Fantastic Four #587 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer) & Steve Epting (artist)

The Story: Reed Richards attempts to save a planet’s worth of people, Sue finds herself thrust into an ancient war, and Ben, Johnny, and the kids make their stand against the Annihilation wave.

What’s Good: So let’s talk about the character death first.  Despite all the publicity, polybags, countdowns to casualty, and general hype, Jonathan Hickman actually gives us a character death that is heartfelt, tragic, and close to tear-inducing.  Given all the hype, that’s no small feat; all the marketing may have tried its best to cheapen the event itself, but Hickman plays it brilliantly.  The character finds him/herself against impossible odds and it’s, ironically, a defining moment for him/her.  It is truly, well, heroic, which only makes it all the more heart-rending.  It also exposed the true heart of the character, beneath all the fluff and pretensions.  More than that though, Hickman also does a great job by balancing the character’s sacrifice with his/her relationship with one of the other members of the FF.  It makes it all the more touching and gives a tragic “those left behind” feel for that latter character and the sheer emotion is violent in its intensity.  Indeed, the final page will haunt you.  It’s just such a damned sad image and it’s one of those situations where you feel as bad, maybe even worse, for those left behind as you for the deceased.

So the death is handled extremely well, hits all the right notes, and is about as tastefully and sincerely written as can be hoped for.  However, what really distinguishes this issue is that Hickman doesn’t let it standalone.  The plot with Reed on Nu-World ends is resolved through ploy that’s guaranteed to make you go “whoa.”  It’s one of those massive ideas that defies any sense of limitation, the sort of thing that has defined Hickman’s Fantastic Four.  The plot with Sue, meanwhile, happens upon yet another massive twist, leaving things in a very interesting state going forward while also providing a great Namor/Sue moment.

Despite the imminent death, Hickman even finds a way to cram some humour in.  Bentley and Leech were both absolute riots this month.  Leech was adorable while Bentley was hilarious due to his downright creepiness.

I also appreciated how Hickman structured this issue, intent on building tension throughout as the reader tries to guess who’s going to bite the bullet.  He slowly resolves each plotline one at a time, eliminating each member of the Fantastic Four until only two are remaining.  It’s a great ploy that made for a gripping read.

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.