FANTASTIC FOUR #54
"A Choice of Dooms"
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writers: Carlos Pacheco, Rafael Marin & Karl Kesel
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Al Vey & Scott Koblish
Colors: Liquid! Graphics
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Tom Brevoort
plus reprint stories
Price: $3.50 US/$5.75CAN |
There are two stories being told in the main story in this issue. One is fascinating and delves into the odd relationship between the title team and its most dangerous enemy. The problem is that the other story -- the main plotline throughout this four-part story arc -- is rather derivative and uninteresting, making for a... divisive read. Still, this is a nice package overall, with sharp art from Bagley and an entertaining look at the Silver Age and some early George Perez art.
Mr. Fantastic and the Thing find themselves the prisoners of the Hidden Ones, an offshoot of the Inhumans that has infiltrated the highest levels of power worldwide. It's too bad they're locked up, because Reed is desperately needed to save the lives of the Invisible Woman and their son, who are being wracked by Negative Zone radiation as Sue goes through labor. As a result, the Human Torch is forced to turn to an unlikely source of help.
Bagley's art is perfect for the energetic tone of the Fantastic Four. His portrayals of the Thing and Doctor Doom are particularly striking, and I'd love to see more of his work on these characters. The colors reinforce the bright, electric tone of the pencils. The Hidden Ones are rather uninteresting in appearance, but that is more of a reflection of the
uninteresting nature of the characters. They come off as rather generic and even cliched.
The Hidden Ones come off as a rejected X-Files plot element, and just don't seem to fit in here all that well. Even more distracting is that their plans are undone when Reed and Ben are able escape for no apparent reason. Fortunately, the dyanmics in the pregnancy plotline, though rushed, are far more interesting. Doom's role in the birthing process comes as a surprise, but it speaks volumes as to the odd relationship he shares with Reed Richards. Doom loathes Reed, but there's a respect there. He feels a connection to the Fantastic Four, and here, circumstances allow him, in an unusual way, to become a member of the First Family of the Marvel Universe.
This issue is one of Marvel's all-too-rare 100-Page Monsters. Two classic FF stories are reprinted here. The first -- from Fantastic Four Annual #6 -- provides some background indirectly related to the main story: namely, the birth of Reed and Sue's first child. Seeing Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's original and classic portrayal of these characters is always fun, and for newer readers, it might prove enlightening as to the evolution of comics storytelling in general.
An added bonus is an Impossible Man story from FF #176. Written by the Roy Thomas, the real treat here is that it provides a look at some early Perez pencils. He was great even back in the 1970s, but one can also see how his work has grown over the years.
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