It is so rare that a mainstream, in-continuity superhero story is worthy of such high praise as Fantastic Four: Three. Not that there aren't exceptional stories out there, but it is like saying a single episode of your favorite TV show is equal to a great movie. Free of context or prelude, one small piece of an on-going saga can feel a little hollow when compared to a complete, self-contained epic.

Yes, Three is the culmination of Jonathan Hickman's entire emotional run on this series, and previous knowledge is essential, but the skill poured into this story and the impact that it has on the reader elevates it onto a whole new level, and into comic book history.

We all knew going in that this was going to be the much-publicised storyline that saw the death of a Fantastic Four member, but anyone who half-heartedly jumped on board just so that they could say the comic book equivalent of "I was there" will not find it that easy. This isn't just the death of a superhero -- this is the loss of a family member.

That first page is a winner; setting up everything you need to know about the FF in one glorious full-page spread. Crazy, sci-fi action wrapped around realistic drama, without taking itself too seriously. Epting's art is just as solid as it was on Captain America, and his characterisation flawless. It may be a little too gritty for what is usually demanded on Fantastic Four, but it is appropriate for the tone of this story.

From page one, things just get more intense. Each character is pulled off in different directions, to face different crises, keeping us guessing just who it is that will pay the ultimate price. Every one of these tangents is gripping and could stand on their own. I smiled at Ben's antics with Johnny, sweated over Sue's political negotiations in Atlantis, and literally gasped when Galactus confronted Reed. The deck felt stacked, and anything could happen.

And then it did. The set-up is admirable, and the pay-off natural but no less heartbreaking. Standing between the armies of Annihilus and the portal to Earth, Jonathan Lowell Spencer Storm AKA The Human Torch makes his last stand in the Negative Zone, saving the world.

Superhero writers seem to be realising that if you want your audience to really feel the loss of a character, it is not the death scene itself but the aftermath that truly sells it. Hickman and Dragotta's silent issue beautifully achieves this with striking, emotive art and some of the best character moments I've ever seen in a mainstream title.

But it was the short story "Uncles" capping off this collection that finally broke me. I didn't weep when Batman died; I didn't weep when Captain America died, but when Spider-Man and Franklin Richards talk about their lost uncles together, I shed a manly tear.

I have no doubt that Johnny Storm will be among us again some time -- such is the way of superhero comics. But right here, right now, he is not with us, and Three is the world's greatest tribute to the sorely missed wisecracker.

Flame on, Johnny. Flame on.