Wednesday, February 23, 2011

NB of the Week

Fantastic Four #588
With the events of the last issue, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this one. I knew it was going to be a memorial issue. I knew it would be filled with all of Johnny's friends lamenting over his sacrifice. I didn't expect an almost completely silent issue, with so many people wanting revenge. An angry, silent issue. What a brilliant idea.
We go through "A Month Of Morning" in this issue. Day 1 sees the Avengers and Sue arriving too late to help Johnny. Day 3 sees Sue pulling away from life as she ponders her brother's death. Day 4 sees Reed taking the Ultimate Nullifier at Annihilus, wanting his revenge. Young Annihilus stands there, holding up a tattered "4" uniform piece. Reed sulks away speechless (and I gotta say, I wanted to kill Annihilus myself at that point. What a dick...). Day 5 sees a wake with an angry Ben. Day 6 sees Kristoff Vernard taking over the throne of Latveria. Day 8 sees Doom showing up to the burial (possibly setting up him joining the FF later...). Day 14 sees Spider-Man and Franklin having a moment of lost uncles. Day 20 sees Valeria and the other kids plotting the death of Annihilus (which is a more terrifying thought than Reed's Nullifier). Day 26 sees the best and most emotional part where Thor and Hulk let Thing take out his anger and fear and aggression on them. Hulk takes blow after blow, never raising a hand back, but catching Ben as he falls to the ground, letting everything out. One of the best individual scenes I've read in a very long time. Day 29 sees Reed Sitting and thinking (as he usual does for every problem) and a portal opens up, his father stepping through. End issue.
My only complaint in this issue is the art. After Steve Epting's amazing run on this death story, we have a filler artist who doesn't quite match up. Taking out all words but the last page, the majority of the issue falls on the art itself. It's not that it's horrible art, I just wish Epting would have stuck around for one more issue to do it. But that's the only complaint. Amazing issue, front to back. I've said it before and I'll say it again: You should be reading this book. Great, great stuff.

3 comments:

  1. I should have been reading this. Sounds pretty awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have the first two hardcovers. You can borrow them next time you want to.

    ReplyDelete
  3. it is spiderman who joining the ff, doom made a pact with valeria

    ReplyDelete