Right around New Years, DC spent a week letting us know what to expect in 2010. Marvel said, “No. We’re going to tease the crap out of you.” And honestly? I kind of like this better. The mystery, the speculation, the “OMG LOOK”s… it builds up more anticipation. And considering how amazing Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham’s Fantastic Four has been so far, the above issue that just dropped is like the bomb dropped at the end of Dr. Strangelove.
Let’s pick it apart a bit. We’ve got Annihilus in the corner, who we haven’t seen since the cosmic Annhiliation event. We’ve got the Mole Man over in the right. And then there are 4 characters I don’t recognize, as well as a curious statue. Not having been a big Fantastic Four fan over the years obviously makes it a bit of a detriment, but I can’t help remember that when Hickman first took over the title, he stated that he really knew nothing about the characters. He just read all there is to know about them and pick and chose his favorite things to be part of his run. And with the last issue still fresh in our minds, the image of Franklin is pretty exciting.
To be quite frank, I’m really excited for all this. But you know what excites me most? Nowhere to be seen on this image is Doctor Doom. This is not to say I don’t like Doctor Doom. I LOVE Doctor Doom. He’s one of my favorite villains, but definitely the most overused Fantastic Four villain. And considering the image is filled with other characters, I think it’s fair to say that Hickman’s work on Fantastic Four will easily bring in a brand new generation of FF, especially with word of mouth.
Suffice it to say? I can’t wait for what’s to come for Marvel’s first family. I was never a big fan of them before, but this book has seriously jumped to the top of my stack every week the book comes out. Their future has never looked brighter in my opinion.
