Since we're in the Post-Batman Begins, pre-Fantastic Four cinema season, the time seems right for a look at a trade paperback released last week...Fantastic Four Visionaries: George Perez. Actually, the fifth installment of John Byrne's FF Visionaries would normally be out in it's stead, but the powers-that-be wisely chose otherwise. I say this because, at the end of the last Byrne Visionaries, She-Hulk had replaced The Thing for two years in real time, and reprinting those stories now would only create marketplace confusion with the FF movie about to come out.

   One thing that strikes me about seeing Perez work from almost 30 *gulp* years ago, was how George's greatest strength was his already-ambitious storytelling. His patented detail was beginning to crop up here and there, but he was still learning anatomy, as most newbies do. This is where Joe Sinnott, inker, came in. Back then, Joe was paid an higher page rate, rather rare in the industry and unique to the situation, to keep the FF 'on model', and did a darn good job doing it. Whether it was John Romita, one of the Buscema brothers, Buckler, or new kids Perez and Byrne (during Byrne's first run), Joe was there to maintain the high artistic standard worthy of "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine". This Visionaries volume is as much a testiment to Joe Sinnott as it is Perez. When a dressed-to-boogie-down Johnny Storm greets new love interest Frankie Raye at her door, Joe assures the reader that she looks as Johnny describes her: "A livin', breathing doll!" Not quite the legendary entrance of Romita's Mary Jane Watson, but not for the lack of trying.

   Dave Hunt does a solid Sinnott stand-in for one tale, while Vinnie Colletta does an...interesting chapter that leaves fanboys like me in knots for days...I kinda like it in a guilty pleasure way, but it's kinda flat and polite, which diffuses, tones down the exciting scenes, like the final splash page. As a pro, halfway-admitting liking anything Colletta is a sure way to invite scorn from fellow ink-slingers, let alone pencillers. That particular story, where the FF saves a 747 from crashing still impresses the hell out of me!

   Roy Thomas is to be applauded in this volume as well. I've been guilty lately of associating Thomas with 70's Writer/Editor overindulgence through my memories of less-stellar works, but his FF was very well-plotted during his tenure (the year-and-a-half subplot that led to Reed losing his stretching powers wouldn't be tolerated by today's audiences on a $3.00 monthy basis). Lengthy subplots in ongoing series are a casualty of current made-for-the-trade paperback story arcs.

   The first two-parter, featuring The Crusader, was quite a radical idea for Roy, considering his general sacrosanct treatment of heroes from the 40's & 50's! You'll have to read it - no spoilers here! Thomas has the male FF members bicker with some of his best wiseass comments and less use of "I'm smarter than you" words that don't flow in conversation, like "proverbial", which I've yet to encounter in normal verbal discourse.

   Looking at the stories' credits, George seemed forever considered "Guest artist" for Buckler for a year or two. George was jumping around on Avengers, Inhumans, Sons of the Tiger, and other titles. Thus, the book skips several chapters, but somehow the flow of the series is intact. Possibly the most boring Galactus story ever was thankfully skipped over (#171-175, since George only did the opening chapters), but a few untampered captions and dialogue patch things up nicely! Reed disappears into the Negative zone for a few issues, but you see him just returning, intact, if a little worse for wear, sparing us one of the worst Annihilus stories ever as well (#179-183)! Thank you, Collections Editor Mark D. Beazley!

   I've been scooping up trade paperbacks more than I used to. The original 70's comics I have, and will keep, despite the having the page count being pared down to 17 measely pages. In the Marvel books, you'd get two pages story, then "continued after next page", which was usually TWO pages of ads. Then repeat. It really broke up the flow of the stories during that era. So I've gotten the second '70 Kirby/Cap trade as well for that reason. It reprints the tabloid-sized Bicentennial Battles, which was Kirby's best tale during his final return to Marvel. The other issues, with the Night People, and a buncha goofy demons that looked more appropriate for his 2001 or Eternals work are kinda dry, and the 'continued after next two pages' breaks really ground some of these plodding stories to a halt.

   Speaking of Kirby and The Eternals, I would love to see a trade of The Eternals, as the first year and Annual were quite good. Also, a color hardcover of The Demon would rock big time, wouldn't it?

   Now I'm an old-school pulp paper kinda guy. I actually prefer the give-and-take of the nonshiny paper DC uses. I think the colors appear more natural that way. That said, I've also purchased the three Walt Simonson Thor trades, mostly because early 80's printing at Marvel was abominable. Black smears, pages transferring onto each other. Ads showing through the paper. Whoo!

   The recent Nightwing trade featuring my final DC work with Greg Land reproduces my linework just fine! Shiny paper works on some art (Alan Davis & Mark Farmer come to mind), but I like the more natural reproduction of a matte finish. I have all three Grant Morrison Animal Man trade paperbacks, reprinting #1-26 and their printed either on mando or newsprint or whatever, and it looks great. Chaz Truog was not a splashy artist, with all the bells and fan-friendly ultradetails, but his art served the story first, and what a told a story it is! It still revs me up about the potential of this medium!

   Now that DC's going to publish their version of Marvel's black & white Essentials, I'd better buy another bookshelf!