MRR Comic Review - Fantastic Four: The End #1

It's been awhile since I've done a comic book review, but that doesn't mean the good Doctor hasn't been reading the funny books. One book that I read this week motivated me to dust off my reviewer hat. As a kid Marvel's "What if..." books were often fun for me to read. For those not familiar with the format, the book would often take situations like "What if Conan lived in Modern Times" or What if Captain America hadn't been Frozen after WW2" and presented a one issue story based on this alternative reality. I loved see these glimpses into stories that could have been or might be. And in away that's what Marvel has succeeded in giving us with their line of "The End" limited series. I thoroughly in enjoy Peter David & Dale Keown's Hulk: The End, and now Alan Davis has got me already locked into The End story for Marvel's first family.

The story is set a few decades into the future, where Earth has acheived a Utopian-level of society thanks to the inventions of Reed Richards. Humanity is now a spacefaring race that is finalizing its entry into the galactic community. In this issue we witness the final battle between Dr. Doom and the FF, get a glimpse of the Avengers of this future which includes Johnny Storm as one of the veteran members. We also get up to speed on the tragedies and joys that effected the team, which in this issue is anything but a team. Each member is off involved in their own interests and lives very much seperate from each other. This includes Sue and Reed, who are still married, but are not exactly together.

Alan Davis is a favorite artist and writer of mine. I enjoyed is work on Excalibur and Kilraven, seeing his vision of the future Marvel universe is a treat. Having a writer who has understanding of pacing and the ability to give us just enough information so that we are comfortable and up to speed in this new setting is refreshing. Though there are many talented writers in the biz. Not all of them have perfected the art of giving just enough detail, they often err on one side or the other.

This is an excellent read for any fan of Marvel superheroes and specifically the Fantastic Four. Great story so far and superb artwork from one of the best in the field.

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