The most epic ending to the biggest Dr. Doom story in an over-size issue. That’s the hype behind the issue and boy did it ever not deliver on that. The book feels rushed and the ending merely a set-up for a new, more powerful Dr. Doom. First of all we lose not only Bryan Hitch, but also Mark Millar as he’s only credited for the story, not script. Jon Ahearne writes a script that looks large in scale, but feels largely flat. Though I’m not sure he has that much to work with. This story has been a sinking ship since at least last issue.

One thing I will give this issue is that the art looks a heck of a lot better than the last one. Stuart Immonen is doing his best Hitch impersonation and sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. Immonen nails expressions and allows the characters to emote better than Hitch in the last issue and we are privy to several epic double-page spreads with a variety of explosions and things to look at.

This issue’s plot is a mess. Characters show up out of nowhere and the plot is wrapped up far too conveniently. This is a dissapointing end to what I thought was one of the best runs on Fantastic Four I’d ever read. At least we can all breath easier knowing Johnathan Hickman is starting up next issue.