I really had high hopes for the Mark Millar / Bryan Hitch run on Fantastic Four.The problem hasn't been on Hitch's part - the art on this series has been amazing, and few artists do a better job depicting big events and cosmic settings. This issue is no different, and there are several stunning splash pages on display here. The book is worth picking up for the art alone.
I really think the only stumbling block has been the covers. Instead of depicting a single iconic scene or an eye-catching layout, Hitch has been creating muddy, jumbled layouts that just don't jump out at you when you look over the week's comics. They're great art, but not effective covers.
This issue's cover is a good example, with the four faces of our heroes arrayed around the mask of Doom. The almost-invisible masthead at the bottom of the page doesn't help much either, although it does almost completely obscure Sue Storm's face at the bottom right.
The story really falls short here, as Doom faces his former instructor. The plot spins and twists but never really offers anything new and different, although it tries to set up Doom's Master and his mysterious apprentice (associate?) as unstoppable forces of destruction.
Here's hoping the story can still turn things around - but hope is fading fast.
Grade: B
2 comments:
Yeah, I liked this book okay and especially the art, but dropped it some months back. I agree about the covers. The trade dress on the FF books is the worst ever!!!
I guess it's an artsy thing - but I don't understand it. A cover is like an ad for your comic - it should lure the reader in. More than once I've almost missed the new issues of the FF because the covers are so odd. A shame, really.
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