The Good
FANTASTIC FOUR is coming to an end, and sadness grows in my heart. Luckily, we're getting some fantastic issues that seem to be naturally wrapping up as opposed to quickly forced out books that conclude all the stories. There's a lot going on in this issue, as well as the series, but what readers are given is dynamite storytelling from James Robinson, Leonard Kirk, Karl Kesel, Jesus Aburtov, and Clayton Cowles. Inking isn't always something talked about, unless it's rough or just plain bad, but Karl Kesel's ink work o this book is great. I love how he heavily outlines the characters to make them pop off the page, but it's not too heavy where it becomes overly apparent. Together with Leonard Kirk and Jesus Aburtov, this team is unstoppable. Seriously, Kirk's art is gorgeous and consistent.
There's this balance of good and evil that is played with throughout the series, and the scales tip a little here as Bentley does something good because it feels good. There is this brilliant moment that artist Leonard Kirk nails out of the park where Weather Wizard approves of what his son is doing and while Bentley seems pleased, at first, there's this follow-up panel showing remorse. Kirk nails facial expressions every time. And strangely enough, following Bentley's journey in this series was something that became extremely gratifying.
How does James Robinson stay one step ahead of my brain? While John Eden is talking to Reed Richards, who is a bit tied up, Eden lays out his whole plan to Reed and as this is happening, I can't help but think "this dude is a Bond villain. He's laying out the whole plot and Reed is going to stop him." Moments later, Eden says this "I'm not a spy movie villain, divulging my plans in detail ahead of time so you can prevent them..." Get out of my head...
Since I started reviewing this book, one thing I've said over and over and over again is that I love how Robinson forges a connection to Marvel's past in this series, mainly the 80s and 90s. I'm not going to flatout spoil the final page, but I will say I'm so excited to see the person on the final page, and that's one thing Robinson has been nailiong on this series. He keeps the reader invested in what's coming next. The guy really knows how to put together a solid cliffhanger.
The Bad
From personal experience, while this series is good, but it reads better in trade. The series does have a lot going on, from month to month, and at times, it can be a bit much to keep up with it all. A lot of these stories start to come to a head here and some of it will make you want to go back and reread a lot of the series, which is both a good and a bad thing.
This isn't on the creative team, but more on Marvel. Please don't put the issue numbers on the bottom of the book. It makes it hard to refind the issue in your short/long boxes later down the road when you want to reread it.
The Verdict
FANTASTIC FOUR is the best it has been in quite some time. James Robinson pours a lot of love and creativity into this book and gives the reader some great stories that connect to the history of Marvel, rather that trying to forget it all exists. It may be ending, but this book has not slipped in quality at all. Sure, there can be almost too much going on storywise, but it's all good. I highly recommend checking out this series and catching up before it all ends.