'To do the pop art aesthetic right, you couldn't do it with over-rendered, over-illustrated work. 'It seemed very suitable for the material,' Ross said.

He then revealed how Fantastic Four: Full Circle takes place after the events of 1961's Fantastic Four #51, where an intruder breaking into the Baxter Building sends them off on a mission to the Negative Zone.

'I thought there was a way to connect with the Pop Art of the time period if I changed what I did, and presented that style and not my traditional painted style,' he said. Known for his painted style of illustration on iconic titles like Marvels and Kingdom Come for Marvel and DC, respectively, Ross decided to more closely follow Marvel's Pop Art era from the 1960s. 'His style informed the first 10 years of their existence and it's the shadow all artists have been working under for these last 60 years.' These carrion creatures composed of Negative Energy come to Earth using a human host as a delivery system.'I wanted to present a version of the Fantastic Four as close to a Jack Kirby style he envisioned for the series as he created the characters,' Ross told The Hollywood Reporter. When an intruder suddenly appears inside the Baxter Building, the Fantastic Four-Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards), the Invisible Woman (Susan Storm Richards), the Human Torch (Johnny Storm), and the Thing (Ben Grimm)-find themselves surrounded by a swarm of invading parasites. “It’s a rainy night in Manhattan and not a creature is stirring except for… Ben Grimm. Ross has brought the Negative Zone to life as Kirby himself depicted it… replicating his famous collage style in page-after-Kirby Krackle-infused page. This Fall, Abrams ComicArts will release a graphic novel by the legendary Alex Ross, who has, in past endeavors, captured the heart, soul, and spirit of those who came before him in exciting new projects expanding upon and paying tribute to classic characters and scenarios… particularly those of the early Marvel Comics.įantastic Four: Full Circle is a fully painted adventure set within the strange “Negative Zone,” home of the interdimensional warlord Annihilus and countless other threats to our reality. Jack Kirby, along with Marvel front man / idea man Stan Lee, transported readers to worlds both alien and commonplace for over 100 issues of their “World’s Greatest Comics Magazine,” Fantastic Four.

There’s no denying the power of a certain image and its ability to transport readers to another realm.

Alex ross fantastic 4