Lee and Michael Allred ramp up the action in this penultimate issue of the Faux-Four era of “FF!” But will the plot get lost among all the zaniness? Does it matter? Read our review below!
Written by Matt Fraction and Lee Allred
Illustrated by Michael Allred• Invasion Latveria: the Video Game!
• Four stand-in replacement heroes and a dozen kids versus Dr. Doom, now transformed into the ultimate power in the universe: Doom the Annihilating Conqueror! What a time to run out of quarters!
• Game over, man! Game over!
Truth bomb: whenever anything happens in “FF” I usually just nod my head and whisper “Yeah, man, yeah.” Sun Tzu and Caesar coaching the FF kids to pilot The Mad Thinker’s army of Adaptoid Androids into Castle Von Doom? Yeah, man, yeah. An obscure magician character from the Timely Comics era who’s ready to dispel Doom’s magic? Yeah, man, yeah. Cargo Manshark? Yeah, man, yeah!
“FF” is definitely one of the funnest books on the Marvel line and this issue is no exception. By having everything from the prior run of the series (as well as some things that kind of popped up conveniently an issue or two ago,) The Allred Brothers have crafted a high-stakes climax to the story of Scott Lang and the Faux Four. With all of the resources the FF have cultivated, issue #15 becomes a very pretty series of Kirby-scale battles. This is the war to “End Doom” that Lang has been planning for since the end of “Avengers: The Children’s Crusade” and, in spite of the large number of energetic plot points flying around freely, the story never seems to lose its focus.
Lee Allred does a fantastic job in grounding characters who would otherwise be lost in the high-octane story. Dragon Man and Bentley-23 share a nice beat, and really Bentley gets a huge amount of screen time this issue, as well as moments from all the cast. Most of the characters do genuinely feel “there” like they have a purpose for being a part of the huge battle instead of just being brought in for whatever reasons. In this vein, the inclusion of the Avengers as “adaptoids” makes perfect sense as a way to bring in The Avengers naturally, though some like Dakor are definitely in there for convenient plot device/self-indulgence reasons.
Really that’s hardly a bad problem to have. In a lot of ways, “FF” #15 is very self-indulgent but never in a way that disrupts the tone of the book. Bringing in a magician from the 40’s to help fight Doom? Of course! Picking obscure continuity to bring back Caesar? Why not?! Cargo Manshark? Cargo Manshark! Yet this “indulgence” brings an enthusiastic energy to “FF” that transforms the story into something much more akin in tone to “Adventure Time.” This is handled by Michael Allred who’s art, as always, carries any title it’s in. His pop-Silver Age style has been perfect for this series since the first issue and now with a script more action packed than any other issue before, Mike Allred really shows off his ability to make giant-scale multi-front battles. He even goes a step beyond to tie in the idea of everything occurring simultaneously with a multi-page footer describing the battles between the Adaptoids and Doombots. And just like how the plot manages to keep its characters and Cargo Manshark too, Allred’s able to find the authentic movement and faces in his characters among the explosions and time streams.
That said, there are a couple of gaps in continuity that do fall through. For one, the events of Inhumanity have yet to catch up to the FF as demonstrated by Black Bolt and Triton straight up waltzing around like one ain’t currently in the middle of faking their own death. Sure, it’s definitely a minor case of continuity shuffling (“FF” just takes place before “Infinity”) but it can throw continuity-addled readers for a loop, as could the transition to “Fantastic Four” #14. Did you guys know “Fantastic Four” was still running alongside “FF?” Haha, me neither friend. So maybe that’s why I was a little confused by that one page. Then again, “FF” isn’t exactly the type of book for people who obsess over continuity. What are we to say in these times then? “Yeah, man, yeah!”
Continued belowReally, I think that’s the mantra for “FF” going forward into the next issue. It’s not the most coherent book out right now, but it’s definitely one I’ve had a ton of fun with, and even then it still has a very compelling relationship going on between Scott Lang and his obsession with Doom. If you look past all the cosmic goofiness, there’s a ton of heartfelt stuff to be found in “FF,” and for that I feel like it’s going to be remembered as one of the most underrated Fantastic Four runs going forward.
Final Verdict: 7.4 – Buy! Yeah, man, yeah!
