Fantastic Four #2 – Review

By: Matt Fraction (Writer), Mark Bagley (Artist), Mark Farmer & Mark Morales (Inker), Paul Mounts with Wil Quintana (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

The Review: I made a point in my FF #1 review that, though I felt the comic itself was excellent, I was concerned that its potential audience may be put off by the fact that it seemed like you had to be reading Fantastic Four as well to really get the most of it. I certainly didn’t expect for things to be the other way round, but somehow that’s what we’ve got; if you’ve not read FF #1 or been keeping up with all things Marvel NOW on the Interwebs, Fantastic Four #2 may leave you feeling like you’ve missed something.

First, a recap. Fantastic Four #1 established the premise for the series: Reed, Sue, Ben, Johnny, Franklin and Valeria are set to take a year-long vacation through time and space, ostensibly to spend some quality time together as a family but secretly so that Reed can find a cure for the cancer he’s found to be working its way through his body. However, not wanting to leave the Earth undefended for the four minutes (Earth-time) that they’ll be away, a temporary team had to be put together to take their place, with each member of the group choosing their respective replacements. Take a skip over to FF #1 and you’ll see that team get put together.

Fantastic Four #584 – Review

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

The Story: Ben takes the Future Foundation’s potion and, along with Johnny, enjoys the first day of his week as a normal guy.

What’s Good: Amidst all his huge ideas, it’s easy to forget that Jonathan Hickman is just as good at writing those heartfelt, “little” moments.  His best Fantastic Four issues usually feature a sprinkling of it here and there, but this month, Hickman reminds us of his capabilities in this arena by giving us not a sprinkling, but almost an entire issue’s worth.

If you’re a Ben Grimm fan, it’s hard not to be touched by the events of this month.  Seeing Ben enjoying his life is a genuine treat, as are his contentedness and habitual caution and self-awareness, so suddenly unnecessary.  There’s something deeply satisfying here, all the more if you love Ben and, really, what comics reader doesn’t have at least a small place in their heart for him?  This issue truly cuts to the emotional core of the character and actually gives him something of a small victory.

However, just as much as this issue is about Ben, it’s also about his unique friendship with Johnny, which has always been one of the funnest things about the Fantastic Four.  Hickman shows that he has a firm handle on this relationship, and never has it been clearer how much these two buds care about one another and that for all his bluster and arrogance, Johnny has a soft side for Ben and, for all the jokes, is perhaps more attuned and sympathetic to his friend than any other member of the family.  Johnny’s urging Ben forward and taking him out on the town was quite heart-warming to read and the last destination that Johnny brings Ben to leads to a truly feel-good moment.

All of this goes on to make the cliffhanger all the more startling and possibly the most effective cliffhanger of any book I’ve read this month.  It’s a total 180 in tone and substance and comes out of nowhere.  It’s so sudden, yet so massive, that you might get a chill when you see that last page.

I also adored Hickman’s new take on the Yancy Street Gang.  It’s so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but laugh, as Hickman combines contemporary politics with Silver Age cheese in a way that must be seen to be believed.

Dark Reign Fantastic Four #2 – Review

By Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Sean Chen (Pencils), Lorenzo Ruggiero (Inks), and John Rauch (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The first issue of Dark Reign: Fantastic Four left me fairly underwhelmed. The story didn’t really go anywhere until the final few pages and overall, I found reading it to be rather boring. Normally I would drop a mini-series after such a slow start, but I’m really interested in seeing how Jonathan Hickman handles the Fantastic Four, considering that he will be taking over the ongoing series once Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch finish their run. Whenever that may be…

The Story: Franklin and Valeria take care of the unexpected visit from H.A.M.M.E.R. soldiers as Reed Richards plugs away on the Bridge. Meanwhile, Sue, Johnny, and Ben find themselves tossed from reality to reality as Reed scans alternate ways for the registration act conflict to have ended peacefully. He learns something very interesting during the process…

What’s Good: The second issue of Dark Reign: Fantastic Four is, thankfully, quite a bit more interesting than the first. Reed’s search through alternate realities is pretty gripping thanks to a combination of Hickman’s creative possibilities and the art team’s great looking scenes. The same goes for the situations Sue, Ben, and Johnny find themselves a part of. In other words, the high concept story is putting the skills of the creative team to good use.

What’s Not So Good: The biggest complaint I have about the issue is that anything that doesn’t feature Reed seems largely inconsequential. What Sue, Ben, and Johnny do in one reality seems to have no bearing on what they do in whatever reality they find themselves in next. While that may sound like a nitpick, keep in mind that the segments take up a fairly large portion of the book. Sure they look nice, but the issue as a whole left me feeling as though Hickman has only scratched the surface of what he has planned…and with only three issue to go I fear things might end up feeling either rushed or not fully realized.

Conclusion: I really like the ideas that the second chapter of Dark Reign: Fantastic Four presents. Hickman, no stranger to high-concept, definitely makes that aspect of the story work. Unfortunately, the book feels only slightly above average as a whole because too much of it ends up feeling like filler. If a better balance can be achieved between the various storylines at work, I really think the mini-series could turn into a must read.

Grade:  C+

-Kyle Posluszny