HEROES AND MONSTERS GET MODERN MAKEOVERS.(Stars)(Column)

Byline: JEFF KAPALKA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It's official: The Fantastic Four is no more. Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, gave his life protecting his friends and family from creatures from the Negative Zone. (No spoilers here: the news has been on the Internet for at least two months.

"FF No. 1,"Marvel Comics; $3.99

And, not to be cynical, we never saw the body. I suspect the Matchstick Kid will return from the Zone, probably within the year.)

Now, the surviving members of the team are figuring out what to do next.

First off, the Torch's position on the team is given to Spider-Man. (That makes two teams that Peter Parker's alter ego is a part of now: The new FF and the Avengers. He used to be such a loner.)

In the new "FF No. 1," replacing "The Fantastic Four" on the schedule, the initials now stand for the Future Foundation, the public face of an organization dedicated to build a better world. (And just wait and see who they recruit for another member at the end of the issue.)

Writer Jonathan Hickman does a fantastic job balancing how the various members of the FF deal with their loss with enough all-out action to satisfy any superhero fan. The artwork of Steve Epting, Rick Maygar and Paul Mounts perfectly captures the emotional and explosive sides of the narrative.

If you have the self control, you can wait for the inevitable hardcover collections. I can't wait to see what happens next.

"Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters,"IDW Publishing; $3.99.

He's back again, for the first time ever.

That sentence needs a bit of explanation.

IDW Publishing has acquired the license to produce new Godzilla comics. What's more, they're the first western company to be allowed to use other kaiju (giant monsters) from the Toho Studios stable (i.e.: Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidora, etc.) To this end, they're rebooting the character for the 21st century.

In "Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters" No. 1, when the Big G shows up (on Page 3 -- no wasting time here) to begin rampaging through Japan, he is a new force of nature, never before seen by mortal man.

In fact, Godzilla isn't even named in this first issue.

Writers Eric Powell and Tracy Marsh do a great job in delivering a script that reads like a screenplay for an unproduced Godzilla movie. The artwork by Phil Hester and Bruce McCorkindale properly present everyone's favorite radioactive reptile in all of his destructive glory.

If there is any misstep in the project, it's the timing. With Japan currently contending with a real-life nuclear nightmare, it may seem a bit insensitive to portray panic and destruction in a fantasy setting. It should be pointed out that the current series was announced months ago.

But just as the original 1954 "Godzilla" was a symbolic manifestation of fear of the atomic bomb, "Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters" could be looked at as a metaphor of nuclear power out of control. In the comic, the problem should be at least contained, if not controlled. Hopefully that'll be the case in real life as well.

Jeff Kapalka, of Utica, reviews video games and comics for Stars. Write to him at features@syracuse.com or c/o Stars, P.O. Box 4915, Syracuse, NY 13221.