Pick of the Week
What did the
iFanboy
community think?
Pulls
Art by Nick Dragotta & Steve Epting
Colors by Chris Sotomayor & Paul Mounts
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover by Mike Choi & Guru-eFX
Size: 22 pages
Price: 2.99
Man, even after the big finale is all said and done, Jonathan Hickman, along with Nick Dragotta and Steve Epting, still finds a way to entertain here in the pages of FF #16. As I read FF #16, I couldn’t help but think that I’d be making a few confessions while talking about this book.
Confession #1: I kind of like FF better than Fantastic Four.
Dont’ get me wrong, what Hickman has done with Fantastic Four has been amazing. Over the years of his run, he was able to re-ignite the excitement around Marvel’s oldest group of characters. He made them interesting again. More importantly, he made them vital reading. Every month (or every 2 weeks) when the next issue came out, it was a must read. When he swerved and switched the Fantastic Four to FF, it was shocking, but maintained the level of excitement. But ever since Fantastic Four returned as a regular title, I found myself attracted to FF. I’m not quite sure why, but I think it’s because what was going on in FF was new and different. Not that Fantastic Four hasn’t been awesome, it has, especially since the main action happened in that book as we worked to a resolution to Hickman’s grand story. But there’s something about FF, with its focus on the Future Foundation and the genius kids that I find to be really engaging. The variety of characters and the subtle touch of humor goes along way, but ultimately I think it’s the shift in perspective and slight skew on the larger story that has made FF that much more interesting to me.
Confession #2: I really like wrap-up issues
All of us reading at home know that big, epic story wrapped up in Fantastic Four #604. FF #16 followed on its heels providing that much needed exhale after such a big and expansive story and dealt with the moments immediately after and following the events of Fantastic Four #604. For me, really it was the little things, like the conversations between the characters after what was just this big huge cosmic level event and how they deal with it. Dealing with the ramifications of the fallout of the fight, which left much of New York City damaged, including the Baxter Building. It’s that little touch of realism that has been one of the hallmarks of what Hickman has done with this title. When you take their powers and the insanity of the adventures they go on and all the other crazy stuff that makes Fantastic Four what it is, it’s important not to forget the human aspect of it. At the core of the book, it’s about this family, including all the additional members that have been added recently, and how they’re able to cope and react to the crazy world around them. That’s something that Hickman has shown mastery over in this book, and it’s highlighted here, from each and every scene, we get the idea that these are just people. Sure, they have incredible powers and can do amazing things, like rebuild a skyscraper in minutes, but at the end of they day they have emotions and feelings and relationships just like we do.
In addition to the emotional side of things, they built a new Baxter Building and there were pages dedicated to Reed explaining the new rooms and layout. As a sucker for understanding more about team’s headquarters and the mundane like that, I just wish they would have included a cut-away drawing of the new building. But they introduced a new satellite base that was awesome, so that will make up for the lack of a cut-away.
Confession #3: Valeria is the star
FF #16 is narrated by Valeria, which further cements my opinion that throughout this entire run by Hickman, even with the Council of Reeds, The Human Torch dying and coming back, Spider-Man joining the ranks, that at the end of the day it’s clear that it’s Valeria who is the star of the book. Hickman has been able to flesh out this character, who for me wasn’t terribly defined or interesting, aside from being a very smart little girl, and even in the shadow of Reed Richards, make her the real brains behind the operation. But even while doing that, we never forget that she’s a little girl, and the use of her inner monologue for narration as we go through this wrap up had me laughing and marveling at what Hickman’s done with the delightful character.
Confession #4: Nick Dragotta rocks
We tend to talk about a lot of artists here over the years. Some artists come and go. Some dazzle and amaze us, while others quietly work, doing good work. Nick Dragotta is one of those artists who I feel like every year or so, he emerges and delivers just some stunning work. His addition on FF has solidified the art side of the equation in such a subtle way. His cartooning style here has just the right amount of playfulness and childlike wonder that’s required for the variety of characters, while still being able to deliver the weight of something as big as a conversation with Galactus. Factor in his ability to provide facial expressions and character acting, he’s able to drive home the nature of FF and what separates this book’s identity from Fantastic Four. While I enjoyed Epting’s contribution to the ending, I could have read 20 more pages of Dragotta art and it still wouldn’t have been enough.
I could go on and on with my many confessions when it comes to FF #16, but ultimately the fact is that this book is as fantastic and wonderful to read as I could hope for. Hickman has proven with both FF and Fantastic Four that not only can he stick the landing, but he can leave you exciting, waiting for more, as evident in his ending to this issue as we see the fate of Doctor Doom. We see what will become of Doom and with an ominous ending that only Hickman can do, I finished reading FF #16 eagerly anticipating more.
Ron Richards
And they fixed the costumes too!
ron@ifanboy.com
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Wrap up issues are the best. I remember loving the X-Cutioner’s Song wrap-up (Professor X rollerblading with Jubilee) back in the day.
duuuuude. i reread that and the x-factor therapy with doc samson issue more than any other piece of executioner’s song. those are great, great wrap up stories.
Well Ron, I got two pars in and ran to the iPad to download FF. I’d say that’s a successful review … can’t wait to read the rest. But first, the comic!
I’m trying to remember, but that thing mentioned on the last page, was there a reference to it in the Grand Timeline of Future Marvel from “Avengers”? I feel like I’ve seen that name before, and that would be the likeliest place I’d have seen it.
This was a very good issue, BTW, best of what I read this week..
*Spoilers!*
So Galactus and Franklin are soulmates right? One the creator, one the devourer. Yin yang until the end of time?
And … back. Cheers Ron, that was pretty decent. The highlight was future Valeria – chilling. The lowlight – the tweaked uniforms, reading your review I was expecting the blue classics, but instead the ugly white outfits get even wonkier. Oh well, I reckon I got my money’s worth.
but now we’ll be able to tell who’s who by their number 🙂
Good point! I did laugh at Bentley.
Mart – I found the exchange at the end with future Valeria curious (I’m relatively new to the series, I’ve been reading FF and Fantastic Four since Hickman began writing). What was that all about? Did I miss something?
Buck, I’ve been in and out of this Fantastic Four/FF run (the two Inhumans issues are among the most unsatisfying comics I’ve ever read), and didn’t read the last few issues, having ceased to care about Celestials and Grandpa Nathaniel, Uncle Doom, the Four Cities and the rest. So I don’t know the nuances of the future Val scene, I simply liked that she could read L’il Val and was such an obvious cow.
Thanks for this pick. It is wonderful to see such creative energy on the family of characters that were the heart of the 60s revolution in superheros. Fantastic Four has been too much neglected. And this issue was the perfect encore to the finale in Fantastic Four #604.
Great choice for Pick.
This was definitely the best issue of FF for me since they split the books up. Hickman writes the kids extremely well and almost at a creepy level considering how believable Valeria is. The art was pretty good too and I hope Dragotta stays on this for the rest of the run. But let’s be honest, the big reason this issue was so damn good was the ending. Totally didn’t see it coming, especially with surprise artist Steve Epting, and I so want to see this ‘Parliament of Doom’ play out. I hope Hickman has plans for this cause the moment I saw the full page title card with ‘The Parliament of Doom’ on it I literally gasped.
But alas this was not my Pick of the Week as great as it was. That went to Avenging Spider-Man #5 and for a variety of reasons I’ll list them in no order: Best use of Spider-Man thanks to Zeb Wells, a great reveal into Steve Rogers past, and Leinil Francis ‘Mother Fucking’ Yu. To me this was THE BEST Spider-Man story I’ve read in a very long time. I want Zeb Wells to write ASM full time that’s how much I loved this.
That book was amazing!
Jon Hickman, you magnificent bastard.
Avengers vs xmen 0 was my pick. Loved chos art
I cancelled this title a couple months back, I found it was dragging.
I can’t even motivate myself to read this title. Oh well.
I can totally understand why this issue was picked . . .
But Ron, make sure you read this week’s Avenging Spidey!
“Right back at ya”
Awesome.
I’ve been reading since issue 1 and, even before the books split, I couldn’t make heads or tails of this story.
In the first story Reed tampers in the Celestials (and Franklin’s) domain, he sets of a possibly cataclysmic chain of events including an inter-dimensional galactic war, they get pissed, try to wipe out all reality, they stop them via jenky time steam manipulation and reality bending.
I love this cover but the chessboard is the wrong way round and it irks me. Do your research Choi!
That’s the first negative thing I thought about when it comes to Choi’s covers.
Choi’s covers across the board have been completely terrible lately, miles away from his X-Force work.
A lot of people I know left this book cause it seemed to go on forever. I myself was pretty bored with the black bolt return issue but am so glad I stayed along for the ride. The Franklin and Galactus scenes are just genius.