Writer: Mark Millar
Pencils: Bryan Hitch
Inks: Bryan Hitch & Andrew Currie
Colours: Paul Mounts
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Well, it seems these days I’m the go-to guy for Mark Millar reviews here at the Nexus – which is totally fine by me. I may not religiously read all of his books, but you can always guarantee that you are going to get great super-hero entertainment, and really, what else do we read comic books for? I actually reviewed the first issue of Millar and Hitch’s FF run and thoroughly enjoyed it, but, with the Fantastic Four not resonating with me as characters in the way that some other Marvel heroes do, I must confess that I have not kept up-to-date with proceedings since. So, with little knowledge of what has come before outside of the handy recap page, let’s see how these superstar creators are coming along in the first issue of the second story arc, the tantalisingly titled The Death of the Invisible Woman.
This new storyline certainly can’t be accused of starting off slowly, as none other than the FF’s nemesis, Victor von Doom, appears in the Baxter Building looking for Reed Richards. Unluckily for him (and also for Ben Grimm), the only FF hero around is The Thing, who has to deal with both the unexpected arrival of an enemy, quickly followed by the appearance of a super-powered team calling themselves the New Defenders (‘the Defenders’ appear to be all the rage again these days?), who quickly dispatch Grimm and escape with Doom – though they are clearly not allies. Meanwhile, Johnny Storm continues to encounter problems in his relationship with the super-villain Psionics, the Thing’s girlfriend is revealed to be not all she seems, Valeria Richards bonds with her new nanny, and all while Reed hunts for the team that infiltrated his home and ‘kidnapped’ his former friend Doom. Oh, and there is also time for one final twist as presumably the last member of the New Defenders is revealed as someone with a rather colourful likeness to a major Marvel character. Nope, certainly not a slow burner, this one.
Millar has developed a really good voice for these characters – Ben Grimm comes across as a little hammy, perhaps, but that is all part of what has made The Thing such a fun and endearing character over the years. In his first issue, Millar was perhaps a little over-the-top in terms of trying to establish the unique voice for each of these characters, but it appears that he now has found the perfect tone which gives each character a believably individual personality within a wider family dynamic. And is terms of pacing, this issue is just spot-on, cramming so much in without the reader ever feeling rushed, while still finding space to develop those all-important subtle character moments.
Of course, in a medium like comics, Millar could not achieve this so successfully without a talented artist on board who knows how to make the most of every panel. And Bryan Hitch is certainly not short on talent. Hitch continues with his innovative use of angles and dramatic frame sequences where appropriate, and these all add to the feel of adventure and discovery that the book is trying to push towards. But even more impressively, his capture of facial details are fantastic, rendering human expression and emotion without making everyone look like super-models. Overall, I would say his work here is less immediately dramatic than previously on show in, say, The Ultimates, but the subtlety and nuances he displays in his art here is probably more impressive, and a perfect fit for the tone of this series.
This book continues to provide a perfect balance of high action and super-hero adventure, while remaining firmly rooted in the day-to-day ‘reality’ of living in the Marvel Universe, however fantastic that world may be. The real strength of this book’s direction appears to be the un-erring focus of the FF as a family, even when the characters are operating as individuals within a scene. This may seem like it should be obvious when dealing with the FF, but I have yet to see this achieved as effortlessly and as naturally as it does under Millar and Hitch. The Fantastic Four may never be my favourite characters in the Marvel Universe, but from what I have seen so far this is about as classy a rendition of Marvel’s first family as you are likely to see.
Rating: 8/10
