(CNN) -- When Marvel Comics Executive Editor Tom Brevoort told CNN in December that "something new" would come out of the recent death of the Fantastic Four's Human Torch, he wasn't kidding.
For starters, they won't even be using the name Fantastic Four. On Wednesday, Marvel announced that the team is now going to be called the Future Foundation, debuting in "FF" No. 1 in March.
Gone are the traditional blue costumes. The team will now be wearing white-and-black costumes (with three hexagons replacing the trademark number "4," as well).
And then there's the cherry on top: Reed "Mr. Fantastic" Richards, Sue "Invisible Woman" Richards and Ben "The Thing" Grimm will now be joined by the superstar of the Marvel Universe, none other than Spider-Man (also wearing a new white-and-black costume).
Reaction to the news from comic book fans has run the gamut. Here's a sample:
Spider-Man joining "FF" makes perfect sense!
"I think it's a great idea," said Bob Bretall of the ComicBookPage podcast. "The association between Spidey and the FF goes all the way back to 'Amazing Spider-Man' No. 1 in 1962."
One of the most memorable examples of this on-again, off-again partnership with the FF involved a very different kind of costume change. In a 1984 issue of "Amazing Spider-Man," the webhead ended up putting on the iconic original Fantastic Four costume ... and they got around the problem of his mask by having him wear a brown paper bag on his head.
Bretall thinks that Spidey joining the team makes sense on another level: "Given that Johnny (Storm, the Human Torch) has long been Spider-Man's best friend as a superhero, it just feels right for him to step in and round out the roster to four."
Comic book historian Alan Kistler agreed: "Spider-Man is a scientist with a different perspective than Mr. Fantastic, and he specializes in different fields, so it could be very interesting to see how his own expertise rounds out this new Future Foundation. And from another angle, it could be interesting to see how Spidey feels about essentially replacing a person he considered a friend and what kind of pressure this will place on him."
On Twitter, @solidcolt put it this way: " 'Amazing Spider-Man' is possibly better then it's ever been. And now he's joining (writer Jonathan) Hickman's FF so that third movie is totally forgiven."
(There's more in the article - I just didn't feel like c&p'ing the whole thing)
I actually like the idea of Peter taking over Johnny's role. He has been with them since the beginning of the Marvel Universe as we know it. The sneak peek with Spidey talking to Franklin was pretty damn awesome. That scene is picture perfect who Peter needs to be again after the Brand New Day fiasco. Whoever said Amazing is the best it has ever been is either a fucking moron or a Marvel plant or both.
I am not a fan of the outfits, it makes Spiderman like look Anti-Venom. Hopefully, they will take Peter and Ben out of the Avengers since its just too many people in one group. I am curious to see what they do which all of this and thats probably hasn't happened since Civil War started.
Pretty big change for both properties. But the name "Future Foundation" sounds like a team that would wear headbands and puffy pants with checkerboards on them.
With 1/2 of the "Future Foundation" already teammates on New Avengers, it makes me wonder if it's only temporary. Or if this new FF will only have Spidey for the first few stories. Honestly, would anybody be surprised if we were to fast-forward to 2013 and see the original Fantastic Four back together again?
One of the long-running appeals of having Spidey on the FF was the potential banter between him and Johnny Storm. They could easily pull off some adequate bantering between Spidey and the Thing, though. And if they wanna' talk history, the "Future Foundation" sorta' combines "Marvel Two-in-One" and "Marvel Team-Up" together in one title, at last.
"Amazing" is all right, yet far from "best it's ever been". I think the current trend of reviewing comic book stuff on the Internets is to be overly complimentary. I read "Batman & Robin #20" the other day and felt like flushing it down the pot. Looked online and found that fans absolutely loved it.
Originally posted by dWsPretty big change for both properties. But the name "Future Foundation" sounds like a team that would wear headbands and puffy pants with checkerboards on them.
They've got some High Energy, that's for sure.
"Tattoos are the mullets of the aughts." - Mike Naimark
It doesn't say he doesn't know Joe Chill. It just means that he comes to Smallville or Metropolis... and Joe Chill probably worked at the Talon at some point or something like that or worked with Lex. The suit does look horrible.