New series, new emotions, new beginnings, new book. Welcome to the Future Foundation. Welcome back to Hick-F4M.
We covered at the end of our last installment the last hurrah of “Fantastic Four” up to issue #588. With the status quo shift of the death of the Johnny, Hickman’s run shifts a little bit into this new series “FF,” which continues the story of the War of the Four Cities, but very much embiggens the scope and also somehow narrows the microscope as well? The Future Foundation and the conflict balloon to galactically multiversal proportions, but the focus on the Baxter Building and the family remains so compact all at the same time. Big and small, this series brilliantly does both.
We’re taking a look at what basically works out to the first year of “FF” with issues #1-11. That’s a lot of comics. Following issue #11, the numbering works out that Marvel published “Fantastic Four” #600 and counted the issues of “FF” towards that anniversary number. From there the books trade off issues until both series finish out with #611 and #23 respectively. You can find all these issues on Marvel Unlimited under “FF” 2010-2012, on comiXology, in back issue bins, or in trade paperback. Of course from here on out will be full spoilers (there have been a few already), but with that introduction, it’s time to begin again.
“FF” #1-11'FF' #1 cover by Epting
Written by Jonathan Hickman
Illustrated by Steve Epting (#8); Epting and Rick Magyar (#1-2,#9); Epting, Magyar, and Butch Guice (#3); Barry Kitson (#4-5, #10); Greg Tocchini (#6-7); Kitson, Scott Hanna, Scott Koblish, Jay Leisten, and Mark Pennington (#12)
Colored by Paul Mounts
Lettered by VC’s Rus Wooten (#1-2); VC’s Clayton Cowles (#3-11)
Covers by Steve Epting (#1, #11-12); Daniel Acuña (#2-4, #8-9); Mark Bagley (#5-7)
First off, all of these issues bleed into one after the other very seamlessly. We’re sort of into one big, long unfolding arc at this point, with each issue labelled as episodic, none given an arc name. This book works so much better like that, as did much of “Avengers”/”New Avengers.” It’s almost like tuning into a family drama episode of the week type show except with drastically larger consequences. It’s like This is Us if any of the characters had the weight of Earth-616 on their shoulders. The tone of this new series too fits with that aesthetic and those markers. Much of “Fantastic Four” up to now was splitting the difference between family, world-building, and ambition. Here all the world is already laid out, the conflict is set, it’s just time to take the toys and tear the world apart. And aside from the Black Bolt interlude, we get that straight shot here as the conflict progresses. These issues really seem to portray that Hickman, by this point, had figured out the perfect blend of family and larger plot. And that’s what works so well about this run, and what people herald it for, and it’s here finally in all its glory. This saga has managed to take the simple mantra of “What if Reed tried to solve everything?” and from that central premise has blown things out to epic proportions while also grounding itself in the family. It’s just brilliant.
We’re treated right off the bat to the metatextual reality that this book is indeed a do-over. This is the Fantastic Four if they weren’t the Four and if Reed still kept that familial pioneering spirit. From the first page of “FF” #1 the villains are telling us that “It is time to begin again,” which is indeed where we’re headed. And begin we do with Spider-Man replacing the Human Torch, and Doom finally fully entering the fray. The addition of both characters in the first issue and beyond are done only to benefit the deep character profiles that have already been created. Peter Parker is a fantastic foil (see what I did there) in this book as he is far more an anxiety-filled, ethical compass than the free-willing Johnny Storm was. Johnny’s death hangs over everyone, but Peter manages to fill the void with chirpy quips and one-liners. Hickman writes Peter with so much more intelligence than some of the others who I have read handling him. His quips are self-deprecating, as per usual, and also more than just the pop-culture-reference-of-the-week. He’s also just so completely out of his titular, friendly-neighborhood depth here, but honestly that’s where I love him the most sometimes. He’s a fish out of water and a perspective for us to latch onto in this larger sci-fi epic.
Continued belowDoom looms large over these issues beginning with “FF” #1 as he enters into the family to make good on his promise to Valeria from previous issues. She offered to fix his brain damage (which I’m still not overly confident I can tell you the origin of that problem, but it no longer matters) in exchange for what’s revealed as his help in stopping the Council of Reeds members she let into this universe. So many people have said that this run boils down to Reed qua Doom and the Family and Foundation themselves, though until now Doom has been largely absent. His introduction here at the end of that first issue, especially coupled with the Hickmanian design graphic, surprised and had me giddy. What a great move to induct Doom into the family, while also keeping him at arms length. The seeds for what pays off with “Secret Wars” are truly planted here like everyone has been saying. Doom’s also just funny in an unintentional way. For a serious that is playing with death and cosmic destruction there is a good amount of quality humor here.
I realize I’ve made it almost 1,000 words into this without mentioning the artists at all, and I probably ought to be shamed for that. This new series continues the (mostly) fabulous art from the first run with Steve Epting, Barry Kitson, Greg Tocchini, and various inkers pulling line duty. I praised Steve Epting a lot last week, and the man keeps turning in just absolutely beautiful work here. No one writes and draws quiet, people talking moments like Hickman and Epting. I also too think that Epting and Kitson draw Ben better than other artists who take a crack at the Thing, in my opinion. I like when Ben is illustrated somewhere between being comical and looking normal. When his face is too wide, and the eyebrows stick out to ridiculous lengths, in my opinion he looks, well, ridiculous. Likewise, with a lot of modern artists, in a digital style, there’s a tendency to smooth out his edges and just draw him as a smooth, big guy. Epting and Kitson take a middling approach, which make Ben both imposing and also non-human. I imagine too much of this is amplified by Paul Mounts’ coloring which creates so much consistency shifting from Kitson to Epting (less so Tocchini, which is purposeful, but I’ll touch on him in a moment). I was worried a little when I saw Kitson’s name on “FF” #4 as he’s not an artist I gravitate towards. He reminds me of an older style and a toned-down DC 90s house approach. He’s been around awhile, and so much of this book has wowed me on really feeling old and new at the same time. With the Future Foundation taking hold, featuring new (beautifully designed, I love em) costumes necessitating a new series, Kitson as an old guard wasn’t what I expected. But again, I think in large part thanks to Mounts, this is the best Kitson art I’ve ever seen. He manages to feel more animated, while also flatter like Epting in a non-washed out way. The use of shadows in the issues he does also I think really add a lot, as most of his other work I remember feeling much brighter, but not to the benefit of his art. All that to say, this is a beautiful series featuring the work of creators at their best.
These eleven issues are somewhat divided into three parts. Or at least those are the arbitrary partitions I’m going to use for the next few paragraphs. We have issues #1-5 with the lead-up to the opening salvo of the war, followed by Black Bolt’s interlude issues in #6-7, and then #8-11 which bring everything to a boiling point. I’m leaving off “Fantastic Four” #600 from this article, even though all signs point to at the minimum some resolution in that anniversary issues. The first two volumes of the originally released trades of “FF” collect up to #11, which seemed as good a stopping point to me.
Taking then the first grouping, we have the coalescing of the Foundation, Doom’s inclusion, and the first annual presentation of “Conquering the Mount Fantastic: How to Finally Defeat Reed Richards.” God what a name. I think this is the strongest portion of these issues, but probably because it just pushes all my buttons the most. Literally gathering all of your villains, who are mostly brilliant, to have a theoretical, academic discussion on how to defeat you HOSTED BY YOUR ADOLESCENT DAUGHTER AND WORST ENEMY is a huge flex and I’m super here for it. And The Watcher comes to voyeur. It’s really just everything I love about Star Trek mixed in with the silliest of comic book premises that absolutely, completely, and unapologetically works. All of this first part builds the tension of Reed/Nathaniel, Reed/Sue, Ben/Alicia, Doom/Reed, Val/Reed, Ben/Everyone, etc. just really well and let’s it sizzle. This is the opposite of the beginning of this run. “Fantastic Four” started with an overconfident Reed. This is Reed and the family at their most desperate. Again, as the Council Reed’s make their presence known and things start to escalate, there are a ton of small moments. Big and small in harmony. The panels that begin “FF” #5 of Franklin and the boys shooting dart guns at the villains is just pure fun and comic gold. It doesn’t get much better.
Continued below
We then move to the two-issue Black Bolt/Kree interlude which gets the Inhuman King into this present story and reorganizes the Kree for the remainder of the series. These were the two issues that stood out to me as odd and confusing. Just like with Doom’s brain stuff or some of the Nu-World things, my Marvel knowledge from this period is next to nothing. I know that Hickman is playing with “War of Kings” and the mid-00’s Marvel Cosmic plotlines that killed off Black Bolt and had the Inhumans ruling the Kree, I just would have appreciated a little more handholding. To be fair, this interlude tries to tell a separate story of prophecy and the Kree past with the Supreme Intelligence and Accusers (which is paid off in “FF” #11), and that helps. Because this is a separate side-story building out of the “War of Kings” event it helps some. But also, Greg Tocchini’s art here is a little muddled and abstract and less defined. He has some wonky body types and eyeless faces that make some of the reading experience harder. It is good that this interlude nabs a completely different art style though, and helps to solidify its separateness. I thought I hadn’t heard of Tocchini before, but then I realized I have “Low” volume 1 unread on my shelf and connected the dots. It’s an odd interlude, but gives the Inhumans, and Black Bolt, more gravity heading into more of this run. Hickman loves Black Bolt, and why would he not as the two can both be spare, poetical, and powerful. I just love that Lockjaw is still best boy here.
Finally, we have the last four issues, and SO much happens here. The Inhumans and the Avengers both enter the conflict, and Nathaniel tries to coax back the Reed ringleader from the Council. Black Bolt looms large and Ronan and the Kree come to Earth and replant the Supreme Intelligence – subsuming the two other Reed interlopers that were still alive. It’s all just wild and ridiculous, and yet riddled with the quiet times. “FF” #10 opens with Reed returning to the Baxter Building after heading through Eldrac the portal and making up with Sue and apologizing. Her tight smile when he tells her she’s right is pricelessly handled by Kitson and Mounts. While parts of this run have featured Reed (and Val) lying to their loved ones, we also get so many reasons to realize that Reed and Sue are a better team when they’re 100% honest and forward with one another, even about those things that are of universal importance.
These issues pick up the pace a little, and yet also laterally prolongs it, especially with the Kree getting in on things and the Negative Zone folks getting their first mention in #11. Like I said, things will resolute somehow in #600, and yet I have a feeling we’re getting a curveball. I anticipated the war would be further to a close by this point, and yet it’s not, and I’m not remotely disappointed. Hickman seems to be able to usher things along at the pace he wants and keep things interesting all while. I don’t know what magic this is…but I love it.
That’s all for this installment of Hick-F4M. Next week we’ll be covering “Fantastic Four” #600-604 and “FF” #12-16, alternating between series so the order is: #600, #12, #601, #13… and so on. Throughout this whole binge this round, I’ve wondered what it must have been like to read these books as they were released. I binged a whole year’s worth of comics in about a day, but when “FF” was being published (beginning right before the New 52 I might add) what must it have been like? If you were reading then I’d love to hear from you! Sound off in the comments below, and let’s keep the conversation going for another week!
