FF #12

By Matt Fraction, Lee Allred, & Mike Allred

The news of Fraction leaving Fantastic Four and FF hit fans pretty hard. He’s been absolutely killing it on these titles and it’s sometimes hard to accept when such an incredible run comes to an end. However, the quality hasn’t dropped much at all, especially with FF. The story is just as awesome and we still have Mike Allred.

Anybody who has read any of my previous FF reviews knows that I love everything about this series and issue #12 is a mass collection of all of my favorite things about it. That Silver Age nostalgia? Yep, it’s all here, only this time Mike Allred gives us a huge splash page full of Marvel heroes and villains in all of their sixties glory.

Speaking of Mike Allred, this is one of his best issues yet. How the heck can he get even better? I don’t know, but he just did. From Scott’s crazy dreams to a kooky and hilarious Doom, every panel is a wonderful love letter to comics past and present.

The characters are still well written too. Scott and Darla are developing an interesting relationship. Adolf Impossible gets some very tender scenes. Also, Doom is always a showstopper, but he really shines; he’s cheesy and villainous, with just a hint of darkness. If that wasn’t enough, the book is hilarious, especially when we learn that Dragon Man is a bit of a pervert.

It looks like FF is going to be just fine. With so many Allreds on the creative team, it looks like smooth sailing. Fantastic Four is still worrisome though. We’ll have to see how both books play out through issues #16 and beyond.