The Good

Annual issues are a giant mixed bag. Many times, the creative team takes a month off and someone else comes in to do a one-shot. Sometimes, there's a cross-over annual event. Sometimes, we get actual progression to the main story line. With this issue, we get a bit of a side-story that actually progresses the characters and the overall main story currently happening in the main series.

Sue heads to Latveria to let Doom know she wants her daughter back, Valeria. Sue is very passionate and at a breaking point. She has been through a tremendous amount of stress and grief recently, and dealing with Doom is not something she's looking forward to. She finds that her daughter is fine with staying in Latveria and wants to help Doom make a change.

Could this have worked in the monthly series? Yes and no. A slimmed down version could have, combine with the other elements of the current FANTASTIC FOUR series, but this story needs to have a home in an annual issue where it's not necessarily a must buy issue for readers, but it will add tons of depth to the main story.

You know how I've been saying in every review of this book that I love how writer James Robinson embraces that past of Fantastic Four and utilizes it in contemporary storytelling. Spoilers ahead (maybe). Doctor Doom and Sue have a bit of a battle, and throughout the issue, we can see Sue start to succumb to the stress and emotional distress she's been having. At the end of this battle, which Sue wins, like the bad ass she is, but Doctor Doom comes to the conclusion that someone is sharing her mind: Malice. This isn't a confirmation at all because that could or couldn't be where Robinson is taking this story, but I love the idea that we could be headed down that road. I feel like Robinson knows all my favorite FF stories and is bringing aspects of them into this series. I now wait for Psycho Man to show up and for the FF to go back in time to kill Hitler... or Hate Monger.

The Bad

A part of this may be on my own ignorance, since I started becoming very invested in Fantastic Four when Robinson took over writing duties, but I don't know much about Valeria, Sue's daughter. She's very obviously smart, but I felt her dialogue seemed a bit too adult at times. The dialogue on it's own is great, but doesn't feel fitting for a super-smart child, even though the message does fit. Note: I know 0 super-intelligent kids.

The Verdict

FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL offers an awesome complimentary story to the main volume. It's full of tons of extremely well-executed dialogue and the story has a great pace to it. I had a bit of a problem with how Valeria spoke, but a lot of that may come from my own ignorance of the character. Regardless, it still was problematic for me in this reading experience. Aside from that minor issue, I really enjoyed this issue and almost everything about it. I highly recommend checking this one out if you've been enjoying the main series

Glad to see Marvel's first lady get some spotlight.

great issue, seeing sue let loose like that is always a pleasure. and @inferiorego Robinson actually did a spot on job with Vals dialogue, IMO. The past ten years she has been written to speak extremely maturely for her age.

one small continuity issue I had, isn't Val at least 5? I thought she had been established at being 5ish in Hickmans run, but I may be wrong.

@dathomiesilversurfer: In one of the last issues of Hickman's FF I think Valeria tells Bentley that she is 3 years old.

Yeah. I'm not extremely familiar with her, so a lot of my problems with the book are based on my FF knowledge. Still, for a 5 year old, it seemed a tad much, but I am just nitpicking

From Valeria's appearance in Loki (which takes place after this) she certainly doesn't seem like she's anywhere between 3 and 5. The kind of dialogue in Loki's book was also too mature for a five year old. Plus the art doesn't really support her as a 3-5 year old.

I'm not saying anyone's wrong, cause I know virtually nothing about the FF, just that the writers and artists might want to draw her younger if she really is 3, or 5 for that matter.

@inferiorego: it was established during Mark Millar's run how advanced Valeria was. When the Sue from the future came, she told Valeria, "I know you can talk already" or some such.

Nice.

I feel like this was kind of taking the easy way out. Like, oh, there's no way Sue could've actually snapped; it's all because of Malice. It's the generic route and I was hoping for this to be more of a real character arc.

Also yeah Val is absurdly smart so the dialogue fits. It actually bugged the hell out of me when Fraction was writing that he mostly treated her as a normal 3 year old.

Hmm not sure how I feel about Malice being behind Sue's emotional distress. It kinda goes back on all the development and writing Robinson has done for her up until this point and whilst certain explanations like this should be used on OOC options, Sue's acting more like an emotionally distressed mother than a mind controlled witch. And Malice was a pretty nasty character as far as Sue's depictions go so that might make things too dark in his run.

Still, it's one of the few Marvel Comics I enjoy so Robinson is doing a good job.

I can only say what ive been saying. God i love this run on marvels first family! David bell FF Fan For Life!!!!

Holy crap Sue just owned so hard. I really hope that Sue isn't possessed by anything. I want Sue to just act like this because of having lost her kids.

I really don't know what to say about this annual issue. I really want to like it because of the battle between Sue and Doom but I really feel that this story could've been told in the main issues and not in the annual. Also I really don't know how I feel about Sue acting this way because of Malice, I mean I just don't know if I like it or not.

This issue is a mixed bag for me.

man sue just owning people so much lately i love it, thats how my fave comic MILF roles. Still i can understand where she is coming from the FF are feeling it for reals man dang. One thing i know about Val if she is staying with doom she has something planned so i think sue should trust her to come back on her own.

Malice? It's been a while since she's shown up...

No idea who malice is.