Fantastic Four #570

Getting a new creative team on a comic book is sort of like going on a blind date - you never know what you're going to end up with.

Even if you liked a writer or artist's previous work, you never know if they're going to have the same success with a different book - sometimes, it's just not a good match.

So new writer Jonathan Hickman and new artist Dale Eaglesham take over the adventures of the Fantastic Four with this issue. Hickman's been doing good work on Secret Warriors, and Eaglesham just wrapped up an excellent run on Justice Society, so one would expect good things from them here.

After reading the first issue, I have to say - the jury's still out on this one. That's because we're just getting the first part of the new storyline, so it's a bit early to decide whether the book deserves a "thumbs up" - but so far, I see no reason to think the story will earn a "thumbs down."

Here we have a good mix of family interaction, pseudo-science exploration and old-fashioned comic book-style action (though the opponent never seems particularly menacing - Reed hardly breaks a sweat here). It's the FF by the book.

Still, the characters all "sound" right, and Reed (who is the focus of the story) is well-portrayed as the ultra-intelligent hero with a heart. He's trying to find the answers to some very big questions, and it'll be interesting to see where it goes.

The art I like a lot. Eaglesham has tons of talent - his characters are individual and expressive, his actions scenes are strong, and his layouts tell the story cleanly. I'm not sure how I feel about little touches, like the short-sleeve shirts on the new FF uniforms (except for the shirtless Thing, of course) and Reed's permanent stubble, but those are minor complaints.

The final grade on the new team is going to depend on where the story goes from here, and while the opening round was solid, it remains to be seen if the new creative team and the Fantastic Four will be the right match. But so far, it's promising.

Grade: B+