FF #13

By Lee Allred, Matt Fraction & Michael Allred

Even though Fraction is essentially gone, Lee Allred is taking his plot and making one heck of a run with it. The overall quality hasn’t dropped at all, which is more than can be said for Fantastic Four. The Allred family is on fire and even though things are ending soon, you still need to be on board.

The FF travel to the moon and invade the domain of The Watcher. As far as major plot development, not much else happens. Since things are ending, you would think that much more time would be spent on the culmination and dramatic tension. However, this is not a bad thing in the slightest. What we get instead is a cluster of shenanigans from everybody. The kids are playing around on the moon and torturing Red Ghost is a highlight of the issue. Another is the heartfelt speech Scott Lang delivers to Alex Power about responsibility. It’s a truly heartwarming moment that reminds you of how well Lang has been portrayed in FF. Oh, and Doom is once again in top character form.

What else is there to say about Michael Allred? The guy is an absolute master of his craft. It appears that Allred is really swinging for the fences. A few pages in and you can tell that Lee Allred is allowing Mike free reign and adjusting the script accordingly. Michael is such a wonderful storyteller, so this only plays to the strengths of both creators. Laura Allred’s colors should also be mentioned, as the book is as colorful and stunning as ever.

Man, it’s going to be painful to watch FF go. It’s still one of the top three Marvel titles being published and is one of my personal favorites. With only 3 issues left in this current run, this is a series you will not want to miss the end of.