The Good
With the past couple of issues showing readers how insane and delusional The Quiet Man AKA John Eden is, I find this character to be super appealing because he's just such an "out there" and "over the top" villain who hides in the shadows. It's almost like he's a walking contradiction at times, and much like the rest of James Robinson's run on this book, this is a character that feels like he could have existed back in the 70s.
We get quite a bit more from Bentley and Wizard in this issue as the two do not see eye-to-eye. The two pages with the father and son coming to terms with where they are at is utterly fantastic. What we have is two characters, related by blood, on opposite sides, yet they come to this conclusion to go their separate ways. We've seen this before, but I can't think of a time where a son bested a father in this manner. It's a compelling and emotional moment that is brief but ultimately ends up being the highlight of the issue.
Sleepwalker is here! Well, he's kinda here. This issue reads more like a Sleepwalker 101 than anything else as Robinson catches readers up on who and what this character is, since a giant chunk of readers probably aren't familiar with this character. He's explained pretty well and said information doesn't take up a lot of time in the book. In addition, the character is also being explained to other characters in the book as well, so it's more of an "along for the ride" feeling rather than an information dump.
As always, the artwork on this book is just wonderful. Leonard Kirk, along with inker Karl Kesel, and colorist Jesus Aburtov provide some stellar storytelling. This creative team's art is exciting and mixes classic and contemporary styles with how the pages are laid out the the perspectives in each panel.
The Bad
At times, this book gets bogged down with too much going on and it can be a bit jumpy. This issue is exactly that case. Keep in mind that everything that's happening within the book is a good read, but it feels a bit more chaotic than it needs to and the pacing and flow of the overall issue is a bit jumpy.
The Verdict
While it stinks to see this book go, for now, at least it's building up to an exciting and fantastic conclusion that will really keep readers on the edge of their seats. Robinson, Kirk, and company have done wonders with this volume and it's becoming a must read run of FANTASTIC FOUR. I highly recommend checking it all out, especially for the moments between Bentley and his father here. This is one awesome, highly connected series that deserves your dollars.