Fantastic Four #556 - Mobile Edition

Marvel Comics
Fantastic Four #556
By Hervé St-Louis
August 17, 2008 - 12:18

Marvel Comics
Writer(s): Mark Millar
Penciller(s): Bryan Hitch
Inker(s): Bryan Hitch, Paul Neary
Colourist(s): Paul Mounts
Letterer(s): Rus Wooton
Cover Artist(s): Bryan Hitch, Paul Neary
$2.99 US, $3.05 Canada

CAP – Conserve and Protect – a robot created by Reed Richards’ old college friend, Alyssa Castle for their NU World initiative, has begun targeting all weapons of destructions on Earth, and already defeated most of America’s super heroes. Nothing stands between CAP and the world, except for Reed Richards. Can he defeat a robot that was Castle designed to disable and destroy anything that stands in its way?

This is the third part of the first story arc by Millar and Hitch and it’s not very impressive. Although Millar clearly set up elements, he wants to reuse in future stories, this story felt like it was telegraphed and written by someone on another planet. There was nothing personal or nothing that would make a reader care more about the characters. They are mostly pawns playing their parts in play.

Hitch doesn’t help his partner’s story. His art, here is ugly. The inking is poor and the characters not solid. Johnny Storm who is supposed to be a hunk, looks like a 40-year-old guy. Reed Richards looks alright, but what Hitch does with the story is not interesting. There is a lot of information in each panel, but after a while you ask yourself why? It doesn’t make the story clearer or more interesting.
Rating: 6/10