Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #5 (of 5) (Marvel – Hickman / Chen / Ruggiero)
The Fantastic Four reunited just in time to try and save the kids as they face off with Norman Osborn and the agents of H.A.M.M.E.R. In the surprising conclusion see: The destruction of the Bridge! The triumph of an unlikely hero! And the coolest twist ending in years!
I would have never thought I could have come up with anything positive that would come out of Mark Millar leaving the monthly Fantastic Four series… but with Jonathan Hickman taking over the helm, it couldn’t be at a better outcome.
Hickman has proven himself worthy to take over one of Marvel’s flagship books by giving fans one of the best mini spiraling out of the Dark Reign event.
This series rang true to Marvel’s first family and explored the multi-versal adventures of Reed as he sought out what other possibilities there were to solve the “villain on top” nightmare that came out of Civil War. Some of the scenes in this issue prove without a doubt that Hickman could be an incredible screen writer and he knows how to set a stage. The opening sequence where the FF square off against the Osborne, Venom and the HAMMER forces… close up on Sue’s eyes “I said, get away from my children Osborne”, the very Tommy Lee Jones-ish Osborne inbetween the FF and the Richards children and his gun out “make me”, straight up chilling!
The whole series revolved around Reed and his quest to make things right. With the use of the Bridge, Reed visited limitless possibilities of what could have happened to the Civil War, the Illuminati and the present state of Dark Reign. He also encounters a group of shadowy figures who can help Reed set things right (alternate futures of Reed?). Not only did Hickman nail the characters well in this mini, but he has set up his first arc “Solve Everything” in the main series. This series is sure to be one of those “hidden treasures” down the road.
The only negative was the fact that you didn’t need to read issues #1-4, if you got issue #5 – you got it and you got it all. That is always a tad disappointing but what can you do about those viewers who only watch the final episode of American Idol, you know?
Anyway… good series, it will make great trade… can’t wait for Fantastic Four #570!
Issue grade: A
Series Grade: A-
