Fantastic Four #609 – Review

By: Jonathan Hickman (writer), Ryan Stegman (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story:  The Nu-World leftovers decide to return home.

The Review:  For the most part, Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four and FF have been doing a whole lot of wheel-spinning for the last couple of months.  We can all thank Marvel for that, as they decided to keep Hickman on after the natural endpoint of his run.  As a result, we get issues like this one.

We’ve reached the point where Hickman has so nicely wrapped up every loose end (well, barring Bentley’s family background, which are the only remaining issues I’m looking forward to) that this issue actually sees him dealing with loose ends left by OTHER writers runs.  Hickman seems to have so run out of mileage that he’s left picking up Mark Millar’s leftovers from a much maligned idea and story-arc.

Fantastic Four #586 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Steve Epting (pencils), Rick Magyar (inks), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

The Story: Sue tries to stave off war as she learns a starting secret, Reed journeys with Galactus, and Ben, Johnny, and the kids attempt to hold back the Negative Zone.

What’s Good: I’ve found the “Countdown to Casualty” on the front cover to be cheesy from the get-go, and yet that’s exactly the message that Jonathan Hickman so skillfully crafts this month.  In the last issue before the death occurs, the tension has reached a fever pitch.  In that sense, “Three” has been a beautiful arc; each issue was more tense than the last, as each month, the members of the FF find themselves in increasingly bad situations.

As far as that tension and anxiousness goes, this issue is by far the tightest and, at times, most breathless.  It’ll have you hankering for the next issue and truly at wit’s end over who it is that will meet their end next month.  In this sense, Hickman’s announcing the casualty early works great, as this month ends up being a “what if” guessing game.  This is a riveting, edge of your seat read where everything stands incredibly precariously. Nowhere is this tension clearer than in the running dialogue Reed and Galactus.  I’ve always loved mortal/god conversations because of uncomfortable dynamic, and that serves Three’s purposes well here and leads to a truly heroic splash page and resolution on Reed’s part.

Despite all the darkness and nervousness though, Hickman still finds time for his wacky humor.  He writes the kids brilliantly this month, who function as a kind of almost surreal comic relief amidst all of the darkness.  Seeing them gleefully building rifles and grenades is pretty damned hilarious, particularly given the circumstances.

Other than that though, there’s a reveal regarding the Atlantean conference and Namor’s intentions that is very well played and will have you re-evaluating and possibly re-reading previous issues.  It’s a wonderful twist by Hickman and one that I certainly didn’t see coming after last month’s issue.    Ultimately, big, big things are on the horizon for the Fantastic Four.  Those who have complained about the lack of narrative progression in Hickman’s Fantastic Four should love this issue, as a lot happens, or at least is revealed.

Once again, Steve Epting’s artwork serves this arc well.  It’s moody and dark, but still distinctly FF and his Galactus and Negative Zone monsters all look great.  I could ask for much more.

Fantastic Four #585 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Steve Epting (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

 

The Story: Reed tries to talk down Galactus and the Surfer while Sue attempts to mediate a meeting between Atlanteans.

What’s Good: I’ve heard people complain that not enough happens per issue of Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four.  That sure isn’t the case this month.  This issue jam-packed with content and story.  Almost every major plotline currently running in FF is touched upon and moved forward in some significant way and every member of the Fantastic Four plays a major role.  This is one of those comic books that truly feels longer than its 22 pages.  Nothing is neglected and honestly, it’s impressive what Hickman accomplishes given that he’s tasked with simultaneously running two very different stories in the span of a single issue.  The dealings with Galactus and the Atlanteans are very different in plot, tone, and setting and yet Hickman manages to synthesize them into a cohesive, calamitous whole.

I think one of the reasons for that is the ever-present feeling of dread and darkness that looms over the series.  That’s not to say that Hickman’s writing a grim and gritty or particularly pessimistic Fantastic Four, far from it, it’s just that there’s this ominous feeling that lingers over the issue and all of its plotlines.  There’s a near constant sense of danger and encroaching disaster that is honestly independent of the countdown on the cover, though admittedly that doesn’t hurt.

With the FF split apart this month and placed on very separate missions, things feel like they’re spiraling out of control and that it’s only a matter of time before something catastrophic occurs. Yet, the beautiful thing is that I have neither idea nor clue as to what that catastrophe will be and where it will come from, as, right now, there are so many things going wrong.  Similarly, Hickman continues to give each of the members of the FF little moments of farewell, emotional characterization, or impending danger that hints that they’re a goner but these are so subtle and played so evenly, that it makes me feel like I’m swimming in a sea of red herrings.

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 #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

 

Fantastic Four #570 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Dale Eaglesham (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

The Story: After fighting a gang of robots in typical FF style, Reed enters the Bridge to meet a “council” of very familiar faces.

What’s Good: As a Fantastic Four comic, Hickman’s first go is generally a success for being 22 pages of pure fun that manages to put a smile on your face.  In other words, it’s exactly how an FF comic should be.  The battle with the robots is flashy and fun, the bad guy sounds suitably crazy, providing the necessary darkness in an otherwise bright comic, and the comic ends with some required inter-dimensional wackiness.

A special mention must go to the first scene of the book.  It truly is an iconic way to begin a run, feeling both intimate and grand. It’s touching, yet it also foreshadows an epic lot of stories to come. Let’s hope Hickman can live up to that promise.

It’s always a test for a writer’s first issue on a venerable series; and it’s good to see that Hickman has a solid handle on the various characters’ voices.  Johnny and Ben maintain their humourous banter (or glum moroseness in the case of Ben), but a special mention must go to the way Hickman handles the kids.  The kids are all too often the victims of poor writing, either sounding mentally handicapped, inappropriately mature, or some bizarre hybrid of the two that just sound off. Hickman passes the test with flying colors.  Franklin sounds like the fun, adventurous kid that he is, while Val definitely sounds too old for her age, but it’s appropriate for her character and Hickman makes sure to point out the oddity of it while maintaining Val’s tone of innocence despite the outrageous maturity of her dialogue. She’s still a kid, just an outrageously smart one.

All told, this is a fun comic that takes a little break from the Dark Reign glumness. It’s nice to see Reed venturing out into alternate Earths and in-between spaces once again. The party he finds on the other side of the bridge is a bit of surreal, almost comedic fun, while the last page reveal promises more cosmic mayhem to come.

What’s Not So Good: While Eaglesham’s art is solid by and large, it needs to be asked: what the hell is up with Reed? When did the lanky scientist become a world-class bodybuilder? This may sound like I’m nitpicking, but it’s really distracting. Seriously, Richards looks way, way too buff.

Despite Eaglesham’s calibre as an artist, I did find some of his action scenes in the early parts of the issue a little hard to follow at points as well. I could tell that the Thing was clobbering a robot, but how and what part of the robot remained a bit of a mystery. I’m not sure if the panels were too small, or what it was exactly, but it was a little hard to decipher.

Also, while the comic is far from unreadable, I do feel as though I would have benefited from reading Hickman’s Dark Reign: Fantastic Four miniseries, which is a little irritating.

Conclusion: A solid and promising start to what will hopefully be nice run.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

Fantastic Four #555 – Review

By Mark Millar (writer), Bryan Hitch (pencils, inks), Paul Neary (inks), Paul Mounts (pencils)

Mark Millar wasn’t lying! This book is full of high concepts. Usually when I read a book like this, there’s a lot of generalities – things just aren’t thought out well. That’s definitely not the case here. Like a true science fiction epic, Millar’s idea of a new man made Earth is provocative. The way he’s fleshed out this “Nu-World” and how the scientists have thought of just about every contingency from replicating graffiti on city walls to the moon’s effect on the tide is just brilliant.

Most of this issue goes into great detail regarding Alyssa’s “science project”. One might expect to be bogged down with these explanations, but thanks to the eye candy provided by Bryan Hitch, it all comes off very cinematic. Eventually, the story boils down to Alyssa selling this concept to Reed, imploring him to leave behind the super heroics and become a scientist on the project. He doesn’t exactly answer her question, but there’s no denying that it’s in the back of his head.

The other subplots started by Millar don’t really come into play this issue, and that’s fine with me – they’re  just “throw aways” and I prefer seeing him concentrate on this science fiction stuff. Sue is no where to be found, Johnny Storm runs into a super villain that falls for him (and vice versa), and The Thing rambles on about his date from the previous night while giving Reed a stern warning about Alyssa. I’m sure this will all tie together eventually, but for now, I’m happy with what’s going on.

The creative team is firing on all cylinders. Paul Neary and Paul Mounts deliver some beautiful inks and colors over Bryan Hitch’s pencils. And Russ Wooton’s has to be commended for his choices in typefaces (it all just fits perfectly). Fantastic Four is in very capable hands. Prepare to be enraptured from page one. (Grade: A)

– J. Montes