Description:
Galactus
is ready to feast, and only Reed Richards can save the inhabitants of
Nu-World. Sue Richards is mediator between the long-lost tribe of Old
Atlantis and Prince Namor, who is itching to mete out ages-old
vengeance. Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm are the last line of defense
against the coming of a new Annihilation Wave through the Baxter
Building's Negative Zone portal. And in the end, one of these heroes
will die.
Collects:
Fantastic Four (1961) #583-588
Authors: Jonathan
Hickman
Artists: Steve Epting, Nick Dragotta
Published
By: Marvel
Published When: Nov. 9
2011
Parental Rating: Teen
Review:
Oh what an ending!
This TPB collects six issues of the original run of the Fantastic
Four, and for most of the book it is standard late-'90s plot fare for
this team. Multiple threats and responsibilities pull the members in
different directions, scattering their efforts and focus.
Reed Richards must save a population from Galactus. Sue Richards
is caught between warring factions, with Prince Namor seeking to
manipulate her in his conflict with Old Atlantis. Ben vacillates
between human and Thing. The Richards children use their own powers
and abilities in precocious ways. And so on.
The notion of family drama, of over-worked parents pulled in too
many directions, and unsupervised children exploring their abilities
and their world, is certainly one that will connect with many
readers. And it is one of the perennial strengths of the Fantastic
Four – this sense of family, both blood-relatives and extended
bonds of close relationships.
And for most of this book, that drama plays out, not with the
piano-lessons-and-overtime-hours elements of us mere mortals, but in
the FF context. Pretty standard fare. Giant purple-and-blue-clad
Galactus towers and glowers. Hordes of spike-covered, sharp-toothed
monsters threaten. Ho-hum.
But the hook of this book is that "in the end, one of these
heroes will die." And *Spoiler alert* in the end, Johnny Storm
must battle "a billion to one" odds, alone. To save his
friends, his family, the world.
Which leads to that ending, one
that turns an ordinary story into something
remarkable.
If comic books are, fundamentally, graphical narrative, then the
final chapter should be near the top of the mountain of Marvel
accomplishments in such story-telling. Panel after panel, page after
page depicts a month of mourning, as the heroes of the Marvel
universe, and especially the FF family, come to terms with the death
of Johnny Storm.
From Ben Grimm pounding out his grief on the
Hulk, to daughter Valeria Richards writing her To-Do list "Kill
Annihilus" with hate and determination frozen onto her face.
From Thor's subtle tears
to the return of the tattered remains of Storm's uniform, the
wordless images are breathtaking, moving, powerful story-telling.
Word-bubbles do appear at
last, on the final few pages, as Spider-Man
shares a moment of understanding and grief with Franklin Richards. A
brief exchange, packed with sympathy and companionship, and a fitting
cap to the whole six-chapter arc.
Score: 4.5 capes
ISBN-10: 0785151435
ISBN-13:
9780785151432
Language: English
Pages:
184 pages
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