By Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Sean Chen (Pencils), Lorenzo Ruggiero (Inks), and John Rauch (Colors)
Some Thoughts Before The Review: I read in an interview that Jonathan Hickman intends for the conclusion of Dark Reign: Fantastic Four to roll right into his run on the Fantastic Four ongoing series. If that’s the case, I have a feeling that I’ll end up appreciating the Dark Reign mini-series much more once Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch finish up their time with the Fantastic Four.
The Story: Sue, Reed, Ben, and Johnny have a standoff with Norman Osborn. Also, it’s revealed what else Reed learned thanks to the Bridge…
What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: I have a whole new appreciation for Dark Reign: Fantastic Four now that I see how the mini-series leads into Jonathan Hickman’s run with the ongoing F.F. series. While the mini-series ends with more of a whimper than a bang, the possibilities it introduces are quite intriguing. I look forward to seeing what else Hickman has in store for Marvel’s first family.
Creatively, Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #5 is quite a success. Sean Chen’s clean, attractive pencil work definitely gets the job done, even if most of the work consists of little more than people talking. As for Jonathan Hickman’s script, it does a nice job of setting things up for the future. While there isn’t a whole lot to it beyond wrapping up things with Norman Osborn and introducing the first plot threads for the F.F. ongoing, it reads well and proves to be entertaining enough.
Conclusion: There really isn’t a whole lot to Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #5, but consider it a must read if you are looking forward to Hickman’s Fantastic Four run.
Grade: C+
-Kyle Posluszny
Filed under: Marvel Comics, Reviews Tagged: | Ben Grimm, Comic Book Reviews, Dark Reign, Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #5, Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #5 Review, Fantastic Four, H.A.M.M.E.R., John Rauch, Johnny Storm, Jonathan Hickman, Kyle Posluszny, Lorenzo Ruggiero, Marvel Comics, Mr. Fantastic, Norman Osborn, Reed Richards, Sean Chen, Solve everything, Sue Storm, The Bridge, The Thing, Venom, WCBR, Weekly Comic Book Review, weeklycomicbookreview.com
Pasqual Ferry and Dave McCaig get cover credits on the issue. From the solicit I thought the artwork belonged to Juan Doe because it looks a lot like his work.
-Kyle
Kyle,
Do you know who did the cover for this? I really like the dude’s style.
Nice review. I’m pretty pumped for Hickman’s taking over FF.