FF #7 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Greg Tocchini (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

The Story: The return of Black Bolt from the fault is detailed.

What’s Good:  Really, the best thing I can say about this issue of FF is that it’s not as bad as the last one.

For starters, it’s far more intelligible.  It’s easier to tell just what the hell is happening, especially given that there are fewer flashbacks and less Supremor babbling.   Ultimately, Hickman tells a much clearer story this month, and also one that’s a lot of more relevant.  We get something a prophecy and a hint of things to come courtesy of Supremor that actually manages to tantalize more than it confuses.  At the very least, the ending of this issue ties right back to where we left off in FF before it became an Inhumans comic, which should ground it a bit more for a lot of readers.

And hey, you know what?  Black Bolt is a total badass, in case you didn’t already know.  Hickman makes really awesome use of his uber-powerful voice and has a firm handle on how best to use the character’s concept, with his words being few but powerful in content as well as tectonic force.

FF #6 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Greg Tocchini (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: The birth of Black Bolt is revealed.

What’s Good:  There are some really bold literary themes in this one and some of its certainly really, really cool.  As we delve into the birth of Black Bolt, Hickman makes allusions to Jesus Christ, comparing the births between the two.  One simply can’t help but make the messianic connections when a Zordon-looking supreme intelligence called Supremo orders mass murder to eliminate a soon-to-be-awakened threat in Black Bolt.  Pile that up with all the epic talk of destiny and such, and it’s quite striking.

As Supremo compiles data, he also confers with a religious figure about the prophesied troublemaker, and it’s a nice intersection of faith/religion and science.  The result is a discussion that leads to an end that feels like a hybrid of the two that could only really occur in a science fiction comic book.  Certainly, between this and the religious allegory, Hickman delivers a rather high-brow, literary feel to the issue.

What’s Not So Good:  That said, this comic almost completely alienated me.  It is in every way a Marvels cosmic issue and does not feel at all like a Future Foundation or Fantastic Four-related book.  Certainly, no member of the Future Foundation is even referred to, but the real problem is that the events of this issue are so far distanced to those of the story that we’ve been reading so far, that it ends up being almost incomprehensible.

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.

Guardians of the Galaxy #21 – Review

By Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (writers), Brad Walker (artist), Andrew Hennessy & Victor Olazaba (inkers), Wil Quintana (colorist)

The Story: Following the events of last month’s issue, the Luminals have foolishly brought back an alien life form with them from their unwarranted expedition into The Fault. The Guardians want to send the abomination back to where it came from, the Universal Church of Truth wants to worship it as a god, and the alien wants to hibernate in somebody. Needless to say, it’s a bad day to be a Guardian of the Galaxy.

The Good: I’ll tell you what, taking a chance on this comic has been one of the best decisions I’ve made all year. I’ve picked up six issues so far (excluding the first two graphic novels I picked up to fill in the back stories) and every single one of them has been an astounding blend of political intrigue, manipulations, action, and science fiction ingenuity. With each new issue released under the “Realm of Kings” banner, you new information is revealed that makes the nature of The Fault all the more terrifying. Without giving anything away, let me just say that as a mild-mannered reviewer living with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, this issue’s revelation put honest to God chills down my spine and made my skin crawl. And shit, if you want to talk about terrifying, let me take a moment to talk about that alien life form. Abnett and Lanning, to their credit, somehow found a way to take all the utter creepiness of the movie Alien and condense it onto the printed page. Moondragon’s encounters with the xenoform are vile and disgusting, bringing to mind images of when the alien burst out of Kane’s chest in the movie. Abnett and Lanning excel at getting across the repulsiveness of life on the other side of The Fault and what a genuine threat it poses to our universe, and if they can pull that off with one measly alien, I can’t wait to see what they have in store when the story kicks into high gear.

Realm of Kings – Review

By Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (writers), Leonardo Marco & Mahmud Asrar (artists), Bruno Hang (colorist)

The Story: What lies beyond The Fault? It’s an answer Marvel’s cosmic heroes have wanted to know ever since the war between Black Bolt and his Inhumans and the mutant Vulcan came to its tragic conclusion. Quasar, newly resurrected and desperate to prove his worth to his colleagues, has offered to delve into the tear in time and space to find out what lies on the other side, but what he finds there threatens to consume the entire Marvel Universe.

The Good: Readers will know that lately I’ve been taking a long overdue interest in Marvel’s cosmic heroes, and since I’ve missed the previous storylines set in this corner of the Marvel universe, I’ve decided now’s as good a time as any to jump on the rollercoaster and fully experience what so many other critics have been buzzing about for years now. I’m glad I’m starting here, because this issue has set the stage for a truly epic, terrifying story. Abnett and Lanning have masterful control over this little corner of Marvel’s universe, and it shows in the tight, interlocking arcs they are weaving together. From Annihilation right on through War of Kings, each story feels like a natural extension of the one that came before and not just another overly-marketed gimmick. These guys have literally rebuilt the universe from the ground up and it shows with the rich characterization and intricate plots they have developed. Quasar rings true as a devastatingly powerful hero struggling to earn his role as the guardian of the universe right at a time when it is most threatened, and the confidence with which he handles himself on the other side of The Fault reminds us why it remains a role he was born for. As for what lies beyond The Fault, I’m choosing not to comment because I don’t want to spoil the surprise, except to say the eerie combination of Lovecraftian horror and traditional superheroes is a delight and something I sincerely hope to see more of even after this storyline concludes.

The Not So Good: Nothing that won’t spoil your reading experience. This issue is primarily set up and exposition for the storyline proper, but I swear you’ll be so freaked out and have such a good time following Quasar’s journey (and I never thought I’d be saying that about a man named Wendell Vaughn) that you’ll hardly notice, and if anything want just a few more pages to see what happens next.

Conclusion: In a year highlighted by shockingly mediocre storylines, I feel like Marvel may have finally struck gold with Realm of Kings, and I’m really excited to see what happens next.

Grade: A-

-Tony Rakittke