s spot. Like, it’s a dope setup, big speakers…but it doesn’t look official, official? Not commercial good, but good enough. I love this panel.

So, the Swag Patrol, after their most recent loss, regroups and wind up getting into it with one another. And this is where things get interesting. Minor spoilers, but here we go:

She gets telekinesis. Mya is growing! Alright, so, last time, I did say that Mya having her moment of insecurity, even in active duty was what stood out most to me.

Normally, you’d have someone like Spider-Man or Deadpool cracking jokes in those moments, possibly to hide their problems, but Mya wears her heart on her sleeve.

Now, she isn’t 100% like Invisible Woman, meaning she can’t go invisible, but the more she grows, the more troubles and moments stay on her mind. And Dr. Tre, (name is still dope) doesn’t flip on her, he just helps her out by being a friend in her time of need.

Yeah, he does say the need to run tests on her, but that’s no different than a loved one telling you to go to the doctor and, for once, we have a character who doesn’t freak out or get MAD when someone just wants to help!

FINALLY, a normal interaction of a very understandable way for that scene to play out! No contrived drama, just an honest interaction.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED – SPEECH BUBBLES WHITED OUT TO AVOID SPOILERS

Not only Mya, but Chris, as an outsider to the family/living situation, he gets more time spent on him, too. As someone who was raised by both his grandma and aunty(ies), it hit home. High school was a shift in my life and, maybe it’s hittin’ home for me, but I just…felt this, you know?

This issue makes action take a backseat and lets the reader get to know the central characters beyond their powers, lingo and quips. We get a chance to really get to know our characters and give them a little more depth.

And FAM!

The way this ends?

LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING!

…nah, you gotta buy this hit, fam.

If YOU would like to support and read more of his work, you can find his #0 issue on: https://swagpatrolcomic.webs.com/downloads and issues #1 & #2 on
https://peepgamecomix.com/?s=swag+patrol&post_type=product , Official twitter @rubyncomedy & their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SwagPatrolComic/

And, hey, a real special thank you to the man himself, Rubyn Warren II for allowing me to read and review his work I was happy to pay for it as well. Keep doing your thing. Your resumé is already stacked, so you got nowhere to go but up!

Much love, brother.

Well, that’s all for now. So, until Joker and Harley Quinn step their name game up, or Dr. Tre gets a white intern with the initials W.W., I’ll see you for the next lesson.

Until then, class dismissed!

Before I get into it, I gotta say: @SAVAGECOMICS IS THE ORIGINAL ARTIST RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS PHENOMENAL PIECE OF JOHN KRASINSKI AS REED RICHARDS AND I IN NO WAY AM TAKING CREDIT FOR IT. SERIOUSLY, THIS GUY’S GALLERY IS UNPARALLED.

Now with that outta the way, hey and Welcome to the next Lesson.

LESSON 4: MARVEL’S NEXT VILLAIN

Comic-Con was just a few short weeks ago and it’s easy to say Marvel absolutely dominated this year. Kevin Fiege took center stage and they unveiled the projects they have set for what they’re dubbing Phase 4.

While most titles are worth a looksee, what caught my attention was what wasn’t seen.

FANTASTIC 4.

Now back at home with Marvel, there’s a solid chance that we’ll finally get the first family done properly, but not only done properly done better than we could ever imagine.

With the Mad Titan, Thanos, now defeated, the MCU effectively doesn’t have a major villain for the Avengers to defeat…or do they?

It’s widely known that MCU films are taking inspiration from the ULTIMATE line of comics and on that Earth, the Fantastic 4 are very, VERY different.

Namely, Reed Richards.

While most may know him as Mr. Fantastic, in the ULTIMATE COMICS, he’s The Maker, by far one of comics’ worst villains, PERIOD.

Not only is his skin elastic-like, making physical damage an impossibility, but with a brain like his, he’s able to make anything anyone can think of, and everything they can’t. He made creations that even put Thor to shame.

Reed Richards of Earth-1610 is NOTHING to trifle with…which is EXACTLY why the MCU needs to make him their next villain and something tells me they already are.

JONATHAN HICKMAN, writer of Marvel Comics fame, has had a plethora of titles underneath his belt one of them most notably being Secret Wars (2015).

If you’re familiar with that story, you’d know he had a great deal to do with the fate of the Fantastic Four, of both Earths. Now, Marvel contacted him to course correct the condition of the X-Men in their comics with two new ongoing titles: “House of X” and “Powers of X”, and he had a few choice words to say when it came to the Marvel films, too.

“I think one of the big mistakes that some people make at Marvel Comics is that we are reactive to what they’re doing in the Marvel films… We should not be taking our creative cues from the direction they’re taking things in the movies. That kind of defeats the point. My argument has been [that] I should always be way out in front of that stuff. All of that stuff is being drawn from source material.” – Jonathan Hickman 2019

While not a confirmation, Hickman does have a point. Marvel Comics showed signs of decrease in sales after modeling the Guardians of the Galaxy after their MCU counterparts.

It’s always better to model the films after the comics.

Which is why Reed would make the PERFECT villain.

ORIGINAL ART BY: @SAVAGECOMICS — John Krasinski as Reed Richards / The Maker

Unlike Thanos, Richards doesn’t need Infinity Gems to unleash universal domination. Sheer brainpower alone has made him a far bigger threat. Not only can he create devices that can depower our heroes, but he can even expand his brain for even greater intellect.

Whatever plan, strategy or potential outcome Thanos could come up with, there’s no doubt Reed has already factored it, found out why it wouldn’t work but built a contingency for it just in case.

Reed Richards, or rather the Maker, would be the posterchild for a tragedy of a fallen hero, always wanting to be good, but never good enough and while a lot of Phase 4 is uncertain, I can’t wait to see what becomes of Marvel’s future foundation.

Well, that’s all for now. So, until the Disney stops making Live-Action remakes or I get as smart as Reed Richards, I’ll see you for the next lesson.

Until then, class dismissed!

Tag: fantastic four

LESSON 21: SWAG PATROL #3

LESSON 4: MARVEL’S NEXT VILLAIN