Small Failures
Hickman wrapped up an amazing epic just a few issues ago, and the ones following demonstrated he knows how to write standalone short tales equally as well. But then he gives us something like this. This is not one of Hickman's great standalone stories, this one is.... well intentioned but poorly written. It's surprising actually, because the premise is fine, but the actual pacing and handling are just.... well.... terrible.
For starters, Hickman's the one who made me like Fantastic Four, so I had no idea who Willie was until I looked him up. That at least made the plot seem better once I actually UNDERSTOOD the significance. It's just that it was treated like we were supposed to know, and nobody once thought it was important to even offhandedly mention their connection?
And his identity is only icing on the cake of the idea, the core concept is one of humanity and compassion, grounding the cosmic Fantastic Four in something more grounded. But the presentation was utterly flawed. All the characters constantly dodged around explaining what the plot was until the very end; but the true nature of their current adventure was obvious from the moment I saw the freaking cover. So instead of dramatic tension or emotional suspense, this issue was an exercise in tedium as I waited and waited and waited for them to just up and out with it, dreading that Hickman hadn't realized how obvious his story was, and wasn't hinging the entire quality of this issue on catching people by surprise with the reveal..... but I was wrong.
In Conclusion: 2/5
The artwork was nice, and the actual problems they faced while on their obvious journey were very interesting and unique; but overall this issue was far too predictable for a story that put all its emotional eggs in the basket of creating a surprise. This issue was doomed by its inability to conceal itself, and it's core nature relying on it being able to do just that.
