Written by Matt Fraction & Lee Allred
Art by Mike Allred
Colors by Laura Allred
Published by Marvel Comics
This is it folks, the end of FF. (Cleverly dubbed F Fin on the cover!) Our makeshift band of replacement Fantastic Four members have stormed Doom’s castle. Scott and Doom are prepared to square off in the very last battle of the series and plotlines of the stories look to all be wrapped into a neat little bow. With so many things going on, how will the Allred Clan decide to end it all? Will the family get the happy ending they all deserve? Will Ant-Man aka Scott Lang be able to ‘finish the job’ in regards to Doom? Why in the world is the Silver Surfer on the cover of this issue?! Don’t worry folks, all of our questions will be answered (and some new ones presented) in this issue!
A lot of people were scared when Matt Fraction left this title. Many were scared that the book would be lacking the comedic punch it’s been known for since it was re-launched with its new Dynamic Duo of Fraction and Mike Allred. Lee Allred has been the unsung hero for this series ever since he took the reins of writing it. While Fraction’s plot is intact, Allred has taken a world established by Fraction and put his own unique spin on it. I’m well aware that this book isn’t Marvel’s top seller or anything like that, but it’s been well received and critically acclaimed since the beginning and Lee’s margin for error was extremely small. He couldn’t have done a more wonderful job as the writer for not only this series, but the characters involved in it. In a book that has plenty of adventure in it the most important aspect of it when you peel away all the fun and quirkiness, at its very core, is that this book is about family both in blood and in spirit. While the series would’ve still been great with Fraction behind the wheel, personally, I find it all the more special that the Allred’s took this book and not only made it a part of their own family, but decided to share it with us as well.
What can I say about Mike Allred that hasn’t already been said about him? There’s a zaniness about his art that blends so beautifully with this series. There are so many things that made this series so special, but nothing quite as much as Mike Allred’s amazing art. There is literally NO other series that could pull off having a barbeque on the moon! It was the last thing we see our family doing and it was the epitome of everything that made this series so great and why I’ll miss it so much. I can’t drive home how absolutely brilliant putting the Silver Surfer into this issue was too. Mike Allred is easily one of the top artists in all of comics and the Surfer’s appearance signified a proverbial ‘passing of the torch’ from his old series to his new one…at least for me anyway!
Now that this series is over, you guys have absolutely no excuse to read it! FF literally has something for everyone; it’s filled with action, humor, adventure, love, and is filled to the brim with heart in every last page. FF is truly a glimpse into people in all walks of life all coming together, not only coexisting, but bringing out the best in one another. While I’ll truly miss reading this month to month, I feel privileged to have been a part of it while it was happening. If you had told me a year ago that this book would be the very first thing I read in a week that Batman was released, I would’ve laughed at you. Alas, it’s true, and for that I can’t give the conclusion of this powerful series…
5 out of 5 nerds
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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