I'd have to post nearly an entire issue's worth of panels to make my point, and I don't think anyone wants that. Apparently, the grand JMS idea for the FF was that (SPOILERS FOR WHAMBULANCE CHASERS) The cosmic rays that gave them their powers were sentient, and the sentience directing them was coming from a time-traveling Reed Richards - who tailored each person's powers specifically. So Reed made sure he got stretchy powers (for his bedroom prowess, no doubt), and Reed also made sure that Ben Grimm remained a monster - because having him give Ben super strength without the monsterous looks would not have fit the JMS gameplan, I guess. (END SPOILERS).

Hopefully, he won't be the guy to 'fix' Dr. Doom or Galactus.

JB wrote: ...I'd suggest the best way to "fix" most of what's wrong with Marvel and DC would be to simply invert Hopkins' logic, and stop talking about the stuff that doesn't work any more (if it ever did). I took this approach to scripting FANTASTIC FOUR, and in five years on the job, never once made reference to Reed and Ben having fought in WW2. Didn't say they hadn't, simply didn't say they did...

One thing I notice about the present crop of writers over at Marvel is that they seem to speak about how the comics need to be brought into the future, while at the same time, the same people are busy digging up the past and trashing it.

Jason wrote: ...SPOILERS FOR WHAMBULANCE CHASERS...

Jason, at the risk of having you call the "Whambulance" on me, I notice that you've been needling Rob Hewitt because he was upset that a story point was spoiled for him. Is there really a need to keep taking digs at him? I don't believe there's anything wrong with someone requesting a "spoiler" notice.

WHA WHA WHA.

However, I did read the FF in question.  Jason is more or less right, though I am not sure it really said everything was consciously done.  I also don't expect this to stick-it is one of those things where you read it and you just know this isn't going to be the status quo any longer than the guy writing it.

Anyway, the book is pretty boring so far, for the most part.  Maybe next issue with the Hulk will be more exciting.

A Stracynski book boring?  I've never heard of such a thing.

Next thing you're gonna tell me is that Chuck Austen is a bad writer.

My only experience with him is AMazing, which I don't think was boring per se, and Supreme Power for a few issues, which was intriguing but sloooowwww.

But the FF-I really mean has been borrrriiiiinnnnnng.  Maybe just to me-but at best one issue had some excitiment.

Supreme Power had a few interesting moments but it took way too long. 

Take five issues and its building suspence. More than ten and its masturbation.