The Fantastic Four continue to have legal troubles; and the story has a small tie-in with Original Sin.
Last issue review! Kicked out of their home and ripped away from the Future Foundation, things can't possibly get worse for the Fantastic Four. Or can it?
The Good
The FF's troubles are becoming more-and-more interesting; once writer James Robinson began writing this story with a singular focus in mind --creating an engaging story! While it started off like that with the first issue, things went a bit downhill after that; however Robinson is back to making us [readers] care about the Fantastic Four and their struggles. And man, is it taking an interesting turn!
One of those turns being, what's happening with the Future Foundation and the original Human Torch? I really enjoy how the android Human Torch is making a personal connection with the children of the Future Foundation. It's interesting to see how he's become the caretaker of the children with the Fantastic Four being held on trial. I really want to see what Robinson is going to do with his character, because Torch is showing some really deep character development after realizing that the system he works for might be broken, or abused.
Another twist I liked, and wasn't necessarily expecting, was Thing hating Johnny and Reed. While it does have a tie-in with the Original Sin, and I didn't necessarily like everything about this tie-in; I did enjoy the possibilities it'll create for this series. If I remember correctly in the first issue, Susan was writing a letter to Valeria and Franklin about all the things that have happened recently in their lives. (Which takes place a couple of issues after these ones.) One of the things that stood out was, Thing being held in prison for murder. Obviously in writing the letter it showed that both Johnny and Reed were okay, but I'm very interested in seeing as to whom Ben murdered? Original Sin is a great story, but the possibilities to be explored for the "sins" in other series; like this one; is almost endless! So I am holding my breath, and hoping, that this will be another defining moment in the FF's lives.
The Bad
While nearly every Marvel superhero lives in New York, it is sometimes stupid to see them appear in one issue; then gone the next! That was the case for the brief appearance of the Avengers. Their appearance wasn't all that meaningful, and they only acted as a roadblock to the Fantastic Four in not letting them live in the Baxter Building. Their role could've been switched out with S.H.I.E.L.D. and it would be totally fine, however Marvel comics (and really all comic publishing companies) have always tried to show the larger community --especially when it comes to a particular [larger] story arc that changes everything. (i.e. Original Sin.) Still though, the Avengers appearance could've been a bit more meaningful and engaging.
Another problem with this issue was the Thing and the Original Sin. So there was a tie-in, a reference to Original Sin issues 2-3, and how the Thing "saw" the Original Sin that pertains to him. While it was great to see this connection, James Robinson could've left the flashback for the next issue. Because Robinson went into flashback mode, and then something happened to the Thing and it ended. The ending was really abrupt and took me out of the story, instead of making me excited for the big reveal as to why Johnny and Reed are in trouble since the Thing knows now.
The Verdict
4 out of 5, until the next issue!