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Fantastic Four 38 page 13 by Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino.

Artists: Carlos Pacheco (Penciller) , Jesus Merino (Inker)

12 Comments - 846 Views - 12 Likes

Fantastic Four 38 page 13 by Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino. Comic Art

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Artwork Details

Title:	Fantastic Four 38 page 13 by Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino.
Artist:	Carlos Pacheco (Penciller)
Artist:	Jesus Merino (Inker)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Interior Page
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	846
Likes on CAF:	12 13
Comments:	12
Added to Site:	1/30/2022
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Another great page from issue 38 of FF by Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino, an artistic match made in heaven of the modern era if there ever was one.

I must confess that at the time, I found that this run orchestrated mostly by Carlos looked better than it read. And let me be clear, I find that Carlos was pitch PERFECT for the FF as his style is an amalgam of Buscema and Perez by way of the Spanish school. The stories were certainly ok and paid great homage to the classic FF mythos but being younger, I probably expected/wanted more punch to my comics ( � la Warren Ellis). Then again, my knowledge of the FF wasn't as good as it is now so I may have missed the intended flavor/some of the easter eggs. I should reread them. The art of course was simply sublime, both artists being in their artistic prime, on par with Avengers Forever and the JLA/JSA GN. That being said, their run on FF is often overlooked by (art) collectors considering the high artistic level.

This is even truer with the early issues of the run, such as this one.

What's so great about this page is the sense of dread, panic even radiating from it.

We have a panicked Ben Grimm (not an easy "thing" to do given all he's seen) rushing towards the origin of the chaos. And Carlos draws a fantastic (...) Thing. All his body language throughout the page is truly that of someone running showing a true sense of urgency.

In panel one and even in glorious b&w, the stone-changed crowd is obvious which is not an easy feat. And let's be frank, the colors do help in that regard here.

Panel two is subtly brilliant in the sense that it read from dark to light in the left corner to the far right where the blank opening sets the stage for the big panel reveal in the third one.

The third is the money shot with the big villain reveal, an amazing use of perspective underlined by the elements of the background itself (i.e. the cables pointing you to the Grey Gargoyle) and the aforementioned sense of panic reaching its culmination while our hero literally goes against the flow.

Panel four offers a superb shot of Ben.

The fifth one is probably my fav' as you can tell by the Gargoyle's sadistic grin that is sickly enjoying himself. And by contrast, the victim's face is truly chilling. Using the Grey Gargoyle as a villain for the FF was a great idea.

Let's not forget to mention all the bricks for all of you fetishists 😉

I tried several times to sell this one on ebay in my early years and I'm so glad it didn't. (Please don't ask)

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Joined:	May 2005
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	BELGIUM
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Comments on this Artwork

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Hart R.
Member Since 2004

1 - Posted on 1/30/2022

Wonderful Ben & Gargoyle page!

Peter Venkman
Member Since 2003

1 - Posted on 1/30/2022

Stunning piece by the Fantastic Two!

Mighty Hal
Member Since 2008

1 - Posted on 1/30/2022

Now, that's how to write a description about art you love!

Israel Collado
Member Since 2010

1 - Posted on 1/30/2022

Awesome page!!! Congrats

Chris Snorek
Member Since 2009

1 - Posted on 1/30/2022

Agree on all points. This Pacheco stint was exactly what the book needed at the time. Great

example!

Ruben DaCollector
Member Since 2008

1 - Posted on 1/30/2022

A wonderful page all around, with great movement. Pacheco was certainly producing very strong pencilling work at this time and Merino, a very good penciller in his own right, had something of a symbiotic inking relationship with Pacheco's pencils. I will admit, to follow up on your comment about the 1st panel, that coloring was absolutely needed to indicate these figures had been turned to stone. Before reading your description, I wondered if perhaps a Merino assistant had been tasked with inking the panel, as I didn't realize the people were made of stone and all the hard, thick outlines were off putting to me. The coloring definitely saved that panel from looking "out of sorts" in the final, published form. The 3rd panel is definitely the star ofg the show! Wonderful attention to detail, with all the scared faces on the people running in fear and the perspective is also lovely. Ben's facial emotion in the 4th panel is really strong as well. A super strong page indeed!

Yo Kuri
Member Since 2019

1 - Posted on 1/30/2022

Love the storytelling and the camera movement. Beautful page.

Bill J
Member Since 2009

1 - Posted on 1/30/2022

Superb FF page. Top-notch storytelling and visually powerful panels. Glad you didn't sell it.

Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 1/30/2022

It gives the same vibe of the scene in Batman Vs Superman where Bruce Wayne charges towards the the smoke and danger that is greater than any one man could possibly stop.

K Gearon
Member Since 2011

1 - Posted on 2/4/2022

You can see and feel that so much was poured into this page, from both Pacheo AND Merino! Sweet storytelling as you move down, and the inking detail is nuts! Really dig that last panel with a profile shot of a grinning GG! Congrats!

Jason Hussa
Member Since 2017

1 - Posted on 2/4/2022

BEAUTIFUL page, F M. Like you, I was SO much more enamored of the art than the story in this run (and also like you, I do believe my appreciation of the stories would greatly benefit from a re-read - I mean, what WOULD happen if The Thing was touched by the Grey Gargoyle? ;) ), but this is still SO pretty to look at... The rendering of the first couple panels is so detailed and fine, I could tell the figures were statues from a first glance, even without any coloring (and just to assure that the REAL stones were not upstaged, you're totally spot on about the rendering of all the bricks and buildings!) - incredible work - and the Gargoyle serenely hanging from the bridge in panel 3 is creepily awesome with all its vampiric overtones. I've always loved the way the Pacheco/Merino team drew hands in gloves (weird to say, I know, but it's true) and panel five's portrayal of GG's calm smile while bestowing his stony "benediction" just really, REALLY makes me happy. Wonderful page, F M! Congrats!

J H
Member Since 2019

1 - Posted on 2/4/2022

The joy and horror in that last panel might be my favorite part of the page. Very Buscema there. What a great pairing! Those meaty inks from Merino give me a Chic Stone feel, too, especially with the super heavy line-weight of the outer outline. And I love the Gargoyle. I've always dug his design, and his power is really cool, too. Great page. How much? ;) Congrats!

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