Comics / Comic Reviews / Marvel Comics

Fantastic Four #588

By Colin Andersen
February 23, 2011 - 21:19

Well, here it is: the “last” issue of Fantastic Four. I use the quotes because I find it unlikely that this series will not be coming back, especially with issue #600 only a year away. Even the already-announced follow up series, FF¸ can’t stop me from anticipating its return. But whether or not Fantastic Four returns, I can’t help but feel a little sad at the end of an era issue #588 represents and the somber tone of the issue itself certainly does not help.

No one should be surprised at the somberness of this issue considering last month’s death of the Human Torch. Fantastic Four has long been my favorite comic book, since I could read in fact, so this issue carried a lot of weight with me. Though I didn’t personally think Johnny Storm’s actual death was handled particularly well, Jonathan Hickman does an excellent job of making this finale every bit as sad as it should be while still laying groundwork for the future of the characters. The main part of the book follows the family over the course of a month starting immediately where last month’s issue left off. This includes everything from Sue Richards’ discovery of her brother’s fate, to the funeral itself, to what seems like it might be Johnny’s last will in holographic form.  This is also a silent issue for the most part. Some may appreciate this, and there is a certain appeal to it, but I would have preferred to hear what the character’s reactions were instead of just see them. Don’t get me wrong, Nick Dragotta does a mostly excellent job penciling this book and his work carries a lot of emotion, but the lack of dialogue really hurt some scenes, such as the opening scene, and made others somewhat confusing, such as The Thing’s meeting with the Hulk and Thor.

There are some really great moments in Fantastic Four #588, though. This issue probably has some of the best emotional panels I have ever seen in a comic book. Seeing Mr. Fantastic try and interact with his wife while she is sulking in an invisible is a surprisingly thing to see and the final panel of the scene in which The Thing meets with the Hulk and Thor made me tear up a little. Even Reed gets a particularly good scene in one of the few that I think really benefited from the silence of the issue. There is a part of this issue that might seem confusing and somewhat random to anyone that hasn’t read Spider-Man/Fantastic Four or know much Dr. Doom’s history, but I’m sure Hickman will explain it to anyone who doesn’t know eventually. Also worth noting is the back-up story featuring Spider-Man cheering up Franklin Richards that was as good, if not better, than the main story. For once, it made sense for Spider-Man to make an appearance as his own past was used to really great effect and even made me feel better.

I don’t have a whole lot of experience with artist Nick Dragotta’s artwork, but I would very much like to resolve that after this issue. His artwork carries some real weight and makes you feel what the emotions are. His style is very reminiscent of that of Marvel’s artwork from the 70’s and it fits perfectly with the tone of the issue. You can really see the sadness not just on the characters’ faces, but also in the way they carry themselves. It goes a long way toward making the Torch’s death feel much more real than before. If I had one complaint, it would be that the faces on his female characters can look quite odd at times as they all look like they are wearing hey eye shadow, but this could be do more to colorist Paul Mounts than anything. Mark Brooks also does an equally excellent job pulling art duties on the back-up story.

All in all, this “final” issue of Fantastic Four was quite good, but did not feel at all final, but I don’t think it was supposed to. This may be the last issue, but it is far from the end of the story that Jonathan Hickman is telling and I look forward to seeing where he plans go with FF #1 next month.

Rating: 8.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12