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Review: FF #1

By | March 24th, 2011
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Written by Jonathan Hickman
Illustrated by Steve Epting

It’s the FANTASTIC first issue of FF! A bold new direction for Marvel’s First Family featuring new members, old friends, older enemies and uneasy alliances that will send shockwaves through the Marvel Universe. With stunning art work by Steve Epting and Paul Mounts, please join writer, Jonathan Hickman, on the second massive arc in the bold new direction for the ‘World’s Greatest Comic”

At last! The long awaited relaunch of Fantastic Four is here as the F4 are no more and the FF take over. Jonathan Hickman’s initial run on the Fantastic Four title was absolutely fantastic, and I think I speak for every member of this site when I say we can’t wait to see what happens next. This book made it onto every Comics Should Be Cheap list this week so I suppose that helps to partially explain the excitement we have had for it.

Of course, now that it’s here, how does the first issue in this new series read? Find out after the cut. As a note, there is a very mild spoiler in the review that has been whited out for your convenience. Just keep that in the back of your minds as you move forward!

As an additional note, the image chosen for this article is not the regular cover, but rather the 1 in 10 variant cover by Stan Goldberg, who was the original colorist for Jack Kirby back in 1961 when the first issue of Fantastic Four came out. Both fellow writer Josh Mocle and I were so excited by this cover that we each grabbed it at our local shop, gaining the only two copies available. It seemed only right to grab a gorgeous cover like this for our respective collections.

If there is one thing that can be said for Jonathan Hickman’s extended run on Fantastic Four, it’s that it has been infinitely creative. Beginning with a multiverse spanning mini during Dark Reign, Hickman managed to bring Marvel’s First Family back to a seat of prominence and acclaim within the Marvel U that it had not known for quite some time, and the events that culminated in the arc 3 set the tone for what was to come in the future. Now, as the Future Foundation begins, Hickman begins with a first issue that not only instantly weaves in brand new storylines, but it also begins to pay off loose threads from the previous storyline in a way that is not only easily accessible for brand new readers but also gratifying for those of us who have been with the title for an extended period of time whilst setting the tone for what is to come in the upcoming issues. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you write a first issue.

FF #1 picks up soon after the tragic events of 3 and the month of mourning that followed as what is left of the Fantastic Four recuperate to the best of their abilities. Reed Richards’ father is home, Ben is essentially a shut in, and Sue is doing the best she can to keep the family together. The amazing Spider-Man swings by to join the team, and three plot lines are introduced in the first story. That’s right – three threads that had been previously alluded to are now given their pay off point as Hickman lays out a clear map of what is to come: an Inhuman conflict, the return of the Wizard, and the unholy alliance with one of the Fantastic Four’s greatest enemies, thanks to Valeria’s actions in 3. One might think that beginning a run with three storylines is a tad bit ambitious, but Hickman manages to handle the interwoven nature of the tale in a continuous nature to the multi-layered plots he’d been doing in the Fantastic Four title. This is partially one of the reasons that Hickman’s Fantastic tale has been working so well – he’s been subtly forcing the reader to become invested in so many different aspects of the First Family and the challenges they’ve been going up against that at any time he can pull out the resolution to one of the storylines and have it be a satisfying pay-off. Bring out three elements that he had previously woven in since – literally – his first issue of Fantastic Four is particularly rewarding for the readers of the long haul.

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Suffice it to say, Hickman’s take on the Fantastic Four/Future Foundation has been a rather unique one that definitively pushes the book to the top tier of Marvel’s current output. Hickman has created a rather large cast of characters here (detailed fairly humorously in the back with a nice “Who’s Who” page) that makes the title more original than it has been in quite some time. So many Fantastic Four writers get sucked into the idea that they have to keep reusing specific elements of the series that work (like Galactus or the never ending fight against Doom) that the book had definitely hit a stale point in the past decade, but with Hickman making Doom an ally and instead focusing on a non-traditional foe set (the Wizard and the Inhumans), he’s made the book as fresh as possible – all renumbering/retitling/relaunching aside. On top of that, the richness in the characters that he has put into the book allows Hickman to write in a varied style, really bringing out his strength as a writer as he manages to write serious science sequences (the Richards’), light comedy (Spider-Man), and more somber elements (the Thing) in a way that ends up being fairly self referential as the shift of the title grounds itself with a solid first issue.

Steve Epting transfers over from Fantastic Four to the new series, having previously illustrated the dynamite arc 3 that ended the Fantastic Four as we know it, and to say that he “kills it” on the book is a rather stern understatement. Dale Eaglesham helped to define the visual tone of Hickman’s run, but it’s really Epting that has come along and perfected the visual tone of the book in the nature that he has. This book literally has everything you could want visually in a title. Epting has a very cinematic style, as illustrated by AIMs invasion of PAVLOV, and the colors provided by Paul Mounts really help to bring out both the darkness and the warmth of the title. This is a book about a family after all, and Epting and Mounts manage to bring out the glow of an awkward jumble of characters that combine to create a family at a dinner table be just as powerful a sequence as that of a villain triumphant in his madness. While a lot of great artistic talents have been on this title, it’s truly great to have Epting at the helm of the visual aspect of the title, as the synergy between him and Hickman is palpable.

FF #1 stands as a great first issue for both fans new and old. The title is immediately accessible as it sets a fair amount of plot to come as well as easily introduces the wide cast of the title to the reader. On top of that, it starts off as a dynamic entry point into a new age for heroes that have existed for 50 years now, yet still feel as fresh as the day they were introduced. Hickman’s ability to truly bring out the fantastic in the title again is a welcome element, and as the second act of his story begins we find ourselves perched comfortably on the edge of our seats, eagerly anticipating what comes next in this sci-fi epic.

Final Verdict: 9.8 – Buy


Matthew Meylikhov

Once upon a time, Matthew Meylikhov became the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Multiversity Comics, where he was known for his beard and fondness for cats. Then he became only one of those things. Now, if you listen really carefully at night, you may still hear from whispers on the wind a faint voice saying, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine is not as bad as everyone says it issss."

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