GREY SCHERL:
It’s funny, the Universal Inhumans stuff is something I could not begin to care less about, and the past few issues could have been done in a recap page. My momentum with this book just flat out died. Then Hickman gives us this issue and I remember why I read it.
AARON GLAZER:
Everything in this book is awesome, guys. Get ready! It’s time for FF #9 by Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting.
What happens this issue, Grey?
GREY SCHERL:
Shit hits fans, Inhumans take down evil Reeds, villains take down other villains, and Reed realizes that his supposed allies are more than likely going to conquer his world in the next hundred years.
And the end result is an issue that washes the bad taste out of your mouth after the last few issues pertaining to the Universal INhumans.
AARON GLAZER:
And don’t forget, one Reed escapes, we get a Doom turning point, and Bentley hangs out with Val – the last of which is my favorite part.
GREY SCHERL:
Bentley and Val was awesome, and it’s Hickman playing up an easy to forget angle. These two super geniuses haven’t even hit puberty, and while one believes himself evil, and the other believes herself good, they’re at a point where everything really is exactly the same. The could be the future saviors of the universe, or they could rule it with an iron fist.
AARON GLAZER:
Doom was, likewise, fantastic. His cockiness in tossing off last issues cliffhanger perfectly sets up his downfall here. But all hope still lies with Doom, so he ereally has to figure something out, right?
GREY SCHERL:
Well, that actually brings up a point that came to me reading the issue. Fantastic Four returns in a few months, but FF keeps running…what if this new slave Doom leads the FF under the manipulation of the final Reed?
AARON GLAZER:
I don’t think so. The title of the arc is All Hope Rests with Doom… and, moreover, future Val and Franklin wouldn’t sabotage their past selves like that.
GREY SCHERL:
is it sabotage if that’s the way it’s supposed to be?
AARON GLAZER:
They were destroying a future, not making sure it ended up destroyed.
GREY SCHERL:
point
GREY SCHERL:
I love how Doom got played like a fiddle, he was so sure of himself that he never really kept in mind that….this Reed makes a regular activity out of making Dooms look like chumps.
AARON GLAZER:
He’s Doom. His whole personality is hubris personified.
GREY SCHERL:
I like how the threat of brain damage was enough to put him in his place.
AARON GLAZER:
It’s why he worked with the FF to begin with, if you recall.
GREY SCHERL:
It is, Doom can’t allow himself to be flawed.
AARON GLAZER:
So, what about the Inhumans? I was impressed they made Black Bolt feel different without him saying a word.
GREY SCHERL:
To be honest, I don’t care for them. At all. Black Bolt has Sister Wives? They’re going to conquer the Earth? And what about the Kree? I dunno, the Old Atlantis and Universal Inhumans things are my leave favorite parts of the run thus far.
AARON GLAZER:
They didn’t the Kree, which I can see. They’re rather flighty.
(check pending!)
GREY SCHERL:
Yeah, but they just ruled an entire chunk of the universe that they no longer care about in favor of returning to Earth?
AARON GLAZER:
Prophecy and more Inhumans. Plus they totally failed at being Kree.
GREY SCHERL:
They really did.
AARON GLAZER:
So, they failed, heard a prophecy, and came back to find out what was what.
GREY SCHERL:
Of course they did.
Anyway, the title is a real gem. It might be a bit high concept for some, or too entrenched in obscure Marvel lore that could very easily be made up on the fly, but when it’s good, it’s REALLY good.
AARON GLAZER:
It’s easily among the top 5 books Marvel publishes, it’s one of the few books currently still gaining readers, and it’s not hard to see this looked back upon as a classic run in time. It’s certainly my favorite FF run ever. 8/10.
GREY SCHERL:
I’m giving it a 7.5/10, but the half point knock off is my admitted frustration with the Inhumans.
AARON GLAZER:
Ha, well, fair enough. We’ll be back tomorrow with another book! Goodnight!
