Reed, Fantasticouch. Fantasticouch, Reed...
Sue, Pete, and Alex try to hold off "Normal" Reed and Moleman's assault on The Peak. Ben has a long overdue heart to hear with Alicia. Sue finds out exactly why the criminal colors of Benneton luncheon. Also, that bad mofo on the cover gets his Aragorn on.
The Good
FF first and foremost is a team book. It's been Reed/Val centric as of late but in This issue really highlights Sue and does a good job of balancing the screen time among the rather expansive cast of characters. I especially love the way Alex steps up this issue during the battle at The Peak. I've got to take a moment to applaud Barry Kitson's excellent art. Steve Epting left some very, very bog shoes to fill and Kitson has definitely broke those bad boys in proper. The highly emotive facial expressions he crafts goes a long way in complimenting Hickman's scripting. One particular example of this is the very humorous moment in which realizes that the man before her is indeed not her husband.
The image of Franklin and the kids forming a posse to corral Doom and the other villains is as hilarious as it's adorable. The exchange between Doom and Bentley was especially amusing...and prophetic?
With the death of Johnny and the dramatic status quo shift of the FF Ben's been feeling a bit lost in the world. He's been understandably withdrawn and reclusive, this' especially true of Alicia. The meeting these two have is truly heartfelt and beautiful.
Sue Richards is without a doubt my favorite member of the FF in any of it's incarnation. During his run on FF Hickman's gone on to take an already strong and wonderful female character and somehow make her all the more amazing. To me, Susan Richards is the apex of what a female character can be and the premiere lady of the Marvel U and Hickman's characterization of her embodies this. Sue gives Reed "the look" and he knows he's in for a good talking too. Hickman perfectly captures the dynamic of their relationship and the scripting and dialog they share and Kitson's art makes this a very powerful, emotionally resonant scene. The way Reed breaks down in front Sue is truly amazing.
We see the Reed's brokering a peace between The Moloids of the forever city and Moleman. There's some really humorous dialog here, but the real highlight's the last page. I'll just say hail to the King, baby!
The Bad
The last two covers have been rather bland and I prefer Acuna's art quite a bit more than Bagley.
As has been par the course with this series you may find yourself a bit confused if you're not familiar with Hickman's Four. That being said in our modern age that's nothing a quick perusal of this can't solve for you.
The Verdict
Buy This Comic!!!
The war of the Four Cities has kicked off with a bang. The Reeds are making for very interesting villains and I can't wait to see what kind of crazy trouble they whip up next. FF is quite the ride and a superbly rewarding read for the Hickman initiated. Even if you aren't intimately familiar with his prior Fantastic Four work this issue and series has plenty to provide you so do yourself a favor and check it out!
