The previous issue of this series opened on a playful, happy note, and the characters lend themselves to such a tone readily. But here, Waid and Wieringo set a much more grave and frantic tone, and the contrast with the adventure and fun that the title characters represent is striking. Doom has always been portrayed as brilliant and forward-thinking, but here, there's an emphasis on his ruthlessness and his corruption. It makes for a chilling read and a level of intensity I don't think I've seen in Fantastic Four since John Byrne's run on the book in the 1980s.
Doom launches an all-out assault on the Fantastic Four, specifically targeting Reed Richards's weak points: his love for his children, and his reliance on the laws of science. Doom's magic is wreaking havoc with the Fantastic Four's technology, and it's made the Human Torch's attempted rescue of Franklin on a fiery landscape far more complicated than anyone imagined. Reed realizes that he has to take the fight to Doom, but that may be exactly what the Latverian dictator had in mind all along.
I love Wieringo's artwork, but I found that the cuter elements in his work last issue worked against the developing dire mood. That's fortunately not the case this month. There's an emphasis on the desperate emotions that overcome Reed. Wieringo brings a surreal tone to the warped remains of the Fantastic Four's home. The design of the demons with which Doom has allied himself is striking. It's as though an array of simple shapes have converged in a sinister form. Paul Mounts's colors capture the intensity and danger of Doom's magic quite well too.
My favorite moments in this issue are those featuring Ben Grimm. At the beginning of the previous issue, he was presented as a loveable and playful soul who was the butt of his teammate's jokes. Here, he has a take-charge attitude. He sees that his friend is confused, his emotional detachment compromised, and the Thing demonstrates that he's not exactly lacking in the leadership department himself.
Overall, the real strength of this story arc isn't its redefinition of Dr. Doom, but its willingness to put the title characters through hell. The Fantastic Four is often portrayed as untouchable. For all of the changes and tragedies they've undergone, their lives stand out as wondrous, happy ones. Waid pulls the rug out from under the First Family of the Marvel Universe, and it's made for a compelling read.
