You Should Be Reading the Fantastic Four
You should be reading the Fantastic Four monthly comic. Seriously. It’s surprisingly good. Let me rephrase that… it’s surprisingly REALLY, REALLY good.
I haven’t read the Fantastic Four on a regular basis in years. I pick up the occasional issue here and there, and I keep up with word on the street about the book. I heard terrible things about the Mark Millar run and mixed reviews on Mark Waid’s run. In fact, the last time I heard the book was excellent was when Walt Simonson was doing it 20 years ago. So when I started hearing good things about the current run by Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham I was interested. My buddy Chocotaco informed how much he was enjoying the Hickman/Eaglesham run. Then I heard Hickman discussing his approach to FF on the Word Balloon podcast and the Mighty Marvel Podcast.
After all that positive feedback, I decided I simply had to give the series a try. Wow. Just wow! Hickman manages to spin a really wonderful story about family, exploration, and adventure. Meanwhile, Eaglesham is drawing some of the best work of his life. Almost every issue is a one-and-done story, while all the issues combined are clearly building to an over-arching plot. Also, they’ve brought back the letters page!!!! And to make it even more fun, Franklin and Val Richards are the ones answering the letters!
Don’t take my word for it, check out the book yourself. The first three issues of the Hickman/Eaglesham run are available to read online for free.
- Click here to read Fantastic Four #570 for free online
- Click here to read Fantastic Four #571 for free online
- Click here to read Fantastic Four #572 for free online
Enjoy!
FF is a title I have never read. Seriously! I have read more issues of Marvel Two-In-One than I have Fantastic Four, if you can believe that.
So much of Marvel turns me off right now that its hard to put myself out there and try something “new,” the FF included. I have heard good things about this run from a podcast I listen to, but I just can’t pull the trigger. (The same thing goes for the X-Men.)
As it is the stuff I traditionally liked from Marvel — Iron Man and the Avengers — tries my patience.
Very cool. I’m glad that you’re enjoying it. Like you, I think that this is the best that the Fantastic Four has been in decades.
Viva Richards!
It seems as though each of the major titles in the MU have their cycles. After the not so stellar movies (in my opinion), it is about time for the FF to have a bit of an upswing again.
Cheers!
Steven G. Willis
XOWComics.com
I agree with Steven. Last time I read a new FF book was over 10 years ago, but I am looking forward to getting caught up to the Hickman and Eaglesham run. After walking into the LCS, that was right smack dab in the state of a heated discussion on the Marvel U – with special reference to the current FF run’s awesomeness, I realized I missed out on a lot. After asking for a good start point on getting back into the FF they unanimously gave me the Millar/Hitch, which I just started tonight. So far a good point for starting off I think (no need for a serious background, yet you get the subtleties if you do), but I can see the whole skepticism of their run – it comes off a bit shaky (don’t want to throw too many details just in case).
In fact, I’m just getting back into Marvel after about a year hiatus from it. Been enjoying where they are taking their line currently.