Fantastic Four #587, the much-hyped “death” issue where one of the founding members of the team will allegedly lose their life, will be available in stores on Tuesday of next week — one day earlier than the usual New Comic Book Day.
According to several retailers on Twitter and ComicList, Marvel is allowing shops to sell the issue (and just that issue) on Tuesday of next week (January 25), instead of Wednesday. The issue — which will ship sealed in a polybag in order to protect readers from spoiling themselves — is bound to attract copious amounts of mainstream media attention, and this move will perhaps give fans a fighting chance to read the comic themselves before being spoiled. This also coincides with newly implemented Diamond policies where all domestic, Canadian and UK retailers get their new comics on Tuesdays in order to have all product processed and on the shelf when stores open on Wednesday mornings. Before this month, only a handful of major stores received shipments on Tuesdays.
The comic is written by Jonathan Hickman and illustrated by Steve Epting. For Newsarama’s best guesses on which member might be taking a Pogo-Plane to Purgatory, click here.
Will you be making an extra trip to your local comic shop for the issue? Let us know.
January 20th, 2011 at 11:04 pm
already have it on my pull list so ill be avoiding the internet till i read the issue
January 20th, 2011 at 11:35 pm
If I were really cynical, I’d say that this is early warning for the retailers (and fans) that Marvel plans on letting the cat out of the bag (so to speak) to the media sometime Tuesday.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:05 am
I can’t wait to get my copy at Comic Quest in Redlands, CA.
I’ll be shedding tear or two no matter whom it is that dies:(
I might get in line Monday night these type of things go off!!!!
January 21st, 2011 at 2:56 am
It’s not that one character will die. It’s that three characters will die. Only the Thing will be left alive.
January 21st, 2011 at 5:27 am
I’m not the slightest bit interested.
January 21st, 2011 at 6:32 am
You kind of have to ask yourself… who’s going to traipse into the shop on Tuesday to buy a single issue and then come back the next day to buy the rest?
January 21st, 2011 at 6:38 am
Johnny will be killed, then he will be replaced by the golden age Torch….
January 21st, 2011 at 7:16 am
I’m going to make the same prediction for F4 that i made for the last episode of Friends – i’m going to say they are all going to die at the end.
January 21st, 2011 at 7:26 am
Sigh, so that means all the comic readers that run into the stores Wed as soon as it opens thinking its new comics and I have to get it will instead find out it was sold out a day early! Can’t wait to open the store that day. This might have been a better plan had it been announced say a month ago instead of days before its original release date. Already tried to up the order but of course there are none to get. Thanks Marvel.
January 21st, 2011 at 7:35 am
Is the death of a comic book character, any comic book character, really all that exciting to anybody anymore? We all know whoever dies will be back in a few years..at most.
January 21st, 2011 at 8:00 am
Any excuse to go to my LCS is a good one. That said, this may well be my last issue of FF. I started reading it based upon all the reviews online on what a terrific storyteller Mr Hickman is only to find out that one of the members is going to die, the series is going to end, and a new one start. That is kind of disappointing to me. Hopefully more longterm FF fans are excited by the changes though. Good luck to them!
January 21st, 2011 at 8:02 am
and yet, what about those shops that aren’t doing Tuesday delivery…why punish them for not doing it and rewarding those that are.
January 21st, 2011 at 8:16 am
What the heck is the point of the Tuesday delivery system if publishers are going to pull this sort of stunt? If you’re trying to enforce the Wednesday on-sale date, it makes no sense to chip away at it like this. If others eventually follow suit, then we’re back at the same situation that Tuesday delivery was supposed to solve.
January 21st, 2011 at 8:50 am
I think that Hickman is too clever a writer to “off” a major character. What I think will happen is that the Invisible Woman’s powers spike and she is now invisible all the time. Whenever the group is seen by someone, all they will see is Reed, Johnny & Ben, with Sue being invisible and not seen, they will then be known as the Fantastic 3.
January 21st, 2011 at 9:12 am
noooo…sorry have to disagree with him being a clever writer, he’s ok at best. I do think the one to be offed will be the Human Torch. Marvel has enough “torches” right now.
January 21st, 2011 at 9:50 am
It’s possible, I suppose, that I could be less interested.
In an alternate universe somewhere in an alternate time-stream.
No. It’s not possible that I could be less interested.
January 21st, 2011 at 10:09 am
If you wanted this issue and showed up on Wed when the store opens thinking hey its when new comics come out and are told actually a few days ago Marvel announced we could sell it Tuesday. And guess what we sold out of it. No more can be ordered (and this is before the issue comes out) so too bad.
I am actually going to have half the order for sale Tuesday and half Wed. What is the point of having a bunch of new customers coming in to pick up the comic if that is the only new one they can get that day?
January 21st, 2011 at 10:12 am
Are they really trying to make a big deal out of a comic book “death”?? Whoever “dies” will be back within a year – maybe 2.
January 21st, 2011 at 10:50 am
Have to agree with @The Fool. Ben will be the survivor. The “3″ refers to Reed, Johnny and Sue, who don’t make it out of the issue. Ben moves to the Avengers.
January 21st, 2011 at 11:50 am
Rod Lee speaks the truth.
January 21st, 2011 at 1:14 pm
I may eat my words, but it seems to me that Marvel is overestimating the interest of the mainstream media / buying public. My unscientific estimate is that 3 out of 4 people couldn’t name a single member of the Fantastic Four, even after the two recent films.
Given that, I don’t think there’s going to be any sort of mob scene at the comic shops on Tuesday. If there’s a spike in sales on this issue it’ll be due to curious current comics readers.
I do like the The Fool’s prediction and kinda hope it’s true. That would at least be a slightly new spin on the “death of a major character” plot that has been run into the ground.
January 21st, 2011 at 1:29 pm
For marvel this is their way of cheaply advertising a comic. Simply call news outlets about a “death” of a character and let reporters do the rest. Easy way to have the number one selling comic of the month. The news outlets have already reported on the Ultimate Spiderman’s “death”. People have already been asking for the FF “death” issue. I see this selling almost as well as the “death” of Captain America. If you need some extra money sell it ASAP and then repurchase it for cheap a few months later.
January 21st, 2011 at 1:30 pm
REED RICHARDS MUST DIE!
actually I think that killing off three of them would be an interesting idea.
January 21st, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Well that is a way to ruin my birthday. Another stunt that won’t mean anything after a while. This may get some media for not realizing what realizing is going on but fans know what is.
January 21st, 2011 at 2:49 pm
Man, I really can’t stand this. I can’t wait for it to be over. I’ve been loyally buying the FF every month since 1974, even during the few times I quit all other comics. If they really kill one or more of these characters I’m done with them.
Yes, I know the character will probably be back. But for God’s sake, this year is the FF’s 50th anniversary, and it should be a year of celebration for the long-standing team, one of the only team’s to still have all its original members. Instead they’ll be shuffled off by Marvel’s ageist management.
I’m thankful the JSA is still around, at least.
January 21st, 2011 at 2:53 pm
Bah… this is starting to get really boring now. Death in comics doesn’t mean anything anymore. A year or so from now, whoever “dies” will be brought back and everything that you read now will just be retconned. This title, like most of Marvel and DC’s properties keeps the same old status quo for eternity, and don’t think for one second that this latest gimmick storyline will change that. Same old rehash, no longer interested.
January 21st, 2011 at 4:28 pm
1) If you “have no interest in this” or “couldn’t be less interested” why did you even read this article, much less post on it?
2) I agree, the death of a superhero is waaaay overdone, especially in light of the fact that they always come back. The emotional moment loses it’s impact. But as a lifetime member of the FF army this book is always on my pull list and so it shall remain. Also, Hickman’s run has been pretty stellar, so I have faith.
January 21st, 2011 at 10:30 pm
they are gonna kill off Johnny. Relaunch the series as “FF” run it for 13 issues and then he will return when they return to the original series at issue 600.
January 22nd, 2011 at 9:26 am
“they are gonna kill off Johnny. Relaunch the series as “FF” run it for 13 issues and then he will return when they return to the original series at issue 600.”
JUST what i thought it would be!
January 22nd, 2011 at 9:56 am
nah….They are going to kill Johnny (sniff). Have a Future Foundation series until Oct. Then the November marked issues we will see the return of the FF book (hopefully keeping the classic numbering), leading to 600 at the finale of the anniversary.
I do believe it’s Hickman and Marvels attempt at keeping whoever dies, dead. Hickman has been pretty candid in interviews. BUUUUT future regimes, future writers wil bring whoever back.
January 22nd, 2011 at 11:01 pm
3 is the max number of years that character will stay dead.
January 23rd, 2011 at 4:55 pm
WHo cares, The FF stopped being interesting 20 years ago. They need a total shake up. Their team is lame, their costumes are lame, their dynamic is lame. The whole “family” concept is dated. Having a team of 4 is a hard dynamic, especially when they are family, they are all too good for this team. They should rename the book Fantastic Force, and add 3 more members and I mean some badass characters like Beta Ray Thor. Someone that will cause some interest. Put Blade or Deadpool in the team. The whole FF team is only likable if you are old time collector who only reads it out of some archaic loyalty to comic days long past.
January 24th, 2011 at 8:16 am
The Fantastic Four was one the original best Marvel Comics way before the era of Deadpool, Wolverine and the flavor of the month slice of stale bread.
They are not dated, they are forever and all it takes is the smart fans to enjoy the FF then those few passing in the wind readers that think that if there are no anger, guns, knives and the other crap they seem to like at the moment they then a Marvel Comics is lame.
What is lame is the amount of angst that people on here seem to be vented to this announcement instead of actually reading
the Fantastic Four since Hickman has been on the series.
January 24th, 2011 at 10:38 am
“The issue — which will ship sealed in a polybag in order to protect readers from spoiling themselves…”
Oh, really? I suggested to my LCS owner that he stock adult diapers next week just in case people spoil themselves.
January 24th, 2011 at 2:34 pm
In response to THE_OTHER_XANTHISS,
First of all nice name. Its very flattering that you chose my name to model after. However it does show your complete lack of originality.
Indeed FF was the original best Marvel comic a long, long time ago. Today THEY are the stale bread of the industry. The characters are timeless, in fact they have not changed in almost 600 issues. They are as uninteresting as they were 300 issues ago. I will say that they are iconic characters, and they have a individual charm, but you cannot argue that they are in need of a shake up. How can you tell me that the book is exciting and that you look forward to the same old same old issue after issue.
I never said anything about anger. I said it needed a new dynamic. New team members to create some renewed excitement. When you have a book you need to, from time to time, change it up a bit to keep it interesting. You need to pull some new readers in and not just rely on the “smart fans” to carry a book. I have been reading comics for 30 years now, and I have stopped by FF from time to time and honestly its not that “smart” of a read, and kinda boring.
Putting Wolverine and Deadpool in the stale bread category, is a sad statement. Wolverine probably more than any other character has kept Marvel on top. of the pile, with the exception of Spider-man. I am sure if there was a poll no one would be saying Mr. Fantastic was their favorite character. Even Stan Lee wouldn’t say that.
So pick me up in your Fantasticar when FF is interesting, exciting or just plain wont put me to sleep. I will be the one reading the books with guns, knives, and all the exciting characters!
January 24th, 2011 at 11:03 pm
Avengers has consisted of Cap, Thor and Iron Man for many years. X Men has consisted of Wolverine and who cares forever as well. Hulk has consisted of … well you get where this is It’s fine if you want to call FF stale. To each their own. But arguing that one book is stale while saying that Wolverine is fresh and new is ridiculous. Wolverine is one of the most over exposed characters in comics ever. Not hatin’ on the Canuck, just calling it like it is.
January 24th, 2011 at 11:56 pm
Getting back to my original point, which was trading out some of the team members. Cap, Thor, and Iron Man have been in the Avengers for years, but also they come and go. Truthfully, the Avengers without Cap was a breath of fresh air, and make no mistake, I like Cap and the Avengers. But from time to time they feel the need to change up the team and shake it up a bit. Creating a new team dynamic. X-men, well there are just way to many teams and Wolverine usually is on one of them, but they still seem to move him around. Wolverine even ended up on the Avengers. Never did I say Wolverine is fresh and new, however I would not categorize the character as stale. He is at least interesting. But as it is we are getting off topic and I am not here to debate the worth of Wolverine. Reminder, that Wolverine was not even mentioned in my original post.
With that said, how can anyone say that FF is not tired? I admit I don’t read the book regularly, or even semi-regularly. As I understand it that in the issue 585 Ben becomes human again. Did that not happen in the movie? And the cover of 586 Alan Davis, draws Reed wearing his old costume. How lame is it that the cover artist doesn’t even care enough to get the main character’s costume right? Its a sad state of affairs for the Worlds Greatest Comic Magazine that they rely on lazy artwork and stolen plot points to keep the book afloat.
January 25th, 2011 at 2:05 am
I wish all four would die.