Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1

Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman #0-2

by Jonathan Hickman, Sean Chen (Illustrator), Adi Granov (Illustrator)

Legendary writer Jonathan Hickman’s sprawling, landmark run begins here! Dark Reign strikes Marvel’s first family in an explosive way — with H.A.M.M.E.R. agents attacking the Baxter Building! But as Reed Richards builds a bridge across the Multiverse to learn how to solve everything, he finds more than he bargained for. What is the Council? The FF deal with the Wizard and the Mole Man; a familiar visitor arrives from the future with a mysterious message; and the team journeys deep beneath the Earth, under the sea and to the moon — where they learn a startling secret about the history of the Inhumans. It’s superior super-hero storytelling as only Jonathan Hickman can deliver it! Collecting DARK REIGN: FANTASTIC FOUR #1-5, FANTASTIC FOUR (1998) #570-578 and material from DARK REIGN: THE CABAL.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction

347 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 14, 2019

About the author

Jonathan Hickman is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for creating the Image Comics series The Nightly News, The Manhattan Projects and East of West, as well as working on Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, FF, and S.H.I.E.L.D. titles. In 2012, Hickman ended his run on the Fantastic Four titles to write The Avengers and The New Avengers, as part the "Marvel NOW!" relaunch. In 2013, Hickman wrote a six-part miniseries, Infinity, plus Avengers tie-ins for Marvel Comics. In 2015, he wrote the crossover event Secret Wars. - Wikipedia

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember Hickman’s whole grand Secret Wars head-scratching storyline? Well, he was sowing the seeds right here in this very volume – trying stuff out, getting the Lil’ Deux ex Machina up and running.

You have the multiple reality straddling Council of Egg Head Strechy Guys…



Where there’s a Reed for every occasion.



Also included here, and reviewed by yours truly elsewhere as a single volume, is the Dark Reign tie-in, where Sue, Ben and Torchy get bounced around realities…



…and the kids have to cover the Baxter Building all by themselves against Norman Osborn and those asshats from HAMMER.



Ben and Johnny go on vacation.



The Four get to go to Antarctica…



…and deal with a mess the High Evolutionary left behind…



…and Happy Birthday Franklin!!



Hickman gets to jump start Franklin Richards’ universe-growing powers, just in case he needs a cheap out for Secret Wars.



So, if you’re going to send Franklin Richards from the future to fix a timeline in the past, he should have at least knocked Hickman senseless while he was at it.



Bottom line: This volume starts off strong but gets murky towards the end with the weird fish people story line. Hickman shows some, uh, conventional and entertaining story telling chops as well as a big ol’ heart and a sense of humor. Daww.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Is there anything better we do than exploration?" -- Reed 'Mr. Fantastic' Richards

"Beat people up?" -- Ben 'The Thing' Grimm

"Date hot women?" -- Johnny 'The Human Torch' Storm

(sigh) "We leave in 45 minutes." -- Sue 'Invisible Woman' Richards

Sadly, that sort of witty repartee is in short supply in this jumbo volume featuring the durable 'first family of Marvel.' Unless you count one of the Richards' children calling their sibling the 'r' word in jest - twice! - which was an odd and tasteless misstep by scribe Hickman. However, I'm reluctant to going all clobberin' time on this book - for approximately the first-half it was pretty good, with a couple of involving and fairly expeditious storylines starring the classic original line-up of the team. (Note - this year marks the 60th anniversary of their debut - and, by extension, the beginning of Marvel Comics itself - and they're still pretty spry for superheroes nearing AARP eligibility . . . that's my attempt at a bit of humor. Anyone?) However, it's the latter portion, where the tales just seem disjointed or ponderous, that killed the early buzz. It just seemed too restrained at that point - I get that their sci-fi adventure plots are typically a little more cerebral in nature than other superheroic teams, but Human Torch and The Thing were unwisely reigned in from having big action scenes.

[Benji's Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent start to Hickman's run of Marvel's Greatest Comic Magazine. The Fantastic Four are a group of explorers and I love that Hickman was able to take them back to their roots in this. We got a handful of seemingly standalone issues focusing on alternate realities, discovering different species and even an entire council of Reed Richards from different worlds.

That was probably my favorite story in this collection, with a great ending. I believe the story was called, "Solve Everything". There's a lot to enjoy here and I look forward to reading more.

Minus two stars for not really pulling me in as much as I had hoped, but like I said, I'm excited to read more. Many people have told me not to stop here, as what these stories build up to are so worth it. Besides, I finally bought all four of the F4 by Jonathan Hickman Complete Collections and don't plan on letting them go to waste.

Recommended.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the longest time, even before I got into comics, but watched a lot of superhero cartoons at an early age, I never understood the Fantastic Four, which for me were too clean-cut and lacked the relatability of Spider-Man or the conflicted nature of the X-Men. However, when you start getting into comics, where the medium is forward thinking, you start to become more open-minded.

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Marvel's First Family is not just superheroes as they are explorers journeying into the unknown where there are grand sci-fi ideas taking place in other planets, dimensions or even through time. Known for his big ideas, Jonathan Hickman began his long Marvel stint with the Fantastic Four, which he would later use to bookend his Marvel writing with the 2015 miniseries Secret Wars.

Beginning Hickman's F4 run is a five-issue tie-in with the event "Dark Reign", where during the aftermath of the "Secret Invasion" storyline, which led to a shift of power in the Marvel Universe toward Norman Osborn and the ramifications thereof. As H.A.M.M.E.R. agents prepare to attack the Baxter Building, Reed Richards builds a bridge across the Multiverse to learn how to solve everything, only to find more than he bargained for.

During "Dark Reign" and the initial issues, it was more of a psychological examination of Reed Richards, who is so obsessed with his scientific work that he is negating his family who can fall victim by his reality-bending experiments. Despite the internal conflict within the family that Hickman is setting up in the long game, there are happy moment, such as the issue of Franklin Richards' birthday party where guests include some mutants, cosmic aliens and everyone's favourite wall-crawler, much to the displeasure of Johnny Storm. The most fun elements of the book are the siblings Franklin and Val, who are super-powered geniuses getting into trouble, especially under the guardianship of their bickering uncles.

The remaining issues are somewhat a mixed bag as in classic Fantastic Four fashions, the heroes travel to otherworldly environments, whether it in the subterranean, Atlantis or the dark side of the moon. Despite the impressive artistry from Dave Eaglesham and Neil Edwards, who make these adventures look larger than life, Hickman is once again selling up something big, so the issues do read like filler.

There is a lot to like about this initial volume of Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four, even if there is some padding for something grander coming in the near future, but this is one family I'm happy to follow their adventures.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This book started off great. The first 5 issues are part of the Dark Reign, where Osborne was running things. Really enjoyed this. Reed has created some gate that allows his to see all the different earths throughout the multiverse. He’s trying to solve why we had a Secret Invasion, why there was a Civil war etc etc. However, while in there, outside it sends Sue, Ben and Johnny spiraling through the Multiverse. I really did enjoy when the kids got home and saw no one was around and had to deal with Osborne alone when he came knocking. That was some great stuff. Gotta love the kids and how they handled that. Then we move into the regular Fantastic Four run. Here while using the gate, Reed sees that his other selves from different earths made the same gate. They have gathered all the different Reeds and made a council of Reeds to try and solve these problems. Some pretty cool stuff there. There were some other things that were set up here for where the story is going to go. Those last three issues tho I felt like Hickman was trying to throw a lot of ground work at you and I got a little lost. I stopped and went back and re-read those issues. I think I got it now. On to volume 2.

[Aron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely good writing, great artwork. Its a really fun read and it feels more like a sci-fi adventure rather than a super hero story. It's Hickman at some of his best, so its big, smart & complex. Loved it, highly recommend!

[Machiavelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman, Vol. 1. While I can see why this run is so highly praised—there are definitely some big ideas at play—it didn’t fully click for me. The pacing felt slow, and I never quite got pulled in. Personally, I found Ryan North’s run more engaging and better at keeping momentum. Still, I’m curious to see where Hickman takes things next.

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edit: first re-read in five years and this holds far better than I remembered. I wanna get this out of the way, I really loved the art by Dale Eaglesham. You can tell he was influenced by Jack Kirby's 1960's faces and it was a welcome reference. The art looks modern but he kept those Kirby faces. Maybe I was just seeing things but it touched me. Now, this is why re-reading can be fun. Stronger comprehension and edification made this book much better than I remembered. Excellent sci-fi and philosophical questions abound this that honestly makes Waid's run feel a bit safe. For the record Waid wrote my favorite FF stories but I admired Hickman going for bigger! While doing so, he doesn't lose what made them loved in the first place, which was the fact that they're a family. I was actually moved by certain moments that focused on Reed reminding himself to not let his moral obligation of being a genius over step his responsibility to be a parent. I can't wait to see where these stories lead because this feels like only the first ten feet of a mountain to scale.

I'm still new to the Fantastic Four having only read Waid's short but astronomical run. I looked online to see what were some other beloved runs on these characters seeing how they revitalized Marvel Comics back in 1961. All signs pointed to Jonathan Hickman's run. His ideas are very ambitious. Interdimensional living, terraforming conquests, undersea kingdoms, yet all seem very grand and hard to follow. He seemed to let the plot take over and it impeded my enjoyment from the series. But, whenever he focused on the characters and them being a family, I really adored it. Also kudos to him for making me fall in love with the Richard's kids. Franklin and Valeria are so much fun and so well written that I now see them as integral in the story of the Fantastic Four. I'm serious, they desperately need to be in the MCU soon. I almost enjoyed them more than the team. I'm gonna give it one more book and see how I feel from there. I hope it gets better, because I really do enjoy Marvel's first family.

[jacobi · Rating 5 out of 5]

reed richards is thicker than a snicker

[Nicko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prelude: Dark Reign #1
Short but effective. I love Reed’s dialogue here about humanity and problems vs. solutions. I’ve only read Ross’s FULL CIRCLE and North’s current F4 run, but, I’m loving the family dynamic.

Dark Reign #2
I think I might know where this is going with Reed. At least from a thematical / philosophical POV. But I could be very wrong. The Bridge is a cool idea to be able to look into the multiverse — something extravagant to supplement Reed’s motivations. This issue felt a bit more setup-y than anything. Looking fwd to what unravels.

Dark Reign #3
I hope this is the last issue that explores Reed’s different universes. It’s getting a little repetitive seeing the different worlds. Pretty much the same thing as last issue. It’s also a little confusing with the “collapsed space-time” thread — did our heroes get tangled up into the different timelines? If so, why are we only seeing Ben in them?

Dark Reign #4
Didn’t care too much about the “collapsed space-time” “venomized skrull” world. The art was bombastic. The only development here is that Reed is finally confronting what he’s learned — whether or not to continue working alone (which, according to the multiverse would better serve the world), or leave as is. At this point, the Franklin and Val’s thread is more entertaining.

Dark Reign #5
Idk, I’m hoping Hickman was just mandated with DARK REIGN or something before starting his run but that wasn’t anything great. It was an issue or so too long. I guess what Reed saw before shutting down The Bridge is supposed to set up this run — I just felt like 5 issues for Norman Osborn to get to the kids, Reed learn that he might need to work alone, and basically go back to what was established in the first issue — that he’s the cause of everything (a bit of a hero complex?) was really underwhelming.

Dark Reign: The Cabal
This was sort of interesting, but, short, obviously. Adi Granov is always a treat. I’m hoping the developments in DARK REIGN were a pre-cursor to Hickman’s run. Curious to see how it plays out but still thought it was dragging.

#570
Now we’re getting somewhere. A good first issue to his run. Got a little bit of everything. Slice of life, character, and intrigue. I had no idea there was a Council of Reed’s, so to speak. I’m guessing this is how The Maker is made? Also, sidenote — would the smartest man ever not think of asking other versions of himself to begin with?

#571
Certainly the best issue of this entire volume so far. Everything is set up and is firing on all cylinders. Sue’s drama w Reed, Reed’s internal struggle, The Council, etc. I loved how we get to see both the hood and the bad that The Council is doing, and I love how Hickman is showing us that they’re doing HUGE things for the entire multiverse. It really justifies their existence. I also loved how we learn that the “bearded” Reed has a little bit of Doom in his DNA now. More great drama — it truly takes one to know one, BUT, obviously, makes him more dangerous. So is their creation of The Hole really sound? I also loved cutting back to the flashback of young Reed and his father right before Reed makes his decision of joining The Council or not. I took young Reed saying how the kids at school “like me, but they’re not like me,” as Reed’s current thoughts about joining.

#572
This was good. Mostly action-y with great character beats. I didn’t quite get what the one Reed did with the Infinity Gauntlet and using the other Reed’s chest into his universe. Looked like he needed to grab a certain charge from his universe to blast onto the Celestials? Which was a waste imo. But I absolutely loved again, cutting to younger Reed and his father, and the advice we see that was given to him. That all his intelligence means nothing without his heart. And that he should succeed where his father felt like he failed. That when the world tries to get you to compromise who you are, that in turn weakens us.

#573
This was mostly good, too. A showcase of Valeria’s skill, really. It was confusing tracking the subplot of Nu-World. Think it took some prior Marvel knowledge to know about it + Johnny’s ex and all. But it was cool seeing Valeria be the one to get them out of Nu-World and back home, especially since Ted claimed that Reed was the only one who could do it. I also liked how Hickman played out Ben and Johnny’s “vacation” — like it wasn’t just some throwaway line for humor in that issue. Curious to see if Reed’s events with The Council come to play.

#574
This was effing crazy lol. Even though it was all in good fun (and cute) it was nice to see Franklin’s bday “pay off”. Spidey’s little cameo was fun, too. I also think it was a cool idea to have most of the issue revolve around the party, to then juxtapose it with a dangerous ending. Really stirring up with who is seemingly Franklin from the future and Val being the key to saving everything with Doom. Lastly, I think I like Edwards’s art better than Eaglesham’s.

#575
I guess this marks the start of volume 2 of this run. It was okay. Struck me as a more “classic” F4 story. A bit wild, psychedelic, and science-y. I’m guessing you had to have some prior knowledge of the F4 mythos with the whole Mole Man thing. I didn’t quite care too much about the High Evolutionary’s thread and nothing really quite happened other than the F4 now inheriting a few moloid children. But I’m assuming Hickman is planting seeds here.

#576
Another F4 adventure with them finding Atlantis. Eaglesham had quite the task here with a good chunk of the issue being dedicated solely to art (since they couldn’t communicate underwater). Some of his art was confusing. I didn’t quite feel this story lead anywhere, and, if it did, it got there fast. (Sue becoming the voice for mankind.) A couple of humorous beats from Ben and Johnny. I miss the more character-y work from a few issues ago.

#577
This was more an INHUMANS issue than an F4 one. Hickman went full on Nolan/TENET here with a bunch of science jargon mumbo jumbo. Got about 5% of it lol. Didn’t find this one all too compelling. Sux it seems this collection will end with this.

#578
Eh idk lol. I will say it’s midnight and I’m a little sleepy but I felt like the real compelling stuff happened in the middle of this book. With future Franklin and Reed finding The Council. Could really care less about the Inhumans and this light brigade and this war crap lol. I’ll be sad if Vol. 2 begins with that stuff. I can see why this was rated a 4 and not higher. Anyway. Gonna switch to reading DAREDEVIL then back to TMNT so will be a bit before delving back into the F4.

[Marcelo Soares · Rating 4 out of 5]

E o evangelho de Jonathan Hickman no Quarteto Fantástico começa aqui.
Por mais que eu goste do Quarteto, eu admito que eles sempre foram os "primos pobres" da Marvel; eles nunca tiveram o sucesso dos X-Men ou do Aranha, eles sempre viveram naquele cantinho da Marvel de heróis de um gibi só que não se misturam com ninguém e eles nem sempre funcionam assim, mas sabe o que funciona? Explorar. Sair por aí sem lenço e sem documento, olhando o que os deuses cósmicos da Marvel tão fazendo.
Isso funciona.
E isso é o que Hickman faz, ele pega conceitos que tão jogados no porão da Marvel e faz algumas perguntas bem óbvias:

-Existe um Multiverso, então nós podíamos perguntar para outras realidades como eles resolveram os grandes problemas da humanidade: o que fazer para resolver tudo? Como lidar com o Doutor Destino? Enduro do Atari realmente tinha um fim?
Peraí, o um exército de Destinos Zumbis? Sério? Não parece a melhor ideia.

-E se a cidade evolucionária do Alto Evolucionário fosse invadida, não por humanos, mas por molóides? Hmmm... uma cabeça superinteligente e voadora de um molóide? Agora pegou pressão nesse feijão.

-Atlantis tá aí faz um tempão, né? Será que existia alguma coisa antes de Atlantis? Quem sabe uma Atlantis Anciã? Namor não curtiu essa ideia.

-Os Inumanos surgem quando os Krees fazem experimentos com os ancestrais dos humanos, e se os Krees foram em outros planetas? Sério que o Raio Negro vai ter de casar com a cavalinha? E ninguém vai ouvir ele gritar quando chegar na hora da Rainha Espectro...

Isso é o que Hickman faz de melhor, pegar conceitos que estavam meio esquecidos e leva eles até as últimas consequências. Claro, no meio disso tudo, ainda tem viagem no tempo, outras realidades, profecias, promessas, a dupla Valéria e Franklin tocando o terror no Norman Osborn e um diálogo perfeito entre o Mago - sério - e o Reed.
Só o Hickman pra fazer eu gostar do Mago.

Enfim, quando comecei a ler a função do Reed construindo a máquina, pensei no Charlie do Flores para Algernon - um dos contos mais tristes que eu já li - e como deve ser solitária a excelência, por isso que o Reed não precisa ser o mais inteligente o tempo todo; ele tem a Sue - que não precisa ser a mais forte -, o Johnny - que não precisa ser o mais engraçado - e o Ben - que não precisa carregar todas as dores. Cada um pode ser um pouquinho menos, para que juntos possamos ser mais.

[James De Leon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s worst sin is that most of this is so far boring. I read the first Omni a couple of years ago and know that this is just building to the overall main arc, so I’m willing to be patient. But so far, it’s simply boring.

The F4 are, of course, explorers. That’s great. In the (seemingly standalone, unconnected) issues/stories, there are some nods to that concept, so that’s a positive. But again, still booooring. And the, let’s call it ‘power creep’ for lack of a better term, in this book is off the charts. Valeria is smarter than Reed and she’s just like 5? Cmon. But oh well, comics.

Anyway, the most interesting concept of this book, to me, is the discovery of the Council of Ricks - I meant, Reeds! I want to see more of that!

[Tuncer Haydarlar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ulan Hickman… Adamın genel olarak büyük ölçekli bi hikaye anlatma tarzı var, ve düşününce bu tarz F4 hikayesinde çok iyi çalışmalı di mi? Çalışmamış. Ne Avengers ne de X-Men runı kadar keyifli başladı. Cilt boyunca (ki kısa bir cilt de değil hani…) sadece tohum ekip hiçbir şeyi biçmiyor resmen. Çocuklar ve Reed’e ağırlık vereyim derken diğer herkesi boş yan karakterlere çevirmiş. E bi de üstüne başarısız bi Türkçeleştirme eklenince bitmedi cilt resmen ya. Hala milletin neyi övdüğünü merak ediyorum, o yüzden devam ederim herhalde, ama başlangıcı itibariyle dev hayal kırıklığı

[Jeffrey Caluag · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️- First comic book collection I’ve ever read and I’m so happy it was Fantastic Four! Reed really stood out in this collection to me and I feel like I really got a sense of his character. Franklin and Val are so cute and I’m excited to see how their powers develop! Now.. hopefully the next ones put my girl Sue at the forefront.

[Arthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good atom age-style stories, especially enjoyed the council of Reeds and the Dark Reign storylines. Overall I liked the art (Dale Eaglesham's especially) although there was a two issue fill-in that was abysmal.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hickman generates years' worth of ideas every time he gets his hands on a story.

[Oscar López Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente introducción para mí. Excelente historia para comenzar a conocer más de los 4 Fantásticos.

[Devin Araujo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half of this was REAL good. Makes me want to read more though.

[Hannah Call · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5/5

[Ben Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish we could get the fantastic 4 a proper adaptation in popular media. Reed Richards is a cool character actually!!!

[Filip Zakrzewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Johnny is such a whore

[Micah Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The whole volume plays out like a season of Rick & Morty minus the humor (giving credit that this came first). The stories are fun but offer no real character development or connection (except for Reed); they mostly sow seeds for potentially larger concepts—typical Hickman stuff. The art is unfortunate at times… not particularly suited for the fantastical worlds being explored. Interested to see where this goes, but nothing particularly fantastic yet.

[Kevin Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insanely creative and really fun with great character development. I loved reading this and can't wait to read Vol. 2! Instantly reminded me what I love about the Fantastic Four!

[Pranta Dastider · Rating 4 out of 5]

You may think Fantastic Four is all about superheroes doing superhero stuff, fighting, tackling bad crowd. However, they are more like scientist in everyday life. Trying to work as a family with their flaws in place. Also, trying to save the world more by being a hero and less by being super. I guess that is what make them apart in the whole universe of super heroes.

[Dwight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since the FF are coming up in the next phase of the MCU, I decided to give some of their books a try. I saw some people online recommended this one so I read it. I’m sorry to say I was disappointed.

The art in this is decent. Some panels are cool, but overall the aesthetic just isn’t my style. A bit too cartoony, for lack of a better word.

The storytelling just didn’t do it for me either. It’s divided into several different stories of the Four encountering different races, dimensions, and planets. And the stories are either disjointed or 95% exposition. I don’t really want to read a whole 20 page description of the lore of a race that isn’t really going to do anything in the story, and the I’ll never see return to the story. And even though I knew already that Reed Richard’s narcissism is a key part of his personality, I lost interest in the line of how his alternate Reeds in other dimensions had created a Citadel of Ricks to be the Scientist-Saviors of the multiverse. Yawn.

The most interesting part was a small section where Reed and Sue’s kids outsmarted and outgunned Norman Osborne’s army. But that was in the middle of disjointed and exposition, and it soon returned to those.

I like the concept of the Fantastic Four, a super squad of avenging explorers. And I like the idea of the characters, and their treks into the multiverse and space. All the things diehard Four Fans tell me they love.

Buuuuuuut in execution, this book actually left me understanding more about why they’ve never made a successful transition to the big screen. I’m sad to say that after reading this, Pixar’s Incredibles are still my favorite iteration of the concept of F4. I think the MCU has their work cut out for them. Fingers crossed.

[Judah Radd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well goddam

You have to read this. It’s amazing.

I flew through. I may even have read it too fast. I couldn’t help it. I was sucked in. This is some of the highest quality sci fi marvel has to offer. It’s indebted to classic sci from people like Ray Bradbury and Isaac Azimov, but it also has it’s own uniquely Marvel flair. I loved all the characters. Reed, Sue, Ben, Johnny, Franklin and Valeria are all so freaking loveable and interesting.

I’ve already read Hickman’s Avengers, New Avengers, Infinity and Secret Wars... so I already know where it all goes, but it’s very rewarding to see how Jonathan was already laying the bedrock of those massive stories this early on.

The art team is nothing short of perfect. It’s perfect. I could throw a bunch of flowery adjectives in your face, but really... perfect is the only one you need to hear. Every page is astonishing.

Man... I can’t believe I waited so long to read this. What was I thinking. Now I need more.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my all-time favorite run of Fantastic Four. Hickman just does a fantastic job of combining these big, heady ideas with moments of heart and family while injecting just enough humor. In this volume alone, you get the Council of Reeds along with the four secret cities. Hickman also gets that the FF are explorers more than superheroes, so they are always off exploring the fantastic and strange. It's just everything I want to see in a Fantastic Four comic.

[Heath Fodor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hickman lite?

I can see the seeds of Hickman's run on the X-titles planted here. I think it's one of the best runs of the FF . Would like to read the next volume.

[Deji · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, I just didn't care at all.

[Ben Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly really disappointed by this. Ryan North got me into the team, and binging a bunch of Jack and Stan made me love them and their crazy adventures. But this just felt like a poor imitation. I seriously hope that, after reading the rest of the run, I can come back and change my opinion on this first volume. But this was a rather messy and unsatisfying start.

First, the Dark Reign tie-in story, which I thought was a lot of fun! We get distinct stories with Reed, which partially serves to catch us up with event Marvel events like Civil War and the Secret Invasion, the other three, who are experiencing these events in displaced timelines, and the kids, who are dealing with Norman Osborne’s raid on the Baxter Building. It’s cute, fun science fiction storytelling.

Then we get the Council of Reeds story, which was really good, but I felt that it was way too short for the grand ideas it was trying to play with. Still, there’s good character work with Reed, who is torn between his obsession with fixing the world and his devotion to his family.

There’s a Franklin birthday party issue which had some horrendous artwork and frankly I found rather boring. Other than serving to reintroduce a number of intelligent kid characters and a shock twist at the end (neither plot point gets resolved ir even addressed again in this volume) it’s a pretty pointless issue. I feel the same about Hickman’s later Ultimate Spider-Man issue where Peter’s kid Richard had a birthday party and the only point is to throw in a twist ending.

Then, there’s a series of quick adventures that feel half-baked, with lots of atmospheric build-up and quick, unsatisfying conclusions. These are the types of stories I want to see in Fantastic Four, but it’s like a hollow imitation of a Jack Kirby story. In these issues, the humor and family warmth is gone and replaced with very utilitarian storytelling. I appreciate what they’re trying to do here, but writer and artist just don’t gel here and these issues left me cold.

In the end, I can tell that many of these stories are building to something greater, they’re here to plant seeds, and that’s the only reason I’m going to continue the series. I have a feeling there’s something greater coming around the corner. However, if that’s the case, I don’t think they should have released a volume like this with barely half the story in it. I like comics that, even if they’re building up to something over time, still leave you feeling satisfied with each chapter or issue. And for most of this book, I wasn’t getting that. The promise and enjoyment of the Bridge and Council of Reeds stories didn’t carry through to the rest. The short adventures to the subterranean city, the underwater kingdom The Peak, and the Inhumans city/ship on the moon should have had at least some point to them other than introducing later plots because the result is extremely unsatisfying and reeks of “writing for the trade.” Or in this case, writing for the omnibus, because even this long trade didn’t finish the story.

Even if this does end up paying off (which given its reputation I have no doubt it will), Hickman lacks what other big-thinking creators before him, like Chris Claremont, had, which is an ability to tease out long-running story arcs while still maintaining a sense of fun and adventure along the way. This reads like half of a graphic novel as opposites to the first quarter of a comic book run, and maybe it should have been published as one novel only.