Fantastic Four #577 – Review

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

The Story: The origin of the human race is discussed, as well as the future path of the Inhumans.

What’s Good: Dales Eaglesham’s art has been tremendous on Fantastic Four thus far, so when I say that this is quite possibly his best outing yet on the series, you know you’re in for some awesome art.  Everything just looks wonderfully creative, not to mention massive in scale.  The giant space ships, the varied and colorful aliens, it’s all really vibrant, creative, and generally impressive stuff from Eaglesham, leading to a 22 page feast for the eyes.  With such wide eyed goodness, insane cosmic stuff, and retro sci-fi goofiness on the page, the art is best described as fun, and yet it maintains a high level of detail and sophistication as well.

As far as Hickman’s story goes, this is the sort of Jonathan Hickman story where it’s hard not to admire the man’s creative aspirations and his willingness to enlarge his scope to truly ridiculous proportions.  Hickman’s narratives often feel vast, treating mind-bursting large ideas, and that’s really not far from the case here.  Why not deal with the origins of the human race in 22 pages and relate it to the species-endangering issues suffered by the Kree?  And keep in mind, this isn’t done in a six part story arc.  It’s accomplished in a single issue.  It’s frankly mind boggling, but it’s also the sort of gigantic insanity that works best in a book like Fantastic Four.