FF #4

You know an issue is serious when Reed Richards brings Doctor Doom in for a consult. However, can Doom, Richards and the rest of the Marvel Universe's scientific minds outsmart three evil Reeds?

The Good

Hoo boy, do I ever love mad scientists. In this issue Reed Richards has managed to assemble some of the greatest scientific minds in the Marvel Universe into one room, and the results are actually quite hilarious. Seeing the Mad Thinker enter into a "what if he knows we know?" paradox with himself while Doctor Doom takes some potshots just made me laugh. It truly paints a picture of a group of smart men who can be exceedingly dumb if they all try to work together.

At the centre of all this is Reed Richards, who, up until this point, has been a beacon of optimism and logic in the Marvel Universe. Faced with the daunting task of outsmarting three alternate versions of himself, he seems legitimately hopeless. I don't mind this, as it brings a sense of threat into a situation that would normally fixed with some kind of last-minute relelation by Mister Fantastic.

I'm also enjoying the manipulation at the hands of the alternate Reeds; everything kind of fits into a last-minute plot that isn't really revealed until the final couple pages. This works, however, because we've seen the buildup all through the issue. It isn't pulled out of a magic hat: it's established and thought out carefully.

The Bad

I'm not sure Jonathan Hickman is trying to do with Sue Storm and Spider-Man. In a couple issues of Future Foundation, they've had these panels that could be construed as bedroom eyes by Sue, but nothing's been explicitly stated. Clearly, these panels mean something, but it's not exactly clear what they are: could Marvel's picture-perfect marriage be on the verge of crumbling? Is Sue craving the pool boy, so to speak? Or is it just me overreacting?

I don't like children in comics, especially in giant team books: though Alex from the Power Pack is a capable hero in his own right, seeing the rest of the FF's brood terrorize the Thing just makes me feel sorry for him. At least it's good that we know that his skin provides suction for NERF darts, right?

The Verdict

FF's only four issues in and it's getting to the meat of an adventure: I like this. Sometimes series take too long to get going, and as a result they come off flat. I'll be adding FF to my pull list based on this issue, as I'm genuinely curious as to what happens next. I'm hoping that Doom continues to be a presence in this book, enmity with Richards aside: I mean, he is one of the foremost scientific minds in the (Marvel) world, and a badass character to boot. Keep an eye out for issue five to bring us into the thick of the FF's newest challenge.