Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Stephen EptingIt’s the return of Galactus, a trip to Nu-World, the Old Kings of Atlantis and Namor, the all-new Yancy Street Gang, and the day the Thing becomes human again. Join Jonathan Hickman and superstar artist Steve Epting in THREE, part 2: ‘Congratulations, Mr. Grimm…You’re Human Again.’
I am nothing if not a huge fan of Fantastic Four and Jonathan Hickman these days, which is something I probably couldn’t say a year or two ago. I’ve always slightly enjoyed the Fantastic Four (who doesn’t love Kirby and Lee’s work?), but after the Dark Reign mini Hickman wrote is when I really became committed to the series and what he had to bring to the table. “Three” is the culmination of a lot of ideas and stories that have been woven in very loosely and in a somewhat unnatural way for the standard superhero romp, and it’s something I’ve followed closely and been taking notes with.
However, this is the first time in every review of his I’ve ever done that I haven’t gone into the writing process with an instant rave rant in mind. Why? Check behind the cut to see.
If there is one thing that Jonathan Hickman absolutely excells at, it’s the wide web of storytelling. Hickman has been known, for instance in the case of Secret Warriors, to create maps that don’t quite make sense to the average viewer but are intended to show how the series will begin to connect, where and when. For those who read Mark Millar’s run on Fantastic Four with Bryan Hitch, you’ll have noticed then where and what Hickman took from that – including Nu-World and the dead Galactus. Given the end of the last issue, you can assure that the Silver Surfer would have a larger role to play in this issue as “Three” pushes forward.
This is where Hickman changes focus, though. The issue really stars Ben Grimm as he is finally granted humanity outside of his rocky shell, spending the night out with Johnny Storm. I had originally assumed that Ben becoming human would have a large effect on the finale of “Three”, but while it still might it’s apparently coming onto the board earlier. This is being intercut with Sue going out to Atlantis with Namor, and Reed finally having to deal with what happened with Nu-World as the Silver Surfer confronts him.
Now – for all intents and purposes, one of Hickman’s strengths is his ability to tell a linear storyline in a completely non-linear fashion. In fact, one of the biggest aspects of this ENTIRE story was told through a series of one-shots who seemed rather disconnected on a first glance. So with “Three,” to expect a similar style of no straight line to the conclusion should be expected… but given the huge story of the last issue, I was actually a tad surprised. With the previous issue, Doom was brought out into Hickman’s run post-WWHs, and he was lined up with Valerie in a rather insidious way that also brought back the Council of Reeds and the Celestials from the first arc. While this was a great way to bring things together, I also came into this issue half expecting more from the Valerie storyline, as well as more of the importance of Doom (as all hope lies in him). With a story as big as “Three” has to be, I clearly had certain expectations as to where I thought the story would go, and was surprised to find the story go in a different direction. Almost disappointed, truth be told.
Meanwhile, this was one of the first times I haven’t universally loved an entire issue of Steve Epting art. Epting is a fantastic artist in every sense of the word, but where last issue felt really smooth and clean and sharp, this issue felt a tad messier. Specifically, the deformed brain version of Ben, which just seemed kind of dirty and less neat than I’m used to with Epting’s work. I would say I know Epting best from work like Captain America, where he gives sharp and smooth images like nobody’s business. Last issue as well featured a lot of colossal images, all of which were beautifully rendered (look at those Celestials!). This just had a different tone to it, which wasn’t bad by any means – but it just felt unusual.
Continued belowDon’t get me wrong, though. This is still a good issue. I love me some Ben Grimm, and seeing his “day in the life of” was a nice issue, both with it’s good and bad. On the one hand, the Yancy Street Boys was a fantastic scene – probably the best the book had. Plus, we saw the return of Ben’s famous poker games, which is something I have sort of unconciously been hoping to see again in Bendis’ book, thus making it appear here an even more pleasent surprise. On the other hand, the return of an old flame seemed out of place, given Ben’s almost marriage under Millar’s pen. It’s never good to try and compare any two writers runs, but it seemed odd given what Hickman took from Millar, that Grimm’s rather large romance would revert to a rather old storyline – as much as it is a celebrated one among fans. However, my general complaint about the issue as a whole is that it felt a tad more meandering than the last. I enjoy a good Ben story, but with the stakes so incredibly high with “Three”, I felt like the book meandered a bit between what feels like the important plot line (Silver Surfer and Reed) and the one that is being set up to have a devastating impact (Ben is human again). Hickman is good at creating large story elements in condensed plot threads (see: the issues about each city that will be involved in the upcoming teased war) which, under any other author, would be 3-4 issues per story. And while I don’t think Ben is the one who will die at the end of the story, and while I assume this turning human again will have a huge impact, I’m really honestly surprised that as we race towards what I can only assume is a devastating and game-changing finale, that we’d spend the better half of an issue going at a slow pace. Heck, last time we were going to get a Ben and Johnny relaxation issue on Nu-World, we instead had an issue about how warped Nu-World was throughout a series of recaps with Valerie and Franklin.
Fantastic Four is one of my favorite Marvel books at the moment, and I can’t see that changing for the forseeable future. Hickman is the perfect writer for it with a great sense of pacing and a sci-fi know-how that fits wonderfully. This issue just didn’t hit that usual pace for me, as this was the first truly slow issue we’ve had since he’s come onboard. Hickman does a lot of big stories with big concepts and big characters (again: those Celestials!), and I trust him to deliver a worthwhile story probably more than any other writer. But with only two issues of “Three” remaining, I am simply curious as to how Hickman’s less-than-normal approach to writing huge storylines with obviously huge impacts will work with the audience and name of Marvel’s First Family as opposed to a book like Secret Warriors.
Regardless, this book will always and forever be a must buy in my pull.
Final Verdict: 8.2 – Buy
