Let's Go Already
It's weird, this cover essentially takes place after the final page of the issue. This issue is more setup before the Fantastic Four finally set out on their journey. It feels a bit drawn out, and this issue is picking up right where FF #1 left off, not where Fantastic Four left off. It feels a little weird to have this issue clean up the loose ends from the companion series, and we STILL don't know how Darla become Ms. Thing. This issue definitely keeps up the same tone as Fantastic Four as opposed to FF though, which is interesting the way the two series balance out each other despite being by the same writer.
There are a few other problems with the way this series is dragging out the departure process, one of which being that we're now two issues in and we haven't had any major action. It's all been filler action to keep things from being all dialogue. The battle in this issue especially felt a bit forced. I don't know why Johnny really had to flame around that T-Rex when they could've just run back to the present without the need for flashy fireworks.
In addition, it's just creating some false tension. Fraction usually plays it for laughs, but there's an underlying sense that the series is trying to avoid the inevitable, or stave it off to create a false sense of surprise when things go wrong, because honestly, raise your hand if you think the Fantastic Four's journey is going to REALLY last for only 4 minutes. Nobody? Thought so.
In Conclusion: 3.5/5
Don't get me wrong, Bagley's artwork is still nice, and Fraction's writing is still on fire, and I'm still SUPER excited to see what happens on the journey of all journeys the Fantastic Four is going on. Hickman made me like the Fantastic Four, and Fraction is shaping up to keep me fully on board; but this issue just wasn't up to standard. It retreaded some of the same ground as the first FF, but in Fantastic Four's tone; and it padded out the buildup to the actual journey just a bit too much.
