Mark Waid leaving Fantastic Four

Mark Waid has spoken
to Newsarama
, and it seems he’s being fired from the
Fantastic Four. His run has been, well, fantastic in
my opinion, and I’ll be sorry to see him go. Add to this his
description of where the title is going without him, and it’s a pretty
sad day for comic fans.

2 replies on “Mark Waid leaving Fantastic Four”

  1. UPDATE: Further details

    Joe Quesada sent the following info out on Marvel’s press release
    list:

    Dear Comics Fans,

    I’ve been busy as hell of late and found my life much more enjoyable
    these
    last few months that I’ve avoided Internet message boards, but
    sometimes
    things get so out of hand that issues just need to be addressed and
    tackled
    head on.

    First off, regarding Mark Waid’s exit from the FANTASTIC FOUR
    (pretty much
    the only part of this ‘story’ that’s completely accurate). Let me preface
    this by saying that Mark and I have been friends for years and years
    and I
    expect that that relationship won’t change over this creative decision.
    Mark
    is one of the most talented guys in the business and I have the utmost
    respect for what he does, but his departure from FF is now being
    siphoned
    through inaccuracies, mistaken impressions and hardcore enthusiasts
    inability to wait for the whole, real story before slitting their proverbial
    wrists and launching profanity-ridden grenades. Hey, what the heck, it’s
    so
    much more fun to be angry at Marvel even with only half the story.

    Over a month ago Bill Jemas asked for a change of direction for the
    FF
    monthly title … business as usual and no different than asking for a
    costume change, a change of cast or story line. As President, it’s Bill’s
    right and responsibility to call for changes as he feels will benefit any
    Marvel title just as it is mine. This is not the first time such changes
    have been asked for and I certainly hope it won’t be the last.

    Bill called up Mark and asked him personally to steer the book towards
    a new
    vision and Mark made it clear that it wasn’t a direction that he felt he
    wanted to write in or was comfortable with. That in turn is Mark’s right
    and
    responsibility as a creator – if it’s not his cup of tea and if he can’t
    bring his “A” game to a project then that’s okay, no harm no foul. I
    respect
    Mark for making his decision as I respect Bill for giving Mark the first
    crack at the new storyline.

    Mark has also been given every opportunity to work on other books
    here at
    Marvel.

    But like with every creative change at Marvel, this change has been
    met with
    much “fanfare” and fear. Let me assure the fans that while Mark will be
    missed, the high quality standard of FF stories that Mark and company
    have
    set, will continue.

    As for Bill Jemas writing the monthly FANTASTIC FOUR title, and the
    “wacky
    suburban dramedy” description, with all due respect to Mark, neither is
    accurate. A new FF writer will be announced shortly, but it won’t be
    written
    by Bill and won’t be as described. Everyone getting upset and angry
    over
    this are getting upset and angry over nothing … or in other words,
    business as usual. I’m in no way saying that Mark is misleading the
    fans,
    only that he may be mixing up stories he’s heard and judging the new
    direction on what was a very initial pitch that was circulated over a
    month
    ago.

    Furthermore, this isn’t a cost saving measure nor is it some flight of
    fancy. This is a change in direction for a Marvel title requested by the
    man
    who schemed the Ultimate Universe, had the guts to tell Origin and
    turned
    Marvel’s publishing business around in less than two years. But hey,
    what
    does he know. Yes, Bill is indeed working on an FF-related concept,
    but then
    so am I, along with a couple of Marvel’s top creators and perhaps
    that’s
    where the stories get mixed up … but more on that when the time is
    right.

    Finally, I want to get to all of the anti-Epic garbage that has been hitting
    the streets. It seems that there are those that feel that perhaps the
    best
    way to get accepted by Epic is to scare off anyone who wants to
    submit.
    Think about it, put out some nasty rumors that this is all some evil plot
    by
    Bill, that there are 3000 submissions gathering dust, that the editors
    aren’t reading pitches and the fewer people that submit, the better the
    chances of those that are already through the door. Epic is no more
    nor
    less than what we’ve stated from the beginning. We feel that there is a
    wealth of undiscovered talent out there in need of a break. We
    honestly
    feel that there are stories out there that need to be told that are just
    looking for the right opportunity. If you believe all of this Epic
    conspiracy nonsense, then you’re falling into a horrible trap.

    See ya in the funnybooks,

    JQ

    The optimist in me hopes this is the most accurate report. The
    realist will wait for further information.
    The Ultimate Universe project is presumably Grant Morrison’s
    upcoming Ultimate Fantastic Four.

    • Re: UPDATE: Further details
      The real issue is that whenever Marvel does something that is quality, upper management has to put a stop to it. Perhapsales were going up. Perhaps the book was finally being done well for the first time in years. Perhaps Marvel’s hatred for quality work is just showing through again. Whatever the reason, Marvel has a long history of destroying anything that is well-done. It’s a shame that those who hate comics the most and know comics the least are the ones who get to be in charge of them. Make mine DC.

      By the way, when a movie is put out such as the Hulk and you make a .25c comic, you might actually consider putting the main character in the comic. Again, that smacks of quality. Never mind.

Comments are closed.