Fantastic Four Casualty Review

Better late than never I suppose.  In my earlier post you may have read about me going all Peter Parker and whining about not having the latest issue of Fantastic Four.  Well, yesterday I got my hands on it.  And after re-reading it five or so times, all I can say is that Jonathan Hickman is a terrible human being who will surely be spending the rest of his days being taunted by Mephisto and upset fans alike.  That, and bravo good sir.  Bravo.

At this point, the review is going to get spoiler-ific (and how!), so if you don't want to know who bit the dust in this final issue, this is your last chance.  But odds are you've seen dozens of sights out there who have already spoiled it for you, so I'm sure I won't be the one to ruin your experience.

Ready?  Good.

The issue is essentially the end of Hickman's first act on the Fantastic Four.  While many of the intricate plot threads are still far from resolved, this issue is obviously a colossal turning point for the team in many ways.  The team finds itself facing a variety of huge challenges from the Negative Zone, Atlantis, and the now destroyed Nu World.  And they're going to have to face those obstacles without the irreplaceable Human Torch.  Yeah, Johnny Storm made his final stand against Annihilus' unstoppable hordes, saving the lives of the Richards kids and the Thing in the process.  Truly, the team won't be the same.  How can Reed possibly muster the optimism and hope needed to build a better future after such a loss?  Johnny's limitless energy is going to be sorely missed with all these challenges, and his death will definitely advance the story in some interesting ways.


But while this issue moves the plot forward, it's on the emotional level where it really excels.  Almost every character gets a moment to shine in their individual crisis, and Susan bitch-slapping Namor was downright legendary.  I can't remember the last time she did something that cool, or anything cool for that matter.  However, it goes without saying that the final scene with Johnny was the most memorable.  Him and Ben have always shared a somewhat antagonistic relationship, but as family this practically comes with the territory.  The previous issue where Johnny took a human-form Ben for a night on the town highlighted just how special a relationship the two have.  With the portal to the nightmarish Negative Zone needing to be closed, it was clear that Ben would be the first to volunteer to stay behind and stand strong.  And then Johnny comes in, doing exactly what Johnny does.  Something childish, brash, impetuous, and yet undeniably selfless and heroic.  I can't decide what I loved more, Johnny's final words as he charged into the incoming Annihilation wave, or Ben's broken response of "Oh god John".  Steve Epting's artwork was just alright in the issue, but man did he capture that final scene perfectly.

Alot of commentators are saying this is just an attempt to boost sales.  Well, I can't prove them wrong, and the huge amount of interest the comic has received certainly paid off.  But what I do know is that the issue packed enough emotion, and has such an important role to play in both Hickman's ongoing saga as well as the entire Fantastic Four mythos that this wasn't just some gimmick.  Now, the issue wasn't perfect.  I would have preferred that Johnny got a bit more time in this issue since it was his last, but I can't blame the writer for that when he had to make room for the entire team.  But the emotional goodbye serves as a perfect example of why the death of a character can be so powerful, and reminds us why we love these characters so much to begin with.  Maybe it's because they've been with us so long that it has such an impact when they finally go.  Say what you want about the future, but this one story is not to be missed.