As I sit down to write this post, it has been 4 days since I first read this comic, 2 days since I last read it and I'm exceedingly tired and so I'm uncertain if the words will come out in a discernible order for this post.
But, hot damn!!, if this comic wasn't so good that I'm going to give it a try anyway!
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| Fantastic Four #14 |
Fantastic Four #14 started a whole new story arc for Marvel's first family, beginning with a donation of sorts when they unveil the Marvel-1, the ship they travelled in when they first got their powers, as a new feature at the National Air and Space museum. However, seeing his original rocket ship once more appears to give Reed Richards the itch as he then sets to work at building a successor so that he and his family can complete that first mission from all those years ago.
A rather simplistic synopsis to this issue, but there is so much more to it but then I fear that I'd hit spoiler territory. However, lets not mince words, I freaking loved this issue!!! Almost from beginning to end this felt like a quintessential Fantastic Four story; one that saw this team going big as they pushed their limits and went boldly where no one had.... well, you get the idea. Now, granted this issue wasn't so much of the 'Fantastic', the weird and the wacky, but given it was the beginning of an arc, this was still a Fantastic (pardon the pun) issue.
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This issue is definitely more the Reed
and Johnny show! |
Now, I've been complaining for many issues now about how the series has, thus far felt like the Ben Grimm and friends series. However, the man upstairs (or more accurately, Dan Slott) appears to have heard me because this issue felt like much more even split. This is because, while I felt this was more Reed and Johnny's story (exemplified by them being the ones working on their 'new project) and so they got the lion's share of the focus, Ben continued to make his rocky presence known as the story harkens back to FF #1 and the traumas he continues to deal with. In the end, it all made me a happy man, although it was a shame Sue got left behind and felt relegated to a background character (but maybe/hopefully, she'll shine in the next issue). However, it's made up for me by letting us see Reed be all Reed like in his thinking and actions, which I just enjoy when it happens.
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| This art is just 'WOW'! |
Of course, beyond the core four, Alicia continues to be an awesome character and I think Slott has, like with the Thing, got her voice down to a T. I loved how she knew her husbands mind and, despite agreeing with him as he ranted about not going with them, was simultaneously prepping his lunch (in an albeit clichéd manner, but we can forgive because it was funny) because she knew what his final decision was going to be. I also loved the 'Sun is getting real low' quip during the new rocket's big reveal, thinking it was nicely taken from the MCU (and apt given Ben took out the Hulk just one issue ago).
Beyond the 'current' storyline, however, I really liked how Slott ... 'slotted' (for want of a better word) some nice little bits of retconning to the original origin story which, while not fundamentally changing it, did give it a bit more believability. This is best seen in the montage of Johnny training to be the back-up pilot, which I had never considered in all the years I'd been reading the series and was a nice touch in giving plausibility why this kid got on the mission. Also, the introduction of Duke and Sandy as the 'original' crew before Sue and Johnny nabbed their spots was equally interesting, and a sign that the right people were on that flight when Ben was discussed.
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| Ben (finally) suiting up! |
Speaking of Ben, I found it incredibly sad that we got to see discrimination and lots of 'oohh, look at that monster' thrown in Ben's direction. While I guess it makes sense for the story, because it needs Ben to be totally against re-doing the flight and what better way than to bring up all the negative things related to the original (the horrified looks and the Black Box recording for two), given that this is a world with Hulks, Inhumans, Mutants (one of whom looks like Ben) and aliens, I'd have thought that had people had gotten over this?
Also, while I'm thinking, I wonder why the Four never went to this world and completed this 'mission' before now? It's not like they haven't gone into deep space or travelled through time or hopped dimensions before or on greater distances (as Valeria points out, in faster ships), so why not this planet? I guess if they had we wouldn't be having this story, so I shouldn't nitpick.
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| 'Let's see what's out there.' |
Anyway, I've talked at length (surprise, surprise) about the story and the characters and so on, but I need to take a couple of minutes to gush about the art. This is because Paco Medina's work in this issue is in-freaking-credible!! Every panel was absolutely gorgeous, looking so vibrant and rich and sharp. In fairness, I'm not really qualified to critique this artwork, but the best I can say is that this work is the best of the series so far (Isaakse's work from the issues 13 and 14 drops to a close second) with Medina making this issue stand out to me with a whole host of amazing panels like the The Marvel-1 ribbon cuting, the Marvel-2 reveal, Ben suiting up, the take-off, Sue being woken by a working Reed, Reed opening walls and Reed and Johnny working to name but a few (they are certainly my favourites).
I think, at this point, I've shot my bolt (a nice CGS quote) on this issue and I'm totally out of things I can further talk about. However, I think I've confirmed what I initially said when I started this post in that I totally loved this issue. It's felt like a bit a slow build up and a long road to get here since the FF returned, but this comic is now getting to the point that I remember it being best.
Now, I'm totally pumped for the next issue. I'll admit that I'm hoping Sue gets a little more focus and/or equal footing to the rest of the four in the upcoming issues but, besides that, I think this is the level I hope all future issues will reach!!
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