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RavinRay

Name: Raymond Ancog

Bio: Hey! If you're actually taking the time to read this self-serving piece, I'll let you know that I'm from the Philippines, a newly 40-something by the date of my registration. I'm exclusively into Marvel, and follow the former Fantastic Four now Future Foundation, and lately Spider-Man. My favorite superheroes are, in order, the late great Johnny Storm, She-Hulk (Sensational Jen), and of course Spider-Man.When I'm not reading comics, I have a day job as a geologist/paleontologist in a government agency; I also did part-time college teaching, teach music and sing at church, and love to swim and walk to give my body the workout it deserves! I have a nostalgic fondness for eras gone by. Would you believe 70's music with trumpets like "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" and cetain Carpenter songs as well as YouTube videos of the original Electric Company set me off in a mood? The colors and fonts of that decade really hearken to me.

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Reviews
RavinRay's Recent Comments
May 1, 2011 4:19 am

Hey, Jonathan and John, Sergius O'Hoolihan happens to be the Baxter Building's doorman, not Franklin's perv uncle, LOL. Anyway, it's cool that I happened to ask the last question. Thnks for the answer, though I gotta wait longer for She-Hulk, Molecule Man's return is something to look forward to.

April 14, 2011 8:45 pm If you read why Sue boxed-in that mime, it's even sweeter. Plus the short exchange between Sue and Spidey afterwards is a treat.
April 14, 2011 8:33 pm @TheNextChampion  Agreed that the sheer number of FI tie-ins is overwhelming, but I'll just focus on Fearsome Four, Defenders, FF one-shot and Spider-Man. And that's a pretty solid-looking fireball Johnny's holding. Anything with Johnny, whether a blast-from-the-past from Marvel's Vault or a time-displaced Torch is for me.
April 13, 2011 8:56 am

Wow, we're only halfway to the interview, can't wait for part 2. Also, there was a part in the podcast where John or Jonathan asked if Johnny ever had an interaction with Jim Hammond, aside from their first meeting in Fantastic Four Annual #4. They did meet once again in The Torch #5 by Alex Ross, where Johnny expressed his shock and awe at meeting his hero and asked to join Hammond and Toro in confronting their mutual enemy the Mad Thinker.

March 31, 2011 9:47 am Jonathan, I have so many questions I want to ask regarding FF (because I really want it to succeed and see how precisely the FF will honor Johnny's memory in a lasting and discernable way) that it's tough choosing a good one. But here goes. You've mentioned at Marvel Thursday Q&A that you want to bring characters who made appaearance in the FF's history back into circulation, and you specifically called out She-Hulk. Then in a recent tweet you said that the number of reoccuring charaters surpasses the Legion. So what is your criteria for selecting those characters that deserve a reappearance; more on familial ties with the FF (Wyatt Wingfoot), power sets (the Futurist formerly Randolph James), crucial location (Hellscout and Lyja in the Negative Zone), or simply because they represent the ordinary human being that the FF strive to improve the world for (Lumpkin, O'Hoolihan)? Thanks.
March 31, 2011 9:28 am Excellent review, mongo. In some ways this serves as a twin to both Fantastic Four #588 and FF #1. Gut twisting indeed, from me who is a Fantastic Four fan in general and a Johnny Storm fan in particular. Dan added depth to the story by having Johnny in his holo address Peter by his nickname "Pete" (as I tweeted Dan) and not as "Spider-Man", because to him, he will always be Peter Parker as part of his family, the brother behind the mask, and Spider-Man second. Johnny's final outstretched arm to form the famous FF hand-pile, with Peter adding his last with tears in his eyes, and signing off with a grinning "Ha. Gotcha." is where I completely lost it and just cried. Because as Sue said, this is his parting gift. In a way, this issue is an epilogue not only to Dan's excellent Spider-Man/Human Torch mini which Ty Templeton also drew, but to the body of work of nearly 50 years of Johnny Storm/Peter Parker friendship.

I will agree with you on the seeming incongruence between the demeanor displayed by Ben (and to a lesser extent Sue) here and in FF #1. My only explanation is that, after reminiscing with Peter about the good old days and how it lifted their spirits to have that cathartic moment, they are brought back to Earth with the realization that there's work to be done, pieces to pick up, and face the uncertainties of the future.