Writer/Artist: Jonathan Hickman, Sean Chen, Adi Granov
Publisher: Marvel, $16.99
In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion storyline, Reed Richards constructs a bridge through space, time, and the multiverse to answer one important answer: what the hell went wrong to lead everything to this point? As Reed explores different Earths that have experienced similar Civil Wars and Secret Invasions, the rest of the team gets lost in space and time fighting dinosaurs, Nazis, and more. Meanwhile back at the Baxter building, Franklin and Val Richards have to stall Norman Osborn as he comes evict the Fantastic Four.
As a whole, the entire Dark Reign umbrella plot occurring in the Marvel Universe does nothing for me. I skipped over this mini-series despite interest in the creators figuring I would give it a chance with the trade, and I’m glad I did because this turned out to be one of the more solid Fantatsic Four stories I’ve read in the past couple of years. I would recommend this to anyone who has been looking for a solid jump on point for the FF or are looking to get back in if they dropped off during the past Mark Millar run.
Hickman has a great handle on all the characters and his plotting and scripting are sharp. He manages to bring in the right amount of humor, action, and family interaction the title needs. Also Hickman’s version of Reed Richards, while confident, isn’t the crazy a-hole some other creators have made him out to be. Sean Chen’s art has always been enjoyable and I’ve liked his work since his run on Iron Man with Kurt Busiek. It’s clean, simple, and dynamic super-hero art. The back-up story with Granov art is also great and Hickman captures Doom perfectly.
If you like this then try: Fantastic Four 1-2-3-4, Secret Warriors, Nightly News
Related Links: Marvel Comics
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