The Fantastic Four #609

Jonathan Hickman // Ryan Stegman
October 2012
****

Millar’s superteam from the future returns to refit Galactus’ corpse as a starship & sets course for the future at light-speed. Over his run, Hickman has improved on Millar’s high concept by adding spacetime wrinkles. Stegman, another penciler from the bullpen, comes in to help JH close the run.

last issue: The Fantastic Four #608
next issue: The Fantastic Four #610

also indexed for Oct. ’12
FF #21

The Fantastic Four #587

Jonathan Hickman // Steve Epting
March 2011
****

A fantastic climax caps Hickman’s first “season”! Sue stares Namor down as she’s crowned regent of Atlantis. Even better, Val leads a junior team into the Neg Zone to commit science heroics. And Johnny sacrifices himself to stop an insectoid invasion. Would be ***** but for Ept’s photorealism.

last issue: The Fantastic Four #586
next issue: The Fantastic Four #588

also indexed for Mar. ’11
Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #4 of 9

The Fantastic Four #580

Jonathan Hickman // Neil Edwards
August 2010
***

While his father teaches the super-kids, Franklin foils a toy store team-up of that Silver Age imp & Arcade, the villain whose deathtraps always fail. Meanwhile, the nerds brew a serum that’ll turn Grimm human for a week. Hickman writes FF like it’s contempo TV, curving char & plot arcs every ish.

last issue: The Fantastic Four #579
next issue: The Fantastic Four #581

The Fantastic Four #579

Jonathan Hickman // Neil Edwards
July 2010
****

Speaking at a conference, Reed trumpets a techno-futuristic optimism that’s worth serious consideration. Pinning the blame for neo-luddism on age & fear, he founds a school for super-geniuses, mole-kids, & Atlantean water-babies. The high-minded theme trumps all considerations of Edwards’ choppy art.

last issue: The Fantastic Four #578
next issue: The Fantastic Four #580

The Fantastic Four #573

Jonathan Hickman // Neil Edwards
January 2010
**

Hickman picks up one of Millar’s plots—a prefab Earth-2 inhabited by superheroes from the future—in a one-off of remarkably dense storytelling. It’s similar to Grant Morrison’s style: lots of gee-whiz ideas & hyper-compression. But Edwards, in from the bullpen, has no aptitude for compressed comics.

last issue: The Fantastic Four #572
next issue: The Fantastic Four #574