Dark Avengers #190 – Review

By: Jeff Parker (Writer), Neil Edwards (Artist), Sotocolor (Colorist)

The Story: The Dark Avengers discover the secret of this bizarre future and manages to save themselves and the world from what would destroy it.

The Review: Jeff Parker is capable of many things. He is a talented writer that seems to have a gift for characterization and development. Give him a character that is in sore need of definition and love and he’ll make wonders. He did this with the Red Hulk, the multiple villains from Thunderbolts, the golden age characters from Agent of Atlas among other characters. He can create depth and new angle to old tired character which makes him very enjoyable to read or pick new characters that seems to be set in a boring direction and set them up for much more enjoyable adventures.

Believe it or not, while he seemed to have trouble sometimes in this current arc in this strange new world of his, he succeeds in giving us a potable story thanks to a satisfying conclusion. In short, what he gives us is an explanation that is genuinely new and interesting on just how this world came to be and how twisted the reasons for its existence. When the whole reasoning is given, it does manage to bring out some theory and makes the whole story stronger for it.

Dark Avengers #188 – Review

By: Jeff Parker (Writer), Neil Edwards, Terry Pallot (Artists), Chris Sotomayor (Colorist)

The Story: The Dark Avengers are trying to convince Daredevil and his gang of their intentions as Reed Richards tries to understand what is wrong with the world along with Skaar.

The Review: This is hard to admit, but I am beginning to wonder just how Jeff Parker can even conclude this whole thing in a satisfying way in just under two issues. What started as a big world building exercise seems to have become just this, only with a title that does not seem particularly fitting.

Indeed, is it just me or are the Dark Avengers kind of boring in this series? For a very long period of time, they did close to nothing, then as soon as they went on as a semi-formed team, they got their ass handed to them by a team of freedom fighter composed of Misty Knight, Iron Fist, Shang-Chi and a more monstrous Spider-Man. They are not particularly explored as characters, nor do their actions scenes are particularly interesting to watch.

Dark Avengers #186 – Review

By: Jeff Parker (Writer), Mirco Pierfederici, Neil Edwards, (Artists), Chris Sotomayor (Colorist)

The Story: More shenanigans happen in this dark version of Manhattan as John Walker and the rest of the Dark Avengers gets up to speed on the situation.

The Review: It seems to me that Jeff Parker had pretty much the same problems on both of his Marvel titles lately, namely Red She-Hulk and Dark Avengers. Both those series have some great artists and some terrific concepts backing them up, but the past issues were only building some setup for the series to actually jump onto, creating a situation without actually involving the main player in any significant way until later. Red She-Hulk latest issue had gotten out of that unfortunate problem, but did the latest issue of Dark Avengers achieve the same objective?

Dark Avengers #185 – Review

By: Jeff Parker (Writer) Neil Edwards (Artist), Chris Sotomayor (Colorist)

The Story: June Covington discovers more about the strange world she is in while this world’s version of Doctor Strange uses Moonstone and Skaar for his devious plans.

The Review: If there is one thing that Jeff Parker excels at, it’s writing smaller and lesser-known character, some of them unpopular and making them great. He’s done so during his run on Thunderbolts with various characters, but most prominently with General Thunderbolt Ross in Hulk. He can create wholly original stories set to those characters, making us root for them although there are several reasons why we shouldn’t in the first place. It is a pity however that he cannot seem to do the same with the Dark Avengers so far, as there is most assuredly potential here for him to work with. A bunch of unknown, almost blank slates characters just there for the grab, ready to be developed by someone with the talent and attitude to do so. The problem here, I do believe, lies in the pacing.

Dark Avengers #184 – Review

By: Jeff Parker (writer), Neil Edwards (artist) Sotocolor (colorist)

The Story: The Dark Avengers are thrown in a strange place, captured by familiar, yet different versions of characters we know and love.

The Review: For a while, this title suffered by mixing in too many characters and plot points at once. Having the Dark Avengers and Thunderbolts being the focus of this title made it a little bit rushed and unfocused, yet everything changes now. With this title now solely focused on a single team, it is slowly gaining some more interest.

We do not see much of the Dark Avengers in this particular issue, as Jeff Parker takes a little bit more time on the strange world the team has been sent off to. There is a lot of exposition in the pages of this issue, yet it is very interesting, as we can see and be teased once more by the mad concepts Jeff Parker will no doubt bring to this book with this particular storyline he is beginning.

Dark Avengers #182 – Review

By: Jeff Parker (story), Neil Edwards (pencils), Terry Pallot (inks), Chris Sotomayor (colors)

The Story: Thunderbolts versus the Dark Avengers = Michael Jackson versus Justin Bieber.

The Review: Much as we claim to prefer surprises and spontaneity in our lives, I’m guessing that in reality, we’d hate it if the real world was that unpredictable.  The random weekend trip or birthday party at work aside, I think most of us would be perfectly content if more things went the way we expect them to.  The one place where we will never enjoy predictability is in our fiction.  Lord forgive the story where you can guess what’ll happen next, without much effort.

Unfortunately, Dark Avengers doesn’t have a prayer left.  Last month, probably like most of you, I saw Boss Cage’s turnaround coming from a mile away, and once that happened, I knew the Thunderbolts coming back to the present day to kick their replacements’ butts and save the world from a semi-hypothetical dystopian future was guaranteed.  It’s one of those situations where I’m actually a little sad to be proven correct (and believe me, I love being right).

Dark Avengers #180 – Review

By: Jeff Parker (story), Neil Edwards (pencils), Terry Pallot (inks), Chris Sotomayor (colors)

The Story: Boss Cage better hope there’s a generous retirement package waiting for him.

The Review: I’ve made it kind of a maxim here that it doesn’t matter so much what the story is; it’s all about the execution.  I guess I neglected to mention that the story still matters; if you’re working off of weak material, the execution will suffer proportionately.  Parker’s work ever since this title became Dark Avengers must be the first time I’m experiencing a case where his execution is solid, but he’s just not telling a story worth hearing.

Even looking just at the Thunderbolts issues I reviewed, you felt a stronger investment there than here.  Part of the reason was at the time, Parker only had to write these time-traveling two-issue arcs, so he didn’t really have any loftier aim than to have fun and entertain.  Then, too, we had a tighter cast to focus on, so we had more time to listen to them argue and banter, again all for the sake of fun and entertainment.

X-Factor #237

By: Peter David (story), Neil Edwards (pencils), Karl Kesel (inks), Rachelle Rosenberg (colors)

The Story: So, Rahne isn’t exactly feeling her best, having vomited up the child of a wolf-god and disowned it (the merry things that happen in X-Factor). To try and get her to feel better, Polaris and Banshee take her to see John Maddox, the priestly dupe of Jamie. You know…it’s one of those light and fun issues!

The Good: In all seriousness, yes, Peter David can bring very lighthearted and fun issues of X-Factor to us when the moment calls for it. He can give us high octane awesomeness with grand fights, when the moment calls for it. Sometimes, the moment is not about seeing the team beat the crap out of something, or go to Vegas to save a troll (now THAT was fun!). Sometimes you need to get serious, and that’s what #237 does–it gets serious.

Herc #6 – Review

By: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers), Neil Edwards (penciller), Cory Hamscher (inker), Jesus Aburtov (colorist)

The Story: Brother, do you know the Truth about Herc?  Oh, ye of little faith…

The Review: For the last couple issues, I’ve concluded that even with the Fear Itself brand and obligatory tie-in issues, this title hasn’t really been affected all that much by the Event.  Pak-Van Lente have managed to execute a story arc that seems in keeping with their original agenda: let Herc savor the mortal life; give him a new residence, mission statement, and outfit; have him experience the ups of a loving crowd and the downs of a popular backlash.

As well as Pak-Van Lente have carried these points to fruition, there’s a rushed quality to it all that suggests Fear Itself actually has affected the title in a subtle fashion.  I noted last issue that since Herc has been mortal for only a short while (even shorter in context of the story), Hermes’ invitation to return to Olympus feels very premature.  The same feeling lingers through this issue’s major moments; they’re all good, appropriate scenes, but seem a couple arcs too early.

Kingpin prophetically commented that people love to build up an idol and tear him down, and while Herc now has firsthand experience of that, it doesn’t feel entirely genuine considering the Brooklynites’ behavior dances to the three magical tunes: the Norse serpent, witch-goddess Hecate, and son of Ares Kyknos.  Even so, that Herc’s unyielding courage proves affecting enough to sway the New Yorkers out of their panic-induced violence is heartwarming indeed.

Similarly, the big turning point in the issue involves Rhea drastically redefining her relationship with Herc, but since they’ve only known each other for about two days, their relationship hadn’t much of a definition at all beyond possibly “friends with benefits.”  The scene where she finally gives up her revolutionary ideals in favor of simple faith in our hero definitely builds well on her initial view of Herc merely as a useful symbol, but lacks the impact it’d have had we seen more interaction between the two or more of her rationalist behavior at work.

Herc #5 – Review

By: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers), Neil Edwards (penciller), Cory Hamscher (inker), Jesus Aburtov (colorist)

The Story: And here I thought New York City couldn’t get any weirder.

The Review: Even though in both his mythic and comic book incarnations Hercules technically gets counted as a god (of heroes, no less), it’s hard to think of him as such.  We are far more familiar with his exploits as an adventurer on Earth than those he ever had as a divinity, and especially in the comic books, his brash, gung-ho personality hardly lends itself to the lofty purposes of his fellow immortals.

Small wonder then that the cries of his “worshippers” for help serve to merely annoy him to distraction (“And if you left me in peace for five seconds perhaps they’d be answered!”) more than please him.  Still, even though he’s no god any longer, Herc is ever the mensch, vowing to do right by those that remain his faithful.  On an interesting note, one I’m rather ashamed to not have noticed before, does anyone find it odd how as a mortal, he can still hear “prayers” to him?

Considering Herc has been mortal for—what?—four days in-story, his meeting with Hermes, who bears a possible offer of godhood from Zeus, seems rather premature.  If anything, the speech and command for our favorite hero to return to Olympus and stand by while the world passes into its twilight hour is merely a contrived way for Pak-Van Lente to incorporate elements from Fear Itself, which has only tangentially affected this title despite the brand on the cover.

You’ll have the strong suspicion that, had it not been for the obligatory Event tie-in, the writers would’ve really preferred to devote more time to Herc’s struggles against the entire borough of Brooklyn gone wild magic.  Herc’s attempts to confront his challenges head-on, only to fall back thanks to new ones constantly popping up behind him, should be more enjoyable, but feels too truncated to develop beyond a passable energy.

Herc #4 – Review

By: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers), Neil Edwards (penciller), Scott Hanna (inker), Jesus Aburtov (colorist)

The Story: What?  No pitchforks and torches?

The Review: When it comes to solo heroics, writers usually take the trend of letting their hero baby-step his way long steadily bigger and greater trials before pitting him against the conflict of his life.  It makes sense; no point in tossing the rookie into the deep end of the ocean before he learns to doggy-paddle.  But Hercules is already a pro at this biz (a former god of it, in fact), so it doesn’t seem out of the question to throw a major challenge right off the get-go.

But experienced as he is, his new mortality has set him back to square one.  In his glory days, a few Raft escapees and Kyknos, son of Ares, would have been a walk in the park; now, he can literally be felled by a little girl (granted, she stabbed him in the back with a pair of clipping shears).  It doesn’t stop there, though.  Pak-Van Lente also drop in Hecate, witch goddess, and a whole NYC borough of mobbing civilians, a challenge worthy of a god he now faces as a mortal.

As you can tell, this issue has a lot of problems going against our favorite mensch, so such so to the point you’re left just as bewildered as he is.  Remarkably, Pak-Van Lente manage to give each set of conflicts some time to develop, especially where it concerns the growing disarray of Brooklyn.  We get some humorous scenes of neighborly confrontations gone out of control (“I know you’ve been laughing at us.  Ever since the bedbugs!”), but also some moments of genuine horror, like a pack of mauling dogs threatening children after ravaging their elderly owner.

Even though the descent into chaos seems universal, Rhea remains the only one seemingly unaffected aside from Helene and the Warhawks, devotees of Ares.  Her apparent immunity to the growing paranoia warrants investigating, especially since she’s so quickly become Herc’s lady-friend and loyal supporter, yet remains largely a mysterious, if well-read, figure.  But now that she’s a captive of the Warhawks, there’s plenty of incentive to dive deeper into her history.

In the meantime, Herc gets left largely on his own, one vulnerable man with some fancy weapons against an entire city gone to heck.  His only ally: Griffin, the Raft prisoner gone feral, thanks to a magical twist that probably should’ve been shown to us, since I, for one, already forgot about that character since last issue.

Herc #3 – Review

By: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers), Neil Edwards (penciller), Scott Hanna (inker), Jesus Aburtov (colorist)

The Story: None of you guys are holding, right?  She’ll get seriously mad if you’re holding.

The Review: Sometimes crossover events can really hijack a title, forcing the storyline into a direction it never had any intention of following, or at least one that doesn’t suit the title’s tone or interests (e.g., Brightest Day and Birds of Prey).  Other times, the crossover can be so superfluous, it makes you wonder why they even bother to drag the title into it in the first place.

Anyone who’s worried having the Fear Itself brand stamped onto this issue means distracting spillover for a fledgling title that’s barely got its own story going yet, have no fear.  The one direct connection to Marvel’s summer Big Thing involves a breakout on the Raft (of less scale than the one that launched The New Avengers).  Other than that, the issue’s left to its own devices—evidence of the often pointlessly invasive nature of these big events, I suppose.

Pak-Van Lente continue building on the complications from previous issues; though the plight of Hercules’ followers remains a foreboding mystery, Kingpin’s foretelling about Herc’s newfound public support plays out to a tee.  His popularity quickly builds to a fever pitch, which he handles with characteristic breeziness (“Snuffles will taste my steel.  Next!”) despite the predictably selfish concerns he faces (“First, you gotta get the socialists.”).

Herc #2 – Review

By: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers), Neil Edwards & Scott Hanna (artists), Jesus Aburtov (colorist)

The Story: Step right up and have your drink shaken, not stirred by a living legend!  Seriously.

The Review: There are plenty of mythological figures running around in comics, two of the biggest being Thor and Wonder Woman (who isn’t really part of mythic canon, but whose roots are so deeply embedded in myth she might as well be).  What sets Hercules apart from these characters, and also what makes him so special, is his enthusiastic embracing of modern life and pop culture, things from which Thor and Diana still tend to keep their distance—and thereby us.

By comparison, Herc’s so much more relatable, even more so now that he’s been rendered mortal, with mortal concerns, such as trying to find a job and a place to live.  In spite of all this, he remains a hero to the core, and to be worth his salt, he needs a mission.  Since he can’t always depend on villains like Hobgoblin to pop up on a regular basis, Hercules makes up his own agenda to protect a New York City borough from the Ares-devoted mobsters, the Warhawks.

This perfectly balanced melding of mortal concerns infected with mythic influences has been a great trademark for Pak-Van Lente’s conception of Hercules and his stories.  Not only do they use Herc’s ancient origins largely to comic effect (“Who’s thy daddy, now?”), they also make some clever parallels between his famous exploits (the lifting of the world on his shoulders) and the current action (his inability to keep a building from collapsing on him).  These are fun details for mythology buffs, but they also highlight the uphill battles he’ll have to fight from now on.

Herc #1 – Review

By: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers), Neil Edwards (penciller), Scott Hanna (inker), Jesus Aburtov (colorist)

The Story: Uh-oh…does the incredible Hercules have a little boo-boo?

The Review: Despite being one of the most likable and collaborative heroes around, Hercules’ godlike powers don’t really allow him to mix up with his fellow Avengers and their usual foes too often.  But with his superhuman powers diminished and the title of his newest ongoing reduced simply to his nickname, Pak and Van Lente show that Herc’s going to have to rub shoulders with the rest of us mortals for a while.  There’s of course a lot of potential for that kind of storyline, and Pak-Van Lente have already begun mining it in this first issue.

Nothing starts the blood pumping for an action series like guns and fisticuffs on a speeding train.  Herc’s takes down the gang of Warhawks in neo-classical fashion, proving his power loss hasn’t affected his battle skills any.  Pak-Van Lente also smartly use the opportunity to give brief intros to his arsenal of weapons and demonstrate their surprising effectiveness against conventional arms (his arrow piercing through one thug’s Uzi into his shoulder is especially great).

There are plenty of other myth-based superheroes that don’t really figure their mythological roots into their stories except as a theme, so it’s really impressive how present Herc’s ancient Greek origins stay throughout the issue beyond his weapons.  The prayers of his worshippers seem to be guiding him toward a more Herculean challenge than disarming the Kingpin’s street mafia.  No doubt the two tie together somehow, but this issue remains determinedly vague on that front.

And Herc wouldn’t be the hero we love without his enthusiastic embrace of modern American culture.  His delight in liquor gives us a pretty good joke (seeing a can of beer offered at his altar: “Best.  Offering.  Ever.”) and gets him a temp job, which can only mean more hilarious beats to come.  And there are few heroes in either of the Big Two who are as sexually comfortable as Hercules—the cut from meeting Rhea to him sprawled naked in bed is possibly one of the best scene-jumps you’ll have read this year.

Amazing Spider-Man #650 – Review

By: Dan Slott (writer), Humberto Ramos (pencils), Carlos Cuevas, Nikki Damon & Victor Olazaba (inks), Edgar Delgado (colors), Joe Caramanga (letters) & Stephen Wacker (editor)

Marc Gargan back-up: Slott (writer), Neil Edwards (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Morry Hollowell (colors) & Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: A new Spidey-suit makes its debut, as Peter Parker gets ready to take on the new Hobgoblin.

What’s Good: Slott and Ramos are off to such a strong start on their run on ASM.  The days of the rotating Spidey-creators produced a lot of good stories and looking through my notes, the “average grade” for those stories was ~B, but Slott/Ramos have just taken this to another level.  They should be glad that there is no “comic creators’ union” because they would be getting a harsh talking to for making other creators look bad.

The story itself is just fast, well-paced fun.  It starts out with a very well done action sequence with Spidey tangling with the new Hobgoblin, but the middle and latter part of the issue do great stuff with Peter’s supporting cast.  But, the stuff that really stands out to me are the scenes in Peter’s lab at his new job.  I love how Slott is making use of Peter’s science background and these scenes could consist of nothing but Peter spouting some techno-babble while working on some “stuff”.  But, Slott uses MJ and Carlie in a really clever scene that features Peter and Carlie talking WAY over the top of MJ’s head about science stuff.  This is way more effective that any jabbering about flux-capacitors could be.

Oh…and you might have heard…there is a new Spidey-costume.  You can see it on the cover art and if you’ve followed online teasers or message boards, you’ve probably already seen opinions about what/why this costume is here.  My favorite speculation was that it was for some sort of tie-in with the TRON movie.  Ha!  Turns out the costume has a very specific and sensible purpose, although I do wonder how Slott will make this costume go away because if I were Spidey, THIS would be my permanent costume forever.

I hate to say that Ramos is “killing it” on the art, because I think that is such an unimaginative thing to say, but it is really true in this case.  I love his exaggerated cartooning style because it allows him to be freed from the constraints of physics and anatomy in a way that a more realistic artist cannot.  When they draw a character with a leg that is too long it just looks screwed up, but when Ramos does it, it just screams that these characters are alive.  Ramos is truly one of the modern masters at this style (along with Chris Bachalo) and I think this run on ASM is as good as anything I’ve ever seen from him.   He draws a great Spidey, a great Peter Parker, a great Carlie Cooper, a great Black Cat. I kinda feel sorry for the artist on the next arc.  Why can’t Ramos and Bachalo just alternate arcs?

Fantastic Four #582 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Neil Edwards (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

The Story: The Great Hunt concludes and the older Val and Franklin try to save/create reality and the future.

What’s Good: One of the things that I love about comics, or serial publications in general, is that now and then, you’ll be reading an issue and the thought will flash through your head, clear as day, as much a thought as a feeling.  It usually sounds something like this: “goddamn, I love this book.”

That’s pretty much how I felt about Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four last month, and that’s how I feel this month as well.  Though this month’s issue isn’t quite as strong as last month’s, it’s still a triumph of Hickman’s imagination.

The Great Hunt is awesome concept and the fight between Nathaniels is really well-done, as is the montage showing evil Nathaniel’s elimination of the other Nathaniels.  Hickman’s narration of this sequence is really strong, and in one page, it manages to build up this evil Nathaniel into something truly horrifying.

The fight itself is great if only because it shows glimmers of what Reed, Doom, and Ben will become.  Reed’s humanity is highlighted, while young Doom is an absolute joy under Hickman’s hand.  The character is so ridiculously bombastic and arrogant that it’s impossible not to love the guy.  Hickman has the character’s voice completely down to a science, and I cannot wait to see him write the “real” Victor von Doom.

This issue is interestingly divided into two distinct halves, with the other being devoted to the trials of the future, older Val and Franklin.  Though a more complex read, it’s enjoyable on a different level, mostly due to the strong characterization of Franklin and Val.  Franklin appears at times to be truly god-like, while his bond with Val is really touching.  This leads to a truly magnificent ending for the issue, one that touches upon this sibling bond, making clear their love for each other without beating us over the head or coming across saccharine.  It’s a really affecting moment of sacrifice that also once again focuses on Hickman’s idea behind Fantastic Four, that being an ethos that rejects limitations and impossibilities.

Fantastic Four #581 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Neil Edwards (pencils), Paul Neary (inks), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

The Story: Young sophomores Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, and Victor von Doom look to help Nathaniel Richards in a battle with…. himself?

What’s Good: This is without a doubt the best issue of Hickman’s Fantastic Four since his first arc on the series.  I think a good part of it is because he’s ditched the one-shot formula he’s been using for the past few months and is thus able to stretch his legs for a grander, and more cohesive, story.  The result is real Fantastic Four goodness, a good mixture of high-concept sci-fi wackiness and strong chemistry between characters.

Nathaniel Richards is also put to good use by Hickman in a plot that is a total winner on concept alone.  Essentially, as we saw in Hickman’s other Marvel series, SHIELD (a SHIELD reference in FF? Yes!), Nathaniel Richards touched the power source of that… errr… exploding dude.  This resulted in all the Nathaniel Richardses of every reality being pulled into the main Marvel U, and because Immortus will only tolerate one Nathaniel Richards in one reality, all the Nathaniels are locked in a deadly battle royale to be that final Nathaniel.  It’s almost like a mixture of Fantastic Four and Highlander and it’s the sort of mind-boggling insanity that distinguishes Hickman’s work.

While this plot itself is a great deal of fun, Hickman’s character work is strong as well, as he does really well with the voices of undergraduates Reed, Ben, and Victor.  All the characters feel really true to themselves; Victor is as arrogant and elitist as ever, while the friendship between opposites shared by Reed and Ben is quietly heartwarming to see in action.  A debate in a moral philosophy class between Victor and Reed is also a great read, doing a good job of capturing the fundamental conflict between the two characters.  Really, the issue is full of moments like this; little winks and prescient nods to what the characters will later become, unbeknownst to them.

Fantastic Four #580 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Neil Edwards (pencils), Andrew Currie (inks), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

The Story: Franklin, Leech, and Johnny head to Arcade Toys for “the most impossibly awesome toy event ever.”

What’s Good: With wacky characters like Arcade and Impossible Man and most of the action taking place in a madcap toystore, the book reads like a really fun kids movie or cartoon of the sort that adults can also find enjoyment in.  As a result, there’s a lot of energy and gleeful abandon to the book, making it basically impossible to dislike.  It’s the kind of action that just makes the reader happy and that’s never a bad thing.

Certainly, Arcade and Impossible Man’s larger-than-life presences are more than welcome and make the comic a livelier and more welcoming experience.  Both characters suit the kids movie tone perfectly and give the book a sense of familiarity.  They’re two Saturday morning type characters and as such, they offer a bit of a reprieve from the big ideas that Hickman usually layers his books with.  I do love Hickman for those ideas, but giving us a little break now and then can be refreshing and liberating.  That and Impossible Man, when written well, is always a barrel of fun.

Amidst all the wackiness, there is solid character work as well.  I was pleasantly surprised by Hickman’s writing of Johnny this month, who came across as uncharacteristically paternal, loving, and even, dare I say it, responsible.  His relating to Franklin’s situation and the advice he gives his nephew hit home and provided something of a tender moment between the two.  Basically, Johnny acted like the perfect uncle this month.  All of this was still distinctly Johnny, however, with his characteristic narcissistic remarks peppered throughout.

The final scene, which involves the Future Foundation seeking a cure for Ben’s condition, was intriguing as well.  I found it particularly effective due to bittersweet note it ended on.  What the Future Foundation does for Ben is so limited, yet for Ben, that’s already a miracle.  It’s heartwarming to see something done for Ben, but also sad that it took this long and is so deteriorated in effectiveness as a result.  Hickman struck this balance perfectly.

Fantastic Four #579 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Neil Edwards (pencils), Andrew Currie (inks), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

The Story: Tired of self-limitation among the scientific community, Reed looks to prepare the next generation of thinkers.

What’s Good: This is one of those issues of Fantastic Four that demonstrates why the title is perfect for Hickman, linked as it is with ideas he’s had since Transhuman.  That is, specifically, the refusal to accept limitations and glass ceilings and a simultaneously idealist and escapist belief in infinite potential and boundless possibility.

This is laid out in the book’s strongest scene, an extended speech by Reed at a conference scientists, where he condemns them for their inertia and self-limiting.  It’s a beautiful fusion of Romanticism and scientific thought, and a bold, exciting message of hope.  It’s also highly relevant to our world as well, with Reed actually calling out the decision to suspend manned space missions.  Reed’s speech is some of the finest writing I’ve ever read from Hickman particularly because it’s so pertinent to the human condition and contemporary society in its ideas and sentiment.  It’s also, of course, perfect for the Heroic Age.  Simply put, the sky is the limit but, in Reed’s eyes, we’ve stopped looking up.

This idea of “no limits” extends to a conversation between Reed and the Wizard.  The Wizard is wonderfully written by Hickman, stark raving mad and spewing just barely incomprehensible pseudo-science babble.  Reed’s explanation for his reasons behind taking in the Wizard’s clone is very well linked to the speech with which he opened the issue, almost as though Reed is putting his own words into practice.  He will raise the boy in order to prove that there are no limits to human potential; genetics, destiny, and predestination are bunk in the face of a nurturing environment.

Fantastic Four #574 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Neil Edwards (pencils), Andrew Currie (inks), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

The Story: It’s Franklin’s birthday, but who’s the mysterious visitor who invades the Baxter Building come nightfall?

What’s Good: If anything, every single one of Hickman’s issues of Fantastic Four have all felt very true to the core values of the series: good wholesome fun with a dash of sci-fi wackiness/action.  This month’s book continues that trend.

Franklin’s birthday forms the bulk of the issue, and for the most part, it’s fun.  The Spider-Man cameo was good for a laugh, and it’s hard not to enjoy seeing the character act as a birthday performer and child entertainer.  Hickman basically writes Spider-Man almost as a kid’s party magician….except for the fact that he’s Spider-Man.  Children’s birthdays in the Marvel Universe are just like ours, only far more awesome.

And of course, with Spider-Man’s presence comes the hilarity of his relationship with Johnny.  Torch’s seething jealousy for the character is as funny as ever under Hickman.  The present he gets for Spidey is bound to make you laugh, as well as the sight of Johnny accusing someone else of being a show-off.

Spidey’s not the only guest to bring the laughs though.  The child found in the Wizard’s lair back at the beginning of Hickman’s run is also a guest at the party (it’s good to see Hickman’s not forgotten him), and surprisingly, despite the dark nature of the character, his page of dialogue with Sue is a real laugh.  He’s morbid, apathetic, and depressed…but he loves cake.  Sue’s completely ignoring his macabre dialogue definitely helped.

The last bit of the issue hints at big things to come.  I loved what Neil Edwards did with the art here.  A mysterious visitor gives Val portents of the future, and Edwards renders said portents as child’s crayon drawings.  I got a real kick out of seeing a cackling Dr. Doom illustrated in crayon.  Also, I had to say, when Val revealed the visitor’s identity, my jaw literally dropped. How Hickman has Val address the visitor for who he really is was oddly touching.

Fantastic Four #573 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Neil Edwards (pencils), Andrew Currie (inks), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

The Story: Johnny, Ben, and the kids go to Nu-World for a vacation but what they find there is a far cry from being a resort.

What’s Good: Probably the best thing the issue has going for it is its generic tone.  The book is a wacky, retro sci-fi adventure.  While Nu-World has become a dystopian mess, Hickman uses this as an excuse to fill the issue with a scuttling, disembodied brain and a hero with a goofy helmet blasting apart robots by the dozen with his ray gun.  It’s cheesy, but definitely fun, like a bad 70s sci-fi flick.  There’s also a depiction of a pseudo-scientific, transcendental sort of mass suicide that sort of reminded me of Logan’s Run with astronauts.  I’m probably alone on that, but it’s cool nonetheless.

I’ve never been a fan of the kids, but Hickman actually made me enjoy their presence.    Both Val and Franklin have a comical way of undercutting Ted Castle and his planetary problems, but in different ways.  Val makes it all seem so simple through her intellect, while Franklin approaches the situation and his circumstances on an entirely different level, as a child would.  There’s a beautifully paced sequence where he offers a grieving Ted Castle a sandwich, tugging the heart-strings while providing a laugh.

Through his wacky sci-fi hijinks and his use of the brain and the kids, Hickman takes what could’ve been a heavy-handed, grindingly tragic affair and turns it into something much more light and fun.  That said, by the time the issue ends, he still gives a little glimpse of the epic nature of what actually unfolded, finishing the book with a beautiful retrospective montage, narrated in a simple fashion that metatextually breaks the comic into its component parts and making it seem all the grander in retrospect.

What’s Not So Good: Despite all this, under perhaps a more cynical lens, it’s hard not to be very well aware of the fact that this issue was more or less written to serve a simple purpose: sweep Nu-World under a rug.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for it, but it can be a bit frustrating when a writer’s purpose is so abundantly clear.  The comic is as much a story as it is a means to an end.

Of course, if Hickman is writing this issue solely to be done with Nu-World, that also means that several characters are treated cursorily, perhaps not with the respect they deserve.  There’s not one but two character deaths, both of which are insultingly brief, abrupt, and underwhelming.  Like Nu-World itself, it’s clear that Hickman just wanted them out of the way.   The Nu-World characters have little page-space, don’t flesh themselves out much, and basically show up just to remind us that they’re there.

Furthermore, while the art isn’t atrocious or anything, Neil Edwards is a far, far cry from Dale Eaglesham.  His artwork just feels very generic, with little sense of individual style or flair.  It does the job without attempting to do anything more.  Edwards also struggles with headshots.  Two panels in particular, one of Johnny and one of Psionics, are total botches.

Conclusion: Enjoyable for what it is, but it creaks a little at times due to the weaker art and Hickman’s obvious motivations.

Grade: B

-Alex Evans