What a crazy, wild ride of an issue this is.  I have greatly enjoyed Hickman's run on FF from the beginning, but I have to admit the first parts of this storyline did not quite grab me in the same way.  To be sure, the idea of Reed Richards' time traveling father, Nathaniel Richards (whose time travel antics have actually been a long established part of the characters history and not a Hickman retcon as some people have been complaining lately), showing up to recruit him, Ben, and Doom during their college years for a mission involving a murderous alternate Nathaniel who has killed all the other Nathaniel's that existed in the multi-verse, is wonderfully wonky in typical FF, and Hickman for that matter, style.  Yet for whatever reason, the execution up till now has left me a little cold.  This issue however makes it clear that instead of being a random diversion, this story is really a direct prologue for Hickman's pending epic storyline titled '3'.  This fact, combined with the return of the strong character work that has been prevailing throughout Hickman's run and a few neat plot twists, help to salvage the story. The art is also very well done, even if never achieving the legendary heights of soon to be departing regular artist Englesham.  Whenever problems I may have had with aspects of this particular storyline, I remain a devout fan of Hickman on FF and anticipate with great expectation his next issue.