FF #15 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Nick Dragotta (pencils), Mike Choi (inks), Chris Sotomayor & Guru eFx (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: Franklin receives guidance from his imaginary friend as the kids race to prepare Sol’s Anvil.

The Review:  Before I get to the real meat of the review, let’s all do a little happy dance that Juan Bobillo has officially departed from the title.  Hurray!

Now that we’re through with that, this is actually a somewhat troubling issue.  It’s certainly not at all poorly written: it’s technically a well-crafted script by Hickman, as you’d expect, with big cosmic hullabaloo combined with little injections of humour.  The problem is that no matter how I think on this issue, I can’t really think of a bona fide reason why it had to be written at all.

Put simply, there’s not a whole lot of significance that occurs here beyond what we already knew from the last issue of Fantastic Four and the new events that we do witness could easily have been assumed to have occurred off panel.  Hell, it even ends on the same cliffhanger splash page (albeit, not as well drawn).  It’s hard to see why this issue had to exist at all either than to give some of the kids a little screen time.  Really, I’m left feeling that this issue is akin to your favorite band putting out a collection of b-sides.  It’s kind of cool as a collectible or an oddity, but it’s not at all a must-have, nor does it stand at the same level or gravity of a full album, ultimately being “for completionists only.”

The weirder thing is that, while this issue doesn’t do much above and beyond what Fantastic Four #603 already rocked our brains with, it also can’t be read without having read that issue.  I can’t imagine FF #15 making a lot of sense at all if you’re not reading Fantastic Four.  In fact, it becomes even more useless.  So ultimately, if you’re reading Fantastic Four, you’re sort of getting an issue narrative “extras” a bit lacking in necessity and substance while, if you’re not reading Fantastic Four, this won’t be of any worth at all.

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.