The Good
From page one, we're treated to why this villain known as The Quiet Man has Reed Richards captive. Is it because somehow Reed screwed him over at some point in his life? Did Reed steal technology from him or did the Fantastic Four destroy his apartment while defending the city? Did Damage Control never fix said apartment? Nope. The Quiet Man hates Reed because he talked to Sue before he could. That's nuts, right? It's crazy in the best way possible. Writer James Robinson continues to give this book this very silver age comic feel, but with contemporary storytelling methods. What you get is this blended storytelling style that has this larger appeal that is capable of entertaining folks young and old.
The opening flashback sequence of Reed talking to Sue really sets off the issue brilliantly. We get to see the world through The Quiet Man's eyes. You won't feel bad for the guy and this perspective won't change anything, but it does give the read a sense of his madness, which continues forward. Things get even crazier when the reader is introduced to the idea that The Quiet Man has been behind the scenes for a long time and once again, James Robinson connects the present to the past, embracing the history of this team. This is something I've loved about his run and written about so many times, but with each issue, he keeps surprising me.
The whole issue makes you want more. Things build up pretty natural here and the progression of each individual story is paced out incredibly well. The book is jam packed with story, so there's a lot to reflect on, but it's all really good stuff.
We can't get through a review of this book without virtually high-fiving Marc Laming and Lovern Kindzierski for those amazing looking flashback sequences. That opening splash page is utterly brilliant and adds so much to the character of The Quiet Man, as a sea of Sue Storm faces, inside of heart bubbles, sits behind a joyous Quiet Man. The choice of the subtle pink background is perfect and Laming just nails the opening pages. This is how splitting art duties should be done. It makes sense. As the book goes on, Leonard Kirk, Karl Kesel, Jesus Abrutov, and Tamra Bonvillain roll on with some gorgeous art and a two-page spread of the Quiet Man that is stunning with this great perspective which has the eye leading to the center of the page and wandering from there. The art on this book is incredible.
The Bad
The only rough part about this series, which isn't necessarily bad if you read this as a collection or trade, is that there is so much going on that month-to-month you forget about certain storylines and have to go back a few issues to help catch up on what's going on. Robinson's FANTASTIC FOUR is something that works better in trade than monthly. While this is going to be a book I ultimately tell you to buy each month, trades are also a good way to go with it. Screw it, double dip.
The series is coming to an end, and without sounding like a broken record, that sucks. We'll leave it at that.
The Verdict
This volume of FANTASTIC FOUR is something that reads incredibly well in a collected edition. There's a lot happening, which can sometimes bog down a monthly issue read, but overall, this run of FANTASTIC FOUR is downright amazing. The way the issue and series embraces the past is something that speaks to new and old readers alike. I hate the fact this series is ending, but this is some of my favorite writing to come out of James Robinson. There's a real love for the book and the team and it shows. Go out and pick this issue and series up.