Comic Vine Review

5 Comments

FF #14 - Bath House of the August Moon

4

It's like this series is toying with your emotions. There's so many humorous moments despite the fact we're on the cusp of a rather dark confrontation.

The Good

FF is simply a joy to read. I still recall when the cast was first announced. I was on board the series mainly because of Matt Fraction and Mike Allred (with Laura Allred's colors). Throughout this series, I've come to love every single character. With Lee Allred taking over the reigns, the series hasn't missed a beat.

There is such a strange mix of emotions with the series. This isn't anything new. There is such a light-hearted feel, especially with all the kids running around. Yet at the same time, Doom's presence brings an extremely dark angle to the story and there's no telling how far down into the dark depths the story will go.

This is a story about character development. It's not often you can enjoy a superhero comic that contains virtually no action. Mike Allred's art and Lee Allred's script takes us to many places as the Foundation prepares their strike against Doom. Whether it's a lesson on the morality of cloning or the surprising revelation about Scott Lang, there's just so much to enjoy. All that plus nude bathing in a hot spring on the moon!

The Bad

This is the tough spot. Every ounce of this issue makes me want to see more. The only problem is this storyline with Doom has been building up for quite some time. The dialogue and interactions are wonderful but it's almost like a big tease as we wait for this battle against Doom.

Another slight problem, as with certain other Marvel titles, is the question of whether or not any of this will have a huge impact on the Marvel Universe. The problem with ending series and then relaunching is the feeling that we're just waiting until the series ends. With this one, it's truly a shame that it feels like Marvel has turned their back on it (and others) even if it was always the plan or if there are other plans to be revealed.

The Verdict

This issue has almost everything you could want. There's robots, cloning, moral lessons, nude bathing, humor and Doctor Doom. The only thing it's missing is high octane action but everything else makes up for it. Reading this issue is a crazy level of fun and sadness as we face the few remaining issues in the series. This is and will remain one of my favorite all time series. There's so much to enjoy and the story is heating up bigger than a disco inferno.