CMX Review: Fantastic Four #542
THIS IS A WONDERFUL READ, AND ARGUABLY THE BEST REED RICHARDS STORY I'VE EVER READ! I DIDN'T BOTHER CHECKING OUT THE CREATIVE TEAM BEFORE I MANAGED TO FLICK OVER THE COVER, AS THIS IS SIMPLY FOLLOWING A SUBPLOT FROM CIVIL WAR FOR ME. TO MY PLEASANT SURPRISE, IT GIVES THE SAME SATISFACTION AS READING THE MAIN CW TITLE AND NOT SIMPLY A FOLLOW-UP IN QUALITY AND DUTY. IT PRESENTS US A BLINK INTO THE LIVES OF THE OTHER FF MEMBERS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WAR, BUT WHAT'S MORE ASTONISHING IS FINDING THE MAD THINKER IN THE LIGHT THAT HE'S PRESENTED HERE, VERY READABLE! HE'S THE SOUNDING BOARD TO REED'S CLASS 1000 INTELLIGENCE, AND IT'S TERRIFYING HOW THE LEADER OF THE FANTASTIC FOUR IS THIS CALCULATING. TO QUOTE HANNIBAL TABU FROM CBR, "NOW YOU SEE HOW SMART HE [REALLY] IS..."! DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE TORCH IS THE FEATURE ON THE COVER, IT'S MR FANTASTIC WHO'S THE REAL FOCUS HERE. 4.5 STARS OUR OF 5 - A MUST-HAVE GEM! KUDOS TO WRITER DWAYNE MCDUFFIE AND ARTIST MIKE MCKONE. I LIKED JMS'S PREVIOUS WORK, BUT THIS ISH IS CLEARLY A MARKED TERRITORY FOR MCDUFFIE.
CMX Essay: Leinil Francis Yu
The New & The Mighty
'NUFF SAID! LEINIL ON THE AVENGERS!
Iron Cap?
OK,THIS ONE'S A BIT OF A SHOCK DISCOVERY THIS MORNING, BUT I DO WELCOME CHANGES LIKE THIS (WITH THE MINOR EXCEPTION OF THE ORIGINAL CLONE SAGA FIASCO). GREAT LOOKING IMAGE, AND IT'S ALMOST REMINISCENT OF MY VARIOUS IRON MAN SKETCHES DURING UNI DAYS (BUT I DIGRESS). THIS SILVESTRI COVER HAS NOT BEEN SOLICITED AT ALL, EXCEPT AT AMAZON, SO EVERYONE'S THINKING IT'S A RED HERRING, BUT PERSONALLY I DON'T MIND EITHER WAY. I'M A BIG ADVOCATE OF CHANGES IN THE COMICBOOK WORLD LATELY (E.G. SPIDEY REVEALS HE'S PARKER, THE NEW AVENGERS, THE RE-EMERGENCE OF BUCKY AS THE WINTER SOLDIER)... IT'S GOING TO BE AN INSUFFERABLE WAIT FOR CIVIL WAR #7!
New Avengers Roll Call 8: Spider-Man
PETER PARKER
New Avengers Roll Calls 6 & 7: Power Man & Iron Fist
LUKE CAGE
DANNY RAND
New Avengers Roll Call 5: Spider-Woman
JESSICA DREW
New Avengers Roll Call 4: Wolverine
JAMES "LOGAN" HOWLETT
Drop 'Em Like They're Hot
IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN WHEN REALITY DICTATES THAT I WISELY CUT DOWN MY RATIONS OF MONTHLY TITLES (WHICH HAVE BALLOONED TO UNEXPECTED PROPORTIONS ANYWAY).
FIRST UP WILL BE PORTACIO'S WETWORKS. CAREY JUST DIDN'T DO IT FOR ME, SO PERHAPS I'LL COME BACK WHEN GRAIL BECOMES ONE OF THE MAINSTAYS.
THE SECOND TO GO SOON IS JLA. I AM JUST NOT IMPRESSED BY MELTZER... I SHOULD'VE JUST TAKEN THAT HINT FROM HIS MEDIOCRE IDENTITY CRISIS. THE REAL TALENT IN THIS BOOK THAT IS BENES IS WASTED ON A PLOT THAT TOOK FOREVER TO ESTABLISH.
AFTER MARVEL'S CIVIL WAR, THE FANTASTIC FOUR WOULD HAVE TO GO. JMS IS BRILLIANT HERE, BUT IT'S NOT A PERFECT PACKAGE FOR ME WITH MCKONE IN ART DUTIES. EVEN IF FF IS GETTING A NEW CREATIVE TEAM AFTER CW, I'LL HAVE TO BE AT THE SIDELINES FOR THIS ONE.
NOT A BAD START TO THE DIET...I'LL HAVE TO MAKE A MUST-AVOID LIST FOR THE TEMPTATIONS THAT ARE COMING UP SOON FROM MIGHTY MARVEL AND BEYOND! MAYBE, I CAN CATCH UP A BIT LATER THROUGH THE COLLECTED EDITIONS THAT WOULD LOOK MUCH BETTER IN MY LIBRARY.
BUT BEFORE THAT, HERE ARE THE KEEPERS:NEW AVENGERSX-FACTORFRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MANULTIMATESAMAZING SPIDER-MAN
New Avengers Roll Call 3: Dr Strange
DR STEPHEN STRANGE
New Avengers Roll Call 2: Ronin
IDENTITY UNKNOWN
New Avengers Roll Call 1: Echo
MAYA LOPEZ
Assembled Next Post Civil War?
WHO SHALL FOLLOW THE PATH OF NEW AVENGERS?
Cable
"LET NO ONE WALK ALONE, LIVING NO SIN, BUT VERY FEW WISHES LIKE ELEPHANTS IN THE FOREST." 
