There is some weird stuff going on in this series. First of all, for the back-story, see my review of #2 on the site. That being said, Reed Richards has decided to create a new prison in the N-Zone to contain all of their enemies. This is where the weirdness starts. The guy who Reed hires to design the new prison is married to a slimy, bug-faced, woman who is also kind of mean. Then, upon scouting out the N-Zone, the F4 are attacked by their old foe, Annihilus. Only, during the fight, another Annihilus attacks and accuses the first of being an imposter. All the while, the “imposter” screams about everyone handling his rod. (Well, actually he thinks that someone has stolen his control rod, whatever that is). After that, Reed is spying on Johnny during a breakup, Nick Fury is actually Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid, and hit actor Zelig is actually a Skrull attempting to contact his home world. (This Skrull is an alien that possesses the powers of each of the F4.

I don’t know what Robert Kirkman (writer) is up to, but he certainly keeps me guessing. His dialogue is simple yet well done, and his writing style is very fun to read. (I mean, Annihili being the plural of Annihilus? That’s classic). This goes hand in hand with the art by Cliff Rathburn, which is cartoonish, but excellently executed. Most notable are the expressions, which are sometimes hilarious. It is obvious that Kirkman and Rathburn worked together a lot to perfect the arrangement of the cells. (And I have to add that when Susan freaked out on the Skrull, was simply kickass). I really like it when writing and art come together in such an amazing fashion. One of the most important things in the making of a good comic is for all of the aspects to work together. This is something which I feel is often neglected these days.

Well, I’m certain that what Kirkman has in store for us for the second half of this series is just as bizarre, if not more so. At least, I hope it is. This is another one of those series that is meant for everyone, not just F4 fans and followers. A note to new collectors is that small series are a very good way to get into the collecting business. They expose you to complete stories that allow you to decide what heroes, writers, and artists you want to look out for in the future. Well, see ya next week.

-Fumanchu