Fantastic Four, Volume 2

Fantastic Four, Volume 2 by Jonathan Hickman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The High Evolutionary's abandoned subterranean city will soon rise and the Mole Man comes to the Fantastic Four for help. A lake beneath the Antarctic ice cap is threatened by AIM, who wishes to exploit its secrets. And what are the Inhumans up to on the Blue Area of the moon? All of this and more will be addressed in Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman - Volume 2!

I wasn't completely sold on Hickman in the first volume but I thought I'd give him another chance. The Fantastic Four have been my favorite super hero team for decades and Dale Eaglesham's art is the alligator's Adam's apple. I'm happy to report that this volume is more like what I was expecting from Hickman.

The four issues contained within are all throwbacks to early Fantastic Four tales, tales of exploration and not a lot of super heroics. The FF visit exotic locals such as Subterranea, the Blue Area of the Moon, the Negative Zone, and an undersea realm beneath Lake Vostock.

The interplay between the characters was well done. I liked that The Mole Man has moved beyond his one-dimensional hatred toward the surface world. I felt slightly lost during the story of the Inhumans but I was up to speed by the end.

Any gripes? It still felt like a lot of setup is about the only black mark against this one. I'm hoping some of the seeds Hickman has been planting bear fruit in the next volume. Regardless, it was a fun read and hearkened back to the days of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in some respects. 3+ is the final verdict.

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