Adventures Beyond Infinity
I'm not normally a big fan of Mark Bagley's artwork. He's not a bad artist at all, and he doesn't even turn me off the way Brett Booth does, he just usually has a style that isn't dynamic enough for my tastes, or something else just tends to feel off with him. For once I can say that this is completely not the case, as Bagley's work on this issue consistently solid throughout this issue. He leaves a lot of nice room for the colors to fill in details in a way that meshes well with his pencils; and the end result is something definitely satisfying.
I have only one major complaint with this issue, and it is thus. Yes, I understand Franklin is still a little kid, but honestly, what could spook him into acting like a normal scared little boy crying for mommy when he's literally one of the most powerful beings in the universe. My god, he says in FF #1 THAT HE HAS A PET GALACTUS. What the hell kind of nightmare makes a kid like that need to sleep with mommy and daddy the next night?
The only other thing really keeping this issue, by itself, from full greatness is that not much gets to happen within itself. It's a lot of setup, but damn does it set up some epic things. Most of this issue sets the stage, and introduces us to all the major players. We get some really nice scenes from all the main Four, The Thing gets an especially humorous one, and Johnny Storm gets a surprisingly heartwarming one. A lot of nice background information is given without the use of extensive exposition.
Aside from the, the other major thing in this issue is the setup for what is sure to be a plethora of tales to populate Fraction's run, or at least the beginning of it. I don't want to give too much away, but Reed proposes quite a huge scale adventure for the family, one to cross time and space and the barriers of reality and universes unknown. There's a pretty brilliant surface reason behind this, but what makes it even more interesting is the ulterior motive behind it, and Reed's unwillingness to discuss it.
In Conclusion: 4/5
Fraction's got a lot to live up to after Hickman's epic run, but he's off to a damn good start. This is something at the complete opposite end of the superhero spectrum as Fractions' PHENOMENAL Hawkeye, but it's got the potential to be just as good. If you're hesitant to read Fantastic Four as I know many people are, give this issue a shot, I can almost guarantee you won't regret it.
