For most of my comic book reading memory (which covers about 47 years), one of the books that has almost always been one of my favorites is the Fantastic Four. Perhaps that's because it's more than just a super-team. It's a family of interesting characters, with an amazing supporting cast and an almost limitless number of potential stories to tell.
Jack Kirby used to say that it would be difficult to tell a bad Superman story. I think the same is true for the FF, as long as the writer stays true to the characters. (There have certainly been some examples of bad stories in the past, of course.)
So with this issue we wrap up the first story arc by the new creative team of writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Dale Eaglesham, and all I can say is, "Whew!"
That's because once again we have a team that "gets" the idea behind the FF.
This three-issue story has largely been focused on Reed Richards, the leader of the team and the world's smartest man. In the aftermath of the Civil War, he's taken it upon himself to solve the big problems facing the world.
To do that, he's joined forces with an interdimensional council of his fellow Reeds. It's a big concept and it's interesting to see where it goes, as the Reeds tackle some unusual problems, arrive at unexpected solutions, and wrestles with some cosmic concepts (and cosmic creatures).
Finally, Reed finds himself facing the true cost of "solving everything," and has to make the ultimate decision. The impact of his choice could have effects that are universal - or very personal.
These "big and small" stories are where the FF really shine, and this story gives me a lot of hope for the future.
I'm also really enjoying Eaglesham's art, both for the big cosmic conflicts and the smaller, more personal moments. I'm still not sure about those short-sleeve uniforms, though.
It's still a bit too soon to declare that the new team is a perfect fit for this series, but so far, all signs are good. Perhaps it's time to dust off that "World's Greatest Comic Magazine" banner.
Grade: A-
2 comments:
Agreed. I've not enjoyed the Fantastic Four this much in quite a few years.
Bobby
I have had an on-again off-again relationship with the FF, and when it is good, it really is one of my faves. Eaglesham's art is quite a different style than I've seen on FF before, but it's very classic and I loved it (agree about the short sleeves though!). The story, I don't know, it didn't quite work for me for some reason. I mean, it was okay. I just found all those different Reeds to be too weird, almost like a Silver Age DC story or something. I know Eaglesham is off the next couple of issues, we'll see where it goes. I want this to work!
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