Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan

Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan #1-4

by Zeb Wells, Seth Fisher (Illustrator)

Mass panic has struck the streets of Tokyo The media has initiated round-the-clock coverage. Uncontrollable crowds are choking the streets, and kaiju hysteria has gripped the island of Japan for the first time in 50 years Because the Fantastic Four, the world's first super-hero big-monster battling squad, and playboy industrialist Tony Stark have descended on the Land of the Rising Sun Zeb Wells (New Warriors, Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus: Year One) and Seth Fisher (Green Lantern: Willworld, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight) bring you a manic fusion of Marvel super heroes with Japanese pop culture that proves why the FF and Iron Man are big in Japan It's an all-out romp with big monsters a-go-go as Droom, Giganto and Eerok, the giant ape - along with hundreds of manic '50s Marvel monsters - trample Tokyo's first-ever Kaiju Museum and Celebration Collects Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big In Japan #1-4; Spider-Man Unlimited #8.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Adventure, Comic Book, Action

104 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 2006

About the author

Zeb Wells is an American comic book writer known for his work at Marvel Comics, as well as his work on the animated TV series Robot Chicken.

Reviews

[Christo Smith]

This 5 is no joke. This comic doesn't take itself too seriously nor does it disappoint with the camp and the occasional 4th wall break. Really, I like it, its the epitome of what it was striving for, and I'll read it every time with a goofy smile on my face.

[Devero]

Seth Fisher, sei morto troppo giovane. Un artista del tuo calibro avrei davvero voluto leggerlo a lungo.

Il volume raccoglie la mini scritta da Wells molto liberamente per il compianto Seth, che si è divertito molto a disegnare questa storia di Kaiju ambientata tra il Giappone e il Polo. Una gioia per gli occhi.

[Alex Sarll]

Ah, Seth Fisher. Taken from us far too soon, meaning there's precious little of his work around, hence the fact that I'm revisiting this, a series which, in story terms, could hardly be flimsier. Or at least so it initially appears: the US heroes are in Tokyo for an expo marking the opening of a museum devoted to the kaiju attacks with which Japan contended back in the day. And which, wouldn't you know it, now conveniently resume! It's less than 20 years old but already feels a like an artefact from another era in the way Japan is unabashedly treated as a backdrop for Western leads. From there, though, things get much stranger, then again, until the fourth wall literally gets clawed through. The story, though, was never more than a peg on which Fisher could hang his gift for the outlandish yet beautiful. You could compare his gift for monsters to Bosch or Stokoe, but he's somehow brighter and more all-ages than either; even when these critters with their improbable anatomies are doing their best to eat people, it feels like a comic you could give to most children and have them find it cool-scary, not traumatised-scary or just downright unsound. And oh, the sound effects - ZGORK! PMiiF! Plus, kids do like a cutaway diagram (as do I).

[Robert Marsh]

Wild artwork from the brilliant Seth Fisher, funny wacky story from Zeb Wells. What's not to love?

[Ketan Shah]

Seth Fisher's truly surreal art is a standout in this story. It's unfortunate that he passed away suddenly just as the last issue hit the stands.

[Doc]

Mutant Monster Mayhem

This is a silly romp through Japan when the honored guest Fantastic Four get a tour about the Japanese history of Kaiju and insight on bioengineering research using such monsters thanks to their own experiences fighting mammoth adversaries in the past. However they are not the only super hero in attendance as playboy Tony Stark is also in attendance for the celebration when things go horribly wrong.

I'll be perfectly honest here and say I am not a fan of the artistic style of the book with the constantly shifting style of art style and how some of the faces came out I felt like I was reading something from the "What The--?!" series which I understand was the intention with the goofy nature and occasional 4th wall breaking since if I understand correctly they wanted to create a comicy comic and it certainly felt kind of like Mister Mxyzptlk got his fingers in the story but I digress.

Regardless of the art style the story was indeed fun and I really liked that Mole Man makes an appearance as well as some updated lore about Monster Isle which would not be possible with typical super hero story telling. If only I liked the art and the majority of character interactions then I am sure I would have enjoyed this book more for its mostly silly nature.

[jcw3-john]

Nothing personal against the late Seth Fisher, who tragically passed right before this comic's release, but I'm not a fan of his art and wasn't aware he was on this book until I started reading. The comic's story is... fine, serviceable, there's nothing overly wrong with it, and it has a lot of great camp, comic book-y moments (Iron Man has iron flippers, the Moloid syringe, the old monsters, Reed blowing himself up like Luffy or Plastic Man and speaking using an ancient defrosted monster's trachea).

But I just found the art to be so hideous and offputting. Basically every character is off model, there are truly abominable chibis and cartoonish looks for the characters. Characters never look consistent, they always look subtly different between pages. Iron Man could be cut from this story without missing much. This probably should have just been a regular Fantastic Four story. There's a Japanese general who's a borderline WW2 propaganda poster racial caricature.

It's basically an okay Fantastic Four story, with terrible art, some truly baffling artistic design choices, and the occasional exceptional comic book camp popping in. A lot of this is down to personal preference, and I'm not a fan of Fisher's art.

[Jeff Toth]

I'm a big fan of the late Seth Fisher's art and I own many of the comics he drew. I believe this was the last thing he drew before his untimely death. It goes without saying that the art is eye-popping and worth picking up for that alone. The story is suitably bonkers to match. The Fantastic Four and Iron Man are in Japan for the grand opening of a Kaiju museum when a bunch of long dormant Kaiju wake up and attack the city. It's all very zany, but it works if you go in with the right mindset. However, out of the Fisher-drawn comics I've read, Batman: Snow remains my favorite.

#fantasticfour #ironman #100BooksChallenge

[Jesse]

Tommy loaned this to me. The art is literally insane. It has a weird-indie crossed with anime/isometric style. So many crazy details. The story was perfectly suited to the art, about the FF and Iron Man fighting kaiju in Japan. Surprisingly touching cameo by the Mole Man, and I loved the Superman reference on the last couple pages. Just craziness. Apparently the artist died all of a sudden right after this came out, that's definitely too bad I would've liked to have read more of his insanity.

[Sineala]

This is a four-issue miniseries of Iron Man and the FF teaming up to fight some kaiju in Japan. It's not, like, a life-changing comics experience, but it's fun, and the art is really, really cool and very different -- it's made some interesting creative choices. I wouldn't go out of my way to read this, and as an Iron Man fan, I have to say it's primarily a FF book, but I still had a good time reading this.

[Luke]

Seth Fisher's art is the real draw here. The story is fine and it takes a weird metatextual turn at the end but Fisher's colorful and expressive art elevates the entire book. He breathes life into giant rampaging monsters, plays with scale in interesting ways, and nails some psychedelic imagery late in the story. Definitely worth tracking down if you like Marvel heroes drawn in unique art styles.

[Andrew]

yeah, this is good comics. the writing is really well done, but it's the art that i came for. amazing. my keeping up with Richards has been sporadic over the years, and the Mark Waid run was the one i paid the most attention to; but i'm glad i stumbled across this short collection.

[Josh]

Not a bad story, not the best story, but definitely an entertaining story with art that reminds me of Sergio Aragones. The Fantastic Four and Iron Man go to Japan and fight giant monsters, what more do you need?

[Reyel2107]

geting high on marvel !!!

[Yvonne Alf]

That was a pretty crazy ride! The story was surprising and had an interesting twist in the middle, but what really stands out is the artwork. Never seen anything like this.

[Timo]

Not sure, what this one tried to be or say. But whatever it was, I did not get it.
And the art side was crap as nationalism.

[David Allison]

I tuned out of this giant monster pastiche halfway through back in the day, which is a shame - the back half of the story makes new patterns out of seemingly tired material.

[John]

Great/crazy art, with an interesting Kaiju style story.

[Mei Ridorsa]

El pitjor que he llegit en molt de temps. Se suposa que és humor però no m'ha fet gràcia cap vegada, per moltes cares "gracioses" que facin els personatges.

[Eric]

Super creative work by Seth Fisher who has a lot of fun with the artwork, the story is sort of crazy ridiculous like a Rick and Morty episode which I loved.

[Sean]

DNF! This is not for me. Subpar art and a goofy story.

[M]

Zeb Wells and Seth Fisher combine forces to create a "comic" comic book starring two of Marvel's most popular franchises. When the Fantastic Four are brought to Tokyo to help open the newly-commissioned museum on giant-size monster fighting, the return of the kaiju sends the FF into action alongside Iron Man. While Human Torch, Thing, and Iron Man find ways to battle back the monster tide, Mr. Fantastic uncovers the reason for their attack - and it's one that is destined to end the world. With guest appearances by the Mole Man and classic Marvel monsters, the Big in Japan arc offers a fresh look at the old school beasties. Zeb Wells provides a crazy script that feels right at home in the Marvel Universe, blending past references with newfangled ideas. Artist Seth Fisher designs a cartoony romp that meshes beautifully with Zeb's script, making his 2006 passing all the more heartbreaking. In a world of dark vigilantes and unspeakable supervillain acts, Big in Japan reminds us that comic books should also be fun.

[Mike]

I honestly don't remember the first time I read this, but it's kinda awesome.

To be very upfront, if you don't have any use for combining cartoony comic book art with Japanese cultures (especially monsters). Seth Fisher's (RIP) art is/was very much an acquired taste, but to me his sheer energy and enthusiasm are infectious. He challenges Zeb Wells into being as over the top with the script as the art was getting.

The TPB (I've got the individual issues as well) includes a LOT of great bonus features, including a short Spider-Man story.

Not a story that'll change the world, or even the Marvel Universe. But very enjoyable.

[Jason]

This is one of my favorite comics of all time. It's unlike anything else you're likely to read and is full of humor and heart and downright awesomeness. Seth Fisher created an amazing array of fantastical creatures for this series(100-200??) all of which seem real and even lovable. His whole storytelling approach is unlike any other comics, sometimes shifting the size of characters or even changing them to ants when they're about to be stepped on. This is really something amazingly special.

[Daniel]

A great 'King of Monsters' tale with the flash and color of a bag of pop rocks. I really liked the over the top art work and all the Japanese cultural references. It is too bad that Seth Fisher wasn't alive longer to add to his body of work. The story was interesting and a had a couple 'no way' moments. I've ready it a few times and always appreciate how different it is from other graphic novels.

[Jeffrey]

I like Fisher's art alot, his passing is sad. This is a book that is all about being fun, and once in a while it's nice to have comics that are just alot of fun to read, without any pretensions or seriousness.

[Thomas Zimmerman]

Buy this one for the art. Sadly, Seth Fisher died way too young. Looking at his work here, with such a weird plastic style, you can tell he was on to something unique and great.

[Nick Marino]

insane fun