Chopping Block Review: FF #1

So with the Fantastic Four being relaunched, so was its sister title, the Future Foundation (or FF for short). When the Human Torch died a few months back, the team donned black and white uniforms and became the Future Foundation, with Spider-Man as a member. The book was top-notch, but with Marvel NOW comes change, and I think this book has the biggest change. In the Fantastic Four #1, the team went off into space, leaving behind a team of hand-picked replacements to hold the fort down: and what a motley crew they pick.

Matt Fraction, the writer of the new Fantastic Four, also pens the new FF series, giving the book a huge sense of continuity. The characters chosen to fill the shoes of Marvel’s first family somewhat make sense, and some have you thinking “what?”. Expected recruits include the She-Hulk and Medusa, two characters who are intertwined with the Fantastic Four storied history. The ones that may have you shaking your head are the addition of Scott Lang, aka Ant Man, and Miss Thing. Lang is a long underused character, so it’s nice seeing him lead the team, but Miss Thing? I have no clue who this character is, and I am sure I am not alone in this feeling, but that’s not a bad thing. The way the story is told is done masterfully, and by the end of the book, you get the “Ah ha” moment of it all.

But the star of this book, for me anyways, is Mike Allred and his zany, cartoonish style. Best known for his groundbreaking Madman book, as well as his amazing, oddball re-branding of Marvel’s X-Force, Allred brings his signature style to the perfect book of the Marvel NOW era. Allred’s style is one of the most fluid, recognizable styles in comic history, and it makes every page feel like a complete work of art. With the extremely strong Marvel NOW debuts already out, I have no problem declaring FF #1 as the best of the bunch. Fun, witty, and eye-grabbing, this is the book everyone should be reading right now. Highly recommended, I give FF #1 a perfect @@@@@ out of FIVE.