Fantastic Four #583

Fantastic Four #583: Writer: Jonathan Hickman. Art: Steve Epting(!).

Review: Oh boy, here we go... This issue starts off with the Fantastic Four battling citizens of the Forever City who were trying to march onto US territory. While the FF have their hands full with the High Evolutionary's goons, Valeria is sneaking around her father's laboratory where she learns about his meeting with the Council, who seem to be a collection of several Reed Richardses throughout the multiverse who had banded together to try to solve all of life's problems. Valeria finishes going through her father's files and learns that Reed had turned down an invitation to join the Council since he didn't want to leave his family. From there we head to Latveria, where Dr. Doom is bemoaning the fact that he was brain damaged. Due to his diminished IQ, Doom decides he was unfit to rule over Latveria and resolves to abdicate his throne and concentrate on regaining his intelligence. Before he can make that move though, Valeria teleports to his throne room to speak to him about what she found in her father's lab. While this is occurring, the FF are mopping up the High Evolutionary's men, and are preparing to return to the Baxter Building. Back with Doom, Valeria tells the good Doctor that by choosing to stay with his family her father made a selfish decision, since going with the Council would have benefited way more than Reed's immediate family. Valeria asks Doom to help her father, and in return she promises to help him regain his intellect. After a moment of contemplation, Doom agrees and Valeria returns to the Baxter Building just ahead of her family. This issue concludes with the Silver Surfer standing deep inside the Earth looking upon the corpse of Galactus angrily.

What I Thought: Hmm, hmm, hmm... Where to begin... Well first off, I stopped reading the FF series after Mark Millar's horrendous run ended, and only started collecting the series again about two issues ago in preparation for this storyline. So going in I knew next to nothing about many of the plot threads Jonathan Hickman has been weaving. The High Evolutionary's Forever City? Dr. Doom having brain damage? The Council? Never heard of any of it! I was half hoping that this would have been a jumping on point for new(or in my case, returning)fans, but this was most definitely NOT a jumping on point. It was more like a “jumping into the deep end of the pool and trying to learn how to swim” point. I just didn't understand a good 75% of what was happening here. Hopefully before the next issue I can get my hands on some back issues or trades, because I was just in over my head here, which led to me just not enjoying this comic as much as I think I could have. Oh well, maybe next issue will make a bit more sense then this one did...

Score: 5 1/2 out of 10.I find super-intelligent children SO creepy...