MC2: The Lost Issues Part 2

Just a quick entry today, this time continuing to sift through various sources for further information on MC2 comics that never saw the light of day. Previous posts about this topic include Wild Thing #6: The Untold Story and MC2: The Lost Issues.

While reading through Comic Creators on Fantastic Four by Tom Defalco, a book published in 2005 featuring interviews with various writers, artists and other creatives who've contributed to the Fantastic Four through the decades. During an interview with artist Paul Ryan, the Fantastic Five came up:

A few years after you left FF, you were reactivated to do Fantastic Five. How did it feel to be called back into service?

I remember Fantastic Five fondly. I was having problems over at DC at the time, so for somebody to call up and say they actually wanted to use me on something felt good. It made me feel wanted and the idea of doing the next generation of the Fantastic Four appealed to me. It was just kind of exciting to screw up again, so to speak: to see if my FF uniform still fit, When Fantastic Five was cancelled, I had just finished pencilling #6, which was never inked, and I was waiting for a plot for #7. The second issue had just come out.

What do you remember about Fantastic Five? Just that we were finishing up old continuity?

Yeah, there was that. We - I should say the esteemed writer - tied up the loose ends as far as Hyperstorm; what happened to him and so forth. There was a final showdown between Hyperstorm and Franklin. Didn't Reed and Sue suffer some debilitating effect from that battle? I think we found them on a space station somewhere. I still have a great spread which shows the Fantastic Five riding their space scooters to the location. There was a very emotional, very poignant ending to that story, too. Sue was still in suspended animation because nobody could figure a way to bring her out without killing her, and Reed was a mess. I remember that they were gonna turn the ship over to the kids.

It would have ended up being Kristoff, Ben's twins, Franklin and Johnny and Lyja's kid.

Right. We were gonna see that transition over the twelve issues, so that by #12 they would be the new Fantastic Five. I remember that in issue #6 we had the kids facing their baptism of fire. We had costumes for them too. And you brought Alicia back as a new herald for Galactus; I recall that the continuity of the time had Alicia dating the Silver Surfer.

It's honestly fascinating to learn that we would have seen a whole new line-up for the Fantastic Five comprised of the next generation by the end of the series twelfth issue had it not been cancelled prematurely. Despite this idea never seeing print as originally intended, it's worth noting that we do see the concept retooled in both Spider-Girl #86-88 and in the Fantastic Five mini-series years later.

Additionally, while we do eventually see Galactus in the MC2 in the Last Planet Standing mini-series, sadly we never got to see Alicia Masters as his cosmically-powered Herald. Presumably she would have debuted in the aforementioned unpublished Fantastic Five #6 as Paul mentions a 'baptism of fire' for the young heroes. It's so unfortunate that Paul's last completed issue for the series never saw print.

I'll keep my ear to the ground and both eyes open for any more information that might be found about these lost issues.

Until I become a Herald of Galactus, I remain

frogoat

MC2: The Lost Issues

While I've briefly touched on the topic before, I think I need to give a bit more attention to those complete (and incomplete) issues of various MC2 titles that never saw the light of day. For today, I'd like to cover the earliest known unpublished issues of titles in the MC2 imprint. Here's what we know:

• Both the Fantastic Five and Wild Thing titles were cancelled prematurely with their fifth issue. 
• Two issues of each title were in various stages of completion at the time of their cancellation.
• There are two pencilled issues of Wild Thing, one of which is already scripted.
• One issue of the Fantastic Five is pencilled, and the other exists as a plot.
• All four issues already had covers produced.
• Editor Mike Marts wished to collect these unpublished issues into a 'monster-size' comic in 2000 but this did not come to fruition due to the sales department vetoing the idea.
• When it was announced that these MC2 titles would be collected in digest form in 2005, there was some hope that the unpublished stories would be included.
• In the event, only one of the aforementioned covers saw print, that of Wild Thing #6 which was presented in the Spider-Girl Presents Wild Thing: Crash Course digest in 2007:

While I was unable to find the original fan interview where most of this was originally confirmed by Tom Defalco, this information was gleaned from a Comic Book Resources article which itself referenced these facts. It can be found here and further information was sourced from here.

 I'm frankly curious why the Fantastic Five digest didn't also feature the cover for it's sixth issue. Perhaps one day these lost stories will see the light of day.


Until I stumble upon these missing stories in the Marvel Vaults, I remain


frogoat

Wild Thing #6: The Untold Story

So, as I mentioned in my last MC2 Family Tree post, I had a possible theory about Cameron Bryce-Jones. To recap, Cameron is a spoiled rich girl at Upper Saddle River High who first appeared in Wild Thing #1. Cameron was identified as a 'Dormant Class 'A' Mutant Designate' by a newly awakened sleeper Sentinel in Wild Thing #3.

For reference, the Sentinel identifies Wild Thing as 'Class 'B' Mutant Designate' and engages her in combat, only to change objectives once Cameron is detected.  This suggests that she is more of a priority, presumably possessing greater power. 

Cameron does not appear in Wild Thing #4 and only makes a brief appearance in Wild Thing #5, the series' last published issue. This means any powers that Cameron may have possessed remained a mystery. However, comic writers usually have plots written months before the issue's publication, allowing the artists to complete the art work in time. It would appear this was the case with Wild Thing #6. 

Wild Thing's entire series was collected into a single volume digest as Spider-Girl Presents Wild Thing: Crash Course in 2007. Tucked away in the back of this digest was the unpublished cover to Wild Thing #6- pencilled, inked, coloured and even lettered. And what does it say on that unused cover? 'There's a New Mutant in Town!' Judging by the cosmic-style background, the glowing and the look of awe on the faces of both Wild Thing and X-People leader Jubilee, I'd say that's a Class 'A' Mutant, wouldn't you? The hair style even looks like Cameron's! Tell me I'm wrong!

Until I unearth every scrap of information about this wonderful fictional universe, I remain

frogoat