The Dark Elf King Malekith is up to no good as he prepares to invade the last realm, Midgard, earth! Along with his army of demons, he’s prepared an onslaught of epic proportions. The Fantastic Four are unaware of the dangers that are creeping up on them. It’s a blissful day on 4 Yancy street, but this is only the calm before the storm!
The Creative Team:
Dan Slott is taking his time introducing the newest threat to our heroes and we get some great moments here of how the foursome deal with teen angst as Franklin and Valeria behave like typical rebellious teens and must be disciplined for their actions. But Uncle Benjy has the solution. The family dynamic has always been one of the attractions to the Fantastic 4, something which the movies have, so far, not managed to capture in their live-action attempts to adapt Marvel’s first family. Slott makes it look so easy, maybe they need to hire him at Disney. What’s great about the teen’s misbehavior is that they actually did what they did to help the adults. So, they don’t understand why what they did was wrong. It’s a complicated situation I really enjoyed following this part of the story because there are no easy answers here. It’s a Catch 22 that has to be worked out and brings good character development to these pages. The action does kick in by page 14 for those wanting to get to the heart of the story and the link to Marvel’s latest epic “War of the Realms!” Great stuff includes Franklin’s attitude as Ben dishes out his “punishment” and the reaction of the Yancy Street Gang to Franklin’s predicament.
Medina and Libranda bring out the best in our favorite foursome. You can feel the attitudes of the characters and the tension mounting as our team discovers something new in each other. Franklin’s dilemma is strongest here and he’s literally throwing away part of his past, burning his memories and we can see the sense of loss in his face. It’s great characterizations as illustrated by this excellent team. Highlights include the moment where Franklin is tempted to use his powers on a group of bullies and the arrival of the demons from the fire realm.
In Conclusion:
This issue captures some of the best of what makes this title fantastic. The family issues which are always bubbling under the surface and threatening to tear our team apart. The way each member of the team deals with the problems facing them on a daily basis. The pacing is good as we don’t rush through the moments that Franklin is struggling with his family’s reaction to his actions and the build-up to the ultimate invasion which takes our heroes off guard. This puts them in the predicament where they have to set aside their differences for the greater good of the neighborhood, and the world. ***1/2 (8.7 rating)
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Writer – Dan Slott
Art – Paco Medina, Kevin Libranda
Colors – Jesus Aburtov
Letters – VC’s Joe Caramagna
Publisher – Marvel
Author Profile
- Kevin Given has studied with “ Longridge Writers Group †and “ Writer’s Boot Camp †a speech/communications major from the University of Maine Presque-Isle/Orono sites. He has created the “ Karl Vincent Vampire Hunter †franchise which includes novels and comic books. They can be found on amazon, Indyplanet and Kindle. For a limited time you can get digital copies of “ Karl Vincent: Vampire hunter †# 1 and “ Files of Karl Vincent †# 1 for free on Indyplanet. Kevin is producing the third novel in the series “ Dracula Rising †(working title) and developing “ Foul Blood †into comic book form. Don't forget to check out the YouTube show " Comics: Let's Talk " hosted by Kevin Given
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