Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo take their curtain call for what has been a colorful and thoroughly entertaining run on "the World's Greatest Comic magazine." This final issue is appropriately playful, but it also boasts some drama that gets to the heart of these characters. The premise here is outlandish, but it's outlandish in a good way. Of course the notion of body-jumping powers is ludicrous, but Waid uses it to great effect. It not only makes for some great comedic moments, but by implanting the powers in regular, everyday people, it offers the writer a chance to examine those wondrous abilities from a more grounded, realistic perspective.
The Fantastic Four's powers have been separated from their bodies, and that cosmic energy is hopping from person to person throughout Manhattan. Of course, Reed Richards has quickly rigged devices -- gloves, actually -- that will allow the heroes to retrieve their powers; all they have to do is touch someone who's got the powers. The chase proves more challenging than they expected, and Ben Grimm dreads the thought of being trapped again as a rocky monster.
Wieringo's style is perfect for the Fantastic Four. It's light, full of energy, dynamic and dramatic. The detail he and inker Karl Kesel pour into every issue is overwhelming. It was a treat seeing the familiar powers of the title characters in new hosts. The vision of a flaming horse was particularly striking, and that's due in no small part to the added contributions of colorist Paul Mounts. Wieringo boosts the comic timing of Waid's script with delightful reactions on the characters' faces.
Johnny in a strip club? Hilarious. Waid doesn't dwell on the notion, though; it's not the point of the scene. But he knows enough to milk a couple of solid jokes from it. The notion of an invisible stripper is ingenius. I only wish the other members' powers lent themselves to similar contradictions. The notion of transferrable powers is an over-the-top one, but it opens the door to future plot possibilities. Now, the powers are clearly separated from the characters themselves. The powers are simply weapons in their arsenal, not characteristics that define who they are.
My favorite part of this issue (other than the strip club, of course) is Waid's trick of seemingly having Reed and Ben act out of character, only to reveal they're being very much in character. When the tone of the script turned a bit harsh, I was taken aback, and my first thought was that Ben would never do what Reed was accusing him of and Reed would never make such an angry accusation. Waid knows it too, and the revelation of what is really going on ends up being all the more satisfying. 8/10
