by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Nick Dragotta & Mark Brooks (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)
The Review: Given the upcoming involvement of Spider-Man in Jonathan Hickman’s upcoming FF, it isn’t a stretch to think that Hickman and Dan Slott have been corresponding with one another, and Fantastic Four #588 may provide evidence of that. As such, Hickman makes similar creative decisions in his dealing with character death as Slott did in this week’s issue of Amazing Spider-Man. As such, many of the strengths that my cohort Mr. Stell expounded upon in his review of that comic also apply to this one.
Perhaps the most noticeable similarity is Hickman’s decision to have the entire issue, save the back-up and the final page of the main feature, go entire without dialogue or narration. What results is an experience that’s far more haunting and emotional. The images on the page and the events they depict become so much heavier and more laden with significance, as the emotions and sorrow of the characters does not have to be expressed, and hence contained, in words. When it comes to conveying raw emotion, language is a limitation. It takes, in this case, powerful grief, and shoves and squeezes it into the shape demanded by language’s framing structure, which forces it to adhere to context and that which words can actually express.
Without dialogue, we are without restriction or middle-man. The emotion of the characters and the story are far more direct, far more honest, and not at all mitigated. We are allowed to feel the brunt and truth of the emotional pain created by Johnny Storm’s death amongst his family, friends, and the world he left behind. It’s a serious, heavy comic that is unrelenting, unwilling the compromise the significance of Johnny Storm’s passing with any attempts at banter. The grief and sorrow are served to us without spice, chaser, or sweetener.
And really, as such, it’s a wonderful farewell for a great character, what that’s guaranteed to hit any FF fan hard. More than that, at various points, the reader will become so caught up that he will most likely feel the characters’ emotions alongside them. While I think various readers will respond differently to different scenes, for me, my eyes watered a bit during Ben’s emotional breakdown, which was beautifully told by Hickman and co. Similarly, I found myself just as enraged as Reed by Annihilus’ absolutely grotesque taunting. It was utterly sickening and almost too much for me to bear. In other words, it’s fabulous writing.
While Steve Epting has stepped out no doubt to prep FF, Nick Dragotta handles art duties very, very well, which is vital given the lack of words on the page. He carries emotions wonderfully and conveys the haunting, solemn tone throughout.
The back-up feature is also an effective epilogue. It features a bonding moment between Franklin and Spider-Man that just barely manages to steer clear of being a bit too Hallmark-y. It does so due to Franklin’s love of Spider-Man as a hero figure doing so much to add context to the scene. Spider-Man’s drawing the parallel between them thus becomes all the more powerful, as does Franklin’s seeming indifference to his favourite superhero’s presence.
Conclusion: A wonderful send-off, one that’s a great farewell, but also a fantastic prelude to whatever madness Hickman still has in store.
Grade: A-
-Alex Evans
Grade
Conclusion