The Good
Like a magical genie putting some of my favorite Fantastic Four moments and characters into one book, writer James Robinson continues to pull from some of the great underrated stories to create one fantastic issue. A combination of all this would make it seem like the book is doing too much, but frankly, it all works extremely well and at no point does the main story suffer in the slightest way. This volume of FANTASTIC FOUR feels like a love letter to the team and its history while telling brand new and interesting stories.
There's quite a few of key emotional issues here for the characters that will hit home with the reader. Spoilers ahead folks. Ben and Sandman (which is actually one of my favorite quick-fix, modern team-ups) are escaping from prison and as you may remember in previous issues, Sharon Ventura aka She-Thing, who loved Thing and eventually became a lot like him, had a run in with Ben in prison, Sharon stands in their way. The five panel page is incredibly emotional and artist Leonard Kirk does wonders with her face, showing the reader an immense amount of sadness. Although I had a few problems with this character in a previous issue, this very short scene makes me forget all about that.
Another fantastic scene takes place in the last few pages of the issue where Sue has a talk with Ben and Johnny before they head off to find Reed. The dialogue between the characters is fantastic as Sue explains where they've been going and where the team is headed. This call to arms moment breathes a lot of hope and excitement into where this series is headed. FANTASTIC FOUR tells great stories while getting the reader excited for the next issue.
Leonard Kirk, Karl Kesel (inks), and Jesus Aburtov (colors) are wonderful on this book. The opening two-page spread showing the destruction of many of the things the FF hold dear is beautiful. It's a gorgeous looking piece and one you can stare at for hours taking it all in. The art is consistent and awesome. This team has really elevated this to a must read book for FF fans.
One quick, last thing. I'm really digging the font for the number four on the new costumes and just the new costumes in general. I loved the red, but seeing the team back in blue makes me smile.
The Bad
The book is ending. This is the first time I've felt a real connection with a Fantastic Four volume in a long time. The sadness is overwhelming.
The Verdict
Although it's an incredible bummer this book is coming to an end, this volume has been a joy to read. FANTASTIC FOUR is a love letter to the vast history of the team at Marvel comics, all while telling brilliantly crafted tales. It's creative team truly knows what it's doing and this issue especially hits on an emotional level multiple times. Everything is coming back together and all the team needs is Reed back on their side and that's where we're going next. This book is a must read for Fantastic Four fans.
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