Fantastic Four #10

No sooner do I finish reading my July Pull List comics but August begins and some new entries are released.

Therefore, with a couple of new comics to read, I figured I'd start with my favourite series in the form of Fantastic Four #10.

This issue, from Ryan North, Leandro Fernández and Jesus Arburtov, takes place on an alien sleeper ship ad the most recent in a line of caretakers awakes to find his predecessor long dead, their ark ship carrying their entire race in hypersleep at a dead stop and a mysterious piece of artwork portraying four fantastical beings.

So far this series I've previously thought that Ryan North has been writing stories within this comic series which skew towards a horror/Twilight Zone kind of tone. Well, this issue feels no different as North seems to have channelled Event Horizon in the crafting of this tale. Told from the perspective of multiple caretakers over centuries (thanks to timey wimey stuff), the plot feel incredibly haunting and creepy and had me in equal parts wanting to cover my eyes (something I still do with Event Horizon at nearly 40) and being too compelled to even consider putting this issue down.

I think a major factor to this last part is the art. Leandro Fernández and Jesus Aburtov together craft a truly unnerving environment with a style that reminds me of Scott Kolins but feels cranked way up to eleven thanks to some seriously moody colours.

There are some parts of this issue which doesn't make sense to me, all of which involves the timey wimey element. However, this is barely a blip to me in an otherwise atmospheric and addictive read.

I'm glad to see that the Four are truly Fantastic again under North's. I look forward to seeing it continue for a good long time to come.

Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor #1

Closing out the comics from my July Pull List (as well as the first 500 posts on this blog. Wow!), this morning I read Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor #1 by Mark Waid and Bryan Hitch.

This story is pretty much as the title suggests when, after orchestrating a major catastrophe just to get his attention, Lex Luthor informs Superman that he is dying. However, rather than accept the impending shuffle from this mortal coil, Luthor asks for the Man of Steel's help in finding a cure, beginning a journey for the two throughout the world and beyond.

When I first saw this title announced with Mark Waid's name attached, I knew it would be something special and it didn't fail to disappoint post reading. Waid, with his rather well known encyclopedic knowledge of comics lore, has crafted a story which feels intrinsically Superman in every action, word and feeling.

The issue, while for the most part, very quiet and methodical really spoke to me with this unspoken subtext: how does the Man of Steel balance such a choice; help his greatest villain or break his very code of existing. I think Waid really hammers this home with flashbacks of a younger pair's interactions.

I've just read another comic drawn by Bryan Hitch and, once again, I struggle to see another perfect choice to get Waid's words across. Hitch's style really lends towards the detail needed to get the prior mentioned feelings across. The only difference here to Invasion is that Kevin Nowlan's Inks and David Baron's colours really change the look entirely, giving it a vibe more like (aptly enough) Brian Azzerello's Luthor series.

In the end, the only downside for me is the size of the comic, as its one of those larger formats which has no backing board nor can fit into my short box. Beyond that though, this is a truly captivating rendition of a truly classic feeling Superman and I already can't wait for the next issue (in a whole two months time, booooo).

Ultimate Invasion #2

As I moved through my pull list comics after She-Hulk #15, next up was Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch's Ultimate Invasion #2.

The second issue picked up from where the first ended as the Maker, the evil Reed Richards from the previous Ultimate Universe, continued his plan to make a new Ultimate universe. However, even with all known threats eliminated or controlled, it seems there are still some out there who do not agree with his plans for the future.

Issue two really felt like it moved very much away from the tone of the first. Unlike that issue, which was essentially a manhunt, I thought this one felt much slower and more methodical. However, this doesn't take away from the intrigue and general unease Hickman seems to have infused into the story.

I'm a big Reed Richards fan (probably because, as a man on the autistic spectrum, like recognises like), but the way that Hickman seems to get 'the Maker' and how he depicts him is equal parts unsettling and captivating.

In fact, I think unsettling, uneasy, eerie and many words like them perfectly sum up this issue. There is so much he that feels familiar and yet isn't (one thing even 'ripped' from the past, only to discover a curveball behind it) that I gave this ominous feeling in my gut as I wonder what's going to happen to completely upend my expectations.

As a result of this though, I now feel that Bryan Hitch's art continues to be the perfect fit for this story. While previously I had set that his style being the embodiment of the Ultimate Universe gave a sense of familiarity, in this issue its inclusion just further enforces that feeling of bizarreness. This doesn't even take into account a late scene in the comic that is just downright haunting to me.

I feel I've made this issue sound like a serious no no, and that couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, Ultimate Invasion #2 is eerie and creepy in its 'not quite' similarities and some set pieces but, my God, if it isn't incredibly captivating and addictive.

I'm not sure how I can wait a month to see what happens next.